221: Chapter 221 System Out of Contact! Virtual Zone Becomes a Forbidden Zone?

Su Changge was just about to open his mouth to comfort Lin Waner when the simple stone tablet in his arms began to tremble without any warning.

It wasn't a slight tremor, but a violent vibration originating from within, with a frequency that grew higher and a force that grew heavier. That power transmitted clearly through his clothes to his chest, causing his blood to churn and his bones and blood to resonate with it.

A warm force condensed from the surface of the stone tablet, transforming into an invisible guide that shot straight toward the chaotic Void Zone ahead.

Su Changge's fingertips went numb; he could almost no longer hold onto this restless stone tablet.

Lin Waner leaned in closer, her almond eyes wide as she stared curiously at Su Changge's fluctuating lapel.

"Fellow Daoist, your stone... it's moving?"

Su Changge forcibly held down the stone tablet in his arms, suppressed the churning blood in his chest, and put on an expression of profound indifference as he gave a slight nod.

"Mm, it has sensed the location of another fragment."

Inside, however, he was roaring.

What is wrong with this broken stone? It won't stop vibrating at high frequency. Could there be some Restriction hidden inside that's about to self-destruct?

He stood at the edge of the Wall Area, beneath his feet was Black Iron Rock that remained indestructible despite ages of erosion by wind and frost. Ahead was that land of death known as the "Void Zone." It wasn't simple darkness, but an absolute nothingness capable of swallowing everything, where even light and Divine Sense could not escape. A celestial gale blew out from the abyss of the Void Zone, carrying a scent of blood and decay so thick it wouldn't dissipate; blowing against the face, it felt like a knife's edge, stinging the Divine Soul.

Su Changge chanted silently in his heart, attempting to communicate with the last life-saving straw in his Sea of Consciousness.

"System, calculate the coordinates for the core of the Void Zone."

There was no response.

The cold and familiar System prompt he expected did not sound. Instead, there was intermittent static noise, like sharp steel needles stabbing into his Divine Soul one by one.

Su Changge's brow furrowed into a knot. Suppressing that ominous premonition, he sent another thought.

"System? Please respond if you receive this."

This time, the static became even more violent, making his temples throb and sending waves through his Sea of Consciousness.

After a long while, the System panel deep in his Sea of Consciousness struggled to light up for a brief moment. The light was dim, and the writing on it was distorted and blurred, like a reflection in rippling water.

[Signal strength... 0.8%, connection about to disconnect...]

Su Changge's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

What does this mean? The System is going offline?

Without the System's various miraculous special effects, what was the difference between a Qi Refining First Layer Cultivator like him—who couldn't even fly—entering a place like the Void Zone, which even Body Integration Stage old monsters regarded as a Forbidden Ground, and actively seeking death?

A layer of fine cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

Maintaining his composure, he quickly put his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly. He cast his gaze toward the Chaos of the distant Void Zone with an indifferent expression and deep eyes, looking like a peerless powerhouse who was deciphering the mysteries of heaven and earth and calculating the trajectory of the Grand Dao.

Lin Waner stood by his side, intimidated by the mountain-like aura emanating from him. She even lightened her breathing, not daring to make a sound to disturb him.

A thousand meters beyond the Wall Area, within a hidden rock crevice.

The three Blood Clan Princes—Jimie, Shadow Kill, and Succubus—were squeezed together in an extremely cramped posture, having suppressed even their own powerful auras to the limit.

Their Divine Senses reached out cautiously, like soft feathers, landing on Su Changge's back from a distance. They didn't dare get any closer, fearing they might disturb that supreme being.

Shadow Kill Prince shrunk his neck and sent a Divine Thought transmission in a voice that was almost a breath: "The King... he is standing at the edge of the Wall Area. Could he be planning to personally charge into the Void Zone?"

Succubus Prince gazed at that solitary and lofty back, her eyes full of frenzy and awe: "Within the Void Zone, Laws are broken and spatial turbulence runs rampant; it can tear apart even the Divine Soul of a Body Integration Stage Cultivator. For the King to dare step into such a land of death, this level of courage is truly... truly a Realm beyond our imagination."

Prince Jimie raised his hands and pressed down on their shoulders respectively, his Divine Thought steady and solemn: "Silence. The King is currently resonating with the Grand Dao of this Realm and comprehending the Laws of the Void Zone. Do not disturb him. We only need to watch quietly. To be able to glimpse even a sliver of the King's Dao Rhyme would be a massive stroke of luck for us."

Behind The Three Princes, the Old Priest was shaking all over with excitement. His hands were death-gripping a sacrificial jade pendant glowing with blood-light. His old eyes were full of tears, and his lips trembled as he muttered to himself: "The King... is indeed the one chosen by fate! Even the chaotic Laws of the Void Zone cannot suppress the King's supreme majesty!"

Meanwhile, Su Changge, whom they revered as a god, appeared calm and unruffled on the surface, looking down upon the world.

Inside, he was on the verge of collapse.

He was frantically poking that flickering panel in his Sea of Consciousness with his Divine Thought, his intentions so fast they almost formed afterimages.

"System! System, don't play dead on me! Come out!"

"I'll give you emotion points! You can have as many as you want! Don't drop the ball at a critical moment like this!"

The System panel seemed to have received his wailing. It struggled and flickered twice, and another line of distorted text painfully emerged.

[Warning: The core of the Void Zone is a Law Forbidden Ground, isolating all Heavenly Dao links... All special effects and functions will be temporarily disabled...]

[...After leaving the blind zone... connection will be restored...]

These two lines of text exhausted its final strength. As soon as the words finished, the System panel went completely dark, turning into a deathly silent gray.

The piercing static in his mind also vanished, and his entire Sea of Consciousness fell into a hollow silence.

An important fulcrum deep within his Divine Soul had been forcibly ripped away.

Su Changge's legs went soft, and his body swayed slightly; he almost knelt on the spot.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly using all the strength in his body to steady himself. Then, he slowly raised his chin and glanced at the all-consuming void ahead from the corner of his eye.

On his face, he displayed a perfectly measured look of disdain and... contempt.

It was as if he were saying: The Laws of this Realm are nothing more than this.

But his internal monologue was: Holy crap! What a piece of junk System! It didn't go offline earlier or later, but it had to go offline right now! Fine if there are no special effects, but now I can't even open the most basic panel? I'm just a little Qi Refining First Layer Cultivator; I can't even maintain a mana shield for long. How am I supposed to charge into the Void Zone with just my head?!

Shadow Kill Prince, in hiding, happened to catch that fleeting "contempt" on Su Changge's face.

He automatically filled in a grand drama in his head: The King is showing contempt for the broken and chaotic Laws of the Blood Abyss Realm, disdaining that the Grand Dao of this place is not worthy of his serious attention!

A surge of extreme, fanatical worship erupted from the depths of Shadow Kill Prince's Divine Soul!

Just then, a familiar line of small golden words abruptly popped up in Su Changge's deathly silent Sea of Consciousness.

[Obtained fanatical worship emotion points from 'Shadow Kill Prince' +1000 points]

This notification flashed and vanished, and then there was no further reaction.

Su Changge was stunned at first, but then he realized.

Even though the System is offline, the emotion point collection function seems to still be operating passively?

He breathed half a sigh of relief. At least... he wasn't completely at the end of his rope; there was still a bit of hope.

He adjusted his breathing, forcibly suppressing the panic and despair churning in his heart.

Now that things had come to this, it was better to rely on himself than on others. Since the System couldn't be counted on, he could only rely on himself.

He began to frantically scavenge all the usable knowledge in his mind. The high school physics and chemistry he had memorized before transmigrating—those basic theories about mechanics, conservation of energy, and material structure; and after transmigrating, the basic common sense of the cultivation world he occasionally flipped through in the Great Dao Scripture Pavilion, like the properties of Spiritual Qi, material identification, and basic Formations...

Everything that could be used was dragged out at this moment, rapidly filtered, and combined in his mind.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Lin Waner finally plucked up her courage and asked softly, "Fellow Daoist, are we... going in now?"

Su Changge nodded slowly, his tone as flat as could be, without a single ripple, as if he were stating a trivial matter.

"Mm. Prepare yourself; we depart immediately."

But his heart was screaming at the top of its lungs: Prepare my ass! I don't even know how to float across this stretch of void safely right now!

In the rock crevice, The Three Princes became incredibly excited upon hearing Su Changge's decision.

Shadow Kill Prince clenched his fists, his eyes shining: "The King is going to charge into the Void Zone! Should we follow and protect him?"

Prince Jimie held him down steadily and shook his head: "The King's methods reach heaven and earth; how could we possibly fathom them? Just follow from a distance to observe and learn. You must not go forward and disturb the King's interest."

The Old Priest devoutly pressed that sacrificial jade pendant to his chest, muttering prayers for his King: "I pray for the Blood God's protection. May my King have a safe journey and successfully obtain those Heaven-Defying Heaven And Earth Treasures."

At the edge of the Wall Area, Su Changge stood alone, letting the void gale blow his robes until they rustled loudly.

His brain was working at an unprecedented speed, thinking of a way to cross this area.

Within the Void Zone, Laws were chaotic and gravity vanished; walking through the air was the only way to move.

But he, a Qi Refining First Layer Cultivator, didn't even know the most basic Wind Riding Art, let alone how to traverse the void.

He had to find another way.

Su Changge slowly crouched down, reached out a finger, and lightly tapped the Black Iron Rock beneath his feet.

Thump... thump...

The rock was incredibly hard, the sound dull and heavy. With every tap, a slight counter-force was transmitted from his fingertip.

Suddenly, a faint light lit up in his eyes.

I've got it!