Age of Evolution

Chapter 696: Chapter 699: Winter of Pure Land (Third Watch)

Divine Punishment Star has four continents, an ocean surrounding the continents, and also the North and South poles.

It was said before the star was punished by the gods that there was a pure land on it, filled with neither joy nor sorrow, life nor death.

This pure land is now right beneath Lin Zhen.

The fragrance of the mud underneath him wafted upward. Lin Zhen slowly woke from his coma.

Or perhaps he had not yet woken up, and was now stuck somewhere between dreaming and waking.

“Where am I? Am I still on the Divine Punishment Star? Have I been eliminated? Was my last teleportation successful? I don’t remember targeting a specific continent or area, so where am I?”

A wave of confusion attacked him, giving Lin Zhen a throbbing headache. He wanted to open his eyes, but could not.

“It’s no good, I’ve been hit by the Holy Word Skill and lost all my star power. My spiritual power is extremely weak as well, so I am no different from ordinary people now.”

A cold chill went down Lin Zhen’s spine. Without power, what hope did he have left?

His mind was in a haze.

“Lin Zhen yo!”

A distant and ethereal voice rang out, seeming to come from the horizon or from right beside his ear.

Somehow this voice possessed a certain magic, calming his previously turbulent heart in an instant.

“Lin Zhen yo, why are you so sad?”

The gender and direction of this voice couldn’t be discerned. Lin Zhen had no energy to locate the source, but he was willing to engage in conversation with it.

“I… I’ve lost my power.” His voice didn’t come from his mouth but his thoughts, yet everything was so in harmony.

“Where does power come from?” the voice continued asking.

“Power comes from cultivating.”

“Then why don’t you complain that your cultivation is insufficient, rather than lamenting that your power is gone?”

Lin Zhen was stunned as he found this question difficult to answer.

He wanted to say that he had already wasted 700 years of time, but upon thinking further, there was no use in saying that. If he was really capable, he wouldn’t have been trapped for 700 years.

“You grieve for the lack of power, the wasted time, and the fact that you worked hard but the end results were not satisfactory…..”

“But do you know how many people envy your achievements? How many people are still struggling to survive? How many people think of you as unattainable….?”

“Let me give you a different perspective that might help you calm down.”

The scene before his eyes flickered, and Lin Zhen suddenly realized he could see.

He didn’t have a physical body, but his sight could cross through time and space, witnessing visuals he could never have imagined before.

A piece of sky blue!

White clouds drifted, waves rippled, a gentle breeze blew, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air.

Such sweet air felt almost within reach, the aromatic soil, familiar terrain, and warm sunlight all told Lin Zhen that this was the New World, the Milky Way, and Earth!

Capital Base City!

A group of adventurers had just completed a battle near a huge sky pit.

Among them was a level nine War General leading a few lower-level War Generals.

They leaned against the pit wall eating hardtack with difficulty.

The situation was dire as mutated beasts lingered nearby. They were all injured and could be wiped out at any moment.

Yet Lin Zhen didn’t see despair, pain, or sadness in their eyes.

Every one of them was filled with determination, and the team leader was even giving pep talks to his teammates.

“Let’s work harder, everyone. Let’s try to take out the Mutated Wolf King. Once we kill it, we can escape and earn a considerable amount of money. I’ve planned everything out. Once we get the money, we’ll follow Lord Lin Zhen’s footsteps and develop in the Tianhe Empire.”

“Yes! That’s what we all want.”

“That’s right, Captain. We all aim to be like the Lord.”

The Captain nodded with satisfaction, “You’re right, the Lord is our hero in the Milky Way. He has always guided our path. Every night before I sleep, I pray fervently, hoping for the day I can rise above the common people, travel to the Original World, and witness this legendary figure.”

“Keep it up, Captain. You’re about to advance to War God soon. Once you become a War God, the Star Realm won’t be far off, and you’ll definitely have a chance!”

Looking at these War General-level Martial Artists, Lin Zhen wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t.

After becoming a War General comes War God, followed by Star Realm, Meteor Stage, Comet Stage, Satellite Stage, Planet Stage, Constant Star Stage, Black Hole Stage, Star System Stage, Star Domain Stage, Star World Stage, and Longevity Realm.

To reach the Original World, they’d have to wait for the Heavenly Gate, which had just closed recently. Unless they had a chance to cultivate to the peak of the World King stage and live long enough, they would not see the appearance of the Heavenly Gate.

Contemplating this long and daunting cultivation path, Lin Zhen’s heart raced. Nevertheless, he admired the courage shown by these Martial Artists.

The scene shifted, and the next moment, he was on a foreign planet.

********

Inside a treehouse, a beautiful elf girl came in with some medicine, gently feeding a wounded male elf lying in bed.

“Big brother Tiya, you must be strong. The temporary collapse of Star Power is not the end. You are still young and have a future.”

The male elf nodded: “Yes, I am not disheartened or desperate. I plan to go to the Fire Kirin Empire to see Lin Zhen’s hometown once my body is better. Then, I will visit the Pegasus constellation and see the space where he was trapped. If someone can persevere through the long 700 years, his determination is a role model for me to learn from. Moreover, the universe is so vast, there must be a way to cure me, I firmly believe it!”

The elf girl excitedly pounced onto the man, and the two kissed passionately.

The perspective changed, and Lin Zhen saw his full-length portrait on the wall!

This elf was actually his admirer.

********

The next scene showed a young man on the Blue Sea Star in the Solar Domain practicing with a spear.

In the yard, there were sandbags tied up, wooden dummies, and even a set of Plum Blossom Piles on the ground.

The young man stepped on the Plum Blossom Piles, making strides with his long spear dancing “pap pap pap” in his hand, creating a series of spear flowers.

When he danced to a certain extent, there were already layers of spear shadows all around him.

Another person walked over and threw a bucket of water on him.

The young man’s long spear spun like a windmill, blocking most of the water droplets outside the spear light.

However, a single drop of water fell on his chest. Lin Zhen could tell that he was trying to comprehend being immovable like a mountain, but he had failed this time.

Nevertheless, the youth showed no sign of frustration, but rather, an excited expression: “Success! This time, I only let one drop of water get through. It won’t be long before I can master the Lord’s unique skill of being immovable like a mountain. Back then, he used this move to dominate and terrify countless enemies!”

Lin Zhen knew that the last step of being immovable like a mountain was the most difficult to comprehend, and the youth’s journey was still long.

However, seeing the young man’s vibrant face, Lin Zhen sincerely hoped that he could succeed.

********

The next scene was in the Original World, where an alchemist was painstakingly researching the composition and techniques of an elixir.

Lin Zhen recognized the elixir, which was his Juyuan Powder.

“Master! It truly is a Master’s work. I’m afraid I can’t make such an elixir in my entire life.”

“But I won’t give up, Master Lin Zhen. Someday, I hope to become your disciple.”

********

The next scene was in the Nan Liang capital city, where a group of young people were praying for Lin Zhen at the Longevity Temple.

They prayed for the safe return of Nan Liang’s hero, even though Lin Zhen no longer had the chance to rank at the top of the Divine Punishment Star.

As long as he was safe, that was enough.

Lin Zhen didn’t know how to express his feelings towards these completely unfamiliar, innocent faces.

********

With one scene after another, Lin Zhen saw a wide variety of people, young and old, from the New World and Original World, men and women, children and adults. Many took him as their target, idol, or learned his alchemy and battle techniques.

Countless admirers and supporters!

There were those in desperate situations, but their hope was sustained by Lin Zhen’s existence.

Witnessing these scenes through the eyes of God, Lin Zhen suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.

Unknowingly, he had reached such heights.

“Lin Zhen, do you still feel sad?”

The voice appeared again.

Lin Zhen was silent for a moment: “No! I’m not sad, my mood was a bit fluctuating before, but it has calmed down a lot now.”

“That’s for the best. When you truly let go of these negative emotions, you can wake up.”

“Wake up…?”

Lin Zhen was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes slightly, realizing that he had been unconscious all this time.

Just in an instant, Lin Zhen’s consciousness returned to his body, his eyelids twitched, and he was about to wake up!

“Huh! So soon?” The voice showed an emotional fluctuation for the first time.

“Why should it be slow? This is the Divine Punishment Star. Even if I lose, my strength will not be truly lost. At most, I’ll lose my ranking and points. If I can’t see through even these things, I’m not qualified to continue going on.”

After saying that, Lin Zhen opened his eyes abruptly!

A cold breeze blew in, making his mind even more awake.

He was currently in a cave, dark and deep.

Despite the weakness in his body, Lin Zhen forced himself to stand up and walk out of the cave one step at a time.

Outside the cave, the world was covered in a blanket of white. The thick snow seemed to envelop the world, and looking out, there was no end in sight. It was as if he was the only living person between heaven and earth.

“Where am I?”

“This is the untouched land of Divine Punishment Star, the Winter. Lin Zhen, congratulations on witnessing the Winter no one has ever seen on the Divine Punishment Star! Are you willing to accept my challenge, safely pass through this winter?”