No! Spare Me! No!

Hm?

In an illusory space where clouds roiled, Bowente could not help but give a soft snort.

Thirteen clay tablets lay before him, each engraved with a different name. At that moment, the name on one tablet was rapidly fading, nearly vanishing altogether.

Bowente smiled. With a gentle sweep of his palm over the tablet, that nearly vanished name gradually became clear again. A finger studded with wands tapped the floating clouds, revealing the Snow World under Li Ziran's control.

His gaze passed straight over the Giant and landed on Li Ziran and Cavis, who were rapidly departing.

"Are you coming after me?" Bowente smiled faintly. His square table lightly tapped against the tabletop, and a cup of red tea reappeared in his hand. It drifted lightly to his lips. Only after closing his eyes and savoring it for a while did his little finger casually tap the other end.

At once, the space shifted, and a figure in mage robes was fixed rigidly at the very center of the formation.

It was none other than Lain, the Ashes Mage who had once encountered Li Ziran.

Yet now, he stood there like a prisoner, his two eyes staring strangely at the unfamiliar person reclining in the chair.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Lain asked curiously.

Bowente smiled faintly. "Bringing you here naturally serves a purpose. Would you like some red tea?"

"I won't drink it!" Lain said sharply. "Let me leave, or this space of yours will turn to ashes!"

"Ashes? Not a bad suggestion." Bowente savored his tea, crossed one leg over the other, and inspected Lain from head to toe with meticulous care. His eyes brimmed with disdain. "Your cultivation is decent, but you have reached the end of the road. Such a withered