After being reborn again, Shen Jie found that his body had grown even dimmer.

But the terrifying scene he had witnessed with his last breath before dying was still seared into his mind, impossible to forget.

"A King Spine Zerg?!"

"Such a powerful Slaughter Realm..."

Shen Jie muttered to himself, looking up at the towering volcano in the distance, from which thick, dark-gray smoke and ash spewed relentlessly.

Although the timeline had reset, that terrifying High-tier King Spine Zerg still existed.

Enduring the lingering, searing pain in his chest, Shen Jie got to his feet. He began walking toward the domed roof of a Black Spine Zerg Hive where he could hide, all the while replaying the moment the King Spine Zerg had appeared in his mind...

The very term "Slaughter Realm" had seeped out of that vision.

Shen Jie didn’t know where it came from or the principles behind it, but at that moment, the title "High-tier King Spine Zerg" and the aura it had released were already deeply engraved in his mind.

’Perhaps this is some kind of Zerg Race inheritance.’

’It comes from the other half of my being—the Spine Zerg genes inside me.’

’But none of that matters now.’

’The most crucial thing right now is figuring out how to safely climb the volcano and, at the same time, gain enough Power to challenge the King Spine Zerg.’

’This might be the only way to escape this predicament.’

Timing it perfectly, Shen Jie left the area of volcanic rock and returned to the battlefield where the Black Spine Zergs were erupting in slaughter, ready to feast on the "scraps."

And in this life, he would go even further than the last.

......

「In the Real World.」 Lin Feng raised his Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword, now upgraded to Lv. 29, and his gaze suddenly shifted to the cave entrance behind him.

A beautiful woman slowly emerged from the Wormhole that plunged deep Underground.

Ling Yi appeared before everyone, riding a Red-Armored Beetle out of the cave entrance.

Seeing that she could truly control the Zergs, the last shred of doubt in the Warriors’ hearts vanished.

But when Ling Yi saw the current state of the residential complex, her brow furrowed slightly.

Lin Feng was sitting near the Black and Yellow Zerg Cocoon. A circle of people lay nearby, propped up against Zerg Eggs that had been cracked open and drained dry.

A group of Warriors stood on the periphery, watching...

It looked like some sort of mysterious sacrificial ritual.

Ling Yi walked up to Lin Feng.

"In such a hurry? You’re having them undergo their Awakening right here on the spot, and in such a peculiar formation. Is this some kind of ritual for your people—for you Awakeners? Does it increase the success rate of the Awakening?"

The corner of Lin Feng’s mouth twitched. He then pointed to the Zerg Cocoon beside him, where Shen Jie was.

"Of course not... It’s just an unexpected discovery:"

"If they initiate their Secondary Awakening near Shen Jie, their consciousness gets pulled into the Mental Realm he’s experiencing. And by killing Tiger Spine Zergs in there, they can strengthen their Spiritual Power."

Hearing this, a trace of astonishment flashed across Ling Yi’s face.

"It seems you humans truly are special, especially when it comes to the Spirit. Your complex brains possess many incredible functions and abilities."

As she spoke, she walked closer to the Black and Yellow Zerg Cocoon, raising a hand to touch its surface. Her eyes narrowed as she continued.

"The Mental Realm World is actually extremely dangerous. And among the Zerg Race, the Realm Inheritance of the Spine Zergs is especially so."

"The Awakeners who entered it before—when their consciousnesses died inside, did anything happen to them in the real world?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"No, other than their minds feeling groggy..."

At this point, Ling Yi also confirmed through her Sensing that Shen Jie was constantly emitting Realm Energy. Although it was very weak and not enough to affect the Awakeners...

...it could still interact with the Awakeners, whose consciousnesses were blurred from their state of Awakening.

"A word of warning: Shen Jie’s mental state is getting worse and worse. If he fails to break free in the end, the best-case scenario is that he falls into an eternal slumber..."

"But if he fails to comprehend the Spine Zergs’ Mental Realm—or rather, is controlled by it and completely devolves into a Spine Zerg—then the Mental Realm will eventually descend upon his physical body and use it as a medium to contaminate the Real World."

"In other words, all living beings in this city will become slaves to the Mental Realm. First, their bodies will gradually twist and take on Zerg Race characteristics. Then, their minds will be affected."

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, staring at the woman.

"Is it really that dangerous?"

Ling Yi nodded and let out a soft huff.

"It’s not usually this dangerous, but you humans are special. Your brains are highly developed, so you can contain the descent and release of a Mental Realm..."

"This is especially true for a Genetic Warrior who has assimilated Zerg Race genes, like Shen Jie. He’s already broken through the final barrier for a Mental Realm’s descent. If he isn’t controlled, he’ll become a walking time bomb..."

Hearing Ling Yi’s explanation, Lin Feng muttered.

’So dangerous... and here I was thinking about using it to infinitely farm Spiritual Attributes...’

Ling Yi shot him a look and continued.

"Stop dreaming. The only time one can accidentally enter it is during a ’Tier Jumping’ evolution, when a creature’s Spiritual Power undergoes a qualitative leap."

"Besides, that extra Spiritual Power they’re gaining isn’t being drawn from the Mental Realm. It’s being dredged up and converted from within their own bodies. In other words, the moment these Awakeners killed a Tiger Spine Zerg within the Mental Realm, the Mental Realm itself became a parasite latched onto them."

"This will make them more susceptible to spiritual contamination. When that contamination affects their physical bodies, the probability of Genetic Assimilation by the Zerg Race genes will also greatly increase..."

At this point, Ling Yi suddenly remembered something.

"That’s right. In that case, they’ll be even more suitable for being cultivated into Genetic Warriors, helping you achieve your ultimate goal."

Lin Feng smiled faintly. This had actually been part of his plan all along.

In this way, even if the release of this Mental Realm had numerous drawbacks and dangers, it still possessed considerable value to be exploited.