Chapter 109: The "Sacred Relic"

A dark shadow darted across the sky.

Its long twin wings sliced through the air like scissors, breaking the currents, piercing into the clouds, then swiftly leaping between the cloud layers and the clear blue expanse.

Compared to the new generation of fighter jets, the shadow’s speed was not particularly fast—just approaching Mach 1—far slower than the fastest reconnaissance planes.

But its advantage lay in agility.

With a single sweep of its wings, it could deftly evade various surveillance systems, slipping into the clouds and then skimming over the clear skies. When human aircraft passed nearby, it would fold its wings, slow down, and constrict its life aura to avoid detection; once the aircraft had long since passed and satellites pierced through the clouds to lock on, it would spread its wings again, unleashing its top speed, streaking across the sky like a black line.

—And so, after roughly half a day, the shadow reached its destination.

It folded its wings, gliding along a curve thousands of meters long, and came to rest steadily above a stretch of water. Then it lowered its body, presenting with utmost docility the object it held in its beak before Xigu.

“You’ve arrived.”

The young man lay on his back atop the seawater, eyes open, wearing a faint ambiguous smile as he looked at it.

“Master, I have brought back the relic left behind by him.”

Xigu rose from the water’s surface.

Hei Yue extended its head, and Xigu stretched out his hands. The two eyeballs, surprisingly still moist, dropped into his palms.

“...”

Xigu stared at the two eyes left by Yang Luo, pondering for a moment before tightly clutching them. Moments later, he opened his hands again.

In less than a second, the two eyeballs had vanished.

At the same time, Xigu sensed a spirit form carrying all memories curling up within a chaotic region inside his body. Dreamlike and yet not, it slipped into eternal slumber, awaiting Xigu’s next awakening—or perhaps eternal rest.

“‘Flesh Resonance’... this power is indeed quite useful. Perhaps in the future, when more and more extraordinary beings perish, their lives and souls can be collected to create a ‘Complete Atlas of Extraordinary Beings.’”

Xigu mused.

Of course, his reason for having Hei Yue retrieve those two eyeballs was not merely to preserve Yang Luo’s spirit through “Flesh Resonance” for future use.

More importantly—

His eyes gleamed as the two eyeballs, which he had seemingly merged completely, reappeared in his palm.

Untouched, unchanged.

He placed the eyeballs before Hei Yue again, signaling it to hold them in its beak.

“...Hm?”

Hei Yue complied, looking at Xigu, waiting for further instructions.

“Try telepathic communication... use your mind to connect with them.”

Though Hei Yue did not understand Xigu’s intent, any command from its master must carry great significance. Carefully holding the eyeballs without crushing them, it attempted to communicate mentally.

Its body stiffened, struggling under the effort.

Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes...

Long after, still nothing happened. Yet Xigu waited calmly, as if fully expecting this outcome.

Just as Hei Yue was about to give up—

An inexplicable impulse enveloped it, a tremor from the depths of its soul. The next moment, it looked at the roaring flames swirling around and let out a shocked shriek!

But in the act, the eyeballs dropped from its beak. Just before they touched the water, Hei Yue flapped its wings, feathers catching the eyes midair, returning them before its gaze.

This time, Hei Yue carefully examined the eyeballs, turning them over repeatedly. Upon establishing some spiritual connection, it noticed a faint radiance lingering within the eyes. Compared to the flames that had just burned, this glow seemed slightly diminished.

It looked at Xigu, blinking curiously.

Xigu explained calmly:

“...This is the fusion of Yang Luo’s lingering will and his ability. These eyeballs carry all his obsessions from life, combined with the ‘spiritual transformation’ extraordinary trait he developed—together they can activate Yang Luo’s extraordinary powers when they encounter a suitable spiritual resonance. However, the energy driving their function is fueled by his obsessions. Once those are exhausted, these eyes will become ordinary again. In a sense... perhaps they can be called ‘relics.’”

Hearing this, Hei Yue’s eyes widened in delight as it stared at Xigu.

“...Master, do you intend to create more ‘disciples’? Give me more chances—I will select suitable individuals from among humans.”

Xigu smiled faintly, a hint of irony in his gaze.

“...You just want to create more extraordinary beings to lure and kill, using them to produce more of these ‘relics.’ Do you think I don’t know?”

“Survival of the fittest. Besides, those suited to become extraordinary beings are humans with intense desires. Granting them extraordinary power allows them to fulfill their dreams and cravings, and then using their deaths to create these ‘relics’ is a fair exchange. I believe at least hundreds of millions would willingly accept such a bargain.”

Hei Yue spoke matter-of-factly.

Xigu smiled warmly, looking at it.

“Oh? Speaking so boldly in front of me—do you forget I am human as well?”

“Does Master still consider himself human?” Hei Yue’s eyes widened, gazing at Xigu.

“I have always believed that, at this point, distinctions of species no longer matter to Master, only closeness and distance. For a god like you, the millions of years humans have ruled Earth are but a fleeting moment in history. Whether pig, sheep, fish, dog, or winged creatures like us, even plants or life forms beyond carbon-based entities—if they receive Master’s favor, they could become the new rulers of Earth, masters of nature. So, in my view, Master is Master—the supreme deity, utterly unlike mortals.”

Xigu chuckled silently.

Shaking his head, he waved his hand, signaling Hei Yue to depart.

“Keep the remaining ‘relics’ of Yang Luo for yourself... As for other extraordinary beings, there’s no need to worry too much. Soon enough, this world will be filled with them. When that time comes, you will have your chance.”

Obediently, Hei Yue lifted its wings, slowly taking flight, the two eyeballs tightly held between its feathers.

At the same time, with an admiring yet confident gaze, it looked back at Xigu and said before leaving:

“Master... I have heard your plan. Rest assured, in the future world, we beasts will not be mere supporting characters. We will rise again, competing alongside humans for the role of ‘protagonist of history.’”

Xigu smiled faintly.

“Hei Yue, do you know why, even after absorbing the blood of evolution, your kind still struggles to ‘spiritually transform’?”

“Why? Please tell me, Master.”

“Because... humans are far better at disguising themselves. Often, if they reveal themselves too plainly, they cannot accumulate the floodgates of emotion breaking within.”

Hei Yue was momentarily stunned, then spread its wings and took flight toward the horizon.

Above the sea, Xigu remained, gazing at the sky, the smile slowly fading from his face.

Neither Hei Yue, nor the Gray Shadow, nor anyone else in the world knew—

Within Xigu’s body, a great transformation was about to begin.

“Finally... it has come to this.”

(End of chapter)