The prolonged drain on the Mental Realm World meant Ling Yi had to be completely focused while condensing the Spiritual Passage to prevent any accidents.

With her eyes glowing gold, she failed to notice Lin Feng glance back at the Mental Realm World as it gradually crumbled into nothingness...

Nor did she notice the phantom eyeball that had already branded itself onto Lin Feng’s back.

The phantom eyeball trailed the two of them from Shen Jie’s Zerg Cocoon all the way into Lin Feng’s body.

Once their spirits had returned to their bodies, Ling Yi’s hands and face twitched a few times before she slowly regained consciousness.

As she opened her eyes, she immediately saw Chen Yanyan with members of the Tier Two Corps. Leading them were Liu Yi and six other Late-stage Perfect Awakeners, all raising their shotguns, ready for a fight.

Ling Yi gritted her teeth...

She forcefully ripped out her right hand, which had been thrust so deep into the Zerg Cocoon that it had nearly fused with it.

Many veins and vessels, like clinging threads, snapped one after another as she tore her hand away.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she looked at the woman before her.

"I was only half successful. For now, there shouldn’t be any risk of contamination spilling out, but whether he can ultimately maintain his sense of self and wake up... that’s up to Shen Jie himself!"

Chen Yanyan’s brow furrowed, her tone icy.

"Is Lin Feng back?"

Ling Yi nodded, her voice faint.

"Of course. He was right behind me, following the Spiritual Passage back to his body."

"Remember to post guards around this Zerg Cocoon. You need to confirm Shen Jie’s state after he..."

Before she could finish, a fist-sized, pitch-black muzzle was pressed to her forehead. Chen Yanyan’s expression was savage as she snarled:

"Of course!?"

"Then why isn’t he awake yet?"

"And why is his temperature rising...?"

Following Chen Yanyan’s gaze, Ling Yi turned her head to see Lin Feng on the other side of the Zerg Cocoon.

Lin Feng was trembling uncontrollably, his face flushed crimson. Large beads of sweat constantly formed on his forehead, rolling down his skin.

He looked like he was in a coma from a raging fever, as if knocking on death’s door.

Realizing something had gone wrong, Ling Yi scrambled over to Lin Feng’s side and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Don’t move! First, you’re going to tell me everything that happened in there, down to the last detail!"

Chen Yanyan viciously jammed the muzzle of her gun against the back of Ling Yi’s head. Her anxiety and worry had reached a fever pitch, but to keep the situation under control, she had to force herself to remain calm.

After checking Lin Feng’s state, Ling Yi slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as if her very soul had been drained, she collapsed against the writhing Zerg Cocoon.

Her voice was low and powerless, speaking in fits and starts.

"Relax. I have no power or energy left. I’m no threat to you."

"As for Lin Feng’s condition..."

"That guy... he seized the Spiritual Energy from the node symbiote. That thing is equivalent to the Spiritual Power of a Tier Three Early-stage Mother Empress, but he didn’t tell me beforehand..."

"After his consciousness was pulled away, this Energy that was temporarily stored in his brain was released, sweeping his own consciousness up along with it."

"You can think of it as a trial within a Spiritual Realm, similar to what Shen Jie is going through. However, the one related to the Zerg Race Mother Empress is much simpler. If he succeeds, his Spiritual Power will experience a breakthrough, Breaking the Limit to reach the Tier Three Early Stage..."

"This will be a great help when it comes to killing the High-tier Mother Empress later. It’s... not a bad thing."

"But before any of that, I suggest you move both him and me as quickly as possible. Otherwise, when this monster behind us hatches, no one will be able to stop its rampage."

Chen Yanyan snorted, then ordered Liu Yi to get two more men. They placed Lin Feng on a stretcher, covered him, and discreetly rushed him back to the battleship.

She turned back to look at Ling Yi, who was shakily getting to her feet, and at the twisted, misshapen Black and Yellow Zerg Cocoon behind her. Something inside seemed to be struggling to get out.

Ling Yi stepped out of the tank and stood beside Chen Yanyan, looking back at the Zerg Cocoon inside. She continued,

"The new flesh is being permeated and nourished by the Slaughter Realm. Whether or not Shen Jie can master this Power depends on his mental clarity and the strength of his Willpower."

"Judging by his performance in the Mental Realm World, there shouldn’t be any major issues."

Chen Yanyan’s gaze was frigid.

"Putting Shen Jie’s life and death aside for a moment, you should understand this clearly: if Lin Feng doesn’t wake up, not just you, but your Mother Empress’s main body back in Jia City will become a sworn enemy of the Thirteenth Division from this day forward!"

Ling Yi looked at the woman beside her, feeling a palpable killing intent radiating from her. She wasn’t joking.

She replied lightly,

"Don’t underestimate your man."

"He’s no ordinary person. There is no other human in this world more qualified or capable of receiving a gift from the Zerg King."

As she watched the Tier Two Corps surround and carry the Black and Yellow Zerg Cocoon out of the tank, her tone shifted.

"More importantly, you should realize that if Shen Jie successfully awakens and masters the Slaughter Realm, he’ll be able to defeat all of us with ease..."

"Including you and me."

"While Lin Feng is unconscious, the threat he poses is far greater than mine."

At this, Chen Yanyan glanced back at Ling Yi, the worry etched on her face deepening.

"You don’t need to worry about that."

"Lin Feng already made arrangements. The seven members of the Tier Two Corps, led by Liu Yi, have all advanced to become Late-stage Perfect Awakeners. That’s enough to keep Shen Jie occupied after he wakes up."

Ling Yi shook her head.

"You gravely underestimate the power of a Mental Realm. They are the very meaning of existence for a Tier Four Cosmic Life. They are the essence of a race, a civilization, condensed over hundreds of thousands, even millions of years, and carved into their very genes..."