Chapter 322: Dawn Council

Lin Yifan felt a jolt in his heart, but his exterior remained calm:

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The woman gave him a deep look, then suddenly smiled:

"It's okay, you'll understand soon enough."

She raised her hand and tossed a silver badge toward Lin Yifan.

"If you still want to stay alive, bring this to the Dawn Tower within three days."

"Otherwise... the 'one' inside you will eventually eat you whole, leaving not even a bone behind."

Before the words finished, the three figures dissolved like phantoms, as if they had never been there.

Lin Yifan clenched the badge, his expression wavering.

The 'one' inside you?

Symbiotic Agreement... what exactly is it?

The night wind howled; deep in the wilderness, more eyes seemed to silently open...

Lin Yifan lowered his head to examine the silver badge in his hand, its touch icy, its surface etched with intricate star patterns. He tried to use the Eye of Appraisal to scan it, but only received a single vague line of information:

【Dawn Council·Core Badge (Encrypted)】

【Purpose: Spatial beacon, can guide the holder to the Dawn Tower.】

"Dawn Tower..." he murmured softly, vaguely recalling rumors of this organization before the apocalypse—said to wield forbidden technology of the old world, even capable of confronting the 'source' behind the dark creatures.

But now, he cared more about what the woman had said.

"The 'one' inside you..."

He lowered his head to the blood‑colored rune in his palm; the moment his fingertip brushed it, a cold will suddenly awoke, whispering in his mind:

"She's right... you will eventually belong to me."

Lin Yifan clenched his fist hard, forcibly suppressing the strange agitation, and gritted his teeth:

"Shut up! My body is not yours to command!"

The blood‑colored rune flickered faintly, then fell silent, but Lin Yifan could feel—it was merely waiting for its chance.

"We must quickly uncover the origin of this damned thing..." he inhaled deeply, tucked the badge away, and turned toward the deep wilderness.

——

Three hours later, inside an abandoned underground shelter.

Lin Yifan lit a campfire and, by its light, rummaged for the black crystal he had gathered from the remains of a hundred‑legged corpse in the abyss. It was the core of a B+‑grade dark creature, usually containing fragments of its memories.

He pressed the crystal to his forehead, closed his eyes and focused, attempting to read its information with his mind.

In an instant, shattered images surged into his mind like a tide—

Endless darkness...

Twisted nest...

A figure bound by blood‑colored chains...

The vision abruptly stopped; Lin Yifan snapped his eyes open, cold sweat streaming.

"What was that? The 'King' of the dark creatures?" He vaguely sensed that his blood‑colored contract might be linked to that bound being.

Just as he was pondering, the rune in his palm suddenly burned with excruciating pain!

"Sss—" he inhaled sharply, discovering the rune was spreading on its own, crawling up his arm like veins!

At the same time, that ancient voice sounded again, this time with a rare urgency:

"Leave this place... immediately!"

Lin Yifan felt a chill in his heart and instinctively lunged to the side—

"Boom!!!"

The spot where he had stood was split by a jet of pitch‑black energy blade, the ground cracking open into a trench several meters deep!

From the shadows, a humanoid creature draped in a tattered black robe emerged slowly; its face bore no features, only a mouth lined with serrated teeth, its voice hoarse and distorted:

"Found you... 'Container'."

【Eye of Appraisal】 flickered wildly:

【Name: Faceless Shadow】

【Rank: A‑rank Dark Apostle】

【Description: A scavenger that hunts those selected by the 'Primordial Blood'.】

"A‑rank?!" Lin Yifan's whole body tensed; he knew he could never face a monster of that level head‑on!

Faceless Shadow raised its hand, dark energy coalescing in its palm, forming a twisted spear:

"Your blood... belongs to me."

At the brink of death, the blood‑colored rune inside Lin Yifan suddenly erupted with a blinding red light!

His consciousness was instantly pulled into the spirit realm—

On an endless blood‑colored wasteland, a towering figure bound by chains slowly lifted its head, dark‑red eyes staring directly at him:

"Want to live?... Accept my power."

Lin Yifan gritted his teeth: "What's the price?"

The other side widened its mouth, revealing bone‑white teeth:

"Your 'time'."

Outside, Faceless Shadow's spear had already reached Lin Yifan's forehead—

"Pfft!"

Fresh blood splattered.

But the one pierced… was the Faceless Shadow's chest!

Lin Yifan's hand had, at some point, turned into sharp claws, forcibly extracting its core. Half of his body was covered in blood‑colored scales, his pupils became vertical slits, and a feral grin lifted at the corner of his mouth:

"Now… it's my turn."

The Faceless Shadow bowed its head in disbelief, roaring:

"You dare… trade with 'Him'?!"

Lin Yifan gave no reply, his five fingers curled—

"Bang!" The Dark Apostle's core exploded with a thunderous blast!

When the smoke cleared, his body gradually returned to normal, but the blood hue in his eyes lingered for a long time.

In the distance, toward the Dawnlight Tower, a silver pillar of light shot skyward, as if responding to the battle.

Lin Yifan wiped the blood from his mouth corner, clenched the badge tightly, and stepped toward the direction of the light pillar.

Some answers… must be uncovered in person.

Lin Yifan trudged with his weary body through the wilderness for a full two days.

Since the battle with the Faceless Shadow, the blood‑colored contract within him seemed to have fallen silent, yet whenever night fell, he could feel that ancient will whispering in his dreams—

"You can't escape… we will eventually merge into one."

On his left arm, the blood‑colored runes had spread to his shoulder, like a feral brand.

"We must reach the Dawnlight Tower as soon as possible…" He clenched his teeth and quickened his pace.

——

At dawn on the third day, he finally saw the legendary structure.

The Dawnlight Tower was not a tower in the traditional sense, but a massive inverted‑triangle structure floating in the air, its base shimmering with eerie blue energy ripples, like a sky city from myth. Its surface was etched with unknown runes; even from several kilometers away, Lin Yifan could sense the terrifying power they contained.

"Is this… the Human's last Shelter?" he muttered to himself.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from behind.

Lin Yifan spun around abruptly, only to see a pure‑white little fox tilting its head at him, its amber eyes bearing a human‑like scrutiny.

Eye of Appraisal automatically triggered:

Name: Illusory Moon Spirit Fox (Juvenile)

Rank: B‑grade Psychic Beast

Description: An extremely rare intelligent creature capable of probing mental weaknesses.

The little fox suddenly spoke, its voice crisp like a maiden's:

"The scent on you… is very dangerous."

Lin Yifan's pupils contracted sharply: "You can talk?!"

The spirit fox elegantly licked its paw: "Compared to that, you should worry more about yourself— the Dawnlight Tower's 'Purify Ritual', which will tear apart the 'guest' inside you along with your soul~"

"