At some unknown point, a multitude of wild undead had appeared in front of him and on both sides. Those Double-Headed Hidden Demons and Thought-Sender Beasts—creatures he once had to chase down—now approached him voluntarily. Like subjects welcoming their king, they knelt silently on either side, parting to create a path for his progress.
Wei Huan remained seated upon his Bone Throne, carried steadily forward by Dot Mom. Crow sat perched upon the thorny crown of his throne, her black flames rising so densely that her form had expanded over tenfold, resembling a dark phoenix of the Nether Realm trailing long, black tail feathers. At his feet, the Gut-Bro sat regally, its bone spikes now interlocking into a suit of skeletal armor that looked imposing and majestic. Due to its massive size, Big Bear walked behind Dot Mom; all traces of its former putrid, zombie-like state had vanished, replaced by a coat of sleek, pitch-black fur that shimmered as it moved.
The Hero-grade Magic Eye Overlord flew ten miles ahead as a scout. Wherever it passed, wild undead from beyond the horizon flocked toward them, as if attending an audience with their sovereign. This was the scene Wei Huan beheld the moment he opened his eyes.
He immediately realized that the 30 points of Dark Mastery granted by the 'Book of Death' were not useless; they simply needed time to manifest. Those creatures that once fled from or toyed with him were now subdued by his power, surrendering to his every whim.
With a thought, Wei Huan extended his consciousness like a thread into the nearest Thought-Sender Beast. The creature, which previously would have resisted, opened itself completely, allowing his intrusion into its soul to ignite it with the Flame of Death. This beast had developed a sliver of spiritual awareness, but as the death fire burned, those fledgling thoughts were forged away, and it lost its sense of self. From an undead's perspective, this process was terrifying—to willingly erase one's "existence"—but for Wei Huan, it was exactly what he needed. Aside from a few elites, he did not need his undead army to possess self-awareness; their purpose was to fight for him unconditionally, even if it meant being ground to dust. Too much independent thought led to complications.
Under Wei Huan's command, this newly recruited beast drifted toward the elite Thought-Sender Beast floating behind him. Having consumed ten of its kin previously, the elite beast could provide Wei Huan with a 100-point boost to all attributes when possessing him. Though it seemed minor now, if its level grew high enough, that boost could reach 1,000 or even 10,000 points.
Without hesitation, Wei Huan fed the new recruit to the elite. He wanted to see how the others would react. He discovered he had overthought it; despite their nascent spirits, these creatures lacked true self-cognition. Their past tendency to flee was mere instinct, and now, suppressed by Wei Huan's 33 points of Dark Mastery, that instinct was gone. They were like moths to a flame—even as they saw their kind devoured, they remained suspended in the air, flickering in and out of existence, waiting their turn.
Wei Huan showed no mercy. He only needed one elite. Soon, his elite Thought-Sender Beast had gorged itself on eight more. What stopped the feeding wasn't the beast's appetite, but Wei Huan's Mana. Even with 28,000 Mana, recruiting 8-star beasts like these was taxing—each cost over 3,000 points to ignite.
Converting his 28,000 Mana into eight beasts for the elite to consume provided a tangible boost. Beyond the attribute increase, Wei Huan felt his mastery over this world grow. The boundaries of his vision and perception expanded significantly. When projected back to his physical body, his divine sense would surely exceed a one-meter radius today. Eventually, it might cover miles, making him like the immortals of legend.
---
With time left in the Professional Temple, Wei Huan continued forward while his Mana recovered at 230%. Over 25 hours in the Great Tomb, he fully replenished his pool twice, allowing him to recruit 25 Thought-Sender Beasts in a single session. At this rate, evolving the beast to Hero-grade for a 1,000-point attribute boost was just around the corner.
He realized that superior resources not only made him stronger but accelerated his growth exponentially. Even if he couldn't reach Sequence 6 immediately, his raw power would soon reach a level where he could face the dangers of a Sequence 6 world without fear. He still felt uneasy about the "Deceiver Remnants" in the deep sea—a race that had survived for untold ages surely had terrifying trump cards. To establish a foothold for humanity, a clash with them was inevitable.
Finally reaching his limit, Wei Huan was expelled from the Temple. He opened his eyes to find himself back in the Dark Source room. Five hours had passed. Nearby, Xu Qingqiang lay on the ground, eyes closed in cultivation. Despite his heavy smoking habit, there was no scent of tobacco; he never smoked in the training room.
Wei Huan stood quietly and walked out. He had absorbed most of his recent gains; now he just needed time. It was time to leave this chaotic space and return to Blue Star. Humanity had achieved a great victory, and as the primary heroes, they deserved to be honored. It wasn't about vanity; it was about receiving the status they earned by walking through fire, so that the world would recognize their sacrifice.
---
Meanwhile, on Blue Star, the atmosphere was far from celebratory for the diplomats.
"This vein, though its entrance is in your country, actually runs mostly through our territory," a foreign diplomat argued. "Our leaders are grateful for Daxia's contributions against the Dark Beasts, but we hope for priority purchasing rights at market prices."
Diplomats from three countries had been in Daxia for half a month, arguing over a rare mineral vein on the border. Daxia was now the undisputed world power, and the rewards granted by the Challenge World—land and resources—had changed the map. While resources in the heart of Daxia were easy to manage, those on the borders sparked age-old territorial disputes. Daxia was currently overwhelmed by "little brothers" who were either trying to snatch resources or crying for help, expecting the "big brother" to share the spoils.
Among those called back to service was the head of the Mu family, Mu Huaiguo. He had been appointed Director of the National Challenge Resource Bureau. In the past, this was a minor office, but since Wei Huan's meteoric rise, the sheer volume of resources sent back—filling warehouses with everything from Sequence 1 to 5 materials—required a master of logistics. Mu Huaiguo, over 70, was the perfect choice: capable, steady, and the grandfather of Mu Zhong.
That night, Mu Huaiguo walked with the Foreign Minister, discussing the arrival of the Aosam delegation. Aosam wanted "Super Rare" resources, and Daxia wanted something in return.
"It seems the 'Natural Forest' fell into Aosam's hands," the Minister noted.
"The Natural Forest? The Training Ground for the Druid sequence?" Mu Huaiguo frowned. "I heard they snatched it and even killed for it."
"The Druid is a versatile sequence. With that training ground, they can produce Tank Bears, Rogue Panthers, and Healer Treants. It solves their multi-class bottleneck. Interestingly, Colonel Wei originally had people looking for it but eventually ordered them to stop, effectively ceding it to Aosam."
Mu Huaiguo was thoughtful. He no longer questioned Wei Huan's decisions; the young man saw things he couldn't.
"We need slots in that training ground," the Minister continued. "If they won't share, they get nothing from us. We also know they've made breakthroughs in spacecraft technology. This isn't just diplomacy; it's an intelligence war."
"We owe much to Commander Mu Zhong for that," the Minister added. "He had 'Iron Heart' upgrade our supercomputers, allowing us to gather secret intelligence much more easily."
Mu Huaiguo smiled. "The boy didn't forget his roots."
The old man worked until late and woke early the next morning. His grandson brought him a medicinal breakfast prepared by Mu Zhong and Liu Chengzhi—dishes designed to sustain an elderly person through high-stress work. Mu Huaiguo finished his tea, felt the refreshing energy clear his mind, and stepped into his car.
"To the Diplomatic Hall," he ordered.