Chapter 1 The Approaching Storm

In the rest area of the World Tree Temple, Izhaks looked at Hao Ren, who was sprawled on the sofa like a salted fish, and said with a smile, "You guys were gone for quite a while this time. I thought you'd be back in a few days, but it turned into over a month."

"The Rahuier incident was too complicated. The biggest headache I have right now is that I don't even know how to write the report," Hao Ren said, looking utterly hopeless. "Fortunately, everything was resolved relatively smoothly in the end, and we dug up an incredible treasure—and by the way, we gave Leah a long-term goal."

"I saw the things you brought back," Izhaks nodded. "I heard they're being sent to the Genesis Engine assembly factory."

Hao Ren hummed in agreement. "That's right. With this, the Genesis Engine will be complete, and the biggest trump card needed to attack the Dark Domain will be ready. But speaking of which, I didn't expect you guys to be here—I thought you'd be resting at home as usual."

Izhaks smiled and shrugged, looking at the Nangong siblings chatting with Lily not far away, and the bouncing Gun, who was playing with Elizabeth. "It's no fun staying on Earth all the time. We come here to take a look every now and then. We've been fully involved in various incidents in the Dream Plane these past few years, so we have a good understanding of the situation. Salamander and his Guardian Legion have just returned, and they often ask us for information."

As he spoke, he revealed a helpless expression. "Of course, another reason is to walk the cat... If she doesn't go out for three days, she goes crazy. It's better to let her mess around here than to let her cause trouble in the city."

Hao Ren stared blankly at the cat girl, who had already climbed to the top of a giant vine not far away, feeling incredulous. "This girl still isn't used to living in the human world? I remember that she even learned to go grocery shopping and buy clothes in the city by herself a while ago..."

"That's her suppressing her instincts," Vivian's voice came from behind Hao Ren. "Buying things obediently is just completing a task to get dried fish. Other than that, she still hasn't restrained herself at all when she's fooling around—after all, she was a stray cat."

As she spoke, the cat girl, who was climbing along the giant vines inside the World Tree, suddenly scurried over and circled around Hao Ren. "Talking about me, nya? Talking about me, nya?"

Hao Ren casually pressed down on the cat girl's head. "Yes, yes, yes, you're always involved. Your ears are as sharp as Lily's... huh?!"

An unspeakable palpitation suddenly struck, and Hao Ren couldn't help but stop what he was doing.

It wasn't just him. Everyone in the temple felt that shock at that moment. Everyone—including those busy and confused little pixies—couldn't help but stop and look around in confusion.

This feeling of palpitation couldn't be described in words, nor could it be said where it came from. At that moment, it felt as if you were in a dark and chaotic world, shrouded in mist, completely unable to distinguish the surrounding situation. But you clearly felt that somewhere in the depths of the mist, an unprecedentedly terrifying and powerful monster had awakened, and it had already noticed all the living beings in the mist...

The next second, the palpitation began to subside rapidly, and a ray of light appeared in the hall. After the light dissipated, Leah stood in front of everyone.

Izhaks frowned and looked at the Goddess of Creation. "Could that have been..."

"The 'fetal movement' of the Lord of Madness," Leah said quickly. "The warning device I set up in the Dark Domain sent out a warning signal to the entire universe."

Hao Ren quickly stopped petting the cat. The lazy aura of a salted fish completely disappeared. He quickly got up and grabbed the data terminal next to him. "To the communications hall!"

The communications hall was also located inside the World Tree Temple, but its structure and style were completely different from other parts of the temple. It was covered with light blue crystals and silver-white alloy frames, and displayed various Shirean-style facilities and equipment. Rather than being part of the temple, it was more like an extension of the Crystal Core Research Station—and in fact, it was.

The communications hall was formed by a projection of a part of the Crystal Core Research Station. Its function was to integrate the Crystal Core Research Station and various facilities set up by Hao Ren in the Dream Plane into the same data link, and establish a connection with the World Tree Temple and various information networks left by the Goddess of Creation. The various temporary data interfaces that Hao Ren had previously set up in the World Tree Temple had now been integrated into this hall, and its existence had indeed improved the efficiency and stability of various projects.

In the hall, Hao Ren saw the holographic images of Asuman and Lehmenduza. Obviously, the two had been waiting online the moment that "universal warning signal" lit up.

After Hao Ren entered the hall, the holographic devices in other places were also activated one after another. Mulu, Loken, Salamander and others appeared on the communication screen.

"The information has been confirmed. The Dark Abyss is sending out a first-level warning signal. The warning signal comes from the oldest defense system set up by the Goddess," Asuman's voice sounded first. It was responsible for monitoring the Dark Abyss prison and regularly contacting the Night Watchers, so it was natural for it to report the situation first. "In addition, we have urgently contacted the Night Watchers and confirmed that the defense layer where the system is located has completely silenced after sending out a first-level warning signal and is now in a state of complete disconnection."

Leah frowned tightly. "It can be determined that the defense layer is completely finished... What about the Night Watchers stationed in that layer?"

"Because of the timely evacuation, all the Night Watchers have been transferred to the middle defense line and are currently continuing to retreat to the outer area in batches. There have been no casualties."

"That's good..." Leah finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. "I should have set up another alarm device... Is there no reaction yet?"

"Not yet."

Hao Ren glanced at Leah. "What level is a first-level warning signal?"

"Second only to the highest 'level zero'," Leah said quietly. "Level one means that all containment measures are about to or have already broken through the critical point, the prison is completely losing its function, and at level zero... level zero is no longer a warning signal, it is a universe-wide announcement, announcing that all seals have been completely destroyed, containment has failed, and the Lord of Madness is in a completely active state. Rather than a warning, it is more like a last word."

Hao Ren heard several people behind him take a deep breath subconsciously, and he was no exception. "So a first-level warning is actually equivalent to the highest alert... How long is it before it transitions to level zero?"

Leah didn't answer immediately, but turned to check the massive amount of data sent by Asuman. Countless holographic images surrounded her, and the jumping parameters and curves depicted the current state of the constantly collapsing space-time in the center of the universe. After a full few minutes of calculation, she turned around. "We have at most two months—this includes the delaying effect of the remaining structure of the prison on the Lord of Madness after its function fails, and the maximum time that the Night Watchers can delay. But the Night Watcher troops cannot be lost inside, so if the situation deteriorates rapidly, we may not even have two months."

"Then prepare according to the worst-case scenario," Hao Ren said quickly, turning to look at Lehmenduza. "When will the Genesis Engine be completely completed?"

"The interface of the God's Heart has been completed, the internal containment structure of the Genesis Engine will also be completed within three days, and the overall assembly will be completed within ten days," Lehmenduza said in one breath. "During this period, the drive rewrite and database reset of the God's Heart can be completed, but after completion, I'm afraid we won't have many testing opportunities... It will be sent to the battlefield as an experimental machine."

"It doesn't matter, the Goddess of Destruction only has an experimental machine too," Hao Ren said, turning to look at Mulu again. "How are the various ecological planets doing?"

Mulu was initially only Tana Guse's "gardener", but after Tana Guse's ecosystem gradually got on the right track, Mulu's work scope was further expanded, and he began to be responsible for sorting out and monitoring the information of ecological planets discovered in various places in the Dream Plane.

Since the old Progenitor network had been destroyed, the monitoring of these ecological planets was carried out by the newly built "Zohm Network".

The so-called Zohm Network was the network that used the antenna system of the Crystal Core Research Station and the drone swarm as a carrier and was controlled by Zohm's mental projection. On the Progenitor's homeworld, this technology was first applied and successfully passed the acceptance test. Now Hao Ren was massively promoting it to every ecological planet that had been included in the archives, including Holleta and Aioi.

"The ecological planets are in normal condition, and there are no signs of being eroded by the power of madness."

Hao Ren nodded. "Focus on monitoring the planets with intelligent creatures, especially their dreams. Once large-scale behavioral disorders or nightmare infiltration are discovered, activate mental filtering."

The Lord of Madness's special method of infection and spread was particularly dangerous to all intelligent life, especially when these creatures had the ability to dream, the danger would be multiplied. Therefore, Hao Ren had to set up mental filtering devices near every ecological planet he discovered as insurance.

But speaking of high-end, this mental filtering device was essentially just a "divine power focusing lens". Its role was to draw an appropriate amount of energy from the divine power resonance network built by Leah, focus it, and irradiate it on the ecological planet to achieve the effect of covering or interfering with the power of madness.

In the short term, this "mental filtering" device could indeed have an effect, but if it was turned on for a long time, this power that mortals could not withstand would cause a devastating blow to the ecological planet, and at the very least, it would cause all intelligent creatures to become idiots.

Therefore, the mental filtering device was only allowed to be turned on when it was confirmed that the power of madness had begun to massively erode the planet, and it could only be turned on for a very short time.

"Whether it's enhancing the monitoring of ecological planets or setting up mental filtering devices, they are only auxiliary means," After arranging a series of countermeasures, Hao Ren turned to Leah and said, "What determines the future of this universe is still inside the Dark Abyss."

"Yes... this battle will have to be fought sooner or later," Leah took a light breath. "After so many years, it's time to make an end of it."

Hao Ren nodded slightly and looked at the holographic projection next to him. On that holographic projection, was Asuman's monitoring image of the direction of the Dark Abyss.

"It's time to go take a look near the 'Dividing Line'."