Chapter One Hundred Thirty: Human? Being?

Ruins of the Demon City, underground dungeon.

Undoubtedly, the vast underground complex built to shelter humanity from the onslaught of ghostly creatures before the apocalypse was truly magnificent and immense. Wandering through it, one could clearly see the enormous effort the Canglong Federation had invested before its collapse, marveling at humanity’s infrastructure might unleashed in the face of disaster—truly a feat akin to moving mountains.

Yet, no matter how grand or splendid the architecture,

once humanity vanished, it became nothing more than a cold tomb.

A tomb in the truest sense.

Along the way,

besides skeletal remains, what Lan Yi saw most were garments.

Clothes, pants, shoes, all piled haphazardly on dust-laden floors—some torn to shreds, others intact, even heaped into small mounds resembling solitary graves within this tomb, standing silently.

They spoke wordlessly to Lan Yi of the catastrophic moment when the underground city fell.

At that disastrous time,

humans trapped within faced utter despair against the ghostly fiends.

These creatures were not mere man-eaters; their cruel nature went far beyond. When conditions permitted, they corralled humans like livestock, toyed with them as if they were snacks, pierced them on skewers, or slowly roasted them for amusement—horrors well within the creatures’ capacity.

Fear and hopelessness bred more ghosts, summoning ever more emotional fields.

Lightning flickered.

With a mere wave of his sleeve, Lan Yi unleashed thunderbolts,

reducing two half-spider, half-human infested demonic ghosts lurking in the shadows to ashes.

Even without witnessing the fall of the underground city firsthand, Lan Yi could roughly infer what had transpired.

The mountains of clothing and shoes devoid of bones indicated they had been forcibly stripped from humans, who survived only as cattle, then selected for consumption or torment. Makeshift arenas, execution platforms, pigsties were scattered everywhere—obvious signs the underground city’s administration had abandoned these people.

Their reasons for abandonment were simple: beyond salvation or not worth saving.

Those forsaken residents endured a hellish ordeal.

The few piles of skeletal remains bore witness to their choice.

These skeletons were clothed, tall in stature, some holding crudely made weapons, choosing to fight to the death. Their bones were severely damaged, sometimes tens of skeletons mixed together, shattered beyond recognition.

At last, before a locked heavy door,

the tall skeletons bearing weapons had nearly vanished.

Even the seasoned Lan Yi couldn’t help but press his lips tightly upon seeing the scene near the door.

In front of this locked gate lay the skeletons of the old, weak, women, and children—apparently dying swiftly and painlessly. Their bones were mostly intact, orderly piled against the door. Atop this small hill of bones, a few tiny skeletons supported a swaddled infant.

Humans resisting the ghostly fiends fought and retreated,

shielding the vulnerable to this very place,

hoping for a miracle—that the locked door might open.

But there was no miracle, no mercy.

The door remained firmly shut.

Even the ghosts, softened by the intense emotions, held back, but the humans on the other side made no move.

Humans?

Lan Yi strolled onward, encountering such scenes repeatedly.

Whenever he saw humanity’s bitter struggle or remnants in this apocalypse, he tirelessly reminded himself: backwardness invites defeat. To prevent humanity in the main world from suffering the same fate, they must advance relentlessly, by any means necessary. In the multidimensional ocean, enemies of mankind are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

With the electromagnetic barrier lost inside, the Obsessed spirits passed through easily. Out of respect, Lan Yi used his “Azure Splendor” to clear the path rather than opening doors from within. Combining wire cutting with psychic energy, without resistance, clearing a path was like a tunneling machine gouging out a huge pit.

Passing through the dark, icy walls,

Lan Yi arrived at the core zone.

The core zone, crafted from fiberglass, was a massive dome structure.

Beneath the dome lay a layout resembling a command center, orderly planned under dim lighting. Here, skeletal heaps were scarce—not absent, but removed by the Obsessed spirits for the stronghold’s appearance, along with ghosts and some automated weapons.

When Lan Yi’s true form reached the central square of the core zone,

the Five Emperors and a dozen remaining Obsessed spirits awaited him.

The others had vanished.

The core zone bore clear signs of internal battles among the Obsessed—vast trenches, unextinguished fires, eerie ice formations, and surging emotional fields.

“It seems you are ready,” Lan Yi said.

“You may choose two to survive.”

“The rest, I will send off swiftly and painlessly.”

His tone was as casual as asking a casual acquaintance what they planned for breakfast.

“Chi and Bai intend to stay.”

“Their obsessions are the strongest, and their abilities outstanding.”

“It’s possible they could assist you.”

The speaker was the Azure Emperor.

He appeared as a refined scholar, exuding a strong scholarly aura. Now aware of their end, he had relaxed, his demeanor warm and gentle, devoid of the fierce dominance he once displayed in battle.

“After we die, the ‘pusher’ you mentioned will appear, yes? How can you guarantee it won’t immediately restart time?” The Flame Emperor voiced concern.

They did not fear death.

They feared dying meaningless deaths.

The mastermind behind time’s reset was controlled by Facets, luring it out was only step one; how to defeat it was the critical part.

“You should have noticed, my abilities are not from your system. Though I still possess a physical body, it is fragile to the point of discard. The truth is, I am not from your world... Don’t make such scared faces—spiritual emotions are far too easy to read.”

The Battlefield Dimension did not mind psychic cultivators revealing their origins—a difference from the time-space locusts unleashed by the Transcendence Anomaly.

“I see. Because you are not from this world, you understand the cycle, you can break free from it.” The Yellow Emperor nodded, looking around at the Obsessed spirits behind him.

These Obsessed, freshly shattered in a war of will, nodded in agreement.

“Lastly, we have a favor to ask.”

“We do not know what the next cycle will be like, whether memories will remain.”

“But at that time, many regrets surely will remain unresolved.”

The Yellow Emperor handed Lan Yi a hard drive.

“This contains the regrets of all of us present. As those who face death, the new cycle grants certain privileges to resolve past regrets. Not too much to ask, right?”

“Rightfully so.”

Lan Yi solemnly gripped the hard drive.

The next moment, accompanied by expressions of release and relief, all the Obsessed spirits except the Red and White Emperors closed their weary eyes, relinquishing their long-held obsessions without a trace, burning them away!