Chapter 873: I’ll Give You One Last Chance To Kill Me

"I'm leaving."

Lin Moyu and Antares stared at each other.

In Antares's eyes, Lin Moyu saw the same reluctance he felt himself.

He didn't have many friends, and Antares was not only one of them but the most important.

Antares had even fewer; Lin Moyu was his only friend.

Despite his reluctance, Antares grumbled, "Go on, get lost. Once you're gone, I can finally get some proper sleep."

Lin Moyu smiled faintly, "How much longer do you need?"

"Soon enough. Another century or two should do it."

Lin Moyu nodded, "Come find me then."

"You'd better not be too weak by then. I have a reputation to uphold. It'd be embarrassing to admit I have such a pathetic friend." Antares grumbled while shaking his head.

Lin Moyu reached out and gently patted Antares's head twice, "Don't worry. I won't disappoint you."

"Before I go, I'll give you one last chance to kill me. I'm afraid you won't get another opportunity after this."

Antares burst into laughter and unleashed a torrent of blazing Dragon breath.

The spatial channel opened, and the blast hurled Lin Moyu straight into the deep layer.

Engulfed in searing flames, the purple glow of his talent had yet to fade completely.

This time, Antares had used True God 6th tier power, causing Lin Moyu's undead to collapse five consecutive times and triggering talent.

Since advancing into the Transcendent God realm, attacks at the True God 5th tier were no longer sufficient to activate his talent.

It now required the strength of at least the True God 6th tier.

Lin Moyu understood Antares's intention.

He was reminding him never to lower his guard while also showing him the limits of his current strength.

A True God 6th tier expert could kill him in two attacks.

A True God 5th tier expert would need three.

This strike was Antares's final farewell and his last gift.

Spreading his Deathwings, Lin Moyu shot toward the Starlight Path like a bolt of lightning.

A few minutes later, he arrived.

The swamp remained, but the Swamp Lizard was nowhere to be seen.

The deep layer followed its own rules. Monsters slain there would eventually respawn, much like those in the Human World, though the two systems were independent.

In time, the Swamp Lizard would return as well.

From a distance, Lin Moyu spotted Lilian.

She stood before the Starlight Path, locked in a standoff with the gatekeeper puppet.

She hadn't attempted to force her way through, and the puppet, with a sword in one hand and a blade in the other, remained vigilant without making a move.

The moment Lilian sensed Lin Moyu's aura, the tension between her brows eased, and a faint smile appeared on her normally cold face.

"You're finally here."

Spoken by someone as beautiful as Lilian, the words sounded almost like a lover welcoming someone she'd been waiting for, easily lending themselves to misunderstanding.

Lin Moyu remained expressionless. Walking to her side, he simply gave a quiet hum in acknowledgment.

For a moment, he seemed to have returned to his former self, the taciturn boy who seldom spoke.

His wives were asleep, he had already bid farewell to his family and friends, and now he was about to step into an unfamiliar world.

An indescribable loneliness settled over him, lending his aura a trace of melancholy.

Lilian, by contrast, was in high spirits.

The prospect of entering the greater world, where the heavens were vast enough for birds to soar freely, filled her with anticipation.

Even her perpetually cold expression carried a hint of excitement.

As for the gatekeeper puppet, she wasn't worried in the slightest.

Lin Moyu cupped his fist, "Senior, we wish to enter the Starlight Path."

The puppet replied, "You may enter. She may not."

Lilian sneered, "Do you really think you can stop me?"

The puppet chuckled, "You are welcome to try."

It had guarded the Starlight Path for countless years.

To it, someone like Lilian, a mere Transcendent God 1st tier expert, was nothing more than a child.

Trying to force her way through would be little different from courting death.

The puppet then turned its gaze to Lin Moyu.

He, too, was only at the Transcendent God 1st tier.

The puppet said, "I've already warned you—do not come to the Starlight Path until you have reached the Transcendent God 3rd tier, or you’ll be seeking death."

Lilian opened her mouth to retort, but Lin Moyu shot her a glance, signaling her to stay quiet.

She looked back at him, her expression clearly saying: I'll give you face this time.

Lin Moyu cupped his fist. "Thank you for the warning, Senior. However, we'll manage."

The puppet replied, "I am only offering friendly advice. I'm not here to stop you. If you're determined to walk into your own death, that's your choice. As for her… she is not a native of this world. By the rules, she cannot enter unless…."

Lin Moyu asked, "Unless?"

"Unless you can defeat me. Do you see the Starlight Path? There is no gate. No matter what method you use, if you can get past me and step onto the path, I won't interfere."

Behind the puppet stretched a path woven from starlight. The entrance wasn't large, and the puppet's frame blocked nearly all of it.

Its duty was simply to guard the entrance. Once someone stepped onto the Starlight Path, they were no longer its concern.

The situation was obvious. They had only three options: defeat the puppet, kill it, or retreat.

Forcing their way through without dealing with it first was impossible.

Lin Moyu had no idea how powerful the puppet truly was.

However, since people from the previous age had managed to pass this trial, he believed he could do the same.

Besides, his agreement with Lilian had not yet ended.

Escorting her onto the Starlight Path was part of their deal.

Lin Moyu had no intention of breaking his word. Once he made a promise, he intended to keep it.

"Senior, forgive my offense."

With a low shout, faint radiance gathered around Lin Moyu's hands.

At his command, the law of undeath surged forth, streaking toward the puppet.

At the same time, the puppet's own law erupted, enveloping its body. Bronze light blazed across its frame, faintly tinged with dark red.

"It's useless. I wield the law of bronze and iron. My body is forged from bronze and iron, durable enough to withstand Transcendent God 5th tier attacks."

"A mere Transcendent God 1st tier brat like you…"

Before it could finish speaking, the puppet suddenly let out a shrill cry.

Lin Moyu's law of undeath had already reached it.

The brilliant bronze glow covering its body rapidly dimmed.

In the blink of an eye, the bronze surface began to decay.

As the shell decayed, the puppet's internal structure was revealed.

Its skin was made of bronze, its skeleton of iron. Combined with the law of bronze and iron, its defense was truly extraordinary.

Unfortunately, it had encountered Lin Moyu's law of undeath.

Manifesting its death aspect, the law of undeath dragged all things into deathly stillness.

The puppet's bronze skin decayed at a visible rate, and the iron bones within suffered the same fate.

The puppet roared, "What kind of law is this? How can it be so terrifying? You're not a Transcendent God 1st tier expert; you absolutely aren't!"

Shrieking in disbelief, it swung both its blade and sword, releasing a hundred-meter arc of sword qi toward Lin Moyu.

Lin Moyu reacted instantly. With a single beat of his Deathwings, he retreated far beyond the attack's reach.

Lilian was even more composed. She merely took a casual step to the side, instantly reappearing a hundred meters away.

Even so, the puppet remained planted before the entrance, refusing to give way.

"Senior, I'm making my move." Lin Moyu pointed with a finger.

Fused law art: Time Curse!

The puppet shuddered, but no cry of pain escaped its lips.

It was, after all, a puppet. Its soul had been crafted through a unique method that left it incapable of feeling pain.

But that wasn’t what Lin Moyu was after.

"So it's a soul attack. Useless. Completely useless!"

Suddenly, the law of time surrounding the puppet shifted. The time accelerated many times over.

Under the effects of accelerated time, the power of the law of undeath intensified dramatically.

The puppet decayed at an astonishing pace as hole after hole was eaten through its frame.

"Impossible! What is happening?! Just what kind of law do you possess?!"

For the first time, unmistakable fear crept into its voice.