Translator: CinderTL
Having lost the Suction Cup, Feng Qi's arrogance vanished, replaced by utter timidity.
He now cautiously detoured around any domain creatures he encountered, his once-straightforward path becoming a winding, circuitous route.
Without the Suction Cup, he felt as if his arms had been broken, his combat effectiveness severely diminished.
Don't flatter yourself. You're just a projectile launcher. Without your primary weapon, you're utterly harmless... "Broken arms," my ass! I might as well claim that my wealth combined with the world's richest man would make us the wealthiest in the world. Am I bragging about it?
Feng Qi: ...
Ignoring the Narrator's mocking remarks, he pressed onward.
The endless plains stretched before him, carpeted with white flowers swaying in the breeze.
Whenever a Yin wind swept through, the floral sea rippled like waves, emitting a rustling "shush" sound.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he spotted a domain creature in the distance.
Shaped like a towering stack of stones, the creature stood over five meters tall, resembling a small mountain. A black rune crystal at its core glowed faintly under the Blood Moon, while distinct purple markings covered its entire body.
Having already noticed the domain creature, Feng Qi decisively chose to take a detour.
But the Narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
Remember this thing. If you ever become strong enough, come back and kill it!
Intrigued, Feng Qi couldn't resist asking:
"What ability would I gain by killing it?"
One of the essential talents for musclebound men. I'm not sure of the exact name—I don't name these things, after all—but its ability would suit you perfectly, far better than that eyeball's "malevolence."
This piqued Feng Qi's interest.
If the Narrator claimed it was a perfect fit, the talent gained from killing this "Stone Mountain" must be exceptionally powerful.
"What are my chances of winning if I attack now?"
Certain death!
"What about activating my blood source and psychokinesis?"
See those purple runes etched across its body? They grant immunity to many curse arts and elemental attacks. Your psychokinesis would have minimal effect. Its defenses are practically magic-proof, similar to the jade-like aura surrounding the Suction Cup.
As for your Blood Source Ability, even at your current Qi and blood strength, the power you gain from activating it is less than one-tenth of his. How could you possibly fight him?
"That strong?"
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, Feng Qi's impulsive thoughts immediately cooled.
After one last glance at the Stone Mountain, he decisively chose to take a detour.
Since he kept a safe distance, the Stone Mountain showed no reaction, allowing him to bypass it without incident and continue onward.
He walked for an unknown length of time until he could no longer see little black or Suction Cup behind him.
"Narrator, how much further? I've been walking for ages!"
Almost there. Hurry and don't waste the precious time Suction Cup bought for you. This might be your chance to find that faint life source.
Feng Qi nodded immediately.
Releasing his psychokinesis to propel himself forward, he resumed his frantic sprint.
As time passed, the blood rain gradually stopped, and the gloomy sky began to brighten as the dark clouds dispersed.
Yet the world remained shrouded in a chilling, oppressive atmosphere.
His mental energy depleted once more, Feng Qi slowed his pace again.
Finally, the Narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
Climb over that steep slope ahead. The target should be right there. Try searching around.
Heeding the Narrator's guidance, Feng Qi eagerly scrambled up the slope and peered over the crest.
He had expected to see a post-apocalyptic human settlement.
Instead, what lay before him was a colossal crater, over a hundred meters deep, as if formed by a meteorite impact.
He also noticed something shimmering at the bottom of the crater under the Blood Moon's crimson glow.
That must be it. Go check it out. Don't worry about safety—isn't investigating this thing the whole reason we came here?
Feng Qi nodded immediately at the Narrator's words.
After cresting the slope, he leaned back and slid down toward the crater floor.
But the slope was too steep. He quickly lost control, hurtling off the edge and plummeting a hundred meters straight down.
Feng Qi remained calm.
Just before impact, he unleashed his psychokinesis to cushion his fall.
However, the momentum proved too great. His already depleted mental energy was instantly drained, and his body still collided lightly with the ground.
Climbing to his feet, his gaze fell upon the luminous object.
Before him stood a statue of a woman, crafted from an unknown material that glowed with a soft jade-like hue under the Blood Moon.
The statue, approximately 1.65 meters tall, appeared to be life-sized.
She held a long spear, pointing it toward the void as if her gaze pierced through the layers of Yin shrouding the sky, reaching for the distant stars beyond the realm.
"What is this?"
I'm not sure. I sense a faint life force emanating from within the statue. Go take a closer look.
Intrigued, he took a few steps forward, approaching the statue.
Upon closer inspection, he suddenly felt a strange familiarity with the spear-wielding woman's likeness, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen her before.
What puzzled him even more was the statue's purpose here.
Are you an archaeologist now, trying to find meaning in statues? Hurry up and locate the source of that life force.
Feng Qi nodded immediately.
Approaching the statue, he began meticulously searching for any potential life source.
After circling the statue, he found no external objects, leading him to suspect that the life force originated from within the statue itself.
The moment he touched the female statue, his mysterious Nightmare ability activated automatically.
Instantly, countless images flooded his mind.
The first vision showed a once-thriving city enveloped by a Domain Field, as countless monsters descended upon it, wreaking havoc.
The city was reduced to ruins, and the vast majority of its inhabitants perished in the domain creatures' slaughter.
In the final scene, a boy with blood streaming down his forehead staggered through the rubble to the city's edge. His eyes burned with despair and bone-deep fury.
Behind him, a grotesquely twisted monster was closing in rapidly.
Just as the boy was about to fall prey to the domain creature, a silver spear streaked across the sky, precisely pinning the beast to the ground behind him.
In the final frame, the smiling girl from the statue stood before the boy.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Emperor Ye!"
"Do you want revenge?"
"Yes."
"I can grant you power. I hope you won't disappoint me."
With those words, the girl from the statue took the boy's hand and led him step by step out of the ruined city.
The first scene ended there. Just as Feng Qi was wondering why Emperor Ye, one of the Historical Gods of War, had appeared in this memory fragment, the scene shifted.
The second scene unfolded in a laboratory. A man with graying hair, wearing a white Scarlet Research Institute uniform, sat slumped before a control console.
Suddenly, the door was smashed open, and a group of men in black uniforms stormed in, immediately beginning to destroy the experimental equipment.
The leader glared at the dejected researcher and roared:
"This rune augment project is strictly forbidden! Since you refuse to cooperate, we'll take custody of this equipment for you!"
In the end, the black-clad enforcers emptied the laboratory, leaving only the exhausted middle-aged man sitting motionless in his chair.
At that moment, the girl from the statue appeared beside him.
"Hey, I think the rune augment project is a good idea. Maybe you should keep trying."
The man, startled by her words, shook his head. "No, I'm tired. Every attempt ends in failure."
"Just one more try," the girl insisted, pulling out a crimson rune crystal. "I'll give you something special." She smiled and held the crystal out to him. "This is a rune crystal from the Scarlet Laboratory. It contains a powerful rune that can enhance your augment."
"I have some money. Why don't you open another lab? But don't announce you're continuing the rune augment project. You need to take things slow."
The middle-aged man visibly startled as he accepted the crimson rune crystal from the girl, seemingly puzzled by her willingness to help him.
"I've even thought of a name for your lab! Since this rune crystal is scarlet, and you'll be starting with it, let's call it the Scarlet Laboratory. Hehe."
The second scene abruptly ended, and a new scene flashed into Feng Qi's mind.
In this scene, the girl from the statue sat on a park bench, watching a little boy licking a lollipop beside her. With a serious expression, she asked:
"Hey, kid, your bone structure is extraordinary—you're a once-in-a-lifetime martial arts prodigy! Tell me, what's your dream?"
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
"Do you have any dreams? Maybe I can help you achieve them, but you have to promise me that for the rest of your life, you'll strive for humanity's rise."
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Faced with the boy's indifference, the statue girl fell silent for a moment before smiling brightly and saying:
"If you don't answer, I'll take that as a yes..."
The third segment of the vision was fragmented and incomplete, immediately followed by the fourth segment appearing in Feng Qi's mind.
In this scene, a beautiful young woman sat on the edge of a bed, continuously vomiting blood.
Feng Qi recognized her instantly: Wei Wei, the director of the Scarlet Research Institute's Genetics Department.
As Wei Wei lay on the brink of death, the girl from the statue appeared beside her, smiling gently as she spoke:
"Can you still talk?"
Seeing the girl, Wei Wei wiped the blood from her lips and asked weakly, "How... did you... get in here?"
The girl didn't answer, but instead said with genuine concern, "Your condition is critical. Were you exposed to the rune crystal energy of a Special Domain Creature? Hmm... with current medical technology, it seems you can't be saved."
Wei Wei rolled her eyes at the girl and coughed, "Exactly. I can't be saved. I'm just waiting to die now."
At that moment, the girl produced a shimmering golden pearl from nowhere and offered it to Wei Wei.
"Eat this. It will make you better. But you must promise me that for the rest of your life, you will continue to strive for humanity's future."
"What is this?" Wei Wei asked, bewildered.
"Something good. You'll know once you eat it. Remember our promise... though the wait might be a bit long, heh heh."
The fourth segment of the vision abruptly ended, immediately followed by the fifth.
This time, the figure appearing in the vision was none other than Mu Qing.
(End of the Chapter)
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