My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Beyond the giant gate lay darkness.

In stark contrast to the white light outside the door, there was no light, no sound, and no passage of time here.

There is only boundless nothingness, and a figure sitting in the center of that nothingness.

The figure's face and body were indistinct; even its outline was blurry.

He seemed to have merged into the darkness, or perhaps he was the darkness itself.

The only thing that could be clearly seen was the floating light screen in front of him.

The image is playing repeatedly on the light screen.

The Holy Ancient Empire, the Arena.

A man in black robes stood in the middle of the ruins, his left arm severed and bleeding, but his back was straight.

With the black sword in hand, eerie green hellfire burned around him, incinerating the power of the two demigods' laws.

The image freezes.

The figure let out a soft laugh.

The laughter was soft and devoid of any emotion.

It lingered in this void for a long time.

"The hero who calls himself the Demon King..."

He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the black-robed figure in the light screen.

"Once you become a demigod, I will refine you, and my laws of time will be complete."

The video plays again.

Lin Mo swung his sword and killed the divine messenger.

Lin Mo snatched Zhou Yue's soul from the holy light.

Lin Mo stood on the high platform to receive the coronation.

Again and again.

The figure stared at the images, motionless.

"When you ascend to immortality, this farce in the world will come to an end."

He paused.

The image on the light screen froze on Lin Mo's face.

That young, pale, blood-stained face.

Those dark, burning eyes.

The figure stared into those eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

His eyes seemed to be lost in deep memories, and finally he murmured something.

"Little sister, we'll see each other again soon."

……

At the same time, in the northern border of the Holy Ancient Empire.

Lin Mo rode an ordinary black horse, heading north along the official road.

Yin Xue sat on his shoulder, her blood-red eyes half-open and half-closed, a hint of contentment on her small face.

She has been having a very comfortable time these past few days.

In each city she visited, Lin Mo would go to the church to retrieve the fragments of her soul.

The fragments were scattered in churches all over the world, and even the bishops of the church were unaware of it.

As for the cities that did not cooperate, or opposed Lin Mo becoming the new emperor, they were simply wiped out.

The follow-up handling is sufficient for He Yuan and his team.

Now these souls are returning to Yin Xue's body one by one.

Her breathing was recovering at a visible speed.

Yin Xue leaned on Lin Mo's shoulder and spoke lazily.

"The next city, what was it called again?"

"The Hundred-Day Fortress is the city in the Holy Ancient Empire that is closest to the Dragon Clan's territory."

Lin Mo said.

Yin Xue frowned: "Hundred-Day Fortress, I remember this place. Back then, one of my Demon King armies planned to take it down in 3 days, but the city lord at the time held it for 100 days. I wonder how it is now."

Lin Mo nodded without saying anything.

Mianmian nestled in his arms, holding the demigod essence, and slept soundly.

Eight tiny claws clung tightly to the black crystal core.

A trace of drool still clung to the corner of his mouth.

The number of pedestrians on the official road gradually increased.

There were merchants driving horse-drawn carriages, travelers carrying baggage, and mercenaries carrying weapons.

As they passed by Lin Mo, some glanced at him, some ignored him, and some whispered a few words.

No one recognized him.

The attire of a black robe and a black sword is not uncommon in this world.

Moreover, his face was mostly covered by a hood.

Just then, a merchant driving a carriage was chatting with his companion.

"I heard that an envoy from the Holy Kingdom of the Tower arrived yesterday."

Lin Mo's ears twitched.

"here we go again?"

"That's right, this is the third time in the past few days."

The businessman lowered his voice.

"I heard that the envoy offered the city lord a very high price: a fiefdom, gold coins, and a noble title from the Holy Kingdom of the Tower. There was only one condition."

"What?"

"Break away from the Holy Ancient Empire and join the Holy Tower Kingdom."

His companion gasped.

"Did the city lord agree?"

The merchant looked around and lowered his voice even further.

"It's not decided yet. But I heard the city lord is interested. Think about it, the Li family is wiped out in the Holy Ancient Empire, and that new demon who came to power is said to be designated as the Demon King in the next few days. What good can come of following him? It's better to pledge allegiance to the Holy Tower Kingdom, where at least the Church is there to support you."

After a moment of silence, his companion asked in a low voice, "Is that demon king... really that terrifying?"

The merchant scoffed, "Terrible? I heard he killed 50,000 people, slaughtered the entire Li family, and even killed a demigod from the divine realm. You dare follow someone like that?"

His companion shivered and said nothing more.

Yin Xue opened one eye and looked at Lin Mo's profile.

His face was expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything.

The official road continued to extend.

On the horizon ahead, the outline of a massive fortress gradually came into focus.

The Hundred-Day Fortress.

It was the last major town in the northern border of the Holy Ancient Empire, with towering city walls, numerous arrow towers, and a moat several meters wide.

Nine hundred miles southwest of this fortress lies the territory of the Dragon Clan.

But at this moment, the atmosphere in the fortress was somewhat delicate.

A long queue formed at the city gate, where soldiers were checking passersby, but they were clearly distracted.

Several officers guarding the city huddled together, whispering something to each other, their expressions complex.

There was unease, anticipation, and a hint of inexplicable restlessness.

Lin Mo led his horse and stood in the queue.

The surrounding chatter grew louder.

"Have you heard? The city lord is going to make the announcement today."

"Announce Xi Yao?"

"You've pledged allegiance to the Holy Kingdom of the Tower! The envoy arrived yesterday, and the city lord has already agreed to the terms offered. It will be announced in the square before nightfall."

"Really? What about the Holy Ancient Empire...?"

"What can they do over there? That demon king just took over, he hasn't even warmed his seat yet, what right does he have to interfere here?"

"But... that demon king even killed a demigod, what if..."

"What if what? He can still kill his way here? Besides, he killed a demigod from the divine realm. Who knows if the divine realm will hold him accountable? Following him will only lead to disaster sooner or later."

"Too……"

Yin Xue sat on Lin Mo's shoulder, listening to the discussions, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

She poked Lin Mo's neck with her little paw, her voice tinged with schadenfreude:

"Hey, did you hear that? Your city lord has run away."

Lin Mo did not speak.

Yin Xue poked it again: "How about we make a bet? Let's see if he'll betray us."

Lin Mo finally turned his head and glanced at her.

Yin Xue met those dark eyes and was stunned for a moment.

There was no anger, no worry, only a calm that bordered on boredom.

"No gambling."

He said.

Yin Xue pouted: "That's boring."

Lin Mo withdrew his gaze and looked at the fortress that was getting closer and closer ahead.

On the city wall, several soldiers are changing shifts.

At the city gate, an officer-looking man was reprimanding a soldier who was moving too slowly.

Further away, the outline of the square can be vaguely seen, where a large number of people have already gathered.

He led the horse and continued walking forward.