I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

That black crack was like the sharpest scalpel cutting through the surface of reality.

It hovered in mid-air, only one centimeter long and minuscule in width. If Gu Qing hadn't possessed the divine sense of the Foundation Establishment stage, the ordinary naked eye would have been completely unable to detect its existence.

But its presence is too strong.

The once vibrant courtyard now appeared lifeless. The leaves on the side of the old locust tree closest to the crack trembled even in the absence of wind, and the edges of the leaves began to wither and curl at a visible speed, as if their vitality had been instantly drained away by something unseen.

[Ding! Emergency Alert!]

[A high-energy spiritual reaction was detected, causing a "stress fracture" in the local spatial structure.]

[Current Reality Distortion Rate in the Region: Has Reached a Critical Level]

Gu Qing did not panic. She simply lowered her hand slowly, and the lingering burnt smell on her fingertips was particularly pungent at that moment.

"As expected, the 'physical strength' of this world is too low."

He stared at the crack, a deep worry in his eyes. "It's like dancing on thin ice; the slightest pressure and the ice will crack. The energy density of my 'Thunderclap' attack just now exceeded the threshold this space could withstand."

[Warning: A high-frequency "beacon" signal has been detected emanating from this crack.]

[Warning: Being located by the "Void" side...]

Location success rate: 99.9%.

Gu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he immediately waved his hand to disperse all the spiritual energy fluctuations at his fingertips. At the same time, his divine sense surged out like a tide, suppressing the spatial rift and trying to prevent the signal from leaking out.

But he knew that some things were irreversible.

"System, activate the [Deep Space Monitoring Radar]," Gu Qing coldly commanded in his mind.

Swish!

A vast and cold star map was projected directly onto his retina.

In this star map centered on the solar system, there is a large patch of densely packed deep red dots in the dark depths of space, about 10000 light-years away from Earth.

They resemble a pack of bloodthirsty sharks swimming in the deep sea, steadily approaching the solar system.

At the very top of the star chart hangs a blood-red countdown, like the Sword of Damocles:

[Estimated arrival time of the Void main fleet: 100 years]

This is Gu Qing's biggest secret.

This is also the fundamental reason why he desperately fabricated myths, deceived the world, and even went to great lengths to promote the revival of spiritual energy.

Void creatures.

A predatory civilization roaming the universe, feeding on the matter and energy of an ordered world.

The system told Gu Qing on the very first day it bound him that Earth had already been "marked" by the void.

Regardless of whether Gu Qing cultivates immortality or not, and regardless of whether spiritual energy recovers, this catastrophe is destined to happen.

"They won't arrive for another hundred years."

Gu Qing stared at the countdown, his voice low and deep, "If things proceed as planned, I have a hundred years to arm all of humanity into a cultivation army. But..."

Gu Qing suddenly looked at the crack. "What I just did was like lighting a fire in a dark forest."

[Alert Update!]

The high-energy reaction leaked from the spatial rift has attracted the attention of the Void Vanguard.

[A "Virtual Beast Hunter (Reconnaissance)" has been detected attempting a warp jump.]

[Expected landing point: the crack in front of you.]

outpost?

So fast?

sizzle-

The black crack, which was originally only as thin as a hair, suddenly began to tremble violently.

A nauseating stench emanated from it. It was a pure, chaotic malice that seemed to freeze the soul.

"Now that you're here, don't even think about going back."

Gu Qing did not back down, his eyes blazing with purple light. He absolutely could not allow this thing to transmit the exact coordinates back! If the void forces confirmed that a high-energy individual had been born on Earth, they would likely accelerate their march.

"System! Redeem [Space Patch]! Seal off this area!"

[Consumes 30,000 Faith Points.]

[Space reinforcement is underway...]

30,000 points of faith!

Gu Qing's accumulated wealth shrank instantly. Golden light surged from his body, transforming into countless intricate runes, like golden chains, tightly binding the black crack.

A piercing shriek came from the crack.

puff!

A pitch-black tentacle, as if made of asphalt, desperately squeezed out from the crack that was about to heal. It was only the size of a palm, and its surface was covered with disgusting tiny suckers.

"cut!"

Gu Qing drew his fingers together to form a sword, and a dazzling sword aura condensed at his fingertips. Without hesitation, he slashed down.

brush!

The tentacle snapped off instantly.

At the same time, the golden runes completely closed, forcibly smoothing out the spatial rift. The spatial fluctuations in the courtyard instantly returned to normal.

"Is it over?"

Gu Qing looked at the severed black tentacle on the ground.

After it fell to the ground, it did not bleed like ordinary flesh and blood, but quickly liquefied, turning into a pool of black, mercury-like liquid.

Then, before Gu Qing could react, the liquid "whooshed" into the cracks between the floor tiles.

It was incredibly fast, and there was no fluctuation of spiritual energy, as if it were part of the shadow itself.

"Oops."

Gu Qing immediately scanned the ground with his divine sense, but once the thing entered the soil, it was like a drop of ink merging into the deep sea, completely blocking the perception of his divine sense.

[System Prompt:]

[Blocking success rate: 90%]

The main body has been blocked outside the plane, but some "void active matter" has successfully infiltrated.

This substance possesses extremely strong mimicry, parasitic, and phagocytic abilities. It is currently in a very weak state and urgently needs to "feed" to replenish its energy.

Gu Qing's face was gloomy.

Something went wrong.

Even a single cell, given enough time and flesh, can evolve into a catastrophe. It needs to eat now, and this area is the old city, teeming with...life.

Gu Qing glanced in the direction of the sewer; the thing had gone down the pipe.

He took out his phone, hovered his finger for a moment, and finally turned off the screen.

No.

His current identity is that of an "ordinary citizen." If he were to directly call the police and say there was a "monster," not only would he be unable to explain the source of the information, but he would also ruin the mysterious "image" he had painstakingly cultivated.

He's the mastermind behind it all; he can't personally get involved in catching the rats.

"system."

Gu Qing stood up, his gaze turning cold and distant. "Since you brought the monster here, let's turn this incident into a 'tutorial challenge' for Bureau 749."

What does the host intend to do?

"Zhao Feng and his team have only learned the basics in the military region, and they are just missing a real combat opponent."

Gu Qing snapped his fingers: "Exchange for one [Psychic Decoy Card (Weak)]."

"Don't make it too strong, just enough to emit fluctuations that can be detected by those 'special instruments.' Deploy it on... that void active substance."

[Exchange successful. Faith Points -500.]

The bait has been dropped.

The next second, a "psychic energy band" that was not particularly strong but extremely dazzling to professional equipment subtly erupted from the depths of the sewers a few hundred meters away from the Gu family mansion.

After finishing all this, Gu Qing dusted off his hands, turned around, and went back inside.

He doesn't need to call the police.

Because he knew that the electromagnetic pulse caused by that "thunderclap" just now, combined with the "decoy wave" that was being released continuously, was enough to make Bureau 749, which had been monitoring the entire city, pounce like a shark smelling blood.

Gu Qing looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky.

"Captain Zhao, I hope your reaction speed can keep up with the monster's evolution speed."

"This can be considered the first...homework assignment I've given you."