223: Chapter 223 Luo Fan's Information

"Because... the lords, heroes, and soldiers killed by the power of pollution back then... their remains, their creations, their Territory Cores..."

"All were eroded by pollution, turning into the minions and breeding grounds of pollution... I, too, am one of them. That phantom occupying my core is a monster spawned from my remains with the help of pollution..."

"Although the Heavenly Dao sealed most of the pollution along with our remains in various fragments... now, the Seal seems to have... loosened. That monster being able to break the Seal and control Polluted Monsters is proof of that..."

"A new Reincarnation... has already begun. Pollution... will surely sweep through again. You... must become stronger... stronger than we were... back then..."

By the end, Luo Fan's phantom had faded until it was almost invisible, and his voice was as weak as a mosquito's buzz.

"Successors... I leave it to you... the common people of this world... are with you..."

As the words fell, the already dim phantom could no longer maintain itself.

It turned into countless tiny white spots of light flickering with a final glimmer, like fireflies in the wind, slowly rising into the air, and finally dissipating completely under the still gray sky of the alternate dimension, leaving no trace.

In its place, only that cracked, broken lord core with its light withdrawn remained, floating quietly.

As well as... Lin Tian, who was plunged into deep shock and thought, and Lin Yin, whose brows were furrowed as she remained vigilant.

The hustle and bustle of cleaning up the battlefield all around seemed to fade away. Lin Tian stood where he was, Luo Fan's intermittent but information-packed words echoing in his mind over and over like thunderclaps.

"The epic battle between the source of pollution and the eternal heavenly dao... the collective tragic sacrifice and final sealing by the previous generation of lords... the truth behind the shattering of the continent... the 'mission' of our generation of lords..."

The fragmented information gradually pieced together a vague but heart-palpitatingly grand picture.

Lords like them weren't just 'players' accidentally dropped into this world; they were more like 'firefighters' chosen by the dying world's will... or, 'the hope being nurtured.'

"Heh... that really is quite a 'big surprise.'"

Lin Tian rubbed the space between his eyebrows and suddenly grinned, showing a smile that was hard to tell if it was excitement or helplessness.

"So we're not just here to farm, fight, and compete for hegemony, but also moonlighting as world saviors? Isn't the difficulty of this sudden 'ultimate quest' a bit too high?"

He quipped seemingly lightheartedly, but deep in his eyes was a sense of calm and sharpness.

Pressure? Of course there was.

But more than that, it was a realization of 'so that's how it is,' and a high-spirited fighting intent stirred by the challenge.

"Brother Tian?"

Lin Yin put away her bow and arrows, walked to his side, and called out softly, her cool eyes carrying a trace of imperceptible concern.

She could feel the myriad of thoughts crossing Lin Tian's mind in that moment.

"It's nothing."

Lin Tian shook his head and reached out to pat Lin Yin's shoulder. Her skin was cold to the touch, but it made him feel grounded.

"I just heard a slightly scary old story. However..."

He looked up at this alternate dimension that had just been conquered with blood but was still shrouded in an unknown haze, his tone becoming firm and full of power again.

"Who cares about the source of pollution, the Heavenly Dao's mission, or the grudges of the previous generation... why think so much?"

"Soldiers will be blocked by generals, and water will be covered by earth. If the sky falls, there are tall people to prop it up. Right now, it looks like we are those 'tall people.'"

He smiled, a smile carrying his characteristic optimism and vigor that seemed capable of dispelling any gloom.

"In the end, having hard fists is the only hard truth. As long as our strength is great enough—great enough to blow everything up—who cares what monsters, ghosts, or ancient pollutions come? We'll just crush them all!"

"Let's go, head back first. Clear the loot, train the soldiers to be stronger, and build the city to be sturdier."

Lin Tian turned and strode toward the temporary camp, his back looking tall and full of strength under the dim light of the alternate dimension.

"When we're strong beyond measure, I'd like to see how many heads that damn 'source of pollution' has, and if they're enough for me to chop off!"

Luo Fan's remnant Soul had dissipated, leaving only a cracked lord core and a heavy secret.

Lin Tian stood there, and after digesting that heavy entrustment from ancient times, his heart felt like it had a stone pressing on it.

Just as he had put away the broken core and patted the non-existent dust off his hands, preparing to call Lin Yin back.

"Ding!"

A crisp and pleasant System notification sounded as if it struck his Soul directly.

Immediately after, in the bottom right of his System panel, a golden, brilliantly bordered notification box with flowing gorgeous runes that was almost blindingly bright popped out slowly.

It even came with a bit of a noble entrance effect.

[Rich Reward Gift Pack (Pending Collection)]

"Whoa!"

Lin Tian's eyes lit up instantly. That bit of heaviness from before was thrown to the back of his mind in an instant, and his eyebrows shot up.

"This golden light, this style... there's goods! Definitely high-quality goods!"

He rubbed his hands together, his face showing an unmasked smile that was a mix of anticipation and greed.

That old miser, the Heavenly Dao, is finally being generous for once?

Was it because purifying that polluted lord core counted as completing a hidden quest?

"Collect!"

He thought to himself without the slightest hesitation.

As soon as he finished, there was a "hum," and four items wrapped in soft but solid golden halos appeared out of thin air in front of him, floating quietly in mid-air and emitting an enticing aura.

"It's blind box time!"

Lin Tian licked his somewhat dry lips and first reached out to poke the two light orbs that were the brightest and most eye-catching.

"Pop~"

With a soft sound, the first light orb dispersed.

A palm-sized token, entirely warm crimson as if condensed from flame and slightly hot to the touch, fell into his palm.

The front of the token was engraved with an ancient character for "Hero," while the back featured complex patterns of weapons and battle formations, with a faint aura of slaughter emanating from it.

"heros token?" Lin Tian threw out a Detection Spell.

[heros token] (Special Item)

Description: A mysterious token containing the power of the "Hero" status. Can be used on a designated soldier (must be platinum rank or higher) to grant them a "Hero Template," promoting them to a "Hero" unit with stronger combat power and higher growth potential.

"Good stuff!"

Lin Tian's eyes brightened even more; this was indeed good stuff.

Next, the second dazzling light orb dissipated.

A fist-sized, deep silver-gray singular crystal, with what looked like countless tiny galaxies rotating inside, and the surrounding light and even space slightly distorted and collapsing inward, floated quietly.

As soon as it appeared, Lin Tian felt the surrounding space seem to become viscous and unstable, as if a gentle touch could open a door.