Nie Li smiled bitterly. What else could he have done?
He had been all alone, and the other side had fought dirty.
And back then, he had been practically out of his mind. He could not have left the battlefield even if he had wanted to.
"I fought him and his six God Tier demon beasts. Although I managed to surpass his cultivation at the very last moment, I simply couldn't withstand his six God Tier demon beasts taking turns wearing me down. In the end, I died fighting. But before I died, the Book of Time and Space Spirit was soaked in my blood. I suspect that was how it brought me back to when I was thirteen. Everything could start over."
The Sacred Emperor?
Who was that? How did he dare call himself that?
"Yes, Zi Yun doesn't have to die, Ning'er doesn't have to die, Du Ze doesn't have to die, Lu Piao doesn't have to die. None of them have to die. That's exactly why I came back."
Nie Li raised his fist toward the moon overhead.
His fighting spirit soared!
In Ye Ziyun's eyes, Nie Li was truly rather captivating at that moment.
Nie Li had long since noticed that Ye Ziyun was holding his hand.
He simply went with the flow and gently embraced her.
"Huh?!"
"Zi Yun, it's so good to see you again."
Those few words from Nie Li instantly sent Ye Ziyun's heart racing and turned her ears crimson.
Wh-what was he doing?
Nie Li, he...
Ye Xiu and Chen Fei stood on a large tree in the distance.
Ye Xiu stroked his beard with a smile, while Chen Fei watched with a cheerful grin.
A talented young man and a beautiful young woman-this was a perfect example.
Early the next morning.
Du Ze, who had kept watch during the latter half of the night, looked at the extinguished campfire, then at Nie Li and Ye Ziyun cultivating up in the tree.
So neither of them had gone to sleep during the latter half of the night. They had gone up into the tree to cultivate instead.
Nie Li had successfully broken through to Bronze Two-Star.
After burying all traces of their campsite, the group set off again.
"Woo-hoo!"
Lu Piao had always been the best at livening up the atmosphere. He held a small porcelain bottle, occasionally tipping out a Soul-Tempering Pill and popping it into his mouth as they walked.
Soul-Nourishing Pills and Soul-Congealing Pills had no flavor at all. This was the pill he liked eating, and he was practically munching on them like candy.
Over the course of a single night, Nie Li and Ye Ziyun's relationship had certainly grown much closer.
At the very least, Ye Ziyun was letting Nie Li hold her hand.
"Hey, Nie Li, what exactly are we going there to find? Give us a little hint?"
Lu Piao came up beside Nie Li and nudged him with an elbow.
"Well, I'll tell you once we find it. Hehe."
Nie Li stubbornly refused to say.
"But I can guarantee that we'll reap a rich harvest on this trip."
"What the heck? Cliffhanger dogs who leave people hanging get razor blades mailed to them, you know!"
Wei Nan said, "Nie Li, the Sky Screen appeared twice, just a week apart. What if we go to Gulan City and miss it because we don't get back in time?"
Nie Li pondered this.
That was indeed a problem.
"Actually, in that future-the future where the Sky Screen never appeared-my father-in-law and the others were all in Glory City. Nothing major should go wrong."
Of course there would be no problem. Nie Li had invited several inscription masters over and had them produce two Legendary Rank inscription scrolls for Ye Zong on the spot.
He certainly could not have made them himself. After all, producing two Legendary Rank scrolls took far too much mental energy, and he had only been Bronze One-Star at best.
Even so, it had thoroughly exhausted those inscription masters.
As for failing to return in time to see what the Sky Screen showed, Nie Li was not particularly worried.
When soldiers came, he would send generals to meet them; when water came, he would raise earth to block it.
After traveling for three or four days through towering mountains, valleys, and tunnels, the mottled, crumbling ruins of a city spanning over a hundred li appeared before them.
Having been deserted for so long, the place had become overgrown with dense stands of large trees.
Along the way, however, they had also encountered quite a few expedition teams that people from Glory City had organized on their own to explore Gulan City.
Some were heading back with their heads hanging, while others still refused to give up and insisted on venturing farther inside.
They had even seen two or three corpses that no one had managed to carry away.
Several members of the group had nearly vomited on the spot.
Only Nie Li and Chen Linjian showed little reaction.
The former had seen so much slaughter that he was long used to it. The latter frequently went on expeditions, where deaths were inevitable, so he was used to it too.
As everyone looked at the ruined city, fear involuntarily stirred in their hearts.
After the Dark Age had begun, far too many cities built by humans had fallen beneath the attacks of demon beasts.
If Glory City were breached as well, it would meet the same fate as Gulan City.
Everyone turned to look at Nie Li.
Of everyone present, only Nie Li had once witnessed Glory City's destruction with his own eyes.
This scene was bound to stir the deepest feelings in him.
Chen Linjian took out the map again and checked it against their surroundings.
"We'll enter through the East Gate, then head straight to the center of the city-the City Lord's Mansion. The Drill Ground should be beside it. That's the destination we decided on from the start."
Nie Li and the others nodded.
"This place is deserted, but demon beasts below Gold Rank still occupy it. Everyone, take out your weapons to defend yourselves."
After Nie Li's warning.
Everyone took their weapons out of their Space Rings.
Nie Li took out a crossbow himself. The quiver on his back held thirty crossbow bolts, all coated with poison made from purple mist grass.
As they walked through the ruins, two-meter-tall Azure-Armed Giant Apes with arms like iron pillars moved nimbly over the rubble. After all, that was their specialty.
"There are six already. The more Azure-Armed Giant Apes gather, the more likely they are to attack us. We need to strike first."
"Leave it to me."
The moment those words fell, a crossbow bolt shot out.
Whoosh!
It whistled through the air.
The bolt struck an Azure-Armed Giant Ape squarely in the forehead. Purple mist grass was lethally poisonous to apes and monkeys, and it killed the beast in an instant.
"This is our chance!"
Seeing the other Azure-Armed Giant Apes recoil in fright, Chen Linjian immediately rushed forward with his Sharp Sword in hand, his entire body beginning to transform.
Chen Linjian's body began to twist. An eerie black light shimmered, his bones cracked, and his muscles rapidly swelled. Blackish-gray fur sprouted wildly like weeds. His face grew hideous, fangs protruded from his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with an uncanny light. His fingers turned into sharp claws, their nails as hard as iron.
His breathing quickened, and a deep growl rumbled in his throat.
This was the Shadow Netherwolf.
After merging with his demon spirit, Chen Linjian became at least two or three times faster.
The Sharp Sword in his hand blurred into afterimages.
In a flash, his Sharp Sword struck four Azure-Armed Giant Apes, carving a massive, fatal wound into each. With a howl, they collapsed to the ground and died on the spot.
"Young Master Chen, you're mighty!"
"Nie Li! Great shooting!"
Before you continue