Slowly opening his eyes, Feng Qi's blurred vision gradually became clear. He found himself lying inside a recovery pod.
As the machine vibrated, ripples spread across the light blue liquid before his eyes. The projection on the glass cover displayed his physical condition—heart rate, blood pressure, body load levels, and various other stats.
After a long moment, he reached out and pressed the button on his right.
Immediately, the specially formulated recovery fluid drained through the discharge valve, and the transparent glass cover above his head opened.
"Qi-ge, how are you feeling?"
Before he could even sit up, a familiar figure clad in combat gear appeared before him, eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine."
Feng Qi shook his head with a smile.
He had been slightly puzzled as to why the kid had suddenly returned. But when he noticed the necklace around their neck, he immediately recalled its function.
Observing the fully armed outfit they wore, it was evident that they had been on a mission—either about to depart or already in the middle of one. The necklace must have sensed his physical condition deteriorating, prompting them to turn back abruptly.
"I'm really fine. You should head back to the frontlines."
"Qi-ge, I heard you want to go to Winterfell. Your body is in this state—why do you insist on going?"
Concern laced their voice as they asked the question.
"Some things are far more important than my life. I must go to Winterfell."
"Qi-ge…"
"Enough, no need to say more. I know my own body. I can hold on for a few more years without a problem. Going to Winterfell won't kill me."
With that, Feng Qi turned his gaze to Gu Ke, who had been standing silently nearby.
Gu Ke immediately understood his meaning. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to help Feng Qi out of the recovery pod and onto a wheelchair.
"Xiao Wen, return to the frontlines. When have I ever lied to you? I'm not dying anytime soon—I still need you to take care of me when I retire."
With those words, Feng Qi turned to Gu Ke and spoke softly.
"Gu Ke, let's set off immediately."
Gu Ke nodded solemnly, then pushed the wheelchair toward the training room exit.
Standing still, watching Feng Qi's departing figure, the young warrior clenched his fists tightly.
After a long moment, they opened their palm.
Resting there was a crystalline green energy core, pulsating faintly as if breathing.
Qi-ge's deteriorating condition had always worried them.
More than a decade ago, they had wanted to retire from the frontlines and return home to care for him. They had even sought ways to help heal his body.
But Feng Qi had refused.
Back then, he had told them:
"Since you chose the battlefield, you must take responsibility for your choice, for the warband you built, for your comrades-in-arms. Right now, your warband is at a crucial stage of development. If you abandon them, it will fall apart. Besides, you still haven't completed the challenge of the Ten Battle Gods. I don't want to see you give up halfway."
Faced with Feng Qi's stern reprimand, despite feeling helpless, they had obeyed.
However, they never gave up searching for ways to prolong Qi-ge's life and alleviate his suffering.
Over the years, they had dedicated themselves to this field.
After every mission, aside from handling warband affairs, they spent all their free time studying. Their persistence had finally paid off—after years of effort, they had achieved a breakthrough.
The green energy core in their palm was the fruit of their research. It possessed the ability to nourish and heal the body.
But this healing rune was only a prototype. They dared not use it on Feng Qi yet, fearing unforeseen consequences.
Originally, they had planned to refine it further and only use it once it was perfected.
But Qi-ge's condition was worsening faster than expected.
Now, faced with Feng Qi's refusal once again, they made a silent vow—once they returned to the warband base, they would dedicate even more time to perfecting the healing rune, ensuring they could soon restore Qi-ge's health.
They had also already trained a successor for the warband.
Six months from now, when the latest evaluation for the Ten Battle Gods was announced, they would officially retire, leaving the battlefield for good to care for Feng Qi.
Meanwhile.
Feng Qi, guided by Gu Ke, arrived at the Tiger Soul Base Plaza.
A specially designated Tiger Soul aircraft was already prepared, ready for immediate departure.
Upon Feng Qi's arrival, the staff rushed forward to assist, swiftly helping him board the aircraft.
Without delay, as soon as he and Gu Ke were seated, the Tiger Soul aircraft took off, soaring toward Winterfell.
Looking out at the shrinking scenery below, Feng Qi took a deep breath, trying to suppress the excitement welling up inside him.
After so many years of waiting, the answer was finally within reach.
At that moment, he reached for the phone beside his seat and input a string of codes.
After a long wait, a familiar voice came through the receiver.
On the other end of the call—it was Mu Qing.
Feng Qi hadn't expected the call to connect so easily. Usually, whenever he tried to reach Mu Qing, it would take hours, sometimes even days, for her to return the call.
Feng Qi could tell that Mu Qing was extremely busy.
The reason he chose to make this call was that he had no idea where Mu Yan was at the moment.
Maybe Mu Yan was searching for a Miracle in Winterfell, or maybe he was wandering somewhere else. But the most likely scenario was that he had already sought out Mu Qing, intending to work with her in establishing the Dawn Rebel Army.
If Mu Qing confirmed that Mu Yan was with her, then Feng Qi wouldn't need to waste time searching. He would simply ask Mu Qing to hold Mu Yan there while he headed directly to the Dawn Army's base to meet him.
On the call, Mu Qing sounded puzzled at his inquiry.
This was clear evidence that she had not yet made contact with Mu Yan. She didn't even know who he was.
After exchanging pleasantries and confirming his safety, Feng Qi ended the call.
Although he felt somewhat helpless, if he wanted to contact Mu Yan at this moment, he would have to search for him personally. There was no way of knowing when Mu Yan would reach out to Mu Qing.
Waiting would bring more certainty, but his body no longer had the luxury of time.
He picked up the backup tablet on the small table in front of him and began browsing the latest news from Winterfell.
One particular video interview caught his attention—the one featuring the noodle shop owner.
Outside the window, thick clouds obscured the scenery. Feng Qi took slow, deep breaths, adjusting his emotions.
At that moment, a news article from Winterfell caught his eye.
It reported a bizarre incident that had recently occurred in the city.
Two days ago, at 11:23 PM, the night sky over Winterfell's northern district suddenly turned as bright as day. Immediately afterward, a violent explosion shook the area, followed by a powerful energy shockwave that created a storm, sweeping across the entire northern district.
The sudden event woke many residents from their sleep.
The Winterfell Military Department launched an immediate investigation and later released their findings to the public.
There were many clues, but none provided conclusive proof of what had actually happened that night.
What caught Feng Qi's attention was one particular piece of information disclosed by the military.
They reported that at the site of the explosion, beneath the energy collision point, an area was discovered to be covered with countless fine sword marks. These marks still retained traces of sword aura, and military personnel who had recklessly touched them suffered cuts on their fingers.
While the military deemed this clue unimportant, in Feng Qi's eyes, it was highly significant.
Sword aura wasn't something just anyone could wield.
Based on the intelligence he had gathered so far, there were only two factions known to possess this ability.
1. The Lü Family Sword Dao—Lü Yue's lineage.
However, all descendants of the Lü Family were currently on the Path of Ascension, with Lü Yue being the only one who had returned to the human world.
Not to mention that Lü Yue was currently serving as the Chief Instructor of the Combat Department at Breaking Dawn Academy. Even if he had made a move, it was unlikely that his sword aura would remain powerful enough to persist at the scene for such a long time.
Of course, there was a slim chance that someone other than Lü Yue from the Lü Family had returned to the human world without his knowledge.
But this probability was extremely low.
2. The Sword Clan.
This possibility was far more likely than the Lü Family.
Existing intelligence confirmed that the Eastern Region, where the five major cities were located, was a primary landing zone for factions from the Domain World's Lingyu Micro-World.
The Sword Clan was a dominant force in the Lingyu Micro-World, making it entirely possible that they had arrived near Winterfell.
Following this line of thought, Feng Qi even suspected that the Domain faction Mu Qing had been searching for in Winterfell might be the Sword Clan.
If the energy shockwave incident in Winterfell's northern district was linked to the Sword Clan, Feng Qi couldn't help but wonder—was the person who fought them Mu Yan?
Mu Yan's attitude toward Domain beings was entirely different from his stance on humanity.
This was evident from the fragments of memory Feng Qi had seen.
Perhaps Mu Yan, while searching for a Miracle, had encountered the Sword Clan hiding in Winterfell and engaged them in battle.
The report stated that the intense energy shockwaves lasted for about half an hour.
This suggested that the opponent Mu Yan had fought was extremely powerful.
Feng Qi had seen Mu Yan's strength firsthand through the memory fragments.
Facing thousands of Domain creatures, he had held his ground using only a single silver spear.
If the battle in Winterfell truly involved the Sword Clan, then the only one who could have fought Mu Yan on equal footing was their current Clan Leader—the thousand-year-old Jian Ji.
Jian Ji's strength was hard to gauge, but one thing was certain—he was incredibly powerful, possibly on par with some of the greatest figures acknowledged by the Mist Lord.
This hypothesis could be supported by three key points.
1. Jian Ji was one of the rare powerhouses who had mastered a Miracle artifact and could wield it with proficiency.
The effects of a Miracle artifact varied greatly depending on its user.
For instance, the Mysterious Gem of Enhancement, which could strengthen anything, greatly amplified Jian Ji's Life-Bound Sword. In turn, his Life-Bound Sword further enhanced his combat power.
This perfect synergy between Jian Ji and the Miracle artifact was the very reason the Sword Clan had been able to rise so quickly under his leadership.
The second reason was that Jian Ji had lived for over a thousand years. As the greatest prodigy of the Sword Clan, his growth was already rapid to begin with. Adding on a millennium of progress, his strength had undoubtedly reached a terrifying level.
To someone with Jian Ji's lifespan, even the Mist Lord, who had lived for a few centuries, was nothing more than a brat in his eyes.
The third and most conclusive proof of Jian Ji's strength—was the Demon Blade.
The power of the Demon Blade could be seen clearly from the Mist Lord's reaction to it.
When he first encountered the Demon Blade, the Mist Lord decisively backed down because he already knew he was no match for it.
And that was when the Demon Blade was still severely damaged and had not yet bonded with a new master.
But Jian Ji had faced the Demon Blade when it was in its peak state.
Against a Demon Blade that had fully accepted its wielder and was in perfect condition, Jian Ji had still managed to win, albeit narrowly.
Although both were supreme factions in the same plane of existence, Jian Ji already had the capability to lead the Sword Clan into expansion, pushing their influence into wider battlefields.
Through the Demon Blade's memories, Feng Qi even saw Jian Ji's ambition—to conquer the entire Lingyu Micro-World and eventually challenge the rulers of other domain micro-worlds.
The only reason Jian Ji hadn't acted on this yet was because of the constant disruptions caused by the Demon Blade.
Every time Jian Ji attempted to expand the Sword Clan's influence, the Demon Blade's unpredictable attacks threw his plans into disarray.
The continuous challenges from the Demon Blade had become a thorn in Jian Ji's side.
And what made it worse was that every time the Demon Blade fought, it grew stronger.
This put immense pressure on Jian Ji, forcing him to seek even greater power.
Eliminating the Demon Blade had become his top priority.
As a result, the Sword Clan's expansion had been delayed time and time again.
From what Feng Qi had gathered through the Demon Blade's memories, he even suspected that Jian Ji's strength had surpassed the current Mu Qing.
In terms of potential, Mu Qing was clearly far superior to Jian Ji.
But Mu Qing's growth period had been too short. Even though she had skyrocketed in power after stepping onto the battlefield, her experience in combat was only a few decades, not even a full century.
There was no comparison between her and an old monster who had lived for over a thousand years.
If Mu Qing had enough time, Feng Qi believed she would eventually crush Jian Ji effortlessly.
After all, Mu Qing's devouring-based growth ability was even more terrifying than most elite bloodline talents described by the Mist Lord.
But right now, Mu Qing might not yet be Jian Ji's match.
It was even possible that, in the original timeline, Jian Ji had played a role in Mu Qing's death.
Even so, Feng Qi still wasn't entirely convinced that Jian Ji could fight Mu Yan head-on.
After all, the Mu Yan from 1,500 years in the future was an invincible War God.
A casual strike from her was enough to slaughter thousands of domain creatures in an instant.
Among all the combatants Feng Qi had encountered through memory fragments, Mu Yan was undoubtedly the strongest.
And yet, this was what confused him the most.
Logically speaking, Mu Yan's strength alone should have been enough to solve most problems.
So why had she specifically chosen to form the Dawn Rebel Army with Mu Qing?
The same question applied to the battle over Winterfell's northern district.
If the one fighting Jian Ji had been the Mu Yan from 1,500 years in the future, then no matter how powerful Jian Ji was, he would have been killed within moments.
One thing was certain—Mu Yan was already in Winterfell.
But whether this Mu Yan was the same one from 1,500 years later, Feng Qi couldn't be sure.
There were two possibilities.
1. The Mu Yan who appeared now was just an incarnation, similar to how Mo existed as an extension of the Sun. If so, then her current strength was far from her peak.
2. Mu Yan had suffered severe injuries, preventing her from unleashing her full power. This could explain why she had ended up in a prolonged battle against Jian Ji—or possibly another unknown adversary.
Using the intelligence he had so far, along with various clues he had pieced together over time, Feng Qi constructed countless possible theories about what had actually happened.
But the only way to find the truth—was to meet Mu Yan in person.
Feng Qi reached up and massaged his aching temples.
Focusing so intensely had made him feel severely nauseous. He forced himself to slow down, trying to calm his thoughts and relax his body.
Just then, a sudden itch in his throat made him lower his head and cough violently.
When the fit finally passed, he waved his hand, signaling Gu Ke not to worry.
His body's deterioration was something he had long gotten used to.
Turning toward the window, he gazed at the view outside.
Below the Tiger Soul aircraft, a dense layer of clouds stretched endlessly. Above, a bright full moon hung high in the sky—far more radiant than it appeared from the ground.
In the distance, various domain field barriers shimmered in different colors, dividing the world into countless segmented territories.
Feng Qi's eyes slowly lost focus.
His pupils reflected the moonlight, but his heart was filled with nothing but the desire to live.
The road ahead was long.
But on this sacrifice timeline, he had already come so close to the truth.
If he could just find Mu Yan, then perhaps he could finally speed up the path to saving humanity—avoiding countless detours along the way.
I… want to live.