The ability to traverse dimensions, to journey to other worlds, was something Mikoto had always longed for, and something Lin Luo himself desired. Mikoto needed to return to save her sisters, while Lin Luo sought out other Contractors. Yet, this capability had not manifested even after the Contract Book was upgraded. As far as Lin Luo knew, only two individuals in this world possessed such power or knew anything about it: Gui Qu Lai Xi and Liu Ziwen.

According to the information provided by the Contract Book, Gui Qu Lai Xi played a role akin to a facilitator in this Holy War of the Gods, responsible for finding terrestrial spokespersons for the deities. They would intervene in this war but would not participate directly.

Gui Qu Lai Xi had once mentioned reappearing after Lin Luo successfully signed a contract, but many days had passed, and the woman remained unseen. Lin Luo couldn't tell if the woman was experiencing menopause or hormonal imbalance and had simply forgotten, or if she had been outright deceiving him. His expectations were already low, so perhaps extracting the information directly from Liu Ziwen, the closer option, would be faster.

However, given that guy Liu Ziwen’s chuunibyou tendencies, trying to pry such crucial information from him seemed unlikely to succeed. After all, there was only one World Heart in this entire realm, and only one walker capable of dimensional travel. How could he casually disclose something that affected his own vital interests? He might be afflicted with delusions of grandeur, but he certainly wasn't brain-dead.

Lin Luo knew that given Liu Ziwen's personality and his covetous gaze upon the World Heart, applying force would likely result only in a mutually destructive outcome, a fight to the death.

Therefore, even before this confrontation, Lin Luo had devised a stratagem: facing Liu Ziwen alone, using the World Heart as bait to lure out the truth. Accomplishing this was not difficult. After the Heart Contract was signed, the World Heart within Mikoto had already left an imprint on the Contract Book. Utilizing the Contract Book, Lin Luo could perfectly manifest a projection of the World Heart—the manifestation appearing on Lin Luo’s brow was merely an illusion.

Of course, to prevent any unforeseen accidents, Lin Luo dared not let Mikoto stray too far, as his current strength alone was certainly no match for Liu Ziwen.

What Lin Luo hadn't anticipated was how treacherous that fellow Liu Ziwen truly was. He suddenly launched an attack halfway through their discussion. Fortunately, Lin Luo had remained vigilant. While he didn't have time to fully materialize the Contract Book, instantly entering the Contract State was sufficient to counter the unenhanced Phantom Leopard.

He also immediately signaled a warning to Mikoto. Their mental energies were linked; although true telepathic dialogue was impossible beyond a hundred meters, if one called out in distress, the other could still sense it, provided they weren't too distant.

"You!" Upon seeing Mikoto, Liu Ziwen was utterly stunned. He instinctively stumbled back several steps, a flicker of dread in his eyes as he pointed at the girl before him. "You... you're actually not dead?"

"Hmph! I'm alive and kicking," Mikoto scoffed, a few blue-white arcs of electricity sputtering around her bangs.

"Why? You should have been consumed by the inner demon, you shouldn't still be alive!"

"Indeed, why is that?" Lin Luo sighed dramatically. A white light flashed over his brow, and a white book appeared in his hand—the Contract Book.

"Manifestation!" Liu Ziwen unconsciously turned toward the source of Lin Luo's voice upon hearing the word, his expression immediately changing drastically. Only a formal Walker could manifest the Heart Codex, meaning the Codex had to be upgraded to LV1. If Lin Luo could manifest the Codex, then...

"You two have signed the contract!" Liu Ziwen's gaze swept over them, filled with extreme reluctance.

"Isn't that obvious? Come to think of it, we owe much of this to your help," Lin Luo smiled faintly. "Liu Ziwen, you see the situation now. With your strength, you are certainly no match for us. If you tell us the method to travel to other worlds, perhaps I can let you off the hook."

"Hmph, you must be dreaming!"

"Then there's no choice," Lin Luo sighed, thinking to Mikoto internally: Time for a forced confession.

Why didn't we just do this from the start! Mikoto grumbled in her mind, which caused Lin Luo some embarrassment. Who knew this chuunibyou guy would be so uncooperative? This entire effort had been wasted.

Of course, despite her complaints, Mikoto showed no hesitation in action. She flicked her wrist and unleashed an Electric Spear. With a crackle, blue-white current instantly burrowed into Liu Ziwen's body.

"Huh?"

But to both their surprise, Liu Ziwen wasn't taken down by the Electric Spear; instead, he... vanished!

What was happening? Mikoto's small face was full of confusion. Had she disintegrated the guy? But she hadn't used her full strength; that strike should have been enough only to stun him unconscious.

"Lin Luo, I must admit, you are the destined nemesis of my life," Liu Ziwen's calm voice suddenly resonated.

The two turned toward the sound. Liu Ziwen had reappeared a hundred meters away. Mikoto stood dumbfounded. "Spatial Shift?"

Lin Luo was also surprised, but not by the shift itself. This instantaneous movement ability was likely a built-in skill of the Beast Taming Book, much like his own Spatial Leap. After all, as a summoner, Liu Ziwen possessed zero combat capability despite having spiritual power exceeding 4000+. It seemed impossible that he wouldn't have some self-preservation skill.

What puzzled him was how the guy, who moments ago looked utterly defeated, had suddenly become so composed... it felt deeply incongruous.

"Although your contract signing surprised me, I still possess sufficient power to deal with both of you."

Oh, haven't seen him in a few days, and now he's arrogant enough to defeat Railgun? Has he suddenly unlocked his inner potential and transformed into a Super Saiyan?

Lin Luo looked at Liu Ziwen as if he were an idiot. Indeed, before the contract, Liu Ziwen, relying on the LV2 Beast Taming Book, could completely suppress Railgun. However, that wasn't a true measure of strength, but rather a ridiculously unfair BUG skill. Now, Railgun’s indestructible state could ignore that skill. What recourse did Liu Ziwen have left to counter her?

The flashy Phantom Leopard? Or the brain-dead Mega Rock Snake?

Those two spirit beasts might pose a threat to ordinary people, but compared to the Railgun, they were mere trash with a combat power of five!

"Lin Luo, you shouldn't underestimate me too much. No matter what, I am LV2!"

Sensing the disdain in Lin Luo's eyes, Liu Ziwen grinned sinisterly. He pointed into the void, and the Beast Taming Book emitted a brilliant radiance. With a deafening roar, the entire sky above his head actually split open!

"Though I failed last time, it wasn't without gains. At least I broke through my inner demon!"

The cracked sky resembled a black hole, growing larger and larger, emanating a dull, oppressive aura.

"Even though the Beast Taming Book hasn't reached LV3 yet, my realm has. Now, the number of spirit beasts I can control—as long as my spiritual power is sufficient—is unlimited summoning!"

Rumble!

Space completely tore open. One, two, three... a full eight Mega Rock Snakes drilled out of the black hole!

"Come and experience what a chaotic dance of demons looks like, Lin Luo!!"

To say the sight was 'sky-obscuring' was an understatement. Eight Mega Rock Snakes, carrying an aura of infinite terror, dove toward Lin Luo and Mikoto!

P: Seeking recommendations and favorites!