I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 705 - 512: Heart Demon Tribulation, Awakening_2

"Marshal Lin."

Qin Tian's voice carried a rasp, his body instinctively stiffening.

It was his inaugural encounter with Marshal Lin, and the implicit pressure radiating from the man was formidable, akin to a monumental peak crushing his shoulders, causing his knees to tremble and almost buckle under the immense force.

"Qin Tian, we meet at last."

Marshal Lin advanced with unhurried, measured strides, each step seeming to punctuate Qin Tian's racing heart.

"I have always held you in high regard. Like myself, you originate from a lineage of clones, yet you have far surpassed me—from Spirit Awakening to Seventh Tier Spiritualist in a mere three years, outshining even the Holy Blood Prodigies. It was my intention for you to become my successor, inheriting all my resources and authority in the future."

Marshal Lin's tone was conversational, as if between old friends, yet it sent a tremor through Qin Tian's core. Just as he moved to respond, Marshal Lin's demeanor abruptly shifted, his gaze hardening like flint. "However, I never anticipated you to be a phantom from another realm—an Evil God."

Boom!

Those two words struck Qin Tian's mind like a bolt of lightning!

His most guarded secret, his most profound dread, was suddenly exposed—he was a Transmigrator, an outsider to this world!

"Qin Tian! Qin Tian!"

From a distant rooftop, two figures materialized.

Dongfang Mingyue thrashed desperately, her eyes brimming with crimson anguish, tears carving paths down her face in a display of heartbreaking beauty.

But Dongfang Haoyue held her arm in a vice-like grip, his expression glacial. "Mingyue, did you not hear Marshal Lin? He is a demon from another world! Consider it: how could an ordinary Cloned Soldier ascend to Seventh Tier in three years? How could he vanquish top-tier Holy Blood Prodigies?"

"There is but one logical conclusion—he does not belong to our world! He is a greater menace than any Evil God, poised to annihilate our realm!"

"I refuse to believe it! I refuse to believe it!" Dongfang Mingyue wailed, shaking her head, her voice laced with desperate pleading. "Brother, Qin Tian saved my life! He risked everything to protect me on multiple occasions; how could he possibly be a demon?"

"That was merely a directive from Marshal Lin! He had to feign loyalty to infiltrate our ranks!" Dongfang Haoyue interjected sharply, his voice devoid of warmth. "He is an enemy of the Empire, an enemy of this entire realm! Today, no force can shield him!"

With that declaration, Dongfang Haoyue disregarded Dongfang Mingyue's struggles and forcibly dragged her away, vanishing from the rooftop's edge.

On the street below, only Qin Tian, Marshal Lin, and the tightly formed cordon of the Empire's elite forces remained.

"Qin Tian, surrender," Marshal Lin commanded, his voice maintaining its calm facade, yet imbued with an unshakeable authority.

Qin Tian remained silent for a beat, a wry twist gracing his lips. "Marshal Lin, betrayal was never my intention towards the Empire."

"Whether you believe me or not is inconsequential," Marshal Lin stated evenly, his tone unruffled.

The bitterness on Qin Tian's lips deepened. Faced with Marshal Lin and the Empire's finest, even if he were a Ninth Tier Spiritualist, escape was an impossibility.

What an abrupt conclusion...

He let out a sigh and slowly lifted his head. Behind him, the void shimmered, and the Night Demon Wings, as black as obsidian, unfurled. Their membranes were etched with dark golden lightning patterns, and streaks of purple electricity surged in his eyes. Darkness and the Power of Thunder interwoven around him, emitting a volatile and defiant aura.

While death might be his immediate fate, he vowed to meet it with defiance!

His presence in this world would not be in vain!

"Still intent on resisting?" Marshal Lin's eyes glinted with coldness as he raised his hand, applying a gentle pressure.

Boom!

High above, a colossal hand, obscuring the sun, materialized. It descended like the legendary Five-Finger Mountain, carrying an earth-shattering pressure aimed directly at Qin Tian.

Even before its impact, the street and shops beneath could not withstand the latent force; they buckled and collapsed, leaving five deep, fingerprint-like impressions in the ground, with cracks radiating outwards like a shattered web.

Qin Tian found himself immobilized by a terrifying aura, utterly incapable of even twitching a finger.

He could acutely sense the chilling presence of death, like a venomous serpent, constricting his neck.

"Indeed, the disparity remains too vast."

Qin Tian sighed internally. Against the might of the Empire's God-like commander, his own strength was ultimately insufficient.

Yet, succumbing to fate was never his way.

Even in death, he would stand proud and fight until his last breath!

Gritting his teeth, he slowly closed his right hand around the hilt of the Black Frost Saber.

This simple act demanded his entire remaining strength, the blade emitting a piercing, grating sound against its scabbard, as if echoing its own reluctance to yield.

The colossal hand descended, its looming shadow swallowing the entire street whole. The oppressive aura of impending death felt like it was suffocating him.

Qin Tian's gaze slowly dropped, a profound sense of unwillingness churning within his heart.

To meet his end in such a manner was truly something he could not accept...

"Qin Tian, snap out of it! Your friends are about to be slaughtered by those fiends!"

Abruptly, a gentle yet urgent voice echoed within his mind. Qin Tian jolted, his consciousness regaining a sliver of clarity.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"You haven't awakened yet? I am Blaze, the Gun Spirit of the Heaven-Burning Purgatory!"

Blaze? Heaven-Burning Purgatory?

Long-buried memories flooded back—his companions within the frozen chasm, the Heart Demon Tribulation that awaited, the Ice Heart Lotus Seed, and the Ice God's Treasure Vault... Qin Tian's eyes flew open. He surveyed the devastated street, the composed figure of Marshal Lin, the surrounding soldiers...

No, this couldn't be! It wasn't real!

The Imperial Capital, Dongfang Mingyue, Dongfang Haoyue, Marshal Lin... all of it was an illusion!