What a helpless situation!

"Jiu Chen!"

Hearing the noise behind them, Yun Zhongyao and the man in black, who were still running, stopped and turned around at the same time.

Upon seeing the scene behind them, the two men's eyes widened in horror.

Both the man in black and Yun Zhongyao knew how important Xiao Fan was to the country (Qin Muyu), so much so that they demanded that they rescue Xiao Fan from the City of Kings at all costs.

They had made ample preparations, but they never expected that Quan Zhong possessed a golden item.

The golden prop is too overpowered! With their methods, they simply can't open the golden prop's Capture Cage.

"This is it, we're doomed."

The man in black was utterly despondent.

He deeply understood Xiao Fan's importance to the country.

The nation's power in the Cloud Sea has gone from being on par with the Shen Sect to now being far ahead, largely thanks to this novice player, Jiu Chen.

But in the end, he couldn't save Jiu Chen.

With Jiu Chen's death, the Shen Sect regained its Quan Zhong and influence.

The sky above the Cloud Sea is likely to change again.

"It's all my fault for being incompetent."

Yun Zhongyao was heartbroken; Soul Piercer had specifically chosen her to come.

She was unable to save Xiao Fan.

"Hahaha!"

As Shen Long watched Xiao Fan's figure gradually disappear into the Cannon Fire and felt the suffocating heat, he laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.

"Blood for blood! Jiu Chen is finally dead! Zhou He, let's see what you have left to fight me with."

Shen Beiwen and Shen Beiwu stood on either side of Shen Long.

"Great! My brother's revenge has finally been achieved."

Shen Beiwen feigned excitement.

Shen Beiwu isn't as good an actor as his brother.

"Dad, with Jiu Chen dead, the official cities will become much less attractive to players. It will be time for our City of Kings to rise."

Shen Long nodded in agreement.

The other players in City of Kings were all extremely excited when they saw Xiao Fan being shot dead by Rocket.

"Jiu Chen is finally dead!"

"That bastard's been smug for so long, he's finally been punished."

"I hereby declare: Jiu Chen, the number one cheater in the game, has officially fallen!"

The players in City of Kings didn't have much of a grudge against Xiao Fan.

They were so happy for two reasons: first, to gain Shen Long's favor; and second, because joining the City of Kings meant losing the advanced Profession created by Xiao Fan.

These players inevitably feel resentful.

This imbalance gradually balanced out with Jiu Chen's death.

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, one player suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the distant firelight.

"What is that... purple light?"

He thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes hard.

When I opened my eyes again, the Purple Light in the firelight had not disappeared; instead, it had become even more intense, as if something was awakening.

"Look! What's going on over there!"

Another gasp rang out from the crowd.

Instantly, everyone's eyes turned to the location of the firelight.

The flames ignited by the shells were gradually dying down, but at the very center of that dying ember—

A blinding Purple Light suddenly exploded.

Purple Light shot into the sky, instantly dyeing the entire sky.

The previously noisy crowd fell silent instantly, everyone staring incredulously in the direction of the firelight.

A long time.

"That... that is..."

Shen Long's voice trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

His pupils contracted sharply.

Because of the location where the Purple Light was emitted--

This was the direction Jiu Chen had been in.

"He... wouldn't... have another trick up his sleeve?"

Shen Long spoke with difficulty.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Xiao Fan has even used a skill that's almost God-King Tier; what other trump cards does he have left?

I'm begging you! Can't you just die peacefully?!

Shen Long cried out in his heart.

Oh--

Suddenly, a very clear and faint sigh rang out.

The voice was extremely ethereal and beautiful, as if it were floating in their ears from the horizon, causing everyone to lose their senses for a moment.

"Jiu Chen, why did you make yourself look like this?"

The pleasant voice rang out again, and the people around finally realized what it had said.

"Jiu Chen? Could he still be alive?"

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned toward the direction of the Purple Light from which the sound originated.

The soaring purple light slowly receded, and a tall, slender girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old appeared before everyone.

The girl had fair skin and an extremely beautiful face. She wore a long purple dress that looked like it was woven from feathers, draping lightly and gracefully. Beneath the hem of the dress were a pair of bare feet.

Her purple hair cascaded down to her waist.

But what truly captivates the eye is her eyes—

Golden pupils, clear and deep, as if hiding a light that does not belong to this world.

And the wings behind her that were slowly folding in.

It's also gold.

"Hmph! A bunch of ants dare to surround and kill my lord?"

The girl snorted coldly, her golden pupils radiating an inhuman chilling aura.

One sentence brought everyone around to their senses; they suddenly realized...

"This girl is not human!"

Although she looks very human, her hair color, pupils, and the wings on her back are definitely not what a human should have.

Shen Long looked at the large golden wings behind the girl and felt a sense of familiarity.

"That's right! These wings are exactly the same as Jiu Chen's Golden Wings!"

Shen Long suddenly remembered what the girl had just said?

To surround and kill our lord?

What's the meaning?

Is Jiu Chen her master?

So what is she?

In a short time, many ideas had already popped into Shen Long's mind.

But the person behind him, Quan Zhong, suddenly glared at him.

He remembered his elders saying that the game had a pet system.

Players can tame creatures in the wild and make them their pets.

But... Jiu Chen, this pet, is different from what the elders described.

Does this game have such creatures?

Quan Zhong stared at the girl not far away, his mind going blank.

Behind the girl, Xiao Fan stared in shock at her retreating figure.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice filled with disbelief.

"You... you are Zijin?"

Zijin turned around and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Don't you recognize me, young lady?"

"That's true!"

Xiao Fan swallowed hard; it was no wonder he was shocked.

Previously, Zijin was only 1.5 meters tall and looked about eleven or twelve years old, completely like a little girl.

The girl in front of him was at least 1.68 meters tall, looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, and had much longer hair than before, reaching below her waist.

The leaves, which originally had purple pupils, turned golden.

"Is this the difference between infancy and childhood?"

Xiao Fan remembered Zijin saying that their growth was divided into infancy, growth, maturity, and adulthood.

It now appears that Zijin looked different at each stage.

"Jiu Chen, what on earth are you up to out there! You're always putting yourself in life-threatening situations, forcing me to wake up by force!"

Zijin stood with his hands on his hips and started cursing.

Hiss~

Xiao Fan gasped.

That familiar Zijin is back!

"It's only twice, isn't it?"

Xiao Fan whispered.

The Zijin Realm in Brave New World helped him once before, and this time it was again.

"You have the nerve to say that! In less than three months, you've had two life-threatening crises, you're trash!"

Xiao Fan: Damn it! You dare call me trash, the number one genius in gaming?!

There's just no way around it!