Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Liu Nian thought to himself, "It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look."

When he clashed with Skylock, who was ranked number one on the combat power list, Kuthen was on his side. While this doesn't necessarily mean that Kuthen is friendly towards him, it at least shows that Kuthen isn't an enemy—or rather, not for the time being.

It's always better to make a friend than an enemy.

"Okay, I'll go see him myself."

The Tranquil Garden is located on a floating island in the uppermost part of the city.

Since there was no direct teleportation array leading there, Liu Nian summoned the little fire dragon, mounted it, and flew towards the floating island.

The little dragon's wings flapped amidst elemental energy, each flap sending up a trail of tiny sparks. The city below grew smaller and smaller, its floating islands resembling scattered chess pieces, slowly rotating under the pull of the elemental vortex.

As Liu Nian approached the tranquil garden, he finally saw its full form.

From the outside, the entire floating island looks like a miniature world encased in giant, colorful bubbles. These bubbles are as thin as cicada wings, yet they refract dazzling light under the sunlight—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, layer upon layer, like frozen rainbows.

Inside the bubble were all sorts of trees.

Towering giant sequoias, gnarled and vigorous ancient oaks, lush banyan trees, and countless exotic flowers and plants whose names I do not know. The leaves of those plants shimmered with a magnificent luster under the iridescent light, like works of art sculpted from gemstones.

Liu Nian flew to the edge of the bubble, but before he could find the entrance—

A circular hole automatically appeared on the bubble, its edges as smooth as if cut by a sharp blade, without a single crack.

Seeing this, Liu Nian didn't hesitate and flew directly into the cave.

The little dragon folded its wings and disappeared into the bubbles.

Behind them, the round hole closed silently, as if it had never existed.

Upon entering the bubble, the little dragon immediately let out an uneasy hiss. Its wings flapped violently, but its body felt as if it were being held down by an invisible hand, causing it to fall downwards involuntarily.

Liu Nian instantly understood—it was an anti-air formation.

Flying is not permitted here.

He immediately recalled the little fire dragon, and a pair of dark dragon wings extended from behind him. He glided slowly for a distance and landed lightly on the ground. His feet made a soft rustling sound on the soft grass, as if he were walking on a thick carpet.

The forest here is serene.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirps, no rustling of leaves in the wind; even one's own breathing sounded exceptionally clear. The silence wasn't ordinary stillness, but a deliberate silence, suppressed by some force, as if the entire forest was holding its breath, waiting for something.

Liu Nian looked around but didn't see anyone.

But he knew that the other party definitely knew he was there.

Liu Nian wasn't in a hurry. He simply slowed down and began to curiously observe the forest.

There were many different kinds of trees, many of which he couldn't name, but each one was extremely lush, its branches and leaves intertwined, weaving a dense, impenetrable canopy high in the sky. The light filtered through the bubbles leaked down from the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting mottled, multicolored spots of light on the ground, like shattered gems scattered everywhere.

Liu Nian took a few steps.

Suddenly, he noticed something was amiss.

The grass beneath his feet began to turn yellow and curl up inch by inch after he stepped on it. The change was extremely fast, as if it had been fast-forwarded—the emerald green blades turned yellow from the tips, and the withered, brownish-yellow lines quickly spread to the roots, until the entire blade of grass collapsed limply as if its soul had been taken away.

The wildflowers around were also withering.

The flowers that were once in full bloom quickly closed their petals the moment he passed by, their color fading from vibrant to grayish-white, and then, starting from the calyx, they withered one by one, falling onto the withered grass like a silent sigh.

Liu Nian stopped in his tracks.

He sensed it—a withering force was following him.

That power was invisible and intangible, yet its presence was extremely strong. It was like an invisible snake, coiling around his ankle, dragging him along, greedily sucking up the life force of everything around him.

"You want to play hide-and-seek with me?" Liu Nian asked.

The sound wasn't loud, but it traveled far in the silent forest.

There was a two-second silence.

Then, the leaves of the giant oak tree next to him suddenly turned yellow and withered at the same time, as if an autumn storm had swept through the entire canopy in a few seconds, and the withered yellow leaves fluttered down, creating a rain of dead leaves.

Amidst the pile of fallen leaves, a figure swiftly materialized.

She was a little girl who looked no more than seven or eight years old.

She stood alone in the pile of fallen leaves, her figure small, not even reaching Liu Nian's waist. Her face was round and pale, devoid of any color.

Her hair was a soft, pale yellowish-brown, draped gently over her shoulders, with slightly curled ends. She wore an oversized, ill-fitting light gray dress, and walked with a light, airy gait, making no sound.

But what's most striking is her eyes.

A pair of extremely large, round, light gray eyes, like two glass beads shrouded in mist. Those eyes gazed quietly at Liu Nian, their expression both innocent and bewildered.

"You are Korsen?" Liu Nian couldn't help but ask.

Kushen...isn't a man?

She's just a little girl?

Are you kidding me...?

The second-ranked player on the power rankings, the one who strikes fear into the hearts of countless players, actually looks like this?

"Such vibrant life force," the little girl said, her voice soft and sweet, as if she were speaking with candy in her mouth, "You really are extraordinary."

Then she opened her mouth, revealing a set of shark-like sharp teeth.

"I thought you would be an old man," Liu Nian said truthfully, "I never expected you to be like this."

"Ah~ don't worry about appearances." The little girl waved her hand. "Appearance and gender don't mean anything to me. Today I can be a little girl, tomorrow I can be an old man, the day after tomorrow I can be a stone—anything is fine as long as I want."

Liu Nian paused for two seconds, processing the information contained in that sentence.

"Alright." He nodded. "I wonder if there's something you wanted to tell me?"

"No," the little girl answered crisply, "I just wanted to see you."

Liu Nian was stunned for a moment.

That's it?

But before he could speak, the little girl had already pulled a stone out of her wide gray dress and casually tossed it over.

The stone was about the size of a fist, grayish-white in color, and its surface was covered with cracks that emitted a golden glow.

Liu Nian reached out and caught it.