Near him, Zhao Yingkong stared at him, her eyes webbed with blood, and though she made no immediate move to attack, the pressure emanating from her was inescapable. He absolutely dared not glance at anyone else, for any lapse in vigilance meant he could only rely on speed and sheer physical resilience to withstand the incoming barrage of hidden projectiles, as the young girl before him would surely charge the moment his gaze wavered.

Zheng Zha found himself truly cornered. Firstly, the power he could muster at this moment was severely limited; he lacked the satisfying certainty and full might he wielded in the real world. Secondly, he was terrified to strike this young girl with full force—who knew if dying in this dreamscape would translate to death in reality? In short, Zheng Zha was currently paralyzed by hesitation.

Yet, before Zheng Zha could formulate a new plan, Zhao Ruikong, standing even further back than Zhao Yingkong, suddenly snapped her fingers. With a sharp crack, the sound seemed to strike directly inside Zheng Zha’s ears, jolting him so violently that he spat out a mouthful of blood. That single snap was no less potent than the blow he himself delivered during his own ‘explosion,’ causing his internal energy and the blood-race energy within him to surge chaotically, inflicting significant internal injury.

(No, this isn't the force of her attacking me... This is clearly the force of my own energy turning against me during qi deviation. Damn it, what kind of sound is this? Just hearing it risks qi deviation! Damn it, this is a dream world!) Zheng Zha was utterly aghast.

It was only then that a more astonishing possibility dawned on him: every Fourth Order Gene Lock breaker he had encountered previously had been of the physical combat type. Or perhaps, to put it another way: In the reincarnation world, the unlocking of the Gene Lock for a mental controller is almost the most difficult achievement. Firstly, they are almost always protected by the entire team and rarely face life-threatening situations that force the Gene Lock to open. Secondly, even when threatened, survival is exceptionally rare for mental controllers given their support-based roles and lack of direct combat power. Because of these two factors, Unlocking the advanced Fourth Order Gene Lock remains an elusive dream for mental controllers.

However, since unlocking the Fourth Order Gene Lock is inherently related to the mental aspect, what kind of transformation would a mental controller undergo at this stage? While the physical enhancers at the Fourth Order—whether close-combat fighters like Zheng Zha, mid-range archers like Zhang Heng, ranged combat specialists like Zero Point, Or skill-based fighters like Chu Xuan and Wang Xia—all focus on developing their physical potential, which is the essence of unlocking the Gene Lock. What about the Gene Lock concerning the mental aspect? While the first three stages might show little change, does the Fourth Order enhancement for mental controllers only involve the physical body? "This feels absolutely magnificent. This sensation right now... it's indescribable, like surfacing for the very first time to gaze upon the world. Is this life? Is this me?" Zhao Ruikong turned her eyes, now showing mostly white sclera, and raised her hand to examine them closely. After a moment of inspection, she smiled and looked at everyone around her. Although it was just a casual glance, everyone present felt as if she were looking directly at them—a deep, inherent feeling. It was as if Zhao Ruikong’s gaze pierced straight into their hearts.

"Is Brother Zhuikong here too?" Zhao Ruikong giggled suddenly and snapped her fingers again. "Do you remember what I once told you about infinite mental power? Everyone possesses the same mental energy, which always lies dormant in the deepest recesses of one's consciousness. If we call this deep consciousness the Sea of Consciousness, then ordinary people normally reside on its surface, and when sleeping, they reach the middle layer. Brother Zhuikong, I have now reached the deepest layer of the Sea of Consciousness. Below this, further down, is the bottom layer. What lies down there? I feel something calling to me from below..." Before speaking, Zhao Ruikong snapped her fingers again, but Zhao Zhuikong couldn't hear a word she said; the mere sound of that snap sent him vomiting blood and collapsing, kneeling weakly on the ground though not yet unconscious. As for the few people near him, they fared much worse: all began bleeding from their five orifices and passed out, looking as if they had been killed by a bomb blast.

But in that very instant, Zhao Yingkong, whose eyes had been bloodshot, began to struggle violently, as if something unseen was ensnaring her body. However, before her struggle could intensify, Zhao Ruikong jabbed a middle finger toward her. The young girl instantly ceased struggling, her expression reverting from frantic effort to vacant bewilderment.

"It can't be helped. I haven't reached the very bottom yet; controlling a Fourth Order Gene Lock breaker is truly difficult..." After saying this, Zhao Ruikong looked toward Zheng Zha. She watched him for a moment, then let out a soft 'Hm?' before muttering to herself, "How strange. You resemble Sister Yingkong, yet you don't quite. And I can't seem to control you... Then I'll just have to kill you."

Zheng Zha had long been guarding against Zhao Ruikong. Judging by her abnormal behavior, she had clearly entered the Heart Demon state. However, those who entered the Heart Demon state previously were never this lucid; they were almost invariably mindless killing machines. So what was going on with this young girl before him? Her immense surge in power was one thing, but her surprising clarity was another; this Zhao Ruikong was proving extremely formidable.

Despite knowing this, Zhao Ruikong’s method of attack was completely beyond his expectations. Just as she finished speaking, a monstrous, multi-limbed creature of indeterminate shape—resembling a starfish and an octopus simultaneously—rushed toward him. Before Zheng Zha could react, several of its limbs whipped out with a crack. Terrified, Zheng Zha jumped straight up, narrowly dodging the strikes, but he immediately realized something was wrong: the limbs passed straight through the earth, causing not the slightest disturbance to the ground.

(A hallucination? Is that Zhao Ruikong using hypnosis on me? If so, having passed my Heart Demon trial, I shouldn't fear such a simple illusion...) While still airborne, Zheng Zha made his decision. At this moment, Zhao Yingkong was using the distraction to close in on him. While she couldn't threaten him yet, hesitation is fatal in high-level combat. The reason Zhao Lihong, who briefly held the upper hand over Zhao Ruikong earlier, lost to her was due to distraction. Therefore, he stopped looking at the multi-limbed monster and fixed his gaze solely on Zhao Yingkong.

Boom! One of the monster’s arms struck his chest. The instant the spectral arm hit him, Zheng Zha felt the world spin. When he came to his senses, one of his own arms had slammed forcefully into his chest. A massive force penetrated from his chest into his body, causing Zheng Zha to gag and vomit several mouthfuls of blood. His ribs where the punch landed showed signs of cracking. Thanks only to his astonishingly tough physique, he managed to leap off the ground before the distant Zhao Yingkong could reach him.

(Was I hypnotized before? When? Impossible! Having passed my Heart Demon trial, my spirit should be flawless; she shouldn't be able to hypnotize me! But why did the monster appear? Why did I hit myself? I felt nothing beforehand!) As Zheng Zha struggled to comprehend, he suddenly saw Zhao Yingkong rushing toward him. Tears streamed down her face. Although her outer appearance was blank, her eyes still bloodshot red, those tears flowed ceaselessly. This greatly astonished Zheng Zha. One must know that when a person is controlled, their consciousness is usually the first thing affected, resulting in a muddled state. Why would Zhao Yingkong exhibit the emotion of crying? This defied all logic.

(Unless... it's not the consciousness being controlled, but the physical body?) This idea was terrifying. A person's body is not a marionette. Unless it’s a specialized skill exchanged from the 'Main God,' how could one bypass another's spirit to manipulate the flesh? Zhao Ruikong merely snapped her fingers or spoke a few words—it didn't look like energy infusion. How could that bypass the consciousness to control the body? Unless this is a unique ability granted upon unlocking the Fourth Order of the mental Gene Lock.

(But what exactly is this ability? My Fourth Order Intermediate ability is to excavate the maximum potential of ancient genes. I assume Zhao Yingkong and Zhao Zhuikong are similar. Unlocking the Gene Lock—as the name suggests—works on the genetic level... I understand now! Damn, what a terrifying ability. It makes sense why Fourth Order mental Gene Lock experts are so rare; if such horrifying power were easily obtained, where would the fairness be?) As Zheng Zha pondered, a sudden realization struck him. He guessed the true source of the illusion, but it was too chilling to contemplate. It explained why Zhao Ruikong said controlling a Fourth Order Gene Lock breaker was so difficult, and why, when trying to control him, she could only manipulate small parts of his body, like his eyes earlier and his arm just now... If the physical system affects one's own physical genes, then the mental system must affect the genes of others. Yes, Zhao Ruikong was manipulating the genes within their bodies to control their flesh! Jump to