Whoosh—
The wind howled fiercely.
Inside the train carriage, the four of them wore grave expressions.
An invisible pressure filled the surrounding space, like the aura of a cataclysm chasing after them, threatening annihilation at any moment.
–It’s likely another executive from the Lost Mirage Corporation!–
–What do we do? If it gets any closer, we’ll be dead for sure.–
Xiao Liu turned to look back, –It’s even closer—good heavens, it’s so huge!–
Before, this figure had appeared to be only as large as a distant silhouette, and they had thought it was already close. But then it just kept growing.
Now, his massive frame occupied most of the view behind them, like a gigantic statue racing through the sky.
A thunderous roar shook the surroundings, deafening everyone.
Waves of sound, like rolling thunder, swept toward them.
–Surrender those rocks, and I’ll grant you the chance to become my slaves.–
The dark-gold Moxel symbol on his chest flickered, as a thin beam arced toward the distant ground.
Boom, boom, boom!
The ground ahead of the train suddenly rose up, as if called by a divine force, forming a mountain ridge shaped like a spire that extended and surged toward the ghostly, speeding train.
–Holy crap! Little Matt Chao, save us!–
{I…… am…… all smoked out.}
BOOM!
The carriage shook violently.
Several figures swayed, and from the sides of the train, ridges three or four meters high rose, chasing the realigning train as they carved jagged walls into the earth.
｛Give me a replacement Nine Thousand Years Chronos; I’m wounded.｝
Through his identity as the train conductor, Yang Zicang had sensed that the brief collision had nullified over ten thousand amplified Chronoses. At least half of the puppets storing Chronos inside the carriage were dead.
And that was just a glancing blow.
Suddenly, the rocks within the train emitted visibly rippling waves, like air shimmering near scorching heat.
A dense, dim energy fluctuation spread outward.
Little Matt Chao’s speed instantly doubled, and the group felt a sudden deafening silence.
–Is there a mysterious entity helping us?–
–It’s the divine rock master making a move,– Zuo Feixian confirmed.
The train sliced through the sky at over four times the speed of sound, nearly floating as it traversed the distance, reaching the next Peng Zone in an instant.
At that moment, Yang Zicang finally found a fleeting chance to sort through the barrage of Moxel links flashing across his chest—many people were searching for him.
He first connected to Ju Yin Chase.
｛What’s chasing you?｝
–It’s a director from the Frequency-Loss Illusory Realm Corporation. It’s attacked us several times already.–
On that side, Ju Yin Chase’s expression shifted dramatically.
He naturally realized immediately what this meant—it signified that those entities could actively influence the Shibin Wastes.
And as the two Hubvilles situated on this stretch of land, they would inevitably bear the brunt of their interference, along with the thirty-five connected cities that would also be affected.
Ju Yin Chase had more questions, but Yang Zicang had already severed the link.
At this moment, he was conversing with Boboli, who had been transferring nearly thirty thousand Chronos to him. The particles were now being channeled into Robin Lo and Xiao Liu, who were still connected mid-journey, to replenish what had been consumed earlier.
–How is Morris doing?–
{His complexion and breathing seem relatively normal, like he’s just in a deep sleep. It should probably be a while before he recovers.}
The curly-haired boy got up from the Syn-Link and headed to Morris’s room, where a family doctor was hooking up a nutrient drip to him. Morris appeared thinner and gaunter, but otherwise he looked no different from an ordinary person.
At this moment, Boboli wore a look of utter helplessness. Both of his most important companions—one had fallen into a mysterious slumber, while the other was being hunted down out in the wasteland. No matter how carefree someone might be, there was no way they could muster any joy.
–Just let it go for now. We’ve reached the next Peng Zone. If Morris wakes up, make sure to inform me as soon as possible.–
{Alright, please be careful, Brother Zicang.}
Inside the Peng Zone, Yang Zicang didn’t say a word; he directly had the Paleshade Wyrm yank out the psychic force of those who were blocking the Divine Stone.
The two strongest members in this haven instantly crumpled to the ground, and the faces of those still eyeing an attack turned pale with horror.
Robin Lo and Xiao Liu swiftly jumped out of the vehicle, knocked the Divine Stone down, and loaded it into the car.
Boom, boom! Sonic booms roared from behind as the train whistled past, vanishing into a whirlwind before everyone’s eyes.
The moment it left, those in the Peng Zone glimpsed something massive whizzing through the dark sky, followed by a rolling wave of sound that crashed down, as if it could shatter their eardrums.
Thankfully, it came and went in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the air within milliseconds.
–How terrifying. That thing is chasing the leader of the big shot Cargo Crew.–
–And they still dared to linger. Damn it, if we had been just a few seconds later, we’d all be halfway to heaven.–
–Big shot? Those bastards deserve to die anyway.–
Everyone felt as though they had just brushed past the gates of hell. Suddenly, the two who had collapsed moments ago opened their eyes groggily and propped themselves up.
–I… feel like I had a nightmare,– they mumbled dazedly.
…….
–The next destination is the Heshan Peng Zone.–
A few dozen seconds later.
Boom! Violent winds swept through the Heshan Peng Zone.
The ghastly train directly slammed several people into the compartment. Seeing their numbers suddenly diminish, the others dared not touch the stone.
–I heard that even that Rose woman couldn’t hold onto it. Just give it to him!–
–A wise man doesn’t court disaster. Staying alive is what matters.–
They voluntarily placed the sacred stone they had intended to relocate onto the train.
Splash! A rear compartment materialized. As the doors slid open, the individuals who had been swallowed by the ghost train crawled out, limp and rolling onto the ground.
Just as the train was about to depart, the person from the Crimson Nexus Hub with the crimson gear suddenly asked, –Is it the Chief Editor who is hunting you down?–
Yang Zicang turned his head to look and nodded.
The train vanished into the wind.
Within the Crimson Hub, having received the confirmation through inquiry, Raoxiong wore an extremely grim expression.
Tonight, the Shibin Wastes had stirred up earth-shattering influence. Originally, he had been reluctant to interfere too much, preferring to watch from the sidelines to avoid Hub interference in the Wastes.
But he never expected that when he could no longer hold back and came to probe for answers, he would hear such startling, hair-raising intelligence.
This suddenly emerged Chief Editor had apparently already managed to break the limits and interfere with the development of the Wastes—a move he might as well set him in direct conflict against the very entity that had created this world.
–Everyone, contact any Peng Zone leader and Cargo Crew you’re on decent terms with. Throw out whatever Divine Stones you have for Yang ZiCang to take.–
–Futown, have you lost your mind?–
–Don’t worry about the specifics. Just do as I say.–
Only after driving his people into action did Yao Tong quietly ponder the intelligence he possessed.
It seemed that among those otherworldly beings who created this land, some still yearned for the old world. They hoped the new one could still lean towards the old ways.
Could it be that the ‘Editor-in-Chief’ was brought forth after these people gained the upper hand in their contest?
Yao Tong, along with Ju Yin Chase on the other side, both stared at the screens.
A screen with a severed signal flickered back to life, but the relentless Peng Zone that had been fighting moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
On that land, only a stretch of ruins, utterly devastated by a colossal force, remained.
On another screen, the battling crowd came to a sudden halt. Everyone watched as the small Divine Stone vanished right before their eyes.
……
–That’s the fifteenth Divine Stone.–
At a mid-sized Peng Zone, the moment the Ghost Shadow Train screeched to a halt and the Paleshade Wyrm surfaced, a burly man hurled the Divine Stone in his hand onto the train.
–Boss Futown said he’d compensate us. Head for the Phoenix Canopy to the left, sixty li out—they’re waiting for you.–
–Thanks.–
There was almost no hesitation.
The train immediately surged forward as it adjusted direction, vanishing into the air, its speed even greater by several fractions.
Boom! A massive darkness in the sky flickered and disappeared just as rapidly.
Even though the train had only stopped for three to four seconds, the Mountain Executive had already appeared here, and his time interval was even shorter than in the previous Peng Zone instance.
Outside the Phoenix Greenhouse, Penglord was leading a group to hurl a large divine stone out.
The surroundings were suddenly illuminated as several luxury cars came to a halt not far away, their headlights blinding everyone present.
A petite young girl stepped out of the car and walked in front of the headlights. The hazy golden glow outlined her skirt and graceful figure in a silhouette of light.
–Who are you?–
The group, looking at the suddenly appearing motorcade, felt an ominous foreboding in their hearts.
One person’s Moxel fold-line shot outward from their chest, but before it could enter the air, there was a bang—their body burst into a mist of blood.
–Ahh!–
Several panicked people scrambled away, none daring to activate their Moxel any longer.
A twin-tailed girl with small fangs stepped forward a few paces and drew out a golden chain from the circular mirror of chaos held by a nearby attendant.
As the chaotic light from the mirror enveloped the divine stone, she was about to wrap the chain around the fallen stone when her mind registered the swift approach of rushing wind.
–They’re here.– Director Hu turned to look.
In her perception, two distinct auras were rapidly approaching from the distant sky.
–Brother Shan said that guy’s speed had increased considerably, but I didn’t expect it to be this fast—he’s already here in just one minute.–
After the train’s first acceleration, Director Shan realized that he probably couldn’t catch up to that damnable train, so he sent a message to his comrade, asking her convoy to intercept it up ahead.
And at this moment, the two directors blocked the Ghost Train’s advance and retreat from both ends, front and back.
Suddenly, everyone turned their heads toward the distant horizon.
The sky of the Shibin Wastes, which had never been so pitch black, seemed to crack open a tiny hole. A blurry, grayish-white beam of light slowly swept across the earth like a searchlight before vanishing a few seconds later.
–That light…–
–Forget it. Watch out for the Peng Zone ahead—there’s an electric light.– Yang Zicang said gravely.
The train sped toward the Peng Zone at high velocity. By the time they caught sight of that eerie electric light, it was already too late.
An electric current of alarm shot down Yang Zicang’s spine.
–It’s the convoy! Run!–
{Huh?}
In front of the convoy, a radiant young woman with gleaming eyes and pearly-white teeth raised her fair, tender arm, balancing a small Rubik’s cube upon it.
The train swerved sharply and made a turn.
BOOM! A train car vanished into thin air, the entire train flickering violently as its speed lurched unevenly.
This strike was akin to a human losing a body part.
A furious gale rushed in, and the moment Yang Zicang turned his head, he saw an colossal, oppressive silhouette emerging on the giant blanket outside the window.
Turning his gaze inward, his boulder-like eyes swept across the carriage, pressing down on everyone like the weight of a mountain—an unparalleled, domineering presence.
–Master Xingmiao!– Yang Zicang blurted out instinctively.
A dozen divine stones inside the carriage flickered in unison, emitting a dim, starlike glow.
Zuo Feixian had risen and was now floating off the ground, his eyes radiating a peculiar, divine light. He lifted an arm, pointing outward, and murmured:
–The fifth ring of the Canjing Bloodline…–
–…the Twin Ring.–
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