This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 259 [An Helei’s Ash: The Last Black Knight]

Chapter 259: Chapter 259 [An Helei’s Ash: The Last Black Knight]

The Teleportation Gate contracted into a small black dot behind Chen Ke, then disappeared.

Chen Ke arrived in the Fan Hede Kingdom once again.

This was the third time today he had actively used the ability to open gates. He’d had no time to choose and had casually invoked a soul to open the gate, not knowing how much additional lifespan it could grant him.

"I’m at a loss... I hope I find something useful this time," Chen Ke sighed.

At that moment, he was standing inside a mountain cave that bound Faralis. Sunlight seeped through crevices in the distant mountains like a sharp blade cutting into the interior of the church.

A straight rocky path extended forward from Chen Ke’s feet, ending at ascending steps. Of course, Chen Ke knew that up there was the main chamber of the Fan Hede Cathedral.

He wondered how Parker was doing now?

While thinking, Chen Ke glanced at his tattered suit. This legendary suit, now in shreds and turned into ribbons after his battle with Bader.

Chen Ke had never encountered an enemy like Bader before; he couldn’t sense any killing intent from him nor detect him in advance by any means, putting immense pressure on Chen Ke.

Firstly, he was sure he was being targeted, and the organization behind Bader was likely Yasla—though he didn’t rule out some other abnormal organization.

Secondly, if someone could prevent him from absorbing killing intent, then there definitely weren’t just Bader to worry about... Even if not, Chen Ke didn’t dare take the risk.

What distinguished Chen Ke from other Spiritual Ability Users, or rather his greatest advantage, was his ability to use lifespan in place of Spiritual Energy.

This allowed him to be an extraordinary Spiritual Ability User without needing, as Diana said, the weekly draining and other complex procedures.

Replenishing lifespan with killing intent and using lifespan to unleash Spiritual Power formed a perfect cycle. As long as he could continuously absorb killing intent or if his enemies were formidable enough, Chen Ke’s endurance was nearly unlimited.

The stronger the foes, the stronger he became; he wasn’t afraid of being overwhelmed.

Additionally, lifespan amplified the power of his Transcendent Skills. With the same skill, Chen Ke could invest more lifespan and enhance its power significantly.

He hadn’t experienced the full magnitude of a "superhuman’s" power, but he believed that continually increasing his lifespan would eventually allow him to surpass them.

Moreover, from his battle with Bader, Chen Ke noted a detail: the giant sword of Faralis that he had previously been unable to wield, he could now handle comfortably with both hands.

What had caused this change?

Chen Ke speculated it was due to an increase in his lifespan limit.

When his lifespan limit was only 20 hours, he couldn’t wield the sword freely; however, once it reached 24 hours, he could handle it with both hands.

Chen Ke had figured out the knack.

His lifespan limit represented many things.

It was not only a timer of how much longer he could live but also a reserve of his Spiritual Energy and, simultaneously, an indicator of his own strength.

Chen Ke once again summoned the Unyielding Fury of Faralis, gripping it tightly with both hands, and swung in a few stances from the Meyer Swordsmanship he remembered in his mind, which felt nearly the same as the practice swords in the fencing hall.

But the moment he switched to one hand, that unbearable weight returned.

"I need to continually increase my lifespan limit to become stronger..." Chen Ke thought quietly.

The higher his lifespan limit, the more powerful the enhancement to his Skills and the more Holy Relics he could wield.

The Holy Relics summoned from the Great Void couldn’t be reverted to gems, so Chen Ke simply carried the great sword on his shoulder, and in the meantime, summoned a Priest’s robe, soldier’s leather pants, and marching boots to replace his torn suit.

He climbed the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and upon reaching the cathedral’s main chamber, his first sight was the Fire-igniting Broadsword planted in the ground.

The fire had died out. Parker was lying across a bench asleep, and in the distance, Brother Discouraged, dressed in next-gen gear, maintained a constipated sitting posture, pondering life.

As an investigator, Parker didn’t possess enough Spiritual Energy to utilize Holy Relics, so once the burning effect of the broadsword reached its limit, he couldn’t reignite it.

Chen Ke didn’t touch the sword, planning to retrieve it later when leaving. His arrival in Fan Hede wasn’t originally part of his plans, but since he was here, he decided to go with the flow and see what had changed.

Faralis’s head had been returned; something must have happened here, and Chen Ke approached Parker to push him gently, wanting to ask some questions.

Parker woke with a start, nearly springing from the bench, his hand gripping his gun tightly. When he saw Chen Ke, his expression turned to utter surprise.

"Chen Ke! Chen Ke, you’re still alive?!" Parker exclaimed.

"Is that so strange?" Chen Ke responded, planting the sword on the ground with one hand on his hip.

"I thought you were dead. Ever since you went in, you never came back out... I don’t even know how much time has passed..." Parker sighed, rubbing his temples.

Chen Ke had nothing to say. Since he had last fallen off the cliff with the contract demon and exited through the gate, more than half a month had gone by. Time in Fan Hede was still, and Parker must have waited a long time.

"Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Chen Ke asked.

"Isn’t the most interesting thing that you’ve reappeared? What did you see down there? Was it dangerous?" Parker asked, looking toward the tunnel under the statue.

"There was nothing inside. You can check it out for yourself," Chen Ke shrugged.

"I’ve tried. After you went in, I heard sounds of rumbling from inside and followed the staircase down only to find a layer of fog blocking my way. I tried many times but just couldn’t enter," Parker shook his head.

"Oh... how did I miss that? I’ve never seen such a thing before," Chen Ke responded casually.

"Nothing strange happening here is strange. The important thing is, you’ve appeared again...and changed your clothes... I hope you found a way to leave this place," Parker said.

"Administration Bureau agents always carry an array of Holy Relics for emergencies. Parker, I’ve already found a way out," Chen Ke said.

He was sure he could take Parker out with him, even though he didn’t know what effect bringing Parker out would have on the world.

By now, Chen Ke had experienced the concept of timelines; Rama and Louis were the ones he had brought back from 2006. This Parker, who was supposed to be dead, probably came from another timeline, just like Rama and the others.

But Parker was clearly more special; he died right before Chen Ke’s eyes, yet here he was sitting in front of Chen Ke now. From what Chen Ke had experienced, he guessed this phenomenon was a kind of timeline split.

The Parker in the West Gold Building had split into two. It wasn’t that he became two people, but rather the timeline had forked right under his very eyes.

There were two possibilities, occurring at one location: the West Gold Building.

Perhaps he had died, so his body appeared in the West Gold Building; perhaps he was still alive, so he jumped into the Teleportation Gate opened by the consortium and arrived in Fan Hede Kingdom.

"You found a way out? Is there a high success rate?" Parker stood up, sounding very excited.

"100%, foolproof, absolutely reliable, but we still need to wait," Chen Ke said.

"I’ve already waited long enough; waiting a bit longer won’t be a problem. Chen Ke, I’m counting on you. Can you tell me what the method is?" Parker asked, his previously dejected demeanor now glowing with hope.

"I need to complete the cycle in this place to open a Teleportation Gate to go back, Parker, you stay here, it’s safer here," Chen Ke said.

Chen Ke felt that the ability to freely open gates should not be widely known, even if he were to open one, he’d need to fabricate a reason. He would also provide an explanation to Sleery, but for now, he wanted to focus on the Great Void itself.

The first cycle was completed, but how many more were there? Chen Ke asked Parker to wait a bit longer, then walked over to Brother Discouraged, who was sitting on the steps.

"I’ve returned the head, now what?" Chen Ke asked.

Brother Discouraged crossed his fingers, didn’t raise his head, and sighed deeply, "Oh... you do have some ability, but don’t get conceited. You’re not the only one trying to unravel the secrets here. You’ve cleared the passage to another fragment, but maybe you’ll encounter people coming from other directions... they haven’t solved the cycle yet, they might have already become soulless... hahahaha..."

"Other directions...? What do you mean...?" Chen Ke was puzzled.

"The Great Void is a gathering of great moments in an era; the directions to enter here are not unique. I advise you to be cautious..." Brother Discouraged laughed.

"Which year are you from... buddy?" Chen Ke asked.

"Far beyond your imagination; it’s not a time you belong to," Brother Discouraged said.

"What is H.C.P?" Chen Ke asked.

"You ask too many questions; why not do something meaningful?" Brother Discouraged did not answer.

"I can take you out, I promise, just answer my questions," Chen Ke said.

"I don’t belong to your time, you wouldn’t understand; you can’t go there. Stop talking, go on an adventure, hahaha..." Brother Discouraged said.

"What do you mean...? Not belonging to my time?" Chen Ke pressed further.

But Brother Discouraged didn’t speak anymore; he closed his eyes, seemingly dozing off.

"F**k..." Chen Ke grunted coldly, turning his head towards the church’s main door.

The door had changed slightly from before; what was once a static scene now seemed more a part of the setting. Even just standing in front of the door, Chen Ke could feel the cold breeze blowing through the cracks.

Chen Ke placed his hands on the door, no longer feeling the isolating film but an actual wooden door panel, its intricate carvings and iron bars inlaid extraordinarily cold.

Chen Ke gritted his teeth, his arms straining as he slowly pushed the door open. The door creaked and groaned, its bottom edge scraping out an arc on the stone floor.

"Chen Ke! What are you doing?" Parker asked from a distance.

"Just as you see, I’m pushing the door," Chen Ke responded.

"I advise you to think this through; who knows what’s outside!" Parker sounded nervous.

"Let’s take a look and see," Chen Ke said.

After many experiences, Chen Ke wasn’t unfamiliar with large events, having even encountered deities; what could be here anyway? Could a dragon suddenly fly out?

As the door opened, a strong blast of white light spilled into the main hall of the church, the cold air blowing in and extinguishing all the candles. The ash swirled like falling snow in midair.

Chen Ke walked down the steps to the outdoors and found in front of him a broken bridge, that connected the circular city walls, linking the cliffside church to the Fan Hede Kingdom.

Then, a strong gust of wind came from underneath the bridge, the whirlwind picking up the airborne ash.

Chen Ke tensed, gripping his broadsword tightly, anxiously watching one end of the broken bridge. Simultaneously, from the end of the stone steps, a massive living creature soared up from beneath the bridge, spiraling in the air, landing its claws on the bridge, and turning its head towards Chen Ke—it was a huge, gray-white flying dragon.

Chen Ke couldn’t even curse, his whole body trembling. He adopted a combat stance but felt no killing intent from the creature.

The white dragon raised its head and let out an awe-inspiring roar, then with a push of its claws, it flew back up into the clouds, leaving behind six deep grooves on the edge of the broken bridge.