The giant screens broadcasting worldwide brought the entire Earth to a standstill.
On the screen, the energy Bai Cha had accumulated with all her might flickered in her hands. The sheer power emanating from it was enough to command submission, enough to surely obliterate this evil dragon.
But it did not.
Under the watchful eyes of the world, phosphorescent dust, like diamond powder, rained down from an unknown source, creating long ballistic trails. It pierced directly through Bai Cha's back, and illuminated the one who delivered the fatal blow.
The assassin wore an invisibility cloak, the pinnacle of advanced technology. Yet, covered in the mysterious dust, he was rendered immobile. He had conducted countless assassinations, but this was his first exposure.
Or rather, his first entrapment.
The giant screen showed Bai Cha's heart being pierced by someone behind her before she could even attack. However, the assassin knew the truth was entirely the opposite.
As he approached Bai Cha, he saw her peculiar smile, directed at him. The power she had gathered was intentionally withdrawn by Bai Cha herself.
She had calculated everything. From the very beginning, Bai Cha had no intention of attacking the dragon.
"Tu Ruolan, who do you think will win in the end?" Blood seeped from the corner of Bai Cha's lips, but the upward curve of her mouth was filled with pride and confidence. She turned to the person behind her, "The Tu family's ancestor appearing in person. You truly think highly of me."
"You did this on purpose." The invisibility cloak, now encased in dust, was rendered useless. The assassin was short in stature, but his exposed skin was as vibrant as a young man's, though his voice was ancient. Even with all his means and technology, time had left indelible marks on him.
Tu Ruolan saw it. Not far away, behind Jing Ji, who wore a black and white nun's habit, golden butterfly wings were continuously releasing butterfly powder. It was this sacred powder that restrained him, not with the intent to kill, but merely to limit.
"You framed me." Tu Ruolan gritted his teeth. He had intended to kill Bai Cha after she resolved the crisis. Now, by killing Bai Cha, the dragon, the greatest crisis, was still struggling in agony in the sky.
Now, not only would he bear the crime of killing Bai Cha, but the dragon in the sky was a stark reminder that he would bear even more terrifying guilt. Or rather, he had caused the people of the Light faction to share the burden of harming the Z Nation.
The black dragon claws tore through the sky, causing Tu Ruolan's pupils to contract instantly. His various mechanical boosters went into overdrive, and he actually broke free from Jing Ji's restraint, fleeing into the distance.
The dagger withdrew from Bai Cha's heart, and a cool breeze rushed in, chilling her.
Yet, in that instant, Bai Cha seemed to suddenly awaken.
It was as if someone had pulled her from the water. The previously hazy birds, the cacophony, the blurry scenery, and emotions suddenly became clear, dispelling the fog and removing all obstacles.
"Master." Lucifer landed, holding Bai Cha in his arms. His heart bled, but he suppressed his voice, speaking gently, "Attack after counting to forty seconds. I have accurately executed your orders once more."
Before the operation, Bai Cha had told Lucifer to count down forty seconds in his heart if he sensed something was wrong, and then act.
Forty seconds. Such prolonged suffering would be etched in Lucifer's memory for a lifetime. But Bai Cha lay limp in his arms, dazed. Lucifer could feel Bai Cha trembling.
"Master?" Lucifer thought something was wrong with Bai Cha. Bai Cha had said she wouldn't die this time, and she never broke her word, even when her heart was pierced.
"Lucifer, I can feel it." Bai Cha clutched Lucifer's shoulder, gasping for breath as if a drowning person had suddenly found fresh air. "Emotions, feelings… I, I, I can feel them, I…"
Bai Cha spoke incoherently, but Lucifer suddenly understood. Or rather, he could feel extremely active emotional fluctuations from the heart connected to Bai Cha, emotions that had once perplexed him because he couldn't perceive them.
Moved, sorrowful, pained, joyful, excited, despairing, angry… all emotions surged like a tidal wave, breaching the dam. The overwhelming tsunami left Bai Cha breathless. With excitement, blood flowed uncontrollably from the wound on her back, nearly causing the World Tree seed on her chest to buckle under the strain.
The gentle green, representing the World Tree's power, offered little comfort to Bai Cha. Tears streamed down her face, large and uncontrolled.
Bai Cha couldn't say if this was sadness. She was stunned, as if nothing particularly sad had happened, nor had anything happened to make her sad, yet the tears kept falling.
The grief from her deceased parents, the self-reproach for Bai Shu bearing the crime for her, the responsibility and conviction of protecting the country, the anger and unwillingness from betrayal, the sorrow and guilt from Cang Liu's sacrifice… and the despair and pain from Freya's death.
Bai Cha had never truly perceived everything so clearly. The Dragon Mother's power had masked her emotions, making her numb and indifferent. Now, on the brink of death, as her power waned and her life ebbed, she was like a moth drawn to a flame, finally feeling its warmth.
Fiery, scorching, like the apex of her life.
"It's alright, Master. I'm here. You've suffered." Lucifer held Bai Cha, pressing her face against his shoulder.
Bai Cha might never have been so vulnerable in her life. Or perhaps, this time, she was truly vulnerable. In a state of near-death, she had finally accomplished the most selfish act of her life.
The dragon in the sky roared suddenly, seeming to have completed its evolution. Lucifer's eyes flashed with a cold glint, intending to strike it down.
Suddenly, a beam of light from beyond the heavens shot forth like a meteor chasing the moon. Everyone felt a primal fear and the earth trembled. Several green beams intercepted the red light, but only managed to diminish its power.
Everything seemed to slow down, time itself halted. This was power from the divine, even if it was merely a demi-plane.
A violent explosion accompanied by billowing smoke. The roaring sound drowned out Bai Cha's urgent cries. When the smoke cleared, the half-dragon, half-human man still clutched his master with his massive dragon claws. One of his wings was reduced to a bloody mess, only the right half remaining.
And the monster in the sky, out of its nine heads, only three remained. In the recent clash of powers, even under the Dragon Mother's simultaneous attack, Lucifer had gained the upper hand.
"Lucifer, are you alright!" Bai Cha anxiously took out the life seed from her chest. A vast life force rapidly healed the wounds on Lucifer's back.
No, perhaps it was time itself flowing backward around Lucifer.
"Put it back! Are you trying to die! You're almost gone!" The World Tree's will boomed from the life seed, "I'll heal your dragon's wounds. Hurry and put the seed back! Your heart will be completely gone soon, and where will I find you!"
The World Tree sounded furious, making Bai Cha blink in surprise. Lucifer chuckled and placed the life seed back into Bai Cha's chest.
"You promised me you wouldn't die on this mission, so please take care of yourself at least now." Lucifer's tone was gentle, but this time Bai Cha sensitively detected his sadness. She could feel his emotions now.
Was he sad for her? Bai Cha didn't know how to react.
Only the three-headed dragon roared in the sky, spewing another breath directly towards the ground. Lucifer stood up, holding his master, appearing much lighter this time.
But this time, his intervention was no longer necessary, as a crane had already stepped in to block them.
"Miss Bai, I admit my unauthorized departure and failure to protect you adequately. I am willing to accept the most severe punishment!" Yun He's martial arts shifted, looking somewhat rusty, but the white cranes circling him did not yield, confronting the dragon.
"You…" Bai Cha's expression was complex, but she sighed, "Do you regret it?"
"I swore long ago to always be by Miss Bai's side." Yun He's face was somewhat grim. The dragon was too powerful, reaching S-class, on par with Lucifer. It was extremely unfriendly to someone who had been lax for nearly three months.
"Miss Bai, the person has been brought."
Baimon's voice sounded, followed by a disheveled Meng Qinghuan.
He stood with his eyes closed, clad in a monk's robe, his power abundant but unable to mask his ashen complexion. He stood silently to the side, unable to utter a word.
Just moments ago, Meng Qinghuan had witnessed the assassination attempt on Bai Cha, and moments ago, countless artillery shells had flattened his home. He had broken through the seal and escaped with Yun He, fighting with all their might.
However, it had implicated his neighbors. They had escaped, but for the ordinary people next door, it was a disaster without cause. Meng Qinghuan hadn't expected these people to truly let him go, nor did they intend to spare Bai Cha.
"You were right, there are no pure lands in this world." Meng Qinghuan was still smiling, his naturally smiling face now only showing silence. He dissipated the dragon's breath with a single palm strike.
"Be careful, this is just the beginning." Bai Cha did not respond. Held by Lucifer, she seemed to have regained her composure.
As expected, the dragon then transformed into dragon flames.
Yes, its entire body transformed into dragon flames.
This dragon had set itself ablaze, commanded by its mother, burning itself with its power, crashing towards the earth without restraint.
The Peacock Ming Wang and Yun He's true forms appeared simultaneously, colliding with the dragon flames. Neither side yielded in the confrontation, but in the next instant, everyone's expressions changed.
It was an eternal Xuan ice. The moment Meng Qinghuan and Yun He felt the dragon flames suddenly lose weight, they sensed something was wrong. Then, the dragon flames were frozen, inch by inch, at an extremely rapid pace, freezing the blood-red flames.
Following that, several ice-blue sword lights shattered the frozen dragon.
"Cang Liu?"
Everyone was stunned. This familiar aura, they knew it all too well. That cold yet passionate aura appeared so familiar and so close, accompanied by dragon roars that made them feel momentarily lost.
"No, it's not Cang Liu." Bai Cha's face suddenly turned pale. Looking at the man suspended in mid-air, she blurted out, "Gu Mingze."
How could this be? Wasn't Gu Mingze human?
Let alone Yun He, even Meng Qinghuan found it incredible. But the face revealed from beneath the black cloak was indeed Gu Mingze. His clean and harmless features were now etched with hardness and rigidity, his skin possessing the unique pale blue of a merman. The dragon pattern on his left eye proclaimed his identity to everyone.
"Jiaolong returns to its position, Miss Bai."
Thus, the Peacock Ming Wang, Yun He, and the Jiaolong had all returned to their rightful places.
However, Bai Cha looked at Gu Mingze in silence, unable to utter a word.
"Miss Bai, don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing." Gu Mingze scratched his head. His movements were still as awkward as before, but his movements were a bit stiff, and even his smile was stiff.
This was a side effect of being a merman. Due to the coldness of their blood, they could only maintain this rigid state.
"You've truly gone mad." After a long while, Bai Cha finally regained her voice.
Did Gu Mingze know what he was doing? Bai Cha felt that Gu Mingze did.
In their past conversations, Gu Mingze had mentioned that he had no hobbies, no family to accompany him, and his only pleasure was to bask in the sun in a corner of his balcony, staring blankly at the climbing ivy in the distance.
Now that he was a merman, even his beloved sunlight had become a taboo. Was it because of her mistake? Because of her wrong decisions, Cang Liu died. Because of her fault, Gu Mingze became Cang Liu and inherited Cang Liu's curse.
Bai Cha leaned weakly against Lucifer's shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Let's go back."