His consciousness kept sinking, drifting downward into the abyss of darkness.
[Hey, little bro, wake up. Time to get back to work and save the world!]
A voice suddenly echoed through the void, yanking Feng Qi's fragmented consciousness back from the brink of oblivion.
That voice... He knew it well.
It was something he had heard countless times in the past, though it felt like it had been ages.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
His blurred vision gradually sharpened.
Not far away, he saw a metallic container. Inside, a brain was still pulsating rhythmically.
Then, the memories came flooding back.
His temples throbbed with pain, veins bulging on his forehead as he clenched his teeth.
The overwhelming rush of emotions from the sacrificial timeline surged through him like a tidal wave.
Images flashed chaotically in his mind—memories of the Mist Lord, tangled in a complex mess of emotions.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the storm raging in his heart.
At the end of the sacrificial timeline, he had chosen to engage the Psionic Race in a battle of spiritual power.
His consciousness had been tethered to his physical brain while his spiritual form waged war in an attempt to reclaim the Blood Core and the Miracle Bracelet, both of which had been taken from him.
But he had gravely underestimated the strength of the Psionic Race.
In the end, he had fallen in battle above the Old Day Research Institute, failing to retrieve what he sought.
To be honest, he had considered one alternative long ago.
That was to hand over the Miracle Bracelet to the Crimson Research Institute ahead of time.
If he did that, then in the future—fifteen hundred years later—he would have a pre-existing Miracle Bracelet waiting for him.
With it, he could initiate the Faith Connection Plan, linking the sacrificial timeline to a direct source of power, acquiring abilities like Blood Source, Purple Soul, and Malice even from across time.
Whether Faith Connection could transmit power across dimensions and timelines still required testing.
But first, he had to own the Miracle Bracelet.
However, this plan came with two major risks.
First, he was at Tiger Soul Research Institute, constantly under the watchful eye of the Mist Lord. If the Mist Lord ever asked about the whereabouts of the Miracle Bracelet, he would have no way to explain it.
Second, the Blue-Skinned Assassins had the ability to track the Miracle Bracelet, and their attacks would likely escalate in intensity over time.
The Crimson Research Institute had always been cautious in the sacrificial timelines.
Their highest priority was ensuring the institute's safety, using it as a foundation to expand their intelligence-gathering operations.
If he handed over the Miracle Bracelet to the Crimson Research Institute, it would inevitably place the entire facility in jeopardy.
Even though the institute was hidden from conventional tracking, it would be defenseless against an assassin capable of locating the bracelet directly.
Such exposure could lead to the premature destruction of the Crimson Research Institute, making all the intelligence gathered through the sacrificial timeline meaningless.
Thus, after considering the consequences, he abandoned the idea of entrusting the Miracle Bracelet to the institute.
As for how his main timeline self would obtain the Miracle Bracelet...
Feng Qi had already made up his mind.
The Black Abyss Domain Field wasn't an insurmountable obstacle.
He had time.
He could cultivate within the future dream world, increase his strength, and then raid the Black Abyss Domain in reality to seize the Miracle Bracelet.
The version of himself in the sacrificial timeline had been weak.
But the version of himself in the main timeline was different.
He had absolute confidence in his future strength.
The moment he returned to the main timeline, he would begin his plan to take back the Miracle Bracelet.
But for now...
He had to get stronger.
The flood of memories came crashing down, and the mental pain it brought was excruciating.
It took a long time for it to fade.
When he opened his eyes again, they were bloodshot.
"...Narrator, long time no see," Feng Qi finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
[I never left, Qi-ge!]
Perhaps in the real world, only a few hours had passed.
But the experience of reading through the memories of the sacrificial timeline had been so immersive that it felt like he hadn't spoken to the Narrator in over a decade.
During the sacrificial timeline, he had often longed for the Narrator's presence.
Now, hearing its familiar voice again felt like waking from a long, strange dream.
His mind was still in a state of overlap.
Besides the memories of the sacrificial timeline, he had yet to recall what exactly had happened in the main timeline after traveling fifteen hundred years into the future.
How had he ended up in the secret base of the Crimson Research Institute?
After the Mist Lord's death, what had become of the outside world?
Without the activation of the Flesh Cauldron Ritual, had humanity's fate taken a drastically different turn?
Before he could investigate further, Feng Qi reached out and pressed a switch on the metallic container. The lid sealed shut with a soft click, and he placed the closed container into his storage space.
The brain from the sacrificial timeline had fulfilled its purpose.
It was time for it to rest.
With that done, he finally took a moment to scan his surroundings.
The second level of the Crimson Secret Base had undergone noticeable changes, though nothing particularly stood out.
Breaking the silence, he asked,
"Narrator, tell me—what's the situation outside right now?"
[The outside world is in complete chaos. Things might actually be worse than the previous future.]
Hearing this, Feng Qi was genuinely surprised.
This timeline shouldn't have had the Mist Lord snapping his fingers, so while things could be bad, they shouldn't be worse than complete human extinction, right?
Sensing his confusion, the Narrator continued explaining.
[After you entered the future, you discovered that Star City Shelter had completely fallen. Without the Mist Lord's intervention, Little Cripple and his tribe successfully infiltrated and took over from within. You fought your way through and eventually found your way to the Crimson Secret Base.]
[Long story short, humanity was still wiped out. But this time, instead of just mindless undead, the world 1,500 years later is crawling with far more powerful creatures.]
Feng Qi's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of creatures?"
[It's hard to say for sure. My guess? On the original timeline, as the Mist Lord grew stronger over 1,500 years, he likely crushed many rising domain factions before they ever had a chance to become a real threat.]
[But in this timeline, where the Mist Lord died early, those factions weren't wiped out. Instead, they were allowed to grow, unchecked.]
Hearing this, Feng Qi's expression turned grim.
But as he thought about it, the Narrator's reasoning made perfect sense.
On the original historical path, the Mist Lord had killed off any forces that threatened his rise to power.
But in this sacrificial timeline, his death had left a power vacuum.
The forces that should have been eradicated had instead flourished, rolling forward like an unstoppable snowball, gathering power over the centuries.
Most of them had probably been destroyed eventually, swept away by the tides of history.
But some survived.
And now, without the Mist Lord constantly culling the weak, the world 1,500 years later was teeming with entities that should never have existed.
It was truly a dance of chaos.
Now understanding the reason behind this new disaster, Feng Qi spoke again.
"Since there's no longer the mass harvest of the Flesh Cauldron Ritual… is there still anyone alive in the Crimson Research Institute?"
[The world outside became so dangerous that the Crimson Research Institute completely sealed off this secret base 300 years ago. They even disbanded their external scouting teams, meaning you are the only one who can access this place now.]
[But sealing the base had a price. Without external resources, they couldn't maintain a true self-sustaining system. And since they also wanted to preserve records for you, their remaining supplies ran out fast. In the end, the last surviving personnel chose to place themselves in cryosleep.]
[Whether they're still alive in those pods or not… well, I wouldn't wake them up. Waking up to starvation and ruin would be worse than dying in their sleep. And honestly, they wouldn't have any valuable information for you anyway. The Crimson Research Institute cut itself off from the outside world long ago. Whatever info you need is already stored in the database.]
After hearing this, Feng Qi nodded.
"And what about Little Black? Did history change enough to erase it?"
[Hate to break it to you, but nope. Before you entered the Secret Base, you actually had another encounter with Little Black. You managed to lure it into a fight with a ridiculously strong domain creature, and that's how you escaped.]
Feng Qi let out a bitter laugh.
"This damn thing just won't go away."
Every sacrificial timeline had changed history, affecting how the future unfolded.
And yet…
No matter what he did, nothing ever erased Little Black from existence.
That realization was frustrating.
Throughout every timeline, every enemy he encountered could be outmaneuvered, overpowered, or outright avoided.
Except for Little Black.
Compared to it, even the Blue-Skinned Assassins—who also had tracking abilities—were nothing more than minor annoyances.
[Little Black will probably find you again soon. You should prepare in advance. Might be a good time to use your Suction Cup Delay Device to buy yourself some precious time.]
Hearing this, Feng Qi glanced down at the small suction cup creature attached to his chest.
Despite the massive historical changes, Little Suction Cup remained completely unchanged.
She was still curled up, eyes shut tightly, stuck to him like always.
Reaching out, he rubbed Little Suction Cup's tiny head before turning toward the elevator entrance.
Now was the time to get stronger.
Everything hinged on that.
If he wanted to steal back the Miracle Bracelet, he needed more power.
But beyond that, he also needed to make a trip back to Star City Shelter.
Since there was no Mist Lord in this timeline, the shelter had undoubtedly fallen to domain creatures.
Any remaining humans had likely already been wiped out.
If he was going to grow stronger, he needed to hunt.
And if the opportunity presented itself, he wanted to avenge humanity.
But before anything else, he had to assess the situation carefully.
If there was even a chance of reclaiming Star City Shelter, he would take it.
But if not…
He would burn it all to the ground.
Right now, his top priority was getting stronger.
He needed to push his limits, enhance his strength, and then return to the main timeline to enter the Black Abyss Domain Field.
If the domain faction occupying Star City Shelter was too powerful to challenge directly, then it would be best to change targets instead of forcing a losing battle.
He took the elevator from the second underground level up to the first floor.
As the metal doors slid open, the scene outside wasn't much different from his memories.
After all, the Crimson Secret Base had already been established before his death, so even with history's alterations, the impact on this place was minimal.
Lowering his gaze, he looked at the sleeping Little Suction Cup nestled against his chest.
Reaching out, he gently pinched her soft, chubby cheeks.
Her tiny eyes fluttered open, filled with confusion.
She instinctively rubbed her head against his chest, hugging him even tighter.
Even though he had lived through so many sacrificial timelines, every time he saw Little Suction Cup, he felt an ache in his heart—a deep, inescapable guilt.
But he had no choice.
["For those willing to sacrifice, let their ambitions soar, dare to reshape the world anew..." Well, anyway, next time for sure.Next time, we'll get it right.]
Feng Qi: …
While waiting, dark spots began to appear in the corridor.
A familiar black silhouette slowly materialized.
It hadn't changed at all.
Little Black.
Still exactly the same as he remembered.
As it rapidly approached, Feng Qi lifted Little Suction Cup.
When the distance between them shrank to about twenty meters, he hurled her forward.
Her sleepy eyes flew wide open in confusion as she tumbled through the air.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi darted to the side, circling toward the Crimson Secret Base's entrance.
In his mind, the Narrator's voice erupted:
["Next time for sure!"]
Hearing that, Feng Qi instinctively flipped off the Narrator in his thoughts.
Some things never changed.
The Narrator was still as shameless as ever.
As the sounds of battle echoed behind him, Feng Qi moved swiftly through the metal corridor leading upward.
The path was about a hundred meters long, leading him to the surface.
But what he saw left him stunned.
Star City was gone.
In the previous sacrificial timelines, even after 1,500 years, at least the ruins of the city had remained.
But now…
What stretched before him was complete devastation—a wasteland of rubble and shattered structures.
Not a single building was left standing.
The sight was overwhelming.
As far as the eye could see, the world was now a graveyard of ruins.
Within the crumbling wreckage, strange creatures with multiple black tails moved swiftly, leaping between broken structures.
They looked somewhat like the aliens from old horror films, but their body structures were far more simplistic.
Their jumping abilities were insane, and their black, whip-like tails cut through debris like blades, leaving deep gashes wherever they passed.
The moment Feng Qi appeared, many of these creatures snapped their heads toward him.
Their pitch-black eyes gleamed with a ghastly green light.
Then, all at once…
They lunged at him.
Their hoarse, eerie screeches echoed through the air.
The negative emotions from his sacrificial timeline were still buried deep inside him.
Now, faced with prey that had willingly come knocking, Feng Qi's lips curled into a twisted grin.
He clenched his fist.
A dark green flame erupted over his knuckles.
It spread rapidly, engulfing his entire body.
Veins bulged on his forehead as his muscles contorted, and a surge of boiling life energy burst from his pores, forming a crimson aura around him.
Blood Source—Activated.
His body began to transform at a terrifying speed.
With every heartbeat, raw power surged through his limbs, pumping through his very bones.
In the blink of an eye, Feng Qi had grown to over four meters tall—a towering Blood Giant.
The "Purple Soul" markings on his skin glowed with an eerie brilliance beneath the blood-red moonlight.
After more than ten years, he once again felt the familiar yet terrifying power surging within him.
The alien-like domain creatures, which had been rushing toward him, suddenly froze in place.
From Feng Qi's towering form, they could sense an overwhelming life-force pressure—a monstrous killing intent that dwarfed their own.
Their survival instincts screamed at them—this wasn't prey.
This was a predator.
They hesitated.
They wanted to back away.
Then Feng Qi opened his eyes.
His pupils burned crimson, radiating a chilling blood-red glow.
His gaze landed on the four nearest creatures, all within ten meters of him.
["Let's begin!"]
At the Narrator's signal, Feng Qi exploded forward like a cannonball.
BOOM!
In an instant, he closed the distance, his massive fist slamming down like a meteor.
The nearest creature barely had time to react—before it could even dodge, it was crushed into pulp.
Its body burst apart, its blood mist instantly absorbed into Feng Qi's form.
The remaining three saw this and immediately tried to flee.
Feng Qi didn't chase.
Instead, he thrust out his fist.
Invisible telekinetic energy surged from his outstretched palm, forming an unseen net that wrapped around the three creatures, yanking them back toward him.
Three consecutive punches.
Three instant kills.
Their lifeblood was drawn into his body, feeding his ever-growing power.
Just as he was about to check the new abilities he had absorbed, the sky ahead darkened.
He looked up.
Above him, a horde of domain creatures—massive, winged beasts—filled the skies, blotting out the light.
At the same time, the ground trembled.
A stone giant, over ten meters tall, emerged from the wreckage, unleashing a thunderous roar toward the heavens.
To his right, a massive worm-like creature erupted from underground, its gaping maw lined with razor-sharp teeth.
And as if this were a chain reaction, more and more creatures began emerging from the ruins.
The entire battlefield was now awakened.
Feng Qi's expression darkened.
"What the hell happened to this world?"
["Like I told you earlier—the Mist Lord's death completely altered history. And not necessarily for the better. Looks like things have gotten a lot worse."]
Feng Qi clenched his jaw.
"Damn it."
["Think of it like debugging a broken program. Every time you fix one bug, another one pops up. Your job? To fix the entire system, clean up the errors, and forge the perfect world."]
["So, my dear brick-moving warrior… it's time. Let's wreck some shit."]
Hearing that, Feng Qi grinned.
His gaze locked onto the roaring stone giant ahead.
"You're the loudest one here. So let's start with you—"