Chapter 30: The Lighthouse Falls, Emerging from the Cave

Chapter 30: The Lighthouse Falls, Emerging from the Cave

“How do you feel?” Luo Ke stood before the shattered glass window, lighting a cigarette. He smoked half, the wind took half.

The lighthouse’s descent gradually slowed. Mark gazed into the distance with a complex expression, uttering some muffled sounds.

“I know, it’s not easy to bear; after all, it’s the place where you grew up,” Luo Ke smiled and flicked the cigarette butt away. “But as I always say, destruction precedes creation. Humanity’s hope isn’t born from retreat but from fearless advance and fearless sacrifice.”

The smoldering cigarette butt, sparking, drifted downward. Suddenly, a streak of blue light shot up from the ground, piercing the distant horizon.

As the blue light receded, the Devourers that had gathered beneath the lighthouse scattered in a frenzy, surging one after another toward the pure and potent source of life energy.

On the ground.

Shan Da wiped sweat from his brow, exhausted. The turbine device embedded in his belly hadn’t stopped spinning. This device could condense and extract his abundant life energy, then channel it through a specialized emitter.

Xu Tong held a cannon barrel freshly retrieved from the turbine and fired a life energy-guided projectile, luring away thousands of Devourers waiting hungrily for fresh prey.

Nearby, Xia Dou gazed up at the now-dilapidated lighthouse, puzzled. “Hey! Just like Luo Ke said, the big dome really did fall. But boss, there are so many people up there—how are we supposed to teach them anything?”

“Learning the state of Reversion isn’t that hard. Anyway, you all have nothing better to do all day,” Bai Yuekui replied.

Their intervention was driven by the bigger picture: if so many people had their life energy absorbed by the Devourers, the Mana ecosystem would evolve and upgrade rapidly, posing a tremendous threat to the survivors. Bai Yuekui and the others would suffer immensely too.

Besides, if those people mastered Reversion and explored their own potential, they would undoubtedly become true sparks of humanity, not infantile remnants of the apocalypse.

Moreover, the lighthouse housed many professionals from various fields—doctors, engineers, well-established agricultural ecosystems—all highly valuable even to survivor bases, not to mention the many newborns eagerly awaiting care.

Bai Yuekui might seem aloof, but her heart was far from cold.

Under their watchful eyes, the massive iron structure neared the ground, crashing thunderously into a valley surrounded on three sides by mountains.

Boom—

The earth trembled, rocks tumbled. The skyborne prison that had drifted for decades finally touched the yellow earth. The aging lighthouse closed its eyes and extinguished its flame.

Just as everyone stood there, anxious and hesitant to take the first step, Luo Ke’s calm and reassuring voice came over the broadcast, gently soothing their fearful hearts.

“A cave was the safe haven of primitive humans, sheltering them from beasts and storms. In caves, they recorded, created, and reproduced. But with time, someone always stumbles out.”

“They carry weapons, curiosity, and perseverance, seeking and exploring humanity’s true hope. The lighthouse is a sealed cave, and Mark, along with each of you, are the original seekers… As for me, I can barely be called a guide.”

Luo Ke paused, then delivered news that shocked everyone.

“Perhaps you all thought the lighthouse was humanity’s last hope. In truth, that’s a narrow view. Not to mention other continents, even here on the Austral-Asian-New Continent beneath our feet, there are many ground survivors!”

At these words, countless gasps and exclamations echoed from every corner. People began whispering excitedly. Knowing that some had long survived amid the dangers of the surface brought them a measure of relief.

“When the time comes, the ground survivors will cooperate with us. We will provide them with supplies and manpower, helping each other. They will teach you how to achieve Reversion without being sensed by the Devourers and how to cultivate your spiritual energy.”

“The Mana ecosystem far surpasses human civilization. Instead of fighting it to the death, why not seek another path—using the Mana ecosystem to elevate humanity itself? This path is a thousand times better than endlessly drifting in the sky. Besides, the skies are not safe either!”

Luo Ke suddenly lowered his voice, carrying a hint of warning.

“Flying Devourers will appear soon. Rather than waiting for the lighthouse to run out of fuel and crash unprepared, it’s safer to be ready for a controlled landing.”

“But,” he continued, “if anyone dares to cause trouble in the chaos, those corpses outside might not even have cooled yet. I hope you will think carefully before acting. Charles is dead. The Light and Shadow Sect and the Law Teachings cannot escape destruction either!”

Having spoken, Luo Ke turned his back.

Mo Cheng, Ran Bing, Jing Nan, and others gathered in the hall, all staring dumbfounded at the man bathed in sunlight.

To them, Luo Ke was more real than the Light and Shadow Lord—he could be touched, reasoned with, wielded iron-handed methods, yet also showed a genial personality.

And he told the most fascinating stories!

Wasn’t that far more interesting than that pretentious Light and Shadow Lord?

“Prophet…” Erika murmured dazedly.

“From the moment I met him, it seemed like everything was within his plan,” Jeff swallowed nervously, recalling it all. “Looking at it this way, Luo Ke really deserves the title of prophet.”

Nearby, Ran Bing and Mark embraced tenderly, resembling a scene of Beauty and the Beast. Yet the burning passion in their eyes brought everyone great comfort.

Even if it meant witnessing such affection, Luo Ke happily indulged, begging for more.

---

“Hey, what about her?” At the doorway, Fei Xue dragged something inside, her clothes tattered, a long wound cutting across her snow-white thigh.

“Fei Xue!” Mo Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, his tense expression softening.

“Fei Xue, you’re okay—that’s great!” Erika jumped with joy, exclaiming, “Now everyone can freely roam the surface!”

Luo Ke’s gaze moved from Fei Xue’s thigh down to the figure she dragged—the Radiant One.

If not for her alluring robe, Luo Ke might not have recognized her, for she had always worn a mask before.

The unconscious Radiant One, Fanti, bore a face that was seven parts seductive, three parts innocent—a striking contradiction amplified by her robe.

“Lock her up for now,” Luo Ke said casually. His priority wasn’t dealing with a Radiant One but stabilizing the situation and eradicating the remnants of the Light and Shadow Sect.

Then he led everyone out of the lighthouse, stepping onto the earth.

More people emerged behind them, bewildered yet curious about the solid ground beneath their feet. Having flown for decades, most of the young had never set foot on the surface.

This was a circular valley, surrounded on three sides by mountains, with only one canyon passage allowing ingress and egress. The terrain was easy to defend but hard to attack—perfect for building a fortress city.

The valley was Bai Yuekui’s recommendation. Xia Dou named it Sun Valley. Most importantly, beneath the valley lay blue spirit ore, capable of forging source-material weapons.

Crucially, there was a secret passage beneath the valley leading directly to Bai Yuekui’s survivor base, though sealed by an immense metal door with a code known only to Luo Ke.

This enabled resource exchange and information sharing.

At that moment, Victor pushed Morgan, his face complicated, standing beneath the open sky.

The elderly man, a flickering candle in his final years, coughed persistently. He gazed toward the cliff above and caught a glimpse of white hair flashing by.

“Heh, fate plays tricks,” Morgan said softly, withdrawing his gaze to look at Luo Ke’s retreating figure. With a low sigh, he murmured, “What a way to walk out of the cave… Seems I’m truly old now.”

(End of chapter)