Chapter 673: The Embryo’s Awakening

Although battles erupted in every form and from every direction, and crowds swelled by the minute, Lu Xin felt an eerie stillness.

He lifted his gaze to the heart suspended silently at the center of the stadium, adrift within an ocean of mental power.

He felt as if there were no barriers left between him and it.

……

……

“Thud…”

That heart—or rather, the embryo—continued its sudden beats at regular intervals.

Every beat unleashed a torrent of mental power that flowed into the ocean of fanatical believers below and, through some mysterious connection, surged into the minds of the fervent residents in Flame City, who were still fighting against it.

The force was tremendous; both his sister’s spiderweb and his father’s mental domain visibly quaked.

Had Lu Xin not lent his strength—and with rituals and events in Flame City already shattered by the mad members of the Red Moon Club—it would have been enough for this single embryo’s power to secure the success of the complex ceremonies arranged by various mysterious organizations.

In that respect, Flame must indeed be backed by someone extraordinary.

He had nearly calculated every possible shock and hidden risk, making numerous preparations.

One only had to look at his father’s and sister’s performances to tell.

Both had unleashed powers comparable to those of a Mental Overlord.

In a normal city, a single Mental Overlord could contaminate everything, leaving no room for counterattacks.

Yet in Flame, even now, it stubbornly refused to yield…

Had he not intervened, things might have unfolded differently; Flame would have carried out its plan amid countless challenges.

But unfortunately, he had arrived.

So, however perfected their scheme might be, still…

“Huh?”

Lu Xin couldn’t help but shake his head. How had he come to entertain such thoughts? It sounded like something a villain would say…

……

……

“Buzz…”

With no distractions around him, Lu Xin focused on the embryo, which—seemingly harboring some unknown monster—appeared slightly nervous.

It was clear that with each massive squeeze and contraction releasing a surge of mental power, its form—and the chains that hung around it—became much more defined, as though transitioning from illusion to reality.

When the mental power pressed outward, one could even glimpse a hunched human shape through the semi-transparent membrane.

“It seems to continuously project mental power…”

“Born of mental energy yet endowed with tangible properties…”

“And those dangling chains might even break the boundary between life and death…”

“……”

Step by step, Lu Xin ascended a staircase formed by twisted, interlinked human bodies toward the embryo.

As he walked, he scrutinized everything, murmuring his analysis to himself.

When he reached the embryo, he raised his hand gently and muttered, “So, what exactly are you?”

“Thud…”

The embryo trembled and contracted even more violently.

It seemed to be hastening its own maturation and descent with these spasms.

Simply put, it was in a rush.

Splash, splash…

Suddenly, countless chains dangling around it came alive and wound around Lu Xin.

Yet he made no move; the shadow by his side effortlessly repelled the chains.

His father and sister, equally curious, followed closely behind, their eyes fixed intently on it.

This only made the embryo panic further.

Its surface began to ripple in a fine, quivering pattern.

“Useless…”

Lu Xin smiled at its anxious state and subtly signaled to his father and sister, who were already eager. One extended a small hand while the other raised a dark shadow, both delivering a heavy blow to the embryo.

In the next moment, a strange ripple appeared on its surface, absorbing the mental power that enveloped it.

Yet neither force seemed to affect it; both were absorbed, accelerating its development.

……

……

“Interesting…”

Lu Xin whispered, “Could its absorption of mental power be because its inherent level is so high?”

With that thought, his pupils narrowed as he extended his palm.

His fingers spread as he lightly brushed against the embryo.

At that moment, black particles quivered in his eyes, and similar traces emerged on his palm.

“Whoosh…”

Sensing the force, the embryo trembled even more violently.

But it was utterly helpless, held fast under Lu Xin’s hand.

Then, a dense noise erupted and Lu Xin’s hand was slightly repelled, leaving his palm tingling.

He glanced back to see the embryo’s surface wrinkle briefly before smoothing out.

“It can even repel that kind of power?”

In that moment, Lu Xin was truly taken aback.

He had long suspected a hidden force within him that he barely understood.

Sometimes, watching his parents and sister, he noticed that when this power surfaced, they acted as if they were someone else—occasionally even mentioning a sort of ‘divinity.’ Number Two even went as far as to call it another version of himself.

There could be many explanations, but Lu Xin knew full well the formidable nature of this power.

When activated, few mental entities could withstand it—they were simply annihilated.

Yet this time, his hand was repelled on contact.

This wasn’t because he had lent his power to his father or sister; even using his bare hand, it still pushed back!

Could this mean that the power within the embryo was on the same level as his own?

……

……

“Plop,” “plop.”

Meanwhile, in Flame City’s Underground Base, countless people stared blankly at the images on the screen.

Due to the unexpected abilities at play and various radiations of mental power, Flame’s specially designed surveillance system was severely disrupted—the screen trembled continuously, pulling up shifting bar-like patterns.

Elsewhere, outside the meeting room, a massive tremor shook the area.

It seemed an intruder had penetrated the Underground Base, sending in its strongest troops and abilities to capture him.

The Hell Designer no longer cared about the chaos, fixated solely on the screen.

When he saw Lu Xin caress the Hell Embryo with his hand, his heart lurched to his throat.

Panic coalesced within him, nearly making him retch.

He couldn’t fathom what level of being could directly touch that embryo.

Why hadn’t he been tainted by the embryo’s fluctuations, turning him into its most loyal puppet and guardian?

Only when Lu Xin’s hand was repelled did the designer exhale slightly, though countless questions now churned in his mind.

What kind of opponent had he encountered?

Cold, insane, cunning, powerful—and acting in ways he never expected…

Among all the opponents he’d faced, this one surely ranked first…

Determined, he resolved to uncover everything about him, regardless of victory or defeat.

“At least he can’t touch that entity…”

“It’s inevitable. I always knew no one in this world could stand against that entity…”

“Because it transcends our level. How could he possibly…”

He declared loudly, as if to reassure himself, when suddenly his gaze sharpened:

“…Damn, what is he doing?”

“……”

“……”

“You can’t even handle this thing?”

After Lu Xin’s hand was repelled, his father cried out in surprise.

“Yes!”

Lu Xin admitted, “It appears to wield an extraordinarily high level of power. Even when I pressed my hand against it, I couldn’t sense anything inside or inflict any damage. In fact, it repelled my hand so much that it left it numb…”

“It felt like touching an electric switch…”

“……”

“Don’t even mention your childhood mischief…”

His father lamented, “But this shouldn’t happen. How can there be something you can’t overcome?”

Even his sister tilted her head slightly, looking at Lu Xin with sincere curiosity.

“Perhaps it’s because its power hasn’t purified yet…”

Lu Xin pondered and explained, “I never knew I possessed this power until I discovered it. Even though it isn’t completely under my control—and I can only manage it deliberately—it seems that its layers are varied. Right now, what I wield is still too diffuse for this embryo…”

His father urged, “Then make it stronger…”

Lu Xin glanced at his father wearily, “Is it as simple as just getting stronger?”

His father paused, “At your age, are you still horsing around?”

“?”

Lu Xin was taken aback. Had he really been acting like a scoundrel?

……

……

“Thud…”

At the same time, after repelling Lu Xin’s hand, the embryo seemed oddly delighted, trembling violently.

It appeared to gain a modicum of security, almost eagerly releasing mental power and strengthening its connection with the outside world. In that tremor, Lu Xin sensed not only a near-death experience but also a subtle air of mockery…

It was as if it were ridiculing his helplessness.

And indeed, if he couldn’t influence it, he couldn’t prevent its gestation and eventual birth.

Once it was born, all previous efforts would have been for nothing.

As the Hell Embryo deepened its connection to reality, becoming unmistakably tangible,

his father and sister began to worry, while Lu Xin looked down at his hand.

“I suppose, at my current level, I really can’t stop it from arriving…”

After a brief pause, a smile suddenly spread across his face.

At the same time, the black particles within him began to surge, gradually manifesting on his left hand.

His entire palm turned deep black, as if it belonged to another world.

Simultaneously, his expression shifted to an exaggerated grin, the corners of his mouth stretching wide as he closely examined the embryo and whispered,

“So, shall we induce your birth?”

“……”

“?”

His father was visibly dumbfounded.

Lu Xin continued speaking as he edged closer to the embryo, raising his blackened left palm and saying,

“Seeing how hard you’re struggling during gestation, let me help you see the light of day a bit sooner. Isn’t that a good deed?”