Chapter 114: Where Does the Path Lead?

Feng Qi glanced down at Suction Cup, who was curled up against his chest, sound asleep. He reached out to gently ruffle her small head, a smile appearing on his face.

Just moments ago, he had managed to lure the crackling elemental lifeform toward Little Black, but the situation nearly spiraled out of control.

When Suction Cup sensed that the elemental creature was about to attack him, she instantly snapped into a combat-ready state. If not for him holding onto her tightly—and Suction Cup seemingly hesitating to struggle too hard for fear of hurting him—things might have devolved into a chaotic three-way brawl: Suction Cup vs. the elemental lifeform vs. Little Black.

Fortunately, after he managed to retreat from the scene, Suction Cup settled back down, eventually falling asleep once more.

"Hey, Narrator, how far do we still have to go?" Feng Qi asked as he weaved through the ruined buildings, his voice tinged with impatience.

"It's impossible to estimate the exact distance. What I can say is that it's still quite far. You might as well prepare yourself for failure—you'll probably bite the dust halfway there."

Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Can't you say something encouraging for once? Give me a little motivation instead of constantly tearing me down."

"Do I seem like a system designed to coddle you with sweet words?"

Feng Qi: …

"That's on me for expecting too much."

As they bantered, Feng Qi continued sprinting through the ruins, his mental power flowing outward and transforming into a telekinetic push behind him, propelling him forward with increased speed.

He didn't know how long he had been running when his telekinetic energy finally ran dry, forcing him to slow his pace.

The area around him was still dominated by dilapidated structures. Many of the buildings had collapsed under the relentless passage of time, leaving the landscape a desolate mess.

After running a while longer, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Not far ahead, a massive snake was blocking his path.

The serpent's body was covered in crimson scales, stretching five to six meters in length. A pink rune crystal was embedded at its seven-inch mark, while its tail swayed like that of a rattlesnake, emitting a constant, menacing rattle.

Its piercing green eyes fixed on him, its tongue flicking out intermittently, radiating an unmistakable sense of danger.

Feng Qi's instinct was to avoid a confrontation and find another route.

But when his gaze fell upon Suction Cup, nestled securely in his arms, his fear vanished entirely. With renewed confidence, he strode directly toward the crimson-scaled snake.

When he was about ten meters away from the serpent, Feng Qi stopped. Without hesitation, he picked up Suction Cup and threw her toward the snake.

The snake's jaws opened wide, revealing a maw filled with razor-sharp fangs. Its body coiled like a spring, launching upward to devour Suction Cup mid-air.

As soon as Suction Cup was no longer in physical contact with him, her eyes snapped open. Before the snake could react, Suction Cup had been swallowed whole.

"Beautiful! Direct hit! Let's give that a three-point score, shall we?"

Feng Qi: …

Just as Feng Qi was about to reply, the serpent, having swallowed Suction Cup, suddenly exploded from the inside.

A violent shockwave ripped through the air, shredding the serpent's body into a mist of blood and chunks of flesh that were scattered in all directions.

As the blood mist dispersed, Suction Cup stood in the center, her tiny fist still raised in a striking pose. Despite her childlike frame, her aura radiated pure dominance.

The remnants of blood and flesh clinging to her form slid away effortlessly as a radiant jade glow coursed across her body.

"See that? That's the kind of growth path you should aim for. A single punch to obliterate your enemies—none of this hiding in the back, shooting off little biubiubiu spells. That's just embarrassing."

"Not listening to you."

Ignoring the narrator, Feng Qi held out his arms to catch Suction Cup as she leapt toward him. He let her latch back onto his chest before resuming his journey eastward.

The blood moon in the sky never dipped below the horizon, so Feng Qi had no idea how much time had passed. His only focus was to keep moving forward until he reached the faint life force the narrator had detected.

He couldn't stop wondering what kind of entity this foreign life source could be.

Could it be a human survivor of the apocalypse?

Driven by curiosity and hope, he traversed the ruins of towering buildings, navigating the shattered remnants of the world with increasing speed.

As his mental energy gradually recovered, Feng Qi resumed using his telekinesis to propel himself forward, further accelerating his pace.

In the past, encountering domain creatures would have prompted him to take detours, avoiding confrontation whenever possible. Without the guarantee of victory, risking his life wasn't worth it.

But with Suction Cup by his side, the situation had changed entirely.

There was no longer any need to take detours. If a domain creature blocked his path, he would simply toss Suction Cup at it.

No path? Suction Cup would clear the way.

The only downside, Feng Qi thought with some regret, was that Suction Cup's power was so overwhelming that every encounter ended in an instant kill. He never even had a chance to land the finishing blow himself.

Relying on Suction Cup to help him acquire talents or abilities was completely out of the question.

He didn't know how far he had traveled before the ruins around him gave way to an expansive plain stretching as far as the eye could see.

At that moment, rain began to fall from the sky.

Thick clouds churned ominously above, and crimson raindrops descended like a fine mist. Wherever the blood rain touched his skin, faint wisps of white smoke rose, accompanied by a tingling burn.

Realizing that the rain was corrosive, Feng Qi quickened his pace.

But he soon noticed something peculiar: the damage inflicted by the rain was negligible. His "Very Strong" attribute allowed his body to heal almost instantly, rendering the corrosive effects entirely ineffective.

"Now do you see the beauty of choosing the muscle-bound growth path? This self-healing ability is just the beginning. If you fully train your body, you could one day traverse the void of space with nothing but your physical form. Severe injuries? Instant recovery. This is the path you should be on."

Feng Qi: …

"Look at Suction Cup for comparison," the narrator quipped. "The blood rain sizzles and smokes on your skin, but on hers? Not even a reaction. That's the difference in raw physical strength."

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. I'm hanging onto every word," Feng Qi replied half-heartedly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Glancing down at Suction Cup, still sound asleep against his chest, Feng Qi pressed forward.

Above, the sky roiled with dark clouds, lightning streaking across its expanse. Within the clouds, towering figures appeared and disappeared, their massive forms seeming to absorb the raw elemental energy of the storm.

This surreal world was saturated with enigmatic and terrifying domain creatures.

Feng Qi knew that what he had encountered so far was just the tip of the iceberg.

The road ahead was fraught with peril and obstacles, a long and arduous journey stretching into the unknown.

After what felt like an eternity, Feng Qi finally exited the urban wasteland.

As the blood rain continued to fall, the terrain underfoot turned slick and muddy, slowing his progress.

Stepping onto a vast plain, Feng Qi followed the narrator's guidance, moving steadily forward.

The field was blanketed with delicate white flowers. Despite being drenched by the blood rain, the blossoms remained untainted, swaying gently in the wind.

Curious, Feng Qi plucked one of the white flowers and asked, "Narrator, is this some kind of spirit plant?"

"Nah, these are just regular plants, no different from what you'd find in the real world. The only reason they look unusual is that they've grown within a domain field, nourished by spiritual energy. They can be eaten, but calling them spirit plants? Not even close."

The narrator launched into an explanation. "Let me educate you. Spirit plants actively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—or other unique energy from their surroundings. Regular plants, like this one, only grow passively under the influence of spiritual energy. That's a big difference."

"Got it," Feng Qi said with a nod.

As he ventured further into the plains, the environment became noticeably more dangerous compared to the city ruins.

In the urban ruins, the maze-like layout of buildings provided cover, offering some room for maneuver against domain creatures.

But here, in the open plains, there was nowhere to hide. Running away would be almost impossible.

Perhaps for that reason, Feng Qi noted that the plains were sparsely populated with domain creatures. They were scattered across the landscape in isolated clusters.

With Suction Cup at his side, Feng Qi had no intention of taking detours. He pressed onward in a straight line.

Even when he encountered a domain creature, it only delayed him for a matter of seconds.

After traveling some distance, Feng Qi encountered his first domain creature in the plains.

The creature's form was bizarre—it looked like a scarecrow, its body tilted at an angle as if it had been haphazardly planted in the ground. If not for the faint glow emanating from a rune crystal embedded in its forehead, Feng Qi would never have suspected it was a domain creature.

As he neared the scarecrow, preparing to toss Suction Cup as usual, two crimson eyes suddenly emerged on the creature's face.

Almost instantly, Feng Qi felt his body tense up, his movements growing sluggish. His mind became clouded, as though he had downed too much alcohol and lost control of himself.

"Ah, a spiritual beguilement type—quite the rare style," the narrator mused.

Under the scarecrow's influence, Feng Qi's hand slowly rose to his neck, his grip tightening as if to strangle himself.

Thankfully, Suction Cup's eyes opened at that moment, and she slid off his chest.

Sensing Suction Cup's threat, the scarecrow's crimson eyes flared, unleashing a wave of mental energy that materialized as a faint red ripple, expanding outward toward her.

But as the ripple struck Suction Cup, her body began to emit a jade-like glow. The energy formed a protective barrier around her, rendering the scarecrow's mental attack completely ineffective.

What had immobilized Feng Qi so easily had no effect on Suction Cup.

Like a rabbit, Suction Cup launched herself toward the scarecrow. Mid-leap, she swung her tiny fist.

The resulting shockwave compressed the air into a concentrated blast, slamming into the scarecrow with the force of an air cannon.

With a sharp crack, the scarecrow's body was cleaved in two, its remains disintegrating into fragments that scattered like dust in the wind.

Watching this unfold, Feng Qi—now back in control of his body—was left speechless.

"That was incredible!"

"See? With enough physical strength, you can smash through any ghost or demon. Forget all those fancy, complicated battle systems—nothing a solid punch can't fix. And if one punch doesn't work, just throw another!"

Ignoring the narrator's usual boasting, Feng Qi caught Suction Cup as she leapt back into his arms and continued his journey.

After witnessing the scarecrow's bizarre abilities, Feng Qi couldn't help but worry about the challenges ahead. What if they encountered a domain creature even Suction Cup couldn't handle—one capable of bypassing her defenses and killing him outright?

Still, he pressed on, unsure of how far he had come.

With the blood moon eternally hanging in the sky, Feng Qi couldn't tell how much time had passed.

That was when the narrator's voice chimed in with a warning.

"Little Black is catching up. Time to sacrifice the pawn to trap the enemy. Say goodbye to Suction Cup."

Feng Qi turned to see a shadowy figure enveloped in black mist, rapidly closing the distance.

Scanning his surroundings, he realized there wasn't a single domain creature nearby to serve as a distraction.

With no other options, he glanced down at Suction Cup, gently rubbing her head.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Tsk, heartless scumbag. How many times have you abandoned her now? If I were Suction Cup, I'd team up with Little Black to chase you down."

Feng Qi: …

As Little Black drew closer, Feng Qi gave Suction Cup one last pat on the head before tossing her toward the shadowy figure.

"I'll avenge you!" he shouted, already turning to flee.

The narrator's mocking voice echoed in his ears.

"I am a savior, void of emotion, devoid of strength… and utterly broke."