He had no home, but he had friends.
Li Hao sighed softly in his heart, feeling regret and guilt.
He could no longer accompany Feng to fish, nor had he managed to help Qianqian refine her swordsmanship to step into the realm of Grandmaster. That young girl had followed him through thick and thin, enduring much hardship.
And the little white fox, that little guy would have to find his own food from now on.
Erye, Daye… Yuan Zhao…
Li Hao sighed softly again, feeling the chill in the darkness disappear, his consciousness growing weaker and weaker.
Was it because he was about to die that he could no longer feel anything?
Li Hao’s consciousness kept sinking.
But as he fell deeper and deeper, suddenly, there seemed to be a warm sensation emerging from his “chest.”
Li Hao, whose consciousness was about to fade into slumber, gradually became alert again.
Looking down, he saw a crimson light emanating from his chest, growing brighter and stronger, as intense as thick blood plasma, illuminating the darkness, enveloping his consciousness.
Following that, Li Hao saw the darkness gradually dissipate bit by bit.
When the darkness faded, he found himself in front of a thatched hut.
Next to the hut, an old man in tattered robes, turned away from him, was busily doing something in front of him, piling something up.
Li Hao looked up to see a mountain before the thatched hut.
The old man was moving a mountain!
Or rather, he was building a mountain!
Li Hao froze, where was this, and what was the situation before him?
As Li Hao puzzled, the old man seemed to sense something, his moving hands suddenly stopped.
Then, the towering mountain before his eyes began to tremble slightly, and promptly, it cracked open to reveal a massive gap, before collapsing with a thunderous roar!
Li Hao instinctively wanted to dodge, but the falling rocks plummeted straight down, as if opening a bottomless pit beneath the mountain, swallowing the entire mountain!
Li Hao was stunned, staring at the old man, a stranger’s face, who was also staring indifferently back at him, expressionless.
“Don’t you want to go home?”
After a long while, the old man finally spoke slowly.
Li Hao was slightly startled, looking around, he could only see the bright moon, feeling astonished in his heart, vaguely sensing that this place was still within the Mo River.
“I consider heaven and earth my home, senior, are you also trapped by this Mo River?” Li Hao asked, suspecting that the old man before him was also a soul imprisoned within the Mo River.
The old man looked at Li Hao for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile: “No wonder I can’t keep you trapped with the Mo River. I never expected to encounter someone like you…”
Having said that, Li Hao’s face suddenly changed. Control the Mo River?
The old man before him could actually manipulate the Mo River?
Li Hao suddenly thought of something and quickly called out to the Mo River in his mind.
He saw golden characters emerge before him, coalescing into several messages:
Mo River clearance progress: 99%.
Main mission: Defend Dragon City (completed)
Side mission: Growth (completed)
M-V-L
…
Li Hao froze, clearance progress, not reaching perfection.
Even such difficult main missions had been completed.
Could it be that completing the main missions was not enough to clear the game?
As if reading Li Hao’s thoughts, the old man seemed to be in a very good mood and said:
“The so-called main missions you completed can only let you leave this Mo River, to detach from Li Tianzong’s obsessions. But to truly clear it, you’re thinking too simply.”
Li Hao was somewhat speechless.
The main mission was tough enough, and it still wasn’t enough to clear the game, just how difficult was this ghost-level Mo River!
“However, now you only need to do one more thing to truly clear it.”
The old man said with a smile: “Originally, this Mo River was at the underworld level, but because my soul wandered here and merged with it, it became ghost-level. Now, the power of the river and my obsessions have been broken by you. There’s only one last thing left, if you manage to do it, you’ll truly clear it.”
Li Hao’s eyes flickered as he asked, “What is it?”
“Take me home.”
The old man said, “The souls attracted and detained by this Mo River, because of me, all have deep obsessions with going home. The deeper the obsession, the harder it is to break free. Likewise, people with the same obsession cannot truly clear this Mo River!”
“Even if you complete what you call the mission, if you can’t see through this point, if you can’t let go of your heart’s obsession with ‘home,’ you won’t be able to break through here.”
He turned, looking at the mountain behind him that had turned to dust, his eyes reflecting a touch of melancholy:
“My fusion with the Mo River deepened my obsession. For years I’ve been building this mountain, trying to establish the home in my heart here. Over the years, my obsession caused the Mo River to absorb more and more souls, strengthening its power.”
“The stronger the Mo River, the deeper my obsession became, creating a cycle, trapping me for eternity.”
Saying this, he chuckled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes: “Now, the obsession I built has been broken by you. As long as I return to my homeland, I’ll be able to rest. The power of the Mo River will completely disappear then.”
Li Hao listened to his detailed explanation, his eyes darting about, yet he was skeptical in his heart.
Was the old man before him really the source of the Mo River’s obsession?
By that count, he was sort of the final boss?
But he seemed rather friendly, far from malevolent.
“You don’t have to be wary. The Mo River is already collapsing, and the souls are scrambling to escape. In a moment, I’ll let your consciousness return to your body, back outside the Mo River. I will shrink myself and take refuge within your body.”