Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Seems Familiar Somehow
"Leave it breathing! Don't kill it yet!" Feng Qi shouted desperately.
But the suction cup, now nicknamed "Fang Tian Halberd," paid no heed. Its gleaming white arms moved with lightning speed, delivering a devastating blow.
Boom!
The ground shook as the panther-like domain creature's head twisted unnaturally. The blue glow in its eyes slowly dimmed, extinguished completely.
Feng Qi's expression instantly fell apart.
He had been hoping to deliver the final blow himself. If he managed to kill this domain creature personally, he might have gained a decent prefix title or ability.
Unfortunately, his inability to communicate with Fang Tian Halberd meant he had no control over its actions. Under its unrelenting assault, the creature didn't even survive a few strikes.
"What a trash game! No shared XP in team mode? Not even a sip of the soup was left for me!" The narrator's sarcastic remark echoed in his mind.
Feng Qi: …
He turned his gaze toward Fang Tian Halberd, crouching on all fours like a predatory beast.
Fang Tian Halberd lifted its head, meeting Feng Qi's eyes for a brief moment before leaping onto his chest and attaching itself tightly.
Feng Qi: …
"Weapon loaded!" announced the ever-dramatic narrator in a synthesized voice.
Feng Qi glanced down at the eight-limbed creature clinging to him like an overgrown octopus. It had already closed its eyes, resting comfortably on his chest. Finally, with its presence, his ever-tense nerves began to relax.
Though Fang Tian Halberd couldn't match the power of "Little Black," it provided him with an edge against most domain creatures. Its sheer force made him feel somewhat invincible.
An idea sprang to mind—what if he used Fang Tian Halberd to hunt domain creatures? That way, he could gain more prefix titles and strengthen himself.
With this thought fueling him, Feng Qi strode out of the abandoned residential district, determined to seek out prey.
His mindset had undergone a significant shift.
Previously, he avoided domain creatures at all costs. But now, armed with this throwable powerhouse, he felt his combat prowess had skyrocketed. As long as he didn't encounter Little Black, he feared nothing.
"Your power level is 1, and Fang Tian Halberd's is 99. Combined, that's 100. And you think this means you've become strong? Your shamelessness knows no bounds. This isn't 'strength'; it's just mooching off a stronger ally."
Feng Qi: …
"Shut up!"
"Got it!"
Walking along the cracked, overgrown roads, his eyes settled on a tall, dilapidated building in the distance.
Before engaging in a hunt, he needed to confirm Little Black's location.
If he started fighting only for Little Black to appear, it would spell disaster. Fang Tian Halberd might be reusable now, but against Little Black, it would turn into a one-time-use weapon.
Climbing to the top of the 19-story building, he surveyed the western horizon.
Scanning the area, he soon spotted a figure cloaked in black mist moving rapidly toward him. It was Little Black.
At its current pace, Little Black would reach him in ten minutes, at most.
Panic surged in Feng Qi's mind as a single solution presented itself: he had to find a distraction for Little Black.
Running away was pointless. With his slower speed, he would inevitably be caught. Escaping wasn't an option.
The safest plan was to find an opponent for Little Black to delay its advance.
In his previous visits to the Dream Realm, Feng Qi noticed an odd phenomenon: every domain creature that encountered Little Black became hostile toward it. They would abandon him entirely and launch an all-out attack on Little Black instead.
This behavior was a stark contrast to what he observed with Fang Tian Halberd.
When he had hidden in the abandoned district before, a feral hound had attacked him. Even when Fang Tian Halberd intercepted it, the hound had stubbornly tried to bypass her to target him.
The reason for this difference eluded him.
But Little Black's peculiar trait was undeniably advantageous for him. Keeping this in mind, Feng Qi began scanning his surroundings, searching for a worthy adversary to stall Little Black.
He knew this was his only chance to buy time.
Scanning his surroundings, Feng Qi's eyes landed on a familiar sight just to the east of the tall building—a floating, blood-red eye.
That blood-red eye was etched in his memory, an immensely powerful entity with telekinetic abilities that had nearly killed him before. If not for Little Black's timely arrival back then, the blood-red eye would have crushed all his bones using its telekinetic force.
"It's you," Feng Qi muttered decisively.
With his target locked, he quickly climbed down the building and sprinted toward the blood-red eye's location.
Rounding a corner piled high with building debris, Feng Qi slowed his steps and cautiously peered around the edge.
Sure enough, the blood-red eye hovered in mid-air nearby, its numerous tendrils swaying ominously.
While he waited, the shadowy figure of Little Black appeared in the distance, moving closer at a rapid pace.
Realizing his opportunity had arrived, Feng Qi stepped boldly toward the blood-red eye.
The blood-red eye, seemingly in a dormant state, suddenly snapped open. Its gaze locked onto Feng Qi before quickly shifting to the approaching Little Black.
The ground trembled, and fragments of stone began levitating around the blood-red eye, swirling menacingly.
As Little Black advanced steadily, the blood-red eye tensed, clearly on high alert. With a burst of power, the floating debris shot toward Little Black like a barrage of bullets.
Seeing the incoming projectiles, Feng Qi instinctively dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the assault. Still, several fragments struck him, sending jolts of pain coursing through his body.
As he winced and gritted his teeth, Feng Qi couldn't help but curse his new, nerve-enhanced physique. It made him feel pain far too acutely.
Having already planned his escape, Feng Qi scrambled to his feet and dashed away, paying no attention to the clash unfolding behind him.
With his previous path now blocked, his only option was to retrace the route he had taken earlier.
Now that Little Black was engaged in battle with the blood-red eye, Feng Qi's priority was to get back to his base, review the records and techniques, and document any useful information. He also wanted to investigate the origins of Fang Tian Halberd.
Although the environment had changed slightly, Feng Qi's sharp memory guided him as he navigated the area.
As he looped northward along the outskirts, retracing his steps toward Star City Shelter, the landscape shifted—overgrown vegetation became more abundant, and tall buildings gradually gave way to open spaces.
Once again, in that familiar patch of land, Fang Tian Halberd suddenly detached itself from his chest and swiftly moved to kneel on the dirt nearby. Its hollow gaze filled with a deep sadness.
Feng Qi: ???
This perplexing behavior left him scratching his head. Why did Fang Tian Halberd always act like this upon reaching this specific spot?
Curious, Feng Qi examined the ground where it knelt but found nothing unusual.
"Could something be buried beneath the soil?" he wondered.
Driven by curiosity, Feng Qi crouched by the patch of dirt. With his skeletal arm, he began digging furiously into the ground.
As he shoveled dirt aside, he cast a glance at Fang Tian Halberd.
Still lost in its melancholic trance, it paid him no attention. Taking this as a green light, Feng Qi dug with abandon.
A meter down, his efforts seemed fruitless—until his hand suddenly hit something hard.
Excited, he dug more carefully and eventually unearthed a rectangular metal box, its surface corroded with rust. Whatever markings it once bore were long eroded.
The center of the box featured a lock, suggesting it could be opened.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi crushed the rusted lock with a firm squeeze, eagerly prying the box open.
But as he looked inside, he was utterly baffled.
The box contained nothing but a pile of moldy green powder.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered in disbelief.
While he puzzled over the contents, his eyes drifted downward—and he spotted a silvery object protruding from the hole where the box had been buried.
"Wait… this looks familiar," he murmured, narrowing his eyes as he bent down for a closer inspection.
As recognition dawned on him, his expression twisted.
"Hahahahaha! You're a legend, man!" the narrator voice burst out in raucous laughter. "First, you get to watch your own beheading. Now you're digging up your own burial urn. I can't take it anymore—you're going to kill me from laughter!"
Feng Qi: !!!