On the territory of the Eerie Race.
At the scorched earth altar, several strange figures stood like guards at the four corners, while the high priest stood in the center, holding a jet-black dagger. He looked at Li Chen and said, "Sit in the center of the altar, close your eyes, and speak when you can't bear it anymore."
Li Chen nodded and sat in the center, closing his eyes. His Inner Demons... perhaps he also wanted to know what he was afraid of.
Is it fear of losing everything, or the inability to find what one wants?
After seeing Li Chen close his eyes, the high priest looked at the guards and nodded.
However, the guards seemed to have a hint of reluctance in their eyes, and they pursed their lips but dared not speak.
The high priest looked at them gently and said, "The Heart Sacrifice begins."
The high priest gripped the black dagger, hesitated for a few seconds, and then, without hesitation, slashed his aged hand. Drops of blood fell onto the blood array's eye. The high priest watched as the blood array activated, his eyes filled with reluctance as he looked at Li Chen.
Suddenly, he gripped the black dagger tightly and plunged it into his chest.
Pfft~
The high priest silently spat out a mouthful of blood, smiled as he looked around at everything familiar, and slowly knelt before Li Chen, who was now shrouded in endless darkness.
They had absolutely no idea what was happening in the outside world.
In the darkness.
Li Chen stood in the void, gazing up at the starlight in the sky, remaining silent for a long time...
What exactly are my Inner Demons?
Suddenly, accompanied by a ripple in the void, the entire world began to transform.
A place that was all too familiar appeared before Li Chen's eyes.
"Li Chen, what are you looking at?"
Is there anything interesting to see outside?
Li Chen looked around at his surroundings, somewhat bewildered.
Is this Chuanhai Academy?
The familiar desk, the familiar classroom, the familiar voices... everything has returned to the way it was before. Is this my Inner Demon?
"Hey, Chen-ge, are you going to answer?"
"That devil's eyes are practically devouring you!!"
Su Zhe's muttering interrupted Li Chen's thoughts. At this moment, Teacher Yu had already stepped down from the podium, smiled at Li Chen, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Li Chen stared blankly at Yu Qingnian's expression, feeling somewhat conflicted, and uttered a strange remark.
"Haven't seen you for a long time."
"Huh?" Yu Qingnian frowned. "What did you say?"
"Haven't seen you for a long time?"
What on earth are you talking about?
Even Su Zhe, sitting next to him, looked at Li Chen in bewilderment and whispered, "Chen-ge, is he perhaps still half asleep?"
Whispers filled the classroom.
They were all discussing it in hushed tones.
What's wrong with Li Chen today?
This time, however, Teacher Yu was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Come to my office after class."
"And Su Zhe, you're included too? Pretend I didn't hear what you said?"
Immediately, Su Zhe said with a tearful expression, "Teacher Yu, you can't wrong an innocent person!"
"I didn't say anything, I just observed silently!"
Teacher Yu sneered and said, "What do you think? Li Chen has already gone, so how can you not go?"
Do you really think I'm blind?
Su Zhe was speechless, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back.
Li Chen smiled as he looked at the two of them... subconsciously enjoying the warm feeling that was washing over him.
Two years have passed; it's amazing how much time has gone by.
I gazed at the sunlight reflecting off the window.
Perhaps this Inner Demon is just a memory...
A few scattered voices filled the classroom.
Teacher Yu glared at them both before picking up her book again and beginning her lesson.
Ten years ago, Eerie Monsters breached the Human Race border city...
Su Zhe smacked his lips, looking at Li Chen with a wry smile, and said, "Chen-ge, you've really ruined me."
You're supposed to be sleeping, but you insist on dragging me along!
"Really!"
Li Chen turned to look at him, but did not refute him. He just stared at Su Zhe's youthful face and remained silent for a long time.
Su Zhe... is he also a pawn planted among us?
But does he himself know it?
If I knew that, then all the friendships I had before were fake.
But Li Chen was more inclined to believe it was true.
But now that I've encountered my Inner Demons, does it simply mean confronting the past? Is that too simplistic?
You have to understand that he has faced his own inner thoughts and memories too many times, and these things cannot cause the slightest ripple in Li Chen's heart.
Even if Su Zhe and Yu Qingnian died in front of him, he would clearly know that it was all fake, so how could he feel any emotion?
The answer is, of course, no.
As Yu Qingnian's lecture abruptly ended, the world around them shifted.
A joyful atmosphere returned.
"Hey, Su Zhe, you dog!"
"It's not even fully cooked, and you're already eating it? Aren't you afraid of choking?" A Jin glared angrily at Su Zhe, who was gorging himself on food, and cursed him incessantly.
Su Zhe, his face covered in grease, said nonchalantly, "Anyway, we're all going to eat. You've grilled so much, I'll only eat a little bit!"
"Look at Mu Hen, isn't he accelerating like crazy too?"
"Even Shao-jie used flame grilling techniques." Su Zhe patted A Jin on the shoulder and laughed, "The revolution has just begun, comrades, we still need to work hard!"
A Jin sneered and sent the golden barbecue grill into the air. It certainly required effort, but the focus should be on how to defend against this fat man.
Su Zhe was speechless and slunk back to the campfire.
However, no one paid much attention to it.
She only glanced at him once and then didn't look at him again. Everyone knew Su Zhe's personality: he liked to eat, sleep, and was lazy. However, his only advantage was that when it came to Li Chen, all these shortcomings were swept away.
Perhaps this is what brotherhood is all about.
Li Chen sat by the campfire, looking at the familiar faces. He calmed down and remained silent as always. No one discussed him. He was still in the Canglan Academy, in a very comfortable environment.
He knew everything, and he knew what would happen next.
Suddenly, the same familiar question came through.
Ji Mumu's gentle voice rang out. "Chen-ge, with your strength, why don't you go and take Xian-ge's number one throne?"
"Do you think you can't beat Xian-ge?"
When he asked the question, even Su Xian looked at Li Chen with some curiosity. He also wanted to know the answer to the question. Li Chen's ability made it easy for him to defeat him, and he could even defeat him without taking any damage.
But why is Li Chen not interested in fame?
Is it because you're afraid of getting into trouble?
But isn't he still shining brightly in the academy?
Li Chen glanced at the group of people, shook his head, and gave a different answer than he had given at the time.
"I want to live, but not in a whirlpool of my own making. I want to live in a peaceful era, in a free world."
"But this world is too realistic, too disappointing, no matter..." Li Chen's words stopped abruptly, and he almost said the rest.