“She’s still alive.”

  These were the first words Xia Lin said after crawling out of the Resting Dog with Zhang Wen in his arms.

  Then came the second sentence.

  “I’m going to return her to you.”

  Giving in?

  No way!

  The injury to his waist had already healed through devouring the flesh and blood of the Resting Dog, and his personal attributes had even reached new heights, nearing the 100 mark!

  The next second, Xia Lin bent over, his body coiled like a loaded bow, with Zhang Wen as the arrow on the string.

  “You better catch her!”

  The roar was accompanied by the sharp sound of air cracking as Zhang Wen whistled through the air toward Li Peipei’s right hand.

  In the state of True Eye of the White Dragon, Li Peipei clearly saw Zhang Wen’s miserable, dying face.

  Without hesitation, she rushed toward Zhang Wen to prevent her from dying from the impact. At the same time, she remained on guard against Xia Lin’s sudden attack.

  However, the corner of her eye caught Xia Lin’s movement, startling her and reigniting her anger.

  Because she saw that Xia Lin wasn’t rushing toward her—he was heading behind her.

  That was where the Heaven-Sent Primal Essence was located.

  Yes...

  Amidst the chaos of battle, everyone seemed to have forgotten that Li Peipei’s goal was precisely this Divine Source Essence!

  In fact, Li Peipei already regarded it as her own. But she hadn’t expected Xia Lin to use Zhang Wen, who was barely clinging to life, as bait to lure her away from the treasure. Xia Lin’s true aim wasn’t to save Zhang Wen—it was to seize the treasure first!

  His thinking was crystal clear.

  So clear that Li Peipei even doubted whether this person was truly a pure lunatic...

  With a moment of hesitation, Li Peipei couldn’t decide whether to save her teammate first or stop Xia Lin.

  Indecisive, clownish behavior!

  At this moment, Li Peipei perfectly embodied this...

  In the blink of an eye, Xia Lin had already reached the Heaven-Sent Primal Essence and grabbed it in his palm.

  Further away, with a loud crash, Zhang Wen hit the ground and died tragically—and Li Peipei was only three meters away from her at the time.

  Her pretty face flushed with anger.

  Li Peipei felt like she had been made a fool of...

  Xia Lin poured fuel on the fire.

  “You didn’t catch her.”

  “You’re useless even when given a chance.”

  “Aren’t you Sequence 43? Aren’t you awesome? Where’s your awesome strength now?”

  The two were nearly a thousand meters apart. Xia Lin laughed wildly, while Li Peipei stood frozen in place.

  She slowly turned her head and looked at Xia Lin, who was tossing the Heaven-Sent Primal Essence up and down. The hideous, terrifying smile on Xia Lin’s face pierced Li Peipei’s heart.

  “Give me the thing, and I’ll spare your life.”

  She pointed at the Divine Source Essence in Xia Lin’s hand.

  Xia Lin pursed his lips and pretended to be scared. “Ouch, I’m so scared.”

  This approach wasn’t going to work.

  Xia Lin wasn’t afraid of threats.

  This made Li Peipei take a deep breath and suppress her anger.

  “The thing in your hand is very important to our Tieyu Base.”

  Her gaze was sincere, and her tone was solemn.

  “As you know, the original human order no longer exists since the arrival of the Broken Ember Zone 400 days ago.”

  “The entrance to the Ember Zone opens at random, and if it’s not resolved within ten days, it will cause a catastrophe. We Ember Zone Walkers can obtain treasures in the Ember Zone. The Divine Source Essence in your hands is one of them.”

  “Its effect is that it can stabilize the surrounding space, ensuring that the entrance to the Ember Zone opens at a designated location, protecting the safety of surrounding areas.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The original owner of Xia Lin’s body had memories of this.

  This was the root of the world’s transformation from its original political system to the current base system.

  “This thing is useless for you to take because you don’t have a base. Hand it over to me, and I can use it to save more people.”

  She took the initiative to sheathe her heavy sword and made a gesture of peace.

  At the same time, she struck her right hand against her heart and declared with a burning gaze:

  “May the human race live forever, and may civilization endure!”

  “Pfft~~”

  Xia Lin was amused.

  He laughed until his sides ached, his laughter growing louder and louder.

  It wasn’t until Li Peipei’s face turned purple with rage that Xia Lin stopped smiling and pointed to his mutated mouth.

  There, his uneven teeth glistened eerily in the fluorescent light.

  Then, he took off his clothes.

  This action made Li Peipei’s eyes twitch.

  Because she saw that Xia Lin’s abdomen had twisted into a strange shape!

  Three full 30-centimeter-long mouths had grown from Xia Lin’s chest and abdomen, arranged in a triangular pattern. Their jagged fangs opened and closed, revealing shreds of flesh stuck between them.

  This was the flesh of the Resting Dogs.

  Xia Lin spoke, as if murmuring.

  “Do you see how I look now? Do I still look human?”

  Li Peipei was at a loss for words.

  The Feast of Flesh and Blood had turned Xia Lin into a monster!

  “So, all this talk of human righteousness and the eternal survival of the human race—it’s not going to work on me.”

  “It just makes me laugh.”

  “What about dedication and moral blackmail? Peipei, are you out of your mind?”

  “Have you not figured out what kind of person I am in the Ashen Zone?”

  “In the human race and civilization you speak of, is there really a place for me, a cannon fodder!?”

  Li Peipei was still speechless.

  It wasn’t guilt—she was thinking.

  Thinking about a way out of the situation, thinking about how she could get the Divine Source Essence into her hands under the current circumstances.

  The heavy sword in her hand flashed rapidly.

  Dragon Flash Dance was about to come off cooldown.

  However, just before Dragon Flash Dance could activate, Xia Lin suddenly reached toward his abdomen and shoved the Divine Source Essence into one of the mouths!

  He had been calculating Li Peipei’s skill cooldown!

  “Crunch!”

  “Crunch!”

  It didn’t taste like chicken, but it was very crispy.

  So crispy that it broke apart upon being bitten, then melted into his body and disappeared without a trace.

  The Divine Source Essence was gone.

  At this moment, Li Peipei finally tore off her mask of calmness. Her eyes were instantly bloodshot.

  She couldn’t accept that her Divine Source Essence had been wasted on a cannon fodder!

  At the same time, a flood of notifications filled Xia Lin’s ears, causing him to laugh arrogantly.

  “You see, you’re full of lies. You really deserve to die!”

  The effect of stabilizing space was only one of the Divine Source Essence’s abilities—and even the most basic one at that.

  There was a reason why this item was valued by a Sequence-level powerhouse like Li Peipei.

  Thinking about this, Xia Lin spread his legs and slowly walked toward Li Peipei.

  “Are you angry? Are you furious? Do you want to kill me?”

  “Come on... today, only one of us can walk out of the Ashen Zone alive!”

  At this moment, Xia Lin’s fighting spirit was surging, and his blood was boiling.

  He wanted to crush this Sequence 43 in the Ashen Zone!

  After all, temporary attributes nearing 100 points were likely a height Xia Lin couldn’t reach again in the short term.

  He was in top form, his strength at its peak!

  In Xia Lin’s eyes, a flash of light suddenly appeared.

  However, it wasn’t the light of Dragon Flash Dance or the gleam of Li Peipei’s heavy sword.

  A whistling pillar of light appeared out of nowhere and enveloped Li Peipei.

  In the light pillar, Li Peipei’s eyes were red, but her reason remained intact.

  Xia Lin instantly suppressed his smile and frowned at Li Peipei.

  He didn’t know what the light was or what kind of skill or technique Li Peipei was using.

  As a Sequence 43, Xia Lin didn’t dare underestimate Li Peipei.

  Even with his current explosive attributes, he still lacked the confidence to defeat her.

  Any unusual movement from her was worthy of his concern, vigilance, and caution.

  Therefore, he stopped in his tracks.

  Eight seconds passed, and nothing happened.

  Li Peipei finally spoke.

  “Ten seconds.”

  “After completing the main mission in the Ashen Zone, you can leave at any time... This process lasts ten seconds, and any interference will interrupt the teleportation.”

  Xia Lin’s face changed, and he instantly shot forward!

  He realized what Li Peipei was planning!

  Facing Xia Lin’s charge, Li Peipei gave a faint smile, as if looking at a dead man.

  “Next, I will return to the Tieyu Base... and if you don’t die here, you’ll also return to the Tieyu Base.”

  “It’s the same entrance you came through.”

  “So, look forward to it.”

  “Look forward to my revenge and methods.”

  Ten seconds passed, and Li Peipei instantly disappeared without a trace.

  Xia Lin rushed to the spot where she had vanished, taking a deep breath.

  “Damn it, bullying a newbie, huh?”