So, this was the true purpose of Joshua sending him here after all.

“I see. ” Yang Zicang said flatly. “That statue is gone for good. Also, you must stay together and keep eye contact with each other—beware of sneak attacks from the darkness. That person can enter the Sub-Ether Space. “

He Yishu felt the pressure mounting.

In the wind and rain, eerie and bizarre human voices drifted out from the buildings near the eye of the storm.

Many were muttering terrified nonsense, as if imitating the sounds of countless people and creatures, endlessly. A cry of weeping or fear would rise from one person’s throat, only to echo moments later from the mouth of someone in the next house over.

“More and more azure energy is converging here. “

{Hero, do you have a way? }

Ebiser, having retrieved clean clothes from a leather case and changed, rushed over beside He Yishu and asked the empty air.

“A way… ” There was one, actually, but he had always avoided seeking it out while his strength was so low.

Yang Zicang shelved that plan for the moment and asked Qiao Bing,

“If the rain stops, will the storm cease as well? “

“No. But without the water feeding it, it shouldn’t grow stronger—only that, it will keep reverberating the gathered consciousness of countless beings, wave after wave, until all life is lost within. Only a Bloodline Statue can contain it. I assume you don’t have a statue, do you. We’re in deep trouble now. “

Yang Zicang neither confirmed nor denied it.

“Even so… ” Qiao Bing sighed, offering a bit of comfort. “If we can hold out until nearby troops arrive for rescue, we might at least be able to save the people on the outskirts. “

“No army is coming to save us, ” Yang Zicang said, pointing at Cardon. “You probably didn’t hear clearly over the rain earlier. This guy is from the ‘Special Affairs Bureau for Prisoner Exchanges.’ “

“Damn it! ” Qiao Bing drew his gun.

Cardon immediately stepped back a few paces. _”This is exactly the kind of unforeseen circumstance I was talking about! They’ve abandoned us all. The force-field barrier will hold, and we won’t be able to get out either! Unless, maybe, some other Fogfolk hear about it and come to intervene.

“I also want to have Miasma Pollution… mediated. But Xueli, she was completely in the dark. Someone had embedded a pollution pulse-mark into her body without her knowledge. “

He pointed into the distance, at a figure that was twisted and crumpled like a tattered cloth in a corner. “That’s the one who ambushed Xueli after noticing the signal flare, causing her Miasma Pollution to erupt. I’ve already put him down. If I were deceiving you, wouldn’t an act like this have only aroused their suspicion, sure to getmesilenced? “

Qiao Bing flicked his gun impatiently in his hand once or twice, then holstered it.

Setting aside whether the other party was speaking the truth or buying time for the moment, the man possessed Stellar Yuan. If Yang Buchen didn’t step in, Qiao Bing wasn’t sure who would actually win in a fight between them.

Qiao Bing let out a breath and looked at Yang Zicang. “The mental interference from the storm’s eye is getting stronger. Let’s find another place to talk about how to survive these next few days. “

“How much longer is this rain supposed to last? “

“At most, another sixteen to eighteen hours, ” Cardon said.

Xueli’s pained groans filtered in. She might have been sobbing. It was hard to tell. But still, alotof it sounded like genuine crying.

Many nearby people had already struggled to run into the rain, trying to move outside the town, but this only allowed more raindrops to wash away their terrified thoughts.

“Who can save us… “

“There was a Fogman in the afternoon, I think… “

“Stay… away from the devil’s tornado… far away… “

Two people collapsed in the rain, their limbs quickly twisting into various incoherent motions, as if countless fleeting thoughts were rapidly alternating control over their bodies.

Yang Zicang turned his head and looked at Karden. “Come with us. If you’re lucky enough to return, maybe you can still save Shirley. “

“How is that possible?! What means do you have? “

“Just follow me, and you too, sir. Let’s come together. “

Karden gave a reluctant glance at Shirley, but for now, she was actually the safest, because even the psychic monsters couldn’t tear through the storm’s defenses.

The three of them walked toward the house less than a kilometer away. Situated on the periphery, it was temporarily safer.

The house was suffused with a heavy sense of gloom.

The ones draped in old-man and old-lady costumes heaved with a bitterness heavier than anyone else’s. They had already realized that the Bloodline Statues in their possession had once been the only key to salvaging the night.

“It’s all our fault for not protecting Ashis well enough. “

“Please don’t blame yourselves, ” Ebiser tried to console them. On his own part, however, he couldn’t help but feel regret: if learning that his choices would end up costing the entire town their lives just to fail at protecting the treasure, maybe he ought to have handed over the Secret Box.

Several footsteps suddenly sounded on the stairs, as they looked at the three soaking-wet figures coming up.

“Brother Hero is back! “

Lianna, clutching the alarm clock and the deep-brimmed bucket hat, immediately sprang to her feet.

Except for He Yishu, no one knew that the man with a grievous chest wound who seemed unfazed was actually one of the perpetrators of tonight’s crisis.

“How are you all? ” the steward asked. “And the town? “

After a brief explanation, everyone present fell into deep depression and gloom.

Lianna spoke up, her voice a mix of hope and trepidation: “Brother, do you have a way? “

“Alas… ” Ebiser sighed, turning his head away.

An old man walked from a bedroom to the doorway, his hand resting on the doorframe as he eyed the person who had braved the rain to investigate. The sagging skin on his neck trembled as he spoke:

“Another Mistlander has arrived—wonderful! We should all be able to come up with a plan together, right? “

The five people around shook their heads and let them droop.

Qiao Bing grabbed a chair and sat down, azure energy constantly pulsing from his body. “At a time like this, all we have left is to… “

“Now, I would like to trouble everyone present. “

Suddenly, this voice interrupted Qiao Bing’s words. He looked up in astonishment. Yang Zicang was opening his own box among the luggage Ebiser had brought, taking out two sets of spare clothes from within.

“Trouble us? What do you mean? ” The five people here looked strangely at Yang Zicang as he took off his coat.

“The two of us and I are going to be in for a long sleep soon. It’ll last anywhere from a few hours to a day, at the very most no longer than a day and a half. “

“What? ” Qiao Bing nearly jumped out of his chair. “Since when? How come I don’t know about this? “

Kaden took a step back too; everyone in the room looked at him in confusion.

Yang Zicang turned to the pensive He Yishu and said, “You must guard this place well. Remember, everyone takes turns resting. Be sure to watch over us and the people around you, and light as many candles as you can. Yishu, you know what to do. “

“I will. But what about the two of you…? “

Holding the clean clothes, Yang Zicang took a deep breath. “I’m going to retrieve a Bloodline Resonance Statue. “

“You’re going to… what?! ” Qiao Bing nearly stumbled.

Kaden looked as though all his energy had been drained by the shock of the news.

“How could this be… ” he murmured.

This was no different from declaring that Sherry’s ongoing suffering and the special affairs bureau officials’ plans were utterly laughable. The last shred of faith that had supported him in carrying out this mission instantly crumbled.

“Yeah! ” While the few around were still puzzled, Liana on the wooden floor jumped up in excitement.

Sleeping and retrieving a statue?

He Yishu barely hesitated in his thinking before he realized with disbelief just what this “President ” meant by “retrieving a statue “!

“Damn! He can actually turn the tide even with this kind of opportunity! ” He Yishu sprang to his feet, even more animated than he’d been at the Falling Leaf Inn.

……

Outside the house, amidst the crowd’s shock and anticipation, besides Caden, the person in the worst mood was none other than Yang Zicang, who was inside the room frantically searching through his inner coat pocket.

“Sigh! “

Sure enough, the check was already damaged, and even Hailikoni’s signature on it had become blurry.

“Spend money to avoid disaster. “

He laid the check flat on a bedside table, changed into dry clothes, and pulled open the door. Outside, Lena, solemn yet inwardly delighted, solemnly handed him the hat in her hands.

After all three of them had changed and cleaned themselves up, Caden said in a terribly downcast tone:

“How do I go with you? Just by falling asleep? “

“Of course. “

Qiao Bing grinned cheerfully at Caden’s ashen face. Faced with a man who had graced the cover of an international magazine, Qiao Bing chose not to refuse he was also curious about what secrets this man, who had made such a name for himself as soon as he arrived, truly harbored.

In the living room on the second floor, all the surrounding furniture had been completely moved aside and pressed against the walls. A few tables were also braced against the doors and stairs. Not counting their group of three, there were another eleven people present. Under the light of candles and oil lamps lit all around, they formed a circle and watched as the three lay down on the spread-out bedding.

“Later, there might be a voice asking if you want to enter. Remember to agree, or else I won’t be courteous. “

The two of them had already lain down. Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding people, Yang Zicang’s consciousness reached out into the model, summoning the Wish Talisman, and the “Mail Emblem ” he hadn’t touched in a long while. His suitcase lay beside him.

｛I begin to try using the Wish Talisman, thousand-person grade.｝

｛I want to request from an unknown existence, to let Qiao Bing and Kaden beside me follow me to the complete Postmark World I can reach.｝

Just as he made the wish, Yang Zicang felt a faint, elusive thought lingering in his heart.

｛Wish Talisman, thousand-person grade, has been used.｝

It worked! He rejoiced inwardly but remained expressionless as he looked at his fingertip.

Ebiser and the others, the old man and woman, along with those sitting and lying around, all held their breath, watching the silent fingertip of the “hero “—there, slowly glowing into being an envelope formed entirely of light!

Lianna covered her small mouth with both hands. Qiao Bing and Kaden—one delighted, the other worried—watched the strange, unfamiliar foreign script quickly brighten on the envelope.

｛I, the complete quadrilateral, begin to activate the last chance to use the Complete Postmark.｝

A massive spiritual force instantly radiated outward, enveloping the three people on the floor mat.

……

“These are all the things Yang Zicang experienced from the moment he woke up in the new Track of Fate. “

Snow-white, slender fingers closed the book in hand.

“So that’s everything he’s been through… ” said a younger-sounding voice. “Looks like I’ve played a fairly significant role as the primary investor, haven’t I, Chief Officer? “

“Mm-hmm, ” Huan Bao’er crossed her arms, making the front of her robes tighter. She spoke with a smile:

“Of course, our illustrious Molding-Level designer, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for these past six months, boy. “

In the office filled with a faint fragrance of flowers, roses bloomed brilliantly in their pots.

Boboli, dressed in a black uniform trimmed with gold, stared sharply at the book cover that Chief Huanbao’er had just taken her hands off.

Annals of the Elite: Entry No. 1224!

Boboli said in all seriousness:

“Without the Chief… my godmother’s tireless help, I wouldn’t have been able to procure this book. So, I’ll be off. If I tarry a bit, he might just grab the statue and leave directly. “

Huanbao’er put her hand down and gave the small bag on the desk a heavy pat.

“Go on, take your gift. This time, for Starlight Illusion’s sake, we absolutely have to bring back plenty more top-tier secrets! I’m counting on you. “

“Yes! ” the spirited young man replied, taking the pale yellow bag. He pulled it open, peeked inside, and spotted the bottle of extra-strength sleeping pills still there. He cinched it shut, slung it over his shoulder, gave a solemn bow, then turned and strode out the door, his eyes fixed straight ahead and arms swinging.

Huanbao’er watched him leave with narrowed eyes.

“New golden intel… ” she murmured to herself.

……

｛Lost Court, Green–White Star at your service…｝

｛I’ve consumed 1R of chronological principal.｝

｛This delivery’s quota has been fully used.｝

Sigh—

As if a sigh drifted by, perhaps his own, Yang Zicang opened his eyes and looked at the Illusory World.

Black clouds filled the sky.

The suitcase slipped from Yang Zicang’s fingers and hit the ground like a stone falling on gravel. There was no familiar ocean energy pulsation, only a dead, suffocating mire pressing heavily upon heaven and earth.

He stood on a boundless plain of bones.

“What the—? Oh my god, Hero, is this your secret lair? ” Qiao Bing appeared behind him, screeching in shock.

The ground was strewn with countless bones, frozen into an undulating sea of deathly pale remains.

Ash-grey dust piled feet deep, stretching all the way to the horizon where the eye could see.

“Jesus… ” Cardine, who had sat up from a heap of rolling bones, dusted himself off frantically and gazed at the horizon devoured by a sky of sickly dark red.

Twisted pillars of rock, like monstrous ribs spearing through the heavens, stood scattered here and there.

The air was thick with a ancient stench that seemed to have ripened for millions of years—silent, with not a whisper of life stirring.

｛The thing I feared seems to be showing its prelude.｝

Suddenly, a great gale swept across the land, lifting ash and gloom thousands of meters into the sky, its vast curtains rolling toward the distance.

“How could this be… ” Yang Zicang coughed, covering his mouth with his hand. The wind whipped the clothes of the two men beside him, tearing out a piercing whine.

Although I hadn’t returned to the mainland before I left last time, by all logic, the time in the Thought Field should have stopped after the comet passed across the sky one more time.

What’s more…!

He suddenly realized that the place he entered the second time was the same mountain ridge where he left the first time. Now stepping in for the third time, shouldn’t he be on the seabed where the ‘White Shadow Mind Dragon’ was born?

Here… time… hasn’t stagnated?!

“It’s Hong Haocheng… the useless bastard!“

Has this world already been destroyed?! Is that the backup plan that scoundrel left behind?! Was the statue even…?

He had just roared out one sentence when the solidifying ashes beneath his feet gave an extremely slight tremor.

The other two, who were curiously staring around, jumped and pressed closer in fright.

Then came the second time, the third time… like the heartbeats of an awakening colossal beast that had slept for acons. The vibration grew stronger and stronger, more and more frantic.

The whole Bone Plain boiled into chaos like a pot of bubbling porridge!

“What the hell is this?” Kat collapsed into shivers as he cried out.

Rumble-ruuumble—!

A thunderous roar exploded from the depths of the Earth!

Ashen poisons beneath ZiCang immediately caved in, forming a massive sinkhole! With instinctive swiftness, a ghost off passed above it.

Within the ossuary abyss perishing from the fall, countless pitiable bright specks flooded with phantomic cadence flashed alive into brilliance—innumerable starved skulls flaming with pallid ghost fire!

They were densely packed, layer upon layer, like a tide of ants surging from the depths of hell. They struggled and shoved, “crawling ” out from the sea of bone ash!

Their skeletons were not slim and fragile like those of humans, but thick and twisted, carrying the ferocity of wild beasts and a metallic texture.

But besides being covered with cracks from battle and healed bone calluses, they were also adorned with countless elegant patterns, like armor that had naturally grown upon them.

Caden and Qiao Bing watched in shock. A silent and terrifying skeleton army rose from the earth, awakened, and silently assembled at Yang Zicang’s feet.

They did not roar; there was only the faint “hissing ” sound of soul flames burning, merging into a chilling, lonely murmur.

The shocking silence filled the heavens and the earth.

From within this endless army, a towering skeleton man, carrying a pitch-black long-axe, stepped forward.

{Great… Undying King… }

“！“

The skeleton man spread his arms wide, embracing the sky.

{Great! The Undying King… has returned!! }

Boom!

Countless explosions erupted in the distance. In Yang Zicang’s stunned gaze, a skeletal giant dragon soared into the sky — a creature he had mistakenly thought was a mountain range lying prostrate in the distance.

{Undying… King! }