Chapter 265: Final Victory, Snatching the Twin Masks! Twin Mechanical

Chapter 265: Ultimate Victory, Seizing the Twin Masks! Twin Machine Race! Soaring Strength! Favored by the Emperor!

Within the vast and vacant expanse of the cosmos, a bronze balance of a grandeur defying verbal description spanned silently across the galaxy.

Beyond the scale, at the threshold of the Twin Rivers, sectors 73 to 74, a multitude of powerhouses who had been locked in a bloody, relentless slaughter fell into an eerie stillness.

Neil of the Light Race, Yelo, the son of the Stone Emperor, Taker, the Giant Golden Beast... each a renowned prodigy of the Hidden Dragon Rank shaking the astral seas, along with veterans steeped in the black hole level for hundreds of millennia, ceased their warfare in unspoken accord.

Their gazes pierced through layers of space, fixing intently upon the void enshrouded by the bronze balance, their eyes weaving a tapestry of greed, apprehension, and an irrepressible shock.

A cosmic anomaly!

The weight carried by those words was enough to drive any being beneath the rank of King into utter madness.

They all understood that this contest had entered its final stage.

Whether it was Qin Feng of the Human Race or Kuangye of the Machine Race, once the victor emerged bearing the two Twin Masks, they would inevitably depart through that solitary exit.

When that moment arrived, it would be their time to reap the harvest.

A far more tragic, far more frenzied hunt would commence the very instant the curtain fell on this finale.

None would willingly permit a single individual to monopolize this supreme fortune, an opportunity rare in ten thousand epochs.

...

Inside the scale lay an entirely different world.

Qin Feng and Kuangye of the Machine Race stood upon two separate, colossal bronze trays, staring at one another from afar.

Beneath their feet lay no solid metal, but rather an infinite, churning ocean of blazing white flames.

The fire possessed no physical form, yet it radiated a terrifying aura capable of making even black hole level entities tremble.

Merely by directing his gaze toward it, Qin Feng felt as though his soul were being cast into a furnace; a burning pain originating from the very source of his life caused ripples to stir within the sea of his mental energy.

This was the fire of despair, capable of incinerating the soul.

Qin Feng's expression grew solemn to an unprecedented degree.

He surveyed his surroundings; this space was confined by a supreme power of rules, offering nothing but the trays beneath their feet, the opposing Kuangye, and the sea of fire below.

There was no retreat, no shortcut, resembling a judgment whose rules had long been preordained.

Yet, just as Qin Feng was exerting his utmost to analyze their current plight, the soul fire representing the core will upon Kuangye’s body—composed of countless intricate mechanical parts on the opposite tray—flickered violently, emitting a cold thought of assured victory.

A bizarre spectacle unfolded.

In Qin Feng’s perception, Kuangye had clearly made no movement, yet the bronze tray beneath the machine's feet was rising slowly at a speed visible to the naked eye, drifting further and further from that blazing white sea of soul fire.

Concurrently, the tray beneath Qin Feng began a slow, resolute descent without a sound.

A scorching breath rose from below; even across a vast distance, arrays of sharp pain pricked Qin Feng’s skin, a harbinger that his soul was on the verge of being ignited.

"Qin Feng!"

Kuangye’s cold, metallic syllables resounded directly within Qin Feng’s mind, carrying a condescending scrutiny and unvarnished greed.

"Your physical foundation is indeed the finest I have ever beheld in my life—resilient, powerful, and brimming with infinite potential, truly fitting for a top prodigy of the Human Race! This perfect shell will soon belong to me!"

Kuangye's soul fire pulsed even more fiercely, transmitting unmasked exhilaration: "Once I utilize the Twin Masks to seize your identity and this flawless physical body, supplemented by the supreme wisdom of my Divine Machine Race, coordinating from within and without, conquering the Human Race's territories will be well within our grasp!"

Qin Feng remained silent, the depths of his crimson eyes harboring an ultimate tranquility.

Kuangye’s words disclosed startling information, but this could not throw him into a panic.

The more perilous the situation, the more his Dao-heart, tempered through countless battles of life and death, remained as unyielding as iron.

He forced himself to screen out the approaching sensation of burning pain from below, his mental energy operating at an unprecedented velocity, frantically analyzing everything before his eyes.

A way to break the deadlock!

He had to discover the rules of this cosmic anomaly within the shortest possible frame of time!

Without a doubt, this was the most bizarre and hazardous impasse he had encountered since embarking upon the path of martial arts.

Unlike any previous battle, here, the killing techniques he took pride in, his indestructible physical body, and his peerless speed all seemed to lose their meaning.

He did not even know who the enemy was, nor how to strike back, left only to watch himself, like a sacrificial offering, slowly descend toward that soul fire capable of reducing everything to ashes.

"The scale... the core of the rules must be related to 'balance.'"

Qin Feng's thoughts were swift as lightning, "Whichever side is 'heavier' will sink."

His gaze fell upon the name of this cosmic anomaly—the Scale of the Desirous.

"The weight of desire?"

A thought flashed through his mind in an instant.

"Could it mean one must abandon their own desires?"

Qin Feng immediately began to test this theory.

He chanted silently within his heart, willing to abandon his craving for the Terminal Singularity, abandoning all pursuits of power.

Qin Feng attempted to render his inner self completely void, like an ancient well undisturbed by ripples.

However, the descending trend of the tray did not alleviate in the slightest.

Instead, that scorching heat burning the soul became increasingly distinct.

"Incorrect!"

Qin Feng instantly dismissed this conjecture.

At this rate, in one imperial standard hour at most, his physical body along with his soul would be utterly devoured by that terrifying fire, reduced to the most negligible dust in the universe, without even the chance to return to the Golden Throne.

"Hahahaha—"

Kuangye's wild laughter rang out once more, filled with playfulness and mockery.

"Qin Feng, there is no need to make these futile struggles anymore. Before the rules of the Scale of the Desirous, all your wisdom and power are nothing more than a joke."

"Give up, and accept your fate with serenity. Your death shall forge an unprecedentedly great existence!"

Qin Feng remained unmoved; he abruptly raised his left hand, forming his fingers into a blade, and slashed viciously down upon his own right arm!

Pfft—

Blood splattered as an arm knotted with muscle and containing terrifying power was violently torn away by him, cast without hesitation into the soul fire below.

Yet, the moment the severed limb contacted the flames, it turned into nothingness silently.

And the tray beneath Qin Feng's feet continued its resolute, unceasing descent, as if what he had discarded was merely a grain of dust.

"Physical 'weight' is also irrelevant..."

Qin Feng's gaze grew deeper and deeper.

He successively attempted several other operations related to concepts such as "weight," "desire," and "relinquishment," but the results were like stones sinking into the ocean, unable to shake this supreme rule in the slightest.

Time trickled away, second by second.

The outline of the fire sea below grew clearer and clearer in his pupils, and the stinging pain of his soul assaulted his will wave after wave, like an oncoming tide.

Left with no alternative, Qin Feng's consciousness sank into the depths of his sea of mind, reaching out to touch that page radiating a treacherous light of wisdom.

"Heh... kid, I thought your lofty pride would ensure you never opened your mouth to ask for my aid."

Upon the pages of the Tome of Tzeentch, light and shadow danced, and an ancient voice, as if containing all the wisdom and treachery of the cosmos, arose unhurriedly, carrying a hint of unsurprised amusement.

"What is this balance? Tell me its rules."

Qin Feng's voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, direct and cold.

"Oh? How direct."

The light on the Tome of Tzeentch flickered once. "This is a cosmic artifact, a supreme treasure born from the most primordial rules at the dawn of the original universe. Their powers and laws are bizarre and unfathomably profound, beyond even the full comprehension of gods."

The tome paused, then shifted tone, speaking with a boastful air: "But you're in luck. This [Balance of Desires]—I happen to know some of its functions."

"If you are willing to agree to a trivial little request of mine, then I can not only tell you the rules but also how to achieve ultimate victory."

Qin Feng's heart fell into silence.

*Playing with the tiger's skin.*

These four words surfaced clearly in his mind.

To agree to the request of a Chaos God, no matter how simple it sounded, must conceal an unfathomable abyss behind it.

Yet the reality of choice was so cruel.

Refuse, and there was only one outcome—death.

Complete annihilation, soul and body erased together, with no possibility of rebirth.

Under the rules of this cosmic artifact, death was the end.

"Speak, then."

After a long pause, Qin Feng replied calmly.

"Heh, a wise choice."

The Tome of Tzeentch let out a satisfied laugh. "Simple. If you survive this, in the future, you must help my followers destroy a greenskin tribe called 'Jin Da'."

Destroy a greenskin tribe?

Qin Feng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

This request didn't sound too harsh.

Greenskins were a universal scourge, and humanity was their sworn enemy.

But he knew well that a deal with a dark god would never be so simple.

Behind it must lie causality and schemes he could not yet grasp.

Yet, did he have a choice?

"Fine."

Without a moment's hesitation, Qin Feng agreed decisively.

"Excellent. The pact is sealed."

Tzeentch's voice carried a note of delight. "Then listen well, boy."

"The [Balance of Desires] measures not desire, nor weight, but one of the most fundamental laws of the universe—'balance'."

"Just as light and darkness, creation and destruction, life and death... all things in the world rest on the two ends of balance. This scale is the physical embodiment of the law of balance."

"The being who uses this scale must wager their own soul.

The victor will seize everything from the loser—flesh, soul, talent, memory, even their very 'existence' in the universe—and take their place; the loser will perish, body and soul becoming nourishment for the Balance of Desires, devoured utterly, erased completely from the cosmos."

"What determines the scale's tilt is the 'value' of what you 'sacrifice'."

Tzeentch's voice dripped with temptation: "Whoever can sacrifice the item of highest 'value' to themselves will make their soul 'lighter', thus rising on the scale and achieving final victory."

"As for the [Twin Mask]... you've likely guessed its rules. It binds the souls of two beings together, mutually enhancing each other's physical strength and spiritual power. It is a marvel that allows both parties to grow infinitely strong."

"Now, do you understand? When the [Twin Mask] meets the [Balance of Desires]... if you lose, your soul will vanish in an instant, while the Wild One's soul will perfectly inhabit your powerful body.

He will suffer no loss at all; instead, he will immediately enjoy the blessing of the [Twin Mask], forming a 'twin' bond with his own mechanical true body, his power skyrocketing to a level you cannot imagine!"

Qin Feng's pupils contracted sharply.

So that was it!

In an instant, all confusion cleared.

No wonder the Wild One had repeatedly used his mechanical creations to "help" him during the melee.

It wasn't goodwill—it was "protecting" the "prize" he was about to claim!

From the very beginning, the Wild One's goal wasn't simply to seize the mask, but through the [Balance of Desires]—a cosmic artifact he had long mastered—to take everything from Qin Feng, including the potential of the [Twin Mask], all at once!

Such deep and ruthless scheming!

This madman of the mechanical race had laid a fatal trap for him from the start!

"Sacrifice... the thing of highest value..."

Qin Feng's thoughts raced.

"Boy, let me remind you of one more thing."

Tzeentch's voice echoed eerily. "Every being on the [Hidden Dragon List] is a favored child of destiny, bearing great fortune and great opportunities. They have all, to some extent, been 'blessed' by us gods.

The Wild One dares to use the [Balance of Desires] because he believes he holds a sure-win trump card.

So... if you want to win, you must sacrifice the most precious thing you possess!"

Tzeentch's words struck like a thunderbolt in Qin Feng's mind.

The most precious thing...

Every Hidden Dragon List prodigy has a hidden card.

What the Wild One sacrifices must be something related to his mechanical god faith, or a supreme gift from some deity.

And himself?

What was the most precious thing on him?

Was it the indestructible [Heavenly Soldier]?

The [Crimson Gold Wings] that could burst at ten times light speed?

Or the unused ultimate trump card, the fragment of the [Ancient Luo Bell]?

No... none of these.

Precious as they were, they were ultimately external.

Qin Feng's gaze pierced through layers of fog, straight to the source of his soul and existence.

He thought of the [Tome of Tzeentch] in his mind, representing cunning and wisdom, and the [Skull of Khorne], symbolizing slaughter and courage.

He also thought of the greatest secret that had accompanied him from obscurity to rise, changing his life—that attribute panel, glowing with pale gold, which could be summoned at will with a single thought.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence].

This was the foundation of everything, the starting point of his defiance of fate!

A mad and resolute idea surged in his heart.

Since we must discard, then discard it completely!

Since we must walk our own path, then cut off all crutches and dependencies!

"Then I will discard everything that influences and binds me!"

This thought, like a wildfire sweeping across the plains, instantly consumed his entire mind.

He would discard the gifts of the evil gods, discard the contamination of chaos, and even... discard the golden finger that had enabled his rise!

Hum—

The moment Qin Feng's resolve solidified, the bronze scales, which had stood unchanging since time immemorial, as if independent of the universe, suddenly emitted a resonant hum that shook the cosmos!

The scales seemed to sense Qin Feng's resolute will.

The next moment, Qin Feng clearly felt that deep within his sea of consciousness, the [Tzeentch Page], radiating a sinister blue-purple light, instantly lost all its luster, turning into specks of light and dissipating into nothingness.

Then, the [Skull of Khorne], filled with primal bloodlust, shattered inch by inch, turning into dust and completely merging into the background of his sea of consciousness.

Finally, the most familiar to him, the pale golden [Heaven Rewards Diligence] panel, emerged.

It appeared, deeply imprinted in Qin Feng's consciousness for a final instant, then, like a reflection in a mirror or a flower in the moon, slowly faded away until it vanished completely.

An unprecedented sense of emptiness instantly swept through Qin Feng's entire being.

It was a searing pain, as if the most important part of his life had been forcibly torn away.

Endless reluctance and regret surged into his heart like inner demons, almost devouring his will.

But in the end, he held on.

The confusion and pain in his eyes, in a mere moment, were replaced by an unprecedented firmness and purity.

From now on, on his martial path, there would be no external dependencies!

He trusted only himself!

Boom!

The instant his Dao heart was fully stabilized, the bronze tray beneath his feet seemed to break free from the gravity of billions of stars, beginning a frenzied ascent!

Its speed was so great that it left a golden afterimage in the void!

"What?! How is this possible?!"

Opposite him, the core soul flame of the ascending Wild suddenly contracted violently, erupting with an incredulous, horrified thought.

"You... how did you figure out the rules?! No! This is impossible! This is Tzeentch's conspiracy! I knew it! I knew all gods were untrustworthy!"

Wild was completely panicked.

He watched helplessly as his tray, from its upward trajectory, instantly stalled, then began an uncontrollable, rapid descent!

The blazing white soul fire rapidly grew in his vision, its terrifying temperature, enough to incinerate everything, already beginning to scorch his mechanical true body.

"Qin Feng! Stop! Stop now! Withdraw your thoughts!"

Wild let out a terrified shriek: "We can coexist peacefully! The boost from the [Twin Masks] can be shared between us! If we join forces, we will surely dominate this starry sky! Achieving the great harmony between humans and machines will no longer be a dream!"

But Qin Feng only looked at him with a cold, indifferent gaze.

"Madman! What exactly did you discard?!"

Wild roared in despair, feeling his soul being ignited, the agony from his very origin driving him insane.

"I... I discarded the spark granted by my lord, the 'Machine God'! And the knowledge page of the Changer of Ways, yet why... why can't I stop the descent?!"

"Qin Feng! You are ruthless!"

"You have abandoned more than I have!"

Seeing no hope in begging for mercy, Wild's thoughts were filled with the most venomous curses.

"But you won't live long either!

By accepting Tzeentch's knowledge, you have left your name on his endless chessboard of schemes!

He has already entangled you! You will eventually become his pawn, hahahaha—"

In his final laughter and curses, Wild's massive mechanical body completely fell into that boundless sea of blazing white flames.

No screams, no struggle.

In just an instant, his colossal body, comparable to a star, along with his powerful soul, completely dissipated into nothingness.

With Wild's fall, the [Scales of Desire] seemed to have fulfilled its mission. After devouring Wild's soul, its universe-spanning body turned into a streak of light and vanished instantly into the cosmic vacuum.

The surrounding spacetime returned to normal.

A cold mask, covered in numerous blue-purple mysterious runes and filled with unknown secrets, silently appeared before Qin Feng and actively adhered to his face.

At the same time, Qin Feng clearly felt a strange soul fluctuation, yet carrying a hint of familiar origin, establishing a mysterious connection with him through the mask.

With a thought, he retrieved a vast amount of rare alloys from his storage space.

The moment these alloys appeared, they seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, beginning to automatically decompose and reassemble.

Within seconds, a mechanical warrior, seven or eight parts similar to the former Wild but more ferocious and murderous, was constructed out of thin air.

The other [Twin Mask] quietly floated at the core of this mechanical body—where the "machine soul" resided—emitting a faint glow.

An unprecedented novel experience surged into Qin Feng's heart.

He felt his consciousness split in two, able to flow freely between his human flesh and this new mechanical creation without any delay.

It was a feeling of complete control!

"Hum..."

The moment his consciousness sank into the mechanical body, a torrent of information, vast as the sea, flooded his mind.

It was countless coordinates, countless mechanical camps hidden near the Twin River and even light-years away!

These were the numerous contingencies and branch bases Wild had prepared over the long years.

And now, they had all become his legacy!

Qin Feng's soul seemed to transform into an intangible "machine soul."

He felt that with just a thought, his consciousness could instantly tear through space and appear on any mechanical creation within a ten-light-year radius!

He could even multitask, simultaneously controlling thousands of mechanical creations, forming a true "one-man army"!

This was the core racial talent of the machine race!

And now, Qin Feng, a pure human, through the mysterious combination of the two cosmic artifacts, the [Twin Masks] and the [Scales of Desire], had perfectly mastered this talent!

Moreover, Qin Feng was even more monstrous than the machine race, because if a machine race member was too far from their mechanical creations, their machine soul—that is, their soul—would shatter, and they would fall completely.

But as long as Qin Feng's human flesh did not die, no matter how many mechanical creations perished, it was fine; even if the machine soul was lost, it was merely a wisp of spiritual energy.

Not only that!

A surging power began to flow from all directions through the connection of the [Twin Masks], continuously feeding back into his human flesh.

"The Twin Masks were originally meant to mutually empower, stealing each other's attributes while also feeding back one's own attributes to the other, allowing both to grow stronger in symbiosis."

"And now, though Wild is dead, through the rules of the [Scales of Desire], I have replaced his 'existence,' making this new mechanical body my 'other half.' I have birthed a machine race version of myself!"

An unprecedented brilliance burst from Qin Feng's eyes.

“That is to say…”

“The stronger my human flesh and soul, the stronger the mechanical creations I manufacture become, after being blessed by my own attributes!”

“Conversely, the larger and more powerful the mechanical army I create, the more my physical strength, spiritual quality, and so on will be amplified through the feedback of the [Twin Mask]!”

“This is simply… stepping on the left foot to ascend to heaven with the right!”

An irrepressible surge of ecstasy welled up in Qin Feng’s heart.

This gain was too immense!

Moreover, the talents of the Mechanical Clan were not limited to these alone; he would have to explore the rest slowly.

Now, he was both the human Qin Feng and the newborn sovereign of the Mechanical Clan!

He possessed a human body, countless mechanical creations, yet only one soul.

He could fully achieve dual-mindedness, even multi-mindedness, cultivating his human flesh while controlling countless mechanical constructs.

A vast sense of power filled every limb and bone.

He could clearly feel that his human body, under the empowerment of the countless wild mechanical creations left behind in distant mechanical camps, was undergoing terrifying reinforcement!

The comprehensive strength of Qin Feng’s flesh had been forcibly increased by more than thirty percent!

It was a leap and sublimation from the deepest essence of life.

His body, already tempered to an inconceivable degree by the [Eternal Singularity], now, under the blessing of the [Twin Mask], every cell, every fascia, every bone seemed to be infused with a life code from another higher race.

Tough, precise, and imbued with a cold, powerful vitality capable of adapting to any harsh environment.

The transformation of his spiritual power was even more mysterious.

The original golden-red sea of spirit now seemed to merge with countless tiny, dust-like blue data streams, making his perception more three-dimensional and precise.

He even had an illusion that, if he wished, his mind could instantly decompose into billions of threads, processing vast amounts of information simultaneously, performing complex calculations beyond imagination.

Such was the immense benefit brought by the “twin birth” with the Mechanical Clan.

A genuine, involuntary curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

This was a high-stakes gamble, one that placed life and death entirely under unknown rules—and he had won.

As his thoughts turned, his spiritual power, fused with Mechanical Clan traits, spread like an intangible, formless giant net, instantly enveloping this vast river basin.

Empty of people.

Or rather, empty of any living being.

As far as the eye could see, there were only shocking battlefield remnants.

Shattered star fragments, broken relic pieces, and countless lifeless limbs and torsos floated silently in the crimson river.

The entire basin seemed to have become a massive stellar graveyard, silently recounting the brutality and bloodshed of the previous battle.

Hundreds of galaxy-level, even dozens of long-renowned black hole-level experts, had all turned to dust in this icy river.

“They should have all left the Twin River, but they definitely haven’t gone far.”

Qin Feng’s gaze pierced through the endless void, looking toward the only entrance of the Twin River, making a calm judgment.

“Those guys are surely blocking the entrance, waiting to kill the final victor.”

This was an open scheme—simple, yet incredibly effective.

Whoever obtained the [Twin Mask] would have to pass through the entrance to leave.

At that moment, facing the combined siege of dozens of peers, even a prodigy from the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List would have no choice but to fall.

“If I wanted, I could simply abandon this body.”

Qin Feng’s mind calmly analyzed all possibilities. “Using the Mechanical Clan talent I just acquired, I could transfer my core soul to the mechanical creation camps left by Wild near the Twin River. Thus, I could escape by shedding my shell, turning all their ambushes into nothing.”

This choice was undoubtedly rational and safe.

The Mechanical Clan’s “Machine Soul” talent had elevated his survival ability to an epic level.

As long as there was one mechanical creation as a soul “anchor,” he was nearly immortal.

“But… the cost is too great.”

Qin Feng quickly dismissed this idea.

“First, the cosmic will mission cannot be abandoned; it must be completed, or I’ll suffer a huge loss.”

“Second, reshaping a body is not difficult for me. With enough resources and time, I could replicate a perfect physique identical to my current one. But that ‘time’ would likely be measured in tens of thousands of years.”

His current body, forged through countless life-and-death battles, devouring vast heavenly treasures, and tempered with the [Eternal Singularity] as its core, was of incalculable value.

Once abandoned, the time and resource costs to regain his current height would be astronomical.

More importantly, it would deprive him of his strongest combat capital for a long time, reducing his margin for error to the minimum.

In the impending, foreseeable death hunt personally issued by the cosmic will, any slightest weakening of power could lead to utter ruin.

“The Mechanical Clan twin birth is my trump card, my ultimate means of ‘resurrection.’ I must never reveal it lightly.”

Qin Feng’s gaze became utterly resolute. He would be the one to break out from the front, not flee like a beaten dog, abandoning everything.

With that thought, he hesitated no longer. He reached out and gently grasped the mechanical creation before him, made of countless precision alloys.

“Crack—”

Accompanied by a grating sound of metal twisting, the ferocious-looking mechanical warrior, gleaming with cold metallic luster, was crushed into a lump of unrecognizable scrap.

He sorted the various rare alloys and core components, storing them all back into his subspace storage unit.

After this, no trace of the Mechanical Clan remained in this basin.

Apart from himself, no one knew that he had completed a “twin birth” with a Mechanical Clan prodigy.

“Hmm, perhaps… Tzeentch knows.”

This thought flashed through his mind.

Qin Feng’s consciousness slowly sank into the deepest sea of his soul.

Here, too, great changes had occurred.

The area once tainted by chaotic forces was now utterly empty.

The [Tzeentch Page] radiating infinite cunning and change, and the [Khorne Skull] burning with endless wrath and bloodlust, had completely vanished, as if they had never existed.

The entire sea of consciousness was unprecedentedly clear and pure.

Only two “Emperor’s Golden Nails,” radiating warm and majestic golden light, hung like two eternal, undying suns in the center of the sea, casting a reassuring, gentle radiance.

Unlike the strange powers brought by the blessings of the evil gods, full of corruption and temptation, these two golden nails only made Qin Feng feel peace, glory, and belonging from the depths of his bloodline.

“The ‘Heaven Rewards Diligence’ panel… is also gone.”

Qin Feng’s mind stirred slightly, and he tried to call out in his heart.

“Panel?”

“Panel?”

He called out several times in his mind, but the familiar light screen he expected did not appear before his eyes.

The sea of consciousness was utterly silent, with no response whatsoever.

He had truly… lost it.

Just as a wave of indescribable loss and melancholy surged within Qin Feng, a voice—grand, gentle, yet brimming with boundless majesty and ancient weariness—sounded without warning directly in the depths of his soul.

That voice was not like thunder in its authority, yet it was deeper than the starry sea;

Not like the spring breeze in its warmth, yet it was more tender than sunlight.

It was filled with concern and expectation for the younger generation, like an elder who had wandered far from home for countless years, finally witnessing the growth of a descendant and letting out a sigh of relief.

“Qin Feng, you have abandoned the panel.”

Boom!

The instant that voice appeared, Qin Feng’s entire soul trembled!

He could clearly sense that within his sea of consciousness, beside those two Emperor’s Golden Nails, a third golden nail was slowly taking shape from endless radiance!

The source of this voice was unmistakable!

It was the Emperor!

The guardian of human civilization, the great being who sat upon the Golden Throne, shielding the fate of all humanity with his own soul!

An uncontrollable surge of excitement and reverence instantly flooded Qin Feng’s heart.

This was the first time he had felt the Emperor’s presence so vividly!

“Qin Feng, fortunately you did not choose to abandon the Golden Nail.”

In the Emperor’s voice was a faint hint of teasing and amusement, like an old friend casually chatting with a nephew, instantly dissolving that sacred and distant feeling, allowing Qin Feng’s tense mind to fully relax.

“Tzeentch was lying to you.”

The Emperor’s voice continued, revealing the truth in a single phrase.

“The ‘Heaven Rewards Diligence’ panel was created by me. Its purpose was to usher in an era where every human could become a dragon, where effort always yields reward…”

“It doesn’t matter that you abandoned the panel. With your current strength, you no longer need it.”

“There are more young humans of later generations who need it.”

So that was it!

Hearing this, Qin Feng was first stunned, then suddenly enlightened, and the last shred of doubt in his heart vanished like smoke.

All along, he had thought the panel was Tzeentch’s creation.

After all, that was what the Tzeentchian page had told him back then, and the power to quantify all effort was indeed beyond his understanding at the time, so he was deceived by Tzeentch’s lies.

Even on the “Scale of Desire,” Tzeentch’s final advice was full of calculation and misdirection, trying to tempt him into abandoning the Emperor’s Golden Nail along with it.

But Qin Feng had always believed that a gentleman judges deeds, not intentions.

No matter how eloquently Tzeentch spoke, it could not change the great truth that the Emperor had ascended the Golden Throne, turned himself into a beacon in the Warp, endured eons of solitude and torment alone, and shielded humanity’s survival to this day.

It was this heartfelt recognition and reverence that made him, at the final moment of decision, resolutely keep the “Golden Nail” that symbolized the Emperor’s approval.

“Strive to become the new god of humanity.”

The Emperor’s voice gradually faded, leaving only a single phrase—both an admonition and a blessing—that echoed long in Qin Feng’s sea of consciousness.

As the Emperor’s will departed, the third Emperor’s Golden Nail fully took shape, forming a triangular stability with the first two, floating steadily, its radiance several times stronger than before, illuminating Qin Feng’s entire soul in dazzling brilliance.

Qin Feng’s consciousness slowly returned to reality.

He opened his eyes, and in his gaze there was no longer any confusion, only a conviction as firm as bedrock.

Qin Feng lifted his head and looked up at the Twin River above.

Because he had already obtained both “Twin Masks,” the miniature black holes that had been spewing out various heavenly treasures had now fallen completely silent.

At that very moment, he clearly sensed the omnipresent cosmic will descending once again.

Lines of cold text, composed of cosmic laws, appeared in his mind.

The mission had updated.

[Phase One Complete: Successfully seized the cosmic artifact “Twin Masks”]

[Phase Two Initiated: The Final Path]

[Objective: Follow the fixed route to reach the territory of the human domain “Thunder Cosmic City”]

[Reward: The Dao Foundation “Eternal Singularity” will advance to the supreme Dao Foundation “Final Singularity”]

[Failure: Fall]

[Hint 1: After obtaining the “Twin Masks,” your coordinates will refresh and be exposed once per “Imperial Year,” known to all mission participants.]

[Hint 2: You will gain the ability to tear space over short distances once per year.]

[Hostile Pursuit Mission has been synchronously issued…]

[Hostile Mission Acceptor List: Nightfall (Stone Clan), Neil (Light Clan), Death Knell (Necron Clan), Shui Mo (Aquatic Life Clan), Tark (Golden Armored Beast Clan), Black Jade (Crystal Clan), Venom Wasp (Insect Clan), Light Cloud (Light Clan), Crane Guard (Demon Clan)… Total of seventy-two Black Hole-level beings.]

Each line of text struck like a thunderbolt in Qin Feng’s mind.

He knew that from this moment on, the true game of death had begun.

(The chapter ends)