CHAPTER 671: OFF TO THE FINAL BATTLE

Mark ascended the spiral staircase to the third floor of the pagoda.

His boots made faint taps against the smooth obsidian steps, the stillness of the inner sanctum amplifying every movement.

He expected silence and a sulking beast chained in the center of the prison chamber.

What he didn’t expect... was company.

As soon as the heavy door creaked open, Mark slowed to a halt. "What the..." His eyes widened.

Standing inside were Lan Xia and, right behind her, the remaining three of his team. They were gathered in a loose circle near the far wall, casually standing nearby the Snow Wolf King, whose colossal form seemed like it is in sleep.

Lan Xia turned to him with a smile the moment he stepped in. "Gege... You are here." Her emotionless, pale face suddenly glowed, and a smile grew on her lips. The three of them bowed slightly in greeting. "Commander."

Mark blinked. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Didn’t I just send you all out like hours ago?"

Lan Xia shrugged, grinning as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You also gave me access to this pagoda, remember?"

Mark furrowed his brows. "Yes, but..." he looked around, puzzled. "I don’t understand how you got in without me knowing. I mean... I was carrying it. Literally. In my inven... I mean storage ring."

That’s when Lan Xia reached into her storage ring, too.

From within, she pulled out an identical, seven-story miniature pagoda—its silvery sheen glinting under the low ambient light.

Mark stared.

She held it up casually. "It’s because I had one of the nine pagodas, too," she said, her voice calm. "They’re connected."

Mark took a step forward and examined it closely.

The resemblance wasn’t just uncanny—it was perfect. Same structure. Same materials. Same etheric signatures pulsing faintly from within.

"Ark," Mark spoke inwardly. "Is that authentic?"

"Confirmed," Ark responded. "Upon scanning, both pagodas seemed like a part of a unified set."

Mark let out a long breath.

He looked at Lan Xia again, this time with a hint of displeasure. "I told you about this pagoda two weeks ago. And you didn’t mention this to me, all this time? So you had no intentions of telling me... even when I trusted you with full access to mine?"

The temperature in the room felt like it dropped, all of a sudden.

Yuan Feng shifted awkwardly, scratching his neck.

Reva looked away, her tail flicking slightly.

Ryder became unusually still, blending almost into the shadows, as if physically avoiding the drama.

Lan Xia didn’t smile this time.

She looked at the ground for a second before raising her gaze. "Well, I did tell you that our clan had a pagoda, and my master had one. But... I didn’t tell you I had it with me. Honestly, it didn’t seem important. There’s nothing inside it except old weapons and dusty relics, after all."

She lowered her hand slowly and added in a quiet voice, "I’m sorry."

Mark exhaled and placed both hands on his hips. The irritation softened a little, but didn’t leave entirely. He glanced toward the Snow Wolf King, who was wisely pretending not to listen.

"Fine," he said at last. "We’ll talk about this after we get back home... back to the sect."

He turned, his voice firming again. "For now, let’s focus on the job."

The others nodded silently.

Lan Xia gave a faint nod too, slipping her pagoda back into her storage ring.

Once the drama seemed like it was over between this couple, Reva spoke up, her voice laced with curiosity. "Umm... Commander, by the way, I have a question... were they really prisoners of the White Lion King?"

Mark answered with calm detachment, "Yes. They were once prisoners... now, they’re my servants. But don’t misunderstand, I don’t have any option here."

He paused, then added, "When the White Lion King died, the slave marks on them were transferred to me. They’re bound to my soul now. I can’t remove them even if I wanted to."

That silenced them for a moment, until Lan Xia narrowed her eyes. "And those guns?" she asked. "Last time I was here... they didn’t have weapons."

Mark glanced over his shoulder. "I gave them those. Didn’t train them for combat or anything serious—just the basics. How to hold, aim, shoot, and not die from recoil." He smirked faintly. "Some of them are freakishly talented, though. Picked it up like second nature... even though none of them had seen a gun before."

Lan Xia’s gaze grew sharper. "You’re not seriously planning to use them in the war... are you?"

Her voice was tinged with genuine concern now. She wasn’t angry, just worried.

Mark shook his head. "No. I won’t throw them into the battlefield. I’m not looking for cannon fodder. They’ll stay inside the pagoda for now."

He waved for her to follow. "Anyway, come with me."

As the group turned to move again, Mark threw a glance behind him at the hulking form of the Snow Wolf King, still lounging in silence like an oversized sentinel.

With a snap of his fingers, Mark deactivated the passive override in the AI core.

The wolf blinked—once, twice—then sat upright with a grunt. "Tch... that’s a forced sleep," he muttered, shaking his massive head.

Mark folded his arms. "Oh, by the way, meet your temporary companions. You’ll be protecting them while I’m gone. Guys, this is Snow Wolf King."

The Snow Wolf King’s scarlet eyes flared open. "What?" The other three also gazed at Mark.

"You have one single job, Thaleus. Your job is to keep them safe," Mark then said flatly.

The ancient beast let out a derisive snort. "There’s no way I’ll play gatekeeper. I want to join the fight. I’m a warrior, not a glorified babysitter."

Mark met his glare without flinching. "If you were strong enough to be my ally... You wouldn’t still be chained in this prison."

The wolf’s growl died in his throat.

"So shut it," Mark continued, "and do what I say. That’s an order."

A tense silence followed. The wolf bared his teeth slightly... then clicked his jaw shut with an audible clack.

"Fine," the Snow Wolf King muttered. He turned his gaze to the others. "You lot," he growled, "will ride on my back and stick to me. Don’t wander. Don’t disobey. If you fall behind, I won’t come back for you."

They nodded quickly, gulping down whatever response they might have had. Yuan Feng tried to act tough, but even he looked hesitant next to the colossal creature. Ryder and Reva exchanged a quick glance. Lan Xia simply nodded with quiet resolve.

Mark said nothing more.

Without another word, he led the group up the final flight of stairs—each step echoing like a countdown.

Above them... awaited the seventh floor of the Seven-Story Pagoda.

And soon, they stood before the swirling gate of the portal chamber—an obsidian frame with silver lines of runic code humming across its surface.

Mark stared into the void of space and light beyond before he turned slightly to the others.

"This portal leads straight into the Demon Cat Empress’s palace or her world at the very least," he said, voice calm but firm. "Once we step through, we’re in her domain."

The air behind him felt heavy.

"If any of you want to back off now... do it. No shame. I won’t blame you or see you differently. After all, the enemies you were going to meet next will be in a whole different league."

A beat passed.

Then Yuan Feng grunted and cracked his knuckles. "I didn’t train my whole life just to sit on the sidelines, Commander. If I get to break one of her General’s claws, that’s good enough for me."

Reva crossed her arms. Her nine tails swayed in unison behind her. "She razed my entire clan in a day," she said, voice ice-cold. "Even if I die today, I want to make sure she feels a fraction of what we did."

Rynder Night pulled his hood down slightly, lightning crackling faintly around his boots. "I’m not backing off," he muttered. "My blade has her name carved on it. I know I’m not strong. But Commander, my lifelong wish is to atleast inflict damage on her and say that I’m from the Night family."

Lan Xia stepped forward last. Her eyes found Mark’s. "And you know that no matter what you say, I will follow you," she said plainly, "Don’t try to talk me out of it."

Mark’s eyes lingered on them one by one.

He gave a slow nod. "Then I’ll make sure your vengeance is carried out. One way or another."

Without another word, he stepped into the portal.

The space distorted—his body pulled through like a ripple on water.

The others followed right behind, disappearing into the spiral.

A sharp flash.

Then, impact.

They landed hard, feet hitting black-marble ground within a narrow canyon-like passageway at the base of a towering palace cliff.

However, as soon as they did, a dozen figures turned instantly toward them, all clad in midnight armor and feline-shaped masks. Their auras burst forward—twelve-circle beasts, each emanating the pressure of a battlefield veteran.

"Intruders!" one shouted, claws extending.

"Okay, this is giving me deja vu..." mumbled Reva, before Mark’s voice sounded aloud. "Gravity Dome – 3500g, 100 meters."