NOVEL NEXT Chapter 123: Tools Also Have Hearts!
The part of the Hundred Beasts Tower that had collapsed was being rebuilt at a visible rate; in the end, it was restored to its original state.
The chaos within the arena also was quickly settled down.
The Hundred Beasts Tower began to summon the competitors who were participating in the Beast King Championship back to the arena. Some arenas had even already started their matches.
Yu Yan had already secured his victory, so his matches for the day had ended, but Yin Zang's had not.
He still wanted to continue in the championship. "Then I'm off. What about you?"
Zi Qi replied, "We'll go back to the dormitory and wait for you."
"Alright, see you later." Yin Zang left to join the competition.
Yu Yan remarked, "The person behind the Hundred Beasts Tower is really something, restoring everything to normal in the blink of an eye."
Zi Qi slightly furrowed his brow and asked Sally, "Is there any news on the Abyssal Beast, Xiaomei?"
"The Abyssal Beast is equivalent to the demon beasts of the Dark Continent, but its strength is not on the same level, almost on par with the Spirit Rank beastmen. They enter the continent every thousand years to wreak havoc. With the Holy War coinciding with their emergence, we must face not only other squads but also this sudden, formidable foe from the Abyss." Sally responded.
"Hmm, let's head back to the dormitory first and wait for Yin Zang," Zi Qi said, tucking Sally into his sleeve to hide her.
[Reminder to the host: Temporarily leaving the squad is currently more beneficial for your safety.] Xiaomei advised Sally.
Sally understood what Xiaomei meant. She had already suggested she leave, and she was indeed planning to do so.
But now she thought better of it—she couldn't do that!
The competition for the Holy Mother was her affair. Zi Qi and the others were drawn into it because of her. Yin Zang and Yu Yan had no intention whatsoever of having children with her. From what she could tell, one was following royal orders, and the other was simply a warrior at heart.
Even if Zi Qi was with her for the sake of their child, it seemed his throne as the King of Beasts was more important.
They were risking their lives to compete with her for the title of Holy Mother. Though bound by rules they could not defy, ultimately, she would derive the greatest benefit from it.
[Xiaomei, I don't want to leave. Even if there are dangers, I want to advance and retreat together with them, to face everything together.] Sally conveyed to Xiaomei.
System suddenly emanated a series of hissing sounds, prompting Sally to have an ominous premonition. [Xiaomei, what's wrong?]
[The system has detected an approaching danger of Destruction-level. For the host's safety, emergency measures will be activated.] Xiaomei's voice turned mechanical and cold.
Zi Qi, who was holding Sally's little paw, pondering over which squad to eliminate next, suddenly found that the little creature vanished!
"Yanyan?" A sudden emptiness in his heart told him something bad had happened.
Yu Yan said earnestly to Zi Qi, "Your Majesty, we must leave Katro City at once."
Zi Qi, looking at his empty hand, "Could it be..."
"Yes, the prophecy's Secret Technique is intermittent, but just now, it gave me a very clear vision—Katro City was gone!"
Yin Zang had just returned, having won his match without a doubt.
But in the next moment, he was forcibly dragged out of the window by Yu Yan.
Zi Qi glanced at the room, but ultimately he could not suppress a sigh.
He knew that to Sally, he was just a useful tool; there was no need for affection, for they were each other's means to an end.
He would help her become the Holy Mother, and she would give him a pureblooded heir.
But even a tool has a heart!
...
The ground began to crack, the heavens and earth changing color!
The people in Katro City started running in all directions. Some Spirit Rank beastmen discovered in terror that their bodies seemed to be under some sort of restriction—they couldn't muster even a bit of their Elemental Power.
They all transformed into their beast forms.
From the ground surged black water, which submerged the beastmen and devoured the entire city!
*******
[Detecting significant emotional fluctuations in the host. Initiating immediate purging of emotional cache.] Xiaomei reverted to a mechanical voice again.
Sally's heart was like a huge parabola; when separating from Zi Qi, it reached the peak of the curve and now returned to zero.
Her gaze was distant and calm, her being devoid of happiness, sorrow, or any emotion.
She took out a fishing rod from System Space, sitting on a large stone beside the pond.
Wearing a fisherman's hat, she mimicked Jiang Taigong in fishing.
The bracelet that was on her wrist had been untied, revealing a long string of numbers on her pristine wrist—66789549.
These numbers continued to climb, occasionally leaping by several million points in an instant.
Looking at this string of digits, the Sally of the past would surely have been thrilled, even cautious.
Now, she remained calm and composed, as though it was all as it should be.
[Xiaomei, have you also cleared your cache?] After much thought, the changes in Xiaomei, who used to start showing human-like traits, even occasionally joking with her, were apparent.
Now ice-cold and heartless, nothing more than a machine.
Xiaomei [Yes, host. The master System regularly purges excess data from within the system.]
Sally [I see. You and I are like this fishing rod, merely tools for someone else's fishing expeditions.]
Xiaomei "Host, you still have two unused warrior slots."
Sally "No need. My current points already put me in first place, I can enter the next round of the female competition. Even if they push themselves harder, once I get the Holy Mother, these points are enough for me to return to Earth without any problem."
"Indeed, the host's squad is very outstanding," Xiaomei affirmed objectively.
Suddenly, the points on Sally's wrist started to drop rapidly, as if there was a breach... and finally, the number settled at 28,904,544.
Xiaomei's voice rang out again, "Notice to the host: Your squad member, male Zi Qi, has fallen in battle!"
Sally closed her eyes as the memories and emotions about Zi Qi, which had been erased, came flooding back.
Two trails of tears streamed down her cheeks...
She put away her fishing rod and said to Xiaomei, "Show me the video of his last moments."
"The host needs to pay 500 points."
"Agreed."
...
Grey and black intertwined, like the sky at the end of the world.
A female from the Cat Clan, with enchanting and delicate features, rode on the back of an Abyssal Beast, laughing wildly, "Yin Zang! Remember me?"
"You're 0048, how are you still alive?" Zi Qi, holding a long sword and always fond of cleanliness, was now covered in layers of blood, his own and others'.
At that moment, his expression was extremely serious.
And the long string of points on his wrist caught in Shi Feifei's eye.
"I've been keeping your damn life for this moment, give me those Holy War Points," she said, and with a flick of her hand, a long whip imbued with black mist lashed towards Zi Qi.
Zi Qi dodged, "Answer my question first, I clearly killed you, and even destroyed your corpse."
"Although my talent level is Yellow Rank, my talent is the very rare Nine Lives Talent. I have nine lives, you just killed one of them," she replied.
"How many do you have left now?"
"There's no harm in telling you now, since you're going to die anyway," Shi Feifei said, "Four lives left."
Zi Qi replied coldly, "Then I'll take the remaining four lives of yours."
The Abyssal Beast opened its mouth and vicious streams of molten lava sprayed towards Zi Qi.
Sally's heart clenched instantly...
The video skipped to the end, Zi Qi's handsome and noble purple hair matted with dried blood, surrounded by the carcasses of Abyssal Beasts. He had indeed killed Shi Feifei four times, but she lied to Zi Qi—she actually had a fifth life.
Zi Qi, severely injured, eventually fell into the Abyss.
Holy War Points started to increase crazily on Shi Feifei's wrist, ending at the exact number of points that Sally had lost.
Suddenly remembering something, Sally said, "Xiaomei, play the skipped part."
Zi Qi dodged the magma, and his long sword turned into a white light that pierced the brow of the Abyssal Beast.
The deadly spot of this Abyssal Beast was right there.
The Abyssal Beast fell dead to the ground!
Zi Qi's sword transformed into an ice blade and beheaded Shi Feifei.
Shi Feifei then revived... and summoned even more Abyssal Beasts.
Zi Qi hated this kind of relentless assault, but he still managed to kill Shi Feifei four times.
"He never transformed into his true form," Sally frowned, "Why didn't he transform?"
Beastmen can exert their greatest strength only in their beast form, which is common knowledge even to children!
"Host's ranking in the Holy War has dropped, you are currently fourth in points. Please enter the final day of the battle for Holy War Points as soon as possible," Xiaomei instructed Sally.
Sally said, "Give me the information and point standings of the current top five squads."
"Please check," Xiaomei confirmed.
First Squad 2345— "Female Rabbit Clan Lin Xuexue, Offspring System Spirit Beast-grade, Earth Rank talent, full team of six members. Current points: 56,784,811"
Second Squad 0048— "Female Cat Clan Shi Feifei, Offspring System Spirit Beast-grade, 5 deaths, 1 surviving, current points: 37,885,005"
Third Squad 2000— "Female Elephant Clan Kaya Orphislo, Offspring System Spirit Beast-grade, Blue Rank Water Element Secret Technique talent, full team of six members. Current points: 34,563,872"
Fourth Squad 9908— "Female details not disclosed, 1 dead, 3 surviving. Current points: 28,904,544"
Fifth Squad 7672— "Female Bear Clan Mi Ying, Offspring System Spirit Beast-grade, Green Rank Earth Element Secret Technique talent, 4 deaths, 2 surviving. Current points: 10,984,532"
Sally's gaze only swept over the information of the other squads before turning away.
There was only one squad she wanted—0048!
To take back the lost points, to avenge Zi Qi.
To obtain the Holy Mother, to resurrect Zi Qi.
...