Chapter 1963: Arrival

Fantasy Novel

Not far away, Ji Xiaoxi watched the nearby lake with a face full of tears. The entire lake had turned purple, and its water had risen into the air to form an altar, where her companion, Yao Fang, lay.

Yao Fang's eyes were wide open, and there was a massive wound on her neck; she was clearly no longer breathing.

Blood saturated the altar, continuously dripping into the lake. With each drop, the lake's purple hue intensified.

Shadow Moon Lake now resembled a giant purple eye, its depth terrifying.

The vertical giant pupil suspended in mid-air was merely a projection of the lake's surface.

As "Lu Bei" prayed, the lake surface gradually began to boil, and a terrifying will seemed to be attempting to descend upon the place.

Just a wisp of the leaked aura sent chills through Ji Xiaoxi's entire body.

At that moment, she was both afraid and furious. Having witnessed her companion's tragic death, she desperately wanted to avenge Yao Fang.

Unfortunately, her expertise in poisons seemed ineffective against these monsters. She was currently encased in a silk cocoon, unable to even activate the flying sword talisman her Brother Zu had given her.

Fortunately, Brother Zu had also given her several protective talismans, which for now prevented the silk cocoon from harming her. However, given the current situation, these talismans wouldn't last much longer.

Sensing the aura emanating from the lake, "Lu Bei" became extremely agitated. He prostrated himself again in a bizarre posture, chanting, "Lord of War Sacrifice, descend! A brand new world awaits your enjoyment."

"Blood, it's not enough..."

A low, hoarse voice, like fingernails scraping against glass, came from the void, jarring and terrifying.

"Lu Bei" looked at Ji Xiaoxi, who was wrapped in the cocoon, and hesitated. "My Lord, this young girl seems to have a significant connection with an important figure among the human race. Keeping her would be more beneficial for the upcoming plans..."

Before he could finish, the low murmur interrupted him: "Blood, I still need blood..."

"Lu Bei" gritted his teeth, and suddenly a Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider burst forth from his chest cavity. Immediately after, it threw Lu Bei's body onto the altar. Soon, gushing blood flowed from the ruptured chest.

They had already sacrificed the blood of numerous beings during this period, and it seemed like it should be enough.

As the fresh blood flowed into the lake, the entire body of water began to boil violently.

Ji Xiaoxi's face turned incredibly pale as she watched. In the projection of the giant vertical pupil in the sky, she vaguely saw an enormous entity seemingly attempting to pierce through the void and arrive.

The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider rejoiced, "Your subordinate welcomes the descent of Lord Sacrifice!"

However, after a moment, there was no movement above. It looked up and realized that its lord seemed unable to break through the thin layer of void.

"Is the sacrifice still insufficient?" The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider looked at Ji Xiaoxi in the cocoon, pondering that no matter how important the girl was, it couldn't compare to the Lord Sacrifice's arrival. Once its lord successfully descended, this new world would be theirs for the taking.

As the meritorious servant who helped Lord Sacrifice descend, I would surely be richly rewarded.

With the Demonic Spider leader now dead, I could grow into the new leader with his help.

With this thought, it immediately firmed its resolve, brandishing its four limbs and manipulating transparent threads to forcefully cast the cocoon, with Ji Xiaoxi inside, into the lake.

Although its current strength was insufficient to break through the protective artifacts on the young girl, once she entered the lake, how could those artifacts possibly withstand Lord Sacrifice?

As she watched herself draw closer to the massive purple lake, Ji Xiaoxi could distinctly feel the overwhelming demonic energy seeping out. In an instant, terror engulfed her entire body, freezing even her thoughts.

"Brother Zu..." she mumbled unconsciously, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Xiaoxi, I'm here. Don't be afraid." A gentle voice whispered in her ear, and she then felt herself enveloped in a warm embrace.

Ji Xiaoxi opened her eyes and gazed at the familiar face, momentarily stunned. "Is this a final lucid moment before death...?"

As a doctor, she had naturally witnessed many patients experience such moments before death, where they seemed to see people they longed for or accomplish things they wished to, all while immersed in a "beautiful dream."

Had she already been swallowed and dissolved by the massive purple lake, and were these thoughts merely products of her lingering soul?

"Xiaoxi, I'm late. I'm sorry you were frightened," Zu An said apologetically.

Just then, another familiar voice grumbled discontentedly, "This is preposterous! In the final moment of danger, you thought of that brat instead of your father!"

Ji Dengtu was fuming beside them, his beard bristling and eyes glaring. No wonder people said daughters were money pits; she hadn't even fully grown up yet and was already siding with outsiders.

"Ah!" Seeing her father's indignant expression, Ji Xiaoxi immediately reacted, her small face flushing crimson with embarrassment.

She was truly in Brother Zu's arms, and both he and Father had heard her call his name!

How utterly mortifying, boo hoo...

She wished for a hole to crawl into, but at that moment, her entire body was encased in the cocoon, rendering her unable to move.

At that moment, Zu An's gaze fell upon the cocoon. A wisp of flame rose from his hand, instantly incinerating the cocoon to ashes.

Initially, seeing such a large flame, Ji Dengtu had been worried it might burn Xiaoxi, as he had witnessed the power of this fire before.

If Xiaoxi's skin were to be scorched or injured, he would never let this brat off lightly!

However, seeing Ji Xiaoxi emerge completely unharmed, he couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration. This young man's control over elements was truly masterful, perhaps only his former teacher possessed such a level of control.

Having been confined in the cocoon for so long, Ji Xiaoxi's legs and feet felt numb. The moment she broke free, she couldn't stand steadily and let out a soft cry as she stumbled into Zu An's embrace.

Ji Dengtu, standing by, watched Zu An holding his precious daughter, his "piggish hand" patting her back incessantly in comfort, and felt a surge of displeasure.

He felt as if his vibrant young cabbage, which he had meticulously nurtured for years, had just been rooted up by a pig.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 555555555...

"How did you find this place?!" The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider's voice trembled upon seeing this ominous figure.

It had just sensed that the mighty Demonic Spider leader had perished at this young man's hands.

Zu An's gaze fell upon the boiling purple lake. He had no interest in answering the spider and instead asked, "Where exactly do you monsters come from?"

The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider looked back at the lake, saw that Lord of War Sacrifice was still unable to emerge, and decisively turned to flee.

It knew it was absolutely no match for this human.

The humans it had encountered before were mere food for the demonic spiders. How could this individual be so absurdly powerful?

If many humans were at this level, then their current expedition was simply a suicidal mission.

No sooner had it moved than a flying sword appeared, circling its head.

The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider's body stiffened, then its head separated from its body and plummeted directly into the lake.

The flying sword returned to Zu An's side, transforming into a yellow talisman.

Zu An handed it to Ji Xiaoxi. "Xiaoxi, keep this safe. Use it for self-defense from now on."

Ji Xiaoxi's eyes sparkled. She thought to herself that it was the same talisman, yet when she had used it moments ago, the monster had rendered her helpless. In Brother Zu's hands, however, it could effortlessly instantly kill the powerful monster.

Ji Dengtu, standing by, said sourly, "Xiaoxi, don't forget how Father used to educate you. Don't be happy just because a man gives you something; they want something far more precious from you."

"Father!" Ji Xiaoxi gave her father a reproachful glance. "You've misunderstood Brother Zu. He's not that kind of person."

Ji Dengtu: "..."

In that instant, he felt as if he had been critically struck.

Just then, a whirlpool suddenly formed in the center of Shadow Moon Lake. It started small but rapidly grew, eventually turning the entire lake into a massive vortex.

The phantom image in mid-air also became increasingly clear, as if something was traversing the void.

Ji Dengtu's face changed. "Damn it! That demonic spider falling into the lake must have completed the final sacrifice. A powerful being from another world is coming!"

Zu An, however, remained calm. "It's fine. I was going to wait for it anyway to have a good talk with it."

Ji Dengtu: "..."

Damn it, he had become a mere backdrop for this brat's grandstanding, and right in front of his beloved daughter, no less.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 666666...

Facing such an unknown entity from another realm, wasn't this kid afraid of messing up?

Just then, all the water in Shadow Moon Lake formed a waterspout, gathering in the air. Finally, a gigantic figure became increasingly distinct within the water.

"That monster seems to have three heads," Ji Xiaoxi said, fearfully shrinking deeper into Zu An's embrace.

Ji Dengtu also felt as though he was facing a formidable enemy, even forgetting to be jealous of Zu An.

Xiaoxi's cultivation might not be high enough to fully perceive it, but with his own cultivation, he could distinctly feel a powerful oppressive aura.

For so many years, he had only felt this kind of pressure from his teacher and Zhao Hao. No, he could even sense that this was not the other party's full power.

He couldn't help but glance at Zu An, thinking, *Let that brat show off; now he's attracted a tough opponent, hasn't he?*

At that moment, the waterspout gradually dissipated, and a colossal monster appeared in the air.

It was over ten meters tall, purplish-black all over, with three enormous demonic heads and three massive arms that seemed to be wielding something.

"Ah, finally in this new world. What a wonderful scent," said the middle head.

"Those fools insisted on clashing at the sealed land to the north, unaware they could open a new passage," the right head cackled.

"Opening a passage isn't that easy. This time, we only managed to create a new one by chance, stumbling upon an ancient rift realm," the left head snorted.

"Unfortunately, the primal energy in this world seems a bit sparse, unable to sustain our greater power. Still, what a joyous occasion to find a completely new world with no other demons," the middle head said, closing its eyes with an expression of rapture.

Zu An's heart stirred. Listening to their conversation, he felt he could glean a lot of useful information.

He was not in a hurry to interrupt, hoping they would be more talkative and reveal more.

Unfortunately, the monster didn't give him the chance: "You three insignificant ants over there, I have just arrived in this world and require some natives to provide information. You are fortunate; I grant you the opportunity to surrender."