Heroes Return

At this moment, Leng Yan broke through the blockade of those light beasts and arrived directly outside the barrier set up by the golden-haired angel.

A pair of hands burning with blue flames pressed directly onto the barrier.

As the massive blue flames spread, the entire barrier was instantly transformed into a large ice shell by the cold flames. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the ice shell shattered.

But just as the ice shell shattered, everyone witnessed a astonishing scene. Even the blonde angel hadn't expected it. A young girl's corpse appeared before Ivan at that moment, radiating a mysterious power that blocked the mental attack Felicia had launched. Although the corpse looked exquisitely beautiful, like a doll, unfortunately, there were obvious signs of stitching on it, and it also had a pair of beautiful wings on its back.

"I never thought an angel's corpse would be so useful, hahaha!" Ivan sneered at this moment: "Did you really think you didn't know I hadn't noticed your little tricks? Hahaha! Actually, I never intended to use this little girl as a vessel in the first place."

At that moment, Ivan let out a wild laugh.

"That's my corpse!!!" The blonde angel, who was staring at Lin Jie, also showed a surprised expression at this moment. She had already sensed the changes occurring in the central temple. She had originally planned to use the moment when Ivan was about to place the heart into the girl's body to awaken the girl and then launch a surprise attack to kill Ivan. However, she hadn't expected that Ivan had prepared another vessel, and that vessel was her corpse. In other words, Ivan had seen through her plan all along.

"It seems I have no choice but to take action!" With that, Lin Jie raised his longsword once again.

At this moment, Leng Yan, who was very close to Ivan, also sneered: "You're dead!"

"Hahahaha! Am I doomed? Hahahaha!" With Ivan's maniacal laughter, Felicia clearly saw that Ivan's hand, which was supporting the angel's corpse from behind, actually entered the angel's chest from behind.

However, before Felicia could even warn everyone present, a powerful light instantly enveloped the entire holy city...

As the holy light enveloped the entire holy city, it began to expand further. Within a few short seconds, the entire planet was bathed in the holy light.

If you were to look at the Earth from the perspective of space at this moment, the entire planet would appear as if it had been transformed into a dazzling new sun!

……

The dazzling light gradually faded, and Lin Jie slowly rubbed his eyes.

He was immediately surprised to find himself lying in ruins. Looking at the desolate scenery around him, Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh, "I can't believe I've fallen victim to this too! Damn! This place doesn't look like the Holy Capital at all!"

Locked up, Lin Jie tried to sit up, but the movement caused him intense pain. Upon closer inspection of his body, he was shocked to discover that he was severely injured.

"Damn! I haven't been beaten this badly in ages!" Lin Jie exclaimed, then struggled to sit up. "Speaking of which, isn't this H City? Why am I lying here? Right! I must have been affected by some kind of environmental ability."

Thinking of this, Lin Jie tried to sense the reaction of the Immortal Execution Sword. Sure enough, he was indeed surrounded by the environment. At this moment, a confident smile appeared on Lin Jie's lips: "So, that old rogue Ivan painstakingly prepared such a powerful move?"

It's no wonder Lin Jie wasn't overly concerned about his current situation, because for a sword immortal, the only thing they could easily deal with in this world was an illusory environment! This is because every swordsman's sword intent contains a will to maintain their true self at all times. This is also why Lin Jie immediately realized he was in an illusory environment—because Lin Jie had already possessed a sword heart.

But just as Lin Jie was about to use brute force to shatter the illusion before him, a figure that Lin Jie missed dearly appeared before him.

Chapter 33

The girl had a delicate and cute face with a slightly alluring quality, and the bat wings on her back revealed her identity at this moment.

Although Lin Jie knew perfectly well that this was an illusion, he couldn't help but admire the power of this magic. It had directly exploited his deepest weakness.

"Ah, you got beaten up so badly again! Hehe." The girl approached Lin Jie with a hint of mockery and playfulness, then sat down next to him. "How about it? Would you like to make a deal with me? If you're willing, I'll give you this book that can make you stronger."

As she spoke, the girl took out an ancient book that Lin Jie was very familiar with, "True Martial Arts, Hundred Battles Chapter": "Of course, as you know, I am a demon! So when you use the cultivation methods in this book to gain power, your lifespan will be reduced to five years! This is our demon's way of trading; to gain something precious, you must also give something precious in return. Hehe! How about it? Are you willing to trade with me?"

"..."

"Haven't you made up your mind yet?" The girl suddenly moved closer to Lin Jie and asked, "If you want to become strong enough to overcome the current difficulties, this might be the fastest way."

"Still so wicked." Lin Jie looked at the girl in front of him, but couldn't help but show a nostalgic expression: "Speaking of which, I used to be tricked by you all the time."

"Huh? We haven't known each other for very long, have we?" The girl looked at Lin Jie with some confusion. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, right, we've only known each other for a short time now." Lin Jie spoke calmly, but his eyes were burning with passion.

Even though he knew it was all a dangerous illusion, Lin Jie didn't have the courage to break it. He knew that if he destroyed the illusion, the girl before him would completely disappear.

"Xiaoqian, I remember asking you back then, why did you plan to make a deal with me?" Lin Jie looked at the girl in front of him again.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Of course I'm planning to use you! Hehe, I'm a devil, you know!" Xiaoxi looked at Lin Jie, somewhat confused: "I'm a completely bad woman! So, would you be willing to make a deal with someone like me?"

"You... how could you be a bad woman?" Lin Jie looked at the girl in front of him, his voice still calm. Memories from five years ago surfaced in his mind bit by bit: "You helped me punish many evil people, you were my best partner!"

"Huh?" Xiaoxi looked at Lin Jie with some confusion, then suddenly clapped her hands and said to Lin Jie with a smile, "Hehe, did you get a head injury? I didn't expect a fool like you to have a brain short circuit! Speaking of which, won't this make your already weak IQ even worse?"

"Still the same old thing, always mocking my intelligence! Even though you prefer the simplest and most direct methods." Lin Jie subconsciously patted Xiao Qian's head.

When Lin Jie suddenly reached out and stroked her head, the girl jumped up from beside him like a cat with its fur standing on end. Her face flushed slightly as she looked at Lin Jie: "You! What are you doing? I'm seriously making a deal with you! This isn't a casual fling! And don't touch my head like that!"

"A deal?" Looking at the girl in front of him who seemed a little shy, Lin Jie couldn't help but smile. "Speaking of which, you're the only demon I've ever met who can be shy."

Ignoring his current physical pain, Lin Jie stood up abruptly. At this moment, he had a hideous wound on his body, and his height and appearance were no longer what they were now; he was now a fourteen-year-old boy.

"Hey, hey, hey? Do you want to die? You're so badly injured, why are you still standing up? Shouldn't you be using your internal energy to heal yourself right now?" Xiaoqian looked at Lin Jie in a panic.

Do you care about me?

"I... I'm just afraid that the trading partner I finally found will die so easily," Xiaoqian said with some dissatisfaction, but she still stepped forward to help Lin Jie up.

But at that moment, Lin Jie seized the opportunity to hug Xiao Qian. Xiao Qian didn't dare to struggle too much, because if she did, she might kill Lin Jie.

"Speaking of deals, I do have one that I'd like to make with you!" Lin Jie then used all his strength to hug Xiao Qian.

This hug caused Lin Jie's emotions, which he had suppressed for years, to erupt: "If you really want to make a deal with me, I'm willing to trade everything I have! As long as you can live, I'm willing to exchange my entire life for it!"

After Lin Jie said those words, Xiao Qian stopped all her movements and quietly let Lin Jie hold her tightly.

The two embraced each other without saying another word, simply holding each other in silence.

For Lin Jie, he truly wished this moment could last forever. Even if it wasn't real, even if it was just an illusion, Lin Jie would be completely willing to be deceived like this for a lifetime. Unfortunately, such a moment was only fleeting.

"Do you want to trade my life?" Xiaoxi's voice suddenly turned cold as she pushed Lin Jie away. At the same time, Lin Jie transformed back into the appearance of a three-year-old child.

"Hehe, speaking of which, wasn't it you who killed me?" At this moment, a golden longsword was stuck in Xiao Qian's chest, which appeared in Lin Jie's eyes: "Isn't this Demon-Slaying Holy Sword the one you personally plunged into my chest?"

With those cold words, Xiaoqian pulled the longsword from her chest. Then, she slowly walked towards Lin Jie.

"..." Lin Jie simply sat there, without saying a word, just watching Xiao Qian, who had suddenly become sinister, walk towards him step by step with a long sword in her hand.

"If you really want to make a deal, then trade your own life!" Xiaoqian said as she approached Lin Jie and swung her greatsword down at his head.

"..." Lin Jie remained sitting there quietly, his expression unchanged, only looking at the girl's long sword as it swung back at him with a calm gaze.

The girl's longsword was already swinging down towards Lin Jie's neck, but Lin Jie didn't move an inch. Faced with the girl's accusation, Lin Jie had absolutely no intention of resisting or refutating her. Although Lin Jie knew that all of this was actually a trick of the environment, and that the Xiao Qian in front of him was just a shadowy figure, Lin Jie had no intention of resisting. It wasn't that he couldn't resist, but simply that he didn't want to.

The girl's figure had disappeared from Lin Jie's sight for five years, and the reason Lin Jie did not resist was simply because he wanted to see the girl a little longer, even if it was just an illusion.

Time seemed to stand still as the girl's longsword came to rest against Lin Jie's neck.

"Aren't you going to fight back? You clearly have the strength to fight back!" Xiaoqian suddenly questioned Lin Jie, "Are you really planning to die here?"

"It's clearly an illusion, yet it perfectly mimics your personality!" Lin Jie stared intently at Xiao Qian: "I never imagined that in order to perfectly portray the personality of this female liar, the environment would forgo such a good opportunity to kill me."

"..." But this time, it was Xiaoxi who remained silent.

But at that moment, the entire space shattered.

"Holy crap! What happened? Why did the space suddenly shatter?!" Lin Jie stared in surprise at the illusory space before him. The next second, he found himself in a place bathed in warm sunlight, resembling a fantasy world. Beside him, an angel was quietly watching him. However, the angel's hair and wings had now turned completely black.

"Did you get me out of that environment?" Lin Jie asked the angel in front of him.

"Yes, because you knew from the very beginning that you were in an illusion, that's why I was able to rescue you alone," the angel explained to Lin Jie.

"You really are a meddlesome angel!" Lin Jie scratched his head in annoyance. "In the end, even if you do nothing, you still have to face reality!" With that, Lin Jie stood up again and looked around at the scenery.

It was no wonder that Lin Jie was quite surprised when he saw it.

"What on earth is going on?" Lin Jie looked at the scene before him in surprise. The surrounding scenery had completely transformed into something Lin Jie had never seen before. The scene here now resembled a fantasy world constructed by humans in movies or paintings.

And floating within this were many enormous spheres of light. Lin Jie could sense that each of those spheres was filled with people.

"What exactly is going on? What is your former boss trying to do?" Lin Jie looked at the scene before him and said in shock, "By the way, why has the terrain changed?"

"In order to purify humanity," the angel said to Lin Jie, "the environment within those orbs of light will judge whether each person can become a citizen of this divine land based on their actions. Those wicked people will not be able to survive this test. They will all be judged by God, and in the end, all those who will be able to live in this land will be the hardworking, kind people chosen by God who have absolute faith in Him."

"Isn't your last point the key point?" Lin Jie said to the angel. "But why do I feel like it's the way parents in District C educated their children a hundred years ago? Only obedient children who study hard are considered good children."

“It is indeed very similar,” the angel said. “That is why I betrayed God. God’s choice would make humanity better and more harmonious. But it would also stifle humanity’s dreams and the possibilities for humanity’s future.”

"I never thought that someone who has always planned to exterminate all of humanity could say something like this!" Lin Jie looked at the angel in front of him with some surprise.

“Because when God created me, He gave me the ability to think and have independent consciousness,” the angel suddenly said. “However, it seems that God now wants to take these things back.”

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Looking around at the scene, Lin Jie said with some surprise, "It seems this is really big news. But I didn't expect that even I would fall for this illusion!"

"I don't sense at all that your mind is being disturbed by illusions; on the contrary, you yourself seem unwilling to leave your illusions." Tian looked at Lin Jie with an icy tone: "Or is it that no matter what this world becomes, it doesn't matter to you anymore?"

"Hmm? Why do you say that?"

“Because from the moment I saw you again, I have completely lost the fighting spirit you once had.” The angel looked at Lin Jie: “Or to put it in modern terms, you no longer have the passion I had when I first met you.”

"Stop talking, people grow up. I was just going through a phase of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) when I met you."

Upon hearing the angel's words, Lin Jie merely brushed them off, then looked towards the distance and asked, "Shouldn't we destroy that barrier that's wielding such immense power now?"

“Yes, we must destroy that thing before the final judgment officially begins. Otherwise, it will be too late.” The angel’s gaze also turned to the distance.

"By the way, are you no longer under Ivan's control now?" Lin Jie looked at the angel in front of him with some puzzlement: "Speaking of which, you look pretty good with your new skin."

"Because Ivan was also affected by the environment of the Final Judgment." At this moment, the angel ignored Lin Jie's teasing and directly chose to answer Ivan's question.

"You mean he got infected himself? Isn't he God's chosen one?"

"Look at that orb of light." The angel didn't say anything, but pointed directly to one of the orbs of light. From there, Lin Jie could clearly sense the aura of the Son of God.

"Damn! Didn't this guy claim to be God's godson? Why is even he being judged?" Lin Jie turned back to look at the angel, somewhat puzzled.

“Because before God, everyone is equal,” the angel said. “To be precise, every life is equal. In fact, all life in this world was created by God. Ivan and the popes thought they could control that weapon, but they didn’t realize that from the moment they used it, they had already lost control of everything.”

"Well, I can accept that God treats all life equally, but I can't agree with your point that God created all life." Lin Jie said with a smile, "In fact, to this day, every god in every mythological system claims to have created humankind."

"Of course, it's for incense offerings, or rather, the power of faith." Just then, Zhu Xian'er suddenly appeared beside the two. Her beautiful face revealed a displeased expression: "Because those so-called high and mighty gods are unwilling to admit one thing: they were actually created by humans."

"What did you say?" The angel also showed an angry expression at this moment.

“I came from ancient times, so I know more.” Zhu Xian’er’s expression turned cold, as if she had recalled something unpleasant: “Back then, humans were the easiest to deceive in the whole world. But now, humans have become the most cunning creatures.”

"Damn! Why do you have to tell me big news as soon as you come out?" Lin Jie looked at Zhu Xian'er with some surprise.

"I'm just annoyed by her constant use of the term 'greatness of God'!" Zhu Xian'er said calmly. "In ancient times, humans feared the power of heaven and earth. They feared wind, fire, thunder, and lightning. They loved sunlight, but they couldn't explain all of this. So, humans gradually began to mythologize many natural phenomena. Thus, along with the thoughts of all living beings, gods gradually formed. And in order to become more powerful, they constantly expanded their followers. Because the disappearance of faith means the death of a god."

"That's impossible!" the angel retorted after hearing Zhu Xian'er's words.

"Since you put it that way, then let me ask you why there were so many religious wars in District O in ancient times?" Zhu Xian'er suddenly said, "Why didn't your gods personally kill the gods of the opposing forces? Instead, they made humans carry out bloody massacres and wars?"

“That’s because…” The angel was about to retort, but Zhu Xian’er interrupted him directly.