The war between Star City and Future City had captured the world's attention.
Scouts stationed near Future City used drones to record high-altitude footage, live-streaming the battle in real-time to the forces behind the scenes.
The footage, taken from such a height, was blurry and unstable, shaking violently whenever the shockwaves of battle rippled through the air. At times, the screen would even glitch out entirely, flickering with distorted pixels.
But despite the poor quality, the events unfolding in the battle gripped countless viewers watching the livestream.
People from other cities hoped desperately for the war to end, but they could only watch helplessly as their own kind slaughtered each other.
Humanity had experienced countless wars before.
Before the Great Cataclysm, the world had been ruled by humans, divided into various nations that frequently waged war against each other.
Back then, there had been battles both large and small, conflicts fought over resources, territory, and ideology.
But after the invasion of the domain fields, when foreign species descended upon Earth, humanity had ceased fighting amongst itself.
History had made one thing clear:
Conflicts between humans could still be resolved, for they were of the same blood, the same kind.
Even in pre-cataclysm wars, there had been rules of engagement—
Attacking unfortified towns, villages, civilian homes, and non-military buildings was forbidden.
Diplomatic envoys were not to be harmed.
Prisoners of war had to be treated humanely.
And in most cases, wars ended when one side surrendered or negotiated a truce.
But against non-human invaders, the rules were completely different.
The war between humans and domain species had only one outcome—total extermination.
No treaties. No compromises.
Only one side would survive.
From that moment on, all of humanity had developed a deep sense of species identity and racial unity.
Now, as people watched the livestream of their own kind slaughtering each other, a deep sorrow and rage burned in their hearts.
Public sentiment boiled over like an unstoppable tide.
The governments of various cities felt the pressure mounting as they struggled to calm the masses.
The first light of dawn pierced through the night, streaking across the eastern horizon.
The storm, which had raged through the night, finally came to an abrupt halt. The thick storm clouds parted as the morning sun shone through.
7:00 AM.
The battle had now raged for six hours.
This was not a war of strategy like those in historical dramas—
There were no brilliant tactical plays between military advisors.
No intrigue or deception.
No elaborate schemes.
There was only pure, brutal combat.
Both the Dawn Army and Future City's Defense Corps had fought for hours, exhausting their strength.
Fatigue gnawed at their bodies.
Their muscles burned, no longer responding properly.
Even holding onto their weapons became an impossible task—their hands trembled uncontrollably.
The only thing keeping them going was sheer willpower.
The Dawn Army warriors fought for a single purpose—
To follow Feng Qi and fulfill the mission of this timeline.
To become a stepping stone for the ideal future.
This was a spirit of uncompromising resolve.
Even though they knew that this timeline was destined for defeat—that humanity had no escape from annihilation—
Their sacrifices would ignite hope in another timeline.
As long as humanity had not fallen completely, the flame of resistance would continue to burn.
Meanwhile, to the soldiers of Future City—
Behind them were their homes, their families, their children.
They were fighting to protect the countless citizens of Future City.
Victory over the invaders was more important than their own lives.
As members of the City Defense Corps, it was their duty to protect Future City.
Now, that duty weighed heavily on their shoulders.
There was no turning back.
Both sides carried their own convictions, and the battle raged on.
Feng Qi's gaze swept forward.
Ahead of him, countless enemy soldiers—clad in bloodstained armor, wielding cold weapons—stared him down with icy determination.
Behind them, an entire line of heavily armed vehicles and technological weapons stood ready.
The barrels of their cannons pointed skyward, the sound of energy charging humming through the air.
A momentary pause in battle.
But it was not peace—
It was the calm before the next slaughter.
Carving a bloody path forward, Feng Qi had led the Dawn Army from the southern gate all the way to the Central District.
Yet, Future City's forces still stood firm.
Even after fighting through the night, they refused to collapse.
Feng Qi's Blood Source Form had not faded for a single moment.
This was the longest he had ever maintained his transformation.
Even though he had constantly absorbed fresh blood to replenish his energy, his body was still operating at maximum strain.
Pain wracked his entire body.
His limbs ached, his breath was heavy, but he did not stop.
He clenched his fist, and dark-green flames flared up across his body.
Raising his head, he let out a thunderous battle cry.
Then, he charged forward.
Behind him, the Dawn Army followed.
The next wave of bloodshed had begun.
Feng Qi had already made up his mind—
This time, he would shatter the enemy lines in one decisive assault.
And push straight into the Institute of Technological Research.
Throughout the battle, Feng Qi had noticed something.
The City Defense Corps had been gradually withdrawing troops from their battlefield.
His instinct told him—
The soldiers were being redirected to the western front.
And there was only one reason for that—
Mu Qing.
A one-woman army.
That phrase was not an exaggeration when describing Mu Qing.
Throughout human history, there had never been a warrior who could match her in pure combat strength.
Even before she had betrayed humanity, she had already secured her position as the strongest of the Ten Martial Gods.
But after she founded the Dawn Army, her title of "Martial God" was replaced by a far more infamous one—
The Demon King.
The Mu Qing of this timeline was not yet at her historical peak.
After all, in the past, she had fought on the front lines for years, consuming countless domain creatures to fuel her growth.
Feng Qi still remembered the past.
In the villain timeline, Old Mist used to read the morning news, shaking his head and sighing—
Complaining that Mu Qing's strength was advancing at a ridiculous pace.
The gap between them only grew wider.
From that alone, it was clear—
The battlefield was where Mu Qing's true potential was unleashed.
And even though she wasn't at her peak, her current strength was already terrifying.
When this timeline began, Feng Qi had already decided—
Mu Qing would be the central pillar of this battlefield.
That was why, during the early days of Star City, he had given her only one task—
Eat.
Eat as much as possible.
Eat everything.
Spiritual plants. Spirit minerals. Domain creatures.
There was no limit.
Now, even if she had not yet reached her full potential, she had already begun to resemble the Demon King she was destined to become.
Feng Qi had once attempted to gauge Mu Qing's true strength.
But every test had ended in failure.
The reason was simple—none of the existing strength-measuring instruments were capable of accurately assessing her power.
Take, for example, the force-testing machine used in major academies and research institutes. It was as large as half a room, yet in Mu Qing's hands, it was nothing more than a toy—obliterated with a single punch before it could even register a result.
Even the grip strength tester, forged from ultra-A-grade alloy, crumbled like paper when she casually squeezed it.
She had demonstrated, in the most literal sense, what it meant to crush metal like clay.
The Crimson Research Institute had once custom-built a variety of durability-testing devices specifically for Mu Qing.
But these machines rarely lasted long before turning into scrap, unable to keep up with her ever-growing strength.
Wei Wei, her appointed guardian, had personally witnessed this problem.
She had once confided in Feng Qi about a peculiar observation—
That Mu Qing's physical development didn't match her age, likely due to malnutrition.
In other words, despite being embedded with Crimson Rune Crystals, Mu Qing's inability to physically mature was a direct result of insufficient energy intake.
Eating to feel full and consuming enough energy were two entirely different concepts for her.
The Crimson Research Institute had never starved her—far from it. But if Mu Qing were allowed to eat without restriction, she would drain the entire institute's resources dry.
After all, the Mu Qing recorded in history—the one who established the Dawn Army—was known for her striking, mature figure. This alone proved that she had, at some point, gained enough energy to fully develop, along with a massive boost in combat power.
Fast forward 1,500 years into the future.
Despite centuries passing, Suction Cup had remained physically unchanged, trapped in a childlike form.
Wei Wei had given the same explanation—lack of energy intake.
Which meant Mu Qing was, without a doubt, the biggest combat anomaly of this era.
During his years building Star City, Feng Qi had once challenged Mu Qing to an arm-wrestling match in his Blood Source Form, hoping to get an idea of her strength.
Reality quickly put him in his place.
Even after using every ounce of his strength, Mu Qing remained completely unfazed. He couldn't move her arm an inch.
What frustrated him even more was that Mu Qing—perhaps out of pity—had deliberately tilted her arm 30 degrees, pretending to struggle.
Her acting skills were atrocious.
With such overwhelming power, Feng Qi had always wondered—what kind of enemies had she faced in history? And why had she died in battle?
At first, he assumed the Dawn Army's greatest enemy had been the Institute of Technological Research.
But now, he was certain—there was no way the institute could have stood against Mu Qing and her forces at their peak.
Yes, the Institute of Technological Research housed Little Black, a walking disaster of its own.
But historical records contained no mention of Little Black interfering with the rise of the Dawn Army. That meant he had never crossed paths with Mu Qing during that period.
Instead, the true culprits behind her death might have been the Psionic Race—creatures born of the same origin as Black Shadow.
Even so, Feng Qi was more inclined to suspect the enigmatic Blue-Skinned Race.
Compared to the Psionic Race, the Blue-Skinned Race was far more elusive—and possibly more powerful.
The Psionic Race had their Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault, an artifact that vastly accelerated their evolutionary potential.
But the Blue-Skinned Race clearly had more than one miracle item in their possession.
Every major miracle artifact Feng Qi had come across seemed to have connections to them.
The Miracle Bloodstone, escorted by Old Day City, had been stolen from the hands of a Blue-Skinned warrior.
The Miracle Bracelet found on Black Abyss Island had also been in an area teeming with Blue-Skinned warriors.
Both Mist Lord and Qin Shikong—individuals who possessed miracle items—had been attacked by Blue-Skinned assassins.
Even Feng Qi himself.
In nearly every timeline, he had faced assassination attempts from the Blue-Skinned Race.
The only exception was the timeline where he infiltrated the Institute of Technological Research.
That timeline had lasted longer than any other—yet he had never once been targeted by Blue-Skinned assassins.
Which led him to suspect that the Institute of Technological Research possessed a device that shielded it from their detection.
Now, he was closer than ever to uncovering the truth.
As he fought, countless thoughts surged through his mind.
But above all, his desire to unravel the secrets hidden within the Institute of Technological Research burned stronger than ever.
Future City – Western Sector.
Under Mu Qing's command, the Dawn Army had already pushed deep into the central district.
At full power, Mu Qing was like a war god incarnate.
No enemy could withstand her blows.
Future City had produced countless war heroes throughout history, many of whom were immortalized in textbooks.
Yet these so-called legendary warriors crumbled like paper before Mu Qing.
She was simply on another level.
Her indestructible physique, her titanic strength—she was unstoppable.
No weapon could endure a direct hit from her. Every blade, every firearm—shattered into useless scrap in the face of her sheer power.
The soldiers of Future City felt a growing sense of helplessness and despair.
Even the city's most advanced technology proved useless against her.
Close-quarters assaults, artillery barrages, carefully laid traps—nothing worked.
The City Defense Corps had thrown everything they had at her.
Yet, Mu Qing did not falter.
Despite having to withdraw forces from both the Eastern and Southern fronts to slow her down, she tore through every obstacle.
For the soldiers in her path, the jade-colored glow that surrounded her figure had become a waking nightmare.
Her performance on the battlefield had drawn the full attention of Black Shadow.
Suspended in mid-air above the Institute of Technological Research, Black Shadow's gaze never left her.
Ever since she had effortlessly destroyed a War Machine, she had become the greatest threat in this war.
A variable he could not ignore.
He had considered exhausting her strength, forcing her into fatigue.
But that idea had proven laughable.
Mu Qing's stamina seemed limitless.
Even after hours of continuous combat, her killing efficiency remained as terrifying as ever.
And now, she had led the Star City warriors through Future City's defenses, pushing toward the Institute of Technological Research.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before she arrived.
And when that happened, Black Shadow would have no choice but to confront her head-on.
The thought unsettled him.
He had studied Mu Qing for a long time and reached one chilling conclusion—
He could not defeat her.
A direct confrontation meant certain death.
But abandoning the Institute of Technological Research was not an option.
The institute was at a critical juncture in its research.
Years of meticulous planning, layers upon layers of preparation—he could not just throw it all away and flee.
Faced with a critical decision, Black Shadow's eyes gleamed with cold determination.
At last, he made up his mind. No more hesitation. No more holding back. It was time to reveal a hidden trump card—to unleash something that even he had been reluctant to use.
Black Shadow reached for his communicator.
Pressing a button, he spoke in a low voice.
"Release the Chimera."
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a hesitant reply.
"Boss… if the Chimera is released, the Psionic Race might detect our presence in Future City."
"Do as I say," Black Shadow ordered coldly.
A brief silence. Then, the voice on the other end responded with resignation.
"Understood."
Lowering the communicator, Black Shadow's gaze shifted toward a specific platform within the Institute of Technological Research's base.
Moments later, a large metallic container began to rise from the platform below.
The container was massive, with a black reaper's scythe insignia etched into its surface. A row of indicator lights flickered along the side.
If Feng Qi had been present, he would have immediately recognized this symbol.
Within the Institute of Technological Research, there was a secret division—the Biochemical Modification Department. Their primary research focused on biochemical alterations, bacteria, and viruses.
Feng Qi himself had once undergone brutal modifications in this very department in order to compete for the leadership position of the Wolf Fang Domain Combat Squad.
The modifications had granted him immense strength—but at a severe cost.
Chronic hair loss. Frequent internal hemorrhaging. His wounds never fully healed, leaving him in constant pain.
Now, the first indicator light on the metal container lit up with a sharp click, followed by the echo of mechanical springs releasing.
As more indicator lights activated in succession, the container's walls collapsed outward, releasing a surge of freezing mist.
The humid ground—soaked from the earlier downpour—instantly froze over. The ice spread outward rapidly, consuming everything within a hundred-meter radius. The once lush greenery nearby crystallized into frozen statues.
This alone was proof—whatever was inside that container had been stored at an unbelievably low temperature.
As the cold mist continued to billow outward, a colossal figure emerged from within.
It was a monstrous creation.
Standing nearly three meters tall, the creature had two heads, each positioned on opposite sides of its shoulders. Around its thick, muscular neck hung a necklace made from the bones of unknown creatures, shimmering with a dark, eerie glow.
Its arms were disproportionately long, thick and grotesquely overdeveloped, its fingers dragging against the ground even in a standing position.
Beneath its skin, every inch of its body pulsed with raw, unrestrained power.
For now, it remained frozen in suspended animation, its body encased in frost.
But as the icy exterior melted upon exposure to the outside world, its eyelids began to twitch.
A sign of awakening.
Watching this scene unfold, Black Shadow let out a weary sigh.
Had it not been absolutely necessary, he never would have resorted to this.
This creature's origins traced back to a forbidden Psionic Race experiment.
It was part of an advanced biological engineering project—a creation known as the Chimera Super Lifeform.
Unlike other domain creatures, the Chimera was not a naturally occurring species.
It was an artificial monstrosity, a fusion of multiple domain creature genes, meticulously selected and spliced together.
A perfect weapon.
This project had been one of the Psionic Race's most ambitious plans—an effort to engineer the ultimate biological warrior.
Their goal had been to combine the strongest genetic traits of multiple species while eliminating genetic weaknesses.
The result?
A lifeform with no natural flaws.
Except for one.
It had no intelligence.
The Psionic Race had deliberately stunted the Chimera's cognitive development.
For a simple reason—a thinking Chimera would be uncontrollable.
Intelligent Chimeras would quickly turn on their creators, making them impossible to command.
What many didn't know, however, was that the concept of the Chimera Super Lifeform did not originally come from the Psionic Race.
It was an ancient technology, a legacy buried within the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault.
When the Psionic Race had acquired the Vault, it had already contained an archive of forgotten technologies and knowledge.
These records had been left behind by the Vault's previous owners.
Though many of these records were beginning to fade—dissolving into an automatic self-reset process, triggered by the extinction of the Vault's former custodians—the Psionic Race had arrived just in time to halt the reset and claim its knowledge for themselves.
And among the information they recovered was the name of the extinct species that had once wielded the Vault—
The Tian Duo Race.
At their peak, the Tian Duo had been one of the most powerful civilizations in the Domain World, holding dominion over multiple smaller realms. They had stood at the very top of the food chain.
But in their hunger for even greater power, they had made a fatal mistake.
During their golden age, the Tian Duo had encountered an even stronger enemy—a domain force that dwarfed even their might.
Despite exhausting their full strength, the Tian Duo had found themselves completely outmatched.
Desperate, their scholars devised a last-ditch plan:
They would create a new type of super soldier—a hybrid warrior formed from the genetic material of multiple species.
A weaponized biological entity that could turn the tide of war.
This proposal was immediately put into action.
The Tian Duo began harvesting the DNA of enslaved domain species, fusing them with the genes of their own elite warriors.
For the base foundation, they selected a domain creature with extreme genetic adaptability—a species capable of merging with foreign DNA without rejection.
After years of experimentation, their ultimate creation was finally born—
The Chimera.
By the time the first Chimera emerged, the Tian Duo had already suffered devastating losses against their mysterious adversary.
Their last hope rested entirely on this newborn monstrosity.
They believed that the Chimera would be their salvation.
They were wrong.
What they had created was not a savior.
It was a devil.
The Tian Duo had made a critical mistake—they had given their creation intelligence.
They believed they could control the Chimera with an implantable life-switch, an engineered mechanism to terminate it at will.
But they had underestimated the Chimera's rapid evolution.
By absorbing the vast knowledge stored in the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault, the Chimera quickly grew far beyond their expectations.
It learned.
It understood.
It realized its existence was nothing more than a pawn to the Tian Duo.
With its insatiable hunger, it devoured the Tian Duo's genetic reserves, accelerating its own growth.
And, before they could react, the Chimera discovered the method to override the life-switch implanted within it.
Then, as the Tian Duo stood on the brink of defeat against their true enemies—
The Chimera turned against them.
Delivering the final blow to their dying civilization.
Just like that, the Tian Duo vanished from history.
Yet the Chimera lived on.
It had escaped into the Domain World.
Becoming a cataclysmic force of its own.
The Chimera, forged from the finest genetic traits, was insatiable and relentless.
Its unending evolution had led to multiple large-scale extermination efforts by different species.
But it had never truly been killed.
Each time it perished, its body would explode, scattering countless demonic eggs into the surroundings.
These eggs, in essence, were fragmented parts of the Chimera itself. Upon hatching, they would devour any nearby life, assimilating genetic material before instinctively seeking out their fellow spawn. Once reunited, they would consume each other, merging into a singular form. And at that moment, the Chimera's core consciousness would awaken again.
It was nearly immortal, having been eradicated several times—yet each time, it would resurrect, stronger than before.
Possessing terrifying intelligence, the Chimera had long been classified as a Calamity-Level Entity by domain species. Wherever it surfaced, a Death Tide Disaster followed.
Having learned from history, the Psionic Race had indeed mastered the process of creating Chimeric Lifeforms.
But they had vowed never to bestow intelligence upon them.
An intelligent Chimera was a double-edged sword—one that, if left unchecked, could bring absolute destruction to its own creators.
Although this research was not the Psionic Race's highest priority, to Black Shadow, it was everything.
Unlike the Psionic Race, he had no resources, no grand heritage. Ever since his defection, the only way he could rival them was through shortcuts.
A slow, steady climb was not an option.
Chimeric Lifeforms were risky, but they were also one of his only paths forward.
Just like the Black Reaper Project.
If he wanted to escape the Psionic Race's ever-present hunt, he needed enough power to challenge them directly.
And this two-headed Chimera was one of the ultimate weapons in his arsenal.
He had named it "Twin-Headed Demon."
The creation of this Chimeric Lifeform had required 4,395 failed experiments before yielding a single success.
The Twin-Headed Demon possessed the elite traits of 378 different domain creatures.
Its regenerative ability was unmatched.
Its physical strength was monstrous.
Its affinity for spellcasting was near-instinctual.
It had inborn mastery over various magical arts.
And most terrifying of all—it still had room to grow.
The only flaw?
It lacked intelligence and was prone to uncontrollable berserk episodes.
But compared to an intelligent Chimera going rogue, this mindless rampage was an acceptable risk.
To prevent unnecessary destruction, Black Shadow had sealed the Twin-Headed Demon inside a specially crafted frozen containment cell, keeping it in a state of suspended animation.
Until now, he had never planned to unleash it.
After all, the Chimera Project was based on forbidden knowledge from the Sacred Spirit Consciousness Vault. If the Psionic Race discovered his involvement, he would be completely exposed.
But against Mu Qing, he had no other choice.
As the ice continued melting off the Twin-Headed Demon's body, another metallic crate rose from the platform beside it.
With a click, the crate unsealed, revealing a set of battle armor engraved with Psionic Runes, along with a massive blood-red battle axe.
Minutes later, the Twin-Headed Demon opened its eyes.
It sniffed the air, then turned its gaze toward Black Shadow, an eager expression appearing on both of its faces.
"Put on your gear. Kill her. And then… you'll get your food."
Black Shadow extended a hand, pointing toward the distant figure of Mu Qing.
For a brief moment, the Twin-Headed Demon froze, as if trying to process his words.
It remained silent for nearly a full minute.
Then, snapping back to reality, it strode toward the weapons crate, reaching for its gear.
The armor and weapon had been custom-forged for its massive frame, fitting it perfectly.
This Psionic Power Armor was one of the Institute of Technological Research's most advanced creations. The sheer cost of producing it was enough to equip an entire battalion.
It was leagues beyond the City Defense Corps' standard gear.
Once fully equipped, the Twin-Headed Demon had undergone a complete transformation.
Now clad in rune-inscribed armor, wielding a towering blood-red battle axe, each of its two heads wore a golden lion's helmet, exuding a terrifying Psionic Energy field.
Even standing motionless, waves of spiritual pressure rippled outward.
"Go. Kill her. When you return, you'll eat."
At Black Shadow's command, the Twin-Headed Demon nodded.
Then, without hesitation, it launched itself forward.
In a single leap, it soared dozens of meters, before slamming into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Crouching, it coiled its massive frame—then leaped again.
Moving like a monstrous blur, it rapidly closed the distance to the battlefield.
At that moment, Mu Qing was leading the Dawn Army in a relentless assault.
If not for supporting her allies, she could have already breached the City Defense Corps' ranks and stormed the Institute of Technological Research.
After smashing through a heavily armored war vehicle, she prepared to continue her charge—
Then, she suddenly sensed something.
Lifting her gaze, she saw it.
A towering, two-headed giant.
Its blood-red eyes locked onto her with a murderous glare.
In that brief instant, Mu Qing felt it.
Pure, unfiltered killing intent.
Before she could react, the Twin-Headed Demon launched itself high into the air.
Then, it came crashing down, bringing its massive battle axe overhead.
The weapon glowed with blinding light, descending like a divine blade of judgment.
Mu Qing did not retreat.
Instead, she threw her right fist forward.
Boom!
The instant fist met axe, the entire battlefield shook.
Within a hundred-meter radius, the ground collapsed, deep cracks forming like an intricate web.
The sheer force of impact sent nearby armored war machines flying.
For a brief moment, the two forces clashed in a deadlock.
The Twin-Headed Demon grinned, its monstrous jaws twisting into a grotesque smile.
It pressed down with its full weight, forcing more power into the axe.
But within seconds, its expression changed.
Because Mu Qing was lifting the axe.
Slowly.
Effortlessly.
As if testing its weight.
Her gaze swept across the Chimera, a look of curiosity in her eyes.
She wasn't focused on its strength.
She wasn't analyzing its power.
She was just…
Wondering why it had two heads.
With a roar, the Twin-Headed Demon activated its Psionic Core, the runes inscribed on its weapon flaring to life.
Its muscles tensed, its strength surged—
Mu Qing wanted to finish this fight with a single punch.
The Twin-Headed Demon tried to bring its axe down and split her in two. But as the weapon descended, Mu Qing's fist only sank an inch before stopping its force entirely.
A radiant jade-colored glow erupted from her body.
At that moment, her left fist swung forward. The sheer pressure from her movement fractured the air itself, causing visible cracks to spread through space as if reality itself couldn't handle her power.
Boom!
Her punch landed squarely on the Twin-Headed Demon's abdomen. The battle armor inscribed with Psionic Runes dented inward as if struck by an unbreakable force.
The massive creature was launched backward like a cannonball, skidding across the battlefield. It plowed through countless soldiers, knocking over allies and enemies alike before crashing into a heavily armored war vehicle.
Half of its body was buried inside the wreckage.
Any other creature would have been reduced to nothing but pulp after taking a direct hit from Mu Qing.
But not the Twin-Headed Demon.
It shook its heads, slightly dazed but still alive.
The engraved psionic symbols on its chestplate detached, forming a floating array of glowing characters that rapidly repaired the armor.
Simultaneously, its self-healing ability kicked in.
The bruises and internal injuries on its abdomen vanished within seconds, its body returning to peak condition as if it had never been wounded at all.
Raising its heads, it glared at Mu Qing and let out a thunderous war cry.
It lifted its weapon, swinging it wildly, as if taunting her into a fight.
Mu Qing's response?
A blur of motion.
In an instant, she disappeared from sight and reappeared directly in front of it.
She crouched slightly, coiling her strength, before her right arm lashed forward like a whip.
The impact landed on the Twin-Headed Demon's abdomen again.
This time, its feet left the ground, its massive body flung high into the sky.
Mu Qing didn't stop.
As it soared, she leapt up, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
Her fist slammed into its spine mid-air.
A deafening sonic boom exploded through the battlefield.
The Twin-Headed Demon let out an agonized shriek, its body twisting violently as it tried to regain control.
But it refused to be beaten down.
Twisting its body, it locked its blood-red gaze onto Mu Qing.
A complex psionic formation suddenly materialized before it, glowing with blinding radiance.
The Twin-Headed Demon's genetic code contained traits from multiple high-tier domain creatures, many of which had innate spellcasting abilities.
For humans, activating spells required intricate chanting and ritualistic formations.
For the Twin-Headed Demon, magic was as natural as breathing.
It took only a fraction of a second for the formation to be completed.
The surrounding energy surged toward it, pouring into the floating glyphs.
As the symbols spiraled around its body, its muscles expanded, its form enlarging as golden divine radiance enveloped its skin.
From above, the Twin-Headed Demon plummeted toward Mu Qing, its glowing battle axe raised high.
Mu Qing had no interest in dragging this fight out.
Her stance lowered, her knees bending slightly.
The jade-colored energy surrounding her began to spin wildly, forming expanding ripples of jade-colored waves.
The sheer pressure of her aura intensified.
The crimson runes embedded in her arms flickered.
With a sharp exhale, she threw her fist forward.
Boom!
Fist met blood-red battle axe.
The resulting shockwave tore across the battlefield like a hurricane.
Nearby Star City soldiers and City Defense warriors were blasted off their feet, struggling to even keep their eyes open in the overwhelming storm of energy.
Jade-colored lightning arced across Mu Qing's fist.
The Twin-Headed Demon tried to push through the impact, pouring all its strength into the axe.
But it was pointless.
Even with rune-enhanced amplification, it couldn't overpower Mu Qing's raw strength.
Wave after wave of force rippled from the collision.
The ground quaked beneath them, deep fissures splitting outward in every direction.
Finally, the Twin-Headed Demon buckled.
Its entire body was blasted backward, sent flying over a hundred meters before crashing into a skyscraper.
Mu Qing's eyes glowed with crimson light.
The jade energy surrounding her body had begun to transform into crackling lightning.
She was entering an advanced state—one that pushed her power to unthinkable heights.
With a single crouching motion, she vanished.
In the blink of an eye, she reappeared in front of the fallen demon.
Her right arm, now completely coated in electrified jade energy, swung down like a mountain-splitting axe.
Her fist crashed against its skull.
Boom!
The shockwave utterly demolished the entire building, reducing it to nothing but rubble.
Chunks of concrete and steel rained down from the sky, but before they could even touch Mu Qing, they were disintegrated into dust by the electric energy surrounding her body.
The Twin-Headed Demon still refused to submit.
It twitched, struggling to rise.
But in front of Mu Qing, its resistance was meaningless.
This ultimate weapon, this so-called unstoppable chimeric lifeform, was being utterly crushed.
As the brutal assault continued, something appeared above Mu Qing's head.
A phantom beast, massive and shadowy, materialized behind her.
Its aura was terrifying.
For the first time, fear appeared in the Twin-Headed Demon's eyes.
Its genetically enhanced senses told it something terrifying.
That phantom creature above Mu Qing was a predator standing at the absolute top of the food chain.
The Twin-Headed Demon's instincts screamed at it.
It trembled.
It began to cry.
But Mu Qing was merciless.
Her entire form was now bathed in crackling energy, her hair turning pure jade.
Her eyes, once glowing with deep red, now burned like bottomless abysses.
She kept punching.
Each strike drove the Twin-Headed Demon deeper into the ground.
Its psionic armor shattered completely, unable to regenerate anymore.
The sheer force of her attacks caused the battlefield to sink beneath them.
Slowly, the Twin-Headed Demon's body stopped moving.
Its regenerative abilities continued to struggle, desperately patching its broken form.
But it was too late.
Above Mu Qing, the phantom beast raised its head.
A deep, bone-chilling roar shook the battlefield.
At that moment, the Twin-Headed Demon's fear turned into despair.
The jade-colored energy around Mu Qing shifted.
A trace of crimson flickered through the radiance, swirling around her right arm before condensing into her fist.
Her final punch fell.
The Twin-Headed Demon, once hailed as an unstoppable biological weapon, exploded into countless bloody fragments.
"Ang—!!"
As its remains scattered, the phantom beast above Mu Qing howled into the sky, its presence momentarily silencing the entire battlefield.
The war paused.
Both Star City's warriors and Future City's defenders froze in place.
Mu Qing exhaled sharply, her chest rising and falling.
Her fingers trembled.
Her mind was on the brink of losing control.
If she let go now, if she let the rage consume her, she would destroy everything in sight.
With a deep breath, she forced herself to kneel.
Slowly, she shut her eyes, suppressing the violence boiling in her veins.
She had to calm down.
Because if she lost herself now—
There would be no stopping her.
At the Research Institute, Black Shadow's expression twisted in shock.
The Twin-Headed Demon had been completely annihilated by Mu Qing in less than ten minutes.
His earlier assessment of her strength had been entirely wrong.
But what truly shook him was the phantom beast looming above Mu Qing's head. Even from afar, he could feel its overwhelming presence, a force so suffocating that it seemed to crush the heavens.
"This is... the power of a Pillar God?"
The thought alone was unbelievable, even to himself.
Pillar Gods were supreme beings, standing above all domain creatures. They were gods in the truest sense, transcending all living things.
Their exact strength was unknown.
But one thing was certain—even the weakest races in the Domain World understood one fundamental truth:
The power of a Pillar God was beyond mortal comprehension.
Even a single drop of their dried blood, a single strand of fur, could elevate an entire species to greatness.
According to Black Shadow's knowledge, the Mist Clan, once the mightiest force in the Psionic Race's homeworld, had risen to dominance because of a single drop of dried blood from a Pillar God. That single remnant transformed them into a terrifying force that conquered countless smaller realms.
Yet at this moment, Mu Qing wasn't just touched by the power of a Pillar God.
The energy emanating from her was whole, complete.
It was as if she was a seed, destined to one day grow into a transcendent existence, standing at the pinnacle of all living things.
An unstoppable god.
His mind was in complete turmoil, and for the first time, a single, undeniable thought crept into his heart.
He had to run.
No matter how powerful Star City's army was, he could handle them. He had other trump cards.
But facing someone who might inherit the power of a Pillar God?
Even his soul trembled in fear.
His thoughts turned to the Black Reaper Project, the hidden experiment in the core sector.
But he quickly dismissed it.
That project was the foundation of his future. It was still in its early testing phase, and activating it now would bring too many uncontrollable risks.
From a long-term perspective, even if he lost the Research Institute, he couldn't afford to expose the Black Reaper Project prematurely.
Just as he was lost in thought, a figure suddenly leaped through the air, crossing over the Research Institute's defensive perimeter before landing before him.
Feng Qi had arrived.
While the western battlefield was still locked in ferocious combat, he had already led the Dawn Army through the defensive lines, breaking into the central region.
The battle behind him still raged on, but he had chosen to come here alone.
Because history had already proven one thing—
When things spiraled out of control, Black Shadow would run.
In one of the past historical timelines, Black Shadow, facing total defeat, had fled Future City, taking Mo with him. His whereabouts after that remained unknown.
At the time, Feng Qi had hoped that 1,500 years into the future, Little Black would finally cease to exist.
Reality had slapped him in the face.
No matter how much the timeline changed, Little Black never abandoned him.
Always eager to send him on his way.
"Want to come down and have a chat?"
Feng Qi, in his Blood Giant Form, raised his head and grinned at the floating Black Shadow.
To his invitation, Black Shadow did not refuse.
His figure descended, landing in front of Feng Qi.
"I don't understand," Black Shadow said coldly. "Why did you lead Star City's army to invade Future City? Is there really some irreconcilable conflict of interest between us? Even if there was, we could have negotiated. Why did you choose war? What exactly are you after?"
Facing his old enemy, who floated like a ghost before him, Feng Qi did not directly answer his string of questions.
Black Shadow had many doubts.
But so did he.
So instead, he said, "How about an exchange of information? We each get to ask a question, and we both answer honestly."
Black Shadow was momentarily stunned.
He had not expected Feng Qi to propose such an approach.
After a brief moment of thought, he nodded.
"Fine."
Hearing his agreement, Feng Qi immediately asked his first question:
"Do you know anything about the Blue-Skinned Race? You should know what I'm referring to."
At his words, Black Shadow's expression flickered.
He seemed surprised that Feng Qi even knew of their existence.
After a brief pause, he responded:
"I know very little about them. But I do know that something powerful—something on the level of a Pillar God—stands behind them. These blue-skinned creatures are far from as simple as they seem."
"Be more specific," Feng Qi pressed, his brows furrowing.
"I already told you, I don't know much," Black Shadow said. "But I can share one piece of intelligence gathered by another species that conducted extensive research on the Blue-Skinned Race."
"Let me guess," Feng Qi smirked. "That 'species' you're referring to is the Psionic Race, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Black Shadow's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"How do you know I meant the Psionic Race? Just how much do you actually know?"
"Answer my question first," Feng Qi countered. "Then I'll answer yours. Now, continue—what was the Psionic Race's discovery regarding the Blue-Skinned Race?"
Black Shadow hesitated for a moment before finally saying:
"After years of in-depth research, the Psionic Race's scholars classified the Blue-Skinned Race as—"
"Test Subjects."
"Test subjects?" Feng Qi's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. They referred to them as 'Beta Test Creatures.'"
"As for why, I don't know," Black Shadow admitted.