At this time, news came from Mu Zi. The second expedition to the fairy-tale secret realm was about to begin. Aiolos had already gone there, and the result was a little miserable. The three brothers decided to work together again, and Wang Zhong was going crazy from his closed-door training. He needed a place like this to give him some inspiration. If he encountered danger, Aiolos would be there to take care of him.
Because of Wang Zhong's victory, the financial situation of the Wanderlust Team was much better, and the Pioneering Order was no longer a problem. However, Oscar still reminded Wang Zhong to stay in the Holy City for now because there had been rumors that the Holy Land was about to make a big move.
Although the higher-ups didn't say anything, some actions couldn't be hidden. Oscar definitely had his own channels. The Holy City was still fine, but the Federation's dimensional base stations in the Fifth Dimension were frequently mobilizing troops. This all represented a sign that the Holy Land was likely to launch a Holy War.
"If there really is a Holy War, our Wanderlust Team still has a chance to fight for it." Even Oscar's eyes were full of yearning. "When I was in the Imperial Court, I followed them in a Holy War. If I don't experience it myself, I will never be able to describe the power of the Holy Land."
The other members of the Wanderlust Team had obviously heard about it from Oscar. Small Eyes came over excitedly. "That's a Holy War. As long as you participate in it, you can brag about it for the rest of your life."
Oscar laughed. "We are Holy Disciples. To put it bluntly, we are not ordinary people. We can amaze the world in a Holy War, but we might not be able to come back. However, the opportunities there are unimaginable. The problem is whether we are qualified to go, so we have to complete our missions well."
Oscar was in charge of these matters, so Wang Zhong didn't think too much about it. If he could go, he would go. If he couldn't, there was nothing he could do. The Holy War was a decision made by the higher-ups. To put it bluntly, it was to conquer!
Humans had to obtain resources, and the Holy Land also had to obtain resources. The Holy Land needed to conquer one Dimensional World after another. This kind of decision was not something a Holy Disciple could think about.
After saying goodbye to the Wanderlust Team at the transit station, they went directly to the coordinates of the desert pyramid. This became an accurate place for the three of them to contact each other. In the endless yellow sand world, Ham Sausage was sitting on the ground and looking around in boredom. Needless to say, Mu Zi had placed it here to pick up Wang Zhong.
"Wahaha, my number one mount!" Simba couldn't wait to get out of Wang Zhong's Soul Sea. Compared to the silly Big White, Simba obviously had a special preference for the majestic Ham Sausage after its transformation. He immediately pounced on Ham Sausage's head.
In the face of this guy, Ham Sausage seemed to have accepted its fate. It didn't even bother to struggle and simply pretended that Ham Sausage didn't exist. It just wagged its tail at Wang Zhong in a flattering manner.
"Bring us there," said Wang Zhong with a smile.
Ham Sausage howled and grew larger and larger, like a bloated ball of dough. Simba slid down the top of its head like a slide.
"Let's go! Activate super teleportation! "Simba shouted excitedly.
Ham Sausage opened its mouth wide and swallowed both Wang Zhong and Simba.
Although they had already taken this strange teleportation once, it still felt weird to be swallowed directly. Their surroundings turned pitch-black, and even though they didn't move, they could feel their bodies moving forward continuously. Finally, a rectangular door in front of them emitted a faint light. Then, it opened and sent Ham Sausage, Wang Zhong, and Simba out together.
Aiolos and Mu Zi were waiting next to the coffin. At this time, when they felt the light coming from the coffin, Mu Zi and Aiolos' eyes lit up slightly. "They're here."
What entered their eyes was a vast expanse of white. The entire city had been covered in snow, and frosted ice sculptures could be seen everywhere. Simba was spat out from Ham Sausage's warm mouth and instantly sneezed because of the surrounding cold. He stretched out his hand and rubbed his arms while jumping non-stop. "Damn, it's so cold! I can't take it anymore! "
Not to mention Simba, even Wang Zhong felt a trace of chill invading his body. The surrounding temperature was probably at least -60 degrees Celsius, and he had to consume a considerable amount of Soul Power to resist it. On the other hand, Aiolos was the same as always. He was full of vigor, and his upper body was bare, showing off his absolutely impressive figure. He didn't seem to care about the cold at all.
"Long time no see." With a smile, Aioros extended his arms and gave Wang Zhong a strong hug. "We three brothers are together again."
As usual, when the three brothers gathered, they first ate and drank before they got down to business. Mu Zi was the happiest as he chewed on the large and small bags of ham sausage and snacks that Wang Zhong had brought over. The three of them tidied up a little outside the Frost City.
Geographically, this was a city from the old human civilization. Although it wasn't small, there were no huge city walls around it. It was located on a plain, and most of the houses were bungalows. There was nothing to block one's line of sight. They could see a unique building towering in the center of the town, faintly discernible in the snowflakes that filled the sky.
"That's the central church of the Frost City. There's nothing special about it, but you can use it as an axis coordinate to make it easier for everyone to identify it."
"This is a dead city. There aren't many monsters here, and there's only a little girl holding a matchstick. She should be the core of this Frost City's mystic realm or a manifestation of its rules. I met her once, and she asked me if I wanted a matchstick. At that time, I chose to take one, but when the matchstick started to burn, it burned my own Soul Power and life force. It continued to burn, and I couldn't get rid of it. Furthermore, the rate of consumption was especially fast. It only slowed down after I completely escaped from this mystic realm. After that, I had to recover for several days …" Aioros explained the situation here.
Aioros spoke casually, but the two of them who knew his strength were secretly shocked. They knew that Aioros was a freak with nearly limitless Soul Power and life force. However, when the burning match was judged by the rules, even he was unable to withstand the exhaustion caused by the burning match and could only flee in a sorry state. Furthermore, it would take him several days to recover. This showed just how terrifying the judgment of burning Soul Power and life force was. If it were them, they would have been burnt to nothingness in an instant.
"That little girl should be the key to cracking this secret realm. Our goal this time is to subdue her."
"Can't we just knock her down?" asked Mu Zi.
Aioros shook his head. "I tried before I escaped last time. Although I didn't use all my strength, my attack was ineffective. It felt like something that was judged by the rules. I couldn't break through her defense at all. She's even more abnormal than the old witch on the first level."
Even Aioros couldn't break through her defense, let alone Wang Zhong and Mu Zi. Mu Zi nodded his head.
"Then if we encounter her this time, do we choose not to?" asked Wang Zhong.
"I don't think it's that simple …" Aioros shook his head. "When the question started, I felt like I was bewitched. The question seemed to be reflected in my soul, giving me no room to choose. I could only refer to my heart and give the most direct answer. This time, I'll pay attention to controlling my soul consciousness when I answer, but I'm not sure what kind of answer I can give. "
Wang Zhong and Mu Zi immediately understood that Aioros hadn't completely understood the rules. He hadn't even tested the direction of the little girl's abilities. This was also the reason why he wasn't too sure when he sent the message to Wang Zhong and Mu Zi.
"Then we can only act according to the situation."
Aioros nodded his head. "The city this time is a little different from the last time. It's bigger. Let's split up. If you guys find her, don't attack. Send a signal for me to come over. I'll see if I can find a flaw in her defense."
After their previous encounter, it was obvious that Aioros still had some bargaining chips.
The three of them chose a direction and started to move. The city seemed to be endless. After eating for a long time, the strange little girl still didn't appear. Obviously, they needed to search for her. The low temperature in the city might be fatal to ordinary people, but it wasn't a big deal for them.
Simba had already taken the initiative to return to Wang Zhong's Soul Sea. The arrogant Simba was still afraid of the cold. The reason why he asked Wang Zhong to come over was that both Aioros and Mu Zi felt that this kind of place couldn't be solved by brute force. Wang Zhong was simply their lucky star. When he was around, their luck would be especially good. It was just that this time, Aioros specifically reminded them not to attack because Wang Zhong wasn't afraid of creatures that absorbed energy. However, the monsters here didn't absorb energy.
Under such extremely cold conditions, the range that Salamander could detect was relatively small. The three of them gradually moved further and further away. The city was not circulating. It seemed to be deliberately leading the three of them further away. The sky was still snowing endlessly, and the snow seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.
About twenty minutes later, Wang Zhong passed by a building. Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his hands together. Just as he was about to continue, he suddenly saw a lonely, thin and small figure standing on the street in front of him. She wore a short linen skirt and was barefooted. Her slightly messy hair, coupled with her dirty little face, made her look like an unfortunate child that had wandered the streets. She didn't show any signs of attack, but Wang Zhong felt a shiver run down his spine. This was because the other party's gaze had already locked onto him, causing his hair to stand on end.
The next moment, Wang Zhong kicked the house next to him. He wanted to create a big commotion to alert Aioros and Mu Zi, but this kick, which was powered by the Power Circuit, felt as if he had kicked a steel plate. Wang Zhong's foot was in pain, and all his Soul Power was absorbed. Meanwhile, the thin and small girl had already traversed a distance of dozens of meters in an instant and arrived in front of Wang Zhong like a ghost.
The two of them faced each other. In an instant, time and space seemed to have stopped. They could only hear each other's breathing. The little girl's breathing was a little weak and hurried. Although she was a little dirty and messy, one could tell that she was very cute. It was just that she was a little shriveled due to malnutrition. Her pair of pitiful big eyes looked at Wang Zhong as if tears would fall at any time. Wang Zhong's heart tightened. This must be a spiritual attack!
However, he found that his body seemed to be frozen and unable to react. Damn it, he was still being controlled. The little girl also looked at Wang Zhong and timidly raised her hand. A dry match appeared in her hand, and she slowly handed it to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong felt a chill in his heart. There was something wrong with this match!
He remembered Aioros's warning. At this moment, he should run, but his legs seemed to be filled with lead and couldn't move at all. Damn it, Aioros's information was wrong. He could run because he was at the Heavenly Soul Stage, while Wang Zhong was only at the Heroic Soul Stage. How could he run away with his life?
The snowflakes in the air stopped and hung densely in the air, covering the entire background. The little girl was already close to Wang Zhong, and her breath was still emitting cold air. She looked completely like a living person, but her words made Wang Zhong fall into a desperate situation.
"Big Brother, do you want to buy my match?"
… …
At this moment, Wang Zhong wasn't the only one facing this problem. When Wang Zhong encountered it, Aioros and Mu Zi also encountered it at almost the same time.
Facing it again, Aioros didn't hesitate at all. He fiercely stomped his foot, and his speed was extremely fast. The little girl didn't have time to stop him like how she had stopped Wang Zhong. The terrifying force violently penetrated the ground, causing it to crack. There was a loud bang, and the huge echo directly penetrated the entire town!
Wang Zhong and Mu Zi would definitely hear it and rush over immediately. Just as Aioros finished thinking about it, the voice from his soul had already sounded.
"Mister, do you want to buy my match?" The skinny figure raised the dry match and looked at Aioros with a look of longing and urgency.
The question went deep into the soul. It wasn't a normal situation where one had to wait for their consciousness to react and their brain to think before speaking through their mouth. Instead, it was a direct conversation with one's soul, and there were no steps for thinking. Aiolos was extremely clear about this. The moment he saw the little girl, he had forcefully strengthened his self-awareness. After all, he was a top Heavenly Soul expert. He was consciously on guard against this. After a slight struggle in his soul, he actually gave a different answer from the last time as he had hoped.
"I don't want to buy it!" Aioros blurted out.
The charm of the soul only lasted for a moment. As soon as he spoke, Aioros was already completely awake. He was also secretly glad that there were only two different choices. As long as he compared them, he would definitely be able to come up with an accurate result.
He remembered that when he agreed to buy the match last time, the match instantly established a strange link with his soul that couldn't be broken. It continuously extracted his life force and Soul Power to burn. However, it was different this time.
The little girl opposite him had a look of disappointment and even despair on her face. No one wanted to buy her match. She remembered that she hadn't eaten for a day. Her thin figure shivered in the cold wind. At the same time, with the little girl as the center, the temperature within a radius of a few hundred meters began to plummet. The world that had just stopped suddenly 'came alive' and began to 'expand'!
The pea-sized snowflakes abruptly grew to the size of goose feathers. Furthermore, every single snowflake shone brightly, emitting a fatal chill that struck fear into the hearts of those who looked at it. The temperature dropped rapidly, with the momentum of freezing everything in its path to absolute zero. Even someone as strong as Aioros could feel this terrifying chill. In an instant, he felt his body stiffen under this terrifyingly low temperature, and even the circulation of his Soul Power became sluggish. This was only because he felt the low temperature around him. If he were to directly come into contact with the frightening and frightening snowflakes, even Aioros wasn't completely confident that he wouldn't be affected.
Fortunately, the area that the snow covered wasn't too large. It only froze within a radius of a few hundred meters. Aioros immediately retreated, wanting to escape from this area. With his speed, a mere few hundred meters could be covered in the blink of an eye. However, just as he moved, the little girl's figure flashed and disappeared from her original position. She then appeared behind Aioros as he retreated, blocking his path.
Aioros raised his hand and unleashed an explosive punch. This was the combat style that he was used to. He wanted to gather the power of the heavens and the earth into his body. However, in this space that was covered in goose-feather-sized snow, Aioros discovered that he couldn't even absorb a shred of the power of the heavens and the earth. This area seemed to have become the domain of the little girl, completely under her control.
Bang ~ ~
His fist smashed into an invisible shield wall, causing the entire space to tremble faintly. However, it didn't hurt the little girl behind the invisible wall at all.
However, with this delay, a large snowflake had already landed on Aioros's shoulder. Unlike the so-called low temperature in the outside world, where he could still feel the temperature, the moment the snowflake touched his body, Aioros felt a complete 'deathly stillness'.
It froze and condensed everything. Not only his external appearance, but even his internal Soul Power, his body cells, and even the atoms and molecules that made up his cells. All matter!
This had already exceeded the definition of cold. It was absolute zero!
Aioros felt his entire body stiffen at this moment. The power that was about to freeze everything directly drilled into his vast Heavenly Soul Sea through his torso, as if it wanted to freeze his Soul Sea to death in an instant!
Boom!
This chill came too quickly, so quickly that he almost couldn't react. At this moment, a wave of resistance suddenly erupted from his Soul Sea. It was like the eruption of a volcano, surging and spewing, resisting the pervasive chill and actually forcing it back a little.
"It's useless." The little girl's voice had changed. It was no longer as timid as before. Instead, it was as cold as the surrounding cold. Her face was also filled with endless resentment and desolate despair. Her ice-cold little hand gently pressed on Aioros's fist. "Without the match, we will all die …"
Aioros didn't have the energy to listen to what she was saying. In the blink of an eye, the battle between his surging Soul Power and the terrifying chill in his body had reached a white-hot stage. It was a tug-of-war, and for a moment, no one could do anything to the other.
Hua hua hua hua hua.
The snowflake in the air had already become the size of a human palm. In the blink of an eye, it had completely engulfed Aioros and the little girl!
Mu Zi's situation wasn't much better than Wang Zhong's and Aioros's. In fact, it was even worse. Although Aioros's two answers were different, he felt a strong sense of challenge when the question was asked. His answers were more independent and unyielding, and he just wanted to conquer the other party. Regardless of whether it was through force or other means, this kind of vigor, hope, and fighting spirit that was full of vitality and willpower was incompatible with the little girl.
However, what Mu Zi felt was not a challenge. When the lonely scene of snowflakes fluttering in the sky appeared, when the background in the wind and snow seemed extremely frail, especially when the pair of eyes that were filled with sorrow and even despair looked at him, Mu Zi thought of his childhood and his lonely fate.
No matter how powerful he became, no matter how much he experienced and faced alone, the feeling in his memories could never dissipate.
Furthermore, the Life and Death Coffin represented despair, while Mu Zi's life was more like a lonely star. This question was more like a rule that evoked the source in the deepest part of one's heart and continuously magnified it.
Aioros's warning and all the previous psychological preparations had disappeared in an instant, as if there was no resistance at all. This was the weakness of humans. No matter how powerful one was, once there was a flaw in one's heart, it would be extremely dangerous in the Dimensional World. From the beginning to the end, Mu Zi's desire to survive was not that strong.
"Okay," said Mu Zi. He had already been completely immersed in it. At this moment, he didn't even know that he was called Mu Zi. Regardless of whether it was his thoughts or his soul, they were shrouded in a desire to be free.
The little girl's face revealed joy, which seemed to make Mu Zi more certain of his answer. She walked over gently and held Mu Zi's hand. When their hands touched, their souls intersected, and the match in the little girl's hand lit up with a whoosh.
It was like a warm bonfire in the cold winter, or like a shining light in the dark night.
This match was very unusual. The moment it was lit, a small cluster of ice crystals emerged from the top of the match. However, it was an active ice crystal.
It emitted a strange blue light. It was like an ice crystal petal that rapidly grew, bloomed, and blossomed. The stamen kept rolling outwards, forming layers of petals. Meanwhile, the outer petals that had bloomed with light rapidly withered. They were squeezed out from the outer layer and turned into nothingness.
It looked like a cluster of colorful blue flames. It was accompanied by the crisp crackling sound of ice crystals breaking and squeezing. It was exceptionally clear in the quiet town.
It was as if the entire world was only left with this ice crystal flower. Everything else had lost its meaning in front of this flower.
Mu Zi's eyes stared at it as if he was fascinated. He held hands with the little girl and admired its brilliance and beauty. He also admired the loneliness and hopelessness of the flower as it continued to wither.
Mu Zi could clearly feel that his life and Soul Power were burning. Furthermore, he knew that he had the ability to stop all of this. As long as he broke free from the little girl's hand, he could even stuff the little girl into the Life and Death Coffin. That didn't seem to require too much effort, but he didn't want to move. He didn't want to stop or destroy all of this.
He was already used to despair and loneliness. Instead, this feeling made him feel familiar and close. He could hide here and lick his wounds out of habit.
Death? To Mu Zi, this was never a sensitive or taboo word. On the contrary, he suddenly felt that he had stayed in the Realm of Life for too long …
The two figures gradually dimmed in the snowstorm. Only the cluster of dazzling ice crystal flower was left burning in the snowstorm. It was extremely dazzling.
… …
Darkness and loneliness. Although the background of the snowflakes was different, it had the same melody and theme.
"Big brother, do you want to buy my matches?"
Wang Zhong felt a sense of melancholy and despair being ignited in that instant. The familiar feeling in the darkness and the desire to find a corner to hide quietly were evoked at this moment.
It was too easy to sink into it. He wouldn't be knocked down by that kind of despair directly. Instead, he would be dragged into a deeper, quieter, and more desperate place that he would be unable to extricate himself from. However, he was Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong had experienced all of this. Furthermore, the amount of time he had experienced it was probably not much shorter than Mu Zi. He had rich experiences of loneliness and despair, but unlike Mu Zi, Wang Zhong wasn't as miserable. Mu Zi had suddenly suffered a bolt from the blue, while Wang Zhong had suffered a kind of torment. Most importantly, Wang Zhong still had Simba in his world.
The clown, who always shone with colorful colors and sprinkled fluorescent powder from the dark sky, illuminating the entire world, became the beginning of hope in Wang Zhong's world of darkness.
Despair and hope were two completely opposite emotions, but in Wang Zhong's world, they seemed to be so harmonious.
It was just like how only the light in the darkness was the most dazzling, and only the darkness in the light was the most annoying. Everything in this world needed to be set off by opposites. If there was no darkness, then light would actually lose its meaning.
The same was true for despair and hope. With opposites, when the two coexisted, people could experience the true extreme. When one really walked through the extreme of despair, one would find that it was just so-so.
Wang Zhong's heart didn't have the slightest confusion or confusion. It was as if the emotions that were enough to make people despair to death were just a habit. In his eyes, the frail little girl in front of him seemed to be looking at himself from another angle when he was curled up in the darkness.
What he needed wasn't to accompany him in sorrow, nor was it a cold rejection, but a flash of light like Simba's.
Wang Zhong didn't answer. His firm willpower and clear understanding allowed him to resist the temptation of making a choice. People didn't only live or die, black or white. There were often more choices. Sometimes it seemed like despair, but it was just that they lacked the courage to try. At this moment, Wang Zhong's body regained consciousness.
Wang Zhong didn't feel fear, nor did he escape. Instead, he went forward, but he ignored the matchstick that seemed to be his only hope. Instead, he took off his clothes and put them on the little girl. He gently touched the little girl's cold forehead to transmit his warmth. "Warmth isn't the only choice."
This warmth with strong spiritual power had a certain impact on the little girl. Obviously, she had never encountered such a situation in the long time since the birth of the secret realm. Any rule power and the birth of the secret realm also followed the laws of the universe, just like black and white, cold and hot. You just needed to find the opportunity to have the same power.
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