System: Replicating The Heavens-Chapter 489: Ch : PLM (3): The Mysterious Token

Tears flowed out of the bald middle-aged man’s eyes. He started kowtowing while repeating again and again, "We were wrong. I was wrong, so terribly wrong. I now know that killing her was the worst decision of our lives. Please, forgive me. Forgive me."

Alex barely reacted. He closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the killing intent within was so intense that even space seemed to warp.

"You all deserved far worse," Alex said quietly, and the darkness around him enveloped the bald man. When the darkness disappeared, the bald man was nowhere to be seen. Even his body was not left behind.

While all of this was happening, Fritz did not even dare to breathe loudly. He was afraid that even the sound of his breath might disturb Alex.

Alex had changed a lot. This change happened mainly after he was affected by Loren’s Curse, or more accurately, after the curse was fully activated.

In truth, Alex had been carrying Loren’s Curse for many years. He was cursed long ago, when he had not even reached the Celestial River Stage. At that time, the curse remained dormant, hidden deep inside him, causing no obvious change.

However, everything changed after Alex stepped into the Divine Emperor Stage. He was running from his enemies with Alicia when the curse activated, and he ended up devouring all his enemies. [Ref. Ch: 353.]

Only then did the curse awaken completely.

After its activation, Alex’s personality, emotions, and even instincts began to shift. His killing intent became heavier, his actions colder, and his presence more terrifying. It was as if something dark had slowly taken root in his heart.

The curse did not change him all at once. Instead, it worked quietly, influencing him little by little. Each battle, each burst of rage, and each moment of extreme emotion allowed the curse to sink deeper into him.

Fritz could feel it clearly.

The Alex standing before him now was no longer the same man he once knew.

What is the Loren’s Curse?

The darkness that burst out from Alex’s body, the strange black tentacles, and the terrifying devouring power all came from Loren’s Curse. This curse was the true source behind those abnormal abilities.

At first, the curse seemed like a great blessing. It gave Alex immense power and allowed him to grow stronger at an unbelievable speed. In moments of rage or danger, it responded to his emotions and released horrifying strength that could crush almost any enemy.

However, this power came with a terrible price.

Loren’s Curse was not helping Alex for free. While it strengthened him on the surface, it was slowly corroding him from the inside. It devoured his vitality, his emotions, and even his senses bit by bit. Each time Alex relied on that power, the curse dug deeper into his body and soul.

This was not an ordinary curse. Loren’s Curse was one of the deadliest curses in the entire universe. It was so terrifying that it could even kill Immortals. Of course, for an Immortal to truly die from it, the one who cast the curse had to be powerful enough to affect Immortal beings as well.

Now, the question was, how was Alex affected by this curse?

Truth be told, even Alex didn’t know. One day, when he woke up, he found out that something extra was present inside his body. It was a drop of blood, and this drop of blood housed terrifying energy.

Alex tried many times to get rid of the drop of blood. He even attempted to absorb it directly, but he failed every time. No matter what he did, the drop of blood remained unchanged.

In the end, since there was nothing he could do about it, Alex chose to leave it alone and ignore its existence.

However, he never expected that the drop of blood would activate on its own one day.

After that moment, it slowly began to affect him.

At first, the changes were very subtle, almost impossible to notice. But over time, its influence grew stronger and deeper, quietly invading his body and mind without his awareness.

By the time Alex finally realized something was wrong, the curse had already taken root inside him.

Fritz had been by Alex’s side for a very long time. Now, both of them had stepped into the True Divinity realm. As for their enemies... every one of them had already reached the Saint level.

For reasons unknown, Alex’s luck began to decline sharply after he was afflicted by Loren’s Curse. Wherever he went, enemies appeared one after another, so many that it became impossible to count them all. Along the way, he had killed countless people, leaving behind rivers of blood.

Alex had once believed that Karsen Virel was insignificant, someone not worth his attention. But fate proved him wrong. That very same weak Karsen returned as a powerful enemy, one with enough strength, influence, and resources to place Alex’s name on the Assassination List of the Shadow Hunter Palace.

What kind of force is the Shadow Hunter Palace?

It is a massive organization whose branches are spread across every corner of the universe. They are most famous for creating and maintaining three major lists that influence countless galaxies. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Those three lists are the Assassination List, Genius List, and Forbidden List.

The Assassination List is the most feared list because anyone whose name appears on this list becomes a target for assassins from the Shadow Hunter Palace. People or forces can place a name on the list by paying an enormous price. The higher the reward, the stronger the assassins sent. Even Saints and Immortals have fallen because of this list. Once a name is written on it, very few can live in peace.

The Genius List records outstanding cultivators who are under ten thousand years old. Anyone on this list is considered a peerless talent. Being listed brings fame and opportunities, but also danger. Many geniuses are hunted, challenged, or even killed before they can grow stronger.

Finally, the Forbidden list records people, techniques, bloodlines, special physiques, and even places that are considered extremely dangerous. Anything and anyone on this list is marked as a major threat to the balance of the universe.

Alex’s name used to be recorded on the Genius List, but now, it appeared on the Assassination List as well, which is definitely not good news.

At this time, Alex slowly walked toward Alicia. His red eyes were fixed on her lifeless body.

Alex knelt down and carefully lifted her into his arms.

She felt cold, too cold actually.

His hands trembled slightly, but he held her gently, afraid that even the smallest force might hurt her. His chest felt tight, as if something was crushing his heart. For a moment, the terrifying killing intent around him faded, replaced by a deep pain.

However, exactly at this moment, the space inside the spaceship suddenly shook, causing Alex and Fritz to become alert.

Buzz~!

A strange spatial fluctuation spread out without warning. The air twisted violently, and the lights inside the ship flickered crazily. Fritz’s eyes widened as he felt an intense pressure pressing down on his body.

"What is happening?!" Fritz shouted.

Before anyone could react, the space in front of Alex distorted heavily. A swirling spatial vortex slowly formed, spinning faster and faster. The fluctuation became terrifying, so strong that even Alex felt danger.

Then...

"Whoosh!"

A mysterious platinum token shot out of the vortex towards Alex like a bolt of lightning.

"Bang!"

Alex barely had time to react. He was unable to dodge the token, and the token struck his chest directly. A terrifying force exploded on impact. Alex was sent flying backward, smashing heavily into the metal wall of the spaceship. Cracks spread across the wall like spider webs.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision blurred, and pain surged through his body.

The impact of the collision also sent Alicia’s body flying several meters away, landing softly on the floor.

"Alex!" Fritz shouted in panic. He rushed over immediately and helped Alex stand up.

Alex ignored the pain. He pushed Fritz aside and staggered toward Alicia, his heart filled with fear. He carefully checked her body, his hands moving gently.

After a moment, he let out a long breath, for he did not see any new wounds on Alicia’s body.

"She’s fine..." Alex muttered hoarsely.

Fritz finally relaxed a little. "Alex... are you really okay?"

"I’m fine."

Alex raised one hand, signaling him to stop. Then he turned his gaze toward the platinum token lying on the ground.

Alex slowly walked over and picked it up, only to realize that this seemingly thin token was actually very heavy. Moreover, strange and complex runes were engraved on both sides, forming patterns that seemed so profound that he couldn’t understand them.

There was nothing special on the surface of the token, but Alex could clearly feel a mysterious energy radiating from it. That energy felt too deep, vast, and terrifying.

Alex narrowed his eyes and thought for a while before activating his replication talent. He tried to replicate the token.

Unfortunately, as soon as he tried to use his talent to replicate the token, a sharp pain exploded inside his head. His soul trembled violently, and his vision darkened instantly.

He also failed in his attempt to replicate the mysterious token that suddenly appeared inside his spaceship out of nowhere.