Chapter 104: Who Are You?

Let me get this straight.

You mean to tell me, that beautiful lady was Hui-ying? She's the lady in my mind?!

Wait... let's think about this properly. Hui-ying... that same Hui-ying is Yang Zi. And also, the System that's helping me right now was used by Hui-ying. That much is clear enough. It is really confusing but I have to accept what I can in order to not confuse myself any further.

I don't know whatever timeline or whatever world I saw but one thing's for sure. This outbreak... this rabid human outbreak has happened before. This was not the first time a world was hit by a virus outbreak that wiped out the entire population of a world. And right now, it's happening once again.

At that time, Hui-ying and the System failed to stop the outbreak and because of that, they didn't have any choice but to destroy their world. I can't bear the thought that Hui-ying managed to survive for so long without company. She was still young back then, but she endured such hardship.

"Hui-ying, are you all right?" I asked in my mind. I wasn't expecting any answer since I know that Hui-ying was not all right. It was clear when she told me about her identity. I mean, I can feel her crying in my head. "You know, if I can enter my mind I would've given you a hug right now."

"Thanks, Yongrui. And I'm okay. It's just that, all of this is just too much to take in at once." She answered. "I can't believe that our world died in my hands. I can't believe that I wasn't able to save our world."

"Well, it won't happen again," I said with much confidence. Even though I'm not entirely sure whether I could reach the Realm beyond Transcendence Realm or not, I still said something so assuring so Hui-ying will feel better. I didn't know how it must've felt when the world was literally in her hands and she couldn't do anything about it.

"No, Yongrui. At the rate we're going right now. It's bound to happen again soon." Hui-ying continued. "In my world, I was able to stop the Rush Hour as well but the next wave after that is something unbeatable. Sure you might've absorbed the Qi Current but there's a larger Qi Current coming soon. And this Qi Current will attract a horde consisting of Stage-Seven High-Leveled zo— er, rabid humans. I don't know how you'll be able to stop it but you're not strong enough. You have to be at least in the Dao Realm to put up a good fight against the second Rush Hour Event."

"And how many months do I have left?" I asked. "When the second Rush Hour happens, will I be the only human left alive in the world?"

"We have at least a month left, two months at most. I don't remember the exact interval of the two events." Hui-ying answered. "Also, you won't be the only human left once the Rush Hour happens. After it happens, that's when all humans will be wiped out from this world."

A month, huh. So I have to get to the Transcendence Realm in a month. Also, she's talking about my Original Qi Core, right? That would mean I have to also improve my Virus Qi Core, and my third Qi Core ad climb up to the Transcendence Realm.

In the past, I reached the Dao Realm after two years of cultivating straight. And now, I have to reach Transcendence Realm— which is a Realm higher than the Dao Realm— in less than a month? I mean, with the help of the System, it's doable. But can I really do it?

No, I'm the most talented cultivator to ever exist. If I can't do it, then no one else can! I can do this! I'm the only one who can do this.

The scenes that appeared before me finally disappeared and in the process, I was greeted by the ruined state of Ziyou Shelter, or rather, what's left of it. Countless bodies of both rabid humans and humans alike littered the surroundings, making it look like a graveyard instead of a shelter.

I felt a pang of guilt once again after seeing the hundreds of thousands of these rabid humans and humans in front of me. However, I knew that there was nothing I could do to bring them back. That's why the only thing I could do right now is to move forward.

"Hui-ying, let's go.' I called out.

After one more glance towards the devastation I caused, I apologetically bowed down to pay respects to the hundreds of thousands of people who died in Ziyou Shelter. Even though a majority of them were rabid humans, I technically killed all of them when I absorbed their Qi Energy.

There was a heaviness in my heart when I walked away but I didn't let that affect my expression nor my outlook on my next move. With resolute intent, I exited Ziyou Shelter with the promise that I would someday rebuild it.

.....

After a few hours, I managed to reach Red Sea Shelter. And to my surprise, they were preparing a lot of barricades and trenches outside the Shelter. There were even armored guards and cultivators standing by the edge on the top of the walls, preparing themselves for the battle ahead.

"Yong Rui!" Liu Zhi called out, running towards me. There was some sense of uneasiness in his expression that I almost thought I did something wrong.

After he came out to greet me, Blade and Wu Yan followed right behind him.

"We're so sorry, Yong Rui. We were caught off-guard. The Shelter Leader of the Ziyou Shelter is strong. He must be in the Ancient Realm." Blade said.

"Yong Rui we're really sorry. It's all our fault. Are you okay?" Wu Yan called out as she extended her hands towards my cheeks to check my face and complexion.

"No, it's fine. We didn't expect them to know that we were infiltrating their shelter. It wasn't anyone's fault but a miscalculation on my part. I didn't take into account that I'll be jeopardizing your life in this mission. It was my fault for miscalculation."

While I was talking, a figure suddenly fluttered by, barely making any noise. We didn't even notice which figure it was but the next thing I knew, someone was already hugging me.

'Who is it this time?!' I exclaimed inwardly.

To my surprise, it was none other than Yang Mei Mei.

"I'm glad you're okay." She continued, emotions flowing from her lips. I could tell that she especially worried about me considering that she wasn't the type of person to go to someone and hug them in a flash.

"What was that, Blade? Did you see her?" Liu Zhi whispered.

"No, she's faster than me. And younger." Blade answered. Although he was speaking in a low tone, there was a hint of frustration in his voice. It was obvious to him that the girl was stronger than her in terms of cultivation even though she was younger and of the opposite gender.

"Wu Yan, I'm also glad you got here safely." I continued, grabbing her by the shoulders and gently pushing her away. I didn't want Wu Yan to misunderstand her actions.

Suddenly, I felt a strong aura approaching our group, making the hairs on my back stand up. Chills ran up and down my spine as I tried to detect which person it was.

"You've safely arrived, Yong Rui."

It was  Shen Rong! And by the looks of it, he was able to break through to the Eighth-Level of the Dao Realm. One more step and he should be able to reach the Transcendence Realm.

"Greetings to the Shelter Leader." I cupped my hands, almost losing my composure at the amount of pressure he was releasing. If I were to go head to head with him, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive even a single punch from him. The level of my cultivation is currently in the Ancient Realm but even then, his power is leaps and bounds stronger than mine. "It appears you've managed a breakthrough, Shelter Leader. My congratulations to you, sir."

Although I approached him with sweet words and compliments, Shen Rong stared at my eyes with great contempt and doubt. It's as if he was staring straight into my soul and there was no way to block his perception. I felt like I was naked in front of him and he was scrutinizing every corner of my body for signs of betrayal.

"We need to talk, right now. Liu Zhi, everyone, I request that you give Yong Rui and I some privacy." Shen Rong announced.

I badly wanted to escape whatever it is that was happening but Shen Rong released so much pressure that basically stopped me in my tracks. Liu Zhi and his party, as well as Yang Mei Mei, felt the pressure leaking out from Shen Rong and they didn't have any choice but to step back. Their minds must've come to a conclusion that any wrong move might put their life to an end.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, Yong Rui." Shen Rong started.

Gulp.

"Who are you? Tell me the truth." Shen Rong asked.