Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Yang Chen let out a low sigh.

This is Zhou Tian, ​​an old friend whom Yang Chen met and made during his third awakening period.

In the end, his true colors were revealed.

that's too regretful
Yang Chen still remembers the first time he met Zhou Tian.

During his first mission outside the city, while chasing illegal psionicists with his seniors, including Fuyou, he left the giant city and unexpectedly encountered Zhou Tian and his group who were on a hunting mission.

The two groups had different goals: Yang Chen was tracking down the hostages of the illegal psychic, while Zhou Tian had seized an illegal channel connecting the interior of Border City No. 1 to the outside world.

But fate led them to the same place: a hidden stronghold of the Elysium faction within an abandoned city! And this stronghold was about to be attacked by the Blood God faction!

This is incredibly unlucky; as powerful officials, they were directly dragged into the chaotic battle.

Back then, with only three awakenings, he wasn't considered outstanding among the champion team, much less invincible among his peers.

In the era when the seventh-generation champion roamed the world, sweeping away demons with his sword, countless geniuses followed him.

Yang Chen was just a newcomer back then. In terms of talent, his growth rate wasn't fast. In terms of practical experience, he was just a rookie handler.

In that era, several champion candidates were shining brightly, and although he was valued by the seventh generation, he was indeed not particularly outstanding.

During that mission, he, being the lowest-ranking member, endured immense pressure and even faced a life-threatening crisis.

In the midst of the chaos, a trap was triggered, the building collapsed, and he and Zhou Tian were isolated by the ruins from the cover of their teammates, where he encountered a vampire and a succubus alone.

Originally, it wasn't a big deal; Zhou Tian was a sixth-sense great spiritualist at the time.

However, Zhou Tian, ​​who was the main attacker, was seriously injured and almost unable to fight.

Beneath the crumbling, crowded ruins of a building, a level 3 psychic faced off against a melee-specialized vampire who was at least level 4 psychic. It was almost certainly a death sentence!
Add to that a succubus with mental attack capabilities. Where would a mental defense mechanism come from during the third awakening period?
Death upon death!

Ruined.
But neither of them gave up. Yang Chen picked up his spear and swung it around to meet the enemy.

On the verge of death, Zhou Tian diligently guided Yang Chen on how to fight the vampires and the lust demons.

In the end, Yang Chen stabbed the lust demon to death and snapped the neck of the vampire.

Fighting two against one, he reversed the tide and slayed the demon.

Ultimately, with the arrival of reinforcements and their combined efforts to crush the two factions, their strongholds were finally wiped out.

It was around that time that Yang Chen and Zhou Tian formed a friendship.

Meanwhile, Yang Chen also became a candidate.

There are three champions, one candidate for champion, and he is the second candidate.

Subsequently, Yang Chen advanced to the fourth level of enlightenment, joined the Night Watchmen group, and followed the seventh generation in their campaigns across the country.

Their friendship also occasionally provided them with intelligence support from the first border city.

Occasionally, Yang Chen would also assist Zhou Tian's actions.

He also came to congratulate Zhou Tian when he was promoted to overlord.

Those were some of his few old friends.
So, does this mean that everything back then was part of Zhou Tian's plan?
Or is he also being used?

Ugh.
Yang Chen's sigh was filled with regret and melancholy. Damn the Book of Fate! Does it even have to toy with friendship?
"The Traveler?" Yang Chen said quietly, already sensing the changes in space.

Just like before, when the Yellow Springs Train unexpectedly entered the ghost realm of the Grand Duke of Remnant Fire.

He, or rather, the ship and certain individuals, have been separated from the physical world and entered the realm of ghosts.

"It seems you do know some things about the Travelers. Those Ark Chosen Ones are really gossipy," Zhou Tian laughed. "Old Yang, you don't need to be hostile towards the Travelers."

"Hate. Even friendship has been deliberately altered." Yang Chen turned around and looked at Zhou Tian: "Was our encounter back then also part of your plan?"

"No, at least when we first met, I wasn't a Traveler yet. But later, I understood their ideals and joined their ranks." Zhou Tian smiled. "My old friend, our friendship is genuine. When I first learned of their existence, I was just as furious as you. But over time, I discovered the truth. My old friend, really, believe me. Go and understand the Travelers' ideals!"

"Understand their ideology?" Yang Chen asked in a deep voice, his aura roaring like a volcano.

The terrifying aura caused Zhou Tian's expression to change, and he took several steps back.

This fear of facing predators whose life level is higher than his own caused his body to react subconsciously.

"As expected of you, Yang Chen! As a fellow overlord and a divine being, your mere aura instilled fear in me!" Zhou Tian smiled, suppressing the pressure. "Indeed, their ideals! The ideals of humanity!"

"Only they can lead humanity onto the right path, towards the right future! And get us through that damned end!"

Yang Chen exhaled a breath of white air, which swirled like smoke and a dragon.

"I knew it! That's why you were so confident when you were asking about the Heart Sword. It seems you really fooled yourself. If I didn't know your self-brainwashing techniques, I would have been completely fooled by you."

Yang Chen now understood the source of that awkward feeling; both he and Li Yelai had experienced it. Therefore, those people had been questioned, and they hadn't let their guard down.

However, using the ghost realm to isolate oneself is quite a variety of methods.
"Huh?" Zhou Tian laughed angrily. "What do you know? What could a human champion with such exceptional talent as you possibly know? Of course you're powerful, invincible among your peers. But can you turn the tide of this world? First, survive the clutches of the causal monster 'Shang'! Even human champions are few and far between. How many generations can you pass on your legacy?"

"Only we can enable countless powerful geniuses to rise up!"

"Only we are on the right path and have the right future!"

"You know about the Asgard Battlefield, right? And you saw those two futures, didn't you? If the third Tree of Time opens, you can see a third, despairing future!"

"Those are futures where our plans were disrupted, or even without our intervention!"

"Only death, only despair!"

"What reinforcements arriving after ten thousand years? That's all a conspiracy by the god of hope and despair!"

"My old friend! Why can't you see clearly?"

Within the ghost realm, powerful auras surged, locking onto Yang Chen.

Yang Chen didn't respond, a halberd appearing in his hand: "You're truly stubborn. However, I am curious. For your so-called 'for humanity,' you want me and Ye Jiang to die? We are humanity's champions, we've shed our blood for humanity, and we've never let our compatriots down. Even so, do you still want to kill us?"

“Killing you would be far too difficult. I wouldn't want to resort to such methods unless it's absolutely necessary. But Li Yelai must die!” Zhou Tian laughed. “I already know that Li Yelai has entered the Great Vortex. He has no chance of escaping. He can indeed be called a hero of humanity, but for the future, we will…”

"Let him die!"

"Go to your death?" Yang Chen shook his head: "You can't do it, just as you can't stop me."

“My old friend, I truly don’t want to be your enemy. But faced with the right future, I must sacrifice our friendship.” Zhou Tian paused, then smiled, “Fortunately, you weren’t too affected; you ultimately made a contribution to the future.” “A contribution?”

“That’s right. Because of the emergence of ‘variables,’ those heroes who should have shone in the future starry sky, those names that were already written in the Book of Destiny, may fall like meteors due to its interference, and be forever silenced in the darkness! They will never appear again!” Zhou Tian said, “But fortunately, everything is as fate would have it, and you have children after all.”

"Old Yang, your child will be a girl of extraordinary talent, a true prodigy. Your bloodline will bestow upon her immense gifts!"

"And she will not only witness a future that neither you nor I can see, but she will also meet another exceptionally talented genius in the future."

"They will give birth to a hero worthy of being called a savior!"

"Just for this! Just for the birth of that hero! Our sacrifices today, our blood and tears, everything we've given up—it's all worth it! All worth it! Old Yang! Do you understand? We are all worthy of sacrifice! Anyone can be sacrificed!"

Zhou Tian became extremely excited: "That's... a savior, a hero who tears open the night of despair for humanity!"

Yang Chen said coldly, "So, you not only see me as a breeding tool, but you've already prepared a breeding partner for my unborn daughter?"

"Mating? What a ridiculous notion!" Zhou Tian shouted angrily. "That's the inevitable inheritance of heroic bloodlines! As the eighth-generation champion, this is your duty! The ninth-generation champion is a variable, and to prevent future mistakes, he must die! We must set things right!"

"Just how much of my fate have you interfered with?" Yang Chen murmured, his voice deep and resonant, yet it caused the entire ghost realm to tremble.

This silenced Zhou Tian, ​​who then gave a wry smile: "Old Yang, these are all necessary sacrifices."

"You received the alert for the appearance of Fog No. 49. And the appearance of Sorrow, and the floating creature that died at your hands—that poor girl. I quite liked her; she was passionate and energetic. I even gossiped about you two. But if she existed, things might not have gone so smoothly for you and Pale. These were all necessary sacrifices."

"Old Yang, look to the future."

"With our assistance, you might even escape death. All you must do is relinquish your status as the Human Champion and never appear again. Sever this karmic ties and join our ranks."

However, that terrifying killing intent spread throughout the entire ghost realm.

Like a golden giant tearing open the cage of night, the giant wheel beneath its feet twisted and collapsed rapidly.

"What is it that makes you think you can stop me?" Yang Chen raised the halberd in his hand.

The next moment, Zhou Tian's entire body roared with power, and his surging divinity as a hegemon blossomed.

Several pitch-black barriers appeared, only to shatter in an instant.

A roar like that of an ancient dragon erupted from the halberd in Yang Chen's hand, piercing through the defenses of the three secret treasures and landing heavily on Zhou Tian's chest.

In that instant, under the threat of death, Zhou Tian twisted his body violently, but his shoulder armor and collarbone were still shattered. His entire body was instantly thrown back, smashing through several cabins.

Did he defeat a powerful overlord in a single move?

This caused the secretly observing travelers to sigh, as it foreshadowed the complete failure of Zhou Tian's negotiations.

Then
In the instant Zhou Tian was severely injured and repelled, an ancient scepter fell down, landing precisely on the tip of the halberd.

The collision produced a deafening roar that spread like a tsunami.

At the same time, long hair suddenly grew on Yang Chen's flawless body.
The distorted power spread instantly, followed by an even more terrifying roar of blood energy that burned away the long hair that had grown out.

Immortal golden body!

"The power of 'Sorrow'? Excellent, I can kill one more enemy today." Yang Chen spoke coldly, his whole body radiating golden light.

At the same time, the cloud of energy, as smoky and as dragon-like, had somehow already wrapped around the halberd, resembling a dragon coiling around a staff.

The originally pale white clouds gradually changed color, turning into a pale yellow.

That was a power that Yang Chen had never fully unleashed before; it was almost the most powerful enhancement, an unparalleled military might!

Several months ago, Yang Chen crossed the Great Snow Mountain and entered the Heavenly Realm to support the disaster fog. When he captured the Angel Overlord, who was on the verge of death, he unexpectedly received a blessing.

Perhaps it is a powerful blessing from the ancient sages of humanity, frozen in the snow-capped mountains, to the human champions of later generations!

The specific effect is that when the weapon collides with the enemy's weapon or flesh, the weapon will gradually accumulate martial energy, which will be fully released when needed.

Each stage of martial prowess can yield different high increases.

In its initial, uncharged state, it is a white martial aura with no bonuses.

As the military strength gradually accumulates, it gradually turns yellow.

When it's pale yellow, damage is increased by 50%.

When yellow, damage is increased by 100%.

When it turns deep yellow, it represents a terrifying 150% damage increase.

As they continue to build up their strength, the clouds will turn red.

The attack upon release will also be boosted by a terrifying 300% power increase!

And this is not the limit. If they can maintain continuous combat, their morale and fighting spirit can be further enhanced.

Ultimately, the entire cloud of gas will turn golden-red and be accompanied by lightning.

And its power reaches a terrifying 500% burst!

This blessing was unprecedented, and the terrifying boost it provided even surpassed Li Yelai's Rainbow Piercing the Sun.

In particular, the effect of self-release is more forgiving than the rainbow piercing the sun.

This also left Yang Chen feeling regretful. If this blessing could be given to Li Yelai, combined with Li Yelai's own Rainbow Piercing the Sun, wouldn't that allow him to break through all laws with sheer force?

500% power increase, plus 300% critical damage!

It has numerical values, it has numerical values ​​for mechanisms, and it has numerical values ​​for techniques!
The only problem is that the troop strength in this final stage will be quickly depleted if not used. It is essential to maintain the pace of the battle.

In any case, Yang Chen never managed to unleash this move. He didn't even manage to charge it up to the red stage. Since he couldn't execute it, it was simply wasted once the weapon left his hand.

His stats are so high that enemies of the same level generally cannot withstand his red-tier troop strength.

Duke Yu Huo had already chickened out when he saw the deep yellow color.

Now, he can give it a try.

He was preparing to unleash a massacre!
"As expected, the Undying Golden Body ignores this power. Unless Shang comes in person, he can't be moved," the travelers murmured.

"It's alright, we weren't expecting to cripple him instantly anyway. Once he gets out and sees his distorted teammates, experiencing another funeral procession, who knows what will happen next?" one of the travelers sneered. (End of Chapter)