Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Paul's head disappeared between those sharp teeth.

"Do not……"

Two will-o'-the-wisps burned wildly in Li Xianyu's eyes.

She looked in the direction of Paul's headless body, at the blood dripping from the mouths of the bears and wolves, and took a deep breath—

Then, she became completely undead, without holding back at all.

"The road to the underworld is long, so don't ask when you'll return."

Using blood as a guide and flesh as clothing.

The bell rings, the soul stirs; the corpse moves like a chess piece—

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! By imperial decree!"

At the cost of her complete necromancy, she was finally able to forcibly control Paul's headless remains across ranks, allowing this gold-rank body to stand up again, undeterred by pain and death!

The arm on its back grew out again, and it raised its head, its empty eye sockets burning with the same ghostly flames as Li Xianyu.

Then, it charged at the bear-wolf-dog.

The necromancy-infused Paul was even more frenzied and reckless than in life, each strike fueling Li Xianyu's last remaining life force—

However, he was no match for bears, wolves, and dogs even in his lifetime. After becoming a soul cultivator and a corpse cultivator, he was even less of a match for them.

The bear-wolf-dog swatted him away with one paw, then stomped him under its paw, lowered its head, and prepared to crush him—

“Mr. Mambo”.

Sylvia's voice echoed in his mind; she took a deep breath, seemingly trying to conceal her grief over Paul's death.

"Please, help me."

As a god from Teyvat, surely you have a way?

Cheng Cheng remained silent, watching the corpses trampled underfoot in the distance, watching those who had once fought alongside him die one by one.

Yang Chen, Tie Dan, Kong Wenbin, Paul...

He took a deep breath: "...Sylvia."

"Ah."

"It will hurt a little afterward."

"I know."

Cheng Cheng raised his hand, and the orange flame in his palm began to burn wildly—

"All paths have vanished without a trace!"

Death energy surged wildly from his body, instantly enveloping the surrounding hundred meters!

His body began to crack, his skin split open with bloody gashes, and blood gushed out!

Thanks to the pain shielding effect of the game system, he only felt numb all over and couldn't exert any strength, while Sylvia endured the excruciating pain of her body being torn apart!

The girl let out a muffled groan in her mind, gritting her teeth tightly without making a sound. Cheng Cheng lay on the ground, covered in blood, unable to move.

But that deathly aura had already entangled the bears, wolves, and dogs.

Its life force began to ebb away, its newly healed wounds reopened, and the power that had been borrowed from it began to backfire—

"Li Xianyu...!"

Cheng Cheng shouted with his last bit of strength.

Li Xianyu turned her head, looked at the deathly aura emanating from him, and understood what the other party meant. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face:

"it is good."

She raised her hand, and the necromancy-like Paul stood up, then—

"burst."

"boom--!!!"

The explosion of a Gold-tier corpse instantly leveled the entire street!

The shockwave spread to a kilometer away, and the surrounding buildings collapsed like paper, with smoke and dust billowing into the sky, obscuring the gray sky.

The explosion ripped a huge hole through the bear-wolf-dog's body, shattering half of it into pieces. Then, the deathly aura cursed by the crashed sparks flowed unhindered straight towards the bear-wolf-dog's heart!

"Roar--!"

With a final, unwilling roar, it tried to struggle one last time, but the Collector talent was passively triggered, and its life was completely extinguished!

The heavy bodies of the bear, wolf, and dog collapsed, raising clouds of dust.

The boss guarding the eighth floor is so powerful that the developers should create its own "Platinum Tier" monster for it.

Chickens, tigers, bears, wolves, and dogs have been successfully defeated!

"Experience +15000"

Level Up: 25 → 28

Cheng Cheng lay in the ruins, covered in blood, unable to move.

Li Xianyu lay ten meters away, her body as faint as smoke, shrouded in a magical cloak, her fate unknown.

In the distance, the corpses of the bear, wolf, and dog began to turn to ashes and drift away in the wind, leaving behind a key that looked like it was made of platinum.

Everything fell silent.

Cheng Cheng looked at the gray sky, his whole body felt numb, and he gasped for breath.

“Mr. Mambo…”

Sylvia forced herself to speak despite the pain, but Cheng Cheng didn't answer. He just lay there, looking at the sky.

Paul is dead.

Cheng Cheng's feelings for this character are probably a bit stronger than those for the character who only appeared once or twice in "The Primordial Spirit." He cares about him a bit, and he would feel sad if the character died.

More importantly, it's really easy to use.

A gold-tier bodyguard, loyal and capable of saving him a lot of trouble, has now died for him—if Cheng Cheng leaves the dungeon, this event will become a fixed fact and cannot be erased by rewinding.

So, should we commit suicide to rewind time?

If we can rewind the game, everyone can survive. Paul can survive, Yang Chen can survive, Kong Wenbin can survive, and Tie Dan and Li Xianyu won't have to lie there unsure of their fate.

but--

He promised Sylvia that he would never commit suicide again.

For Cheng Cheng, this was just one of countless save files, but for Sylvia in "this" time, every save file was real.

She will feel pain, she will be afraid, she will die.

He experienced the same near-death fear and despair he felt when facing injustice and evil.

How could we let Sylvia go through that again?

But Paul can't just die like that... It's one thing to suffer in real life, but why can't I pursue perfection in a game?

Cheng Cheng's fingers twitched. He struggled to sit up, intending to check the treasures dropped by the gatekeeper boss before deciding on his next move.

Perhaps, I could tell Sylvia in this cycle about my ability to rewind the game?

At least this way, I'll feel a little better when I commit suicide.

"Pfft."

Just then, a sharp blade pierced Cheng Cheng's heart, went through his back, and protruded a long section from his chest!

Chapter 33, The Cicadas Sing in Spring and Autumn, the Maiden Returns

Cheng Cheng's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints. He looked down in disbelief at the sword tip protruding from his chest.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

He was the one who stabbed Cicero in the back with the sword of benevolence; now, he is being stabbed in the back in the same way... Is this the bond between sworn siblings?

Cheng Cheng felt a mix of emotions as he looked back with difficulty.

"Luo? You!"

"Ha...haha...hahahaha..."

Laughter came from behind me.

The laughter was filled with madness, resentment, and the ecstatic joy of finally getting what they wanted.

“Sylvia…you’ve finally met your match!” Loo stood behind him, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands, his eyes filled with hatred. “I’ve finally got my chance to kill you. Finally—”

"We've avenged Finn and Captain Leo!"

At this moment, the boundless city was deathly silent.

Time seemed to freeze, the air heavy and oppressive. Cheng Cheng sat cross-legged on the ground, his lips moved, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"revenge?"

"Yes, revenge. You know that..."

He leaned down and whispered in Cheng Cheng's ear, his voice filled with a madness that had been suppressed for too long.

“I’ve been watching you since the day you left the church. I watched you go into 13 Mink Street, watched you collude with the cultists…”

Cheng Cheng's eyes were almost closed, but those words still managed to get into his ears, one by one.

“I told the Obsidian Bishop all this, and do you know what he said?” He laughed, tears streaming down his face. “He said, ‘The Holy Maiden has decreed that all threats against Sylvia cease and that we must do everything in our power to protect her.’ He told me to let go of my hatred and blame this chaotic world…”

"Haha... Protect you? Protect you?!"

“The bishop was wrong…the saint was wrong…everyone was wrong…” His voice suddenly lowered, as if he were muttering to himself, “but I was not wrong.”

So they were from the Church's Executive Court...

No wonder I felt something was off about this person when we first met. It was probably because of his eyes... He kept avoiding me, as if he was afraid of revealing the murderous intent in his eyes!

Cheng Cheng's body twitched, and he gradually understood everything. His vision began to darken, and after a long silence, he looked up and sighed, then suddenly burst into wild laughter:

"Hahaha... Hahahaha! Luo, what a Luo! Hahaha, I underestimated you, I fell for your tricks. You won beautifully, and your scheme was extremely clever... There are countless heroes in this world, like carp crossing a river..."