Meng Qinghuan immediately followed the order, but Lucifer was stunned.
"Me?" Lucifer asked, confused. "You mean, take me to interfere?"
"After all, he is your brother, so of course I need your help." Bai Cha sat down and silently felt the power transmitted by Meng Qinghuan. She extended her hands to Lucifer and Mammon, then looked apologetically at Athena. "Please keep an eye on the outside and our situation. If anything unexpected happens, interrupt me directly."
"No problem," Athena agreed with a nod.
Lucifer took Bai Cha's hand, and Mammon took Lucifer's. He wasn't very familiar with mental manipulation, so he could only follow Lucifer's lead.
Bai Cha placed her hand on the ice crystal, feeling its temperature. Her thoughts gradually sank, and she could clearly sense the violent aura hidden beneath the ice. It was nearing its limit. In about ten more years, it would coincide with the approaching end of Leviathan and Mammon's lifespans. As Leviathan reached his limit, he would drag this strand of the Dragon Mother's origin with him into mutual destruction.
Truly spirited, even calculating the timing of their deaths.
Bai Cha sighed inwardly. Her thoughts gradually took shape under her control. To the outside world, Bai Cha and the others, along with the ice surface, were bathed in a golden glow. However, Athena was shocked to find herself slowing down.
It was as if she had suddenly been put into slow motion at 0.5x speed, no, at best 0.1x speed. Her thoughts were fine, but every movement felt like wading through mud, beyond her control. Even the slightest sway of the plants beside her seemed to have slowed down countless times. The golden mental energy around them had inexplicably become so viscous it was suffocating, beginning to affect space.
Could mere leaked mental energy connect to the space of such a small world?
At this moment, Athena's understanding of Bai Cha's strength reached a new level.
Mammon found himself in a world of chaos. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on solid ground. Upon opening them again, his vision was filled with dense black smoke, like countless flies trailing long black smoky tails, darting everywhere. Occasionally, they would emit a crimson light, like fireflies.
"Brother!" Mammon shouted. He knew Bai Cha was connected to Leviathan's mental space, but he didn't know this spiritual realm had become so dire, filling him with anxiety.
However, his shout made Mammon's expression change. His voice seemed unable to travel outwards, muffled, like a person underwater listening to a shout from above.
"Don't shout, he can't hear you."
A deep voice was incredibly reassuring. Mammon grabbed Lucifer's arm, feeling a surge of panic.
"Don't be afraid, the young lady is already on her way." Lucifer's voice was also muffled, as if distorted and warped by 3D psychedelic sound effects, but with the augmentation of power, at least his voice was clear.
"Bai, Bai Cha? Why isn't she with us?" Mammon looked around, unable to see the girl. All around him were only countless wisps of demonic energy, like flies.
He was a demonic dragon. These pure and evil forces suppressed him; they were on a different level. In terms of purity, Lucifer's power was the purest. Although he was a demonic dragon, he was still a bit lacking.
"The demonic energy turbulence is too severe. She sent us down first." Lucifer nodded. In reality, Bai Cha had sent them down when she was swept away by the demonic hurricane, but this chaotic demonic energy was merely a mess. Lucifer believed Bai Cha wouldn't be stumped by this.
"Get out of the way..."
The voice was muffled, a little unreal.
Mammon: "Boss, did you hear something?"
"Get out of the way!"
This time, the voice was much more real. Quick-witted, he pulled Mammon back ten meters. As soon as they moved, a blinding crimson light descended like a long dragon. Upon hitting the ground, it exploded like a nuclear bomb, creating a mushroom cloud that engulfed the surrounding demonic energy. Wherever the blood energy passed, the demonic energy thinned considerably.
"Tch, bad luck." As soon as Bai Cha landed, she patted her long windbreaker. It had a tear in it. This was her favorite windbreaker, worn for several years, and now it was ripped.
"It's alright, Master. This is the world of the mind. It will return to its original state once you leave," Lucifer said, finding Bai Cha's rare and obvious disgust amusing.
"This is the first piece of clothing I've made myself!" Bai Cha waved her hand, protesting Lucifer's mocking laughter. "You know how difficult it is for an assassin to learn sewing and do pattern cutting herself!"
Heaven only knew how clumsy she was when she learned the basic skills of a designer for her undercover mission. Heaven only knew that beneath the glamorous effect drawings was a tailor.
Bai Cha snorted and ignored the immensely amused Lucifer, beginning to control the blood to scout the way. Lucifer waited by her side with a smile, but felt his sleeve being tugged.
"What is it?" Lucifer looked at Mammon, who was staring at him with wide eyes, feeling puzzled.
"Confess to her! Just tell her you'll help her make clothes, all her clothes from now on. What kind of emotional intelligence do you have?" Mammon put his hands on his hips, exasperated. "Isn't Boss the most domineering? Didn't you say nothing in this world you wouldn't dare to provoke?"
With that tone and expression, Lucifer was speechless. He felt as if he were seeing the expression of Cang Liu and his son whispering in the seabed.
"That is a world created by the Mother of Dragons. I never said there was nothing in this world." Lucifer retorted in a low voice.
"So, you're afraid?" Mammon narrowed his eyes, his long, narrow pupils filled with mischievous excitement. "My good brother, you wouldn't even dare to confess, would you?"
Lucifer: "Yes."
Mammon: "I knew it! So... Huh? What?"
Mammon was stunned.
"Are you stupid? If you don't say it, who will know? You have to make a connection for telepathy! You have to make a connection to achieve telepathy!" Mammon really wanted to knock open his boss's skull to see what was inside. "Even if you have telepathy, you still have to initiate it! If you don't initiate, how can you connect?"
Lucifer: "..."
This statement sounded so familiar. He remembered standing next to Cang Liu and his son, when Cang Lan said this to Cang Liu, Lucifer had been quite annoyed. He never expected to hear these words directed at him so soon.
"I don't want to make things difficult for her," Lucifer rubbed Mammon's head, smiling helplessly. "Some things cannot be said casually."
"Are you foolish? Boss, can't you see she's different towards you?" Mammon was genuinely anxious this time. He poked Lucifer's side, almost making him die of anger. "She's different to you, so why insist on this unrequited love? If you miss this chance, won't you regret it terribly?"
Mammon's emotional intelligence was not low; on the contrary, he had the highest emotional intelligence. He was adept at playing all sorts of subtle games. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lived so comfortably under the Dragon Mother while all other dragons were oppressed.
Mammon could see the tacit understanding between Bai Cha and Lucifer at a glance. What a joke! The dragons being oppressed by the Dragon Mother didn't mean they couldn't date. If they didn't date, marry, and have children, how would the Dragon Mother reproduce?
Mammon believed Bai Cha was straightforward. He could see that Bai Cha's gaze was truly open and honest. But as for his boss's unintentional closeness and gaze, if Mammon didn't understand it, he would have lived in vain.
"Mammon, she is the guardian of a nation. I cannot ignore her position." Lucifer still shook his head, sighing softly. "Mammon, when a guardian who walks on a precarious tightrope, with immense righteousness charging at the forefront, how can I shackle her with emotions?"
Mammon: "..."
"Mammon, you're right. I love her, so I must not disturb her. I am her personal attendant, so I know best how much she values her duty and the awkwardness of her position." Lucifer gave a wry smile. "Even a seasoned tightrope walker with decades of experience would not dare to get distracted while carrying a boulder across a tightrope; they would still have trouble maintaining balance."
"But are you content to give so much without receiving anything in return?" Mammon was still unwilling. As a demonic dragon, his primary concern was his own interests and those of his closest kin. At this moment, he only felt indignant for Lucifer. "Boss, are you selflessly sacrificing yourself?"
"Of course not. What are you thinking? To be fair, she is good to everyone. Even without the romantic aspect, I don't have a better place to go," Lucifer smiled. "Moreover, if I were in danger, she would come to save me even at the cost of her own life. Just for this, I am willing to follow her."
Or rather, most people in the Shadow faction followed Bai Cha for this reason. Bai Cha had, countless times, pushed herself to her limits, overdrawn her own energy, and pulled them back from the brink of death.
No matter who it was, Bai Cha would not give up, because she was worth it. That's why everyone followed her.
Mammon was silent. He hadn't experienced this and didn't understand. He could only interpret Lucifer's words as Bai Cha being a good boss.
"Found it."
At this moment, Bai Cha suddenly opened her eyes. The chaotic demonic energy that had been flying around was extremely disordered. Even speech would be distorted to the point of being barely audible, but the moment Bai Cha parted her thin lips, her voice appeared perfectly clear in Mammon and Lucifer's ears.
Looking down again, the black space beneath their feet was now completely dyed red, like a sea of blood. Countless black demonic energies, like dust wetted with water, began to fall with crackling sounds into the sea of blood, where they were dissolved.
Then, Mammon felt his vision becoming brighter and brighter. A light source in the distance was approaching. A gust of wind blew, and Mammon suddenly realized that he was being pushed forward by Bai Cha's waves.
The light ahead grew closer. As they drew nearer, Mammon finally saw that it wasn't a light source at all. Instead of the word "light source," it was more like a "pure land."
A clear stream encircled a small, ring-shaped island. This island was very small, with grass, a tree, and a person. Nothing else.
"Brother!" Mammon's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and his heart clenched. The man leaning against the tree, his face already distorted by black energy, was none other than Leviathan!
At this moment, Leviathan's eyes were tightly closed, his lips pale and tinged with blue, his jaw clenched as if gnashing his teeth. His face was contorted with pain, and his aura was weakening. This was the "true self" within a being's spiritual world. Even though Leviathan appeared unharmed and encased in ice from the outside, mentally, he had been worn down to his absolute limit.
"Going to your death? Come back." Seeing Mammon about to rush forward, Bai Cha quickly grabbed Mammon by the scruff of his neck, like a mother cat carrying her kitten, and forcefully pulled the impulsive youth back. "Leviathan is being eroded by demonic energy. If you go, you'll only be infected and won't alleviate any of his pain."
What should we do then? Mammon was somewhat at a loss and instinctively looked behind him at Lucifer. Before he could ask, he heard Bai Cha continue speaking.
"I will guide Leviathan's demonic energy out, and at the same time, I will use a portion of my mental energy to control my physical body in the outside world to break the ice and devour the monsters outside. You two are responsible for waking him up and taking care of him outside, understand?" Bai Cha said.
"How do we wake him up?" Mammon quickly asked.
"When I guide the demonic energy, his mind will momentarily falter. Seize this moment to resonate with his spirit and pull him out," Bai Cha stated truthfully. "Then I will send you two out."
"How do we guide him?" Mammon asked again, his anxiety truly showing. Bai Cha could even see the mist in his eyes.
Bai Cha silently put down the little puppy, her mouth twitching.
This little guy was too adorable, more devastating than Mo Ziye. The way he cried like a puppy was truly a fatal blow to a girl's heart.