177: I desire to wear the crown!

Lu Yuan: "???"

He wondered if he had misheard.

That little thing… what it just said was… holy crap?

Before Lu Yuan could recover from his shock,

another anomaly occurred!

Little Red, who had just recovered and even blurted out a curse, suddenly transformed into a dazzling red light!

"Chirp—?!"

Little Red also seemed somewhat startled, letting out a short, surprised cry.

That red light, as if drawn by some irresistible force, uncontrollably shot towards the flame heart crown with a "whoosh"!

And then, it merged into it!

"Om—!"

The flame heart crown glowed intensely red, illuminating the entire room in a crimson hue!

An even more terrifying pressure than before emanated from the crown!

But very quickly, this pressure receded like a tide.

The crimson glow on the crown's surface also gradually receded, becoming warm and smooth like jade, no longer scalding hot as before.

Lu Yuan stared blankly at the crown in his hand, then looked at the empty bed.

"Little Red… was absorbed into it?"

He was utterly bewildered.

What was this?

Saved, and then… swallowed by a magic artifact?

Lu Yuan quickly focused his senses.

Thankfully, he could clearly feel that Little Red's aura had not disappeared.

Instead, it had perfectly integrated with the flame heart crown, becoming one with it.

He thought of the battle halberd from before; it seemed to have a precedent.

Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief, finally putting his mind at ease.

It's good that it's not dead.

He began to carefully examine the flame heart crown in his hand, which had undergone a strange transformation.

the crown's shape remained the same, but its formerly blurry patterns were now clearly visible.

Those patterns seemed to contain some profound cosmic truth; merely looking at them made one's heart tremble.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Awesome!"

the crown's material had also become warm and delicate to the touch.

Within it, there was an extremely terrifying power!

Although he didn't know how to use it, Lu Yuan had no doubt that if this power were fully unleashed, it would be enough to flatten the entire Mobei Province city!

"What exactly… is the origin of this thing?"

Lu Yuan was filled with curiosity.

He rubbed his chin, his gaze falling on the crown's perfect curve.

A thought, uncontrollably, popped into his mind.

"Isn't a crown… meant to be worn?"

Once this idea appeared, it could no longer be controlled!

Wear it?

What would happen?

Just as Lu Yuan was about to put this bold idea into practice—

In Mobei Province City, within a heavily guarded underground base.

In the dimly lit room, only the instrument screens glowed with a faint blue light.

A middle-aged man in a black uniform with a sinister face was on the phone, reporting something.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous instrument in front of him (similar to an electrocardiogram) emitted a faint "beep."

Followed by a series of beeps—

The middle-aged man frowned and looked at the instrument.

On the instrument screen, a light dot representing a life signal had completely extinguished.

Next to that light dot, a code name was marked—Bedrock.

The middle-aged man's face instantly turned pale!

"Lord Bedrock's… life signal… disappeared?!"

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

Bedrock was an important chess piece of the [Fire Seed] organization in the Canglan Region, a Fourth Rank Peak powerhouse!

And he also carried the organization's supreme treasure!

How could he suddenly die?!

Who did it?!

A chill rose from his feet, and the middle-aged man dared not delay for a moment, quickly grabbing his phone and dialing a number.

"Urgent intelligence! Report to headquarters immediately!"

"Lord Bedrock… has fallen… in Mobei Province!"

...Lu Yuan took a deep breath and steeled himself.

No longer hesitating, he slowly placed the crown on his head.

"Om—!"

The moment the crown touched his forehead, a vast and boundless mental energy, far exceeding his imagination, erupted!

Lu Yuan's consciousness felt as if it was grabbed by an invisible giant hand and violently pulled!

The world spun!

Everything in front of him twisted and shattered!

The next instant, he found himself dragged into a bizarre space of consciousness.

Here, there was no up, down, left, or right, only endless, ever-changing light and shadow.

Immediately after, countless images flashed rapidly before his eyes!

He saw prosperous cities built on peculiar planets, with diverse architectural styles, full of the charm of technology combined with some mysterious power.

Countless oddly shaped flying machines shuttled through the city skies, and on the ground were bustling, non-human intelligent beings.

The scene abruptly changed!

Vast fleets, obscuring the sky, enveloped the star system like dark clouds!

Terrifying energy beams tore through the starry sky, and beautiful planets disintegrated and exploded in desperate wails, turning into cosmic dust!

Civilizations were being destroyed!

Life was withering!

Immediately after, the scene changed again.

Lu Yuan saw that in the core of a giant red star on the verge of destruction, a golden-red light was born.

That light greedily absorbed the last energies before the star's destruction, as well as the unwilling remnants of countless lives and the final glory of the civilization.

Finally, it condensed into the embryonic form of a crown—precisely the flame heart crown!

After its birth, the crown began its solitary wanderings in the universe.

It witnessed the birth and death of stars, and the rise and fall of new civilizations.

It was obtained by different powerhouses, and then lost for various reasons.

Each change of ownership was accompanied by a baptism of blood and fire.

It was once revered as a divine object, worshipped with profound respect.

It was also once regarded as a symbol of disaster, attracting endless pursuit and plunder.

the crown waited in silence, drifting in waiting.

In this space of consciousness, Lu Yuan seemed to have transformed into the flame heart crown itself.

He was no longer an observer.

He personally experienced the entire process of that powerful and glorious alien civilization from its peak to its demise.

He felt their joy and pride.

He also experienced their despair and indomitable spirit in the face of destruction.

An indescribable sorrow, like a giant wave, impacted his heart.

He seemed to hear the cries of billions of beings at their last moments.

He also seemed to touch the deep imprint left by that civilization in the long river of history.

It was too real.

This feeling was far more soul-stirring than any visual data!

Just as Lu Yuan's mind was completely immersed in this magnificent epic of civilization.

All the flowing images, as if a pause button had been pressed, suddenly froze!

...