"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
As soon as Huang Ruolin and Pei Qinhu came out, they saw Lin Yi looking deeply troubled.
They had never expected the usually powerful Lin Yi to wear such a grave expression. Their own faces darkened.
Lin Yi hesitated for a moment, pressed his lips together, and finally spoke. "Situ Qianji and Zheng Shan came by just now."
"What did they come here for?" Huang Ruolin reacted strongly.
Everyone knew those two fellows were the only real threat among them. Had they already found Lin Yi's weakness?
If so, wouldn't Lin Yi be in danger?
Seeing Huang Ruolin's worried expression, Lin Yi furrowed his brow. He was indeed in danger, but not because of those two old men.
The conversation among the three of them came flooding back into his mind. Lin Yi's brow knitted tightly, his teeth clamped down on his lip, and his deep eyes went blank, like a lifeless lake.
Seeing him fall silent, Pei Qinhu realized how serious the matter was. But if even Lin Yi couldn't resolve it, what use would it be for him to go?
Or was Lin Yi worried that they had no support?
"Alliance Leader Lin, I, Pei Qinhu, am willing to lead everyone in my sect in helping you overcome this crisis!" Pei Qinhu dropped to his knees, raising both hands above his head. He looked ready to face death without flinching.
Seeing him like this, Huang Ruolin followed suit and knelt beside him. Lin Yi had given her life; what did it matter if she risked it for him?
But the only response was the echo resounding through the vast room. Lin Yi was deep in thought and hadn't heard a word they said.
They weren't upset. They stayed kneeling, refusing to rise, their hands still held high and utterly motionless.
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Linlang came in too. When she saw the two kneeling, her gaze fell on Lin Yi, who sat opposite them, staring blankly into space.
He held a cup of water, gently swirling it as if waiting for it to cool. Steam curled from the cup. Whether it was because of the steam or something else, Zhang Linlang saw a veil of moisture before his eyes.
"Alliance Leader Lin, what happened?" She went to his side and gently tapped his shoulder, trying to draw him out of his thoughts.
The slight rocking brought Lin Yi back to himself. When he saw Pei Qinhu and Huang Ruolin kneeling before him, he froze for a moment and asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"Alliance Leader Lin, I, Pei Qinhu, am willing to lead everyone in my sect in helping you shoulder your troubles!" Seeing that Lin Yi had come to, Pei Qinhu bowed his head and said it again.
Huang Ruolin beside him made the same vow. Looking at them, Lin Yi felt a trace of warmth in his heart. Right now, they were the only ones who truly cared about him.
This should have been a simple matter. As long as he had the system, everything could be solved. But after what had just happened, he checked the system and found no record of it.
"Situ Qianji and Zheng Shan came by just now. You know that, right?" Lin Yi stood up from his chair and slowly walked over to the three of them, his expression grave. "They told me about the Storm War Dragon."
At his words, all three stared at him in shock. The Storm War Dragon was an exceedingly rare Soul Beast. Even Lin Yi's Soul Ring had been exchanged through the system, so he had always believed that such a thing didn't actually exist.
When Zheng Shan mentioned the Storm War Dragon, Lin Yi had been stunned too, thinking he was trying to deceive him. But it turned out that wasn't the case.
"Where is it?" Pei Qinhu asked, his expression dark, as if he could hardly believe it.
Lin Yi's answer left the three of them stunned again. It was a veritable hell on earth. Nobody would go to a place like that. But then again, perhaps the Storm War Dragon imagined that no one would be there.
"Ghost Sorrow Cliff? Why does that sound familiar?" Zhang Linlang rubbed her head, her slender brows drawing together as if she were trying to remember.
There were many things she couldn't remember, but Ghost Sorrow Cliff rang a faint bell. She couldn't say why, but it seemed she had been there before.
Lin Yi fell into thought again. Of course he knew about Ghost Sorrow Cliff. After Tang San was discovered by the Tang Sect for secretly learning its inner-sect manuals, wasn't he chased all the way there?
But the strange thing was that ever since he jumped off Ghost Sorrow Cliff, the place had become a hell on earth. Lava covered the ground, and the already desolate cliff was left without a single living creature. Even the Soul Beasts that had lived in that inferno disappeared without a trace.
"I remember!" Zhang Linlang slapped her forehead, finally recalling something about Ghost Sorrow Cliff. "Do you mean that hell on earth, Ghost Sorrow Cliff?"
Lin Yi nodded. Though he now possessed the Storm War Dragon's abilities, if he absorbed another Storm War Dragon, he would become a true Storm War Dragon. At that point, he would truly step into the realm of the gods.
"You can't go!" Zhang Linlang saw that he really seemed prepared to leave, and sprang up to block his way. "It's far too dangerous there. You can't go."
Lin Yi knew she was worried about him, of course, but he had no choice. It wasn't for the sake of dominating the whole Douluo Continent; it was only so he could return to his own world.
If he didn't go and the mission failed, he would lose his chance to return to his own world.
At first, he had considered staying away. After all, no one went to that place, so he would remain the only Storm War Dragon on Douluo Continent. And with the system, he could practically live with cheats enabled.
But just as he was about to give up, the system's mechanically cold female voice suddenly sounded in his mind. The mission was to absorb all the Storm War Dragon's energy.
Lin Yi sighed and shook his head helplessly. He slowly walked out of the room, saying as he left, "This time, I have no choice but to go."
After he left, only the three of them remained in the vast room. It was so quiet they could hear nothing but one another's breathing.
"What are we going to do?" Huang Ruolin rose from the floor and stared blankly at Lin Yi's departing figure. Tears glistened in her beautiful eyes, and her voice caught in her throat.
Zhang Linlang watched him disappear into the distance, her eyes vacant as she sank into thought without a word. Her lovely lips pressed together, parted slightly, then closed again.
Seeing the two young women so hesitant, Pei Qinhu was deeply worried too. Lin Yi had vanished from view, and he stared blankly in the direction he had gone.
"If Alliance Leader Lin really has to go, I, Pei Qinhu, will be the first to charge ahead." His eyes were full of resolve, as if he had already made up his mind to face death without flinching.
After leaving, Lin Yi came to a secluded grove. Birds chirped all around him, and a breeze brushed his cheeks, ruffling his long hair as if soothing his troubled heart.
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