Duan Chen and Niya were gone!
"What's going on?" Jia Yunlian felt a headache. Where could Duan Chen have taken Niya? The beach was only so big.
"Look at this note."
Bai Ye handed Jia Yunlian the note Duan Chen had left on the table at the seafood restaurant.
[Niya is with me, safe, don't worry.]
"What does that mean? Do they have some secret operation?" Qi Qing asked.
"Perhaps."
Melbourne Si brought the food in his hand to him.
"What do you know?" Du Qingyi asked, frowning tightly.
"I think if Duan Chen can return safely, then this barrier will break by itself," Jin An said from the kitchen, poking out his serpentine head and chuckling.
"What do you mean? Did he discover something?"
"Then why didn't he tell us, and take Niya with him?"
Melbourne Si adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps, he just didn't want you to be in danger. As for the young gentleman, I'm afraid he was taken out of helplessness. And you can rest assured, their combined strength is greater than everyone present, so there's no need to worry."
"He trusts us too little."
Michelle pouted, resting her chin on the table.
"If this was his choice, we should just support him," Du Qingyi wiped his mouth, feeling a little displeased in his heart.
...
"Are you sure you want to go with me?"
In the evening, Duan Chen stood in the sea, the water already past his ankles.
"Of course. I also discovered that Wu Shan is not a proper heretic, but more like a hybrid."
Niya said this with the air of a little adult, which was quite incongruous for Duan Chen.
"What are you babbling about? With my strength, what problem is there in following you?"
Behind Niya, a familiar phantom appeared, venting his dissatisfaction furiously.
"I'm not talking to you," Duan Chen glared at Gallot.
"I'm afraid Sister Yunlian will skin me alive!"
"Mom isn't as strong as me," Niya said with certainty.
"Alright then, let's go."
Duan Chen knew that in terms of strength alone, the two of them were enough to match Michelle and the others. Moreover, it was not good to bring too many people on this kind of covert operation, as it would easily expose them.
The two of them gradually walked into the sea. The water rose past their waists, then their chests. Niya was already completely submerged, as an Apostle, he could breathe freely in the water without any influence.
What was strange was that Duan Chen could also breathe.
"Huh?"
"This seawater is not real seawater, but a small space that has been opened up. The seawater is just a diversion."
Indeed, as soon as Duan Chen entered the water, his feet landed on hard stone. It was stable, and his body was not lifted by the water. The scene before him changed, and a path paved with stones appeared.
"Let's go."
...
"Crack..."
"Bang!"
In the palace, a blood crystal placed aside suddenly exploded. Li Yan and the dwarf opened their eyes and said calmly, "It seems he's dead."
"Yes, report it to upstairs. We can't let Wu Shan die in vain,"
The dwarf's smile was extremely sinister.
Li Yan took out a detector-like object from his pocket. Upon closer inspection, it was an instrument modified from a detector. He pressed a button on the instrument, and a strand of blue light immediately emerged, shooting towards the distance.
"How long will it take?"
"Just a few minutes."
"That's good."
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Duan Chen's difficulty had far exceeded their imagination. If they didn't ask for help, they would both die here.
Unexpectedly, ten minutes passed, and the signal they sent out had not returned.
"What's going on?!"
The dwarf clenched the armrest, his expression becoming a little flustered.
"How would I know... cough cough..."
"Didn't you say it would only take a few minutes to receive the signal?"
"That's what they told us when we asked!" Li Yan also became agitated, but his health was poor, and any slight increase in volume caused him to cough violently.
"Did that guy Wu Shan do something?" The dwarf's voice became sharp.
"Don't panic, Duan Chen and the others can't find this place."
"Bang!"
"Is that so?"
As soon as he spoke, two figures, one large and one small, appeared before them.
"Duan Chen--?!" The dwarf's hoarse voice tightened.
Duan Chen stretched his wrists and surveyed the palace.
In the center of the palace were four thrones. Two thrones were empty, presumably Feng Wei and Wu Shan, who had already been eliminated. Two people were seated on the remaining thrones: one looked sickly, and the other looked somewhat猥琐.
Around the thrones were some insignificant decorations, and more blood crystals. Many of the crystals had already cracked, emitting a bloody smell.
"Inside that crystal, there's the scent of those heretics."
"Heh heh... they're quite good at playing. Once a heretic dies, the crystal explodes. This kind of reminder... it's really nice," Gallot said with a sinister laugh.
"You... how did you know where this is... cough cough cough!"
"Uncle, you don't look very well. How about I help you find release?"
Duan Chen showed a kind smile on his face.
"Yes! Don't kill me, kill him if you must!"
The dwarf screamed in panic.
"So noisy."
Duan Chen frowned.
Fairy Law!
A golden light flashed. Before Li Yan could even see what move it was, the dwarf beside him had fallen onto the throne. At the same time, a blood crystal next to him exploded, startling him.
"Don't kill me... I'll tell you everything, cough cough cough..."
Duan Chen hadn't intended to kill him anyway; after all, he still needed someone to provide some information.
He stepped forward, roughly threw the dwarf's corpse down, and looked coldly at Li Yan, "Tell me, what's going on? You guys aren't heretics, are you?"
Li Yan coughed a couple of times, surprised that Duan Chen even knew about this matter.
"Yes, the four of us were not heretics at the beginning. Of course, we are not Spirit Hunter Agents either, just ordinary people who awakened abilities by chance."
Duan Chen nodded, signaling him to continue.
"It happened thirty years ago, in the Feast Barrier. In order to survive, several of us cooperated in the barrier, doing our best to escape. But unexpectedly, we came here by mistake."
"Continue."
"At that time, the people sitting in these positions were also several psionics. To survive, we overexerted our abilities, unleashed our potential, and killed them one by one. Later, a voice told us that as long as we stayed here and didn't leave, we could control countless heretical armies and possess immense power."
"And then?"
"We were at our wits' end. Outside was the heretic tide, and in front of us was this man's coercion and temptation. Helplessly, we had to agree. However, in the battles back then, all of us suffered some minor or major ailments."
As he spoke, Li Yan looked at his thin body and sighed.