Mu Qing stood her ground, gazing at the eighteen Psionic Race warriors hovering in the sky, battle intent burning in her eyes.
She was not surprised by their arrival.
When Feng Qi had mapped out the battle strategy, he had predicted that the Psionic Race might intervene.
Back then, he believed that the war between Star City and Future City would inevitably draw attention from multiple factions, including those lurking in the shadows—like the Psionic Race.
Through live broadcasts, there was a high chance that the Psionic Race would discover Black Shadow's whereabouts.
To them, Black Shadow was an irresistible lure because he possessed a miracle item.
No species could resist the allure of a miracle item, let alone the fact that Black Shadow was a former traitor to their kind.
This was why Feng Qi had prioritized a swift battle in his strategy.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more unpredictable variables would emerge—potentially leading to outside forces intervening. If the situation spiraled out of control, their opportunity to investigate the Research Institute would slip away.
What surprised Mu Qing was the speed at which the Psionic Race arrived.
They were different from the domain warriors who had come to halt the war.
Those domain warriors had boarded transport aircraft well before the battle even began, ensuring they reached Future City at the right moment.
But the Psionic Race had not done the same.
They might have been interested in the war's underlying cause, but they wouldn't have mobilized just to prevent it, nor would they have openly sided with Future City against Star City.
Feng Qi had assumed that even if they noticed Black Shadow in the live broadcast, they would take time to travel—giving them enough of a window to search the Research Institute for information.
But now, it was clear—he had underestimated their capabilities.
Instead of conventional transportation, they had torn open a spatial passage, crossing vast distances in an instant.
Facing Mu Qing's provocation, the Psionic warriors responded.
The leader of the group's golden forehead insignia began to glow faintly.
His eyes turned completely golden, and behind him, a pair of massive golden wings of pure energy slowly unfurled.
With a single beat of his wings, golden light particles rained down like a divine blessing.
A holy aura swept across the battlefield.
At that moment, he resembled a god descending to the mortal world, looking down upon everything below with cold, indifferent eyes.
But Mu Qing did not hesitate.
She swung her fist.
As her fist surged forward, fine black cracks spread through the air, distorting space itself.
The terrifying force behind the punch seemed capable of splitting the sky in two, aimed directly at the so-called god above—intending to drag him from his divine throne.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield.
The jade-colored lightning surrounding her formed a massive fist projection, spiraling upward like a celestial storm.
The sheer force tore apart the thick cloud layers in the sky, leaving a gaping void.
The leader of the Psionic warriors narrowed his golden eyes, then folded his wings around himself—attempting to shield against the devastating attack.
But he had underestimated Mu Qing's power.
The moment the fist projection collided with his wings, the golden energy feathers were torn apart.
The attack landed directly on his chest.
Jade-colored lightning crawled across his body, and he let out a pained, guttural scream.
His once composed expression shattered in an instant.
His energy body flickered chaotically, on the verge of disintegrating under the relentless assault of the jade-colored lightning.
Seeing their leader in danger, the seventeen remaining Psionic warriors immediately rushed forward, placing their hands on him.
They absorbed the excess lightning energy, suppressing its destructive power.
The black energy circulating through their bodies gradually extinguished the jade lightning.
As their leader's body stabilized, he looked back at Mu Qing—this time, with shock in his eyes.
He had assumed that their greatest opponent would be Black Shadow, the traitor.
But before they could even reach him, they encountered a warrior whose raw physical power was utterly terrifying.
Within the jade-colored lightning, he had sensed something—pure blood energy condensed into raw destructive force.
For such a small-framed human to possess such overwhelming blood energy, it could only mean one thing—her physical body had evolved to an unimaginable level.
Her defensive strength alone was monstrous.
It was no wonder she could withstand her own blood energy without tearing herself apart.
The Psionic leader's golden eyes flickered with symbols, rapidly analyzing the battle.
Even after a brief exchange, one fact was clear—
Breaking through Mu Qing's defenses would be incredibly difficult.
Her blood energy was too immense, and her physical body could withstand it effortlessly.
This was not a defense that could be broken by simple energy attacks.
Understanding this, the Psionic leader turned to his right, eyes locking onto one of his warriors.
His voice was cold.
"Hei Gu, you handle her."
Upon hearing the order, the warrior known as Hei Gu stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto Mu Qing, who stood there, her body wrapped in crackling lightning, already preparing her next attack.
Their gazes met.
Then—Hei Gu smiled.
He raised his right hand, revealing a purple ring on his middle finger.
The ring emitted a faint glow.
Mu Qing's instincts screamed at her.
A powerful sense of impending danger surged through her mind.
Her intuition had never failed her—this meant something was coming.
Then—
Snap!
A crisp snapping sound echoed in her ears.
In that instant, Mu Qing's entire world lost its color.
Darkness spread rapidly, swallowing everything.
In the blink of an eye, her vision was gone.
She was surrounded by pitch-black nothingness.
It was as if she had been teleported into a void—a world without light, thick and suffocating like ink.
But she could still hear the wind outside.
That meant—
She was still standing in the same place.
She hadn't been transported to a separate domain field.
Her senses had simply been severed.
Realizing that her sight was completely cut off, Mu Qing remained calm.
She focused, trying to lock onto the presence of the Psionic warriors using her spiritual perception.
Then—
Snap!
A second snapping sound echoed.
Mu Qing's eyes widened.
She could no longer sense anything.
Her spiritual perception had been completely cut off.
She could still smell the battlefield, the lingering scent of gunpowder and blood, but—
She could no longer sense her enemies.
Then—
Snap!
The third snap came.
Mu Qing suddenly realized that she had lost her sense of smell. The only sensations she could still perceive were the warmth of the sun on her skin and the touch of the wind against her body.
Snap!
The fourth snap echoed, and in an instant, even her sense of touch vanished.
Now, the only thing connecting her to the outside world was the sound of the wind brushing past her ears.
Snap!
The fifth snap rang out.
At that moment, all of Mu Qing's connections to the world were severed.
Sight, hearing, taste, touch, perception—every single one of her five senses was gone.
It felt as though her consciousness had been forcibly extracted from her body, leaving her completely disconnected from her physical form.
Facing this predicament, Mu Qing tried to focus, attempting to resist this purely mental suppression and regain control of her body.
But no matter how much she concentrated, she could no longer feel her body at all.
She was no stranger to spiritual attacks.
Back when she was being tested at the Crimson Research Institute, her mental defenses were analyzed. The results were the same every time—unknown.
The reason was simple: any spiritual force that invaded her body would be absorbed by her mind, rendering it ineffective.
Her body wasn't just capable of devouring physical matter, it could consume spiritual energy as well.
But now, that ability had completely failed.
And this technique from the Psionic Race did not feel like a spiritual assault—because she hadn't sensed any spiritual energy entering her body at all.
Every time the snapping sound echoed, one of her senses vanished without warning.
A miracle item?
Recalling the purple ring on Hei Gu's finger, Mu Qing couldn't help but suspect that it was a miracle item, the source of her current predicament.
Only miracle items possessed such absolute rule-defying powers.
Realizing this, anxiety began to stir within her.
Feng Qi had already entered the Research Institute, and the outcome of his battle with Black Shadow was unknown.
If she couldn't assist Feng Qi now, and if the Psionic warriors made it into the Research Institute, Feng Qi would have no chance of survival.
She thought of the request Feng Qi had made before the battle.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Qing forced herself to remain calm and tried once again to fight against the darkness.
But no matter what she did, she could not break free from its grip.
Her nearly invincible body, her earth-shattering strength, were all completely useless here.
Trapped in the oppressive black void, frustration and rage boiled within her.
But this time, no matter how intense her emotions became, the scarlet rune crystals embedded in her body did not react.
She had been completely severed from them.
Hei Gu stood before Mu Qing's motionless body, her blank eyes devoid of focus. A smirk spread across his face.
"She's taken care of. What do we do with her now?"
The leader of the Psionic Race paused for a moment before responding:
"She's valuable for research. Send her to the Infinite Laboratory. She may become one of our most prized specimens."
"Hei Gu, stay here and guard her. The rest of you, follow me into the Research Institute. We have unfinished business with Black Shadow."
Hei Gu chuckled.
"I've blocked all five of her senses. The effect will last at least three months. I should come along."
"No need. Stay here. If anything happens, report to us immediately."
With that, seventeen of the Psionic warriors turned and floated toward the Research Institute's headquarters.
The shift in the battlefield stunned the human warriors below.
They couldn't understand why Mu Qing, who had seemed unstoppable, suddenly went completely still.
As the mysterious new arrivals approached the Research Institute, hesitation flickered through the human warriors—then they charged forward.
They didn't understand what was happening, but one thing was clear—these beings were enemies.
Seeing the domain warriors rush toward them, Hei Gu extended his right hand.
Snap!
A crisp snapping sound rang out.
Immediately, the domain warriors froze in place.
Just like Mu Qing, their vision was stripped away, leaving them in total darkness.
Snap!
Another snap.
One by one, their senses were erased, until they, too, had lost complete control of their bodies.
Looking down at the immobilized domain warriors, Hei Gu's expression remained indifferent.
His gaze shifted back to Mu Qing, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
He had encountered many strong warriors before, but none like her.
Her physical body alone had surpassed the limits of human capability.
And that piqued his interest.
Studying and dissecting rare lifeforms had always been one of his greatest pleasures at the Infinite Laboratory.
He still remembered the words of the Grand Elder:
"True power comes from knowledge."
Driven by fascination, Hei Gu floated toward Mu Qing, his purple ring glowing softly.
He extended his spiritual energy, invading her mind.
In the depths of the dark void, he began manipulating the power of the ring, drawing out Mu Qing's deepest fears.
A purple glow enveloped her.
With her emotions stirred, visions began to form in her mental space.
Hei Gu watched with great interest.
Through these mental projections, he saw Mu Qing's childhood—the domain creatures that had attacked her during a migration.
He saw the moment she faced those monsters, her young heart trembling with fear.
Then, the vision shifted—
He saw Mu Qing's parents, the moment they bid her farewell, knowing their experiments had failed.
For Mu Qing, that moment had been seared into her soul.
The despair of watching her parents leave, the helplessness of handling their departure alone…
Scenes of tragedy and loss intertwined, showing Hei Gu a childhood filled with sorrow.
To Hei Gu, it was nothing more than entertainment.
He felt no sympathy—only amusement.
But he had no idea—
He had touched the one memory Mu Qing had vowed to leave behind.
The pain she had chosen to bury, the past she had let go of after meeting Feng Qi.
When her father's harmonica had broken, it was Feng Qi who had given her a brand new one—a pristine white harmonica.
And at that moment, he smiled and told her,
"I understand what it's like to hold onto something as a reminder of the past. I'm giving you this harmonica in the hope that you can step out of the shadows. Just like that broken harmonica, let the past stay in the past. From now on, look forward—to hope and the future."
From that moment on, she made the decision to seal away the memories of her childhood.
As more friends gathered around her, she finally emerged from the emotions of hatred and sorrow.
But now, that sealed memory was being forcibly unearthed.
It was like an old wound, torn open again, raw and stinging, pushing her emotional limits.
Mu Qing's spiritual world was becoming increasingly unstable. Her emotions were like a volcano, long suppressed, yet now trembling on the brink of eruption.
Hei Gu had no idea.
He continued observing the images from Mu Qing's mind, but as he saw a scene of Mu Qing voluntarily submitting to experiments, bound to a cold metal table, screaming in agony, a flicker of confusion passed through his eyes.
Suddenly, he realized—Mu Qing's power might have been artificially created.
And at the heart of it all was the Crimson Research Institute.
He decided that once he returned, he would report this critical discovery. In his mind, this was no small matter.
If the Crimson Research Institute was capable of mass-producing warriors of Mu Qing's terrifying strength, then they would inevitably become a serious threat to the Psionic Race's future plans.
As he continued to watch Mu Qing's buried nightmares, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
A crimson light pierced through the darkness, emerging in her spiritual consciousness.
Sensing danger, Hei Gu did not hesitate—his purple ring flashed, immediately pulling him out of Mu Qing's mind and back to reality.
Opening his eyes, he saw Mu Qing's body trembling.
She was resisting something unknown.
Hei Gu was stunned.
He had never seen a lifeform that could resist the power of "Miracle—Phantom".
Mu Qing's strength was far more terrifying than he had anticipated.
Inside her spiritual world, one after another, crimson beams pierced through the darkness, illuminating her mind.
As the black void shattered under the scarlet light, Mu Qing's repressed emotions finally exploded.
A shadowy, colossal beast materialized above her, letting out a heaven-shaking roar.
The roar reverberated across the realm, as if announcing to the world—the king has returned.
The domineering presence left Hei Gu completely frozen in place.
The massive beast slowly lowered its gaze, locking onto him.
In that instant, for the first time in his life, Hei Gu felt true fear.
He felt as insignificant as an ant gazing at the boundless universe.
Those cold, crimson eyes imprinted themselves onto his very soul, an image he could never erase.
His consciousness flickered, and he saw a mountain of corpses stretching endlessly, oceans of blood consuming the land.
In the vision, his own corpse lay at the bottom of the mountain, blood flowing over his lifeless body, half-submerged in the endless crimson tide…
A soul-shaking fear gripped him, to the point where he completely forgot the danger approaching him.
His reckless mistake had forced him to witness Mu Qing's deepest pain.
This was something that Feng Qi had once glimpsed.
But Hei Gu was not Feng Qi.
Mu Qing's eyes slowly opened, flames of scarlet fire blazing within them.
Her fist clenched tightly.
Amidst the arcs of jade lightning, strands of crimson energy began to coil around her.
As Mu Qing's aura surged, the ground quaked, fractures spiderwebbing outward from beneath her feet.
Wherever the cracks spread, her overwhelming force pulverized the stones to dust.
From above, the scene was clear—
In just a blink, Mu Qing's scarlet domain had expanded to a kilometer radius, and it was still growing.
The sky darkened, and then—
It began to rain.
But this was not ordinary rain.
Each droplet was red as blood.
Mu Qing raised her right hand and pressed her index finger against Hei Gu's chest.
In an instant, Hei Gu was consumed by a crimson blaze.
His energy-forged body was obliterated, completely overwritten by the dominant crimson power, his very being erased from existence.
Only a single object remained untouched—
The purple ring, glowing faintly as it fell from the air.
It landed on the ground with a soft, crisp sound.
Even after killing Hei Gu, Mu Qing's scarlet flames did not fade.
Her cold gaze swept across the battlefield, her fist trembling with accumulated power, glowing with crimson brilliance.
Memories raged in her mind.
Endless visions of despair and suffering flashed past like a relentless storm.
Just as she was about to unleash her fury upon the frozen domain warriors, the scarlet glow in her eyes suddenly faded.
The visions shifted—
She saw the moment her harmonica broke.
The last relic of her parents—destroyed.
Despair engulfed her once more.
But then—
A new harmonica appeared in her mind.
White and pristine.
And then, Feng Qi's warm smile.
The rage within her was subdued by reason.
Just as she had written in her own journal across countless time loops—
"No matter the hardships I face, no matter how much despair consumes me, he will always be the harbor where my heart finds refuge."
The scarlet flames in her eyes faded completely.
She had regained control.
As her mind cleared, she took in the devastation surrounding her.
A brief moment of daze, and then—
She turned and sprinted toward the Research Institute entrance.
She knew—Feng Qi needed her now.
And only she could bring him out of this alive.
She could only hope that the Psionic warriors hadn't found Feng Qi yet.
Meanwhile, inside the Research Institute's classified chamber—
Feng Qi was still rifling through mountains of files, searching for any information related to Little Black.
For documents he couldn't read, he had to rely on illustrations and diagrams for clues.
After an extended search, a particular document caught his attention.
This one was relatively new, but incomplete.
The top-left corner of the page was labeled "03"—indicating that this was the third page of a larger file.
The rest of it was scattered somewhere among the endless stacks of papers.
But what truly caught his eye was the bold title on the page:
"Infinite Research Laboratory"
And below it—
A photo of someone he immediately recognized.
It was Mo, the mysterious entity.
In the image, Mo's wrists and ankles were shackled by glowing blue restraints.
He was imprisoned inside a cage composed entirely of energy, staring directly into the camera—
With a calm, knowing smile.
Beneath the image, there was a line of text.
[Mo (Item No. 1)]
Origin: Unknown
Abilities: Possesses the ability to rapidly comprehend knowledge. When paired with the knowledge provided by our Psionic Race, it has the potential to create infinite possibilities. Classified as Item No. 1 of the Infinite Research Laboratory.
…
Infinite Research Laboratory?
This was the first time Feng Qi had heard of such a place.
Based on the contents of the document, it seemed that Mo was not someone Black Shadow had met after defecting from the Psionic Race.
It was more likely that when Black Shadow betrayed the Psionic Race, he took Mo with him.
Thinking back to his past conversations with Mo, Feng Qi realized that Mo harbored deep resentment toward the Psionic Race.
This was evident from the fact that before leaving, Mo handed him the activation switch for the Spiritual Energy nuclear weapon—it was clear that Mo wanted him to use it against the Psionic Race before his death.
Now, it all made sense.
Mo had once been imprisoned by the Psionic Race, treated as nothing more than an item in their collection.
After his brief shock, Feng Qi tucked the document behind him and continued searching through the scattered files.
At that moment, multiple holographic screens suddenly popped up inside the classified lab.
Feng Qi immediately looked up at the screens.
They were surveillance feeds from within the Research Institute.
On the displays, shadowy black figures moved stealthily through the facility, as if searching for something.
At the bottom of the projection, a line of flashing red warning text appeared:
[Detected: Psionic Race Intrusion!]
It was clear that this was a security mechanism set up by Mo, specifically designed to detect the presence of the Psionic Race.
Seeing this, Feng Qi felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.
Mu Qing was outside, but if the Psionic Race had already breached the Research Institute, it meant that she had likely encountered a formidable enemy and was unable to break free.
There was even a chance that she had already fallen in battle.
If the Psionic Race found the classified chamber, he was as good as dead.
Time was running out.
Without hesitation, he bent down and continued flipping through the remaining files.
Every so often, he glanced at the holographic displays to track the Psionic Race's movements and estimate how much time he had left.
The Research Institute's headquarters was massive—it wouldn't be easy to locate the classified chamber immediately.
But the time left for him was dwindling fast.
Feng Qi hurriedly skimmed through file after file, his anxiety mounting.
Despite all the new intelligence he had gathered in this sacrifice timeline, there was very little information related to Little Black.
According to Mo, the classified lab contained some records on Little Black.
Even if it was only partial, it was still valuable.
It could serve as a crucial reference point for his future self's plans.
The pile of discarded files behind him grew taller as he quickly sorted through them, discarding anything irrelevant to Little Black.
Yet, he couldn't shake the thought—what if the crucial information was buried in the pile he had already discarded?
There was simply too much data.
Sifting through it felt like searching for a needle in an ocean.
How had Mo managed to find the necessary files so precisely in this chaotic mess?
Did Mo have an exceptional memory, able to recall every document it had ever seen?
Perhaps that was why it could discard files carelessly—it simply didn't need them anymore.
Feng Qi didn't have the luxury to dwell on this mystery.
Finding the right documents was all that mattered now.
These files, left behind by Black Shadow and Mo, might contain not just information on Little Black, but also other unforeseen revelations.
At this moment, the classified laboratory felt like a treasure trove.
Anything was possible here.
The only problem—he didn't have enough time to explore it all.
Lifting his head, he saw three Psionic Race members approaching the Research Institute's core area.
The rest of the Psionic warriors had scattered to search other departments.
At their current speed, the three warriors would reach the classified zone in no time.
Just then, he noticed something on one of the outer surveillance feeds—
A familiar figure appeared at the Research Institute's main entrance.
Moving at incredible speed, she crossed through multiple camera feeds, rushing toward the facility.
Mu Qing had arrived.
A wave of relief washed over Feng Qi.
As long as he stayed alive until Mu Qing reached him, there was still a chance to escape.
He needed to buy time.
He needed to avoid getting killed before Mu Qing arrived.
Feng Qi's gaze swept across the lab, searching for a way to seal the metal doors—anything to slow down the incoming enemies.
As his eyes scanned the numerous scientific instruments, something caught his attention—
A metallic box, encased within a transparent glass chamber.
The material of the box was instantly recognizable.
It was made of the same mysterious metal used in Star City Shelter.
This metal had originally been retrieved from Tong Tian Road by Tian Shu, and was one of the most valuable spiritual materials he had ever acquired.
Not only was it exceptionally durable and resilient, but it also had sealing properties—
It could suppress energy circulation, block perception, and contain overwhelming power.
This was why Tian Shu used it to forge chains and prison cells—it helped him calm his own inner turmoil.
If Black Shadow had used this precious metal to forge a mere box, then something incredibly significant had to be sealed inside.
It made Feng Qi suspect—
Was this box containing the original version of Little Black?
He looked up at the holographic screens again.
The three Psionic Race members were now very close.
Yet, he still hadn't found the controls to lock down the metal doors.
Now, he had a decision to make.
Release the original Little Black—and let it deal with the incoming Psionic warriors.
The risk was immense—
There was a chance that Little Black might devour him instead.
But at this point, it might be the only way to survive.