Seeing the Crimson Research Institute choose to go into seclusion, Feng Qi felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.
For the Crimson Research Institute in this Sacrificial Timeline, development was secondary—stability had to come first.
With the Sword Clan of Winterfell City already testing the waters, Star City was now clearly at risk.
In this situation, going into hiding was the safest decision.
As for Wei Wei's suggestion in her message—to find a way to eliminate the Sword Clan—he honestly had no idea how to go about fighting them.
Although the strength of the Sacrificial Timeline could receive some support from the Main Timeline, the influence was still limited.
Even if they could borrow some special abilities, those abilities were still ultimately constrained by the physical body of the Sacrificial Timeline.
To truly gain the strength to face off against the Sword Clan, external help would be the only hope.
But even Mu Qing and Mu Yan together couldn't defeat Jian Ji when he was in his full unleashed state. Feng Qi couldn't think of any force that could kill Jian Ji before he finished harvesting Winterfell City.
He had thought about the territory-rooted Psionic Race.
But they were completely beyond his control. It was impossible to make them help him kill Jian Ji.
Feng Qi didn't dwell too long on this issue. At this point, he continued scrolling through Wei Wei's messages:
387. Today, the Crimson Research Institute officially moved into the underground base. From now on, we'll receive less information from the outside. Once the teams out on missions send back intelligence, I'll report it to you right away.
409. The clone of Little Suction Cup has finally been born. She's currently in the feeding phase. Let's look forward to meeting her in the future. The only regret is that part of the Crimson Rune Crystal was shattered this time, so Little Suction Cup probably won't be very smart.
423. Little Suction Cup can now eat on her own—and boy, can she eat. If we keep feeding her until the year 3523, she might just eat the entire Crimson Research Institute out of house and home. No choice but to raise her for a few more years and then find a time to freeze her.
447. The Sword Clan has launched an attack against Star City, arriving via spatial jump.
This was the first official probing attack the Sword Clan has launched against Star City.
Luckily, the little guy's combat power was top-notch—he pushed back the probing force completely.
I suspect the Sword Clan will continue testing Star City in the future. Jian Ji himself might even come in person. It's clear that, in his eyes, Star City has become an enemy that must be wiped out.
457. Today marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of Dawn Academy. Some team members currently on outside duty sent back footage from the event.
In the video, the entire faculty and student body of the academy, along with the top brass of Star City who were present, all faced your statue and pledged their lives to the rise of humanity. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
At the end, they played your documentary. When that line came up—"Someone has to step up. Why can't it be me?"—the whole place erupted.
I'm proud. My Ah Qi has finally become a historical figure, someone who inspires countless future generations. I'm in tears!
(Attached: Video File)
…
Feng Qi clicked on the video.
In it, Dawn Academy was covered in bright red Dawn flags, fluttering in the wind. Countless people stood facing the banners, looking up at the towering statue holding a book in its left hand and a sword in its right.
The statue's design embodied the evaluation Star City's people had given to his contributions.
The book in the left hand represented knowledge.
He had led Star City's education reform. It was his promotion of future knowledge that helped build the foundation of Star City's knowledge system.
The sword in the right hand represented strength.
That had two layers of meaning. The first was external military power; the second was internal combat development, which included the establishment of future cultivation techniques, the construction of the front-line supply zone, the reform of the military structure, and more.
In the footage, an unfamiliar figure, dressed in the uniform of the academy principal, was reading aloud the school motto Feng Qi had set during his lifetime—and the long-term goals he had for the future.
Once the reading was over, everyone turned to face his statue and solemnly took an oath along with the principal…
After watching the video, Feng Qi was filled with emotion.
[Tsk tsk, back then you were dragged to the guillotine as a historical traitor. People in the future cursed you online and called you a 'dog bastard'. And now you've finally made it big… Watching your rise with my own eyes—I'm proud of you, son.]
"Shut up."
Ignoring the narrator's snarky remarks, he kept scrolling through Wei Wei's messages.
467. The Sword Clan has attacked Star City again. This time Jian Ji himself came along. He's really not one for dragging things out—clearly doesn't want to fight a long war.
It ended with some danger, but nothing disastrous.
When Jian Ji appeared, we immediately contacted the Mist Lord. Then the little guy led members of the military to face him head-on.
Even though Jian Ji hadn't fully recovered, the little guy still wasn't his match. Fortunately, Old Mist showed up in time, leading the Elder Council to intervene and resolve the crisis. Jian Ji chose to retreat on his own.
After this battle, the little guy got injured.
I'm planning to head out for a bit to help him recover.
478. Today, the twelve departments of the Star City Military Department held a top-level joint meeting. Institutes like the Tiger Soul Research Institute also participated. After the meeting, the motion passed unanimously: the little guy has officially been appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Star City Military Department. That same little brat who used to swing his tiny elephant plush and dash around naked after every bath, the one who used to fuss and cry to hear bedtime stories—he's finally grown into the role you always dreamed for him.
Seeing this message, aren't you already grinning like a proud dad?
I really wish you could meet the little guy in the future… Unfortunately, this beauty won't live to see that day. Every time I think about it, I get all sentimental. (sad beauty sighs.jpg)
483. Right now, the situation across the five major cities is a total mess.
Ever since Star City and Winterfell City chose to seal themselves off, the other three cities have been brimming with undercurrents.
The only one that's relatively calm is Old Day City. That's because they've got Hei Xuan watching their back, and behind Hei Xuan is the territory-rooted Psionic Race.
The most chaotic one is definitely Future City. No idea what the hell's going on over there, but they've recently been repeatedly asking Star City for assistance. When we asked what was happening, we got no response from them.
We've already sent a team to Future City. Maybe Little Hei in that city is close to waking up.
Once your destined nemesis, Little Hei, wakes up, both Hei Lin and Future City won't be able to avoid destruction.
568. Future City has been destroyed. Little Hei, who had been dormant for so many years, has awakened.
As for Hei Lin and Mo… where they've gone, I have no idea.
From a historical perspective, Mo probably won't die—after all, he still has that future showdown with Mu Yan waiting down the line.
How that battle ends? I think it's highly likely that Mu Yan will lose, even with full knowledge of Mo's future plans.
Mo raised too many powerful figures, and many of them later grew into dominant forces in the future. Facing all of them at once, it'll be tough for Mu Yan to hold out.
If that day really comes, then the cultivation system we've spent over a thousand years building might collapse completely.
Mu Yan is too important to humanity. We're all in the same boat—if she thrives, we all benefit. If she falls, we all suffer.
Maybe when you finish resolving the crises across the five major cities, and history finally reaches that climactic battle between Mu Yan and Mo, you'll be able to help Mu Yan defeat Mo. Only then will humanity truly enter an era of great development, and we'll no longer have to worry about the stability of the cultivation system.
589. Actually, there is a way right now to perfectly prevent the collapse of the cultivation system—by relying on the Faith Bracelet to directly draw power from you, making you into a God of Faith. All citizens of Star City would become your followers, and they'd be able to borrow talent skills from you that best suit them.
But setting up a faith link is just way too troublesome.
First, you'd have to build a faith statue. That takes a ridiculous amount of resources, and it would also require your blood as the medium. You don't have nearly enough blood to extract for it.
Second, building a faith statue would make the Hei Xuan faction of Old Day City suspicious. After all, building a faith system is also part of the Dark God Sect's long-term strategy. If our interests clash, something totally unexpected could happen.
Right now, the power gap between us and the territory-rooted Psionic Race is massive. So, if we really want to go down the path of a faith-based growth system, it'll have to be a long-term plan.
679. The Sword Clan has attacked again, and this time the war was on a much larger scale than before. Old Mist rushed in to support us. Both the Mist Tribe and Star City suffered casualties, but the Sword Clan didn't come out unscathed either.
What worries us is that Jian Ji's strength has grown again.
Luckily, the little guy, Old Mist, and the Mist Tribe's Elder Council have all gotten stronger too, enough to barely stand their ground against Jian Ji.
Looking into the future, the Mist Lord of the future will definitely be able to crush Jian Ji. But the current Mist Lord clearly isn't there yet. His growth strategy is super long-term—he doesn't put too much emphasis on boosting his own strength right now.
To give an example: Jian Ji's growth is fueled by funneling all the clan's resources into himself. But Old Mist focuses on developing his tribe, using the clan's strength to open up multiple ocean warfronts and grow through battle.
These two growth strategies are fundamentally different.
Old Mist's path is more focused on long-term sustainability. His tribe grows together, speeds up their resource acquisition, and develops more steadily.
But the Sword Clan's model is all about making Jian Ji ridiculously strong on his own. And right now, Jian Ji's power is honestly terrifying.
If Star City can't hold up under Jian Ji's relentless attacks, we might really be screwed.
…Forget it. No more depressing talk. Star City will win!
729. The war between the Sword Clan and Star City is still heating up. Old Mist has pretty much been dragged down by us—every battle, he personally leads the Mist Tribe's forces, takes some losses, and then goes home.
Honestly, I don't get how the Sword Clan managed to rise up in the first place. Their overall setup isn't even as good as the Silver Moon Clan. But just because of Jian Ji—the iron-headed madman—they managed to brute-force their way to power.
But then again, it's no wonder. Jian Ji happened to get his hands on a miracle item that's perfectly suited to him.
His strength is still growing rapidly thanks to that miracle item.
Some people really are just that lucky.
Here's hoping the Demon Blade shows up and takes Jian Ji out mid-way. Otherwise, I'm not sure Star City will be able to keep holding the line against his onslaught.
817. Lately, I've started feeling powerless—my body's going downhill by the day. This beautiful lady is now facing the debt of time. I've already started training a successor.
I spent the whole day sitting alone in my private lab.
Staring at the piles of research files, thinking about how much work still remains unfinished… I really don't want to grow old like this.
Sigh. Enough of this negative energy.
This beauty's gotta pull herself together and keep pushing forward. Then, when my time's almost up, I'll go outside one last time and take a look at the world.
827. The war between Star City and the Sword Clan has entered its most intense phase.
Thankfully, the Demon Blade appeared not long ago and wounded Jian Ji—otherwise, Star City would've been doomed.
857. Time has eroded my beauty. I don't even dare look in the mirror anymore. You brat better make sure you find a talent skill that grants eternal youth. I'll need it later when I establish a belief system.
879. Ah Qi, this beauty is planning to retire now.
The road to salvation is long… let's walk it again in the next timeline.
If you find that Star City still exists fifteen hundred years from now, remember to come to my grave…
And knock your head on the ground a few times for me—hahaha.
…
After reading through all the emails, Feng Qi stood in silence for a long time.
He closed the email page, then walked toward Room One on the second floor of the lab.
He opened the door and pressed the light switch. The floor inside was covered in dust, and cobwebs clung to the corners of the walls.
His gaze swept the room and finally landed on a black metal box.
That was where Wei Wei had frozen the little Suction Cup.
He stepped forward to the box and began identity verification with practiced ease. One by one, green indicator lights lit up on the surface.
As icy mist spread out, the slumbering little Suction Cup was revealed.
Feng Qi gently lifted her out of the box, holding her close to share his body warmth in hopes of waking her faster.
After a long while, her eyelashes twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She looked around in a daze, and then her gaze locked onto Feng Qi's face.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly clung to Feng Qi like an octopus, wrapping herself tightly around his chest:
"Ah… Qi."
Hearing her call out to him in a soft, mumbled voice, Feng Qi smiled and gently ruffled her hair.
The little Suction Cup nuzzled his chest affectionately, eyes full of dependence.
[Hmm… seems kinda dumb. You should probably test her and see whether this is the smart Suction Cup or the airheaded one.]
Hearing the narrator's snark, Feng Qi gave him the middle finger in his mind.
Lowering his head, he could see several new cracks in the scarlet rune crystal embedded in her arm. It clearly wasn't as intact as it had been in the previous timeline.
He could easily imagine how fierce the battle between Mu Qing and Jian Ji had been back then.
History had changed because of him. At that time, Mu Qing had missed out on decades of growth, and her strength hadn't reached its peak—so, in the end, she was defeated by Jian Ji.
Just thinking of Jian Ji sparked intense killing intent in his heart.
Jian Ji had become his must-kill target. Taking him down would not only free Winterfell City but also allow Mu Qing to have a longer future.
But how to kill Jian Ji… Feng Qi still didn't have a good plan.
Just then, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
[Hey, little bro. Have you ever thought about Jian Ji's archenemy—that iron-headed Demon Blade?]
Feng Qi's expression froze for a moment at the suggestion.
If we're talking about the Demon Blade, yeah… it does have the ability to clash with Jian Ji. But against Jian Ji who's activated the Sword Spirit Formation, it might still fall short.
[I've followed your memory across this entire sacrifice timeline, and I noticed something. This time, Jian Ji going after you clearly has a reason. Most likely, it's because he sensed the Demon Blade's sword aura on you and felt afraid. That's why he's so desperate to kill you… so what do you think he's scared of?]
Feng Qi thought for a moment and said,
"Could it be that Jian Ji is afraid the Demon Blade will choose me as its host? That he sensed sword aura from the Demon Blade in me, and figured I naturally align with it?"
[That's probably the truth. Jian Ji's worry isn't baseless. There really isn't anyone more suited to be the Demon Blade's host than you. You've witnessed its entire growth process firsthand, experienced its mindset at every stage. That's why, after reading its memories, you managed to grasp its sword aura. If you do become its host, you might unlock the Demon Blade's true potential—better than any host it ever had.]
[Like they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Little bro, why not try working with the Demon Blade and take Jian Ji down together? As long as Jian Ji dies, Winterfell City will be completely liberated. From then on, the people of that city will become our comrades. Star City plus Winterfell City… humanity's future is looking bright, little bro!]
The narrator's pitch stirred something in Feng Qi's heart.
If it meant feeding himself to the tiger, letting the Demon Blade grow stronger by using his own body, he honestly didn't mind. After all, sacrifice timelines always ended in death anyway.
What he worried about… was whether the Demon Blade would recognize him.