Mu Qing's digestive system wasn't just effective on physical energy—it worked on spiritual energy as well.
Instead of being harmed by the Wave Clan's concentrated mental attacks, her spiritual sea expanded and strengthened.
The moment she opened her eyes, the jade-colored glow flowing around her body transformed into arcs of lightning.
She disappeared from where she stood, turning into a streak of jade-colored lightning that flashed through the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, every single Wave Clan creature in her path exploded, their bodies unable to withstand the overwhelming force.
They didn't even get the chance to resist.
—
The battle ended instantly.
The warriors of the Domain Combat Squad below were left completely stunned.
Beyond their shock at Mu Qing's raw power, what truly baffled them was her complete immunity to the Wave Clan's psychic shockwaves.
Mu Qing didn't bother to explain herself.
After finishing off the enemies, she immediately returned to Feng Qi's side.
"Good work."
"Not tired at all," Mu Qing replied honestly.
—
At that moment, the Domain Combat Squad members approached them.
The man leading the squad was fully clad in specialized psychic-resistant armor, including a helmet that encased his entire head.
Only a pair of weary eyes could be seen through the narrow visor of his headgear.
He halted in front of them, his gaze shifting between Mu Qing and Feng Qi before finally settling on Feng Qi, recognizing him as the leader.
Then, he spoke in a deep and serious tone:
"Ying Kaisha, Captain of the Feisha Domain Combat Squad. Thank you for assisting us."
Feng Qi responded with a calm smile:
"We were just passing by. Thought we'd lend a hand."
—
Just as they were about to part ways, Ying Kaisha suddenly froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Feng Qi in surprise.
"Wait… you're… Feng Qi?"
Feng Qi was slightly taken aback.
"You know me?"
He didn't recognize this man at all.
In fact, he had never even heard of the Feisha Domain Combat Squad before today.
"Of course! Someone uploaded your training videos online. I've watched every single one of your lectures!"
Ying Kaisha's tone was filled with excitement, as if he had just met his idol in person.
"Out here on the frontlines, improving our strength is everything. We always need to keep learning and pushing ourselves. Your lectures have been a huge help!"
He sighed.
"It's a shame… I haven't seen any new lessons from you lately."
To prove his familiarity, Ying Kaisha suddenly raised his fists and performed a Tiger Fist stance, demonstrating one of the techniques Feng Qi had taught in his classes.
—
Feng Qi immediately understood.
Back at Star City Academy, many of his students would record his lectures and upload them online.
He had always been aware of this, but he never expected that even frontline warriors were watching his videos.
Thinking about it carefully, though, it made sense.
He had relived multiple sacrificed timelines, many of which involved years of frontline combat.
He knew firsthand that after every successful mission, combat squads didn't just rest—they trained and refined their skills to prepare for their next battle.
This constant cycle of self-improvement was the only way to increase their survival rate.
To warriors on the frontlines, training was not just about getting stronger—it was about staying alive.
—
As they chatted, the initial awkwardness between them quickly faded away.
Through their conversation, Feng Qi learned that Feisha Domain Combat Squad had entered the Wave Domain Field on a mission from the Galaxy Research Institute.
Their goal was to gather spirit-type ores, plants, and other resources to support research on psychic cultivation techniques.
—
Currently, humanity's understanding of psychic cultivation was still in its infancy.
There were existing mental cultivation techniques, but none were effective—and most had massive side effects.
Because of this, no psychic techniques had been widely adopted.
Although psychic-resistant armor provided some level of protection, its defensive capabilities were limited.
What humans truly needed was a way to harness psychic energy for themselves.
To solve this issue, research institutes across major cities had been investing heavily into this field.
However, progress had been slow.
—
The main problem lay in the nature of psychic cultivation itself.
Unlike physical cultivation, which followed a gradual and systematic path, the study of psychic techniques had been filled with dead ends.
Humanity's initial breakthroughs in cultivation had followed a three-step process:
Studying Domain Creatures' physiology to understand their connection to mystical energy.
Identifying the source of mystical energy—which led to the discovery of spirit energy in the environment.
Developing methods to absorb spirit energy and enhance the human body, eventually leading to the birth of human cultivation.
This discovery triggered a golden age, where countless techniques were developed and refined.
However, many of these early techniques had dangerous flaws, which led to the establishment of strict regulations on cultivation research.
—
Logically, humans should have been able to replicate this process for psychic techniques.
By studying spirit-type Domain Creatures, they could theoretically reverse-engineer their abilities and develop human-compatible psychic techniques.
But reality was far more complicated.
Psychic-type Domain Creatures were fundamentally different from biological creatures.
They rarely evolved beyond their own domains, as they were unable to adapt to environments outside their natural field.
Whenever a spirit-type creature left its home domain, it would instantly collapse and perish, unable to survive in different energy systems.
—
Because of this, researchers had been unable to capture and study live specimens.
Most psychic creatures disintegrated upon death, leaving behind little to no research material.
Without direct studies, human researchers were forced to rely on trial and error, leading to slow and frustrating progress.
Feng Qi had read extensively on this subject and was deeply familiar with the challenges involved.
At present, humanity's biggest obstacle wasn't understanding psychic energy—it was finding a way to integrate it into human physiology without catastrophic side effects.
And this was a problem that still remained unsolved.
Just like saltwater fish can't survive in freshwater, spirit-type Domain Creatures couldn't exist outside their own fields.
For them to adapt to the outside world's energy laws was like trying to make deep-sea fish survive on land—an almost impossible scenario.
The lack of live research samples was the biggest reason why psychic cultivation research had been so slow and inefficient.
Unless researchers accompanied combat squads into these domains to study the creatures firsthand, there was no way to capture and analyze living specimens.
But that idea was far from realistic.
Scientific research wasn't something that could be done by guesswork alone.
Cutting-edge research relied on complex equipment, and transporting massive scientific instruments into spirit-type Domain Fields would be an immense logistical nightmare—not to mention the numerous risks involved.
All of these factors combined to make psychic cultivation research progress painfully slow.
The lack of live samples remained the biggest hurdle.
—
That being said, not all psychic-type Domain Creatures were bound to their fields.
There were exceptions—spirit beings that could freely move between worlds.
Feng Qi had seen one before.
It was in the future, over 1,500 years ahead, when he encountered a blood-red eye that granted him the ability of Malice.
But thinking about it carefully, something felt off.
When he met Zhi Yan, humanity had already been overrun by the Domain World.
At that point, Earth was no longer the human world.
A memory surfaced in his mind—Mu Yan standing tall, silver spear in hand, fighting against the heavens.
In the final scene, the blood moon devoured the sun, swallowing it beyond the horizon.
Mu Yan turned into a stone statue, frozen in time.
—
Since their paths were different, Feng Qi bid farewell to Feisha Domain Combat Squad and continued deeper into the Wave Domain Field with Mu Qing.
As they ventured further, the number of spirit-type Domain Creatures gradually increased.
If he still had the special constitution from the main timeline, he would have slaughtered every creature in sight, using them to strengthen his psychic abilities and acquire new mental talents.
But now, there was no need.
They only attacked when provoked.
—
During this journey, Feng Qi experimented with psychic combat.
Fighting on the spiritual level wasn't like physical combat—there was no sensation of impact, no techniques to rely on.
Strength was absolute—victory or defeat was determined purely by raw mental power.
His first test battle ended with him using telekinesis to dissect a spirit creature layer by layer, peeling it apart like an onion.
After this brief encounter, they continued their journey deeper.
—
The Wave Domain Field wasn't large, but it would still take several days to cross.
Like most Domain Fields, its space operated independently from the outside world.
Even if a domain looked small from the outside, once inside, it could stretch on endlessly—a small room might feel as large as a stadium.
This was one of the main reasons why, as Domain Fields merged with human territory, the surface area of Earth kept expanding.
—
Four days later, they finally reached the edge of the Wave Domain Field.
As they passed through the pure white barrier, their vision was instantly filled with snow.
In the distance, a frozen forest stretched as far as the eye could see.
Beyond the snow-covered trees, about a thousand meters away, stood a massive black-colored Domain Field.
After four days of swimming through this bizarre space, they had finally escaped.
Now, they were only a short distance away from their true destination—the Mist Domain Field.
—
Before proceeding, they decided to set up camp in the snowy woods nearby.
Feng Qi pitched a portable tent, preparing for a well-earned break.
From their supply box, he pulled out some rations and handed them to Mu Qing.
Without hesitation, Mu Qing tore into the food, devouring it like a starved beast.
Watching her ravenous appetite, Feng Qi felt a pang of guilt.
—
They had spent four whole days traveling without stopping to rest or eat, all in the name of efficiency.
For normal humans, going without food for days would be disastrous.
Even though their enhanced bodies could withstand the deprivation, the hunger itself was real.
Especially for Mu Qing.
Her body demanded an enormous amount of food daily, and after four days without eating, she had started eyeing the snow-covered trees like they were potential snacks.
If Feng Qi hadn't been there, she might have actually started gnawing on the trees.
—
Digestion wasn't a concern for her, though.
Mu Qing's stomach could break down anything, even rocks, so chewing on tree bark would have been no problem at all.
—
Feng Qi continued unwrapping rations, handing them over one by one.
Mu Qing swallowed everything in just a few bites.
Soon, an entire supply box had been emptied.
These were all high-calorie compressed rations, including jerky made from Domain Beast meat—each piece packed with an immense amount of energy.
Even so, it still wasn't enough to satisfy her.
—
Mu Qing glanced at the now-empty food box, looking slightly guilty.
"Oops… I ate too fast. Did you eat anything?"
Feng Qi smiled.
"I'm fine. As long as you're full, that's what matters."
Feng Qi's expression remained relaxed as he watched Mu Qing, but her reaction was unexpected.
Her eyes froze for a moment, and memories that had long been buried surfaced in her mind.
She remembered a similar scene from her childhood—before she arrived at Star City.
Back then, she was still following her Scavenger team, traveling through wastelands. Their food supply had dwindled, and everyone in the group had been starving for days.
At that time, her parents refused to eat, making sure she had enough.
When she asked, "Aren't you eating too?", their response was exactly the same as Feng Qi's just now.
Mu Qing lowered her head slightly, gripping the empty ration packet in her hands.
"Qi-ge… Thank you."
Feng Qi grinned, "I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you helping me, you'd probably be at the academy cafeteria, enjoying a proper meal. The food there is way better than these compressed rations."
Saying this, Feng Qi reached into his backpack and pulled out two vials of mental soothing agents, handing one to Mu Qing.
"Mu Qing-jie, take this. Restore your energy. We're heading into the Mist Domain Field soon."
Mu Qing took the vial, unscrewed the cap, and drank it in one gulp.
Feng Qi did the same.
Instantly, the fatigue that had built up over the past few days faded, and their mental states recovered.
—
After making sure they were both ready, Feng Qi went over their objectives one more time.
When Mu Qing confirmed the plan, she stood up and walked alone toward the Mist Domain Field.
Feng Qi's eyes followed her silhouette, watching her move through the blizzard.
Compared to his past memories, the Mist Domain Field seemed much weaker now.
This was because the Mist Lord had yet to fully recover from his injuries.
During the Battle at Tongtian Road, he had suffered severe wounds—even when he later fought Mu Qing in the normal timeline, he was still recovering.
The main issue was that the Mist Lord lacked blood energy to heal himself.
Upon arriving in the human world, he had remained cautious and reclusive, not daring to expand his domain too aggressively.
With no living creatures nearby to feed on, his recovery was incredibly slow.
Even worse, by this time, he had lost his entire race.
The once-mighty Mist Clan had been reduced to a single survivor.
Without the support of his people, the Mist Lord had no confidence to launch an immediate conquest.
—
Mu Qing stopped at the edge of the Mist Domain Field.
She turned slightly, lifting her right hand to give a thumbs-up toward Feng Qi.
Then, she stepped through the domain barrier.
—
Time ticked away.
Feng Qi waited in the blizzard, his eyes fixed on the Mist Domain Field.
He didn't know exactly how long had passed when he finally sensed movement inside.
The entire domain began trembling.
Even from outside, Feng Qi could feel the ground beneath him shaking slightly.
As time went on, ripples spread across the domain barrier, like raindrops falling on a still lake.
There was no doubt now—Mu Qing and the Mist Lord had engaged in battle.
This was a turning point in history.
The Mist Lord—who once harbored ambitions of conquest—was about to suffer his first great defeat.
From that moment forward, his grand ambitions would be buried, replaced by a life of cautious survival.
It was this defeat that forced him into hiding—learning patience, restraint, and how to endure.
He would prove to the world that a man's maturity often comes from setbacks.
And with that maturity, he would grow into something far more terrifying.
—
The battle raged on.
The Mist Domain Field could no longer withstand the pressure, its shaking growing more violent by the second.
Then, from deep within the domain, a roar erupted.
The sound carried an undeniable majesty, one that dominated everything.
Even through the barrier, Feng Qi could feel the overwhelming presence of the Mist Lord.
But that only meant one thing—
Mu Qing had pushed him too far.
She had forced him into a corner, unleashing her Crimson Power.
At this moment, Mu Qing was unstoppable.
Her strength skyrocketed, and she gained an additional advantage—a mental illusion attack.
Anyone who locked eyes with the shadowy figure above her head would be dragged into a nightmarish illusion, trapped in a vision of endless corpses and rivers of blood.
Some would even hallucinate their own bodies being buried beneath the mountains of the dead.
—
Finally, with a deafening explosion, the Mist Domain Field shattered.
A familiar purple figure shot into the sky, staggering as it fled into the distance.
Feng Qi's eyes narrowed.
He immediately took off running, following the Mist Lord's escape route.
—
The Mist Lord awoke.
The first thing he felt was excruciating pain, as if his entire body was about to fall apart.
Then, a thought struck him—
Wait… My core was shattered. Why am I still alive?
His consciousness swept over his body, inspecting himself.
To his shock, he discovered that his broken core had somehow regenerated.
But his energy reserves were completely drained, and he couldn't muster even the slightest strength.
At that moment, a voice called out from nearby.
"Yo, you're awake?"
The Mist Lord's eyes snapped open, instantly on guard.
He turned his head to see a young man, around seventeen or eighteen, sitting nearby—shirtless, studying him with curiosity.
Looking down at himself, the Mist Lord noticed a blanket draped over him.
For a moment, his expression softened.
He gazed at Feng Qi, then asked in a hoarse voice—
"Did you… save me?"
Feng Qi grinned, flashing a bright, mischievous smile—
"That's right, it was me!"