Qi Yuan gazed intently at the mei, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
The mei looked back at him.
Unfortunately, just like those unclean spirits, this mei seemed incapable of speech.
"What's... your name?" Qi Yuan asked softly.
The Great Oblivion Heart Scripture and the rest of his special abilities activated simultaneously.
He wanted to hear whether the mei had a heart-voice.
Sadly, even though he stared closely at its face, he didn't hear a single sound.
"Are you unable to speak like those unclean things? How about I teach you?"
"A, o, e..."
Qi Yuan was a man of action; if he said he would teach, he taught right then and there.
Nearby, the woman in the hot pants could no longer keep a straight face.
Her friends beside her were equally dumbfounded.
"Is this guy... teaching a mei?"
"Have I gone insane?!"
Where there had once been only terror in their hearts, now there was only sheer absurdity. A colorful stream of curses sat poised on the tips of their tongues.
"Haven't learned it yet?" Qi Yuan looked at the mei. He had been teaching for roughly ten minutes.
He spoke quickly, yet his tone remained gentle.
The mei's expression remained dull, seemingly devoid of intellect.
"It's fine. You're doing great. Let's keep going," Qi Yuan continued patiently.
Preschool teachers could teach toddlers to read. He might not have a teaching certificate, but he had a psychiatric certificate. A certificate was a certificate—surely teaching a mei to talk couldn't be that hard, right?
However, teaching required not only patience, but also encouragement and positive reinforcement.
So, even though the mei remained motionless and unresponsive, Qi Yuan kept talking.
"What a clever baby, even your eyes are moving now."
"Keep it up! Good girl. For working so hard, I'll reward you with a bite of pig trotters rice."
The mei listened in absolute silence. Meanwhile, the young women and the stall owner were completely flabbergasted.
Those girls could still see the mei.
The stall owner couldn't, so he assumed Qi Yuan was a lunatic babbling to himself.
After an unknown amount of time, the one-armed female mei in red finally parted her lips. Unaccustomed to speech, she spoke in a timid voice that bordered on pleading.
"H-help... help... me..."
After uttering those three words, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength and couldn't say another word.
Right at that moment, something unexpected occurred for Qi Yuan.
The game's notification chime finally rang out.
[Received a plea for help from a mei.]
[Main storyline quest initiated: Reduce Abandoned Lands and prevent Abandoned Lands from meeting the end of 'Nothingness.']
[The more Abandoned Lands you assist, the greater the reward.]
[The quest may be actively terminated at any time to settle rewards.]
Hearing these prompts, Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"The quest has finally begun."
"Assist Abandoned Lands?"
"The more I help, the higher the reward?"
This meant he could end the quest and claim his reward whenever he wished.
Of course, he could also provide aid to every single Abandoned Land across the myriad worlds before settling the score.
Such a reward would likely be extraordinary.
[Note: The deeper your entanglement with an Abandoned Land, the worse your luck becomes.]
Hearing this, Qi Yuan froze for a second.
Bad luck?
Misfortune hanging over his head?
"Looks like this game is going to be rather difficult," Qi Yuan mused.
He looked at the mei with a solemn expression. "I'll help you as much as I can."
The delicate-featured mei seemed to understand his words. A sweet smile blossomed across her face.
Then, her figure dissolved into thin air.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.
"No dao arts, no spatial fluctuations, no laws or rules... and she just vanished?" Qi Yuan murmured.
Seeing the mei disappear, the young women nearby broke into expressions of overjoyed relief.
"We survived!"
"We actually lived!"
"Wait, where did that handsome guy go?"
"Is he an extraordinary?"
"A superhero?"
To their astonishment, as soon as the mei vanished, Qi Yuan was nowhere to be found either.
Elsewhere, Qi Yuan muttered to himself, "Sure enough, I couldn't perceive how the mei vanished, just as they couldn't perceive how I did. They don't cultivate immortality, and I don't understand the mei's system."
Pondering this, Qi Yuan stopped next to a trash can and picked out several dozen yuan.
He hadn't paid for the pig trotters rice yet.
He wouldn't steal or rob, so scrounging for discarded cash was his only option.
"Even though the mei ate a little too, she ran off. Paying for the whole meal by myself is such a ripoff."
After paying the vendor, Qi Yuan vanished once more.
He needed to encounter more mei and observe them to better comprehend this Abandoned Land.
Over the days that followed, the people living in the Sky Federation suddenly felt their world undergo drastic changes.
First, the federation abruptly enacted a new national policy.
Except this national policy was literally... a national public restroom policy.
Massive construction projects broke ground everywhere to erect public restrooms of all kinds.
The Sky Federation's legislators held press conferences and sent broadcast text messages to every citizen's phone:
"If you encounter a mei, run to the nearest restroom as fast as possible. If the mei knocks on the door, answer 'Someone's inside,' and you may avoid death."
The moment the news broke, all federation citizens were utterly bewildered.
Everyone wondered if a donkey had kicked the legislators in the head.
Later on, the federation made another announcement:
"If you cannot make it to a public restroom in time, immediately begin cleaning out your earwax. As long as you maintain the motion of digging out earwax, the mei will not harm you."
This string of bizarre tactics pushed citizens over the edge, eliciting cries of pure disbelief.
Yet, absurd as it sounded, it genuinely worked.
This left many citizens in a daze.
"I knew it! Our world really is just one giant video game!"
"How else could a setting like this exist? Who dares say we aren't game NPCs?"
"New clothes only during New Year's, sloppy character models, clocking in at fixed locations every day—if I'm not an NPC, who is?"
Aside from that, in several areas, people caught glimpses of a handsome young man standing beside mei, seemingly teaching them how to speak.
The world grew increasingly preposterous, descending into sheer madness.
Yet, that humor was only on the surface. In reality, despair lurked everywhere.
Even with all the policies rolled out by the federation government, countless people were still slain by mei every single day.
Beyond mei taking lives, people were even killing one another.
While they might merely be cold statistics on the news, behind every digit was a living, breathing person.
Every single one had a life of their own.
Ordinary or mundane, brilliant or extraordinary.
"This world... has no plane spirit."
"Furthermore... although my divine oracle can prevent mei from killing, the number of deaths hasn't decreased—or at least, not noticeably."
"Or perhaps, it's not even just humans."
Inside a noodle shop, Qi Yuan wore a troubled expression.
This game quest was far harder than he had imagined.
Even though his divine oracle influenced the mei and saved numerous lives, he still noticed that the mortality count hadn't significantly dropped.
Those spared by one mei might still end up slain by another, or perish in unrelated disasters.
In other words, the effectiveness was far lower than anticipated.
It was as though an invisible hand were harvesting the living beings of this world.
Eating his noodles, he rarely furrowed his brows like this.
Right then, a little girl of six or seven walked over. She wore a princess dress and small black leather shoes adorned with two bows, looking lively and adorable.
"Big brother, are you unhappy? Have a piece of candy. Eating candy always makes you happy."
The little girl spoke earnestly, clutching the candy tightly in her hand. Her palm was slightly sweaty, revealing how nervous she felt.
Not far away, her mother watched with a warm smile, seemingly encouraging her.
Looking at the little girl, Qi Yuan smiled. "Thank you, little one."
He accepted the candy from her hand, a smile gracing his face.
"Hurry on back to your mother. Big brother has had terrible luck lately, so I wouldn't want it to rub off on you," Qi Yuan said calmly.
"Just smile, big brother! As long as you smile, your luck won't be bad," the little girl said thoughtfully before skipping back to her seat.
Qi Yuan picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, his thoughts complicated.
Girls who smiled never had bad luck.
That was true enough—those with truly bad luck couldn't smile at all.
Just then, a fly buzzed past, seemingly about to land in his bowl.
He glanced at it, and the fly dissolved into ash.
"Is this my luck worsening?"
"Or is it that while my divine oracle saves humans, other living beings are meeting death through bizarre means... like this fly, practically throwing its life away?"
Qi Yuan murmured.
Originally, he had thought this was merely an ordinary world.
Only upon close contact did he realize the waters here ran extraordinarily deep.
Nearby in the noodle shop, various conversations drifted over.
"We really have to thank that Vampire Emperor! If he hadn't shared that divine art, I would've died when I ran into a mei the day before yesterday!"
"The restrooms really do work."
"Does that mean a day will come when our Sky Federation will no longer suffer from mei attacks?"
"All praise the Vampire Emperor!"
"Life is getting better and better."
The patrons around him wore joyful expressions, filled with hope for the future.
The little girl tugged at her mother's sleeve, begging to ride the toy train.
In the past, under the looming shadow of the mei, her mother would have rushed her home long ago.
Now, life was looking up, and the threats seemed to dwindle.
Right then, a dump truck suddenly appeared to lose its brakes, careening straight toward the noodle shop!
*Boom!*
The people inside froze in sheer terror, certain death was upon them.
Yet at that very second, an invisible hand seemed to manifest out of thin air, halting the runaway heavy truck in its tracks.
The driver sat petrified in his cab, his face a mix of bewilderment and dread.
The patrons inside exhaled in relief, rising to their feet one after another. Their hearts pounded violently, incapable of calming down, overwhelmed by the sensation of surviving a catastrophe.
At that moment, the little girl noticed something and looked toward Qi Yuan's table.
"Big brother... where did he go?"
***
Atop Myriad Gods Mountain.
Qi Yuan drew a deep breath.
"My luck is getting worse and worse."
"All sorts of bizarre disasters are breaking out across the Sky Federation."
During this time, he had spent most of his days in the Sky Federation, coming into contact with one mei after another.
Unfortunately, even with all his special abilities engaged, he hadn't gleaned any useful information.
"Your Highness, here is the information on Abandoned Lands you requested."
Feng Ye approached, holding a book in his hands.
After receiving Qi Yuan's orders some time ago, he had traveled everywhere to gather information regarding Abandoned Lands.
All the compiled knowledge had been recorded in this book.
In truth, Feng Ye was somewhat puzzled, unable to fathom why His Highness would seek out such taboo knowledge.
"Thank you." Qi Yuan took the book and began reading intently.
"However, this subordinate's status is lowly, so I cannot enter the higher floors of the Library Pavilion. The information gathered is rather superficial; I hope Your Highness can forgive me."
"It's fine." Qi Yuan carefully examined the compiled records.
"The so-called Abandoned Lands are, as the name implies, forsaken lands.
Rumor has it that Abandoned Lands are connected to a mysterious powerhouse.
Ever since that mysterious powerhouse fell, endless calamities have plagued the territories he once ruled.
In the end, twelve powerhouses took action—the Emperor God among them—and exiled the lands once held by that mysterious entity."
"So to resolve the matter of the Abandoned Lands, one must first uncover the identity of that mysterious powerhouse.
For even the Emperor God to intervene, that entity was likely a powerhouse of the same caliber.
*Sigh*... I'm still too weak right now to touch upon secrets of such high standing," Qi Yuan lamented.
"Your Highness, Abandoned Lands are exceptionally mysterious. Generally speaking, the All-Heavens Divine Mirror will not link to an Abandoned Land.
Yet exceptions always exist. If you ever encounter an Abandoned Land, you must never enter," Feng Ye cautioned with deep worry. "According to the records I found, a True God at the peak of the God Lord realm once entered an Abandoned Land, completely unaware of what it was.
He devoured the Abandoned Land's plane spirit just as he normally would. Consequently... something terrifying happened to him.
First, numerous eyes grew inexplicably all over his back. Later... hair sprouted from his nose and mouth, until he finally... died in agony.
Even when a Dao God intervened at the time, they were powerless to save him."
Fear colored Feng Ye's eyes as he spoke of the Abandoned Land.
These details were recorded in the latter half of the book.
Qi Yuan frowned. "Is that so?"
A powerhouse of the God Lord realm was comparable to a Realm Lord, capable of pulverizing the entire Milky Way with a flip of a hand.
Yet, simply by refining a single plane spirit, he had succumbed to a bizarre mutation and died.
"That God Lord powerhouse was a True God of our Myriad Gods Mountain, the son of Tianxian, one of the Twelve Pillars... An Baxian," Feng Ye added.
"Where is An Baxian's body?" Qi Yuan asked.
He wanted to inspect An Baxian's corpse to see if his special abilities could uncover any secrets.
"This... this subordinate does not know, but I can contact An Baxian's descendants on Your Highness's behalf," Feng Ye replied.
"Good," Qi Yuan agreed.
Feng Ye bowed and departed.
Qi Yuan was left alone in the vast, empty palace.
"This game is proving quite complicated."
"I wonder what rewards I'll receive once it ends."
Right now, he could conclude the game and settle the rewards at any moment.
However, doing so now would certainly yield little.
"This Abandoned Land looks like a massive trap.
Then again, it's a game—isn't encountering traps completely normal?"
***
Inside another palace.
Upon receiving his subordinate's report, God Lord Heitian showed a look of curiosity.
"Qi Yuan is actually interested in An Nan? Could this be related to An Baxian?"
Feng Ye's attempt to request an audience with An Nan had caused quite a stir.
Tianxian and Tiankai were both among the Twelve Pillars, and the two never saw eye to eye.
Their scions rarely interacted, actively avoiding suspicion.
Thus, Qi Yuan's overture to An Nan naturally ended in rejection.
"Should I lend Qi Yuan a hand?" God Lord Heitian pondered.
He felt somewhat conflicted.
Others wouldn't dare associate with Tianxian's lineage, but God Lord Heitian had no such fears.
He had long viewed himself as a dead man walking, merely waiting for the day he would be sent off to his demise.
Tiankai never meddled in his life anyway.
"A while ago, Tan Ying became an honorary disciple of the Immeasurable Dao God. Yet, after paying respects to the Immeasurable Dao God, he... committed suicide that very night. Rumors claim he fell hopelessly in love with his master, and dying of unrequited love drove him to take his own life." God Lord Heitian narrowed his eyes.
The truth could never be so simple.
For a Divine Oracle True God to commit suicide was utter lunacy—peak absurdity at its finest.
There had to be something fishy going on.
Moreover, Tan Ying had always been arrogant and domineering, offending many people—including Qi Yuan.
"It just so happens that An Nan owes me a favor. Helping Qi Yuan out can serve as an investment," God Lord Heitian decided.
Having said that, he let out a wistful sigh.
He wondered if his efforts were all in vain.
After all, Qi Yuan would have to step into the Spirit God realm or Dao God realm before he could even put in a good word on his behalf to spare him from death.
Even then, survival wasn't guaranteed.
*Do what is humanly possible and leave the rest to fate,* God Lord Heitian thought.
In any case, he had made countless acquaintances; he wasn't pinning all his hopes solely on Qi Yuan.
Chapter 602