Chapter 135: The Return (1)

"...the three stages of the Divine."

A crimson longsword appeared in the hands of the blue figure within Wu Zui's consciousness. A single drop of Wu Zui's blood was absorbed by the Questioning Heart Sword.

Suddenly, the blade erupted with a brilliant red light, illuminating the entire sea of consciousness. Having completed the first of the three stages of mastery—the Blood Bond—the Questioning Heart Sword seemed to glow with newfound intensity.

Blood: Once the sword master binds the blade with their own blood, they gain the initial recognition of the divine weapon. The master can summon the sword at will and alter its form; furthermore, the sword can traverse within the master's body, facilitating the suppression of the Karmic Fire Body.

Spirit: The master’s "Dao" and the sword’s inherent "Sword Intent" become perfectly aligned, creating a synergy where the two work in harmony, achieving a result far greater than the sum of their parts.

Divine: When the master achieves power equivalent to a Nine-Star powerhouse, they may trigger the divine trials within the sword.

Only those who complete all three stages of mastery become the true owners of the Questioning Heart Sword and may ascend to their own Throne of Seven Gods. Having completed the blood-binding, Wu Zui could now freely manipulate the sword's form.

In a flash, the Questioning Heart Sword manifested and darted through the four ghost spirits. Before they could react, a palm-sized, glowing red chain sigil appeared within each of their ghost cores.

This was the mark left by the Questioning Heart Sword.

The four spirits simultaneously felt the oppressive, binding power emanating from the red sigils. It felt as if the marks could reduce them to ashes at any moment, and in truth, they could.

Wang Hu had no intention of questioning Wu Zui. Still retaining most of his human emotions, he could understand Wu Zui's actions. If their positions were reversed, he would not leave a group of spirits roaming freely without constraints.

"Young Master, what is the meaning of this?"

The Lantern Ghost Spirit slightly raised its right hand holding a palace lantern. Beneath its red wedding attire lay an ambition that refused to be subordinate. Though the Lantern Ghost did not know what had transpired in the world, it clearly sensed that the environment had become much more favorable for their kind.

Wu Zui's current actions clearly signaled his intent to control them.

Having witnessed the shift in the world's masters and the death of Xiao Ke'ai, Wu Zui was far less tolerant of the spirit race than before. The days of showing mercy to spirits that still possessed remnants of humanity were likely over. Even if he allowed them to live, he had to ensure they remained under his thumb.

It was as the saying goes: those not of my race will have different intentions.

"What is the meaning? Under my command, you shall be bound by my will! Do you have an objection?" Wu Zui turned his head, glared at the Lantern Ghost, and demanded coldly.

Feeling the faint agitation of the Karmic Fire mark within its body, the Lantern Ghost immediately understood the choice it had to make. Though it did not know why Wu Zui had changed so drastically, it bowed slightly and said softly, "Yingying dares not!"

"I don't care if you devour other spirits, but if any of you dare to harbor ill intent toward humanity, feel free to try!" Wu Zui sternly warned the four spirits.

"Yes!" The spirits tightened their expressions and quickly acknowledged.

"Search the surroundings and find out what is attracting you. If you see a Taoist priest or a monk, notify me immediately." With that, Wu Zui waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

The four spirits vanished in an instant.

Wu Zui stood atop the mountain, peering into the distance. Everywhere he looked, the world was shrouded in a grey haze. Unlike the cloudy days of the past, when some sunlight could still pierce through, he saw no trace of the sun.

*Is this the change brought about by spirits becoming the masters of the world?*

Wu Zui did not yet know that the sun would never return to the world. This was no minor matter; without solar energy, the food crisis alone would be enough to trigger civil war among humanity.

In contrast, spirits fed on flesh and negative emotions, so they had no need to worry about food. In this imbalance, if this problem were not solved quickly, humanity might face total extinction before the power left behind by Wuxiang and his companion was even exhausted.

Before long, the four spirits returned. They had not found Wuxiang, but the things attracting them were the crystallized blood of the Eye of the Heavenly Dao, which covered the nearby mountain peaks.

"Very well, return for now. I will have these crystals sent to your space." With a thought, Wu Zui sent the four spirits back into the internal space of the Questioning Heart Sword.

Wu Zui then used a spatial singularity to reach the foot of the mountain. He controlled the Questioning Heart chains to emerge from his heart, wrapping around the three nearby peaks covered in crystals. With a flash of red light, he pulled them into the space within the sword.

As for himself, his figure distorted as he prepared to leave the Shennongjia mountains and head to a nearby airport to return to Yanjing, where he would investigate the situation.

...

Before dusk fell, Wu Zui left the mountains and arrived in the nearby city of Y. The streets were deserted, bloodstains remained on the ground, and many storefronts were severely damaged.

The entire city looked desolate. Vehicles were abandoned on the roadside, covered in scars and rust. They looked as if they had not been used in a long time; the world felt as though it had reached its end.

"What is going on? How long was I asleep at He Ping's place?"

Wu Zui muttered to himself, frowning at the sight. For the city to be in such ruins, it must have been abandoned for at least a month. Moreover, it appeared as if the entire city had been the site of a great battle.

Wu Zui’s presence as a living being rippled outward.

On the road not far ahead, a figure appeared, wearing a grey cotton coat and black trousers. The figure looked somewhat ethereal, and with his head bowed, his features were indistinguishable.

He walked with his back to Wu Zui, moving with a rapid, hurried pace, as if he were on urgent business.

"Hey, you up there! Wait for me!"

Wu Zui shouted and gave chase.

One minute... two minutes...

Gradually, Wu Zui realized something was wrong. He was not slow, yet the figure remained ahead of him. Minutes passed, and not only did Wu Zui fail to catch up, but the distance between them remained exactly the same.

Though he sensed no malevolent energy from the figure, Wu Zui stopped. With the spirit race now the masters of the world, no one knew what special abilities they had acquired, so he dared not be careless.

When Wu Zui stopped, the figure ahead also came to an immediate halt. It was clear the figure had been luring him, and had he continued to follow, he likely would have walked into a trap.

Wu Zui pressed Xiao Ke'ai's curious little head back down, and red Karmic Fire bloomed upon his hands. Though his specialized weapons had been incinerated by his out-of-control Karmic Fire Body, Wu Zui’s combat prowess remained formidable even with his bare hands.