The Disciple on Death's Door, Yet Still Thinking of You

Lynne knew neither of these messengers was reliable. This wouldn't do! They had to be combined.

Lynne quickly turned his attention to the Turtle King, who had managed to shuffle forward by a whopping ten centimeters.

...

Minutes later.

Lynne dusted off his hands, gazing contentedly at the Void Leaper, which he had forcibly stuffed inside the Turtle King's shell.

The principle was quite simple. There was ample space within the Turtle King's shell, and the Void Leaper had a physique that was flexible yet prone to sudden death. Shoving it into the shell and pulling its limbs out through the openings created a unique fusion.

In a way, they achieved a sort of combined evolution. The Void Leaping Turtle!

Balancing the speed of the Void Leaper with the defense of the Turtle King, the speed might have been somewhat reduced due to the added weight, but the defense capabilities were significantly enhanced.

No longer would there be fears of the Void Leaper crashing at high speeds and killing itself. But for extra precaution, Lynne implemented some additional safeguards. He sealed off any excess openings in the shell. This way, there was no risk of the Void Leaper moving too swiftly and flinging the Turtle King out!

"Embark!" Lynne patted the heads of the two creatures squished together, saying sternly: "Turtle, you're in charge of safely delivering the letter to the recipient. Leaper, you're responsible for quickly transporting the Turtle to the recipient's location. I believe that once combined, you two will undoubtedly become a refreshing change in the messenger realm!"

With a slap on the turtle's shell, he commanded: "Depart!"

A resounding boom!

In the blink of an eye, the Void Leaping Turtle blasted a massive hole in the wall, vanishing into the black mist with unimaginable speed.

Without any delay, Lynne sat down, taking up his quill with a serious and solemn expression, and began writing his second letter.

[Dear Master],

[It's me... your apprentice, Lynne... I can't hold on much longer. I'm dying... my body's bleeding, my brain matter's spilling out... I feel like I'm about to split open...]

[Despite your warnings... they were too strong... those wretched beings have smashed our store, torched our sign, and assaulted your favorite disciple...]

[Master, my time is near, but my mind is still filled with your last instructions. I failed to protect our store, I let you down. Yet, on the brink of death, my only thought is...]

[Are you still alive?]

[I've spent my last bit of strength and coins to hire this messenger. I'm not sure if this letter will reach you, but I need to tell you...]

[Once a master, always a father. On this day next year, please... do not forget to mourn your apprentice.]

[Your dying disciple who still yearns for you, Lynne.]

Tears almost welled up in Lynne's eyes as he was moved by his own words. Quickly sealing the letter, he replicated the method to conjure a second Void Leaping Turtle.

With a slap on the shell, the messenger zoomed away with urgency.

Lynne gazed solemnly at the exit, murmuring, "Now, it's a race against time."

...

Several hours later.

Amidst a vast temple complex on the Edge Lands, a grand ceremony of unparalleled scale was underway.

This realm belonged to one of the Seventy-Two Dark World Kings, the Unihorn Ghost King. Led by him, the Unihorn Ghosts held significant renown across the many realms of the Abyss.

It was no surprise given that a King-level being in the Dark World was a fearsome existence, second only to the Origin-level creatures. For this reason, the Unihorn Ghosts thrived within the Dark World.

Although, among the Seventy-Two Kings, his strength ranked towards the end. Yet even the highest-ranking Kings hesitated to provoke this clan. All elite beings knew that the three Origin-level Headhunters that ruled the Dark World had, in their past lives, been close allies with him. And so, the Unihorn Ghosts rose to become one of the premier powers within the Dark World.

"Brother Titan, your acceptance of my invitation has truly humbled me," exclaimed the Unihorn Ghost King, standing proudly with a goblet in hand, twice his size. He toasted to the three massive skulls seated in the temple's primary position. "Three thousand years! Having you briefly with us again, dear brother, calls for a toast!"

He tilted his head back, gulping down the goblet's blood-wine contents in hearty swigs.

On either side, many Unihorn Ghosts hoisted fresh corpses, reverently and fervently pouring the blood into vessels before the three headhunters.

These were freshly slaughtered offerings. And if Lynne had been present, he would've instantly recognized, among the three large skulls, the relatively petite one was Little, whom he had treated for a dental check-up not long ago.

"Ding——"

Little opened her massive jaws, revealing a set of gleaming teeth, which struck terror into the Unihorn Ghosts below.

"So shiny!"

The Unihorn Ghost King exclaimed, giving Little a thumbs-up, "I didn't expect my niece to become even more radiant and captivating since our last encounter!"

Beside Little, a clearly discernible, enormous female skull let out a rush of tentacles from its gaping mouth. They rapidly ensnared the fresh corpses from the vessel and began chewing vigorously. She revealed a sinister grin, her eyes oscillating between chaotic flares and moments of clarity.

"She—found—a—doctor— made my daughter—so pleased—"

Copious amounts of blood streamed from between her teeth, drenching the temple with an overpowering scent of gore.

In contrast, the even more massive skull at the center remained eerily silent. Its gaze, when compared to the two beside it, appeared even more tumultuous, occasionally pierced with fleeting malicious intent.

Only on rare occasions did a glimmer of lucidity shine through that chaotic gaze. If it weren't for that hint of clarity, the mere malignant and frenzied aura it emitted could drive the surrounding Unihorn Ghosts to madness.

"Sister-in-law, how fares my big brother?" the Unihorn Ghost King asked tentatively.

The massive female skull cackled with malice, "He's full of regrets—being decapitated back then—it was malevolence and curses that allowed him to persist in this Dark World— He's constantly consumed by the thought—to rise and seek vengeance—hahaha—to rise and attack—"

With a swishing sound, terrifying tentacles suddenly erupted from the titan skull's neck, malevolently wrapping around the female skull's cheek, relentlessly tearing and assailing.

"I wasn't defeated—it was you, vile witch—it's the curse—the curse you've brought upon us!"