"I... I'm absorbing Bright's power and Knowledge..." Qiao Muyi clutched her temples, her body trembling, as she spoke in a low voice, "I saw it... I saw it... Bright's Ability, known as Hero's Heart."

Ren Suo was not surprised. Bright's words had already hinted at this numerous times, almost as if the words 'partner of justice' were engraved on his forehead.

However, what Qiao Muyi said next astonished him, "In Fear, there must be Courage. The moment the Demon King's Descent occurs, the Hero's Heart shadows it closely."

Ren Suo frowned slightly, "That phrase..."

"That phrase comes from the 'Destiny' live broadcast, spoken by the blue-haired girl before the battle between the Disaster Messenger and the Source of Disaster."

Ren Suo also remembered. When the Disaster Messenger reached the Bottomless Abyss at the fifth checkpoint, the girl in the blue cloak had indeed said something similar.

A sudden, inexplicable weakness washed over Ren Suo, and he couldn't help but hold Qiao Muyi tightly, as if drawing Courage from her.

Everything had been foretold: what could be chosen and what could not, what could be changed and what could not—all of it was Destiny.

Destiny... What an ugly thing.

Fortunately, he had managed to change Qiao Muyi's Destiny.

Qiao Muyi enjoyed Ren Suo's closeness and continued, "Bright snatched the Hero's Heart."

"Snatched?" Ren Suo asked, "Do you mean... killing other Transcendents and then inheriting their Slaughter Spells?"

"Not quite. The transfer of the Hero's Heart doesn't rely on slaughter but on Inheritance. The previous Brave can pass the Hero's Heart safely and intact to the next Brave." Qiao Muyi explained, "He... he was the 17th Inheritor of the Hero's Heart."

Ren Suo was stunned. According to official statements, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy had only begun nearly two years ago, yet the Hero's Heart had already been passed down 16 times?

"The 'Hero's Heart' has many extended abilities, but they aren't very powerful," Qiao Muyi said. "Besides 'Inheritance,' the main ones include 'Detect Evil,' 'Encourage Companions,' 'Share Power,' 'Justice Will Prevail,' and the special Ability 'Enemy of the Demon King.'

"'Detect Evil' can locate fallen demons, Sources of Disaster, and those with Slaughter Spells; it can even draw out Sources of Disaster. He found me through this Spell.

"'Encourage Companions' can give others endless confidence and Courage. Those Demon King's Followers, fearless as they were, were likely influenced by this Ability.

"'Share Power' allows him to share his power with others; the power of those Demon King's Followers came from him.

"'Justice Will Prevail' lets him increase 'Justice Energy' by killing demons and Sources of Disaster. When he battles these evil forces, all his Attacks produce a restraining effect, just as he can restrain me. 'Justice Energy' can be used as Spiritual Energy and is essential for transforming into the legendary Brave form. However, if the Brave abuses this power and kills the innocent, the energy is automatically consumed.

"Finally, there's 'Enemy of the Demon King.' The stronger the Demon King, the faster his Cultivation speed becomes. He fully understands my abilities and is even capable of using a Spell that can almost instantly kill Demon Kings of the same level. Killing me would also Evolve the Hero's Heart."

Ren Suo couldn't help but marvel, "These abilities are so comprehensive…"

"My abilities are even more comprehensive," Qiao Muyi snorted and added, "And that's not even the most potent part of the Hero's Heart. The real strength of the Hero's Heart lies in 'Inheritance.'"

"'Inheritance' not only passes on the Hero's Heart, but if the Inheritor has awakened Spells, then during the Inheritance, the awakened Spells will also be transferred to the next Brave!"

Ren Suo blinked and glanced at Bright's body in the distance, "Could it be..."

By now, the purple light on Qiao Muyi had significantly receded. She nodded, saying, "Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking."

"The Hero's Heart initially came from a brave Mexican. Later, while fighting for justice, he was beaten half to death by local gangs. Under duress, he passed the Hero's Heart to a young boy.

"After gaining supernatural powers, the boy started showing off and soon caught attention. After several transfers, Bright, the heir to a major Federation financial conglomerate, acquired the boy and realized what 'Inheritance' truly meant.

"The Leopold Group then began scouring the world for Supernatural Beings, continuously performing the Inheritance ritual in an attempt to create an omnipotent 'Hero's Heart.' However, Transcendents were either protected by their governments or hidden too well. Powerful Awakeners were also extremely difficult to capture. Ultimately, Bright inherited the Hero's Heart, which had already been passed down 16 times.

"Excluding some abilities of little practical value, Bright primarily used: Charm Affinity, Sleepwalking, Murder Strengthening, Formless Sword Qi, and Light Strengthening.

"The combination of Formless Sword Qi and Light Strengthening, along with the charm brought by Charm Affinity, made him the widely known End Sword User.

"And abilities like Sleepwalking, Murder Strengthening, Detect Evil, Share Power, and Encourage Companions were what he used to develop the Demon King's Followers and create Sources of Disaster!"

Qiao Muyi's voice carried a complex tone, with a hint of indescribable admiration, "He invaded other people's dreams through Sleepwalking and used the connection of dreams to assume my image. Then, he shared Murder Strengthening and Detect Evil with the Demon King's Followers. With Encourage Companions, he made them fearless.

"Then, the Demon King's Followers strengthened themselves through Murder Strengthening and used Detect Evil to fabricate Sources of Disaster, triggering calamities around the world.

"Meanwhile, Bright framed me, the Demon King, for these crimes. He roamed the world slaying Sources of Disaster and Demon King's Followers to collect 'Justice Energy,' and thus became renowned worldwide."

A terrifying plot.

As an ambitious man, Bright's schemes let him dominate both legitimate and illicit paths. He simultaneously created disasters and eradicated them, reaping both fame and fortune. To the world, he was an elegant, civilized modern Knight; even his combat style was magnificently brilliant. Even in his battle with them, Bright only revealed his identity at the very last moment, showing almost no flaws.

Moreover, as the heir to a massive corporation, the resources at his disposal were far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

If Bright were allowed to continue his development, he would undoubtedly... no, he would inevitably become a major figure of the new era!

Ren Suo sighed inwardly and asked, "So his reason for framing you was to trigger the effect of 'Enemy of the Demon King'?"

The purple glow on Qiao Muyi's body had almost faded to a thin veil. She nodded and said, "That's right. Bright's true goal was to make me a true Demon King.

"What he hoped for most was that I would flee, ravaging lives to rapidly cultivate. That way, he could rely on the 'Enemy of the Demon King' Ability to achieve rapid Cultivation himself. At the same time, he could reap fame and profit by hunting me down. Throughout this process, he could control my Cultivation level by manipulating public opinion.

"If I were to surrender, he would immediately publicize the Demon King's deeds globally, hoping to incite me to riot in prison. My escape would be ideal for his plans. If I didn't escape, well, my death would suffice. Killing me himself would significantly Evolve the Hero's Heart, but even my death alone would undoubtedly benefit it."

Two individuals with cheat-like powers. Ren Suo reached his final conclusion.

One was the Demon King, who could quickly become the enemy of the world by gathering Resentment, representing the extreme of individual strength. The other was the Brave, who could rally the strength of all beings against the Demon King, representing the greatness of groups and Inheritance.

However, both these individuals with cheat-like powers had gone down twisted paths.

The Demon King stopped being a Demon King and became a sharp-tongued lady at the Mysterious Country's Tactical Bureau, barely scraping by on meager negative emotions to sustain herself. In the future, she would become an affectionate wife constantly by Ren Suo's side.

The true Brave ideal was long dead. Bright, the 17th inheritor to call himself Brave, twisted the very Spells of Justice to achieve sinister, lethal effects.

Encourage Companions became a tool to give people the Courage to commit murder.

Detect Evil was used to create Sources of Disaster.

Share Power was used to grow his following.

It truly embodied the old saying: With the same pair of chopsticks, some eat their fill, while others just stir shit.

Power itself has no inherent good or evil; its effect is entirely determined by the user's goals and how far their imagination stretches.

"Are you okay?" Ren Suo asked with concern.

"Almost there…" Qiao Muyi covered her temples, the faint purple glow on her body growing dimmer, her shivering steadily subsiding. "Although it's not quite the same as the Hero's Heart... this power is enough for us to live a peaceful life."

Suddenly, Qiao Muyi trembled and let out a muffled groan, her hands clutching Ren Suo's shoulders tightly. The faint purple glow on her body completely retracted, then erupted outward in a burst of wind pressure that sent Ren Suo's bangs flying.

She lifted her head high, her eyes, red from recent crying, began to well up with tears once more.

But unlike before, her tears now flowed over a joyous and gentle Smiley Face.

"It's all over," she said softly. "Let's go home."

WHOOSH.

Deep within the forest, an Extraordinary Bullet, 80% filled with Spiritual Energy and primed for nearly half an hour, accelerated through a 730mm barrel with a 1:381mm right-hand twist rifling, exiting at nearly 1,000 m/s.

Kadell, after tracking Bright for two days and nights, spat out his chewing gum and stated calmly, "Target locked. He's finished."

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