Pretending To Be A Boss

Nether Phoenix flew towards Tang Xian, and its crystal-like wings merely grazed Tang Xian's body, leaving a terrifying wound on him.

Tang Xian fell to the ground and tried to rise again, but he found his body trembling slightly.

The wound left by Nether Phoenix did not cause him to bleed, but it was spreading relentlessly; Tang Xian could see it eroding his organs like some kind of poison. However, this was not poison; after killing the source of the epidemic, he had become immune to all poisons.

He coughed up blood, and his complexion turned terribly pale. A layer of lifeless and decaying aura began to envelop his face.

Those sapphire-like wings contained an incredibly intense aura of death. In just a fleeting touch, Tang Xian's vitality was almost completely devoured.

All he could hear was a ringing in his ears.

Buzz—

It seemed like the sound that would emit from a monitor when a heartbeat stops and is drawn out indefinitely.

Death was like a domain, expanding continuously within Tang Xian's body. Nether Phoenix looked at Tang Xian with a hint of surprise.

Under such circumstances, a person should have died long ago, but Tang Xian was still alive.

To avoid any complications, it decided to strike again.

Nether Phoenix stretched out its claw, tracing an arc in the air, and the end of that arc was aimed at Tang Xian's heart.

Tang Xian could no longer hear anything, nor was he able to defend himself. The strongest power of the Eden race was their vitality, but now, this power was utterly suppressed.

Facing this being on the brink of the apocalypse, Tang Xian realized he had done everything he could.

He would die.

When this thought suddenly emerged, Tang Xian couldn't describe his inner feelings. He felt some fear, and the scene before his eyes was moving very slowly.

So slowly that he could see every frame of Nether Phoenix's motion.

So slowly that he could see Tang, gritting his teeth, stepping in front of him once more.

Despite hearing nothing, he couldn't help but shout aloud, telling Tang to leave.

A terrifying gust of air slammed Tang Xian against the crystal barrier surrounding them. After a moment of dizziness, Tang Xian slowly opened his eyes.

The scents in his breath had become somewhat muddled, and his keenest sense of smell was even struggling to distinguish odors.

Because a thick, rotting smell seemed to have pierced into his soul; the entire world was filled with only the scent of death, except for the ever-fading vitality within Tang's shattered body.

That figure stood in front of him again, and as the aura of death corroded everything, Tang Xian still couldn't hear what Tang was saying.

He couldn't even hear his own voice but just kept calling out repeatedly, telling Tang to leave.

Tang didn't leave. He resolutely stayed in front of Tang Xian, like a shield that could block all attacks.

But this shield was fast crumbling.

Nether Phoenix's obsessed spirit watched all this, feeling no pity. It already sensed a massive vitality coursing through its own body.

It attacked again, its wings cutting across Tang's neck, left rib, shoulder, and limbs.

Each attack was merciless. Even though Nether Phoenix's obsessed spirit was far from possessing apocalyptic strength, in this domain, the aura of death was sufficient to devour Tang.

Finally, after a succession of attacks, Tang fell to the ground. He lay on his side, arm slightly extended towards Tang Xian, fingers slightly curled as if, even in his final, powerless moments, he wanted to protect Tang Xian as much as possible.

The buzzing sound in Tang Xian's ears was finally interrupted by a voice at that moment:

"I come… to protect… Tang Xian…"

Tang Xian watched this scene, suddenly unable to shout any longer.

This person, who usually spoke so bluntly, had managed to utter a complete sentence. If it were a normal time, he would probably not sound so incoherent due to weakness.

The scene felt strangely familiar. He was supposed to not be able to hear anything, and yet he could distinctly hear.

Once upon a time, he had been in a similar moment.

Many years ago, there had been a little girl who was splashing in the water. Despite the distance, he shouldn't have been able to hear the girl's voice, yet he did.

Back then, he had been just as powerless as now, unable to save anyone.

His mouth opened silently, but not a single word came out.

He wanted to scold Tang, to bitterly berate those annoyances in his final moments of life.

Why did these people never listen to advice?

Why did he always meet such bullheaded fools?

Indeed, there were people in this world who didn't know how to express their fondness for you. But if there was one chance in their life to risk everything for you, they would undoubtedly be the first to charge ahead.

The Tang who was on the verge of death for him was just like that.

Yan Xiaoling, who would neither cry nor smile no matter how bullied she was, just because of a word from him, was like that too.

Song Que, who had bravely stormed the fortress of the Sacred Land and been thrown into the abyss because of his request, was still like that.

Because of him, Li Xiaoyu, a rich girl, was living daily on the edge of life and death in the mining area.

Tang Jing, that idiot who struggled for twenty years, ultimately chose to help him.

A creature's instinct is to seek benefit and avoid harm.

It is called evolution when it unfolds from this principle, but what exactly is the sentiment that drives one to face death for another?

…

…

Baichuan City.

Song Que really didn't want to go looking for Ju Mang. Ever since Ju Mang left Pyramid and ceased to be a Son of Order, his painting style had become increasingly that of a mad scientist.