Chapter 159

Lu Yan turned Song Tianyu's words over in his mind.

"Professor Qiao is still alive?"

Song Tianyu's expression paused, then he gave a slight nod.

Right in front of you. Qiao Yu's mutation vector was molecular dispersion. This lake is his manifestation.

As an Awakener, one's lifespan was generally quite long, provided they didn't get too close to a pollution source.

Lu Yan had previously thought Qiao Yu had died young from overusing his talent. He never imagined he'd become a pollutant.

He did overuse his talent, to the brink of death. Otherwise, Song Tianyu wouldn't have taken such a desperate risk.

Lu Yan's gaze fell on the lake before him. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, the water and sky blending into a single, boundless expanse, reflecting the vault of heaven above.

"I think I understand what you mean," he said to Song Tianyu. "Take me to see Lu Jiahé."

"Alright." Song Tianyu paused. "By the way, it seems your friend is also near the floating island. Should I let him in?"

He meant Dishiti.

Dishiti had been weaving back and forth through the cloud layer four or five times now, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

Lu Yan considered for a moment. "Better not."

It wasn't so much the difficulty of explanation. Mainly, Dishiti didn't wash his hands before eating, which had tanked Lu Yan's already scant goodwill into negative numbers.

Dozens of small, turtledove-like birds flew in from the horizon, gathering at Lu Yan's feet and lifting him up with their bodies.

The wings on Song Tianyu's back unfurled, the airflow sweeping a thin layer from the surrounding clouds.

He led Lu Yan up, all the way to the top of the cloud layer.

"The floating island has nine tiers," Song Tianyu explained. "Each has a different landscape. The first tier is the massive cloud you saw from the outside. It's called the Great Brahma Heaven."

"Lu Jiahé is on the ninth tier."

The sky of the ninth tier was a brilliant, fiery red, like sunset clouds aflame.

Rocks had been piled into a flat plateau atop the clouds. A faint, bright flame licked across their surface.

Volcanic rock grilled meat, a nonexistent drool seemed to drip from the System. Should be delicious.

Coming from the ocean, Lu Yan had an instinctive aversion to fire.

His foot landed on a large slab of red rock, and the flames beneath it snuffed out.

When they arrived, Lu Jiahé was tutoring the Rabbit Butcher on its homework.

Even from a distance, Lu Yan could hear Lu Jiahé's furious roar. "How many times have I explained this problem! 5 minus 8 isn't enough, borrow 1 from the tens place! Do it again! What's 15 minus 8?!"

Tongtong whimpered. "...8?"

Lu Jiahé slammed a hand down, shattering the desk beneath it. "If you really can't get it, use your fingers!"

The Rabbit Butcher tearfully held up its round, plush paws.

"Mr. Lu can be a bit... intense when teaching children," Song Tianyu remarked.

"..."

Lu Yan was beginning to understand why his 'sister' had turned out so rebellious.

Song Tianyu added, "But you can't blame him. Tongtong's evolution wasn't complete. Its memory is poor. It's taken months just to memorize single-digit addition and subtraction and the multiplication table up to nine."

Before Lu Jiahé were two small black clay pots. No fire burned beneath them, yet they bubbled and steamed.

One pot was sealed tight with iron chains, not a crack to be seen.

The other pot had no lid. A small quail egg bobbed in the roiling contents. Judging by the color, it was cooked, giving off the charred scent of roasted protein.

Neither pot held water. They were filled with boiling flame, the heat turning the chains a glowing red.

If a King Fish were born, it would become the kind of monster you saw at Croft Manor, bursting from its mother's body.

This egg was nearly mature when extracted from Song Tianyu. So Lu Jiahé didn't risk placing it inside his own body. He chose to feed it blood periodically and suppress it with Karmic Fire.

Song Tianyu cleared his throat. "Lu Jiahé."

Lu Jiahé turned. His face bore traces of carbonization, like protruding mineral deposits.

The moment he saw Lu Yan, his expression clearly registered shock.

He stood up, seeming momentarily at a loss.

But before he could speak, the little brat beside him suddenly jumped down from its stool and rushed over, tearfully wrapping its arms around Lu Yan's leg.

"Daddy!" Tongtong chirped brightly. "Are you here to pick me up from school?"

This school day had been going on for a very long time.

Lu Yan bent down and picked it up.

The Rabbit Butcher had indeed grown a full circle. Its fake fur had become real rabbit fur, plump and tender-looking, ready for the pot at any moment.

Lu Yan rubbed its little tail. "When you finish learning pinyin."

The little rabbit seemed to cry even louder.

Lu Jiahé's expression was strange. "This is your son?"

"Not biologically."

Lu Jiahé visibly relaxed. "Good."

He can't handle the idea of you having a child out of wedlock.

Lu Yan's hand, which had been playing with the rabbit's tail, stilled. He looked directly into Lu Jiahé's eyes. "Lu Jiahé. I am not your sister."

Lu Jiahé lowered his head. "I know."

But Lu Yan smelled so much like her.

Song Tianyu spoke. "Lu Jiahé, the item I entrusted to you before belongs to Lu Yan. I've brought him to retrieve it."

Lu Jiahé didn't know the story behind the King Fish. He only knew he was safeguarding a powerful pollution source.

Hearing Song Tianyu's words, his expression inevitably shifted to surprise. "Are you sure?"

A pollution source this potent—giving it to an Awakener was one thing, but even a weaker pollutant might be affected, becoming parasitized or re-contaminated.

Lu Yan extended a hand. "Give it to me."

As he spoke, a seam split open in his palm. Deep crimson tentacles, scaled and writhing like over-whipped cream, spilled out. Each tendril pulsed with a powerful, vigorous vitality.

Lu Jiahé's mouth fell slightly open.

The feeling Lu Yan gave him now was peculiar.

He was undoubtedly still human. Fresh, sweet blood surged beneath pale skin, radiating a fatal allure.

Yet these tentacles spreading from his palm were pollutants through and through, and not low-level ones. They were a threat even Lu Jiahé could sense.

Lu Jiahé sighed. "Fine. You're grown up. I can't control you."

He solidified the flames, then lifted the clay pot, undoing the iron chains.

He placed the pot on the table. "It's a bit hot. Be careful."

The lid was removed. A wave of heat rushed out.

Lu Yan glanced inside. In the pot was a King Fish, halfway emerged, like a salamander with legs, its body covered in damp hair.

Its aura wasn't weak. The moment the lid came off, it let out a piercing shriek and launched into the air.

Perhaps from its time inside Song Tianyu, this fish had actually grown wings.

Tendrils instantly pierced the King Fish's limbs, yanking it toward Lu Yan's palm.

Dark black blood oozed from its wounds.

It still struggled.

Every part of an Old God's body can become a separate entity.

Just like you, who also developed consciousness.

Once individuated, a King Fish's instinct drives it to collect other body parts. Do you know how sharks give birth?

Pups hatch into complete baby sharks inside the mother, then kill their siblings within her womb. Only the strongest pup is born.

Lu Yan looked down at the fish in his hand and murmured, "Looks like a balut."

This King Fish had a long beak on its face. Its aura was already very faint.

Lu Yan asked, "If I eat this one, will I grow wings?"

Theoretically, yes. But they wouldn't be very aesthetically pleasing. In my personal opinion, it's better not to.

While Lu Yan had never eaten balut, he understood that such strong-smelling things were best eaten hot.

The fish tasted a lot like steamed egg custard, quite fragrant. Especially the head, which was full of juices.

It would have been better with some salt; the flavor was a bit bland.

Since there was a child present, Lu Yan ate quickly, his posture elegant.

Once it was down, he raised a hand and pressed it against his stomach.

He felt like he'd swallowed a lump of charcoal. A burning sensation spread through his gut.

Fortunately, the scorching heat didn't last long.

Warmth flowed from his stomach out to his limbs and bones.

It had been a long time since eating a King Fish caused an adverse reaction. But this feeling was like returning to when he'd swallowed the first one.

Dizziness. Body heat. Limbs turning cold.

The fish scales within Lu Yan emerged uncontrollably, floating to the surface of his skin.

He pressed a hand to his forehead and looked at Song Tianyu. "I need to sleep."

He had a premonition he might fall into a coma for a while.

Song Tianyu took him to the Laboratory on the floating island's eighth tier.

This was where he conducted avian propagation. He'd retained some habits from his human days, including having a bed.

Lu Yan lay down but didn't lose consciousness immediately. Instead, he clutched at his collar.

His eyes were closed, yet his field of vision began to expand relentlessly. Soon, his sight spread from the Laboratory to encompass the entire floating island.

Everything was so clear, so real.

He saw Lu Jiahé look up as if sensing something, his expression blank and confused. His fire no longer felt scalding.

The Rabbit Butcher's round paws suddenly sprouted several fingers. It was overjoyed, feeling it was now closer to mastering double-digit arithmetic.

Song Tianyu descended to the floating island's first tier. A beak formed on his face. He knelt at the lake's edge, bowed his head, as if drinking the water or kissing it. There was no wind, yet the lake's surface rippled.

Dishiti hovered in mid-air, phone pressed to his ear. "Hello? Can you send a few people who can fly over? I think I've lost Lu Yan."

A pause.

"What?! How dare you slander me in broad daylight! Would I dare lay a hand on him? Who could even fight him?!"

……

……

This information, and more, didn't require conscious observation. It simply surfaced in Lu Yan's mind.

This was the complete form of Talent 6: Omniscience.

A profound, crushing exhaustion settled over him. It was the kind of weariness that smothered thought itself.

His fingers twitched faintly, a last instinctive rebellion against unconsciousness.

Darkness fell. Across the world, the sky bled of light in a matter of minutes.

It was like the Blood Moon, but this time, no crimson orb hung in the void.

Lu Yan fought to keep his eyes open, clinging to the shreds of awareness. "...System."

[I am here. I have always been here. I will stay with you.]

"Who am I?" he whispered.

The System's voice was gentle. [You are no one. You are only yourself.]

[You were born to stand atop the highest peak, gazing down upon all creation. You do not need to borrow my eyes.]

Finally, Lu Yan allowed his eyes to close.

In the final moment before sleep claimed him, he heard the System's faint, almost imperceptible sigh.

[Congratulations. My dear, omniscient, omnipotent god.]