Chapter 125: Power Beyond the Gods! [Please Subscribe]

As the accumulated points reached a certain threshold, Yi Shen’s perspective within this massive curtain of light began to shift significantly.

For instance, the white mist that once obscured the sky began to clear in his eyes. He had attempted to approach the topmost layer and even launched attacks against it; while those strikes had little effect on the barrier, he had begun to perceive the unique flow of power within it. Furthermore, when clearing smaller phantoms and crystal entities later on, he realized they were not truly monsters in the conventional sense, but rather manifestations whose flow of power mirrored that of the upper barrier. This meant these creatures were integral parts of the secret realm itself.

As his understanding of this world deepened, Yi Shen realized that many things here could not be judged simply through "datafication." This realm was indeed different from other alien worlds; from its inception to the way points were harvested from monsters, it operated under rules entirely distinct from other planar gates.

Yi Shen was continuing to track the vampires around the city, searching for their true base, when he suddenly sensed a lethal threat approaching. Instinctively, he activated his "Saint’s Arrival" state, spreading his energy outward to stand guard. From the void, golden light seemed to pierce through, exerting an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Other explorers in the sector felt this crushing pressure on a dimensional level almost simultaneously. Safety zone energy detection instruments spiked to their maximum values, drawing the attention of every top-tier explorer.

"Is this another monster? Why is the pressure so intense?"
"The detectors have exceeded their thresholds, but these levels are theoretically impossible. Something must be interfering with the equipment."
"Is it the Moonlight Civilization? Have they finally set their sights on the Black Mage?"

Because the Moonlight Civilization was clearly listed on the rankings, and this entity resembled previous Moonlight avatars, everyone immediately drew that connection. Although this location was far from the central safety zone, Zhan Yu, Qi Lei, and their team also sensed the threat. They quickly left the command center and reached a high vantage point to observe from afar.

This power was far more terrifying than all previous monsters combined. It was not merely a combat-level threat; it felt as if the pressure of the entire secret realm had been concentrated into a single point. Even the children in the safety zone began to cry uncontrollably.

The golden radiance coalesced into a distinct avatar, appearing around Yi Shen. Watching from a distance, Qi Lei and his team frowned, deeply worried for him. Yi Shen was arguably the strongest individual with the highest potential in the Jingmen Safety Zone over the last thirty years. If he were to fall due to a conflict with another civilization, it would be an irreparable loss for the entire Jingmen zone, for China, and perhaps for all of humanity.

At that moment, hovering above Jingmen, Yi Shen felt a flicker of surprise. Yet, he quickly recognized that this power was similar to the energy that had controlled the Golden Messenger, and he guessed the identity of this golden figure.

"You arrived earlier than I expected," Yi Shen said to the golden manifestation, neither humble nor pushy.

Although he felt the pressure, he looked at the golden Lord of Moonlight and sensed that he was not meant to be harmed. He had suspected this from the start, and after collecting so much point energy, his understanding was even clearer. The Lord of Moonlight appeared formidable, but he was actually protected and isolated by a layer of scepter energy. This power belonged to the Scepter Key; for some reason, the Lord of Moonlight could not, or would not, take action against him. Otherwise, with such power, he wouldn't even need to appear to wipe out the entire Jingmen Safety Zone.

"If I didn't come, the power of the key would dissipate. The rules of your world are built too perfectly; I need the key to bridge the gap," the Lord of Moonlight replied, answering Yi Shen’s unspoken query directly.

"I am increasingly curious about you. You can absorb the power of the scepter without even touching it. If the vampires had your strength, they wouldn't need to hide like this," the Lord of Moonlight said. He spoke so fluently that Yi Shen briefly forgot he was an entity from another world.

"Yes, but I still need to learn how to master this power," Yi Shen nodded, agreeing. The stronger he became, the more he realized the bonuses provided by the Heart of the Magic God were far more than the SSS-level stats on his system panel. It was something that transcended this realm—an existence of a higher order.

"So, what is your purpose?" Yi Shen asked. "If you need the other half of the Scepter Key, I can give it to you, but not now. When the secret realm ends and your civilization withdraws, I can return it."

Having absorbed the scepter’s power, Yi Shen could sense the information of the Moonlight Civilization within it. The Lord of Moonlight’s claim that he created the scepter was likely true; Yi Shen even knew the scepter could construct a datafied, isolated safety zone. Because he knew this, he could not surrender the key now. He didn't know what would happen if the full key were obtained after datafication. If he allowed the Moonlight Civilization to gain a foothold on Earth, he would become a sinner.

"The key is already useless. At your current rate, the secret realm will be drained of energy and shatter before it even ends," the Lord of Moonlight shook his head. "I only want to see the source of the power inside you—the power that can actually parse my origin information."

"I do not wish for my information to be logged into your data, so I don't want to fight you. We can make a deal: I give you the remaining half of the scepter key and information about the vampires, but I need to sense the power within you," the Lord of Moonlight proposed.

Yi Shen was intrigued. He wanted to know the source of the Heart of the Magic God and how to trigger it; currently, it remained passive, and he could only use it through the system panel's skills.

"How will you sense it?" Yi Shen asked, though he was reluctant to have his secrets probed by a stranger.

Before Yi Shen could agree, the Lord of Moonlight moved with speed that spanned space itself. Without waiting for consent, he placed a hand on Yi Shen’s forehead. It was a notice, not a request.

A strange stream of information attempted to invade Yi Shen’s body. He instinctively tried to blink away, only to find he had lost control of his physical form. He felt profoundly uncomfortable; the Lord of Moonlight’s power far exceeded his expectations. This was only the power manifested through the isolation of the scepter, yet it was already this overwhelming—he couldn't imagine what it would be like if the entity unleashed its full strength!

However, just as the information stream entered and began its search, a power from the depths of Yi Shen’s soul surged forth. In the past, Yi Shen had only felt minor manifestations of this, such as the bloodlust from the Blood Pill, which this power would quickly devour, restoring everything to normal without leaving a trace.

But this time, Yi Shen felt it vividly. He could not describe the nature of this power, but if the Lord of Moonlight’s presence felt like a crushing of his life essence, then when this inner power emerged, the previous pressure became utterly insignificant. It was as if the weight vanished into nothingness.

In a split second, before even Yi Shen could react, the power from his soul exploded, shredding the Lord of Moonlight’s probing information stream. A purple aura emanated from Yi Shen’s body, attempting to consume the Lord of Moonlight entirely.

The Lord of Moonlight reacted with incredible speed, flashing back dozens of meters. But when Yi Shen looked at him again, he saw that the Lord of Moonlight’s body was missing a limb—the arm that had touched Yi Shen had completely vanished.

The Lord of Moonlight’s energy flow shifted rapidly as he surrounded himself with the scepter’s power to prevent further leakage. When he looked at Yi Shen again, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable shock. In that brief moment of contact, it wasn't just his avatar that felt threatened; his true body in another dimension had felt a sense of primal fear.

Far away in that other dimension, his energy core had shrunk into an atomic state before slowly expanding, proving the magnitude of the impact he had just suffered.

"You..." The Lord of Moonlight looked at Yi Shen. Though he spoke only one word, his tone had become significantly more respectful. "Your power... does it come from a deity? No, even a deity could not possess such terrifying strength. You can actually affect my origin across dimensions..." The Lord of Moonlight was visibly stunned; this information was beyond anything he had ever known.