Upon hearing that, Lin Hao almost stumbled and fell from mid-air, nearly plummeting to his death alongside Wang Zhan.

Once he finally regained his footing, he turned around to see the regretful look on Wang Zhan's face, assuming he had interrupted him, and roared, "Damn you, what do you mean by 'just a King-level beast'?! Have you become so arrogant? Don't you know that excessive arrogance could get you killed?"

Wang Zhan replied regretfully, "Isn't the Martial Emperor here? Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to take such a risk."

One should know that in order to retrieve the marvelous flower, Wang Zhan had summoned his main body as well. After all, a mental energy awakening of 100,000, based on basic and amplified measurements, could cover more than fifty kilometers. But compared to the twin sisters who would burst into martial actions underground at the slightest provocation, Wang Zhan still felt that he was too fragile! Even when facing the Nine-headed Serpent, he wouldn't feel this fragile.

Imagine, just a single strand of one sister's hair could reduce a tenth of Wang Zhan's clone's Spiritual Power, and the ensuing chase had pushed him to his limits. Even if those youngsters or the Nine-headed Serpent had given their all, they couldn't have achieved that—and it was just one tiny strand of hair from one of the sisters. Wang Zhan even doubted if many from the Human Race, even some of the weaker Martial Emperors, would be a match for the two sisters. If a real fight were to ensue, they would be like human bulldozers. This wasn't Wang Zhan singing his own praises; it was a moment of genuine horror.

If it weren't for the extremely compressed Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth in this place—tens or even a hundredfold denser than at the most potent spirit altar on Earth, almost equivalent to a weakened and reduced version of Pure Essence Pills—Wang Zhan wouldn't have dared to make such a gamble. Even so, Wang Zhan had to use an ingenious plan. First, he took the marvelous flower on a detour, then left it in a specific location, securely locked by a mental energy seed, while simultaneously notifying his main body of the coordinates.

At the same time, his main body, led by Lin Hao, rapidly approached the area. Even then, they didn't dare to act rashly. They waited until the youngsters had left before digging up the marvelous flower, which was buried deep underground, and then quickly fled. The process was incredibly intricate; even a slight miscalculation could mean that, let alone Lin Hao, Wang Zhan would definitely have shed a layer of skin, if not been killed outright. It was incredibly nerve-wracking! This just went to show how far they were willing to go, risking their lives this time. The mere thought of it was terrifying.

However, when Lin Hao heard Wang Zhan say that if he hadn't been there, Wang Zhan wouldn't have dared to take such a huge risk, he almost blew his top. Did this kid truly believe the entire Beast Clan consisted of just a few common pets, treating even top Lord-level beasts like garbage to be bullied by him at will?

He was about to curse. "Do you not know that I am only..." He caught his tongue immediately, not going any further. That was close, he thought to himself. He had almost slipped and revealed that he was only at the level 3 Martial King Realm and that his current body was merely a clone of a Martial Emperor.

Wang Zhan asked curiously, "You are only what?"

Lin Hao gave him a disdainful look. "Only that the fool Wei Daoming handed you over to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't care less if you lived or died. In fact, I'd prefer it if you were feeding beasts right now! 'Just a King-level beast,' my ass! Why don't you just ascend to the heavens!"

Ah... Wang Zhan looked up at the sky, feeling that the Sun was unusually bright today. Yikes, it seemed like the senior was about to say something else just now; this felt somewhat out of place.

「Underground. The sisters' place.」

Both sisters were staring fixedly at a leaf in the small bottle in front of them, a long silence stretching between them. After a while, the younger sister huffed coldly, completely frustrated. "Next time I see that kid, I'll make sure he regrets it! Does he take our Peach Blossom Forest for granted?"

The older sister also felt a headache coming on. She could feel a strong desire welling up inside her, but the problem was that this tiny leaf was far too little. Even without opening the bottle, she could tell that the leaf inside would, at best, offer only a sliver of understanding and foundation, incomparable to the complete marvelous flower. But no matter what, the human had given this leaf to them graciously, saying that if they wanted the rest, they could go to Qian Shui City to exchange for it. She wasn't afraid of the Human Race's territory, but did they really have to enter that lousy place? If they didn't, the younger sister's path to advancement would be virtually severed. This leaf would offer only an infinitesimal boost to her hopes, which were already slim—truly vexing!

"Sister, what are you thinking?" The younger sister had never seen her sister furrow her brows so tightly before; they almost formed three lines.

The elder sister let out a soft sigh, like the scent of orchids, placed the small bottle into her sister's hand, and whispered, "It's nothing. You should use it first. It's not very useful to me, but it still has some use for you."

Surprise flashed across the younger sister's face, and then, agitated, she tried to push it back. "Sister, you're almost a Martial Emperor! Why give it to me? You should become a Martial Emperor soon, and then you can take me to run amok everywhere, okay?"

The older sister smiled mildly. "Alright, alright. Even without it, I'll become a Martial Emperor soon, in two or three years at most. Let's go back. Although it's only one leaf, Father probably won't blame us."

But at this moment, the elder sister had only one thought in her mind: No matter what, I must get that marvelous flower for my sister, even if it's in the Human Race's territory! Besides, Father should agree, right…?

Wang Zhan didn't know that for the Peach Blossom Forest lineage, although they were powerful, this power came at a price. For them, as soon as they gained consciousness, their entire lifespan would begin a steady decline. Despite their apparent strength, it was, in reality, an equal exchange bought at a tremendous cost. The only way to escape this Fate was to quickly advance and break through to a realm above the Martial Emperor level. By then, if nothing else, they would at least possess some power to protect themselves.

It could be said that Wang Zhan had, in fact, found their Achilles' heel. This was especially true given that Wang Zhan possessed an entire, complete marvelous plant, including its vines and roots—the "elixir of life" that all experts of the Wood Family who had not yet reached a realm above the royal level dreamed of.

「Half a day later.」

Under Lin Hao's escort, Wang Zhan once again entered Qian Shui City. The city looked no different from when Wang Zhan had first arrived. The streets were orderly, but the buildings were an irregular jumble; the old structures all around were densely marked with scars, as if they had endured one fierce battle after another. The crowds bustled, dressed in the attire of the Earth Federation. Although they looked no different on the surface, Wang Zhan knew well that beneath those human skins was a race completely different from the Federal Human Race.

But what truly left a deep impression on Wang Zhan's memory was not just these things, but the sensation he experienced as he once again traversed the silent zone. It felt like drowning. The activity of Essence Energy within his body and the Spiritual Energy from the outside world were instantly and thoroughly compressed, leaving only a thread of connection, no different from how it was on Earth. It was as if a Flood Dragon had been forced into a small pond, or a tiger had walked out of its mountain forest; everywhere, there was a sense of suppression, dullness, and a stiffness, as if his freedom had been restricted.

Undoubtedly, the total amount of Essence Energy in Wang Zhan's body hadn't changed. However, the illusion he had on the Star War Battlefield—that he could use Spiritual Energy almost endlessly—was abruptly shattered and dragged back to reality. Here, he would once again need to rely on elixirs rich in Spiritual Energy, like Pure Essence Pills, just to barely sustain himself if he wanted to fight opponents above his level.

What on earth is happening? Anyone facing this situation would feel curious, and Wang Zhan was no exception. The change in his connection to Spiritual Energy before and after entering the city was too drastic. Then, in an instant, Wang Zhan's face turned pale, his body seemed to thin, and he even felt his head grow groggy. His thoughts were sharper than ever before, and his mental energy was extremely powerful, reaching a level that even Wang Zhan himself found incredible. But strangely enough, Wang Zhan felt increasingly fragile.

Is this the backlash from mental energy? he realized with a dawning understanding.

Afterward, Lin Hao took him back to his home, which turned out to be the top floor of a high-rise building. It was spacious, hundreds of square meters, yet utterly empty except for a bed, an office desk, and a television that looked as if it would never be turned on.

At this moment, Lin Hao looked at Wang Zhan with a somewhat grave expression. "I told you, before we find a solution, you absolutely must not advance your realm again. You should have felt it by now; the environment here is much like Earth, but stepping outside of here is like paradise. The problem is, you come from the mortal world, and paradise is merely an illusion. Without sufficient power, I think you'd better get accustomed to the mortal world's environment first. Otherwise, sooner or later, you'll be overwhelmed by your own mental energy."

In fact, at this moment, Wang Zhan looked somewhat dazed. He heard Lin Hao's words, but the problem was, he didn't just hear Lin Hao's words; he also heard the clamor of the entire city—the uproar, the arguments, and all sorts of blush-inducing private moments. There was so much, far too much. He clearly heard all the information, and his consciousness understood it all, yet he could no longer command his body or senses to respond.

Looking at Wang Zhan's condition, Lin Hao sighed. "I know you can hear me. In fact, we've conducted such experiments before. The major disadvantages of a sudden surge in mental energy don't primarily stem from the drain on or suppression of vital energy, but rather from the capacity to extract and process information. If you continue to be this powerful, sooner or later, you might still retain your consciousness, but the 'you' at that time might no longer be you... Wait here, I'll have someone bring you food."

Lin Hao left. Wang Zhan clearly remembered the exact moment he departed. He left precisely when the clock on the wall showed 6:32 PM, forty-two seconds, and seven microseconds.

But...

"Maybe I will still retain my consciousness then, but I might no longer be myself..." What on earth did he mean by that?

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