"Heartless Iron General, I’ll give you one chance. Tell me, were you the ones who killed Tianxiong Iron General?" Frost Ice Iron General demanded. He and Tianxiong Iron General had shared a bond closer than brothers. Although not related by blood, Frost Ice Iron General owed his rank to Tianxiong, who had guided him every step of the way. Deeply indebted to him, he was desperate for revenge.

Heartless Iron General pondered for a moment before retorting, "And why should I tell you?"

"If you dare spout any more of this nonsense, don’t expect me to be polite!" Ye Fan warned coldly from behind him.

At this, Heartless Iron General’s body shuddered. He knew he had to tell the truth to buy himself more time; otherwise, he risked provoking these two unpredictable men into cutting him down at any moment.

So, Heartless Iron General said, "Since you want to know, it’s no harm in telling you."

"Speak!" Frost Ice Iron General commanded.

Heartless Iron General went on, "This minor world has a major, hidden flaw. Do you remember the great turmoil from six hundred years ago?"

At his words, Frost Ice Iron General was immediately stunned. There was indeed a great turmoil six hundred years ago, one that almost destroyed this minor world. It was said to have been a natural disaster, but in any case, the calamity nearly turned the entire world to ash. The mere thought of that event still sent a shiver down Frost Ice Iron General’s spine.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" he questioned.

"Of course, it has everything to do with it!" Heartless Iron General immediately replied. "You think that great turmoil, which set the world ablaze and turned it to scorched earth, was a natural disaster? No, it wasn’t a natural disaster at all!"

"Then what was it?" Frost Ice Iron General asked.

Heartless Iron General replied, "It was caused by a Fire Qilin! That Fire Qilin has been hiding in this minor world all along. When we entered, it awakened. Tianxiong Iron General went to slay that very creature!"

Hearing this, Ye Fan began to grasp the implications and was astounded. Without a doubt, the truth was terrifying. Even Frost Ice Iron General was frightened.

"If that’s true, why did I know nothing about it?" he demanded.

That’s right, he truly knew nothing about this. If it were true, why hadn’t Tianxiong Iron General told him?

Heartless Iron General explained, "This was a secret he made us swear to keep. He said that if you knew, you would have undoubtedly joined him to hunt the Fire Qilin! But the Fire Qilin is overwhelmingly powerful. Whether one person went or two, it would have been a suicide mission. The only way was to perish together with it!"

At Heartless Iron General’s words, Frost Ice Iron General’s heart shattered. No matter how much he had speculated, he never would have imagined an outcome like this. It was a truth he simply couldn’t accept.

"So that’s how it was... I understand now," Frost Ice Iron General murmured, his heart turning to ash.

But he pressed on, "Then why did you invade Tianxiong Iron General’s home? There were so many innocent people there. Why did you kill them?

"Tianxiong Iron General sacrificed so much for us, yet you showed him no respect. How can you justify yourselves?"

"It seems you still don’t understand the cruelty of this world, Frost Ice Iron General," Heartless Iron General said, his views on the matter quite extreme. "Since he perished along with the Fire Qilin, wouldn’t leaving his resources and territory be a waste? If something is a waste, it’s only natural to divide it up to strengthen ourselves!"

At that, Frost Ice Iron General seethed, "Then you are getting what you deserve! Heartless Iron General, you will pay for what you’ve done. Today, I will kill you, you scum!"

Frost Ice Iron General was overcome with fury and anguish. Tianxiong Iron General had given his life for this minor world, only to have his legacy meet such a tragic end. Although Ye Fan was not from this minor world, he utterly despised such an extreme villain.

"Then let’s finish him," Ye Fan said, and the two of them instantly unleashed their murderous intent.

But just then, Heartless Iron General began to laugh, long and loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Frost Ice Iron General bellowed.

Heartless Iron General sneered, "I’m laughing at your stupidity. We came here to escape the chaos of war, and now you want to go back? You’re betraying your original purpose!"

But Frost Ice Iron General’s expression was firm. "I haven’t betrayed my purpose. On the contrary, I’m going to reclaim it. Enough of your nonsense. Heartless Iron General, prepare to die!"

Heartless Iron General’s expression suddenly changed as he snarled, "Do you really think you have the strength to kill me now?"

The Power of Heartlessness swirled around him. He had been stalling all this time just to recover his strength.

Of course, Ye Fan saw through it. "Attack!" he shouted.

The two struck immediately, intending to take down Heartless Iron General, but just as their attacks were about to land, he disintegrated. He split into numerous Heartless Ghosts and flew swiftly toward the outside.

They gave chase at once. The crafty Heartless Iron General was already reforming his body, a mocking laugh echoing behind him. Even if he couldn’t win, he had at least saved his life. Their speed was no match for his Power of Heartlessness. He was fleeing the minor world, and once he escaped, no one could restrain him. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Just as he was feeling smug, an immense cold washed over him.

"What is this...?"

Heartless Iron General was shocked. Not even Frost Ice Iron General could produce such an intense cold. Who could it be?

He turned to look and was instantly terrified. It was a massive bear—no, it was a Grassland Bear that had gained sentience.

The Grassland Bear blocked his path. With two freaks pursuing him from behind and this massive beast in front, his situation was utterly miserable.

"Kill!" In a desperate frenzy, Heartless Iron General steeled himself and charged.

ROAR!

He was swallowed whole by the Grassland Bear and chewed to pieces, a death even more grisly than Cold Blood Iron General’s.

When the two pursuers caught up and saw the scene, they both fell silent. There was nothing to be said; they were monstrous, but the Grassland Bear was even more so. Such was the gap between them.

The Grassland Bear wagged its tail at Ye Fan. They had anticipated this possibility. If one of the Iron Generals tried to escape, the Grassland Bear would be there to handle it. Sure enough, their ace in the hole had worked perfectly.

It had to be said, they were pleased to have finally dealt with the two Iron Generals.

Frost Ice Iron General’s mood, however, was bleak. The truth about Tianxiong Iron General’s fate had struck him a heavy blow. He had spent so many years desperately searching for an answer, only for it to be this cruel. He never expected such an ending, and his heart ached with even greater remorse for his fallen brother.

Ye Fan picked up the Grassland Bear, which suddenly seemed small and endearing, nothing like the imposing beast from moments before.

Although this battle had inflicted heavy losses on the Frost Ice Palace, Frost Ice Iron General didn’t care. Those losses could be recovered. Tianxiong Iron General, however, was gone forever.