“I absolutely refuse to be this suicidal leader!” Yang Hao roared furiously at the group after yanking his Flame Sword from behind Steve, “I’m resigning right now—I’m not your leader anymore! If anyone dares force me, I’ll fight them to the death!”
Unfortunately, no matter how fierce Yang Hao appeared or how threatening his words were, everyone around the round table merely gazed at him with expressions of pity, as if watching a child throwing a tantrum on the ground.
“If you won’t let me resign, then I’ll…” Yang Hao was just about to say something even harsher and prepare to unleash the Decapitation Sword Technique to intimidate them, but before he could even raise his sword, a sudden jolt in his hands caused the Flame Sword to fly high into the air, spinning around before returning behind Yang Hao.
Startled, Yang Hao looked up and saw that Hed, who had previously appeared so sneaky and shifty like a thief, now stood tall and proud atop the table, holding a dazzling golden axe.
“Golden Sunder!” Hed proudly swung his mighty axe, unleashing the heroic might of the once-great warrior of the Mongol Left Arm Division. Although age had dulled his skills, his former glory remained. With just one move, he completely overwhelmed Yang Hao, leaving him unable to mount any defense.
“Father!!!” Realizing that brute force was no option, Yang Hao resorted to his old trick, tightly hugging Hed’s furry leg while tearfully pleading, “Father, please have mercy on me! I have elders to care for above and children to raise below! Think of how I helped you fight Derk, and how I visit you with incense every holiday—please, spare me! From now on, I’ll bring you the best food first, and send you the prettiest women to keep you company.”
“Son!!” Hed seemed moved. He dropped his huge axe and hugged Yang Hao tightly, sobbing, “How could your father send you to your death? But we have no choice—circumstances force our hands. The gods have made it clear: if we don’t send someone in soon, they’ll stop supporting us. If you don’t go, we all die…”
“Then you go die for me!” Sniffling, Yang Hao clutched Hed’s chest fur tightly, “You’re already ancient anyway—you’re practically on death’s door. I’ll take care of your whole family, I promise. I won’t even send them to the circus!”
“Ridiculous! I’m still in great health—why should I die for you?” Hed snapped back, revealing his true colors as he shoved Yang Hao aside and barked from atop the table, “Come on! Restrain our great leader!”
“Who dares!” Yang Hao shouted, “I’ll bite whoever tries! I have rabies!”
Unfortunately, the moment he finished speaking, everyone at the table—except for a few beauties—rushed forward, piling punches and kicks onto the pitiful Yang Hao. Steve, in particular, took the opportunity to finally avenge his earlier beating at Yang Hao’s hands. He struck the hardest, giving Yang Hao a pair of black eyes, and somehow produced several ultra-strong alloy chains, binding Yang Hao tightly.
“Is the ejection pod ready?” Hed asked Lei.
“Ready and waiting,” Lei replied, rubbing his hands together eagerly, as if getting rid of a plague.
“Don’t waste a single second—launch our leader into the black hole immediately!” Hed and Steve said in unison. It was perhaps the most unified decision the Anti-Empire Alliance had ever made.
Bound tightly, Yang Hao’s dream of leading a life of luxury and indulgence as a leader had barely begun before it ended in this tragic downfall—an unforgettable lesson, too immense for Yang Hao to bear.
“Help!!!”
As Yang Hao shouted this final plea from the depths of his heart, he was already being hurled into the most terrifying Suffocating Black Hole in the universe at several kilometers per second.
In that instant, Yang Hao quickly lost consciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What kind of world is this?” Yang Hao would later chuckle to himself when recalling those events years later. That chaotic, seemingly meaningless yet deeply turbulent era had left an indelible mark on everyone who lived through it.
And for Yang Hao, who would eventually appear as a god across the universe, what he experienced after being thrown into the black hole remained the most unforgettable memory of all.
Because that was the moment Yang Hao took his first step toward becoming a god—an essential, monumental step.
The Suffocating Black Hole, the most mysterious and terrifying place in human history, the forbidden zone of life, became the setting for an endless night for Yang Hao.
It was an indescribable sensation, like falling into a space where time had frozen and all sound had vanished. Yang Hao had no idea how long had passed or what was happening around him. He couldn’t even sense the presence of air or any other matter.
It felt like an eternity—like tens of thousands of years—long enough for Yang Hao to feel himself growing old and nearing death. Then, suddenly, the sky brightened as if nothing had ever happened.
It was the brightest sky Yang Hao had ever seen. After spending so long in absolute darkness, his eyes had long adjusted to the void. When this dazzling, crystal-clear sky appeared before him, Yang Hao instinctively shut his eyes, afraid of being blinded by the intense light.
“Am I dead? Have I become a ghost?” Yang Hao asked cautiously, squinting.
“Yeah, yeah,” a weak voice replied.
“So I’m in the underworld now?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So I’m a ghost now—a pure spirit?” Overcome with grief, Yang Hao recalled the events that had led him here. Those rebellious alliance members had actually dared to attack him, binding him and throwing him into this black hole to die. Poor Yang Hao, once a promising young man with a bright future, now met a tragic end with no grave to call his own.
“Yeah, yeah,” the voice droned again, sounding as if its owner had lost his mind.
Even in his sorrow, Yang Hao began to notice something odd about the voice, “Yeah, right! Is that all you can say?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“You big dummy!” Finally adjusting to the light, Yang Hao opened his eyes and, with a sudden realization, asked, “Wait a second—if I’m dead and a ghost now, how come you’re still inside me? Do ghosts live inside other ghosts?”
“You’ve never been a ghost before—how do you know it’s not possible?” The voice finally spoke a full sentence, sounding clearly annoyed with Yang Hao. And rightly so—if Yang Hao hadn’t been so arrogant and power-hungry, accepting that cursed leadership role in the first place, none of this would have happened.
Thinking it over, Yang Hao realized the voice had a point. Looking around, he saw that this place was indeed unlike anything in the human world.
The sky above him was transparent yet radiated a pure white glow—no blue sky, no clouds, not even a sun or stars—just a smooth white light, like a giant jade lampshade suspended overhead.
The ground beneath his feet was even stranger. It wasn’t soil or concrete, but a hard, gray material of unknown origin—clearly natural, yet unidentifiable. What terrified and depressed Yang Hao most was the vast emptiness around him. Using his heightened senses, he could see for thousands of kilometers in every direction, and all he saw was the same barren, gray terrain—no rocks, no trees, no life. It was as if the entire universe contained only him, trapped in an infinite void.
“Hey! Is anyone there?” Overcome with claustrophobia, Yang Hao cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Ox-Head, Horse-Face, King Yama, Ksitigarbha, God, Buddha, Mazu—anyone! Come out! I miss you all so much!”
“Shut up! You’re so annoying!”
Just as Yang Hao was panicking and sensing no presence around him, a woman’s voice suddenly came from behind. Her tone was far from friendly, though her voice was pleasant to the ear.
“Mazu!” Overjoyed, Yang Hao immediately turned around, eager to see the ancient goddess.
“You called me ‘Mother’?” Before Yang Hao could even glimpse a kindly, elderly figure, a delicate hand smacked him hard on the head, “Want to die? How dare you call me so old?”
Stars exploded in Yang Hao’s vision as he staggered backward, finally managing to focus on the figure before him. Standing there was a stunning young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, a few years older than Yang Hao. Her long, purplish-red hair was tied to the side, and she wore a black OL suit with a low-cut blouse and tight black pants that accentuated her long, shapely legs.
Yang Hao’s mouth immediately began to drool, “Wow… Even Mazu is this beautiful now? This can’t be real.”
“You dare call me ‘Mother’ again!!” The beauty was furious, clearly ready to kick Yang Hao into next week.
“Uh… Not Mazu then. Let me correct myself,” Yang Hao stammered, “You’re not Ox-Head or Horse-Face either… You don’t look like Jesus or Ksitigarbha either… Definitely not a monk…”
“Fool!” The voice finally burst into laughter.
“I really am a fool!” Yang Hao slapped his head, correcting himself quickly, “Of course you’re not King Yama—you must be my fairy sister!” His eyes sparkled with excitement as he reached out his hands greedily, “My fairy sister, how old are you? Are you married? Want to try a pill? It’s super fun, I promise. Wowwwwwww!!!”
Before Yang Hao could finish his sentence, his hands had barely extended forward—nowhere near touching her chest—when he suddenly let out a piercing scream. Without even seeing her move, his ten fingers simultaneously burst open, blood spraying like blooming flowers from his fingertips.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage