# 204
Chapter 204
It Won’t Happen
In the vast, dead underground cavern, every gaze locked on Yiyu and Lin Qiye. Baili Pangpang’s palms were bleeding where his nails had bitten in; sweat poured off him like rain, yet he still couldn’t shake off the pressure of two “Sea” realms.
As for Ma Yitian… he stood at ease, mind utterly at ease, never doubting the outcome.
Ridiculous—how could Lord Yiyu ever fail?
A seated member of the Believers, he knew better than anyone what terrifying power this man possessed, and he revered him from the bottom of his heart. Without Yiyu, the Church of the Ancient Gods would never have come this far; the Believers themselves wouldn’t even exist.
While Ma Yitian waited in confident triumph, Lin Qiye’s eyes slowly opened…
“Haha, it’s over—as expected of Lord Yiyu, a mere double-god agent—huh?!”
Ma Yitian’s half-spoken flattery froze; his whole body shook. He stared blankly at Lin Qiye, who looked perfectly fine, rubbed his eyes hard—then looked at Yiyu opposite him.
The once elegant, noble Yiyu now stood like a stone statue. The light in his eyes had vanished, his face ashen, devoid of life.
Impossible… impossible!
Ma Yitian’s mouth fell open, disbelief flooding his gaze.
At the same moment, the black chains on Baili Pangpang and the others dissolved. They stared at the awakened Lin Qiye, stunned—then burst into wild joy!
“Qiye! You… you killed him?!” Baili Pangpang was the most excited, almost jumping.
Shen Qingzhu regarded Lin Qiye with complicated eyes; when Lin Qiye looked back, he flinched and turned away as if nothing had happened.
“Qiye, how did you—” Instructor Hong spoke, shocked; even he hadn’t expected a “Sea”-realm Yiyu to lose to Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye shook his head, gaze settling in the distance, voice calm:
“That can wait. Right now we have two bigger problems.”
Ma Yitian finally snapped out of his daze, murderous intent blazing as he glared at the four; the terrifying “Sea”-realm pressure erupted again!
He didn’t know how Lin Qiye had done it, but it didn’t matter—when Lord Yiyu’s true body learned of this, his rage would be apocalyptic!
With a projection lost, if he still failed the mission Yiyu had given him, the consequences would be dire.
No matter what, this double-god agent could not leave here alive!!
Beside them, the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon sensed Yiyu’s death. Bound by a soul contract, its mind was utterly controlled; enraged, it roared to the sky, flame patterns blazing, the surrounding magma churning violently!
ROOOOOAR—!!
The deafening dragon cry shook the entire underworld, hurting eardrums. The joy on Baili Pangpang’s face vanished, replaced by unprecedented grimness.
Yiyu was dead, but two overpowered foes remained; if they couldn’t pass this hurdle, they were still doomed.
Scorching flames filled the cavern; the temperature soared, embers rising from the magma, the searing red threatening to burn out their retinas.
The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon spread its wings, beat them once, and lifted its colossal body from the lava on a wave of blistering wind. Its furious eyes carried terrifying dragon might; a single glance made souls tremble.
It opened its great maw; the fire patterns on its scales seemed to ignite. A fireball twenty meters across condensed before it, the horrific heat distorting the air.
Sensing the energy within, Instructor Hong went pale—if this struck, the whole cavern would be obliterated, not even ash left.
Ma Yitian also realized something was wrong, retreating frantically toward the rock wall, cursing as he ran:
“Is this beast insane? Just a few ants, and it uses an attack this big? Does it want to kill me too?!”
Exactly—the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon did want that.
It hadn’t forgotten who had forcibly woken it from slumber and then attacked it… It had indeed signed a soul contract with Yiyu and couldn’t disobey, but the contract didn’t include “harmony among Believers.”
While Yiyu lived, it dared not step out of line; now Yiyu was gone, and it was king of the underground world!
These ants would die, and the ones who’d provoked it would die—so… destroy everything!
The terrifying fireball kept brewing; the dragon was determined to wipe them all out. Ma Yitian, face white as paper, reached the wall, touched the rock, and melted into it as a black light.
Instructor Hong clenched his teeth, stepped forward, and solemnly pulled a Coat of Arms from his chest.
It was exquisitely crafted: two crossed Straight Blades glowing pale blue, backed by a star-studded night sky…
Below the emblem, two small characters were engraved.
—Hong Hao.
Lin Qiye recognized this Coat of Arms; he had even held it once. Its owner had been Zhao Kongcheng.
Shen Qingzhu and Baili Pangpang had no idea what it was; their eyes were fixed on the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon above.
Instructor Hong gripped the emblem, resolve flashing in his eyes.
“Listen up,” he said slowly.
Shen Qingzhu and Baili Pangpang turned to him.
“In a moment I’ll force my way into the ‘Sea’ realm and blast a tunnel into the rock. Run as fast as you can—I don’t know if it’ll outrun that blast… but it may be your only chance.”
“Us?” Baili Pangpang caught the key word. “Then what about you, Instructor? And… how will you force the breakthrough?”
“That’s not important.” Instructor Hong’s voice brooked no refusal.
He lowered his head, flipped the Coat of Arms, and read the inscription one last time, a faint smile at his lips.
“You youngsters just run. The rest… is for us old-timers.”
His finger slid across the emblem; a hair-thin needle popped out. He drew a deep breath and raised it to plunge into his body.
Smack—!
A hand caught his wrist.
Startled, Instructor Hong turned to see Lin Qiye standing beside him. With his other hand, Lin Qiye took the Coat of Arms and tucked it back into the instructor’s chest.
Lin Qiye smiled—a gentle smile.
“If the final night falls,
I will stand before millions,
Blade crossed over the abyss,
Heaven dyed with my blood… right?”
He murmured the lines, then turned, lifting his gaze to the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon overhead, his smile fading.
“I won’t… watch the same tragedy happen again.”