Chapter 778: The Lost Ancient Human Race, the Roar of the Colossal Beast (I)

As the black-haired young man slowly approached, the sisters Shi Feirou and Shi Feitong immediately felt a suffocating pressure.

Although Chen Chu had already restrained his aura, the sight of his battered body and the power that had leveled an entire district with a single punch created an oppressive force that weighed heavily on them.

Suddenly, Shi Feirou stepped in front of her younger sister. A pure, formidable vitality erupted from within her, bursting through the air with explosive force and stirring up a gust of wind.

The intensity of this blood aura was comparable to the Fourth Heavenly Realm—she certainly wasn’t weak.

“What are you trying to do?” she asked, eyes sharp with vigilance.

However, Chen Chu couldn't understand a word she said. Still, judging from her cautious and tense demeanor, he could roughly guess what she meant.

"What is this place?" His voice was low and deep, laced with divine soul fluctuations. Within his eyes emerged a pair of golden-black vertical pupils, vast enough to blot out the sky.

Boom!

The sisters' consciousnesses shook violently as an overwhelming wave of soul power invaded their minds.

Shi Feirou instinctively answered, "This is Jiangbei City."

"What is this world called? What year is it?"

"This world is called the Lost World. The current year is 9088 in the Lost Calendar..."

Through the spiritual link, Chen Chu continued questioning this woman named Shi Feirou, and gradually began to understand the world he had entered.

This “Lost World” consisted of a central continent stretching over fifty thousand kilometers north to south and thirty thousand kilometers east to west, along with several other continents, countless islands, and vast oceans that spanned several times more in area.

The dominant lifeforms in this world were creatures resembling dinosaurs, with immense variety. The smallest stood only one or two meters tall, while the largest were mountain-sized giants that stretched hundreds to thousands of meters long.

Humanity had teetered on the brink of extinction time and again. A few centuries ago, they began walking the path of technology, which allowed them to seize most of the fertile lands on the central continent and grow from a few tens of thousands to billions.

Judging from Shi Feirou’s description, the technological level of this world had roughly been equivalent to the Blue Planet sixty years ago. Airplanes and artillery were already in use. The world had been divided into over forty nations of various sizes, with a total population of over five billion.

Then, just a few years ago, the apocalypse began.

It was said that the most powerful nation, the White Lion King Empire, had sent an expeditionary team to explore an overseas island, where they stumbled upon ancient human ruins.

Within those ruins was a sealed virus. When the site was opened, it contaminated the air and water, spreading rapidly and triggering worldwide biological mutations.

Humans were not spared. Countless people transformed into bloodthirsty monsters in an instant, tearing apart every living creature around them and devouring flesh in a frenzy of evolution.

Yet, crisis also brought opportunity. Amid the mutations, some people discovered that the virus also strengthened them, even giving rise to a power known as vitality.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Those who possessed vitality could channel it through their bodies and train in the ancient foundational body enhancement arts, stepping onto the path of transcendence. Shi Feirou herself was one such body enhancer.

This discovery also confirmed an age-old legend passed down for thousands of years. It had long been rumored, both in state media and among the general public, that all of humanity in this world was actually a lost branch of a once-mighty civilization from another world.

For unknown reasons, they had fallen into this world, where no transcendent energy existed. As a result, they could never leave.

Due to the environmental constraints, they could no longer cultivate, and their vitality withered. One by one, the older generation of powerhouses perished, and their legacies were lost, leaving behind only ineffective cultivation arts.

Even as science advanced, ancient cultivation arts continued to circulate among the people. Some nations even held secret manuals in their archives.

Although the world lacked transcendent energy, rendering cultivation impossible, certain meditative techniques aimed at honing the mind and spirit still had some, albeit limited, effect.

As the mutations persisted over the years, however, humanity’s ability to refine their bodies was outpaced by the monsters’ even more powerful evolutions, allowing them to eventually overrun the world.

Mutated beasts now rivaled tyrannosaurs, becoming walking natural disasters—capable of destroying entire human strongholds, and devouring not only flesh, but even souls.

At present, humanity in this world was once more on the brink of extinction. Both civilizations and communications had collapsed, productivity halted, and the few scattered survivors who clung to life in the cracks had no knowledge of what was happening elsewhere.

By the time Shi Feirou finished, Chen Chu couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes. He hadn’t expected to find traces of ancient humanity here.

It now seemed that the ancient humans had indeed ventured into the mythical world, and engaged in war with various powerful races and civilizations. Yet during those great wars, their homeland had been invaded in turn.

After summoning the void, the coordinates of the Blue Planet and even the solar system had been shifted, preventing those ancient warriors from ever finding their way home.

This lost branch of humanity had fallen into this world nearly ten thousand years ago. They had long since lost contact with the ancient civilization, and now had no idea where, or when, they truly were.

From the vague connection with the Dragon Emperor, Chen Chu deduced that he had likely returned to some point in the past—somehow becoming involved with this lost branch of the human race.

It seemed that the method to break the time curse lay within those ancient human cultivation arts.

As Chen Chu stood there deep in thought, Shi Feirou and Shi Feitong both showed signs of panic. Instinctively, they stepped back, guarding themselves warily.

Their minds had remained lucid during the encounter, so they remembered everything that had just happened while under the effects of Chen Chu’s soul power.

"Sis, w-what just happened to us?!" Shi Feitong asked, a bit flustered.

"I don’t know either... but don’t worry, Little Tong, I’ll protect you." As she spoke, Shi Feirou slowly drew her long saber, staring at Chen Chu with a grave expression.

Although the man before them was incredibly frightening, surviving through the apocalypse with her younger sister had put Shi Feirou through countless brushes with death over the past few years.

Even knowing she wasn’t a match for this terrifying figure, she still had the courage to draw her blade.

While Shi Feirou stood poised for battle, Chen Chu calmly said, "Relax. I mean you no harm. I just used a spiritual link to communicate more easily.

"Besides, with my strength, do you think either of you would have the ability to resist if I truly meant you harm?"

This time, he spoke in the Lost World’s native language. His words made Shi Feirou freeze.

Shi Feitong blinked and innocently said, "Sis, what he said kinda makes sense... I really don’t think he means us any harm."

Chen Chu waved a hand at the two of them. "Alright, you can go now. I need to find a place to recover from my injuries."

He had been severely wounded during the previous battle. Tarorya’s slash had contained the power of a principle, and due to the demon gods’ arrival, he hadn’t had the chance to purge it.

Later, when he tried to teleport with the Luotian Talisman, Deorus’ halberd strike had shattered the principle power surrounding him. The residual force had torn through his true form, wounding him even further.

Moreover, maintaining the Dragon Emperor’s Destruction Mode for so long had nearly depleted his life essence. He now had just a hundred years of lifespan left, and his regenerative abilities had also taken a slight hit.

Otherwise, the external injuries would have long since healed, even with Tarorya’s slash and a wisp of Deorus’s power suppressing him.

As Chen Chu turned to leave, his peaceful demeanor seemed to change the once-wary Shi Feirou’s mind, as she suddenly said, "That tyrant might be dead, but this city is still dangerous.

"We’re all humans trying to survive the apocalypse. We should help each other. Our base is just over fifty kilometers from here, and it’s hidden. If you want, you can go there to rest and recover."

Her words left Shi Feitong stunned. She blurted out, "But Sis, our base doesn’t have any space left..."

For some reason, she felt a strange fear about this battered man.

"It’s fine. This gentleman can stay at our place." As she spoke, Shi Feirou removed her helmet, revealing a face that was nearly flawless. She smiled slightly and said, "Hello, my name is Shi Feirou. This is my sister, Shi Feitong."

Seeing Shi Feitong pretend to be naive in an attempt to soften his vigilance, and then glancing at the helmetless Shi Feirou—especially the sincerity and something else hidden in her gaze—Chen Chu suddenly smiled.

However, due to the red cracks across his face, Chen Chu’s smile at the moment looked somewhat horrifying, utterly lacking the elegance and poise he usually displayed.

"I’m Chen Chu. Sorry for forcing you to speak like that earlier."

When the strong were angry, they drew their swords against those stronger than themselves. When the weak were angry, they drew their blades against those weaker.

Likewise, though Chen Chu had already stepped into the mythical level, he still treated those weaker than him with humility—just like Heavenly King Xuanwu and other powerful humans had done.

Of course, if the other party was an enemy, it was a different story. In his eyes, enemies were enemies—there was no distinction of strength or weakness.