Translator: CinderTL
Days passed, and the execution date drew near, now only ten days away.
Staring at the masked man standing beside him, clad in full metal armor, Feng Qi licked his parched lips.
The Spirit Energy Clan's calculated scheme was formidable.
But they had overlooked one crucial detail: in the Lord of the Mist's future plans, the collection of faith was merely a secondary objective.
Even without Feng Qi, the Lord of the Mist, safely ensconced in Star City, could rest assured of his ultimate victory.
The Flesh and Blood Sacrifice plan would still succeed, allowing him to stand in the future, 1500 years hence, and reap the souls of all living beings.
Therefore, his death would be no loss to the Lord of the Mist.
Collecting power of faith had merely been an incidental plan devised by the Lord of the Mist to elevate him.
He knew the Lord of the Mist valued loyalty deeply.
After so many years together, the Lord of the Mist had long regarded him as family.
Yet he had also witnessed the Lord of the Mist's cruelty and his extreme composure when weighing advantages and disadvantages.
At this stage, the Lord of the Mist was far from as powerful as the Spirit Energy Clan imagined. A reckless rescue attempt would be akin to walking into a trap, a one-way journey with no return.
Thus, the Spirit Energy Clan's plan had been doomed from the start.
The core of the Lord of the Mist's future strategy had never been him, but himself.
Moreover, the Lord of the Mist carried the future hopes of countless fallen clansmen on his shoulders.
He believed the Lord of the Mist would avenge him, but knowing him as he did, he was certain he would never come to his rescue.
If the Lord of the Mist had acted on impulse, he would never have risen to become a dominant force 1500 years later.
"It's been 21 days, and they still haven't come. If you die, won't your entire faith plan collapse?" the masked man standing beside him suddenly asked.
"It seems I've been abandoned," Feng Qi replied casually. "By the way, could you toss me some water? I've been baking in the sun all day."
"You're the core of their plan. I refuse to believe the forces behind you haven't reacted at all," the masked man continued, grabbing a water jug from the table and tossing it to Feng Qi.
Feng Qi caught the jug with his mouth, tilted his head back, and gulped down several large mouthfuls.
After flinging the jug back to the masked man, he looked at him curiously and asked, "Your ancestors produced a demigod, so your bloodline strength should far surpass that of the Spirit Energy Clan. Why do you serve them?"
"That was in the past. My clan's glory has long since faded amidst the power struggles of various factions. Now, the Spirit Energy Clan is willing to generously support us. For the sake of my clan's future, I'm simply making the right choice."
"This support might conceal a sinister plot."
The masked man responded calmly,
"This is a gamble where the winner takes all. I've already staked the fate of my entire race."
"I'm about to die. Tell me about the Dark God Race's future plans."
"You're about to die. There's no need for you to know so much."
Unable to extract any useful information, Feng Qi stopped questioning him.
He looked up at the azure sky, knowing that this Sacrifice Line had likely failed.
But at least he wasn't completely ignorant of the future timeline.
He had already transmitted the general situation, including some details from this timeline, to the Scarlet Research Institute through Wei Wei.
However, the Feng Qi from 1500 years in the future could no longer access information from this timeline by reading brain memories, causing him to miss many details.
For example, information about the Dark God Cult.
He had only learned about this after being captured, making it impossible to convey to his other self.
Having experienced multiple timelines, Feng Qi had grown indifferent to death.
As he gazed at the enraged crowd blocked outside the execution platform, his expression remained calm, his heart utterly unmoved.
He didn't resent the people throwing stones at him.
Their anger stemmed from their love for this world and their yearning for a brighter future.
They were simply blinded by their own perceptions.
The Lord of the Mist had once analyzed the structure of human society with him.
During their conversation, he made a statement that left a deep impression on Feng Qi: "To easily manipulate the people of Star City, one only needs to understand their fundamental motivations."
Fear, hypocrisy, justice, or a sense of mission—all these could be exploited.
For example, to manipulate righteous warriors into fighting for them, one only needed to create a fictitious enemy. Driven by their sense of justice, they would become his unquestioning blades.
Through his experiences across multiple timelines, Feng Qi had come to deeply appreciate the truth of the Lord of the Mist's words.
The best strategy is to attack the mind, the next best is to attack the army.
This was precisely what made the Lord of the Mist so terrifying—his ability to see through things with such clarity.
Therefore, Feng Qi was certain the Lord of the Mist wouldn't come.
Because the Lord of the Mist understood the situation better than anyone else, he would undoubtedly realize the consequences of attempting a rescue.
Feng Qi even imagined the Lord of the Mist secretly vowing revenge for him at that very moment.
As dusk fell, he was lowered from the restraints.
The masked man grabbed him and led him toward the prison cages behind the execution grounds.
Tomorrow, he would be suspended from the execution platform again, enduring the public's wrath. The Spirit Energy Clan clearly still hoped the mastermind behind the scenes would reveal themselves.
Nine days later, the execution day arrived.
The sky was cloudless, and the sun blazed brightly.
At dawn, Feng Qi was escorted to the execution grounds, his clothes replaced with prison garb.
The Miracle Bracelet on his right wrist was confiscated by the masked man, who now wore it himself.
Clearly, the masked man didn't realize the Miracle Bracelet was a miracle item. He merely considered it a peculiar artifact.
The Lord of the Mist had only discovered the bracelet's true nature because the humanoid leader of the Heijue Domain Field had used it to unleash a powerful ability. Under normal circumstances, the Miracle Bracelet appeared no more than a decorative piece crafted from energy crystal stones.
Upon reaching the execution grounds, the masked man forced Feng Qi to kneel in the center of the arena.
The area was teeming with hidden forces, meticulously positioned in advance. The Spirit Energy Clan had even invited representatives from Old Day City's military department to witness the execution.
A perfect trap had been laid, waiting for its prey to take the bait.
Feng Qi's gaze swept across the surroundings, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
The plan was flawless, but the Lord of the Mist would never come.
As time passed, more and more residents of Old Day City gathered outside the execution grounds.
With the execution hour approaching, the masked man forced Feng Qi to kneel before the guillotine.
The clock hanging above the execution grounds ticked relentlessly, like a countdown to his death.
As the hands moved forward, his life retreated backward.
The fully armed masked man standing behind him raised the guillotine.
Facing imminent death, Feng Qi felt a strange calm.
Upon reflection, he realized he had experienced every possible death across countless timelines, especially on execution grounds.
The electric chair, beheading, and now the guillotine—he had seen it all.
His gaze drifted to the angry faces in the crowd, and a flicker of solace stirred within him.
My timeline is finally coming to an end...
Just then, thunder rumbled across the sky, and dark clouds blotted out the scorching sun.
A fierce wind whipped across his face as he looked up.
The clouds coalesced, and a colossal gray mist figure emerged from within.
A massive gray mist hand slammed down toward the execution grounds.
Feng Qi stared in stunned disbelief.
The masked man raised his own hand and struck upward at the sky.
Boom!
The mist hand collided with the masked man's ghostly green flames, instantly devouring the fire.
The gray mist continued to descend, crashing onto the execution platform and spreading outward.
As the mist dissipated, the Lord of the Mist's figure emerged from within.
He gazed at Feng Qi, who was bound before the guillotine, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
"I'm late. I used this past month to cultivate in seclusion, strengthening my power as much as possible... Now, I've come to take you home."
"Why did you come?!" Feng Qi asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"I once lost all my family, a regret that haunts me still. Now, you're my only family."
"You're insane!"
"Hahaha, I promised you a place by my side when I reach the summit. This is my guarantee. Our journey has only just begun, and we won't fall here."
As figures began to converge around them, the Lord of the Mist transformed back into mist.
The mist surged violently, instantly coalescing into a hundred-meter-tall mist giant, towering over the crowd.
"Come on, let's fight!"
(End of the Chapter)
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