Virus King - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Familiar Faces in the Group? The Secret of the Time Hourglass!

TL: Yang

Besides the six people he had personally added before, who were all these new entrants over the past two days?!

King Liu, real name Chang Liu, was from a rural village in the northern frontier. His family background was profound, possessing a remarkable family inheritance.

His family’s inheritance was quite unique: shamanic rituals.

His talent was an S-Rank ability known as “Willow Immortal Lineage”!

This S-Rank talent focused on shamanic and spirit-medium abilities, with a particular emphasis on Willow Immortal. Although he hadn’t reached the level of an Emperor in his past life, he was still among the strongest just below that rank.

He had a decent relationship with Chen Bai. Chen Bai had interacted with him frequently in his previous life and understood how terrifying this guy was.

Chen Bai even speculated that, when he fully unleashed his power and summoned the spirit of “Second Willow Lord” to possess him, this guy’s strength was on par with a typical Emperor-level being!

And this guy was actually a Pioneer?!

Chen Bai had dealt with him and his “Five Immortals City” — which he built in the extreme cold of the northern frontier — for many years in his past life. He never once suspected this!

This guy really wasn’t honest!

With his shifty, rat-like appearance, he turned out to be from the Willow Immortal lineage, not some lesser spirit lineage?

Crow — a top-tier figure in the previous life.

He was on par with Shui Chuan and Overlord, maybe even stronger.

If there was anyone among the Evolvers who had a chance to attain godhood, this guy would definitely be one of them.

In later years, he even gained a unique Emperor-level title distinct from others:

“Sovereign of Fear”!

He had an SS-Rank talent: Embodiment of Fear!

Chen Bai had heard before that this one was a Pioneer.

There was also the somewhat unreliable “Heir to the Five-Strike Lightning Whip” — this was probably the Saint of Thunder. Chen Bai remembered that in his previous life, this guy had a particularly famous weapon.

An S-Rank weapon: The God-Smiting Whip.

Ding Ding, famously known in the previous life as the Puppeteer.

Paper dolls, puppet dolls — both were his specialties.

Even that guy who called himself the “God King” was no ordinary character in the previous life!

…

Some were familiar, some were strangers.

Some had resounding reputations in his past last life, while others weren’t particularly famous but still possessed formidable strength that couldn’t be underestimated.

What surprised Chen Bai the most, however, was the brief glimpse he caught while scrolling through the chat records!

In the group, just among those he knew of, there were already several with SS-Rank talents!

For example, Liu Huai’s Yin Wood Physique from earlier.

Or Daoist True False Illusion’s “Dao Follows Nature” — someone who kept an extremely low profile in the previous life.

Then there was Crow’s “Embodiment of Fear,” who had just joined the group.

But SSS-Rank talents? None so far.

After all, in the previous life, the total number of SSS-Rank talents that emerged on Blue Star could be counted on one hand!

What kind of concept was that?!

Chen Bai hadn’t expected that the group chat he’d whimsically created, this group intended to gather top-tier Evolvers and Pioneers, would attract such a “great Buddha” as well!

Was it really an SSS-Rank talent?!

Looking at the member named “Meng Meng,” whose gender seemed to be female, Chen Bai racked his brains but couldn’t think of anyone in the previous life who matched that name.

Shaking his head, he decided not to overthink it.

They’d all be in the group from now on, so there’d be opportunities to interact. Besides, talents were indeed highly personal — special abilities tied to one’s strength, weaknesses, and other unique aspects.

It wasn’t polite to ask directly.

With this in mind, Chen Bai scrolled through the chat records again and smiled slightly. No matter the time, no matter everyone’s status or identity, once they started chatting in the group, it was always this kind of nonsensical banter.

But Chen Bai didn’t bother to join in on the conversation.

The time was drawing closer!

The apocalypse was not nearly as lighthearted or exciting as some people in the group made it out to be!

Those two words, or perhaps it could be called the arrival of a new era, were nothing less than a tide of blood and lives — things that would become worthless in this new age!

Thinking of this, Chen Bai turned back to his own status panel.

…

[Chen Bai (Pioneer) (Zombie Hunter)]
[Evolver ID: 001]
[Talent: Virus Sovereign (SSS)]
[Level: 3 (1000/5000)]
[Strength: 65 (+3)]
[Agility: 71 (+3)]
[Constitution: 61 (+3)]
[Spirit: 48 (+2)]
[Charisma: ???]
[Luck: ???]
[Currency: 6 Gold / 35 Silver / 6 Copper]
[Skill: Devour (Talent Skill)]

The Darklight Virus’s evolution and awakening had once again increased his attributes to an unimaginable level.

Feeling the power in his fists and the speed in his muscles, Chen Bai estimated that if he were to go another round with that mutated Flesh Mountain and punch it head-on, with the boost from Zombie Claws, he would emerge completely unscathed.

Such power was already beyond ordinary human comprehension.

That overwhelming sense of omnipotence brought by terrifying strength was something Chen Bai quickly suppressed.

The apocalypse hadn’t even started yet. If his confidence swelled too quickly, he really wouldn’t know how he’d end up dead when the time came!

At this thought, Chen Bai instinctively reached up to touch the small hourglass hanging around his neck.

The Time Hourglass was still there.

Inside the cold hourglass, the sand—like crystalline diamond dust—seemed as if it would never run out.

As Chen Bai’s hand touched it, faint sounds seemed to echo.

“Tick… tick… tick…”

The sound was crisp and pleasant, like the ticking of a clock’s second hand, marking the passage of time and symbolizing time itself.

“Time…”

A look of confusion appeared in Chen Bai’s eyes. If his rebirth was truly related to this Time Hourglass, he couldn’t even begin to fathom—

What kind of item or treasure could possess such heaven-defying abilities?

Could it really be a legendary SSS-Rank artifact?

Was that possible?

Chen Bai didn’t know. He thought back to the shattered fragment of a certain unique SSS-Rank item that had caused his death in the previous life.

If that item had been complete, would it have had such a heaven-defying ability?

Chen Bai didn’t know. In his previous life, SSS-Rank talents were incredibly rare, SSS-Rank professions were practically unheard of, and as for SSS-Rank artifacts, no one had ever reported one.

As he’d said before, such things were coveted even by the gods!

Interesting!

Every cloud has a silver lining.

If that death had truly activated this extremely mysterious hourglass and given him a second chance at life, then perhaps it had all been worth it!

With that thought, Chen Bai sprang to his feet and stepped outside, leaving behind the small attic room where he had rested for two whole days.

…

From what I can research, a Willow Immortal is like a snake god worshiped in Northern China.