Chapter Forty-Four: The Lost World (Finale)

Wu Yue, carrying his vibrant midsummer world, returned once again to that vast grassland.

Sunshine blazed, and the air was thick with the song of cicadas.

Li Suizhu suddenly opened her eyes, a merciless gaze shooting forth. In the distance, the Teng Snake breathed hurriedly, whispering, "Wait a little longer, it’s not done yet."

Wu Yue, of course, was unaware of Li Suizhu’s current state. But at this moment, she looked anything but a friend. With a soft sigh, Wu Yue recognized the deliberate stalling of this mysterious world. He had not broken through it immediately—partly because the bait was too tempting, partly because he gambled that Li Suizhu, being a princess, might yet have the strength to resist. He still found it hard to believe that such a girl would simply vanish.

Regardless, he made his move, choosing not to accept further fortune.

"You deserve death." Li Suizhu’s lips moved as her eyes opened, but whether from disuse or for some other reason, her words were barely intelligible, more broken than whole.

"Then why don’t you come and kill me yourself?" Wu Yue laughed, though he was under immense pressure. Mysterious energies surged, unfathomable laws pressed upon him—yet his midsummer world remained resilient, like the man within it: stubborn, unyielding.

Li Suizhu reached out—a colossal hand formed from the heavens themselves, grasping for Wu Yue, intent on crushing his entire midsummer world.

"Paltry tricks! Show me your true strength!" Wu Yue’s spirit soared. His midsummer heart burned on, undying. The blazing sun above shone brighter, its rays piercing the giant hand, flooding the world. The grass withered, the blue sky faded.

Li Suizhu’s face remained unmoved, or perhaps there was only coldness left upon it. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she uttered, "Endless renewal."

The grass perishes and flourishes with the seasons—so goes the meaning of endless renewal, a truth close to the very Dao.

Yet, against Wu Yue, whose heart brimmed with boundless conviction and whose way was manifest, it was not enough. Wu Yue drew his hands through the air, his gaze both calm and wild—an extremity of madness, or perhaps an extremity of serenity.

"Ah Fei’s Swift Sword." Sword intent and self as one.

Neither following the path of the sword, nor Ah Fei’s way, nor the way of swiftness or killing, his sword intent became midsummer sunlight—unstoppable, searing, relentless.

A wave of weakness swept from his soul—luckily, he was no longer who he once was. In the past, such effort would have left him utterly drained.

The sunlight blazed even fiercer—dazzling, scorching, merciless.

"It’s his aura!" Li Suizhu’s face was suddenly stricken with terror. Even after countless ages, she remembered—that person, that same sword aura, the one that had destroyed her, whom she dared not even hate, only fear, only tremble before.

"Now!" Li Suizhu cried sharply.

Heaven and earth spun faster, cycles accelerating. Vast beams of azure light surged into Li Suizhu’s body, and several more streaked toward the midsummer world.

The entire sky and earth changed—the prairie and blue vault above grew ethereal, unreal.

"This is the moment!" The Teng Snake’s form swelled instantly. In the blink of an eye—no, even faster—it spanned the infinite distance and appeared before Li Suizhu. This was true teleportation. He didn’t spare a thought for the precious scroll enabling it; a golden card appeared in his hand.

A Divine Spirit Capture Card.

The card dissolved, turning into golden light that enveloped Li Suizhu. Then, she vanished, and the golden light reformed into a card. All this happened in an instant.

The Teng Snake laughed triumphantly—success! Who cared if she was a world-class powerhouse? Even she could only watch helplessly as he snatched away the World Tree seed. Possession or not, in the end, it was his!

"Lord God, I request to return."

A beam of white light fell from the sky, unstoppable by any world—neither the original, nor Wu Yue’s midsummer domain.

"You natives!"

The Teng Snake felt his blood boiling, his heart roaring! In his hand was the captured World Tree seed, before him a world-class foe.

"Haha! If not for you drawing out the World Tree seed, I’d never have caught it! I owe you for this, my friend," he sneered. If he could cause someone else more trouble, all the better.

"Shen Gong Lei, I’ve found you another enemy. Don’t thank me," the Teng Snake said coldly.

By now, the white light had wrapped him completely.

The unclaimed rules left by the World Tree were slowly absorbed by the midsummer world. Yet Wu Yue’s face could not hide his shock.

A white figure suddenly appeared, five white dragons coiling around her. As Ren Ruyi arrived, the five dragons roared in unison.

Ren Ruyi beamed brightly, her voice sweet: "Brother Wu, could you spare me some of the remaining rules?" As she spoke, a seed appeared in her hand—withered, yet brimming with vitality. The leftover prairies and skies were swiftly being absorbed by this seed.

Wu Yue regarded her, curiosity flickering in his heart. But this was no time for reminiscence, nor was she likely a suitable companion for such. He replied coolly, "As you wish. Be quick." He could never absorb all the remaining rules himself, but this was not an act of charity—merely necessity.

He turned his gaze to the Teng Snake, whose form was already fading. "You’ve given me no reason not to kill you, but it would be no trouble if I did."

"What right do you have to kill me? Hahaha!" The Teng Snake could feel the passage opening, just ten seconds and he’d be gone. Within this white light, none could kill him!

"Stop!" Wu Yue commanded the white light.

"Utterly laughable! You think—" The Teng Snake’s words cut off abruptly, confidence turning to terror in a heartbeat.

"Impossible! Lord God! Lord God, return me! Who are you?" Despair filled his eyes.

With the World Tree’s spirit gone, Wu Yue faced little resistance. He expanded his midsummer world and appeared beside the Teng Snake.

In Wu Yue’s eyes, the Teng Snake’s cultivation was barely at the half-step Foundation Establishment stage; such a being, he could crush a heap of them with a single punch now.

"Hand it over, and I’ll spare your life," Wu Yue said coolly.

The Teng Snake’s face turned ashen—after all his scheming, he was nothing but a tailor, making a wedding gown for another.

"Promise me three things first," the Teng Snake rasped.

Wu Yue glanced at him, the pressure of a great cultivator weighing down. The Teng Snake’s legs buckled, nearly dropping him to his knees.

"Speak. Think carefully. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll kill you outright. That woman means little to me."

Bitterness welled in the Teng Snake’s heart. He didn’t believe Wu Yue, but he didn’t dare risk it either.

He took a slow breath. "First, I want your protection in this cycle’s scenario. Second, help me kill Shen Gong Lei. Third, if you can manage this, forget the first two—help me escape the Cycle Space." At the last, hope flickered in his eyes.

But as Wu Yue shook his head, the Teng Snake’s hope faded.

"The first two I can promise. As for the third, I can tell you this—not just I, but no one can help you! Only by amassing ten thousand merit points can you naturally leave this place."

"So it’s true." The Teng Snake was not surprised. "Then may you keep your word." With that, a card flew from his hand into Wu Yue’s.

"I’ll need your help soon," Wu Yue said to Ren Ruyi, who had been trying to remain inconspicuous.

"Brother Wu has but to command, and I shall obey," Ren Ruyi replied with a sunny smile. After all, the strong dictated the terms—even if Wu Yue’s own strength was not vast, the meaning was clear enough: help me, and we're friends; refuse, and you can guess the consequences.

"Come forth," Wu Yue said, crushing the card. Li Suizhu appeared.

"Midsummer!" Wu Yue called. The sun blazed in the sky, cicadas clamored to the heavens.

Ren Ruyi also cried out softly, the seed in her hand radiating endless light, faint traces of the Dao swirling about it. The seed tugged at the grasslands of the original world.

"Li Suizhu, come out! This is your last chance!" Wu Yue shouted.

A jade pendant floated from Li Suizhu’s chest, glowing softly.

Her face was expressionless. Whether it was Wu Yue’s suppression, Ren Ruyi’s contest for control of the remaining rules, or the true soul of Li Suizhu manifesting, she showed no reaction.

The Teng Snake, lurking at a safe distance, was now filled with longing after his earlier fright. With such a powerful figure, even connected to the Lord God—if he could form a bond, perhaps his luck wasn’t so bad after all.