C13 Starlight

Zhou Ming's presence was overwhelming, his windbreaker billowing as if caught in a tempest.

"Has he finally tapped into his power?"

Lee Tianshan, expression unchanging, lightly snapped his fingers. "A02, take him down."

A girl clad in athletic wear materialized as if from thin air, her form crackling with fearsome arcs of electricity, as she aimed a palm strike at Zhou Ming's head!

Zhou Ming leaped back, his right hand brandishing the black sword, casting a gleam of sword light. "Puchi!" Before the blade could touch her, the girl's arm was severed cleanly.

Lee Tianshan stood there, stunned. How could this be? His daughter was among the strongest of his test subjects, yet her arm was severed before she could even graze the young man's body.

He had assumed that after Zhou Ming harnessed his ability, his strength would range from a one-star to a five-star Essence Weaver at best. Now he realized he was mistaken, grossly so. Such power should not exist in this world.

Things had spiraled beyond Lee Tianshan's control. He shouted urgently, "Stop!"

But it was to no avail. A02, seemingly unfazed, launched another assault on Zhou Ming. Dazzling bolts of lightning struck in rapid succession, and from A02's remaining hand, lightning orbs took flight. Accompanied by streaks of lightning, they bombarded Zhou Ming.

This technique had claimed the lives of countless Essence Weavers, the sheer destructive force of the lightning nearly invincible.

Zhou Ming planted his foot firmly on the ground, the black and white swords sweeping across in unison as he surged forward.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Speed! Unparalleled speed! Shadows flickered as the interwoven sword lights danced, shattering lightning orbs and nullifying bolts of electricity.

The sword light sliced through the air, and Zhou Ming reappeared behind A02. Time seemed to pause for a moment as a line of blood emerged across A02's waist. The girl was cleaved in two, collapsing heavily to the ground, her blood pooling beneath her.

Once Lee Yue became an experimental subject, she was stripped of her consciousness. She had extinguished countless lives without a flicker of emotion.

The moment she learned of her mother's suicide, her heart had died, leaving her an empty husk, a lifeless shell devoid of feeling. Her tragic existence had now reached its end.

As Lee Yue collapsed, a faint smile graced her lips.

"No! My dear Yue'er!"

Lee Tianshan's eyes were filled with rage as he fell to his knees, his already twisted and dark heart now shattered.

"Hahaha! You're all going to die! Every last one of you!"

Lee Tianshan cackled wildly, pulling a remote control from his pocket and pressing a button.

The moment Lee Tianshan pressed the button, the collars around the necks of all the experimental subjects in the factory flashed red. A red indicator light signified that the suppressive drugs within the collar were depleted or blocked.

Zhou Ming was too stunned by the reality of his Dream Fulfilled to pay attention to Lee Tianshan's actions. He had just taken a life for the first time, yet he felt no emotional disturbance.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. He brandished the black and white swords and struck the floor.

"Clang!"

The floor, made of metal, sparked as the longsword struck it. The force of the blow tore a gaping hole in the metal.

Without hesitation, Zhou Ming leaped down through the opening.

In the basement, Lin Xiaowu hung her head low, her limbs shackled by thick chains, her face still marred by swelling and bruises.

Zhou Ming unleashed several arcs of sword light, severing the chains binding Xiaowu. He lifted the unconscious Xiaowu and leapt out through the hole.

As Zhou Ming emerged, someone clutched at his legs.

"Hahaha, you actually brought her up with you. Die! Now you can die even more completely!"

The figure gripping Zhou Ming was Lee Tianshan, a bloody, unrecognizable mess. His right leg was gone, his hands were lacerated, and his bones were starkly visible.

Zhou Ming surveyed the chaos. The factory was in disarray as the experimental subjects fought each other, and to his horror, they began exploding after a brief skirmish.

"You monster! What have you done to them? These are human lives!"

Zhou Ming's anger was uncontrollable. He was certain that Lee Tianshan was responsible for this carnage. A wave of guilt washed over him. The girl he had just killed—wasn't her life just as valuable?

"Human life? They're merely test subjects. Die! All of you must join Yue'er in death, especially you!"

Lee Tianshan clutched Zhou Ming's legs desperately, fearing he would flee.

"Release me, or you'll regret it!"

A horde of test subjects lunged at him, and a deep sense of peril took hold of Zhou Ming. If he didn't act soon, he feared he'd meet his end in this factory.

Steeling himself, Zhou Ming brought his sword down, severing Lee Tianshan's hands. With another swift strike, the charging test subjects were cleaved in two.

Without pausing, Zhou Ming scooped up Lin Xiaowu and dashed out of the room.

Lee Tianshan let out a wry smile and closed his eyes as the test subjects' self-destruction severed his head from his body.

The factory was in turmoil, strewn with severed limbs and human organs. Zhou Ming raced through, indifferent to the innocence of the test subjects. Any that came near were dispatched with a single sword stroke, denying them the chance to detonate.

In the midst of the chaos, Zhou Ming spotted a dark-skinned man. He lay on the ground, intestines spilling out, his eyes fixed on a spot, breathless.

'Fast! Get out fast!' Zhou Ming felt an overwhelming urge to escape. He nearly became a blur, but as he was about to exit the factory, an unexpected twist occurred!

Lin Xiaowu suddenly came to, unleashing a tremendous force that sent Zhou Ming reeling backward.

"Crack crack!"

With bloodshot eyes, Lin Xiaowu stood at the factory entrance and thrust out her palm, instantly encasing everything in ice.

A miniature phoenix emerged from Lin Xiaowu's forehead, quickly growing to envelop her.

"Chirp —"

Ice crystals amassed, and a colossal Ice Phoenix took flight, wreaking havoc throughout the factory.

The system issued a gentle reminder that the Dream Fulfilled state had only two minutes remaining. The host needed to complete the mission quickly, or the success rate would plummet to 1%.

Zhou Ming vibrated his longsword, shattering the encasing ice. His fury knew no bounds. Once again, the accursed system had betrayed him!

Zhou Ming hadn't received any notification of mission completion, which meant the system had duped him again. It seemed that the true completion of his mission to rescue Lin Xiaowu hinged on dealing with the Ice Phoenix.

The Dream Fulfilled came with a time constraint; he had to finish the mission within two minutes. Was this some kind of joke?

Then it hit him—sword skills! The character he had envisioned this time possessed an incredibly powerful dual sword technique.

With no other option, Zhou Ming focused intently on the Ice Phoenix darting through the air. A wave of frigid air descended, turning the frozen experimental subjects and researchers into shattered ice fragments.

Clutching the black and white swords, Zhou Ming dashed forward. Covering some ground, he leapt up, positioning himself above the Ice Phoenix and shouted, "Get down!"

Channeling Primal Essence into his hands, he brought the swords down in a simultaneous strike. The forceful impact scattered ice crystals in all directions.

"Boom!"

The Ice Phoenix hit the ground, and Zhou Ming was right behind it, thrusting his sword upward. A dazzling burst of light from the blade slammed into the Ice Phoenix.

"Screech!"

Enraged, the Ice Phoenix flapped its wings furiously, launching a volley of sharp icicles at Zhou Ming.

As the Ice Phoenix prepared to take flight again, Zhou Ming bellowed, "Starlight Multi-Slash!"

The black and white swords hummed with energy as he danced them through the air, shattering the icicles before him.

With a burst of speed, Zhou Ming closed in on the Ice Phoenix, his swords flashing. One slash, two slashes, three... The blades wove a tapestry of light, faster and faster.

With a final "Crash!" Zhou Ming delivered sixteen slashes. Under the relentless barrage, the Ice Phoenix burst apart into a shower of ice.