Love, Gun, Cupid

It's ironic, Di Tao thought. Mu Mian and I wield swords but aren't swordsmen. Yet, in a novice just starting out, we sensed the pure temperament of swordsmen from the classical era—backward, naive, foolish, simple… but it also makes you want to cry, because every swordsman, when they first start out, fantasizes about being free of distractions, open and honest, and wielding their swords purely.

How idealistic! Backward, naive, foolish, simple—these are words that describe someone who has abandoned the modern swordsmanship and the identity of a swordsman.

"So what? You said goodbye to your football dream a long time ago, but you're still acting like a jerk, still hung up on your ex-girlfriend, football. Why is football more attractive to you than pretty girls?!"

I hate kapok trees, but the only thing I agree with is that she broke your leg! You said yourself that you weren't planning to look back, and now you've stopped just to brush off the stains on yourself, and this is it?!

She put Lin Jiade down, slapped him across the face with a "smack," and said, "Don't make me look down on you. Didn't you want to take revenge on me and Mu Mian?!"

"The King of the Forest used a little psychological warfare, and you're already breaking down? Why don't you be a good child and hide in my arms to nurse? If you can get any milk out of me, wouldn't that count as revenge?"

Di Tao pressed Lin Jiade's head down with one hand, while making a gesture with the other to loosen her collar. Lin Jiade slapped her hand away and said, "That's a clumsy attempt at provocation, but thank you."

Di Tao didn't really want to play any 18+ games. She glanced at the King of the Forest and said, "No need. If it weren't for your strange magic, I would have killed you first."

"Although you are an enemy, let's keep things separate. I remember both the good and the bad things you did for me."

After saying that, Lin Jiade slapped Di Tao across the face, putting his words into practice.

"You (Hart's profanity)..."

Although he had already killed Lin Jiade's entire family, Di Tao honestly charged towards the King of the Forest with his comrades who were slapping each other.

The scent of death emanating from the King of the Forest had faded, and similarly, the blessing of the Moon Goddess was almost gone. With the two divine pronouncements balanced, the King of the Forest no longer possessed that oppressive aura. He was powerful... but ordinary, prone to making mistakes, and had weaknesses, which gave people the thought that they could hope to defeat him.

Lin Jiade and Di Tao charged towards the King of the Forest from the left and right. The latter immediately rushed towards Lin Jiade, raising and lowering his arm, a silver slash sweeping across Lin Jiade.

Lin Jiade met the attack with fury. After freeing himself from the oracle's influence, the King of the Forest gained the upper hand in the duel, but having lost his recovery buff, he dared not trade blows with Lin Jiade.

He countered Lin Jiade's savagery and passion with cunning and maturity; his sword wounded Lin Jiade but did not kill him.

Di Tao wanted to help, but she realized that in her current state, joining the battle might not help Lin Jiade and could even tear her apart. So she simply held her breath and waited for the King of the Forest to reveal a weakness.

Thus, she witnessed a sword duel so spectacular it could be made into an instructional video. Considering one of the characters was a novice still stuck in the early stages of magic research, the duel was undeniably absurd and astonishing.

"Perhaps I am witnessing history and a miracle," Di Tao thought.

Chapter 124 Change of Position

The longswords shrieked, telling tales of struggle and bloodshed. The air howled, recording the techniques of shattering bones and tearing flesh.

Under intense competition, Lin Jiade was already out of breath after just a few minutes. His wrists were sore and painful, and his movements became technically distorted.

Fortunately, the King of the Forest was also heavily exhausted, so his attack on Lin Jiade became hesitant.

The King of the Forest's sword grazed Lin Jiade's wrist, causing him to bleed profusely and drop his sword to the ground. However, Lin Jiade immediately followed up with a thunder spell that struck the King of the Forest, using the spell's paralyzing effect to disarm him.

Neither of them intended to pick up their swords. The King of the Forest threw a punch, the wind from which blinded Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade crossed his arms to block the blow, and then kicked at the King of the Forest, but the King blocked the kick with his arm and then twisted his ankle and pulled him toward himself.

Lin Jiade knew the consequences of being pulled over there. The King of the Forest had almost all his skills focused on melee combat, and fighting hand-to-hand without a weapon would definitely not end well for him.

So he activated his vine spell, and vines climbed and wrapped around his left arm, connecting him to the King of the Forest. The King of the Forest was forced to change his movements, swinging his arm to tear off the vines and throwing Lin Jiade away.

Lin Jiade landed, and two swords were right in front of him. The King of the Forest reached out to grab them, but Lin Jiade was a little faster and grabbed... the King of the Forest's sword!

Lin Jiade's wound had not yet congealed, and the blood gushed out, smearing the sword. Thus, the Blood Spear spell was activated, and the sword in the King of the Forest's hand became the spear in Lin Jiade's hand.

Lin Jiade roared and thrust his spear at the King of the Forest. The King of the Forest was pierced through, but under the protection of the moonlight, Lin Jiade felt a huge squeezing force from the wound, slowly pushing his spear out.

"Di Tao, channel energy into my sword and fire at him!" Lin Jiade roared.

"Don't give me orders!"

Di Tao picked up Lin Jiade's sword and aimed it at the King of the Forest. The King of the Forest tried to move his body, but Lin Jiade held him firmly with the blood spear in his hand.

So Di Tao took a step forward, raised her sword and channeled energy into it. The black hole-like suction made her knees buckle and she almost fell over.

Fortunately, she managed to control the energy leakage, preventing the celestial weapon from draining her completely. Then, a beam of light was unleashed from the tip of the celestial weapon and shot towards the King of the Forest.

Lin Jiade released his grip and rolled to the side. Just as the King of the Forest pulled the blood spear from his body and transformed it back into his own weapon, the light cannon suddenly struck.

This attack was incredibly powerful because Di Tao unleashed all the energy from the Celestial Weapon Reserve—both to eliminate the King of the Forest and to kill Lin Jiade later.

The figure of the King of the Forest was swallowed up by the torrent of energy, and the forest behind him was split in two, with mud and debris raining down.

Lin Jiade didn't want light pollution to disrupt his senses, so he hid behind a rock, the fishy wind making his clothes flutter.

When the wind stopped, Lin Jiade stood up and saw the King of the Forest still standing there. His heart clenched, but the next second, the King of the Forest staggered and fell to the ground, his armor completely collapsing, leaving only a familiar figure in a jersey crawling out.

Lin Jiade reached out, and Di Tao, who was kneeling on the ground leaning on his sword, suddenly collapsed. The celestial weapon returned to Lin Jiade's hand, and the shadow of a man and a sword descended upon the King of the Forest.

The King of the Forest looked up, and as expected, Lin Jiade saw his fourteen-year-old self. The boy was pale, his eyes were dull, and his lips were twisted in resentment.

Although he knew it was an illusion created by the King of the Forest, Lin Jiade still wavered. He took a deep breath, raised his sword, and plunged it into the boy's back, bidding farewell to the King of the Forest and to the past.

"Goodbye," he said softly. "Don't worry, I'm already very happy."

"Lin... junior."

Lin Jiade turned around and saw that Mu Mian had returned in human form, her body covered in unhealed wounds, looking extremely disheveled. Mu Mian, in turn, saw the boy at Lin Jiade's feet dissipate like sand, falling into Lin Jiade's shadow.

“The rest is up to us,” Di Tao smiled. “Two against one is probably not a good thing for me.”

But she was mistaken, because the shape of the full moon rose beneath Lin Jiade's feet. In the cool moonlight, Lin Jiade's figure was enveloped in moon-blue armor, and on the armor was a bow drawn into the shape of a full moon.

"The new King of the Forest, no, it's a virtual King of the Forest experience card... because this guy broke off the golden branch and finished off the King of the Forest, so he became the new King of the Forest."

Di Tao laughed: "He was originally going to help you win the championship, but now he has become your obstacle. He doesn't need to wait any longer; he can settle his scores right now."

Drawn by the Forest King's mechanisms in the virtual space, Lin Jiade, wielding a celestial weapon, rushed toward Di Tao. Mu Mian watched indifferently from behind, letting Di Tao explain their reasons for uniting, while she remained a bystander.

"Oh, so you still have feelings for each other?"

Exhausted, Di Tao struggled desperately, but she was no match for Lin Jiade, who was protected by Diana.

Lin Jiade wielded the celestial weapon with brute force. Di Tao consciously dodged, but her left leg was struck by the sword, deforming her limbs and shattering her bones. Her screams were drowned out.

"The same spot... Kapok broke my left leg after she returned from Fuxing City."

Di Tao rolled over, propped herself up, and looked at Lin Jiade who was walking over, saying, "I tasted the bitterness of resentment. Good, you should be even more resentful. Kill me, then kill Mu Mian, and then... become like us."

Do you think you can be freed by killing your past self and then stride confidently into the future? No, your future path is full of mud pits like ours. Your shoes and trousers will get covered in mud again and again, becoming stains you can't wash off, getting dirtier and dirtier..."

Lin Jiade finished off the Earth Peach. After her figure disappeared, Lin Jiade turned to look at the Kapok. According to the rules of the competition, the Kapok had become the champion of this competition, but the competition was not over yet, because the King of the Forest was still there, and the challengers were still there.

“If killing me would give you some satisfaction, I’d be happy to do it,” Kapok said. “But I know what you crave, so I will fight back with all my might and try to kill you so you can enjoy the process.”

Lin Jiade nodded, and the instinct of the King of the Forest, which he had been desperately suppressing, was released at this moment. A path of moonlight was laid between him and the cotton tree, and Lin Jiade arrived in front of the cotton tree in the blink of an eye. He raised his sword, stretched his limbs, and watched as the sharp blade in his hand pierced through the cotton tree.

Chapter 125 The Gamble (13→12)

Kapok deceived him again, accepting death without resistance. This outcome did not satisfy Lin Jiade. He drew his celestial weapon and looked at Kapok: "Why?"

“I’m afraid you’ll find peace,” Kapok said. “I saw you stab your past self with that sword… If you end the past, can you also end our memories?”

Anyway, I'm already a bad person in your eyes. Even if it makes you hate me even more, I still hope you think of me, instead of forgetting me.

Kapok smiled resignedly: "Even though I won, it feels like I lost."

Her figure began to fade away. Lin Jiade knew that his King of the Forest experience card had expired. He looked at Kapok with a complicated expression. He did indeed intend to "kill" Kapok after a life-or-death battle, end this feud, and never see her again.

Their interests were still intertwined, but he didn't necessarily need to maintain any relationship with Kapok... Just as he was wondering who could negotiate with Kapok on his behalf, the situation suddenly changed.

He and Kapok were supposed to return to reality to attend the subsequent awards ceremony, but after the virtual space collapsed, they opened their eyes to find that they had not returned to the competition room.

Above them was a deep night, the moon shone with an inconspicuous, hazy light, and stars surrounded them.

The bronze lamps burned all night, illuminating the cobblestone path that led to the woods. When the wind blew, the black silhouettes swayed and made eerie sounds.

The other end of the road led to a temple, and seeing the Diana Virgins armed with guns, Lin Jiade and Mumian immediately realized where they had come from.

“The Temple of Diana…” Lin Jiade said.

"Welcome to our place."

A gentle voice sounded from behind. Lin Jiade and Mu Mian turned around, and the goddess with black hair and fair skin came into their view... Although she did not introduce herself, they both thought so.

Her bare feet left a trail of patterns behind her, from full moon to crescent moon. Her clothing also reflected the phases of the moon. The rings and bracelets on her hands, the necklace on her chest, and the earrings she wore were all themed around the moon. The full moon rose from her eyes, and above her head, a scaled-down version of the moon was slowly rotating.

The moonlight transformed into tendrils, gently seeping into Lin Jiade's clothes and into his body. Mu Mian glanced at Lin Jiade, then at Diana. Diana gave her a casual look, and the heavy pressure made Mu Mian feel suffocated.

"So you were prepared all along."

Du Juan looked at Diana beside her. The area around them was empty. In the eyes of the audience, the competition was over. Kapok's method of bringing Lin Jiade into the competition had worked wonders. As they left the arena, they were still excitedly discussing the confrontation between Lin Jiade and the King of the Forest. Lin Jiade transformed into the King of the Forest and ended the fate of his companion.

The contest was over, but the wager between the two extraordinary celestial observers was not. Before them, in Alicia, the true location of the Temple of Diana, Lin Jiade and Mumian watched in a panic and confusion as the moon goddess descended.

"Is that your clone? A spell?" Dujuan asked.

Diana replied, “It is one of my virgins. I have come temporarily, dressed in my usual attire for the public, to conduct our wager.”

"Should we bet on who Lin Jiade will listen to?" Du Juan asked.

“I will try to kill Kapok in front of her, and his reaction will be our bet.”

“Lin Jiade will struggle and hesitate, but in the end he will not save Kapok,” Du Juan said firmly. “Unless you break the chains I put on him, because he hates more than he loves.”

“I wouldn’t do something so despicable… So I’ll bet he’ll do anything to save Kapok, because his love outweighs his hate.”

"At all costs?" Du Juan laughed.

"At all costs," the moon goddess replied.

“Lin Jiade listened to my every word.”

“I know that he followed your teachings and broke his pact with the cotton tree. You are very proud that you have finally driven away the uncertainties that prevented you from exerting your influence and are ready to continue to explore his power in order to find the source of the power, which is me.”

But was this truly a good lesson? No, I don't see it that way. Cuckoo, you were once a snake, once a bird, reborn in your father's mind, endowed with the power of war, and now, you are Cupid.

However, every face you wear looks down upon mortals with an air of superiority. You have lived for thousands of years, and your attitude has remained constant: arrogance.

"First and foremost, it was the cuckoo who committed the sin of arrogance... Are you going to judge me using such a popular human concept?"

Du Juan smiled: "We are high above like gods, bringing these upright apes out of the Third Continent and enlightening them. Their tens of thousands of years of history are just our large-scale sociological experiment... Why should I be humble?"

"Because you don't manipulate them with absolute power, you give them the freedom to play their part, and that's when they can surprise you."

Diana's gaze was fixed on the screen. The two, having just emerged from the virtual world, were somewhat dazed and unprepared. Thus, Diana launched a valiant and decisive attack.

A moonlit path appeared between Lin Jiade and Diana the Virgin. The latter approached Lin Jiade at high speed, and the crescent-shaped arc of air around her body knocked Lin Jiade away.

Lin Jiade's shield shattered upon contact, yet he exclaimed with delight, "Not a Celestial Observer, this is human power! We have a chance!"

Kapok drew her weapon, the inscription on the sword lighting up, ready to cover Lin Jiade's landing. Unexpectedly, Diana the Virgin slashed forward, and a dense barrage of arrows burst forth from the forest.

Kapok used the magic attached to her sword to blow away some of the arrows, her shield blocked some more, and she dodged some with her mobility. However, the few remaining but crucial arrows pierced her left leg.

The interlocking hooks of the arrowheads split open, tearing the flesh of the kapok tree and embedding it tightly into her thigh, leaving her slumped on the ground, instantly incapacitated.