Wrapped in golden light, Zhang Chulan and Zhang Huaiyi raced down the mountain—a spectacle impossible to miss.
"Dammit! Mission failed. Not only did we not find Zhang Xilin's corpse, but Zhang Chulan got away too!"
A pink-haired girl, hiding behind one of her zombies, muttered angrily.
Meanwhile, Feng Baobao—who had been evenly matched with the undead—went all out the moment she saw Zhang Chulan fleeing.
A flash of white light later, the zombies' heads exploded like overripe watermelons.
But it was too late.
By the time Feng Baobao finished dealing with the zombies, all that remained of Zhang Chulan and his companion was a distant golden streak.
"That old man's qi… feels familiar."
Staring at the retreating figures, Feng Baobao frowned, trying to recall where she had sensed that energy before.
...
Shameless: Can't believe Liu Yan Yan bailed me out. Guess fate's not done with me yet, haha!
The moment he escaped, Zhang Chulan rushed to share the good news in the group chat.
Dragon King Spits Water: Pfft. Just dumb luck.Truth-Seeker: Glad you're safe.Truth-Seeker: Speaking of plot progression, where is everyone at in their stories?
Slime King: Just entered the Jura Forest. Haven't run into any goblin tribes yet.Camera Girl: Same. Just arrived at Herta Space Station, and boom—invasion.Camera Girl: [Voidranger.jpg]Camera Girl: So unlucky. Was hoping to explore the station first.
March 7th nocked an ice arrow, took down a Voidranger, then cheered herself up in the chat: "Hang in there! It'll be over soon."
Passerby: The main crew just showed up in my timeline. Guess my story's kicking off too.Sky-Founding Queen: Got intel from Chaser—the Tautau Airport attack just happened.Truth-Seeker: Same here. By my estimates, Tang San and Xiao Wu should've reached Suotuo City by now.Truth-Seeker: Looks like everyone's plots are starting around the same time.
Dragon King Spits Water: Huh? Why's my world completely unchanged?Dragon King Spits Water: Is it really just a normal world?
Gu Ruoli frowned at the others' updates. If most plots were beginning, shouldn't hers show signs too? Was her world truly just a mundane parallel universe?
Truth-Seeker: Any notable elements in your world? Might help narrow it down.
Wu Tong rubbed his chin, considering the admin's words.
Dragon King Spits Water: Not really. Feels like a generic parallel world.Dragon King Spits Water: Except six months ago, the government suddenly formed an org called 'The Relevant Department.'Dragon King Spits Water: Oh, and schools started mandatory martial arts classes. That's about it.
Truth-Seeker: The Relevant Department? Martial arts curriculum? Nothing clicks?
Dragon King Spits Water: Well, yeah, but after half a year of nothing happening—and those martial arts being kinda useless—I dropped the theory.
Truth-Seeker: Any iconic figures? Your clues are too broad.
Dragon King Spits Water: Let me think… Oh! There's this famous grandmaster, Zhou Zongsheng. Nationally revered.
Truth-Seeker: ...
Dragon King Spits Water: Got something?Truth-Seeker: Yeah. Might not be good news though.
If this was the world he suspected… Wu Tong's eyes filled with pity.
Dragon King Spits Water: You're saying my world's super dangerous?Truth-Seeker: Yep. Threat level rivals the Perfect trilogy.
Dragon King Spits Water: WHAT?! How?!
Truth-Seeker: Check the file I just uploaded.
A document titled Spiritual Awakening appeared in the group folder.
Gu Ruoli's hands trembled. A world as perilous as Perfect? That meant Outer Realm Immortal Kings, Realm Sea upheavals, Dark Corruption, the mysterious Above the Sacred, and the Nightmare Plateau…
Each catastrophe was apocalyptic. She'd be annihilated by the aftershocks of a single battle between experts.
And her world was that deadly? Her heart threatened to leap out of her throat.
She clicked the file without hesitation.
Information flooded her mind in rapid-skim mode.
By the time she processed it all, her hope was utterly crushed.
What kind of nightmare is this?!
Spiritual Awakening? Normal—ecological reshuffling was expected.
Supernatural resurgence? Understandable with rising spiritual energy.
Alien invasion? Plausible in a vast universe.
Elder Gods' encroachment? Unlikely but possible—just bad luck.
But Abyssal Invasion?! The graveyard of worlds, a vortex of shattered realms, driven by resentment to drag others into oblivion?
How am I supposed to survive THAT?!
Her world endured disaster after escalating disaster, only to fall to the Abyss in the end. Despair gnawed at her.
Truth-Seeker: ...That's your world's future.
Dragon King Spits Water: WHO WROTE THIS?! I'LL #@$%& THEM—
Truth-Seeker: Wow. That's… creative. But to reach the author, you'd need to be at least Ninth Rank to traverse the Void. And even then, no guarantees.
Sky-Founding Queen: Horrifying. Your world's not just deadly—it's hopeless.
He Xi shuddered at the descriptions: civilizations crumbling, lifeforms mutating into mindless Abyssal spawn…
Camera Girl: Scary. The Aeons' disasters don't even rank in the late game.Passerby: And if Wu Tong's right about everyone's plots starting…
Slime King: F.Sky-Founding Queen: F.Truth-Seeker: F.Camera Girl: F.Shameless: F.
Dragon King Spits Water: I'M NOT DEAD YET! Why the eulogies?!
Passerby: So, Admin, you think you can hit Tenth Rank before the Abyss comes? Or evacuate your world?
Dragon King Spits Water: ...
Gu Ruoli went silent. The Abyss would arrive in roughly 10,000 years—barely enough time for a high-level cultivator to finish meditation.
Resigned, she flopped back.
Dragon King Spits Water: Whatever. Taller folks can handle it. No way the chat group abandons us.Dragon King Spits Water: Besides, maybe some OP hero will show up and fix everything with a flick.
Shameless: ...Classic.
[Notice: Zhang Chulan has been muted for 10 minutes by Admin Dragon King Spits Water for inappropriate remarks.
"Thanks To MR. Fancy For the Support!"