From the black fog emerged a young man. He was 1.87 meters tall, with pale skin and handsome features.

He wore a deep blue Gold Bear Level Combat Suit. His calm and composed demeanor revealed an air of nobility unknown to ordinary folk.

There was no energy shield around the young man. The black mist in the air lingered around him, shrouding him in an aura of mystique.

"Where did this greenhorn come from? Not even activating his Power Field amidst such intense Death Qi... Isn't he afraid of his body being corroded by it?"

Someone in the squad muttered, pausing halfway through as if he remembered something, then looked at Xie Jun with surprise.

Xie Jun pursed his lips and hummed softly in affirmation.

The expressions of the four people in the squad instantly became strange.

They looked at the young man approaching them, their gazes filled with an inexplicable sense of amusement.

Under their scrutiny, the young man maintained his calm.

He was heading in a different direction from the team and passed by them.

Neither side said a word.

His figure eventually disappeared into the vast black mist.

"He seems to be..."

Once the young man was far away, someone in the team turned his head and said with a slightly odd expression, "He's heading towards the City of Ruins, the place we don't dare to go."

"Venturing into such a dangerous place without any protection... he's really got guts..."

"Well, he's probably one of those favored sons of heaven, still wet behind the ears. It's normal for them to be reckless..."

After a brief discussion, someone asked Xie Jun, "Xie, should we warn him? Talent and a privileged background don't equate to strength in a place like this. If he's not careful, it could cost him his life."

Xie Jun stood still, his eyes flickering a few times before he calmly shook his head. "No need.

"Since he dared to come in here alone, he must have something to rely on.

"At least for now, self-preservation shouldn't be an issue.

"Experiencing a few setbacks... might not necessarily be a bad thing for someone like him.

"For Song's sake, we can consider guiding him later.

"But for now, we must prioritize our own mission."

"Hmm."

No one objected, so they stopped talking and continued on their predetermined route.

「....」

RIP—

Lu Yuan tore open the wrapper and popped a finger-length energy bar into his mouth, chewing slowly.

He was currently standing before a dilapidated city.

This city possessed towering walls over thirty meters high. Although most of them had collapsed and were shrouded in dense black mist, one could still faintly discern its former grandeur.

The unexpected encounter with Xie Jun's team did not affect Lu Yuan in any way.

After discovering the hidden clues in the Lament Ruins, he was now like a player immersed in a puzzle game.

A large part of his interest now lay in uncovering the truth behind this Secret Realm.

He even felt grateful for his previous refusal; otherwise, he would most likely have missed such an interesting part.

Lu Yuan finished his energy bar, momentarily tricking his stomach.

He tried to contact the outside world with his communicator, but there was no response.

Lu Yuan paid it no mind. With a calm expression, he moved swiftly towards the City of Ruins ahead.

As he drew closer, fragmented and blurry images would occasionally flash through his mind. These were memories of the city from the Peasant Monsters he had absorbed.

"@#¥..."

Lu Yuan muttered a few strange syllables.

This was the pronunciation of the city's name in the Ancient Brent Language, which, when directly translated, meant Maple Dew City.

My Spiritual Power is increasing, but it seems to be mixed with some impurities...

Lu Yuan passed through the completely decayed city gate, spreading his Spiritual Power to control the Dead Spirit Crows while lightly rubbing his temples.

He had noticed this before.

After absorbing the memories of more than a hundred Peasant Monsters, his Ancient Brent Language skill had reached Lv. 2, the fusion progress of his 'Expert in Ancient Languages' and 'Student' occupations had reached 1%, and his Spiritual Power had improved...

While there were numerous benefits, there were also after-effects.

Random, unfamiliar memory fragments would occasionally surface in his mind.

It was like sand mixed into a basin of clear water; the slightest stir would cause the impurities at the bottom to float up.

This was somewhat unsettling for Lu Yuan, who had always maintained a pure will.

I can only wait for my brain to slowly clean itself up...

Lu Yuan imagined a progress bar popping up in his mind, displaying: "Cleaning up junk..."

When I get more black pearls later, I'll have to control the absorption...

Although he was unclear about the consequences of accumulating too much of this 'junk' in his brain, Lu Yuan suspected it wouldn't be anything good.

Lu Yuan stepped into the city.

The crisp sound of his alloy combat boots echoed on the flagstone road.

The sound was like a small stone dropped into a still pond, sending ripples spreading outwards.

Soon, the black mist around Lu Yuan began to churn.

It grew increasingly intense, as if boiling.

Through the images relayed by the Dead Spirit Crows, Lu Yuan could 'see'—

all around the main city street where he stood, shadowy figures were emerging from the dense black mist, rapidly converging on his position.

Soon, these decaying figures, enveloped in dense Death Qi, appeared around Lu Yuan. They were clearly stronger than the Peasant Monsters he had encountered before.

There were soldiers in armor, wielding greatswords or spears. Each step they took stirred the black mist, which emitted a whimpering whistle.

Lu Yuan remained calm, continuing to walk along the main road at an unhurried pace.

Just as the figures around him had gathered densely and their Death Qi-wreathed weapons were about to strike...

Lu Yuan murmured, "Panic... Boiling!"

The first Core Skill of the Death Teller (Extraordinary)—Lv. 1 Panic Boiling!

Activated!

In an instant, an invisible and twisted Power Field silently formed around Lu Yuan.

Flames of fear ignited silently in the air.

The Death Qi Monsters attempting to besiege Lu Yuan instantly slowed, some even showing signs of retreating and fleeing.

The Lv. 2 Netherworld Clothing enveloped Lu Yuan.

He strolled leisurely, yet it was as if his body had split into multiple illusory forms, rapidly clearing out the surrounding monsters.

He attacked casually. A mere touch was enough.

These monsters would collapse like a pile of blocks, then rapidly weather away and disappear.

For Lu Yuan, who normally possessed at least S-rank combat strength, these monsters, generally no stronger than A-rank, were like weeds.

His hands were scythes.

Raised...

Lowered.

And swathes of weeds toppled.

Lu Yuan collected the black orbs left behind by these monsters, crushing them one by one.

He reaped them like grass, absorbing their essence simultaneously.

On the Death Teller (Extraordinary) panel, the Experience Points for several skills were constantly soaring.

Finally, on the panel, the Circulation of Death Qi skill, originally Lv. 8, quietly became Lv. 9 (0/25,600) after its Experience Points reached a certain threshold.

BOOM!

The Death Qi around Lu Yuan suddenly surged, like a fiercely burning black inferno.

His expression shifted. Two black wings, each more than five meters long and razor-sharp at the edges, solidified on his back.

He lunged forward abruptly, wings spread wide, his body instantly becoming a long black streak.

Wherever he passed, the monsters on either side froze.

Then, their bodies silently split down the middle before weathering into sand...

The fragmented memory flashes in Lu Yuan's mind never ceased for a moment.

His understanding of the city called Maple Dew City grew clearer and more complete.

Holy light... bishop... crows... cataclysm... death! Death! DEATH!

Lu Yuan suddenly launched himself into the air, his massive black wings beating powerfully.

The black wings formed by the Lv. 9 Circulation of Death Qi were a qualitative leap from those at Lv. 8.

Although they still couldn't allow Lu Yuan to soar freely like a bird, they could now significantly slow his descent,

allowing him to glide smoothly downward.

Lu Yuan, his mind flooded with countless chaotic images, massaged his throbbing brow, squinted, and looked down.

Only then did he notice that on the surfaces of many streets and buildings in this ruined city, the same phrase was carved over and over in Ancient Lingual, in various sizes: "Praise Death! Praise Death!..."

This extended all the way to the end of the main road, to a dilapidated and empty plaza.

TAP—

Lu Yuan landed gently, his feet touching the ground.

He looked up, carefully examining the statue standing in the center of the plaza.

Behind him, Death Qi still surged, and countless figures eroded by it continued to swarm towards him.

Yet his expression remained calm, as if he hadn't sensed them at all, merely gazing upwards quietly.

It was a broken and decaying statue.

It depicted a woman in an exquisite long dress, one arm resting on her chest, the other seemingly raised aloft, though it was unfortunately broken; everything above the wrist was missing.

Judging from the lines of its body and arm, this must have been an extremely dignified and beautiful goddess.

But...

It had the black head of a crow.

Lu Yuan noticed a distinct cut mark at the neck, giving the impression that the crow's head had been attached later.

A line was inscribed in Ancient Lingual on the statue's base: "Praise Death, we are all children of the Crow God..."

The inscription also showed signs of being defaced.

Crow God... Lamashtu? Her figure doesn't quite look like this...

Lu Yuan recalled the woman in the black dress he had seen countless times in the Crow Dreamscape, bathing in the Netherworld River.

Comparing her to the statue before him, they were clearly not the same figure.

Just as he was pondering, suddenly...

BOOM!

Three figures slowly materialized ahead of Lu Yuan.

The lead figure was entirely shrouded in a massive, decaying black robe, head bowed, seemingly cradling something.

Flanking this figure on the left and right stood a knight, each over two meters tall, clad in black heavy armor and wielding a two-handed greatsword.

All three figures were wreathed in an incredibly dense Death Qi, its concentration far exceeding even Lu Yuan's.

Walker Level? No, they shouldn't be Walker Level yet...

WHOOSH—

The sound of howling wind came from behind him as a large amount of Death Qi converged on the plaza.

It formed a dense and enormous dark cloud, hovering overhead.

The Death Qi Monsters that had been chasing Lu Yuan kept appearing, gradually surrounding the plaza until it was completely sealed off.

All the monsters' attention converged on Lu Yuan, their hollow, cold gazes enveloping him.

An aura, frigid, sinister, decaying, and ruinous, surged from all directions like a tidal wave. The temperature of the entire plaza plummeted rapidly, approaching freezing point.

Lu Yuan stood surrounded by this army of the dead, yet his face remained calm, without the slightest flicker of emotion.

"Sigh..."

A soft sigh from Lu Yuan echoed across the plaza.

Following that, his body began to expand outward...

CRACKLE! CRACKLE—

His physique rapidly swelled, growing taller.

The black hair on his head also lengthened continuously.

A few breaths later, accompanied by a surging wave of heat that spread in all directions...

A colossal figure, two and a half meters tall, its body crimson red and its black hair whipping wildly, appeared in the center of the plaza.

Black Death Qi flowed like flames over this physique.

Behind him, a pair of black wings, each over five meters long, unfurled.

A low, hoarse voice muttered to itself.

"I detest... being disturbed while I'm focused on the main objective."

"Are you prepared... to embrace your second death?"

After the voice finished speaking—

With a thunderous BOOM!

The dark cloud of Death Qi above the plaza suddenly burst open.

Below... the Death Qi Monsters were sent flying in all directions, like weeds uprooted and tossed about haphazardly...

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