Chapter 004 Rebirth? Then I lost my memory!

　　Twenty years later, in the mortal realm, Jing City.

　　Yellow sand filled the sky, swirling around as he stood silently amidst it all...

　　The scorching sunlight beat down mercilessly upon him. Dust swirled arrogantly, challenging his limits without mercy. Dressed in clothes that had been dyed brown by the sand, he blended in with the endless expanse of yellow sand from afar...

　　His black hair, mixed with traces of sand, seemed to be on the verge of igniting under the intense sunlight. The once handsome and gaunt face of the young man, Lu Kong, now appeared rough and aged due to dehydration. He was one of the few psychic warriors in this world.

　　He had tried to grit his teeth and drag his body with all his might, but it was all in vain. An overwhelming pressure had forced the young man to resist until his vision blurred and consciousness faded... as if he had become just another grain of sand in this desert. His coma lasted until a jug of water suddenly drenched his parched features, causing Lu Kong to jerk backward violently. The chains buried deep in the sand beneath his feet stretched taut, revealing themselves on the surface.

　　"You're awake, worthless piece of trash ." A displeasing sneer, accompanied by mockery, jolted the dazed Lu Kong back to his senses.

　　"Dugu Luoshui, you've reduced me to this state. Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you off the hook." Without bothering to shake off the water on his face, Lu Kong glared at the smug figure before him, his eyes bulging with fury.

　　"You're still tough-mouthed, huh? At this point, let me tell you, kid, you're trapped with no way out." Upon hearing Lu Kong's defiance, Dugu Luoshui retorted without mercy, then delivered a heavy punch to Lu Kong's face, knocking him unconscious. "Don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame the fact that you know too much."

　　"I will... I will definitely stop you." Lu Kong's eyes widened as he slammed his head into the chest of the man before him, but the chains behind him yanked him back violently, tearing his flesh.

　　Dugu Luoshui leisurely pulled out a gleaming knife from his pocket. As death loomed, Lu Kong's eyes filled with tears of regret. Memories of the past few months flashed through his mind, and soon, a sharp pain in his head left him with a blank mind, a flash filling his closed eyes.

　　This was a colossal conspiracy.

　　"Is it all... over?" Lu Kong's lips twitched with self-mockery.

　　He didn't know how much time had passed when he regained consciousness again. But instead of seeing the long-bearded King Yama or Jesus on the cross in a white robe, he found himself in his own room.

　　"Am I... did I just have a dream?" Lu Kong rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but it was indeed his own room before him. After some thought, a plot from novels where people who narrowly escaped death took advantage of the situation by remembering lottery numbers to make a fortune flashed through his mind.

　　"So I've been reborn, huh?"

　　Lu Kong, who usually just flipped through "Overnight Riches" magazines, slapped his forehead and grabbed his phone to check the date, racking his brains to recall the winning numbers for that day, but to no avail. At that moment, Lu Kong fell from the pinnacle of life to the depths of despair. He had to face the fact that was staring him in the face.

　　He had lost his memory.

　　"Damn, novels don't go like this. If I've been reborn, shouldn't I have the script in hand, take revenge on my enemies, and achieve great things? Now, making me forget even the trivial things is like ending the first chapter abruptly, isn't it?" Lu Kong ranted at the empty air, but as if an indescribable force sensed his pain, it secretly injected something into him.

　　After calming down, Lu Kong stood up and gazed out at the night sky. This was a world where psychic abilities ran rampant, especially in Jing City Delta, where Lu Kong stood. Countless psychic ability holders gathered here, living ordinary lives. The steel and concrete before him were twisted beyond recognition, as if hinting at the hidden

　　Lu Kong himself was also a psychic, but unfortunately, unlike those high-level experts who could engage in battles akin to those of deities, his ability was merely a slight psychological suppression of his targets.

　　At that moment, his mind was haunted by the inescapable sneer of Dugu Luoshui. Regarding what had happened during that lost period of time, Lu Kong had no clue, only a lingering sense of unease that refused to dissipate.

　　Accompanied by a sudden emptiness and sharp pain in his head, Lu Kong pressed his forehead tightly with his hand, only to discover, to his surprise, that he was tightly clutching a crumpled piece of paper, on which was written:

　　"If you wish to uncover the truth you've lost, then overturn Qinglong Academy."

　　The words "Qinglong Academy" were intentionally written in red, appearing particularly striking in the night as if they were bleeding.

　　"What the hell? You just give me four words and expect me to figure it out?" Lu Kong didn't seem particularly satisfied with this "system" mode that had been thrust upon him, and he cursed audaciously without realizing his own audacity.

　　"Who the fuck do you think you are? Shut the hell up!" A voice, seemingly from nowhere, struck Lu Kong with a wave of intense pain. He covered his face and collapsed in agony, while the almost ethereal voice echoed, "If it weren't for me taking pity on you and saving your life, would you still be standing here now?"

　　Lu Kong remained silent, only gasping for breath. He thought to himself that this crumpled piece of paper was rude and kept giving him cryptic riddles, making him somewhat unhappy. But since it was his savior, after calming down, he trembled with his hands and looked at the crumpled paper again.

　　As if feeling a touch of compassion, the voice sighed in the void, and then numerous tiny words appeared on the paper. They instantly enlightened Lu Kong, and then the voice ceased to exist.

　　"It's like dealing with a deity..." Lu Kong couldn't help but exclaim, but suddenly his memory flashed back. "Right, I have to stop that person... 'Summoning the Divine'..."

　　"Summoning the Divine" was a long-standing legend among psychics. It was said that through this ritual, those with sufficient ability could seize the opportunity to ascend to the realm of gods. There had once been such a powerful figure who was obsessed with this and secretly plotted everything. Lu Kong had accidentally learned of his purpose, which led to the series of tragedies that followed. Of course, now Lu Kong only had some vague impressions of these events and couldn't fully recall them.

　　The situation wasn't entirely hopeless. At least he knew he had to stop someone from initiating "Summoning the Divine."

　　"But... did they... escape too?" Lu Kong pressed his head hard, and suddenly four incredibly familiar figures flashed through his muddled mind, followed by a warm stream slowly flowing from his eyes. Unconsciously, he dialed a number.

　　He remembered that day when he had blocked a lethal scythe for someone, his blood soaking the yellow sand as he collapsed in front of him. There were also two figures, one tall and one short, who had intended to sacrifice themselves to protect him and had remained sleeping forever in that desert. And there was that girl with blood on her lips, telling him to run.

　　"Hey, what's up? Did you forget something at my place?"

　　Hearing the familiar voice, the stone hanging in Lu Kong's heart finally fell.

　　"Hey, why aren't you talking? Is there no sound on your phone?" The person on the other end sounded impatient. "It's nothing... I dialed the wrong number. By the way, can you come to my place tomorrow? I have something to ask of you." Lu Kong forced a smile, trying to hold back his sob.

　　"Why do you sound like we're saying goodbye forever? I know, okay."

　　With a long "beep," a sudden image flashed through Lu Kong's mind—a scythe ruthlessly piercing through Jing Lingxiao's body, accompanied by an intense sense of unease. He slammed the door open and rushed out, grasping the doorknob of the adjacent room and pushing it open forcefully. A refreshing fragrance greeted him, along with a tender voice.

　　"Hey, I've told you many times to knock before entering my room."