“Gerard, don’t think that I don’t know what you have been up to,” Shen Jie’s piercing gaze bore into him as he snapped his fingers. With a soft cracking sound, Gerard’s entire body went up in flames. “Seems like you will forget your place, unless I let you taste the effect of death lock once in a while.”
“Master, no, please show mercy,” Gerard struggled as he tried to put off the flames that were burning me. “I know I was wrong, but I didn’t mean to go against you. I just wanted to give Dylan a chance to enjoy a few moments of happiness before everything started.”
“Since you like that brat so much, I will let you accompany him to the end.” Shen Jie’s expression turned exceptionally cold as he waved his hand to one of the servants. “Send someone to the Black Lotus Tower to fetch one more starry silk worm.”
“No master, please,” Gerard shouted in horror and dropped to his knees. “Please let me go this time. I swear I will never go against you again.”
Shen Jie’s eyes flickered as he looked at Gerard with a deep gaze. This caused the flames on his body to intensify, but Gerard didn’t struggle. He knew that this was his last chance. If he didn’t show complete submission, he won’t be able to keep his life.
His entire body got charred due to the raging flames and his vitality started seeping out of his body. When there was just a shred of vitality left in his body, Shen Jie finally withdrew the effect of the seal.
“This is your last chance, Gerard. If there is a second time, you won’t be able to keep your life.”
“Thank you, master. I swear I won’t try to do anything on my own. Even if I feel sympathy for Dylan, I won’t act on it.”
“Do you still think that I will give you a chance to act on your feelings?” Shen Jie used his medallion to summon the guards. “Take him to the fire prison and lock him up. If he tries to escape, kill him without mercy.”
“Master….” Gerard’s eyes teared up, and he looked at Shen Jie with a pitiful expression, silently begged him to show mercy.
“Don’t worry. Once the experiment is over, I will set you free. Since I have already decided to forgive you, I won’t bring up this matter in the future.”
“You want to use me as a test subject for your experiments? Impossible!” Dylan’s voice rang with unshakeable determination and he stepped out of the hiding place. “I am really grateful that you saved my life, but that doesn’t mean you can control it. At most, I will return it to you.”
“You want to die?” The old man snorted and waved his hand, forming a strange arc. “I am afraid that is not up to you.”
A wave of intense energy pressed down on Dylan, freezing him to the spot. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t even move an inch.
‘It’s useless,’ RO’s voice sounded in Dylan’s head. ‘He is too strong. Without an equivalent power, it’s impossible to fight against him.’
‘Damn it! I can feel that myself. If you want to say something, give me some useful suggestion. Tell me how to deal with the crazy old man.’
‘We are in the enemy’s territory. Moreover, we have already exposed our intentions. The only thing we can do now is bid for time.’
“Now do you understand the difference between the two of us?” Shen Jie snorted as he grabbed the back of Dylan’s neck. “This is my mansion, my territory. Even if you want to die, you will need my permission!”
His eyes glinted with a cold light, and he pressed his thumb against Dylan’s forehead. A deadly cold aura rushed into his mind, making his soul shudder.
‘RO 15, what is going on? What is this thug trying to do?’
‘He is probably using the legendary death lock on you.’
‘Death lock? What is that?’
‘It’s a sealing technique that creates imprints a mini array into a person’s brain, enabling him to control the other person’s life and death.’
‘Damn it! This man is too vicious.’ Dylan felt a sense of panic. He wasn’t afraid of death. What he feared the most was being controlled by others. ‘RO 15, you said that you are a powerful assistant. Can’t you do anything about this so-called death lock?’
‘I can use the neurons in your brain to limit the area of effect, but if I do that you will probably use one of your senses.’
Dylan’s heart sank, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He could feel the cold aura filing his head. Gritting his teeth, he instructed, ‘Do what you have to. Losing one sense is better than losing freedom.’
The sound of static buzzed in his head and the aura that was dispersed all over his brain gathered together in a small region. It kept shrinking until it was the size of a small grain.
‘This is the most I can do, Dylan. I have restricted the area of impact to the neurons, affecting your sense of taste. However, it is not absolute. If you can become more powerful than the initiator of this death lock, you can break it. Alternatively, if I can recover completely, I might be able to suggest another way to break the death lock.’
Dylan’s gaze became fiery as he looked at the old man, who was gloating over his victory. ‘You like bullying everyone just because you are powerful, don’t you? Just you wait. One day, I will become the most powerful person in this world and give you a taste of your own medicine.’
“What are you looking at me like that for?” The old man snorted coldly and slapped him hard across his face. “Do you still think there is still hope for you?”
Dylan didn’t respond. He merely continued to look at him with a disdainful expression.
“Bastard! How dare you! How dare you look at your master like that!” He was so angry that his words were shaking with remnants of energy. “Lower your eyes right now!”
“I won’t,” Dylan’s reply was firm. It even held a tinge of nonchalance. “If you don’t like it, go ahead and kill me.”
“You….” His nonchalance infuriated him beyond words. Gnashing his teeth, he commanded, “Guards! Take him away and make preparations. We will carry out the experiment right away. I want him to know what it feels like to be tormented by the eighteen levels of hell!”
Dylan didn’t care. He knew that no matter what he said or did, Shen Jie wouldn’t let him go. So why should he hide his hatred and anger?
He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of controlling him. Even if he has to suffer more, he would struggle at each step!
“Ahhh!!!” Dylan screamed crazily. He didn’t know what kind of array Shen Jie had used, but his entire body was locked in place. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t even move an inch. All he could feel was the intense pain ripping through his hand. “What? Screaming already?” The old man mocked, picking up a golden worm using his gloved hands. “This is just the beginning. I have merely used a wisp of eternal fire to hollow out a small section of your hand.” He dangled the golden worm close to Dylan’s face. “Now, I will let this worm weave its way through your flesh, creating new magical veins.” His expression took on a fanatic appearance as he let the golden worm crawl onto Dylan’s wrist. “Finally, I can see the divine worm’s miracle with my own eyes.” The golden worm dug into the hollow created by the fire and started secreting silky threads. It was very thin, but the pain caused by its movement was unbearable. The worm crawled under his skin, slowly wiggling and moving f
‘So dark, so suffocating,’ Dylan grumbled, trying to adjust his position inside the box. ‘Is it really important to seal an empty box using magic?’The ride was very smooth. If it wasn’t for the occasional bump and jerk, he would have thought that they were still inside the room.‘RO, do you have a way to find out where we are?’‘Of course. The box might be sealed using magic, but it can’t block my probing waves. We have left the mansion and are moving towards the Craywood Forest. Once we reach its depths, you can make a move if you want.’His grip tightened on the hilt of the dagger he had stolen and prepared himself mentally. There were dozens of guards escorting the carriage of boxes. His only chance was to take them by surprise.“Buzz…” the chief guard frowned, seeing the flashing red light on his medallion. “There is something wrong with one of the boxes. We should stop and check it once.”“Come on Brian, don’t you think you are being too much of a paranoid? What can go wrong wit
Looking at the emotions in her clear blue eyes, Dylan hesitated. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but Allure insisted.“Hurry! Leave quickly. You can’t help me. Even if you fight with your life on line, you can’t do anything to the wolf.”A sense of helplessness washed over Dylan as he took off in another direction. This feeling was not good at all. The heaviness in his heart grew as he moved further.‘RO, is there really no way I can help that little girl?’ Dylan’s steps faltered, and he stopped running. “I… I can’t leave like this. If I leave that girl in danger and run away like a coward, I can never face myself.”With this, he turned around and rushed back to the place where he had left the girl at twice the speed.He was stunned when he reached the clearing. He recognised the wolf, but the one facing it wasn’t a little girl. Instead, it was a little fox, with three tails.Though the fox couldn’t fight back, it was holding its own. Every time the wolf pounced on the fox, it wou
PrologueThe year 5000: An intense wave of space-time turbulence swept the earth away, causing the solar system to collapse.The blue planet spiralled through the space in an oblique trajectory for millions of light years before colliding with Candela, a planet located in the condor galaxy.This distance might seem unsurmountable, but the manipulation of the space time disturbance propelled the earth through this distance within 30 years.30 years of sheer destruction and bloodshed. Tornadoes, earthquakes, cosmic storms, chipped at the earth. Shockwaves generated during this process caused mountains to be levelled and plains to be crushed. Then, the earth’s crust started peeling off layer by layer, gradually reducing its volume.Amidst this chaos, there was a dome shaped structure that was still standing tall. If one noticed carefully, they could see that this dome gave off electromagnetic vibrations. Every time there was a shock wave, these vibrations would adjust their frequency to
Coughs! Coughs!A young boy of about ten years sat up, coughing violently. His dull eyes swept around the surroundings and he frowned.Where am I?The cool breeze cleared his mind and some bits of memories finally surged to the surface of his mind.Blood! Ruins! Destruction!As the horrifying scene flashed in his mind, he trembled uncontrollably.Dylan had woken up a few days ago to find himself entangled amidst mangled bodies. With a great deal of effort, he had dragged himself out of the dome shaped structure.After walking a short distance, he staggered and fell flat on the ground. His dry lips trembled and a gust of breath left his mouth. “I don’t want to die like this.”He laid there, weak, helpless, hovering between life and death. He wanted to call for help, but there was nobody around, only an endless stretch of purple sand.Woosh! Screech! Rattle! A sea of wailing noises ripped the place apart. It was another cosmic storm. Dylan’s weak body got caught up in the storm and afte
“You are our only hope, Dylan.” A sound impulse jolted his nerves, triggering them into action. “You have to do your best.”This voice seemed to come from the depth of his soul. Though Dylan had been in a state of hibernation for ten years, the last line of cryogenic defence had kept his body well preserved.Thump! Thump! As his heart thumped, the frozen blood started circulating slowly and his brain was activated.This also led to a problem: the wounds that had been sealed by the ice started bleeding again. If they weren’t treated soon, Dylan’s life would come to an end.“Damn it, Gerard!” The old man grumbled. “What have you been up to? You are reeking of blood.”“Blood? How can there be blood?” Denver frowned and assessed himself. There was indeed a strong stench of blood and it seemed to be coming from his storage device.“F***!” He waved his hand and took out the corpse he had placed inside. “Wasn’t this dude supposed to be dead? Why in the freaking hell is he bleeding?”“Let me
Looking at the emotions in her clear blue eyes, Dylan hesitated. He didn’t want to leave her behind, but Allure insisted.“Hurry! Leave quickly. You can’t help me. Even if you fight with your life on line, you can’t do anything to the wolf.”A sense of helplessness washed over Dylan as he took off in another direction. This feeling was not good at all. The heaviness in his heart grew as he moved further.‘RO, is there really no way I can help that little girl?’ Dylan’s steps faltered, and he stopped running. “I… I can’t leave like this. If I leave that girl in danger and run away like a coward, I can never face myself.”With this, he turned around and rushed back to the place where he had left the girl at twice the speed.He was stunned when he reached the clearing. He recognised the wolf, but the one facing it wasn’t a little girl. Instead, it was a little fox, with three tails.Though the fox couldn’t fight back, it was holding its own. Every time the wolf pounced on the fox, it wou
‘So dark, so suffocating,’ Dylan grumbled, trying to adjust his position inside the box. ‘Is it really important to seal an empty box using magic?’The ride was very smooth. If it wasn’t for the occasional bump and jerk, he would have thought that they were still inside the room.‘RO, do you have a way to find out where we are?’‘Of course. The box might be sealed using magic, but it can’t block my probing waves. We have left the mansion and are moving towards the Craywood Forest. Once we reach its depths, you can make a move if you want.’His grip tightened on the hilt of the dagger he had stolen and prepared himself mentally. There were dozens of guards escorting the carriage of boxes. His only chance was to take them by surprise.“Buzz…” the chief guard frowned, seeing the flashing red light on his medallion. “There is something wrong with one of the boxes. We should stop and check it once.”“Come on Brian, don’t you think you are being too much of a paranoid? What can go wrong wit
“Ahhh!!!” Dylan screamed crazily. He didn’t know what kind of array Shen Jie had used, but his entire body was locked in place. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t even move an inch. All he could feel was the intense pain ripping through his hand. “What? Screaming already?” The old man mocked, picking up a golden worm using his gloved hands. “This is just the beginning. I have merely used a wisp of eternal fire to hollow out a small section of your hand.” He dangled the golden worm close to Dylan’s face. “Now, I will let this worm weave its way through your flesh, creating new magical veins.” His expression took on a fanatic appearance as he let the golden worm crawl onto Dylan’s wrist. “Finally, I can see the divine worm’s miracle with my own eyes.” The golden worm dug into the hollow created by the fire and started secreting silky threads. It was very thin, but the pain caused by its movement was unbearable. The worm crawled under his skin, slowly wiggling and moving f
“Gerard, don’t think that I don’t know what you have been up to,” Shen Jie’s piercing gaze bore into him as he snapped his fingers. With a soft cracking sound, Gerard’s entire body went up in flames. “Seems like you will forget your place, unless I let you taste the effect of death lock once in a while.”“Master, no, please show mercy,” Gerard struggled as he tried to put off the flames that were burning me. “I know I was wrong, but I didn’t mean to go against you. I just wanted to give Dylan a chance to enjoy a few moments of happiness before everything started.”“Since you like that brat so much, I will let you accompany him to the end.” Shen Jie’s expression turned exceptionally cold as he waved his hand to one of the servants. “Send someone to the Black Lotus Tower to fetch one more starry silk worm.”“No master, please,” Gerard shouted in horror and dropped to his knees. “Please let me go this time. I swear I will never go against you again.”Shen Jie’s eyes flickered as he looke
“You are our only hope, Dylan.” A sound impulse jolted his nerves, triggering them into action. “You have to do your best.”This voice seemed to come from the depth of his soul. Though Dylan had been in a state of hibernation for ten years, the last line of cryogenic defence had kept his body well preserved.Thump! Thump! As his heart thumped, the frozen blood started circulating slowly and his brain was activated.This also led to a problem: the wounds that had been sealed by the ice started bleeding again. If they weren’t treated soon, Dylan’s life would come to an end.“Damn it, Gerard!” The old man grumbled. “What have you been up to? You are reeking of blood.”“Blood? How can there be blood?” Denver frowned and assessed himself. There was indeed a strong stench of blood and it seemed to be coming from his storage device.“F***!” He waved his hand and took out the corpse he had placed inside. “Wasn’t this dude supposed to be dead? Why in the freaking hell is he bleeding?”“Let me
Coughs! Coughs!A young boy of about ten years sat up, coughing violently. His dull eyes swept around the surroundings and he frowned.Where am I?The cool breeze cleared his mind and some bits of memories finally surged to the surface of his mind.Blood! Ruins! Destruction!As the horrifying scene flashed in his mind, he trembled uncontrollably.Dylan had woken up a few days ago to find himself entangled amidst mangled bodies. With a great deal of effort, he had dragged himself out of the dome shaped structure.After walking a short distance, he staggered and fell flat on the ground. His dry lips trembled and a gust of breath left his mouth. “I don’t want to die like this.”He laid there, weak, helpless, hovering between life and death. He wanted to call for help, but there was nobody around, only an endless stretch of purple sand.Woosh! Screech! Rattle! A sea of wailing noises ripped the place apart. It was another cosmic storm. Dylan’s weak body got caught up in the storm and afte
PrologueThe year 5000: An intense wave of space-time turbulence swept the earth away, causing the solar system to collapse.The blue planet spiralled through the space in an oblique trajectory for millions of light years before colliding with Candela, a planet located in the condor galaxy.This distance might seem unsurmountable, but the manipulation of the space time disturbance propelled the earth through this distance within 30 years.30 years of sheer destruction and bloodshed. Tornadoes, earthquakes, cosmic storms, chipped at the earth. Shockwaves generated during this process caused mountains to be levelled and plains to be crushed. Then, the earth’s crust started peeling off layer by layer, gradually reducing its volume.Amidst this chaos, there was a dome shaped structure that was still standing tall. If one noticed carefully, they could see that this dome gave off electromagnetic vibrations. Every time there was a shock wave, these vibrations would adjust their frequency to