Feng Qi withdrew his arm from the mangled flesh, his fingers dripping with fresh blood.
The domain creature, resembling an ape, collapsed at his feet with a heavy thud.
Shaking off the bloodstains clinging to his arm, Feng Qi summoned his status panel to assess his gains.
Slaying 13 domain creatures resembling dinosaurs, along with the ape-like domain creature, had earned him a total of 148 Bloodline Evolution Points.
In addition—
He had acquired two new innate abilities.
[Raging Wave (Active Skill)]:
Ability Description: Consumes internal blood energy to unleash a roar, generating a sonic attack over a wide area, accompanied by a mental shock effect.
(The damage and intimidation effect depend on the amount of blood energy consumed, as well as the user's bloodline strength. The stronger the bloodline, the more overwhelming the mental suppression on the target.)
[Insight Perception LV1 (Upgradeable Passive Skill)]:
Ability Description: Permanently increases mental perception and physical awareness by 1%. Also expands the range of mental perception by 1%.
—
Even though the creatures he had slain were among the weakest in the ruined city, the two newly obtained abilities were quite decent.
Feng Qi was satisfied with the results.
Especially with the passive ability, Insight Perception, which provided real combat benefits.
Since this ability could be further enhanced by hunting domain creatures with the same skill, it had long-term potential.
The active skill, Raging Wave, was also a valuable acquisition.
This was his first-ever spirit-based attack ability.
It could prove useful in combat, so he decided against dismantling it for points.
[A sonic attack? Does this mean from now on, every time you start a fight, you'll have to go 'Awoo' like a battle cry before charging in for a beatdown?]
"Whatever you say."
Closing the status panel, Feng Qi turned to look at the Mist Lord.
At the moment, the Mist Lord had transformed into gray mist, shrouding the corpse of the ape-like domain creature, attempting to extract its blood energy.
But—
After a few moments, he was forced to revert to his human form.
Failing to absorb even a trace of blood energy, he turned to Feng Qi with a deep frown.
"How do you even do this? Why is it that every time, you manage to absorb every last drop without leaving anything behind?"
Feng Qi simply kept walking, not even bothering to look back.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Why not?"
"Talent gap. Ever heard of what it means to be a genius?"
The Mist Lord fell into deep thought, as if seriously contemplating his words.
His expression showed that he was half-convinced.
Watching Feng Qi move further ahead, he quickly chose to follow along.
—
Feng Qi still maintained his skeletal combat form as he led the way.
His bones and heart had already absorbed enough blood energy to allow him to return to human form—
But he chose not to.
The two battles just now had given him insight into a unique combat rhythm within his Bone Man Form.
Without Blood Source Form, this was undoubtedly his strongest combat state.
The human form specialized in spiritual power augmentation.
The battle form, however, fused all blood energy into his bones, turning his entire skeletal structure into a deadly weapon.
But—
Feng Qi had never put much effort into developing this aspect of his abilities.
Compared to his battle form, he had always preferred Blood Source Form in combat.
And—
Facts had proven that Blood Source Form provided a far greater boost in strength than battle form.
But in his recent fights, Feng Qi discovered something new about his Bone Man Form—
A distinct battle rhythm and style.
It was an entirely different way of fighting.
The Bone Man Form felt like wielding a scythe as a reaper of souls, elegantly and swiftly harvesting the lives of enemies.
Every part of his body became a razor-sharp weapon, precise and lethal.
Compared to Blood Source Form's raw brutality, Bone Man Form was elegant and surgical.
Two completely different combat styles.
Blood Source Form thrived on overwhelming violence.
Each time he activated Blood Source Form, he had only one goal—obliterate the enemy.
His killing methods were crude and devastating.
Either he punched the enemy into bloody mist, or he tore them to pieces.
Bone Man Form, on the other hand, was entirely different.
The act of hunting became as precise as surgery—
His movements were agile and calculated, striking only at vital points, his arms as precise as scalpels.
In both battles just now, he had ended them by piercing his opponent's heart with a single thrust.
But—
Between the two combat styles, he still preferred Blood Source Form.
Against a powerful foe, exchanging heavy blows and feeling each impact resonate through his body was what truly excited him.
Even though this brutal style made him more prone to injuries, every wound was a lesson, every scar a mark of growth.
Every fight was a trial by fire—
A forging of will and strength.
To become steel, one must first endure the flames.
At that moment, the narrator's voice echoed in Feng Qi's mind:
[Brother, you finally get it! You finally fing get it! Fighting with grace is something only pretty boys dream about. When you meet an enemy like that, you should just activate Blood Source, grab him by the hair, and drag his face across the ground. F elegance—blasting enemies apart with a single punch is what true men call romance!]
Feng Qi: …
As always, the narrator had a way of adding fuel to the fire at just the right moment.
He still remembered when he first considered taking the spellcaster route, and the narrator's words had been just as relentless:
[Spellcasters? That's a path for weaklings. Just imagine an enemy bombarding you with countless spells, yet you shatter through it all with your bare fists and smash him into the dirt. That's the true romance of absolute power! No magic, no tricks—just pure brute force tearing through everything.]
[An invincible body means an unbreakable will. Muscles are justice. Fists are truth. Wherever your fists land, nothing remains standing.]
[With the path of body refinement, you can eventually traverse the void with just your physical form, becoming an eternal existence that not even billions of years can erode. Tell me, what power system is more appealing than that?]
Back then, he had almost been convinced.
There was no doubt—the narrator was obsessed with muscle-bound strength.
It looked down on every other cultivation system.
And as a result, it had deeply influenced Feng Qi.
But—
He had to admit, the narrator wasn't entirely wrong.
He had come to truly appreciate the thrill of close-quarters combat.
—
As his thoughts raced, Feng Qi and the Mist Lord finally left the ruined cityscape behind.
The dense greenery gradually faded, revealing a vast, familiar plain stretching out before them.
The entire field was covered in countless white flowers.
A light breeze swept through, sending petals drifting through the air.
This was where he had once slain the Magic-Immunity Golem, obtaining the Purple Soul talent.
That ability had been the very thing that saved his life during a nearly fatal assassination attempt.
And now, in Star City's Domain Alliance, they still saw him as a potential new domain force infiltrating human society.
Feng Qi gazed into the distance.
There—something new had appeared, something that wasn't in his memory.
His vision sharpened, zooming in.
At the far end of the plains, a half-real, half-illusory city emerged.
It was adorned with countless lanterns, decorated as if celebrating a grand festival.
It looked like a mirage, shimmering like rippling waves, as if it might vanish at any moment—
Yet, it stood firm, unwavering.
The sight of the lanterns within the city stirred a sense of familiarity in Feng Qi.
A memory surfaced.
He remembered entering a future dreamscape once, where he had seen Star City Shelter's sky filled with glowing orange lanterns.
The scene had been breathtakingly vast.
But—
Upon closer inspection, he had realized—
The 'lanterns' weren't lanterns at all.
They were jellyfish-like, transparent creatures floating in the air, their semi-transparent bodies glowing from within, giving off the illusion of being suspended lanterns.
He clearly remembered—
Many of these jellyfish-lantern creatures had drifted near the Mist Zone—
And had been devoured by the Mist Lord.
That had probably been one of the best meals the guy ever had.
Yet, Feng Qi hadn't expected to see them again in this future timeline.
These creatures weren't strong, and killing them didn't yield blood energy—
Only a faint trace of spiritual power.
They weren't useful for strength enhancement.
So, in that previous dreamscape, he had barely paid them any attention.
But now—
What truly intrigued him was the illusory city at the edge of the plains, where these lantern-jellyfish resided.
Could it be the territory of a domain force?
His curiosity about the power structures in this future world drove him to investigate.
And along the way, he could hunt domain creatures in the plains to grow stronger.
"You're heading there?" The Mist Lord suddenly asked.
"Yeah, I want to check out that illusory city."
"Your curiosity might end up being the poison that kills you. This world is dangerous. Since I woke up, I've faced countless life-or-death situations. I'd advise you not to be so reckless."
Hearing the Mist Lord's somber warning, Feng Qi simply grinned and clapped his shoulder.
"You can stay behind if you want. But I'm going."
In this future dreamscape, the Mist Lord had not spent 1,500 years evolving—
He had only recently awakened.
His power was far weaker, possibly not even stronger than Feng Qi's full-powered Blood Source Form.
Whether the Mist Lord accompanied him or not was irrelevant.
After all—
He wasn't stupid.
He wouldn't shield Feng Qi from Little Black, nor would he help Feng Qi hunt to accelerate his growth.
[Brother, he's got no more use. Just ditch him. In this future timeline, he's basically your sidekick.]
The narrator's sharp commentary was brutally on point.
"Fine, I'll go with you. But if things get dangerous, I'm leaving."
The Mist Lord brushed off Feng Qi's hand, clearly annoyed.
"Why the change of heart? Didn't you say you didn't believe I was your brother?"
Facing Feng Qi's question, the Mist Lord's eyes flickered with purple light before he spoke softly, "Ever since I came into contact with you, I've found you strange. I even instinctively resisted you. This kind of emotion wouldn't appear out of nowhere. Even though I've lost my memories, I can tell that something unpleasant must have happened between us in the past. But… when you said you were my brother, I could feel that you meant it."
"So I think we must have been friends once… but we were probably also enemies."
Hearing the Mist Lord's analysis, Feng Qi nodded.
It seemed like this guy had already seen through his deception. But what he was curious about was why, despite that, the Mist Lord still chose to follow him.
"If that's the case, why are you still following me? Did you suddenly start trusting me?"
At this, the Mist Lord smirked, "Of course not. It's because you're strong enough. Especially after seeing Suction Cup's strength, I decided to stick with you. This world is full of terrifying creatures. No matter what you have in mind for me, sticking with someone powerful is just common sense."
"At the same time, I can use you to hunt and grow stronger. Whether we're brothers or not doesn't matter to me right now. I don't remember anything about our past, but getting stronger is crucial. In this world, strength is the foundation of survival."
"The only thing that surprised me is that every time you kill something, I can't absorb even the tiniest trace of its blood energy. I can only take the rune crystal."
"And you're still willing to follow me?" Feng Qi raised an eyebrow.
"At the very least, you're stronger than me. Staying with you is safer."
"Aren't you afraid I might harm you?"
"I've already considered that possibility. I know you must have some ulterior motive for keeping me around. But when I think about it, there's no need for me to worry. You're strong enough to take everything I have. If you wanted to kill me, you could've just ordered Suction Cup to do it the moment we met—I wouldn't even have had a chance to resist."
"So, tell me, what's there to be afraid of?"
[Damn, Old Mist is still as sly as ever! The moment he met you, he already had a plan to latch onto your thigh and use you for his own growth. Haha! You think you're using him, but he's already figured it all out… Tsk tsk, even with memory loss, he's still a genius!]
Feng Qi: …
Looking at the Mist Lord's smug expression, Feng Qi suddenly saw a glimpse of the old, calculated mastermind he once knew.
"You've really got some nerve. This is the first time I've ever been used by someone in a future dreamscape."
With that, he turned and walked toward the distant plains.
"What do you mean by future dreamscape?" The Mist Lord quickly followed, his curiosity piqued.
"Too lazy to explain. Figure it out yourself."
"Based on the words alone… a dream of the future world? Are you saying this entire world is just a dream? No, that can't be right—everything here feels too real to be a dream…"
Glancing at the Mist Lord, who was now rambling on and on, Feng Qi sighed internally.
This sidekick… gets a bad rating.
—
After a long walk, the two finally stepped into the plains.
With no dense vegetation blocking their view, the wind was strong. The sea of white flowers swayed, forming waves across the landscape, while petals drifted in the air like snowflakes.
Looking ahead, Feng Qi could clearly see domain creatures roaming the plains.
Compared to those in the ruined city, these creatures were noticeably stronger. But they weren't clustered together, instead scattered widely apart.
Some creatures were even actively hunting, chasing down weaker prey.
They kept moving.
Any domain creature that blocked their path was instantly slaughtered by Feng Qi, who absorbed their bloodline evolution points without hesitation.
By the time they had crossed a long stretch of plains, he had gained three new talents.
Unfortunately, none of them suited his combat style, so Feng Qi planned to break them down once he returned to reality.
During this time, the Mist Lord had tried several times to fight, but Feng Qi always stopped him.
He understood the Mist Lord's desperation to grow stronger.
In this harsh future, anyone could become prey for some horrifying creature at any moment. Strength was the only way to stay alive.
But compared to the Mist Lord, Feng Qi's own strength was the priority.
If he let the Mist Lord take the kills, it would mean less progress for himself.
Still, he wasn't completely heartless.
After killing a creature, he left the rune crystals for the Mist Lord—since they were useless to him anyway.
The Mist Lord was more than satisfied with this arrangement.
[Bro, Old Mist is playing the long game here. He's totally treating you like his personal power-leveling service. He's got this timeline figured out—he's repaying his debt from the last one in the form of free training. Genius move!]
Continuing forward, they finally reached the end of the plains and stood before the Illusory City.