Chapter Sixty: The Most Precious Reward in History

Deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains, sunlight fell evenly upon the figure who emerged slowly, steadying himself against the edge of the cave. His face was as refined as jade, his gaze as serene as drifting clouds—it was none other than Chu Hanyu, the Sovereign of Myriad Phenomena.

He had successfully defeated the luck-stricken Demon Clan Martial Sovereign, yet after merging the source energy crystal into the Azure Realm, Chu Hanyu still felt a wave of weakness. He noticed the unmastered energy of the Dao of Time rampaging through his body, while reinforcements that should have arrived instantly had not yet come. Chu Hanyu shook his head, pondering, “What exactly did ‘I’ do before to provoke Qi Luo so much that he dismissed my plea for help?”

Chu Hanyu glanced up at the sky, his body slowly sinking to the ground. With a flick of his finger, he expelled a glowing orb radiating a profound, terrifying aura—it was the act of forcibly abandoning a portion of the Dao of Time energy he had yet to comprehend. This energy, which Martial Sovereigns would normally revere, was cast aside as if it were nothing, a scenario scarcely imaginable.

He had no choice. Though he appeared calm and decisive, the truth was, had he not acted, he would have faced mortal peril. After all, he had just slain an opponent of equal rank (though the other had not yet undergone tribulation and was not a true Martial Sovereign). His memory recovery was not a total conquest of the Dao of Time energy, but a temporary restoration triggered by shock; even his previous injuries were not fully healed. It seemed since his emergence, fortune had not favored him.

Yet, precisely because he was in poor condition, he needed to remain rational and not succumb to greed. Thankfully, he had already grasped part of the Dao of Time’s laws; a second attempt would surely be easier. Without hesitation, he expelled the most intricate and terrifying portion of the energy he had yet to comprehend.

Coincidentally, he used the very finger that had once lightly tapped Zhang Ning’s forehead.

At the surge of the beast tide—

“Zhang Ning…you bastard!” Tears welled in Meng Meng’s eyes as she realized Zhang Ning had placed her in another space.

Indeed, Zhang Ning had ultimately used that storage ring! Yet, instead of saving himself, he put Meng Meng inside and remained outside.

After severing his only escape, Zhang Ning became strangely calm. Amidst the terrifying, unstoppable beast tide, his eyes grew resolute, his youthful features now bearing a maturity far beyond his years. Immersing his mind in the system, he found the bright red “Invincible Mode” and pressed it fiercely! The attention value he had painstakingly accumulated through countless resources and even selling his looks now blazed like wildfire!

“Ding! Invincible Mode forcibly activating…consuming attention value: two million per minute!”

“What?!” Zhang Ning cursed aloud. What was this?! At best, he could sustain it for only a few minutes—painfully expensive! Wait…what’s happening?

A surge of agony swept through Zhang Ning, eliciting a scream more beast than human. He could no longer care about attention value. In his mind, the system prompts chimed incessantly: “Invincible Mode forcibly activating…activation failed! Retrying…activation failed!”

The relentless pain rendered Zhang Ning utterly helpless, tumbling amidst the raging beast tide, howling and rolling on the ground as countless exotic beasts and wild animals trampled over him, soared above him!

Fortunately, his curled, frail body was so small that he was not immediately crushed and thus, for the moment, remained alive.

Yet, it was clear that any second, Zhang Ning would be trampled into a pulp, not even a fragment of bone remaining!

With every passing moment, Zhang Ning edged closer to death.

“Host’s basic stats insufficient—Invincible Mode cannot activate! Warning, warning! Invincible Mode cannot activate!”

The system had failed him! Why hadn’t it warned him about the basic stat requirement?

Was he destined to die here today?

Despair filled Zhang Ning’s eyes, and his life flashed before him as time seemed to slow.

Just as Zhang Ning was resigned to death, a heavenly sound echoed in his mind: “VIP client donation received—one portion of Dao of Time energy! Accepting…fusion complete…Invincible Mode activated!”

Amidst the surging beast tide, a cloud of rainbow smoke erupted from the ground. The exotic beasts that had been passing by Zhang Ning vanished instantly, leaving not a trace of their existence.

A man rose from where Zhang Ning had collapsed.

His posture was upright, black hair billowing in the air, his alluringly handsome face breathtaking. Sun-kissed skin and muscles gleamed in the sunlight, with the lines of his physique as sharply defined as if carved by a blade. An overwhelming aura radiated from him, so powerful that the space around him seemed unable to withstand it, as if it might shatter at any moment from his supreme strength.

Zhang Ning stared blankly at his suddenly grown body, only one thought echoing in his mind: So, I’m not following the “system, invincible, genius” script—I’m living the “magical girl” storyline?

Then, Zhang Ning’s gaze regained its cool clarity. Facing the seemingly endless beast tide, he curved his lips into a smile.

In the next instant, the earth quaked violently, waves of blood surged into the sky, as if the world itself was ending.

Deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains—

Chu Hanyu opened his eyes again. This time, his gaze was lively and mischievous, eager for chaos, no longer bearing the weight of the Azure Realm’s fate or the previous indifference and suffering.

Heavens, what have “I” done now? Feeling his limbs weak and sore, Chu Hanyu sighed.

Did I start fighting as soon as I recovered? So, my future self is so combative? I concede, truly a formidable figure!

Chu Hanyu wore a bitter expression, but at this moment, he knew nothing of how to channel his energy to alleviate his discomfort, for it was clearly not within his accessible “instincts.” All he could do was clench his teeth, rub the soreness, loosen his belt, and sprawl lazily on the ground, refusing to move.

Yet, when luck runs thin, even drinking water can choke you. Not far from Chu Hanyu, a swarm of weak exotic beasts, belatedly sensing danger, crawled toward him. They were the pure white giant ant beasts Zhang Ning had encountered earlier in the Liyin Rainforest. These ants’ bites were…incredibly itchy!

Moments later—

Chu Hanyu leaped up, scratching his neck furiously, nearly infuriated to death.

He had reacted a beat too late and had been bitten several times by the giant ant beasts. While this was excusable, he considered it a grave humiliation! Who gave you the courage to bite me?!

Humiliated and enraged, Chu Hanyu slapped a nearby tree. He used no inner energy, yet in a blink, all the surrounding trees crashed down, leaving only a few fruits rolling to his feet—coincidentally, the intoxicating fruit. The fruits, battered by Chu Hanyu’s palm wind, were half-rotten, as if someone had taken a bite.