Whew—

"Cough, cough, cough, what the hell is this, man? How long have I been gone? Who decided to relocate the Human Ancestor Temple?" Wu Liang coughed helplessly.

He had just crawled out of the Ghost Compendium only to have his face covered by a sky full of dust, comparable to a sandstorm in the desert. Not only was his nose in distress, but his entire face was also covered with a thick layer of dust.

He casually wiped the dust off his face, and only then did Wu Liang open his eyes to clearly see the surrounding environment.

He still vividly remembered departing from the Human Ancestor Temple heading to the Fierce Ghost World. The second Supernatural Calamity had just broken out not long ago, and after spending about a month there, he estimated that the real world might already be facing a City-Destruction Level Fierce Ghost.

But recalling how Yin Qiming had let him freely observe his soul earlier, Wu Liang also knew that, in the world of the Pioneers, humans managed to endure the second Supernatural Calamity for several years. So just a mere month should not have led to any significant change.

"Hiss... Wait a minute, is this still the Human Ancestor Temple? Did I get the wrong place?" Wu Liang furrowed his brows in some confusion.

This was because the interior space of the Human Ancestor Temple had been so damaged that only the building's frame remained. Forget recognizing the original temple structure, if it weren't for a familiar offering plate on the table, he might have thought this was a makeshift wooden shed built by primitives.

Wu Liang slowly walked over to the offering plate and picked it up.

The thick layer of dust on it looked entirely unlike only a month had passed.

He fiercely grabbed the Ghost Compendium from the void and angrily demanded, "Damn it! Speak clearly, how long has it been already!?"

"Wow~ calm down, calm down, my friend! Humanity hasn't gone extinct yet, rest assured."

This time, the Ghost Compendium didn't even bother to manifest mysterious words on a blank page like before.

Perhaps the experience in the Fierce Ghost World had greatly benefited the Ghost Compendium too, as it could now directly converse with Wu Liang in the real world.

Although the book did not exhibit any lips or other features from which to speak, the voice sounded as if it appeared out of thin air.

Predictably, this voice could only be heard by Wu Liang himself.

But its words brought some ominous undertones; Wu Liang tilted his head in puzzlement, "What do you mean by not extinct yet? Exactly how long have I been gone?"

"Uh... not that long, maybe... a year? You know, everything comes with a cost. Even within the Valkyrie's Peach Blossom Spring, there will be differences in the flow of time compared to reality, and that's within the same world. We just traversed to another world!" The Ghost Compendium's tone increasingly resembled Wu Liang's, making it hard to imagine how much influence Wu Liang's soul had exerted on this book.

"A year? A year!"

Wu Liang stood there in shock.

His original plan had been completely shattered by this revelation.

What does a year mean?

It means that the age of universal awakening might have fully arrived, and he was not there when the officials and Director Long most needed assistance;

It means that the soul injuries of the Pioneers might already be fully healed, and the flaws created by Yin Qiming's soul separation would have completely vanished;

It means that he missed the chance to personally witness the cancerous extent of the Supernatural Calamity, preventing him from ending it prematurely.

Even though he has become a Venerable... oh no, he should be a Nation-Destroying Level powerhouse.

Such power might have been enough to dominate the world a year ago when he disappeared, but not now!

Based on Wu Liang's calculations, City-Destruction Level Fierce Ghosts would likely appear around eight or nine months after a Supernatural Calamity descends.

Humankind, what has happened to you now?!

"Damn it! Is this how annoying I sound to others? Truly worthy of being me." Wu Liang lamented as he transformed into a wisp of mist and dashed out of the Human Ancestor Temple.

Upon emerging, he saw that the mountain range he had almost flattened had surged again with undulating winding peaks.

The environmental changes suggested that during this year, many City-Destroying Level Fierce Ghosts capable of altering the terrain had passed by this place.

Perhaps after Wu Liang's disappearance, Zeng Hu and Yin Qiming stayed at the Human Ancestor Temple for quite some time.

How they dealt with the City-Destroying Level Fierce Ghosts attracted by the Immortal Pill's aura on Zeng Hu, Wu Liang had no idea.

But with Yin Qiming being there, the problem shouldn't be too severe.

Wu Liang moved to the roadside, where a broken-down taxi inexplicably parked on a stretch of ground that couldn't even be called a "road."

He expressionlessly opened the car door.

But this time, he didn't open the passenger nor the back seat door; instead, he opened the driver's side door and got in.

Slightly rusty, he ignited and started the car, and the shabby taxi wobbled into the distance.

There was no driver now, only him alone.

......

......

Under the influence of the Unhindered Fierce Ghost Ability, Wu Liang's taxi quickly exited from a remote corner of the Capital City.

Driving himself using Unhindered for the first time felt a bit awkward still.

Maybe it was because Wu Liang didn't actually possess a driver's license.

"Headquarter building of the official department... hmm, it should be here, right?" Wu Liang raised an eyebrow and got out of the car.

The bizarre, rundown taxi parking at the roadside stood out, yet no one cast a glance at it, not even the many well-dressed elite figures passing by found it odd parked among an array of luxury cars.

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