Chapter 565 - 203: Slaying Shi Dang! Chaos’s Nemesis! The Road Ahead
It was normal that Zhou Yu couldn’t remember.
...
「On the bridge of the Cruiser.」
Qin Feng sat in the commander’s chair and opened the mission panel.
He located the blood-red assassination mission in his quest list.
[B-Rank Assassination Mission: Slay the Imperial traitor and Believer of Khorne, Shi Dang.]
[Mission Status: Completed.]
[Final evaluation in progress... Evaluation complete. Target’s final strength exceeded the initial mission level. Mission rewards have been increased.]
[Congratulations, you have received the mission reward: 300,000 Contribution Points.]
Qin Feng’s expression didn’t flicker as he watched his Contribution Points balance instantly skyrocket.
He closed the mission panel. In his mind, he asked Hammer, "Hammer, all this loot we’ve seized from pirates over the years... is there any way to convert it into Contribution Points?"
"Reporting, Master."
Hammer’s voice was, as always, cold and efficient. "There are two standard ways to dispose of loot. First, if your Subspace Storage Unit has enough space, you can bring all the loot back to Imperial territory and sell it all at once through the Imperial Trading House. It can be directly exchanged for Imperial Coins or Contribution Points."
"Second, if your Subspace Storage Unit lacks sufficient space, then your only option is to abandon it in deep space."
Qin Feng glanced at his own storage unit, which was already stuffed to the brim with various materials, equipment, and energy blocks.
He then glanced at the pirate warship, dozens of kilometers long.
’My current storage unit is nowhere near big enough.’
’I’ll just have to toss it, then.’
’I’ll buy a bigger Subspace Storage Unit later.’
"Hammer, activate the Subspace Transmission Network."
"Destination: Cannan Star Martial Arts University."
---
The central Teleportation Platform of Cannan Star Martial Arts University was as busy as ever.
Accompanied by the characteristic energy hum of a completed spatial jump, one Light Gate after another materialized out of thin air, only to silently close again.
Gifted Martial Artists hurried about, gathering here before rushing off to their respective battlefields.
Qin Feng’s figure slowly emerged from one of the Light Gates.
Everywhere he looked, he saw only young, unfamiliar faces.
They brimmed with youthful energy, their eyes sparkling with hopes and ambitions for the future—just as his own once had.
’Opening my apertures took forty years.’
’Merging my apertures took thirty years.’
’Going from just entering the Seventh Level of the Mountain and Sea Realm to reaching the brink of the fourth great limit took less than twenty years.’
’And on top of that... the four years I spent hunting Shi Dang.’
Qin Feng calculated silently.
’I’m almost one hundred and ten years old now.’
An almost imperceptible sigh stirred in his heart.
His powerful body bore no trace of the passing years.
But his eyes, having seen too much life and death, stained by too much blood and fire, had long since taken on a depth and weariness that befitted his age.
No longer dwelling on it, Qin Feng deftly opened his personal terminal and submitted a request for guidance to his mentor, Yu Han.
The request was approved almost the instant he submitted it.
Yu Han’s reply was, as always, concise.
[Martial Hero District. Come quickly.]
...
Light and shadows flickered.
When Qin Feng opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the sight of a bamboo forest, so tranquil it seemed it could wash away all the cares of the world.
A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves.
Beside the stone table, Yu Han still had that languid air about him, leisurely pouring himself a cup of fragrant tea.
When Qin Feng’s figure appeared, he didn’t even turn around, simply smiling faintly as he spoke.
"You’re back? It seems you’ve figured things out?"
"No, I was tricked."
Qin Feng slowly walked to the stone table, pulled out a stone stool, and sat down without ceremony.
He picked up the other teacup on the table, poured it full for himself, and downed it in one gulp.
He chuckled, a hint of relief and self-mockery in his smile. "These past few years, I’ve been to the Chaotic Star Realm, and I’ve seen the Empire’s most remote prison planets."
"Mm."
Yu Han smiled as well.
He could hear that although there was a hint of complaint in Qin Feng’s tone, the fierce questioning and anger from years ago was long gone.
"So, you came back this time to ask me about the path ahead? Or perhaps, you want some advice about the future?"
Yu Han set down his teacup, regarding him with an unhurried gaze.
"Both."
Qin Feng’s expression turned serious.
"But before that, I encountered a... very bizarre incident."
He then proceeded to tell Yu Han everything that had happened after he killed Shi Dang, holding nothing back.
From how Shi Dang’s head had bizarrely self-immolated, turning into a red-and-white skull.
To how that skull had turned into a streak of blood-red light and forced its way into his forehead.
And finally, how under the infusion of that immense spiritual power, his own Spiritual Power Index had doubled from one hundred to two hundred, forming a second Spiritual Power Drop in his sea of consciousness.
After he finished speaking, Qin Feng pointed to the red-and-white skull tied to his waist with an Alloy Rope, which felt as smooth and warm as jade.
"And this thing... I can’t get rid of it now, no matter what. It feels... weird."
After listening to his account, Yu Han’s face showed not the slightest hint of surprise, as if he had expected it all along.
"Mm, that... is the ’great benefit’ I mentioned back then."
Yu Han’s gaze fell on the skull at Qin Feng’s waist, his eyes holding a hint of some indiscernible meaning.
"Within the vast territories of the human Empire, there exists a very small class of Martial Artists. They share a relationship with Chaos akin to that of arch-nemeses."