He had become a broken man.

Angus's plan was both good and mad, but its execution was far from perfect. After five days searching the coastal regions, Angus found nothing at all—nor was there any chance he would. These five days had worn away Chihuo's patience entirely; he was brutal, and so Earth's population had shrunk by another quarter.

"Leader Chihuo, though this news may not be pleasant for you, I must apologize: there is no Heavenly Dragon Core in the coastal area. It might have been carried into the deep sea by some big fish," Angus said cautiously.

"Then hurry up and find it!" Chihuo roared impatiently.

"I'm deeply sorry, Leader Chihuo. Our planet's technology cannot probe the deep sea. You know we are a backward world," Angus replied.

"Then what are you going to do? I'll give you another week. If I don't see what I want by then, you'll all be dead!" Chihuo thundered. Chihuo's home planet was one that prized personal power above all; technology meant little to them—strength was everything. He too was powerless in the deep sea.

"Leader Chihuo, a week is really too short. I need to figure out how to drain the sea water," Angus said in a panic.

"That's your problem! Ten days, no more! Get out!" Chihuo bellowed.

"Yes," Angus replied meekly, but inwardly he sneered.

In fact, Angus had already devised a way to drain the water; with enough space rings, the deep sea would no longer be so deep. So, the remaining metal processing factories on land began working overtime to produce space rings, while Angus secretly manufactured Core-based weapons.

...

Ye Feng awoke on the afternoon of the second day after his meridians had recovered.

Seeing Amy asleep beside the bed, Ye Feng reached out and gently stroked her hair. All of Ye Feng's women had been elevated to Heavenly or Divine level strength, so Amy woke instantly.

"Sorry to wake you, Xiaomi," Ye Feng apologized with a smile.

"Brother Feng, you're finally awake!" Amy burst into tears.

"Come now, Xiaomi, don't cry. You're a mother now—crying at the drop of a hat. If Xiao Shishu sees, he'll tease you," Ye Feng joked, mimicking a crying face.

Amy laughed through her tears, gave Ye Feng a playful slap, and scolded him, "You're too old to act like that."

"Well then, how long was I unconscious?" Ye Feng smiled and asked.

"Almost five days. If not for the Heavenly Dragon Core, you would have died," Amy said with lingering fear.

"The Heavenly Dragon Core saved me? What happened?" Ye Feng asked, puzzled.

"It was dire. Your meridians were all shattered, your internal organs severely damaged, and for three days, Badbad couldn't help you at all. But yesterday morning, for reasons unknown, Xiao Shize learned the Heavenly Dragon Core could save you. Apparently, a soul named Little Dragon resides in it. Then Xiaofeng took the Heavenly Dragon Core from your space ring and placed it on your chest. Soon after, your meridians fully recovered, and your organs were fine. We finally breathed a sigh of relief," Amy explained.

"A soul resides in the Heavenly Dragon Core?" Ye Feng exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. I suspect the young Heavenly Dragon never died. Not only is it alive, but after all this time, its mind has matured—even if it lacks a body," Badbad's voice suddenly sounded, startling Ye Feng.

"Come out and say it! You scared me," Ye Feng complained.

"Why so angry?" Badbad's phantom slowly appeared in the ward.

"I'll call the other sisters for you. You two talk," Amy said understandingly as she left. In fact, there was a button on the bedside—one press and all the women would know.

"Badbad, tell me exactly what's going on. Why can't I feel any power at all?" Ye Feng asked; the lack of strength unsettled him.

"Your meridians have been transformed by the Heavenly Dragon Core into something non-human. Your previous energy routes won't let you feel energy anymore. Fortunately, your body's strength remains—you are still Divine level," Badbad explained.

"What? Non-human meridians? What does that mean? Am I a cripple now?" Ye Feng exclaimed anxiously.

"I can't say exactly what creature's meridian routes you now have. Nothing matches my data, but I suspect they're those of a Heavenly Dragon. Whether you are a cripple will take time to see; perhaps you have new abilities," Badbad replied after a brief pause.

Ye Feng fell silent, thinking for a moment before continuing, "What about Xiao Shize?"

"Remember when you said Xiao Shize's soul disappeared during that transfer?" Badbad asked in return.

"I remember; you said it was just my imagination. Was there something wrong?" Ye Feng pressed.

"If I guess correctly, it was then that the soul inside the Heavenly Dragon Core and Xiao Shize began sharing a soul frequency, allowing them to communicate," Badbad offered his hypothesis.

"Soul frequency?" Ye Feng had never heard this term.

"Human souls are like sound waves—they have frequencies. When someone is in soul form, if another matches or closely resembles their frequency, they can communicate. This is also how future Earth will communicate with extraterrestrials," Badbad explained.

"So you mean Xiao Shize can now communicate with the Heavenly Dragon?" Ye Feng asked.

"He should be able to. While you were unconscious, we had Xiao Shize try it. He really can talk with the Heavenly Dragon, and according to him, the dragon said you'll be better than before—but we don't know in what way. Perhaps in that area," Badbad said with a laugh.

"Enough of that. What's the situation on Earth?" Ye Feng asked.

"It's dire. Earth's population has dropped to just 2.5 billion, and many resources are destroyed," Badbad said heavily.

"What! I remember Earth's population was 7 billion. Subtract the 1.5 billion in the seabed and the 1.5 billion dead from war, there should be 4 billion on the surface. How did another 1.5 billion die?" Ye Feng asked angrily.

"The Chihuo Dragon really is after the Heavenly Dragon Core. Earth's population is so low because he couldn’t find it. Angus already knows about the Core, though who knows what other evil plots he’s devising," Badbad said.

"Let him plot. He won't get his hands on it anyway," Ye Feng said dismissively.

[End of chapter]