Chen Tian walked through the desolate, ruined city, his eyes scanning the inhabitants whose faces were etched with suffering, as if enduring some unspeakable torment. Yet, Chen Tian himself seemed oblivious to any anomaly.
Suddenly, a figure collapsed before him with a thud. Chen Tian looked, and saw a young man, handsome and delicate, his face contorted in agony. "Save me, please save me," the youth pleaded, his voice trembling, "I don't want... don't want to fall...!"
Before he could finish, black cracks spread across his body. His skin began to peel away, and then the youth lunged at Chen Tian. Huge black wings unfurled from his back, black horns sprouted from his head, and his hands morphed into black claws. His body was encased in dark armor, resembling that of a beast. Chen Tian realized the being before him was no longer a youth.
Chen Tian swiftly dodged. With a deafening roar, the ground exploded. The transformed youth spoke, his voice now cold and resonant, "Kid, you don't belong here. Leave quickly. This place is not for you to meddle with. It will soon be the territory of our Shi Wang clan."
The figure flickered and returned to the appearance of the youth, but his aura was drastically different. Chen Tian activated his divine eyes, but for the first time, they yielded no information, leaving him astonished.
He then asked, "What is your purpose?"
"You want to know? If you became like me, you would know. But you are an outsider. You must die!"
The youth dissolved into a blur of light, instantly appearing behind Chen Tian. Chen Tian reacted, unleashing a barrage of punches. The air thundered with the clash of forces, and Chen Tian was pushed back. He realized that the youth's attack had somehow decomposed his own power. What ability was this, that could unravel his strength?
Chen Tian faced the youth, whose hands were now dark claws. Chen Tian stepped forward, delivering a sweeping kick. The youth merely tilted his head back, evading the strike with ease. With a spin and a drop, he unleashed a torrent of kicks and punches, striking Chen Tian's body.
Chen Tian had no time to react; the youth's speed was incredible. Chen Tian was sent flying, hitting the ground hard. The youth sneered, "Your combat awareness is lacking. And with such meager strength, you dare appear here? You are simply courting death. We have slain descendants of gods, and you, a mere human, are truly asking for it."
Chen Tian rose from the ground, his expression grave. What race was this? And judging by his words, this was no longer within the game world, but a separate dimension. Chen Tian suddenly remembered something. He willed his system interface to appear, but it remained stubbornly absent. Yet, he could still use his abilities. This was what puzzled him. How could he still possess his game abilities if he was no longer in the game? It was as if a player logged off, the game shut down, but the character continued to act out the game's main story or quests independently.
Chen Tian was no longer within the "Era of Time" game. Logically, he should have been offline. But his abilities and his armor, he could still use them. It was truly strange.
Then, a faint divine fire ignited in Chen Tian's hands. The youth scoffed upon seeing it. "Mortal fire, what use is it?"
Chen Tian saw the disdain in the youth's eyes but did not hesitate. He launched a fireball of divine fire towards him.
The youth simply exhaled, and the divine fireballs were extinguished. Chen Tian then unfurled a pair of wings from his back and fled. The opponent was too powerful; he was no match. Chen Tian estimated the youth's power to be far beyond the Bai Lie level. He was not ready to fight him yet.
The youth watched Chen Tian flee and pursued him. This place absolutely could not be compromised. They had lurked for thousands of years, waiting for this day to arrive. No mistakes could be made. For outsiders, there was only one word: kill!
Chen Tian and the youth chased each other through the sky. In the youth's eyes, Chen Tian's speed was like comparing an airplane to a bicycle. He was quickly overtaken.
Just as Chen Tian braced for death, he suddenly felt his body being pulled towards a bright area of light. The youth, seeing Chen Tian enter the light, hissed and retreated. He dared not enter that area, not yet. The most powerful among them, the Shi Wang, had not yet awakened. For now, he would spare Chen Tian's life.
The moment Chen Tian entered the light, he landed on the ground. He was bewildered. What had just happened? His body had moved towards this place on its own; it was extremely bizarre.
Chen Tian was perplexed. At this moment, an old man, leaning on a cane, emerged from the light. He looked at Chen Tian, his face etched with pleading. "Please, save this world!" he implored. "I beg of you!"
The old man knelt. Chen Tian, taken aback, quickly said, "Please, elder, rise. What has happened here?"
The old man slowly spoke, "My name is Lie Yu. This city was originally called Lie Yang City. During a great battle of the gods thousands of years ago, this city was caught in the crossfire and fractured. The Black Moon descended, and the Red Sky appeared. Those within this city are slowly being consumed, transforming into Shi Wang, their bodies controlled by the demons within their hearts."
"Now, there are hardly any humans left in this city who are normal. I have survived this long only by relying on the support of this orb treasure, but my lifespan is nearing its end. I sincerely hope someone can help us be freed. Outsider, you are from outside; you will not be affected by the Black Moon and Red Sky. Please, save them!"
"I beg you, old man. The only thing that can help you is the treasure within. I only wish for you to save the city and help its people return to normal!"
With that, the old man's form dissolved into light and floated into the sky. Chen Tian was stunned. The old man had finished speaking, but Chen Tian still didn't understand anything. "Don't go!" he called out.
Inside the light, Chen Tian began to explore on his own. The old man named Lie Yu had mentioned a treasure here that could help him, so Chen Tian began searching. Soon, he found a glowing orb. Chen Tian approached it and saw a rhombic ring inside. The ring seemed sized to fit a forefinger. As Chen Tian picked up the ring and touched it, images flashed through his mind. Then they vanished. Chen Tian put on the ring, and an interface appeared.
Chen Tian was stunned. So, this trial required a key item to trigger.
Quest Name: The Last Hope.
Chen Tian read it. The quest was similar to what the old man had described: save the city. But this quest added another objective: remove the Black Moon and restore the city to its former state. The crucial item was already on Chen Tian's forefinger. With a gesture, the system interface appeared, and Chen Tian examined the ring's attributes and functions.
Then, Chen Tian understood everything. No wonder the people here were enduring such torment.
The light slowly dissipated, and the area was covered in red mist. However, in Chen Tian's eyes, this red mist appeared like countless cells, constantly trying to enter his body but unable to do so. Chen Tian looked at his own body. As an outsider, he was unaffected. These red cells would corrupt a person's body and consciousness, transforming them into Shi Wang, each with an independent will. The Black Moon was the production machine for these red cells. As long as the Black Moon existed, these cells would continuously appear in the air. Chen Tian looked at the Black Moon before him. It was not yet time to deal with that. He then left.
As he walked through the city, Chen Tian observed. Suddenly, a young man collapsed, cracks appearing on his body. Seeing this, Chen Tian rushed to the youth's side. The ring on his forefinger glowed brightly, and bit by bit, the red cells from the cracks on the youth's body were absorbed. The youth then returned to normal. When the red air tried to enter his body again, his skin repelled it.
Chen Tian looked at the sleeping youth and brought him into a house. He then looked at the ring on his forefinger. The rhombic crystal on the ring had a small red dot, as if it were contaminated, but within minutes, it recovered and became clear and transparent again. Chen Tian held the ring in his hand. This item was definitely a mythical-grade equipment; otherwise, its abilities wouldn't be so extraordinary. It could absorb and convert various abilities, triggering effects. This was the key item for this quest.
Chen Tian felt a sliver of confidence. The only drawback was that the ring could only absorb these cells when individuals were on the verge of transformation, requiring him to wait. Even if seventy percent of the city's population had transformed, three percent was still a large number. Chen Tian decided to help them one by one. The ring was named the Ring of Hope, representing hope. Those cells, on the other hand, represented despair. In the face of despair, hope would always illuminate the darkness. The end of despair was not necessarily despair; as long as one did not give up, hope would exist. Hope would save the world, so please, do not abandon hope.
"Ah!" The youth from before slowly opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. "What's happening? I... I haven't changed. How is this possible?"