"Just as I thought, Teacher. Your favorite disciple is him... not me."
A flicker of dejection crossed Lu Chen's world-weary eyes. He respected his teacher so much, while Du Jingzhe was always plotting to betray their teacher and destroy his legacy. Yet in the end, his place in his teacher's heart could never compare to the other man's.
A murderous gleam filled Bai Ye's eyes. He wished he could travel back a hundred years and kill this treacherous disciple outright in Green Vine City.
Unfortunately, he could not. That would disrupt history and prevent the East Continent Federation from being founded. Without the East Continent Federation, everyone on the East Continent would die, including him.
"That's right. You're nowhere near Du Tianming."
Those blunt words deepened the dejection in Lu Chen's eyes. He fell silent for a long time.
Having lived for a century, he had long since attained a composure beyond that of ordinary people. Few people or things in this world still mattered to him, but his teacher was undoubtedly one of them.
Yet now, the teacher he revered had hurt him so deeply.
"Teacher..." Lu Chen sighed. "I don't blame you for disliking me. Once you truly understand me, you'll realize that I'm the one who's right!
"What's wrong with the Virtual World? It's humanity's only refuge!
"Others might not understand, but surely you do, Teacher?"
He pointed at the pitch-black sky outside the window. "Teacher, take a good look. Purple has already appeared in the sky. Before long, this era will become just like the age of the transcendent turmoil, completely consumed by the forbidden domain!
"When that happens, the Evil God will descend, and the world will be utterly destroyed!
"Everything I've done has been to leave humanity one last path to survival, just like