Chapter 197: The Core

Xiao Lan bids farewell to Hua Jia and continues on the black trail blazed by Luo.

This time the road ahead seemed extraordinarily long.

He walked in it for a long time and saw no change around him.

As far as the eye can see there is a blurred chaos, always seeming to be something around, but listening closely there is nothing.

Xiao Lan continues to move steadily, step by step, without impatience or panic.

Luo must have had some purpose in giving him the guidance he did.

Finally, the surroundings changed once more.

All around are hard rocks with occasional streams of hot lava flowing between them.

The temperature of the lava turned the air dry and searing, and the heat waves distorted the air.

Xiao Lan glanced in the direction he had come from, only to see that there was only a stiff wall of rock, with no exit at all.

It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

The heat rolled in from ahead, as if there was something even hotter ahead.

There was always a sense of déjà vu in this scene.

Xiao Lan has a suspicion in his mind and he walks forward.

After walking a few steps, I heard the commotion of a battle, a commotion so loud that it was like some ancient beast was fighting.

Passing through the narrow rocky tunnel, Xiao Lan is confronted by the same pool of lava he has seen before.

The blazing lava tumbled as if it were boiling, surging with astonishing heat.

A huge lava monster was hissing in it, a sound indescribable, unlike anything ever heard.

It is shaped like a giant nine-headed serpent, but it is all made of lava, with nine different heads, but all equally hideous and terrifying.

One head let out an angry roar as the other attacked violently in one direction or another.

Xiao Lan looks at the man with his back to him.

Although he couldn't see the man's face, he had a good idea of who it was from his form, the grey trench coat he was wearing, and the position he was in now -

Xiao Chengyan.

Xiao Chengyan is in a much worse state than he was in the vision before, his trench coat already covered in burn marks.

Not only the trench coat, but even his exposed arms were covered in large burns.

He also seems to have injured his leg and is a little slow between movements.

The lava snake roared again, opening its mouth wide enough to swallow a building and biting hard at Xiao Chengyan.

Faced with an oncoming attack, Xiao Chengyan reacted quickly and prepared to dodge, but his injured leg slowed his dodge by a few moments.

As he watched, the lava monster's mouth came closer and closer, almost devouring him.

Xiao Lan quickly turns on his skills and instantly appears behind Xiao Chengyan.

He then yanked Xiao Chengyan by the hand and disappeared in the same place.

"Boom..."

The giant lava snake bit into the rock wall, biting a large crater into the hard rock wall.

The heat it brings also starts to melt around the rock face.

The loss of its target makes it angry.

The nine huge, hideous heads of the snake frantically destroy the surrounding rock walls, sending tremors throughout the area.

A little further away from the snake, Xiao Lan found a temporary hiding place and put Xiao Chengyan down.

"Thanks for--" Xiao Chengyan looked up as he spoke, his words catching as he looked at the person who had saved him.

" Xiao Lan?" Xiao Chengyan recognised his son at first sight.

He took a good look at Xiao Lan, but his brow furrowed, "You're not Xiao Lan, or rather not the current Xiao Lan, are you?"

Xiao Lan: "......"

He hasn't said anything yet, how come his own dad knows everything?

Xiao Chengyan listened carefully to the commotion outside, the giant snake was still roaring in anger.

But out of guardianship, it will not leave the lava pool for a moment.

Only after making sure it was safe for the moment did he turn his attention back to his son.

Xiao Chengyan took out his props and healed his wounds, "Don't be surprised, I visited you once before I decided to act, you weren't even in the game at that time, you couldn't have upgraded in such a short time. But you're in a bad way, you can't even afford a better bed, and you're still being disliked all day long."

Xiao Chengyan looks at his son with a hint of disgust in his eyes.

Xiao Lan: "...... doesn't even think about who started it?"

Why is he so poor, isn't it a gift of Spartan love from Pops!

Xiao Chengyan thought for a moment, "You'll come in, so that means we've failed? Am I dead?"

Xiao Lan was at a loss for words: "......"

Xiao Chengyan asked again, "Where is Wu She, too?"

Xiao Lan: "......"

Xiao Chengyan is so perceptive that he seems to have no secrets in front of him.

Xiao Chengyan laughed twice in a self-deprecating manner, "Hey, that's right, what's not to say, do I look like a fool to your father? We were ready to bear the price of failure from the moment we decided to act, after all, fighting an unknown being like that, no one knows what he really has up his sleeve."

Xiao Chengyan asks, "I left you quite a few mediums before the duel, and if I die, they will all be connected to the consciousness I left behind, so you shouldn't dish it out to the point of not having found it, right?"

Xiao Lan said, "I found it, and you at the time told me a lot of news."

Xiao Chengyan nodded reassuringly, "Well, it's not stupid. I guess you're on the same path as me, right?"

Xiao Lan nods.

Xiao Chengyan looked at his son's expression, "Let me guess again, the rebel is not dead, is he? He must have contributed to you getting here too."

Xiao Lan: "Yes ......"

Well, he didn't have to say anything and Xiao Chengyan could automatically read the content from his face.

Even if this guy didn't do the business of a tyrant, he could definitely become a respected Xiao Daxian by going under the flyover to tell fortunes.

In a way, it also saves communication costs for .......

Xiao Chengyan looked at his son, who had grown considerably, and did not choose to catch up: "Shall we join forces and together we will take care of this guy and destroy the core of the juggernaut."

Xiao Lan was somewhat puzzled: "Since we are in different timelines, can the wounds inflicted in the present affect the future lord?"

Xiao Chengyan said, "Since he is a higher dimensional being, I guess he will also be harmed in more dimensions, but the only way to know if it will work or not is to do it."

He reached out and gave Xiao Lan's arm a squeeze: "Son, you don't seem to be an ordinary person anymore? You've awakened, haven't you? I can feel that you are closer to the Master Paradox and them."

Xiao Lan was a bit surprised: "You can see that too?"

Xiao Chengyan smiled a little helplessly, "The Paradox said that I was already on the verge of awakening and only needed a little more time before I could do so. It's a pity that ...... the master's plan came too soon."

"And I didn't want to become a contracted player of the Paradox, after all, not my kind, and I was always worried that he would be hiding something with the same purpose as the Juggernaut, so I could never fully trust him." Xiao Chengyan said, "Maybe I was wrong ...... he's actually a good collaborator and seems like he really wants to help us."

Xiao Lan looks at her father, who is covered in bruises.

Even if he does not contract, he will only have to wait a while to become break through the limits of humanity and become a higher dimensional being.

Yet, this is enough time for the descent into the world to cover reality, and a great number of people will be dragged into it.

So he gave up, choosing the latter between his own possession of greater power and the lives of countless others, choosing to take on the Master in a human body.

And, to pieces for it.

Maybe he's really bad as a dad, but for many others, Xiao Chengyan is a protective wall.

He spoiled the Juggernaut's plan and gave humanity a fresh respite.

Xiao Chengyan stood up and moved around a bit, feeling no longer in a position to move: "We don't have time to go. You have awakened, and perhaps the only one who can finally destroy the master core is you."

Xiao Lan did not speak, only for an instant the pitch-black blade appeared in his hand and everything spoke for itself.

Together the two emerged from their hiding place and walked towards the lava pool where the giant snake was.

Spotting the intruder, the giant lava snake roared with renewed fury.

A head swoops in.

Xiao Chengyan takes a step forward to stand, his hands empty but drawing arcane arcs in mid-air.

As he did so, a huge golden dragon suddenly appeared in mid-air, which had been empty.

The dragon looked as if it were clad in golden armour, and since its appearance it has met the incoming nine-headed serpent without fear, fighting with it in an instant.

At the moment, it was as if a legendary battle of phantom beasts was taking place in mid-air.

Xiao Lan looked at the fighting phantoms and wondered why his old man's skills were so magnificent.

Xiao Chengyan, who also relies on imaginative skills, is able to summon divine beasts, while his own ...... output relies on hard work and does not even have a 50 cent special effect.

The Golden Dragon's blocking made the giant snake feel angry and more heads swooped in, biting violently at the Golden Dragon.

Faced with a siege of snake heads, the Golden Dragon showed no weakness and still fought tenaciously.

It kept tearing at the hot body of the lava snake, and the parts that were bitten off turned into lava that kept dripping back down into the lava pool below.

But the wounds on the Golden Dragon are also growing.

During the battle, the huge snake head finally found an opportunity to bite the Golden Dragon's head from behind viciously while it was being held back.

The golden dragon made a sound of pain, yet still fought unyieldingly.

Seeing this, Xiao Lan rushed forward and swung his blade up the spine of the golden dragon and at the hideous snake's head.

The blackened blade sliced through and the snake's head was cut right off, instantly turning into lava and falling into the molten rock below.

The power of this slash is ghastly.

Xiao Chengyan was shocked by such strength and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of feed did you grow up on? So much strength."

Xiao Lan: "Are you saying that because you have a problem with Mum's cooking?"

Xiao Chengyan: "......"

He was silent for a second, but decided to support his wife's cooking: "At a glance ...... nutritionally balanced ......"

Even if my wife were to make feed, it would be the best feed in the world.

Look how sturdy this bear has grown.

Just then, the remaining head of the lava snake, which had lost one of its heads, suddenly raised its head and hissed at the same time.

With this hiss, the remaining eight heads turned towards the one that had lost its head torso.

They opened their mouths wide and bit down on the headless carcass, and soon the section of carcass was divided up between them.

After eating them, the eight snake heads were noticeably larger.

Xiao Lan's brow furrowed, "I'm eating myself?" And it still feels full of nutrients.

Why does this process feel so familiar to him.

The other snakeheads stared at Xiao Lan and attacked him violently, with a huge burst of fire coming out of the mouth of one of them.

Xiao Lan had to dodge out of the way, opening his skills and repeatedly dodging the snake's attacks.

Not only does the giant snake attack raw, it is also hot.

Being in the heat made Xiao Lan feel like a piece of meat in the oven, almost like it was oozing with oil.

I'm jealous of my old man who is a remote caller ......

With Xiao Lan and Xiao Chengyan attacking together, the remaining heads of the giant snake are getting smaller and smaller.

Some were bitten off by golden dragons and others were cut off by Xiao Lan.

But for each one less, the remaining heads will partake of the body that has lost its head as before, and then the remaining parts will collectively become a fraction stronger.

Xiao Lan stops the big bite coming towards him with a slash.

He could clearly feel the force growing under his hands.

At the same time, the carcass of the serpent was now no longer something he could easily cut with a single slash; it had become much harder, and a single slash could only leave a shallow scratch.

Not only that, but the temperature of the giant snake is getting warmer.

Xiao Lan's body bore a number of burn marks from the ongoing battle, many of them from grazing the snake.

Based on his current physical strength, the temperature of these giant snakes could be imagined if they were able to injure him.

Suddenly, four snake heads opened their mouths in unison at Xiao Lan, four large mouths that almost blocked off the world in front of him.

Xiao Lan can already see the flames that are about to erupt from their throats.

If he gets sprayed squarely, I'm afraid he'll become burnt on the outside and crunchy chicken-flavoured on the inside without dying.

Xiao Lan hurriedly teleported away from the area of the giant snake.

Hot flames erupted and the spot where Xiao Lan had just stood was instantly melted, with a huge amount of rock turning into lava and falling into the lava pool.

Xiao Lan wiped a handful of sweat from his forehead, "This guy is getting stronger the more he fights."

Xiao Chengyan caught his breath, constantly maintaining the Golden Dragon's battle power was not an easy task: "I probably know how I died."

Xiao Lan: "Can you say something practical?"

Xiao Chengyan smiled: "Like what?"

Xiao Lan said, "Can you get an ice machine or something to cool it down."

Xiao Chengyan casts a look at the fool.

He's an illusionist, not Doraemon, and this kind of technology obviously doesn't go well with him, okay?

He seemed to want to taunt his silly son, but thought about the personal attack, an attack that might spill over into himself due to his blood.

If he were called a fool, would he not be a great fool himself; if he were called a son of a bitch, would he not be Mr. Wang VIII.

Family ties, indeed, are unbreakable bonds in the world.

Xiao Chengyan decided to forget about it.

However, cooling is still possible.

Xiao Chengyan continued to fight while manipulating the golden dragon, while drawing another pattern in the air with one hand.

As he did so, a snow demon covered in snow appeared.

The snow demon waved her hands and a blizzard instantly rose in the blazing space.

The storm headed in the direction of the lava pools, freezing the lava along its path.

More wind and snow lunged at the giant snake.

The giant snakes, being made of molten rock, felt unusually uncomfortable by such coldness, and all four heads spewed flames at the blizzard, melting all the snow and wind that pounced on them.

The two onlookers couldn't help but smile.

It looks like it hates cold things.

Xiao Lan tightened his grip on the knife once more and switched his ability from Teleportation to Absolute Zero.

In an instant, an icy chill rose from Xiao Lan's body and a layer of ice formed on the ground beneath his feet.

Xiao Lan could no longer approach the snake by teleportation due to the change in skill effect, so he turned to Xiao Chengyan and said, "Send me there."

Xiao Chengyan instantly understood and the snow demon moved again, a blizzard rising from beneath Xiao Lan's feet and carrying the man like a wave towards the snake's head.

The pitch-black blade came with an icy, piercing chill.

The targeted snake's head instantly sensed the danger and it opened its mouth wide, trying to force it back with an incoming attack of flame.

But the blade came faster.

The blackened blade had landed on its neck.

In the extreme cold, the part that comes into contact with the blade cools instantly and is frozen to a crisp, then shattered under the force of Xiao Lan.

The head of the snake then goes to one of them.

The three remaining snake heads attempt to devour this remaining carcass.

The golden dragon's attack arrived again, this time with a large amount of ice and snow.

Caught off guard, another head rolled off.

And this time both Xiao Lan and Xiao Chengyan freeze the section of their bodies that have lost their heads, so that they cannot devour them quickly.

The two remaining snake heads let out an angry growl.

Just when Xiao Lan thought they were going to continue their attack, they devoured each other in front of the two.

Soon one of them, along with the snake's head to its body, was swallowed up by the other.

This one and only remaining snake's head also swelled up rapidly, turning into a hideous behemoth.

The huge snake's head roared again, this time with a voice so piercing Xiao Lan felt he was going deaf.

The burning eyes of the serpent were fixed on Xiao Lan with the malice of devouring him.

The serpent opened its mouth wide and came at Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan, however, did not choose to back down.

His grip on the knife tightened and without looking back he said, "Charge."

Faced with what looked like a death wish from his son, Xiao Chengyan didn't hesitate, instead he matched his words and a blizzard of snow and wind carried him head-on towards the giant snake at an incredible speed.

Flames erupted from the mouth of the giant serpent.

The blazing heat greets you.

A wall of snow and ice stands in Xiao Lan's way, melting and replenishing itself as if it were an impregnable barrier.

The flames and the icy wall disappear at the same time.

At that very moment, Xiao Lan had also arrived in front of the snake.

The cold blade pierces through the head of the snake and cuts its way downwards.

Wherever the blade passes, the body made of lava gradually cools, turning into dark rock, which again crumbles under the force of the cut.

The huge body of the giant snake shattered with a crash.

This time it had nothing more to devour.

After tackling the giant snake, Xiao Lan landed firmly on the ground.

Watching the giant snake's body gradually sink into the lava, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Chengyan also walked to the lava pool, he waved his hand and the golden dragon and the snow demon instantly disappeared.

In its place is a Little Xiao lizard, but unlike the usual lizards, this one is made of lava.

Under the control of Xiao Chengyan, the lizard crawls into the lava.

Within minutes, the unharmed lizard emerged with a white object in its mouth.

Xiao Lan sensed a familiar and distasteful aura on this object: "Is this the core of the juggernaut?"

Xiao Chengyan tells the lizard to hand over the core of the master to Xiao Lan: "You do it."

Xiao Lan reaches out to receive it.

The core of the juggernaut appears to be a warm, jade-like white circle that, if you just look at its appearance, simply looks like a treasure passed down in a museum.

But think of the Lord as a man and what he did.

Neither of the two onlookers could rise to this core with much love and pity.

So good looking, it's better to smash it.

Although Xiao Chengyan mentioned it earlier, the Juggernaut used Luo's core to hit him hard.

But Xiao Lan himself does not possess this advanced processing technology, and the safest way is to destroy it, leaving the juggernaut without an important part of it.

Xiao Lan holds this core tight.

Also replace the ability with the previously used one - Disintegration.

Xiao Lan had an understanding of the Juggernaut's power trajectory from his previous analysis of Bai Guang the Sequencer, and this time he had found a way to break down the core.

Only the core is much more solid than Bai Guang.

Xiao Lan kept burning poverty to increase the strength of his skill before he finally shook it.

Xiao Lan's mouth curled as he watched the white core fade away in his hands.

He turned his head to Xiao Chengyan: "We succeeded-"

Xiao Lan's face was one of irrepressible astonishment.

Why is Xiao Chengyan disappearing when they have clearly defeated the Lava Snake and he is not dead?

Why?

Xiao Chengyan looked at his hand, which was gradually turning into a point of light, without the slightest shock on his face: "My time is up."

Xiao Lan still finds it hard to accept: "But we've obviously changed things!"

Xiao Chengyan smiled, "This is probably when I last died; perhaps my time is destined to stay in this moment."

Xiao Lan: "Why ......?"

Xiao Chengyan: "The mystery of time, who would understand it? Probably I am just an ordinary three-dimensional creature that can only live on one timeline."

Xiao Chengyan didn't spend his time hurting his feelings, he turned to his son and said, "Instead of growing into what I expected, you look more like Wen Qi, who taught you well, and perhaps between us she is the right one. I'll leave the rest to you, it's time for me to go and see her."

Xiao Chengyan sat on a boulder by the lava pool, smiled and said to Xiao Lan, "Goodbye, son."

Faced with the prospect of parting again, Xiao Lan struggled to muster a smile and waved goodbye to him: "Goodbye, Dad."

At the end of the sentence, Xiao Chengyan's silhouette disappears completely.

The author has something to say.

A private setting: ordinary people can only live in one timeline; after awakening they become higher dimensional beings to travel through time (like Xiao Lan), but they also suffer damage in all the different timelines (like the Juggernaut).

Mini-theatre.

Xiao Chengyan: Son, it's a pity that dad can't see you get a date.

Xiao Lan: You've already seen it.

Xiao Chengyan: Who? It's not Cheng Wenyi, is it?

Xiao Lan: is the rebel.

Xiao Chengyan: ...... Help me up, I think I can hold out for two more episodes ......