The location of the lift was well-hidden, and Duan Zhen couldn’t find it after searching several hidden rooms.
In fact, even the demon lords didn’t appear to interfere while they searched for the hidden rooms.
This was not particularly reassuring. They were either targeting someone else or had another purpose in mind.
But at least it gave them enough time to investigate.
“You can indeed get clues from the locals,” Dan Zuo summarized after checking out several rooms.
He looked at Duan Zhen with a strange expression. Though Duan Zhen had always been very strong, this was the first time he’d seen him beat up the world’s original inhabitants so thoroughly.
“I’ve trained before; my strength and agility have improved,” Duan Zhen explained, seeing Dan Zuo’s doubt. “You should have experienced this too.”
“Indeed,” Dan Zuo nodded, then shook his head. “But not to this extent. I guess it really depends on talent.”
“Li Xi mentioned that your magical talent is very strong,” Duan Zhen said, even though he was a bit jealous, he wouldn’t block his teammate’s path. “If you’re willing, you can learn magic from him.”
Dan Zuo lowered his head thoughtfully, considering this possibility.
Meanwhile, Li Xi, who was spying on Duan Zhen through the wall, heard a noise behind him. He turned around to see someone emerging from the lift.
“Xia Qirong?” He raised an eyebrow. “How did you get up here so quickly?”
“I was lucky. I was chased by the mirror image and stumbled upon the lift,” Xia Qirong looked around in confusion. “I thought it would take me to Senafel. Why are you here… Didn’t Brother Duan say you weren’t participating in this game?”
“Indeed,” Li Xi smiled faintly. “As a tasker, I’m not participating in this game.”
Though his words were vague, Xia Qirong understood. His breath caught, and his eyes widened, “You…!”
He opened his mouth to make an excited sound but couldn’t speak further. After calming down for a long time, he asked, “Does Brother Duan know about this?”
“Take a guess,” Li Xi raised an eyebrow.
As he stood up to face him, Xia Qirong noticed that Li Xi seemed more mature than before.
If he was a budding flower before, now he was a fully bloomed rose, beautiful yet sharp.
“Is this your true form?” Xia Qirong asked, somewhat numb, even feeling relieved that he had watched Li Xi for a long time before. If he had come straight up, he would have been captivated by his appearance at first sight.
“More or less,” Li Xi nodded. “I can use magic to maintain appearances of different ages. As a demon lord, I use this form.”
He leaned casually on the sofa, crossing his long legs, “Don’t worry, I won’t really hurt you guys. At most, just a little.”
He gestured with his pinky finger.
Xia Qirong felt his mind was about to explode. He found it hard to process the truth and decided to give up thinking about potential plots.
“So, do we wait for Brother Duan and the others to come up?” Xia Qirong asked.
“No need,” Li Xi didn’t reveal his embarrassing reason for being trapped. “Now that you’ve found me, I can go down.”
“What do you think the twin demon kings want to do?” Xia Qirong couldn’t help but ask.
“They have a lot of plans,” Li Xi clicked his tongue. “I was watching Dan Zuo earlier, so they didn’t make a move.”
Xia Qirong blinked in confusion, “So… should we go down now?”
“Take the lift,” Li Xi said. “Be careful not to get blocked.”
“And you?” Xia Qirong asked, only to see Li Xi leap from a hole in the wall without hesitation.
“Wait…” Xia Qirong ran over in shock, seeing Li Xi spread his arms and glide down like he was about to embrace something.
He couldn’t see clearly below, only vaguely noticing two black dots merging.
He probably landed in Brother Duan’s arms, a real-life version of a fairytale scenario. Xia Qirong insisted he wasn’t jealous at all.
Duan Zhen had heard the wind and looked up sharply. He almost threw Li Xi but managed to catch him in time, wrapping him in his arms.
“Surprise!” Li Xi smiled, hugging him.
“Why did you suddenly come down?” Duan Zhen asked, surprised.
“Xia Qirong came up,” Li Xi grinned. “I saw you on the ground and jumped down.”
“That was dangerous…” Duan Zhen, aware of the height, swallowed his reprimand and instead rubbed Li Xi’s head. “Do you know what to do next?”
“I heard Hest mention their plan,” Li Xi blinked. “They want to play with you guys for a while and won’t harm you or Dan Zuo.”
He added, “But that’s probably a lie.”
“According to the plot, the noise will awaken the sleeping demon king in the castle, and we’ll have to fight him. But now there are two demon kings,” Li Xi mused.
“Is Shen Su a problem?” Duan Zhen asked suddenly.
“I don’t know,” Li Xi shrugged. “I can’t detect the twins’ aura on him, but it can be hidden, so I’m not sure.”
Duan Zhen pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Can you distinguish between the mirror images and us?”
“Of course,” Li Xi said confidently. “The mirror images are made with magic. If I couldn’t tell, I wouldn’t have jumped straight at you.”
“We need to regroup,” Dan Zuo interjected.
These two had been clinging to each other, and he felt like a glaringly bright third wheel.
“Xia Qirong should be coming down the lift soon,” Li Xi glanced over. “Or he might get caught halfway.”
“They’ve probably been scattered by the mirror images,” Duan Zhen said. Realizing he was still holding Li Xi, he finally put him down and looked around. “Did you grow taller?”
Since experiencing Li Xi’s age fluctuations, Duan Zhen didn’t react much to it anymore.
“This is my public age,” Li Xi whispered. “Do you like it?”
Seeing Li Xi’s anxious expression, Duan Zhen quickly nodded, “Of course.”
“Ahem!” Dan Zuo interrupted, but before he could speak, the device in his arms started vibrating intensely.
It had vibrated when Li Xi appeared, but now the vibration was much stronger, indicating a new demon king’s presence.
Sure enough, the next moment, two figures appeared in front of them. Hest and Moduna were holding hands, leaning towards each other, and smiling slightly at them.
I can’t believe Li Xi just left poor Xia Qirong behind lmao I mean c’mon, he helped you get out early (even if it was by mistake :p)
Thank you for reading