When Chen Bugu came back to his senses, he found himself standing in darkness, surrounded by nothingness.
He seemed to have finally left that world, and he didn't know what the 'God' intended by visiting again.
But never mind, Chen Bugu wasn't that concerned.
This time, he should be completely dead, right?
Darkness, nothingness, dead silence, soundless...
Yes, this matched his imagination of death.
To be honest, in the Muka people's world, even if his departed soul could drift around, that world was almost empty except for unchanging green trees.
There were no people, no animals, only Water Elements and Wood Elements with undeveloped intelligence, acting purely on instinct, accompanying him.
At first, he could comfort himself, but as time passed, Chen Bugu felt it was also a long torment, and it would be better if it ended sooner.
So death was nothing more than this...
However, before Chen Bugu could feel relieved, his pupils suddenly widened.
Not far in front of him, the extreme darkness gradually receded, and a figure slowly emerged.
There was clearly no light source around, yet Chen Bugu could clearly see that face.
He involuntarily gasped.
"Kefuke!"
A three-meter-tall treant figure, with characteristic green 'long hair'—who else could it be but Kefuke?
Chen Bugu was stunned; how could this guy be so persistent?
"That's right, it's me."
Chen Bugu was stunned again, because Kefuke had clearly heard his voice and responded.
He could communicate?
"You're still alive?"
Chen Bugu noticed that Kefuke seemed to be looking at him, so he tentatively asked.
"No, I died long ago; what you see now is just a remnant of my will."
Kefuke's voice was as gentle as water, completely different from the lazy and casual tone Chen Bugu first encountered him with.
"How did you die?"
"As you saw before, I exchanged my life for power, transforming into a primordial ancient tree capable of sheltering the Muka Tribe."
"Sheltering the Muka Tribe?"
"Of course, I am the Muka King; I cannot watch my people be harmed by the 'God' like this."
"Harm? Although I feel nothing for that 'God', I remember you said they were addicted to the power given by the God. To be honest, I think they brought it upon themselves."
Chen Bugu had no good feelings for the Muka people who willingly became the God's lackeys. In Chen Bugu's view, their eventual downfall was entirely caused by greed, being overly intoxicated by power given by others, to the point of forgetting who they were.
"Chen Bugu, when you first entered my secret realm, when you lost your power, weren't you flustered?"
"If your skills and items could never return, would you be willing to accept it?"
Kefuke looked into Chen Bugu's eyes, suddenly took a step forward, his tone calm, yet making Chen Bugu unconsciously feel somewhat aggressive.
Kefuke spoke each word clearly and forcefully, directly silencing Chen Bugu.
Yes, he too was once very flustered.
Having lost the speed advantage brought by Space-Time, coupled with the disappearance of items and the regression of physical ability, his combat capability had plummeted.
"Moreover, when my tribesmen rooted themselves into the earth, their energy was continuously being drawn into the earth. The 'God' thought he had done it perfectly, but as the Muka King, I clearly felt my tribesmen's lives and energy weakening day by day."
"Their emotions became extreme, filled with blind faith in the God, even raising their weapons against their own King."
"Chen Bugu, you may not know, our Muka Tribe people are humble, gentle, and peace-loving by nature, but all of this became a fragile bubble from the day the 'God' granted power."
"Absolute power will breed endless desires; no one is exempt, wouldn't you agree?"
When Kefuke said these words, his face seemed to show a complex expression.
"Yes, Kefuke, you have a point. So, did you successfully protect your people?"
Chen Bugu recalled that before he fell unconscious, he had seen the 'God' return to that world once more.
"Since you can enter my secret realm, it means that at least for now, my avatar has not collapsed, otherwise this secret realm would have ceased to exist long ago. Therefore, as long as they do not leave on their own, I can protect them."
"So, before you came in, did you see my people?"
Chen Bugu looked at Kefuke, and for the first time, his wooden face showed a complex expression of wanting to hope yet not daring to hope.
Although he felt reluctant, Chen Bugu still shook his head.
"Is that so...?"
Kefuke seemed to have expected it, his tone quite disappointed.
"Can't you perceive what happened after your death?"
"Naturally not; this will does not have the ability to perceive the outside world. All the last memories I have remaining, you have already experienced."
"I don't know what happened later, but at some point, foreign races like you kept entering the secret realm I left behind. Although I don't know what happened later, I'm afraid that 'God' did not give up easily."
Kefuke shook his head; he truly didn't know what happened later.
"Foreign races like me? Have many people come in before me?" Chen Bugu was a little curious.
"Of course, over the past few hundred years, you are the seventh group of outsiders to enter my secret realm. I asked you, and you said you wanted a bow? How did you know I had a bow?"
"It doesn't matter anymore; I'm already dead anyway."
Chen Bugu put his hands behind his head and simply lay down on the spot, a posture Kefuke had previously favored in the stone prison.
"Dead? Who said you're dead?" Kefuke was bewildered.
"Huh?"
Chen Bugu sat up in confusion.
"I'm not dead?"
"No, you're not dead..."
"Ah?"
Chen Bugu was a little dazed.
"Didn't I tell you? Chen Bugu, I've acknowledged you."
Kefuke looked at the confused young man in front of him, also somewhat puzzled.
"So what's my situation now?"
"When we're done talking, you can leave. Go back where you came from, just like that."
"What about my companions?"
"They're not dead either, but I didn't have much to talk to them about, so I let them go back first."
Chen Bugu was stunned again; he felt as if a tender sprout had suddenly broken through the parched earth in his long-dormant heart, and an unspeakable joy cautiously surged within him.
However, the joy came too abruptly, and he still couldn't tell if it was real.
"Then why did you make me watch your memories again?"
Chen Bugu thought of the long years he had spent in the previous world, feeling somewhat confused.
"What memories?"
Kefuke seemed to frown; he didn't know what Chen Bugu was talking about.
Chen Bugu quickly recounted his experience of re-entering Kefuke's memories from beginning to end, even adding some details.
This time it was Kefuke's turn to be shocked, because everything Chen Bugu said was exactly what he had experienced.
"How could you know my memories? Wait, you said the 'God' later returned to our world?"
Kefuke looked surprised and suspicious, seemingly completely unaware.
Chen Bugu seemed to understand. Before he was submerged in the green healing liquid and lost consciousness, he seemed to have unconsciously activated Breaking automatically. Could this be the reason?
But the last time Breaking was activated on its own was at Tiancheng City First Hospital, accompanied by that mysterious voice...
Chen Bugu disliked this feeling; it was a sense of powerlessness, an inability to control, just like facing the 'God'.
"It seems you also have many secrets..."
Kefuke looked at Chen Bugu, his gaze profound.
"But it doesn't matter; since I am dead, I don't need to investigate these things. Chen Bugu, you have passed my test. This bow is yours."
Kefuke raised his right hand, and countless Wood Elements and Water Elements suddenly surged from the surrounding darkness. They swarmed in, converging into a wooden bow in Kefuke's hand.
The bow was six feet long, its wood clear and bright, with new leaves and branches entwined around the bow limbs, adorned with jadeite, and fine streams of water forming the bowstring in a faint blue glow. The entire bow was incredibly beautiful, exuding endless power and vitality.
Chen Bugu was mesmerized. He gently reached out and touched the bow, and in that instant, he felt his mind clear.
He learned the name of this stellar weapon for the first time.
Its name: Jade Ripple!