Chapter 255 – A Gift Named Death

Song Cong and Su Zhaohui, both equipped neatly, arrived at the meeting point.

Although the task explicitly stated that ten Golden Bears at S level and below were required for the search and rescue operation, only seven people showed up.

Aside from the two of them, the identity patterns on the left chest of the other five were small Golden Bears with wings.

Flying Bear Generals!

Five Twin-winged Bear experts, implying their strength was at least at level SS.

It seemed that few ordinary Golden Bears were willing to take on this risky mission.

In the presence of the five Twin-winged Bears, the usually laid-back Su Zhaohui also appeared much more serious, standing quietly beside Song Cong.

After waiting for a short while, a figure approached them slowly.

With the appearance of this figure, Song Cong and Su Zhaohui immediately felt the temperature in their vicinity drop rapidly.

A thin layer of white frost formed on the ground.

A very ordinary-looking man appeared in front of them.

The man was of average height and appearance, but his aura was striking, like a steep, jagged iceberg, emitting a bone-chilling cold from his entire body.

He was wearing pure black combat gear, and a Golden Bear with two pairs of wings on its back stitched above his left chest, emitting a faint white glow from underneath the fabric.

A Four-winged Bear!

Upon seeing the man, both Song Cong, Su Zhaohui, and the five Flying Bears immediately bowed their heads and greeted him respectfully, “Greetings, Lord Han.”

After the formal greeting, Song Cong and Su Zhaohui exchanged a glance, reading the significance of “it’s actually him” from each other’s eyes, followed by an inexplicable sense of relief.

This person was famously known within the Yellow Bears; a level SSS top-tier new martial art bearer—the “Cold Hell Battle Body”— and Han Xun was the first and only person to successfully transplant it and cultivate to the Control Realm.

“Is everyone here?”

Han Xun’s icy eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, swept over the crowd as he asked.

One of the Flying Bears responded, “There are three more on the way, they should arrive in about ten minutes.”

“We won’t wait.”

Han Xun said calmly, “Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

No one had any objections. Under Han Xun’s lead, they quickly boarded a shuttle.

The shuttle was ice blue and of very high specifications, Han Xun’s personal vehicle.

Its speed far exceeded that of ordinary shuttles.

Song Cong and Su Zhaohui sat quietly inside, waiting.

In about just fifteen minutes, the group reached their destination.

The fissure marking the entrance to the Wailing Ruins was flickering with intense white light, with violent evil energy waves emanating from it.

Han Xun stepped in expressionlessly.

The other Flying Bears followed suit.

Song Cong and Su Zhaohui brought up the rear.

Song Cong quietly gripped the silver-white longblade at his waist, a young and handsome figure floating into his mind’s eye.

Looking at the pulsating light of the secret realm entrance, he took a deep breath and stepped in.

“Please, nothing bad happens…”

…

Should he go?

Or should he stay?

Lu Yuan was caught in a dilemma.

Reason told him the smartest decision now would be to run away immediately, and the farther, the better.

Otherwise, when whatever was inside the black colossal egg hatched, he might face the greatest crisis of his life.

This time, Yuwen Tong wouldn’t be there to back him up.

But…

He really yearned to know the truth.

Who was that voice?

Who were they?

Why did they leave something for him?

What was that thing?

It felt like being in an Internet cafe, staring at the game screen.

On one hand, wanting to finish the crucial promotion match.

On the other hand, receiving the confirmed news that his teacher and parents were on their way to get him.

What to do?

How to choose?

Lu Yuan’s eyes darted back and forth as he struggled with the decision.

Suddenly.

“Crack-“

A crisp, shattering sound echoed in his ears.

He jerked his head up, his pupils contracting.

He saw that at the top of the sixth stone pillar, the black colossal egg that had been absorbing rolling waves of death energy now had a noticeable crack on its smooth, hard shell.

“It’s breaking?”

Lu Yuan blinked, feeling a tinge of surprise.

Even though the large vortex formed by the funnel of death energy in the sky was far from being completely absorbed, he had thought the colossal egg would not hatch until it had consumed all the death energy.

Unexpectedly, it seemed to break the rules.

As he was lost in thought, the cracking sound grew louder and more frequent.

Before Lu Yuan could react, he saw the cracks on the surface of the black colossal egg spreading rapidly. In almost an instant…

“Boom!”

With a loud explosion, the black colossal egg atop the sixth stone pillar burst open.

In an instant, a terrifying and indescribable aura spread from within.

The moment this aura was released, time seemed to stand still around it.

The flowing death energy in the sky came to a halt, the large funnel and vortex of death energy froze in place.

The air became as thick as paste.

Lu Yuan felt an unprecedented and horrifying pressure suddenly weighing down on him.

The five-meter-tall body of his elephant deity emissary groaned under the strain, making creaking sounds.

He gritted his teeth, realizing he could hardly move. It was as if he were an insect trapped in amber, his entire body immobilized.

Far away, Xie Jun and his two companions, who were still standing dumbfounded, were experiencing the same condition.

The three of them had turned as pale as paper.

Massive amounts of data cascaded down their pupils like waterfalls.

It’s unclear what results they were monitoring, but the huge, inexpressible fear and desperation in their eyes surged and engulfed them all.

At the same time.

Having just entered the secret realm, Song Cong and his group felt the disturbance of this aura and instantly looked up.

Han Xun stood at the front of the group.

The moment the surge appeared, his eyes, usually cold as ice, flashed with a sharp, piercing light.

Without greeting those behind him, Han Xun quickly moved forward.

In the blink of an eye, he leaped into the sky, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

The Flying Bears exchanged glances, arriving at some mutual understanding. One after another, they took to the air, following Han Xun’s lead.

This left Song Cong and Su Zhaohui looking at each other in bewilderment.

After a brief silence, Su Zhaohui cursed in frustration, “Damn it!”

Then the two of them started running, sprinting to catch up.

Lu Yuan panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the source of the powerful aura in front of him.

The death energy that had exploded spread outward like water.

A figure slowly emerged from the dissipating energy.

It was a young man with chiseled features and handsomely striking looks.

He stood about five meters tall, nearly the same height as Lu Yuan in his Emissary Stance.

Yet, his body was exceptionally well-proportioned.

His entire body was covered in sleek black crow feathers, even on both sides of his face.

These feathers gleamed with a glossy luster, combed backward, resembling a luxurious, regal black cloak.

Suspended quietly above the sixth stone pillar, the man looked down with a cold, indifferent gaze, exuding an air of supreme sovereignty.

“@￥%…”

The man suddenly spoke.

One strange and guttural syllable after another poured from his mouth.

It was the Ancient Spirit Language of the crow deity sect.

Although many pronunciations differed slightly from what Lu Yuan had learned, being more archaic, he could still understand every word the man said.

“I am the King of Ancient Brent, the one deceived by Holy Light and who returned to the right path, the most faithful servant of the Master of Crows….”

Lu Yuan listened, dumbfounded, as the man rattled off one title after another as if reading a menu.

Five Saints… the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Ancient Brent…

He hadn’t expected that the being hatched from the black colossal egg would be this person.

Nor had he expected…

That the Kingdom of Ancient Brent, long since destroyed and its people turned to bones and dust, would still have this so-called King of Ancient Brent alive, let alone capable of speaking.

The Death Goddess, the black crow deity, the deity of the underworld river… Lamashtu, worshipped by the crow deity sect—did she truly possess control over life and death?

“She told you to wait for me here? Is she Lamashtu? What did she leave for me?”

Growing impatient with the handsome man’s seemingly endless self-introduction, Lu Yuan finally interrupted him.

The voice that echoed in the sky suddenly ceased.

The King of Ancient Brent, newly awakened from the black colossal egg, halted his self-praise.

His pitch-black eyes slowly moved downward.

Finally, they rested on Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan’s body tensed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, preparing for any unexpected developments.

Then, he heard the handsome man covered in crow feathers actually respond to him.

“Two gifts.”

The handsome man looked at Lu Yuan calmly, speaking each word slowly in the Ancient Spirit Language, “One is here….”

He extended his incredibly long finger and gently tapped his left chest over his heart.

“You need to pass my test to obtain it.”

“The other, I can give you right now….”

Lu Yuan was slightly startled and instinctively asked, “What?”

The handsome man didn’t speak. He merely looked at him and then…

Raised a hand, extending a finger covered in black feathers, pointing it lightly at Lu Yuan.

He spoke two words calmly: “Death.”

The moment those words left his mouth, a pure black ray shot silently from the man’s finger.

The black ray crossed the distance instantly, reaching Lu Yuan in a flash.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

All sounds in the world faded away.

Lu Yuan’s pupils contracted rapidly. Driven by instinct, he raised his arms, crossing them in front of his chest.

On his panel, the glow of his skills activated.

A thick, pitch-black stone wall rose quickly.

However…

He could only watch as the black ray easily pierced through the [Demon Mountain’s Blessing] as if tearing through paper.

Next, it penetrated his crossed arms.

Then it shredded his lv5 [Underworld Garment] armor.

Finally, it bore into the majestic body of his Emissary Stance….

He watched as the black ray ripped through his defenses layer by layer, finally entering his chest and exiting through his back.

“Thud, thud, thud—”

Lu Yuan involuntarily took several steps back, creating multiple deep pits in the ground where he stepped.

He then looked down in shock and disbelief.

Lu Yuan could see clearly that there was a thumb-sized blood hole piercing through his chest, right where his heart was.

The intense feeling of impending death swept over him in relentless waves.

Lu Yuan lifted his head and met the calm gaze of the handsome man standing on the sixth stone pillar.

His lips moved slightly.

Finally…

With great difficulty, he managed to utter a curse.

“Goddammit…”

“Boom!”

Lu Yuan’s body fell backward as if a collapsing demon mountain, raising a cloud of dust.

Everything seemed to come to a complete standstill.

In the distance, Xie Jun and the other two, who had witnessed the entire scene, trembled uncontrollably, too overwhelmed with fear and despair to find words.

But just a second later…

“Boom!”

A thunderous explosion far louder than before erupted.

From the spot where Lu Yuan had fallen, a small mushroom cloud burst forth.

Countless dust and debris shot into the air.

Amid the sudden chaos, a deep, icy voice echoed across the square.

“Are you… kidding me?!”