Zhou Zhenbei slowly stood up. The humiliation and excruciating pain he had just experienced were like venomous snakes gnawing at his dignity, making him extremely angry. The rage within him was almost impossible to suppress.

A mere vagrant, a so-called 'hero' whom he wouldn't even deign to look at, actually managed to injure the true body of this General of Zhongzhou from across thousands of miles of void!

Noticing that his right arm had completely lost sensation, Zhou Zhenbei frowned slightly. He instantly mobilized the vast energy within his body and softly chanted:

"Crossing the turbid river to safety... guarding the mountains and rivers."

As the ability was activated, the dark green fog of Zhenshan River suddenly transformed into "turbid river vapor," surging towards the right arm like a tide, enveloping the entire arm like viscous river water, forming a semi-transparent water film.

The broken bones and tendons made a "creaking" sound as they repaired themselves under the influence of energy. The charred and necrotic flesh was washed away, and fresh flesh and blood regenerated at a visible speed.

In the blink of an eye, his right arm, which had been limp and almost useless, was restored to its original state.

Zhou Zhenbei gripped his strong right hand again, shrugged and moved his right arm. Seeing the burn scars remaining on his right arm and the lingering heat of the flames, a murderous intent surged in his eyes.

Li Yu must not be allowed to live!

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.

The guards rushed in in a panic and looked up to see Zhou Zhenbei standing in the middle of the messy, cracked, and bloodstained floor with his clothes torn.

The guard's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly lowered his head, then said in a panic, "General, the building just shook violently, triggering the highest-level abnormal energy alarm! I was worried about your safety, so I..."

"It's nothing, go downstairs," Zhou Zhenbei said coldly.

"Yes." The guard immediately bowed and withdrew.

As he listened to the receding footsteps, Zhou Zhenbei's expression grew increasingly solemn.

Jincheng, a core city in Zhongzhou, possesses the "Sky Dome" defense system, which is said to be able to intercept all conventional and extraordinary attacks.

How could such a bizarre arrow have come through the air without any warning?

It's impossible that the authorities lack the ability to intercept such arrows.

It is also impossible that, after such a remote attack, no official investigators, apart from his personal guards, arrived at the scene immediately.

Zhou Zhenbei couldn't help but look up at the seemingly calm and gloomy rainy sky above Jincheng.

I'm afraid someone is deliberately trying to embarrass him and humiliate him, the General of Zhongzhou!

"Okay..." Zhou Zhenbei muttered to himself, a ruthless and resolute glint in his eyes.

It seems the steel project needs to be brought forward.

Kangcheng, Zhongzhou.

Inside the research room, the intense energy of the flames subsided into calm.

All that remained was Zhou Xiaopeng's gradually cooling body and the regret of not being able to complete the ceremony.

Bai Ya looked at Zhou Xiaopeng, who had already breathed his last, and then at the still sleeping infant spirit in the crystal coffin beside him. He slowly withdrew the energy that had been maintaining the star array, and the light of the star array quickly dimmed and eventually dissipated completely.

He cautiously glanced at Li Yu, who emanated a terrifyingly oppressive aura. His throat bobbed, and he hurriedly spoke, his tone unusually respectful and urgent, as if afraid that if he hesitated even a second longer, the overwhelming rage would be directed at him:

“Li...Li Yuxingjun”.

"Although the ritual was unsuccessful, there may still be other ways to save the child!"

Bai Ya knew he had to demonstrate his worth now, or he might become a victim of Li Yu's wrath.

“I have done extensive research on the conditions and costs of transformation. Give me time, and I will do my utmost to find other ways to awaken him!”

Li Yu slowly turned her head. The light in her left eye, which was still golden, had not yet completely dimmed. Her cold gaze made Bai Ya feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

His gaze passed over the white crow and landed on the infant spirit's body inside the crystal coffin behind him. Li Yu forcibly suppressed the rage that threatened to consume him, his voice unusually hoarse and cold due to the suppressed anger:

"Alright. Since you put it that way, then you stay in Kangcheng and use every method you can think of to try to find another way as quickly as possible."

“You had better really save him.” Li Yu paused, his tone low and cold: “If you’re just trying to find an excuse to stall for time, you should know the consequences.”

"I dare not, I would never dare to have any disloyal thoughts!" Bai Ya quickly bowed, bending his waist even lower.

Li Yu stopped looking at him and instead looked at Shi Tuo Yan, who stood to the side like a shadowy, desiccated corpse:

“Shituoyan, you will be fully assisting Baiya in his next research.”

Li Yu's gaze sharpened, and she emphasized, "We must 'cooperate' with him to find a way to save the child."

If the white crow cannot revive the infant spirit, then it's of no use.

"Yes, Lord City Lord," Shi Tuo Yan replied hoarsely, a knowing glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He understood Li Yu's meaning; from now on, he would monitor Bai Ya's every move.

Coincidentally, he was also very interested in the White Crow's teleportation method, which was different from the Awakened Ones' abilities.

Shi Tuoyan turned his gaze to Bai Ya, a strange smile curving his lips, as if he were examining an interesting experimental subject.

If one could thoroughly study and properly utilize Bai Ya's ability...

Thinking of this, Shitaka Yama watched intently.

Bai Ya suddenly felt uneasy all over, especially when the Three Paths Worm flashed past Shi Tuo Yan's eyes. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and all his thoughts of escaping Kang City vanished instantly.

Should he send this poisonous old monster in front of him to "cooperate"?

Bai Ya had no doubt that if he made any unusual move, the old man's poison might be tested on him the next second, and he might even experience a fate worse than death.

"Please come with me. Perhaps during this research, you will even meet two old acquaintances." Shi Tuo Yan raised his hand in invitation, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Bai Ya took a deep breath. Given the formidable strength Li Yu had displayed earlier, even if he immediately activated the star array to escape, it would probably be of no use.

Given how things have developed, he really has no other choice.

Thinking of this, Bai Ya could only nod and stiffly follow Shi Tuo Yan away.

On the other side, Jiang Feng looked at Li Yu with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but felt it was inappropriate.

In the end, he simply gave Li Yu a heavy look before leaving in silence.

As everyone in the research room dispersed, Li Yu stared blankly at the infant spirit's body in the crystal coffin.

Just then, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and a faint sobbing sound suddenly came from the side.

Li Yu turned her head and saw Zhou Xiaopeng's head tilted to the side; his lifeless body, with its eyes wide open, was already stiff.

A thin wisp of mist slowly drifted out from between Zhou Xiaopeng's eyebrows.

It was a lingering resentment and bitterness that never dissipated until death, mixed with incomprehension towards his father and fear of death, slowly coalescing in the air.

The chill within the research institute seemed to converge towards the white mist.

As the fog thickened, it gradually outlined the blurry silhouette of Zhou Xiaopeng's spirit above the corpse.