Chapter 91 The Spear of Courage Still Presses Forward (XIV) Our Mission...

When Xia Zhu went out, she bumped into Sirius, who was frozen solid and had just returned from who-knows-where.

Good morning! The weather is nice today.

He greeted us shivering, seemingly in a good mood, if only his icy snot hadn't been poking his chin.

People gradually emerged from the Ice Castle. Ji Wuchou handed the green feather robe to Xia Zhu, while Miaomiao, carrying a leather bag, tried to nuzzle its fluffy head into Sirius's arms.

"Don't meow like that, I'm too cold," he said, pushing her away.

But the dog's enthusiasm will never be dampened by this.

It wrapped Sirius even tighter in its arms, nuzzling the feathered robe on the ground with its wet nose, gesturing for him to put it on, and then frantically licked his face, melting away all the frost.

"Let's go check out the Well of Destiny first, and then we can think of a solution there," Ji Wuchou suggested.

"See? See? You'll be amazed..." Sirius chuckled to himself.

"Hmm—what did you say?" Feng Feng caught this little movement and leaned in as if she wanted to shove her ear into someone's mouth.

Ying Ya: "..." Silently reached out and withdrew a Feng Feng.

Sirius chuckled, touching his nose, as a group of people ran past them, saying things like, "Hurry up, the Well of Destiny should have refreshed by now."

They look like a team of brave adventurers here to complete a mission.

Sirius's expression changed drastically, and his face froze.

Xia Zhu glanced at him, and Ji Wuchou said, "Let's go, let's go take a look first."

The feathers of the Skybird are indeed a good tool for keeping warm. Because they collect a lot of them, the craftsmen in the blacksmith shop even made a hood for each of them so they wouldn't get a headache from the cold.

The wind and snow were still too heavy, so everyone had to keep their heads down to avoid the cold snow dust blowing into their eyes.

All they could hear was the howling wind, and they relied solely on the footprints left by their predecessors that had not yet been covered up again to confirm that they had not strayed from the group.

In Xia Zhu's perception, this road had been traveled for a very long time.

Until the people in front stopped, a magnificent and boundless gray wall stood before them, and a dry well at the foot of the wall.

The Well of the End is no different from any other ordinary well, except that snow cannot fall in and therefore no water accumulates.

Xia Zhu noticed that Sirius's aura had suddenly weakened considerably. The brim of his feathered robe was pulled low over his eyes, and even Miao Miao was whimpering softly, though the sound was so faint that it quickly blended into the background wind.

Feng Feng suggested trying again, and everyone took turns trying, but no one could cry.

Sirius regained some of his energy and stood by the well, his voice cheerful.

"Oh dear, since that's the case, why don't we leave this godforsaken place and go sightseeing in the surrounding area? Why waste our precious youth here? Time flies and never returns... I know a place where it's spring all year round and the scenery is absolutely beautiful!"

He gestured wildly, describing what a paradise it was, but no one uttered a word in agreement.

Ji Wuchou was silent for a moment, then brushed past him and walked to the well.

She stared blankly at the deep well opening and murmured, "Any liquid will do, right?"

"Xiao Chou..." Feng Feng wanted to call out to her, but he saw Ji Wuchou flip her wrist, and a sharp ice blade appeared in her palm. Without hesitation, she cut a deep, bone-revealing wound into her own hand.

Bright red blood gushed out instantly, dripping into the Well of Destiny with scalding heat.

Sirius stood stiffly to one side. Xia Zhu quickly stepped forward and, seeing that Ji Wuchou had withdrawn his injured hand, grabbed it.

The two were very close, but their breaths were blown away by the cold wind before they reached each other.

Ji Wuchou sensed a warm power flowing through Xia Zhu's skin to her palm, and the torn flesh was healing at a visible speed. She looked up and met Xia Zhu's eyes.

“Clerics can heal through chanting,” Xia Zhu said dryly.

Ji Wuchou chuckled softly, "I know."

Xia Zhu couldn't help but scratch her back, as a sinister gaze seemed to pierce through her from behind.

She hesitated whether to turn back and explain again, but immediately dismissed the idea.

Why should I explain? Let whoever wants to guess, guess whatever they want.

The blood entered the well and quickly seeped into the ice bricks, turning the entire Well of Destiny a scarlet color. On this ice field, which was only blue and gray, it looked out of place like the mouthparts of some evil creature.

A sound of boiling water rang out, and blood suddenly gushed from the well. Xia Zhu and Ji Wuchou quickly retreated, and she also pulled Sirius, who was standing still, along with them.

The blood flowed into a river, rushing straight towards the high wall. The snow-like components seemed to have a strong adsorption capacity, instantly staining a square red area the moment the blood river reached it.

"Is that the gate to the end of the world?" Feng Feng's voice was somewhat distorted.

As if to confirm her words, the red area on the wall began to emit golden light along the crack, showing a faint tendency to crack. The golden light surged, and everyone had to raise their hands to shield their eyes. A door slowly opened from the inside.

The wind and snow in the world stopped immediately.

Time seemed to stand still.

"Let's go, this might be the final hurdle."

Someone said something, and they started walking towards the door.

Passing through the blood-stained gate on the high wall, a completely new world unfolds on the other side.

Above the frozen sea, the magnificent sunset shines generously upon the world, its golden light dazzling, like a pure land depicted in a paradise.

Xia Zhu stopped in her tracks, realizing that Sirius hadn't followed.

Instead, he remained standing outside the door, head down, looking like a child who had been playing outside all day and didn't want to go home.

Meow Meow sat obediently beside him.

The others also noticed something was amiss and turned around to wait for him to make a decision.

This distance seemed so long that it would take a lot of determination to close it. After a long time, Sirius finally smiled and gently patted Meow Meow's head.

"Then let's have a big battle!"

He said.

Then, without hesitation, he strode into the room.

The legendary Demon King Ales was nowhere to be seen. The edge of the pale blue frozen sea was covered with golden light, and an iron cage stood in the center of the distant view.

A pink figure could be vaguely seen inside, but its appearance could not be discerned due to the distance.

"Princess, princess! It's a princess!" Feng Feng became excited and started doing high leg raises and stretching left and right. He was obviously impatient to fight the demon king to the death and then catch a glimpse of the princess's beautiful face.

"But where is the Demon King?" Ji Yinxiu had already drawn the Xuanyuan Sword from her waist. The sword's edge appeared less sharp under the brilliant sunlight, its edges blurred and soft, like a glow stick drawn to celebrate the finale.

Seven people and a dog, bound by a divine bond, gripped their weapons and walked toward the cage on the frozen sea.

This is a perfect place to end everything; the sun is right in front of you, the sky and earth are vast, and the sea is boundless.

The ice shimmered with dazzling light, and a refreshing breeze swept in from the horizon, ruffling the hair of the group.

"You've finally arrived."

The sound emanating from beneath the ice was like an echo from a bottomless abyss billions of light-years away, its lingering resonance striking Xia Zhu's chest. Every inch of his skin, except his ears, received it, causing the sound to reverberate in his chest and his skin to tremble.

The feeling wasn't fear of the Demon King; in such a beautiful place, hearing a greeting instead stirred an urge to cry. She didn't understand the source of these emotions, nor did she know who the greeting was addressed to.

The sea began to tremble, and a huge cluster of ice cones rose from the frozen sea not far away, repeatedly casting the golden sun behind them, making it even more dazzling and magnificent.

The ice cones continued to rise slowly until their entirety was revealed to everyone.

Demon King Ares.

It looks like a giant tortoise, but its enormous body is made of ice, with undulating icebergs on its back. Just by raising its head slightly, the whole world trembles uncontrollably.

"You've finally arrived."

It said another thing.

"So-called destiny is that from the very beginning there is only one path under your feet."

Ares continued reciting his pre-set lines, completely ignoring whether anyone wanted to click "skip".

No matter how slowly you walk, you will eventually reach the end...

"Enough with the nonsense! Let's get this fight started!"

Sirius suddenly leaped out, gripping his rarely used sword with both hands, the blade pointed at Ares, his features contorted in a ferocious expression, yet his gaze remained resolute.

Ares wasn't angry that the young man had interrupted it. It didn't need to do anything; countless ice spikes shot out from its back like a sudden rainstorm, starting the battle.

Xia Zhu reached out and grabbed Ying Huo's sleeve, pulling him back. Several rows of sharp needles were driven into the spot where he had just been. She tossed the person in her hand behind her, not even looking at his unreadable eyes.

"If you don't want to get hurt, find a place to hide."

Ying Huo: "..." He spread his hands, "Where is there anywhere to hide here?" Then his gaze fell on the innocent-looking Miao Miao.

It's nothing more than dodging and endless, meaningless attacks.

Ji Wuchou's power, when applied to Ares, undoubtedly recharged it. As a result, she dissipated all her power and could only try her best to move around and leap between the ice spikes.

Xia Zhu wasn't much better off; her small sword was more suited for close-quarters combat.

They can only rely on Feng Feng and Ying Ya's control abilities to deal damage.

Having spent so much time together, the group had developed a tacit understanding that was evident in their eyes. Their current tactic was to rely on Ji Yinxiu's Xuanyuan Sword to draw fire, while Ying Ya spread his wings to cover Feng Feng, allowing her to pass through the ice spikes and reach Ares's back. Then, they would surround him completely with the "All Things Grow" technique and deliver the final, fatal blow.

The icicles rained down like a shower of flowers, leaving no place to hide. Ying Huo had just walked behind Miao Miao, trying to use its massive body to conceal himself, when the little dog seemed to see through his mischievous intentions and yelped and ran away before Ying Huo could get close enough.

He stood there speechless when suddenly an icicle fell from the sky.

With a sharp, clanging sword, Sirius, who had blocked the attack for him, walked up to Ying Huo with a cheeky grin.

"Brother Ying Huo~ I know that the reason you're not participating in the battle must be because you don't have a suitable weapon~"

"Weapons?" Ying Huo glanced at Xia Zhu, who was jumping around, without changing his expression. "I don't need such things."

Sirius tried to pat him on the shoulder to show he understood.

“It’s alright. For a handsome man like you, being able to stand before the Demon King is already quite an achievement.” Sirius thumped his chest. “I’ve still kept your Medal of Courage for you.”

Ying Huo glanced at him. "Boring. Can't we just end this already? I've had enough."

Sirius seemed surprised by his words, his expression froze for a moment, then he quickly returned to his usual honest and simple demeanor.

"That's true. There are anti-addiction time limits for playing games. You can't keep someone else on their toes forever."

He wiped the sword clean and turned his back to Ying Huo.

“We’re friends now, so I can’t let my friends be sad.”

Ying Huo stared at his profile, the sunlight casting a soft, fuzzy golden hue. His eyes were incredibly resolute, and compared to before, there was a hint of relief hidden within. Even his bizarre appearance had changed slightly; his brows and eyes had gradually sunken in, and his healthy skin appeared pale and translucent in the snow and gold light. Ying Huo had a strange feeling that the person standing before him now was the real Sirius.

Or perhaps, his name isn't even that.

"Hey! My friends!" Sirius brandished his sword and shouted at the group fighting, "Ales' weak point is his navel! Just attack his lower body!"

He was certain that Xia Zhu and the others had heard him, then he put down his sword, his body slightly hunched, as if shouting those words had nearly killed him.

"The final boss's fatal weakness is in its navel."

"Isn't this setting interesting?"

Sirius turned his head to look at Ying Huo with a proud expression, hoping to get a word of praise from him.

Ying Huo squinted, blocking most of the light from entering, and spoke after a long time.

"It's alright."

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Author's Note: This arc will end in the next chapter, and then... the art style will suddenly change...

P.S.: No update tomorrow. I'll resume daily updates after I'm back on the site. Even though my points are zero, just in case someone starts following me! [emoji]