Staring at the limping humanoid domain creature, Feng Qi couldn't shake the sense of familiarity. Its physique bore a striking resemblance to Little Cripple.
But how could that be?
The limping domain creature cautiously approached, its gaze filled with wariness. Feng Qi clenched his fist. Whatever its purpose, if it wanted to enter the shelter, it would first have to deal with his iron fists.
[Don't underestimate it. Its blood energy is stronger than yours. You might not be able to take it down.]
Hearing the narrator's warning, Feng Qi set aside his initial disdain. His attention shifted to the creature's right leg, which was embedded with a violet rune crystal—a stark contrast to the weaker members of its race.
The limping domain creature emitted a strange screech, and its surrounding companions immediately charged at Feng Qi.
His muscles tensed, veins bulging on his forearm as he swung a punch, shattering the skull of the first humanoid domain creature. The sound of bones breaking echoed as its lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Another punch followed, his left fist smashing into the crowd and knocking down several more. Despite their desperate assault, the limping domain creature's kin were no match for Feng Qi's overwhelming strength.
Seeing its people falling like wheat before a scythe, the limping domain creature let out another piercing cry. The remaining creatures retreated to its side, forming a protective cluster.
The limping domain creature took a step forward, its expression tense as it barked something at Feng Qi.
[Let me translate: 'Step aside, you lowly mortal, and make way for your limping grandpa, or I'll beat you to a pulp!']
Rolling his eyes at the narrator's sarcastic interpretation, Feng Qi chose to charge. If this creature carried a rune crystal, defeating it would surely yield a new ability.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the ten-meter distance. Towering over the limping domain creature like a living mountain, Feng Qi radiated sheer intimidation. His iron fist descended with the force of a landslide, aiming for the creature's head.
Just before impact, the limping domain creature crouched, hooking its rune-crystal-embedded right leg around Feng Qi's left leg in a swift motion. The unexpected maneuver caught Feng Qi off guard, throwing him off balance. His punch lost momentum and power, and he crashed heavily onto his back.
For a brief moment, Feng Qi lay stunned, staring up at the crimson blood moon in the sky. Regaining his composure, he quickly rolled to his feet.
But before he could fully steady himself, the limping domain creature leapt high into the air. Its right leg expanded mid-flight, growing into a massive limb over a meter thick, crashing down toward Feng Qi like a battering ram.
Hearing the air whistle from the impending blow, Feng Qi instinctively raised his crossed arms above his head to block.
Boom!
The impact was immense, forcing Feng Qi's body downward. It felt as though a mountain were pressing down on him, immobilizing him completely.
"This thing's strong!" Feng Qi gritted his teeth.
[Even among weak domain races, there are bound to be exceptional individuals. Just like humanity has ordinary citizens and warriors capable of rivaling domain elites, this creature might be one of their stronger individuals. I told you, it's not an easy opponent.]
Feng Qi's eyes burned with determination. Backing down was not an option.
Letting out a fierce roar, he channeled all his strength, slowly lifting the massive leg pressing down on him. But just as he was about to push it off entirely, the limping domain creature retracted its leg and shifted its weight. It crouched and hooked his legs again, this time pulling them out from under him.
Feng Qi, already unbalanced, toppled backward with a loud crash. Once again, the blood moon filled his vision.
"Damn it!" he cursed, slamming his fists into the ground as he sprang back up, charging at the limping domain creature.
What followed was an intensely frustrating battle. The creature's rune-embedded right leg was not only powerful but also adept at exploiting openings. It expanded and contracted at will, tripping Feng Qi repeatedly and rendering his attacks ineffective.
Despite his brute strength and regenerative abilities, Feng Qi found himself completely outmatched in terms of combat skill. The creature's relentless use of its hooked leg turned every clash into a humiliating struggle.
Furious, Feng Qi unleashed his telekinetic abilities, hoping to immobilize the creature. However, his mental strength lagged far behind his physical capabilities. The telekinetic grip only held the limping domain creature for a second before it broke free.
The battle reached an impasse. The limping domain creature couldn't penetrate Feng Qi's strong defenses and rapid healing, while Feng Qi couldn't land a decisive blow.
[Heads up, your Bloodline Form is about to run out. If you don't end this soon, I'm clocking out early.]
The narrator's reminder made Feng Qi's eyes blaze with frustration.
As the limping domain creature charged at him once more, Feng Qi gritted his teeth, enduring the blow to his chest before swiftly grabbing hold of the creature's leg. Summoning all his strength, he slammed it down in a bone-crushing suplex.
Boom!
The ground quaked as the creature's back slammed into the earth, its face contorting in pain. Sensing an opening, Feng Qi tightened his grip, determined not to lose the advantage he'd fought so hard to gain. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his strength and lifted his leg high, preparing to bring it down with crushing force.
But just as he was about to strike, the limping domain creature twisted its body, using the momentum to spin mid-air and hurl him off.
[Boss, you're generous! Early clock-out today!]
As Feng Qi's body was flung backward, the blood and energy coating his skin dissipated into the wind. He hit the ground hard, his Bloodline Form fading, leaving him in his regular combat form.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, locking eyes with the limping domain creature as it hobbled toward him with deliberate slowness. Without his Bloodline Form, Feng Qi knew he was at a disadvantage.
Frustration bubbled within him as he realized how outclassed he was in combat technique. Against opponents he could overpower, his brute strength had always been enough. But now, against an enemy stronger and more skilled, his straightforward fighting style was a glaring weakness.
Clenching his fists, Feng Qi assumed the opening stance of Tiger Fist. His movements were steady, but his mind raced for a strategy.
Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the west, drawing both their attention.
A massive pillar of dense, gray mist shot into the sky, twisting and surging like a living entity. From afar, Feng Qi spotted a small, familiar figure—Suction Cup—rising within the pillar's energy, her tiny silhouette ascending rapidly before vanishing into the clouds.
[Look! Your weapon just flew away!]
Ignoring the narrator's jab, Feng Qi focused on the gray mist column. The pillar began to shift and morph, taking the shape of a colossal humanoid figure with only its upper body visible. Crimson eyes, burning like twin embers, pierced through the mist.
"Sacrifice!"
The roar of the Mist Lord echoed across the battlefield, shaking the earth. The world seemed to freeze in that instant. Even the limping domain creature and its kin stopped in their tracks, their expressions going slack.
As if compelled, they all turned to face the sky.
"Sacrifice!"
Feng Qi could only watch in horror as flames ignited on the bodies of the domain creatures around him. Their flesh and blood were consumed by the fire, transforming into streams of blood energy that floated upward, coalescing into a massive crimson cloud above.
Even the survivors emerging from the shelter were not spared. They stumbled out of the metal tunnel, their eyes vacant as eerie green flames consumed their bodies, reducing them to skeletal remains. Their blood and energy joined the swirling mass in the sky.
Within moments, every living being—except Feng Qi—had been turned into an offering for the Mist Lord.
The blood cloud drifted toward the towering gray mist figure, merging seamlessly into its body. From all directions, additional clouds of blood energy arrived, adding to the Mist Lord's power.
High above, the Mist Lord stood like a deity wielding dominion over life and death. It surveyed the world with cold, indifferent eyes, regarding everything below as mere ants.
Amid the carnage, one figure still burned—a limping domain creature missing its right leg. Its body trembled as it fought to endure the flames.
Feng Qi approached cautiously, his mind swirling with unanswered questions.
The purpose of the Flesh Sacrifice technique was clear: the Mist Lord aimed to harvest the life force of all beings, using their blood and energy to strengthen itself. But why were newly arrived domain creatures also falling victim?
Could it be that they, too, carried latent traces of the Flesh Sacrifice's hidden curse?
Standing before the limping domain creature, Feng Qi watched as its body neared the brink of collapse. Its flames dimmed as it entered its final moments.
Suddenly, fragments of memories flooded Feng Qi's mind, an echo of the creature's final thoughts. Unlike his own memory, these fragments were incomplete, fragmented snapshots of a distant past.
In one image, he saw a desolate land of blackened soil. Resources were scarce, and the environment was harsh, yet a resilient race struggled to survive.
More fragments followed, showing scenes of life on the scorched land.
The perspective shifted, revealing a figure resembling the creature before him. This figure painted intricate patterns on the faces of hundreds of warriors using pigment extracted from rare minerals. The markings carried blessings and solemn resolve.
Then came the culmination of years of preparation. With the tribe's meager resources, the figure constructed a massive formation, activating it to connect with the blood moon hanging in the sky.
A crimson beam descended from the heavens, enveloping the warriors marked with the sacred paint. Slowly, they vanished into the light, carrying the tribe's hopes and prayers with them.
As the memory fragments grew more vivid, Feng Qi gradually pieced together the tragic story of this weak domain race.
For reasons unknown, this resource-starved race had pooled together all its resources to construct a space formation capable of connecting to the Blood Moon. Using this formation, they sent their strongest warriors, numbering in the hundreds, to the human world.
Over the following years, the tribe adopted increasingly harsh rules for survival.
The elderly, unable to contribute to the tribe, were required to end their lives voluntarily.
Infants born with congenital defects were abandoned immediately.
Survival became a merciless competition, with only the fittest allowed to live.
One day, a monumental event shook the tribe.
A blood-red beam descended from the Blood Moon, carrying resources sent back by the warriors who had ventured to another world.
Among these resources was a cultivation technique—prized above all else. It was a gift from the far-flung warriors, a method for refining the body's flesh and blood, allowing for greater growth potential.
The tribe erupted into celebration, praising the warriors for their invaluable contributions.
The limping leader, their chieftain, saw hope for the tribe's rise and felt vindicated in the choice to send their strongest to another world. He immediately began making preparations for the tribe's eventual migration.
However, to support the tribe's development, their internal rules became even harsher. Under these draconian measures, countless individuals were abandoned or killed. The chieftain himself trained relentlessly, using every available resource, never stopping for a hundred years. His every effort was for the tribe's future migration.
During this period, the warriors who had ventured out continued to send signals back through the formation.
Each signal brought techniques and cultivation methods tailored to their bloodline, accelerating the tribe's development. With the support of these external warriors, the tribe entered a period of rapid growth.
Just as Feng Qi prepared to delve deeper into the memories of this tribe, the imagery abruptly ceased.
Opening his eyes, he saw the limping domain warrior lying lifeless on the ground, its body reduced to a husk. The rune crystal embedded in its right leg was now drained of energy, shattered into fragments.
Staring at the familiar figure, Feng Qi finally confirmed something:
This was Little Cripple, the domain creature he had encountered every time he entered the future dreamscape.
The truth about Little Cripple's origins became painfully clear.
It was the leader of this weak domain tribe. The hundreds of elite warriors it had carefully chosen were already lurking within the Star City Shelter as part of their long-laid plans. These warriors represented the strongest of their kind, sent to this world to pave the way for their tribe's survival.
While hiding within human civilization, these creatures would often transmit spatial coordinates of their location back to their tribe. They used specific methods to send rare resources across dimensions to support the tribe's growth. Feng Qi suspected this involved the golden orb within the shelter.
The resources transmitted back included body-refinement techniques, combat methods, and even Flesh Sacrifice.
Thus, when the Mist Lord activated the Flesh Sacrifice switch, this tribe also fell victim and became part of its offering.
According to the tribe's original plan, Little Cripple would lead its people to unite with other domain tribes in the shelter to seize control.
The shelter was to become their foothold in this world, a base for the tribe's resurgence.
But the script had gone entirely off course.
[Tsk, Little Cripple had it rough. He sent the best of his people, hoping for their rise, only to unknowingly lead his entire tribe into the jaws of death. The Mist Lord just sat back and reaped a huge crop of 'offerings.']
[If the timeline had progressed normally, Little Cripple would have arrived with his people only to find the Mist Lord had long activated the Flesh Sacrifice switch. The moment they crossed the spatial passage, the latent curse within them would have triggered. Most of their life force would have been drained mid-air, leaving them as dried corpses before they even touched the ground.]
"Then the graveyard from the dreamscape… it wasn't only humans who were sacrificed. It was Little Cripple's tribe as well," Feng Qi murmured.
[Exactly. The shelter's tens of thousands of residents alone couldn't have formed that graveyard. I used to think the undead were a unique phenomenon born under the Mist Lord's domain. Turns out, they're the remnants of Little Cripple's tribe after their deaths.]
Feng Qi nodded grimly. Little Cripple's fragmented memories had unraveled the mystery of the graveyard.
He had also uncovered the heartbreaking tale of a tribe that had sought to rise in another world but ended up being mercilessly harvested by the Mist Lord upon their arrival.
[I bet even the Mist Lord was caught off guard. Sitting pretty, minding its own business, and suddenly a massive crop of offerings just delivered themselves right to its doorstep. What could it do? It had to accept the feast!]
Feng Qi: "…"
At that moment, a low growl echoed through the air.
Feng Qi turned to see Little Cripple slowly rising from the ground. Its empty gaze locked onto him, its movements jerky and unnatural.