Chapter 491: Fated Enemy
As Soul Refiner tore out the fifth gem from his chest, his expression dazed, he murmured:
“By the way… your greatest enemy at this stage isn’t an external threat, but one rooted within humanity itself. The forces that brought me to this end are deeply entrenched within your own kind… You should withdraw from the world now. Never reveal this power unless absolutely necessary. This thing is both a passport to becoming the ultimate powerhouse and a source of endless calamity.”
Faced with Jiang Nanqiu’s persistent questioning, Soul Refiner shook his head and fell silent.
Before his life force completely drained away, Soul Refiner pressed five bloodstained gems into Jiang Nanqiu’s hand, one by one.
“Jiang Nanqiu, you won our final battle… Promise me you’ll never lose again. Carry on with my fighting spirit. You’re only worthy of losing to me!”
Soul Refiner nearly shouted these final words.
As the wind and snow lashed against his face, Jiang Nanqiu suddenly saw the image of that young, naive child.
“Jiang Nanqiu, from today onward, you are my Soul Refiner’s whetstone!”
“Jiang Nanqiu, get up! Ignite your fighting spirit and continue the battle with me!”
“Jiang Nanqiu, you worthless trash! How could I have chosen you as my whetstone back then? If you fail to satisfy me next time, you might as well die!”
“Hahaha, Jiang Nanqiu, keep improving like this! Keep pace with me!”
Decades passed like the blink of an eye.
Looking back on the past felt like a dream.
Later, he inherited the Soul Refiner’s legacy, embedding the five gemstones into his body.
He remembered the Soul Refiner’s warning: “Never reveal this power unless absolutely necessary, or it will bring disaster. With your current strength, you cannot protect this legacy.”
Thus, he feigned a relapse of his old illness and resigned from his position as North Sea Commander, withdrawing from frontline combat and returning to Victory City.
Recalling the Soul Refiner’s words—that humanity’s greatest threat lay within, not without—he suspected that Domain Force agents were lurking within human society. Under the guise of giving speeches, he traveled to various cities, searching for clues.
During this time, he discovered that traces of the Soul Refiner’s consciousness remained within the five gemstones.
This consciousness burned within him like an indelible flame, constantly spurring him to maintain his fighting spirit.
In a daze, Jiang Nanqiu snapped back to reality.
He looked up.
The menacing black figure hovering above him opened its eyes at the same moment.
As their gazes locked, he recalled Soul Refiner’s dying words:
“Jiang Nanqiu, you won our final battle… Promise me you’ll never lose again. Carry my fighting spirit forward—you’re only worthy of losing to me!”
A surging battle intent ignited within him, piercing through the illusory mental landscape.
His body was once again enveloped in pitch-blackness, and a torrent of vital energy surged through his veins.
Just then, Mu Qing broke free from the Blood-Colored Illusory Cauldron and unleashed a ferocious punch at him.
Jiang Nanqiu countered with a punch of his own.
Boom!
A terrifying pressure erupted from their clash, sweeping outward in all directions. Jiang Nanqiu’s body instantly shattered, only to reform in the next instant, his fist slamming into Mu Qing again.
With each exchange of blows, Jiang Nanqiu’s qi momentum surged higher and higher.
The war between Star City and Future City raged on. Every second, human warriors fell, manipulated by the domain-creatures lurking behind the scenes. He desperately needed to end this conflict swiftly.
This was also one of the reasons he didn’t want to waste time listening to Feng Qi’s explanation.
He had long been aware of the Domain Sleeper Faction lurking within human society.
As his battle intent surged, the five gems on Jiang Nanqiu’s body simultaneously flashed with light.
Boom!
After another exchange of punches, Jiang Nanqiu’s shattered flesh instantly converged toward the center, reforming in the blink of an eye.
As long as my battle intent burns, I cannot die!
Punch after punch, even though each blow ended in defeat, Jiang Nanqiu continued to strike with full force, his qi momentum never faltering.
The pitch-black monster hovering above his head grew increasingly ferocious, its form twisting in tandem with Jiang Nanqiu’s rising battle intent.
Feng Qi, watching from the sidelines, was stunned.
He had never imagined Jiang Nanqiu possessed such terrifying combat prowess.
“He’s dying,” the black shadow hovering beside him suddenly said.
“Why?”
“Though he possesses a miracle item, his lifespan hasn’t been extended. The moment his life force runs out, even if he regenerates a trillion times, it won’t matter. His time is nearly up, and there’s no turning back.”
Feng Qi understood the black shadow’s explanation.
While the five gems granted Jiang Nanqiu extraordinary combat power, this miracle item ultimately failed to enhance his fundamental strength.
No matter how powerful he became, his lifespan would eventually reach its end, leading to inevitable death.
After all, miracle items differed from cultivation techniques; their enhancements were not comprehensive.
“Lifespan remains the Achilles’ heel of human growth,” the black shadow said, shaking its head. “This race lacks the accumulated growth of a long bloodline. Despite their immense creativity, their exposure to cultivation studies has been far too brief.”
Hearing these words, Feng Qi remained silent, his gaze returning to Jiang Nanqiu.
As the black shadow had said, beneath Jiang Nanqiu’s valiant facade, his body was rapidly deteriorating.
Wrinkles deepened on his face, and his full head of white hair slowly began to fall out—all undeniable signs of his aging body.
Boom!
After another clash of fists, Jiang Nanqiu’s body exploded once more.
As his body reassembled, Jiang Nanqiu once again assumed a boxing stance, but his fist remained poised, never striking.
“I’m sorry… I’ve still lost,” he murmured, his eyes gradually turning gray-white.
The pitch-black, ferocious figure hovering above him slowly merged with his body.
A gentle breeze swept through, causing his snow-white hair to fall away.
The life force within him had been completely exhausted, and the five gemstones embedded in his chest dimmed and went dark.
Sensing the absence of killing intent, Mu Qing’s fist abruptly halted, the scarlet light in her eyes gradually fading.
She gazed at Jiang Nanqiu, who stood before her in a boxing stance, her expression complex.
She could feel that Jiang Nanqiu’s fighting spirit stemmed from his deep love for humanity.
But this battle line’s advance could not be hindered by any obstacle.
“Perhaps on the next battle line, we’ll be comrades-in-arms!”
With a wave of her hand, she closed Jiang Nanqiu’s open eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to face the domain warriors charging toward her from all directions, their battle cries echoing through the air.
Flowing jade light once again enveloped her body.
(End of the Chapter)