Chapter 2082: You Really Want to Save Whom?

The voice was not human; it seemed to embody the will of heaven and earth, as if a transcendent being had descended upon this world.

The previously arrogant Lord of Slaughter now lay prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Its expression was one of extreme panic as it thought, "How can such a powerful being exist, especially one that can be summoned by such a weak woman? This defies all common sense."

At that moment, Qiu Honglei looked up at the eyes in the void and bravely declared, "It was I who summoned you."

The eyes observed Qiu Honglei for a long time. "Hmm, very good," the voice said. "That dance was indeed splendid. It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful sacrificial dance to heaven and earth. What do you request of me?"

Qiu Honglei respectfully replied, "Our world has been invaded by a powerful monster that does not belong here. We are unable to defeat it. We hope you can help us eliminate it and restore peace to our world."

Hearing this, the Lord of Slaughter was instantly terrified, thinking, "This woman is truly ruthless."

At that moment, it couldn't bother with explanations; it simply turned and ran. Its only thought was to get as far away as possible from this terrifying entity.

Its speed was incredible; in its escape, it was almost as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into a tiny speck in the snowstorm.

Qiu Honglei's eyes were filled with worry. If that creature escaped, and they encountered it again, everyone would still face certain death.

At this, the mysterious entity in the sky hummed, "So it's this little thing. Indeed, it's not something your world can handle."

As it spoke, the Lord of Slaughter suddenly reappeared before everyone. It was still running desperately, its tense, bulging muscles clearly showing it was using every ounce of its strength.

Yet, it hadn't realized that after running for what felt like half a day, it had returned to its original spot. From Zu'an's perspective, it was simply running in place, though the creature itself seemed completely unaware.

"How on earth did that happen?" Zu'an was horrified. This scene was utterly beyond his comprehension. He hadn't seen any sign of the mysterious entity making a move, yet the Lord of Slaughter had been brought back in the blink of an eye.

Just then, a change began in the Lord of Slaughter. It was still running tirelessly, but the flesh on its body was dissolving at a visible rate.

Previously, countless attacks from Zu'an and the Snow Maiden had struck it without seeming to cause any harm. Yet now, influenced by some unknown force, it was dissolving like ice and snow.

Soon, all the flesh on the Lord of Slaughter's body completely disappeared, leaving only a skeleton. It finally realized something was wrong, looked down, and let out a strange cry. Then its entire skeleton turned to ashes and vanished with the wind, leaving not a trace behind.

Zu'an: "..."

His heart pounded. In recent days, he had come to believe he was quite powerful, even feeling he had a fighting chance against these otherworldly demons.

But it was only now that he realized how utterly narrow-minded he had been, and that true power could reach such heights.

Just then, the mysterious entity in the sky spoke again, "I find you quite pleasing to the eye, young lady. Why don't you come with me and become my personal attendant? You could dance for me often then."

In its view, this was an immense stroke of luck and a great blessing. Countless saints and goddesses from empires across the universe yearned for such an opportunity but could not obtain it. The other party should surely faint from excitement.

Who would have thought that Qiu Honglei would slowly shake her head, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, but I will only ever dance for one man in my life."

Zu'an was moved but also worried for her. Just as he was about to speak, the mysterious entity let out a soft sigh, "What a pity."

Given its status, having been refused once, it naturally wouldn't shamelessly ask again.

"Since I have already responded to your prayer," the voice continued, "then, according to the rules, you must offer a sacrifice. Originally, this could have been waived if you agreed to be my attendant. What a pity."

The voice was calm, and it was clear it was fading away. The eyes in the sky slowly closed, and soon the gathered clouds dispersed, leaving the world free of that terrifying pressure.

"Is that it?" Zu'an was stunned. He rushed towards Qiu Honglei, unsure what the mysterious entity had meant by "sacrifice."

Seeing him approach, Qiu Honglei gave him a radiant smile—the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile Zu'an had ever seen.

Because almost simultaneously, Qiu Honglei herself seemed to weather away, her body beginning to gradually disappear into the world.

"No!" Zu'an wanted to embrace her, but he dared not touch her, fearing that doing so would make her completely shatter and vanish instantly.

Just then, cold rays of light shimmered nearby, and a Pure World Ice Lotus suddenly bloomed beside Qiu Honglei, enveloping her body.

Qiu Honglei's body, which had been disintegrating, seemed to be frozen, forcing the process to a halt.

It turned out that the Snow Maiden had been forming hand seals and casting a secret art since moments ago, successfully preserving a sliver of life for Qiu Honglei.

"Thank you..." Zu'an was both surprised and delighted. Just as he was about to thank the Snow Maiden, he suddenly froze, realizing that while Qiu Honglei's physical disintegration had stopped, the Snow Maiden's body was beginning to gradually disintegrate in its place.

"Ah Zu, don't be sad. I just asked her if she was willing to sacrifice her life for you, and she said yes." The Snow Maiden smiled. "If even these other women are willing, how could I, as your wife, not be? She might even be cursing me right now for using this method to 'kill' her."

She naturally wouldn't be selfish enough to let Qiu Honglei die; she only wanted to test her.

From the beginning, she had prepared to bear the consequences in Qiu Honglei's stead. She happened to possess a secret art that could transfer this karmic burden from another person to herself.

Zu'an came before the Snow Maiden and opened his mouth. Normally, he prided himself on his eloquence, but at this moment, he seemed like a mute, uttering only a few inarticulate sounds, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Ah Zu, don't be sad. If we didn't save Honglei, she would truly die," the Snow Maiden said, reaching out to wipe away the tears on his face. "But as long as the Great Snow Mountain exists, I won't truly die. I might even be resurrected after some time."

Feeling her cold touch, Zu'an finally managed to utter a difficult question: "How long?"

"A few thousand years, or perhaps ten thousand years..." Seeing his horrified, despairing eyes, the Snow Maiden smiled faintly. "It's not that long, really. I've already waited for you here on the Great Snow Mountain for nine thousand five hundred and twenty-seven years. Another ten thousand years is nothing."

As she spoke, she leaned in and lightly kissed Zu'an's lips.

At that moment, tears welled up in Zu'an's eyes, because he felt it: this was the Divine Maiden's Kiss, a kiss only Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman knew how to give!

Moreover, though it was the same Divine Maiden's Kiss, the feeling from Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman was distinctly different: Pei Mianman's was passionate like fire, while Chu Chuyan's was coy and inviting...

Sadly, as wonderful as this kiss usually was, it was now equally bitter.

Zu'an wanted to hold her back, but just as his hand touched her face, she had already transformed into countless snowflakes and completely dissipated.

In an instant, it was as if all the spirit had been drained from him. He stood motionless in the snowstorm.

He suddenly thought of something, and his spirit lifted as he was about to speak. Just then, Mi Li's figure appeared before him. "She was destroyed by a law beyond your comprehension," Mi Li said. "With your current strength, if you were to forcefully intervene, even if you used your 'Key' ability, you would likely follow in her footsteps the moment you uttered the first word."

Zu'an bit his lip so hard it almost bled. "Am I just supposed to watch her die like this? I have to try."

"What about Qiu Honglei?" Mi Li asked, pointing to the ice-encased Qiu Honglei, her expression strangely complex. "Even if you risk your life and use your 'Key' ability, you can only save one person with your current power, at most. Qiu Honglei, or Chu Chuyan? Who do you truly intend to save?"