Choice

"Third-tier?" Lin Yue, stroking the Snow Deer, naturally saw the text Zhu Li had written.

Having met Qianqi Weiming before, the two of them naturally knew what those two characters represented.

"Why am I so unlucky!"

Lin Yue cried out without tears, pushed the Snow Deer in her arms away, and immediately jumped up to run to the other two.

Compared to them, Zhu Li was much calmer, leaning down to gently stroke the Snow Deer that had followed them over.

The Snow Deer raised its head to glance at Zhu Li, offering no resistance to her actions.

[No need to be nervous, because we already can't run. The Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon's domain is vast; if we can see the Snow Forest Spirit Deer, we have likely already been covered by its domain.]

Seeing Zhu Li's calm demeanor, Chen Xi also set her mind at ease.

After all, if there were any real trouble, Zhu Li would have already taken them and fled; she wouldn't be here leisurely explaining things to them with flames.

Lin Yue hadn't realized this, thinking instead that Zhu Li was observing the situation, and had already coated herself in shadow armor.

"Where's the tree demon?" She dared not slacken, remaining constantly vigilant of her surroundings.

Yet, aside from the deep, silent woods, the only things she could see were two faces struggling to hold back laughter.

Lin Yue finally realized what was happening and said angrily, "Are you playing with me?!"

"I didn't say anything..." Chen Xi crossed her arms, her gaze shifting away.

Zhu Li smiled brightly and continued to explain to them.

[In reality, neither of these Legends will attack humans; instead, they will make us choose.]

"There's a Legend like that? I don't think I've seen it on the forum."

Chen Xi looked surprised.

The richness of the extraordinary in this world was far beyond her imagination.

[Originally, people often posted records of their tracks on the Deep Discussion Forum, but now that the Spark Federation has been invaded by the Evil Flower, such posts have been buried by requests for help.]

As Zhu Li spoke, the Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon revealed its appearance—the forest not far away was uprooted, the tree trunks, as tall as a small mountain, synthesized into a massive body.

The originally lush trunks were drained of their life force in the blink of an eye, turning withered, black, and yellow. The tree hollows on the Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon twisted, gradually forming a face.

The three of them looked up at this behemoth, a sense of oppression far exceeding anything they had felt before slowly descending. Although they had Zhu Li's advance warning, Lin Yue still subconsciously assumed a defensive stance for flight.

"Humans who have never met, begin your choice." The Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon's voice was hoarse.

As its voice fell, strange changes occurred in the surroundings.

At the location of the Spirit Deer, snow-like light dissolved the darkness, and plum blossoms bloomed in succession, clustering into a path of flowers. The little deer lay obediently in place, quietly watching the three of them.

In the direction of the tree demon, withered wood intertwined, weaving an arched river bridge filled with the scent of decay. The tree demon stood wordlessly in place, silently watching them.

Seeing this strange scene, the two of them looked at Zhu Li in tacit agreement.

[Choose one of them, and you will be granted a 'blessing'. Within a five-hundred-meter radius, you can vaguely sense other travelers who have chosen the other entity. Kill that traveler, and you can absorb a portion of their Legend.]

[In the midst of the slaughter, travelers whose 'merit' is recognized can choose to command their avatars.]

Yes, the two Legends before them were merely avatars; their true bodies were two sixth-tier existences spanning across various countries.

Hearing this, Chen Xi quickly weighed the pros and cons.

How does this not sound quite right... the difference between this and raising poisonous insects seems to be zero.

"Can we not choose?" Lin Yue was already having second thoughts.

Zhu Li shook her head slightly: [No, unless you can beat them.]

"Sister Zhu Li, what did you choose?"

[The Spirit Deer.]

Lin Yue whispered: "Then I'll choose the deer too, it's cuter."

"What about you?" She tilted her head to look at the black-haired girl.

Chen Xi decisively stated her reasoning: "I choose the Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon."

"This way, we can sense both sides of the choice, so we won't be ambushed or plotted against. I believe most people who have a team would think the same."

"That seems right." The blonde girl pondered, "Then let's choose separately."

With their choices confirmed, the two walked toward their respective directions.

Beneath the Vengeful Spirit Tree Demon, twisted branches extended, transforming into the shape of arms.

Chen Xi gave a light touch, and decaying black energy swirled around her. When she blinked again, the tree demon and the spirit deer had vanished.

The system panel popped up with a new message.

[Resentment: Devour those hypocritical people.]

Lin Yue trotted over and read the content on her panel in a daze: "love, colon, liberate those who have been cursed."

Chen Xi sighed and said helplessly: "Forget it, it's not all bad. At least we have a chance to quickly increase our Legend."

Seeing that both had finished their choices, Zhu Li smiled and manipulated her flames.

[There is no need to worry too much; chosen Travelers are extremely rare. I have only encountered two in a year.]

Seeing her say this, Lin Yue immediately felt relieved.

Generally, that was indeed the case, but the problem was—Lin Yue was the protagonist.

Protagonist meant being prone to disasters, especially since she was a time-loop type protagonist.

Staying by her side meant plenty of CGs, but it also meant dying quite quickly.

"What's wrong?" Noticing her stealing glances, Lin Yue looked puzzled.

What's wrong?

Chen Xi lowered her eyelids, recalling every move Lin Yue had made over the past few days.

Her heart softened.

She would help Lin Yue survive the pursuit of Qianqi Weiming first; future matters could be dealt with later.

Seeing both of them looking at her, Chen Xi pulled the corner of her mouth into a faint, mocking smile: "Nothing, I was just wondering if your barbecue is burnt."

"Ah!"

Amidst the shrill screams, the two hurriedly used their abilities to extinguish the fire on the grill.