Rumble...
As bursts of fire exploded across the outer wall of the Glazed Lamp, this mountain region, buried in dust for over thirty years, suddenly came alive.
The Three Major Powers opened fire almost simultaneously, with Burning Fire Company and Gray Mountain Group unleashing the most overwhelming firepower.
Shell after shell howled in from every direction, transforming together into fire and dust.
They were accompanied by bullets fired from thousands of guns, like a raging storm. Yet regrettably, they could not shake the Glazed Lamp, magnified countless times over, in the slightest.
No one had expected such a scene.
As the first round of bombardment ended, the gunners atop the mountains stopped loading their shells, while the densely packed Evolvers loosened their fingers from their triggers.
After the brief thunderous roar, the mountain range—
suddenly fell silent!
As wisps of cloud churned across the sky, people discovered in shock that the entire solitary peak had been enveloped by an immensely thick barrier, seemingly constructed from some kind of crystal!
And the modern weapons they had expected to destroy their target had returned without accomplishing anything at all.
Silence.
At this moment, the entire mountain range sank into an indescribable stillness.
The Evolvers stared reverently at the enormous, incomprehensible protective shield. They felt suffocated, their mouths hanging open, as though they could no longer even cry out in shock.
"Th-this... could this... also be his... ability?" The hidden boss of Floating Apocalypse stared blankly at the scene, his mind completely empty.
The many upper echelons of Burning Fire Company and Gray Mountain Group were likewise struck speechless, utterly unable to understand what had happened.
This was... an ability too?
The scene before them had completely exceeded their imagination. For a time, no one could think of any response.
Some Evolvers even hurriedly collapsed onto the ground.
The mountain wind howled. With the attacks halted, the sky darkened once more.
The cold wind swept across the land, making everyone except Lin Tuo shiver.
Even Hua Xi, standing beside him, was no exception.
She stared blankly ahead, gazing through the Glazed Lamp at the vaguely visible people beyond it. For a long while, she could not speak. Only after quite some time did she finally return to her senses and turn, intending to say something, when she heard Lin Tuo say calmly:
"Wait here for me."
With that, he turned and returned to the laboratory, heading straight for the "window" nearest the sea.
He leaped down, landing and springing from the mountain rocks several times before arriving at a gap between the Glazed Lamp and the sea. Then he shifted his consciousness and transferred the Secret Seal in his hand to his true body.
Inside the study of Lishan Martial Arts School.
Lin Tuo slowly withdrew his right hand from the ocean, immediately summoned the Virtual Panel, and switched it to Observation Mode.
He then found Lishan Martial Arts School within the Sandbox, carefully lowered his hand, and tossed the Secret Seal—no larger than a speck of dust—into the Training Ground.
Then he stood and pushed open the door. When he returned a moment later, an ancient-looking seal had appeared in his hand.
"There's no time to lose... Whether or not this Wasteland is to be abandoned, I must first move the living beings on it out before dealing with the rest..."
Lin Tuo switched the Sandbox back to the Wasteland and stood beside it with a serious expression.
Yes, he intended to use the power of this Secret Seal to make all living beings across the continent voluntarily leave their shelters, making them easier for him to transfer.
"According to the Analysis Report, this Secret Seal's maximum range is only ten meters. Heh, if it were inside the Sandbox, ten meters would cover far too few people... But what if I took it outside?"
Lin Tuo measured the long table holding the Evolution Sandbox in the study with his eyes. A range of ten meters would be enough to cover the entire continent!
As for the limit on numbers, when controlled from outside the Sandbox, the targets' bodies were reduced many times over, and the difficulty of hypnotizing them was likewise reduced accordingly.
Of course, even so, the enormous number of targets was still beyond what the Secret Seal's own Aether could sustain. Fortunately, Lin Tuo could continuously pour Aether into it to replenish its consumption.
"I hope this works."
Lin Tuo muttered softly. Then he held the Secret Seal in his hand, suspended it above the Sandbox continent, and silently attempted to activate it according to the method described in the Analysis Report.
The next second, the old and ancient Secret Seal slowly lit up.
It was as though a sun had been ignited within the jade.
At the same time, Lin Tuo established a connection with the object on the level of consciousness. Then he bent over and, above the dark clouds, deliberately recited in a majestic voice:
"This world is about to be destroyed. All living beings should go to the Great Western Continent and journey together to the New Continent."
At the same time, the Secret Seal in Lin Tuo's hand shone brightly, sending out an invisible ripple that spread the will contained within those words.
At the same time.
Inside the Sandbox.
Across the three hundred thousand square kilometers of Wasteland, countless living beings stopped what they were doing at that very moment, or jolted awake from their sleep.
They raised their heads in astonishment and looked toward the sky, thick with dark clouds.
And they heard that somewhat indistinct yet incomparably majestic voice from the heavens.
Without realizing it, they were successfully hypnotized by the ripple sweeping across the entire continent. Instinctively obeying the command in those words, they walked outside, into the wilderness, toward the Great Western Continent.
Mine Town.
In an open-pit mine, countless refugees, wrapped in thin clothing, mechanically swung their tools, clanging away as they extracted ore.
At the center, the "mayor," dressed in a tattered jacket and work pants, a riding whip in hand, was inspecting the worksite amid the escort of several thugs.
From time to time, he shouted and whipped refugees who slacked off.
But at that moment, he suddenly sensed something. Raising his head toward the sky, he saw the dense clouds above churning as though boiling. From above the clouds, a vague yet imposing voice slowly echoed:
"This world is about to be destroyed..."
The instant he heard that voice, the mayor's muddy eyes abruptly lost focus, as though he were sleepwalking.
Beside him, countless refugees also stopped what they were doing and raised their heads. Confusion surfaced on those filthy, weathered, numb faces.
Clatter.
Bang.
The mayor dropped his whip. The thugs threw away their rifles. The refugee miners set down their baskets and cast aside their pickaxes... Everyone turned like sleepwalkers toward the Great Western Continent.
Black Stone City.
Within a large base in Burning Fire Company's territory.
Countless sleeping people opened their eyes at that moment.
The voice from the distant heavens echoed in their ears.
Then their eyes lost focus. They slowly climbed up, instinctively packed their bags, took their most cherished belongings, pushed open their doors, and joined the crowds in the streets.
Throughout the vast Black Stone City, countless people emerged from their homes and merged into the tide of people walking toward the city gates.
There was no conversation and no obstruction.
Everyone, including Black Stone City's guard troops, voluntarily opened the gates under the power of the "hypnosis," leading the people onto the wilderness and toward the Great Western Continent.
It was not only humans.
Out in the wilderness, a pack of Wasteland Wolves emerged from the dense forest. The powerful Gray Wolf King at their head raised his neck and pricked his ears high.
He could not understand human language, yet at that moment, he was tainted by the will contained within Lin Tuo's voice.
He threw back his head and let out a mournful wolf howl, leading his tribe in a mad dash toward the Great Western Continent.
Behind him, countless Mutant Beasts also emerged from the forests and joined the migrating ranks.
Many of them were natural enemies, yet beneath the Secret Seal's power, they suppressed their instinct to hunt.
Similar scenes played out across every corner of the continent at that moment.
Countless humans and Mutant Beasts, under the spiritual will covering three hundred thousand square kilometers of land, formed a surging flood that crossed the frigid wilderness and advanced toward the Great Western Continent.
Even in the distant ocean, some fish were affected. Entire schools leaped from the Endless Sea and rushed toward land, creating a spectacular sight.
The Great Western Continent.
Within the mountain range, the Evolvers of Blaze, Gray Mountain, and Floating Apocalypse also heard that voice from the heavens at that moment.
Compared with ordinary people, these Evolvers possessed stronger spiritual wills and were therefore less affected.
Some of the stronger ones merely felt dizzy for a brief moment before breaking free of the hypnotic effect and staring in horror toward the sky.
"This world is about to be destroyed... All living beings should go to the Great Western Continent... Journey together to the New Continent..."
Hearing that majestic and unfamiliar voice, countless Evolvers atop the mountains nearly lost their grip on their minds.
Some of the more timid ones simply dropped to their knees.
At that moment, the same term surfaced in countless hearts without prior agreement:
"Deity!"
Yes. Even though civilization had regressed, many things from the Old Era had not been entirely severed. The people of this world still remembered that Gods existed.
In fact, when the Great Cataclysm began and explosions scorched the land, countless people had prayed for a Deity to descend.
Yet no matter how they prayed, they received no response.
Later, a saying gradually spread among the survivors of the Wasteland: the Mad Emperor's actions had enraged the Celestials, and so this land had become a place abandoned by the Gods.
Yet who could have imagined that today, they would once more witness the mighty power only a Celestial could possess?
At that moment, even those who had not been affected cast aside their weapons and looked reverently toward the heavens.
Even if some higher-ups tried to stop them, they could not turn back the tide.
Inside the study of Lishan Martial Arts School.
The Aether contained within the Secret Seal had been exhausted just seconds after activation. Lin Tuo had no choice but to inject a small amount of his own Aether into it to sustain the entire process.
Only after confirming that the hypnosis sweeping across the entire continent had succeeded did Lin Tuo stop supplying Aether. The Secret Seal abruptly dimmed, and more cracks appeared across its surface.
"Fortunately, it didn't consume much Aether. Mm, the hypnosis probably won't last long, but it's already enough." Lin Tuo looked down at the Sandbox continent and thought to himself.
In truth, if his sole purpose had been to migrate humanity, he could probably have accomplished it simply by pretending to be a Deity without using the Secret Seal. It would merely have been more troublesome.
But the problem was that Lin Tuo did not only want to take away humanity. He had no intention of abandoning the beasts mutated by radiation either.
Thus, borrowing the Secret Seal's power was the simplest and most effective method.
"Let as many living beings as possible remain... After all, I'm not like the old emperor. I'm no mad God..." Lin Tuo shook his head and murmured.
After saying that, he suddenly froze. He reconsidered his own words, his gaze shifting slightly as he looked at the Secret Seal in his hand with growing wariness.
"A negative effect... As expected, this thing cannot be kept." Lin Tuo's expression turned cold. He exerted force with his right hand, and the Secret Seal shattered completely, destroyed into a clump of ordinary residue devoid of all supernatural power.
Casually tossing the jade powder into the Endless Sea, Lin Tuo closed his eyes and focused for a moment before looking back at the Sandbox.
Before you continue