I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"No, I know the direction."

Kiana looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "But you've never looked at maps or anything like that before."

"A voice was calling me, so I followed the direction of the voice."

At present, the only way is to follow the sound; there is no other way to find the correct location.

"... We're not going to commit suicide together here, are we?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Although he didn't know exactly where they were going, Lin was certain they weren't going around in circles. The evidence was... something seemed to be lingering around them in the nearby sandstorm.

Although he couldn't see the physical objects clearly and didn't feel any line of sight, Lin's excellent perception still allowed him to notice the "things" around him.

"..."

Even Kiana noticed the strange atmosphere around her. She looked around nervously, realizing she didn't have much energy left and might end up holding Lin back.

"Kiana, get out of the way."

The moment Lin spoke, a dark figure burst forth from the sandstorm!

The Rebirth of the Sky: Chapter Sixteen - The Reappearance of the Nemesis

What emerged from the sandstorm was not a wild beast, but an ominous black-gold monster. Lin threw Kiana aside, Jizo Mitama appeared in his hand. He slashed at the spikes of the monster charging at him, and the terrifying destructive power of the Divine Key instantly cleaved the monster in two.

Even as the monster's two halves collapsed limply to the ground, Lin did not let his guard down. On the contrary, a look of doubt flashed in his eyes. When he turned around, he saw the severed monster moving again in an extremely distorted posture.

Its curved and abstract shape is just like a marionette...

No, if it's a puppet, then what appears before Lin should only be its physical form, and the strings should be...

Lin looked up and was shocked to see a faint, semi-transparent sphere in mid-air controlling the monster's body. He was certain that the sphere hadn't existed before, meaning that the "core" only appeared after the "puppet" was defeated.

"Whoosh!"

Spikes came at him from both ends. He leaped up, stepped on the top of a spike to propel himself into the air, and cut the sphere in half in mid-air.

The gilded sphere fell to the ground, and the monster's body, having lost its core, stopped moving as if it had run out of power, remaining completely still in place.

The feeling of undercurrents around him disappeared. Lin picked up Kiana, who had been thrown to the ground with a bitter expression, and was somewhat surprised to find that Kiana had almost lost all sensation in her body, regained feeling when he threw her down.

It seems like I regained sensation in my body after kissing? What's the principle behind this?

"What are these monsters?" Kiana shook the dust and sand off her face, looking curiously at the monsters that seemed to have come out of a science fiction novel. "They're not Honkai Beast or machines."

"It may be a unique existence in this space, with similar substances in the Quantum Sea."

Lin examined the monster's cross-section. There was no structure inside; it was filled with a single, uniform substance. Neither biological nor mechanical substances could move freely.

"The Quantum Sea... You've been to the Quantum Sea?"

When Kiana heard this word, she remembered some stories that Bronya had told her.

"After staying here for a while," Lin said, looking up and reflecting on his surroundings.

Imaginary Singularity, could this place be...?

"Who!"

A sharp pain shot through Lin's back, a feeling of thorns in his back that made him immediately turn around and stare intently at the swirling dust.

The other party made no attempt to conceal their gaze; their aggressive and sharp eyes, like a blade, pierced through the sand and dust that obscured their vision and locked firmly onto Lin.

"Bass!"

It's here!

One wave subsides only for another to rise. This time, the opponent's speed was so fast that Lin didn't even have time to put Kiana down. He held Kiana in place with one hand and drew Jizo Mitama with the other, clashing with the sword blade that broke through the sandstorm!

"Sizzle!"

The equally dark blade made Lin's heart skip a beat, and a figure flashed into his mind.

In the World Bubble of the moon, when he rewound, the person he encountered in the consciousness space was someone he initially thought was just a mental disorder caused by fragments of his memories, and that she should have died 50,000 years ago.

When the sandstorm cleared and the attacker's true face was revealed, his ominous suspicions became reality, vividly displayed before him.

A silver-haired girl, dressed in a black high-slit cheongsam and wearing a gray coat, gripped a long, pure black sword in both hands. Her iridescent pupils, displaying a complex interplay of light and color, coldly gazed at her long-lost "enemy."

"You..."

Although the other person's attire had changed, Lin couldn't possibly mistake their signature long silver hair, Prismatic Eyes, and appearance that was impossible for anyone else to match.

Abaddon Yama Demon.

The female Lin, who had abandoned her original name, relentlessly hunted down other dangerous Lin beings in the Quantum Sea. Not only did she possess multiple Divine Key, but she was also an ascended Herrscher of Reason. She had many experiences of cooperation and hostility with Lin in the Quantum Sea. In the end, she was defeated by Lin using the Zero Rated Power of the Oath of Judas, giving up her chance to live and dying in her World Bubble.

The woman who once brought Lin nightmares has reappeared at this moment, spanning fifty thousand years.

Without giving Lin a chance to utter a second word, the mechanical upper body of Yan Luo appeared behind him and punched Lin, who was locked in a stalemate!

"Bang!"

Lin, who was still holding someone, had no way to fight back. He could only dodge the fist that smashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater, and then flee backward.

The silver-haired woman, unchanged for fifty thousand years, coldly stared at Lin as he retreated. Her Prismatic Eyes burned even more fiercely than they had fifty thousand years ago, as if endless hatred was gushing forth from the depths of her gaze.

But she did not pursue. After Lin retreated to a safe distance, she stood there expressionless and put the Black Abyss Longsword in her hand into the Abyss Flower at her waist.

"Click".

After the crisp sound of the sheath being drawn, Yan Luo snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and looked at Lin and Kiana.

"Why did you suddenly rush in..."

Another person arrived late, running up behind Yan Luo. This silver-haired woman was so fast that she had dashed over a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye, startling him so much that he thought she was going to abandon him and hurriedly followed.

But just as he was about to ask Yan Luo why he rushed out, he saw Lin and Kiana. Even though Lin wasn't wearing a mask, his trench coat and Kiana who was helping him were proof of his identity. He immediately thought of the necklace on his hand and wanted to rush up again.

"Bang!"

Before he could take a single step, he was sent flying dozens of meters away as if hit by an invisible tram, crashing to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, dazed and confused, only to be met with Yan Luo's strange and terrifying Prismatic Eyes.

Night Owl froze, seeing that Lin had also put away the Jizo Mitama.

Are these two people working together?

Yan Luo seemed too lazy to explain a single word to Night Owl. She turned around and looked at Lin coldly, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Kiana's body and face.

The sandstorm grew stronger, and all that could be heard on the scene, besides the sound of the wind, were the equally cold gazes on both sides.

"...Should I say it's been a long time?" Lin broke the silence first.

"Heh, Herrscher, is fifty thousand years still too short for you? It's allowed you to change nothing."

Yan Luo didn't respond to Lin's words, but instead directly changed the subject to Kiana.

How did you survive?

"Your strength has actually declined. Could it be that you've worn your body down from spending all your time with women? Oh right, that maid practically raised you like an infant, so it's normal for your limbs to atrophy."

"Where have you been for the past 50,000 years?"

The scene was extremely strange. The black-haired man kept asking the other woman about her life over the years, while the silver-haired woman kept sneering and mocking him. The two seemed to be talking to each other on different wavelengths.

This made Kiana's expression turn strange.

The "Rebirth" of Changkong: Chapter Seventeen - A Relationship More Complex Than a Kiss

This is beyond nonsensical; two people with equally stunning appearances and almost identical expressions are saying completely different things, making it impossible to tell whether they don't understand each other or are just childishly sulking.

When both of them ran out of things to say, they just stared at each other.

Now he looks even more like a child.

"... Why are you here?" After Yan Luo had finished cursing and felt satisfied, Lin returned to the original topic.

Lin Ke didn't believe it was a coincidence; Yan Luo's ambiguous stance as both friend and foe forced him to treat this woman with caution.

Yan Luo's words were astonishing. "Because I intend to go to your world."

"..."

"Don't be so surprised. You should have understood why I'm here when you saw me." Yan Luo's posture was relaxed, with no intention of suddenly attacking anyone. "It's just that there was a slight accident along the way. The space we are in is not your world, nor the Quantum Sea, but the gap between the Imaginary Tree and the Intrinsic World, a place without the concept of time."

Lin had long heard of the Imaginary Tree. He had previously speculated that the Schicksal had opened the Imaginary Singularity in Changkong City. Since the place they came to was neither the Intrinsic World nor the Quantum Sea, was it possible that the place they came to was the Imaginary Tree?

However, this is not a true Imaginary Tree; it is more like the gap between the Quantum Sea and the Intrinsic World that Lin had visited.

"Those monsters are creations of the Imaginary Tree. Their behavior, structure, and conditions of birth are all unknown. They are already higher beings to humans, but they are just the most common things in the space of the Imaginary Tree."

It seems that Yan Luo has done some research on the black and gold monsters, but the progress is really disappointing. Lin also knows that they belong to the Imaginary Tree and that it will take two attempts to completely defeat them.

"Then this is..."

Lin turned his head to the bewildered Night Owl beside him. Yan Luo's appearance was already surprising enough, but her appearance with Night Owl was even more surprising.

"I picked her up on the road." Yan Luo glanced indifferently at Ye Xiao, and he immediately shivered. Compared to Lin, he knew more directly how terrifying this woman was.

"..."

Lin didn't say much about this. What he should be more concerned about now is Yan Luo, this mysterious woman, who has reappeared and intends to go to his world. What is her purpose?

"Wait a minute, who exactly are you...?"

Kiana couldn't help but speak up at this moment. Her complexion was much better than before. She looked suspiciously at Yan Luo, who had just appeared and was now chatting casually with Lin Dasheng as if nothing had happened. Moreover, they had mentioned 50,000 years in their conversation, and the Class President had also said that she came from a very distant era...

Yan Luo walked past Lin with a cold expression, glancing at Kiana in his arms. His undisguised, menacing scrutiny made Kiana unconsciously frown. She said coldly, "Don't waste too much time here. Let's talk as we walk."

"..."

Kiana glanced at Yan Luo's departing figure, then at Lin.

"... What's wrong?" Lin asked, noticing her strange expression.

"Nothing."

Kiana answered in a muffled voice.

What's with this situation where you've just finished kissing someone and then this guy who seems like an old flame pops up...

"I know you have a lot of questions, but I'm not going to tell you everything."

Yan Luo strode forward, with Lin and Kiana following behind, and Night Owl bringing up the rear.

The silver hair of the girl in the cheongsam was blown about by the wind and sand, but it was not stained with any dust. She said indifferently, "First of all, it was indeed an accident that I was here. Someone in your world was preparing to use the Thousand Worlds Assumption to open the Imaginary Singularity. I used another Thousand Worlds Assumption outside my Intrinsic World to resonate with the internal location and create Imaginary Singularity that was enough for me to pass through and come to this world."

"However, during the activation process, the Thousand Worlds Assumption resonated with something else, which prevented me from entering the Intrinsic World and instead led me to the crevice."

Lin and Kiana exchanged a glance; they both knew what that "other thing" was.

Kiana's portal, due to the Thousand Worlds Assumption, had its teleportation coordinates disrupted, causing the portal's destination to become the gap between the Imaginary Tree and the Intrinsic World.

"Secondly, my main purpose is not you, at least not 'you' here."

"..."

Lin instantly understood Yan Luo's words, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

What exactly does this woman know?

She knew not only about what happened in the Quantum Sea, but also about the splitting of consciousness.

"What do you want to do?" Lin asked in a deep voice.

Yan Luo turned her head, a simple gesture that made her look incredibly elegant amidst her flowing silver hair. Compared to her sinister self fifty thousand years ago, the current Yan Luo seemed to possess a greater feminine charm. She said calmly, "This is something I didn't intend to tell you."

"..."

"At least here, we share the same goal: to find an exit from the chasm. The Thousand Worlds Assumption has successfully activated the Imaginary Singularity, but there was a problem with the teleportation process. Now, finding the Imaginary Singularity will allow us to return to the Intrinsic World. We need to be quick, otherwise, if the Imaginary Singularity closes, we can only pray that the Herrscher in your arms, who is dying, can accurately locate the coordinates of the Intrinsic World."

Lin blocked Yan Luo's gaze from Kiana: "She can't continue using Herrscher Authority."

"I don't plan to let her use it now. She doesn't have full control over the Herrscher Authority, so I don't know where she might teleport people. I won't let her use her power unless it's absolutely necessary."

Yan Luo immediately saw Kiana's problem; she had once had the same issue.

Yan Luo and Lin have similar personalities, and their decisive and efficient ways of doing things meant that they didn't stop moving after exchanging basic information. Another crack appeared in the distance, and it seemed that the desert was almost over.

"After you arrived here, did you hear a voice calling to you?"

Lin hesitated for a moment, but still asked, perhaps Yan Luo knew something.

"... This is so annoying. I'm not an encyclopedia, nor am I your lover. How am I supposed to know what's causing your auditory hallucinations? Just leave here and everything will be over."