With the first success under their belts, the battles that followed, though difficult, no longer seemed like insurmountable obstacles to the players.

The mindset is truly a curious thing. Once you know something is achievable, no matter how hard, you have a foundation of confidence. The doubt during the first battle with the Original Demon Lord, the feeling of "Can this thing really be defeated?" vanished the moment the first victory was achieved.

Moreover, the loot from the Original Demon Lord significantly bolstered the players’ team strength.

Those innate treasures, Holy Artifacts, and Immortal Artifacts, all once rare, top-tier equipment, were now concentrated on the over forty Daluo Golden Immortals, each armed to the teeth.

Both in strength and mindset, everything was completely different.

Thus, even though the subsequent demon lord battles were tough, they never stalled the players for too long.

In less than a month, four more demon lords were defeated, and the number of Saint Fragments had reached five.

In quiet moments, several Heavenly Destiny People would gather together, using the "Unity of Heaven and Man" mode to analyze and comprehend the power of these Saint Fragments. The feeling was mysterious—like peeking into a higher dimension of existence, every insight brushing against the boundaries of the Dao, yet never truly entering.

The more he comprehended, the more Xiao Jie felt awe for this power.

This thing was entirely beyond his understanding.

Powerful beyond imagination.

Although theoretically, a Daluo Golden Immortal was only one tier below a Saint, Xiao Jie could feel the difference between them was as vast as Heaven and Earth.

It was like the difference between an ant and a Divine Dragon, a drop of water and the ocean, a firefly and the sun and moon.

He even had a feeling—it was an incredible feat in itself that their over forty Daluo could overthrow a demon lord. It was not a victory of "strength" but rather a victory of some "rules."

As if...someone deliberately made it so that the demon lord could be defeated.

As the Saint Fragments accumulated and the final salvation approached, Xiao Jie found himself increasingly uneasy rather than joyful.

Something felt off.

Really off.

An intuition suggested that when the last six Saint Fragments were collected, something terrifying would inevitably happen.

It was as if a massive trap was silently waiting for them to step into.

It was clear that Xiao Jie was not the only one feeling this way.

During combat reviews or casual drinks, Xiao Jie could see a similar unease in the eyes of his comrades. Even the perpetually confident smile of Emperor Shitian would occasionally darken; the simple facade of "I am a farmer" sometimes revealed a profound gaze; even Taixu Xuanzhen, usually the epitome of Zen, had become much more silent recently.

Everyone more or less sensed something was wrong.

However, even so, they had no other choice.

If they didn’t gather the Saint Fragments, they were as good as waiting for death—the annihilation storm was devouring everything, and the protective shield of Embers City was on the verge of collapse, lasting at most another one or two months.

Once Embers City was destroyed, even they, these Daluo Golden Immortals, could not survive in this unshielded apocalypse forever.

Gathering them all, at least there would be one last chance to fight.

And moreover... 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

What if?

What if they could control the Power of Saint themselves?

Sometimes Xiao Jie couldn’t help but imagine that scene—

Becoming a Saint and achieving Unity with the Dao. With a single thought, reversing the stars; with a flick of the fingers, rebirthing the world. Any demon lord, any Tongtian, any intrigue and conspiracy would all be jokes in the face of that power. By then, not just Heaven and Earth, but all worlds would bow before them. They could travel to any world they desired, meet anyone they wished to see, even pluck those who had long since departed from the river of time...

The vision was so beautiful, one couldn’t help but fantasize about it.

And precisely because of this, the previous agreement among the three that "whoever contributes the most gets the Power of Saint" seemed increasingly laughable.

In the face of such tremendous temptation, who could resist?

Who could trust that others would keep to their word?

Xiao Jie didn’t know.

He only knew that the taut string was drawing ever closer.

Once again, that dream.

Once again, that rooftop.

The city slumbered beneath, and the distant sea of neon lights flickered. The night breeze was cool, carrying familiar yet strange scents.

Xiao Jie stood on the rooftop, gazing at the Green Robed Taoist before him.

Feng Buqi stood with hands behind his back, looking at the stars in the night sky. His figure was lonely and solitary, yet exuded a certain indescribable serenity.

Seeing this scene, the daytime unease in Xiao Jie transformed into a pressing question.

Feng Buqi must be ready to tell him something crucial. This information surely related to the forthcoming ending.

But each time, he woke up at the most critical moment, unable to hear the most important words.

This time, he had to know.

"Feng!" Xiao Jie took a step forward and spoke proactively, "I know why you’ve come. You want to tell me something important, right?"

Feng Buqi turned around, looked at him, and smiled slightly.

In that smile, there was comfort, regret, and something else that Xiao Jie couldn’t understand.

"I recently recalled something critically important." Feng Buqi looked earnestly at Xiao Jie. "Listen carefully, Sui Feng—"

Xiao Jie focused intently, trying to stay alert.

He pricked up his ears, held his breath, and unconsciously took a step forward, almost wishing to press his ear to Feng Buqi’s mouth.

However—

Feng Buqi opened his mouth, but the sound instantly became blurred and indistinct.

It was as if separated by a thick water curtain, or like a radio on the wrong channel, leaving only the static noise. Clearly right next to him, yet he couldn’t hear anything!

"Feng!" Xiao Jie shouted loudly, "What exactly is the important thing!"

It was useless.

Feng Buqi’s figure became increasingly blurred, and everything around him was twisting and collapsing. Skyscrapers, neon lights, the night sky, all scattered like torn paper.

Xiao Jie took a step forward, trying to get closer—

Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him!

Falling!

Endless falling!

"Ah—!"

Xiao Jie suddenly opened his eyes.

Above him was the familiar ceiling.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of even breathing beside him.

Sigh...

It was the same dream.

"What’s wrong, Sui Feng?"

A gentle hand softly touched Xiao Jie’s shoulder, the warm and smooth sensation pulling him back to reality from the lingering fear of the dream.

The woman turned to him, her long hair cascading like a waterfall on the pillow, her beautiful eyes glowing with concern in the darkness.

"Nothing..." Xiao Jie said, panting.

The woman clearly knew Xiao Jie wasn’t telling the truth. But she didn’t ask further, just leaned down gently, sealing his lips with her warm ones, pressing her soft body close to his chest.

She knew what he needed.

Those unspeakable fears, those worries buried deep in his heart... sometimes, they don’t need to be verbalized; just having someone by his side was enough.

She used joy to calm the waves in Xiao Jie’s heart.

——

After the passion ended, the sound of even breathing came from beside him.

Yet Xiao Jie stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Tomorrow is the last opening battle with the final Demon Lord.

Currently, Embers City already has forty-nine Daluo Golden Immortals. The equipment has gathered the Immortal Artifacts, Holy Artifacts, and Innate Treasure dropped by the previous five Demon Lords—it’s terrifyingly strong.

At most, they need to test a dozen times to familiarize themselves with the mechanics. Then, with a full team, one wave can topple them.

Even if they take a bit of a risk, they could go all-in and try to clear it in one go.

No matter what—

Tomorrow, the final Saint Fragment will be collected.

The endgame has already arrived.

Whether it’s the player’s scheming, Tongtian’s conspiracy, or the future of this world—will it be destruction or salvation, answers will be found.

But am I really confident I can find the best solution amidst this chaotic puzzle?

Do I still have a chance to see those friends again?

Ye Luo, I Want to Be Immortal, An Ran, Gu Feiyu, Wentian Wuji... What are they doing now? Are they fighting in the game, or have they fallen asleep long ago? Do they know everything I’ve experienced in another world?

Do I still have a chance to return to Earth and enjoy the leisurely life of an ordinary person?

Back then, running a studio, bragging and talking nonsense with friends, playing games and clearing instances.

Earned money, went for a lavish meal, no money, just ate instant noodles, bragging, and complaining about life with friends...

He suddenly remembered a hot afternoon when he went downstairs to a noodle shop, had a bowl of steaming beef noodles, then sat by the window drinking iced cola, enjoying the air conditioning, watching people come and go on the street outside.

Originally an unremarkable afternoon, with no surprising events occurring, yet at this moment, it appeared in his mind with unmatched clarity.

Those once seemingly ordinary and mundane days, now thinking back, are so nostalgic.

Now, even with Daluo Immortal Technique, a body full of magical treasures, what does it matter?

Drifting alone in a strange world, with no one truly understanding him, staying in this city about to be destroyed, awaiting the judgment of fate, fearing the unknown future. The so-called "Heavenly Destiny People," the so-called "Savior," sound glorious, but what does it all mean?

Perhaps...

Perhaps I should bid farewell to those friends.

While there’s still a little time left, while the ending hasn’t been revealed.

Otherwise... I might never have the chance again.

Thinking this, Xiao Jie’s gaze suddenly became resolute.

Why not?

Even though I cannot return to the original world, as a Daluo Golden Immortal—sending a dream is always possible.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Daluo Immortal Technique—Dream Traveling Nine Heavens!