Chapter 562: Is the Other Shore a Lie?

Qin Hao clenched his fists, feeling this power.

With this ability, the combat strength of the Yanhuang Universe will undergo another leap.

They can even create their own unique physical laws, constructing defenses and weapons incomprehensible to the enemy.

However, just as he was excited, another system prompt popped up.

This prompt was blood-red.

【Warning: Detected that the host has completed the first act of cannibalism among his kind.】

【The system's underlying protocol 'Unification' has been activated.】

【Your debt has been restructured.】

【Current outstanding amount: incalculable.】

【Repayment method: devour all fragments, or be devoured by other fragments.】

【Tip: Interest has doubled, happy hunting.】

The smile on Qin Hao's face froze.

Debt? Interest?

This usury-collection-like notice made him feel a chill all over.

The only way out now is to constantly devour his own kind, using others' lives to repay his debt.

"So... this is the truth."

Qin Hao gave a bitter laugh.

What Xuan Du said was correct; this thing is hot to handle.

"Dad, all the wreckage has been fully recovered."

Qin Zheng's voice pulled Qin Hao out of his reverie.

The fragments of that mirror-surface spaceship have all been transported back to the Engineering Institute of the Yanhuang Universe.

Qian Yin was leading her team in analyzing these materials that surpassed the comprehension of Yanhuang Civilization.

"Very good."

Qin Hao suppressed the turmoil in his heart and regained his composure.

Whether it's debt or curse,

since we're already on this boat, we can only go down this road to the end.

Do they want to make him surrender and become a sacrifice for others to repay their debts?

Impossible.

"Aren't we leaving this place?"

Qin An was somewhat worried, "The commotion from the battle just now was too great; could it attract……"

"No." Qin Hao shook his head.

"The most dangerous places are often the safest. Whether it's Ghost Market Entrance or the Chaos Enforcement Bureau, they wouldn't expect us to linger in a deadland."

"Furthermore……"

Qin Hao's gaze turned toward the deeper reaches of the Despair Corridor.

That dark area was not even marked on the secret map given by Xuan Du.

"I always feel that something is hidden in here."

During the battle with the hunters just now, he faintly felt that the core of this corridor seemed to have a weak attraction originating from the same source as the system.

"Old Fourth, with our current position as the center, conduct a deep origin scan."

"Yes."

Qin Si closed her eyes again.

This time, having integrated part of the hunters' computing power, her perceptual ability was several times stronger than before.

Her thoughts spread like an invisible net, piercing through layers of chaotic rules, probing toward the corridor's center.

One minute later.

Qin Si suddenly opened her eyes, her face turning deathly pale.

"I... I saw..."

Her voice trembled, that was extreme shock and fear.

"What did you see?"

Qin Hao's heart tightened.

Being able to make Qin Si lose composure like this, it's definitely not an ordinary sight.

"A... a graveyard."

Qin Si struggled to utter a few words.

"Different from what I scanned before, there... there are nothing but corpses."

"Not corpses of the universe."

"They are... they are ships like ours."

Qin Hao sprang to his feet.

"Coordinates!"

Qin Si projected a coordinate onto the main screen.

"Second Brother, full speed ahead."

"What? The turbulence of the rules there is over a hundred times stronger than the outskirts!"

Qin Zheng warned.

Just do as I say!

The Yanhuang Universe started up again.

This time, Qin Hao directly activated the ability to weave rules.

He consumed primordial energy and, ahead of the Yanhuang Universe, forcefully wove a short-lived but stable safe passage.

The originally violent turbulence became docile sheep before this passage.

The speed of the Yanhuang Universe reached its utmost limit.

A few hours later.

They arrived at the coordinates Qin Si mentioned.

When they saw the scene before them clearly, everyone in the core hall drew a sharp breath of cold air.

This is a vast expanse of void.

But drifting in this void are tens of thousands of wrecks.

Those wrecks vary in form.

Some are metal-constructed technological warships, some resemble huge biological skeletons,

some are simply a dead, lifeless universe.

Their only common point is that they have long since lost all signs of life and energy.

Like a pile of trash casually thrown away.

"These... are they former system hosts?"

Qin Wu's voice was hoarse.

He could sense from these wrecks an aura extremely similar to that of the Yanhuang Universe.

That is the trace of having been modified by the system.

Qin Hao did not speak.

He piloted the Yanhuang Universe, slowly sailing into this silent graveyard.

He saw on the bridge of a warship the pilot's skeleton still preserved, emanating a powerful aura.

The owner of that skeleton, even at the brink of death, was desperately trying to start the spacecraft.

He also saw inside a biological skeleton countless living beings curled up, already turned to dust.

They died instantaneously in a sudden disaster.

There are no signs of battle here.

All the wrecks appear as if some force had sucked dry everything from within them.

Energy, soul, rules, even time itself.

"System."

Qin Hao silently chanted in his mind.

"Is this your doing?"

The system panel was dead silent, with no response.

"Old Four, scan these wrecks for their common points."

Qin Si's fingertip traced through the void, and countless data streams surged into her mind.

After a moment, she arrived at a chilling conclusion.

"Their... their system cores are gone."

"As if something had forcibly dug them out."

Qin Hao's heart sank.

He seemed to understand.

These are all unlucky souls who couldn't repay their debts.

When they lacked the ability to devour others, the system would instead devour them.

Together with their civilizations, everything they had was squeezed dry,

turned into pure energy to cultivate the next gu.

A brutal elimination system.

Just then, Qin An suddenly pointed at a wreck in the distance.

That was an ark of antiquated design.

"There remains a very faint obsession there."

Qin Hao immediately brought the Yanhuang Universe close to it.

Qin An reached out, and a gentle life-giving divine power covered the ark.

A fragmented, intermittent thought was read out.

"……the other shore……why……can't I see……"

"……the mirror……is a lie……"

"……unity……is ultimately……the……trap……"

The thought cut off here.

But the information conveyed made Qin Hao's whole body go cold.

The other shore is a lie.

Unity, which is the system's ultimate goal, is a trap.

Who exactly was the signal sent by the hunter before his death intended for?

What exactly is this so-called unity?

He felt he had been drawn into a huge conspiracy spanning countless ages.

He and all the losers in this graveyard are merely pawns in this conspiracy.

Let's go.

Qin Hao's voice was utterly decisive.

Leave this place.

He didn't want to investigate further.

He had a premonition that if he stayed longer, even the Yan-Huang Universe would become a new specimen in this graveyard.

One must become strong as soon as possible.

Before the final trap's net closes, one must have the power to overturn the chessboard!