Su Ze held Little Hottie's hand as they left Tenshukaku, carrying the 【Demon Slayer: Heavenly Child】 in his other hand. Uesugi Akizuki, tears in her eyes, occasionally glanced back at Uesugi Akizuki, who watched her daughter depart from the window upstairs.
Under Uesugi Akizuki's gaze, the black sports car sped away.
Yuan Qinghe, appearing at Uesugi Akizuki's side at some point, gently took his wife's hand.
Phantom Prefecture.
As dusk approached, the sky was dotted with thin, wispy clouds.
Mo Ziang carried his succulent baby and fish food to the balcony, placing the succulent on the railing and feeding the fish. He let out a long sigh.
Luo Ying, with white hair and crimson eyes, walked in holding a fish tank and placed it on the table.
"You can stay in that room until your house is fixed," Luo Ying pointed to a room.
Mo Ziang, having accidentally destroyed his own home with a single slash, was now staying at Luo Ying's place.
"Mm," Mo Ziang pushed open the door and surveyed the cozy yet minimalist room. The walls were a soft gray-blue, with a large, plush bed, a simple nightstand, and a brownish-gray lamp. The drawn gray curtains made the room feel dim.
"Have a seat. I'll go cook," Luo Ying said, heading to the kitchen.
Closing the door, the room plunged into darkness. Mo Ziang sat on the bed, and soon, he sprawled out, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"Can I come in?" A knock sounded at the door.
"Sure," Mo Ziang replied.
The door opened, and light from the living room spilled into the dark room, illuminating Mo Ziang's pale face.
Luo Ying entered, carrying a pile of snacks, which he placed on the nightstand. "I didn't know what you liked, so if none of these suit your taste, you can grab something from the snack storage room next door."
Mo Ziang didn't respond, lying still as if lifeless.
Luo Ying left the room, closing the door behind him.
After some time, a purple, flame-like eye lit up in the dark room!
The sound of a blade being drawn echoed crisply!
But before Mo Ziang could strike, a sharp snap of fingers rang out.
Mo Ziang looked around the pitch-black space, unable to touch anything, as if floating in the air. His blade was gone!
"Relax," a young man's voice spoke.
Then, a foreigner wearing a headscarf appeared in the darkness. Though surrounded by blackness, he seemed to glow as if bathed in sunlight. Mo Ziang could clearly see his features.
Mo Ziang had no intention of talking. He threw a punch into the void, and instantly, the space shattered like glass, cracks spreading like branches!
He knew he was trapped in the other's domain. If he could break the domain's rules, he could escape!
"Hey~" The young man sighed, his form blurring and shifting into a baseball-capped youth. With a wave of his hand, the cracks repaired themselves!
"Can't you just let me finish, you idiot!" the young man roared.
"I'm a god! Does that automatically make me your enemy?"
Mo Ziang paused, then stopped moving. "What do you want?"
The young man rolled his eyes. "How does your brain even work?"
Mo Ziang punched the space again, causing it to fracture!
"Alright, alright! I won't insult you anymore!" the young man said, exasperated.
Mo Ziang asked coldly, "Your purpose."
Mo Ziang had no fondness for gods. He had met one before.
That god, high and mighty, had killed his companion with just a glance!
No reason, no justification—just because it felt like it.
Like a child crushing an ant for no reason.
Fortunately, not all gods were that powerful. They were strong but confined to their own worlds, unable to reach Earth.
He had fought other gods before, and it had been a draw!
In his mind, gods were arrogant beings who looked down on all life, ready to strike at a moment's notice if displeased.
So, when he encountered this god, his first instinct was to eliminate the threat immediately.
To cut off any future trouble.
"Fine, fine. As long as we can communicate," the young man sighed. "You know, my power doesn't quite meet the standards of a god, but I am one—a true descendant of the divine bloodline..."
Mo Ziang rested his chin on his hand, listening to the god's self-aggrandizing speech. Even if it was nonsense, it was worth considering.
"I'm basically a messenger serving other gods. My status isn't high among the divine, but I am still a divine messenger..." The young man paused, realizing he had been rambling.
Mo Ziang, chin still in hand, had fallen asleep, a snot bubble forming and popping.
The young man's face darkened. He coughed twice and shouted, "Dinner's ready!"
"Food!" The snot bubble burst, and Mo Ziang sprang to his feet, scanning the room.
"No food, no food. Sit down," the young man waved his hand dismissively.
"You'd better choose your words carefully," Mo Ziang pointed at him. "If you don't get to the point, I'm punching you!"
Alright, so the god's ramblings were just as useless as any human's.
"Why is everyone so aggressive these days?" the young man muttered, finally getting to the point. "I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in joining a competition organized by the gods."
"Be more specific."
"The gods have created a realm and organized a tournament, inviting Lamp Realm beings from across the multiverse who possess laws to participate."
"First, it's a free-for-all. If you kill another participant, their laws will become yours."
"Second, the maximum amount of laws you can steal is double your current capacity. So, once you've acquired laws equal to your own, killing others won't grant you more. But if you have allies who haven't reached their limit, they can take the excess laws."
"Third, the laws you gain won't immediately integrate into you. They'll be stored within you, and only if you survive the realm can you absorb them or transfer them to others," the young man explained.
"The gods have time for this kind of thing?" Mo Ziang frowned slightly.
"Of course not out of boredom," the young man admitted. "A small portion of the laws from the slain participants will end up in the hands of the gods."
"So, you're just reclaiming laws," Mo Ziang sneered. Laws were the power of the gods, the force they used to create worlds.
"Exactly," the young man said without hesitation. "You can choose not to participate. There are countless greedy beings across the multiverse. If you don't go, others will."
"Fine, I'll go," Mo Ziang rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"Good luck. You might want to look for others on Earth who meet the criteria. They could be your allies in the realm."
The young man finished speaking, and with a flick of his hand, a dark red mark appeared on Mo Ziang's arm. "The brighter the mark, the closer the competition. This isn't a secret, so you can discuss it with your organization and prepare."
The domain vanished.
Mo Ziang felt the solid bed beneath him again.
A soft knock came at the door. "Dinner's ready."