Deceptive Relics.
As long as you stay resolute, you know their true form is nothing more than sea serpents, and they possess the traits of a "hive civilization."
No matter how they change their appearance, it shouldn't affect you.
Yet the reality is that a diamond-tier sea serpent, when it truly intends to deceive, can still seep into your mind with its mental corruption—even if you know perfectly well it's all a lie. You can't completely shake it off.
First, Wei Huan saw the guards charging forward, furiously denouncing his actions and pointing at a dead fish-child, their eyes filled with hatred.
The child looked soft and fragile, collapsed in its mother's arms. Blood flowed from its tiny nose, dyeing the seawater red.
The grieving mother wailed in agony. Her body was covered in bleeding wounds, and green flames burned across her flesh, eating away at her.
All around her, more innocent fish-people lay in the rubble—some clutching lovers, some clinging to parents—weeping and screaming.
There are a thousand human emotions, and at least one of them will move you.
Wei Huan even saw shadows of himself and Mu Zhong in the figure of someone cradling their dying lover and sobbing.
As his heart was gradually pried open, the once-blurry city in the distance grew sharper and more vivid.
A towering structure finally collapsed under the strain. Bubbles and dust surged toward him, carrying the faint scent of blood.
It felt as though even more civilians had perished in this sudden war.
"Damn you!" The fish-guard captain could no longer be bothered scolding Wei Huan. He waved his hand and shouted, "Take him to the King! Everyone else, follow me—we're saving people!"
"Yes, sir!"
The burly guards in golden armor with fins for feet split into two groups.
One group turned and followed their leader toward the disaster.
The other charged straight at the Demon Eye Lord Wei Huan was possessing. Their hands were inches from grabbing the eyeball—
The Demon Eye Lord's pupil suddenly bulged. A condensed black beam shot out, punching a hole clean through the waist of the nearest guard.
"Aaagh!!"
The guard screamed in pain. "Grab him! Don't let him escape!"
Unfortunately, the Demon Eye Lord had no intention of escaping.
It floated in place, firing at every guard in sight.
As soon as the elite Demon Eye Lord began attacking, all the surrounding Demon Eye Lords—as if receiving a command—launched indiscriminate assaults.
Every "mermaid," every building, even the pearls that served as streetlamps, were shattered by black beams.
Shura Horses and swift wolves riding face-huggers entered the fray.
They were like the most wicked demons from legend, harvesting the lives of every "innocent mermaid." Defenseless mermaids were chased down, torn apart by the Horses' six claws. Those who hid were sniffed out by the wolves. Even newborn infants fell to demonic fangs.
It was hell on earth.
Anyone with even a shred of conscience would feel their heart break at the sight.
At the very least, the children were innocent.
Even if they were another race, they looked almost identical to humans, felt the same emotions, and could communicate. Their tears, their grief, their terror—it was all exactly like humanity's.
Every inch of this land was steeped in tragedy that would suffocate any human.
Even Wei Huan, the one who started it all, couldn't bear to watch.
Yes—his vision had already left the Demon Eye Lord.
He knew he couldn't endure what came next, but he also knew it was all an illusion. To prevent further mental contamination, he simply stopped looking.
He only gave the undead army the order to attack.
Emotionless, painless, obedient only to commands—the undead army was perfectly carrying out Wei Huan's "massacre."
After issuing the order, Wei Huan sat motionless for a while.
Only when someone handed him a mirror and he saw his own anguished face reflected back did he snap out of it.
He looked at Mu Zhong. "I was already being extremely careful, and I still got hit by the mental attack."
Mu Zhong nodded. "It's a diamond-tier monster—the king of the Relics. It's normal for it to be this strong. Just breaking its illusion was already incredibly difficult. If you didn't have your undead army, we might have walked in and never walked out."
Wei Huan nodded, closed his eyes, and forcibly pulled himself out of those imagined scenes. "Now we'll see if this forces the sea serpent to show its true body."
Mu Zhong nodded. "As royalty, it wouldn't keep following hive orders when it knows they're useless, right?"
"Who knows? This is a sea serpent nest."
If a single sea serpent could inflict 10 points of mental corruption, then thousands gathered together would create an irresistible wave—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of points in an instant. Who could withstand that?
In his previous life, humanity had been completely unprepared. They walked straight into a sea serpent nest in a Tier-6 world because of the deception.
For a long time, the Challenger app's front-page forum was dominated by headlines like [Humans and "Atlantis Mermaids" Join Forces Against Tier-6 Difficulty, Marching Together Into Tier-7!] Updates came daily, propaganda everywhere—it looked like humanity had found true allies and Tier-7 was just around the corner.
The entire world trusted the Atlantis mermaids. Some even fell in love and married them, called them brothers, or formed deep official alliances.
Then, one night, the trap that had been laid for so long finally sprang.
At the time, Wei Huan was still struggling to gather advancement potions for Sequence 4, serving under his convoy leader in a Tier-4 world, part of the stepwise training and city-defense pipeline.
Then suddenly, everything changed.
News arrived: the Tier-6 world had fallen to the Relics. Eighty thousand Sequence-6 awakeners had died there.
Humanity's remaining Sequence-6s numbered fewer than fifty thousand.
Those survivors had been fighting on the grand battlefield.
But the pioneering forces responsible for exploration and development in the challenge worlds suffered catastrophic losses—nine out of ten dead. The remnants from every nation held the world entrance with desperate last stands against the Relic onslaught.
That was when humanity finally learned the truth: there had never been alliances in the challenge worlds. Every civilization advanced alone. Everyone you met was a competitor.
The Naga sea serpents had used their overwhelming mental corruption to lay plans starting in Tier-5 worlds, then completely wiped out humanity in Tier-6. Not only did they stop humans from conquering the Relics, they dealt a devastating blow to the human race in their competition against the dark beast civilization, accelerating humanity's extinction.
Eighty thousand Sequence-6s—the absolute elite, nurtured by the combined resources of all mankind.
Not to mention the countless uncounted Sequence-5s and 4s, plus outstanding non-combat scholars, logistics personnel, and more.
All gone in an instant.
Even now, just thinking about it made Wei Huan feel like he couldn't breathe.
Remembering humanity's destruction in his previous life and the cunning of these sea serpents cleared the fog in his mind completely. His commands to the undead became utterly unshakable.
In this life, he would never repeat those mistakes—he would never play along with their scheme!
When he encountered sea serpent Relics: kill, kill, kill!
Deny them the chance to set up their trap, and no human would ever be deceived again!
Since he had returned, humanity would be victorious!!
Under the force of his iron will, the mental corruption in Wei Huan's mind was completely purged. His eyes had never been more resolute.
Finally, his vision returned to the elite Demon Eye Lord.
What a hellish scene.
Collapsed buildings, wailing mermaids, guards fighting back in fury—even if their eyes burned with rage and reluctance, even if the tragedy looked exactly like the fall of a real nation.
This time, Wei Huan only felt satisfaction.
The "underwater Atlantis city" that had lured and slaughtered eighty thousand Sequence-6s in his previous life must have been a nest just like this.
In truth, everything was stolen from his own thoughts—fabricated illusions.
And what did the real thing look like?
Since everything came from his own mind, if he focused solely on imagining the true appearance of a sea serpent nest, would the truth reveal itself?
Wei Huan's eyes flickered. As his concentration deepened, the tragic yet majestic scene before him gradually turned sinister.
First, the platinum-white buildings began to show rust-like stains seeping from within, as if corroded by something.
Then, in moments, those black-red stains melted into thin threads, finally transforming into tangled seaweed.
The seaweed was thick and writhed in the currents as if alive, layer upon layer wrapping the area, forming an enormous nest pressed against the seabed, stretching for miles.
Black holes served as entrances. The undead poured inside, frantically attacking and tearing at the seaweed.
The sight left Wei Huan feeling both awkward and stunned.
Although the undead legion had no emotions and was immune to mental attacks, their actions were completely bound by Wei Huan's commands.
When his mind had been corrupted, the attacks he thought were aimed at mermaids had actually been directed at this seaweed all along.
Perhaps in the undead's eyes, they had always known what they were really hitting, but they couldn't convey the truth to Wei Huan.
At that thought, something clicked.
What about the elite undead?
Wei Huan first contacted Sister Crow, who possessed basic communication ability. She told him that what they saw had never changed.
Then he checked with Anal Gouger and Big Bear—they gave the same vague answer as Sister Crow.
Just as Wei Huan felt disappointed and was about to give up, a sudden surge of water and the sounds of combat came from ahead.
He froze.
After finally breaking through the illusion and realizing the undead had only ever been chopping seaweed, he had—rather awkwardly—ordered them to stop attacking.
When it came to following orders, the undead legion was more disciplined than any professional army.
Except…
Wei Huan's eyes lit up as realization struck. He commanded the elite Demon Eye Lord to rush forward.
Of course—if he had one "rebellious child," it could only be Moji.
Moji was often a headache because it wouldn't obey, but that very "aliveness" was something Wei Huan cherished deeply.
He treated Moji well.
He knew Moji was disobedient and sometimes caused trouble when released, yet every battle he let Moji out.
Because Moji would get "bored," would "play," it had all the traits of a real child. It imitated its idol Xu Qingqiang in combat and was curious about every strange new thing it saw.
Even though he knew it was undead, Wei Huan treated it like a living being.
So—ordinary undead that saw through everything, plus Moji with its own independent consciousness—might truly be humanity's only counter to the sea serpent Relics.
Thinking this, Wei Huan sped toward the sounds of fighting while watching the nest below try again and again to pollute his mind, attempting to revert to the Atlantis illusion.
The mental assault was powerful. Even knowing it was fake, staying completely unshaken under such contamination was incredibly difficult.
After all, these were Tier-5 world Relics.
This species had even conquered two entire worlds.
Facing suppression from a higher life form, a mere Sequence-4 like Wei Huan genuinely felt strained.
It was exhausting.
Worthy of a diamond-tier chest monster.
That's all it was—just the chest monster's trick. Don't fall for it. Don't overthink. Calm down, calm down…
It didn't work.
In a blink, dazzling light flooded his vision once more. The magnificent Atlantis city reappeared, restored to its pristine state before destruction.
Beautiful, kind, and enthusiastic mermaids carried trays of undersea treasures, led by guards forming a long welcoming line.
"Welcome, kin from the blue star! What happened earlier was merely a test by our high priest. We know it was rude, but our people love peace and have almost no means of protection besides illusion.
Sometimes we must even take on terrifying forms to scare away invaders.
But as fellow children of the blue star, we cannot be enemies. If we fight and kill each other, only the true enemy will benefit in the end.
Kin, please believe us one more time. This time we will show the utmost sincerity to prove our friendship. Together we can stand against this cruel challenge world!"
This time they even prepared a justification for reconciliation—plus all the glowing equipment on those trays.
It was hard to say whether someone encountering these sea serpent Relics for the first time would hesitate, or be tempted by the treasures.
Mental attacks were invisible and traceless. All it took was one tiny crack, and the defense could be pried open, crumbling completely until the victim fell.
Wei Huan wanted to see what, deep in his heart, could truly make him waver. After witnessing mountains and rivers shattered, what could still make him forgive?
Unfortunately, reality didn't give him the chance.
Another surge of water rippled outward, carrying the sounds of battle.
Wei Huan looked up and saw, not far away inside the bright and luxurious Atlantis city, a small patch of pure black malice.
He ordered the Demon Eye Lord forward. The undead ignored the blocking mermaids and swam toward it.
As he drew closer, the mermaids following behind began to twist in horror—rust-like black-red seeped from their skin as if rotting from the inside, filthy blood oozing out.
Paired with the frozen smiles on their faces and wide, bleeding eyes, the scene became even more hellish than Wei Huan's own undead army.
Wei Huan didn't need to turn around to see it.
The Demon Eye Lord's vision was 360 degrees. He clearly saw not only the mermaids turning grotesque, but the entire illusionary world—built from his own imagination—beginning to bleed again as he approached the truth.
Closer now to the black zone, Wei Huan pulled his attention back and looked.
His face revealed shock.
So this… was the even more real sea serpent nest?
Millennia-old seaweed was mottled with red and black spots. Long moss hung like tangled hair from the stems. Countless drifting tendrils writhed like living serpents—or tentacles.
At the tip of each tentacle was a mouth ringed with circles of sharp teeth.
Just one glance made his vision darken, as if struck by pure evil.
Or rather—the oppressive force of a higher-tier life form from a completely different energy system.
A nauseating, repulsive, terrifying power that made you want to flee.
Yet Wei Huan did not hesitate. He ordered the Demon Eye Lord to roll straight over the face of a blocking guard.
Finally, inside the dark nest, he saw Moji in the center, fighting a cluster of blue-yellow sea serpents.
No—these weren't sea serpents.
Wei Huan focused and finally saw the true appearance of the Naga sea serpents.
The images of Naga sea serpents he had seen on the app forums in his previous life had apparently been processed through human perception—thick, powerful serpents.
But now, that image was overturned once again.
They weren't serpents at all. They were simply mouths growing from the roots and stems of the seaweed. The serpentine shape was just human imagination. They had flexible half-bodies, and their sharp jaws opened and closed to hunt.
They chased Moji, trying to bite or entangle it.
Moji, having learned from Xu Qingqiang, fought with agile ferocity. Once it targeted a long-mouthed stalk, it wouldn't stop until the thing was shredded.
The two sides were locked in fierce combat. Though Moji could indeed tear the seaweed apart, it would also get wrapped by multiple vines.
They fought, paused, fought again—until Wei Huan arrived.
Wei Huan glanced at Moji but didn't rush to save it.
Besides, as an undead, did it even need saving?
Right now, Wei Huan was far more interested in understanding exactly what these things were.
So the Naga sea serpents weren't really Naga at all?
The Relics that had conquered Tier-5 and Tier-6 worlds were actually some kind of plant-based life?
They occupied worlds the way carnivorous flowers bloom—luring prey with beauty, then snapping the trap shut the moment the prey lets its guard down, instantly reversing predator and prey.
A plant sacrificing a few minor roots and stems to deceive humans wasn't all that different from a "hive civilization" after all.
After seeing the truth clearly, a chill ran down Wei Huan's spine.
In his previous life, even after humanity's destruction, no one had ever seen the true face of the Tier-5 and Tier-6 worlds. The horror of the challenge worlds far exceeded imagination.
Then… was what he was seeing now actually real?
After being deceived multiple times in a row, Wei Huan couldn't help but suspect he was inside some kind of nested illusion—"matryoshka" deception.
"Heeheehee!"
A sudden sound snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.
Moji, overwhelmed by the seaweed's encirclement, anxiously called out to him for help.
A summoned creature with no independent thought actively asking its master for aid—this proved Moji's self-awareness and intelligence were growing higher and higher.
But now wasn't the time to study that.
Wei Huan looked at Moji—repeatedly trying to escape toward him only to be blocked and forced back, spinning in frantic circles—and issued the order for the undead army to converge.
At the same time, something occurred to him. His consciousness returned to his real body.
"Get the melee fighters ready."
Mu Zhong, who had been watching Wei Huan's condition the whole time, visibly relaxed. Then he asked with slight worry, "What's happening up there?"
Wei Huan replied, "No time to explain. You can turn on the projection and watch the live feed."
Mu Zhong raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, and turned on the screen.
Cameras had been deployed from the start.
To gather more evidence, they had thrown out over a hundred cameras this time—any angle could be viewed at any moment.
But as a precaution, Wei Huan had ordered Mu Zhong not to broadcast the feed, and even Mu Zhong himself was forbidden from watching.
This world's Relic was a "con artist," and they were facing a diamond-tier psychic enemy with insidious, omnipresent methods.
Until safety was confirmed, all footage was stored temporarily in the system.
Now that Wei Huan was allowing Mu Zhong to watch and ordering melee fighters in, it meant the psychic threat was likely neutralized.
But… how had Wei Huan done it?
Could a diamond-tier monster's mental attack really be broken?
As the battlefield feed appeared on screen, Mu Zhong—who was first stunned by the interplay of light and shadow in the underwater city—watched intently for a while and finally found the reason.
It was actually this hero-tier Shura Horse?
In the sinister, rust-eaten underwater city where mermaid "citizens" shuffled like zombies, anyone could still imagine its former golden splendor.
This was the prehistoric blue-star civilization humanity dreamed of—Atlantis, the underwater city.
Yet in this already-twisted illusion, the presence of one special being triggered a "broken windows" effect.
Everywhere Moji walked, a 100-meter radius around it collapsed into the truest appearance. The farther away, the more perfectly the illusion repaired itself.
That unspeakable undead… had somehow become the only "anchor point" holding reality steady.
Wei Huan's undead army arrived and resumed rampaging through the decaying city.
This time Wei Huan felt no embarrassment—because he now knew that no matter what the undead hit, even if it was just scraping off moss, they were fighting the diamond-tier colossal organism and destroying its enormous body.
Additionally, face-huggers carefully carried bubbles in their abdominal slits, protecting the fragile little kobolds inside.
With a familiar "ptui!", Captain Xue—clad head to toe in Martial King battle armor—was spat out first.
Almost simultaneously beside him, Hammer Bro was ejected by another little kobold.
The Martial Kings, who had been ready for battle the moment they were summoned, froze the instant they arrived.
The world before them… was clearly far beyond anything they had expected.