At the bottom of the sea, years passed one by one.
Yang Zicang lay drowsily on the lava, a prompt in his mind indicating the receipt of a contract, but at this moment, he could barely register a single word.
Half of the Paleshade Wyrm’s body twisted and swayed outside, while the other half was lodged within his head.
His skull had become deformed; this enormous worm seemed about to burst from his brain, yet also seemed to be taking root, a state he had endured for over a hundred years.
Then came the next –Jiazi Term.–
Yang Zicang had melded several dozen centimeters further, and the Paleshade Wyrm, as if sensing something, raised its head, looking diagonally upward from the seabed.
[Mooan…]
……
A gentle breeze rustled, green grass rippling like waves.
A breathtakingly beautiful boy, holding a bunch of flowers, stood before a grave. After laying them down, he twirled joyfully and then looked toward the ancient, dark-red stone castle atop the grassy hill nearby.
–Mom, will I be able to become like Father one day?–
He threw himself into the arms of the woman beside him.
–No one can become a Saint-Blessed anymore, but over there at your father’s place…–
This pale-faced, sharp-featured woman gazed at the castle, yet her thoughts drifted to that faintly gleaming gold coin.
Such gold coins—the great warrior had once possessed eight in total, many of which had been spent.
Now, only one remained.
If possible, she dearly wished that coin could be given to her son.
Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats rumbled from the edge of the lush green pastures. She turned to see squadrons of armored troops advancing in the distance, their banners held high.
In a glint of alertness, several arrows pierced the silent air, their silhouettes reflected in her pupils!
–Wuming!–
A slender, long-haired woman tightly embraced the child in front of her, twisting her body to shield him in her arms.
Bang!
The moment those arrows pierced her back, a majestic figure appeared behind her.
–Father,– the boy looked up over his shoulder and instantly felt a sense of peace; this figure, as if blocking the sky itself, brought him boundless safety and trust.
Yet… even such a great man was starting to see his hair turn white.
–Don’t hide over there. Step out and watch how I fight.–
The towering man raised the black longsword, which bore several weeping eyes on its blade, and stamped fiercely beneath his feet. In the boy’s eyes, his form instantly transformed into a cyclone hurtling into the military formation up ahead.
–Loose!–
A jet-black mass of dark red arrows came crashing forth, carrying a tidal howl.
BOOM!
As if splitting heaven and earth, the man threw a punch, –Gale Force!–
A wild gale swept the arrows back. He took two strides, the black sword drawn from below to above by his brawny arm, flames surging like a wave rising from the ground!
A muffled cry.
–Ahhh!–
Dozens screamed in the front phalanx. The foremost knights quickly fell from their horses amid the roaring blaze.
The woman with fair features turned to look at the figure rushing toward the formation.
In recent years, more and more people came to snatch gold coins.
At first, they had high-sounding excuses, but two centuries had passed, and now people didn’t even bother finding excuses.
–Warriors, this is the time to test your loyalty,– a rough voice with a foreign accent rang out from afar. –We will reclaim the holy relic—today, right now, this very instant! Charge!–
–Reclaim the holy relic!–
The earth rumbled with ceaseless, low tremors. More knights in dark red armor madly surged forward.
They feared no death; even if the one before them fell, it mattered not, for the Ring of Life was born—touch it and inherit the lifespan.
Yet these knights, who had crossed vast distances to reach this place, saw…
That figure, passed down through over two hundred years, the one who once fought alongside the undead king, took a single step across the green field. Moving at a deceptive pace that seemed slow but was swift, he emerged amidst the chaotic crowd, while the knights reining their horses beneath them shook their heads in disbelief.
This robust and valiant figure of a middle-aged man, like a slippery fish, appeared at the rear of the military formation.
–You… how is this possible!– shouted the man within the large tent, carried among several bearers at the rear.
–Because I am Wu Zheng.–
Boom! The heads of these flimsily clad commanders lifted high.
Blood spilt freely. In Wu Zheng’s unflinching hand, the black blade thirstily drank again. Only then, one of his dull eyes suddenly twitched.
Wu Zheng’s eye shifted sideways, and the eye on the blade also slanted toward the master who gripped it.
{You. Are. Gold, coin? In the blood, craving, holy-gifted gold coin, what. Is. It?}
Wu Zheng’s gaze trembled fiercely!
This was a sound appearing directly in his heart?
His eyes froze. He slowly turned his head to scrutinize the pitch-black weapon in his hand, where a scarlet-pupiled eye gazed back at him.
–The sealed demon has awakened?!–
Like a thunderbolt jolting his heart, he stood amidst the chaos of the crumbling army, briefly lost in a trance. This had never happened before—was it because of the excessive slaughter?!
Several figures charged at him, hurling spears and weapons toward his back. Wuzheng chose to thrust his great sword with a sharp clang into the earth, casually grabbed a nearby enemy’s weapon, and swept around to block the attack. He then went on a killing spree, routing this group of punishers. Yet, despite his violent efficiency, urgency churned in his heart.
The demon was awakening once more!
This was a catastrophe—a matter that must be reported at once to the Undying King or the Attendant Lords. But… they had not appeared for so many, many years.
……
The seabed.
It was as if the Paleshade Wyrm, which had drifted aimlessly in the seawater alongside Yang Zicang for over two centuries, had completely lost its swaying posture, becoming fainter and more merged with the figure of the youth.
……
Over a decade later, Wu Ming placed a bouquet of fresh flowers before a newly dug grave.
On the handsome young man’s back, the black greatsword’s eye swiveled, and a deep, resonant mental voice manifested within his mind.
｛Do you wish to resurrect your father?｝
Wu Ming’s ferocious gaze snapped sharply sideward, his brow tilting in rage as he cast a fiery glare backward, a shocking bloodlust exploding from his body.
–Demon, if you dare to beguile another soul, I shall melt you down!– Wu Ming snarled, his voice seething with killing intent.
{Heh heh heh, hahaha… No one can resist this temptation. Think carefully—otherwise, why would you have brought me along?}
The single eye on the sword hilt swiveled, its gaze falling on the gold coin pendant hanging from the man’s chest.
{Feed it to me, and I’ll grant you even greater power.}
–My clan will seal you for generations to come. Don’t think you’ll get any favors from me.–
{What a tightwad. It’s only been fifty years—not like it’s some priceless treasure.}
……
In the layered backdrop of the ruined city,
Liang Xi frowned deeply after receiving the Syn-Link from Robin Lo.
–What are we going to do?– He glanced at the young man lying on the straw mat.
Over twenty hours had passed, yet there were still no signs of him waking up.
Still, Brother ZiCang had emitted waves of scorching heat and piercing cold several times—likely gaining stronger battle skills in his dreams.
–It should be soon. If he’s got some powerful techniques, those guys won’t stand a chance against him.–
He muttered to himself.
Yang Zicang once again radiated a faint heat wave, followed by bursts of chill—this was the fourth strange occurrence that day.
He slowly opened his eyes.
–Whoa, big brother, you’re awake!–
–What time is it?–
–Hmm, about the same as last time.–
Yang Zicang thought for a moment, then felt his head sway a bit. He pressed a hand to it, and after a few seconds, he felt much better.
[I have acquired a new additional ability: ‘True Descent: Paleshade Wyrm.’]
Liang Xi said, –Brother, I feel like you’ve changed a lot in many ways, yet I can’t quite pinpoint what’s different.–
As Yang Zicang’s mind stirred, a phantom like an underwater world materialized, and behind him emerged a monstrous shadow that resembled a Mind Dragon but was nearly ten meters long.
–I was really lucky this time. I snagged a lot of good stuff in there, like this.–
As he finished speaking, Liang Xi felt as though the space around him had suddenly expanded.
He watched in stunned disbelief as a blurry, coiling, imposing-headed, indescribably pale white shape of a translucent monster appeared behind Yang Zicang.
But before Liang Xi could get a clear look, it vanished into thin air again.
–G-g-goosebumps… What was that just now?–
–A new friend, the ‘Paleshade Wyrm.’–
After saying this, Yang Zicang sensed Moxel, which held ten proxy training contracts.
These were people who had accompanied him through dreams that spanned dozens or even hundreds of years, and now their entire experiences had been distilled into a thin, stored –piece of paper.–
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