Chapter 713: Not Even Pretending Anymore

Zhou Huai froze in place.

That was it!

No matter how strong a Clone was, it was ultimately just a Puppet! Just a weapon held in his own hands!

A weapon could kill people and cleave mountains and rivers, but a weapon could never think on its own or break through the dimensional shackles that imprisoned the entire world!

Only a living being with a complete Soul and an ultimate obsession could comprehend the rules on the edge of life and death, and ultimately transform like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon!

This was also why Mr. Duan couldn't even be bothered to spare a second glance at those Double S-rank Clones, yet developed a strong interest in Zhou Huai's true body!

Because Mr. Duan knew that Puppets could never pose a true threat.

However…

Rationality aside, could he really trust the ancient lingering Soul hiding in the ruins right in front of him?

The answer was naturally no.

Everyone was an adult, not a three-year-old child who would obediently yield just because someone drew a pie in the sky. Even if everything the other party said was right and the analysis was seamless, Zhou Huai would not easily choose to come see her with his true body.

Risking one's life to gamble on someone else's kindness?

That was the most foolish act in the world.

"Sorry, your proposal is tempting, but I refuse."

Zhou Huai controlled Arthur to pull the reins, "There are many ways to cooperate. I will use Clones to slowly cooperate with you, but as for my true body… out of the question."

Just as Zhou Huai was preparing to completely extinguish the other party's thought and head back home—

"Ding——!"

Deep within his mind, that long-absent mechanical prompt sounded!

[Triggered Challenge Quest: Ticket to the Truth.]

[Quest Requirement: Please use your true body to head to the core of the Simon City Ruins and meet with the ancient lingering Soul.]

[Quest Reward: None.]

"…"

Zhou Huai sat on the Dragon's back, staring at the few lines of light blue text popping up on his retina.

The corners of his eyes twitched incessantly.

Good grief!

"System, what the hell are you playing at?"

Zhou Huai gritted his teeth in his heart, "You're making my true body take risks, yet there's no reward? Do you think I'm living too long?!"

There was no response.

The System interface remained completely unchanged.

Zhou Huai closed his eyes, and his brain began to spin rapidly.

When anomalies occur, there is bound to be something fishy.

Ever since the System bound itself to him, every single quest issued was meant to enhance his strength, and the rewards every time were extremely generous.

This time, it wouldn't even give a single copper coin, yet it specifically demanded his true body to go?

Recalling the ten-million-level Karma reward given by the System when Great Sage Li Er suppressed the Ancient Awakened Ones using Word of Law earlier…

A guess, bold to the extreme, completely formed in Zhou Huai's mind.

"So…"

Zhou Huai swallowed a mouthful of saliva, muttering inwardly: "System… You really are the will of heaven of this world, right?"

Now, it wasn't even pretending anymore.

Fearing that he would continue to reject the proposal of the woman in the ruins, it directly jumped out to issue the quest!

Although this quest did not explicitly state the four words 'mandatory execution', the right to choose still remained in Zhou Huai's own hands, and there would be no punishment for not accepting it.

However, this time it had the endorsement of the System!

The underlying meaning behind this couldn't be more obvious: Just go ahead with peace of mind, don't miss this opportunity to touch the secrets of transcendence; she won't harm you, I've got your back!

Zhou Huai closed his eyes and spent a short ten seconds weighing the pros and cons.

The will of heaven was currently facing a huge threat like Mr. Duan who wanted to subvert the world; it needed agents, it needed him to use Clones to suppress those awakened Ancient Remnant Clan members and quell the Chaos of the Eight Directions.

Therefore, it wouldn't harm him for now. If he died, it would do it no good whatsoever.

The suggestion it gave was trustworthy.

To take ten thousand steps back… if the System itself was the product of the will of heaven, it was his greatest reliance in this dangerous world.

If even the System wanted to scheme against him, then he would be dead either way, and there was simply no reason not to trust it.

"Riches and honor are sought through danger!"

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai opened his eyes.

He looked at the gloomy stone gate below and said in a deep voice: "Fine, you win."

"Since you've put it this way, I will come to see you in person with my true body."

Hearing Zhou Huai's reply, the green phantom let out a soft chuckle: "A wise choice. I'll wait for you here."

As the voice fell,

Arthur in mid-air silently closed his eyes.

The violent SSS-rank battle aura on his body receded, directly entering a standby state.

"Hoo——"

Magic Dragon Xiao Hei sensed its master's consciousness withdrawing, and its massive sixty-meter body slowly descended from high altitude.

It folded away that pair of obsidian dragon wings that blotted out the sky, and its huge body quietly sprawled on the open space at the entrance of the ruins, even lowering its heavy breathing sounds.

…

Time passed minute by minute.

A full half hour later.

At the entrance of the Simon City Ruins, space began to twist.

"Hum——!"

A white pillar of light descended from the sky, dispelling the surrounding mist.

The fluctuations of the Law of Space dissipated.

The Taoist-robed Great Sage Li Er, holding a horsetail whisk, stood quietly on the open ground.

And beside Li Er stood a young man wearing casual clothes, panting due to the dizziness of space teleportation.

The newcomer was precisely Zhou Huai's true body.

That young man who only had an E-rank Clone Master panel and stats so frail they were inferior to even ordinary low-tier alien beasts.

Zhou Huai raised his head, patted the dust off his body, looked at the gloomy stone gate, and said in a clear voice: "My true body has arrived."

"Now, we are meeting each other honestly. What are you planning to do?"

As his voice fell, a glowing green light lit up deep within the stone gate.

That enchanting plant phantom emerged and drifted in front of Zhou Huai.

The two were separated by no more than a few meters.

The phantom woman looked down at Zhou Huai from above, her gaze carefully scanning his face, physique, and even the depths of his Soul.

A moment later, the smile on her face receded.

"Indeed…"

The phantom woman gazed at Zhou Huai, her voice trembling: "It is indeed you…"

She murmured in a low voice.

"I… did not mistake you…"

Hearing these words, Zhou Huai frowned.

"What do you mean you didn't mistake me?"

Zhou Huai stared at her: "Could it be that we've met before??!"

How could that be possible?

The other party was an old monster who had been dead for who knows how many years.

How could she possibly know him.

Unless it was his past life.

Facing Zhou Huai's machine-gun-like questioning,

The phantom woman fell into silence.

She shook her head and did not continue to dwell on this topic.

She simply turned around and drifted toward the darkness deep within the ruins, leaving behind a single sentence:

"If you want to grow stronger, if you want to know the answers to everything…"

"Then follow me inside."

Having said that, her phantom dissipated within the shadows of the stone gate.

Leaving only that gloomy door open to Zhou Huai.