It felt like an eternity had passed.
Feng Qi slowly regained consciousness, realizing he was curled up in a cramped position.
He instinctively tried to stretch his body but found himself bound, unable to move freely.
The cold touch of metal brushed against his limbs, as if he were trapped inside some sort of metal box.
Listening carefully, he could hear the faint rumble of an engine outside.
He wasn't sure whether he was inside a transport truck or an aircraft.
But one thing was clear: he had clearly left Star City.
If he had still been in Star City, Mist Lord would have already come to rescue him after he activated the alarm.
As for the mysterious force that had kidnapped him, he already had a rough idea of who it was.
The force that came to capture him had a similar body structure to the "Goat-Headed Demon" he was familiar with, and when he thought of the idol the Goat-Headed Demon worshipped, he realized that this mysterious force was clearly the one behind the Dark God Sect.
But what puzzled him was how the Dark God Sect had been able to find him and confirm that he was one of the masterminds behind the destruction of their Star City branch.
In fact, Mist Lord had already prepared for such moves from the forces behind the Dark God Sect.
First, there had been the integration of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance in Star City.
This meant that the Dark God Sect's forces could not gather any intelligence from the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance.
All investigation missions would be intercepted by Mist Lord before they were even issued.
This step of the plan had been undoubtedly successful.
The only route to gain information from Star City had been cut off.
Even if the forces from Old Day City were desperate to investigate, they wouldn't be able to find anything useful.
After all, Mist Lord and Feng Qi had never revealed their true identities.
Even the higher-ups in the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance didn't know the true identity of Mist Lord.
What was even more important was that Mist Lord was confident that the forces from Old Day City wouldn't dare to act recklessly without first obtaining valid information.
Even if they did, his eyes and ears in Star City would quickly detect any movement.
Multiple layers of protection ensured their safety for now.
With this in mind, Feng Qi grew more confused.
He couldn't understand how the Dark God Sect's forces had managed to accurately locate him.
In the nearly sealed environment, there were occasional gentle bumps.
Feng Qi didn't know how long it had been, but the sensation of weightlessness soon hit him, and the engine's roar gradually stopped.
He felt the metal box he was in being lifted, and as it moved, the vertical bumps made his stomach churn.
About half an hour later, he heard a metallic spring snap inside the box, followed by a burst of blinding light. He instinctively squinted his eyes.
The figure before him blurred, then slowly came into focus.
Standing in front of him was the man wearing the Goat-Headed White Bone Mask, his body covered in black runes.
"Get up."
Feng Qi heard the command and slowly stood up from the metal box.
Looking around, he saw the towering statue of the Dark God standing in the distance.
This statue was different from the one in his memory, but it was clearly related.
"Why kidnap me?" he turned to face the masked man and asked.
"When you chose to go against us, you should have expected this day," the masked man spoke in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Feng Qi confirmed his suspicion.
The force behind the Dark God Sect had already seen through their plans.
But he still didn't understand how the Dark God Sect had gathered the information.
Thinking of this, Feng Qi calmly nodded and asked, "Can you explain? How did you know I'm the mastermind behind the Dark God Sect's downfall?"
The masked man paused, considering for a moment, before responding.
"Let's exchange some information. I'll answer some of your questions, but I'd like you to cooperate and answer a few questions from me as well."
"As a sign of sincerity, I'll answer your question first."
"About how we were able to identify you as the mastermind, it's purely a coincidence. We've been investigating Star City for months but never dared to approach the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance here. We feared that if you knew we had entered Star City, it would alert you, so our information was completely isolated. It made it difficult to carry out an effective investigation."
"I thought as much," Feng Qi nodded, then continued, "So what's this coincidence you're referring to?"
The masked man didn't hide anything.
"At the unveiling ceremony of the statue in Star City's Central Park, a group of children came to offer you flowers. We found that you had actually gained some faith energy from those children."
"The power of faith is not something anyone can easily acquire. To use such a special power, one needs a very unique method. When we saw that you could absorb the power of faith, we realized that you were our potential enemy and also the target of this operation," the masked man explained.
Upon hearing his answer, Feng Qi's mind cleared up.
So, the previous plans hadn't gone wrong. The only mistake had happened during the statue unveiling ceremony.
This explained why the forces behind the Dark God Sect were able to accurately lock onto him.
"But you still don't know the extent of my abilities. Why would you dare to ambush me in Star City? Aren't you afraid of total annihilation?" Feng Qi questioned.
"We struggled with this before ambushing you, but we've already bet everything on this. The stakes are the future of our clan. I had no choice but to take a risk," the masked man replied.
"Your backers, the Psionic Race, are just letting you take such risks?" Feng Qi pressed.
"How do you know that the Psionic Race is behind me?" the masked man responded, surprised.
"The Dark God Sect originates from Old Day City. From my intel, I know that Old Day City is under the control of the Psionic Race. Wouldn't the Psionic Race allow an unknown force to grow so close to them?" Feng Qi replied with certainty.
"The Psionic Race is unaware of my actions. But I've already sent word, so I'm sure that the Lingzun will be arriving soon," the masked man explained.
Feng Qi nodded, then continued, "So, what are you planning to do with me?"
"I'm actually very curious about you. We derive our power of faith from our ancestors, a semi-divine being who almost became a Pillar God. After his death, the source of his life became the core of our faith collection. How do you collect your faith energy?" The masked man asked.
Feng Qi realized that the Dark God Sect hadn't even discovered the Miracle Bracelet on him.
They also didn't know about Mist Lord's existence, nor did they understand the potential danger of the Flesh Sacrifice. They still thought that the Flesh Sacrifice was just a method for collecting faith.
But while Mist Lord had remained hidden, he, on the other hand, had been fully exposed to both the Dark God Sect and the Psionic Race.
His situation was incredibly dangerous.
Once the Dark God Sect had drained all the information from him, they clearly wouldn't let him go.
After all, to the Dark God Sect, he would be a hindrance to their faith collection.
Shaking his head, Feng Qi asked again, "What will you do with me?"
Just as the masked man was about to speak, a black shadow slowly materialized next to them, forming into a solid figure.
Crimson eyes appeared in the shadow, resembling the dark, shadowy forces behind the technological research institutes. Clearly, this was a member of the Psionic Race.
The masked man and his companions bowed respectfully towards the shadow.
"Lingzun."
The figure known as Lingzun did not answer right away. Its gaze was fixed intently on Feng Qi, and then a hoarse voice finally emerged:
"Surely, you must have other forces backing you. If you can provide me with useful information, perhaps I can spare your life."
"I've told you before, I'm beyond saving," Feng Qi said calmly, shaking his head.
"Wait, I need to check your information first." The Lingzun's eyes closed.
Feng Qi watched as a red energy line appeared above Lingzun's head, stretching upward and piercing into the void.
Soon, Feng Qi saw countless energy particles emerging from the void, flowing along the energy line and into Lingzun's brain.
"Psionic Race's Sacred Spirit?" Feng Qi thought, astonished.
The Lingzun opened its eyes and said, "It seems you're quite familiar with our Holy Psionic Race, Feng Qi."
"Why is there information about me in your Psionic Race's Sacred Spirit?" Feng Qi couldn't help but ask.
"To expand our knowledge and data, we, the Psionic Race, have over a hundred members dedicated to studying. They've memorized all the information available through the Old Day Research Institute's permissions and then transferred it into our Psionic Race's Sacred Spirit. Currently, about 80% of it is recorded, and your information is among it," the Lingzun casually explained.
Feng Qi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
According to what the Psionic Race member had just said, the Psionic Race had essentially turned their people into walking human encyclopedias. They had access to all the shared data across the major cities and could retrieve it at any time, anywhere.
"Feng Qi, now it's your turn to answer my question. Who exactly are you working for? We don't necessarily have to be enemies. Perhaps, in the future, we could form an alliance and advance together," the Lingzun asked, its tone more inquisitive now.
At this moment, revealing the truth would undoubtedly betray Mist Lord.
Mist Lord was the reason he had grown stronger after 1500 years. The Psionic Race member spoke lightly of a potential alliance, but Feng Qi didn't trust a single word of it.
Mist Lord's plans would influence the future structure of the world.
If the Psionic Race were to learn of the potential dangers of the Flesh Sacrifice, they would never allow Mist Lord to grow to his full power.
What concerned Feng Qi the most right now was how his head would be sent back to the Crimson Research Institute if he were to die here.
This situation had come up so suddenly. He hadn't brought the "Brain Activity Needle" to the unveiling ceremony, and the Crimson Special Rescue Team was still in Star City.
He had found himself trapped in a desperate situation.
Feng Qi felt as though the line of sacrifice was most likely already wasted, with all the information obtained, aside from the one sent to the Crimson Research Institute in advance, being of no use to him in the main timeline.
"You don't have to say anything. I have ways to force the forces behind you to step forward," the Lingzun spoke, breaking the silence.
"What do you plan to do?" Feng Qi asked, though a sense of foreboding filled his heart.
"Promoting the 'Flesh Sacrifice' is clearly to help you collect the power of faith, which means that in the future plans of your backers, you are the key core. I believe they won't easily give you up, will they?" The Lingzun's voice was low, carrying an ominous tone.
"What do you mean?" Feng Qi inquired.
This time, the Lingzun did not answer. Its figure slowly began to dissipate into the air, fading away into nothingness.
Stepping forward, the masked man who had been standing by suddenly reached out and grabbed Feng Qi by the throat.
Surrendering was not in his nature. Feng Qi had every intention of fighting back, but the familiar drowsiness quickly overwhelmed him, rushing in like a tidal wave.
Just as he raised his fist, his body went limp, his strength draining away as his arm dropped helplessly.
When Feng Qi awoke again, he found himself locked inside a cage made from specially crafted metal.
The surroundings were shrouded in near-total darkness, with only small holes in the ceiling letting through some light.
He tried to break free, but even triggering the power of the Demon Dragon wasn't enough to crack the metal walls.
For the next few days, Feng Qi remained confined. The Psionic Race had clearly chosen not to kill him yet—they were clearly trying to catch a big fish. But Feng Qi had no idea what they truly intended to do.
After several days, Feng Qi began to understand the Psionic Race's intentions.
One day, the cage door was opened, and the masked man dragged him out, leading him to a table outside the cell. There, he saw the Lingzun once again.
His body was strapped down to the table, and the Lingzun began to perform experiments on him.
The process was painless, and soon, he fell into a deep sleep.
When he awoke again, he found his body wrapped in bandages, even his head was covered.
After a day of rest, the Lingzun began to remove the bandages from his body.
It was then that Feng Qi noticed his appearance had changed. Many of his features were different, and the familiar traits of his face seemed altered.
The Lingzun's next words made him understand the clan's plans.
"From today onward, you are the human traitor Feng Qi... By the way, you will be publicly executed on the execution grounds in Old Day City in one month."
The Psionic Race's plan was to change his identity and present him as a human traitor, publicly executed to make an example.
They had intentionally avoided using his real identity, likely because of the massive fallout it would cause.
Although Old Day City had already fallen under the Psionic Race's control, his identity was too sensitive. If the Psionic Race went ahead and executed him there, they would face huge public pressure.
That pressure could even come from the people of Old Day City itself.
After all, Feng Qi was now the founder of the New Age Cultivation Science. Once word got out, the United Military, the United Research Institute, and various other factions across the cities would rally to protest, demanding a full investigation.
His identity was too important and too risky.
Even the Psionic Race didn't dare to act so recklessly.
The best way to lure out the forces behind him, the Psionic Race had decided, was to change his identity. But they needed to make sure his backers understood that the person behind the new identity was still "Feng Qi."
According to the Psionic Race, the core of his backers' future plans revolved around him.
Once the public execution was carried out, the forces behind him would be left with two choices:
To risk everything and come out to save him, thus exposing their identities.
To abandon Feng Qi, and give up on the future of their faith collection plan.
It was a move that could only be described as a grand scheme.
To the Psionic Race, they saw the situation as one where they had already won, no matter what happened.
Just as Feng Qi had anticipated, after the body modifications were completed, a public announcement went out across Old Day City.
News spread that a human traitor who had been loyal to the Domain forces was captured, a man named "Feng Qi," who was arrested after infiltrating the Old Day Research Institute.
The public opinion was stirred up in an uproar.
Feng Qi was transported to Old Day City's execution grounds ahead of time and was scheduled to be executed in one month.
In the meantime, he was paraded every day to the execution platform to face the anger of the citizens.
Feng Qi understood that this was all part of a strategy to ensure that the news of his capture and imprisonment would reach Mist Lord.
The people who came to throw stones at him obviously had no idea that the man tied to the execution platform, appearing so helpless, was the same "Feng Qi" who had become the human star of the new era.
Even though the names were only a single character apart.
Time passed, and only ten days remained until his execution.
As he watched the masked man standing beside him, clad in full metal armor, Feng Qi licked his cracked lips.
The Psionic Race's move was clever.
But they had missed one crucial detail: In Mist Lord's future plan, faith collection was just a secondary goal.
Even though the Mist Lord in Star City had lost him, they could still rest easy.
The plan for Flesh Sacrifice would still go ahead successfully, and he would still be able to stand at the forefront of harvesting lives 1,500 years in the future.
So, his death held no value for the Mist Lord.
The collection of the power of faith was merely a secondary plan devised by the Mist Lord to help elevate him.
He knew the Mist Lord valued emotions.
After all these years together, the Mist Lord had long considered him family.
But he had also seen the cruel side of the Mist Lord, especially during moments when weighing the pros and cons—always making cold, calculated decisions.
At this point, the Mist Lord was nowhere near as powerful as the Psionic Race imagined. Any hasty rescue would lead straight into a trap, a one-way journey with no return.
So, the Psionic Race's plan was doomed from the start.
The core of the Mist Lord's future strategy had never been about him—it had always been about itself.
Moreover, the Mist Lord carried with it the future hopes of countless fallen tribe members.
He was certain the Mist Lord would avenge him, but based on what he knew of the Mist Lord, there was no way it would come to rescue him.
If it acted impulsively, the Mist Lord wouldn't stand strong in the future, much less become a ruler 1,500 years later.
"It's been 21 days, still no sign of them. If you die, doesn't that mean your faith collection plan is a total failure?" The masked man standing beside him suddenly asked.
"Seems like I've been abandoned... by the way, could you pass me some water? I've been under the sun all day," Feng Qi said in a light tone.
"You're the core of the plan. I don't believe your backers have made no move." The masked man replied, casually tossing a water jug toward Feng Qi.
Catching the jug with his mouth, Feng Qi tilted his head back and drank several large gulps.
After tossing the jug back to the masked man, he looked at him curiously and asked, "Your ancestors were half-gods. In theory, your bloodline should be far stronger than that of the Psionic Race. Why follow them?"
"That was in the past. My clan's glory has long since fallen amidst the battles between various forces. Now, the Psionic Race is willing to generously support my people. For the future of my clan, I had no choice but to make the right decision." The masked man spoke with an air of resignation.
"This support may come with ulterior motives," Feng Qi warned.
The masked man, hearing this, responded indifferently: "It's a gamble. The winner takes all. Now, I've bet the fate of my entire clan."
"I'm about to die. Why don't you tell me about your Dark God Clan's future plans?" Feng Qi said, a faint edge of bitterness in his words.
"Since you're almost dead, there's no need to know more," the masked man replied dismissively.
Unable to extract any useful information, Feng Qi didn't press further.
Looking up at the azure sky, he realized that this sacrifice line was probably a failure.
But at least, he wasn't entirely ignorant of the future line.
Through Wei Wei, he had sent all the critical details to the Crimson Research Institute, including parts of this timeline's key events.
The issue was, the version of himself 1,500 years from now could no longer gather intelligence from this timeline through brain memory readings. He would miss out on many details—such as information regarding the Dark God Sect.
It was clear he'd only learned of the Dark God Sect's activities after his capture, and clearly, this wouldn't be passed on to his future self.
Living through multiple timelines had made him indifferent to death.
Looking at the crowd outside the execution platform, throwing stones at him with fervor, he remained composed, his heart unmoved.
He didn't hate these people throwing stones at him.
Their anger stemmed from their love for this world and their longing for a better future.
They had simply been deceived in their understanding.
The Mist Lord had once analyzed the structure of human society with him.
One sentence from that conversation had stuck with him:
"All you need to do is understand the bottom-level drives of the Star City citizens, and you can easily control them."
Fear, hypocrisy, or even justice and a sense of mission—all these could be manipulated.
For example, to control righteous warriors, all you had to do was create an imaginary enemy. They would fight without hesitation, wielding justice like a sword in your hands.
Having lived through multiple timelines, he deeply agreed with the Mist Lord's assessment on how accurate this understanding was.
The strategy was simple: attack the soldiers' minds before you send in the forces.
This was what made the Mist Lord so terrifying—it could see through so much with such clarity.
That's why he was certain the Mist Lord wouldn't come.
The Mist Lord was the most insightful person, fully aware of what would happen if it came to his rescue.
Feng Qi even imagined the Mist Lord silently swearing vengeance for him, but that's where it would end.
The sky darkened, and he was taken down from his restraints.
The masked man grabbed him and walked him toward the prison cage behind the execution grounds.
Tomorrow, he would again be hung up on the execution platform, facing the people's anger. The Psionic Race, too, was waiting for the forces behind him to reveal themselves.
Nine days later.
The day of execution arrived.
It was a cloudless sky, with the sun shining brightly.
Early in the morning, Feng Qi was escorted to the execution ground, his clothes changed into a prisoner's uniform.
The Miracle Bracelet on his right wrist had also been confiscated by the masked man and was now worn by him.
However, it was clear that the masked man had no idea that the Miracle Bracelet was a miraculous item.
He only thought it was a rather special piece of equipment.
When the Mist Lord had first discovered that the Miracle Bracelet was a miraculous item, it was because the humanoid leader of the Black Abyss Domain used it to release powerful abilities.
Under normal circumstances, the Miracle Bracelet appeared to be nothing more than a decorative item made from energy crystals.
Upon arriving at the execution ground, Feng Qi was forced to kneel in the center of the stage by the masked man.
The execution ground was already surrounded by numerous hidden forces, and the Psionic Race had even invited the military forces from Old Day City to witness the execution.
A tight net had been cast, just waiting for the prey to fall into it.
Looking around, Feng Qi couldn't help but smile wryly.
The plan was perfect, but unfortunately, the Mist Lord would never come.
As time passed, more and more residents from Old Day City gathered outside the execution ground to watch.
With the execution time approaching, Feng Qi was shoved onto the guillotine.
The clock hanging high above the execution platform ticked, its hands moving forward like the countdown of his life.
As the hands moved forward, his life moved backward.
Standing behind him, the fully-armored masked man raised the guillotine.
As death approached, Feng Qi remained calm inside.
Thinking about it, he had died in so many ways across the multiple timelines.
Especially on execution platforms.
Electric chairs, beheadings, and now—yet another guillotine.
He gazed at the angry faces of the crowd, and a flicker of comfort suddenly appeared in his heart.
In this timeline, his story was finally coming to an end...
Just then, a loud thunderclap suddenly echoed through the sky, and dark clouds covered the blazing sun.
A strong gust of wind blew past him, and he looked up at the sky.
In the sky, the clouds gathered, and a massive figure of gray mist emerged from within.
A giant gray mist hand suddenly shot down toward the execution ground.
Upon seeing this, Feng Qi froze in shock.
The masked man also raised his hand and aimed at the sky.
Boom!
The misty hand collided with the ethereal green flames shot out by the masked man, instantly devouring the flames.
The gray mist continued to descend, crashing onto the execution platform and spreading outward.
As the gray mist dissipated, the figure of the Mist Lord emerged.
The Mist Lord looked at Feng Qi, who was bound in front of the guillotine, his face twisted into a malicious grin:
"I'm late, but I've chosen to go into closed-door cultivation for this month to increase my strength as much as possible... Now, it's time to take you home."
"Why did you come?!" Feng Qi asked, unable to believe it.
"I once lost all my family, and I've regretted it ever since. Now, you're the only family I have left."
"You're crazy!"
"Hahaha, I told you before, when I climb to the peak, there will always be a place for you by my side. That's my promise to you. Our journey is just beginning, and we will not fall here."
Looking around at the figures gathering, the Mist Lord once again transformed into mist.
The mist spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into a giant mist figure over a hundred meters tall, looking down upon the world.
"Come and fight!"
I have returned!