The Dawn of the New World



He didn't even have time to reabsorb the energy because even more of them were pouring in.

Hao Xuan pushed against the crumbling ground and shot up into the air before, [BLINK!]

He reappeared more than 30 meters away but it was still not enough to be out of the main horde so he used it for the second time with even more energy, [BLINK!]

This time he managed to cover more than 110 meters in one ago to land swiftly to the side before shooting off towards the settlement at breakneck speed.

But even though he was out of immediate danger everything was far from okay as the series of new notifications indicated.

[WARNING!]

[Potent Psychic Energy Mix Detected!]

[Intracranial Bleeding Build-up Detected!]

[Beginning Countermeasures...]

Hao Xuan's vision blurred to the point that he could not see anything at all other than the minimap which was being projected directly into his optical nerves. One side of his face started twitching and the other began to leak blood from every orifice but despite all of that, his speed did not diminish in the slightest.

He recalled the hammer into the storage space and swiftly tapped on the pressure points along his neck, shoulder, and back to relieve some of the pressure. Using his sharpened claws he stabbed himself above his left ear to open a small hole that spurted out blood.

And it was only after all that that Hao Xuan's vision returned and he regained control of his facial muscles.

"Taht wes...close," he slurringly remarked.

[All Biological Systems Returning to Normal]

A notification informed him right as Baracus spoke up.

*Beep*

"Chemical balance must be reset. The Psychic attack has severely damaged the central nanite cluster."

Hao Xuan's body shape returned to its original form as the adrenaline high wore off and all the smaller inconveniences returned.

He gave a solemn nod, "I know, I felt it. For a moment I thought I was dead because it looked like the walls were coming in. One of those damn monsters is really powerful, definitely at the level of a Profound Realm cultivator. It almost threw me in an illusion."

"The system concurs."

"I can still feel the aftereffects. If I stop concentrating for even a moment it will attack again," he glanced left and right but could not see anything in the darkness, "It's following behind me. I can't see or sense it but that dreadful feeling has not gone away. It's somewhere close by."

Baracus calculated the distance and gave some more bad news.

"The host has yet to reach the halfway mark. The internal Energy reserves currently sit at 41% and there is significantly reduced blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. This could hamper-"

"You don't have to give too many details, I know what it means. The other shadow beasts will soon catch up to me again and if I am surrounded one more time I don't think I will be able to make it through. Not to mention this powerful beast is hiding somewhere nearby waiting for a chance to attack. The question is, what to do about it?"

"The system has not found any alternatives. The host must reach the settlement no matter what the cost."

"And how do I do that exactly? There is an army of them and one of me! At this speed I can maybe cover the remaining distance in three and a half hours but that's only if nothing gets in my way."

*GROAAAAAAAAAN*

The earth shook and the sky trembled, followed closely by the sound of an outcry from the heavens as the entire right side of the world simply broke apart and fell into the abyss below.

Hao Xuan's tired eyes trailed the outline of the colossal beast that was almost a quarter of the way in.

"Look at that...it looks like an elephant. A huge, gigantic, twisted, and misshapen elephant that could carry this entire world on its back. That thing will rip everything to pieces just by its mere presence."

"That is why the host much reach the settlement before the entity fully materializes."

Hao Xuan could only laugh at the idea now. He was moving as fast as he could but it was pretty obvious how this was going to end.

He would either be ripped into a million little pieces if he was lucky or be eaten alive after being chased like a dog for hours. Either way, it would not be a pretty sight.

"Hey, why don't I just run at that big thing and see what happens? Huh? It will be more fun than dying to these little pissants. At least I will have a cool story to tell when I see everyone again."

Without even waiting for a response Hao Xuan's speed began to fall little by little.

"I mean...everything is trying to kill me no matter where I go. Why not make it easier for them? At least these guys don't have any personal vendetta against me like Dai Zhi and the rest."