My sister is Luna

"Finally free, let me now uncover the secrets of Chang'an."

Marco Polo, who had already left, held the key to the mechanism and looked at the explosion he had meticulously created. He couldn't hide his pride. Everyone's attention was drawn to the explosion, and he could go and complete his mission.

He moved with incredible speed, and the ancient, mysterious gate was already close at hand.

"call out--"

Just as Marco Polo was about to approach the door and open it, a blue dart flew past him.

Marco Polo stopped. Although he appeared calm and collected, his back was soaked with cold sweat. If the dart had been slightly off-center, he would have been badly injured. Fortunately, the man hadn't tried to kill him, but he wasn't a friend either.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. You’ve finally come, Marco Polo.” Cain emerged from the shadows hidden by the door.

He had been waiting there for a long time. Cain, who was originally going to chase Li Bai and Miyamoto Musashi, suddenly thought that instead of going through the trouble of chasing them, he might as well wait for them at the [gate]. After all, Marco Polo's goal was to open the [gate], and the person would definitely come to the [gate], at which point he could just catch him.

When Cain arrived and saw Marco Polo waiting there, he immediately stepped forward.

It was him, the white-haired swordsman!

Marco Polo was surprised when he saw the newcomer and fell into deep doubt. He had been hiding so well, so why was he still caught so easily, like prey with nowhere to hide, twice?! Was waiting for someone to run into a trap really that effective?

At the same time, his heart sank to the bottom. He was not very strong himself and obviously could not defeat a powerful person like Cain who could kill Zhong Kui.

This guy is tough. I need to open the door quickly, they'll catch up soon. I need to know what's inside the door.

While pondering a solution, Marco Polo tried to appear calm and said:

“My friend, we don’t seem to have met before. Why be at odds with each other? We’re both from the West, so why don’t we join hands and open this door together?”

“Sorry, I’m not interested in what’s behind the door, nor do I want to know about it. My only goal is to capture you.” Cain’s eyes were fixed on Marco Polo.

Chang'an City itself is an ark from which the gods descended to this planet. Behind the [gate] lies a space created by the gods, containing the core of the ark, the Heart of the Universe, the embodiment of the ultimate power of the universe, an existence transformed from the infinite laws of the universe. On one side is the azure power of creation, and on the other is the scarlet power of destruction. The red and blue intersect, giving birth to creation and containing destruction. Moreover, behind the [gate] lies a slumbering deity—Nuwa!

Information from his memories flashed through Cain's mind. This was what he knew about what was behind the "Gate." Official descriptions of it were scarce, only that it seemed to possess infinite power and was composed of countless source particles.

It is not something that any living being can control, not even the gods. Even they live under its mysteries and laws, thinking they are in control but being dominated by it from beginning to end. All causes and effects originate from it. The great age of gods began because of it and also fell into silence because of it. The stories of kings also revolve around it. It seems to have a magical power, as if the gods are being played with in its palm.

This power from the universe is beyond the reach of people today.

Such an absolute power would disrupt the balance if any party obtained it, especially the fallen god Di Jun, whose calamities would leave no one unaffected.

However, as long as the Ark Core exists, there will inevitably be someone who wants to open the "door," and the story of opening the "door" will be repeated countless times until it is finally opened.

Cain wanted to see if he could stop this plot, or at least change it. If he could capture Marco Polo alive, he might be able to get some useful information out of him, such as how many followers they had or... the whereabouts of the fallen god Di Jun.

"Are you with that young man in the Taoist robe?" Marco Polo's eyes narrowed as he considered a possibility.

“No, I had no intention of conspiring to capture you,” Cain said, raising an eyebrow. It seemed someone shared his thoughts.

"Further words are useless, just surrender." Deciding to stop wasting time, Cain drew his sword and slashed at Marco Polo.

"boom!"

The explosives detonated in front of Cain, stopping his attack.

Cain swung his sword to clear away the billowing smoke, while Marco Polo had taken the opportunity to create some distance between them.

“I advise you to surrender now to avoid physical suffering,” Cain said coldly.

"I'm sorry, my friend, I cannot go with you," Marco Polo refused outright.

Upon hearing this, Cain suddenly exerted force with his feet, leaped into the air, and fiercely slashed at Marco Polo with his sharp blade.

Marco Polo quickly pulled out his gun from his pocket and fired continuously while stepping back.

Cain swung his sword to deflect the bullets and approached Marco Polo step by step.

"boom!"

Marco Polo threw another explosive, and Cain dodged it in a few steps.

"I don't have time to play with you anymore."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Cain instantly donned his magic armor, increasing his strength by another level. The overwhelming pressure of his aura as a level 14 half-step king forced Marco Polo to retreat step by step. Bullets rained down on him, but he felt nothing; they were slow and powerless in his eyes. The damage from explosives was also insignificant. Marco Polo could no longer escape his fate of being captured.

"Ugh, damn it..." Marco Polo was cornered against the wall, feeling a sense of despair.

"Caught."

"Cayne said casually. He gripped Marco Polo's arm tightly, and with a slight flick of his wrist, a burst of skillful force twisted Marco Polo's arm behind his back with ease.

At this moment, Marco Polo was completely powerless to resist and could only let Cain do as he pleased. His body involuntarily leaned forward, and his back was completely exposed to Cain.

"I see him! Marco Polo is right there!" At that moment, a familiar voice came from afar.

"I won't be able to quell my anger until I teach him a lesson he deserves."

"Come on, let's fight!"

"Watch out, there's someone else nearby, fully armored."

"Zhang Taixian, what are you doing here?" Cain removed his magic armor, grabbed Marco Polo with one hand, and looked at the newcomer with some surprise. Li Bai, who had followed him, was also there.

There's an extra person outside the main storyline—no, I'm an extra person too. Did my choice, different from Kai's, change my fate?

Cain pondered to himself.

"Hey, it's Brother Cain. To be honest, I came here to capture Marco Polo... But you actually caught him? That's wonderful." Zhang Taixian, who had rushed over, was equally surprised.

"You're Cain?"

Li Bai stared at Cain with curiosity and doubt in his eyes. Clearly, he never expected that the person who was chased by Zhong Kui was actually Cain, whom the Great Wall Guards praised so highly.

"Indeed, the famous Li Bai, hello." Cain said with a smile.

During this brief moment of neglect, Marco Polo, taking advantage of Cain's conversation with Li Bai, suddenly "torn off" the arm that Cain was holding, used several wandering spears to quickly create distance, and then pulled out the key to the mechanism from his pocket and threw it forcefully toward the [door].

"Oh no, the key to the mechanism!" Zhang Taixian exclaimed in surprise.

Cain hadn't expected Marco Polo to be so ruthless. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that what Marco Polo was holding was an incredibly intricately designed mechanical arm, as if he had been prepared for this all along.

Having been ambushed once before, Marco Polo, recalling the details, was filled with doubt and wanted to keep a backup plan, so he switched to a mechanical hand as a precaution.

Cain was not particularly moved, but what was happening before his eyes made him think.

Is this predetermined fate truly unstoppable?

……