Chapter 475
These words were quite moving and did indeed win the sympathy of some soldiers. But some were like stubborn beans, unwilling to give up until they understood the situation completely.
"Stop talking and open it for me!"
Salus cast another inquiring glance at the Confessors Leader. If they were to discover what was inside the coffin, it would be better to simply force their way in.
Just as battle was about to break out, the Victoria Soldiers suddenly received a call from their superiors.
"Yes... yes, I'll be right there!"
They had no obligation to explain to outsiders and immediately summoned all the soldiers stationed there.
Salus vaguely heard words like "sky," "falling," and "struggle," which made her curiously peek out of the car window to investigate. Seeing the strange phenomenon in the sky, she immediately reported to the Confessors Leader beside her:
"Leader, look at the sky!"
The Confessors Leader pressed himself against the car window, his once youthful face suddenly turning unusually serious.
"I really didn't expect him to come back!"
Salus squinted, but still couldn't make out what was falling from the sky. After hearing the Confessors Leader's conclusion, she found it unbelievable:
"Him? You mean... Zhongli?"
"Two days ago, Theresia lured him and the Exotic Demon King into the Space-Time Rift, and then completely destroyed the Teleportation Array connecting the two places from there. I can't think of anyone else who could have done that besides Zhongli."
The only way to rescue the three was to find the Lich King and have him rebuild the Teleportation Array.
Zhongli's return in such a simple and brutal way completely shattered his worldview. Even Demon King couldn't possibly return to this land from outside the planet; this guy was simply beyond human comprehension.
"Ha, how ridiculous..."
Seeing the Confessors Leader give a self-deprecating smile, Salus didn't understand what it meant:
"Ah?"
"Whether it was Theresis or us hiding behind the scenes, we always thought the enemy was the Exotic Demon King. But Zhongli is a being far beyond Demon King. We tried so hard, but we couldn't get him to use his full strength. I don't know whether to say regret or apology."
"Then... what do we do now?"
The Confessors Leader glanced back at the trunk, then turned away and gave the order:
"What else can we do but leave? Even if we completely seize the Demon King's power, we're still no match for Zhongli. If he protects this land for the rest of his life, we'll never amount to anything."
Salus sensed the underlying meaning in his words, but not knowing how to comfort him, she could only silently press the accelerator.
Londinium, 7,000 meters above the ground.
Shi Lei carried Amiya and Theresia through the thick, sticky Star Pod.
Because the surface of the Rock Constructs would be constantly Erosion during high-speed flight in space, he repeatedly created new Rock Constructs on top of the existing ones, using a nested doll-like approach to ensure that the entire rock sphere would not be destroyed.
Later, in order to reduce the operating area, the sphere with a radius of six kilometers was shrunk to about two kilometers.
The interior was thickened with layers of Rock Constructs before it forcefully impacted the Star Pod enveloping the planet's surface from the outside.
At first, the surroundings felt very viscous, as if the Rock Constructs sphere had fallen into a bottomless abyss of jelly. The high speed it had maintained in space was forced to decrease drastically.
This tight, enveloping feeling greatly reduced the speed of the descent. The viscous interior of the Star Pod seemed to be consciously contracting, gripping the Rock Constructs sphere tightly.
Shi Lei knew that if things continued like this, they would be completely trapped here. So he focused all his energy on controlling the Rock Constructs sphere and launched a powerful charge, plunging it deep inside!
Finally, the Star Pod couldn't withstand the pressure and tore open a huge Cave Entrance. The Cave Entrance grew larger and larger, causing the surrounding Star Pod to develop stretch mark-like wrinkles.
Without the obstruction of the slime, the Rock Constructs sphere successfully broke through the Star Pod and reached an altitude of six thousand meters.
Seeing the scenery rushing past behind her, Amiya breathed a sigh of relief. Successfully passing through the Star Pod meant she would soon be able to meet the Doctor.
"Mister Zhongli, you are the first person in history to traverse Star Pod. This celestial phenomenon can probably be seen all over the world."
"I know, there's no other way."
Now that the Teleportation Array has been destroyed by Theresia, there is no other way but to cross the Star Pod. Shi Lei knows that doing so is very high-profile, but there is really no other choice.
Terra Planet was different from Earth before his transmigration; its outer perimeter was covered by countless transparent slimes. From space, it was impossible to discern anything from it.
It seems that in addition to its cushioning function, this Star Pod also serves to protect the Terra Planet.
When Shi Lei descended to 4,000 meters, he sensed many people gathering on the ground towards his predetermined landing point. If he didn't stop in time, many people would be crushed to death.
He changed course mid-air and flew west. Below him was only one land vehicle, speeding across the plains.
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Chapter 550 The Demon King's Curse (4K)
When the Rock Constructs sphere descends to three thousand meters.
Talulah, who was still in the middle of a battle, decisively extinguished the red flames behind her.
She had nothing to say to Dolak, who was blinded by power and desire like Ablana; she was more interested in the ripples and objects spreading in the air.
During her childhood, Talulah read many astronomical books at Duke Koschei's mansion. The old man was quite generous when it came to education. However, none of them recorded any celestial phenomena like today's.
This gave her a premonition that something serious must have happened. Even if she didn't get close to the location where the object had fallen, she thought it would be good to take a look from a distance using binoculars.
Seeing her turn and leave, Ablana felt slighted again, but suppressed her anger and continued to persuade her to surrender:
"Descendant of the Red Dragon, are you really not going to reconsider? As long as you are willing to submit to me, you can get anything you want, I can guarantee that."
Talulah was fed up with it all, feeling that this descendant of King Gael simply didn't understand his place. Her best response was to raise her right middle finger.
"You're pursuing power I don't want, yet you promise to give me what I do want. Do you think I need that?"
"You!"
Ablana was enraged and prepared to use Purple Flame to surround the opponent and the Rhodes Island together.
Just then, an unexpected figure appeared nearby. It was none other than Sarkaz, the one who had fought her to a draw at the Sunset Hotel in the Norbert District.
Mudrock doesn't recognize the number nine, but it does recognize Talulah:
Do you need help?
She noticed the black rocks emerging from the Entrance/Exit and came over with Ines to investigate.
Talulah remembered this Sarkaz beauty; she had seen her before in Northern Ursus. Back then, when the Rhodes Island was massacred by the Inner Guards, she had even helped escort the wounded.
"Oh, it's you. Thanks for your concern. But I don't need any help; I'm already done."
Ablana watched the two warily, quickly assessing the situation. She was not afraid of a one-on-one fight, but the addition of a formidable opponent significantly increased the difficulty.
Considering the officer wasn't around, Ablana slowly backed away, preparing to go back and get reinforcements.
Talulah noticed her preparing to slip away but didn't stop her. Instead, she looked up at the sky and said:
"I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now."
Mudrock and Ines saw the strange phenomenon in the sky halfway there, and knew that Shi Lei had most likely returned.
But one thing is one thing, another thing is another. We need to come over and check on the black smoke coming from here, and only go to greet the owner after confirming that it is safe.
"Okay, we should go back too."
The three set off first, and Jiu immediately organized the members of the Rhodes Island to evacuate. If they remained in place, they would likely be surrounded by the Deep Pool Forces who arrived later.
Talulah ran for a few minutes and, seeing that Mudrock and the other person were heading in the same direction, asked to confirm:
Are you guys chasing that thing in the sky too?
"Yes, it's probably because the adults are back."
Talulah gasped, looking up at the object that had changed course and was flying west, finding it hard to believe:
"You mean... that's Zhongli?!"
The Mudrock was unsure, but firmly believed it belonged to its owner.
"Most likely, we'll only know for sure if we see it with our own eyes. Many people have already gone there, let's hurry."
Because he rushed too hard when breaking through the Star Pod, Shi Lei was unable to land without damaging the ground.
The Rock Constructs sphere veered off course from the skies above Londinium and fell into the fields five kilometers west of the city.
The two-kilometer-sized sphere continued to shrink until it exploded with a deafening roar upon impact.
Fortunately, there were no other living creatures nearby besides the land vehicle. Shi Lei had put Jade Shield Wall on the vehicle in advance to prevent it from accidentally injuring passersby during landing.
As the Rock Constructs sphere struck the ground solidly, its downward momentum abruptly halted.
Shi Lei constantly Psychic Scan, sensing that many people were converging on this side.
Texas and Broca a little further away at the South City Gate, were also moving towards this location.
Mudrock was located further away, but surprisingly, she was with Talulah.
The breakthrough to the Star Pod was so significant that Shi Lei wanted to slip away while there weren't many people around. However, having agreed to Amiya's request to be recruited, he couldn't just leave.
It's time to let the world know about Liyue City.
"Are you two alright?"
Just as Shi Lei was making sure the driver and passengers were safe, Theresia frowned:
What are you doing here?
Upon hearing the Her Highness the Empress's voice, the Confessors Leader's spirits plummeted. However, he usually wore a mask and lived a secluded life, and few knew his true face.
When questioned, the Confessors Leader, holding Salus's arm, trembled slightly, and spoke in a youthful voice:
"Sister, I'm scared."
Theresia thought the voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before.
She didn't know the child, but she knew Salus, the scientist and Confessors. Salus had participated in many secret operations and should have perished alongside the Regent.
Where is Theresis?
Salus was exasperated, wanting to curse the Sarkaz. Now caught red-handed, perhaps only admitting to certain things could secure his escape.
"Your Her Highness the Empress, I don't know the details. He disappeared after activating the Storm Cataclysm. Many City Defense Army have surrendered to Rhodes Island. I didn't want that, so I had to leave with my brother. If there's nothing else, we'll be going now..."
"Wait, don't rush off."
Theresia called out to the two, her gaze sweeping back and forth across the face of the Confessors Leader:
"Salus, is he one of the Confessors' men?"
Upon hearing this, the Confessors Leader' hearts leaped into his throat. He forced himself to remain calm and continued to feign ignorance:
"Sister, what is she saying?"
"Your Her Highness the Empress, you're overthinking it. My brother usually stays in the laboratory; he's not a member of the Confessors."
Even though the two vehemently denied it, Theresia showed no intention of letting the Salus siblings leave.
"Please wait here, I have other plans."
The Sarkaz illiterate, so scientists like her can't be let go easily. Regardless of what experiments Salus did before, whether to keep her or not is up to Shi Lei.
Salus cast another inquiring glance at the Confessors Leader, signaling whether or not to rebel.
Theresia and the Exotic Demon King were already troublesome enough. Now there's another man whose strength is unfathomable, capable of easily killing the Royal Court Leader.
The Confessors Leader knew that a direct confrontation with them would inevitably result in defeat, but he still nodded with difficulty.
If they discover what's in the trunk, they'll cause a huge scene just like before. Launching a surprise attack now might give us a slight advantage.
The Confessors's exclusive Originium Arts allow them to possess an enemy's body or temporarily eject their soul from their body.
Possession requires the target to have weak Psychic Power; otherwise, it will suffer a strong backlash. For example, the Confessors Leader would give a child a mental drug before possessing them.
However, expelling the soul from the body can only be done on a single individual. As long as the body is completely killed before the soul returns, the soul will also be annihilated.
The limitation is that it requires chanting, speaking a long passage in ancient Sarkaz. If the chanting is interrupted, it must be restarted to complete the spell.
"Sis, play some music for us."
As the Confessors Leader spoke, he leaned forward and turned on the car's music, attempting to use the melody to mask the chanting required for Originium Arts.
But they forgot that Amiya was present. This Exotic Demon King possessed the ability to perceive others' emotions. She immediately sensed something amiss and warned Shi Lei:
"Mister Zhongli, there's something wrong with these two people."