Chapter 1076

〈 Episode 1076 〉 1076. The Atlantis of the Spirit

Outside the wall, Li Mei was pounding on it, repeatedly opening and closing her mouth as if shouting, but I couldn’t hear a thing. I gave her a sly smile and waved.

Thirty seconds later, everything transformed completely. Li Mei’s figure had vanished.

“The sector erosion is complete.”

“Sector 5,845: The Realm Where Heavy Gazes Fall.”

“All stats decrease by 20%.”

“The Heavy Eye smiles contentedly.”

“The Lord of the Sky clicks his tongue.”

“The King of the Marketplace vents his dissatisfaction.”

Sector erosion…

There could be various reasons for it, but the main cause of this sector erosion is when the domain of the Spirit Throne encroaches upon the territory of Atlantis.

Cheng Guaoli must have attempted to trigger the sector erosion using the power of the Spirit Throne called ‘Heavy Eye.’

“Cheng Guaoli probably made a deal with the Spirit Throne known as the Heavy Eye. For him to pull something like this openly… the Heavy Eye isn’t just any ordinary Spirit Throne. At the very least, it must be at the Divine Rank.”

A Hero Rank Spirit Throne would be too much to handle. The system is likely scrambling right now to keep the Heavy Eye in check.

“Heavy Eye… Heavy Eye… This name isn’t in the setting guidebook… what’s its true identity?”

I racked my brain, but deducing the true name from just the Spirit Throne’s title wasn’t easy.

“Ch, Chariot Master!”

Someone called out to me. Turning around, I saw the men of the Black Bamboo Gang who had been fleeing alongside us.

“What is it?”

“Please send us outside too! We will surely repay your kindness!”

“It’s too late. You can’t leave here now.”

I extended my hand forward. There was nothing within reach. The wall that had blocked us was already gone. This place had become another dimension. The ground was barren, and the sky was dark. To escape here, we’d need to conquer it.

“A special situation has arisen.”

“To leave Sector 5,845: The Realm Where Heavy Gazes Fall, you must eliminate the medium of erosion.”

“The penalty disappears. Stats return to normal.”

The original stats that had dropped by 20% were restored.

Ku-kung, ku-ku-ku-kung. In the desolate black earth, buildings resembling ruins shot up.

It seems the System and the Heavy Eye had reached an agreement. Given that neither the Lord of the Sky nor the King of the Marketplace reacted, it appears they found the resolution acceptable.

‘The System must be struggling too.’

Not all Spirits fully cooperate with the System. In fact, quite the opposite—many Spirits troll whenever they get the chance. It’s pitiful how the System has to control all those troublemakers.

“F, F*ck! Please help us!”

One of the men threw himself down and grabbed one of my legs. Though my irritation surged, I restrained myself once.

“Let go of this.”

“We know it’s shameless! But… we need your help! Please, help us!”

The man was quick-witted. He realized I was about to abandon them and head elsewhere. However, given the current situation, there was no reason for me to take these guys along. Would they be helpful? Ha! What a joke. As long as they don’t hinder me, that’s enough.

Raising my sword, I cut off the arm and head of the man clinging to my leg. He died instantly.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”

“M, Madman!!”

“Is this betrayal…?!”

The others screamed in shock and retreated.

“Does this look like betrayal to you? From the start, there was no connection between you and me. Don’t get in my way. If you want to survive, gather yourselves and figure it out.”


With a blank stare, I ignored them and moved to a suitable spot. First things first—I planned to quietly scout around and assess the situation.

“Hmm… Since I sent Lena to retrieve Ri Mai, if I just hold out, she’ll probably come to my rescue.”

I suddenly looked up at the black pillar. It continued to emit ominous fluctuations as it had been doing all along.

“…”

“I’m huuuungry… So hungry!!”

Wang Xuan was chasing after me. Despite his massive body, he was surprisingly fast. I clicked my tongue and ran quickly. Wang Xuan destroyed everything in his path while pursuing me. Not even a giant rock over 30 meters tall could stop him.

As I fled, whenever there was enough distance between us, I hurled a spear at him. The spear pierced his body perfectly but failed to kill him.

“This is getting repetitive… fifty times already? And he doesn’t even tire!”

What annoyed me most was that I couldn’t kill him.

“How long do you think you can keep running?”

Cheng Guoli’s voice echoed from the black pillar. He knew exactly where I was.

“Probably another week?”

It had been two days now. To be honest, I was starting to feel exhausted—not only because of Wang Xuan, but also because others were hunting me too.

Gurrrr…

I felt subtle vibrations beneath the ground. Concentrating my senses, I noticed black hands emerging from the earth, attempting to grab my legs. I evaded them all, and when one managed to catch me, I swiftly sliced it off with my sword.

“I’M SO HUUUUUUNGRY!!!”

Wang Xuan devoured the black hands while accelerating.

A cliff loomed ahead. Beyond it lay another landmass. Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the edge.

Heavenly Demon Art: Tyrant’s Step!

Using full strength, I activated Heavenly Demon’s Overlord Step. Walking across empty air, I crossed the chasm effortlessly. In contrast, Wang Xuan blindly charged straight into the abyss. BOOM! A heavy sound resonated below as he hit the ground, twitching violently.

“At least I’ve bought some time…”

Eventually, Wang Xuan would climb back up and resume the chase. Meanwhile, I needed to either escape or conquer this area.

“The source of corruption is obvious—it’s that black pillar.”

Approaching the black pillar emitting deadly waves proved impossible. Those dark fluctuations drained life energy upon proximity.

“Haha! You’ve bought yourself more time. Aren’t you glad to survive a little longer? What will you do next? Stop running already?”

Cheng Guoli’s voice rang out again from the black pillar.

“…Cheng Guoli, you’ve been talkative since yesterday. Why don’t you confront me directly?”

“Why should I move when you can’t even handle Wang Xuan? The moment you weaken, Wang Xuan will devour you.”

Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the black pillar.

“You’re stuck near the pillar, aren’t you? What are you doing?”

“Should I tell you that?”

“When you think I’ll keep running forever, you’re mistaken. I’ll go and kill you.”

“Hmph. Before that, you need to defeat Wang Xuan. Let me give you a hint since I admire your determination. Wang Xuan can substitute his own death for every human soul he consumes. Understand? You’ve killed over a thousand souls already.”

“That’s not helpful advice.”

“Haha! No sense of guilt, huh? Fine. Here’s a better hint: Kill him 7,141 more times, and Wang Xuan will die.”

Lowering my head, I saw Wang Xuan struggling to climb the cliff. However, due to his immense weight, he kept slipping and falling repeatedly.

“Kill him 7,141 times? Are you serious?”

Even hundreds would be manageable, but thousands? That’s absurd. Not only would it be exhausting, but I simply don’t have the time.

Turning around, I began fleeing once more. Where I was heading? I didn’t know.

Five hours later, a new notification appeared.

“Region 5,845 has corrupted Region 5,846.”

“The corruption level has increased.”

‘The corruption isn’t stopping and is spreading to nearby regions?’

This wasn’t good.

“Undead rise!”

From the blackened earth emerged undead creatures. They wandered aimlessly until spotting me, then lunged forward, fueled by their hatred for the living.

Zzzziiiiipppp…

Blue lightning crackled at my fingertips.


A bolt of lightning swept past the undead, leaving their bodies scorched.

「You have gained 5 AP.」

「You have gained 2 AP.」

「You have gained 6 AP.」

…

I dispatched the undead and earned some AP—about 50AP in total. To me, it’s pocket change at best.

‘The black pillar. That thing is growing stranger as time passes.’

At first, it was almost a perfect cylinder. Now, its surface undulates like a living organism. It looks as though black veins are crawling across the pillar.

‘Wang Xuan hasn’t been chasing me for a while now. Did he give up entirely?’

Just in case, I tore up a Spatial Teleportation Scroll.

「Spatial Teleportation Scroll cannot be used.」

As expected.

More time passed.

A group appeared. About thirty people, all armed. They looked like a mid-sized Legion assault team. I observed them quietly from afar. They were cutting down undead as they marched boldly toward the black pillar.

The pillar twitched. This wasn’t an optical illusion caused by vibrations—it was genuinely writhing.

Dark waves from the pillar gathered at its tip, forming a single shape.

A crimson eye.

‘Not Sauron’s tower… what *is* that thing?’

The attackers unleashed their attacks on the black pillar.

“Hahaha! The foundation has finally been completed!”

Cheng Qiaoli’s satisfied voice echoed. Then the black pillar’s gaze turned toward the attackers. Those who met its gaze collapsed forward—dead. Just from meeting its gaze.

‘It didn’t even emit a dark wave. It really killed thirty people instantly with just its gaze?’

Unbelievable, but since I witnessed it with my own eyes, disbelief isn’t an option.

Swoosh, swoosh.

The crimson eye atop the black pillar darted around before locking onto me.

“Guhk!”

Kneel.

My knees hit the ground. My breath caught. My heart stopped. It felt as if the cold hand of death had grabbed me.

A familiar sensation. Death was coming.

Even as my body succumbed, my consciousness remained calm, analyzing the situation.

The power to kill with a mere glance.

I’ve heard of this myth before.

I realized what the Heavy Eye’s true name was.

‘Cheng Qiaoli… you troublesome guy made a contract, huh.’

[Death Resistance activated. You will not die for the next 15 seconds.]

—

Elena received an unwelcome visitor.

She doesn’t like unwelcome visitors. Nine out of ten uninvited guests bring bad news.

Normally, she would dismiss such visitors immediately, but this one was related to Sung Yoojin, so she couldn’t do that.

The woman had pink hair and wore a pink cheongsam, looking every bit the enchantress capable of ensnaring men. Her attire was provocative. However, Li Mei’s complexion was poor; she hadn’t slept properly for days.

“Your name is Li Mei, correct?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Yoojin sent me. We need your help.”

Elena didn’t like it.

But she couldn’t handle matters based solely on her feelings when Li Mei’s expression was so grave. Instinct told her the situation was worsening.

“…Tell me what happened. In detail.”

Li Mei explained everything: the mission to eliminate Heizhu Mangzhu, Wang Xuan’s transformation into Averrhoa, the Black Pillar, the Zone Corruption. She held nothing back. Elena’s gaze was too intimidating, and she worried about Sung Yoojin.

“…There must be something significant about Heizhu Mangzhu. Perhaps it was Gothville. I should have handled this myself.”

Elena sighed deeply and stood up.

“…Yoojin might already be dead. Three days have passed.”

Li Mei spoke with a despondent tone.

“That won’t happen.”

Elena denied Li Mei’s words with absolute certainty.

“…How can you be so sure?”

“If my guess is correct, if he were dead… this world would have already ceased.”

“What?”

“He’s not the type to die so easily.”

“…I want to go with you.”

“Stay here. You’ll only hinder me.”

Before Li Mei could protest, Elena disappeared.