The Blood Moon hung high, casting a dim crimson glow, while howling winds swept through the ruins.
The world 1,500 years later belonged to domain creatures, a place dominated by slaughter and cruelty.
With time, history faded, leaving behind only decaying ruins, the last traces that humans had ever existed here.
At the northern ruins of a collapsed building, the once dense plant garden had been completely wiped out by Feng Qi and Suction Cup's rampage.
The battle had ended, and Feng Qi's Blood Source Form dissipated.
The bloodied flesh on his body turned into crimson mist, scattering in the wind, revealing a skeletal frame beneath. The soul flames flickering in his skull made him look even more sinister.
Summoning his attribute panel, Feng Qi eagerly checked his gains.
The domain plants in the small garden had many overlapping species, and since he could only obtain one ability from each unique creature, the number of new talents gained was limited.
Aside from the initial two—[Lunar Assimilation] and [Blood Thorn Assault], he had acquired three more abilities.
[Lethal Pollen (Active Ability)]:
Ability Description: Converts Qi and blood energy into lethal pollen, which can be expelled through the mouth, ears, or nose. Enemies that come into contact with the pollen will suffer from poisoning and experience mild hypnosis, with effectiveness depending on their physical strength.
[Explosive Fruit (Active Ability)]:
Ability Description: Converts Qi and blood energy into explosive fruits that can be spat out to detonate upon impact. The scattered fragments of the fruit will rapidly grow into smaller explosive fruits, which can be mentally controlled to attack enemies.
These two abilities weren't entirely useless, but they were absolutely worthless to him.
At this point, Feng Qi couldn't even be bothered to complain about these plant-based domain abilities anymore.
These abilities were practically summoning-type skills, focused on controlling the battlefield by growing various plants for combat—completely incompatible with his fighting style.
[Keep killing more domain plants, and you might just unlock Plants vs. Zombies. Just imagine—summoning an entire mini plant army, standing back, and letting them fight for you while you sit and watch. Oh, but with how slow that would be, the moment Little Black shows up, you'd still be dead.]
Ignoring the narrator's taunts, Feng Qi focused his gaze on the fifth ability he had obtained.
This one was a reward for slaying the ancient tree.
The tree had been formidable, and if Suction Cup hadn't helped, taking it down would have been much more difficult.
[Dragon Tree Blood (Passive Ability)]:
Ability Description: Blood is infused with Dragon Tree Essence, granting strong regenerative properties and a mild anti-evil effect. Effectiveness scales with the strength of one's bloodline.
Now this was an ability worth keeping.
It was also the only passive ability among the five new talents—the one that Feng Qi valued the most.
As for the other four abilities, they were useless to him. Once he returned to reality, he would feed them to Three-Tails for ability refinement, and the evolution points gained would go toward strengthening his Blood Source.
At that moment, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
[Damn, your blood just became even more valuable. Drinking it now even comes with a healing buff. Next time, let the old hag draw more samples… actually, screw it—let's just drain you dry. Not like you'd die from it anyway.]
Feng Qi: …
He ignored the narrator's nonsense and turned his attention to Suction Cup.
Not far away, Suction Cup was hunched over the fallen ancient tree, greedily gulping down the sap from its trunk.
The way she drank, she looked like a high-speed water pump—the liquid level visibly dropping inside the tree.
Still unsatisfied, Suction Cup jumped inside the hollowed trunk, submerging herself to continue devouring the essence within.
A radiant jade glow flickered across her body, while the scarlet rune crystal on her arm shimmered intensely, clearly assisting in absorbing and refining the energy into crimson energy.
[Ah… Now I get it. No wonder the old hag put Suction Cup into hibernation. There's no way they could've afforded to keep feeding her. They were already dirt-poor while supporting your giant brain, and now you expect them to raise this mini glutton too? Honestly, if she gets desperate, she might just eat your brain instead.]
Feng Qi: …
After waiting for a while, Suction Cup popped out of the ancient tree's trunk, clutching a milky-white, bamboo shoot-like object in her arms.
Feng Qi stared at her in confusion as Suction Cup eagerly held up the strange food with both hands.
"(ω) Ah Qi, eat!"
Feng Qi glanced at his own battered body, still riddled with gaps in the flesh, then shook his head with a hint of regret.
"You eat it. I'm not hungry."
Hearing this, Suction Cup showed a puzzled expression, but didn't ask further.
Instead, she tilted her head back, stuffing the bamboo shoot—which was almost as large as her own body—into her mouth, chewing it in just a few bites before swallowing it whole.
Watching Suction Cup eat so ravenously, Feng Qi saw a familiar shadow—a memory of Mu Qing surfaced in his mind.
The first time he had met Mu Qing was in the Star City Academy cafeteria—a scene forever etched into his memory.
The mountain of food scraps on the table and Mu Qing's voracious eating had been a sight he would never forget.
Once Suction Cup finished eating, she shook her body, sending sticky sap splattering everywhere.
A wave of jade-colored energy surged over her, washing away the remaining tree residue, leaving her completely clean.
"Ah Qi!"
As a triumphant cheer echoed, Feng Qi felt a sudden weight on his chest.
Looking down, he saw Suction Cup firmly latched onto him, clinging as if glued to his torso. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
The name "Suction Cup" had originally been coined by the Narrator in his first few visits to the Future Dreamscape.
Back then, Suction Cup had been absurdly clingy, always sticking to him like a suction pad, hence the name.
Now, the name had become permanent.
In other timelines, Suction Cup had been given different names.
For example, in one timeline, after the Silver Moon Tribe Invasion, the residents of Star City had revered Suction Cup as the city's guardian deity.
During that battle, Suction Cup had been gravely wounded, her once crimson eyes fading into pure white pupils, leading the people to name her "White Pupil".
However, that had never been her true name.
In another timeline, Wei Wei had referred to her as "Little Mu Qing", or sometimes "my dear daughter".
But due to his influence, Wei Wei had also adopted the name Suction Cup, never calling her anything else again.
So in future timelines, Suction Cup's name was now set in stone.
Feng Qi reached out and pinched Suction Cup's chubby little forehead, before stepping eastward.
Just as he took his first step, a deafening roar erupted from afar.
A violent gust of wind followed, sending rubble flying, filling his field of vision with whirling debris.
Feng Qi immediately turned his gaze northward, toward the source of the sound.
A towering behemoth, over a hundred meters tall, let out a furious roar in his direction.
It resembled a giant ape, its body covered in crimson fur, with a patch of black fur sprouting between its brows.
However, Feng Qi could tell—this domain creature wasn't targeting him.
Its gaze wasn't even locked onto him.
Instead, it appeared restless and agitated, roaring frantically in his direction.
The roars whipped up violent winds, making it hard for him to stand still, and its eyes shimmered with unmistakable fear.
[Damn, why the hell is it screaming so loud? It's annoying as hell! Ah Qi, just kill it!]
"Can I even beat that thing?"
Upon hearing the Narrator's suggestion, Feng Qi felt his fighting spirit stir.
Compared to plant-based domain creatures, he preferred hunting these flesh-and-blood monsters.
Maybe this one would grant him a talent more suited to his combat style.
[Hah! Of course you can't beat it. Do you even know your own strength? But… you do have Suction Cup. And this version of Suction Cup is way stronger than in any previous timeline. This thing's definitely powerful, but I'd bet Suction Cup could eat it until she's stuffed.]
Realizing it was a huntable target, Feng Qi made his decision.
He was about to charge north with Suction Cup, preparing to slay the crimson ape, when suddenly—
A black dot materialized in front of the ape.
The black dot expanded rapidly, warping into a massive black vortex.
A gigantic hand, larger than the ape itself, emerged from the black vortex.
The sheer size and power of the hand distorted space, causing countless spatial cracks to form around it.
A hurricane-like force surged outward. Even though Feng Qi stood far away, he struggled to maintain his footing.
Then, to his utter shock, the colossal hand grabbed the crimson ape in a single motion.
The ape shrieked in terror, its howls filled with desperation as it clawed at the black vortex, seemingly begging for mercy.
But the monstrous hand paid no heed.
It simply tightened its grip and ripped the crimson ape into the vortex, dragging it inside.
What followed was a grotesque, bone-crunching chewing sound.
The black vortex slowly dissipated, and with it, the terrifying presence vanished.
Feng Qi: …
He stood frozen, utterly stunned by what had just unfolded.
The entire scene had happened so abruptly, yet it carried an undeniable sense of overwhelming power.
[…Holy sh*t, what kind of monstrous existence was that?! Even I'm freaking out. Ah Qi, let's… just pretend we never saw anything.]
Feng Qi remained deep in thought, staring at the now-empty space where the black vortex had been.
The world 1,500 years into the future…
How much did he really understand about it?
Unlike the Sacrificial Timeline, where information was constantly updated, his knowledge of the Future Dreamscape was limited.
He had always remained within the ruins of Star City, never venturing too far beyond.
His understanding of the broader world was severely lacking.
Only on rare occasions did he catch glimpses of the true horrors that lurked in this future.
For instance—
To the west, he had once seen a colossal figure, hidden within storm clouds, surrounded by flashes of lightning.
The mere silhouette of that being exuded divine might, as if it were a primordial god, shaping the very heavens and earth.
Even though Feng Qi had been far away, the being's pressure alone had nearly suffocated him.
Then there were the sky beasts, creatures so massive that their wings blotted out the sun.
Each flap of their wings generated hurricanes, tearing through the ruins of Star City with unstoppable force.
Or the parasitic demon eggs, embedded deep within the northern wastelands, pulsing ominously.
And, of course, there was the Dark God, who had once crossed dimensions to hunt him down.
All of these encounters proved one thing—
This new world order was far more brutal than the power struggles of 1,500 years ago.
It was a battlefield of the strongest, a final stage before the true descent of the Great Momentum.
Countless new domain forces and monsters, unseen in the past, had risen to prominence.
The war for survival was an unforgiving one, where only the absolute strongest could persist.
The weaker species had long been wiped out.
And those who had devoured the most resources had likely been engaged in ceaseless wars, fighting for dominance in this apocalyptic wasteland.
This world was like a vast breeding ground for the strong, where only the fittest survived.
With his current strength, he could dominate the ruins of Star City, a land devoid of resources.
But when it came to challenging the top-tier races ruling this world, he was still far from their level.
Feng Qi's soul fire flickered intensely within his skull as he gazed toward where the massive hand had vanished.
A burning ambition ignited within him.
One day, he would truly step into the future, stand side by side with humanity's strongest, and challenge the top races of the domain world.
By then, humankind would be as mighty as dragons, rivaling any domain force.
He would lead the future generation, triumph in the war among all races, and face the arrival of the Great Momentum head-on.
The Narrator's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
[Hold up, little bro! You're thinking way too far ahead. Ever heard the saying, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? You're barely out of the starting line, and you're already dreaming of the finish? Hurry up and get stronger—Blackie's first warning!]
Ignoring the Narrator's sarcastic warning, Feng Qi held Suction Cup tightly and continued eastward.
Along the way, he kept his eyes on his surroundings, scanning for potential threats.
Right now, he hoped for domain creatures to attack him first.
Not only could he acquire new talents, but he could also accumulate bloodline evolution points, pushing himself closer to his next transformation.
The scenery along the path was a desolate wasteland.
Exposed steel bars from collapsed buildings had long since rusted, crumbling with a single step.
The cracked roads were uneven, many of them overgrown with wild plants, threatening to erase the last traces of human civilization.
Unwilling to waste time walking, Feng Qi started sprinting, heading further east to uncover more secrets of the future world.
The more he learned about this era's power dynamics, the better.
If luck was on his side, he might even obtain valuable intelligence.
[If you really want to understand this world, I'd suggest listening to the old woman. You should seriously consider enrolling at Old Day Academy to study domain studies—and most importantly, learn several domain languages.]
The Narrator's words struck a chord with Feng Qi.
During the last timeline, his lack of knowledge in domain studies had put him at a major disadvantage.
He couldn't read domain texts, causing him to miss out on countless opportunities for gathering information.
And with humanity facing an inevitable war against all races, mastering domain studies would be crucial.
It would help him decipher vital intelligence and understand the behaviors of different domain factions.
With this in mind, he decided to add Old Day Academy's domain studies to his future plans.
Perhaps it would even give him a chance to interact with the Psionic Race, uncovering even more valuable information.
As for whether he should head there in the next timeline, he would make that decision once he returned to reality.
As he sprinted, Suction Cup balanced on his right shoulder, hugging his head with her left hand, while raising her right fist into the wind, looking as triumphant as ever.
After covering some distance, a domain creature appeared in his path.
It had a bizarre humanoid form, standing roughly two meters tall.
A damaged metal plate covered its face, but through the gaps, Feng Qi could see that its mouth had been stitched shut with black thread.
In its right hand, it wielded a large iron hammer, an oddly fleshy, pulsating weapon, as though it were alive.
The entire creature resembled a stitched-up monstrosity, an abomination of mismatched parts.
Without slowing down, Feng Qi charged straight at it.
The moment he got close, he unleashed a vicious knee strike aimed directly at the creature's neck.
Crack!
The impact sent its head flying.
As his feet landed, Feng Qi grabbed the abomination's arm and flung it over his shoulder.
Crash!
A loud metallic snap echoed as the creature's body shattered upon impact, its limbs scattering across the ground.
But just as Feng Qi was about to move on, he noticed something unexpected.
From within the creature's ruptured torso, a young man with violet hair slowly emerged.
The boy's eyes locked onto him, radiating killing intent.
For some reason, Feng Qi felt like he had seen him before.
As he studied the boy's face, realization dawned upon him.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Wait… Old Mist?!"