Antares’s cry echoed throughout Lin Moyu’s soul world.

There was fear in his voice, as though he had seen something horrifying.

However, Lin Moyu was completely immersed in his skill space and did not hear it at all.

The soul avatar that Antares had condensed appeared to be trembling—more precisely, it was shivering.

He looked afraid. And it wasn’t only the soul avatar; even Antares’s true body looked afraid.

“A greater world curse! How could it be a greater world curse?”

“Brat, what kind of background do you have? How could you possibly have a curse placed on you by the greater world?”

The image repeatedly flashing through Antares’s mind was a rune, one that seemed extremely simple yet incomprehensibly complex at the same time.

Very few beings could recognize this rune, but Antares happened to be one of them.

He instantly recognized it as a greater world rune, representing the most profound and primordial essence of the greater world.

The greater world rune also symbolized something even more significant: it was a fundamental power and primordial rule of the greater world, a source and ancestor of all things.

The greater world was not a small world where Lin Moyu lived. The difference between the two was like the vast ocean compared to a single drop of water—impossible to fully describe.

In the greater world, there existed a legend: whoever could master a greater world rune would become the lord of the greater world and ascend to a supreme existence.

Countless unequaled powerhouses had attempted to comprehend greater world runes, only to fail.

Yet throughout the ages, unparalleled powerhouses kept pressing onward one after another, striving to test their fate.

Mastering a greater world rune was the ultimate destination of any powerhouse’s path.

However, let alone mastering a greater world rune, even seeing one was incredibly difficult.

Among the unequaled powerhouses of the greater world, more than 90% had never even laid eyes on one.

Through sheer coincidence, Antares had once seen one.

It happened during a ritual to worship an Ancestral Dragon. When the Ancestral Dragon manifested, there was an imprint of a greater world rune on their body.

It was not the actual rune, only an imprint.

At that time, Antares was still young and far weaker than he was now, but the scene left an indelible mark on his memory. Even after countless years, he could never forget it.

Later, Antares learned that it had been a greater world rune and that not everyone was qualified to even gaze upon one.

Yet now, inside Lin Moyu’s soul, there existed a genuine greater world rune.

But this rune did not bring Lin Moyu any benefit.

It brought only a curse.

The terrifying power of that curse had just instantly destroyed Divine Dragon's Discernment.

Only then did Antares realize that Lin Moyu’s earlier intuition had been correct; he had indeed been cursed.

But why would a greater world rune curse Lin Moyu? He was such an insignificant existence.

Even if the world Lin Moyu lived in was merely a drop of water compared to the greater world, Lin Moyu himself was even more insignificant within that drop.

Why would a greater world rune curse him… suppress him?

What exactly was Lin Moyu’s origin?

Antares was filled with boundless curiosity, but he knew that no matter how much he thought about it, he would never find the answer.

Even Lin Moyu himself did not know the answer.

Antares stared at Lin Moyu’s soul, constantly thinking of a solution.

Faced with a curse from a greater world rune, what should he do?

Should he abandon Lin Moyu now? Or was there another way?

Since Lin Moyu had been cursed by a greater world rune, his future was destined to be bleak.

No matter what identity he might have had, it no longer mattered—there was no light at the end of his path.

If Antares continued to help him, would he also be dragged down?

After all, this was a greater world rune. Even the Ancestral Dragon back then…

Because Antares knew certain secrets, he felt an instinctive and profound fear.

What should he do? What exactly should he do?

Antares felt quite conflicted.

Meanwhile, Lin Moyu continued searching his skill space for the skill star cores.

But Antares already knew that Lin Moyu was destined to return empty-handed. Success was impossible. Unless…

Antares understood Lin Moyu’s personality very well. He would never give up.

If he failed once, he would try again.

If Antares told him the truth, Lin Moyu might see his convictions shatter. But it was even more likely that he would stubbornly resist.

But to resist a greater world rune…

That was equivalent to resisting the entire greater world.

Was there any hope at all?

Antares’s memories churned continuously, and his gaze flickered as scene after scene surfaced in his mind.

“We are friends!”

“I’ll help you fight your way back.”

“Right or wrong, whoever you want to kill, I’ll help you kill them.”

“Because we are friends!”

“I trust you—completely!”

Lin Moyu’s words came one after another, like surging waves crashing against the shore.

Antares’s gaze slowly hardened. After a few seconds of silence, he finally made his decision.

His true body emitted a soft hum, and a vast force descended from the sky, falling upon Lin Moyu.

Inside the summon space, the undead army collapsed all at once, only to be resurrected in the next instant.

Then came a second strike… A third… A fourth.

After four consecutive attacks, a purple light suddenly flickered across Lin Moyu’s body as his Comprehensive Rebirth talent activated.

Without the Elemental Lich’s Undead Ring, there was no need to die five times. Four deaths were enough.

Within the soul world, the depleted soul became filled to the brim once more.

But after the rebirth, Lin Moyu’s consciousness was forcibly pulled back.

Lin Moyu’s soul opened its eyes, “What happened?”

Antares’s expression was thoughtful, “I’ve found the cause. Now I’m wondering whether I should tell you the answer.”

The heaviness in Antares’s tone immediately made Lin Moyu realize the seriousness of the situation.

“Are you afraid I can’t handle it?” Lin Moyu asked gravely.

It was easy to speak with a clever person. With a single sentence, Lin Moyu had already grasped the reason for Antares’s hesitation.

Antares nodded but remained silent.

Lin Moyu let out a chuckle, “There’s no need for that. My tolerance isn’t as weak as you think.” 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Antares said, “This answer is one of despair.”

“There’s no such thing as absolute despair in this world. What’s truly frightening is knowing nothing at all. As long as the truth is known, there will always be a way to search for hope.” Lin Moyu replied calmly.

To him, the answer itself mattered more than anything else.

Antares fell silent for a moment before finally speaking, “Very well. I’ll tell you.”

“There is a curse within your soul.”

Lin Moyu had examined his own soul countless times, yet he had never discovered anything.

“Then the level of this curse must be very high.”

“Very, very, very high.”

Antares repeated the word very three times as emphasis.

“How high? Stop dragging it out. Just say it plainly and let me see how despairing it really is.” Lin Moyu said impatiently.

Instead of saying things one line at a time like this, it would be better to just say everything in one go.

Lin Moyu had never liked being cut slowly by a dull blade.

Antares let out a roar, drew a deep breath, and finally spoke, “Fine. I’ll explain it to you properly.”

“There is a curse inside you. But that curse is only the surface. Its true core… is a greater world rune.”

“Greater world runes are the most fundamental power of the greater world, the very thing every unequaled powerhouse is pursuing. But no one has ever succeeded in mastering one.”

“I don’t know why a greater world rune appeared within you, nor why it manifests as a curse.”

“But as long as this rune exists…”

“The entire greater world will treat you as its enemy.”

Antares finally revealed everything in a single breath.

After finishing, he let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

Lin Moyu listened quietly, then slowly exhaled, “Is that all?”