Stuck in a Chinese novel

The ground trembled, and the world seemed like it was approaching an end. The sky split open, and lightning fell from the cracks. Dark lightning alighted the world around them, not harming them in the least.

Everyone raised their heads to see what was happening. Why was no one running? Why was there no panic? Where was no one screaming in fear?

The answer only came to be this…

Could something else be so beautiful? The world, the sky, and the very air around them felt like it was soothing. They could feel the warmth dripping from it, compelling them not to look away.

And they didn't. They kept their eyes on what mattered. They kept their eyes on the world that was falling apart. The darkness fell from the sky and covered the entire world.

The entire city of Alanel was shrouded in darkness, and no light could escape nor enter that darkness. The humans that came from the outside world, the general, along with the rest of his team, stayed at the cave as they watched the spectacle before them unfold.

It was mesmerizing, to say the least. And if that wasn't enough, the power emitting from it shook their hearts, freezing them in one place. The general knew that no one on earth would be able to match that power. If that power were to leak out into the world, with no limitations placed on it, then the world would only be left with one option.

The end.

As much as he was curious about going forward, about going with Wei Jun to the city, when he told them to wait there because the thing inside the cave was still in the city, no one, even him, wanted to go.

Just one experience was enough. The immense pressure still made their bodies ache, and they would rather not face it again. Just the assurance from Wei Jun that the dungeon wouldn't break and they should just give him a chance first.

They were more than happy to do so, and they were glad they did so because what they were seeing at the moment was something they had never seen before. They had never felt before. And they wanted to avoid it all their life.

Inside the city, Ahmad raised his head to see what looked like the end of the world. He took deep breaths, not intoxicated like everyone else. He had the ability to resist the darkness, and since he could, he could also hear the screams of pain coming from inside the citadel that no one else could hear. Not even his fellow council members.

The screams sounded like they were from the deep pits of one's soul. Like it was being ripped apart, torn, and then mended into perfection again. The process repeated over and over and over again until the darkness got to the point where Ahmad couldn't even sense his own being, let alone sense anything with his five senses.

His instincts and his entire being had shut down, leaving only his mind to think. Was it really the end of the world? Or was it as the young man from earlier had said? There were questions, but there were no answers. The only answer he had was to wait. So wait, he did. He did nothing else but wait.

Minutes stretched into hours, and hours stretched into days. He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, the darkness lifted, and the scenery he saw shook his heart.

Lush and soft green grass as far as his eyes went. Forests as big as buildings could be seen far into the distance.

Beyond them were mountains that stretched across the world. The sky, a deep color of blue, was clean and not toxic in the least. The air was calming and provided a gentle soothe to their hearts.

As far as his eyes went, there were only people in the field. The people of his city. Not the dead ones, but the alive ones. There was no sign of the buildings from his home. There was nothing to be seen. All that was left to be seen and done was to rebuild.

Rebuilt in that clean world so that life could continue once again.

So that they could live once again. Only this time, they were free. And so was everyone else.

"I shall do as you said, outlander," Ahmad said as he looked forward to a new life. A life of freedom.

~~

[All excess power has been diverted to the teleportation circle]

[The user's body has absorbed the rest]

[Dragon heart and flesh have been fully incorporated]

[Increase in stats detected]

[Error]

[Level restriction cannot incorporate changes]

[Forcibly raising levels]

[Error]

[Levels cannot be raised beyond a certain limit]

[Maximum level achievable in the user's current state: 290]

[Level will be raised]

[The leftover power will be converted into a title and granted as the user's growth progresses]

[Strength: 600]

[Agility: 600]

[Stamina: 600]

[Qi: 600]

[Charm: 70]

[Luck: 70]

[Title 'Growth' has been aquired]

[Title: Growth]

[Tier: Undetermined]

[Description: A title obtained to show the true worth of one's growth]

[Effect: Upon each level-up, the user will gain one stat each in his physical stats]

[Qi cannot be raised]

[Charm cannot be raised]

[Luck cannot be raised]

[Your Qi has reached 600]

[You have obtained +600 QP]

[QP: 5100]

[A large amount of darkness has been absorbed]

[Darkness has been absorbed by Death]

[Your Death Qi has increased significantly]

[Death Qi: 10,812]

[You have obtained the skill: Dragon's heart]

[You have obtained the skill: Dragon's Will]

[Skill: Dragon heart]

[Tier: SSS]

[Type: Passive]

[Effect: No matter the situation, the user cannot be perturbed] Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

[Cost: None]

[Skill: Dragon's Will]

[Tier: SSS]

[Type: Active]

[Effect: Impose your will on anything and everything in existence]

[Cost: 1000 QP upon ecah use]

[If used on living beings, the amount of Qi can increase depending on their mental strength]

[Restriction: Words must be expressed to impose the user's will]

[If used on living beings, the user will incur a damage of 10 HP]

[Depending on the target's will and mental strength, the damage can increase up to 500%]

[Maximum damage: 50 HP]

[Warning]

[The user's body and the dragon's physique cannot coexist]

[Would you like to become a draconian halfling?]

[Yes\\No]

"...No…" A faint no left his lips as he felt himself being moved. He could hear voices around him, but he didn't know what was happening to him. Whatever it was, he felt something else more worrying to worry about.

In his body, in his chest, two hearts, on left and right, clashed for domination. The newly created heart on the right side was obviously strong, but his left heart, his own, had his mind and willpower behind it, resisting the control the right heart was trying to take.

But, it was still of no use.

The message appaered again and again, as if compelling him to say yes. He felt as if all he had to say was a simple 'yes' and all his problems would be gone. He'd become someone, something, that could tackle everything in the world.

But his body told him no. His mind told him no. Something deep inside him told him that if he became anything other than a human, he would cease to exist. His very self would cease to exist. He will become non'existent, and what'd remain, or rather what would become the new him, would not be him but someone else.

He couldn't bear that. The thought of losing Xia Lu, his family, all of it was keeping together, and every time, his answer was no. He could tell he was close. He could tell if he resisted now, he wouldn't have to worry about it later. That if he persisted, he'd remain human.

However, the vice versa was also true. The more he resisted, the more the heart on his right side fought. Its attempts became more fierce as time passed, and his resistance waned as well.

While he knew he'd remain as himself if he persisted, he also knew that with time, his resistance was waning. His efforts to resist were becoming nonexistent. He was losing his sense of self and becoming someone else.

Time was his enemy, and time was his ally.

Nothing left to do and nothing left to happen. All he could do was depend on time. Time would tell whether or not he'd remain.

~~

Somewhere far away, across several dimensions, there stood a palace so big and wide that if one ran in it all day, they wouldn't be able to cover one-tenth of it. They needed at least ten days to fully run inside of it.

The height of that thing was also massive.

It wasn't designed for human occupation but the occupation of something else. Something giant. Something or someone like Gurdian.

In that palace, deep inside of it, inside the throne room, on the throne, a man with handsome features sat on a golden throne.

The theme of the entire palace was golden, as if it was made of gold. The man was adorned in a golden armor, covered from neck to toe. Even his hands were covered in gold metallic gloves, and no part other than his face and hair could be seen.

His hair, a bright golden color, flowed down his neck and reached to at least his waist. His skin was the only thing that wasn't golden in the entire scene.

The man of pale skin suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes of deep golden color as well, entirely at that, no place for whites. He looked into the distance as if he felt something before a smile appeared on his face. He gently smiled and said, "So you are finally free, brother."