Chapter 352: The Final Battle Begins

Chapter 352: Chapter 19: The Final Battle Begins

Reading this, the Little Daoist pondered for a long while before he finally recalled something.

He was still young back then. After mastering a new form of Magic, he had eagerly sought out his master to show off, but his master had simply told him to get inside a stone mortar.

He thought his master wanted to play hide-and-seek, so he happily climbed inside and handed the magically conjured flower to him.

‘What was it I said back then?’

“Master, can you hold this for me? I have a surprise for you after we’re done playing.”

Afterwards, his master had pulled him out, crying. He had thought it was because the surprise wasn’t good enough and felt sad for days.

‘I never realized the situation was so dangerous back then.’

With a long sigh, the Little Daoist reflected on how he had never realized his master’s thoughts were so complex at the time. Looking back now, however, he felt not a single trace of resentment.

He had been filled with longing for the outside world, and his master must have felt the same, perhaps even more intensely.

On top of that, with his Cultivation being unparalleled throughout history, he surely could have had a much better future in the outside world.

And yet, he had given up that final chance, choosing instead to stay and raise him.

Recalling all the little moments he had shared with his master, the Little Daoist couldn’t help but look up at the sky and sigh, “Master…”

Duan Fei watched this scene unfold, feeling as if the fourth wall had just been broken.

Staring at the words on the page, he felt as if a pair of eyes were reaching across past and present, piercing through life and death, to arrive beside him and scrutinize him.

‘So did this Old Dao have a backup plan or not?’

‘Or could it be… that *we’re* his backup plan?’

Duan Fei gave the Little Daoist a light nudge with his foot. “Alright, enough with the sentimentality. Your master might not be completely dead. Keep reading.”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, the Little Daoist nodded. “Okay.”

“Year XX, Month X, Day X.

The world is still going to collapse after all.

During the last great war, those bastards beat this world until it was riddled with wounds. The people who came after tried to patch it up for an eternity but could never make it whole again.

It’s like trying to repair a house when its load-bearing walls have already given out. The entire building is teetering on the brink of collapse. The best option is to flee, but there are always fools who want to try and mend the heavens.

Just like me.

Mending the heavens requires taking a great risk: transferring the world’s tribulations onto myself. If I can weather them, the world will survive a while longer. If I can’t, we all perish together.

I can’t count on that good-for-nothing apprentice of mine. After all, his fate is already sealed. When fate says you can’t do it, you can’t.

There are few who can defy the heavens and change their fate. They exist, but you are definitely not one of them.

Believe it or not, I don’t care. That’s just how it is.

The ones who truly have the power to change fate are, ironically, the outsiders—the Descenders.

And they must be powerful Descenders at that.

So, Descender, I can see that various key items are scattered about; many have been hidden.

I also know it is very difficult for you to face the Divine Spirit. All the hardships you encounter were set up by me to add to the tribulations. The more you suffer, the smaller my own tribulation will be.

In short, I can’t count on my apprentice. Everything depends on you.”

After reading the final passage, the Little Daoist looked at the Elder Daoist’s last message and asked in confusion, “What does my master mean? The last part he wrote is completely wrong. Have things been very difficult for you?”

“Piece of cake,” Duan Fei replied. “This place is like a walk in the park. I beat up whoever I feel like beating up.”

“Then according to my master’s logic, you’re supposed to suffer to help resolve the tribulations. If it’s been easy for you, doesn’t that mean…”

The Little Daoist didn’t finish, but Duan Fei knew exactly what he was implying.

‘If I’m following the logic of this dungeon’s design, the Elder Daoist must have had some prophetic ability. He foresaw the arrival of Descenders, and he must have foreseen my arrival as well. Too bad he had no idea just how powerful my Talent is, which made my run through this dungeon exceptionally easy. The end result is that the necessary tribulations were never dealt with.’

‘Thinking it over, what would this instance have been like without my Talent?’

‘From the very beginning, just going up the mountain for cabbages would have been a nightmare. A horde of ghosts would have absolutely tormented me and Little Fatty. Getting the pork knuckle afterward would’ve been another issue. I’d be shocked if the Divine Spirit didn’t put us through the wringer. Descending the mountain would have been another problem. We’d have never gotten past those paper effigies. The Little Daoist certainly wouldn’t have been so reasonable, either. He might have even been a mini-boss we had to defeat.’

‘Following that train of thought, being forced to cook was also a form of tribulation. After all, the more difficult the challenge, the greater the tribulation resolved upon its completion.’

‘Taking it a step further, maybe the Old Dao even arranged for the people from the Eight Desolates. After all, the more chaos they created, the more tribulation would be dispelled by stopping them.’

‘In other words, the “correct” way to clear this instance was to fall into every trap? You *had* to suffer?’

But Duan Fei’s power had clearly exceeded the Old Dao’s expectations. He had neutralized every danger with ease, meaning a pitifully small amount of the world’s tribulation had been resolved.

‘I’m almost sorry for being this strong.’

After that helpless mental apology, Duan Fei watched the Divine Spirit below as it drew closer to the Evil Corpse. He finally knew what he had to do.

‘Since I’m this powerful, I might as well play like it. I’ll use my Talent to its absolute fullest, no holds barred.’

Cracking his fingers, Duan Fei said to the Little Daoist, “Keep lighting the Invitation Incense and have them help gather materials. Also, tell Cuihua it’s time for him to start cooking.”

“Oh, I see! Have him cook to resolve the tribulations. But what about you?”

“I’m off to do something big. Don’t worry about me, just look after yourselves.”

With that, Duan Fei bolted from the Daoist Temple, charging toward the Divine Spirit on the mountainside.

The closer he got to the Divine Spirit, the more he could sense its boundless might.

Controlled by the Dissection Cleaver, the Divine Spirit plunged down the mountain. The chains binding it snapped one after another, a sign that the world’s hold on the Divine Spirit was weakening.

If this continued, the Divine Spirit would eventually reach the base of the mountain, merge with the Evil Corpse, and transform into a vile abomination.

However, Duan Fei had no intention of letting that happen.

Exhaling slowly, Duan Fei took out a Character Card and began the initial summoning.

Hancock was summoned. His very appearance boosted Duan Fei’s luck, making it easier to summon the specific things he desired.

Next, he activated the [Spiritual Armor]. Its transcendent effect on his Spirit Attribute boosted his Spiritual Power to an effective 300 points. The immense Spiritual Power condensed into shimmering golden bands, even causing the nearby Divine Spirit to glance over in astonishment.

His other Attributes skyrocketed tenfold as well. The explosive surge of Power allowed Duan Fei to float in mid-air, filling him with a sense of omnipotence.

He used [Substitute], summoning the Cyber Sword Saint, Lear, into his Crowbar.

Under the combined influence of his high Spirit and Lear, the Crowbar in Duan Fei’s hand instantly transformed into a ten-meter-long sword that fused with his right arm.

Then, he used [Random Summoning]. Someone was called forth from the Void—it was none other than the Cyber Hero, Level 9 Citizen, Zero.

The final battle was about to begin.