"To think they were my equals, hiding within my bark for so many years without me even noticing, carrying out such things right under my nose."
Senior Xiaoyue's voice was full of helplessness; it hadn't expected to fail so late in life.
"Senior Xiaoyue, reminiscing about the past is useless now. Is there anything I should be aware of or anything I can do?"
Qian'er interrupted Senior Xiaoyue, sensing its poor condition. The sound of the gears turning within it was unusually loud, and its bark was dull, clearly indicating it was still poisoned.
Why would a Steel-type be poisoned!
He ultimately didn't voice this old complaint because there's no concept of Steel-types being immune to Poison-types in this world.
Senior Xiaoyue's voice ceased abruptly, falling silent except for the sound of rapidly spinning gears.
"I didn't expect it to be so decisive. The last time I encountered it, it had changed drastically. It willingly underwent some kind of transformation. I can't accurately gauge its current strength."
After a moment of silence, Senior Xiaoyue spoke hesitantly.
"Those remnants fused the grudges of races annihilated by humans onto it. It seems to have forged a different path."
"Because of this unique path, it seems to have gained the ability to touch certain rules, but I don't know what those rules are."
"A demigod?"
Qian'er was taken aback. Above True King lies Demigod.
"Impossible. The path to Demigod is blocked; it couldn't have become a Demigod. But its combat strength might far exceed the peak of True King."
"As for me, its poison has been tempered by so much resentment over the years, becoming increasingly potent. It even managed to poison me. You can't cure this poison; I'll have to deal with it slowly. During this time, I can probably use my full strength three times. I'm giving you that authority. I will focus on accumulating power here."
As it spoke, Senior Xiaoyue shed three leaves shimmering with divine light, placing them before Qian'er.
"Alright, I understand."
Nodding, Qian'er accepted the three leaves and carefully stored them away.
"Alright, hurry back. During your absence, things outside nearly turned upside down."
With that, Senior Xiaoyue's consciousness slipped back into slumber, and the world before Qian'er blurred. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the Dean's office.
At that moment, a commotion erupted outside.
"Frostwind Lord, out!"
Without hesitation, Qian'er released Frostwind Lord. The massive bone dragon shattered the Principal's office window and flew out.
In the sky, Frostwind Lord spread its bone wings, and Qian'er, standing on its back, quickly assessed the situation.
Various test subjects, wreathed in black energy, were assaulting the school, but they were all being held back by the professors and lecturers forming a defensive line, with some of the stronger students also participating.
The strength of those异族 test subjects was not weak, but they were no match for the elites employed by the Imperial Academy.
However, what was eerie was that after they died, they would stand up again and rapidly revert to an infant state or an egg-like form, resurrecting and quickly growing up.
Soon, they could rejoin the battlefield, only to be killed again and repeat this process.
Life and death intertwined at this moment, making it impossible to distinguish between them.
"I think I understand what rule that thing has touched."
Qian'er joked to ease the tense atmosphere, but only he and his summoned beast could hear it.
"In this situation, the best approach would be to restrain them, preventing them from escaping."
Looking at the endless stream of test subjects pouring out of the dense forest, Frostwind Lord said in a deep voice.
"Good idea, but I don't think any restriction can contain so many test subjects at once."
Qian'er pointed to the tide of test subjects surging forward, his tone slightly grave.
"It's reviving everything that died on the grounds of the Imperial Academy to bolster their numbers."
Because of their immortality, even though the Imperial Academy's forces far outmatched the test subjects—the professors' summoned beasts annihilating tens of thousands, even millions, with each attack—they were still being pushed back.
"I'll give it a try."
Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Other Shore Flower, which had been quietly resting on Qian'er's head without making a sound, suddenly spoke.
As its words faded, Qian'er felt a faint hum. He could clearly sense something unfolding, but because it was harmless to him, he didn't experience the stinging sensation he felt when encountering danger.
A premonition ability comparable to Peter-Tingle.
"Huh, does mental power enhancement grant such abilities?"
Qian'er exclaimed in surprise.
The strengthening and merit and incense from the Soul Flower of the Apocalyptic World combined to form this miraculous ability. This ability had only recently manifested, seemingly a transformation triggered by Qian'er's incense reaching a certain level.
At that moment, the Other Shore Flower unleashed its Dreamscape. Due to its increased strength, the range of its Dreamscape had now reached a terrifying level.
Although it still couldn't encompass the entire human territory like the Nightmare before, it could easily cover the area of a province.
Instantly, the test subjects frantically assaulting the defensive line froze, each standing there in confusion, their faces wavering between serenity and ferocity.
This sudden change stunned the lecturers and students, who watched the test subjects with suspicion, wondering if they were about to unleash something big.
However, the professors who knew of the Nightmare's existence immediately realized that since the Nightmare couldn't appear, it could only be Qian'er.
They abruptly turned their heads and saw Frostwind Lord descending from the sky.
"You're back? Is everything alright with Senior Xiaoyue?"
Professor Huo hurriedly approached and asked. Although he was from the same era as the founding dean, he was half a generation younger and naturally addressed it as Senior Xiaoyue.
"Something happened. The mastermind behind this is a remnant of a noble family from before the Eight Kings Rebellion and the human foundation they bewitched at the time. That human foundation willingly accepted the transformation of those remnants and has now forged a different path. Although they haven't reached the level of a demigod, Senior Xiaoyue estimates their strength to be at that level."
"As for Senior Xiaoyue, it was bitten by that human foundation and is now severely poisoned. Although it doesn't affect its life, it won't be able to take action during this time."
Qian'er immediately revealed everything he knew, but he deliberately omitted the information that Senior Xiaoyue could still act three times.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Professor Huo, but that he didn't trust this world. He didn't believe that thing that proved the Dao through another path wouldn't hear what he said.
