Dunhuang responded with a muffled "Okay."
"Fifteen minutes, but I need you to use your full strength. The Eerie Lord's power has now surpassed everyone else's. If it is broken, not only will this place suffer, but Huizhou City will be destroyed, and it may even spread to surrounding cities."
A cold laugh came from the other end, "Destroyed in an instant?"
"Where is there now that Human Race cannot be destroyed?"
Are you truly fighting for Human Race?
"Isn't it because of their high position that they have no choice but to fight?"
Do you really think I don't know?
"You have forced the Eerie Lord to this point. You orchestrated everything back then, and now you are suffering the consequences of it all. This is what you deserve, and even death cannot make up for it."
"Bullshit." Light Fiend retorted coldly, "Then tell me, besides us, who else can stop him now?"
"Is it you, or one of those cowardly good-for-nothings?"
"To put it bluntly, we're all in the same boat now. If the boat capsizes, everyone will die. Don't give me any high-sounding Great Dao; if you don't help, you'll just have to wait for this precarious ship to sink."
The man was silent for a few seconds before continuing, "The first person I've ever hated is you, Light Fiend. As the leader of Human Race, you have no courage to carry the banner. If it weren't for the support of others, I would have started a rebellion."
"There's no such thing as right or wrong. It's just that you stand on a high ground condemning everyone, while those who deserve the light haven't been cleansed, but you've received that reflected light."
"I see it all clearly. But as you said, Human Race shouldn't be destroyed, but I think you deserve to die and should step down."
In the blink of an eye, the world seemed to change color.
Golden water flowed across the sky.
It transformed into a torrential downpour, eventually appearing as a Great Bell in everyone's sight. However, the Great Bell seemed to possess consciousness, swiftly heading towards Li Chen.
Li Chen noticed it too, his body surging with Black Mist as he moved with incredible agility, trying to shake off Great Bell.
"Oh? Another Supreme Being has made a move?"
"But that's not enough."
Forbidden Substances flowed in his palm, transforming into tentacles that wrapped around the Great Bell, attempting to crush it. However, an unexpected event occurred at that moment.
At the same time, Yan Qing, Light Fiend, Dunhuang, and Wangyang, who had been held back, suddenly appeared in the sky, looking down at Li Chen, who was resisting Great Bell.
This moment is like Sun Wukong in the myth being pressed down by the Five Finger Mountain, looking up to meet the eyes of those gods.
This time, however, it was Li Chen.
However, he remained fearless, his gaze calm as the sound of the shattering Great Bell continued to ring out; it was about to break apart.
Yan Qing's eyes were practically overflowing with killing intent. "Light Fiend, kill him."
"Justice will not tolerate him. Let me see if what I thought is true—he is unkillable!"
Despite his pale face and body being eroded by Forbidden Substances, Light Fiend nodded and met Wangyang's gaze, his entire body beginning to emanate golden light.
Meanwhile, red dragons coiled around Wangyang's body, his fist intent soaring to the heavens. Dunhuang sighed, his fishing rod transforming into a silver hook, ready to strike at any moment.
With Yan Qing's furious roar, "The fallen cannot be forgiven!" four beams of light pierced through the void and hurtled towards Li Chen, illuminating the entire battlefield and making the sky seem shattered.
Li Chen stood in the center, his eyes completely calm as he looked at the four attacks... as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, his heart filled with tranquility.
"It has finally come..."
"Destruction represents rebirth; that's what you meant by Li Chen."
"I believe it. If I am destroyed, then the Eldritch God will be sealed forever at the Forbidden Door until the next me appears."
But the Forbidden has already been established.
"I am immortal."
Li Chen slowly opened his arms to embrace the incoming attack. At that moment, the light dispelled the darkness, leaving only the booming sound of the explosion.
The Six Doors opened in the darkness.
The last door, which also holds all the truth.
Li Chen slowly walked towards the abyss, his body feeling an unprecedented ease. There was nothing in the void until a ripple appeared, and six keys appeared in front of him.
"So you already guessed it?"
"Li Chen."
The void was still shifting when a beam of light shone a step in front of Li Chen. It was very bright, like a Dawn in the darkness, but it wasn't shining on him.
After the light appeared, two chairs and a chess table also appeared in the light, but strangely, one of the chairs remained in darkness.
At that moment, Li Chen appeared on the chair reflected in the light at the chessboard, smiling as he looked at Li Chen.
"You've arrived..." The voice was familiar yet refreshing, just like their first meeting.
"I'm here." Li Chen responded like a friend, and slowly walked to the chair in the darkness and sat down. Before him was the light that was within reach, and on it were chess pieces that had already been placed.
Li Chen smiled and said, "How was it? You played a good game of chess, didn't you?"
Li Chen fell silent... Gazing at the chess pieces, it was as if he saw everyone he had ever met. One familiar aura after another allowed him to recognize who it was through the chess pieces.
"It's... it's really too big."
"It's been really good... both now and in the past... really good."
Li Chen's smile widened, and he looked at Li Chen meaningfully, saying, "Now you should know a lot of things and principles, right? Is that naive boy from back then still there?"
"Did I force you to do it?"
Silence... Li Chen's fingers dipped into the chessboard, and suddenly they began to burn. But he hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed over a chess piece.
At this moment, the flesh and blood were completely burned to ashes and fell onto the chessboard, revealing clearly visible black bones before the two of them.
"I understand the logic."
I understand blood and flesh too.
"But there are many things I don't understand. I'm not a god; I'm a living, breathing human being."
"If I hadn't been driven to the brink, who would willingly destroy the world? The rules you established forced me to give my all to break free, but at the end of the path, is there truly the freedom I desire?"
"Now the light rejects me, and the darkness wants to drag me into an endless abyss. Whom am I fighting against? Am I fighting for my life, or for the path?"
"I know the Forbidden, I understand the Forbidden, I even integrate into the Forbidden, but have the Forbidden accepted me?"
Where, then, is the Forbidden Authority?
"How can I ascend to 'godhood'?"
At that moment, the void seemed to tremble.
Li Chen smiled as he looked at the young man before him who had experienced so much, as if recalling their first meeting. The memories were beautiful, but they were just memories. The young man before him was constantly losing his memories on this path, even his friends... everything was being lost until it all vanished into nothingness.
Li Chen moved a chess piece but suddenly crushed it, asking softly, "Do you want to ascend to godhood?"