The Mist Lord, after all, was a Domain Creature and had no right to be buried in the mausoleum district of Winterfell.
Naturally, he was also unqualified to be laid to rest in the Martyrs' Cemetery.
Burying the Mist Lord in human territory wasn't appropriate.
Feng Qi understood this distinction well.
That was why he chose to bury the Mist Lord in the snow-covered forest outside Winterfell, erecting a gravestone for him there.
The night wind howled, extinguishing the flames of the campfire.
Standing before the Mist Lord's tombstone, Feng Qi reflected on the past.
The years they had spent growing together, the knowledge the Mist Lord had imparted to him—so many memories surfaced.
Before meeting the Mist Lord, he had always viewed villains as purely evil.
But in the last antagonist timeline, he had witnessed the Mist Lord's struggles, his determination, his ideals, and his relentless pursuit of leading his people to rise.
Responsibility, familial bonds, friendship—though he was an enemy to humanity, he still possessed many qualities that humans would deem admirable.
In the end, it all came down to perspective.
In that timeline, the Mist Lord had given him two things.
After Feng Qi lost an arm, he had gifted him a brand-new, blood-colored arm.
The second was the Miracle Bracelet they had risked their lives to seize from the Black Abyss Domain Field.
The Mist Lord had once said that regrowing his arm symbolized a bright future, while the Miracle Bracelet meant sharing fortune together.
Yet, Feng Qi had always believed that the Mist Lord's loyalty had its limits.
No matter what, given his pragmatic nature, when the time came, he would prioritize survival over sentiment.
For instance, when Feng Qi had been sentenced to death in Old Day City, he had firmly believed that the Mist Lord would avenge him, but would never come to his rescue.
That would have been the logical course of action.
And yet… he had come anyway.
At that moment, Feng Qi had been deeply moved.
Even in his final moments, the Mist Lord had held onto life with unwavering resolve, leaving behind his final words—entrusting his unfulfilled dreams to Feng Qi.
Feng Qi had wanted to change the Mist Lord's fate, but not in this timeline.
If he could bring the Mist Lord over to humanity's side, he was certain that the impact would be immense.
The Mist Lord's greatest strength had never been his combat prowess, but his intelligence and strategy.
History had produced countless powerful figures.
Ye Huang, the Scavenger Sword Saint, Mu Qing, Lü Yue, Mu Yan—each of them had left their mark on history, their legends recorded in their respective eras.
Yet every one of them had reached a definitive end.
Only the Mist Lord had survived for 1,500 years, still lingering in the world.
If there was anyone who had won in the grand scheme of things, it was him.
Because survival was victory.
If he could form an alliance with the Mist Lord, the benefits to humanity would be immeasurable.
But it was still too early for that. There were far too many obstacles to overcome first.
For now, those concerns were no longer relevant.
This battle line had its own trajectory, and he simply had to walk his own path.
"Old Mist, I've eaten enough. I'm heading out. If I'm still alive next year, I'll come back to visit you."
Taking one last deep look at the tombstone, Feng Qi turned and walked away.
Mu Qing and Lü Yue followed closely behind.
Their figures gradually faded into the distance, swallowed by the wind and snow, until they could no longer be seen…
With the Mist Lord's affairs settled, Feng Qi, Mu Qing, and Lü Yue boarded a plane back to Star City.
Now that the Mist Lord was dead, a major hidden threat to Star City's future had been eliminated.
The development of this battle line was finally on track.
A brutal war loomed on the horizon, waiting only for the right moment to erupt.
At this point, the Crimson Research Institute had already gone into hiding within their secret base, severing all external contact.
With that last concern out of the way, Feng Qi's mind was now completely focused on the next phase of the plan.
His objectives were crystal clear.
Internally:
The Domain Weak Tribe Alliance had already submitted to him. There was no longer any risk of Star City's plans leaking to outside forces.
This meant he no longer had to worry about the rapid expansion of Dawn drawing unwanted attention.
For the next few months, the Dawn Organization would enter a phase of explosive growth.
Centered around Tiger Soul Research Institute, Dawn continued to recruit talented individuals, steadily expanding its influence.
Tiger Soul Research Institute, meanwhile, was shifting its focus.
No longer would all resources be dedicated solely to research on cultivation techniques and magical arts.
Instead, the majority would now be used to train battle-ready warriors—a coordinated effort between Star City's various factions.
After all, the purpose of cultivating techniques was to produce powerful fighters in the long run.
But this battle line was not about long-term planning. It was a race against time.
Everyone who knew the truth understood one thing:
They were stepping stones on the path to an ideal future.
Sacrifice was inevitable.
During this period, the meaning of "Dawn" began to shift.
People slowly realized that it was not just an organization.
It was a goal.
Just as the old director of the Crimson Research Institute once said, he too was a member of Dawn. Every researcher in the Crimson Research Institute was a member of Dawn, and so was every person who walked this path alongside them.
Dawn was not just an organization—it was a coalition united by a common goal.
During this period, Dawn's influence skyrocketed.
In just five months, Feng Qi had successfully established connections between the various factions within Star City.
The military, Tiger Soul Research Institute, and smaller organizations were all integrated into a single network.
To ensure efficient cooperation, Feng Qi proposed the unification of the major faction databases.
This meant creating a new, fully integrated data system without the previous internal restrictions.
Of course, this plan carried an inherent risk.
If an undiscovered infiltrator from the Domain forces existed among them, this open access to internal data would expose countless secrets.
To mitigate this, Feng Qi implemented a tiered permission system.
Under this system, Dawn, the Star City military, and Tiger Soul Research Institute were in the highest tier, granting them access to all information.
Other organizations were ranked below them, with progressively limited access.
However, within the same tier, information was fully shared with no restrictions.
The immediate benefit of this system was a boost in development for all institutions within Star City.
Many previously inaccessible pieces of information were now available for cross-referencing, including classified data.
But what mattered most to Feng Qi was the consolidation of combat power.
In a war, strength was the deciding factor.
And Star City's military alone was far from enough.
Future City had its own military force, bolstered by advanced black-tech weaponry.
Winning a direct battle in enemy territory would be extremely difficult.
Even though Li Xingchen was a planted agent within Future City, the military forces there remained under the tight control of the shadows behind the Institute of Technological Research.
If it came to a head-on clash, Star City's military had no chance of victory.
To quickly bolster Star City's strength, Feng Qi turned his attention to the hidden human resistance forces.
Currently, he had a list of such factions.
Thirteen of them were confirmed to be trustworthy, but he couldn't vouch for the reliability of the others.
This list came from the previous rebellion timeline.
In that timeline, he had founded Dawn and publicly revealed the hidden truth about human society, exposing its broken state and rallying people to resist the Domain infiltrators.
But in the end, his words were dismissed as fear-mongering, easily suppressed by the influence of the Institute of Technological Research.
Even so, some human resistance factions had stepped forward.
The Prajna Domain Combat Squad, led by Monk Hui Xu, was one of them.
When he was sent to the execution platform, thirteen factions stood up in support.
Most of the other factions only revealed themselves later.
Among them was Tiger Soul Research Institute, which, at the time, had already fallen under the Mist Lord's control.
That move by the Mist Lord had been purely opportunistic, an attempt to eliminate a competitor rather than a genuine show of support.
This was why Feng Qi believed the first thirteen factions to step forward were truly reliable.
After all, choosing to stand against the Institute of Technological Research at that time meant almost certain destruction.
As for the factions that emerged later, many likely harbored the same intentions as the Mist Lord—merely taking advantage of the situation to eliminate potential rivals.
With this in mind, Feng Qi decided to prioritize recruiting the thirteen confirmed factions while treating the rest as unreliable.
Once his plans were set, he dispatched Monk Hui Xu, Yang Xiaoxin, Cai Guo, and Lin Ran to contact the thirteen factions.
A month later, good news arrived.
It was Monk Hui Xu who delivered the message.
The Prajna Domain Combat Squad had decided to relocate from the northern supply zone of Old Day City to Star City, officially joining Dawn.
As one of the top ten domain combat squads, Prajna was a force to be reckoned with.
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt even more confident in his fight against the Institute of Technological Research.
Over the following months, good news kept coming.
These hidden human factions had chosen to stay in the shadows because they knew the truth but feared exposure.
Feng Qi understood their concerns completely.
The truth was a double-edged sword.
Once the dark reality was fully exposed, it would stir both despair and defiance.
There would always be those who refused to yield, who would fight to carve out a better future for humanity.
Many of them would go on to become legends, heroes worthy of history.
History had proven time and time again that where there was oppression, there was resistance.
But these hidden factions also understood one thing: revealing the truth was a gamble with everything on the line.
The disparity in strength between the two sides was overwhelming.
If they failed, the cost would be humanity's entire future.
The stakes were too high for them to gamble with the truth.
Besides, even if they did reveal everything, there was no guarantee it would make a difference. The Domain infiltrators had already woven themselves deep into every aspect of human society, holding immense influence.
With so many factors at play, these hidden human resistance factions had no choice but to remain in the shadows.
They couldn't afford to take the risk.
They didn't dare to.
But when they learned of the existence of Dawn, it was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, offering them a sliver of hope in their despair.
It was no surprise to Feng Qi that these factions were gradually making their way to Star City, choosing to join Dawn.
His experience across multiple timelines had already taught him that this was inevitable.
And their arrival proved one thing—he was never truly alone.
…
As Feng Qi continued his preparations for the impending confrontation with the Institute of Technological Research…
In Star City's western district.
As one of the four major districts of Star City, the west was primarily dedicated to the energy industry, supplying power and resources to the other districts.
Many spirit material research institutes focused on energy studies were also based here.
For instance, newly extracted spirit ores from domain fields were transported to the energy research institutes in the west for analysis. After their properties were identified and recorded, they were added to the resource archives as part of humanity's growing knowledge.
Historically, these energy research institutes had played a crucial role in humanity's development.
The very first spirit stone power plant had been designed and constructed by the Star Energy Research Institute in Star City's western district.
At this moment, atop an energy tower.
A humanoid figure with long, flowing silver-white hair sat at the highest point of a crane, playing a flute-like instrument while gazing idly at the setting sun.
The melody was hauntingly beautiful, ethereal as if entwining itself with the fading sunlight.
When the tune stopped, the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the western horizon.
Just then, the air beside the silver-haired boy rippled, and a figure landed lightly next to him.
The newcomer was also a humanoid with long, silver-white hair—a woman.
She crouched down, reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, and smiled.
"What are you thinking about?"
"When can we go back?" The silver-haired boy lifted his head, a trace of melancholy flickering across his youthful features.
"I've told you many times already, we're not going back," the silver-haired woman replied. She paused briefly before continuing, "But one day, they will come to us. When that time comes, we will be reunited."
"When?" The boy's eyes brightened with anticipation.
"When the time is right."
"How long do we have to wait for the time to be right?"
The silver-haired woman ruffled his hair again, her smile unwavering. "This concerns the future of our entire race. We must not act recklessly. Only when the time is right can they migrate here safely, ensuring a strong foundation for their survival. That is what we are working toward."
"Why couldn't they come with us?"
"Because the journey is dangerous. Bringing the entire race at once would be a reckless gamble, risking everything we have. If we encountered those terrifying obstacles along the way, we could have been completely wiped out."
Hearing this, the silver-haired boy nodded slowly, half-understanding. "Then why didn't we run into any obstacles?"
"Because we split into multiple groups and took different routes. Our group was lucky—we made it here without encountering any threats." The silver-haired woman's tone remained patient.
"Why do we have to kill? Do we really have to hurt them?" The boy's gaze shifted toward the workers bustling below the energy tower.
"Xiao Qi, as the vanguard of our people in this world, you must understand that you carry the future of our race on your shoulders. Our world is facing an unprecedented crisis. A great calamity looms over us, and when it arrives, our world will be swallowed whole. There is no escape for us.
"This world will be our sanctuary, our final buffer against extinction.
"To survive, we must eliminate unnecessary obstacles. These humans have done nothing wrong by merely existing, but they stand in our way.
"Star City will be our home. It is the foundation of our future plans.
"If you had to choose between our people's survival and theirs, what would you do?"
The boy fell silent, deep in thought.
After a long pause, he nodded obediently, determination flickering in his eyes.
He looked up at the sky. A pale crescent moon hung low on the horizon.
Lifting his flute-like instrument once more, he began to play again—this time, the melody carried a sharp, chilling edge.