All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

The villagers walked numbly through the withered forest, their fingertips trembling instinctively as they touched the sticky, gray-black ashes.

Yao Guang gripped the pulse gun at his waist, scanning his surroundings warily. Every time he collected a handful of Nian Ash, he made sure there was nothing unusual around him.

A chilling wind rustled through the bare branches, whispering like countless eyes watching them, the "sacrifices," intently from the shadows.

After an unknown amount of time, the village chief's deep voice rang out: "Enough. The ashes have been collected. All of you, stay put and wait for orders."

The villagers immediately stopped what they were doing and stood silently in place, their eyes still vacant, as if waiting for something.

Yao Guang's heart stirred, and he looked up at the sky.

The gray sun still hung in the sky, but the surrounding air suddenly became increasingly viscous, and an eerie pressure slowly spread down from the horizon.

This oppressive aura, unlike the chilling coldness of an evil god, carried a condescending indifference that sent shivers down one's spine.

"They're here."

The village chief murmured softly, his tone devoid of any expectation, only numb obedience.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a pale beam of light suddenly descended from the sky and crashed into the clearing in the center of the withered forest.

The beam of light was blinding, but it had no warmth whatsoever; instead, it exuded a faint smell of decay.

The villagers all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the beam of light, their bodies trembling slightly, as if in awe or fear.

Yao Guang did not lower his head; his gaze remained sharp as he stared at the beam of light, gripping the pulse gun tightly.

As the beam of light gradually dissipated, a figure slowly appeared on the open ground.

That was the "immortal" the villagers talked about.

The moment Yao Guang saw him, her heart clenched, and a strong sense of eeriness washed over her.

The immortal wore a pale white robe, the fabric as smooth as paper, clinging tightly to his body, yet no outline of his figure could be seen, as if he were shrouded in an invisible mist.

His head was blurry, without facial features, just a gray blank space, yet one could clearly feel that his "gaze" was falling on them.

This was the first time the "immortal" had truly appeared before everyone.

In the past, he would only take the ashes from the pillar of light and leave the supplies behind, never showing himself to anyone.

"You must be the new guy?"

A monotone, mechanical voice came from the immortal's blank head, echoing through the desolate, barren forest.

"What's your name?"

Yao Guang tensed up, instinctively wanting to speak, but a violent surge of agitation suddenly erupted within her.

It's the power of anger!

The anger he had forcibly suppressed was now being stimulated by the aura of an immortal, wildly assaulting his mind.

A chilling, seductive whisper echoed wildly in his mind: "Eat him! Eat this thing!"

"His power can make you stronger! Devour him, and you'll control everything!"

Yao Guang's eyes instantly turned blood red, his aura became violent and chaotic, and his fingertips clenched into fists so tightly that his nails were bleeding.

He gritted his teeth, using all his strength to suppress the temptations in his mind and prevent himself from losing control.

He could feel his reason being gradually devoured by anger, and the immortal before him was slowly turning into "food" in his eyes.

Seeing that Yao Guang remained silent for a long time, his face as pale as paper, and his body still trembling slightly, the immortal "shaked" his head—without a neck, yet able to make the head-shaking motion, which was extremely strange.

"So timid, never mind."

His voice remained flat: "You just stay here and live well, follow the rules, and don't seek your own death."

The immortals did not know that Yao Guang's silence and pallor were never due to fear.

Unbeknownst to him, Yao Guang was currently engaged in a frantic struggle against the anger within her body.

No one knew that these so-called "immortals" were never saviors.

They need these people to experience despair and fear day after day in this bizarre world.

Only extreme despair and fear can give rise to a richer and purer nihilism—that is what they truly desire.

The villagers' apathy and the time travelers' despair are the "nutrients" for cultivating the ashes.

As soon as he finished speaking, the immortal's figure was once again enveloped by a pale beam of light.

The pillar of light gradually rose, carrying with it the ashes collected by the villagers, and instantly disappeared into the sky, as if it had never existed.

Only when the pillar of light completely dissipated and the eerie pressure faded did Yao Guang suddenly come back to his senses.

He was drenched in cold sweat, breathing rapidly, and the anger within him gradually subsided, while the bloodshot in his eyes slowly faded.

He leaned against a withered tree, panting heavily, his heart still pounding wildly. The feeling of being bewitched was too real, too terrifying.

If he had been any later, he might have really lost control and attacked the immortal.

"Let's keep gathering. The supplies left behind by the immortals are enough to last us for a while."

The village chief's voice rang out, interrupting Yao Guang's thoughts.

The villagers numbly resumed their work, bending down to collect the ashes from the trees, as if the scene of the immortal's appearance had never happened.

Yao Guang took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, gripped the pulse gun, and rejoined the collection team.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened!

"Snap—!"

A sharp cracking sound rang out, and a previously still, withered tree next to me suddenly came to life!

The twisted branches, like the arms of a living person, suddenly broke free from the tree trunk's restraints and lashed out at a villager not far away!

The villager was caught off guard and was struck hard in the chest by the branch. He let out a piercing scream and was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily into another dead tree. He coughed up blood and died.

"ah--!"

Someone let out a terrified scream, completely shattering the previous numbness.

More and more dead trees are starting to stir!

Their branches twisted and stretched wildly, their bark cracked open, revealing dark red "flesh and blood" inside, like monsters awakened by some force, launching a frenzied attack on the villagers who were collecting spirit ash!

Some branches wrapped around the villagers' bodies, tightening them violently and crushing their bones; others turned into sharp bone spurs, piercing deep into the villagers' bodies and sucking their blood.

The piercing screams, the cracking of bones, and the rustling of branches mingled together, echoing eerily and terrifyingly through the withered forest.

Yao Guang's pupils contracted sharply, and he gripped his pulse gun tightly, scanning his surroundings warily, ready to deal with any sudden attack.

Just then, a hurried shout reached his ears.

"Brother! Watch out!"

It was Wen Xuyan's voice, filled with extreme fear and despair.

Yao Guang suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Wen Yan was entangled by a dead tree, and a thick, withered branch, like a venomous snake, pierced his chest!

Dark red blood trickled down the dead tree branches, slowly being absorbed by the withered tree. Wen Yan's face turned pale at a visible speed, his eyes gradually became unfocused, and his body slumped limply, leaving only faint breaths.

Wen Xuyan rushed over like a madman, trying to pull away the dead tree branches, but his wrist was wrapped around another thin branch, and he was pulled aside and fell to the ground, his wrist leaving a deep bloody mark.

"Brother! Brother, wake up!"

Wen Xuyan's cries were mournful and desperate, her tears mixed with the mud and slid down her cheeks. She struggled desperately, but she could not break free from the branches' restraints.

Upon seeing this, Yao Guang's eyes narrowed, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately raised the pulse gun at his waist.

"Buzz—!"

The pulse gun emitted a slight hum, and a blinding blue light burst from the muzzle, accurately shooting towards the dead tree branch piercing Wen Yan's chest!

"Snap!"

The dead tree branches were struck by the blue light and snapped instantly. Black sap, like blood, gushed out from the break, emitting a strong smell of decay.

The branches that had been entangled with Wenyan lost their strength and slowly drooped down.

Yao Guang rushed over and picked up Wen Yan, who was covered in blood and barely breathing, and then reached out to pull Wen Xuyan, who was still struggling.

"Hurry up!"

He gave a low shout, his tone decisive, and carrying Wen Yan and pulling Wen Xuyan along, he ran quickly towards the village.

Behind them, the withered tree's attacks grew increasingly frenzied, and piercing screams echoed one after another as more and more villagers became its "food."

As Wen Xuyan ran after Yao Guang, he looked back at the withered forest, tears streaming down his face, his expression filled with fear and helplessness.

She had never seen a dead tree suddenly attack a villager before. This world seemed to be becoming more and more bizarre and terrifying.

Yao Guang ran with all his might, but Wen Yan in his arms grew heavier and heavier, her breath growing weaker and weaker. Dark red blood stained his sleeves, carrying a strange warmth.

He dared not linger, nor slow down, and could only run desperately toward the village—where perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

After running for an unknown amount of time, they finally rushed into the village, closed the village gates, and temporarily shut out the eeriness and terror behind them.

Yao Guang didn't stop. Holding Wen Yan, she ran quickly toward the earthen house where Wen Xuyan and her brother lived. Wen Xuyan followed closely behind, her face pale and her whole body trembling.

Yao Guang gently placed Wen Yan on the bed and immediately knelt down to check his injuries.

The wound on his chest was gruesome and terrifying. Where the dead tree branch had pierced, flesh and blood were mangled, and black sap still lingered in the wound, mixing with dark red blood and exuding an eerie aura.

Even more bizarrely, Wen Yan's body was burning hot, as if he were being scorched by a raging fire. He was suffering from a severe high fever, his whole body was convulsing, his consciousness was blurred, and he kept muttering incoherent words.

"Brother! Brother, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

Wen Xuyan threw herself at the bedside, tightly holding Wen Yan's hand, crying her heart out, but she was powerless to help.

Yao Guang frowned, his expression turning serious.

He was a top scientist in the Human Alliance, proficient in biology, medicine and energy science, and had seen countless bizarre injuries, but Wen Yan's current condition shocked him immensely.

He extended his fingers and gently placed them on Wen Yan's wrist, carefully examining his internal condition through the wound.

A moment later, Yao Guang abruptly withdrew his hand, an expression of disbelief on his face.

He discovered that within Wen Yan's body, there existed two completely different energies that were frantically fighting and tearing each other apart.

One type is the energy of Nianhui, which is cold, viscous, and carries the aura of an evil god. It was this energy that caused Wen Yan to fall into a high fever and convulse.

The other energy, however, was strangely unfamiliar, warm and weak, as if it were stubbornly resisting the erosion of the ash.

The strangest thing is that while the energy of Nianhui was harming Wen Yan's body, it was also slowly and imperceptibly repairing the wound on his chest, as if it were "remodeling" his body.

The two energies intertwine, clash, and depend on each other, forming a strange balance. Once this balance is broken, Wen Yan will surely die.

"How is it? Is there any hope for my brother?"

Wen Xuyan noticed Yao Guang's expression, hurriedly raised his head, his eyes filled with expectation and fear, grabbed Yao Guang's arm, and pleaded desperately.

Yao Guang took a deep breath, nodded slowly, and her eyes became firm: "There is hope, but it's very dangerous."

He stood up, his gaze falling on the pulse gun at his waist, a thought flashing through his mind.

The pulse gun has detachable accessory sets, including a high-precision cutter capable of cutting through the bizarre substance called Nianhui.

He could use this cutter to cut and separate the ash from Wen Yan's body bit by bit, then extract the energy that could repair the body, refine it into a simple potion, and inject it into Wen Yan's body.

In this way, the harm caused by the ashes can be mitigated, and its power can be used to save Wenyan's life.

"Stay here and watch over him. Don't leave, and don't touch his wounds."

Yao Guang looked at Wen Xuyan and said decisively, "I'm disassembling the pulse gun parts now. Keep an eye on your brother, and call me immediately if there are any problems."