"Sigh, I knew something would go wrong. But then again, if nothing had, the Chat Group wouldn't have issued a mission."
The tall man who had suddenly appeared and blocked the attack for Lin Qiye was He Lingxuan.
As soon as he was teleported here, He Lingxuan used ki to detect the life signs within a few kilometers. He sensed a being in one area whose aura was unusually special and sacred.
He Lingxuan immediately realized that it was where Lin Qiye was. He rushed there at incredible speed, making it look as though he had teleported.
At the sight of the tall man who had suddenly appeared, surprise showed in Lin Qiye's eyes. Then, as a thought struck him, he seemed to understand something.
A nameless fury surged in his heart, but thinking of their current situation, he did his best to keep his voice under control.
"You must be one of Zhao Kongcheng's colleagues, a Night Watcher too! You're this strong, so why? Why couldn't you have come sooner?
Old Zhao didn't even have a Forbidden Ruin! ... Be careful of that monster, though. Something's off about it..."
From Lin Qiye's agitated expression and what he said, He Lingxuan could more or less tell what he thought had happened.
"Hey, hey, I'm not a Night Watcher. I'm just a Saiyan passing through. Pay more attention to what's in your mind—that stuff isn't fake."
Just as He Lingxuan turned to explain things to Lin Qiye, the mutated Ghost Face King sent countless tentacles lashing toward him from every direction.
---Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of rushing air rang out once more. In barely a fraction of a second, countless tentacles reached Lin Qiye and He Lingxuan, crashing down around them with such terrifying force that it seemed they would tear the two of them to pieces!
"Hey! It's rude to interrupt when someone's talking. Got it, monster?"
In a fraction of a second, He Lingxuan moved. The tentacles before him seemed to freeze in place.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lin Qiye's vision blurred. The tentacles that had been about to hit them shattered into fragments, and in the next instant, the mutated body of the Ghost Face King disintegrated into countless bits of flesh!
Even one still-spinning eyeball rolled to He Lingxuan's feet. He kicked it toward the pile of flesh.
"Ugh! What a disgusting thing."
Just then, an unknown crimson aura seeped into the remains, causing the scraps of flesh to begin writhing!
In the next instant, a flash of light streaked past, followed by a series of deafening explosions.
As He Lingxuan turned to face Lin Qiye, he had thrown out a Ki Blast. It reduced the writhing remains of the Ghost Face King to ash, leaving it no chance to mutate and fight back.
"I don't make a habit of leaving things unfinished."
He Lingxuan turned with a look of disdain and glanced at Lin Qiye, who was still somewhat stunned.
"All right, that's taken care of. I haven't asked your name yet. What is it?"
He asked because he didn't want to reveal that he was a transmigrator just yet. If he gave his name away, it might arouse suspicion later.
Still stunned by the strength He Lingxuan had just displayed, Lin Qiye slowly replied, "My name is Lin Qiye."
He Lingxuan laughed heartily and patted Lin Qiye on the shoulder.
"Then I'll call you Qiye. Once the others arrive, I'll turn in the mission. The guy lying on the ground hasn't completely died yet. Someone from the group who came to carry out the mission should be able to save him."
As he spoke, He Lingxuan couldn't help shaking his head. If only I'd gone to Korin Tower first and brought back all the Senzu Beans. It's not like I have any way to heal people.
Just then, Lin Qiye realized something was off. This man didn't seem to be a Night Watcher at all. And judging by the strange things he'd said...
Lin Qiye began wondering what was in his mind.
Besides the Mysterious Mental Hospital that only he knew about...
Could it really be?
No, the information he'd mentioned being in his mind—could that Chat Group interface from earlier actually be real?
Could it not be one of his special abilities from the mental hospital?
So Lin Qiye called out in his mind, "Chat Group."
The next instant, a golden chat interface appeared before Lin Qiye.
After skimming the latest messages, Lin Qiye more or less understood what had happened.
He hurriedly looked at the handsome, tall man before him and apologized awkwardly. "I misunderstood you. I also want to thank you for taking this rescue mission. Otherwise, I might really be dead by now. I can't even imagine how heartbroken my aunt would be if I died..."
Just then, the rain suddenly grew heavier, as if it wanted to wash away the lingering stench of blood and the darkness that had been destroyed...
Rain ran down from the corners of Lin Qiye's eyes as though he were crying. After apologizing, he silently watched Zhao Kongcheng, who seemed to have almost no life left in him.
It wasn't quite right to say he had no life left. His life force had been exhausted, but Lin Qiye wasn't strong enough to see that yet.
He Lingxuan, who could sense life forces, looked grave. He could clearly feel that Zhao Kongcheng's life force had completely vanished.
Even a Senzu Bean wouldn't help now. Only something capable of bringing the dead back to life by reversing time and space might be able to save Zhao Kongcheng.
Drip! Drip!
Rumble! Rumble!
The wind and downpour, accompanied by thunder, added a touch of fury to an already restless night.
Lin Qiye picked up the long blade beside him. Rain slid down his cheeks as he stumbled step by step through the puddles of blood toward Zhao Kongcheng's body.
"I told you long ago. Being a hero isn't easy."
Looking at Zhao Kongcheng's cold body, Lin Qiye murmured, "You risked your life fighting here, but how many people even know?
"Do you know? Right now, the city center, several miles away, is still bustling with lights and excitement.
"They're singing at karaoke bars, enjoying hot pot at restaurants, rolling around in hotel beds, eating popcorn at the movies...
"And you— you!
"You can only die here in silence.
"They'll never know that in this torrential rain, a man took down a mythological creature with a blade!
"They don't know that they can enjoy themselves without a care because someone gave his life for them.
"Was it really worth it?"
Lin Qiye stared at Zhao Kongcheng's pale face, as if waiting for an answer.
Unfortunately, he would never speak again.
He Lingxuan fell silent as well. Before transmigrating, he had only been a young man struggling to make a living.
Just then, a voice rang out, making the atmosphere awkward.
"Haha, I'm here!"
Silver light flashed, and a boy in a black windbreaker suddenly appeared in midair.
At the sound of those words, Lin Qiye whipped around, looking at the boy who had suddenly appeared with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
That one look made Li Jiahao, who had just used his spatial ability to teleport here, feel uneasy all over. Even a cold sweat broke out on his back.
Seeing the boy, who was about his age, give him such a look, Li Jiahao hurriedly said, "Hey, hey, why are you looking at me like that? I just got here. I haven't done anything!"
Even He Lingxuan looked exasperated. But just then, Li Jiahao turned his gaze toward him.
He suddenly felt that He Lingxuan looked familiar. On closer inspection, though, he wasn't so sure. It was only after piecing together the details of the people who had taken part in this mission that Li Jiahao figured it out.
This handsome young man was the Saiyan they had rescued not long ago.
Putting on a familiar air, he said, "Hey, hey, do you remember me?
"Oh, right, you were unconscious back then, so you probably don't. I was one of the people who took part in the mission and saved you. So, are you grateful?"
Seeing his annoying, smug expression, He Lingxuan could barely resist punching him. But then he remembered that Li Jiahao might have saved him when he was in danger, and managed to hold back.
Seeing Lin Qiye's increasingly dangerous look, He Lingxuan couldn't help reminding him, "Hey, someone died here. You'd better stop acting so flippant, or Qiye might cut you down."
Only after He Lingxuan said that did Li Jiahao notice the middle-aged man lying beneath the rain and shadows. His face was pale, and he wasn't moving. It was obvious he was dead.
"Hey, I thought it was something serious. It's just a dead guy. Watch me..."
Before Li Jiahao could finish speaking, a long blade was at his throat.
"Say another word and I'll slit your throat!"
Lin Qiye looked crazed, murderous intent in his eyes chilling to the bone. He would never allow anyone to insult Zhao Kongcheng, a hero who had died protecting the lights of countless homes!
But in the next moment, Lin Qiye seemed to remember something, and his mind fell into a tangled struggle.
Just then, Li Jiahao stammered, "Hey, hero, could you take the blade away first? Let's talk this out. I misspoke. Sorry for the trouble.
"But I can bring the uncle lying on the ground back to life, so could you move the blade away?"
A closer look would have shown that, even though Li Jiahao acted frightened and stammered, his voice held no trace of panic. It was as if he would be fine even if his throat were slit.
"I should just slit your throat after all. You'd say anything to stay alive—even claim you can resurrect the dead..."
Lin Qiye's voice turned icy, though his murderous intent quietly faded.
After all, he was a decent young man. How could he be so impulsive as to slit someone's throat? (Laughs.)
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, another voice rang out, leaving all three of them stunned.
"Hey, kid, are you going to stand there holding that blade all night? If you've got the guts to swing it, I'll give you credit."
A domineering young man in ancient armor had appeared in the Forbidden Airspace at some point. His arms were folded, and he seemed to be calmly enjoying the show.
He had arrived alongside a purple giant with a bald head and a sturdy young man who looked like a complete blockhead.
They were the late-arriving Ninja World Asura, Uchiha Madara; the Cosmic Overlord, Thanos; and the Arataki Gang Boss, Arataki Itto.
"Hahaha! I'm not too late, am I? There were too many strange things along the way, so I couldn't help stopping to look at a few," Arataki Itto said excitedly.
"Can't you see it's already been taken care of? This kid was waiting for us so he could submit the mission."
Uchiha Madara spoke calmly. From just a few glances, he had already figured out roughly what had happened here.
He had years of combat experience and keen powers of observation to thank for that.
"Phew, you finally moved the blade away. Things like that are dangerous. Don't point them at your own people again..."
"Let me save this fallen uncle. I haven't used my abilities in a long time. Domain Expansion!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a special domain of silver light spread out with Li Jiahao at its center. The flow of time and shifts in space within it seemed extremely strange, as though a thousand years passed in an instant while great force turned to nothing.
"Minimalism! Domain Reversal! Get away from me, or you'll be affected! Spacetime Reversal!"
He spoke one word at a time while walking toward Zhao Kongcheng's body. When he reached Zhao Kongcheng, the shrinking domain enveloped him, and something strange happened...
His battered body, covered in wounds and lying in a pool of blood, slowly began to heal. No, more precisely, it was reversing!
Time—spacetime itself was rewinding!
Blood flowed back into his body, wounds closed, and his pale face gradually regained its color!
Lin Qiye, standing outside the domain with He Lingxuan holding him back, stared in utter disbelief.
What was he seeing? Time was actually flowing backward! Zhao Kongcheng, who had been dead as a doornail, was being brought back to life!
Lin Qiye couldn't begin to understand what kind of power could do something so outrageous. Then he thought of how he had just threatened someone like this with a blade. That's pretty outrageous too!
At last, the domain vanished completely and the power of time and space dissipated. Zhao Kongcheng had come back to life. However, because Li Jiahao had made a few adjustments, he would remain unconscious for the time being. At least his life was no longer in danger.
After all that, Li Jiahao's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, as though he hadn't expended any energy at all. It was hard to believe he could use such an outrageous ability without any cost.
Only Li Jiahao himself knew what was really going on.
He Lingxuan wasn't particularly worried about the ability. No matter how incredible an ability was, it had to have its limitations. For example, the greater the level of what it affected, the greater the cost. That was only natural.
But Zhao Kongcheng had only awakened a Forbidden Ruin before he died. He had at most a few dozen points of combat power, so bringing him back to life probably hadn't cost Li Jiahao much.
In fact, this resurrection might even allow Zhao Kongcheng to fully master his Forbidden Ruin!
Before you continue