Chapter 68: The Rumor Was Wrong

Xu Feng was shocked. The hand crossbow had higher attack power than his main weapon, even without talent bonuses. It could easily pierce through the Insectoid Carapace of a Two-Star Insect Human. Could this Three-Star monster’s defense really be so high? How was he supposed to fight it then? Was the rumor he had heard before—that it could be easily killed with ranged attacks from the well’s edge—actually false?

Unwilling to give up, Xu Feng shot several more arrows. All of them were deflected, only creating a few sparks when they hit the monster at the bottom of the well.

“Adventurer, answer me one question: what is the meaning of life?” An old, hoarse voice floated up from the bottom of the well.

Xu Feng was startled. The monster at the bottom of the well could actually speak the human language, and so fluently at that.

He knew that ordinary alien invaders usually only spoke a word or two of human language, often failing to convey their meaning accurately. However, among these alien invaders, there were some special beings.

His ten years of experience from his previous life had taught Xu Feng that monsters capable of speaking human language could not be simply judged by their Star Level. Their displayed Star Level often did not match their actual strength.

Sometimes, the discrepancy could be several Star Levels. If a Three-Star monster could speak human language, its actual strength might be that of a Four-Star, Five-Star, or even Six-Star monster.

This was because monsters that could learn human language were the wise ones among the alien invaders—they were the special existences among them. If one encountered such a monster, a single misstep could mean death without even knowing how it happened.

Realizing that the monster in the abandoned well was such a being, Xu Feng felt deep regret. Relying on hearsay from his previous life had led him into a fatal situation.

Since his rebirth, Xu Feng had been sailing smoothly, his strength soaring. He was way ahead of other human Chosen Ones, which gave him a somewhat complacent feeling. He had lost the vigilance from his previous life, where death could come at any moment.

But this time, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, jolting him awake immediately.

“Are you speaking to me?” Xu Feng quickly put away his hand crossbow and replied respectfully.

“Of course, adventurer. Is there anyone else here?” The old, hoarse voice from the well continued, “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“The meaning of life? For a being whose home planet is about to be occupied by aliens, what other meaning could life possibly have?” Xu Feng smiled bitterly, his heart filled with resentment.

His own planet was on the verge of falling, yet alien invaders like you are here asking me questions—what a ridiculous question.

Xu Feng thought of the ten years of painful struggle in his previous life, of watching countless compatriots brutally killed by alien invaders, of how his friends and family had died one by one before his eyes.

“Life has no meaning to me,” Xu Feng said coldly. “If I must say there is one, then I live to protect!”

“Protect? Interesting. What do you wish to protect?” the old voice continued to ask.

“To protect what I love, what I cherish, what I believe is worth protecting—my friends, my brothers, my family…” After a moment of silence, Xu Feng added, “And also, my planet!”

“Heh, not a bad answer. I am quite satisfied!” The old voice let out a low chuckle.

“This is my reward to you. I hope it helps. Remember, not all beings from other planets are villains!” The alien creature at the bottom of the well fell silent.

A sheet of paper shimmering with a golden glow floated up from the well.

Xu Feng reached out and grabbed it.

It was a dark golden page, seemingly a torn page from a book. Silver writing covered the entire page, and at the very top, there was a line of slightly larger text.

These words were not in any language from Earth, but in the Universal Common Language. In about a year, when the Earth’s Will fully awakened, the planet Earth would completely join the greater universe. At that time, the Universal Common Language would become known to everyone, directly imprinted into the minds of every intelligent being.

However, at present, no one knew the Universal Common Language—but Xu Feng was an exception.

Having been reborn, he naturally already understood the Universal Common Language.

“Page of Protection!”

Xu Feng read aloud the large words at the top of the page.

As soon as he uttered “Page of Protection,” the page suddenly erupted with a dark golden radiance, even illuminating the small courtyard.

Startled, Xu Feng quickly stored it in his Storage Ring, and the courtyard plunged back into darkness.

However, that brief burst of light had not only alerted the other Earth’s Chosen in the town but also stirred the monsters within.

Instantly, roars and howls of monsters echoed through the town, and the entire place erupted into chaos.

Xu Feng immediately wanted to leave. As he was about to go, he glanced into the well—the dark figure had already vanished. Looking down from the well opening, he could only see the dried mud and rotten leaves at the bottom of the abandoned well.

Not bothering to figure out what had happened, Xu Feng vaulted over the wall and left the courtyard. The moment he left, he heard a loud crash behind him—a monster with two horns on its head had smashed through the courtyard wall and charged into the small yard…

Only after fleeing into a dilapidated small house and finding temporary safety did Xu Feng carefully examine the specific attributes of the Page of Protection.

Item Name: Page of Protection (Torn Page of the Book of the Universe)

Item Attributes: The holder gains +10 to all attributes for every Star Level increased; gains an additional +5 to resistance checks, +300 Health Points, +25% to physical defense. Acquires skills: Insight Skill, Absolute Defense.

Insight Skill: Allows obtaining target information and appraising equipment. (If the target’s strength is three Star Levels higher than the user’s, there is a high chance of failure. Using Insight Skill to obtain target information has a certain chance of angering the target.)

Absolute Defense: Upon activation, the user becomes immune to all spells, temporarily gains 500 Health Points, lasting for 10 seconds. Comes with a high-level life shield, absorbing 55% of damage. The shield has zero defense, 5000 Health Points, and lasts for 10 minutes. If the shield is broken within this time, it increases the user’s Health Points by 30%. Skill cooldown: 24 hours.

Equipment Condition: Limited to Child of the Planet. Drops upon death.

Note: Those who possess a torn page of the Book of the Universe are surely favored by the Planetary Will. As a Child of the Planet, upon obtaining a torn page of the Book of the Universe, your fate becomes tightly bound to the planet you inhabit.

Additional Note: The item takes effect simply by being in the inventory.

Xu Feng’s body trembled slightly in a daze. He had possessed Dark Gold Grade items before, but he had never even seen, let alone owned, a mere torn page that was of Dark Gold Quality.