Beside them stood rows of massive, specialized containers filled with dragon blood of many colors.
There was green Poison Dragon blood, white Ice Dragon blood, blue Thunder Dragon blood, and golden Earth Dragon blood... "Gurgle... Gurgle..."
Controlling the Crimson Flame Ender Dragon, Steve stood before the massive feeding trough, gulping down the violent mixture of over a dozen dragon blood types with different attributes as if he were drinking water.
"Madman, he's a total madman..."
To the side, the Crimson Flame Flame Dragon, who was also having its blood drawn, watched this scene in utter shock.
As a fire-attribute dragon, it knew very well how strong the repulsion between different dragon bloods was.
Forget mixing a dozen types; even drinking two incompatible types would cause one to explode instantly, leaving nothing behind.
But the black dragon before it... not only did it not explode, but it actually seemed to be enjoying some sort of delicacy.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
As the dragon blood entered his stomach, the heart of faith within Steve's body exerted its power once again.
The golden power of faith suppressed, dismantled, and reorganized all the conflicting laws.
"Roar..."
The Ender Dragon let out a low, satisfied growl.
Its body, which originally only possessed Crimson Flame Fire and Void Power, began to undergo a startling transformation.
At the edge of its left wing, a layer of crystal-clear ice formed, radiating absolute zero extreme cold—that was the power of the Frost Dragon.
Upon its right wing, violent lightning crackled and jumped—that was the law of the Thunder Dragon.
Green poisonous mist seeped from the gaps between its scales.
Its skeleton became heavier and more solid—that was the gift of the Earth Dragon... All attributes! He had absorbed the attributes of every dragon!
This dragon was evolving toward the legendary all-attribute state!
Boom!
An aura ten times more terrifying than before suddenly erupted from Steve's body.
The surrounding space instantly collapsed, and chains of laws manifested in the void, only to be snapped by this overbearing force.
Peak of Rank Six, the bottleneck shattered.
Early Rank Seven!
And it was a perfect Rank Seven, bolstered by the laws of all elements.
"Se... Seven... Rank Seven..."
The Crimson Flame Flame Dragon's voice trembled as it looked at the black dragon whose aura now completely crushed its own.
"He was Rank Five just a moment ago. How long has it been? He reached Rank Seven just by drinking a few buckets of blood?"
It was truly terrified now.
It suddenly realized that its plan to shift the trouble elsewhere might not have just failed to trap Steve, but instead brought an invincible monster upon the Dragon Race.
If its clansmen were also captured, would this black dragon evolve directly to Rank Eight, or even Rank Nine?
"Is this... is this truly the bloodline suppression of a high-ranking dragon?"
The Crimson Flame Flame Dragon completely fell for Steve's deception.
"Whoosh."
Feeling the vast power surging within his body, Steve exhaled a breath of dragon fire in satisfaction.
That dragon breath was a mixture of fire, frost, lightning, and poison... like a miniature elemental storm.
"Tian, you've broken through to Rank Seven."
Muriel's delighted voice came from the Abyssal Condenser nearby.
"Mm."
Steve looked at that massive angel face; though it was the face of a monster, he could feel her sincere joy.
"Just in time. Now that I've reached Rank Seven, I'm even more confident about dealing with that Old Dragon King."
"Big brother is amazing!"
Alex also waved her tentacles in excitement.
"Breaking through so quickly, let's hurry up and go fight that old dragon."
Meanwhile, in the Fantasy World, at the Holy Mountain of the Church of Light.
The atmosphere here was even more feverish than in the zombie World.
On the massive Holy Light Plaza, millions of angel warriors clad in silver armor with wings on their backs stood in neat formation.
The sunlight fell upon them, reflecting a dazzling light like a golden ocean.
Mikaela, dressed in the Pope's divine robes and holding a scepter, stood atop a high platform.
Before her were crates of Shulker Boxes that had just been delivered.
"Open them."
Mikaela gave the command.
Click! Click!
Thousands of Shulker Boxes opened simultaneously, revealing mountains of golden totems—the Totems of Undying.
The dense aura of life laws instantly filled the entire plaza, making all the angels feel refreshed.
"This is the power bestowed upon us by God."
Mikaela's voice echoed through the Holy Mountain via amplification magic.
"Every angel going to battle, come forward immediately to receive them. Each person will take one hundred thousand, and absorb them all into your bodies."
"This will be your strongest shield on the battlefield. It will block fatal damage for you, granting you an undying body."
Whoosh!
Though they had heard rumors, seeing it with their own eyes made all the angels gasp.
One hundred thousand—that was a full one hundred thousand lives!
"First legion, line up to receive them!"
Following the command, squads of angels stepped forward in an orderly fashion.
They reached out and touched the Totems of Undying.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The moment the totems touched the angels' bodies, they turned into streaks of golden light, merging into them and being stored deep within their souls.
One thousand... ten thousand... fifty thousand... one hundred thousand!
When the last angel finished absorbing them, the aura of the entire First legion changed.
If they were warriors prepared to die before, they were now a group of fearless reapers.
That confidence stemming from the fact that they couldn't be killed made their gazes extremely terrifying.
"Reporting to Her Holiness the Pope, the First Angel legion is fully equipped."
The one leading the First legion was a tall, high-ranking angel with eight pure white wings, the Archangel Raphaela.
Feeling the ocean-like reserves of life energy within her body, she trembled with excitement.
With one hundred thousand resurrection opportunities, how could they lose this battle? This wasn't war; this was a harvest.
"First Angel legion! Move out!"
Raphaela suddenly drew the holy sword at her waist and pointed it toward the sky.
"For the Light, for the Pope, for His Highness the Holy Son!"
Flap!!!
Ten thousand angels simultaneously spread their wings.
Four wings, six wings, eight wings—countless white wings unfurled under the sun, blotting out the sky.
With a flap of her wings, Raphaela took the lead, turning into a streak of golden light as she soared into the sky.
Immediately following her, the ten thousand angels behind her shot out like arrows from a bow.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!
It was as if a golden reverse meteor shower was raining across the sky.
But this was only the beginning.
"Second Angel legion, prepare to move out!"
"Third Angel legion, prepare to move out!"
..."One Hundredth Angel legion, prepare to move out!"
As each formation finished receiving their supplies, orders were issued one after another.
Countless golden lights flew toward the distant dark territories like a swarm of locusts.
The scene was spectacular to the extreme, like the prelude to Ragnarok or the final charge before dawn.
Mikaela stood silently in place, looking up at the angels flying across the sky, her eyes flickering with complexity.
This was the strongest moment for the Church of Light in thousands of years.
It was also the moment the world was about to welcome a new life.
"Can the Angel Clan finally step off this planet?"
She murmured to herself, her gaze seemingly piercing through the clouds to see the vast galaxy beyond, and that young man who was leading the army and about to rewrite history.
"Go, children, and bring back victory."
The Northern Realm, Frostwolf Fortress.
This majestic city, standing on the extreme cold permafrost and serving as an outpost for the Werewolf Clan for thousands of years, was now engulfed in a sea of fire and chaos.
In the sky, countless white wings covered the firmament, and holy light fell like raindrops, each strike carrying the sacred power to purify evil.
"Awoo!!!"
Atop the city walls, a Tier 6 Werewolf Commander, five meters tall and covered in frost armor, roared angrily at the sky.
He swung a massive spiked club, repelling several low-tier angels, and roared with bloodshot eyes.
"Damn Church of Light, what do you birdmen think you're doing?"
"Launching a total war for no reason—aren't you afraid the Werewolf Clan and the Dark Church will join forces in retaliation?"
His voice exploded like thunder, making the surrounding air tremble.
However, the response he received was a contemptuous sneer.
"Join forces in retaliation?"
From the sky, a Six-winged Seraph clad in silver armor and wielding a blazing holy sword dived down, a hint of mockery on her beautiful face.
"Save it, you stupid dog. The Dark Church can barely protect itself right now; you'd better worry about whether you can survive tonight."
"What?"
The Werewolf Commander was shocked. Before he could react, the Seraph had already turned into a streak of light and reached him.
Clang!!!
The spiked club and the holy sword collided fiercely, producing a resounding clash.
"Arrogance! A mere six-winged angel dares to speak so boldly before this commander."
The Werewolf Commander roared, his muscles bulging as a violent, bloodthirsty aura erupted instantly.
No longer defending, he relied on the werewolf race's abnormal recovery and strength to endure the holy sword's slashes, suddenly lunging a claw toward the opponent's heart.
This strike was as fast as lightning and incredibly ruthless.
Puchi!
The claws pierced through the Seraph's seemingly sturdy silver armor without resistance, crushing her heart directly.
"Hahaha, die!"
The Werewolf Commander laughed hideously.
In his view, with a crushed heart, even an angel would surely die.
However... the expected scene of the angel falling and dissipating into motes of light did not occur.
Instead, an extremely dazzling and sacred golden light appeared.
Buzz!!!
The golden light exploded inside the angel like a small sun, instantly forcing the Werewolf Commander back several steps.
Then, a scene that made his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets unfolded.
The angel who should have been dead saw the massive bloody hole in her chest heal at a visible rate.
The crushed heart reconstructed, severed meridians reconnected, and even the holy power and physical strength consumed in the previous battle were restored to their peak in an instant.
In just the blink of an eye, that Holy Angel stood before him perfectly intact, her aura even stronger than before.
"This... what kind of ghostly thing is this?"
The Werewolf Commander was so terrified that his fur stood on end.
"Resurrection? No, even the Great Resurrection spell cast by that old woman, the Pope, personally, couldn't be this fast or this absolute."
"Hehe..."
The six-winged Holy Angel looked at the bewildered werewolf, a playful smile curling on her lips as she casually flourished her sword.
"As expected, the things provided by His Highness the Holy Son are indeed useful. Although the feeling of death was a bit painful, this sensation of instantly returning to full health is truly exhilarating."
She even touched her previously pierced chest with lingering satisfaction.
"Holy Son?"
The Werewolf Commander's mind buzzed.
"Doesn't the Church of Light only have one Saintess? When did a Holy Son pop up? And such a heaven-defying item was obtained from that person?"
He suddenly realized that the Church of Light had definitely come prepared for this total war. If items that could bring people back to life instantly were mass-produced... "Alright, stop dazing off."
The Holy Angel interrupted his thoughts, the killing intent in her eyes surging.
"I let you have your fun just now. Now... it's my turn."
Swish!
Her figure flashed as she charged forward once more.
This time, she didn't defend at all, adopting a completely suicidal fighting style.
"Damn it! Madmen! These people are madmen!"
The Werewolf Commander was forced into a frantic scramble.
Facing an enemy who couldn't be killed no matter what and who dared to trade lives with him, even a battle-hardened commander like him felt deep despair.
Puchi!
Finally, in another intense clash, the Holy Angel endured a heavy hammer blow and precisely pierced the Werewolf Commander's throat with her holy sword.
"Ugh... you..."
The Werewolf Commander clutched his throat, blood spraying wildly, as the life in his eyes rapidly faded.
Until his death, he didn't understand why such a cheap fighting style existed in this world.
The Holy Angel withdrew her holy sword, casually flicked off the blood, and turned to look at the rest of the battlefield.
The entire Frostwolf Fortress had completely fallen.
Countless angels were hunting down werewolves. Occasionally, golden light flashed—the special effect of the Totem of Undying being triggered.
Whether those werewolves fought back desperately or self-destructed, it was nothing more than a tickle to an Angel legion with a hundred thousand lives.
"Sisters, move faster! His Highness the Holy Son is waiting for our report of victory!"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, the territory of the Blood Race.
This was the edge of the Evernight Forest, shrouded in mist and shadow year-round.
But now, this paradise belonging to the Vampires was illuminated as bright as day by the holy light in the sky.
"Run! Run!"
A Vampire Duke dressed in a magnificent tailcoat was currently fleeing frantically through the woods in a pathetic state.
His originally meticulously groomed blonde hair was now a mess, and his Bat wings were riddled with holes.
He was the lord of this territory, possessing Tier 6 strength.
But just a few minutes ago, a group of six-winged angels descended like mad dogs and began ganging up on him without a word.
No matter what Blood Magic or illusions he used, even if he riddled them with holes, they would resurrect on the spot in a burst of golden light and continue chasing him.
Who could possibly withstand this?
"Damn it, have these birdmen taken the wrong medicine?"
The Duke cursed as he flew, not daring to look back, desperately heading toward a neighboring Duke's castle.
That was the territory of his old friend, a powerful Vampire Duke.
"As long as I get there, I might be able to hold out for a while with the help of the castle's defensive array..."
However, just as he was about to fly over that ancient castle...
Pshhh!!!
A dazzling ray of holy light suddenly descended from the sky like a sword of judgment, instantly piercing the heart of the Marquis who was commanding the defense on the city wall.
"Ugh..."
The Duke didn't even have time to scream before being pinned to the wall, turning into a pool of black blood.
"This..."
The fleeing Duke skidded to a halt, staring at that familiar Holy Angel Sword still radiating residual warmth; he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"It's over... it's all over..."
He panicked completely.
If it were just him being attacked, it could be chalked up to bad luck.
But with even his old friend being instantly killed, it pointed to only one thing: the Church of Light was determined to exterminate the entire dark race this time, and it had been meticulously planned from the start.
"No, I must escape."
A flash of determination crossed the Duke's eyes.
"I must tell the Princes this news. Those lunatics from the Church of Light are acting crazy again; the Princes must be awakened."
He abruptly changed direction, burning his essence blood in an attempt to rush toward the Vampire stronghold.
However...
The moment he turned around.
Whoosh!
An aura of darkness, colder than anything and even purer than that of a Vampire, suddenly struck from behind him.
"This is... dark energy?"
The Duke was pale with shock.
"How is that possible? Could it be reinforcements?"
But he quickly dismissed the idea because that dark aura was laced with a sense of depravity and judgment that made his soul tremble.
"Oh no! It's a Fallen Angel!"
Just as the thought arose, he felt a chill in his chest.
Puff!
A pitch-black sword light silently pierced through his back and out of his chest.
The dark corrosive power attached to it instantly crushed his blood core to pieces.
"Ugh, how is this possible..."
The Duke turned his head with difficulty, seeing not one of his kind as he had imagined, but a Fallen Angel with black wings, radiating an aura more terrifying than a demon's.
"So weak."
The Fallen Angel coldly withdrew her longsword, watching the Duke's corpse fall as casually as if she had crushed a mosquito.
Then, she waved to several Holy Angels arriving behind her.
"Move out to the next city. Leave no dark creatures alive."
"Yes."
Dark Alliance Headquarters, Underground Council Hall.
This was the core hub of the dark forces in the entire Fantasy World and the birthplace of countless conspiracies and evils.
At this moment, the massive round table was filled with heavy-faced big shots.
The Sovereign of the Werewolf Imperial Court, the Great Chieftain of the Orc Tribes, the Prince representatives of the thirteen Vampire clans, the Pope of the Dark Church, and over a dozen leaders of various dark forces were all gathered here.
The air was thick with an unprecedented sense of panic and oppression.
Slap!
Wesley, the Werewolf Sovereign, slammed the table, causing the magic-stone surface to crack in several places.
"What on earth has the Angel Clan gone crazy for?"
Wesley roared, his golden fur standing on end from rage.
"Are they on a suicide mission? They've started attacking everything around them frantically, and with such speed—it makes no sense at all."
"If it were just one of us, we wouldn't be able to withstand that suicidal fighting style of theirs."
"Indeed."
Beside him, the Orc Great Chieftain nodded with a grim face.
"Those bird-people have truly lost it this time. They're not just attacking you Werewolves; they're attacking our territories too. Just now, over twenty of my lords were killed. Anyone who met an Angel died without exception. Not a single survivor could make it back to report."
"The most terrifying thing isn't their attack power."
At this point, the previously silent Pope of the Dark Church, a withered old man shrouded in black robes, spoke slowly.
His voice was raspy, carrying a hint of irrepressible dread.
"The Church of Light has somehow obtained an immortal divine object."
"News from my subordinates says that countless branches of our Dark Church have already been wiped out."
The Pope took a deep breath and continued.
"Every time our people exhaust every effort and finally manage to kill one, a golden light flashes, and those bird-people all come back to life—fully restored. They simply cannot be killed."
As these words were spoken, the entire meeting room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone looked at each other, seeing the fear in one another's eyes.
They all knew what this meant.
War was a battle of resources and lives.
Now the enemy had resurrection; they dared to fight recklessly because they could live again after dying.
And you? You only have one life.
How do you compete? How do you fight?
It was like playing a game where the opponent has an infinite resurrection hack; no matter how well you play, you'll eventually be worn down to death.
"A resurrection divine artifact..."
The Vampire Prince representative spoke with a trembling voice.
"I've heard of it too. In the images sent back by my descendants before they died, those Angels were like immortal cockroaches. I have yet to see a single Angel truly perish."
He paused, posing a question that made everyone feel despair.
"If this artifact is mass-produced, if each of them carries more than one—maybe dozens, or even hundreds..."
"Then why are we even fighting? We might as well just surrender."
"Impossible!"
Wesley, the Werewolf Sovereign, roared.
"How could such a divine artifact be mass-produced? It violates the laws of magical conservation. It must be some kind of one-time consumable or a forbidden art with massive side effects."
"Regardless of what it is..."
The Dark Pope stood up, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
"We have no way back. Everyone, we must unite and bring out all our trump cards. Otherwise, after tonight, there will be no place for darkness in this world."
Just as these villainous big shots were preparing to stake everything on one throw.
Rumble!!!
A world-shaking explosion suddenly came from above, as if the entire underground base had been hit by some terrifying force.
"What's going on?"
Everyone turned pale with shock.
Next, a panicked messenger stumbled in.
"Report! This is bad! A lot of monsters have appeared outside, and they're slaughtering their way in!"
The air froze to the extreme; everyone was stunned by the news brought by the messenger.
"Monsters?"
The Dark Pope stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"How could it be so fast? What about our defenses? Our sentries? Are they all gone?"
"Lord Pope, there was simply no time."
The messenger said with a sob in his voice.
"Those monsters, they crawled directly out of space, and there are just too many of them."
"Originally, there were only one or two, but for some reason, they took out some square objects, and in the blink of an eye, the monsters opposite us instantly multiplied to cover the horizon."
"Then they attacked us directly; it was practically an Undead Scourge legion. The most terrifying thing is that they actually coordinate perfectly with those angels. On one side are immortal monsters, and on the other are infinitely reviving angels. We simply can't fight back."
"Damn it, let's go out and see."
Wolf Emperor Wesley roared, taking the lead as a streak of blood-red light rushing toward the exit.
The various dark powerhouses followed closely behind, rushing out of the underground base and arriving at the surface.
However, the scene before them left them completely stunned.
In the sky, the originally pitch-black night was now illuminated by countless holy wings.
Thousands of fully armed Fifth-Order zombies were flying through the air like a plague of locusts.
And behind them were squads of six-winged angels clad in golden light, wielding holy swords.
The two coordinated seamlessly.
The zombies were responsible for meat-shielding, charging, and crowd control, while the angels handled damage output and finishing blows.
Once someone was injured, a flash of holy light or golden resurrection light would immediately pass by, and in an instant, they were back in top form.
Further away, there was also a massive Abyssal Condenser waving thousands of tentacles, frantically harvesting the lives of dark creatures.
"This..."
Wolf Emperor Wesley stared fixedly at the group of Fifth-Order zombies—that signature green skin, those eerie roars, that ferocity that didn't flinch even if half their bodies were blown apart, and the ability to recover instantly... His memory was instantly pulled back to a certain scene.
"The Order of Saint George?"
Wesley cried out in alarm.
"Those are the subordinates of the The Order of Saint George. I've seen them. It was on my territory; my subordinates reported that a The Order of Saint George had suddenly risen, they were very strong, and they also had those immortal methods."
"I understand now. The Church of Light's immortal methods were obtained from the The Order of Saint George. They've partnered with the Church of Light."
"What? The Order of Saint George?"
The Dark Pope and the other powerhouses were all stunned upon hearing this.
The Vampire Prince was filled with doubt and uncertainty.
"How did they get mixed up with the Church of Light? And isn't this strength a bit too terrifying?"
Watching the one-sided slaughter before them, everyone felt a deep sense of despair.
Although this The Order of Saint George seemed weaker than them, they could also resurrect. Originally, they had planned to use low-level units to overwhelm the opponent.
Now you're telling me that our low-level units are also being suppressed by the opponent's immortal low-level units, and they even outnumber us? How are we supposed to fight?
"This won't do."
The Dark Pope made a prompt decision.
"We must concentrate our forces. Fighting alone is a dead end. They have methods of infinite immortality; whether it's those zombies or the angels, they simply cannot be killed off."
"Retreat! All personnel retreat! Go to the Ten Thousand Devils Cave! We must hold that place; we can't let them be defeated one by one."
The various powerhouses nodded one after another, no longer daring to linger in battle.
Each using their own methods, they turned into streaks of light, desperately fleeing toward the last forbidden land on this continent.
Meanwhile, above the battlefield.
Randy was controlling a massive Molten Lava Iron Golem, not pursuing those fleeing high-level experts.
His mission was to purge—to completely eradicate the middle and lower-level dark forces on this land and cut off their foundation.
As for those high-end combatants, Steve and that group of top-tier angels would naturally take care of them.
"Hmph, they sure run fast."
Randy snorted coldly and waved his hand.
"All forces, attack! Clear out these lackeys for me, leave none behind."
"Yes!!!"
Countless Fifth-Order zombies let out earth-shattering roars, pouncing like tigers descending a mountain onto those werewolves, Vampires, and dark believers who were still putting up a desperate struggle.
This was a slaughter with no suspense.
Although some dark creatures had reached the sixth or even seventh order, in the face of the zombie legion and Angel legion bolstered by the Totem of Undying, this level gap was infinitely narrowed.
You hit me once, it doesn't hurt.
I hit you once, it takes your life.
You risk your life to take one of mine, and with a flash of golden light, I'm standing back up.
This kind of desperate war of attrition was simply not something any army could endure.
On the other side, above the Ten Thousand Dragon Archipelago.
Steve was leading Muriel and Alex, approaching the core area of Dragon Island.
Suddenly.
Buzz!
Steve's brow furrowed sharply, and his figure abruptly stopped in mid-air.
An extremely weak but exceptionally eerie spatial fluctuation crossed the planar barriers and touched a certain sensation deep within his soul.
"What's wrong, Steve?"
Muriel immediately noticed the abnormality and asked with concern.
Steve didn't answer immediately but closed his eyes to sense it carefully.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, his expression becoming somewhat grave.
"That world seems to have some problems."
Steve said in a heavy voice.
"I'll go take a look; you two keep going."
"That world?"
Muriel's heart tightened.
She knew Steve was referring to that paranormal World full of rules and death, which was ten thousand times more dangerous than here.
"Steve..."
She subconsciously wanted to stop him.
But seeing Steve's determined gaze, she knew she couldn't stop him, so she could only say softly.
"Then you must be careful."
"Don't worry, it's fine. I know what I'm doing."
Steve gave her a reassuring look, then split off a powerful wisp of consciousness, instantly crossing the endless void and descending upon a zombie clone in the paranormal World.
paranormal World, a certain barren mountain cave.
A zombie abruptly opened its eyes; Steve had descended.
He looked around.
This was a massive underground karst cave, the air filled with a musty smell.
And in the very center of the cave stood an ancient altar.
The style, patterns, and materials used to build that altar were exactly the same as the one used by the Twin Magic Mirror beneath Haven City.
"This is..."
Steve was startled and controlled the zombie to walk slowly onto the altar.
He checked it carefully and found that although it looked abandoned for a long time, there were no signs of damage.
The runes on the altar were still intact, and there was even a faint trace of energy fluctuation remaining.
"This altar should have been here for a while."
Steve muttered to himself.
"And by the looks of it, it has been activated. In other words, a paranormal has already successfully performed a sacrifice here? And it's very likely already evolved to SSS-rank?"
If it hadn't been interrupted, then this ritual was successful.
An ominous premonition rose in Steve's heart.
He immediately dispersed his consciousness, controlling the other zombie clones scattered across the world, and began frantically searching for similar locations.
The result made his heart pound wildly.
A second... a third... a fourth... Hidden in various corners of this world, there were actually six more identical altars.
Excluding the Twin Magic Mirror altar in Haven City that he had destroyed, these six altars were all completely intact and showed signs of having been used.
"Seven altars..."
A picture quickly formed in Steve's mind.
"Seven Stars Aligning? Or some kind of larger formation?"
"In other words, the Godhood Ritual of the Twin Magic Mirror that I destroyed back then was actually... just one part of someone else's plan?"
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Just as Steve was preparing to investigate further.
Boom! Rumble! Rumble!
The previously silent altar suddenly became restless without warning.
A terrifying energy fluctuation surged out from underground.
Buzz!
A dazzling red pillar of light instantly broke through the mountain and shot straight into the sky.
At the same time, Steve saw through the vision of his other clones that five more beams of red light were shooting up into the sky in five other directions across the world.
The six pillars of light, like six towering crimson columns connecting heaven and earth, dyed the sky of the entire paranormal World blood red.
Steve's expression changed drastically, and he immediately switched his consciousness back to the clone in Haven City.
Haven City, abandoned altar.
This was the altar where the Twin Magic Mirror had been, but now it appeared exceptionally quiet.
Steve controlled the zombie clone to quickly walk into the ruins of the altar.
However, the moment he stepped inside, a figure wearing a black robe and a Faceless Mask stood silently in the center of the altar, with their back to him.
"You've arrived?"
The person's voice was calm and gentle, as if waiting for an old friend.
Before Steve could speak, the person slowly began to talk.
"Steve, the SSS-level Anomaly paranormal core you want is right here. If you want to get it, then come out alive. Now, the lives of everyone in the world rest in your hands."
Steve's pupils contracted.
"What do you mean? And... who are you?"
"You will understand soon."
The person chuckled softly.
"As for who I am, this humble priest, Harold."
Saying this, he slowly turned around and removed the mask from his face.
What was revealed was a thin, aged, yet vigorous face—it was precisely the old priest who had previously given Steve a hint at the church in the Appalachian Mountain Range.
"It's you? Harold?!"
Steve was utterly shocked.
"Long time no see. So it was you. You knew about the Twin Magic Mirror's plan all along. No wonder you specifically warned me about Alex back then."
"Some matters are beyond human reach."
Harold shook his head, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
"Not entirely. This humble priest only deduced the general plan of the Twin Magic Mirror back then and did not know that Alex was the chosen vessel."
"I warned you back then because I truly saw that the girl's fate was extraordinary and feared something unexpected might happen, so I wanted you not to get involved."
"It wasn't until later, by chance, that this humble priest inherited fragments of the Twin Magic Mirror's memory. Only then did I fully grasp this shocking scheme and discover you and Alex, the two greatest variables."
"Inherited memory?"
Hearing this, Steve's heart stirred.
"Could this old priest have been possessed by something? Or did he seal his memories like the Twin Magic Mirror?"
But he didn't dwell on the question and asked directly.
"Where is the core?"
Harold smiled slightly and raised his hand, pointing toward Steve's eyes.
"In your eyes."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Boom!!!
The ruins of the altar, which had originally been destroyed, miraculously reconstructed and began to shake.
A pillar of red light, thicker and more dazzling than the other six spots, suddenly erupted from beneath Steve's feet and shot straight into the sky.
Buzz!!!
As this red light rose, it instantly resonated with the other six red lights.
The seven pillars of light converged in the sky, forming a massive, crimson Seven-Pointed Star Formation that covered the entire paranormal World.
An indescribable strange fluctuation instantly swept across the globe.
"This is..."
Steve felt this fluctuation, and his expression instantly darkened.
"A Ghost Domain? A Ghost Domain covering the entire world?"
"That's right."
Harold's figure began to turn illusory, as if he might vanish at any moment.
"Steve, everyone in the world is now enveloped within this Ghost Domain. Time has stopped, and life and death are decided in a single thought."
"If you want to save them and break this deadlock, it's up to you."
"This humble priest will wait for you at the end."
After speaking, Harold smiled slightly, and his figure completely vanished into the red light, leaving no trace.
Above Haven City.
Steve did not pursue him.
Because he knew that since Harold dared to appear before him, he must have calculated that Steve couldn't capture him. The priority now was to figure out the mechanism of this Ghost Domain.
He immediately flew high into the sky, looking down at the entire Haven City.
He saw that the streets, which were usually bustling with traffic, were now completely silent.
Pedestrians were frozen mid-stride, cars were stopped in the middle of the road, exhaust fumes solidified in the air, birds hovered motionless mid-flight, their wings no longer flapping... Everything had been forcibly paused.
"A Space-Time Stasis Ghost Domain covering the entire world..."
Steve gasped.
"This is definitely power that surpasses the SSS-level. What exactly does this old priest—or rather, the mastermind behind this scheme—intend to do?"
"Since he said I should save them, there must be a way to break it."
Steve calmed down and looked at the seven red lights in the sky.
He saw that the six outer pillars of light were like six nails, firmly pinning down the edges of the world, surrounding the central pillar rising from Haven City.
All the energy seemed to be converging towards the center.
"The six outer ones are the Formation Supports, and the middle one is the Formation Eye, or perhaps the entrance."
Steve understood instantly.
"To break the deadlock, I must enter this Formation Eye."
Thinking this, he no longer hesitated, controlling the zombie clone to transform into a streak of light and resolutely charging into the most dazzling red light at the center of Haven City altar.
"Then let me see what trick this fellow is playing."
The center of Haven City altar.
The crimson pillar of light shot straight into the sky, and at the very base of the light pillar, the previously calm center of the altar had now collapsed into a slowly swirling dark red vortex.
The vortex was bottomless, as if even a gaze cast into it would be shredded.
An ancient, desolate, and eerie aura was continuously seeping out from within.
"Is this... the door to the answer?"
Steve controlled his zombie clone, standing quietly at the edge of the vortex.
He looked up at the motionless birds and clouds in the sky; the entire paranormal World seemed to have been hit by a pause button.
That Old Taoist calling himself Zhang Zhiyi was right; all living beings in this world had been kidnapped by this anomaly, becoming bargaining chips for some kind of ritual.
"If I don't go in, this world will remain stagnant forever."
Steve's eyes narrowed slightly as he weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
"Besides, I must obtain that SSS-level paranormal core. It's a key material for creating a Void Dominator; I have no reason to give it up."
"Furthermore..."
Steve touched his chest. Although this zombie body didn't have one, the heart of faith within his main body was continuously transmitting a warm power to him.
"As long as faith is not extinguished, I will not die. With such a divine object protecting me, I'd dare to venture even into an SSS-level Ghost Domain."
Having thought it through, Steve no longer hesitated.
Through soul communication, he sent a final message to Randy, who was far away in the Fantasy World commanding the zombie army.
"Uncle Zhang, this Ghost Domain cannot be broken from the outside. I'm going deep inside to find that SSS-level core. By the way, don't enter this paranormal World; it's completely surrounded by the Ghost Domain."
On the other end of the communication, Randy was commanding the zombie legion to clear out the remaining dark creatures. Hearing Steve's voice, his movements paused slightly before he replied steadily.
"Alright, Steve, go ahead with peace of mind. I've got the outside covered. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you. Stay safe."
"Mm."
Steve cut off the communication.
He took a deep breath and controlled his zombie clone. Even knowing that the path ahead was a dragon's den or a tiger's lair with only a slim chance of survival, he still took that step without looking back.
Boom!
The moment he stepped into the red vortex, an indescribable, terrifying suction force erupted instantly.
That feeling wasn't like passing through a spatial portal; it was as if countless invisible giant hands had grabbed his limbs, his bones, and even... his soul.
"Ugh!"
Steve only felt his vision go dark as his consciousness instantly fell into chaos.
At the same time, in the real world, at The Fortress.
Steve's bedroom door was tightly shut. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes slightly closed, as if in deep meditation.
Suddenly.
Buzz!!!
An extremely eerie spatial fluctuation actually ignored the planar barrier between the two worlds and descended directly into the bedroom.
Steve's body jerked violently, and his brows furrowed tightly as if he were enduring immense pain.
He could clearly feel an overbearingly powerful force of laws forcibly stripping away his soul.
That tearing sensation of his soul about to leave his body made every muscle in his frame tighten to the limit, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
"Is this the compulsiveness of SSS-level laws? Even crossing worlds can't stop it?"
Steve was greatly alarmed.
He had originally thought it would only be a descent of consciousness, but he hadn't expected the opponent to be able to follow that thread of mental connection and hook his main soul directly out of the real world.
Just as his soul was about to be completely ripped from his body, exposed without protection to that eerie power—
Thump!
A dull yet powerful heartbeat thundered within his chest.
It was the heart of faith.
This embryonic Godhead seemed to have sensed its master's crisis.
Flash!
Brilliant golden light erupted instantly, piercing straight through Steve's chest.
Immediately after, that pure golden heart actually took the initiative to leave Steve's physical body, transforming into a ball of dazzling golden light that plunged without hesitation into Steve's soul, which was currently being dragged away.
Buzz!
The golden light and the soul merged perfectly.
The originally fragile soul, bolstered by the heart of faith, was instantly clad in a layer of sacred and inviolable golden battle armor.
"Come on, let me see what you really are."
Steve's soul let out a roar. No longer resisting the suction, he went with the flow, carrying the heart of faith as he turned into a beam of light, instantly breaking through the shackles of the real world and flying toward the infinitely distant paranormal World.
With the departure of Steve's main soul, a sudden change occurred.
In the zombie World, the Fantasy World, the paranormal World... all the zombie clones, Ender Dragons, and Abyssal Condensers controlled by Steve's divided mind lost the light in their eyes at the same moment.
They maintained their original postures but were like puppets that had lost their souls, completely shutting down and standing frozen in place.
In the sky of the Fantasy World.
Muriel was controlling an Angel Abyssal Condenser, following the main force at high speed.
Suddenly, she noticed that the Ender Dragon that had been flying alongside her abruptly stopped in mid-air. Its massive wings ceased flapping, and after gliding forward for a distance due to inertia, its huge body began to plummet straight down.
"Steve?"
Muriel was startled. The faint connection between the heart of the angel and the heart of faith had completely snapped at that instant.
That feeling was as if the most important thing in her heart had been suddenly and violently gouged out, leaving it empty and causing her a surge of unprecedented panic.
"Gone, Steve's soul aura has vanished."
Muriel's face turned deathly pale.
Without any hesitation, she immediately released her control over the Abyssal Condenser, and her consciousness instantly returned to her main body.
Bang!
Steve's bedroom door was violently pushed open by a great force.
Muriel rushed straight for Steve's bedroom.
At this time, Alex, Stephanie, and Nicole couple were sitting on the sofa in the living room chatting, and they were startled by the sudden commotion.
"Murie? What's wrong?"
Alex asked blankly.
Muriel didn't have time to explain as she threw open the door to Steve's bedroom.
She saw Steve's body on the bed, limply falling backward as if it had lost all support.
"Steve!!"
Muriel let out a shrill cry of alarm. Her figure was like a bolt of lightning as she instantly rushed to the bedside and caught the falling Steve.
"Steve, what happened to you? Wake up!"
She called out anxiously, her hands trembling as she caressed Steve's face.
Although Steve's body was still warm and his breathing was steady, his entire being was like a soul-less empty shell; no matter how she called, there was no response.
What made her feel even more despairing was—
Her trembling hand moved to Steve's chest.
There, the heart of faith that had once beaten powerfully and resonated with her had actually disappeared.
It was completely empty.
"It's gone, the heart of faith is gone..."
Muriel mobilized the heart of the angel within her body, frantically sensing everything around her, trying to find even a trace of that familiar fluctuation.
However, no matter how hard she tried, in this world, she could no longer feel the existence of the heart of faith.
"Could it be..."
Muriel suddenly remembered what Steve had said before.
"He said he was going to that Paranormal World full of rules to find the SSS-level paranormal core. Could something have really happened to him there?"
"His soul was forcibly taken away, and even the heart of faith went with it..."
"No, Steve has the heart of faith protecting him; he will definitely be fine. He must be."
Although she was comforting herself, Muriel's tears still flowed uncontrollably.
She scooped up Steve's unconscious body and dashed outside.
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Stephanie was terrified by Muriel's appearance and hurriedly stood up to ask.
"Brother Steve?"
Alex's face turned pale instantly when she saw Steve in Muriel's arms, looking like he was in a vegetative state.
"Something happened."
Muriel's eyes were red as she gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Steve's soul is gone. I need to take him to the Research Institute."
After saying that, she didn't bother to explain further, rushing out of the house with Steve at an incredible speed.
"What? His soul is gone?"
Nicole and Steve Jianlin felt their worlds spinning upon hearing this, nearly fainting.
"Quick, follow them."
Stephanie reacted the fastest, grabbing the stunned Alex and supporting her parents as the family stumbled out after them.
The Fortress, Biological Research Institute.
"Out of the way! Everyone, move!"
Muriel burst into the Research Institute like a whirlwind, carrying Steve. Staff members scrambled to get out of her way, intimidated by her aura.
George Cooper, who was studying a potion formula in the lab, frowned at the commotion. Just as he was about to scold someone, he saw a tear-streaked Muriel barge in.
"Muriel? You are..."
George Cooper was stunned, then his gaze fell upon the man in her arms, whose fate was unknown.
"Steve?"
The test tube in George Cooper's hand fell and shattered on the floor. He knew all too well what Steve meant to the entirety of America.
If anything happened to Steve, it would be no different from severing America's very foundation.
"What happened? He was fine just a moment ago. How did he suddenly become like this?"
George Cooper asked urgently.
"Something happened to Steve. Please, save him."
Muriel's voice was hoarse and tearful.
"Quick, put him on the emergency table."
The entire Biological Research Institute instantly exploded into activity.
Numerous top medical experts and biologists rushed out of their labs, and various precision instruments were quickly wheeled over.
"Heart rate normal, blood pressure normal... brain waves have disappeared?"
"Pupils non-reactive to light, loss of muscle tone."
"These are signs of brain death."
A doctor shouted in horror while looking at the data on the monitors.
"Shut up! What brain death?"
George Cooper roared and stepped forward to examine him personally.
After a moment, he looked up at Muriel with a heavy expression.
"His bodily functions are perfectly healthy; there are no signs of trauma or poisoning. However, his consciousness has completely vanished, as if his soul has left his body."
"Yes, Steve's soul was taken away."
Muriel tightly held Steve's cold hand.
"And his heart of faith disappeared along with it."
"Soul... taken away..."
George Cooper took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Panic won't help here. Let's go to the Command Center!"
"We need to see what happened from Steve's perspective in that world. Since his soul has left his body, his consciousness must still be active somewhere."
"Right, the Command Center."
The Command Center could display the perspectives of all souls, and Steve's, as the primary perspective, was always on the main screen.
Everyone felt as if they had grasped a lifeline.
Muriel picked up Steve again, and the group rushed toward the Command Center in a massive surge.
Fortress, Command Center.
The doors were pushed open violently.
"Randy, something's happened."
George Cooper roared as he charged in.
Randy, who was staring at the battle in the Fantasy World on the command console, was startled. He turned around and looked at the large group of people in bewilderment.
"George? Why aren't you at the Research Institute? What are you doing here?"
Randy's gaze then landed on Steve in Muriel's arms, and his expression changed drastically.
"Steve? What happened to him?"
"Something happened to Steve. His soul has been taken away."
George Cooper explained rapidly.
"Soul taken away?"
Randy was also stunned, but as a veteran of many battles, his mind worked quickly.
He immediately thought of the last message Steve had sent him.
"SSS-level paranormal core..."
Randy muttered to himself, his face darkening instantly.
"Steve told me he was going to find that SSS-level core. It seems he triggered some irresistible rule, causing his soul to be forcibly pulled into that paranormal space."
"Quick, switch the main screen to Steve's perspective."
Randy ordered loudly.
The operator's fingers flew across the keyboard.
Shlick!
The largest main screen in the Command Center flickered, and then an image appeared.
The screen showed a bizarre, twisting, and rotating red tunnel.
It was surrounded by chaotic lines and indescribable shadows, while the center of the perspective was moving forward at high speed, as if traveling through a space-time tunnel.
"There's a signal. The perspective is still there."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
This meant that Steve's consciousness hadn't dissipated; he was still alive.
"Contact Steve and see if he can respond."
Randy stared at the screen and roared.
"Yes, sir!"
The communications officer immediately began calling out.
"Director Steve! Director Steve! This is the Command Center! Please respond if received! Please respond if received!"
However, the images on the screen continued to change rapidly. Steve seemed to be falling toward some unknown abyss, and other than that, no sound came through.
"Reporting to the Chief: the connection is broken. This is a one-way visual signal; we cannot transmit any information to the other side."
The communications officer reported, dripping with sweat.
"Dammit!"
Randy slammed his fist onto the control console.
"This time it's an SSS-level Anomaly. Steve is fighting alone now."
The entire Command Center fell into a deathly silence as everyone gasped.
Previously, everyone hadn't been that afraid of the paranormal World because they had the powerful Totem of Undying, along with a thousand-person Think Tank providing strategies and analyzing rule loopholes.
But now... Steve was all alone. His soul had been forcibly pulled into an unknown territory, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Without the Think Tank's analysis, without the army's support, even his ability to return was unknown.
Muriel looked at the dizzying images on the screen and held Steve's body tightly, her tears falling silently.
"Steve, you must hold on..."
"I believe in you. You will definitely come back..."
Under everyone's gaze, the image on the screen suddenly froze.
Then, a world as crimson as blood slowly unfolded before everyone's eyes.
At this moment, Steve only felt as if he had passed through a layer of cold membrane; the terrifying suction that threatened to tear his soul apart retreated and vanished without a trace the moment he passed through.
He steadied himself and looked around intently.
Everywhere he looked, there was no sky and no earth.
This space was completely filled with a blood-red mist, silent and vast.
"Where is this..."
Steve didn't act rashly, but subconsciously lowered his head to check his current state.
At this look, he himself was slightly stunned.
Without his zombie shell, he now existed entirely in a translucent, soul state.
However, on the surface of this translucent soul body, a layer of brilliant golden light flowed.
That golden light was like a tangible shield, firmly blocking the surrounding blood-colored mist that tried to corrode him three feet away.
"A soul body? And this golden light..."
"So, is this the internal space of that Altar, or is it a Ghost Domain of some higher dimension?"
Steve looked around; the blood-red mist blocked his vision. Once his mental power left his body by more than three meters, it would be forcibly suppressed by a tyrannical power of rules, making it impossible to conduct a large-scale investigation.
Steve didn't stay in place for long. He picked a direction and, with legs condensed from pure soul power, slowly walked into the depths of the blood-red mist.
Footsteps couldn't be heard in this void space, but he could feel himself moving forward.
After walking for about a few minutes, a blurry black outline suddenly appeared in the monotonous crimson ahead.
Steve's eyes narrowed as he quickened his pace.
Only when he got closer did he realize it was a square black stone platform, its surface covered with mottled traces of age-old erosion.
And on that platform, three items were quietly placed.
A pure white mask without any facial features, a neatly folded large black robe, and a yellowed slip of paper.
Steve stepped forward, his gaze scanning back and forth between these three items.
Just then, a cold notification sound rang out directly in the surroundings.
[In the upcoming game, players can choose whether or not to wear the black clothing. After wearing it, no one and no rules can peer into their true physical body and form.]
[The same applies to the mask. After wearing it, it will perfectly conceal one's true appearance and soul aura, and randomly generate a set of fake disguised identities.]
Hearing this notification, Steve raised an eyebrow slightly, pondering to himself.
"A game? There's even a game?"
He didn't immediately touch the two disguise items that looked like a newbie gift pack but instead locked his gaze onto the yellowed slip of paper in the center of the platform.
In this place full of paranormalness, the information left on a slip of paper was often more lethal and more critical than any item.
Steve reached out his golden-glowing right hand and picked up the slip of paper... Meanwhile, at The Fortress Command Center.
Randy's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He stared intently at the high-definition first-person perspective screen that had been restored and immediately shouted.
"Quick, get the Thousand-man Analyst Team ready. Director Steve has obtained information; synchronize and analyze it immediately."
On the big screen, Steve's perspective slowly moved down, focusing on the yellowed slip of paper.
The handwriting on the paper was a bit messy, as if hurriedly written with some dark red pigment, but the content was clearly visible.
When they saw the words on it, the entire Command Center, including the battle-hardened staff officers, all gasped in shock and were instantly stunned.
The paper read:
[My name is Steve]
[By the time you see this paper, I have already survived]
[If you also want to survive, please be sure to believe everyone's words]
Silence.
A deathly silence fell over the Command Center.
"This... what is this?"
A Senior Staff Officer rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.
"A note left by Director Steve? How is that possible? Didn't Director Steve just go in?"
"Survive, and believe everyone inside?"
Another Psychology Expert frowned deeply, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"This logic makes no sense at all. In this kind of death game, similar to a Battle Royale or Rule-based urban legends, there must be extreme conflicts of interest and survival competition among players."
"They would wish for the other party to die; how could they still believe everyone's words? Isn't that equivalent to handing one's life over to others?"
"It's a trap, definitely a trap. The paranormalness is intentionally misleading him."
The Think Tank immediately erupted into chaos, and various analytical models began to run frantically.
And in the blood-colored space of the paranormal World, Steve looked at the slip of paper and was also slightly taken aback.
"My name is Steve? I have already survived?"
He stroked his chin, a playful smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
If it were an ordinary challenger seeing such a paranormal message with their own name, they would probably break out in a cold sweat instantly and fall into the fear of self-doubt.
But this trick didn't work on Steve.
"The handwriting is imitated, but it lacks my essence. Using such clumsy time paradoxes or parallel universe tricks to scare me?"
Steve chuckled inwardly.
However, putting aside the prank-like name, the core hint on the paper caught his deep thought.
[Please be sure to believe everyone's words]
Countless tropes from rule-based novels flashed through Steve's mind.
"A reverse hint? Or is the core mechanism of this game, Law of Speech? What others say will become a certain rule? Or is this a reverse game testing the bottom line of trust?"
"Whatever it is, this is definitely a dangerous hint."
Steve wasn't disturbed by the note. He casually threw it back onto the platform and turned his gaze to the nearby mask and black robe.
"Do you choose to wear the mask and black clothing to enter the game?"
The cold mechanical voice rang out in the void again, as if urging him to make a decision.
Steve thought for a moment. In this situation where the enemy is in the dark and he is in the light, and the rules are unknown, hiding his true information was definitely the top priority.
Even if the opponent knew his soul aura, wearing this skin could reduce many unnecessary troubles.
"It's better not to expose myself for now."
With a thought, he reached out, grabbed the large black robe to drape over himself, and then pressed the faceless white mask onto his face.
The moment the mask bonded with his soul, Steve felt a surge of energy flow through his body. His figure, temperament, and even the fluctuations emitted by his soul were completely concealed at this moment.
[Selection complete, disguise is now in effect]
[The game begins]