Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 587 The Pale King
The rain was blocked by the huge dome, and dappled shadows were cast under the translucent skylight.

The spacious, almost empty lobby was dimly lit, and the tall stone statues stood silently in the shadows.

The murals on the walls are still bright, depicting the story of the Pale King leading the insects through hardships to build a vast insect kingdom.

Li Xia led the three little ones behind the little knight. Since arriving at the hall, the little knight had automatically taken on the role of guide, as if it could sense where the Pale King was.

The group walked along the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing in the desolate hall. The white palace had witnessed the prosperity of the once-powerful insect kingdom, but there was still no trace of insects here.

Aowu's face gradually wrinkled; it was the situation he hated most.

There were no mobs, no elites, no traps, and not even any obstacles on the way; it led straight to the boss room.

This means that the difficulty of a single boss is the whole story, just like the Tower of Bliss before, where the first few floors had no obstacles.

Only the last level directly confronts the Pale Spirit - Gluttony.

"By the way, boss, why didn't Gluttony fall into a state of dormancy or madness?"

Aowu really hated this quiet environment, so she asked in a low voice in the group chat.

Li Xia had naturally thought about this question, but thinking about it doesn't guarantee an answer, so he could only shake his head at this moment:

"I don't know. There are too many possibilities. For example, willpower, spirit, or even theoretically forcing yourself not to sleep. It could also be a suspended pale vessel. We can only wait until we see the Pale King to find out."

He's now more interested in why the Pale King suddenly went mad, although the reason for madness doesn't necessarily bring any benefit.

But in the midst of adventure and endless journeys, these experiences are also an intangible treasure. It is the experiences in each world and the people and things encountered in each world that make life richer. When Li Xia stands in battle, isn't he also using battle to temper his heart?

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is not simply a physical training method, nor is it merely about enhancing the physical body.

Only a mind that has been tempered and refined to become bright and clear can break through confusion and move forward.

The little knight didn't have many thoughts. Even though it felt that the emptiness in its heart had been filled, it was still the same simple-minded little knight, just following its mission and getting closer to its goal step by step.

They walked on until they came to a sealed door.

The stone tablet at the entrance bears inscriptions of text that Li Xia had seen before:
In the distant wilderness, the mention of your name evokes both reverence and regret.

No one can tame our wild souls, and you have accepted the challenge.

Under the palest gaze, you, Professor, transformed us; our instincts were redeemed.

You brought a world that insects and wild animals could never have dreamed of.

You have given us the most cherished dreams, one after another.

You are the light, you are the king of paleness.

Below is text I've never seen before:

Light allows you to see truths you never saw before.

However, it also plunged you into pain and confusion.

The shadows born from the light have corrupted your mind.

Rest in peace, Pale King.

As Li Xia looked at the words, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he stood still, muttering to himself:

"How did old Oss know?"

Aowu and Heitan were stunned, as if they had been electrocuted. Right, how did Old Os know?
Judging from the letter, even Little Os, who lived not far from the White King's Palace, was unaware of it, while Old Os knew clearly about the matter between the White King and the Pale Spirit.

"The Pale Spirit!"

"Meow!"

The two little ones cried out together. Li Xia nodded. This was the only explanation: Old Oss was the Pale Spirit!

"Damn, this old guy really kept it hidden!"

The bird spun around in the air several times, talking about things like "a lonely old man guarding the village" and "selling shady maps" to buy a small detached house for the child near the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Damn it, do you think someone selling fake maps can afford to buy a small detached house next to the Imperial Palace in the capital?

At first, Li Xia was puzzled. Old Os said that the map could be sold for several thousand Geos, so how could the Apostle have so many Geos? Even Li Xia only had one or two thousand Geos at the moment.

And then there's the fact that he just calls himself a traveler, even though an apostle once visited him, his reaction is far too nonchalant.

Li Xia was genuinely intimidated when he first arrived.

And think about it: the ruined villages, the corpses and insect shells beyond the border.
Old Os... Could it be that he's single-handedly blocking the border gate, preventing other forces from attacking the Zerg Hive Kingdom?
If that's true, then Old Oss's strength is terrifying.

"I wonder which of the Seven Knights this old man is?"

Li Xia took a deep breath and shook her head:
"But now is not the time to consider this. At the very least, old Oss is genuinely well-intentioned."

It's true that it misses its children.

Li Xia then looked at the little knight and asked softly:
Is the Pale King inside?

The little knight nodded, then suddenly stepped forward, leaped up, and kicked the door.

The sealed gate was suddenly flung open by tremendous force, leaving the three little ones stunned.

The little knight is far too straightforward.

Li Xia didn't care. He took the lead and walked into the dark doorway. It was another long passageway with only a faint ray of light shining from ahead.

As the distance closed, the light became more and more obvious, and as the passage came to an end, the space in front of us suddenly opened up.

This is a large hall, at the far end of which stands a tall white throne.

The throne was empty, but a beam of light shone down from above, illuminating it and making the rest of the hall even darker.

In the light, upon closer inspection, a phantom figure was sitting on the throne with its head bowed, but it was extremely blurry. If Li Xia's eyesight hadn't been so good, he probably wouldn't have been able to see it clearly.

Is this the White King?
Li Xia's attention was heightened to its maximum. He walked slowly and gently toward the throne. When he reached a certain distance, a notification from the Hall of Light suddenly popped up.

[The Sealed Pale King (Illusory Shadow State - Untargetable, Unattackable, Untouchable)]

Li Xia: ?
"No, how do we fight this?"

Awoo moved forward a bit and saw the same message from the Hall of Light: it couldn't be selected, attacked, or touched. Wasn't that invincibility?

"Meow? (Perhaps breaking the seal will solve the problem?)"

Black Charcoal raised its claws and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it should be... a seal."

Suddenly, a pair of dazzling wings of light unfurled behind Li Xia, and in an instant, a soft glow filled the entire hall.

Although they are flashy and not very practical, the Divine Kingdom has put a lot of effort into the appearance of these wings; at least they can definitely be used as high-powered light sources.

The darkness was dispelled by the light of the wings, revealing the statues scattered throughout the hall.

Seven tall, pure white statues, with their eyes closed, arms crossed over their chests, kneeling on one knee, resembled guardians or jailers.

One of the statues has developed huge cracks on its body, it looks like...
"Gluttony?" A bad feeling rose in Li Xia's mind. Could it be that in order to break the seal, he would need to kill all seven Pale Spirit Knights?
Even if killing just a few seals would loosen and crack them, Li Xia didn't really want to run away.

Heaven knows where those pale spirits are hiding.
The little knight suddenly pulled out his bone nail and tilted his head.

Black Charcoal's eyes widened, and it immediately cried out:
"Meow meow meow! Meow!"

(The little knight said it was going to destroy the Pale King and asked if we wanted to come along.)

Li Xia, Aowu: ?
"Go! Go! Go!"

Overjoyed, Awoo exclaimed, "Little Knight, what a wonderful little guy! He's not big, but he's honest and loyal, just like Star God, Silverwing. He'll really step up when needed!"

Li Xia was more concerned about how to get there, and then he received an answer that was somewhat unexpected yet also made sense to him.

"Meow!"

(In a dream)
Under the watchful eyes of Li Xia and the three little ones, the little knight's bone nail suddenly shone with a special light, and then forcefully struck the phantom on the throne.

Even the Pale King in this state was struck with an unusually crisp sound.

"Bang!"

The Pale King, who had been keeping its head down, immediately began to tremble violently. It abruptly raised its head, revealing a face that was also covered by a white mask.

Those eyes held a hazy light, and Li Xia's expression shifted; he felt the world around him changing rapidly.

Everything in front of me was blurring, and all sorts of colors spilled and blended together, turning into colorful stripes like a paint bucket.

Endless white light bloomed before my eyes, making me unable to resist closing them.

As the endless light gradually dissipated, Li Xia slowly opened her eyes again. She felt an unusually real sensation around her. The sound of rain was continuous, but it was not silent. Lively sounds came through the rain, as if they were full of special vitality.

Li Xia realized that she had somehow ended up on a terrace, and the three little ones were rubbing their eyes frantically behind her.

The little knight stood beside him, gripping the bone nail and looking ahead as if facing a formidable enemy.

In front of the terrace, a small white figure stood with his hands behind his back.

Looking down from the terrace, it's a city of tears, blooming in abundance. The streets are lined with umbrellas of various colors, and the insects under them are dressed in all sorts of different outfits, full of spirit.

The shops, constructed from insect tubes and honeycomb, were brightly lit, with a dazzling array of goods displayed behind their windows.

The four-wheeled bug-shell vehicle was pulled by a docile giant bug, its wheels making a soft "crunching" sound as they rolled over the road, while the glass windows on both sides of the vehicle reflected the street scene.

Small steam-powered vehicles spewed out wisps of white mist as they pushed wheelbarrows carrying cargo across the ground.

Rainwater falls on the road surface, instantly condensing into glistening droplets. Following the curve of the road, the droplets converge into the grooves on both sides, forming thin streams of water. On the high bridge, a railcar whirred as it pulled its long carriage into the distance.

The City of Tears at its peak, which Li Xia had never seen, has emerged completely here.

"Pretty?"

A faint voice suddenly came from the small figure.

Li Xia withdrew her gaze and answered in the same calm tone:
"It's beautiful."

"I used to think so too."

The small figure spoke with a sorrowful tone, opening her arms wide:
"I have brought a new future to the insects and the beasts."

I once thought that pursuing the light was the only path.

We are born with the right to pursue light.
I used to think that darkness should be rejected.

The small figure slowly removed the exquisite robe she was wearing, her tone filled with unprecedented anger and sharpness:

"But I overlooked the fact that the most intense light can be born from darkness, but the deepest darkness can also be contained within light."

An outsider who does not belong to this world.
Tell me, what are we in your eyes?

Li Xia became increasingly wary. The Pale King before him didn't seem to be the real thing, or perhaps the entire place was a giant illusion. Attacking was ineffective at the moment. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to continue the conversation and see what would happen.
"You are who you are."

"Really? Hahahaha"

The small figure suddenly burst into wild laughter, its tone filled with endless resentment. The city below suddenly began to churn rapidly, and in an instant, the world changed, as if the heavens and earth had been transformed, and they arrived at a completely new place.

Li Xia and the three little ones behind her suddenly widened their eyes.

It was a bloody place, like a slaughterhouse, with the corpses of insects everywhere, their pale, lifeless eyes staring at the sky.

What shocked Li Xia and the three little ones the most were the corpses of those insects, which were entirely white and were clearly pale spirits.

In the center of the insect corpses, a huge stone platform stood, covered with fragments of insect shells and the insects' distinctive green blood, layer upon layer.

"Da da da"

A series of footsteps echoed in the darkness, and Li Xia's pupils suddenly contracted.

A group of humans emerged from the darkness and walked toward the stone platform, dragging behind them huge cages containing terrified insects—women, men, the elderly, and larvae.
Was that an apostle?

They pleaded and cried in fear, begging the apostle to release them.

But the apostle seemed not to hear, and looked at the insect with the greedy gaze of a wolf eyeing its prey.

"Quickly set up all the containers! We have very limited time."

The leading apostle waved his hand, signaling the others to hurry up.

The cage was placed on the platform, and the apostles quickly left. Then, the leader of the apostles walked to the side, and his face looked somewhat fearful.

However, he still took out a bead that was covered in black mist and placed it on top of the iron cage before quickly leaving, as if it were some kind of highly poisonous substance.

Not long after, a very thin beam of light appeared, followed by a strong ray of light that descended from the sky, instantly enveloping the entire stone platform and engulfing everything.

"chichichi"

Amidst the violent noise, only the painful screams of the insects could be heard.

After a while, the light gradually faded, and the iron cage, the beads, and only the pale insect corpses on the ground remained, along with a few pure white insects kneeling among the corpses, their faces filled with pain and confusion.

"Oh!"

The apostles' attack was fierce and swift; in just an instant, these insects that had just transformed into pale spirits fell to the ground.

What awaited them next was dissecting the corpses and extracting the cores. Even the insects that did not survive the 'dawn' were subjected to the same procedure. Occasionally, a pale purple 'dawn' could be extracted from their corpses.

"tell me"

The small figure turned around, revealing a face that exuded a thick black aura, like a demon.

"What are we?"

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Hmm, still eight thousand.

(End of this chapter)