A City-Destroying Crisis?

Two days later, Xia De walked aimlessly down the street.

Because his last sweep had been so thorough, the rate of magical beast spawns in the labyrinth was currently far below his minimum requirement.

Thus, he hadn't descended into the dungeon labyrinth for the past two days, nor had he taken on many quests from the Adventurer's Guild.

Instead, he shifted his focus to developing and upgrading his skills.

【Name: Xia De (Reincarnator from Another World)

Combat Power: 709,876

Skills: All-Attribute Elemental Magic, Stealth Magic, Perception Magic, Appraisal Magic, Weapon Mastery, Space Magic, Gravity Magic...】

Looking at the numbers on the panel, the corners of Xia De's mouth curled up involuntarily.

Although the magical beasts in the labyrinth were indeed weak compared to him, their sheer numbers made up for it.

Even after the exchange rate for converting life into Combat Power went up, it still gave him a massive boost.

A single sweep had increased his Combat Power by one hundred and fifty thousand. If this kept up, he could discard his previous estimate.

It would only take six months for him to reach one million Combat Power.

Meanwhile, the strongest Combat Power he had detected in Toka City so far was only 59,999 inside the Count's manor.

He had also conducted a brief investigation into the other four individuals whose Combat Power exceeded ten thousand.

They were: the Count's manor butler at 32,850; the Bishop of the Toka City Holy Light Church at 29,980; the president of Toka City's largest merchant guild at 20,310; and the old president who had just appeared at the Adventurer's Guild yesterday at 13,999.

The strongest combatant in the city didn't even possess a tenth of his strength!

Thinking of this, he looked at the adventurers coming and going on the street, many of whom were Tier Four or Tier Five adventurers.

Xia De watched them expressionlessly, a crazy thought suddenly popping into his head.

Xia De threaded through the crowd with a blank expression. His pupils grew darker, his eyes as cold as a pool of stagnant water that had sat for ten thousand years. The shadow beneath his feet rippled slightly, as if countless tentacles were thrashing wildly inside, yearning to expand.

Then, he saw a few children playing on the street, their laughter drawing the attention of a fruit stall owner.

The owner smiled and handed the children some fruit. They initially declined politely before accepting and thanking him.

Next, he saw a man dressed in a chef's uniform carrying a large bundle of ingredients toward a restaurant.

As he walked, a smile graced his face, and his small mustache seemed to dance as he muttered:

“Don't underestimate a middle-aged uncle's dream! I will definitely become an outstanding chef!”

A trace of reminiscence flashed in Xia De's eyes, and a memory naturally surfaced in his mind. It was from his previous life, when his parents were still alive.

When he was only four years old, he had been sitting beside his father, playing with toys, while his father watched the news on the sofa.

Hearing a news report about a man in his thirties who had given up a high-paying job to pursue his dream, he had asked his father, “Thirty-five? Can someone that old still have dreams?”

Upon hearing his question, his father had gently patted his head and smiled.

“Anyone can have a dream at any age. Those who take action to pursue their dreams, no matter how old they are, are worthy of great respect.”

“In Daddy's eyes, these people are shining!”

“Shining?”

Seeing his half-understanding look, his father had gently pushed up his glasses and continued:

“It's fine if you don't understand right now, Xia De. One day, you will find your own dream and shine, too.

Perhaps it's just a tiny thought right now, but many tiny thoughts will gather to form a grand dream. Once that happens, you'll understand how incredible it is to work hard for your dreams.”

“My dream?”

His father had nodded. “That's right, Xia De will have a dream too.

For example, since you like eating the food your mother cooks, you might become interested in delicious food. Won't you then want to eat even more delicacies, or make them yourself? In the end, you might dream of becoming a gourmet or a chef.”

“I like eating Mom's cooking because it tastes like happiness!”

Although young Xia De hadn't quite understood what his father meant, he had directly expressed his love for his mother's cooking. He then trotted over to his mother on his short little legs, looking up at her excitedly.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“I love eating Mom's cooking!”

“Oh? You only like the food? Don't you like Mom? Mom is so sad.”

“No, no! I like Mom's cooking, but I like Mom even more!”

His mother had squatted down to look him in the eye, then gently tapped his little nose with her finger and smiled warmly. “I love you too, Xia De. I love my baby boy!”

She then stood up, led young Xia De back to his father, and leaned into his embrace, smiling proudly:

“Xia Tianyu, Xia De said he likes Mom the most!”

“Then I'll have to work harder so that little brat doesn't surpass me, because my love for you is the deepest.”

“Oh, stop... At your age.”

...

Xia De stood in front of the restaurant the chef had entered, dazed. His nose felt slightly prickly, and he whispered softly:

“Forget it. I'll just kill more magical beasts instead.”

“It's just... for some reason, I really want to eat a meal right now.”

His killing intent dissipated, and his shadow fell silent, no longer thrashing about. Carrying his loneliness and sorrow, Xia De stepped into the restaurant.

Just like that, a city-destroying crisis dissolved into nothingness.

However, the subsequent repercussions were immense.

Tier Eight powerhouses, having mastered the Laws, possessed an incredibly keen perception of the world's workings and threats to their own lives. The higher their cultivation, the stronger this sensation became.

Just moments ago, every Tier Eight powerhouse in Toka City felt their hairs stand on end, a suffocating aura of death looming over their hearts.

In the face of this sensation, they felt no different from defenseless, ordinary humans. It was not a power they could resist.

It felt as though if that power willed it, they would be crushed like ants in an instant.

Now that the feeling of death had dissipated, Count Toka and his butler exchanged a deep, bewildered look, their faces filled with lingering dread.

Looking closely, the two men, who usually carried themselves with impeccable poise and wore elegant attire, were now completely drenched in sweat.

“What was that just now... Motoser, did you feel it too?”

“Yes, My Lord Count. Without a doubt, we just brushed past death.”

Count Toka immediately said solemnly, “From this moment on, place the entire city under martial law and step up patrols!”

“I will give the orders immediately.”

Once the butler left, Count Toka, this Tier Eight, Rank Five powerhouse, slumped powerlessly into his chair like a lump of mud, the terror of death lingering in his heart, unable to dissipate for a long time.

The reason he ordered martial law and increased patrols was to find out if anything was amiss.

After all, for a Tier Eight powerhouse like him to feel such an intense aura of death, other than a Tier Nine entity, it could only be some extremely powerful magic circle.

Yet, Tier Nine powerhouses hadn't appeared for nearly a century. The few remaining living Tier Nine figures were all restricted in some way, with some unable to even move about freely.

Therefore, the first option was ruled out, leaving only the second possibility.

He was not alone; other Tier Eight powerhouses had also issued corresponding orders to their respective factions.

In an instant, a tense and oppressive atmosphere rapidly spread among the major factions and quickly expanded to encompass all of Toka City.

None of this had anything to do with Xia De, however, as he was currently in the restaurant, watching a good show unfold.