Crack.
The platinum-cast hourglass base split open beneath the crushing weight of the Overlord Spear, a jagged gap tearing across it.
Chu Qing stepped forward, his bare feet landing on shattered platinum fragments.
The instant his fingertips touched the first black metal panel.
Dim fluorescence seeped out from beneath the rust. Lines of flickering digitized text sketched out an interface in midair—one Chu Qing knew all too well.
[Mission: Devour one thousand of your own kind to simplify the physical body to 'Flawless'.]
Chu Qing's fingers suddenly stiffened.
His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
(Physiological reaction): Sour fluid churned in his stomach and rushed straight up his throat. Images buried in the deepest corners of his memories became rusted blades, carving through his nerves.
The rainy night in Stone Rock County.
In that ruined temple, he had grabbed those wriggling, slime-covered mantises.
One by one, he had stuffed them into his mouth.
That slick sensation. That bitterness bursting between his teeth.
He had always thought it was his own ruthlessness, that he had spared no cost merely to survive.
Chu Qing stared fixedly at the words "own kind" on the metal panel. The muscles in his jaw jumped violently, and his nails dug deep into the panel's rust, leaving five white marks.
"Lord... wh-what is this?"
Behind him, the Investigation Team members crowded closer.
Ye Wushuang's breathing became extraordinarily heavy. Looking at the floating words, his knees gave way, and he dropped to the ground with a thud. His knuckles clenched until they turned blue, and his voice rose into a shrill, distorted pitch from overwhelming agitation. "An Oracle! This is the final command left behind by the Ancient Deity!"
The remaining Heavenly Prides all lowered their heads, their foreheads smashing heavily against the cold stone tiles with