Twilight City, Western District.
Before dawn, the defensive forces stationed in the western district of Twilight City swiftly mobilized, converging toward the area where the Mist Lord had landed.
The response to the detected airborne energy anomaly was immediate and highly efficient—a level of vigilance deeply rooted in Twilight City's history.
The majority of Twilight City's population were descendants of scavengers.
The earliest settlers who had established Twilight City had lived through the horrors of catastrophic domain invasions.
Even though modern Twilight City residents had not personally witnessed the despair of a Domain Field's descent,
Historical records, books, and the stories passed down by elders constantly reinforced one terrifying truth—
The crisis was never over. Peace had never truly arrived.
In the Twilight City Memorial Hall, a vast collection of photographs and video recordings from past disasters was preserved, alongside interviews with survivors of past calamities.
This relentless awareness of impending disaster was ingrained into every resident of Twilight City.
They lived in constant fear that one day, a Domain Field would suddenly descend upon their city, bringing total annihilation.
This heightened survival instinct was why Twilight City's infrastructure was built with pure functionality in mind, ignoring aesthetics entirely.
Every structure was designed for crisis response—which was why the city was covered in combat fortresses and underground shelters.
The military deployment was equally meticulous.
Each of the city's four districts—East, South, West, and North—was guarded by multiple military regiments, ensuring rapid crisis response.
Annual emergency drills were conducted, enforcing a strict ten-minute response time for military units to reach any point within their jurisdiction in the event of an emergency.
But the most unique aspect of Twilight City, compared to other cities, was—
A state of total militarization.
Every single resident, upon turning sixteen, regardless of gender, was required to complete one year of mandatory military training.
Twilight City was, in every sense, a fortress of steel.
Any Domain Creature attempting to infiltrate would have to pass through layer upon layer of security checks.
Even if they managed to enter the city, any suspicious movements would immediately trigger swift elimination.
Twilight City's air defense system was specially designed by the Institute of Technological Research.
The city was equipped with eighteen airborne energy detection radars, covering all of Twilight City's airspace.
Every Domain Creature contained Spiritual Energy within its body.
Any anomalous energy fluctuations detected in Twilight City's airspace would be immediately flagged, triggering the mobilization of military forces to investigate and neutralize the source.
In terms of defensive capabilities against Domain-Transcendent Entities, Twilight City was almost impenetrable.
But of course—there were always exceptions.
For a Domain-Transcendent Entity of absolute power, Twilight City's "fortress of steel" would be nothing more than a hollow shell.
At this moment, the Mist Lord, having taken the form of a dense gray mist, remained hidden within the shadows of an unlit alleyway.
In his sensory vision, countless red light signatures—representing blood-heat—moved swiftly throughout the district, conducting a wide-scale search.
After activating his sensory vision, he also noticed that each squad leader carried a circular device.
It seemed to function as a detector for energy fluctuations.
Using this device, the military squads were quickly narrowing in on the dark alley where he was hiding.
The Mist Lord did not fear these ordinary soldiers in the slightest.
After seizing control of the Tiger Soul Research Institute, his strength had advanced significantly—eliminating an entire military unit would be effortless.
However, secrecy was the most crucial aspect of his mission.
If he made a move here, it would jeopardize his entire operation.
Thus, he quickly retracted his energy signature, suppressing the raging blood energy coursing through his body.
As he expected—
Once his energy fluctuations were masked, the search teams lost their target.
They halted their advance, staring at their instruments in confusion.
Seeing this, the Mist Lord knew he could not remain here any longer.
Even though he had neutralized the energy signature, his location had already been compromised.
At that moment, he glanced toward the sewer entrance at the end of the alley.
Without hesitation, he drifted toward the opening and slipped inside.
By the time Twilight City's military personnel arrived,
The Mist Lord had already vanished without a trace.
Now inside the Twilight City sewer system, the Mist Lord navigated through the underground tunnels.
The air was thick with a foul stench.
Even after the Great Cataclysm, rats still infested the sewers of every major city.
But the pitch-black darkness had no effect on his sensory vision.
The Mist Lord decided to use the sewer system to escape the high-security Western District before resurfacing above ground elsewhere.
Before arriving, he had reviewed extensive intelligence on Twilight City, memorizing the exact locations of all research institute branches within the city.
The Crimson Research Institute's branch was located at 1201, Eastern District, Twilight City.
However, his current mission wasn't related to the Crimson Research Institute.
He knew that the Howling Wolf Domain Combat Squad would eventually make contact with the Crimson Research Institute during their mission.
If he simply waited in the shadows, he would inevitably locate the squad's movements.
Then, he could strike at the right moment.
As he calculated his next steps, the Mist Lord drifted eastward through the sewer system.
Ten minutes later, a surge of energy fluctuations suddenly appeared ahead.
The Mist Lord instantly became alert.
This unexpected energy reaction piqued his curiosity.
He couldn't help but suspect that there might be a hidden research lab built by Twilight City's military.
After thoroughly studying Twilight City's history and operational patterns, he knew such a secret facility was highly plausible.
With caution in his mind, he took a turn at a sewer intersection, extending his consciousness forward to probe.
The scene before him was shocking.
Beyond the sewer tunnels, an entirely concealed research facility lay hidden underground.
The underground base was well-developed, complete with advanced infrastructure and research stations.
Inside the small-scale laboratory, shadowy humanoid figures were working busily.
These figures were composed of pure black energy, their faces unidentifiable.
The sight was eerily similar to the Shadow Force—the mysterious power backing the Institute of Technological Research.
But the Mist Lord was certain—this was not the Shadow Force.
While the Shadow Force held great influence in Future City, Twilight City was outside their territory.
Back when he had taken over Wang Yi, he had entered the Institute of Technological Research's core hierarchy.
If the Institute had a secret base in Twilight City, there was no way he wouldn't have known about it.
This left only one possibility.
A force that looked identical to the Shadow Force, but wasn't part of the Institute of Technological Research—
The Psionic Race.
The Mist Lord had always been deeply wary of the Psionic Race.
In the Domain World, the Psionic Race was not known for brute strength.
As former neighbors, his clan had often invaded and plundered the Psionic Race's domain fields for resources.
They had exploited the Psionic Race for years.
However, times had changed.
When his clan attempted to forge a new path, they were met with a mysterious force that completely annihilated them.
Now, he was the last survivor, stranded in the human world.
It was likely that the Psionic Race had never faced such an obstacle when they entered the human world.
With more of their kind surviving, the Psionic Race might have retained a significant portion of their power.
Moreover, they now possessed an invaluable artifact—
The Sacred Spirit Consciousness Repository.
This legendary artifact held vast knowledge and wisdom.
With it, the Psionic Race could develop at an alarming speed.
The Mist Lord had no doubt—the Psionic Race had grown into an unimaginable force.
It was entirely possible that they had already taken full control of Old Day City.
He even suspected that over centuries of development, the Psionic Race might have acquired multiple Miracle Items beyond just the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Repository.
As for how much power they now wielded, even he had no way of knowing.
As Twilight City was dependent on Old Day City for resources, it wasn't surprising that the Psionic Race had infiltrated it.
But what puzzled him was—Why build a secret base in the sewers of Twilight City?
By all logic, Old Day City should be the Psionic Race's primary base of operations.
Why risk exposure in Twilight City?
With that thought, the Mist Lord extended his consciousness deeper into the secret base.
His awareness penetrated through layers of security and reached the inner laboratory.
Then—he stiffened in shock.
Inside the research facility, the Mist Lord saw something horrifying.
On the right side of the lab, rows of pure-white experimentation platforms were lined up.
Each platform held a small, thin humanoid figure with blue skin, bound in restraints.
The Mist Lord immediately recognized them.
Blue-Skinned Assassins.
Since arriving in the human world, he had frequently encountered assassinations by these strange blue-skinned beings.
He had always found it odd.
As far as he was aware, he had never interacted with a race resembling the Blue-Skinned Assassins.
There was no reason for a feud.
Yet, they persistently hunted him down, something that defied all logic.
Later, when Feng Qi also became a target of Blue-Skinned Assassin attacks, the mystery deepened.
But despite his efforts, he had never been able to uncover the reason behind their attacks.
He had planned to investigate further after dealing with the Crimson Research Institute.
Now, seeing the Psionic Race experimenting on the Blue-Skinned Assassins, a terrifying possibility crossed his mind.
Were the Blue-Skinned Assassins creations of the Psionic Race?
The Blue-Skinned Assassins were likely designed for assassination and other specialized missions.
They might even be part of the Psionic Race's long-term strategic plan for the future.
After all, every race that knew about the impending "Great Momentum" had long been preparing for the future.
These races shared a common trait—
Their way of thinking was always centered around long-term strategy.
For example, his own future plan was to sacrifice all of humanity and multiple domain races, exchanging them for unparalleled power.
As long as he secured an immense blood energy reserve, he could use it to recreate physical bodies for his fallen clansmen, resurrecting them.
The Mist Clan would then be reborn from the ashes.
With the resources accumulated thereafter, his people could rapidly regain their strength.
He would no longer fight alone.
If the plan succeeded, then in the multiracial war for supremacy, his clan would carve out a place of its own.
Other long-term plans included the "Black Reaper Project" led by the Shadow Force behind the Institute of Technological Research.
He didn't fully understand the details of the plan, but as a former member of the Institute's high-level meetings, he knew it was a core component of their future strategy.
Given this, he had every reason to suspect that the Blue-Skinned Assassins were a new artificial species created by the Psionic Race using their vast knowledge.
They were likely a key element of their grand plan—perhaps even a crucial one.
If this theory was correct, then it explained why the Blue-Skinned Assassins were relentlessly hunting him down.
Because he did, in fact, have a grudge against the Psionic Race.
But how deep was that grudge?
At first, he had assumed that after arriving in the human world, the Psionic Race had already let go of past grievances—
Especially since, after his descent, they had even taken the initiative to make contact with him.
He never expected that these cunning bastards had been secretly working behind his back all along.
However, when he thought about it again, something didn't add up.
If the Psionic Race truly wanted him dead, they would have attacked long ago.
That time was when he was at his weakest.
His entire clan had perished during their attempt to forge a new path, leaving only him to descend into the human world.
It was during that period that he had encountered a member of the Psionic Race.
But when they met, there was no hostility.
Instead, the Psionic Race member had calmly introduced him to the situation of the human world—
Even offering to let bygones be bygones.
If they had wanted him dead, they wouldn't have needed to rely on crude assassination attempts.
They could have eliminated him on the spot.
Glancing back at the Blue-Skinned creatures restrained on the research tables, the Mist Lord was filled with confusion.
The assassination attempts by the Blue-Skinned creatures were likely unrelated to the Psionic Race—
But he still couldn't rule out the possibility that they were, in fact, an artificial species created by the Psionic Race.
Just as he was deep in thought, the base's alarm system activated—
Red warning lights flashed across the laboratory.
A wave of psionic shockwaves suddenly lashed out at his consciousness.
The Mist Lord felt a sharp pain in his mind.
Realizing that the base's security system had detected his mental probe, he immediately retreated, slipping away through the sewer tunnels without hesitation.
At this stage, he had no intention of confronting the Psionic Race directly.
Their power was on an entirely different level.
They couldn't even stand on the same battlefield—let alone negotiate or form alliances.
With that in mind, he accelerated his escape.
A short while later, the Mist Lord hovered at a sewer intersection, his mental senses expanding outward.
After confirming that there were no lifeforms nearby, his mist form began to contract, eventually taking human shape once more.
A set of clothing emerged from the swirling mist, dressing him automatically.
The Mist Lord then retrieved his Tiger Soul Special Ops communicator from the mist, dialing a number.
But before the call could connect, it was automatically cut off.
A notification appeared on the screen—
[Warning: Signal tracking devices detected nearby. Call automatically terminated.]
Realizing that the Psionic Race had installed signal interception devices within the sewers, he immediately transformed back into mist, rising swiftly through the tunnels toward the surface.
Moments later, he emerged into the outside world.
Leaning against a streetlamp, he retrieved the Tiger Soul Special Ops communicator once more, dialing Feng Qi's number.
This time, the call went through without issue.
Feng Qi's voice came through the line:
"Old Mist, did the plan succeed?"
"Not yet. The plan hasn't even begun. But on my way here, I made an unexpected discovery."
"I think this discovery might help us uncover the origins of the Blue-Skinned creatures."
"Gurgle… gurgle… ptooey! Speak, I'm listening."
From the sound of it, Feng Qi was brushing his teeth.
He spat out the foam before urging the Mist Lord to continue.
The Mist Lord then relayed everything he had witnessed—
Including the Psionic Race's underground base, the restrained Blue-Skinned creatures, and his speculations about their origins.
After listening carefully, Feng Qi found himself filled with questions.
He actually knew more about the Blue-Skinned Assassins than the Mist Lord.
His first thought was that the Blue-Skinned Assassins had been captured while trying to steal the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Repository.
That was why they had been restrained on the research tables.
But there were still many unanswered questions.
If the Blue-Skinned creatures were indeed artificial creations of the Psionic Race—
What was their intended purpose?
And why had the Psionic Race built such a secret research facility beneath Twilight City's sewers?
Everything about this situation felt highly unusual.