Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 480 Return!

The moment the notification popped up, a crimson light condensed on Severin's body.

A blood-red key suddenly appeared on his body, and the black-charcoal shadow clone rushed over and picked up the key.

Go and retrieve the keys yourself? That's absolutely impossible.

Severin was just beaten to death in that spot. What if the Empire sees him there and gets any bad ideas?
Trust can only be given to an individual, but not to a huge collective of countless individuals.

Li Xia thought to himself that if he were in Severin's position, his final outcome probably wouldn't be much better than Severin's.

Blackie over there has already obtained the Bloody Key; the world war has really gotten this far.

This was the first time Li Xia had obtained the Bloodstained Key dropped by the enemy.

【Bloody Key - Battlefield Commander (Tier 3)】

Category: Special Consumable Items

[After use, the Crimson Vortex can be opened, allowing for three extractions.]

[Rewards include: revocable skills (active and passive), items stored in personal space, unused attribute points, Hall Points, etc.]

The extraction probability is based on chaotic collisions, and a uniform packaging method is used.

[Slaying a general: will inevitably include a high-value reward]

[Description: This is the reward given by the Temple to warriors who slay enemy apostles.]

Compared to the bloody keys Li Xia had seen before, this key was larger and more exquisite, with blood on its surface appearing to flow continuously.

It emitted a blood-red glow, and even just looking at it, one could almost smell the strong stench of blood.

"Not bad, a good haul!"

Furthermore, killing Severin also grants a significant battlefield contribution, with a base contribution of 20 points plus a commander's bonus of 30.

Fifty contribution points is already considered within the boss's range.

"At least there's a minimum guarantee. This kid seems very capable; we can make a huge profit just by taking any one of his assets."

Awoo smacked its lips, poked its head out of the dragon egg, and looked around.

The remaining golden-armored men have been almost completely wiped out, and many of them were even trapped in a strange net before being taken away by people shrouded in black robes.

Even Ainz, who had fought him in the tomb before, was personally surrounded by Eurysippus, who led the Royal Guard and the Sorcerer Corps.

After several unsuccessful attempts to break through, Ainz gave a bitter laugh and desperately considered using a skill that would lead to mutual destruction.

But he underestimated the Tresia Empire, just as he, who considered himself a god, had never properly studied the country's history.

The Tresia Empire, which has been fighting against superhumans for a long time, and even had a tragic experience like the Thirty Years' War, has long seen countless desperate superhumans trying to take each other down with them.

Euryplast was already on guard against this move before Ainz even prepared to launch it.

As Ainz gathered his power, the Super Elimination Technique, which had been ready for a long time, instantly cleared away the surging energy on Ainz's body.

Finally, the Holy Guards swarmed him, swiftly removed many of his joints, and tied him to a rack like a pig before taking him away.

The three little ones felt a chill run down their spines, as if they themselves were the ones tied up instead of Ainz.

Li Xia watched silently. It wasn't that he didn't want to take this opportunity to finish off the enemy and gain more contribution points, but the Tresia Empire wouldn't give him that chance.

I won't allow myself to do that; this was already agreed upon during the discussion.

The apostles of the divine kingdom were taken away by the empire, while the commanders were left to themselves.

"Boss, should we run? I have a feeling that the way those men in black robes are looking at us is weird, like they're looking at lab rats."

Aowu shrank further into the dragon egg, unable to resist moving closer to Li Xia.

"No, we shouldn't rush to leave now."

Li Xia narrowed his eyes, as if he were facing a ferocious beast and absolutely could not turn away, but had to stand still.

Meet it in the eye, without fear, with a fierce stare.

"We need to leave, but we can't just leave like this."

As they were talking, Eurysipras, who had completely cleared the palace of enemies, slowly walked over.

His staff clattered against the gravel on the ground.

His expression was gentle, completely unlike the ruthlessness he had shown when he had just used the Great Disintegration Technique to turn an apostle into a pulp.

"Xia, things here are basically over. The border legion that besieged the late king's tomb just sent a message."

The sudden collapse of the resisting enemy was likely due to the morale shock following the commander's death.

Eurysipras stroked his long white beard and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying:
"I'm more curious about how they used it to transmit information, since the tombs of the former kings are extremely far from here."

Even the Empire could only communicate using special equipment, which was extremely expensive. Despite exhausting all its resources, the Empire only managed to manufacture three units.

On the contrary, these outsiders did not appear to be carrying any large equipment, yet they received the messages almost in real time.

Li Xia paused for a moment, while Sipras seemed to be curious about how the divine kingdom transmitted messages.

But in reality, it was a direct suggestion to him, implying that if he knew what was good for him, he should tell the truth. It seems that with the great enemy, the Divine Kingdom, gone, the Empire is starting to get restless.

"It's some kind of mental network, but I'm not entirely clear on the specific principles behind it."

Li Xia replied casually, "How would he know how the hall achieves communication?"

"Mental network?"

Cipras raised his long white eyebrows, suddenly remembering that his old friend 'Gerald' had discussed this idea with him before his death.

It seems that these hidden forces have already completed this research?

Therefore, the difference between the Empire and them lies in the gap between 'concept' and 'implementation'.

Although there is a gap, it is not so large as to be incomparable.

Sipras's mood immediately improved, and he resolved to quickly extract some information from the captured God Kingdom.

He was particularly interested in the forces behind Li Xia—two different and hostile forces.
Formidable individual skill, a system unlike any seen before.
Where exactly is it hidden?

However, we cannot rush things at this moment.

Cipras temporarily suppressed his thoughts and changed the subject:

"Now that this matter is settled, are you leaving?"

"No!"

Li Xia shook his head. A subtle glint flashed in Cipras's eyes, but his face remained smiling.

Is there another mission?
"There is still one promise that has not been fulfilled."

Li Xia pulled the notebook out of his pocket and waved it in front of Siplus:
"The travelogue is almost finished. I want to complete it, which should take another two or three days."

"I see!"

Sipras suddenly realized that Aria had been calling him "writer" all along, and that she really was a "writer".

He suddenly became interested: "If you write it down, let this old man do you a favor and have the royal printing house publish it."

"That's naturally the best."

Li Xia politely thanked them, patted Aowu and Heitan's heads, and whistled to call the frolicking dogs over.

“Let’s go!” Cipras stared at the receding figures in the sunset, almost ready to abandon his plan.

But in the end, he lowered his head slightly and said softly:

"Follow him, keep an eye on him, and if an opportunity arises..."

Cipras pointed his fingers like a knife and gently made a horizontal slicing motion with his aged hand.

"The late spring breeze, carrying the scent of oak and wild roses, led me to this valley marked on the map as the 'Forbidden Zone'."

When the archway embedded in the dark green mountain wall came into view, I finally understood the true meaning of "Moonlight Glazed Valley"—the archway was pieced together from millions of translucent pale purple crystals. In the afternoon, sunlight pierced through the crystals, casting flowing spots of light on the valley floor, like the Milky Way scattered across the grass.

Li Xia descended the moss-covered stone steps, her ears filled with the soft "tinkling" sounds.

He looked in the direction of the sound and found a shallow stream with countless rhomboid glass stones at the bottom. As the water flowed over the stones, it changed colors of blue, green and gold depending on the speed of the flow, as if countless leaping stars were hidden in the stream.

"Isn't it beautiful?!"

Aria's pink hair fluttered in the air as she smiled and gazed at the beautiful scenery with her hands behind her back.

The stream meanders into the lake, whose surface is as calm as a mirror. However, instead of reflecting the sky, it reflects an inverted starry sky—even at noon, a crescent moon and sparse stars can be seen on the lake's surface.

The princess heard that Li Xia would continue his travels in order to complete his travelogue.

She immediately volunteered to follow, although on the surface she said she wanted to show Li Xia around as a good host and to compensate for concealing her identity.

But Aowu and Heitan insisted that the girl just wanted to make sure that her role and length in the boss's 'travelogue' would not be cut.

Along the lake and stream, shrubs adorned with pink, lantern-shaped flowers fall in the wind, their petals releasing tiny fluorescent powder that settles on sleeves, like a handful of shimmering stars, sparkling with a peculiar brilliance in the sunlight.

"Well, it's beautiful."

Li Xia put down her pen and gazed at the magnificent scenery as well:
"But why is this place called a forbidden area?"

When Aria first said she would take him to a forbidden area, Li Xia actually had a little bit of anticipation.

It's a forbidden area.
Monsters, labyrinths, ruins, treasures—all of these can be associated with forbidden areas.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving here, aside from the breathtaking scenery, Li Xia did not sense any danger.

"Oh dear, I'm not too sure either, but I read in the documents that a long, long time ago, a large piece of the ruins fell from the sky."

It is said that this lake was created by that ruin, and the power of the ruin is what makes it so magical.

Most importantly, this place was once the most important holy site of the Valais Kingdom.

The Valais Kingdom's exceptionally powerful superhuman force is also connected to this place; it is said that as long as one cultivates by this lake...

Whether it's absorption or physical training, the improvement speed is exceptionally fast, and sometimes inspiration strikes, allowing one to enter a special state.

"Your strength is improving very quickly!"

As Aliya continued her incessant chatter, a sudden thought struck Li Xia.

"However, after we conquered the Valais Kingdom, we also regarded this place as a treasure. It was indeed useful in the early days of the founding of the kingdom, but suddenly one day the mysterious power contained in this land disappeared."

All that remained was the beautiful scenery; there was no longer any way to increase cultivation speed. The emperor at the time—who should have been my great-grandfather—spent a lot of effort investigating, but ultimately found nothing.

Every emperor tried to investigate, but to no avail.

The reason this place remains a forbidden area and has not been turned into a tourist attraction is that successive emperors hoped that one day this place could be restored to its former glory.

So the security isn't very tight, but the scenery here is absolutely stunning!

Alia, hands on her hips, pointed to a house faintly visible in the jungle on the other side of the valley:
“I used to come here and stay for one or two months every year, until I became an adventurer and stopped coming.”

A gentle breeze ruffled Li Xia's hair as he quietly gazed at the breathtakingly beautiful lake.

Suddenly I smiled. It turns out that what transcendence left me with was right here.

[Executioner, your follower Awoo has occupied the ancient tomb for 48 hours.]

[Executioner, your follower Blackie has occupied Ace University for 48 hours.]

[Executioner, this battle for the world's supremacy has ended!]

[Announcement: The battle for the Tier 3 Primal World, Tresia, has ended!]

[Winner: Hall of Light!]

[Executioner, you have upheld the honor of the Temple of Light!]

[Executioner, your rating has been significantly improved!]

[Executioner, the Hall of Light is extremely satisfied with your performance!]

[Executioner, you are about to leave this world. Please prepare yourself!]

【605958】

"Alia!"

Li Xia let out a long breath.

"uh-huh?"

Aliya, equally captivated by the beautiful scenery, snorted through her nose.

"I need your help with something—"

He opened the notebook and took out the pen.

The pen tip scratched across the paper, and the ink swished and billowed as it moved.

"When I brushed away the last specks of fluorescent light from my sleeve and turned around, I realized that travel is not about capturing the brilliance of a certain secret place, but about turning every glimmer of silver light imprinted in my eyes into the glimmer of light for the next adventure."

The journey never ends.

He paused for a moment, then signed his name at the end.

'Summer's Wonderful Journey - The End'

Li Xia handed the notebook to a somewhat bewildered Aliya, and said with a smile:

"Please publish this book."

"Huh? Of course! Writer, you've finished writing?!"

Aliya hurriedly took it, flipping through it with a mixture of surprise and delight, searching for the passages related to herself.

Just as I was immersed in my own scene, Li Xia's voice rang in my ears again.

"Finally, I would like to ask you to print this book and send it to the village chief of Chacha Village in Right Mountain Town, Montreal."

"Hmm! Ah?"

Alya instinctively agreed at first, then suddenly looked up.

He found himself alone, with only a gentle breeze blowing across the grass where he had once stood.