Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)-Chapter 495: A post apocalyptic world

Su Jing’s teeth gritted in annoyance. She had always considered the shamans frauds, charlatans who thrived on superstition. Yet their importance to the Lord was undeniable, likely due to their mediocre medical skills. The idea that they could predict the future seemed laughable to her.

The crowd around them looked up at the bright sky, devoid of stars, their expressions confused. Lian, with a third eye drawn on her forehead, insisted, "I can see it with our divine eye!"

Su Jing sneered, shaking her head as she reluctantly sheathed her machete. The anger boiled inside her, but the shamans’ words nagged at her enough to hold back her fury.

At that moment, Xiang Yu felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, breathless. The harsh earth met him with a jarring thud, the world spinning around him.

"Master!" Lian and Mei cried out, rushing forward to help him. They wanted to help him inside.

But Su Jing raised a hand, stopping them in their tracks. "We wouldn’t want our precious shamans to dirty their hands now, would we?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm, clearly revelling in the mockery of the situation.

Instead, she turned to two men stationed nearby. "You! Help him," she commanded, her eyes narrowing with frustration. The men hesitated, unsure whether to obey.

"Now!" she snapped, and they rushed forward to assist Xiang Yu, ready to drag him away while Su Jing stood back, seething with restrained fury.

As they lifted him off the ground, Xiang Yu fought to regain his senses, feeling the weight of their eyes on him—some fearful, some eager to see him suffer. He glanced up, searching for Su Jing, but the world remained a blurring haze, the sounds of the crowd a distant echo.

***

Xiang Yu opened his eyes, the rough springs of the bed pressing against his back. It was uncomfortable, but it felt luxurious compared to the straw mat he had grown up on. The madam of the brothel had taken pity on him once, offering him a better bed.

The room was clean and tidy, yet the walls bore cracks, and the curtains hung in torn threads, allowing slivers of morning light to break through. For the harsh reality of the world outside, this was not a bad place to rest.

In the stillness, Xiang Yu called the Divine Emperor. After a brief silence, the old man’s voice filled Xiang Yu’s mind. "I was with Han Xin."

The words sent a chill through Xiang Yu. His heart raced. "Is he okay?" he asked, his concern pouring out before he could contain it. He felt as if his heart was clutched in a tight fist.

The Divine Emperor sighed heavily. "He opened his eyes, but he didn’t speak. It was only for a couple of minutes."

A wave of dread washed over Xiang Yu. He needed to see Han Xin. He needed to see him now. The sharp worry in his chest was almost unbearable. "Where is he now... in this world?" he pressed, urgency colouring his tone.

"Still away. He should come back tomorrow," the Divine Emperor replied. "I will send you all the memories just now."

Xiang Yu nodded, his expression vacant as he absorbed the old man’s words. The Divine Emperor hesitated, the air thick with unspoken emotions. "I know we have our differences," he finally said, "... I don’t say it often. I appreciate what you are doing for us."

A soft smile cracked Xiang Yu’s tense features. "You know I am doing it for me, too," he replied, a hint of mischief in his voice.

"I know..." The Divine Emperor’s voice softened. "And I give you my blessing as his father."

Xiang Yu let out a light chuckle, the sound laced with warmth. "Thank you, father-in-law."

Just as expected, the old man’s presence faded, leaving Xiang Yu in the quiet of the room. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, laughter bubbling up from somewhere deep inside.

He never imagined he could feel this way, so fiercely in love with someone. If someone had told his younger self that this would be his future, he would’ve laughed in disbelief.

As the laughter faded and silence settled around him, Xiang Yu closed his eyes once more. Memories began to flood in, images of a broken world.

They were not just fragments of his past, they were images of a new world, stark and vivid. He found himself standing in a scorched landscape, the remnants of a once-thriving city now reduced to crumbling buildings and twisted metal. The air was thick with dust, and a strange silence hung heavy, broken only by distant moans.

This world was post-apocalyptic, ravaged by chaos and despair. Zombies roamed the wastelands, but they were no longer mere mindless predators. Instead, they became resources.

The nuclei within their decaying forms held unimaginable power, an energy source sought after by survivors. These glowing orbs, pulsing with strange light, had become the cornerstone of human innovation.

Amidst the desolation, Xiang Yu saw survivors huddled together, their faces smeared with grime but their eyes sharp with focus. They wielded weapons not just for defence but for the hunt.

Zombies were targeted with precision; each kill was a step toward survival. With every successful hunt, the nuclei harvested glimmered in the sun, a promise of hope in a dark world.

In this chaotic reality, factions had arisen, "The Awakened." Xiang Yu felt the surge of their power as he observed them. These individuals moved with grace, their bodies honed to perfection, their minds sharp and intuitive. They possessed abilities that set them apart. freewebnσvel.cѳm

They could read their surroundings, anticipate movements, and strike with unmatched speed. Their eyes glowed with a strange light, a testament to their connection with the enigmatic energy radiating from the nuclei.

These Awakened beings were both revered and feared. Some saw them as saviours, the only hope left in the endless struggle for survival. Others regarded them as dangerous anomalies, threats that could tip the fragile balance of humanity. Xiang Yu felt the weight of this dichotomy, an understanding that in this world, power could easily corrupt, leading to more despair.

One moment, he was in the centre of a grim encampment, where survivors exchanged stories of their battles with the undead. The next, he was in a hidden lab, where scientists studied the nuclei, their eyes alight with ambition. They believed they could harness this energy to rebuild society and heal the broken bodies and shattered hopes of humanity.