The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

He slowly lifted his body off the cold ground.

Knees, lower back, shoulders...

Finally, he stood up.

His body swayed precariously, like a candle that might be extinguished at any moment in the wind.

Chen Guan stood on the gray wasteland, side by side with Guan Jinyue.

In the distance, the city known as the City of Ashes awaits them in silence.

"My throne is right there."

Baal's voice rang out again, with a hint of self-mockery in his laughter.

"Let's go, let's take back everything that belongs to me."

As Baal finished speaking, a miraculous power of walking emerged from Chen Guan's body.

He walked forward, and every step he took felt like stepping on crushed ashes. The gray earth beneath his feet was soft and unstable, and with each step, fine dust was pressed outwards.

Chen Guan's throat felt like it was on fire, and every breath brought a sharp, stinging pain.

The energy in my body can no longer be described as depleted; it's a complete desertification, with even the last drop of reserves being squeezed out.

What's supporting him now is purely that string called willpower, which is about to snap.

He glanced to his side out of the corner of his eye.

Guan Jinyue walked slowly, but his complexion was surprisingly normal. It was unclear whether he was forcing himself to walk or had some energy left.

Chen Guan looked away and silently bit the inside of his cheek.

The smell of blood mixed with the metallic taste in his mouth cleared his muddled mind for a fraction of a second.

We cannot lose to others.

This inexplicable competitive spirit has become his only fuel now.

The two walked one after the other through the desolate ruins, like two tiny ghosts wandering in a graveyard of giants.

It was too quiet all around.

There was no wind, no demonic roars, and not even a trace of life could be sensed; it was even more eerie than the city of Baimon.

In the distance, the collapsed palace resembled the ribs of a giant beast, piercing the hazy sky.

The shattered statues remain in their final poses, some roaring to the sky, others kneeling on the ground, their faces frozen in eternal terror and despair.

Everything was covered by a thick layer of grayish-white dust, as if time itself had been frozen in that devastating disaster.

What made Chen Guan most uncomfortable was Baal's silence.

From the moment he stepped into this city of ashes, the guy who had been chattering in his head countless times suddenly fell silent.

Gone were the eerie chuckles, and the condescending comments.

This silence was more unsettling than any previous layer of demonic pressure.

Chen Guan didn't ask any questions. Even Le Zimo stopped laughing, which meant things were serious. It was better to remain silent, and besides, he didn't have the strength to speak anyway.

He walked through the ruins, recording this apocalyptic scene with his own eyes.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a small mountain of ruins appeared ahead.

It was built of countless dark gold boulders, and it must have once been a magnificent palace, but now only ruins remain.

At the very top of the ruins, the outline of a massive throne can be vaguely seen.

Half of it has collapsed, and the other half is covered with spiderweb-like cracks, yet it still stubbornly points to the sky, with an arrogant refusal to completely submit.

Chen Guan stopped in his tracks.

He looked at the huge pile of ruins, and for some reason, his heart felt as if it had been gently squeezed by a hand, and he felt a little stuffy.

"here……"

As soon as he opened his mouth, that long-silent voice finally rang in his mind.

"This is Lord Baal's throne room."

Baal's voice was calm, without any cackling laughter or arrogant boasting, just a simple sentence.

Chen Guan was stunned.

He looked at the pile of ruins again, and the scene before him seemed to overlap with a magnificent vision in his mind.

He could almost see what this place looked like countless years ago.

Countless powerful demons bowed down here, and the being who sat high on the throne could stir up the winds and clouds of the entire demon realm with just a glance.

Now, all that's left is a pile of cold stones.

Why did this place become like this?

Chen Guan asked the question as if possessed, but his mind went silent.

"I destroyed it myself years ago for some reason."

Baal spoke again, his voice returning to its usual tone, with a hint of barely perceptible mockery, as if he were laughing at himself.

"It doesn't matter, none of it matters anymore."

He then added, "Let's go, we have important business to attend to."

The coffin remained unmoved.

He looked at the ruins of the throne room and recalled Asmodeus's words, "Do not trust Baal."

He had previously thought that the distrust stemmed from Baal's cunning and his playful nature, or perhaps from his status as the head of the demons.

But now, he suddenly had a new guess.

What is the heart of a demon god who can destroy his own kingdom?

From his tone, Chen Guan could tell that He was not entirely without feelings for this place, and that His destruction of this place was not out of hatred.

Why would that be?

"Hey kid, what are you daydreaming about?"

Baal's voice urged, even carrying a hint of his signature laughter, though the laughter sounded somewhat hollow.

"If we keep dawdling, it'll be dawn soon, even though there's no such thing as dawn here."

Chen Guan withdrew his gaze and started walking again.

He didn't ask any more questions; Barr's scars were not for others to uncover.

Chen Guan followed Baal's directions toward the ruins, with Guan Jinyue silently following behind.

The closer you get to the pile of wreckage, the heavier the deathly silence in the air becomes, as if thousands of hands are gripping your ankles tightly.

Every time he lifted his leg, he had to squeeze out the last bit of strength from between his bones. The air in his lungs was dry and cold, like a bellows. He couldn't tell whether this deadly exhaustion was due to his body reaching its limit or from being tainted by the deathly aura of this land.

"Go up from here."

Baal spoke, and a phantom black arm appeared, pointing in a direction.

Chen Guan looked up and saw a slope made of collapsed boulders, leading all the way to the base of the throne.

He gritted his teeth, stuck the sickle handle into the crack in the rock as a crutch, and climbed up the slope, one step at a time, as loose stones rolled down the slope, making a series of crashing sounds.

He climbed in a very messy way, and several times he almost tumbled back to where he started.

Guan Jinyue, without even breaking a sweat, leaped and bounded among the loose rubble, reaching the throne without making a sound.

Chen Guan watched her retreating figure, his jaw clenched, and he desperately sped up, head down.

Finally, he stood before the broken throne.

Up close, the throne was so enormous it was suffocating; even the remaining half of the armrest was several heads taller than Chen Guan himself.

The stone's surface is covered with cracks, and the remaining dark gold patterns still exude the domineering power that once commanded the demon realm.

"Where is the entrance?"

Chen Guan coughed up a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood and asked.