Qu Huaiwei's gaze was like a knife, locking onto the Flower-Faced Man again:
"Now, do you want to continue being an unknown little ant in that ant's nest, where it's unclear if even a God exists, or seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain Heaven-Defying power under the True Monarch's seat for yourself?"
The atmosphere gradually grew silent.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the Flower-Faced Man, and a silent pressure filled the air.
Behind the flower-faced mask, the man was full of hesitation.
On one side was a hopeless, unappreciated life at the bottom.
On the other was the immense temptation of facing a God and changing his fate....
The struggle lasted only three seconds.
The Flower-Faced Man clenched his fist, his voice resolute:
"I understand."
"I choose the Corpse Immortal Path!"
"Very good." Qu Huaiwei showed a smile.
"Then things are simple," she continued. "You continue to lie low, first ascertain the strength of that organization, and then find out the whereabouts of the ancient artifact."
"Okay." The Flower-Faced Man nodded.
....
Time flew by.
Xuan Hao's vast Mental Energy was like invisible roots, deeply embedded in the city's spiritual Veins, drawing in the scattered "spirits."
Those fragments of thoughts, emotions, dreams....
All transformed into a trickle that nourished his Primordial Spirit.
Xuan Hao was immersed in this slow "feeding."
The outside world was noisy, with sunrises and sunsets.
To him, it held little significance.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
A minute? Ten days? Half a month?
Xuan Hao couldn't tell, nor did he need to; it wasn't important.
....
"True Monarch, save us!"
Suddenly, a desperate scream surged into Xuan Hao's dormant consciousness.
This was not a physical sound.
Rather, it was a pure mental resonance.
His massive Primordial Spirit rippled slightly, and the three colossal heads, like stars, quietly opened their eyes.
He instantly pinpointed the source of the mental fluctuation.
This cry for help was not in the mental Domain, but in the real world.
Xuan Hao's Divine Sense, like a tentacle, followed the desperate resonance, instantly piercing through spatial barriers and descending into the real world.
Financial City, hotel suite.
On the soft bed, a woman was in a panic.
She wore silk pajamas, her body convulsing, her face twisted with an unspeakable terror.
Xuan Hao recognized her instantly.
The black-robed woman from the "Corpse Immortal Path" organization, who was trying to serve him but had other motives.
Her mind was under external invasion, being torn apart.
Xuan Hao did not hesitate; his Mental Energy, following Qu Huaiwei's mental fluctuations, quietly merged into it.
....
Mental dimension, unknown grey fog Domain.
The view instantly switched.
It was also greyish-white, also thick fog, also silent streets.
This place seemed to be a projection of Financial City.
But clearly, this was not Xuan Hao's mental Domain.
"Another mental Domain?" Xuan Hao murmured. "Or a dream trap created by some authority?"
His gaze pierced through the mist, falling upon several figures desperately fleeing down the street ahead.
The woman leading them was Qu Huaiwei.
She wore the same silk pajamas as in reality, her body stained with blood, her face pale, and her eyes filled with terror.
Behind her were several disheveled members.
All were members of the "Corpse Immortal Path."
They stumbled through the twisted streets like rabbits being chased by hounds.
"True Monarch, help us!"
Their voices echoed in the dead silent fog, carrying their last hope.
"You can't escape."
A hoarse, dry voice emerged from the thick fog behind them.
The voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of mockery.
Immediately after, a figure materialized like a ghost from the swirling grey mist.
It was entirely enveloped in a large, tattered black robe.
Its hood was low, obscuring its face.
Beneath the black robe, there was no solid form, but rather constantly churning, twisting, thick black mist.
In its hand, it held a spear, also formed from black mist, emanating an ominous aura.
"What should we do...."
Qu Huaiwei was drenched in cold sweat, fear almost consuming her.
This was the first time she had so truly felt the cruelty of the struggle between two Outer Gods.
In the face of true power, her O Level Martial Artist strength, which she was so proud of, and her meticulously planned actions, were as fragile as paper!
She was just an ant caught in a storm.
"No, I can't die."
"My family is still waiting for me!"
Qu Huaiwei was very unwilling, fleeing madly forward.
"Where are you running to?"
The hoarse voice sounded as if it were right next to her ear.
Qu Huaiwei's body stiffened, her pupils constricting!
She saw the black-robed figure appear as if teleporting in the swirling grey mist ahead, two points of crimson light locking onto her.
"Die."
The emotionless pronouncement rang out.
The black mist spear, carrying the power to tear apart a Soul, lunged towards Qu Huaiwei's chest.
Its speed was so great that there was no avoiding it.
The shadow of death instantly enveloped her! Just at this critical moment....
"Bang!"
A slender finger appeared out of thin air, grabbing the black mist spear that was about to pierce Qu Huaiwei's heart.
The spear tip was only a few centimeters from her pajamas.
Qu Huaiwei's eyes widened as she looked at the figure blocking her way....
A dark-colored long gown, ink-black hair like a waterfall.
It was indeed the "Emissary," Xuan Hao!
"Emissary!"
The young man's appearance dispelled their fear; Qu Huaiwei and the few surviving members behind her were almost weeping with joy.
The black-robed figure was also startled.
It exerted force, trying to pull back the spear, but the hand gripping the spear shaft did not move an inch.
Beneath the hood, crimson lights flickered intensely, and the black-robed figure's hoarse voice sounded:
"Where did you come from? Why are you meddling?"
It sensed an unusual aura from Xuan Hao.
"My Lord is the Great Black Buddha Mother; do you wish to be our enemy?" The black-robed figure's crimson eyes flickered with vigilance.
A trace of disdain flashed in Xuan Hao's eyes.
If it were an Outer God, he might still be wary, but he couldn't be bothered to respond to such a low-level subordinate.
Responding to the black-robed figure....
Were Xuan Hao's suddenly illuminated eyes!
Extreme Divine Sense!
Buzz---!!!
An indescribable, invisible giant wave, purely condensed from vast Mental Energy, erupted with Xuan Hao at its center!
Its target was the black-robed nightmare!
Boom!
The mental explosion was silent, yet it was ten thousand times more terrifying than any physical impact.
The black-robed figure didn't even have time to scream; its body instantly collapsed, torn, twisted, and crushed by this pure mental Divine Power.
The black robe on its body shattered inch by inch, like water evaporating from a boil.
"Ah!"
The mental shriek abruptly ceased.
The black-robed figure's body instantly exploded, turning into black ashes scattered everywhere.
One strike!
It was merely a single mental Impact.
This subordinate of the Outer God was utterly annihilated without even a chance to resist.
Dead silence.
On the street, only Xuan Hao's calmly withdrawn hand remained, and behind him, Qu Huaiwei and the others, who were stunned and petrified.
Instant kill!
The black-robed figure, which had been as invincible as the God of Death just now, was just...gone?!