I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

The atmosphere of despair was thicker than the darkness of night.

The Void Hound, having completed its "secondary evolution," had now swelled to over three meters tall. Its black horny armor gleamed with a cold and eerie light under the streetlights, and the black smoke swirling around its limbs seemed to be alive, while the surrounding air was slightly distorted by some unknown radiation.

It lowered its head, looking at Zhao Feng, who had lost all ability to resist, at its feet. Its purple pupils flashed with the cold indifference and greed of a high-ranking creature looking down on an ant.

"Hiss... spiritual energy..."

It opened its gaping maw, its dense rings of sharp teeth slowly rotating like a meat grinder. The tentacle that had just drained two SWAT officers rose again, its tip flashing a deadly purple light, aimed at Zhao Feng's skull.

Zhao Feng leaned against the corner of the wall, still tightly gripping the broken sword [Tiger Warrior], which had already lost its luster.

He tried to raise his hand, but his arm felt like it was filled with lead, as if even his bone marrow had been depleted by that overexertion attack.

He tried to mobilize the "qi" in his body, but his dantian was already empty, leaving only excruciating pain.

"It seems... this is my limit."

Zhao Feng smiled bitterly, watching the falling tentacles without closing his eyes. A soldier's dignity compelled him to face death directly.

Just as the tentacle was only an inch away from Zhao Feng's brow, and the force it generated had already cut through the skin on his forehead.

嗒。

A very faint sound.

That was the sound of shoes gently stepping on old tiles.

The sound wasn't loud, but in this noisy battlefield filled with gunfire and shouts, it eerily and clearly reached everyone's ears, even echoing directly in their minds.

Immediately afterwards, the whole world seemed to be put on pause.

The wind stopped.

The swaying leaves came to a stop.

Even the arrogant Void Hound, which represented "physical immunity," froze in mid-air. Its deadly tentacle hovered in front of Zhao Feng's forehead, and no matter how hard it trembled or how violently the Void energy within it surged, it could not advance an inch further.

An indescribable, vast, and terrifying pressure, like the deep sea, slowly descended from above.

This is not merely a suppression of power; it is a crushing defeat on a life level.

"Who is it?!"

Tiger and the other team members, who were still alive, struggled to raise their heads, their necks seemingly bearing an immense weight.

Above and to their side, on the roof of an old house, a tall, slender figure had appeared.

He was backlit by the moonlight, so his face was obscured; only the hem of his robe fluttered in the still air. He was not fully armed, nor did he carry any modern weapons; his hands were simply clasped casually behind his back, like a leisurely person taking a stroll after dinner, passing by by chance.

He looked down at the horrific battlefield below, his gaze indifferent as if he were watching a group of ants fight.

"Is this your limit?"

The person spoke. Empowered by spiritual energy, their voice carried an ethereal yet majestic resonance that penetrated the very soul, causing everyone present to skip a beat.

The Void Hound, which was suspended in mid-air, had its scales burst open the moment it heard the sound!

It sensed it.

That's not prey.

That's... their natural enemy!

"roar--!!"

The monster let out a fierce but cowardly roar, and actually abandoned Zhao Feng. It pushed off the ground with all four limbs and transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing straight towards the figure on the roof!

Its instincts told it that if it didn't kill this person, it would die!

"Watch out!!" Zhao Feng roared with his last bit of strength.

Faced with the terrifying monster rushing towards them, the figure on the roof didn't even move its feet.

He simply extended a finger and gently touched the void.

"Certainly."

Words become law.

The Void Hound, which was moving at high speed, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of air.

boom!

Its massive body abruptly halted in mid-air, the immense inertia causing its bones to creak and groan. Invisible spiritual energy shackles instantly bound its limbs and bones, pinning it to mid-air like a specimen.

Gu Qing looked at the hideous monster in front of him, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, as if he were looking at a defective product.

"Chaos, disorder, and only knowing how to devour. It doesn't even possess the most basic 'Tao,' yet it dares to claim evolution?"

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhao Feng below, and to the rusty broken sword in Zhao Feng's hand.

"Captain Zhao."

Gu Qing's voice was calm, yet it struck Zhao Feng's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Using a sacred artifact like a fire poker, don't you think... is such a waste?"

Zhao Feng froze, head tilted back, eyes glazed. A fire poker? This was a divine weapon he had risked his life to activate!

Gu Qing shook his head, seemingly disappointed in his son.

"Watch closely. Since you've chosen this path, I'll show you what true... sword control really is."

Before he could finish speaking...

Gu Qing made a sword-like gesture with his right hand and made a distant beckoning gesture towards the ground below.

"Sword, come!"

Om-! ! !

The broken sword [Tiger Warrior] in Zhao Feng's hand, which had been lifeless and silent, suddenly burst out with an unprecedentedly exciting sword cry!

It suddenly broke free from Zhao Feng's grasp, flew into the sky on its own, and hovered beside Gu Qing.

No blood sacrifice is required.

There's no need to overdraw your life.

As Gu Qing channeled spiritual energy into the sword through his fingertips, the broken sword, covered in rust, began to undergo an astonishing transformation.

The mottled rust peeled away like dust, revealing a deep red blade as bright as autumn water.

The original broken part was actually repaired by pure Geng metal energy!

On the sword, a huge white tiger phantom made of light and shadow roared to the sky, its murderous aura more than a hundred times stronger than Zhao Feng's attack just now! The surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by this sharp aura, making a hissing sound.

"This...this is the true face of the Tiger Warriors?"

Zhao Feng stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar sword, his whole body trembling. He felt like a primitive man wielding a Gatling gun as a club.

The Void Hound, frozen in mid-air, panicked completely.

It began to struggle frantically, the black smoke on its body burning intensely as it tried to break free of its restraints.

"You beast, now that you're here, leave your corpse behind."

Gu Qing's eyes turned cold, and he gently flicked his sword downwards.

"cut."

A single, simple word.

There were no spectacular explosions, no fireworks.

A thin, thread-like golden line shot out from the tip of the sword.

This golden line streaked across the night sky, seemingly slow, yet moving at an extreme speed. It disregarded space, the monster's armor, and all the rules of physics.

laugh.

The golden thread pierced through the Void Hound's body.

The monster's struggling movements stopped instantly.

The purple light in its eyes quickly went out, a sign that its soul core had been instantly shattered.

But its body neither exploded nor disappeared.

It's as if all the concept of "life" has been stripped away; the originally flowing liquid skin instantly solidifies, turning into a hard substance similar to obsidian.

boom.

The enormous monster's corpse, like a finely crafted black sculpture, crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud. It retained the terrified posture of its dying moments, lifelike yet already inanimate.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone forgot to breathe, staring blankly at the scene.

This sword strike severed not only the monsters, but also the materialistic worldview they had built up over twenty years.

If Zhao Feng's attack just now was a "miracle"...

So what we are witnessing is a "miracle".

On the rooftop, Gu Qing slowly withdrew her hand.

He showed no intention of lingering and turned to leave.

"Wait...wait a minute!"

Zhao Feng shouted with all his might, his voice hoarse and pleading, "Who are you?!"

Gu Qing stopped and turned her head.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were as deep as the starry sea.

Who I am is not important.

His voice echoed in the night wind, each word striking the hearts of everyone present, serving as a wake-up call for all of human civilization.

"The important thing is that you are too weak."

"The gate to the void has already cracked open. That one just now was nothing more than an ant crawling out of the abyss."

"If your 749th Bureau continues to cling to those firearms, or uses spiritual energy as brute force..."

Gu Qing looked up at the vast starry sky, as if she could see through the atmosphere a giant eye peering at the Earth.

"Then next time, no one will be able to save you."

After saying that, Gu Qing's figure blurred.

【Illusion Technique - Illusion in a Mirror】Activated.

Before everyone's eyes, he transformed into starlight and vanished into thin air.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation, the crystallized corpse that defied scientific explanation, and a group of special forces soldiers who were utterly bewildered by life.

[System Settlement:]

[The host personally intervened, delivering a "shocking lesson."]

[Gained Faith Points: 50,000.]

[The current area (Special Forces Team 749) has reached its peak in its desire for "cultivation."]

……

A few hundred meters away, inside the Gu family's old house.

Gu Qing's figure appeared out of thin air in the living room.

"call……"

He plopped down on the sofa and gulped down a large mouthful of herbal tea.

"Pretending to be cool is really tiring."

However, looking at the soaring faith value on the system panel, Gu Qing's lips curled into a smile.

"But it was worth it."

"Leave that body to them; it will be enough for those scientists to research something and experience the fear of the 'unknown'."

"Only fear can make them quicken their pace."

Gu Qing opened the system interface and his gaze fell on a grayed-out option—[Kunlun Cloud Top Heavenly Palace Project].

"Zhao Feng, Li Guozhong, don't let me down."

"What I'm about to do requires an astronomical amount of credibility..."