《Dimensional Codex System I m really not a cultist》 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Prologue: What on earth is this place? Chapter 1: Prologue: What on earth is this place? Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°My head¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Fang Zheng opened his eyes, staring blankly at the starry sky ahead. Where¡­ is this place? He turned his head to the sides, but all he saw were broken wooden boards. The sound of creaking wheels and urgent hoofbeats rang in his ears. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The sharp pain in his head made Fang Zheng groan. He closed his eyes and tried to recall everything that had happened before. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, he was outside, and then¡­ ¡°Young Master! Young Master, are you awake?¡± As Fang Zheng struggled to piece together his memories, an old man suddenly appeared beside him. He was an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in tattered leather armor, with a longsword strapped to his back. His appearance was so peculiar that Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. But what puzzled him more was that the old man spoke in a language Fang Zheng had never heard before, yet somehow, he understood it perfectly. Despite this, Fang Zheng¡¯s confusion remained. Who is he? Why is he calling me Young Master? Who¡­ am I? ¡°Ugh¡­ Argh!!¡± Just as Fang Zheng was about to recall his memories, a needle-sharp pain pierced his brain. He clutched his head and cried out in agony. Seeing this, the old man became even more panicked. He hurried over to Fang Zheng and gripped his shoulders firmly. ¡°Young Master, are you alright?! Don¡¯t scare me!¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Amidst the old man¡¯s anxious shouts, Fang Zheng found himself unable to speak. His head felt like it was splitting, and his vision started to distort. Suddenly, a blue radiance unfolded before him, forming a unique and familiar interface. Then, a gentle voice whispered in his ear. ¡°Interface activation complete¡­ system initializing¡­ detecting soul wavelength¡­ beginning authentication¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Argh¡­¡± Fang Zheng felt not only his head but his entire body writhing in pain, as if he were being skinned alive. His blood flowed backward, his breaths quickened, and his heart pounded violently, as if it would leap out of his throat. All he could do was clench his fists, grit his teeth, and endure the sudden torment. ¡°Master Carter! They have caught up with us!¡± ¡°Damn it! Take the Young Master and leave! We¡¯ll stay behind¡­!¡± ¡°Careful¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡°Boom!!¡± Fang Zheng could faintly hear the chaotic and shrill sounds outside. Before he could react to what was happening, an explosion rocked the area, sending him flying out of the carriage like a discarded ball, landing heavily on the ground. ¡°Pff¡­ ah!!¡± He felt his back hit the earth hard, the impact momentarily dispelling the burning pain in his body. Regaining some control, he turned his head and looked around. He saw an open wasteland shrouded in darkness. Nearby, a carriage was engulfed in flames, the pulling horse reduced to charred remains. A short distance away, he could vaguely see figures engaged in combat. They seemed like attendants, fighting against enemies clad in silver armor, resembling knights in a game. What kind of place is this? Though the warriors fought valiantly, even Fang Zheng could see they were no match for their opponents. Within moments, the silver-armored knights mercilessly cut them down, turning them into lifeless corpses. ¡°Young Master! Run! Get out of here!!¡± Only the old man remained, swinging his longsword frantically while shouting at Fang Zheng. I have to escape! Fang Zheng still didn¡¯t understand what he was involved in, but he knew he had to leave this place immediately! But¡­ his body refused to obey. He felt weak and sore, with no strength left. Just standing up seemed impossible. ¡°Soul wavelength authentication successful, binding complete. Executor, please activate the Codex.¡± The voice in his ear remained calm. In the strange interface before him, a complex circle resembling an array appeared. Fang Zheng felt it looked oddly familiar¡­ ¡°Argh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± A scream caught his attention. He looked up and saw the old man being impaled by a knight in silver armor. The old man turned toward Fang Zheng with despair in his eyes, reaching out. ¡°Young¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Before the old man could finish, a flash of silver severed his head. His body collapsed to the ground. The knights then turned and approached Fang Zheng. I¡¯m going to die! Though their helmets hid their faces, Fang Zheng sensed their cold, deadly intent. Just their gazes made him feel like his neck was being sliced. But¡­ he couldn¡¯t resist. This is my only chance. Gritting his teeth, Fang Zheng extended his hand toward the array. ¡°Thud!!¡± Before he could touch it, an iron boot stomped down on his hand, pinning it painfully. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The pain was excruciating, but before he could react further, another knight grabbed his hair, lifting his head. ¡°Is it him?¡± The knight¡¯s voice was emotionless, like a machine. A shadowy figure in a black robe, standing behind the knight, nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the one. The Secret Treasure must be on him.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The lead knight nodded, then swiftly placed his longsword against Fang Zheng¡¯s neck. ¡°Hand over the Secret Treasure, and I¡¯ll give you a quick death.¡± Secret Treasure? What Secret Treasure? Fang Zheng stared blankly at the knight, feeling the cold blade against his neck. His mind was chaotic, unable to understand what was happening or his current situation. He only knew they were chasing him for some Secret Treasure¡­ But what Secret Treasure? How would I know? I have no choice but to fight! Biting his lip, Fang Zheng focused on his right hand, crushed under the knight¡¯s boot. Sensing his gaze, the knight looked down and instinctively stepped back. Now! The moment the knight moved, Fang Zheng quickly withdrew his hand and tapped the circle in the interface. Instantly, it began spinning rapidly. Radiant light gathered, forming a large, ornate Holy Scripture before him. ¡°What is that?¡± The knights recoiled in surprise, unsure of their next move. But the Black Robe was ecstatic, jumping up and shouting. ¡°It must be the Secret Treasure! Don¡¯t let him activate it, kill him!¡± Following the Black Robe¡¯s order, the lead knight raised his sword and swung at Fang Zheng. Simultaneously, driven by an unseen force, Fang Zheng placed his hand on the book. His world shattered like glass in an instant. ¡°Child, when you were born, the forests of Lordaeron whispered your name¡­¡± An ancient voice echoed in his mind, showing him majestic mountains, beautiful cities, towns, and wilderness¡­ ¡°Child, I proudly watched you grow day by day, becoming the embodiment of justice¡­¡± Flames consumed a city, leaving behind ruins and relics where laughter once rang. The relentless crimson glow painted the world with destruction and hatred. ¡°Remember, we have always ruled with wisdom and strength¡­¡± Flower petals turned to cold snowflakes, followers fell one by one. In a dark cave, a longsword radiating azure light awaited its wielder. ¡°I trust you will use your immense power wisely¡­¡± A blizzard covered everything; trees withered, the land froze, life fled. Only the fallen emerged painfully from fire and darkness. They formed an army, a terrifying force bringing death and bloodshed. Fang Zheng opened his eyes again. The visions were gone. Before him, a knight¡¯s sword was descending. He could see his reflection in the silver blade. But the voice still echoed in his mind. ¡°One day, my life will end, and you will be crowned king.¡± The cold power exploded within him. Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Chapter 1: The cold winds of Northrend will consume your souls Chapter 2: Chapter 1: The cold winds of Northrend will consume your souls Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Kill him!!!¡± The Silver Knight strode forward, the blade in his hand flashing like a crescent moon as he slashed towards Fang Zheng. He was certain that his strike would not miss; in just a moment, he would decapitate this young man before him. But¡­ ¡°Clang!!!¡± With the crisp clash of metal, the longsword in the Silver Knight¡¯s hand halted in mid-air. He stared in shock, watching as the young man before him raised his right hand. In Fang Zheng¡¯s grasp, an icy chill gradually coalesced into a beautiful yet terrifying longsword. A pitch-black hilt like the night, adorned with a sinister skull that stared back at him. The blade, as pale as bone and snow, exuded a cold that pierced the soul. An ethereal blue glow emanated from the grooves in the blade, clearly marking it as no ordinary weapon. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It must be the secret treasure!!¡± Seeing the suddenly appearing longsword in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand, the other Silver Knights cried out in alarm. Meanwhile, the Black Robe stared intently at the scene, sensing that something was amiss¡­ ¡°Wait, something¡¯s wrong, be careful¡ª!!¡± Before the Black Robe could finish, Fang Zheng, who had been kneeling on the ground moments ago, suddenly leaped up. Gripping the longsword with both hands, he swung it forward with all his might. The next moment, the blade pierced through the body of the Silver Knight before him without hesitation. ¡°Aaaah¡ª!!¡± With a scream, the Silver Knight shrieked as the blade impaled him. His body rapidly withered, the light of his soul shining through, and a vague human figure seemed to be pulled from his body, spinning as it was sucked into the blade. ¡°Boom¡ª!!¡± In that instant, a roaring wind exploded around Fang Zheng, the freezing air swirling and knocking away the other advancing Silver Knights. The Black Robe quickly retreated several meters, barely withstanding the blast of cold. When the storm subsided, he looked ahead again, his mouth agape in shock. ¡°This, this is¡­¡± Before them, Fang Zheng no longer looked destitute and miserable. The freezing air spread from his body, forming a silvery-white armor. Above his head, a gigantic apparition appeared out of thin air. It was a crowned figure with its face hidden in shadow, seated on a throne of eternal ice, coldly watching his enemies. Even his gaze seemed to freeze one¡¯s soul. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just an illusion. At that moment, the ground around Fang Zheng was gradually covered in frost, plants withering as if all life was ending. ¡°What terrifying power of death!!¡± Seeing this, the Black Robe¡¯s face turned pale as he hurriedly backed away, pulling a rune from his robes. But before he could make another move, Fang Zheng seemed to sense his presence, turning to look at him. He pointed the longsword at the Black Robe. ¡°Crash!¡± In an instant, the Black Robe was suddenly encased in ice, frozen in the act of holding the rune, as if time had stopped. Soon, a wailing human form emerged from his body, screaming as it was sucked into Fang Zheng¡¯s sword. ¡°Evil undead creature, how dare you desecrate souls!!¡± Seeing this, the remaining Silver Knights were both shocked and furious, exchanging glances and raising their swords. ¡°Holy blessing!¡± With their shouts, soft light emanated from their bodies, illuminating the dark wilderness. However, this seemed to have no effect on Fang Zheng. ¡°The cold winds of Northrend will devour your souls!¡± He turned to face the knights, muttering lowly. As he spoke, the surrounding winds intensified, forming an invisible wall that enclosed the Silver Knights. The ground cracked open, revealing skeletons rising from the earth. They might have been warriors who once fought here or simply buried peasants, but the blue flames in their eye sockets clearly indicated their identity. ¡°Fight with him! All together! The Goddess is with us!!¡± Facing the growing number of undead creatures, the Silver Knights were pale with fear, feeling the overwhelming power of death. They knew they stood no chance, but they had no choice but to fight to the death! ¡°He can¡¯t use the power of that treasure indefinitely, everyone attack together!¡± With a collective roar, the remaining Silver Knights charged at Fang Zheng, their weapons glowing brightly. Their longswords transformed into beams of light, and they swung them down at Fang Zheng with force! ¡°Boom!!!¡± Pure white light converged, forming a unique and mysterious rune. The light dissipated, revealing a gigantic, nearly ten-meter-long greatsword hurtling down towards Fang Zheng. At that moment, the massive apparition above Fang Zheng finally moved! ¡°Just¡­ like this!¡± Murmuring softly, the apparition stood up, drawing a sword from its waist and rising to meet the descending greatsword of light. The apparition¡¯s sword clashed with the greatsword. ¡°Crack¡ª!¡± With a soft sound, the greatsword of light shattered like a matchstick, breaking into fragments and vanishing. The knights¡¯ gleaming blades also shattered, causing them to cough up blood and collapse. ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± Stunned, the Silver Knights watched the Sword of Light disappear. They couldn¡¯t believe their greatest hope was so easily shattered! What was that thing?! But they received no answer. The freezing cold enveloped their bodies, stopping their blood and slowing their hearts. They could only watch in despair as the shadow of death closed in and silently devoured their souls. ¡°Bang!!¡± With the last glimmer of soul light gone, Fang Zheng finally collapsed to his knees. His armor dissipated, and the mysterious, fearsome sword in his hand turned back into the cold wind and vanished. Above him, the giant apparition watched him before merging with the dark night and disappearing. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Breathing heavily on the icy ground, Fang Zheng stared at the dark night sky, his mind in turmoil. To be honest, even now, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what had happened to him or why. But one thing was clear¡ªhe had survived! Though he didn¡¯t understand everything, he was alive! He had to leave quickly, as soon as possible¡­ After a moment, catching his breath, Fang Zheng stood up again, looking around. Corpses were everywhere; his companions who had protected him were dead, and so were the knights sent to kill him. The chill in the air was dissipating, and he could hear faint wolf howls in the distance. Feeling a shiver, Fang Zheng knew he had to leave. He didn¡¯t know who these people were, but if their comrades realized they were missing, they would come looking. He had to escape before it was too late! He had to leave now! Determined, despite his pain and exhaustion, Fang Zheng bit down, stumbling into the depths of the wilderness. Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Chapter 2 Dimensional Codex Chapter 3: Chapter 2 Dimensional Codex Editor: Exodus Tales One night passed. As the morning sun¡¯s radiance appeared from the other side of the horizon, Fang Zheng had finally sorted out the memories in his mind and figured out the cause and effect of things. First of all, he was indeed dead. This left Fang Zheng speechless. All along, he considered himself to be a cautious person. He always prepared for various unforeseen risks. From a girlfriend breaking up to a company going bankrupt, from a cash flow rupture to a partner absconding with the funds, from a robber attempting murder for money to encountering a drunk driver while crossing the street. Fang Zheng would consider all sorts of risks and possible unforeseen events and make corresponding preparations. He liked this kind of controlled life, where unchanging principles could cope with ever-changing situations. This philosophy of life was what had brought him success today. But what Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t expected was that the world is always so wondrous, full of unimaginable surprises. Like when he jumped into the river to save someone, he never thought that after successfully rescuing the person and watching them get on the ambulance, he would be struck directly by a suddenly snapped high-voltage line overhead. What was even more unexpected was that after he died, he woke up in another world. As for the current body he had resurrected in, its owner¡¯s experiences left Fang Zheng utterly speechless. Actually, the story was not complicated. The small noble family he was residing in had a secret treasure, and not long ago, a group of knights from the Kingdom of the Holy Church found this small noble and claimed that the secret treasure passed down in his family was an evil and ominous thing, demanding that he hand it over. Of course, the small noble was unwilling and directly drove the knights away. Originally, the noble hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but little did they expect that on the night they drove the knights away, the knights would raid their manor and start a bloodbath. This small noble named Williams was merely a junior knight and had never seen such a scene. Naturally, he was scared out of his wits and fled immediately with the secret treasure. He had hoped to seek assistance from other noble families in the city, but upon arriving, he found out that the Kingdom of the Holy Church had publicly announced that the Williams family was colluding with cultists and had been declared enemies of order, with a bounty placed on their heads. The Kingdom of the Holy Church held a reverent position on this continent, whereas a small noble like Williams was nothing more than a small fry and could not possibly compare. Helpless, they continued fleeing but ultimately couldn¡¯t escape the Holy Church¡¯s chase, meeting their end here. If seen from Fang Zheng¡¯s perspective as an outsider, it would be easy to think that the Kingdom of the Holy Church was the sort that appeared dignified on the surface but was full of depravity and corruption underneath, playing with boys and girls. However, after absorbing the small noble¡¯s memories, Fang Zheng frustratingly discovered that the Kingdom of the Holy Church¡¯s arrest warrant¡­ was well-deserved. Because according to Williams¡¯s memories, though they outwardly worshipped the Goddess of Order, they were, in fact, devout believers of a cult named the ¡°Doomsday Sect.¡± This cult believed in the end of all things, claiming that one day everything in the world would be destroyed, even gods would fall, and the God of Destruction would rise again to rule the world. What the cultists aimed to do was weaken the forces of those order followers as much as possible, waiting for the return of the God of Destruction, among other nonsensical tasks. As expected, the Williams family secretly engaged in many dirty and dark dealings. From Fang Zheng¡¯s viewpoint, even without the Kingdom of the Holy Church enacting justice, their actions would be enough to get them executed multiple times under his own world¡¯s laws. How did he get reborn into such a person? Thinking about this gave Fang Zheng a massive headache. Everyone else who time-traveled either had deep-seated vengeance or the hidden attributes of a protagonist. Why did he reincarnate as a universally despised cultist? What¡¯s even more frustrating was that upon absorbing Williams¡¯s memories, Fang Zheng helplessly discovered that not only was he already a wanted criminal in the Kingdom of the Holy Church, but he also couldn¡¯t go back to the Doomsday Sect. The reason was simple: according to Williams¡¯s memories, the so-called sect secret treasure had been damaged during his escape! The process of damaging the treasure wasn¡¯t worth mentioning. Facing the Holy Church¡¯s pursuers, Williams intended to stake everything and activate the secret artifact for a mutual wipeout, but whether it was due to incorrect steps or bad luck, the artifact shattered with a ¡°pop¡± while Williams was channeling magic into it, causing him to lose consciousness¡ªbringing Fang Zheng onto the stage. No wonder he was hunted for life! Fang Zheng could imagine if he were found by the Doomsday Sect and couldn¡¯t produce the secret treasure, he would be dead meat. Cults are the same in any world, boasting various tortures that would make one unable to live or die comfortably. Thinking like this, getting caught by the Holy Church might even be better¡ªthey would at least give you a clean death with a single sword stroke¡­ Not only that, through Williams¡¯s memories, Fang Zheng learned that this was a world with a very advanced power system. In this world, not only were there magic and knights but also dragons, undead, and various other monsters and entities. Not to mention deities and divine envoys¡­ Unlike the scammy religions in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, these cults genuinely had backing up top! In comparison, although Fang Zheng had some skills, he believed he was nothing compared to magic and those unbelievably skilled swordsmen. As for this body he had reincarnated into? Ha, Fang Zheng already knew that Williams only had the strength of an Apprentice Knight. The Doomsday Sect he believed in hadn¡¯t provided him any divine blessings. Unless something unexpected happened, any one of those knights Fang Zheng had seen earlier could beat him easily. Fortunately, the world was never short of surprises. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng raised his hand. With his motion, the luxurious, thick book appeared again. Until now, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t carefully inspected the large book that had appeared out of thin air in his hand. It looked as thick as a lexicon, but when held, it was surprisingly as light as a feather. On the pitch-black, heavy cover, a luxurious gemstone that shone with multicolored radiance was embedded at its center, and silvery circles radiated outward from the gemstone, resembling the orbiting paths of planets in the cosmos. Opening the book, Fang Zheng saw that at the top of the page was his own name. In the center was a groove where a beautiful white gemstone was embedded. Cold frost swirled around the gem¡¯s surface, adding a touch of chilliness. At the bottom of the interface were three options: [Summon], [Enhance], and [Teleport]. This was what Fang Zheng had gained after arriving in this world¡ªthe Dimensional Codex! More importantly, this was the game system that Fang Zheng had designed before his rebirth! Looking at the familiar cover, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but twitch his mouth. He had initially only speculated, but now he was sure¡ªthis was the system he developed! This was a new mobile game still under development, named ¡°Dimensional Codex.¡± In it, the player was a young person, with customizable gender and avatar. According to the game¡¯s setting, players would, for some reason, be swept away by time-space turbulence and awaken to find themselves in a brand-new world. There, they would encounter a large book named ¡°Dimensional Codex¡± and begin their new journey. In the game, after obtaining the Dimensional Codex, the player would become a ¡°Dimensional Mage.¡± As the name implies, they traveled between dimensional worlds. They could use the Codex to teleport to various dimensional planes to complete different tasks and earn Dimensional Points. These points could be used to summon soulstones that harbored ¡°the power of a mighty soul from another realm¡± or enhance the power of these soulstones¡¯ attributes. At this moment, what Fang Zheng had equipped was the soulstone he received from his first ¡°newbie summon¡±¡ªthe Lich King Arthas. As the game¡¯s producer, Fang Zheng certainly knew how to use soulstones. There were two ways to use a soulstone. One was simply embedding it in the Dimensional Codex like this, enabling Fang Zheng to receive a permanent buff. This buff would offer Fang Zheng a certain level of enhancement, and unless Fang Zheng used Dimensional Points to enhance the soulstone, he wouldn¡¯t gain new abilities and skills, similar to leveling up in a game. The other way was to fully activate the soulstone¡¯s power. When activated, Fang Zheng could use all the abilities of the existence bound to the soulstone, almost identical to the original. Just like in his battle with those knights earlier, he had used the real strength of the Lich King Arthas, rendering the Holy Church¡¯s knights fragile and laughable. Unfortunately, while the activation mode seemed exhilarating, it had many restrictions. First, it would enter a cooldown period after activation, just like a skill CD. Second, the activation had a limited number of uses. For instance, the [Arthas] soulstone that Fang Zheng summoned could only be activated five times in total, and once those activations were depleted, the [Arthas] soulstone would shatter and vanish. In that case, Fang Zheng would either have to summon a different soulstone or¡­ be left to die. [Executor: Fang Zheng] [Dimensional Points: 0] [Equipped Soulstone: Arthas] [Received Buff: Undying Ruler (Increased undead creature detection by 50%, undead creature damage by 50%, undead creature defense by 50%)] [Strength: E (You are no different from an ordinary person)] [Agility: D (Running faster than others always has its advantages)] [Constitution: E (When a person is killed, they die)] [Perception: D (Perceiving six directions and listening to all sounds is basic for you)] [Charm: D (As long as someone isn¡¯t blind, they¡¯ll notice your external beauty)] [Equipped Skills: None] [Exclusive Task: Curse of Frostmourne] [This magic sword desires to devour souls filled with pain, and your task is to satisfy its craving¡ªFrostmourne is hungry (Requires the holder to obtain no less than 1000 units of Power of the Soul in the next mission world. Success will grant random rewards +1, failure will result in the curse of Frostmourne on the holder. Countdown 24H)] ¡°This is really outrageous¡­¡± Looking at this task prompt, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth. He understood that the Power of the Soul mentioned was probably human souls. To complete this task, he had to kill a thousand people¡­ this wasn¡¯t the same as killing a thousand pigs! Even if a thousand pigs were lined up for him to chop, he wouldn¡¯t finish the job in a day! But to give up on this task? Ha¡­ Fang Zheng had played Warcraft and knew well how terrifying this sword was. The curse of Frostmourne¡­ it would be a miracle if he could survive it. What frustrated Fang Zheng even more was that he had no idea how he managed to draw this item because he remembered clearly that he had only completed the main framework and settings of the system. As for the soulstones and other mission planes, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t finished them, and the programming team hadn¡¯t started on them. So why was he able to summon a soulstone, and it happened to be the Lich King¡¯s? And this teleportation¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Looking at the interface before him, Fang Zheng let out a long sigh. If he could, he really didn¡¯t want to complete this task. After all, no one knew to which world the system would send him. But if he didn¡¯t go, Fang Zheng knew very well that with his current strength, if the Holy Church came for him, he would be captured effortlessly. Fang Zheng had considered hiding in the mission world, but he knew very well that he had set a time limit for staying in each mission world. Not only that, like the soulstones, each time Fang Zheng completed a mission and returned, the teleportation function would enter a cooldown period and only activate after some time. Therefore, Fang Zheng could neither hide forever in the mission world nor avoid the Holy Church and the Doomsday Sect¡¯s pursuit by continually undertaking missions. He had no choice but to enhance his strength. Moreover, Fang Zheng had a premonition that if he didn¡¯t go to the instance now, he might never get away. And his premonitions were always accurate. ¡°Teleport!¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. He clapped the Codex shut with a ¡°snap¡± and murmured to himself. Quickly, the thick Dimensional Codex in his hand dissolved into glowing rings that surrounded Fang Zheng. In the next second, his figure vanished, and the rings dispersed into glimmering particles and disappeared without a trace. ¡°Whoosh¡­ whoosh¡­!¡± Not long after Fang Zheng vanished, a flurry of wing flapping sounds arose. Several pure-white Pegasi descended from the sky, landing at the spot where Fang Zheng had hidden earlier. ¡°My sister, have you found anything?¡± Riding one of the Pegasi, a man dressed similarly to the Silver Knights Fang Zheng had seen before, carefully examined the ground and asked in a low voice. Hearing his question, a female knight on another Pegasus closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t detected any aura, friend. I think the target has already left this place.¡± ¡°Damn cultist¡­¡± Hearing the female knight¡¯s response, the man clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Not only did he kill our comrades, but he also desecrated their bodies and souls! Such actions are utterly unforgivable. In the name of the Goddess of Order, we will not let our comrades die in vain! Justice will prevail!¡± Saying this, the man waved his hand firmly. ¡°Let¡¯s move out, keep searching. That cultist can¡¯t have gone far! He must be nearby, spread out and search!¡± Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Chapter 3: This is an incredibly dark and despairing world Chapter 4: Chapter 3: This is an incredibly dark and despairing world Editor: Exodus Tales For Fang Zheng, the feeling of teleportation was anything but pleasant. In the moment he disappeared, Fang Zheng felt his feet instantly transform into a void beneath him. Then, it was as if he were on an endless slide, rapidly falling downward. He couldn¡¯t even tell if he was actually falling; it felt like countless stars were flickering around him, a dizzying whirl¡ªuntil suddenly, Fang Zheng felt his body soar high into the air. The next moment, gravity mercilessly captured his body once again. ¡°Bang!!¡± Once again crashing heavily to the ground, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but cry out. He felt like his entire body was falling apart, with not a single part left unscathed. Why am I so unlucky, crossing through worlds twice and getting thrown to the ground both times? Is there no justice? ¡°Fang Zheng!!¡± While Fang Zheng was cursing in his heart, he heard a man¡¯s voice next to his ear. Then, he felt someone grab him and pull him up from the ground. He opened his eyes and looked ahead, only to see a man in armor staring him down. ¡°Are you alright? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Although he didn¡¯t know who the man in front of him was, Fang Zheng shook his head and forced himself to wake up before responding. Hearing his reply, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief, then released Fang Zheng and raised the longsword in his hand. ¡°Quick, we need to get out of here! Damn Undead are about to surround us! If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll never get another chance!!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing the man¡¯s words, Fang Zheng looked to the side, only to realize that in the pouring rain, dozens of rotting monsters, like those undead creatures from movies, were approaching them. Not far from them, several soldiers lay dead in pools of blood, no longer breathing. What the hell, this again? Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. System, are you trying to kill me? I just got reborn and was chased; to escape, I switched worlds and now I¡¯m surrounded again? But luckily, this time he wasn¡¯t being attacked by those terrifying Paladins, but by zombies¡­ well, that¡¯s little better. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng swiftly drew Frostmourne and followed the man in front of him, running quickly towards the edge of the wilderness. The undead were not fast, but they were numerous. If Fang Zheng and the man hadn¡¯t run fast, they probably wouldn¡¯t have escaped the encirclement. ¡°Damnable!¡± Not until they were out of the encirclement did the man punch the air in frustration. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there are so many undead creatures near the church! Those poor lads¡­ I can¡¯t even bury them.¡± Sighing, the man glanced at Fang Zheng. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s return to Tristram. These damned undead will attack there. We must protect it!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Hearing the man¡¯s command, Fang Zheng said nothing and just nodded. It seemed that his identity was already arranged by the system in this mission world. But until now, he still hadn¡¯t figured out which world this was. Judging from the man¡¯s attire, it seemed similar to his rebirth in the Main World. The rain poured down harder as Fang Zheng and the man returned to the small town called Tristram, looking like drowned rats. The town gate was tightly closed, and only two militiamen with longbows stood on the watchtowers. As the two of them approached the gate, the guards on the watchtowers immediately drew their bows, aiming at Fang Zheng and the others. ¡°Who are you? What are you here for?!¡± Facing the guards¡¯ inquiry, the man beside Fang Zheng shouted loudly. ¡°It¡¯s me! Rumford! And Fang Zheng! We¡¯ve returned!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Captain Rumford!¡± Hearing the man¡¯s voice, the guards on the watchtower were momentarily stunned and then waved and shouted. ¡°Open the gate! Captain Rumford has returned!¡± With the guards¡¯ shout, the gate slowly opened, and Rumford led Fang Zheng inside. As soon as they entered the town, Fang Zheng sensed the tense atmosphere. Under the torrential rain, the entire town seemed eerie and desolate. Not far from them, in front of a large pit, lay several corpses of militiamen. Seeing these bodies, Rumford frowned deeply. ¡°Why haven¡¯t they been cremated?¡± ¡°The rain is too heavy, Captain!¡± Hearing Rumford¡¯s question, a guard wiped the rain from his face and shouted back. ¡°We can¡¯t light them¡­¡± ¡°Then cover them with a tarp to keep off the rain! Use oil! Do you want to see them rise and drag you into the abyss of death?! Move it!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Following Rumford¡¯s orders, the guard quickly turned and left. Only then did Rumford exhale and looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°Alright, Fang Zheng, you¡¯re lucky to be alive¡­ go rest at the Slaughtered Calf Inn, change your clothes, and get something to eat. Tell the innkeeper it¡¯s on my tab.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain Rumford.¡± Hearing Rumford¡¯s words, Fang Zheng nodded and then turned to leave. He needed some time to think about what kind of world he had arrived in. Rumford¡¯s previous words had conveyed a lot of information, leaving Fang Zheng quite bewildered. He vaguely felt that Tristram seemed familiar, as if he had heard of it somewhere before¡­ Initially, Fang Zheng planned to ask someone for directions to the Slaughtered Calf Inn, but he quickly found that it wasn¡¯t necessary¡ªthis small town had only one inn, and the sign was hanging right over the door. ¡°Ding-a-ling.¡± Opening the inn door and walking into the hall, Fang Zheng was first hit by a pungent smell of medicine. Looking around, he saw several severely wounded soldiers lying against the hall¡¯s walls, moaning in pain. Seeing Fang Zheng, the innkeeper behind the counter waved at him. ¡°Hey, Fang Zheng! Lucky you made it back alive!¡± ¡°Yeah, I got lucky, boss.¡± Responding to the innkeeper¡¯s greeting with a smile, Fang Zheng saw the innkeeper nodding with a cheerful grin. ¡°Indeed, you went with sixteen people, and only you and Captain Rumford made it back alive. That¡¯s quite some luck¡­ Well, enough chit-chat. I¡¯ve prepared dry clothes, hot soup, and bread for you in your room!¡± Fang Zheng was starving since he had been reborn and hadn¡¯t eaten a single meal. Hearing the innkeeper¡¯s words, he hurriedly changed his clothes and then came out to enjoy his dinner. To be fair, the food wasn¡¯t particularly delicious, but when you¡¯re starving, anything tastes good, and Fang Zheng was no exception. Someone else was paying, so he ate heartily, complimenting the innkeeper¡¯s cooking. Living in what appeared to be a medieval-style world, the innkeeper had never heard such praise from a modern person accustomed to information overload, which made him beam with joy. Not only did he serve extra food, but he also waived the bill. At the same time, Fang Zheng finally managed to learn about what had happened from the innkeeper. ¡°You mean¡­ a meteorite?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nodding solemnly at Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, the innkeeper continued. ¡°A meteorite fell from the sky and hit the church, collapsing it completely! Ah, it was terrifying. Then Lia came and called for the militia to find her uncle¡­ I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen¡­¡± ¡°A meteorite?¡± Frowning at this, Fang Zheng seemed to have realized something and looked at the innkeeper. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s Miss Lia¡¯s uncle¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Um¡­ I think it¡¯s¡­ Deckard Cain.¡± Finally, Fang Zheng knew which world he had arrived in. This was a world of unparalleled darkness and despair, where everyone struggled to survive yet could only helplessly accept their fate. Diablo. Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Thankfully, I am not the protagonist Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Thankfully, I am not the protagonist Editor: Exodus Tales Diablo¡ªFang Zheng was, of course, very familiar with this series. Magnificent magic, cult-like images and settings, along with an endless grind, were the impressions most players had of this world. However, any player who delved deeper into this world would know that the world¡­ just seemed thrilling on the surface. In fact, true to its name, this was a dark world, filled with death and destruction, where there was no chance of redemption. The struggles of humanity only ever brought brief periods of tranquility, and these periods were inevitably shattered, just like the sun eventually rises and the snow eventually melts. And more importantly, this was a world very unfriendly to the protagonist. Don¡¯t be fooled by the game where the protagonists seem godlike, defeating every divine and demonic being. In reality, across the three Diablo games, almost none of the protagonists met a good end. The three protagonists in the first Diablo all faced grim fates. The warrior embedded Diablo¡¯s Soulstone into his own forehead, hoping to use his powerful will to suppress Diablo¡¯s evil soul. Unsurprisingly, he was corrupted, fell into darkness, and became a tool for Diablo¡¯s resurrection. The other two fared no better; either turned into evil spirits after death or succumbed to corruption, eventually becoming bosses defeated by the protagonists of the second game. And of course, the successors also met grim fates¡­ killing the Demon King and marrying the princess was just a pipe dream. They either disappeared or were killed. In other worlds, the protagonist halo could save lives, but in this world, it was deadly! For this reason, after figuring out this world, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief¡­ luckily, I¡¯m not the protagonist! If he remembered correctly, he was in the third Diablo game. The storyline at this point was the beginning, where a meteor fell from the sky, destroying Tristram¡¯s Cathedral. Lia, Deckard Cain¡¯s granddaughter, was rallying militia to find her grandfather. Just then, the Nephalem protagonist made a dazzling entrance and embarked on a path of no return¡­ yes, no return. Even though Fang Zheng didn¡¯t remember this part of the story very clearly, he believed that this unfortunate Nephalem would meet a bad end. Even if he defeated Diablo, so what? This world¡¯s hostility towards protagonists was off the charts¡ªeither getting assassinated by old friends, suffering heavy injuries due to rogue magic, or being corrupted by evil forces to become a boss for the next generation of protagonists¡­ No one would want such a cursed protagonist halo. Fang Zheng certainly didn¡¯t. ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡­!!¡± Just as Fang Zheng finished his meat soup, hurried footsteps echoed, and a militia man rushed into the inn. ¡°Fang Zheng! Captain Rumford wants you to go to the gate immediately! Those damned undead have appeared again! We must hold them off!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Upon hearing the militiaman, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t say another word. He quickly stood up and followed the militiaman out of the inn. The rain had stopped, and though some people were around, they mostly appeared tense and uneasy. However, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care about them. He rushed to the gate where Captain Rumford, having changed into new clothes, was commanding the militia to build barricades. Seeing Fang Zheng, Captain Rumford waved. ¡°Quick, Fang Zheng, come help. We just fended off an undead attack¡ªdamn it!¡± Before Rumford could finish, Fang Zheng saw the barricade on the right side get smashed, and several zombies shambled in, their eyes glowing, lurching towards the gate. This sight made the other militiamen tense up; they gripped their weapons tightly, hardly daring to breathe as they stared at the incoming creatures. At that moment, a system notification rang in Fang Zheng¡¯s ear and a message appeared before him. [Scenario Mission Triggered: Guardian] [Dark and evil forces have descended. The flame of civilization is like a candle in the wind, and an apocalyptic trial is coming. All you can do is accept the challenge and face the pitch-black future (Repel the undead attacks and defend the town. Success rewards: +1 Skill, +1 Dimensional Point)] Finally, a mission! Seeing the mission before him, Fang Zheng drew his Frostmourne. But seeing everyone else bracing themselves, he felt puzzled. Fang Zheng only knew this world from the game, its plot, and its settings. He wasn¡¯t familiar with the strength of the in-game creatures. However, he didn¡¯t find these zombies particularly threatening. They were very slow and unlike the mutant zombies in Resident Evil that could evolve. If it were an elite with an aura, it might be a bit worrisome. But as for this group of shambling zombies, did they really warrant such a reaction from a seasoned warrior like Rumford? Although confused, Fang Zheng stayed alert, watching the zombies. He was new to this world, and he realized Rumford and the others knew more. Given their tension, he wouldn¡¯t let his guard down. Better safe than sorry. The zombies were slow but had a clear goal, heading straight for the gate. Even Fang Zheng gripped his longsword, feeling his heartbeat quicken. This would be his first serious battle in another world. He didn¡¯t know what he could achieve. Although he could activate the Lich King¡¯s Soulstone four times, he wouldn¡¯t use it now¡ªthe zombies were low-level monsters in the Dark World. Using the Lich King¡¯s power on them would be overkill. ¡°Charge!!¡± As the zombies entered the attack range, Rumford roared and swung his sword at them. Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, gripped Frostmourne tightly, and slashed at the zombie in front of him. ¡°Bam!!¡± Damn it!! As the sword struck, Fang Zheng was stunned. He finally understood why Rumford, a seasoned warrior, was so wary of these zombies. In a word¡ªtough! These zombies were incredibly tough! Frostmourne, though unpowered, was still a top-notch sword. It had sliced through Silver Knights¡¯ armor like butter. But now, slashing this zombie felt like cutting through a tire! Frostmourne bit into the muscle and got stuck! How could zombies be this tough! But that wasn¡¯t all that shocked Fang Zheng. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The zombies, though slow, weren¡¯t sitting ducks. One growled and lunged at Fang Zheng. He quickly withdrew his sword, shielding himself, but the zombie¡¯s claw struck Frostmourne, sending Fang Zheng flying! ¡°Ugh!!¡± He crashed into the gate, feeling like his body was falling apart. He now understood why these slow zombies had managed to wipe out a militia unit. Besides their speed, they had no real weakness! Watching Nephalem effortlessly cut them down in the game, Fang Zheng had underestimated them, thinking they were easy prey. These zombies might not be as unpredictable as the mutants in Resident Evil, but they were tough and strong, easily Tyrant-class! ¡°Fang Zheng! Get up, don¡¯t let them surround you!!¡± Hearing Captain Rumford¡¯s shout, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, rolled to his feet, and raised Frostmourne to face the zombie again. This time, Fang Zheng was smarter. He didn¡¯t clash head-on with the zombie, having realized that while the zombies in the Dark World were strong and tough, they were also slow. So instead of charging, he waited for the zombie to attack, then sliced off its hands as it raised them. This time, Frostmourne showed its true power. Although the zombie¡¯s arms were tough, Fang Zheng¡¯s full-powered strike severed them. Without its hands, the zombie was as threatening as a toothless tiger. Even as it tried to attack again, Fang Zheng smartly decapitated it. The zombie staggered and collapsed, lifeless. There was a way after all. Seeing the fallen zombie, Fang Zheng sighed in relief. Then he grabbed his weapon and ran towards the other zombies. By now, Rumford and the militia were merely stalling the zombies. Fang Zheng quickly saw why they struggled against them. Their weapons were ineffective! Fang Zheng wielded Frostmourne, which struggled with these zombies, while they had standard issue weapons, even less effective. Fang Zheng saw Rumford hacking at a zombie, making minimal progress with multiple strikes, as if chiseling stone! ¡°Captain Rumford!!¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s call, Rumford glanced his way, spotted the fallen zombie, and his eyes lit up. He nodded to Fang Zheng, stepped forward, and engaged the zombie. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng took advantage of Rumford¡¯s distraction to slip behind the zombie and decapitate it. The militia, experienced as they were, saw Fang Zheng¡¯s weapon¡¯s effectiveness and quickly played the tank role. Together, they soon cleared the zombies. ¡°Whew¡­¡± As the last zombie fell, Fang Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead. He saw the zombies¡¯ bodies emitting white mist, forming ghostly human faces, which then got drawn into Frostmourne. A series of notifications appeared before Fang Zheng. [Power of the Soul +10¡­ Power of the Soul +13¡­ Power of the Soul +12¡­] Done! Seeing the system notifications, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. He¡¯d been worried about completing Frostmourne¡¯s task, but now it seemed manageable. ¡°Ding.¡± As Fang Zheng absorbed the Power of the Soul, another system notification rang, and a message appeared before him. [Scenario Mission ¡°Guardian¡± Progress 1 Completed] [User has received skill rewards] [User has gained +1 Dimensional Point] [Choose a skill] [Frost Strike][Crusader Strike] Choices? Seeing the prompt, Fang Zheng was puzzled. These skills were from Yamaguchi Mountain¡¯s Death Knight and Paladin classes. Death Knight made sense, but Paladin? Then he realized, slapping his forehead. He had Arthas¡¯ Soulstone equipped. Arthas was a Paladin before becoming the Lich King, after all. But¡­ which one to choose? Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Chapter 5: This is the Top Graphics Quality Skill Effect! Chapter 6: Chapter 5: This is the Top Graphics Quality Skill Effect! Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Choose Crusader Strike.¡± Although Fang Zheng really wanted to choose Frost Strike, after some careful consideration, he finally went with Crusader Strike. The reason was simple; he could imagine that the people in the main world must have already discovered the bodies of the knights he had taken down. While Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t sure how much they could glean from those corpses, it was certain they would obtain some intel. If he learned Frost Strike, it would easily draw the knights¡¯ attention. After all, Death Knights and the Lich King came from the same school. If anyone with half a brain watched Fang Zheng in battle a few times, they would immediately see the connection between the two. Rather than handing over the evidence to the paladins of the main world on a silver platter, it was better to mislead them. At least a person using sacred power wouldn¡¯t be thought of as related to the Lich King, the undead monarch. ¡°Ding!¡± No sooner had Fang Zheng spoken than he heard a light ring in his ear. Then, a wave of dizziness overcame him, followed by the sudden appearance of previously unknown data in his mind. Shortly after, a line of system prompts appeared before him again. [Crusader Strike Learned] [Possessed Skill: Crusader Strike] [Proficiency Level: D (Beginner)] [Upgradeable] Upgrade? Seeing this, Fang Zheng paused for a moment. He opened the interface and saw a gray progress bar under the Crusader Strike skill, divided into five segments. Fang Zheng reached out and tapped it, and soon another prompt appeared before his eyes. [Use dimensional points to enhance proficiency level?] ¡°No.¡± Looking at the system prompt, Fang Zheng decisively chose not to upgrade. As the designer of the system, Fang Zheng certainly knew what it was. Dimensional points were extremely precious. According to Fang Zheng¡¯s previous design, ten dimensional points could summon a Soulstone. The Dimensional Codex Fang Zheng held was basically a mobile game system that couldn¡¯t use top-up currency. Common sense also dictated that since he couldn¡¯t use real money, the stones that could be used for summoning should be saved and not wasted. This was the self-discipline of a non-paying player. After doing all this, Fang Zheng closed the system and looked around again. Although it seemed like he had been thinking for a long time, less than half a minute had actually passed. At this moment, the militia were starting to deal with the undead around them, preparing for the next battle. The earlier victory had lifted their previously low spirits a little, but each person¡¯s face was still clouded with worry. However, to Fang Zheng, this was entirely normal. Almost everywhere outside was crawling with undead creatures. Compared to that, Tristram¡¯s manpower was pitifully insufficient. Depending on the town¡¯s defenses, they might be able to avoid destruction for a while, but if the undead joined forces, Tristram would undoubtedly fall. What they were doing now was ultimately a futile struggle. ¡°Thud, thud, thud¡­¡± At that moment, a series of heavy footsteps sounded. Hearing this, the militia quickly stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the noise. Soon, a figure appeared before them. She wore heavy white armor and carried a longsword and shield. From this classic look, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even need to guess her true identity. The Holy Church Army! The Nephalem made a stunning entrance! Under Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, the Holy Church member walked right up to Captain Rumford, put down her shield, and nodded to him. ¡°I am a Holy Church Crusader devoted to Sacrumm. I saw a meteorite fall into this town.¡± ¡°Crusader?¡± Hearing the name, Captain Rumford seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He shrugged his shoulders and spoke. ¡°It crashed through the roof of the old church. There was only one survivor¡ªLia. You should talk to her¡­¡± But before Captain Rumford could finish, one of the militia let out a loud scream. ¡°Captain, they¡¯re coming again!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing the militiaman¡¯s words, Captain Rumford was taken aback, and Fang Zheng quickly turned his head to look aside. Under their watchful eyes, the ground gradually swelled. Then, several grayish-white undead crawled out and staggered toward them. ¡°Damn!¡± Seeing this, Captain Rumford frowned and rushed forward. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with this wave of undead first; then I¡¯ll let you in. Everyone, let¡¯s go!¡± Hearing Captain Rumford¡¯s orders, Fang Zheng gripped Frostmourne again. This time, however, he looked at the undead with eager eyes. Now that he had learned Crusader Strike, could he not handle these zombies? Thinking this, Fang Zheng charged at one of the undead, raising Frostmourne high and swinging down forcefully. Crusader Strike! As the skill activated, Fang Zheng saw a brilliant golden radiance appear on Frostmourne¡¯s blade. He struck the undead with the longsword. At the same moment that Frostmourne hit the undead, Fang Zheng clearly felt a burst of holy power attach itself to Frostmourne, erupting instantly! ¡°Boom!!¡± Fang Zheng almost felt like he was holding a giant hammer instead of a longsword. The undead struck by Fang Zheng¡¯s blow exploded from the holy power. Fang Zheng even saw cracks appear on its previously tough body, with golden light shining from the fissures. The next moment, a holy cross emblem appeared on the undead¡¯s body. With a wail, the undead was sent flying and burst into fragments upon hitting the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The whole process took less than five seconds, but Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. This is Crusader Strike? This dazzling special effect, this brilliant flash¡ªyou tell me this is a basic attack skill? Is this the visual effect set at top-tier quality? Did Arthas train with a Royal Limited Edition Crusader Strike? This doesn¡¯t seem right. Fang Zheng took down an undead with one Crusader Strike, but he also managed to draw the aggro of the other undead. Soon, several undead abandoned their original targets and staggered towards him. Although these undead didn¡¯t seem very threatening individually, their numbers made them a significant nuisance. But Fang Zheng was no longer his former self. Upon mastering Crusader Strike, a series of combat technique knowledge had also emerged in his mind. He chose not to retreat. Instead, he seized a gap before the surrounding zombies could fully form, raised Frostmourne high, and charged at one of them! The dazzling holy radiance appeared on Frostmourne again. This time, Fang Zheng could even feel Frostmourne¡¯s displeasure and frustration through the hilt. It was no wonder; it was meant to be a scourge¡¯s divine artifact and was being used against undead creatures¡ªin itself an irony. On top of it, you use Holy Light? Now Frostmourne gave off a clear sense of a beautiful woman forced into rogues¡¯ company. But Fang Zheng obviously didn¡¯t have the time to appease a sword right now. He focused on an undead ahead, slicing down once more and sending it flying. He immediately rolled to dodge the attacks of two other undead from behind. Then, gripping his longsword tightly, he swung it fiercely backward. A swath of golden light swept out and sent the two approaching undead flying. Just as Fang Zheng took a breath and prepared to continue fighting, a shout of ¡°For Sacrumm!¡± pierced the air. The next moment, Fang Zheng saw the Holy Church Crusader, with her shield raised, charging into the battlefield! Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Sure Enough, You Cant Make a FLAG Lightly Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Sure Enough, You Can¡¯t Make a FLAG Lightly Editor: Exodus Tales The difference between the Nephalem and ordinary people became immediately apparent at this moment. The undead that Captain Rumford needed several strikes to wound couldn¡¯t even survive a single round under the Meteor Hammer of this Holy Church Army girl. Fang Zheng watched as she casually swung the hammer forward, and those undead were sent flying like leaves in the autumn wind, effortlessly scattered! If it were before, Fang Zheng would have just shrugged upon seeing such a scene reminiscent of the game, not taking it to heart. But after experiencing the persistent nuisance of these undead himself, Fang Zheng finally had a direct understanding of the abnormal existence of the Nephalem. Even if Fang Zheng defeated these undead, it was entirely reliant on the Power of the Holy Light from the Crusader Strike. But this Nephalem was relying solely on her own strength. With one swing of the hammer, the luckier undead were sent flying, and the unlucky ones were left as mere bones. Fang Zheng marveled at this, now having a direct understanding of the power of the Nephalem. Wait¡­ What am I doing watching here? Damn it, I have a task to complete! Watching the Holy Church Army girl once again sweep away the undead, Fang Zheng was stunned, finally remembering that he wasn¡¯t here just to enjoy the show! Frostmourne is still hungry! With this thought, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hesitate, gripping his weapon tightly and rushed forward. Compared to the ¡°tutorial level¡± in the game, the number of undead Fang Zheng and his team encountered was obviously greater. Aside from the first wave of undead crawling out from the ground, several more waves of undead attacks followed. Their numbers increased to the point that it was challenging for even Fang Zheng and the Holy Church Army girl to hold them off together, and the militia suffered heavy casualties. Except for Captain Rumford, who was still holding on, the other militiamen were either dead or wounded and wouldn¡¯t last much longer. This situation is bad! After cutting down another undead, Fang Zheng took a breath, looking around. He could only see the firelight from the gate of Tristram Village, with darkness shrouding the surroundings. He could only hear the low growls of the undead and the occasional flashes of radiance. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ this damn¡­ there are just too many of them.¡± Gripping Frostmourne, staring at the staggering undead emerging from the darkness, Fang Zheng panted heavily. He couldn¡¯t remember how many undead he had killed, just that for every one he cut down, two more emerged. For every two he killed, four more appeared. It felt endless, as if no matter how many he killed, they kept coming. Is this the true Dark World¡­? It was only at this moment that Fang Zheng felt a trace of fear. When playing the game, he had only felt the endless grind, wondering why humanity was so pitiful in the Dark World. But now, Fang Zheng understood that the game and reality were different. Humans in the Dark World being pushed to near extinction had its reasons. ¡°Argh¡ª!¡± Seeing the staggering undead lunging at him, Fang Zheng gripped Frostmourne, let out a roar, and swung forward. Accompanied by a flash of Holy Light, the undead was instantly split in half, falling to the ground. But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, just as the undead fell, its upper body suddenly jumped, and its hands quickly crawled on the ground toward him! ¡°Damn!!¡± Seeing this sudden scene, Fang Zheng was startled. Almost instinctively, he lifted Frostmourne and thrust downward with force. The sharp blade pierced through the undead¡¯s body with a swish, as tendrils of soul mist emerged from the undead and were absorbed into Frostmourne¡¯s blade. The remaining twitching body of the undead then fell lifeless as if it had lost its energy supply. ¡°235¡­?¡± Glancing at the system prompt showing the Power of the Soul value in front of him, Fang Zheng took a breath. This endless grind wasn¡¯t what he wanted, but regardless, the task of Frostmourne absorbing souls seemed achievable now. In the Dark World, there was no shortage of creatures, and Fang Zheng believed Frostmourne also greatly enjoyed these evil souls. ¡°Uuu¡ª!¡± Just then, from the distant forest came a strange sound. It sounded like a woman¡¯s wailing or a drunk person retching. Hearing this noise, the faces of Captain Rumford and the Holy Church Army girl instantly changed. Mother of Corpses! ¡°No wonder these damn things keep coming!¡± Fang Zheng finally realized that the Mother of Corpses was a creature transformed from the Queen¡¯s maid. Its distinguishing feature was the ability to create more undead. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t understand the exact mechanism, but he knew the process involved vomiting, and then the undead would crawl out of the mess¡­ The mere thought of it made his stomach turn. ¡°We must kill the Mother of Corpses!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Hearing Captain Rumford¡¯s voice, Fang Zheng responded without looking back, gripping Frostmourne as he rushed into the forest. Fang Zheng was pushing himself not only to eliminate the threat but also because, at the moment Captain Rumford spoke, Fang Zheng received a system prompt. [Scene task triggered: Guardian II] [You have detected the root of evil and found its trail. Now, you must use your blade to end it all (eliminate the Mother of Corpses, Dimensional Points +1)] Though Fang Zheng was fast, the Holy Church Army girl wasn¡¯t slow either. As Fang Zheng entered the forest, he saw the girl nearby flash with golden light, shocking him as she dashed deeper into the woods like a cannonball. ¡°Boom¡ª!¡± The radiant Holy Church Army girl streaked through the darkness like a meteor, crushing everything in her path with tremendous force. Fang Zheng then saw a figure appear before the girl, and she slammed her shield into its face without hesitation. ¡°Bang!!¡± The unfortunate Mother of Corpses was sent spinning and flying by the impact, but the Holy Church Army girl couldn¡¯t continue her attack, as several undead staggered in front of her, blocking her way. Perfect opportunity! Seeing the Holy Church Army girl being held back, Fang Zheng sighed with relief. If the Mother of Corpses got its head smashed by her Meteor Hammer, he would fail the scene task. Now, with the Holy Church Army girl stopped, even briefly, it was enough for Fang Zheng! Nice job! Sneaking a praise for the Mother of Corpses in his heart, Fang Zheng gripped Frostmourne and ran down the path opened by the Holy Church Army girl toward the forest¡¯s depths. Soon, he saw the unlucky Mother of Corpses. It was crawling on the ground, seemingly unable to even stand. Perfect opportunity! Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up. Glancing aside, he saw the Holy Church Army girl still entangled with the undead and unable to intervene. If he hurried, he would claim this kill! With that thought, Fang Zheng sprinted forward without hesitation, lifting Frostmourne high and slashing down at the Mother of Corpses! Crusader Strike! Just as Fang Zheng swung his longsword, the crawling Mother of Corpses suddenly lifted its head, glaring at him and opening its mouth. With a ¡°ugh,¡± Fang Zheng saw a mass of foul-smelling filth spewing toward him! Oh no! Fang Zheng was taken aback, instantly canceling his skill and rolling aside. With a soft ¡°plop,¡± the foul mess hit the ground near him. By the weak light, Fang Zheng could see the dark green, bubbling muck, even making the surrounding ground sizzle and sink. It was clear that getting hit by this wouldn¡¯t end well. Trying to ambush me? Now Fang Zheng was furious. The Mother of Corpses, half-dead from the Holy Church Army girl¡¯s attacks, dared to ambush him? Did it think he was easy prey? He lifted Frostmourne again, glaring at the Mother of Corpses, which stared back viciously. As Fang Zheng approached, it opened its mouth, ready to scream. ¡°¡ª¡ª!¡± But this time, before it could make a sound, Fang Zheng thrust his sword into its mouth. Crusader Strike! The Holy Light burst forth, and in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, the Mother of Corpses¡¯ head started to crack, fissures appearing on its skin with radiant Holy Light shining through, growing brighter. With a ¡°bang,¡± the Mother of Corpses¡¯ body exploded, disintegrating into ash in the white Holy Fire. At the same time, Fang Zheng heard the system prompt again, with lines of information appearing before him. [Scene task ¡°Guardian¡± progress II completed] [User gains Dimensional Points +1] [Gains 70 points of Soul Power] [Crusader Strike skill proficiency level increased to C-level] [Crusader Strike upgraded to an area skill] ¡°As expected¡­¡± Seeing this information, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes and opened his skill tab, seeing that one-fifth of the Crusader Strike progress bar was now orange. Fang Zheng was speechless. He had set up the system so that skills would gradually strengthen with increased proficiency to attract newcomers and high-level players into topping-up. After all, Dimensional Points could only be earned or bought. Though skills might become more powerful with increased proficiency, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t have enough Dimensional Points, while top-up players would simply pay for them. This was the shameless stance of mobile games, and Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t believe he had become a victim. Indeed, it seemed that one couldn¡¯t escape fate. Fortunately, this task was relatively easy. Just killing a Mother of Corpses earned him a Dimensional Point. If future tasks were this simple, then¡­ ¡°Ding.¡± Before Fang Zheng could finish his thoughts, he heard the system prompt again, with another line of information appearing before him. [Scene task triggered: Guardian III] [Looking at the corpses before you, you deeply realize that the darkness ahead is not as simple as you imagined. You feel the irreversible wheel of fate rolling, and all you can do is use your utmost power to change everything (alter the predetermined fate, complete the task for a random reward, Dimensional Points +3, failure will lock the task world, countdown 48:00)] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Seeing this task prompt, Fang Zheng was left speechless. He now had only one thought: Never set a FLAG casually! Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Chapter 7: This is the Key to Changing Fate Chapter 8: Chapter 7: This is the Key to Changing Fate Editor: Exodus Tales With the death of the Mother of Corpses, the assault of the undead on Tristram finally came to an end. When Fang Zheng dragged his exhausted body back to the town gate with the Holy Church Army, the only living people welcoming them were Captain Rumford and two archers. ¡°Well done, kid.¡± Looking at Fang Zheng, Captain Rumford revealed a comforting smile. He reached out and patted Fang Zheng¡¯s shoulder forcefully, then turned to the Holy Church Army beside him. ¡°Thank you for your help. Now you can go in. Lia is at the Slaughtered Calf Inn. Fang Zheng can take you there¡­ What¡¯s wrong, kid?¡± ¡°Nothing, Captain Rumford.¡± Hearing Rumford¡¯s concerned inquiry, Fang Zheng shrugged gloomily and then spoke. He now deeply regretted his earlier thoughts; he had initially believed that although the missions issued by the system were somewhat troublesome and dangerous, at least the objectives were clear. But what Fang Zheng did not expect was that the third phase of the ¡°Guardian¡± mission was such a pain! Change fate! The thought of the mission requirement made Fang Zheng extremely frustrated. These system-generated tasks were all random, and he had no impression of them. Moreover, the mission prompt did not provide any clues, only asking him to change the predetermined fate. As for the specific contents, there was no explanation at all. Furthermore, the system specifically reminded that if this mission failed, it would forcefully exit the mission world, and it even ¡°considerately¡± included a countdown. So now, Fang Zheng had only forty-eight hours to change this so-called ¡°fate¡±¡­ Originally, Fang Zheng planned to stick around with the Nephalem for some grinding. Now it seemed, that wasn¡¯t possible at all. ¡°Please follow me.¡± Thinking about this, Fang Zheng forced his spirits, nodded to the Holy Church Army beside him, and then stepped into the town. The two did not speak much along the way. If there had been time, Fang Zheng would have liked to see what the ¡°official¡± Nephalem was like. But now he had no mood to waste time; the third phase of the mission only gave him forty-eight hours, and Fang Zheng had no clue about this fate at all. This was also because Fang Zheng truly could not remember the plot of Diablo 3 very well. But this was understandable; when you immerse yourself in Grit Rifts every day, the plot of Diablo really doesn¡¯t matter to the players at all. Before anything else, getting a set was most important¡­ When Fang Zheng brought the Holy Church Army to the Slaughtered Calf Inn, he immediately saw Lia at the counter, looking worried. The short-haired girl was sitting on a chair, talking softly to the innkeeper. Seeing Fang Zheng push the door open and come in, the innkeeper immediately interrupted his conversation with Lia and greeted him warmly. ¡°Kid! You saved us again! Here, this drink is on me¡­ Who is this young lady?¡± Hearing the innkeeper¡¯s inquiry, the Holy Church Army beside Fang Zheng stepped forward. She reached out and took off her helmet, revealing a face full of heroic spirit, her long, golden hair tied into a ponytail draped over her shoulder. She first smiled gently at the innkeeper, then looked at Lia. ¡°Hello, Miss Lia. I am Erebeth from the Holy Church Army, a follower of Sacrumm¡­¡± Son of a¡­! Hearing this at the counter, Fang Zheng almost spilled his drink. He turned to look at the Holy Church Army in front of him, shocked and uncertain¡ªthis Nephalem, both her hairstyle and name were unlucky! I can already see the ending, can¡¯t I? Never mind anything else, Fang Zheng thought it would be best if this Holy Church Army lady first changed her name and hairstyle. That way, his mission might be easily completed¡­ Just kidding. Could it be Lia, then? Thinking this, Fang Zheng looked again at the young girl. He certainly knew that within this girl hid an Evil God, and the Evil God would eventually resurrect using her body. Logically, if Fang Zheng directly killed her now, it would count as changing fate. But¡­ was that possible? Let¡¯s not mention that Lia herself was a combat professional; the power of the Evil God within her was equally terrifying. Even if Fang Zheng attacked unexpectedly, he would not deceive the eyes of the Evil God. If forced into a corner, Fang Zheng would not stand a chance. So this thought only turned in his mind once before he immediately set it down. At this moment, Erebeth had already started asking Lia about the meteorite that fell from the sky, and Lia, as in the game, explained it to Nephalem, requesting her to find her uncle¡­ Deckard Cain¡­ Huh? Hearing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. Right, how could he forget such an important person¡ªDeckard Cain! If Fang Zheng remembered correctly, Deckard Cain was threatened by the cult leader Magda to repair the broken Holy Sword of the Angel Tyrell. However, Cain swore not to comply, and Magda¡¯s subordinates severely injured him. After that, Lia unleashed her power and drove away Magda¡¯s group. In the end, Cain used his last bit of strength to repair the Holy Sword but died from exhaustion. At that time, the Nephalem left Tristram in search of the third shard of the Holy Sword! Then, if Fang Zheng found the third shard of the Holy Sword in advance, wouldn¡¯t that prevent the Nephalem from leaving Tristram? Wouldn¡¯t that change fate? Thinking of this, Fang Zheng felt this was the key to changing fate! With his current strength, it was out of the question to save the Nephalem or kill Diablo. He was just a militiaman. Even if he mastered Crusader Strike, Fang Zheng did not believe he was more capable than the Nephalem. So, excluding the difficult options, what he could accomplish now was to retrieve the third shard of the Holy Sword in advance, allowing Cain to repair the sword early. Tyrell, who had lost his memory, would not be captured by Magda, saving the trouble of rescuing him from dungeons repeatedly, and Cain would survive. Wouldn¡¯t that be great? Even if Cain somehow died later, preventing Tyrell¡¯s capture and restoring his memory in advance would still count as changing fate! Thinking of this, Fang Zheng made a decision immediately. There was no need to worry about the meteorite since the protagonist Nephalem was there. Besides, the mission had a time limit, indicating the plot would occur nearby. If Fang Zheng had to go to Supreme Heaven to change fate, he would probably run out of time before getting there. ¡°Then I will set out immediately.¡± At this moment, the dangerously clad and named Holy Church Army had finished talking to Lia. She stood up, wore her helmet again, and looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°Will you come with me?¡± ¡°No, I have more important tasks.¡± Though gaining the protagonist¡¯s favor was good, Fang Zheng had no time for this now. So, he shook his head and declined Nephalem¡¯s invitation. Nephalem did not say much, just nodded slightly before hurriedly turning and leaving. After watching Nephalem leave, Fang Zheng also walked out of the inn. He originally wanted to chat more with Lia, but unfortunately, she seemed in no mood to talk because he had refused Nephalem¡¯s request, making her dissatisfied. So the girl just glanced at Fang Zheng without a word and went back to her room. But Fang Zheng did not mind; if he accidentally provoked Diablo to come out, it would be his misfortune. Thinking this, Fang Zheng did not say much and left the inn. He then found Captain Rumford and requested to go to Watson. ¡°Go to Watson?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s request, Captain Rumford was evidently surprised. ¡°What are you going to Watson for?¡± ¡°I got some information that some shards of the meteorite might have fallen towards Watson. So I want to see if I can find any clues to unravel the meteorite¡¯s secrets.¡± What Fang Zheng said made perfect sense, so Rumford didn¡¯t hesitate for long and nodded to agree to his request. ¡°Alright, I will inform the boatman to prepare a boat. But you just came through a fierce battle. Don¡¯t you want to rest a bit before leaving?¡± ¡°No need. I can rest on the way.¡± Since the mission countdown had already started, there was no time to waste on a bed. ¡°Alright then.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s urgency, Captain Rumford did not say more. He nodded and took Fang Zheng to the pier, spoke briefly with the boatman, who then took Fang Zheng aboard, and headed towards Watson downstream. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Your acting skills are terrible, go home and practice more Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Your acting skills are terrible, go home and practice more Editor: Exodus Tales From Tristram to Watson, the journey took even longer than Fang Zheng had imagined. When he was awakened by the boatman and stepped onto Watson¡¯s pier, five hours had already passed. Did I just waste five hours? Watching the boatman¡¯s figure fade into the distance, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow. He hadn¡¯t expected Watson to be so far from Tristram, and it was a one-way trip¡ªthe boatman had told him that he was responsible for transport only one way. Originally, Fang Zheng was puzzled, but then he realized that there was a teleportation array under the small chapel in Watson; that thing was much faster than any boat. Forget it, let¡¯s find the fragment first. With that thought, Fang Zheng stepped towards the small town of Watson. At this time, Watson had not yet faced the attacks from cultists as it did in the game. People still lived in peaceful and tranquil times. Occasionally, he could see passing fishing boats and children playing in the fields. Seeing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit melancholic. He could imagine that once the cultists attacked, almost nothing here could remain intact. Unfortunately, Fang Zheng was no better than a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, unable to protect himself. He now only hoped he could quickly take away the fragment. Maybe then the cultists would have no reason to attack Watson and might divert their attention, preserving the peace of this small village. Fang Zheng, being a stranger, did not attract much attention in the town, probably because most people were busy with work. The whole town looked calm and serene. Fang Zheng had no intention of causing any disturbance and quickly found the church in the town, knocking on its door. Soon, a man dressed as a priest came out of the church, curiously looking at Fang Zheng. ¡°Hello, stranger, may I ask why you have come to Watson?¡± ¡°Hello, Priest.¡± Looking at the priest, Fang Zheng nodded and then pulled out Captain Rumford¡¯s letter from his pocket and handed it over. ¡°I am a militiaman from Tristram. Previously, a meteorite fell there, and I heard some fragments landed in Watson, so I came to see if there are any clues.¡± ¡°A meteorite?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the priest froze for a moment, then nodded as if suddenly understanding. ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about; coincidentally, we did find something quite peculiar. Please, follow me¡­¡± Saying this, the priest stepped aside, motioning Fang Zheng to enter. Listening to the priest, Fang Zheng looked at him meaningfully, then walked into the church. The entire church was dimly lit, with only the faint light of candles barely illuminating the surroundings. ¡°What exactly is it?¡± As Fang Zheng walked deeper into the church, he casually asked. At that moment, there was a creaking sound as the church doors closed behind him. Then, the priest¡¯s voice came again. ¡°Oh, a fisherman caught it while fishing. It occasionally emits a very strange power. The fisherman didn¡¯t know what it was and brought it to the church. I intended to store it, not expecting it to be related to the meteorite¡­¡± While speaking, the priest fixed his gaze on Fang Zheng¡¯s back. Then, he reached into his pocket, silently pulling out a dagger. Fang Zheng seemed unaware, curiously looking around and casually asking. ¡°Where is the fragment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over there¡­¡± As he spoke, the priest quickened his pace quietly, moving behind Fang Zheng. He gripped the dagger tightly and aimed it at Fang Zheng, stabbing with force! At the same time, a glint of cold light flashed! ¡°Splurt!¡± ¡°How is this¡­ possible¡­¡± The priest¡¯s eyes widened in shock, staring at the icy blade embedded in his body. The chill of Frostmourne spread rapidly, even making him feel a fear that seemed to freeze his very soul. ¡°How did you¡­ discover¡­¡± ¡°Your acting is terrible; go home and practice.¡± Looking at the stunned priest, Fang Zheng sneered. In fact, Fang Zheng had sensed something off about the priest as soon as they met. The priest¡¯s eyes were filled with worry at first, then anxiety when he heard Fang Zheng¡¯s purpose. The most suspicious part was the priest¡¯s cursory glance at Captain Rumford¡¯s letter; he merely skimmed it before hastily allowing Fang Zheng into the church. Fang Zheng had always been good at reading people, which helped him gather information, and now he used this skill to judge that something was wrong. Even more confirming was that the priest walked behind him instead of leading him once inside the church. Normally, if the fragment was hidden, the priest would guide the way. Instead, he fell behind under the pretext of closing the door. This raised alarms for Fang Zheng. Most importantly, when the priest moved to attack, Fang Zheng clearly heard his breath grow heavier¡ªa natural human reaction, indicating excitement or nervousness. Therefore, without hesitation, Fang Zheng summoned Frostmourne and swung it toward his rear. The fact proved Fang Zheng¡¯s judgment right. This priest was indeed a cultist! With a scream, the cultist¡¯s soul was forcefully extracted from his body and absorbed into Frostmourne. At the same time, a line of information appeared before Fang Zheng. [Power of the Soul +45] Indeed, the souls of the living are stronger than those of the undead. Seeing the system notification, Fang Zheng curled his lip, then sheathed Frostmourne and began searching for the Holy Sword fragment. Since this priest was a cultist, Magda likely already knew about the fragment. Reflecting on the situation, it seemed likely that the delay was intentional to lead the Nephalem in circles! Probably, in the game, by the time the Nephalem reached Watson, Magda had already taken the fragment! The more Fang Zheng thought about it, the more it seemed plausible. Why else, in the game, did the Nephalem find only Magda¡¯s illusion waiting in the cellar, calmly as if expecting him? It was obviously a trap! ¡°As expected, it¡¯s not here.¡± After thoroughly checking the church, Fang Zheng found nothing. However, this did not make him anxious; instead, it confirmed his judgment that the fragment was always hidden in the cellar, not moved there from the church. The cultist probably believed his plan was foolproof, but little did he know Fang Zheng already knew the cellars¡¯ location from the game. After finding nothing in the church, Fang Zheng left through the backdoor and headed straight to the cellar. Although it was locked, Fang Zheng, keeping his guard up and wary of the cultists appearing at any moment, sliced the cellar door open with his sword and walked inside. The cellar looked much like it did in the game. Walking through the corridor, Fang Zheng soon reached the central platform, where he saw the sword hilt emitting a soft radiance. This was the fragment of the Holy Sword! Fortunately, it was still here! Seeing the fragment, Fang Zheng finally felt relieved. He approached the platform and carefully examined the surroundings. Finding no traps, he reached out, took the hilt, and placed it in his pocket. Only then did Fang Zheng feel truly at ease. ¡°Alright, everything¡¯s settled. Now to return to Tristram¡­¡± ¡°Whoosh!!¡± But before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind the platform. Several figures in yellow robes, clearly cultists, emerged from the light. They looked at Fang Zheng and froze for a moment, and Fang Zheng, seeing the sudden appearance of cultists, was momentarily stunned. Quickly, he realized what had happened. These cultists had teleported here using a teleportation array! Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Am I Walking into a Trap? Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Am I Walking into a Trap? Editor: Exodus Tales This unexpected encounter left both sides momentarily stunned. Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t expected these cultists to appear in this cellar via teleportation array. After all, in the game, players arrived in Tristram to find it already engulfed in flames with cultists everywhere. Hence, it was natural to assume that the cultists had invaded Tristram. But now, thinking carefully, if Tristram¡¯s priest was indeed a cultist, then it¡¯s not surprising that this teleportation array would connect to Magda¡¯s lair. The cultists, on the other hand, clearly did not expect to encounter Fang Zheng in this secret cellar. Judging from his attire, he seemed like a militiaman, but how could an ordinary militiaman get in here? Could it be that he was also one of their companions? ¡°You¡­¡± The leading cultist looked at Fang Zheng, just about to say something, when Fang Zheng swiftly dashed forward, gripping Frostmourne tightly in both hands and swinging hard! Strike first and gain the upper hand; act late and face consequences! There were more than a dozen cultists who teleported over this time, possibly their vanguard. Fang Zheng had no time to escape now, so he might as well seize the opportunity to catch them off guard! Crusader Strike! As Fang Zheng swung his sword, Frostmourne trembled again, a dazzling Holy Light erupting like a flashbang and illuminating the dark cellar in front of him. This caused the newly arrived cultists, who hadn¡¯t yet understood the situation, to instinctively raise their hands to shield their faces. This time, the Crusader Strike, upgraded by one proficiency level, unleashed power that Fang Zheng had never imagined. As Fang Zheng swung his sword, several cross-shaped holy symbols suddenly appeared around the blade, shooting out like heavy hammers, slamming into the cultists. The symbols then flashed and exploded, blasting the cultists back against the walls, where they slumped down, motionless. This effective? Seeing this, Fang Zheng was astonished. He hadn¡¯t expected the Crusader Strike to become such a powerful area-of-effect skill upon upgrading. It was almost comparable to the skills of the Nephalem in the Dark World¡­ But thinking carefully, both were from the same company, so it¡¯s not surprising to see such changes. Could it be because it¡¯s in the Dark World that the Crusader Strike skill transformed like this? Whatever the reason, this was clearly a welcome change for Fang Zheng. That thought flashed through his mind and quickly vanished. He then tightened his grip on his longsword, absorbing the remnants of the golden light particles from the exploded crosses into Frostmourne, and aimed his thrust at the cultist leader. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The blade, glowing with Holy Light, pierced through the cultist leader¡¯s chest. He let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. Fang Zheng then swung his sword again, taking down two more enemies. But just as he planned to continue his assault, a dark figure appeared before him. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± A pitch-black, ferocious Hellhound suddenly emerged, roaring as it lunged at Fang Zheng. Forced to fend off the Hellhound¡¯s attack, Fang Zheng pushed it back with a sword strike and turned his attention forward again. The other cultists had also risen by now, raising their hands to summon their demonic minions. Soon, black holes appeared in front of them, from which various demonic creatures emerged, standing between Fang Zheng and the cultists. These cultists are quite capable. Seeing them recover so quickly, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but sigh internally, elevating the threat level of cultists in this world considerably. In his previous battles with the undead, Fang Zheng had already discovered that the combat power in the real Dark World was vastly different from the game. Simply put, the game experience of a paying player and a non-paying player is worlds apart! The soft and harmless undead in the game possessed Tyrant-Class strength and defense in reality. These cultists, who should have been easily bullied, had combat skills rivaling top-tier warriors. Is it possible that I¡¯m playing on nightmare difficulty? The fight proved that these cultists were no pushovers. After forming a defensive wall using their summoned demon creatures, they raised their hands and started chanting. Instantly, fireballs shot from their hands toward Fang Zheng. This is bad! Seeing the fiery red fireballs, Fang Zheng quickly rolled to the side, taking cover behind the platform. Explosions echoed as the platform shook violently, hot air whistling past him. He watched as countless fire sparks scattered, igniting the surrounding tables, chairs, and cabinets. Soon, the entire cellar was ablaze. Smoke rolled, heat surged, and all that could be seen was wavering crimson. ¡°Damn, why do cultists always like to set fires?¡± Enduring the thick smoke, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but grumble under his breath. The entire basement was a sea of flames, with the exit completely blocked. Fang Zheng was now trapped between cultists in front and a raging inferno behind. Apart from Frostmourne, he had no useful equipment or items. He hadn¡¯t picked up anything good while fighting the undead earlier and was still wearing a militia outfit. If the fire continued, he was dead for sure! No choice but to fight! With that thought, Fang Zheng acted decisively. The cultists might have a way to survive in such an environment, but he didn¡¯t. Grabbing a stone fragment, he hurled it at the cultists¡¯ direction with all his might. ¡°Clang!¡± The stone hit something with a loud noise, drawing the cultists¡¯ and their summoned demons¡¯ attention. Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s heart stirred. This is the moment!! As the cultists turned to the noise, Fang Zheng leapt over the platform, rushing toward his enemy, Frostmourne in hand, turning himself into a storm as he charged. Once again, Holy Light flashed. With a ¡°boom,¡± the demon creatures blocking Fang Zheng¡¯s path were blasted away. Seizing the opportunity, Fang Zheng lunged forward, thrusting Frostmourne into the heart of a cultist behind a demon creature. He didn¡¯t possess the Holy Church Army¡¯s ability to turn into a human cannonball, so he had to resort to this method. ¡°Kill him!!¡± At that moment, Fang Zheng heard the cultists¡¯ furious roars. Rolling to the side, he felt a burning sensation graze his back. With a ¡°bang¡± and a series of explosions, the cultist previously impaled by Fang Zheng was hit by a flying fireball, exploding into pieces. The blast sent Fang Zheng rolling backward uncontrollably. Unbelievably unlucky! In pain, Fang Zheng felt his entire body burning. His shoulder felt numb as if a chunk was missing, and he had no strength left in his hands. Frustrated, he thought about his misfortunes. Having died unexpectedly in his past life, he was reborn only to face endless chases and traps. What had he done to deserve this? His grandmother used to help people cross the street too! When down on luck, blame society! But Fang Zheng had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Trying to get up from the ground, he quickly realized his right hand was not on soil but on a hard, patterned stone slab! Found it!! Overjoyed, Fang Zheng looked around, spotting a glowing teleportation array carved into a stone slab beside him! This is it! Without hesitation, he rolled into the teleportation array. His assault on the cultists was not for mutual destruction. His sole aim was the teleportation array! If he could enter it, he could escape back to¡­ ¡°Whoosh.¡± What¡¯s happening? Fang Zheng stared blankly around him. He remembered stepping into the teleportation array, but before he could activate the portal to Tristram, the scenery changed. The burning cellar vanished, replaced by a dark and eerie hall. Then, a woman¡¯s voice echoed in his ear. ¡°Who are you?¡± Turning toward the voice, Fang Zheng saw a scantily clad woman floating in the air, with two butterfly-like insects beside her, watching him coldly. In front of her stood dozens of cultists in robes. ¡°I¡­¡± Seeing the woman, Fang Zheng was speechless¡ªwasn¡¯t she the cult leader responsible for Deckard Cain¡¯s death, Magda? Did I just walk into a trap? Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 10 The difficulty suddenly jumped by 3 levels, didnt it? Chapter 11: Chapter 10 The difficulty suddenly jumped by 3 levels, didn¡¯t it? Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The most frightening thing was the sudden silence. Fang Zheng silently stared at the witch in front of him, while Magda looked back at him without saying a word. After a moment, Magda finally let out a cold sneer. ¡°It turns out to be a little mouse that accidentally got into the wrong hole. Looks like your luck is really bad.¡± Damn it! Cursing inwardly and looking around, Fang Zheng realized his situation was dire. His left shoulder burned with pain, his body was covered in wounds, and he was so weak he could barely muster any strength. He was in a spacious hall with no cover in sight, surrounded by dozens of cultists, with a boss glaring at him from behind. I just came here looking for an artifact, how did it suddenly turn into a boss fight? The difficulty just jumped to level three! At this moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression was uncertain. But before he could think of how to deal with the current trouble, he saw the witch floating in the air suddenly change her expression. ¡°I sense a peculiar power in you¡­ so it¡¯s in your hands, hand it over!¡± As she spoke, the witch¡¯s voice suddenly grew louder, making Fang Zheng feel as if countless gongs were struck right by his ears. He became dizzy, unable to speak, and the body he had just managed to stand up felt as if it had been forcefully knocked down again, collapsing back to the ground. ¡°Seize him! Bring me what he is carrying!¡± Magda had no intention of wasting words with Fang Zheng. To her, Fang Zheng was just a militiaman. Although curious about how he had appeared in front of her, in the Dark World, such ants were never a concern for Magda. The cultists, upon hearing their master¡¯s command, started to stride towards Fang Zheng. To them, a severely injured militiaman who could barely move posed no threat. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Clutching Frostmourne, Fang Zheng knelt on the ground, breathing heavily. His head buzzed, his vision blurred, and the cultists were just wobbly black shadows in his eyes. Am I going to die here? His lungs burned with pain, every breath felt like flames were igniting in his chest. Fang Zheng looked up, seeing the blurry shadows of the cultists approaching. Even though he couldn¡¯t make out their attire, he knew that in his current state, he stood no chance against so many cultists. So, there was only one option left. With that thought, Fang Zheng gripped his longsword tightly. Just as the cultists were about to reach Fang Zheng, a howling cold wind arose from nowhere. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!! An icy chill swept through the bodies of the cultists in an instant, but they didn¡¯t notice. They remained frozen in their previous actions, as if time had stopped. Soon, a layer of frost appeared on their skin, and the soulfire in their eyes extinguished. ¡°What is this?!!¡± Seeing the sudden scene before her, Magda was taken aback. She quickly raised her hands, and a blood-red magic circle appeared beside her. Soon, a semi-transparent red barrier enveloped her, but even so, the cold wind blew her away, extinguishing the torches on the walls in the fierce storm. In an instant, the surroundings fell into darkness. ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡± What power is this? Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Magda looked ahead uncertainly. She had thought Fang Zheng was just an ordinary militiaman, but now she wasn¡¯t sure. She could feel an overwhelming power filled with death and cold descending. How could this be? Was this person also a servant of some other Demon King of Hell? Why didn¡¯t Lord Belial tell her!? Magda swore that if she had known another Demon King was involved, she wouldn¡¯t have been so careless! But now, it was too late! ¡°Hah!¡± The previously extinguished torches reignited, but this time they burned with green soulfire. ¡°So that¡¯s all¡­¡± A deep voice echoed, and the temperature suddenly dropped. Despite the protection of the blood barrier, Magda shivered. She felt an overpowering presence had arrived, and the entire underground hall had transformed. The blood and corpses on the floor were now covered in frost, and ice spikes hung from the ceiling. The hall had become an icy world in the blink of an eye. A huge figure emerged from the frost, staring at Magda with eyes that glowed blue and devoid of emotion. ¡°You pathetic worm, how dare you stand in my way?!¡± ¡°I¡ªI am a servant of Lord Belial!!¡± Magda¡¯s face turned livid. She didn¡¯t know who the figure was, but their power was clearly on par with her master, the King of Lies, Belial. She no longer intended to reclaim the fragment. She even considered abandoning the mission. While this might incur Belial¡¯s wrath, it was better than dying here. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to oppose you, please spare me¡­¡± ¡°Spare you?¡± Hearing Magda¡¯s plea, the figure looked at her and then raised his longsword. ¡°Your soul is filled with fear¡­ and it will be food for Frostmourne¡­¡± ¡°No!!¡± Magda couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Though she didn¡¯t know what Frostmourne was, she could tell the figure wasn¡¯t going to let her go! Frantic, she flew backward, waving her hands desperately. ¡°Guards! Stop him!!¡± With Magda¡¯s shout, cultists and inferno demons appeared out of nowhere, blocking the path of the Lich King. But the Lich King only sneered. ¡°Come, taste the power of the Scourge Legion!!¡± As he spoke, the cultists and demons watched in horror as the frozen ground cracked, and countless undead creatures with blue flames in their eyes emerged, charging at the enemies with weapons raised. In an instant, shouts of battle filled the dungeon, turning it into a scene from hell. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Magda, too, was terrified. She never expected to provoke such a fearsome entity. Desperate and directionless, she screamed, ¡°Lord Belial, save me!!¡± Screaming, she flew forward frantically. She had no way out of the dungeon, except for the teleportation array Fang Zheng was at. Abandoning her carefully built lair meant losing her only home. Yet no matter how she pleaded, there was no response from Belial. ¡°Lord Belial!!¡± ¡°Swish!!¡± As Magda reached the end of the corridor, an ice wall suddenly appeared, blocking her path. At the same time, heavy footsteps echoed behind her. ¡°Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to die here!! Lord Belial, save me!!¡± Hearing the footsteps, Magda nearly broke down. She desperately tried to shatter the ice wall but couldn¡¯t even chip it. The footsteps grew closer. She turned to see a dark figure slowly approaching. ¡°No, stay away! I don¡¯t want to die! Please spare me, I can be your most loyal servant! I¡¯ll swear it with my soul¡­!¡± Kneeling on the ground, Magda begged as the figure approached with a longsword glimmering with icy light. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll fight you to the death!!¡± Seeing her pleas were useless, Magda finally snapped. She flew up, raising her hands, and red beams and fireballs poured out, aiming at the figure. ¡°Boom boom boom boom!!¡± With a series of explosions, the figure was engulfed in flames. But in the next moment, a cold light flashed! ¡°Swish¡ª!¡± The burning fireball was instantly cut in half. Magda stared, dumbfounded, as the cold light pierced through her flames, stabbing into her and pinning her to the ice wall. The red barrier around her shattered. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Magda gripped the longsword embedded in her, looking at the young man in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, she let out a blood-curdling scream. A humanoid mist was forcibly extracted from her body and absorbed into the glowing blue blade. Her body then slumped lifelessly. Fang Zheng coldly watched Magda¡¯s body. After a moment, he retracted Frostmourne. ¡°Crash!¡± The surroundings shattered completely. Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Chapter 11: It Must Become Stronger! Chapter 12: Chapter 11: It Must Become Stronger! Editor: Exodus Tales The three fragments, radiating a faint glow, floated slowly into the air and merged into one under the elderly man¡¯s chant. Soon, they restored to their original form, becoming a dazzling and shining Light Blade. ¡°It¡¯s done¡­¡­¡± Deckard Cain stared at the sword before his eyes, emotions swirling within him. He turned to look at the stranger cloaked entirely in a cape standing beside him. ¡°Come, take up your longsword. I know who you are¡­¡­stranger. Now, it¡¯s time you remember everything.¡± ¡°I can feel it¡­this sword is calling to me¡­¡± The stranger muttered softly, reaching out to take the longsword. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes! ¡°I remember now¡­everything! My name is Tyrell. I was once an angel¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Tyrell.¡± Deckard Cain nodded cheerfully upon hearing Tyrell¡¯s words. ¡°You have finally recalled your identity. We now have more strength to combat evil¡­and you, young man.¡± As he spoke, Deckard Cain turned to Fang Zheng, standing nearby. ¡°Thanks to you, we found the third fragment in time. Not only that, you even vanquished Magda, that wicked lackey¡­¡± ¡°No need to thank me; I was merely doing what I should.¡± Hearing Deckard Cain¡¯s gratitude, Fang Zheng forced a faint smile. Although he had recovered the fragment, Deckard Cain had successfully restored the Holy Sword, and his third task was completed, he could not feel any joy. Looking at the system showing only three remaining uses of the Arthas Soulstone, he remained glum. He was still too weak! In Fang Zheng¡¯s plans, the activation of the Soulstone was always his last resort. He intended to use it only when facing Demon Gods like Mephisto or Baal, or some powerful legendary beings in the Main World. But unexpectedly, he was forced to activate the Soulstone while dealing with Magda! Magda was nothing, a mere minor boss in the second chapter¡¯s prologue, yet it forced him to use his ultimate move! It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! What frustrated Fang Zheng even more was that without the sledgehammer, he couldn¡¯t even kill the nut! He was too weak! At that moment, Fang Zheng deeply felt his powerlessness. In his original ordinary world, he could still make a difference relying on his skills. But here, in the Main World, those with extraordinary abilities could easily threaten his life. He had to become stronger! He made a firm resolution. If he didn¡¯t become stronger, would he always have to rely on ultimate moves to get by whenever he met an enemy? How many times could he use the ultimate move?! Once the Soulstone was exhausted, would he have to lie down and wait for death? The only consolation for Fang Zheng was that after finishing off Magda, he had completed his two quests, ¡°Curse of Frostmourne¡± and ¡°Guardian¡±. Among them, ¡°Curse of Frostmourne¡± was completed when Fang Zheng transformed into the Lich King and slaughtered Magda and the cultists. Judging by the number of absorbed souls, it was overcompleted. However, whether Frostmourne considered Fang Zheng constantly invoking Holy Light too demeaning, despite the overcompletion, Fang Zheng only received double rewards¡ªFrostmourne upgraded his ¡°Crusader Strike¡± proficiency from C to A and left in a huff. The A-level proficiency in ¡°Crusader Strike¡± transformed into a permanent swordsmanship skill called ¡°Royal Cross Swordsmanship¡±. Fang Zheng also gained knowledge of this swordsmanship, which was somewhat akin to a hybrid of Yamaguchi Mountain and Diablo¡¯s dual skills. It retained most of the Paladin characteristics of Yamaguchi Mountain in terms of swordsmanship, but its group AOE aspects were closer to Diablo¡­ Okay, Fang Zheng now wanted to joke, Arthas, did you practice the Royal Limited Edition or something? Compared to Frostmourne¡¯s measly rewards, the ¡°Guardian¡± quest¡¯s rewards were more substantial. Besides gaining three more Dimensional Points, Fang Zheng¡¯s random reward was a title called ¡°Holy Protector¡±. [Holy Protector: You have changed an unavoidable fate and dispelled the fog obscuring the future. Although we still do not know what awaits us at the end, your efforts are worthy of praise (When this title is equipped, all friendly faction characters start with a favorable reputation, you deal 100% more damage to evil factions, and evil factions deal 30% less damage to you)] This title brought Fang Zheng some relief. At least the Arthas summon wasn¡¯t wasted after all! Although it was just a system title that wouldn¡¯t show any visible change, its special effects were quite significant. In fact, be it Deckard Cain, Lia, or Tyrell, all appeared quite friendly toward Fang Zheng at the moment¡­of course, just friendly. More importantly, this title effect was also effective in the Main World! This was great news for Fang Zheng, who was being pursued by Holy Church Knights in the Main World. As someone who often hovered between life and death, Fang Zheng understood that having goodwill and lacking goodwill could sometimes be the difference between Heaven and Hell. Even if it was just friendly, it was enough. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng suddenly thought of something, then he turned to the Archangel Tyrell and spoke. ¡°Master Tyrell, I have something I need your help with.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s request, Tyrell paused, then smiled at him. Fang Zheng took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± He lowered his voice, explaining his request to Tyrell. Tyrell thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, of course, no problem, young warrior¡­¡± Leaving the room, the sky outside was still gloomy, filled with despair and fear, just like this world. Fang Zheng took a deep breath and reached out his hand. As he did so, the Dimensional Codex reappeared in his hand, calmly floating there. [You have successfully changed this world¡¯s destiny and progression. You are about to return to the Main World. Please prepare yourself.] ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± A dazzling beam of light exploded instantly, and without looking back, Fang Zheng stepped into the light. His adventure in this world had come to an end. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t immediately return to the Main World. First, he arrived in a pure white space. Here, the system would evaluate the tasks Fang Zheng completed in the Dimensional World. For now, Fang Zheng stood quietly, watching the system panel¡¯s rapid rotation before him. [Commencing evaluation of user¡¯s task completion] [Main Quest ¡°Guardian¡±¡ªprogress rating¡ªA] [Side Quest ¡°Curse of Frostmourne¡±¡ªprogress rating¡ªA] [Overall rating: A] [User receives additional reward: Soulbound Weapon¡ªSky-Cleaving Sword] ¡°Ding.¡± After the settlement screen disappeared, soft and bright light emerged before Fang Zheng. Soon, a Holy Sword with a silver-white blade and a golden hilt silently appeared before him. [Sky-Cleaving Sword (One-Handed Sword): Holy Damage increased by 100%, Holy Skill damage increased by 15%. You have a certain chance in battle to summon an angel to fight for you (Angel Legion crushes through, demons fall, and the battlefield of the Eternal War is bathed in blood)] This wave was not a loss. Seeing the longsword before him, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. Although losing one use of the Arthas Soulstone caused him some heartache, obtaining the ¡°Holy Protector¡± title and this Sky-Cleaving Sword made it all worthwhile. So, next¡­ Thinking of this, Fang Zheng reached out to grasp the longsword in his hand. Soon, the world around him began to tremble, and the pure white infinite space swiftly retreated, replaced by a forest bathed in the light of a crimson sunset. Fang Zheng sheathed his sword and looked solemnly at the unfamiliar sky. Next¡­was figuring out how to survive here. Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Chapter 12 A Very Bold Idea Chapter 13: Chapter 12 A Very Bold Idea Editor: Exodus Tales Each world has its differences. In the Dark World, what Fang Zheng could see was only endless darkness. Even during the day, the clouds pressing down on you felt like a giant coffin lid, making it hard to breathe. As far as the eye could see, there was only the wilderness and dark forests. After staying for a long time, one might even feel as though the entire world was about to collapse before their eyes. Desolation, darkness, and despair¡ªthat was the theme of the Dark World. As for hope? It might exist, but its existence was merely to be destroyed. But in the Main World, what Fang Zheng saw was a different scene. ¡°Is this the place?¡± Sitting in the carriage, Fang Zheng looked at the city ahead. From the original owner of this body, Fang Zheng learned that this city was called Carthus, which means ¡°place where stars and moon shine¡± in Elvish. The people of this country commonly called it ¡°Star Moon City.¡± This was just a small city in the Kingdom of the Holy Church, but even so, it was enough to showcase its distinctiveness to Fang Zheng¡ªa nearly twenty-meter-high city wall built of white stones surrounded the city, and a beautiful river crossed the middle, bringing with it beautiful lakes and abundant fishery resources. ¡°Yes, Master, this is Star Moon City.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, the coachman smiled and replied, while Fang Zheng cast a meaningful glance at the white sanctuary in the city. Then, he looked again at the Dimensional Codex before him. [Executor: Fang Zheng] [Dimensional Points: 5] [Equipped Soulstone: Arthas] [Passive Effects: Undead King (50% increased perception of undead creatures, 50% increased damage to undead creatures, 50% increased protection against undead creatures)] [Title Equipped: Holy Protector] [Strength: E (It¡¯s enough to slaughter chickens)] [Agility: D (Running faster than others helps you live longer)] [Constitution: E (People die if they are killed)] [Perception: D (Keeping an eye and ear out is basic for you)] [Charisma: D+ (Good looks facilitate better communication and understanding)] [Equipped Skill: Royal Cross Swordsmanship (A)] After carefully reviewing his status panel, Fang Zheng took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Soon, the carriage set off again and moved forward. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Sitting in the carriage, Fang Zheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to stabilize his mind. After leaving the Dark World, he calculated the time; he had stayed in the Dark World for three days, while less than ten hours had passed in the Main World. Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t persistently sent people to guard him, or else Fang Zheng might not have been able to escape. After leaving the forest, the first thing Fang Zheng did was to change his clothes in a nearby village and then hire a carriage to the nearest city. To his relief, he did not see any wanted posters concerning the original owner of this body in the village. Perhaps they hadn¡¯t given up searching for him yet, but once the search proved fruitless, they would certainly issue a wanted notice. Fang Zheng had no doubts about that. Although this world seemed to be at a typical medieval level on the surface, his memories told him that in terms of pure civilization level, it was probably not much different from his previous world before rebirth. Considering those terrifying high-end powers, it might even surpass it. After all, in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, apart from nuclear bombs, nothing could destroy a planet. Before coming to this city, Fang Zheng had fully digested the memories of this body. At the same time, he had thought about what he wanted to do. Escape was impossible. The Kingdom of the Holy Church Seles was one of the four most powerful nations in this world. The other three were the Magitech Nation of Leon and the Land of Wealth Caron. The Magitech Nation belonged to the mages, while the Land of Wealth was a paradise for merchants and nobles. The last one was the Kingdom of Flame Fanriel. According to the memories of this body¡¯s original owner, the Kingdom of the Holy Church Seles occupied nearly one-fifth of this continent¡¯s land, possessing a powerful army and holy practitioners. The reason why the Kingdom of the Holy Church held such a position was because, a thousand years ago during the Chaos Tide, the king of this country had single-handedly led humanity to break through the siege of darkness and chaos, ultimately protecting this world. Therefore, the Kingdom of the Holy Church became the guardian of this land. The territory and population it controlled were almost identical to Fang Zheng¡¯s country before his rebirth. Faced with such a populous and vast country, Fang Zheng had no chance of victory. Of course, if Fang Zheng could choose, he would rather go to Caron or Leon, but unfortunately, that was just as difficult. Not to mention that Fang Zheng was currently in the heart of the Kingdom of the Holy Church, requiring a long journey to reach either country. Even if he managed to cross the border, there was no guarantee he would be accepted. The Magitech Nation only permitted mages to enter; even a merchant needed formal mage credentials. The Land of Wealth was straightforward¡ªit required money. But Fang Zheng clearly didn¡¯t have enough money. As for the Kingdom of Flame? It was on another continent and not reachable at all. Even if the Sea of Storms were clear, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t swim across, could he? As for magic¡­ he knew none of it. While there were many small countries besides the four major ones, just like the small countries in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, when a big country spoke, you could only comply¡­ Oh, wait. At least in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, those small countries could maintain a fa?ade of autonomy. But here¡­ well, they did have their land and borders, didn¡¯t they? Given the current situation, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t escape the Kingdom of the Holy Church, and even if he did, he couldn¡¯t ensure he wouldn¡¯t be caught by their pursuers one day. To be honest, Fang Zheng and the Kingdom of the Holy Church had no fundamental, irreconcilable conflicts. He was just unlucky, choosing the wrong person to reincarnate as. But that didn¡¯t mean Fang Zheng could walk into the sanctuary of the Kingdom of the Holy Church and say, ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong; the person you¡¯re looking for is dead. I¡¯m just an unfortunate reborn soul,¡± and expect them to nod and say, ¡°Ah, yes, we¡¯re terribly sorry,¡± and let him go. After all, Fang Zheng had killed several of their knights, and from Williams¡¯s memories, these knights were neither very high-ranking nor very low. They were at the level where it wasn¡¯t necessary to pursue the matter to the end, but an explanation would still be required. In Fang Zheng¡¯s mind, the teleportation gate of the Multiverse Dimension System was already closed, entering a cooling period with the next activation in fifteen days. Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t hide in the wilderness, playing hide-and-seek with the Kingdom of the Holy Church. So after careful consideration, Fang Zheng had an idea. A very bold idea. But first, he needed an identity. So, Fang Zheng came here. ¡°Master, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± The coachman¡¯s voice came from the front, and at the same time, the carriage slowly stopped. Fang Zheng took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes, opened the carriage door, and stepped out. The first thing that caught his eye was a two-story stone building. It looked old, and from the outside, it wasn¡¯t a particularly magnificent building. There were only two ordinary guards at the door, looking rather desolate, seemingly devoid of human presence. But Fang Zheng knew that this was his first step into the unknown. This was the city hall. ¡°Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­¡± Fang Zheng walked through the front door and looked around. The entire city hall was devoid of people, save for an old man dozing behind a desk. This wasn¡¯t surprising; in a small city like this, nothing much happened daily. Fang Zheng coughed, walked to the counter, and tapped it with his finger. ¡°Knock knock.¡± Hearing the knocking, the dozing old man shuddered and hurriedly sat up. He glared at Fang Zheng with wide eyes, ready to scold him. But upon seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s expensive ceremonial robe, he shivered, quickly straightened up, and adopted a more respectful demeanor. ¡°Hello, sir, is there anything I can assist you with?¡± ¡°I wish to stay in this city temporarily. Please issue me a certificate.¡± Seeing the old man¡¯s expression, Fang Zheng inwardly smiled. Procuring this ceremonial robe had cost a lot; it was the handiwork of the city¡¯s most renowned tailor, made from high-quality materials, and it had cost nearly a third of the wealth owned by this body¡¯s original owner. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t feel pained. His previous life had taught him that everyone judged by appearances. If you dressed well and carried yourself with elegance, people wouldn¡¯t mind even if you were secretly vile; your first impression would still be good. If he had come to handle the formalities in ordinary clothes, the old man might not have been so polite and might have even grumbled. If he had been a snobbish person, he might have even tried to give Fang Zheng a bit of trouble. But now, without knowing his identity, the old man could only work diligently. ¡°Of course, no problem, sir.¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s display clearly made the old man a bit nervous. He glanced at Fang Zheng¡¯s ceremonial robe and the Sky-Cleaving Sword on his back, swallowing hard. ¡°Please give me your travel documents.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng produced a travel document and handed it over. Getting this document had also cost him significant effort. He thanked his luck that the original owner of this body had been a fairly competent cultist; all sorts of shady connections were familiar to him. This allowed Fang Zheng to find the Thieves Guild and promise a large reward to get a ¡°legitimate¡± travel document. Of course, a legitimate document meant authentic travel certification, indicating where the holder had come from and where they were going, along with an official seal. These documents were made of special magical paper and could not be forged. However, being non-forgeable didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t be acquired. With enough reward, ¡°losing¡± one or two travel documents was never a big deal, right? ¡°From the Silver Duchy, Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ Hmm¡­¡± The old man put on monocles and carefully examined the text and seal on the document. After a thorough check, he coughed and looked up at Fang Zheng. ¡°May I ask the purpose of your visit here?¡± ¡°I seek the guidance of the Goddess of Order.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng placed a finger on his forehead and made a gesture resembling a devotee¡¯s prayer. ¡°I wish to solidify my resolve in the sacred vows.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, the old man wasn¡¯t surprised. The Kingdom of the Holy Church was the root of faith, and many people from other countries came here for pilgrimage. Simply put, in most people¡¯s eyes, the teachings and doctrines of the Kingdom of the Holy Church were more ¡°authentic¡± and made it easier to hear the Goddess of Order¡¯s divine revelations. Of course, any educated person knew this was nonsense, but you couldn¡¯t stop people from going to pray at a holy church, right? The old man had clearly encountered this situation before. He quickly verified the document, and after confirming it was genuine, he filled out another form. Then he picked up a stamp and, with some effort, pressed it onto the paper. Finally, he looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°Alright, young man, you can now take this document to the Star Room¡ªyou know what to do.¡± ¡°Of course, thank you.¡± Upon hearing the old man¡¯s words, Fang Zheng smiled and nodded. He reached out, took the document, and discreetly placed a few silver coins on the counter. The old man quickly swept the coins into his sleeve, his smile growing even more enthusiastic. ¡°My name is Pender. If you ever need anything, feel free to find me. If it¡¯s within my abilities, there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s response, Fang Zheng nodded, then took the document and turned to leave. As he turned around, a cold glint flickered in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes. The first step was complete. Next came the most dangerous part. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Chapter 13: What Exactly is Going On? Chapter 14: Chapter 13: What Exactly is Going On? Editor: Exodus Tales On this continent of the Main World, there is a saying: The myriad stars in the sky are reflections of the souls themselves. Each soul born in this world has a corresponding star that signifies its fate and power. What needs to be noted is that this is not some ancient story or romantic legend passed down among astrologists; it is a fact. A fact. Every person on this continent is born with a corresponding star, and these stars are recorded, preserved, and used for identity verification. In Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, this method is no different from fingerprint and DNA verification in his world, but¡­ there is still some difference. And now, Fang Zheng was here to verify his hypothesis. According to the memories of the original owner of this body, Fang Zheng could confirm that if the Kingdom of the Holy Church issued a wanted order, it would definitely be accompanied by this body¡¯s own ¡°star pattern.¡± Just like fingerprint comparison is required to catch fugitives, if his ¡°star pattern¡± matched that of the wanted person, no matter what disguise or transformation he adopted, he couldn¡¯t escape the executors¡¯ eyes. Upon learning this, Fang Zheng had a very bold idea. If the birth of a soul corresponds to a star, and the original soul of this body was already dead, did his rebirth mean a new star belonging to him would be born in this starry sky? If his hypothesis was correct, then as long as he could obtain the Stellar Emblem, he could completely erase any residual problems this body might have. At that time, even if the knights of the Kingdom of the Holy Church found him, as long as his star pattern didn¡¯t match, they wouldn¡¯t be able to arrest him. The Kingdom of the Holy Church worshiped the Goddess of Order, and they couldn¡¯t openly overturn their own laws and beliefs. This was similar to how prosecutors in his world couldn¡¯t send a criminal to court without matching fingerprints and DNA. Of course, if you wanted, you could fabricate a wrongful conviction, but in that case, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t hesitate to be ruthless. This was another reason Fang Zheng came to this city. Official Stellar Emblems were only issued at the city hall. This was also a step for newcomers wanting to reside here¡ªafter all, not everyone carried their identity documents around; sometimes, a star pattern verification, confirming they weren¡¯t on the wanted list, was enough to get a ¡°Good Citizen Certificate.¡± Fang Zheng clearly remembered the ¡°star pattern¡± of this body¡¯s original owner. Now he needed to confirm whether his own ¡°star pattern¡± matched the original owner¡¯s. If not, he could proceed with his plan. If they matched, he could leave as soon as possible. Although running to the wilderness to join forces with cultists and mercenaries wasn¡¯t his intention, he had no other choice if it came to that. This is the place. Looking at the heavy wooden door in front of him, Fang Zheng took a deep breath, then reached out and knocked. Soon, a muffled voice came from within. ¡°Come in.¡± Upon hearing the response, Fang Zheng pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked into the room. The room appeared dimly lit. Above was not a ceiling but a circular glass dome. Shelves filled with thick books lined the walls, making the Star Room look more like a small library. In the center stood a heavy, wide desk, and behind it sat a small figure draped in a black robe. Judging by the looks, it wasn¡¯t much different from those fortune-telling wizards. ¡°I¡¯m here for star pattern authentication.¡± Fang Zheng approached the desk and handed over the document in his hand. The person on the chair remained still, glanced at the document on the desk, and nodded. ¡°Place your hands on the crystal ball. We can begin.¡± The astrologer¡¯s voice was deep, but Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind. He followed the instructions, placing his hands near the crystal ball. The astrologer also extended a hand, placed it on the other side of the crystal ball, and then chanted a spell softly. ¡°Buzz¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± In the next moment, the originally transparent crystal ball shone with bands of light, then gradually revealed a pitch-black space with glimmers of stars appearing in it. It looked much like the star maps of the Milky Way Fang Zheng had seen on TV. But¡­ what did it mean? Fang Zheng had no idea. Yet the astrologer before him seemed to. Upon seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s star pattern, the astrologer even let out a gasp and stood up in surprise. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Watching the astrologer¡¯s reaction, Fang Zheng felt tense but maintained a curious expression, asking. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng began calculating his next steps in case his identity was exposed: should he leave immediately or kill the astrologer and then flee? ¡°Ah, no¡­ no problem¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± The astrologer, oblivious to the danger, leaned down to examine the crystal ball closely, mumbling to himself. ¡°This star pattern¡­ is very rare¡­ Well then¡­ Sir, may I record it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Fang Zheng, hearing the response, felt relieved, furrowing his brows to feign hesitation before reluctantly replying. ¡°Is this a necessary step?¡± ¡°Ah no, no, sir,¡± The astrologer quickly waved his hands upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s just that such a rare star pattern holds great research value, so I was hoping to get your permission to record it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± This time Fang Zheng didn¡¯t answer immediately. He pretended to contemplate while recalling the role of star patterns. For the average person, star patterns were like ¡°fingerprints¡± and ¡°DNA¡± for verification. For professionals, star patterns were also a source of power. There were even rumors that certain ancient great astrologers could predict a person¡¯s fate through the trajectories of stars. The so-called rare star pattern was somewhat like rare astronomical phenomena such as supernova explosions in Fang Zheng¡¯s world. Outside the professional circle, these things had no impact. Just like discussions about gravitational waves which meant nothing to ninety-five percent of the populace in Fang Zheng¡¯s world. ¡°Alright.¡± After pondering for a moment, Fang Zheng nodded. Hearing his response, the astrologer seemed very pleased, standing up quickly, thanking Fang Zheng, and heading to the bookshelf. ¡°Thank you, sir, you¡¯re very kind. I promise not to disclose this star pattern. Now, where¡¯s my record book¡­ Whoa!¡± Perhaps too excited, the astrologer stepped on his robe, yelled, and stumbled forward. Fang Zheng quickly reached out to steady him. Only then did Fang Zheng notice something amiss. He distinctly felt a soft sensation, different from what he had imagined. ¡°Um, uh¡­¡± The astrologer raised their head, the hood falling off, revealing lush chestnut curls and a fair, cute face. It was a young woman, appearing to be about the same age as the body Fang Zheng now possessed. Possibly even younger. At this moment, the girl blushed deeply, staring at him in a daze. ¡°Are you okay, miss?¡± Seeing her expression, Fang Zheng coughed and let go of his right hand. The girl stared at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly cried out softly, crouching down and curling into a ball. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Once again, silence fell over the room. What the heck is going on? Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Chapter 14 The Most Dangerous Place Is the Safest Place Chapter 15: Chapter 14 The Most Dangerous Place Is the Safest Place Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°¡­..¡± Watching the girl crouch with her head in her hands, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what to say. He thought for a moment, sighed helplessly, and extended his hand. After all, he couldn¡¯t just leave her squatting there. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s voice, the girl trembled again. She carefully looked at Fang Zheng¡¯s outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reached out and grasped it. Fang Zheng pulled her to her feet. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry for embarrassing you¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡­¡± ¡°W-well¡­¡­ please wait a moment¡­¡­¡± The girl took a deep breath and put her hood back on, which seemed to relax her. She went to the bookshelf, took out a thick book, placed it on the table, and opened it. She picked up the feather pen beside her and made a gesture towards the crystal ball. Fang Zheng saw a mysterious azure power emerge from the crystal ball and guide the pen to the book. A peculiar and mysterious symbol appeared on the blank page. It was a cross-shaped star surrounded by a circle inscribed with strange characters that looked like oracle bone script. Although Fang Zheng didn¡¯t understand it, he recognized it as the ¡°Language of the Stars,¡± said to have been created by the Goddess of Order to stabilize the world by giving each star its own meaning. However, only deities could decipher this language. ¡°Desolate Realm¡­¡­ Reappearance of the Star¡­¡­¡± The girl muttered to herself. Even Fang Zheng didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. Soon the girl closed the book, took out a silver badge from a drawer, and placed it in front of her. She raised the feather pen again and pointed to the crystal ball. Another wave of the same power was drawn from it and absorbed into the silver badge. The crystal ball dimmed. ¡°Alright, sir. Please take this badge. It has collected your Star Pattern.¡± For some reason, the girl¡¯s voice was no longer the low tone she had adopted earlier but was now pleasantly melodious. Fang Zheng realized why she had put on such an act¡ªher natural voice lacked any intimidation and sounded as though she were meekly pleading. Though her voice and cute appearance made her seem like the perfect candidate for endearing gestures, it was clearly insufficient for her role as a government official to maintain authority. ¡°Thank you.¡± Saying this, Fang Zheng took the badge, closed his eyes, and infused it with his power. Soon, a pitch-black starry sky appeared in his mind, filled with numerous shining stars. The brightest star was in the center. This was his destiny star. However¡­¡­ Fang Zheng compared it with the Star Pattern that originally belonged to Williams from his memory and nodded in satisfaction. Though he wasn¡¯t an astrologist and couldn¡¯t read star maps, he could compare the differences between two star maps. It was obvious that the stars were in completely different positions, with no similarities between them. Then, I can proceed. Thinking this, Fang Zheng smiled and put away the badge, then looked at the girl before him again. ¡°Miss, I have a small request.¡± ¡°What request?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the girl tilted her head curiously, then waved her hands as she realized something. ¡°W-well, my teacher said I can¡¯t go out for meals with strange men¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Though Fang Zheng wanted to tell her she was overthinking it, he thought that if he weren¡¯t dealing with these troubles, he might have actually invited her out. Nonetheless, he decided to save this matter for later. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡­¡± Fang Zheng coughed, pushing aside these odd thoughts. ¡°I want to visit the Sanctuary and would like you to provide a letter of introduction.¡± ¡°The Sanctuary? A letter of introduction?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, the girl hesitated, then understood. ¡°Sir, you intend to join the Sanctuary?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At this, Fang Zheng finally felt relieved. Though the girl seemed puzzled, she was at least rational. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t need an introduction to enter the Sanctuary to pray. Fang Zheng¡¯s purpose in visiting was not to pray for the Goddess of Order¡¯s forgiveness or to sightsee. He intended to join the Sanctuary. Of course, any stringent religious organization has strict procedures for admitting new members. In a theocratic country like the Kingdom of the Holy Church, an outsider like Fang Zheng wanting to join the Sanctuary must first apply to become an Apprentice Guardian Knight. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s a grand title. Although ¡°Knight¡± sounds prestigious, being an Apprentice Guardian Knight is much like the intellectuals in Fang Zheng¡¯s world who underwent the ¡°Send-Down Movement.¡± They carried a divine mission to the most difficult and poor areas, battling evil and guarding the people. Their enemies included native creatures like gnolls and goblins, rampant bandits, and, of course, cultists and necromancers, not to mention various chaotic monsters. Of course, dangers came with opportunities. If the Apprentice Guardian Knights survived and completed their tasks, they would be recognized as Knights by the Sanctuary. Should they achieve great deeds, they might even be promoted to Grand Knights or Knight Captains with their own lands and armies. For nobility, even if they didn¡¯t accomplish major feats, completing this process without committing severe errors would add prestige to their records, aiding future advancement. Generally, only lower and minor nobility chose this path due to its hardships. Those who couldn¡¯t sleep without comfort and luxury wouldn¡¯t endure the dangers of the wilderness. Fang Zheng watched the girl pick up a piece of paper and write on it, then place a large ivory stamp on it with some effort, seal it, and hand it to him. ¡°Please keep this safe, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± Fang Zheng took the letter, put it in his pocket, and smiled at the girl before him. ¡°If you have time, let¡¯s have a meal together sometime.¡± After saying this, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t wait for a response and left with a smile. The safest place is often the most dangerous. When Fang Zheng left the town hall and entered the Sanctuary without any obstructions, he couldn¡¯t help but reflect on the age-old truth of this saying. Compared to the nearly empty town hall, the Sanctuary¡¯s security was much stricter. Though not to the extent of a guard every three steps and an outpost every five, numerous fully armed Sanctuary Warriors stood guard and patrolled. Even so, these warriors, with long spears and swords, paid no attention to Fang Zheng, remaining as focused and motionless as statues. Perhaps they couldn¡¯t imagine that a cultist wanted by the Sanctuary would boldly walk into this sacred place. It seems that in any world, the commonalities of intelligent beings are the same. ¡°I come from the Silver Duchy.¡± Fang Zheng found a bishop in the Sanctuary, briefly explained his purpose, and handed over the letter he had received from the girl. ¡°I seek the guidance and illumination of Order.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The bishop was an old man with white hair and beard, evidently experienced in dealing with noble offspring like Fang Zheng. He opened the letter, read it carefully, examined the seal and signature, then nodded at Fang Zheng calmly. ¡°Follow me, child.¡± With this, the old man turned and led the way to the inner courtyard. Fang Zheng followed silently. They crossed the corridor and entered the inner courtyard. The old man stopped in front of a circular marble Holy Emblem, turned to Fang Zheng, and said: ¡°Stand here, young man.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s hand lightly pressed the hilt of his sword, feeling his palms sweat. This was the final and most crucial step. He had prepared thoroughly for this trial. He knew what this was; everyone on the continent knew, and cultists feared it most. Everyone had to account for their actions, their deeds written into the fabric of destiny, just as ink leaves marks on parchment. No one could alter past events, and history¡¯s dust could never fully conceal the truth. Order endures. Fang Zheng understood that once he stood on this platform, Order¡¯s radiance would begin the search, like antivirus software determining whether he was a virus¡ªthe enemy of Order. Or, specifically, one of those damned chaos-worshipping cultists. All of this was decided by Fang Zheng¡¯s soul star. Though Fang Zheng was certain he wasn¡¯t a cultist, he couldn¡¯t be sure how accurate the scan was. Even antivirus software sometimes mistakenly flagged system files. He hoped this firewall was more precise¡ªat least more so than Kaspersky. With this thought, Fang Zheng took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform. The next moment, a pure white radiance fell from the sky, enveloping his body. Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Being Treated Differently Comes at a Price Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Being Treated Differently Comes at a Price Editor: Exodus Tales What greeted his eyes was a world of pure white. Fang Zheng stood in the center of the platform, not feeling anything amiss at all. But this did not put him at ease, because he inherited the memories of this body, so Fang Zheng was very clear that the power level of this world was incredibly high. He had read many web novels, and in many of them, the so-called ¡°rules-based¡± powers were powerful trump cards only mastered by the top elites. But in this world, people had even learned to use these ¡°rules-based¡± powers as their weapons and tools! Just like the array on the platform in front of him, it used the ¡°order¡± and ¡°purification¡± rules of power that cultists hated most. And this power was something that cultists could not resist at all because it was the fundamental law of this world; opposing it was tantamount to opposing the entire world. What worried Fang Zheng was what kind of impact this power would have on him. He was not a cultist, and he had no interest in the chaotic beliefs in this body¡¯s mind, but Fang Zheng was not sure if, as a reborn transmigrator, he would cause some disturbance in the world¡¯s order laws. It¡¯s like antivirus software; if it¡¯s just ¡°killing viruses,¡± it¡¯s simple. You just need to find the ¡°virus¡± that once harmed the system and eliminate it. But don¡¯t forget that sometimes the firewall also alerts you that ¡°unknown software is trying to modify system settings.¡± ¡°Ding.¡± His worry proved prophetic as that clear system notification sound reached his ears just as Fang Zheng had this thought, followed by a line of information appearing before him. [Order parallel port detected] [Starting port activation] Oh, come on, at least tell me what this thing is first! Seeing this line of extremely vague information, Fang Zheng was utterly shocked, but before he could contact customer support to figure out what was going on, that line of prompt disappeared with a ¡°swoosh.¡± Next, Fang Zheng suddenly felt that the pure white light around him began to tremble. ¡°This is¡­!?¡± The old man lifted his head in surprise, looking at the platform ahead. The pure white beam of light was shining even more intensely before his eyes. Not only that, but even the order array carved under the platform also emitted a golden radiance at this moment. They transformed into lines of light, appearing silently around the white pillar and then turning into runes filled with a divine aura. ¡°This is¡­ Law Resonance!!¡± A ¡°whoosh¡± sound, and the white beam of light dissipated instantly. Fang Zheng still stood at the center of the platform, as if everything before was just an illusion. If not for that sudden system prompt, Fang Zheng would probably not think anything was unusual. But now¡­ ha! Seeing the old archbishop¡¯s ghost-like expression, Fang Zheng himself wasn¡¯t feeling any better. Didn¡¯t they say golden fingers were supposed to be cheat codes for the protagonist? Why is this system always screwing with me? ¡°Is there a problem?¡± While cursing the system deep down for causing trouble, Fang Zheng feigned curiosity and looked at the old man before him. The old archbishop shivered upon hearing him, then gazed at him in shock. ¡°By Order, I never expected you to cause a Law Resonance!¡± ¡°Law Resonance?¡± Hearing this term, Fang Zheng was bewildered, having no idea what it meant. However, judging from the old archbishop¡¯s expression, it didn¡¯t seem to be a bad thing? ¡°Yes, sir, please follow me¡­¡± The old archbishop¡¯s attitude became much more respectful, having referred to Fang Zheng as ¡°young man¡± before, now switching to ¡°sir¡±. As he led Fang Zheng inside, he explained what Law Resonance was. Through his explanation, Fang Zheng understood its meaning. In short, the so-called ¡°Law Resonance¡± was not like Fang Zheng imagined¡ªsome sign of a savior or a symbol of a legendary hero. In fact, it was more of a harbinger; the appearance of this phenomenon meant that the person causing the resonance was not rejected by the order but welcomed. This indicated that the order welcomed his arrival here and believed that Fang Zheng¡¯s presence would benefit the order here. It¡¯s like drawing a ¡°good luck¡± lot. Though not as good as ¡°great fortune,¡± it¡¯s still better than ¡°misfortune.¡± ¡°I remember the last person who caused Law Resonance was a brave warrior who helped us eliminate the necromancer occupying the Black Tower¡­ It was a fierce battle¡­¡± The old archbishop talked excitedly about his past as they walked. Listening to his words, Fang Zheng relaxed significantly. Though he still didn¡¯t know what this Law Resonance was, it seemed to be beneficial to him¡­ hopefully. ¡°¡­I understand your intention. Normally, it would be difficult for me to find a guide for you. But thank heavens, Grand Knight Shi Dong is here. I believe he would be very interested in someone who caused Law Resonance!¡± Oh damn!! Upon hearing the old man¡¯s words, Fang Zheng felt his face turn pale. A Grand Knight was a rank above knights, regarded as one of the mid-to-high-end powers of this world. Initially, he just wanted to join the Sanctuary as an ordinary Apprentice Guardian Knight and take up some simple tasks. But from the looks of it, the old man intended to find him a mentor? And it had to be a Grand Knight? Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t guarantee whether the higher-ups knew about his existence. What if they knew this body¡¯s identity and drew their swords on him at first sight? He had originally planned to follow the lower ranks! But now, it seemed the plan needed to change again. Meanwhile, the old man had already led Fang Zheng to a training ground on the side of the Sanctuary. This area was spacious, with only one tall figure swinging a longsword in training. It was a middle-aged man with golden hair and the typical strong build of a Westerner, standing two meters tall. He was bare-chested, vigorously swinging a two-handed giant sword. That sword was two palms wide and taller than a person. Yet in the man¡¯s hands, it seemed as light as a willow twig. Fang Zheng could barely track his sword movements. After a while, the blond man suddenly stopped and withdrew. At the same moment, a powerful sword qi burst forth, smashing all the wooden stakes around into pieces. This is the power of a Grand Knight?! Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel moved. Such immense power nearly seemed to qualify as a one-man army! ¡°Yo, Huck, what are you doing here?¡± The man turned his head, looking at the old archbishop beside Fang Zheng, grinning smugly. ¡°What, are you planning to spar with me?¡± ¡°Count me out, these old bones can¡¯t handle your beatings, Shi Dong.¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, the old archbishop rolled his eyes and then made a gesture. ¡°I brought him to see you.¡± ¡°A noble dandy?¡± Hearing the archbishop¡¯s words, Shi Dong glanced at Fang Zheng, curled his lip disdainfully. ¡°Why did you bring him here? He¡¯s no noble lady.¡± ¡°He wants to join the Sanctuary as an Apprentice Guardian Knight.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you handle this? You¡¯re the one good at dealing with idle noble brats anyway.¡± Clearly, Shi Dong had no interest in Fang Zheng. And it was understandable; Fang Zheng¡¯s body seemed not particularly strong¡ªin fact, it was almost frail. To Shi Dong, this probably looked like another pampered noble scion, whom he had always despised. But the old archbishop didn¡¯t mind Shi Dong¡¯s words. He just smiled slightly and hinted. ¡°He just caused Law Resonance.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Shi Dong finally stopped, squinting his eyes to take a serious look at Fang Zheng for the first time. ¡°You, boy, you want to become an Apprentice Guardian Knight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In response to Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng nodded. Having come this far, he had no way back. Hearing his answer, a mocking smile appeared on Shi Dong¡¯s face. ¡°Well, since you want to become an Apprentice Guardian Knight, you should know that everyone must pass an assessment.¡± ¡°That¡­ of course.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Saying this, Shi Dong stood on the training ground again, swinging his giant sword, looking at Fang Zheng with a smirk. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re lucky; I will personally oversee your assessment¡­ How¡¯s that? Isn¡¯t it an honor?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Looking at the muscle-bound man before him, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. The old archbishop, however, frowned. ¡°Shi Dong, don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the harm, old man.¡± Shi Dong didn¡¯t pay the old archbishop¡¯s complaint any mind, casually waving his hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he caused Law Resonance? Let¡¯s see what this skinny kid can do to cause Law Resonance!¡± Indeed, being treated differently came with a price. Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, Fang Zheng sighed inwardly but only hesitated for a moment before stepping down the stairs to the training ground. Seeing this, both the old archbishop and Shi Dong were taken aback. Then the old man¡¯s face showed concern, while Shi Dong whistled. ¡°Well, boy, you¡¯ve got guts. Are you ready now? Show me your full strength; let¡¯s see your limits.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Shi Dong.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng slowly drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword from his waist. He had already decided that, given how things had unfolded, he needed to modify his plan. If the lower ranks weren¡¯t an option, then he would showcase his power and take the upper route. With a ¡°Law Resonance¡± buff on him, it was acceptable for a chosen one to exhibit unexpectedly strong abilities, right? Besides¡­ Fang Zheng also wanted to experience the true power of a strong one in this world. ¡°Please guide me.¡± Looking at Shi Dong, Fang Zheng whispered and then his whole body suddenly moved. The longsword in his hand turned into a flash of lightning, stabbing forward! Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 16: I Admit, You Are Stronger Now! Chapter 17: Chapter 16: I Admit, You Are Stronger Now! Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Hoo¡ª!!¡± At the moment Fang Zheng drew his sword, the surrounding air pressure seemed to be swept up. His Sky-Cleaving Sword flashed, and a golden light gleamed on the blade, transforming into a golden sword edge that shot straight towards Shi Dong. ¡°Oh?¡± Seeing this attack, Shi Dong¡¯s originally nonchalant demeanor suddenly became serious. He raised an eyebrow, then gripped his two-handed sword tightly in both hands, lifting it and then swinging it down with force. The seemingly mundane two-handed sword accurately clashed with the incoming sword edge. Shi Dong¡¯s body trembled violently. ¡°Boom!!¡± The sword edge condensed from Holy Light shattered instantly, creating a huge explosion that shook the ground all around. Damn, what a monster! Seeing Shi Dong actually block his attack with one sword, Fang Zheng cursed inwardly. What he was using now was the Royal Cross Swordsmanship evolved from Crusader Strike, enhanced by two proficiency levels thanks to Frostmourne. Fang Zheng¡¯s opening move was actually Judgment, a commonly used skill of Retribution Paladins, but with the ¡°Royal Limited Edition¡± upgrade, its power and form had changed. Even so, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t expected his opponent to react so quickly and block his surprise attack. But Fang Zheng had no time to marvel at the world¡¯s martial prowess. His body moved according to his combat experience. As Shi Dong blocked the Judgment, Fang Zheng advanced, pointing his longsword at Shi Dong. Sword of Justice! ¡°Boom!!¡± A massive, glowing, sacred light sword erupted from the ground, stabbing straight at Shi Dong. This attack took Shi Dong by surprise. However, the seasoned Grand Knight quickly recovered, drawing his two-handed sword back and blocking it in front of him, firmly stopping the seemingly indefensible strike. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng successfully closed the distance with Shi Dong. Shi Dong was now within his attack range! Fang Zheng raised his longsword high and slashed down at Shi Dong. The Sky-Cleaving Sword whistled through the air, splitting the dust before it like a bolt of lightning heading straight for Shi Dong. ¡°Interesting!¡± Shi Dong smiled, even whistling with amusement at Fang Zheng¡¯s powerful strike. ¡°Come! Show me your strength!¡± Before the words had fully left his mouth, Shi Dong gripped his two-handed sword tightly once more and slashed upward with force. At that moment, Fang Zheng felt as though his eyes deceived him. He had clearly seen Shi Dong place the two-handed sword horizontally in front of him, but in an instant, it seemed to transfer spatially, emerging directly before Fang Zheng, targeting his chest. Where did that come from!? Fang Zheng was shocked but his experience in the Dark World wasn¡¯t for nothing. He instinctively adjusted his sword stance, abandoning his attack on Shi Dong to meet the sudden thrust of the two-handed sword. ¡°Clang!!¡± The swords collided, sending Fang Zheng flying backward. He rolled on the ground, feeling a numbness in his right hand from the impact. But Fang Zheng remained calm; Crusader Strike was merely a Basic Attack Skill meant to gather energy. He felt the sacred power surging within him, ready to burst forth. About to erupt. ¡°Hoo¡ª!!¡± The two-handed sword appeared before Fang Zheng again, moving too fast for the naked eye. Behind it was Shi Dong¡¯s imposing figure. His lips twitched into a smirk as he looked at Fang Zheng. But then, Shi Dong¡¯s expression changed suddenly. He saw the crouching young man grip his longsword and swing it forward. Just a simple swing. As the Sky-Cleaving Sword swung, the sword light turned into a raging wave, surging towards Shi Dong like a devastating tide. ¡°Oh?¡± Seeing the oncoming Waves of Light, Shi Dong¡¯s expression changed again. He halted abruptly, raising his giant sword to fend off the unseen, raging wind that clashed heavily with the light wave. ¡°Sword of Gale!!¡± The old man standing at the door turned pale. He knew that the Grand Knight was one of the strongest in the region, with unparalleled Storm Swordsmanship. The wind represented freedom and wildness, also fearlessness. Shi Dong using one of the strongest moves of Storm Swordsmanship meant he felt significant pressure from the young man. ¡°Bang!!!¡± The wind and the waves clashed forcefully. Both staggered, Fang Zheng took three steps back, while Shi Dong took one step. The seasoned Grand Knight seized this fleeting opportunity. Before Fang Zheng recovered from the dizziness of the impact, he saw the giant two-handed sword whistling towards his neck. Feeling the cold sword qi, Fang Zheng shuddered, immediately gripping his sword to block. However, he soon realized that the force of the two-handed giant sword was not as strong as he had anticipated. It felt as though he was slashing through a willow tree with all his might, only to find little resistance. Not good!! This thought flashed in Fang Zheng¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t know why, but he sensed something was wrong. His full force was committed to countering the expected attack, leaving him no room to pull back. Meanwhile, he saw the giant two-handed sword flash with silver light, aiming at his body. Can¡¯t dodge this one!! Seeing the sword¡¯s edge coming for him, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth. He instinctively wanted to use the Paladin¡¯s blessing for invincibility, but quickly dismissed the idea. This attack might pierce his body, but it wouldn¡¯t be fatal. He didn¡¯t need to waste his trump card. The ten-second invincibility Hearthstone Recall was the ultimate survival skill, not a cheat for dueling. Just then, an unexpected intervention occurred, surprising both Fang Zheng and Shi Dong. A glowing longsword appeared in front of the two-handed sword, narrowly blocking the strike. At the same time, they heard the old bishop¡¯s fearful shout. ¡°By the Goddess!¡± ¡°What?¡± Shi Dong looked to the side to see who was meddling in this interesting trial, expecting to find a human culprit, but was surprised to see someone else. An angel appeared behind Fang Zheng. She had a beautiful and holy visage, with wings of light stretching out from her back, reflecting off her pure white armor, making her appear bathed in Holy Light. She stood with her head held high, staring coldly at Shi Dong, her lightsaber radiating a brilliant and pure light. [Sky-Cleaving Sword (One-Handed Sword): Increases holy damage by 100%, boosts holy skill damage by 15%, and has a chance to summon an angel to fight for you during combat (The Angel Legion sweeps over the demons, washing the Eternal Battlefields in blood).] At this moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s Sky-Cleaving Sword also shone brightly. Previously, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t activated its true power, so to Shi Dong and the old bishop, the sword looked like a decorative, flamboyant, hollow longsword. As it turns out, special effects often change appearances dramatically. Brilliant light emerged from the hollow slots on the Sky-Cleaving Sword¡¯s hilt. Fang Zheng raised his sword without hesitation, the holy power around him coalescing into multiple giant cross-shaped swords before hurling them at the Grand Knight before him. Divine Storm! ¡°Boom¡ª!!¡± The attack was so powerful that the Sanctuary Warriors guarding outside turned their heads in surprise towards the hall. If they hadn¡¯t known the Grand Knight was inside, they might have thought Cultists were attacking the Sanctuary! Uh¡­ in a way, that might be true? Shi Dong leapt back swiftly. His two-handed sword had shattered into several pieces. He raised his hand, shouting loudly. ¡°Stop, that¡¯s enough! I admit, you are stronger now!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, Fang Zheng twitched his eye but then lowered his weapon. Grand Knight, can you avoid making such jinxed remarks? Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Let me be your guide Chapter 18: Chapter 17 Let me be your guide Editor: Exodus Tales The angel shining with Holy Light slowly disappeared behind Fang Zheng. Only then did the Old Archbishop and Shi Dong let out a sigh of relief. They were both devout believers of the Sanctuary. Naturally, they understood the exalted status an angel held there. Although this angel¡¯s power might not be as formidable as Shi Dong¡¯s, her mere presence exerted a pressure on everyone. Not to mention, this Grand Knight, though seemingly carefree, was also a devout follower. Even if he could defeat her, would he dare to make a move against her? This was, of course, impossible. At the same time, the way they looked at Fang Zheng changed considerably. ¡°Holy Spirit Protection¡­¡± The Old Archbishop clenched his hands tightly, staring intently at Fang Zheng. Though he had guessed that this young man had a significant background, he hadn¡¯t expected him to have Holy Spirit Protection! ¡°This kid¡¯s got some skill.¡± Shi Dong crossed his arms with a satisfied expression and nodded at Fang Zheng. It wasn¡¯t often he encountered someone who could put him at a disadvantage. Although it seemed like Fang Zheng had resorted to a clever trick, a real battlefield did not adhere to the rules of fair competition. So, instead of feeling displeased by Fang Zheng¡¯s counterattack, Shi Dong found the young man genuinely interesting. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Sheathing his sword, Fang Zheng was drenched in sweat. His final counterattack was truly a stroke of luck. Had he not been able to unleash Divine Storm at that moment, he doubted he could have forced Shi Dong to retreat. However, the biggest takeaway from this battle was recognizing the significant gap between himself and the mighty warriors of the Main World. Initially, Fang Zheng believed that his A-grade proficiency in Royal Cross Swordsmanship would allow him to at least hold his own. But reality was harsh; he had barely survived the first exchange. If Shi Dong hadn¡¯t been unfamiliar with his swordsmanship, it would have been doubtful if Fang Zheng could have managed even a lucky victory. And since Shi Dong had conceded due to his broken weapon, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the outcome would have been otherwise. Indeed, the gap was still too vast. Shaking his head to dismiss his dismay, Fang Zheng looked towards Shi Dong and asked. ¡°Sir Shi Dong, have I passed the examination?¡± ¡°Ha ha ha, of course, you amusing little fellow.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shi Dong laughed heartily, showing no trace of frustration from being defeated. ¡°You already passed the examination. I haven¡¯t seen someone as interesting as you in a long time¡­ By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°Fang Zheng? I didn¡¯t expect both you and your name to be equally interesting. Such a peculiar name is quite rare.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shi Dong chuckled. After a moment of thought, he looked at Fang Zheng again and said. ¡°So, Fang Zheng, how about letting me be your guide?¡± ¡°¡­Guide?¡± Fang Zheng was visibly surprised by this unexpected invitation, but Shi Dong nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, well¡­ To be honest, from our battle just now, I discovered that although you have some combat experience, your foundation is shaky. And while the swordsmanship you command is powerful, you can¡¯t wield it flexibly. In my view, this is a huge waste. Such pure Holy Power, if not properly utilized, is truly squandered. How about it? I think my proposal is fairly good. After all, I¡¯m not one of those old relics who will nag you everyday about doctrines. You just need to learn to fight beside me, alright? Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Indeed, very formidable. Listening to Shi Dong, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression changed. He knew better than anyone his own circumstances. Despite having learned some self-defense techniques, they were merely for protection and held little practical value. After arriving in this world, Fang Zheng had been thrust into combat situations, essentially teaching himself from scratch. Although Fang Zheng had read martial hero novels where powerful swordmasters could judge an opponent¡¯s skill level after a single exchange, experiencing it firsthand was completely different. On this continent, a guide was akin to a mentor, having one was a matter of great honor. So, should he accept this proposal? The answer was almost certainly yes. ¡°Then I shall trouble you, Sir Shi Dong.¡± To Fang Zheng, receiving guidance from a powerful knight in this world was a golden opportunity. ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shi Dong widened his eyes and eyed him with dissatisfaction, prompting Fang Zheng to quickly correct himself. ¡°¡­Mentor.¡± ¡°Good, ha ha ha, not bad, not bad. Finally, I have a student too. Now let¡¯s see what that Vara fellow has to say!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shi Dong burst into laughter. Meanwhile, the Old Archbishop rolled his eyes. He seemed to want to say something but remained silent, giving Fang Zheng a sympathetic look. ¡­Wait, why look at me this way? Did I do something wrong? As Fang Zheng puzzled over the Old Archbishop¡¯s gaze, Shi Dong strode toward the door. ¡°Alright, kid! Make sure to prepare. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯m giving you special training!¡± ¡°Special training?¡± Baffled by Shi Dong¡¯s words, Fang Zheng paused, not comprehending what he meant. ¡°That¡¯s right, clean your neck and get ready. You¡¯re in for a tough time ahead!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Honestly, the notion of undergoing special training immediately upon joining the Sanctuary was surprising. However, Fang Zheng, already used to the military¡¯s rapid pace in his world, quickly accepted Shi Dong¡¯s directive, despite his initial shock. Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shi Dong merely waved and turned away. The Old Archbishop¡¯s expression shifted several times before he sighed and quickly followed after Shi Dong. ¡°Shi Dong! Shi Dong!¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it, old man?¡± Hearing the Old Archbishop¡¯s call, Shi Dong turned to face the elderly man. ¡°Are you really planning to take that young man along?¡± ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t I say so? Now that he¡¯s my student, he must act alongside me. Besides, you saw for yourself, the kid isn¡¯t just some pretentious noble dandy. His swordsmanship is quite good. In my opinion, he¡¯s at the level of an Intermediate Knight. He just needs more practical experience. If I train him properly, he¡¯ll perform even better.¡± ¡°But even so¡­¡± The Old Archbishop clearly disagreed with Shi Dong¡¯s rather whimsical idea. ¡°Are you really going through with this? You know that young man exhibited Holy Spirit Protection¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I need to train him, old man.¡± At this, Shi Dong¡¯s usually frivolous smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. ¡°Fortunately, it was only us in the training ground. If those cultists knew we had an apprentice knight with Holy Spirit Protection, what do you think they would do?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The Old Archbishop¡¯s face changed at Shi Dong¡¯s question. ¡°Have you forgotten the catastrophe of the Dark Fallen Moon, when nearly the entire Holy Spirit Order was wiped out? Since then, we¡¯ve lost that entire faction. Though many of those chaos cultists were later killed, it was a near-fatal blow to the Holy Church.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, the old man didn¡¯t immediately respond. He remained silent, then sighed deeply. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll never forget¡­ That was a terrifying time¡­¡± ¡°So now, Holy Spirit Knights are nearly extinct. Even their legacies have dissipated¡­¡± At this, Shi Dong paused in thought. ¡°I think he might be able to reestablish the Holy Spirit legacy.¡± ¡°After hearing all this, do you really think I¡¯ll agree to him becoming your student?¡± The Old Archbishop raised an eyebrow, glaring at Shi Dong, who merely shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Admittedly, my methods can be harsh at times, but you have to admit, they work, don¡¯t they? He¡¯s still too weak. If he can¡¯t protect himself, how will he grow?¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, the Old Archbishop hesitated momentarily, then sighed deeply. ¡°Alright¡­ I agree. I won¡¯t report this to the Central Bishopric for now and ensure we¡¯re the only ones who know. Is that acceptable?¡± ¡°Thank you, old man.¡± This time, Shi Dong¡¯s face lit up with a smile. ¡°Trust me, this is the right decision.¡± Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Chapter 18: The Moment to Enter the New World Has Arrived! Chapter 19: Chapter 18: The Moment to Enter the New World Has Arrived! Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Clang!!¡± With a crisp collision sound, the longsword in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand spun and flew out, landing on the ground. He himself was knocked backward by the immense force, falling to the ground and gasping for breath. ¡°Get up, continue!¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, Fang Zheng hurriedly rolled over and got up from the ground, grabbing the longsword. At this moment, the steel-made longsword felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand. But even so, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, staring at the fully armored Grand Knight in front of him. After a brief thought, he swiftly moved to Shi Dong¡¯s right side and swung his sword. However, this time, Shi Dong didn¡¯t even glance at him. A casual swing from Shi Dong brought his enormous two-handed sword straight at him. Facing the oncoming two-handed giant sword, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth and tightly gripped the longsword to meet it. As the swords crossed, Fang Zheng struggled to hold the hilt and angled the blade, attempting to deflect the force of the blow. The steel longsword screeched and twisted to the side. Then, with another ¡°clang,¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t withstand the force of the giant sword, and his fingers loosened. The longsword flew backward once again. Fortunately, this time Fang Zheng didn¡¯t fall with it. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today.¡± Shi Dong sheathed his two-handed giant sword, looking at Fang Zheng with a gaze of appreciation. ¡°I have to say, kid, your body is too weak¡­ but your perseverance is not bad. I¡¯ve seen some slackers who start whining after training for just a short time, acting like I¡¯m trying to kill them. You¡¯re not bad; you haven¡¯t complained once until now. You have potential!¡± ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ th¡­ thank you¡­¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s praise, Fang Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied breathlessly. He felt like he could hardly stand. His hands were sore and numb, and he looked as exhausted as if he had been pulled out of a pond. On the second day of becoming Shi Dong¡¯s student, Fang Zheng understood what the old bishop¡¯s sympathetic look meant. In fact, he was dragged out of bed before dawn by Shi Dong to start running and practicing swordsmanship¡ªtotally different from what Fang Zheng imagined. Shi Dong didn¡¯t teach any knight¡¯s sword skills but made him repeatedly practice the basic sword techniques. Cut, slash, block, stab, thrust¡­ Fang Zheng followed Shi Dong¡¯s orders and practiced these monotonous basic techniques repeatedly. According to Shi Dong, the Royal Cross Swordsmanship he used was already quite powerful. But because Fang Zheng lacked understanding of the sword, he couldn¡¯t fully harness its power. Fang Zheng deeply agreed with this. Initially, when he sparred with Shi Dong, because his opponent wasn¡¯t familiar with this swordsmanship, Fang Zheng barely managed to gain the upper hand and win. But since that assessment, Fang Zheng had never won against Shi Dong again, even when Shi Dong used the most ordinary weapons. Fang Zheng always felt pressured and overwhelmed. ¡°You¡¯re really a weirdo, kid.¡± Looking at the sweat-drenched Fang Zheng, Shi Dong curled his lips. ¡°Usually, people with strong willpower don¡¯t have weak bodies. But why is your body so weak? And I see you¡¯ve achieved a decent level of power. Why can¡¯t you swing a sword properly?¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s mockery, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes helplessly. Indeed, he had strong willpower. Without it, he couldn¡¯t have worked overtime without rest. As for this body¡­ does he wish it were stronger? His original body at least had some abs. This damned cultist should be thankful his body hasn¡¯t been completely hollowed out¡­ Fang Zheng was well aware of the world¡¯s energy system, so he understood why Shi Dong said that. On this continent, people used a type of energy called ¡°Power of the Star Spirits.¡± However, to Fang Zheng, it was fundamentally no different from the ¡°Inner Strength¡± in martial arts novels. In fact, their grading system was quite similar. On this continent, the Power of the Star Spirits was divided into six levels: Entry, Standard, Elite, Grandmaster, Legendary, and Transcendent. Entry-level professionals are like the common folks in martial arts novels who might know a bit of Shaolin Boxing or Black Tiger Heart Extraction. They mainly improve their physical quality without any notable changes. Most militiamen in this world are at this level. Standard-level professionals are like disciples from major sects who have cultivated inner strength, far superior to those who only know a move or two of street fighting. They can use their power to enhance their bodies, surpassing ordinary people. For example, jumping several meters high or running a hundred meters in less than ten seconds. These people have mastered the use of Power of the Star Spirits to enhance their physical attributes and can use techniques like the ¡°Golden Bell Shield¡± or ¡°Cloud Ladder¡± that aren¡¯t particularly scientific. Elite-level professionals go a step further. It¡¯s easy to identify an Elite professional by seeing if they can make the Power of the Star Spirits unleash an attack outside their body. Whether they¡¯re mages, knights, assassins, or thieves, if they can do this, it means they¡¯ve surpassed ordinary warriors and become elites. Grandmasters are even more formidable. Not only do they possess powerful strength, but they also innovate and have unique skills and combat techniques of their own. For example, the Great Knight Shi Dong is a Grandmaster. Those at this level are like sect leaders in martial arts novels, not only powerful but also having their signature techniques. As for Legendary, they are even scarier. While Grandmasters are still within the realm of martial arts, Legends are almost at the level of immortal heroes in fiction. Their moves can shake the heavens and make darkness fall. They are nearly as powerful as deities. When they fight, areas spanning hundreds of miles can be affected. In this world, true Legendary powerhouses are the strategic weapons of each country. They rarely make moves. Their existence ensures peace on this continent. But that¡¯s not all. Mortals are ultimately impulsive, greedy, and blind creatures. Restraint for a moment doesn¡¯t mean eternal restraint. Some may seek revenge, and others may fall into darkness to destroy the world. But none of this happens because there¡¯s an even more powerful level above Legendary. Transcendent. If Legendary is the pinnacle of the mundane, then Transcendent beings, as the name suggests, surpass the mundane. Transcendents are never mortals. They are incarnations and envoys of deities or demon kings, possessing power beyond humans. Sometimes, they can do whatever they want! Because of this, the continent remains peaceful. Even Legendary powerhouses cannot create much chaos. After all, on this continent, good and evil are not eternal enemies. If someone attempts to destroy the world, their first hurdle might not be divine punishment but the demon king¡¯s dagger¡ªafter all, recruiting believers isn¡¯t free. Destroying the world would ruin it all. That¡¯s why Shi Dong called Fang Zheng a weirdo. Fang Zheng¡¯s strength level was in the middle of the Elite rank, but physically, he seemed entirely untrained. It was as if Linghu Chong, with no inner strength, had learned the Six-Meridian Divine Sword and kept using BIUBIUBIU non-stop. Is that even possible? Fang Zheng also realized his flaw: sword skills. The longsword was an unfamiliar weapon to him. In his previous life, he had never held one. Since his rebirth, he had only wielded a sword for less than a month. The system gave him the skills and knowledge, but experience couldn¡¯t be rushed. It required time and steady accumulation. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t entirely without options. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for today. Go rest.¡± Shi Dong was very satisfied with Fang Zheng. Although he found Fang Zheng¡¯s mastery of sword skills inconsistent with his experience, it wasn¡¯t surprising. Swordsmanship required perception and intelligence. Even a fool could learn by copying. Plus, Fang Zheng had the Holy Spirit Protection, so some anomalies were normal. As for Fang Zheng¡¯s lack of physical strength, Shi Dong wasn¡¯t doubtful. One look at Fang Zheng¡¯s hands told him that this young man probably hadn¡¯t held a sword for more than two months. Thus, a noble who usually enjoyed himself wouldn¡¯t have superior physical fitness. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Fang Zheng put down his longsword and left the training field. Along the way, he encountered several Sanctuary Warriors who burst into friendly laughter at his sorry state. ¡°Hey, Fang Zheng, did Shi Dong-sama beat you to the ground again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. He got up, didn¡¯t he? And he¡¯s walking.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re lucky. I wanted Shi Dong to be my guide back then, but he didn¡¯t think much of me. Such a pity¡­¡± Fang Zheng rolled his eyes at these gloating fellows. ¡°Since you¡¯re so regretful, should I say something good for you to Shi Dong-sama?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ better not¡­ You see, I¡¯m getting old. You should respect the elderly, right?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Watching that unfortunate guy¡¯s bitter smile made the others burst into laughter. The previously somber atmosphere lightened considerably. Fang Zheng had only been in the Sanctuary for just over ten days, yet he had gotten along quite well with many people here. This was partly because his Holy Protection increased their natural goodwill toward him, and partly because Fang Zheng was generous. Whenever he had free time, he¡¯d invite them to a tavern for a drink. Generous people are never disliked, so Fang Zheng¡¯s favorability among them soared. But the fundamental reason the Sanctuary Warriors accepted Fang Zheng was his effort and determination. The Great Knight Shi Dong¡¯s training was famously strict. Many had witnessed apprentice knights being trained to the brink of death, treated like they were being punished. Most whined and gave up after a few days, but this frail young man managed to persevere for over ten days¡ªa given for a warrior, but impressive for a young, frail noble. After exchanging a few jokes with the others, Fang Zheng left the Sanctuary. He rented a small house nearby for living, thanks to the Star Pattern and the Sanctuary¡¯s endorsement. Originally, Shi Dong wanted Fang Zheng to stay in the Sanctuary, but Fang Zheng declined the invitation. Some things were unsuitable to be done in the Sanctuary. Like now. Back in his room, Fang Zheng sat on a chair, looking at the Dimensional Codex in front of him. The sun was setting, and night was about to fall. Stretching out his hand, he gently opened the Codex, and a peculiar projection emerged from its pages. It looked like an Earth projection, but numerous satellites orbited it. They revolved around the Earth. Fang Zheng could clearly see the text appearing in his vision. [Dimensional World][Free World] In Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, [Dimensional World] was still grayed out and unresponsive, but [Free World] was accessible. Fang Zheng understood this well. Unlike [Dimensional World], when Fang Zheng traveled to [Free World], the time in the Main World would not flow. This meant that no matter how long he stayed in that world, time in the Main World would remain where he left it. Fang Zheng could stay in [Free World] indefinitely and leave anytime. He could even choose to forcibly exit if he encountered life-threatening danger¡­ This made [Free World] seem better than [Dimensional World]. However, the system wasn¡¯t that lenient. Although [Free World] seemed great, it had its limitations. First, in [Free World], Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t gain Dimensional Points, equipment, or skills by completing tasks. He could only receive attribute-related rewards. Second, in [Free World], Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t use any of the skills and equipment he obtained, nor activate Soulstone. In [Free World], Fang Zheng would just be an ordinary person, with attributes merely enhanced by titles and basic stats. Moreover, [Free World] was divided into three categories: Mind, Skill, and Body. Fang Zheng had been pondering which world to visit for improvement, but after extensive training with Shi Dong, he clearly understood his current shortcomings. He quickly made his decision. This is it. Looking at the teleportation icon, Fang Zheng took a deep breath and then reached out to tap on [Skill]. Soon, dazzling light dots appeared before him, intertwining to form a beam that enveloped him. The time to enter the new world had arrived! Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Chapter 19: What Just Happened? Chapter 20: Chapter 19: What Just Happened? Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Dong¡­ dong¡­ dong¡­¡± A low, deep bell tolled as Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked towards the sky in front of him. ¡°Where is this¡­¡± He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but quickly realized with surprise that his voice had become hoarse and gloomy. Not only that, he felt that his body seemed strange as well. It wasn¡¯t his familiar physique, but more like a foreign shell. What¡¯s going on? Fang Zheng shook his head and slowly stood up. It was only then that he discovered he was in a cemetery. At this moment, he was wearing heavy armor, with a longsword and a shield by his side. From a surface perspective, it looked as if ¡°Fang Zheng¡± had been buried as a knight in a coffin. So that¡¯s it. Only the spirit has entered this world? No wonder I can leave at any time¡­ After moving his body a bit, Fang Zheng finally understood the concept of the Free World. It seemed that in this place, he wasn¡¯t using his own body, but a body that already existed in this world. He was more like a spirit possessing someone. To Fang Zheng, this was like another ¡°rebirth.¡± However, compared to rebirth in the Main World, the rebirth in this world didn¡¯t seem to offer him any benefits. The original owner of this body didn¡¯t seem to have any inherited memories, nor was there any item to prove his identity. The only useful things were the shield and longsword by his side. Is this another game world? Could it be Dark World again? Looking up at the dark, cloudy sky similar to that of the Dark World, Fang Zheng frowned involuntarily. But fortunately, though this body did not provide him with memories of the previous life of its owner, it did offer him some combat skills. Fang Zheng then discovered, quite frustratingly¡­ these were indeed just combat skills! Forget about the cool sword skills of the Main World; there were not even any skills from the Dark World. The memories of this body contained only simple combat techniques like thrusting, slashing, rolling, and blocking, all of which were things Fang Zheng had learned from Shi Dong. If there was any difference, it was an extra technique called ¡°Bounce Back,¡± a skill that involved deflecting an enemy¡¯s attack at the moment of impact and then seizing the opening for a critical strike. No flashy skills, no unique moves¡ªjust mundane combat techniques. This isn¡¯t the Dark World. Where exactly is this? Curious, Fang Zheng looked around and then walked out of the coffin, following the path ahead. ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± At that moment, a skeletal figure slowly crawled up from the ground, blocking Fang Zheng¡¯s path. An enemy? A zombie? Or a living dead? Looking at the creature before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression turned serious. He tightly gripped his sword with his right hand and, before the creature could stand up, slashed down with his sword. To Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, the creature in this world didn¡¯t seem as tough as those in the Dark World. With a single stroke, he had felled the opponent to the ground. Whatever it was, at least it seemed as weak as it looked. Doesn¡¯t seem too dangerous. How can a world like this train combat skills? ¡°Whoosh!!¡± While Fang Zheng was still puzzled, he suddenly heard the sound of wind by his ear and instinctively rolled forward without hesitation. A burning arrow narrowly missed him. When Fang Zheng looked up, he saw another skeletal figure not far ahead, reloading a crossbow. What the hell! These guys can use weapons? Seeing this, Fang Zheng was slightly startled. He had thought these creatures were just like zombies, attacking only out of instinct, but they could actually use weapons? That¡¯s unacceptable! Thinking about it, Fang Zheng swiftly rushed forward, slashing down with his sword once again. He sent the figure back to its grave. What a strange place¡­ Looking at the corpse on the ground, Fang Zheng frowned. The sky was dark and gloomy, and even the cold wind felt chilling to the bone. Everything around him was shrouded in darkness, like ashes after a fire, giving off an unsettling vibe. In any case, let¡¯s investigate this world¡¯s situation first. After that, Fang Zheng followed the mountain path out of the cemetery, killing a few more ¡°living dead¡± along the way. Then he came to a bonfire. Looking at the bonfire, Fang Zheng felt as if he recalled something. He reached out towards the flames, and soon, he felt a mysterious power silently disappear from within him. The next moment, the bonfire flared up. ¡°¡­¡± Watching the amber flames, Fang Zheng let out a sigh of relief. The creatures in this world didn¡¯t seem very formidable, but looking at the ruins around him and the endless clouds in the distance, Fang Zheng had a bad feeling. It seemed this world was not as simple as it appeared. Keep moving forward. After sitting by the bonfire for a few minutes, Fang Zheng decided to continue exploring the world. So far, he hadn¡¯t encountered another living soul, which made him uneasy. Could this be a wasteland-like world, where everyone but himself was dead? It couldn¡¯t be as awful as ¡°I Am Legend.¡± Moreover, Fang Zheng did not feel threatened by these slow-moving creatures. The living dead in the Dark World, though slow, had terrifying strength and defense. But the creatures here had no defense and were slow to move. Several times, Fang Zheng had reached them before they could even climb up, moving lethargically like ordinary people. How could a world like this help me train combat skills? After a circuit along the mountain path and killing a monster guarding a gate, Fang Zheng arrived at a plaza. It was empty except for a gigantic knight dressed in armor, two or three meters tall, who crouched in the center of the plaza. Beside the knight lay a battle axe, and a black spiral sword pierced through his chest¡­ From any angle, it looked like he was dead. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t choose to approach him. From experience, he knew that such an eerie place with such an object undoubtedly had a problem. It could either be a trap or a boss, and caution was the best course. So he decided to circumvent the knight and continue exploring. His efforts paid off when he discovered a building behind the knight. Unfortunately, the front door seemed sealed by something, and no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn¡¯t open the wooden door. Do I really have to deal with that knight? Feeling helpless, Fang Zheng returned to the knight, approaching him cautiously. To his surprise, the knight didn¡¯t jump up unexpectedly, nor did monsters ambush him. The knight remained silently crouched, faithfully playing the role of a dedicated dead man. Am I supposed to pull out the sword from his chest? Hesitating for a moment, Fang Zheng decided to pull out the sword. Although his intuition told him it might trigger a ¡°boss battle,¡± the earlier fights showed him that those creatures posed no real threat and didn¡¯t help train his sword skills. But this was at least a boss, so there shouldn¡¯t be any disappointment. Thinking this, Fang Zheng reached out decisively, grabbing the spiral sword lodged in the knight¡¯s chest, and pulled it out. ¡°Gurgle¡­¡± As Fang Zheng extracted the spiral sword, he saw the dark, gooey substance in the knight¡¯s wound begin to wriggle, like a sentient life form, and then flow back into the knight¡¯s body. This sudden scene shocked Fang Zheng, and the knight stood up, grabbed the battle axe beside him, and swung it fiercely toward Fang Zheng! Damn! What¡¯s with the sudden attack? I¡¯m your savior here! Shocked at this unexpected assault, Fang Zheng quickly rolled on the ground, dodging the knight¡¯s axe. But before he could get up, the giant knight rushed at him, crashing into him, sending Fang Zheng flying. The knight then raised the axe again, bringing it down ferociously on Fang Zheng. This is bad! Seeing the gleaming axe, Fang Zheng was stunned. He hurriedly raised his shield, blocking the axe just in time. ¡°Clang!!¡± The massive force struck, almost buckling Fang Zheng¡¯s knees. But the knight wasn¡¯t done; after the first strike was blocked, he immediately swung the axe again. This time, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t hold on and was knocked to the ground. The knight then leaped high, axe and all, and came crashing down. ¡°Thud!!¡± The next moment, Fang Zheng felt the blade pierce his body. His vision went black, and everything around him plunged into darkness. Fang Zheng then felt as if he were floating like a balloon, being pulled upwards and then slowly descending. When he opened his eyes again, he saw only the burning bonfire and the broken longsword stuck in the flames. ¡°¡­¡± Dazed and confused, Fang Zheng stared at the bonfire, his mind in chaos, not knowing what to do. What just happened? Where am I? How did I die?! Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: Chapter 20: This is simply a nightmare! Chapter 21: Chapter 20: This is simply a nightmare! Editor: Exodus Tales What kind of hellish world is this? After being killed for the nth time, Fang Zheng sat by the bonfire, speechless. At this moment, he had felt the deep malice this world had towards him. Initially, Fang Zheng thought this was a seemingly ordinary world, but now he no longer believed that. If the first time he was killed by the knight could be considered carelessness, then the subsequent times, even though Fang Zheng had prepared thoroughly, he would still be ruthlessly beaten to the ground by the opponent. However, these efforts were not in vain; after several attempts, he found that the ¡°Bounce Back¡± skill, which he previously thought was useless, was unexpectedly effective. After mastering this skill, he successfully blocked and countered the knight¡¯s attack, then seized the opportunity to plunge his sword into the opponent¡¯s chest. Originally, Fang Zheng thought it was all over, but before he could pull out his sword, he saw a pitch-black, eerie liquid appear behind the knight, then twist and coalesce into a giant creature with a snakehead, which lunged at him with a bite. At that moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s heart shattered. At first, he thought this was an ordinary wasteland-like world. Then, he thought it should be an ordinary world with strong combat capabilities. But now¡­what kind of monstrosity is this!! Does he have to rely on swords and knives to fight such huge, inhuman creatures? This world is too despairing!! Although there are creatures in the Dark World, at least they have skills for protection! And here, I can only roll, block, and slash? No skills, no magic, no divine artifacts, and not even any teammates? His mindset was about to explode! This is simply a nightmare! Luckily, Fang Zheng remembered that he came to this world to train his swordsmanship and awareness; otherwise, he would probably choose to commit suicide. Surviving in such a world requires more than just a big heart. But fortunately, in this grim world, there was also a small sanctuary. After a hard-fought battle against that knight, Fang Zheng passed through a gate and entered a place called Firelink Altar, where he met a girl wearing a blindfold ¨C she called herself the Fire Keeper. From the Fire Keeper, Fang Zheng learned about this world¡¯s situation. This world was originally a realm of Chaos, but one day, a fire known as the Primordial Fire was born. Humans found the King¡¯s Soul near the fire and used its power to defeat the Ancient Dragons. After that, the age of fire began, and humanity built a glorious civilization. But the fire would eventually die out. To maintain the flame, powerful heroes sacrificed themselves as Firewood to keep the fire burning. However, all of this has reached its end. The inherited flame had already extinguished, the bell tolled, awakening the ancient Kings of Salary who were in slumber. But they had abandoned their thrones. His duty was to defeat these Kings of Salary and reignite the remaining flames. After talking with the Fire Keeper, Fang Zheng finally understood the general ¡°setting¡± of this world. It¡¯s like a bonfire that once burned, bringing light and warmth. But now, it was a pile of ash. His job was to find enough wood and relight the bonfire¡­ otherwise, everything would be lost. This really was a hopeless world. But fortunately, there was at least the soft-hearted Fire Keeper to soothe Fang Zheng¡¯s ravaged soul, much better than the muscular blacksmith and the old witch. Compared to her, those two were like trapped Undead¡ªoh, and that guy sitting on the steps holding a sword, mumbling all day long. Initially, after surviving that tough battle, Fang Zheng thought he had mastered the skills to survive in this world, so he confidently followed the Fire Keeper¡¯s guidance and teleported via the bonfire to the walls of Lothric, planning to start his next adventure. In fact, the creatures on those walls did not pose much of a threat to Fang Zheng at first. Even those Undead wielding giant axes were easily countered and executed by Fang Zheng. This inflated Fang Zheng¡¯s confidence¡­well, not entirely, but at least he felt he had grasped the essence of combat. Until he encountered a guy called the Lothric Knight. This guy, like the knight he faced before, was dressed impeccably but was non-communicative. The moment he saw Fang Zheng, he immediately charged at him, roaring. Fang Zheng was no longer as surprised as before. He had realized that besides the few at the Firelink Altar, everyone else he encountered outside seemed like unreasoning beasts that immediately attacked upon seeing him. So Fang Zheng decisively moved forward, wielding his shield, ready to counter and execute again. But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, after the Lothric Knight charged, he raised his shield and slammed it down, knocking Fang Zheng out. Before he could regain his senses, he saw the knight raise his sword¡­swish, the world went silent. Fang Zheng finally realized that with cold weapons, he was still a rookie. Previously, he defeated Shi Dong relying on the unique effects of Royal Cross Swordsmanship and Skybreaker. Although Shi Dong later pointed out Fang Zheng¡¯s lack of deep understanding of swordsmanship, Fang Zheng had been somewhat dismissive. He thought that maybe he hadn¡¯t used all his combat skills; if he had started with an invincibility spell and then launched a Divine Storm at Shi Dong, the opponent would have suffered more¡­ Not to mention, even if he encountered strong enemies in the future, he still had the Soulstone. But now, in this world, Fang Zheng realized for the first time how powerless he was without the Soulstone enhancements and unable to use Paladin skills. From the time he arrived at this high wall until now, how many times had he died? Sitting by the bonfire, Fang Zheng frowned tightly. If previously he had enough confidence in his abilities, his experiences in this world made him realize how weak he truly was. Thinking back, during his first battle after being reborn into this world, he escaped death relying on the power of the Soulstone. In the Dark World, he also depended on the Soulstone to kill Magda. These were granted by the system but were not entirely his own strength; it was the system providing him with cheats. Had he been somewhat lost before? Initially, Fang Zheng came here with the intention of training, but now he began to seriously reflect on whether his previous thoughts were correct. Should he rely on the system¡¯s help for his entire life? The system might indeed provide considerable assistance, but if he himself did not become stronger, wouldn¡¯t it all be in vain? ¡°Still too careless¡­¡± Shaking his head silently, Fang Zheng bitterly smiled as he stood up. Before his rebirth, he wasn¡¯t a warrior; although he had received some training, he had never experienced brutal combat. He originally did not see this as an issue, but now he realized what he lacked. Perhaps, this was why the system chose this world for him. As he thought about this, Fang Zheng gripped his longsword again, stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked out over the already ruined city below. He could hear the howling wind, and everywhere there were hoarse, ominous growls and heavy footsteps; those zombie-like creatures continued to wander the city, wielding their weapons and trying to kill everything in sight. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know who they originally were, what they had done, or why they fought, but now, there was one thing he understood clearly. Those standing in his way were his enemies. With this thought in mind, Fang Zheng gripped his longsword tightly and strode down the stairs. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Is this the inheritance of the Holy Spirit? Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Is this the inheritance of the Holy Spirit? Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, kid?¡± Looking at Fang Zheng in front of him, Shi Dong couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously. It was no wonder this Grand Knight had such a question¡ªFang Zheng¡¯s current state was too strange. Although he still had relentless perseverance, his expression showed that he was extremely fatigued, as if he hadn¡¯t fully woken up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, mentor, just a nightmare¡­¡± Upon hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng shook his head helplessly. In fact, it was much more than just a simple nightmare. ¡°A nightmare? Hahaha, I never thought you would have nightmares¡­ It seems you still have time for nightmares, which means my training isn¡¯t hard enough? Come on, perk up! By the way, what is this supposed to mean?¡± As he spoke, Shi Dong curiously glanced at Fang Zheng¡¯s waist. Currently, Fang Zheng had more than just his usual training weapon hanging from his waist; there was also a dagger. ¡°Are you planning to use dual swords, kid?¡± ¡°I just figured out some techniques yesterday.¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng let out a bitter smile. Normally, he would love to chat with Shi Dong, but right now, he didn¡¯t even have the energy for that. ¡°So I plan to give it a try.¡± ¡°Give it a try? Alright, kid. Let me remind you, don¡¯t always look for shortcuts. Although traditional methods seem old-fashioned, they¡¯ve stood the test of time for a reason¡­ Well then, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve figured out!¡± ¡°Yes, mentor.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng¡¯s hands moved swiftly, drawing out a longsword and a dagger. He then focused intently on Shi Dong. ¡°Hmm?¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s actions, Shi Dong was suddenly stunned, surprised with his eyes wide open. This kid¡­ What¡¯s going on? No wonder Shi Dong was so surprised. He had been training with Fang Zheng for more than ten days and had developed some understanding of him. Until yesterday, Fang Zheng¡¯s performance was just as Shi Dong expected. In fact, from their bouts, Shi Dong had already noticed that while Fang Zheng had good determination, he wasn¡¯t very adept at close combat. Although he had an outstanding grasp of the battlefield situation, his swordsmanship was on par with a novice. Shi Dong found this peculiar. He could tell Fang Zheng seemed better at long-range attacks, but his archery was equally lacking, and as for magic¡­ This kid didn¡¯t look like a mage at all! But that was until yesterday. Since meeting Fang Zheng today, Shi Dong felt something different about him. He couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint what was different, but the moment Fang Zheng drew his swords, Shi Dong¡¯s eyes lit up, and he finally noticed the change. If until yesterday Fang Zheng was a rookie, now he exuded the aura of a battle-hardened veteran! From Shi Dong¡¯s perspective, Fang Zheng was holding his swords, but his posture wasn¡¯t balanced. Instead, his left shoulder was slightly lowered, and his body seemed a bit hunched. This posture looked ungraceful to a layperson, who would wonder why this soldier couldn¡¯t even hold a sword properly. But to Shi Dong, this was a versatile stance perfect for both offense and defense. To him, Fang Zheng looked like a tightly coiled spring, eyes locked on him, ready to counter or evade any attack Shi Dong made. What shocked Shi Dong even more was how naturally Fang Zheng assumed this stance, with no sign of premeditation, suggesting this wasn¡¯t something he had forced himself to do but rather a habit ingrained down to his bones! Such habits were typical of seasoned warriors who had fought through countless battles and should not have manifested in someone as young as Fang Zheng! A coincidence? Or¡­ Pondering this, Shi Dong¡¯s expression grew serious. He slowly raised his two-handed sword and fixed his gaze on Fang Zheng. Then, the next moment, Shi Dong took a sudden step forward, swinging his giant sword towards Fang Zheng with thunderous force! What shocked Shi Dong was that as his sword swung, Fang Zheng, as if anticipating this move, rolled to the ground, narrowly dodging Shi Dong¡¯s attack. He then stood up, with dual swords in hand, staring intently at Shi Dong. ¡°You¡¯ve indeed progressed.¡± Shi Dong nodded in satisfaction. He had intentionally left an opening in his strike. In the past, Fang Zheng would have rushed in to retaliate, but his reaction was swift this time, seamlessly dodging and standing up. Most importantly, Fang Zheng had restrained his urge to attack immediately, a trait of a qualified warrior. Charging recklessly was the hallmark of a fool; a competent warrior must learn to balance offense and defense. Without precise judgment, they would only meet death. ¡°Then, let¡¯s try this again!¡± Excited, Shi Dong raised his giant sword once more and launched another attack on Fang Zheng. Since this was merely ¡°training,¡± neither Shi Dong nor Fang Zheng used any flashy, powerful techniques capable of immense destruction. The confrontation was a simple sword skill match¡ªslashing and sweeping. Under Shi Dong¡¯s command, the giant sword whizzed through the air, occasionally striking at Fang Zheng, who continuously rolled and dodged Shi Dong¡¯s relentless attacks. Interesting! The more Shi Dong observed Fang Zheng, the more complex he found him. Although Fang Zheng seemed to be barely evading the attacks, Shi Dong could see his dodges were highly skillful. Each dodge not only allowed him to escape unscathed but also put him in a position ready to counterattack. What was more important was that Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t counterattacked yet! Shi Dong didn¡¯t believe this was because Fang Zheng was too preoccupied with dodging. He instinctively felt a faint threat hanging in the air but also noted how Fang Zheng¡¯s left hand always gripped the dagger in a reverse hold without striking. Shi Dong was certain this dagger wasn¡¯t just for show. ¡°Huh!¡± The giant sword thrusted forward again, and as Shi Dong anticipated, Fang Zheng rolled aside to dodge. Then, Shi Dong swung the giant sword backward, aiming to cut down Fang Zheng with force. At that moment, Fang Zheng abruptly halted his roll and lunged forward. His left hand swung the dagger toward Shi Dong¡¯s right hand! Not good!! The instant he saw Fang Zheng¡¯s move, Shi Dong was shocked. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact problem, but his combat instincts screamed that this strike was critical! Unfortunately, there was no time for Shi Dong to change tactics. He could only watch as Fang Zheng¡¯s dagger forcefully struck the hilt of his giant sword. ¡°Clang!!¡± With a clash, the two swords collided. The giant sword was flung backward, an improbable sight. But Shi Dong didn¡¯t care about that; he was drenched in cold sweat! Shi Dong was horrified to find that the moment Fang Zheng¡¯s dagger deflected his attack, his strength seemed to vanish, rendering him unable to even stand. He collapsed to his knees, his right hand releasing the weapon as it flew away. Shi Dong couldn¡¯t even dodge anymore. He could only watch as Fang Zheng¡¯s sword aimed straight at his chest! As the blade neared Shi Dong¡¯s chest, he regained control of his body. Under the imminent threat of death, Shi Dong chose to unleash his power without hesitation! ¡°Boom!!¡± Roaring wind erupted from Shi Dong, forming a protective vortex around him. Caught off guard by Shi Dong¡¯s last-minute ¡°cheating,¡± Fang Zheng was blown away, landing heavily on the ground. Fortunately, Shi Dong quickly recovered his senses. Seeing Fang Zheng lying on the ground, he blushed and retracted his power hastily. ¡°Mentor, this is too¡­¡± Lying on the ground, Fang Zheng looked helplessly at the towering Grand Knight before him. They had agreed to spar for practice. How could Shi Dong resort to such drastic measures just because Fang Zheng finally had a chance to win? What happened to the basic trust between people? ¡°Ahem, my bad, I lost this time. I lost.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, Shi Dong blushed and admitted defeat without hesitation. His eyes then brightened, and he leaned closer to Fang Zheng, glancing around to ensure no one else was nearby. He then pulled Fang Zheng to his feet, wrapping an arm around his neck, and whispered in his ear. ¡°Hey, kid, where did you learn that¡­ Is this the Holy Spirit¡¯s legacy?¡± Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Gifts from the Holy Spirit Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Gifts from the Holy Spirit Editor: Exodus Tales Fang Zheng of course knew why Shi Dong would ask such a question. In fact, on the first day he arrived here, after summoning an angel due to the effect of Skybreaker, Shi Dong and the old bishop had asked Fang Zheng whether he had received the Holy Spirit¡¯s protection. Fang Zheng neither admitted nor denied it, he merely pretended to be clueless about the matter¡ªin fact, this wasn¡¯t information that an ordinary person would know. Fang Zheng had only found some clues about Holy Spirit Protection after entering the Sanctuary and sifting through the archives. In the not-too-distant past, there was a group of people on this continent. They were either innately blessed or later received protection from the Holy Spirit Angels for some reason. These Holy Spirit Angels would safeguard these people¡¯s lives and bestow upon them angelic knowledge and power. People regarded this as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Within the Sanctuary, these individuals were seen as the Goddess of Order¡¯s messengers on earth, utilizing this power to eradicate chaos, maintain order, and combat evil. The Holy Spirit Knights of the past were the celebrities of the Sanctuary, each one a much-admired hero. As the saying goes, ¡°A tall tree attracts the wind.¡± Thus, the Holy Spirit Knights attracted the attention of the Chaos Monsters and Cultists. Demons coveted the power of angels, while the Cultists sought to undermine the foundations of order. Eventually, disaster struck through their combined efforts. They incited the masses and tempted those Holy Practitioners in the Sanctuary who were dissatisfied with the Holy Spirit Knights¡¯ power to suppress them. They even led several young Holy Spirit Knights astray, turning them and their Guardian Angels into claws of chaos. At the same time, they used this as a pretext to scrutinize the Holy Spirit Knights. At first, the Holy Spirit Knights could endure the scrutiny, but soon the Sanctuary¡¯s people became increasingly aggressive. Perhaps they found it amusing to see these high-and-mighty Holy Spirit Knights acting so ¡°obediently.¡± Hence, the Sanctuary¡¯s leaders became more militant, even fabricating reasons to take the Holy Spirit Knights for interrogation. Eventually, some leaders went so far as to coerce confessions from the Holy Spirit Knights, forcing them to admit they were cultists. As time went on, the rift grew larger. The Holy Spirit Knights were fed up with being treated as cultists, while the Sanctuary¡¯s leaders grew more brazen, relying on the Sanctuary¡¯s support. The conflict escalated, causing the Highest Bishop of that time to become uneasy. He attempted to stop the spread of this wave and began to reduce the intensity of the scrutiny. But the Highest Bishop¡¯s orders became the proverbial straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Learning of the Highest Bishop¡¯s plan to end the scrutiny, the bishops below refused to comply. Driven by their desire to completely suppress the Holy Spirit Knights, those bishops, intoxicated by ambition and power, made a crazy decision: they accused the Grandmaster of the Holy Spirit Knights, Antonio, of being a cultist and imprisoned his wife and children, using torture to extract so-called ¡°evidence¡± to force Antonio to confess. But Antonio wasn¡¯t one to surrender so easily. He led his followers into the Supreme Tribunal, attempting to rescue his family. Unfortunately, Antonio arrived too late; all he saw were the corpses of his wife and children. Overwhelmed with grief and rage, Antonio declared his break from the Sanctuary and, in the name of the Holy Spirit Order, declared war on the entire Sanctuary! That was an exceedingly dark era. Those who once maintained order, the Holy Spirit Knights, raised their blades and attacked the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary crumbled under their assault. They tried to halt the onslaught but to no avail. The Holy Spirit Knights were men, not saints, and they had been harboring resentment long before the scrutiny began. There was no way they would simply admit their mistakes. Moreover, by that time, some within the Holy Spirit Order believed the Sanctuary had deviated from the Goddess¡¯s guidance, succumbing to worldly desires and power. The conflict had evolved into a clash of ideologies, and negotiations ultimately failed. Antonio then led the Holy Spirit Knights in an assault on the Supreme Sanctuary, aiming to end its rule once and for all. However, in front of the Supreme Sanctuary¡¯s gates, the Holy Spirit Knights met an obstacle¡ªthe Goddess¡¯s protection surrounded the Supreme Sanctuary, ensuring they couldn¡¯t advance. The Cardinal Council, in their folly, believed the Holy Spirit Knights could do nothing against themselves under the Goddess¡¯s protection. Thus, they immediately began to mock Antonio. They even claimed that the murder of Antonio¡¯s family was the Goddess¡¯s will, and they were merely executing her will! No matter the era or place, ¡°pig teammates¡± always have the same effect. Inflamed by the Cardinal Council¡¯s taunts, Antonio made a decision that shocked everyone. He and his Holy Spirit companion, under everyone¡¯s watchful eye, chose to fall and become a Chaos Demon King, then he cleaved through the Goddess¡¯s protection with a single blow and annihilated the Cardinal Council. Afterward, Antonio left behind only one sentence: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this world¡¯s existence has no meaning,¡± and turned to leave with the fallen Holy Spirit. Following this, the Holy Spirit Order split into two factions. One faction resolutely chose to fall and followed Antonio to the Twilight Frontier. The other faction chose to permanently sever ties with the Sanctuary, never to meet again. The internal strife and the departure of the Holy Spirit Knights left the Sanctuary severely weakened. At that moment, Cultists and Chaos Demons began to act, launching frenzied attacks on the continent. Without the Holy Spirit Knights, the Sanctuary¡¯s power significantly lessened. Ultimately, they managed to expel the demons and cultists, ensuring the survival of order. However, they were left severely weakened and have not fully recovered to this day. Moreover, after that, people with Holy Spirit Protection appeared rarely on the continent. Within the Sanctuary, there was an underlying belief that the Goddess was disappointed with the Sanctuary¡¯s actions, thus she no longer sent her messengers to this world. It was only when the Sanctuary acknowledged its mistakes that they might receive the Goddess¡¯s forgiveness. This explained why the Old Archbishop wanted to report Fang Zheng¡¯s Guardian Angel to the Central Bishopric the moment he saw it. However, Shi Dong seemed uninterested in this. He was more curious about how Fang Zheng had become so powerful after just one night. Could this also be related to a Holy Spirit inheritance? After all, that happened many years ago, and now information about the Holy Spirit Knights was scarce, either destroyed or sealed, making it inaccessible to the general public, even someone as highly ranked as a Grand Knight. Hence, Shi Dong was quite interested in Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°inheritance.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is some kind of inheritance.¡± As before, Fang Zheng did not confirm Shi Dong¡¯s guess. After learning the history of the Holy Spirit Knights, he knew that this identity had its advantages, but also many disadvantages. Therefore, he never admitted others¡¯ guesses, choosing instead to reveal selective information. ¡°Last night, I went back and thought about how to improve my sword skill. Then I discussed it with her, and she made me have a dream¡­¡± Facing Shi Dong¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hide much. He simply described the system as the Guardian Angel he summoned with the Skybreaker Sword. He recounted the experiences in the instance as if they were dreams. Fang Zheng chose to reveal this not only to win Shi Dong¡¯s trust but also because he had already planned it before arriving. That was why he didn¡¯t mind showing his peculiarities to Shi Dong. Even if Shi Dong hadn¡¯t asked, he would have found an opportunity to consult him. The reason was simple, ¡°Three cobblers make a genius strategist like Zhuge Liang.¡± While Fang Zheng could indeed accumulate experience through battles in that world, wouldn¡¯t it be faster if he had guidance from someone experienced? Why take the long route when there¡¯s a shortcut? Moreover, even though he could revive, getting killed was still painful! He wasn¡¯t a masochist, looking to get killed for fun. ¡°Such a world exists¡­¡± After hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s description, Shi Dong couldn¡¯t help but marvel. With his extensive experience, he immediately grasped how hopeless the world Fang Zheng described was. A world where survival depended on the burning of flames, and once the flames extinguished, all faced death¡­ Just the thought made Shi Dong feel the sorrow of that world. But thankfully, it was only a dream. ¡°Haha, good that it was just a dream. Otherwise, with your skills, you would have died a hundred and eighty times, just relying on sword skills without using power against those enemies.¡± Hearing Shi Dong laugh heartily, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes helplessly but had nothing to say because he indeed had died a hundred and eighty times! Maybe even more. ¡°Hmm¡­ but actually, it¡¯s not entirely hopeless. From your previous combat style, you¡¯ve already mastered the knack; it¡¯s just the method that¡¯s a bit off¡­¡± But Shi Dong did not disappoint Fang Zheng. After pondering for a moment, he began to advise Fang Zheng. As a Grand Knight, Shi Dong had much more experience in this area, and Fang Zheng listened attentively. These were invaluable insights, and the system currently lacked a redemption function. Even if it did, Fang Zheng doubted it would allow exchanging for experience. And now¡­ having such a mentor wasn¡¯t just for learning? Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: Chapter 23 Skill Expertise [Weapon Mastery] Chapter 24: Chapter 23 Skill Expertise [Weapon Mastery] Editor: Exodus Tales With Shi Dong¡¯s guidance, Fang Zheng clearly felt much better in that world. Previously, the reason Fang Zheng died so miserably was not just because of his lack of understanding about that world, but also because he had no clue on how to handle sudden situations. Especially when facing those four or five meters tall giants or some bizarre creatures, Fang Zheng had no idea how to deal with them. Was he supposed to charge with a sword? No matter how tough one is, one can¡¯t withstand that, not to mention those damned, malicious mimic chests! In this regard, Shi Dong was experienced. Just a few tips could benefit Fang Zheng immensely. In return, Fang Zheng often talked to Shi Dong about that world. Shi Dong himself seemed quite interested in it, frequently pulling Fang Zheng to ask about the current state there. This occasionally gave Fang Zheng the illusion of discussing game strategies with classmates during school days. However, the hard work finally paid off. Fang Zheng clearly felt that his deaths from sudden incidents in that world were decreasing. After successfully defeating the Abyssal Guardian deep inside Farron Fortress without any injuries, Fang Zheng finally gained his first reward in the Free Instance. Skill Expertise: [Weapon Mastery]! [Weapon Mastery: In the endless cycle of death, you have grasped the essence of combat. Starting with just a sword, life and death are at the whims of fate. You have come to understand that, in this world, the weapon in your hand is your most trustworthy companion (initial proficiency level with all weapons is 100%)] After gaining this expertise, Fang Zheng curiously went to experiment, and the results delighted him greatly. Fang Zheng found that with the boost from [Weapon Mastery], not only did he become more fluent in wielding the Royal Cross Swordsmanship, but even when he picked up weapons like greatswords and daggers, they felt like extensions of his body, effortlessly reaching the level of ease and control. Indeed, this was quite a rewarding expertise. From this expertise reward, Fang Zheng also discovered that the instance rewards seemed to be given based on whether he could defeat the boss without injury. Previously, Fang Zheng died several times fighting other bosses, and even if he won, he was exhausted. This time, defeating the enemy without injury was entirely due to Shi Dong¡¯s guidance, Fang Zheng¡¯s sufficient preparation, and a bit of luck. After mastering this expertise, Fang Zheng enthusiastically went to the Sanctuary to practice with Shi Dong. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that before he could step through the Sanctuary¡¯s gate, he saw Shi Dong in armor striding out, slapping Fang Zheng¡¯s shoulder and dragging him inside. ¡°Come on, kid, we have something to do!¡± ¡°Is it a fight?¡± Familiar with Shi Dong¡¯s unconventional actions, Fang Zheng just paused for a moment before reacting. After all, the Sanctuary wasn¡¯t a charity. As an Apprentice Guardian Knight enjoying its benefits, Fang Zheng naturally had to contribute. ¡°Exactly.¡± Leading Fang Zheng through the corridor, Shi Dong quickly explained. ¡°Just now, we received a distress call from Shadow Canyon. A team of knights tracing cultists¡¯ tracks entered deep into the canyon but fell into their trap and got trapped in the White Bone Plains. What fools, who allowed them to go to Shadow Canyon? Don¡¯t they know it¡¯s the Twilight Frontier? And now, I have to clean up their mess.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but twitch his mouth. Somehow, he felt that these Paladins might be the unlucky guys killed by his body. ¡°Me too?¡± ¡°Of course, kid, your strength isn¡¯t weak now, and you don¡¯t lack combat experience. Star Moon City is short-handed, so it¡¯s just you and me who can be relied on. Plus, your power is Holy Power, perfect for restraining those undead bastards. Let me see your skills!¡± As they talked, they reached the corridor¡¯s end. Seeing Shi Dong and Fang Zheng, the Sanctuary Warriors at the end quickly saluted and pushed open the heavy stone gate behind them. Behind the stone gate was a massive circular Teleportation Array, the Sanctuary¡¯s most powerful weapon. This Teleportation Array could achieve unlimited long-distance teleportation. In wartime, it could directly transport troops to the battlefield by borrowing the Archbishop¡¯s power. Of course, this Teleportation Array, while seemingly invincible, had its restraints. If the opponent casually set a spatial anchor to lock the space, the array became useless. Yet even so, the Teleportation Array was an excellent choice for traveling. ¡°Hmm?¡± But what Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that upon entering the teleportation hall, he quickly saw two figures beside the array. One was the old Archbishop he was familiar with, and the other was a cute girl in a black robe. Seeing Fang Zheng, the girl¡¯s face turned slightly red, then she lowered her head, staring silently at the ground. ¡­¡­If he remembered correctly, wasn¡¯t she the soft girl from the city hall who verified his star pattern? What was she doing here? ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Entering the teleportation hall, Shi Dong immediately looked at the old Archbishop beside the array. Upon hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, the old Archbishop shook his head helplessly. ¡°The situation isn¡¯t good. I just managed to contact them, but it was quickly cut off again.¡± ¡°These idiots.¡± Hearing the old Archbishop¡¯s response, Shi Dong rolled his eyes helplessly. ¡°What about their Teleportation Crystals?¡± ¡°The enemy set a spatial restriction, rendering the Teleportation Crystals unusable.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s at least a Lich-level opponent waiting for us?¡± The more information Shi Dong received, the darker his expression grew. ¡°What¡¯s with these fools? Fighting a Lich in the White Bone Plains? If they¡¯re so capable, why not storm into the Twilight Frontier? Do they think they¡¯re invincible now? I always said those directly under the Bishopric were unreliable, all arrogant and self-righteous, but utterly useless. They think they can save the world just because they¡¯ve crawled out of their mama¡¯s lap.¡± One has to admit, proximity to ink makes one black. Hanging out with Fang Zheng for so long, Shi Dong had naturally picked up some of his seemingly nonsensical but oddly logical phrases. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Next, it¡¯s up to her.¡± As he spoke, the old Archbishop glanced at the girl beside him. Feeling everyone¡¯s gaze, the girl trembled and then timidly raised her head, nodding to the crowd. ¡°Miss M here can provide coordinates that will allow you to teleport to the nearest point¡­¡± M¡­ Hearing this name, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He wasn¡¯t surprised. During his time in the Sanctuary, he had learned that for an Astrologer, names held special secrets. Astrologers believed their names were linked to the stars, so they typically used code names rather than their real names, which were known only to their mentors and families. However¡­ Glancing at the timid girl resembling a frightened squirrel, Fang Zheng thought the code name suited her¡­ she really looked like a ¡°softie.¡± ¡°Her?¡± To Shi Dong, the concern lay elsewhere. ¡°Isn¡¯t that place under spatial restriction? How can she lead us in?¡± Here, the girl finally spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Well¡­ actually¡­ I can observe the trajectory of the constellations to point out a Path of the Stars unaffected by the spatial restriction¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°Can you do that?¡± Hearing this, Shi Dong was genuinely surprised. ¡°Finding the Path of the Stars is something even advanced Astrologers struggle with!¡± ¡°Miss M is the most prized disciple of Royal Astrologer Oscar.¡± The old Archbishop finally chimed in. ¡°So, you must ensure her safety. If anything happens to this young lady, I can¡¯t handle it if her mentor comes looking for trouble.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what do you mean?¡± Hearing the old Archbishop¡¯s response, Shi Dong¡¯s expression changed again. The old Archbishop just smiled. ¡°Just like you heard, this young lady will accompany you to the White Bone Plains¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Huh?¡± Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Chapter 24 Who Exactly Is He? Chapter 25: Chapter 24 Who Exactly Is He? Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Old man, what the hell are you doing?¡± Shi Dong glared disapprovingly at the old archbishop, clearly unhappy. ¡°This isn¡¯t a picnic, what¡¯s the point of bringing a delicate young lady along?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± Hearing this odd phrase learned from Fang Zheng, the old archbishop rolled his eyes helplessly. ¡°One point! Don¡¯t forget, there are spatial restrictions there. Without this young lady¡¯s help, even if you find the person, how will you return? Without the Path of the Stars, do you plan to run back thousands of miles from Shadow Canyon?¡± ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s the case, I have no objections.¡± Hearing the old archbishop¡¯s response, Shi Dong had nothing more to say. Breaking out of Shadow Canyon on his own was something he didn¡¯t think he could do, and under the spatial restrictions, ordinary methods wouldn¡¯t work either. So if they wanted to return safely, it seemed necessary to bring this delicate young lady along. So Shi Dong wisely shut his mouth, leading Fang Zheng into the teleportation array, and the young lady followed them in. Maybe because Shi Dong¡¯s scowling face looked a bit scary, or perhaps because she had met Fang Zheng before, the young lady stayed closer to Fang Zheng, cautiously watching Shi Dong. ¡°Alright, the rest is up to you, little girl.¡± Shi Dong clearly didn¡¯t care about such trivial matters. He took a deep breath, then his expression became serious. ¡°Let¡¯s see where you can send us.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ I understand¡­¡± The young lady replied softly, closing her eyes. Soon, Fang Zheng saw azure light points quietly appearing around her. They connected with straight lines, encircling the three like a constellation. ¡°Is this the Path of the Stars?¡± Fang Zheng watched the twinkling star map with great interest, feeling it resembled high-tech three-dimensional projections from his previous life. He knew a bit about the Path of the Stars; simply put, it was like a natural phenomenon akin to tides on this continent. He didn¡¯t fully understand the principles, just knowing it involved overlapping oneself with constellation projections and folding space for teleportation¡­ possibly similar to a wormhole? Because the Path of the Stars was a natural phenomenon, it wasn¡¯t restricted by spells that sealed space. However, summoning the Path of the Stars required extremely high talent and computational power, making it rare for people to use it. Clearly, this seemingly delicate girl was hiding impressive skills. ¡°I found it¡­¡± At this moment, the young lady suddenly spoke. Eyes closed, she frowned slightly. ¡°A life star¡­ is about to disappear¡­ coordinates fixed¡­ now!¡± As soon as the young lady finished, Fang Zheng saw a large hole suddenly tear open in the space above them. Before he could react, a powerful suction force pulled him and Shi Dong inside. It was a very peculiar experience. Upon entering the void, Fang Zheng first saw endless stars and a vast, immeasurable universe. He felt as if he were floating in space. But soon, he felt himself sliding rapidly in a certain direction, as if on an invisible slide. His speed increased, and the scene before him changed quickly. Stars streaked into bands of light, becoming more distant until they merged into pure white¡­ ¡°Bang!!¡± The next moment, Fang Zheng felt as if he had reached the end of the slide and was thrown out, landing hard on the ground. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The impact wasn¡¯t pleasant, but Fang Zheng had no time to worry about it. As he landed, he heard a deep growl near his ear, followed by the sound of a weapon slicing through the air behind him! ¡°Oh crap!¡± In that moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s experience in the Free Instance kicked in. He instinctively rolled across the ground, dodging the attack. He reached for his Skybreaker Sword at his waist and looked up, startled by what he saw. Before him stood a dozen skeletal soldiers wielding weapons and wearing tattered armor. Their eye sockets glowed with red light, forming a semicircle around him. Nearby, a knight lay on the ground, eyes wide in shock at the sudden appearance of this young man. Who is he? No wonder the knight was puzzled. Moments ago, he was prepared to fight these undead spirits to the death. Unexpectedly, a flash appeared before him, and this young man suddenly stood in his path. Since Fang Zheng was only an apprentice Guardian Knight and not a full member of the Sanctuary, he didn¡¯t wear the Sanctuary¡¯s standard armor like Shi Dong. Instead, he wore the noble attire from when he first arrived in Star Moon City. Thus, the knight didn¡¯t recognize Fang Zheng¡¯s identity. However, seeing Fang Zheng ready his weapon to fight the undead, the knight couldn¡¯t help but warn him. ¡°Careful, these are un¡­¡± But before the knight could finish, Fang Zheng had already struck. Skybreaker Sword¡¯s Holy Light burst forth. Fang Zheng stepped forward, sweeping his blade in a golden arc that struck the undead. Golden cross patterns appeared on their bodies, exploding and sending them flying. Crusader Strike! With a successful hit, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t waste the opportunity. He swung his longsword forward, summoning three crimson greatswords from the ground that shattered the skeleton archers. Holy Light then emanated from Fang Zheng, and he charged into the undead ranks like a ferocious tiger. ¡°Bang!!¡± The leading undead warrior didn¡¯t even have time to raise his weapon before Fang Zheng beheaded him. He raised his longsword, radiant light gathering around him and forming dozens of Light Blades. These Light Blades leveled out and rotated, shredding the undead¡¯s bodies and souls like a merciless meat grinder. Divine Storm! The severely injured knight was astonished. He had seen similar power before, but Fang Zheng¡¯s flashy, light-filled combat skills left him in awe. Fortunately, within Fang Zheng¡¯s Holy Light, the knight didn¡¯t sense any evil or undead aura, which reassured him somewhat¡ªat least Fang Zheng didn¡¯t seem to be an enemy. However, as he looked at Fang Zheng¡¯s youthful, handsome face, the knight couldn¡¯t help but gasp. He hadn¡¯t noticed Fang Zheng¡¯s face before, but now he was shocked. As a knight of the Sanctuary¡¯s Bishopric, he had seen many powerful figures, but they were mostly older, at least middle-aged. This young man¡­ was he even twenty? Who exactly is he? Could he be a descendant of some hidden noble house? What is he doing here? While the knight speculated on Fang Zheng¡¯s identity, he saw the young noble sheathe his weapon and extend a hand to him. ¡°You must be the Sanctuary¡¯s knight. Looks like I wasn¡¯t too late¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Hearing this, the knight was momentarily stunned. He looked up at Fang Zheng. What is going on? Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Traps and Conspiracies Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Traps and Conspiracies Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°My name is Fang Zheng. I¡¯m an Apprentice Guardian Knight from the Sanctuary of Star Moon City, here to assist you with Great Knight Shi Dong.¡± ¡°Star Moon City¡­ Are you saying that Great Knight Shi Dong is here too?¡± But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, upon hearing his reply, instead of showing joy, the knight¡¯s face changed dramatically. ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t have come here! It¡¯s a trap, damn it, we all fell for it¡­ cough cough¡­!¡± Maybe because he was too anxious, the knight started coughing up blood before he finished speaking. Seeing this, Fang Zheng stepped forward and held his shoulder. After closely inspecting the knight¡¯s condition, Fang Zheng quickly discovered a deep wound on the knight¡¯s waist. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t get so worked up. We¡¯re already here, and now you can¡¯t send us back¡­ In any case, let¡¯s treat your wound first.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng raised his hand. A warm, pure white light surrounded the knight¡¯s body, and under the radiance, the gory wound on the knight¡¯s waist quickly healed, becoming as good as new within moments. ¡°So quickly?!¡± Feeling the comforting warmth and seeing his wound heal so fast, the knight was a bit stunned. Although he was just an ordinary knight and not as powerful as a Grand Knight like Shi Dong, he had fought for the Sanctuary for many years and was at least experienced. He could tell that the healing technique Fang Zheng used far surpassed that of the Apprentice Priests in the Sanctuary. Ordinary healing techniques could close wounds but couldn¡¯t restore strength. However, this young man¡¯s healing technique not only swiftly healed his injuries but also made him feel his strength rapidly recover¡ªthis was at least a Bishop-level healing technique! Who on earth was this young man? The knight was becoming more puzzled about Fang Zheng. He had indeed seen the emblem Fang Zheng wore, bearing the Sanctuary¡¯s insignia, which couldn¡¯t be faked. If Fang Zheng were a Cleric or Priest specialized in healing, he could accept that. But Fang Zheng had also shown great combat ability during the fight, which was hard to believe. A knight specializing in both combat and healing, and so young? Why had he never heard of him before? ¡°It looks like you¡¯re okay now.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what the knight was thinking. He just glanced at him and, after confirming his wounds were mostly healed, extended his hand. ¡°Can you stand?¡± ¡°Of course, thank you, young man.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, the knight was startled, then smiled and reached out to shake Fang Zheng¡¯s hand as he stood up. ¡°My name is Conan, a Knight from the 13th Squadron directly under the Bishopric¡­ uh, why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Nothing, just¡­ nothing¡­¡± In response to Knight Conan¡¯s query, Fang Zheng smiled and shook his head, then quietly stepped back two steps. It wasn¡¯t that Fang Zheng intended to do anything to the knight; it was just that the name was too terrifying. Hearing it made his heart instinctively jump¡­ Although he didn¡¯t know what kind of ghost this was, Fang Zheng felt it was best to keep a little distance from this man. After all, this name was infamous in his world, with countless kills to its credit, striking fear into many¡­ ¡°By the way, where are the others? Why are you alone here?¡± ¡°Alas¡­¡± Upon Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Knight Conan sighed deeply before he began to speak. ¡°Here¡¯s what happened¡­¡± The situation was just as Fang Zheng had expected. These knights were part of the forces pursuing him. Williams was already an enemy of the Sanctuary, and after Fang Zheng inexplicably fought and killed several of his knights, the grudge only deepened. The others sought revenge for their fallen comrades, looking for clues about Williams everywhere. As Fang Zheng had used the Lich King¡¯s power in the wilderness, these knights naturally assumed that the cultist must be connected to the necromancers and other undead creatures, leading them to search and investigate. They received a tip from an old farmer in a town¡ªrecently, undead creatures often appeared in Shadow Canyon, with reports of a powerful and terrifying Lich! This Lich had been terrorizing the area, kidnapping children, and many village children had mysteriously disappeared! Armed with this clue, the squad reported to the Sanctuary and awaited orders. Though they believed the Lich might be the one who killed their comrades, as Sanctuary knights, they had to follow orders. But as the squad waited for the Sanctuary¡¯s response, the old farmer who provided the information came to them weeping, begging them to save his grandson. Unable to turn a cold shoulder to the old man¡¯s pleas and eager for revenge, the Paladins decided to scout Shadow Canyon. Even if they couldn¡¯t confront the Lich, gathering more clues would still be worthwhile. They never expected it was all a trap from the start. The old farmer was actually a cultist! He led them into Shadow Canyon, winding through the paths until the knights were lost. By the time they realized the situation, the old man had disappeared, and they were surrounded! Hundreds of undead creatures encircled the knights. Realizing the danger, they fought desperately to break the siege. But their foes were overwhelming in number, and someone had cast a barrier that sealed the teleportation channels, trapping the unfortunate knights. Their main force was cut off and besieged by the undead creatures. Knight Conan, now in front of Fang Zheng, had been separated during the chaos, barely escaping. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t arrived in time, he would¡¯ve died here. ¡°I see.¡± After listening to Conan¡¯s recount, Fang Zheng grasped what had happened and frowned in thought. Conan glanced around, still puzzled. ¡°Anyway, we should reunite with Great Knight Shi Dong ASAP¡­ Fang Zheng, didn¡¯t you say you came with him? By the way, space is sealed here, how did you get in?¡± ¡°We used the Path of the Stars to teleport here. As for why we got separated¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Sighing helplessly, Fang Zheng explained. Ever since he was reborn in this world, his teleportations had been unreliable¡ªonce dropping him before a BOSS in the Dark World, and now separating the three of them. No point in dwelling on it. ¡°What are your plans now?¡± Shaking off these thoughts, Fang Zheng looked at Knight Conan. This was beyond what he could handle alone. He hoped the other two had been teleported together. Great Knight Shi Dong would be fine, but as for the girl called M¡­ well, next year on this day, Fang Zheng might light a candle for her. ¡°Well¡­¡± Conan hesitated at Fang Zheng¡¯s question, thinking for a moment before speaking. ¡°Originally, I planned to escape the undead creatures and reunite with the commander. This is Shadow Canyon. With space sealed, it¡¯s unwise to act alone. And I can¡¯t leave here alone¡­¡± ¡°Do you know where they are?¡± ¡°Of course, before we got separated, we were retreating to the Blood Riverbank. If they broke the undead creatures¡¯ siege, we¡¯d regroup there.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng nodded, sheathing his longsword, and gestured to Conan. ¡°Then let¡¯s head to the Blood Riverbank.¡± Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Surprise Attack Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Surprise Attack Editor: Exodus Tales Neither of them were the type to waste time; once they made a decision, they set off immediately. Under the guidance of the ominously named knight, they headed towards the Blood Riverbank. During the journey, Fang Zheng engaged in some conversation with the knight, hoping to gather information about how much the search parties knew about his previous identity. Knight Conan answered all of Fang Zheng¡¯s questions with respect. Although Fang Zheng was just an apprentice knight, his previous display of combat prowess and healing techniques made Conan believe that as long as the young man didn¡¯t stray from the path, he would have a bright future in the Sanctuary. Naturally, Conan would not risk offending someone with such potential. Under these circumstances, conflicts were unlikely. Conan answered all of Fang Zheng¡¯s questions thoroughly since he didn¡¯t know any Sanctuary secrets anyway and had nothing to worry about. This put Fang Zheng in an amusing situation¡ªa fugitive conversing happily with someone who was supposed to catch him, who hadn¡¯t recognized him at all. This was very interesting. But Fang Zheng found this normal. He wouldn¡¯t have come without being fully prepared. He hadn¡¯t mastered any four great Oriental dark arts that could change his appearance or even gender; instead, their auras were fundamentally different. The original Williams in Fang Zheng¡¯s merged memories was akin to a rich, pampered playboy from martial arts novels¡ªsomeone who spent his days loafing around with his pet birds, flirting with women, parading with lackeys, and indulging in Spring Pavilion debauchery. But Fang Zheng was entirely different. Firstly, his disheveled long hair had been meticulously trimmed. Their temperaments and personalities were also completely different. Compared to the sneaky and shady Williams, Fang Zheng exuded a much grander aura. In his original world, Fang Zheng was top management, overseeing many people, in stark contrast to the frivolous rich playboy Williams, a typical villain designed for the protagonist to gain experience in web novels. Moreover, Fang Zheng¡¯s once frail body had grown much stronger after Shi Dong¡¯s training. He didn¡¯t have a six-pack yet, but he no longer looked like the scrawny Williams who could be blown away by the wind. The knights¡¯ memories likely still saw Williams dressed in black robes and acting furtively, so naturally, they didn¡¯t doubt Fang Zheng, who looked vastly different from Williams. Of course, their journey wasn¡¯t entirely smooth. They encountered several ambushes and attacks by undead creatures on their way to the Blood Riverbank. However, Fang Zheng and the ominously named knight managed to get through with some thrill but no real danger. ¡°Just up ahead.¡± Pointing forward, Knight Conan, panting heavily, wiped his face and shouted. ¡°Just over that, we¡¯ll reach the Blood Riverbank!¡± He then turned around and climbed up the hill in two or three steps. But as he looked ahead, his expression changed suddenly, and he hurried back. ¡°What happened? Is there a problem?¡± Seeing Conan¡¯s pale face, Fang Zheng was startled. Approaching him, he whispered. Conan nodded, drawing his longsword from his waist. ¡°I saw the commander; they¡¯ve been surrounded! It¡¯s a bad situation!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned and peeked out. Sure enough, not far from the foot of the hill, several knights were fighting valiantly on the riverbank. But their situation looked grim. They were surrounded by giants, two to three meters tall with iron-blue skin, wielding massive clubs, and fighting alongside skeleton warriors against the Templars. Behind the giants were several skeleton archers, shooting from gaps in the battle. On either side were three skeleton mages in robes, chanting evil spells with raised wands, forming a large dark barrier encompassing the knights. Clearly, this was a perfect ambush. ¡°That¡¯s a Weakening Barrier!¡± Seeing this, Knight Conan¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡°One of the necromancers¡¯ most powerful skills. It continuously drains the life force from within the barrier, weakening and eventually killing those inside. Damn, this is a real problem!¡± No sight of Great Knight Shi Dong, nor that girl. Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the battlefield, and frowned. Was he the first to find the group of knights? Was this good or bad? Forget it, no point thinking about that now. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with those necromancers.¡± Assessing the battlefield, Fang Zheng made a quick decision. Turning to Knight Conan, he said. ¡°There are three of them. I can distract two at once; can you handle the third?¡± ¡°No problem, I can handle one necromancer.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s query, Knight Conan drew his longsword from his waist and made some gestures. With Conan¡¯s confirmation, Fang Zheng immediately gave instructions. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get these two. You flank around and get behind them. Attack only when I make my move. Got it?¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Acting swiftly, Knight Conan didn¡¯t argue about who should take command. Having witnessed Fang Zheng¡¯s formidable combat skills, he nodded and quietly circled around the other side. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Watching Conan¡¯s figure disappear, Fang Zheng took a deep breath and carefully observed the battlefield. As Conan had said, the Templars looked exhausted, trying to break through but blocked by the necromancer golems, like moving walls. Other necromancer soldiers surrounded the outer perimeter, leaving no chance for the Templars. If this continued, the Templars were doomed. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t act immediately. From his experience in the Dark Soul world, he knew to observe the battlefield first. Though it seemed the undead creatures focused on the knights, a few skeleton archers near the necromancers weren¡¯t attacking. They stood guard over the necromancers and glanced around occasionally. If Fang Zheng attacked the necromancers now, those archers would retaliate immediately. He needed an opportunity¡­ Lowering his stance, Fang Zheng crept forward, eyes fixed on the chaotic battlefield. He believed the opportunity would come; the Templars wouldn¡¯t die without a fight, and when they reacted, that would be his moment. ¡°Boom!¡± Sure enough, sensing their worsening situation, one of the knights roared, raising his longsword and slashing at a necromancer golem. His sword glowed with pure white radiance, heavily striking the golem, which stumbled back and fell like a stone, drawing the undead creatures¡¯ attention. Now! Seeing the skeleton archers turn, Fang Zheng leaped forward. A pure white warhorse appeared beneath him, and he charged down the hill like a hurricane, heading straight for the necromancers! Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Chapter 27: The Situation Reverses Chapter 28: Chapter 27: The Situation Reverses Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Clop, clop¡­ clop, clop¡­!¡± The urgent sound of hooves rang out as Fang Zheng rode his holy white warhorse, charging towards the undead army ahead like a raging storm. Hearing the hoofbeats, the undead instinctively turned their heads, looking behind them. But it was already too late, for Fang Zheng had already reached them! ¡°Hah!¡± Without hesitation, Fang Zheng swung his longsword, and a golden sword aura flew from the blade, striking the necromancer directly in front of him. The necromancer¡¯s body shuddered from the impact and then disintegrated into a pile of broken bones, scattering everywhere. The staff it clutched fell to the ground, and the dim light on it instantly dimmed further. At the same time, several skeleton archers nearby quickly stepped in front of the necromancer, raising their crossbows to aim at the imminent threat. ¡°Swish!!¡± At that moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s holy white warhorse vanished, and he rolled on the ground to dodge the first volley of arrows. Then Fang Zheng raised his longsword and swung it forward. Crusader Strike! ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Several cross-shaped emblems erupted, engulfing the skeleton archers in an explosion and dust. The sudden attack tore a gap in the undead¡¯s encirclement. Caught off guard, the undead quickly turned to fend off the external assault. ¡°Maintain the barrier, focus!¡± With one of the three necromancers already taken down by Fang Zheng, the weakening barrier began to falter. Feeling the unstable magic fluctuations, the other necromancer controlling the barrier core raised his staff and began chanting a spell, aiming at Fang Zheng. But just as the necromancer was about to complete his spell, he saw Fang Zheng raise his longsword and point it at him from afar. What¡¯s he trying to do? Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s actions, the necromancer was startled. There were still several necromancer golems and skeleton soldiers in between them; did this young man actually think he could reach him? But before the necromancer could finish contemplating, he felt his soul being struck heavily, and his vision went pitch black. The necromancer then lowered his head, as if falling asleep, and became motionless. Done! Seeing the second necromancer stand motionless like a puppet, Fang Zheng rolled aside to dodge the attacking skeleton soldiers. The skill he had just used was the Paladin¡¯s ability ¡°Repentance¡± from Yamaguchi Mountain, a skill that could paralyze the target. Though it only worked on undead, demons, dragonkind, and giants¡­ fortunately, there was no shortage of those here! ¡°Huh!!¡± At this moment, Knight Conan also charged in from another direction. Even if his combat strength wasn¡¯t as high as Fang Zheng¡¯s, his combat experience from numerous battles was rich. Seizing the opportunity while Fang Zheng distracted the other undead, Conan engaged the last necromancer. With the core necromancer paralyzed by Fang Zheng and the other two necromancers unable to focus, the already unstable weakening barrier completely shattered like a soap bubble with a ¡°pop.¡± ¡°Everyone, charge out now!¡± Freed from the barrier¡¯s suppression, the surrounded templars rallied and began breaking out with all their might. Having succeeded, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t let this chance slip away. Holy energy gathered once more, and as Fang Zheng swung his sword, golden holy power erupted like a cyclone. Countless holy lightsabers radiated in all directions from Fang Zheng, piercing through the surrounding undead. They screamed and turned to ash under the burning holy flames. When Fang Zheng lowered his longsword, he was surrounded only by burning white flames and ashes drifting like snowflakes, quietly falling to the ground. Dozens of lightsabers spread out around him, slowly becoming dim before finally vanishing into the air. What terrifying power! Be it the undead, the waiting templars, or Knight Conan, everyone gasped at this sight. These weren¡¯t ordinary undead but loyal servants of liches with formidable strength. Even the weakest skeleton archer could rival a regular soldier. That¡¯s why the elite templars had been trapped here. Yet this unexpected rescue force had swiftly obliterated them, leaving the templars in awe. Facing these creatures alone, they doubted they could eliminate them so effortlessly. They didn¡¯t know that this wasn¡¯t solely Fang Zheng¡¯s feat. It was a combination of factors: Fang Zheng¡¯s Royal Cross Swordsmanship inherently countered undead, his Sky-Cleaving Sword boosted holy damage by 100%, and his soulstone embedded with Arthas¡¯s spirit increased damage against undead by 50%. Additionally, his Holy Protector title granted another 100% damage boost against evil factions. Adding all these factors, Fang Zheng¡¯s attacks dealt over 250% damage to the undead, resulting in a crushing, one-hit kill rhythm. The undead quickly shifted tactics, and Fang Zheng saw an undead giant stride towards him, roaring in anger with its wooden club raised to strike him. ¡°Boom!¡± At the moment the undead giant¡¯s club fell, Fang Zheng rolled backward, narrowly dodging. The giant club slammed into the ground, barely missing Fang Zheng¡¯s afterimage. Before the undead giant could raise its club again, Fang Zheng lunged forward, his Sky-Cleaving Sword slashing through with a radiant holy light in a crescent arc. In an instant, the undead giant froze, its head sliding off with a ¡°thud,¡± and its massive body collapsed with a ¡°boom.¡± ¡°Great swordsmanship!¡± Seeing this strike, a middle-aged knight¡¯s eyes glinted. He had observed Fang Zheng¡¯s previous swordsmanship but wasn¡¯t too surprised. In this world, various swordsmanship styles existed, passed down, fortuitously acquired, or self-taught. Fang Zheng¡¯s earlier attacks might shock an average person, but to seasoned warriors, they were just ¡°powerful.¡± But Fang Zheng¡¯s recent counterattack after dodging the undead giant displayed pure skill¡ªcrisp, clean, and devoid of any flourish. To the trained eye, it showcased true swordsmanship mastery. The battlefield isn¡¯t the place for flowery techniques; it demands brutal and direct methods not seen in movies or novels. And while swordsmanship is crucial, a person¡¯s true skill is gauged by their fundamentals. Now wasn¡¯t the time for mutual admiration. With Fang Zheng¡¯s decisive entry, the battlefield had shifted. A third of the undead forces were eliminated, including the necromancers and giants. Free from the weakening barrier, the templars regained their strength. Hunter and prey roles reversed instantly. The undead, which once overwhelmed the templars, now found themselves surrounded. Without the necromancers¡¯ support and the giants¡¯ intimidation, the remaining undead were quickly dispatched by the templars. ¡°Thank you for your help!¡± After the crisis, the leading middle-aged knight approached Fang Zheng, nodding kindly. ¡°It¡¯s rare to meet an ally here. I am Mart, commander of the Thirteenth Division of the Bishopric. May I ask who you are¡­?¡± ¡°I am Fang Zheng.¡± Smiling, Fang Zheng replied to the man before him. ¡°I¡¯m an apprentice guardian knight from the Sanctuary of Star Moon City. I came here with Grand Knight Shi Dong for a rescue mission, but¡­¡± Looking around, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. ¡°We got separated. Fortunately, I encountered Knight Conan¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s fortunate.¡± Mart nodded hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer. Having already queried Conan, he had some understanding of Fang Zheng. Mart was astonished to learn this young man was merely an apprentice guardian knight. The finesse of Fang Zheng¡¯s final strike suggested years of battlefield experience. Knowing Fang Zheng¡¯s youth added to Mart¡¯s surprise. Fang Zheng¡¯s earlier powerful and flashy swordsmanship could be attributed to family heritage. But such skill at his age was confounding. No one could master swordsmanship this deeply, even starting from birth. Unbeknownst to Mart, Fang Zheng¡¯s proficiency came from countless life-and-death battles. ¡°Master, the battlefield is cleared.¡± In their conversation, a knight responsible for battlefield cleanup approached, saluted, and handed over several dark, crystal-like objects. ¡°Mid-tier spirit crystals?¡± Mart frowned at the crystals, taking one thumb-sized black crystal. These were soul cores left by necromantic creatures upon death. Various beings on this continent possessed such items. For beings influenced by magic, like monsters and undead, soul cores could be harvested. For humans and animals, special methods were needed to extract and condense spirit crystals. Of course, such methods were dangerous and cruel, banned for their use solely by necromancers. Soul cores were valuable, powering alchemical constructs and serving as energy for arrays and teleportation arrays. Judging by these crystals¡¯ quality, they would fetch a handsome price at alchemy shops or mage associations. ¡°These are your spoils, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Handing the soul cores to Fang Zheng, Mart watched as he weighed them. Just as Fang Zheng was about to speak, he suddenly heard a system notification. [Valuable convertibles detected. Do you wish to convert and recharge?] What? Seeing the system prompt, Fang Zheng was stunned. Recharge? Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Top-up? Crystal Top-up? Chapter 29: Chapter 28: Top-up? Crystal Top-up? Editor: Exodus Tales Accidents always catch people off guard. Fang Zheng could swear that he never thought he would discover a brand new crystal top-up method in this place, in this way¡ªoh no, I mean, crystal top-up method. Come to think of it, it¡¯s no wonder. After coming to this world, Fang Zheng had basically given up on top-ups. The reason was simple. When he designed game frameworks, he naturally left room for top-ups, but it was also directly deducted through a certain treasure. After all, mobile games are just mobile games; the more convenient the top-up function, the better. Have you ever seen a mobile game that deliberately makes the top-up function incredibly complicated? They all wish the player could just click once without even entering a password to deduct the money! But Fang Zheng was reborn in this world, which is different from time travel. He didn¡¯t even bring his phone, so how could he do a top-up? So he basically didn¡¯t care about the top-up content. But what Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that the flowers he intentionally planted didn¡¯t bloom, while the willows he unintentionally planted thrived. He randomly touched a Soul Core and accidentally activated his crystal top-up system. If he had known about this great opportunity, why would he have taken the risk to infiltrate the Sanctuary! At this moment, Fang Zheng felt a bit regretful. If he had known Soul Cores could be used for top-ups, then why would he fear the Sanctuary¡¯s pursuit? He could simply plunge into the wilderness, slay hundreds of demon beasts, collect their crystal cores for frenzied top-ups, and draw a bounty of soulstones. Then he wouldn¡¯t fear anyone and could confront the Sanctuary head-on, ultimately becoming the Demon Lord¡­ uh, better not. Sadly, this thought only circled Fang Zheng¡¯s mind before he dismissed it. The Sanctuary was too powerful, and confronting them head-on was not a good idea. Moreover, Fang Zheng had no personal grudge against the Sanctuary. Although the Sanctuary had killed his body¡¯s parents, so what? According to Williams¡¯s memory, the owner of this body had committed many heinous acts such as live sacrifices. From Fang Zheng¡¯s perspective, given the evil deeds those two committed, they were lucky to be killed with one strike; they should have been tied to the stake and properly burned. Therefore, Fang Zheng felt no emotional turmoil over the Sanctuary¡¯s actions. He even found it somewhat humorous. To risk everything to avenge those deranged cultists? He wasn¡¯t interested in such a losing proposition. Thinking it over, maintaining a good relationship with the Sanctuary seemed the safer bet now. ¡°Thank you.¡± With these thoughts turning in his mind, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression did not change. He merely smiled and thanked Mart, then put away the Spirit Crystals. Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s demeanor, Mart also nodded inwardly. As a Grand Knight, he had a good eye for people. In his view, Fang Zheng¡¯s high level of achievement and understanding of swordsmanship at such a young age was not easy. In fact, when Mart approached Fang Zheng, he was prepared for the possibility that Fang Zheng might be difficult to deal with. After all, no one is perfect, and highly talented individuals often have personality flaws. Mart had seen many such examples before, so he specifically asked Knight Conan about Fang Zheng before approaching him. But to Mart¡¯s surprise, this young man in front of him was not only highly skilled but also very calm and composed in his interactions. He was neither humble nor arrogant, which was rare. A person¡¯s great strength could be attributed to extraordinary talent, as even a countryside farmer could gain dragon-like strength through a stroke of luck. However, one¡¯s behavior and speech were not so simple and required considerable cultivation, etiquette, and upbringing. These were the most crucial indicators of one¡¯s social status. While Mart inwardly admired Fang Zheng, he was also puzzled. As a Grand Knight directly under the Bishopric, Mart was very familiar with the nobility of the Kingdom of the Holy Church. But he had never heard of such a remarkable young figure. If there were indeed such a talented and steadfast young noble, they would have long been the subject of gossip at banquets. Moreover, his name¡­ was quite peculiar. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, are you a citizen of the Kingdom of the Holy Church? I don¡¯t recall ever seeing you before¡­¡± ¡°I am from the Silver Duchy.¡± Fang Zheng was certainly prepared to be asked about his origin. Ever since he became aware of his ¡°Law Resonance,¡± Fang Zheng had been contemplating how to address his background. Interestingly, Fang Zheng ultimately unearthed a piece of information from Williams¡¯s memories¡ªWilliams¡¯s father had once lived in the Silver Duchy for a while. This man was infamous for his promiscuity and had numerous affairs in the Silver Duchy. Being a cultist, he was utterly fearless, even openly conducting large-scale parties. Many of the participants were offspring of the Silver Duchy¡¯s nobility. As a result, once the scandal broke, it aroused the ire of many nobles. Williams¡¯s father, of course, fled, leaving behind the women who had been seduced. Many were imprisoned or exiled by their families, with some even ¡°disappearing.¡± After returning, Williams¡¯s father often boasted about his exploits, not only bragging about seducing many noble women but also teaching his son that ¡°as a cultist, corrupting morality and ethics is exhilarating.¡± This showed just how twisted these cultists¡¯ values were. For Fang Zheng, however, this was an unexpected boon. After being reborn into this world and taking on the identity and body that led to his doom, Fang Zheng constantly pondered how to distinguish himself from Williams. Now, he finally had a good plan. Fang Zheng had always had a vague idea of claiming an identity from the Silver Nation, but as time passed, the idea became more concrete. For Fang Zheng, there were two essential problems to solve in this world: first, why did he look so much like Williams? Fate seemed to be playing a joke on him; Williams¡¯s appearance resembled Fang Zheng¡¯s by about seventy to eighty percent, making the face familiar to Fang Zheng. Maybe it was because they looked so similar that he ended up in Williams¡¯s troublesome body? The second problem was Fang Zheng¡¯s body¡¯s blood relations. From Williams¡¯s memory, Fang Zheng knew that the magical civilization in this world was highly advanced, even capable of determining relationships through bloodline. If anyone grew suspicious of Fang Zheng¡¯s appearance, he would inevitably face scrutiny and have to explain his origin and relationship to the Williams Family. Therefore, leveraging the past of Williams¡¯s father, Fang Zheng drafted a story. According to this fabricated background, Fang Zheng was from the Silver Duchy, the son of a prominent lady exiled because of Williams¡¯s father. He knew nothing of his origins and had grown up dependent on his mother. Recently his mother passed away due to illness, prompting Fang Zheng to bring their remaining possessions to the Kingdom of the Holy Church. This background story neatly addressed both major questions. Being Williams¡¯s half-brother explained their resemblance and blood relation. Of course, some might still object to this identity, but Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care. His main concern was being labeled as a cultist. His goal was to sever all ties to Williams, even if they were half-brothers. As long as he wasn¡¯t a cultist or on the Sanctuary¡¯s wanted list, that was enough. Other concerns were secondary. Fang Zheng did not explain all this to Mart. According to his ¡°story,¡± Fang Zheng himself was unclear about his background. He merely exchanged a few brief words based on his fabricated background. Upon learning that Fang Zheng came from the Silver Duchy, Mart nodded thoughtfully and didn¡¯t press further, but instead began discussing the next steps with Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng felt quite helpless about this. According to the original plan, he and Shi Dong were supposed to find Lady M, unite with the Templars, and leave. Now that they¡¯d located the Templars, Shi Dong and Lady M were nowhere to be found. Without Lady M¡¯s Path of the Stars, they were trapped in the enclosed Shadow Canyon. Before them lay two options: either find Shi Dong and Lady M to use the Path of the Stars for teleportation or escape on foot just as they had entered. Unexpectedly, Mart proposed a third option. ¡°Continue forward?¡± Hearing Mart¡¯s suggestion, Fang Zheng frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that very dangerous?¡± ¡°Indeed it is, Mr. Fang Zheng, but we can¡¯t just leave,¡± Mart responded seriously, nodding as he explained. ¡°Though we were ambushed by the Lich in Shadow Canyon, we did not come away empty-handed. While we still can¡¯t confirm if this Lich is the one we¡¯re seeking, we have discovered one thing¡ªit is here in Shadow Canyon for a purpose! It seems to be performing some dark and blasphemous ritual within the canyon!¡± ¡°What?¡± Fang Zheng was startled. ¡°A dark ritual?¡± ¡°Yes, it ambushed us because it wanted to use our Templar Knights¡¯ blood and souls for the ceremony! We¡¯ve already lost many comrades, so it may have collected enough. We must stop its nefarious plan before the ritual completes!¡± Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 29: What’s the Difference Between Not Top-up and Being a Slacker? Chapter 30: Chapter 29: What¡¯s the Difference Between Not Top-up and Being a Slacker? Editor: Exodus Tales At last, Fang Zheng decided to head into the depths of Shadow Canyon with Mart and the others to thwart the Lich¡¯s evil plan. In fact, he had no other choice; Fang Zheng alone definitely couldn¡¯t make it out of Shadow Canyon, and since Mart and the others were determined to return, he had no choice but to go along. Thinking carefully, this might be a good idea; following these people might lead him to Shi Dong and Miss M, making it easier to leave later on. The battle at Blood Riverbank had resulted in heavy casualties for the team; including Mart and Conan, only five knights survived. Among them, two were gravely injured, forcing Fang Zheng to once again play the role of a priest and use the Paladin¡¯s Holy Light Flash to heal their wounds. This naturally left Mart amazed, but unfortunately, Fang Zheng did not possess the Paladin skill Resurrection Technique, so he couldn¡¯t help those who had died. Even if he had, he likely wouldn¡¯t have saved them anyway. During his time with Knight Conan, Fang Zheng had learned that in this world, as long as one had a breath of life left, they could be saved, but resurrection was a different matter. That was in the domain of deities; any ordinary person trying to bring the dead back to life would likely be associated with Undead Mages who tamper with souls. Fang Zheng, still bearing the label of a Cultist, didn¡¯t want any more trouble by adding the title of a Necromancer. According to Mart, the group chasing them was the main force that had previously ambushed them. They fought while retreating, losing many in the process, and finally decided to make a last stand at Blood Riverbank when they had no other options. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t arrived in time, it truly would have been a ¡°fight to the death.¡± Nevertheless, the situation turned out better than expected; of the group, including Mart and Conan, five Templars survived, which was some semblance of good news. After Fang Zheng treated their wounds, the group immediately withdrew from Blood Riverbank. To their surprise, the journey was strangely peaceful with no further encounters with enemies. This was both good and bad news. The good news was they seemed to no longer be the primary target of the Lich; the bad news was that the Lich, no longer needing them, probably had enough assurance to complete the ritual. This meant they needed to hurry even more to stop his evil plans. The night grew deeper. Fang Zheng sat on a rock, watching the campfire before him. In the pitch-black wilderness, the orange-red flames were particularly reassuring, while the night wind swirled across the wasteland, strange sounds echoing from afar. It was unclear whether those were the roars of beasts or the screams of ghosts. How interesting¡­ Seeing everything before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes and lean comfortably against the rock. He had grown up in the city and had traveled to some places before, but camping out in the endless wilderness with a campfire was a first. The novelty alone was quite intoxicating. It even made him feel as if he had traveled back in time to the wild eras centuries ago. Perhaps primitive people of ancient times did the same, sitting around a campfire, enjoying the warmth and driving away the darkness. This overwhelming sense of the passage of time hit him, causing Fang Zheng to be momentarily lost in thought. ¡°You don¡¯t travel much, do you?¡± As Fang Zheng was enjoying the scenery, Mart walked over and sat beside him. Hearing Mart¡¯s question, Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°Yeah, not much. I was really busy before. To be honest, I can¡¯t even remember when was the last time I looked up at the starry sky.¡± ¡°People often focus too much on the immediate, neglecting the beautiful scenery around them.¡± Mart smiled and looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°To be honest, sometimes it¡¯s better to take a walk, even in situations like this. After all, no one knows if they¡¯ll live to see tomorrow, so we must immerse ourselves in the present and enjoy it wholeheartedly. Only then will we not regret the beautiful moments we missed when we are about to die.¡± ¡°Indeed, you make a good point.¡± Fang Zheng nodded in agreement at Mart¡¯s reflection. Those living in the city were no different. They were always busy with work and household chores, concerned only with mundane matters such as the price of food, medical insurance reimbursement, and other trivialities. Work, socializing with colleagues, worrying about children¡¯s studies and mortgage payments at home¡ªthey might even have to consider if gas prices had gone up recently. Who among them would truly care about what their city was like? What is the purpose of one¡¯s life? This question has different answers for everyone. But the most important thing is¡­ ¡°A person¡¯s life should be lived in such a way that when they look back, they won¡¯t regret wasting their time nor feel ashamed of doing nothing worthwhile¡­¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s quite interesting. Did you come up with that yourself?¡± ¡°No, I read it in a book a long time ago.¡± Noticing Mart¡¯s curious gaze, Fang Zheng shrugged. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t take it seriously at the time. After all, everyone can preach grand philosophies, but¡­ such talk usually isn¡¯t useful¡­ But now, I kind of understand it.¡± ¡°The advantage of youth is fearlessness; living cautiously may be stable, but it¡¯s also rather dull. If you ask me, it might be better not to understand some grand philosophies. If you do understand them, it probably means that in gaining something, you¡¯ve lost something else.¡± Mart stood up and patted Fang Zheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s late. Aren¡¯t you going to rest? We still have a journey ahead of us tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay a little longer.¡± ¡°Alright, be careful. The scenery is beautiful, but danger is always present. Life is a journey shrouded in fog, and no one knows what will happen next.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that.¡± Fang Zheng resonated with Mart¡¯s sentiment¡ªthere was probably no one else who understood it better than him. Struck by a high-voltage line and then traveling through time and being reborn, what more could he possibly encounter in life? Mart went back to rest, leaving Fang Zheng alone. But he didn¡¯t stay behind just to admire the scenery. After ensuring that no one was around, Fang Zheng took out a few Spirit Crystals he had stored earlier. Ever since learning from the system that he could top up, Fang Zheng could hardly wait. Now that he had the chance, he immediately began trying to recharge. As soon as Fang Zheng took out the Spirit Crystals, the system¡¯s notification appeared before his eyes again. [Valuable convertible materials detected. Proceed with conversion for recharge?] ¡°Yes.¡± Looking at the message, Fang Zheng unhesitatingly confirmed. He soon saw a golden circular array appear in his palm, and the Spirit Crystals within the array silently disintegrated into countless golden particles. These particles floated like iron filings attracted to a magnet and were absorbed into the array. Moments later, another system notification appeared before Fang Zheng. [190 points of Crystal Energy absorbed. Please select usage] 190? Seeing the number, Fang Zheng was stunned for a moment. According to his design, Crystal Energy converted at a 1:1 ratio for currency. So, these Spirit Crystals were only worth this much? But wait¡­ if he remembered correctly, Crystal Energy converted to Dimensional Points at a 1:5 ratio. Did this mean he could only get a maximum of 38 Dimensional Points? Fang Zheng¡¯s expression became stiff. So, with his previous 5 Dimensional Points, he could only draw four times? The question now was, should he draw? Draw? Or draw? Fang Zheng thought this was a stupid question, one that didn¡¯t even need answering¡ªif he didn¡¯t draw after topping up, how was he different from a salted fish? Fang Zheng made a decisive choice. Draw! Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Delving into the Canyon Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Delving into the Canyon Editor: Exodus Tales [Soulstone: Kerrigan] [Quality: Gold] [Activation Count: 5] [Obtained Buff: Heart of the Swarm (Permanent), Psionic Control (Permanent)] After inspecting this Soulstone, Fang Zheng was surprised to find that, unlike the Lich King, the Soulstone of the Queen of Blades was actually more practical. The reason for this lay in the nature of their Soulstones. Arthas¡¯s Soulstone, for example, when embedded in the Dimensional Codex, only granted the ¡°Undead King¡± buff that affected Undead Creatures unless he actively activated it. To unleash the full power of the Lich King, the Soulstone needed to be fully activated. However, the Soulstone of the Queen of Blades was different. Despite having the same number of activations as Arthas¡¯s¡ªfive times¡ªFang Zheng found that the true power of the Queen of Blades was just the opposite of the Lich King. While the Lich King required the consumption of its activation count to exhibit its full power, the Queen of Blades¡¯s Soulstone could only reveal its greatest strength when not activated. The reason lay in the buff ¡°Heart of the Swarm (Permanent).¡± As for this buff, its description was just one sentence: ¡°Heart of the Swarm (Permanent), Allows the creation and control of a Zerg army.¡± Just from this single sentence, Fang Zheng immediately understood what it meant. In simple terms, while embedded with the Queen of Blades¡¯s Soulstone, he could directly open a Zerg Base and play real-time strategy. After all, the most powerful aspect of the Zerg was their endless swarms; their true power lay in their overwhelming masses. On the contrary, Kerrigan¡¯s personal combat power was quite limited. To put it another way, if it were Arthas, he could still rely on his power to reverse the situation even after the Scourge Legion was defeated. But if it were Kerrigan, once the Zerg army was destroyed, she barely had any choice other than to run. So for Fang Zheng, this Soulstone was more suitable for regular use. But¡­ Kerrigan, oh Kerrigan, why did it have to be Kerrigan? The Lich King was already disliked by many, and the Zerg were even worse. Fang Zheng could be sure that the moment this thing appeared on the surface, it would definitely be regarded as a demonic invasion force¡­ Oh come on, couldn¡¯t you have given me Jim Raynor or Artanis instead? Why did it have to be Kerrigan? Fang Zheng already sensed the deep malice this system had towards him. After all, he was its creator, and if this game were a child, he would be its father. Were there really such troublesome kids around? Come to think of it, troublesome kids were indeed troublesome. Although feeling helpless, Fang Zheng still chose to put away the Soulstone. It was certainly unusable in the Main World, but maybe it could be used in an instance world. Who knew what world he would be transported to next when the mission teleportation activated? With that thought, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but glance at the Dimensional Codex in front of him once more, seeing that the cooldown timer had already entered its countdown phase. Just 13 hours left before the teleportation would reactivate. Night passed. Early the next morning, everyone set out again. To their surprise, unlike the previous day, they didn¡¯t encounter a single Undead Creature along the way. This made Mart et al. even more grim-faced. After all, they were not escaping Shadow Canyon but retracing their steps. Logically speaking, the closer they got to the central point, the more enemies they should encounter. Before, when Fang Zheng and Knight Conan were on their way to Blood Riverbank, they had faced several waves of Undead soldiers. It made no sense for their ¡°return to the lion¡¯s den¡± to go unnoticed by the enemy now. There could only be one reason. Clearly, something more important had captured the Lich¡¯s attention. And that more important thing was the dark ritual Mart had mentioned. ¡°It seems the situation is really dire.¡± Standing on the cliff, looking down below, Mart¡¯s face was as grim as ice. Below the cliff lay an abandoned stone quarry. It seemed ancient, a relic of bygone days. However, Mart wasn¡¯t here for archaeology. ¡°That quarry is the Lich¡¯s lair. We were ambushed here back then, but now there¡¯s not a single Undead in sight¡­ Could the ritual have already begun?¡± Hearing Mart¡¯s muttering, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Thanks to Arthas¡¯s Soulstone¡¯s special effect, he had a strong sense for Undead Creatures. As Mart had said, he couldn¡¯t feel any Undead presence around the quarry¡¯s perimeter, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t there. In fact, Fang Zheng sensed something abnormal deep underground. A large number of Undead were gathering beneath the quarry. No need to ask, it was clear they weren¡¯t there for a party. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t tell Mart what he had sensed. He was not fond of risking his life for an uncertain dark ritual. Who knew, maybe the ritual was meant to bring back someone¡¯s beloved from the Underworld? Honestly, after spending time with these Templars, Fang Zheng found them to be true to the knight¡¯s code¡ªfair, kind, brave, willing to sacrifice, fighting for justice, without any sordid thoughts, and overall very amicable. Fang Zheng respected them a lot, even if he himself didn¡¯t share the same mindset. It was like watching a Hollywood blockbuster; seeing soldiers willing to sacrifice for their country to stop some monster or demon beast was moving, but volunteering to die oneself was a different matter entirely¡ªwhy should he sacrifice his life for another country? Moreover, Fang Zheng had only been in this world for less than a month and had no emotional attachment to it. To be strictly precise, he only knew Shi Dong and Ms. M. It was impossible for him to risk his life for this world. So Fang Zheng decided to let Mart take the lead and simply follow along. He could always retreat when things went south. After all, his teleportation cooldown was almost over. Finding a chance to use Hearthstone¡¯s invincible teleportation to escape wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. ¡°Let¡¯s go down and check it out.¡± Finally, Mart made a decision. ¡°Something¡¯s definitely wrong here. I can¡¯t believe the enemy would be so careless. Even if they¡¯re holding a ritual, there should be at least some scouts outside.¡± Since Mart had given the order, Fang Zheng naturally didn¡¯t object. He cautiously descended the cliff with the others, keeping an eye on their surroundings as they approached the quarry. The large quarry was empty. Only the whistling wind echoed through the crevices. Fang Zheng gripped his Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly, surveying the area¡ªArthas¡¯s sensing ability was limited to the Undead, and didn¡¯t work on the living. The absence of Undead didn¡¯t mean rushing in blindly. ¡°Hm?¡± However, soon, Fang Zheng felt something was off. Near some ruins close to the quarry, he found scattered bone fragments that appeared to be the remains of defeated Undead. Initially, Fang Zheng thought these were remnants of Mart¡¯s group¡¯s previous battle, but then he noticed a set of footprints nearby¡ªfresh footprints, not remnants from long ago but rather recent, occurring just before they arrived. ¡°¡­¡± Fang Zheng frowned, tightened his grip on his longsword, and slowly followed the footprints toward the ruins. The place seemed to have been a foreman¡¯s quarters, now nearly collapsed, with only a few walls standing. Fang Zheng watched the walls for a moment, then raised his sword. ¡°Slash!¡± But before Fang Zheng could swing his sword, a black shadow suddenly leaped over the wall and lunged straight at him. Startled, Fang Zheng swiftly raised his sword and collided with the shadow. A loud ¡°thud¡± echoed as the shadow flipped back and landed steadily on the ground. Now, Fang Zheng could see its true form. ¡°What is this thing?¡± Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. The creature before him wasn¡¯t the Undead he had expected but a pitch-black leopard. Unlike normal leopards, its body seemed to have a cosmic, starry blue hue, semi-transparent. Inside its body, Fang Zheng could see silvery-white lines connecting its limbs and head. If the leopard stood still, it would have looked more like a constellation against the night sky. What on earth is this? Just as Fang Zheng hesitated, thinking of calling for Mart and the others, an excited voice suddenly rang in his ear. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng! Thank goodness you¡¯re okay!¡± Hearing this voice, Fang Zheng was stunned for a moment. Then he saw a cloaked girl emerge from the ruins, panting, waving at him excitedly. Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t very familiar with her, but she was not a stranger either. ¡°¡­Ms. M?¡± Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Finally Found You! Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Finally Found You! Editor: Exodus Tales Appearing in front of Fang Zheng was the cute and delicate astrologer girl. She was beaming with joy, clasping her hands together in an expression of delight. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you¡¯re okay. I was worried something might have gone wrong¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, it¡¯s my lack of skill¡­ But I¡¯m really glad to find you here!¡± ¡°Wait, you came here specifically to wait for me?¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s words, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback, while the cute girl nodded in response. ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, didn¡¯t you know? The Destiny Star has the ability to designate directions. I judged that you were safe through your star, and the star¡¯s position indicated you should be heading in this direction. That¡¯s why Master Shi Dong and I came here. But¡­ it does look quite dangerous here.¡± ¡°Shi Dong? By the way, where is my teacher?¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was secretly shocked. He had no idea his Destiny Star had such a function. No wonder this world felt like it had excellent security, this thing was scarier than DNA and fingerprint verification. At least those require some comparison, but here they can almost pinpoint someone¡¯s location just by their Destiny Star. If someone committed a crime, they wouldn¡¯t even need a city-wide search; just follow the direction of the Destiny Star and send someone to investigate. Wouldn¡¯t that solve everything? ¡°Master Shi Dong went down to investigate. When we arrived, we saw a lot of undead creatures, and they seemed to have captured a few paladins. Master Shi Dong felt something was off, so he decided to go down for a closer look and left me here to wait.¡± Perhaps seeing someone she knew made the soft-spoken girl less tense than she was initially. ¡°You¡¯re here alone¡­?¡± Fang Zheng said this while eyeing the strange black panther beside the girl. It seemed that the panther had realized Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t an enemy, as it returned to the girl¡¯s side and began to look around warily. However, if Fang Zheng remembered correctly, he hadn¡¯t seen anything like this beside the girl before. ¡°Ah, this is my good companion¡ªStar Spirit. I specifically summoned it to protect me. I apologize; it only sensed someone approaching earlier and didn¡¯t mean to attack you, Mr. Fang Zheng. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Noticing Fang Zheng¡¯s curious gaze, the girl hurriedly explained. It had to be said, her voice was incredibly suitable for apologizing. She would lift her head, look at you uneasily, and then softly say sorry in such an earnestly cute voice that it made you feel as though you¡¯d be struck down if you gave her a hard time. Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but think that if she opened an apology company on Earth, handling apologies on behalf of others, she would surely make a fortune. But glancing at the black panther beside the girl, Fang Zheng was once again amazed at the combat abilities of this world. After training with Shi Dong for so long, he had roughly developed the skills of an official knight. During the brief engagement with the panther, Fang Zheng realized that its strength was close to those sanctuary warriors responsible for guarding the Sanctuary. Truth be told, with such a guardian at her side, the girl should be quite safe here. What Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that this seemingly harmless and delicate girl also possessed significant combat abilities. He had originally thought that astrologers were a support class similar to alchemists, but it seemed that in this world, every class had some degree of combat power. Fortunately, since both the girl and Shi Dong were here, Fang Zheng felt a sense of relief. He had been contemplating how to leave, but it seemed he no longer needed to worry about that. ¡°Tap, tap, tap¡­¡± At this moment, Fang Zheng heard a series of footsteps behind him. He was slightly taken aback, as the footsteps sounded like they belonged to Mart and his group, but something was a bit off. Before Fang Zheng could turn around, he saw the girl¡¯s expression light up as she waved toward someone behind him. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back, Miss Connie. I found my companion.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s wonderful¡­¡± Hearing the voice from behind, Fang Zheng turned to look and saw a young woman clad in silver-white armor similar to Mart¡¯s. She appeared to be in her early twenties with short blonde hair, giving her a competent look. She was smiling at first, but as soon as she got a clear view of Fang Zheng, her expression changed dramatically! ¡°So, you¡¯re here, Williams! Take this sword!¡± Without another word, the female knight drew the longsword from her waist. Fang Zheng saw a flash of lightning before she vanished on the spot. The next moment, the howling wind from her sword appeared behind him, aiming straight at his heart! What the hell? Fang Zheng was initially stunned by the sudden attack. But after dying hundreds of times in the world of Dark Souls, his body instinctively reacted to the feeling of an attack. He sidestepped to avoid the strike from behind. Then, grasping the hilt of his longsword, he turned and parried the incoming strike with a swift draw, deflecting Connie¡¯s longsword with a sharp clang. But the woman showed no signs of stopping. With an icy look, she swung her longsword imbued with lightning at Fang Zheng again. Lightning exploded from her blade, enveloping Fang Zheng in a web of electricity. Damn it, do you really think I¡¯m some kind of pushover? Fang Zheng, fueled by anger at the relentless attack, swung his sword fiercely. The ground shook, and a massive crimson longsword sprang from below, lunging straight at the female knight. Sword of Justice! Forced to retreat by the unexpected assault, the female knight quickly withdrew. But Fang Zheng saw the opportunity and slashed through the electric web surrounding him, launching a golden beam from his sword straight at her chest. ¡°You want to die!¡± Seeing the golden sword light approaching, the female knight roared in anger. She raised her longsword high, and a bolt of lightning struck her from above. Encased in dazzling white lightning, she lunged forward, transforming into a giant lion formed of thunder that charged straight at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng¡¯s sword Qi was shattered by the surging lightning, dissipating totally. But Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t about to give up that easily. Basic attacks weren¡¯t meant to kill; as holy energy surged in him, the golden swords condensed into a roaring dragon. It met the thundering lion¡¯s claw head-on! ¡°Boom!¡± The blue thunder and golden storm collided fiercely. The next moment, the giant thunder lion was pierced by the dragon formed of light swords, but it didn¡¯t relent, its claws tearing deeply into the dragon. ¡°What are you doing? Stop at once!¡± ¡°Cease now, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± Two voices rang out as Mart and Shi Dong rushed up from either side. They exchanged glances, then swung their weapons together. A whirlwind mixed with flames descended like a massive blade, cleaving the entangled lion and dragon. With a deep explosion, the golden storm and thunderous lion dissipated, revealing Fang Zheng and Connie. ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡± The female knight was half-kneeling on the ground, clutching her longsword and gasping for breath. Her armor was slashed and battered, oozing blood from various cuts, making her appear quite pitiful. Compared to Connie, Fang Zheng was slightly better off. He hadn¡¯t sustained serious injuries, but Connie¡¯s lightning power had worn him out. His once clean clothes now bore scorch marks, and his right hand, gripping the longsword, emitted wisps of black smoke¡­ ¡°What the hell is going on? Why are you fighting?¡± Shi Dong frowned as he hurried over to Fang Zheng, asking. Fang Zheng just shrugged, not bothering to explain. How was he to know a paladin would suddenly show up and try to kill him? He never expected things to escalate, but the other party had been relentless. What else could he do? Offer his neck to be chopped? ¡°Connie, what are you doing!¡± Mart also frowned and approached the female knight, looking at her sternly. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Commander¡­¡± Hearing Mart¡¯s voice, the female knight lifted her head to look at him, then turned to glare at Fang Zheng with fury. ¡°Commander! He is the cultist we¡¯re searching for! He is Williams!¡± Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Evidence must also be based on basic Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Evidence must also be based on basic Editor: Exodus Tales Hearing Connie¡¯s words, everyone present was stunned for a moment. Then Shi Dong curiously leaned in. ¡°Williams? You mean that cultist?¡± As he spoke, Shi Dong squinted and sized up Fang Zheng for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands. ¡°Hey, you know, you do look a bit like him.¡± So, you didn¡¯t care about this at all before! Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s words, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes helplessly. He had been with Shi Dong for many days, and the latter had never mentioned this. Fang Zheng originally thought Shi Dong wasn¡¯t clear about Williams¡¯ situation. Now, it seemed that he didn¡¯t care about it at all! ¡°Cultist? Williams?¡± Hearing Connie¡¯s words, Mart was taken aback. He glanced at Fang Zheng, then shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Connie! How could Mr. Fang Zheng look like a cultist?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Faced with her commander¡¯s reaction, Connie was stunned. Her companions had all died on the way hunting Williams, and because of this, the female knight hated Williams to the core. She had almost carved his appearance into her bones. Because of this, when she clearly saw Fang Zheng, she recognized him immediately and launched a deadly attack without hesitation. Originally, Connie thought that after she revealed Fang Zheng¡¯s true identity, Commander Mart and the other knights would rush forward and decapitate this hateful cultist. However, she was surprised that not only did Commander Mart not believe her, but even the other colleagues behind him also showed indifferent expressions. As for Great Knight Shi Dong over there, he seemingly didn¡¯t care about this issue at all. What¡¯s going on? Connie couldn¡¯t wrap her head around this. Of course, she didn¡¯t know that although her statement surprised Mart, Shi Dong, and others, it was just that¡ªsurprising. In fact, they thought it was impossible for Fang Zheng to be Williams. The reason was simple. Mart knew that Fang Zheng had previously performed the Holy Light Healing Spell for them. That calm and balanced feeling was already at the bishop-level of healing techniques. It¡¯s well known that cultists worship evil and chaos, and their power is also tainted with this chaos. Power itself does not lie, so to Mart and others, saying Fang Zheng was a cultist was utterly unbelievable¡ªsince when did a cultist¡¯s understanding of the Power of Order surpass that of the bishop of the Sanctuary? Who¡¯s the cultist here? The reason Shi Dong didn¡¯t believe it was even simpler; he had witnessed Fang Zheng¡¯s Holy Spirit Guardian personally. Saying Fang Zheng was a cultist would be like saying that angel was there to protect a cultist! Wow, such words would get you burned alive at the stake. ¡°Are you alright, Fang Zheng? What happened? How did you end up fighting with Connie?¡± ¡°How would I know? I was talking nicely, and this guy turned around and slashed at me as if wanting to die together. What could I do? I felt very helpless too.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Shi Dong shook his head helplessly and turned to the timid girl at the side¡ªpoor girl was still in shock from witnessing the fight. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, the timid girl seemed to come to her senses finally. She glanced timidly at Connie, then looked down and said. ¡°Well, I was talking nicely with Mr. Fang Zheng, then Miss Connie came over. After seeing Mr. Fang Zheng, she said he was a cultist, then drew her sword and attacked¡­¡± ¡°I was worried he would deceive you! Cultists are full of sweet words, never to be trusted!¡± Hearing the timid girl¡¯s answer, Connie hurriedly explained. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a wanted criminal of the Sanctuary. His star pattern has been distributed to all municipal offices. You only need to check¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who performed Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s star pattern check.¡± Perhaps because this was her professional domain, the timid girl, who usually spoke softly, uncharacteristically interrupted Connie¡¯s words. ¡°I can assure you, Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s star pattern is not on the list.¡± ¡°How could this be¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Connie gritted her teeth and turned to stare at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng, on the other hand, snorted coldly without even showing a friendly face. He wasn¡¯t the type to be soft-hearted with women. Back when he was working overtime, the female employees under him complained bitterly, but he never gave them a special break. They were his employees, not his wife, so why should he be soft-hearted? The same applied here. Though Connie looked pretty, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t stand her brash demeanor. This woman wanted to fight to the death with him from the get-go; how could he tolerate that? Besides, comparing without a standard for comparison, having a cute and gentle girl by his side made Connie even less remarkable. It seems that inner beauty indeed highlights outer beauty. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Mart seemed to understand Connie¡¯s temperament well. Seeing her like this, he sighed deeply. Probably knowing this female knight wouldn¡¯t apologize first, he had to step in personally and apologize to Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng also nodded without saying much. Though he couldn¡¯t stand the mad woman, he wasn¡¯t one to vent his anger on others casually. Even though his reincarnated body looked young, being a man of two lives, Fang Zheng was still mature and steady. He didn¡¯t give Mart any attitude. Knowing the atmosphere was awkward, Mart didn¡¯t say much, only apologized on Connie¡¯s behalf and assured Fang Zheng that Connie would be severely punished. Then he led the others away, clearly knowing this wasn¡¯t the right time for bonding. Fang Zheng also had no interest in chatting. He directly used Holy Light Flash on himself. That mad woman was indeed strong, and during their fight, his right hand had suffered considerable damage. The entire forearm was almost split open by lightning. Fang Zheng, who was burning with anger at the time, hadn¡¯t cared. Now that the battle was over, he realized his whole body was in pain¡­ He quickly used a healing spell to alleviate his anxiety. ¡°Alright, stop sulking.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s displeased look, Shi Dong laughed and patted him. ¡°Being able to press that proud woman to the ground and beat her up is already amazing. If this gets out, do you know how many people in the Sanctuary will give you a thumbs-up?¡± ¡°Master Shi Dong, is Miss Connie very famous?¡± Hearing this, the timid girl asked curiously. Their encounter with Connie was similar to Fang Zheng¡¯s with Knight Conan; they had found her surrounded by undead creatures after being teleported and rescued her, then traveled together¡­ only this ended much worse. ¡°Yes, that girl is the best of the younger generation, known as the Daughter of Divine Favor. However, perhaps due to being used to things going her way, she has a terrible temper. Plus, her father is the Knight Captain, so most people don¡¯t dare to confront her. Over time, she¡¯s developed this personality.¡± Speaking of this, Shi Dong shook his head. ¡°Mart is her mentor and often has to clean up her messes. This young lady has no self-awareness¡­ and since her skills are indeed decent, no one can discipline her. So, she became very arrogant. Haha, this time, she finally knows there are always people out there who are better.¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s sentiment, Fang Zheng finally understood why, despite being closer companions with Mart, none of the knights stood up for the madwoman. They must have suffered a lot from her nonsense. Meanwhile, on the other side, Mart was glaring sternly at Connie. ¡°You were too reckless, attacking without distinguishing right from wrong. Have you forgotten your knight¡¯s code?¡± ¡°But Commander, he is a cultist!¡± Facing Mart¡¯s reprimand, Connie still wouldn¡¯t back down. ¡°I¡¯m sure he looks exactly like that cultist!¡± ¡°What does that prove? There are many people who look alike. We are followers of the Goddess of Order and must rely on evidence! We¡¯ve fought alongside him on this journey and understand his power well. That¡¯s not chaotic power. Plus, Great Knight Shi Dong is his mentor, and the star pattern doesn¡¯t match. Do you have any other issues?¡± ¡°But these could all be disguises of his!¡± Hearing this, Connie still tried to argue. ¡°Maybe that cultist used some trick¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± This time, Mart didn¡¯t let Connie finish, cutting her off angrily. ¡°Remember, without evidence, we have no right to accuse anyone of being a cultist! You should be well aware this is the Sanctuary¡¯s ironclad rule! No one wants another tragedy like the Dark Fallen Moon. Remember! We are guardian knights of the Order Sanctuary, and we uphold what we follow! If you still don¡¯t get this, take off your armor. Do you understand?!¡± Faced with Mart¡¯s merciless rebuke, Connie was silent for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. ¡°I understand¡­¡± Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: Chapter 34: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 1) Chapter 35: Chapter 34: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 1) Editor: Exodus Tales Fang Zheng didn¡¯t pay any attention to Connie. He knew she was more severely injured than he was, and Mart and his Templars weren¡¯t skilled at healing. In fact, the cleric responsible for healing had died in the previous ambush, which was why Mart¡¯s group had been fighting so hard ever since. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t healed them later, they likely wouldn¡¯t have regained their fighting strength by now. Although Connie was a trouble, Fang Zheng and Shi Dong had still successfully completed half the mission and had found the Templars lingering here. According to the plan, they only needed to bring the Templars back to resolve the trouble. However, it seemed neither Mart nor Shi Dong intended to leave. Mart knew the Lich¡¯s sinister plan, while Shi Dong wasn¡¯t entirely sure what had happened here. However, he sensed something was off¡ªShi Dong, along with Connie and Miss M, discovered the presence of Undead Creatures here. They even saw the Undead Creatures dragging the Templars into the quarry. To find out what these Undead Creatures were up to and to rescue his comrades, Shi Dong ventured in alone. He had sent Connie back to leave a message for Miss M to prevent her from worrying, but unexpectedly ran into Fang Zheng. And then¡­ well, what could he say? ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to waste. The Lich must have sensed something is happening up above.¡± Shi Dong spoke while glaring at Connie and Fang Zheng. Under his gaze, Connie lowered her head in silence while Fang Zheng shrugged, indicating it wasn¡¯t his problem. Seeing their reactions, Shi Dong rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned back to Mart. ¡°What do you think, Mart?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At Shi Dong¡¯s question, Mart thought for a moment before raising his head to look at Shi Dong again. ¡°Are you sure my comrades are still alive?¡± ¡°At least they were alive when they were taken inside. Now¡­ I can¡¯t guarantee.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mart was silent for even longer this time. Eventually, he looked at the others and seemed to make up his mind. ¡°Shi Dong, I need your help with something.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I want you to help distract the Lich, then¡­we will find an opportunity to rush in and see if we can rescue our comrades. If possible, we might even destroy their dark ritual¡­¡± Mart turned to glance at Connie. ¡°Please take care of this girl too. She¡¯s severely injured, and taking her with us would be a burden. It¡¯s better to leave her here. If we don¡¯t make it back, take her back to the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Hearing this, Shi Dong was stunned, and even Fang Zheng widened his eyes at Mart. He wasn¡¯t stupid; he understood what Mart meant. If an ordinary person heard Mart¡¯s request, they might think it was unreasonable, but on closer inspection, it was actually a burden only Shi Dong and Fang Zheng could bear easily! Mart only asked them to act as bait to attract the Lich¡¯s attention. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t difficult and not too dangerous. Mart¡¯s group, on the other hand, had to venture deep into the trap. Shi Dong and Fang Zheng just had to distract the boss, but Mart¡¯s group had to infiltrate the core area. While Mart claimed they were rescuing comrades, Shi Dong and Fang Zheng weren¡¯t so naive. The core zone was surely perilous, and Mart¡¯s team was likely marching towards a deathly mission. Fang Zheng frowned but stayed silent next to Shi Dong. To be honest, he respected Mart and his team¡¯s dedication to their title of Templar. He didn¡¯t want to see them go to their deaths, but Mart¡¯s mind was apparently made up, and Shi Dong had no intention of stopping him, so Fang Zheng kept his thoughts to himself. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Finally, Shi Dong sighed deeply. ¡°Mart, come back alive. I¡¯m still waiting for you to buy me a drink.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t die that easily.¡± With that, Mart smiled and waved at Fang Zheng and Miss M before turning and leading his companions away. Watching Mart¡¯s departing figure, Fang Zheng felt speechless¡­ The flag on your back is three meters high, Grand Knight Mart. How am I supposed to save you? And Shi Dong, you¡¯re just as bad, setting flags so readily. Can¡¯t you cut your comrades some slack? Haven¡¯t you heard of leaving some room for reconciliation? With flags set like this, how could they not perish? ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move.¡± Unaware of Fang Zheng¡¯s inner grumbling, Shi Dong simply watched Mart¡¯s silhouette disappear before turning to Fang Zheng. ¡°You know our mission is to attract the Lich¡¯s attention. Luckily, you and that girl¡¯s fight must have already alerted it. Now we need to draw the Lich out so it gets distracted.¡± ¡°Draw it out? How?¡± Fang Zheng was surprised by Shi Dong¡¯s command and stared at his mentor in bewilderment. Despite spending so much time with Shi Dong, Fang Zheng understood him quite well. Shi Dong was more of a frontline warrior than a strategist. Hence, Fang Zheng felt a bad premonition upon hearing Shi Dong¡¯s command. In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shi Dong clenched his fists, revealing a bright smile. ¡°We¡¯re charging in head-on!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± For the first time, Fang Zheng wondered if he should find a new mentor¡­ Maybe Mart was a good alternative? Meanwhile, in the depths of the dark, obscure quarry, a different scene unfolded. In a huge underground cavern, eerie blue flames flickered. In the center, a blood-painted magic array glowed faintly. Above it hovered a Lich, draped in a black robe. It lifted its head, its hollow eye sockets flashing with a crimson glow. It then turned to the skeleton soldiers beside it and issued a low command. ¡°Go and see what¡¯s happening outside.¡± At the Lich¡¯s command, the fully armed skeleton soldiers bowed respectfully and marched out. In life, they were brave warriors, but now they were undead slaves, their souls unable to rest and forced to serve the dark and deathly force. Indeed, darkness and death were the true essence of this world. Contemplating this, the crimson flame in the Lich¡¯s eyes flickered. It then issued another command. ¡°Bring up the sacrifice.¡± Soon, two tall Necromancer Golems dragged a Templar forward. The young Templar, severely injured, glared weakly but fiercely at the Lich, his eyes burning with intense anger. ¡°You accursed undead creature, your schemes will fail. Everything you¡¯ve done will be met with proper judgment!¡± ¡°How tedious.¡± At the Templar¡¯s words, the Lich snorted. It raised a hand and pointed at the young Templar. A pitch-black beam shot from its fingertip, striking the Templar¡¯s chest. ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­!¡± Upon being hit, the young Templar turned pale, letting out a pained scream. His body trembled uncontrollably, and soon, blood poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth like a waterfall. He seemed to suffer immense pain, attempting to scream but repeatedly choking on his gushing blood. ¡°Ugh¡­ugh!!!¡± The young Templar¡¯s eyes widened in desperation. He clawed at his throat like a drowning man struggling for breath, but nothing helped. The blood suffocating him came from within. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Finally, his body convulsed violently, his hands flailing as if gone mad. He opened his mouth but made no sound as blood mixed with bubbles spurted out, streaming down his body. Eventually, he fell silent, becoming a lifeless corpse. He had drowned in his own blood! Though the young Templar died, blood continued to flow from his body. Gradually, his body withered like a deflating balloon, turning into a mere skeleton. The blood, influenced by some mysterious force, formed a large crimson array. Once complete, a spectral figure emerged, struggling vainly to escape. But it was abruptly pulled back like a leashed dog, disappearing into the array. Soon, a stone coffin at the array¡¯s center shook violently, then went still. ¡°Still not enough¡­¡± Watching the array, the Lich snorted coldly and issued another command. ¡°Next one.¡± Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Chapter 35: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 2) Chapter 36: Chapter 35: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 2) Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Boom boom boom¡ª¨C!¡± The azure Sword Qi was like an eagle spreading its wings, engulfing everything along its path in a violent storm. The Skeleton Soldiers had no time to lift their longswords before they saw the azure eagle fly over their heads. The following storm swept them up, sending the skeletal frames flying backward like driftwood, smashing them into the stalactite walls and scattering them into pieces. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Watching the high-spirited Shi Dong, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly and followed him into the depths of the tunnel. Frankly speaking, he was somewhat envious of Shi Dong¡¯s swordsmanship. The Grand Knight¡¯s skills were indeed exceptional, especially his AOE techniques, which were virtually unmatched. Although Fang Zheng also possessed the Royal Cross Swordsmanship passed down from Arthas, its power was not much weaker than Shi Dong¡¯s Storm Sword, but he always felt something was off. For some reason, this feeling had become stronger since his training in the ¡°Dark Soul¡± free instance. Initially, Fang Zheng thought his discomfort with the swordsmanship was due to unfamiliarity with the sword itself. However, after enduring the brutal training of ¡°Dark Soul,¡± he found that this feeling had not diminished but had only intensified. Particularly now, watching Shi Dong in battle made this even more evident. The Storm Sword technique was fluid and seamless in his hands, almost like a dance that was pleasing to the eye. But when Fang Zheng executed the Royal Cross Swordsmanship, he always felt¡­ awkward. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint where the awkwardness was, but it was definitely there. The contrast made it even more apparent. If Shi Dong¡¯s swordsmanship looked like smoothly running gears, then Fang Zheng¡¯s swordsmanship felt like gears without oil¡ªthey could turn, but how well was another question. He needed to have a good talk with Shi Dong about this after the battle. Fang Zheng knew this wasn¡¯t the time to discuss it, so he held his tongue and followed closely behind Shi Dong. Miss M hadn¡¯t come down with them. For Shi Dong and Fang Zheng, it was safer for her to stay above. Moreover, Connie also needed someone to look after her. Fang Zheng had no fondness for the neurotic madwoman, so he left her to the soft-hearted girl to deal with. What troubled Fang Zheng more now was Shi Dong. The Grand Knight¡¯s approach was as straightforward and brutal as Fang Zheng had imagined, charging in headfirst and slashing at anything that moved. Before Fang Zheng even had a chance to act, the skeletons that had rushed in were already dismantled into bone fragments by Shi Dong. Fang Zheng could only shrug helplessly, not saying much more. Unlike a fool, he could clearly see that Shi Dong was using this as an opportunity to vent. It was evident that Shi Dong knew very well that Mart and the others were probably on a one-way trip. Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t sure what the relationship between Shi Dong and Mart was, but it was obvious that they were close. Otherwise, Shi Dong wouldn¡¯t have come here to search for them. And now, watching his comrades march to their death must have been unbearable for Shi Dong. However, as a mature Grand Knight, Shi Dong wouldn¡¯t act like a naive young man, declaring, ¡°If everyone dies, we all die together.¡± He could only vent his frustration and discomfort through such means. That¡¯s why Fang Zheng wisely chose not to bring up his swordsmanship issues with Shi Dong at this time. Even if Shi Dong were in a good mood, he wouldn¡¯t have the patience to solve those doubts now, much less given that his temper wasn¡¯t exactly great. The Necromancer Soldiers¡¯ resistance was futile in front of Shi Dong. Those hastily rushing soldiers couldn¡¯t even display their powers before being shattered into pieces by Shi Dong. After several such encounters, they stopped appearing altogether, either because they were terrified of Shi Dong or because the Lich had lost interest in their uninvited guests. If it was the latter, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing. Shi Dong and Fang Zheng quickened their pace. Although the quarry was abandoned, the tunnel still seemed sturdy, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about sudden collapses. However, the deeper they went, the more somber their expressions became. The further they went, the thicker the deathly air felt, and beyond that, there had been no reaction from the Lich so far. Clearly, this plan wasn¡¯t going as smoothly as expected. ¡°There!¡± As the two turned a corner in the tunnel, they immediately saw the Great Hollow not far away. Seeing the scene inside, Shi Dong¡¯s face darkened instantly. Even Fang Zheng frowned. In the center of the Great Hollow lay over a dozen bodies. They wore Templar armor, but their appearance was ghastly¡ªtheir muscles seemed to have melted away, leaving only skin wrapping around bones. The sight was horrifying. Beneath them, blood flowed slowly, stark and glaring. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what they had gone through, but their dying expressions suggested it was incredibly painful. ¡°You bastard!!¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what they had gone through, but their dying expressions suggested it was incredibly painful. Facing the Lich floating in the center of the hollow, Shi Dong roared and raised his great sword, swinging it down forcefully. With his motion, the eagle returned, but this time it was almost twice as large as before. Accompanied by a sharp cry, the majestic bird formed from the Power of the Star Spirits surged at the Lich. But instead of panicking, the figure in the air merely tilted its head and pointed its flimsy, dry twig-like staff lightly at them. In the next moment, Fang Zheng saw a black beam shoot out from the staff, hitting the body of the Storm Hawk. What happened next was unimaginable¡ªthe creature, formed purely of Wind Elemental energy, flailed as if it had a life of its own, cried out in pain, and fell to the ground, dissipating into dust. Shi Dong didn¡¯t fare too well either. When the beam struck the eagle, he felt as if a cold hand had reached into his body and seized his heart. Fortunately, his strong physique withstood the blow, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be just his eagle falling. Nonetheless, Shi Dong¡¯s expression changed several times as he clenched his teeth against the invading Power of Death, barely holding on. Yet for Shi Dong, something even more terrifying emerged. The opponent had just grasped his Storm Swordsmanship and killed it directly. This only happened when the opponent¡¯s mastery of power was significantly higher. Dominating the conflict of power, the one with higher mastery would display an overwhelming advantage and exhibit the true form of their power principles. The fact that this Lich could ¡°kill¡± his sword power indicated one thing¡ª ¡°This is the Power of Death¡­ You¡¯re Frank, the Duke of Bones from the Council of the Fallen? It¡¯s really you?!¡± Holy shit! Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng was also stunned. During his time training with Shi Dong in the Sanctuary, he didn¡¯t just practice swordsmanship; he also learned about the enemies of the Order Sanctuary. Currently, the Sanctuary had three major enemies. One was the Doomsday Church, which Fang Zheng¡¯s original body belonged to. The other two were the Council of the Fallen and the Twilight Legion. The Twilight Legion resided at the borders of civilization. Their goal was to shatter all symbols of order and civilization. The Council of the Fallen¡¯s pursuit was apparently ¡°loftier¡±; they believed that the essence of all life in the world was death. Hence, death was the eternal theme in the world, and in the end, both Chaos and Order would revert to the silence of death. Frankly, if the Twilight Legion and the Doomsday Church shared a common goal and could work together, the Council of the Fallen was an enemy to everyone. It didn¡¯t matter whether you were Order or Chaos; they just aimed to bring you to ¡°feel the essence of death.¡± Both Paladins and Cultists found them intolerable. Not to mention, the Council of the Fallen¡¯s doctrine was extremely detestable. On one hand, they preached ¡°the Goddess of Order will eventually fall,¡± and on the other, they proclaimed ¡°the end of Twilight Chaos is near,¡± offending both sides completely. Worse still, the organization was filled with Undead Creatures. The entire continent¡¯s Undead Creatures were concentrated there. Besides Liches, they included monsters like White Bone Dragons and Death Envoys. This was why both Order and Chaos feared and loathed the Council of the Fallen but didn¡¯t dare to act rashly¡ªit was simply too powerful, and any mistake could prove fatal. Moreover, the Council of the Fallen was incredibly adept at ¡°persuasion.¡± Throughout history, many renowned heroes attempted to eliminate these shadow-dwelling maniacs, only to meet the same fate¡ªenthusiastic at the start, they disappeared, only to return as undead slaves. Frank, the Duke of Bones, was one of the five prominent council members, presiding over the Domain of Death. Just below the Speaker of Parliament, he was second in power, commanding immense authority. Although Shi Dong had anticipated that the Lich might be formidable, he hadn¡¯t expected such a daunting opponent. This is trouble! Gazing at the Lich¡¯s hovering figure, Fang Zheng frowned. He was sure that Shi Dong¡¯s earlier plan was now unusable. Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Chapter 36: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 2) Chapter 37: Chapter 36: The Battle of the Quarry (Part 2) Editor: Exodus Tales Not only was Shi Dong¡¯s face pale at the moment, but Fang Zheng¡¯s face wasn¡¯t much better. Just imagine, you were planning to explore the Castle of Shadow Fangs, and as soon as you entered, you encountered Kel¡¯Thuzad. How would you feel? This wasn¡¯t following the script at all! The versions weren¡¯t even the same. Looking at the lich floating in the air before him, Fang Zheng quietly took a few steps back. It was no wonder he and Shi Dong hadn¡¯t anticipated this; the other party¡¯s disguise was just too convincing. One of the top powerhouses of the Council of the Fallen, the opponent surely possessed Legendary Domain abilities. Generally speaking, beings like this would have no weak soldiers under their command. Basic undead creatures like Necromancer Skeletons are standard operating procedure; having a few Banshee Bone Dragons certainly wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. If Fang Zheng and his group had encountered more advanced troops, they might not have made it this far so easily. But what was the result? This master must have been a seasoned strategy player; he played the ¡°pig pretending to be a tiger¡± routine flawlessly! Throughout their journey, Fang Zheng and Shi Dong encountered only Skeleton Soldiers and Necromancer Golems, basic undead creatures, and so neither Fang Zheng nor Shi Dong took it seriously. They both thought there might just be a crazy Lich inside. A regular Lich, while still dangerous for Grand Knights like Shi Dong and Mart, was at least manageable. What they didn¡¯t expect was that inside was actually one of the most terrifyingly powerful entities of the Council of the Fallen¡ªa Master of Lich! You¡¯re somewhat of a boss-level entity; can you at least have some dignity? Do you have to mess with us this way? And why dress so discreetly? Usually, game bosses are decked out in gold and silver, but here you are in a tattered black robe¡­ Fang Zheng admitted he was totally fooled. Oh¡­ right, liches don¡¯t have faces. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you might as well stay¡­¡± Frank still maintained an extraordinarily calm demeanor as he extended his hand, making a grasping motion toward Fang Zheng and Shi Dong. But at that very moment, suddenly, a burst of flame appeared from the side of the Master of Lich, shooting forward like a meteor. ¡°Stop!¡± Grand Knight Mart raised his longsword high, flames burning intensely on its blade. He roared, gripping the longsword tightly and swinging it down. The blazing flames spiraled towards the Master of Lich. However, the Master of Lich didn¡¯t even glance at Grand Knight Mart. Before the menacing flames could reach it, a semi-transparent spectral barrier appeared around the lich, and the once raging flames shrank like candles in the wind, extinguishing completely. And the Master of Lich¡¯s actions did not pause. He reached out with his right hand and lightly grabbed the air. The next second, Fang Zheng and Shi Dong felt the ground shake, then a wall of bones rose from the ground behind them, quickly blocking their retreat. What a disaster! Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s face turned ashen. He gripped his Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly, his eyes full of hesitation. Honestly, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t expected these main world entities to all be so cunning. Even if he had been more cautious¡­ it wouldn¡¯t have helped! His understanding of this world was shallow, and without enough intelligence, he had to rely on someone else¡¯s judgment. ¡°Since you¡¯re guests, why don¡¯t you join my ritual?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Hearing the Master of Lich¡¯s words, Shi Dong roared and charged forward with his giant sword. However, the Master of Lich clearly understood that the villain dies from talking too much. He said no more, just extended his hand and made a few gestures in the air. Following this, a terrifying scene unfolded. The corpses of over a dozen Templars lying on the ground suddenly ¡°cracked¡± and burst. Their bones, as if pulled by invisible strings, emerged from their flesh, spun, and reassembled into a horrifying monster with a gigantic upper body and a long scythe in its hands. ¡°It¡¯s a Death Envoy, be careful!¡± Seeing the monster before him, Mart¡¯s face turned pale. He hurriedly rushed forward to join Shi Dong in attempting to flank the terrifying creature. But their opponent¡¯s reactions exceeded their expectations. Almost instantly upon its formation, the Death Envoy swung its scythe in a 180-degree arc, striking the weapons of both Mart and Shi Dong. The two Grand Knights shuddered and retreated, but they could see a chilling frost quickly spreading up their arms, forming a thick layer of ice in no time. What terrifying power! Mart and Shi Dong shook their hands to shatter the ice binding their arms. They exchanged glances, seeing the shock and fear in each other¡¯s eyes. This was merely a Death Envoy casually summoned by the Master of Lich, yet it was able to match them both? Even though Mart and Shi Dong were both brave Grand Knights, cold sweat broke out. The Council of the Fallen didn¡¯t have a good reputation, but they rarely appeared in the public eye. Unlike the Doomsday Church or the Twilight Legion, who loved to cause trouble everywhere, the Council of the Fallen believed ¡°all things will die.¡± They had enough patience to wait for their enemies to self-destruct. Thus, the Council was more active in graveyards or battlefields, often engaging in the revival of powerful entities as undead creatures. Naturally, these acts of desecration were not sanctioned or accepted by the Sanctuary. There were even rumors within the Sanctuary that the Council of the Fallen, despite its low profile, was actually the most terrifying enemy of all living beings. If they encountered formidable foes, they wouldn¡¯t resort to the desperate measures like the Twilight Legion or the Doomsday Church; they would simply wait patiently. After all, time was their ally. They didn¡¯t need to take action themselves; they only needed to wait patiently, letting those once-powerful enemies die of old age or be killed by others. Then, they could leisurely come out and dig graves. Wouldn¡¯t that be delightful? Due to the Council¡¯s passive and reserved attitude towards combat, most of the world regarded them as petty like the Doomsday Church, adept only at covert schemes and falling apart the moment they faced real combat, like mice scurrying away. But the Master of Lich had immediately shattered this misconception. They truly disliked frontal confrontations, but that didn¡¯t mean the Council of the Fallen was just a gang of clowns hiding in the shadows. Even their hastily summoned Death Envoy could stand against the combined full-strength attacks of two Grand Knights, Mart and Shi Dong. In fact, up to now, Frank had yet to make a move; he seemed more interested in that ritual. But that didn¡¯t mean Frank would just sit by and let them cause trouble. With a snap of his right fingers, the torn flesh of the fallen Templars began to squirm and merge like melting pudding, transforming into two humanoid flesh monsters, which charged towards Fang Zheng and the remaining Templars. Damn it! Seeing this, Fang Zheng almost popped his eyes out. He¡¯d only heard from Shi Dong that the Council of the Fallen had profound skills in life and death transformation. But it wasn¡¯t until now that Fang Zheng realised just how terrifying these liches were. Extracting bones to make a Death Envoy was one thing, but reusing the remaining flesh to create two Flesh Puppets was horrifying. These creatures were intermediate undead, their power dependent on their ¡°raw materials¡±. If these puppets were made from peasant flesh, Fang Zheng would have no problem. But since these were the flesh of Templars, it was a different story. The Flesh Puppets were faster than he expected, reaching Fang Zheng within a few breaths. Staring at the large, jelly-like entity before him made Fang Zheng¡¯s scalp tingle. Despite having faced disgusting creatures in the worlds of Diablo and Dark Soul, this one took the cake. While he didn¡¯t know the principles behind the creation of Flesh Puppets, Fang Zheng could see at a glance that the puppet¡¯s body seemed to be a fusion of the semi-melted limbs of the fallen Templars, further combined. What made it even more nauseating was that these organs seemed to be operational? Particularly the five misplaced eyes blinking at him, making Fang Zheng feel so sick he almost wanted to vomit. ¡°Roar¡ª!!¡± But the Flesh Puppet had no such feelings. It roared like a beast acting on instinct, charging at Fang Zheng. Its arms shot out from its jelly-like body, gripping two blood-stained longswords. Damn it! Facing this monster, Fang Zheng cursed under his breath and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging its double slash. He then countered with a swing of his sword, and Judgment¡¯s radiance erupted, creating small holes in the Flesh Puppet¡¯s body. Without blood, the flesh appeared disturbingly pale, revealing shriveled blood vessels and organs. To make matters worse, these organs seemed to be functioning, likely due to magical influence! Fang Zheng felt like he needed a bathroom trip to vomit his guts out. But unfortunately, there was no bathroom nearby, nor did he have the time. After receiving the attack, the Flesh Puppet shuddered, and two more arms sprouted from the wounded area, again wielding longswords to attack Fang Zheng. But this time, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t retreat. He flipped his longsword, and a dazzling Holy Light drew a pleasing silver arc in the air, severing the puppet¡¯s arms. Fang Zheng then raised his sword, and the Lightsabers formed around him, rushing forward with a whistle. In a moment, countless Swords of Light riddled the Flesh Puppet with holes, turning it from jelly into cheese. But that didn¡¯t seem to be much of a problem for the puppet; its body just shuddered and began merging and reshaping again. Meanwhile, Necromancer Golems on both sides started closing in with heavy strides. Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Tricked! Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Tricked! Editor: Exodus Tales The inside of the Great Hollow was already in chaos. Fang Zheng was completely surrounded by two Undead Giants and one Blood Flesh Puppet. On the other side, Shi Dong and Mart were working together to deal with the Death Envoy. The other Templars were not doing well either, as they were being engulfed by another Blood Flesh Puppet and a dozen Skeleton Soldiers. They looked to be on the verge of collapse. What should we do? While keeping an alert eye on the two Undead Giants in front of him, Fang Zheng thought carefully. The appearance of the Duke of Bones had completely caught him off guard. In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, the current situation couldn¡¯t get any worse. Even Shi Dong and Mart together couldn¡¯t take down a single undead creature summoned by the Duke of Bones. In this situation, let alone destroying the ritual, even self-preservation was difficult. Meanwhile, the Blood Flesh Puppet and the Undead Giants were equally troubling. The Blood Flesh Puppet seemed utterly unkillable. Fang Zheng had already used Divine Storm to shred it to pieces more than once, but it didn¡¯t matter; even when it was reduced to a tattered mess full of holes, it stubbornly launched attacks at Fang Zheng. With the two towering Undead Giants, even Fang Zheng had to resort to dodging. Damn it¡­ If only Shi Dong and Mart weren¡¯t here¡­ After another roll to avoid the Necromancer Golem¡¯s attack, Fang Zheng gripped his longsword tightly in his right hand and swung it forward from behind. The Sky-Cleaving Sword, carrying a trace of the Sword Scar of Light, slashed the Necromancer Golem in the head, leaving a deep wound. The heavily struck Undead Giant roared in anger and fell to one knee. Just as Fang Zheng was about to finish it off, a strip-like object resembling minced meat twisted out from the side, topped with a human face, screaming towards Fang Zheng with a wail. Again? Hearing that eerie and chilling sound, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he reluctantly dodged backward. This Blood Flesh Puppet had already been ground down to almost nothing by him. Yet even so, it showed no signs of being eradicated, but rather became increasingly troublesome. Fang Zheng had tried several Paladin skills on it to no avail. Maybe he should try a Five Fireballs to completely char it to ashes? Unfortunately, Fang Zheng¡¯s Soulstone didn¡¯t include Jaina. As for whether Psionic energy would work on undead creatures¡­ Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hold out much hope. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!!¡± The jerky-like Blood Flesh Puppet charged again. Fang Zheng raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, and a golden shield appeared in front of him. The Blood Flesh Puppet slammed into the golden shield, screaming as it was forced to retreat. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t miss this opportunity; he raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword and swung it down with force. Judgment! The golden Holy Light instantly enveloped the Blood Flesh Puppet. Under the omnipresent bombardment of Holy Energy, the Blood Flesh Puppet emitted a shrill screech, and its previously upright body started to go limp. Though it was a bloodless and tearless puppet, undead creatures were inherently restrained by Holy Power. Taking advantage of the moment the Blood Flesh Puppet ¡°softened¡± up, Fang Zheng took a swift step past it. Without hesitation, he swung the Sky-Cleaving Sword down again, completely severing the head of the Necromancer Golem. The previously heavily wounded Undead Giant, which hadn¡¯t yet risen to its feet, collapsed to the ground, utterly dead. Finally took one down! Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, but the death of this Necromancer Golem didn¡¯t bring much joy. The Necromancer Golem, the Blood Flesh Puppet, and even the Death Envoy were just minor players. Fang Zheng had not forgotten that above them still stood a powerful lich, one of the five councilors of the Council of the Fallen, the Master of Lich, the Duke of Bones, Frank. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know how powerful he was, but from the looks of Shi Dong and Mart, the enemy shouldn¡¯t be much weaker than Kel¡¯Thuzad. Although Fang Zheng could deal 250%+ Holy Damage to undead due to his titles and various bonuses, there was still a basic value. If he was dealing with ordinary undead creatures, he could still manage to one-shot them. But against these thick-skinned, high-level enemies, his low attack power would immediately become a glaring weakness. What should he do next? How much longer did he have to wait? Fang Zheng clenched his left hand, taking a moment to glance around. If he were alone, he would without hesitation activate Arthas¡¯s Soulstone. The Master of Lich might be fearsome, but the Lich King¡­ well, it couldn¡¯t be worse, could it? But now it wasn¡¯t possible; with Mart and Shi Dong still present, the traits of the Lich King were too distinct. If Fang Zheng activated the Soulstone, he was sure the two of them would immediately figure out his identity. At that point, all his efforts to infiltrate the Sanctuary would be wasted. He hadn¡¯t fought so hard to get into the Sanctuary just to flee before reaping any benefits. Of course, Fang Zheng was prepared. He had an Invincible ready in his hand and would activate it at once if the situation turned dire. This was one of Fang Zheng¡¯s confidences. Thankfully, Prince Arthas had learned the Paladin skills quite thoroughly; otherwise, Fang Zheng might be even more disadvantaged now. But if this continued, they would still die. To be honest, Fang Zheng quite liked Shi Dong and Mart, the two Grand Knights. If it had been that crazy woman named Connie, Fang Zheng would have immediately activated the Lich King, possibly killing the madwoman in passing, then blaming it on the Master of Lich. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t like killing, but he wouldn¡¯t hold back against those trying to kill him. But for Shi Dong and Mart, if possible, Fang Zheng hoped they could survive. It wasn¡¯t just that he got along well with the two; they were also influential within the Sanctuary. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know if such people were the majority in the Sanctuary, but regardless, one more friend meant one more path. However, it seemed that hope was getting dim. More importantly, what exactly did the Master of Lich want? Thinking of this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit frustrated. The enemy¡¯s strength was overwhelming, enough to crush all of them. It had already severely injured Shi Dong with a single strike. Adding Mart wouldn¡¯t make much difference. It probably just needed one AOE to wipe them all out. So why was it waiting? Could it be, like in novels, this boss liked to watch its enemies suffer before killing them? While complaining internally, Fang Zheng glanced upwards, then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. It¡¯s gone! The Master of Lich, who was supposed to be there, was gone! Fang Zheng momentarily wondered if his eyes were playing tricks. He blinked and quickly looked around, finally confirming that while they were fighting these damn undead creatures, the Master of Lich had quietly slipped away? What kind of play was this? ¡°Mentor, Grand Knight Mart, the lich is gone!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s shout, the two Grand Knights, who were still entangled with the Death Envoy, were also stunned. They lifted their heads and looked around, and to their astonishment, found that the Master of Lich had indeed disappeared! What was going on? The battle continued, but everyone was baffled. Like Fang Zheng, none of them thought they could scare away the Master of Lich, not even Shi Dong and Mart. In reality, they were just struggling, a human¡¯s instinctual resistance and will to survive. They knew full well they couldn¡¯t defeat the Duke of Bones, and they equally understood that the enemy wouldn¡¯t let them go. After all, the core principle of the Council of the Fallen was ¡°Better dead than alive,¡± wasn¡¯t it? But now, the Duke of Bones had actually left? What was this move? ¡°Thud!!¡± Suddenly, at that moment, a heavy thud echoed. Both sides paused in surprise. Although the thud wasn¡¯t loud, it seemed to have a special pull, making even the least intelligent Necromancer Golem turn its head towards the sound. Fang Zheng was no exception; he looked in that direction as well. It came from the center of the Magic Circle, where a large Stone Coffin rested. The sound was coming from within that coffin. ¡°Thud!!¡± As everyone stared at it, the Stone Coffin trembled again. It was then that Fang Zheng noticed the Stone Coffin was wrapped in dozens of thick chains! Now, the chains were cracking from the impact, and some seemed on the verge of falling off! Wait! Seeing this, Fang Zheng felt a chill down his spine as a realization struck him. Grand Knight Mart had said that the lich was planning to conduct some kind of ritual here, which was why they had come to stop it. When they had arrived, everything seemed uneventful, so Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t paid much attention. But now he suddenly thought of a possibility. What if the Master of Lich¡¯s ritual had already been completed before their arrival? What if he was just waiting for them to show up? Realizing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s face turned incredibly grim. Damn, they had been played! Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: Chapter 38 Child of Chaos Chapter 39: Chapter 38 Child of Chaos Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Thud!!!¡± The stone coffin began to tremble again. This time, the undead creatures seemed to sense some danger. They even stopped entangling with Fang Zheng and turned around to stare intently at the stone coffin. If the Master of Lich were here, perhaps these undead creatures would still follow its orders. But now, with the Master of Lich inexplicably ¡°gone,¡± these undead creatures began to act on instinct. Clearly, in their eyes, whatever was inside that stone coffin posed a greater ¡°threat¡± than Mart and his group. ¡°What should we do, teacher?¡± Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fang Zheng quickly regrouped with the other Templars and two Grand Knights. However, their expressions remained very grave, showing no signs of relaxation despite the Master of Lich¡¯s quiet departure. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shi Dong furrowed his brows tightly, staring at the stone coffin in silence. ¡°Thud!!!¡± At that moment, the stone coffin within the magic circle suddenly leaped up. The chains binding the coffin finally gave way under the strain, snapping with a series of ¡°pops.¡± Then the heavy coffin lid shot up into the sky before crashing heavily to the ground. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng felt a peculiar aura emanating from inside. Mart and Shi Dong¡¯s faces changed instantly upon sensing this aura. ¡°Not good!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Child of Chaos, run!¡± But before their words could finish, the stone coffin trembled once more. Fang Zheng felt a faint ripple pass by, quickly spreading out. Before he could react, he saw Shi Dong beside him fall to one knee with a ¡°thud,¡± sweating profusely, teeth clenched. He gripped his greatsword tightly, looking like a previously heroic Paladin who had suddenly become a weak old man, struggling even to move. Mart and the other Templars were not much better off, with two severely injured Templars collapsing to the ground in silence, directly fainting. The undead creatures that had been attacking them looked even worse. The Necromancer Golem collapsed motionlessly, and the previously intimidating Death Envoy and the troubling Blood Flesh Puppet disintegrated with a ¡°clatter,¡± reverting to broken bones and flesh. ¡°Uh¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± Holding the Sky-Cleaving Sword, Fang Zheng looked around in astonishment. He had no idea what was happening. Why did everyone suddenly collapse? Should he also pretend to join in? ¡°Be careful, kid¡­ It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s the Child of Chaos¡­¡± Just as Fang Zheng was considering whether to ¡°cooperate with the performance,¡± Shi Dong, beside him, spoke up. He seemed exhausted, the once sturdy warrior now even struggling to speak. He gripped his greatsword tightly, trying to stand, but his legs felt heavy as if filled with lead. ¡°That is the most dreadful existence at the Twilight Frontier, the enemy of order¡­ It can create a field that isolates all the power of order¡­¡± Is that why you all suddenly turned like this? Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng suddenly realized. He knew that people in this world primarily used the power of order. To make an analogy, it was like all skills in this world required MP, but the Child of Chaos automatically carried an anti-magic field, sealing off your MP¡­ Wait, no way! Thinking of this, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression changed slightly. He quickly glanced at his status bar and was shocked to find all his skills turned to unusable gray, even the activation ability of the Soulstone! Damn! No wonder the Master of Lich ran away! Now Fang Zheng finally understood why the Duke of Bones turned and fled without a word. According to what he had learned from the Sanctuary, both magic and other powers belonged to the power of order. The undead magic that animated the undead creatures created by the Duke of Bones also relied on the power of order. Compared to living beings, these undead creatures were even more fragile before the Child of Chaos, as their very existence in this world depended on the power of order. Once the power of order was nullified or sealed, they would be doomed. The Duke of Bones was likely in the same situation. Although he was one of the most powerful members of the Council of the Fallen, he was still an undead creature. The ¡°Anti-Magic Domain¡± of the Child of Chaos was likely effective against him as well, which is why the old guy ran so fast! This is ridiculous! Gripping the Sky-Cleaving Sword, Fang Zheng felt a chill on his scalp. He fixedly stared at the stone coffin, not daring to take a breath. Under Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, a tall dark figure slowly rose from the stone coffin. It was a knight. From the outside, it didn¡¯t seem much different from a normal human, except that this ¡°human¡± was two to three meters tall. It wore rusty armor and had a faint red glow shining through the helmet¡¯s cracks. In its hand was a huge, sharp sword, and it slowly stood up, silently staring around. ¡°Teacher, what abilities does this thing have?¡± Holding the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly, Fang Zheng asked without turning his head. ¡°What skills does it have, what are its capabilities¡­¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by none?¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s answer, Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. Wasn¡¯t this a BOSS? Never heard of a BOSS without big moves; what¡¯s the point of fighting it then? ¡°The¡­ the Child of Chaos is a creature born of chaos¡­¡± At this point, Mart caught his breath and spoke in a low voice. ¡°And all skills and magic come from the gift of order. They simply cannot learn to use such power. But even so, they are still formidable enemies. These chaotic creatures are terrifyingly strong and incredibly fast merely by relying on their physical bodies. Be careful; legend has it that these creatures possess immense strength and great speed¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ hmm?¡± Fang Zheng nodded but then suddenly paused. This scene, why does it feel so familiar? The enemy is a gigantic creature, you can¡¯t use Soulstones, and you can¡¯t use skills¡­ Isn¡¯t this just like Dark Souls? Then, let¡¯s see who¡¯s stronger, you or Teacher Guda. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile. He then reached out and drew a dagger from his waist. Fang Zheng then took a few steps forward to confront the creature. He gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly in his right hand, pointing it straight ahead at the Child of Chaos. Then, holding the dagger in a reverse grip with his left hand, he placed it across his chest and nodded at the Child of Chaos. ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s actions, everyone was stunned. Mart turned his head in surprise to look at Shi Dong. ¡°Shi Dong, what¡¯s he doing? And¡­ why isn¡¯t he affected by the Chaos Force Field?¡± For those in the Order World, the Child of Chaos was incredibly frightening because its Chaos Force Field would cut off their power of order. This was true for Mart and Shi Dong, the Paladins, as well. Despite their immense strength resembling Superman on regular days, it was all thanks to the power of the Star Spirits. Just like in martial arts novels where some skinny old men could strike muscular men dozens of meters away with a single palm, it wasn¡¯t due to their physical strength but rather their profound inner strength. The Templars within the Chaos Force Field were like martial artists who had lost their inner strength, rendered virtually useless. ¡°That kid¡¯s somewhat special¡­ But, that pose, could it be¡­¡± Responding to Mart¡¯s inquiry, Shi Dong gave a vague answer. The Holy Spirit Protection was a top secret, and although he and Mart were friends, such things couldn¡¯t be casually mentioned. However, seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s pose, Shi Dong¡¯s eyes lit up. Fang Zheng had often discussed with him the world he dreamed of, from which Shi Dong had learned about a group of warriors called the Farron Undead Legion. These warriors fought in the darkness to eradicate the Abyss, but eventually, even they were eroded by the Abyss, becoming the enemies they once despised. Shi Dong had felt a deep connection with the Farron Undead Legion, reminding him of the Order Legion stationed at the Twilight Frontier. Like the Farron Undead Legion, they fought chaos and sacrificed to protect order and civilization. Occasionally, some among them would be corrupted by chaos, turning into demon creatures. Shi Dong had been one of them and thus felt an immediate resonance with the Farron Undead Legion upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s stories. And now¡­ ¡°That pose¡­ Could it be¡­¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± The Child of Chaos didn¡¯t seem to understand what Fang Zheng was doing. Being inherently chaotic, it wouldn¡¯t care about such things. It roared furiously, raised its greatsword, and leaped, slashing down at Fang Zheng! As the Child of Chaos¡¯s greatsword came crashing down, Fang Zheng rolled to the side, barely avoiding the descending blade. He swung his Sky-Cleaving Sword forward, striking the Child of Chaos¡¯s waist with a heavy blow, producing a resounding metallic clang and sparks. The Child of Chaos staggered slightly but quickly swung its greatsword in a semicircle across the ground, attacking Fang Zheng again. This time, instead of retreating, Fang Zheng advanced. Rolling forward to close the distance, he swung his sword again at the Child of Chaos. The creature stepped back rapidly, but its greatsword swung back at Fang Zheng¡¯s neck! With a seeming pair of eyes on the back of his head, Fang Zheng evaded by bending his waist just as the Child of Chaos¡¯s sword came at him. The greatsword whooshed over his head, and Fang Zheng then advanced again. His Sky-Cleaving Sword burst into a dazzling Holy Light at this moment! ¡°Slash!!¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s right hand, holding the longsword, swept forward in an arc from bottom to top, leaving a deep wound on the Child of Chaos¡¯s chest. The creature froze in its tracks, but before it could respond, Fang Zheng¡¯s sword came down in another strike, driving the Child of Chaos¡¯s body back. Fang Zheng then leaped into the air, rotating with his sword to form a crescent, and came crashing down onto the Child of Chaos! Under Fang Zheng¡¯s triple combo attack, the Child of Chaos couldn¡¯t withstand it any longer. Like a catapulted stone, it flew backward, crashing into a stone wall with a ¡°thud¡± not far behind. Dust scattered everywhere. Fang Zheng lowered his longsword and let out a long breath. Behind him, Shi Dong and Mart looked as if their eyes were about to pop out. Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Chapter 39: The Indestructible Creature Chapter 40: Chapter 39: The Indestructible Creature Editor: Exodus Tales The billowing smoke and dust obstructed Fang Zheng¡¯s vision, but he didn¡¯t need to see to be sure that thing was still alive. The fact that he still couldn¡¯t use his skills indicated that the opponent was still exerting oppressive force on them. Although he had indeed sent the opponent flying just now, the recoil force was enough to¡­ make it hurt. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Carefully moving his body, Fang Zheng sucked in a breath of cold air. He opened and closed his right hand, which was gripping the sword hilt, then grasped the hilt again, finally dispelling the faint feeling of paralysis in his fingers. In that other world, he hadn¡¯t used his own body, so he could perform any exaggerated action. But in the Dark Soul world, aside from the weapon mastery skill, he had brought nothing out. Although the battle techniques were still in his memory, fully executing them with his current body was not easy. If he still had his original strength, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but who told this bastard to block the Power of Order? Although Fang Zheng¡¯s body had grown stronger with training over time, it was clearly impossible to possess the strength comparable to a barbarian. He had no choice but to try that move. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand, staring intently at the billowing smoke and dust ahead. ¡°Hoo!!¡± The smoke rolled, and the Child of Chaos roared as it leaped out again, raising its large pitch-black sword and swinging it down fiercely towards Fang Zheng. Now! Just as the Child of Chaos was raising its giant sword, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up. He rolled forward to close the distance between himself and the Child of Chaos. Then, raising his left hand, Fang Zheng swung the dagger upward. Just as the giant sword was about to come down, the dagger struck the part of the sword near the hilt. ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing this, Mart couldn¡¯t help but shout. The scene was so astonishing. In front of the massive Child of Chaos, Fang Zheng looked like a five or six-year-old child. It made the combat between the two seem like a battle between a strong warrior and a child barely reaching the warrior¡¯s waist. Fang Zheng¡¯s action of striking the sword with his own looked like a mantis trying to stop a cart. Both Mart and the other templars almost expected the next moment when the young man would scream and be sent flying. Without the augmentation of the Power of Order, they were even weaker than usual. Although the young man could move freely, his strength hadn¡¯t increased. The Child of Chaos¡¯s own power exceeded that of ordinary people by dozens of times. The gap between them was like that of a tiger versus a rabbit. Under the opponent¡¯s full-force strike, what were the chances of Fang Zheng retreating unscathed? Almost zero. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, the dagger in Fang Zheng¡¯s reverse grip collided with the giant sword. Accompanied by a ¡°thud,¡± the next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded. The giant sword in the Child of Chaos¡¯s hand, which was about to swing down, suddenly flew back as if it had struck an invisible, solid wall. Simultaneously, the Child of Chaos let out a wail, collapsing in front of Fang Zheng as if it had lost all its strength. And Fang Zheng did not miss this opportunity; he stepped forward, swung his Sky-Cleaving Sword with no hesitation, chopping into the gap in the armor at the Child of Chaos¡¯s neck, then kicked the enormous creature in the chest, sending it tumbling to the ground. Fang Zheng raised his longsword again, attempting to deliver a killing blow, but before he had a chance to act, he saw the Child of Chaos gripping its giant sword and swinging at him again. This forced Fang Zheng to roll backward to avoid the attack. Meanwhile, the Child of Chaos slowly stood up again, letting out a muddled roar. Though no one could understand what it was saying, its anger was clear. ¡°How do you kill this thing?¡± Fang Zheng cautiously watched his opponent, asking without turning his head. He was sure his blade had struck deep into the neck, nearly severing it. Yet, the creature¡¯s behavior indicated nothing had happened. There was no blood, not even a drop on the Sky-Cleaving Sword. It was frustrating; clearly, this enemy wasn¡¯t easy to take down. And to make matters worse, the system didn¡¯t recognize the Child of Chaos as an undead creature, so the damage he could inflict was reduced. ¡°The Child of Chaos can¡¯t be killed!¡± Shi Dong¡¯s voice called out loudly as he came to his senses. ¡°It¡¯s a creation of Chaos; it has no concept of life and death. No matter how much damage you do, it will never die.¡± ¡°What now?¡± Hearing Shi Dong, Fang Zheng was even more speechless. He hadn¡¯t expected this world to contain such things¡­ a boss with no health bar¡­ that was lethal! ¡°Normally, we could defeat it, then seal it while it¡¯s weakened, but now¡­ we don¡¯t have a cleric¡­¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s another way!¡± Before Shi Dong could finish, Grand Knight Mart seemed to have thought of something and spoke. ¡°We can request the Goddess of Order¡¯s guidance to banish it from this world!¡± ¡°You mean the banishment spell?¡± Hearing Mart¡¯s words, Shi Dong¡¯s expression changed. ¡°In the Chaos Force Field? We don¡¯t even have a holy artifact!¡± ¡°No, we do!¡± As Mart spoke, he looked towards a nearby stone slab¡ªthe cover of the stone coffin that had once sealed the Child of Chaos. Upon closer inspection, the slab was engraved with intricate patterns and sacred texts. ¡°This was used to borrow the Goddess¡¯s power to seal the Child of Chaos. If we can use it to connect with the Goddess¡­¡± ¡°Whatever you¡¯re planning, you¡¯d better hurry!¡± Mart had not finished speaking when Fang Zheng cut him off impatiently. He intently watched the Child of Chaos rushing towards him yet again, then raised one long sword and one short sword in his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll try to hold him off, but I can¡¯t guarantee for how long!¡± No sooner had he spoken than the Child of Chaos¡¯s giant sword once again swung down at Fang Zheng. Choosing to roll backward to avoid the blow, Fang Zheng had decided to stall for time. In the world of the Dark Soul, Fang Zheng had learned many things, and patience was foremost among them¡ªdealing with a mere Child of Chaos was nothing. He used to take an hour to defeat any boss. The Child of Chaos attacked once more. Its swordsmanship was uncoordinated, simply wild slashes. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind. In the world of the Dark Soul, he had fought countless battles, faced many predicaments, and died countless times. His accumulated experience was more than Shi Dong and Mart¡¯s combined. No matter how chaotic the attacks were, Fang Zheng could react and dodge them in time. The Child of Chaos seemed to lack intelligence and didn¡¯t realize what the others were doing, focusing all its attention on Fang Zheng. As time passed, the situation grew increasingly tense for Fang Zheng. Despite having the experience to handle the fight, he lacked the stamina and physical strength. The constant dodging of the Child of Chaos¡¯s attacks was sapping his energy quickly. He even felt fatigue setting in, his legs aching and barely able to move. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± With the Child of Chaos¡¯s roar, another sword strike came down from above. Facing this lightning-fast attack, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth and tried to sidestep. Unexpectedly, just as his left leg was about to support his body, he felt his legs give out, as if his muscles had lost all strength. Not good! Realizing his physical condition had changed, Fang Zheng was shocked. The Child of Chaos¡¯s attack was already in front of him, and he had no time to dodge. No choice but to go all out! Thinking this, Fang Zheng dropped the dagger in his left hand and gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly with both hands. He raised the longsword to meet the incoming giant sword. ¡°Clang!!¡± The giant sword smashed heavily onto Fang Zheng¡¯s Sky-Cleaving Sword, making him shudder and dropping to a half-kneeling position. The giant sword continued its strong downward momentum, slicing swiftly toward Fang Zheng¡¯s head. Clenching his teeth, Fang Zheng pushed the Sky-Cleaving Sword sideways. The giant sword¡¯s blade nearly grazed his head, causing the Sky-Cleaving Sword to angle downward before coming to rest on Fang Zheng¡¯s shoulder. The intense pain made Fang Zheng almost scream, but he clenched his teeth and held back the nearly unavoidable strike. However, he had reached his limit. At this moment, Shi Dong¡¯s voice suddenly rang out behind Fang Zheng. ¡°Success! Fang Zheng, move away!¡± Hearing Shi Dong, Fang Zheng felt as if he had heard celestial music. He quickly rolled on the ground, using the Child of Chaos¡¯s remaining momentum to evade to the side. The Child of Chaos didn¡¯t expect his enemy to dodge at the last moment and lost its balance. As soon as Fang Zheng rolled away, a white ray shot out from his original position, directly hitting the Child of Chaos! Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Chapter 40 Time Travel Reopened Chapter 41: Chapter 40 Time Travel Reopened Editor: Exodus Tales ¡°Ohhhhh!!!¡± The Child of Chaos struck by the white radiance let out an angry roar. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng saw the ¡°space¡± around him crack like glass hit by a stone. Accompanied by the sound of ¡°krack krack,¡± the cracks grew larger, and then, with a ¡°bang,¡± the fragments of space around the Child of Chaos shattered. Immediately, a giant rift appeared, sucking in everything around it like a black hole. Damn it! Fang Zheng quickly thrust his Sky-Cleaving Sword into the ground, gripping it tightly with both hands. He hadn¡¯t expected that this so-called ¡°banishment¡± would affect everyone indiscriminately. Normally, in novels, banishing demons is always a targeted single skill, right? The others were not faring any better. Shi Dong and Mart had to use all their strength to lift the coffin lid upright. A shining white beam shot out, maintaining the rift in space. Several Templars lay flat on the ground, clinging to anything they could grab. Fang Zheng was also struggling; his body was already airborne. If it weren¡¯t for the Sky-Cleaving Sword firmly planted in the ground, he would have been sucked into that giant ¡°vacuum cleaner¡± by now. But that wasn¡¯t the main problem. The real trouble was that damned Child of Chaos. Half of its body had already fallen into the space rift, yet its hands and feet still clung tightly to the edges, trying to climb out. ¡°Grab my hand, kid!¡± Shi Dong, while holding onto a slab, extended his hand towards Fang Zheng. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t respond. He frowned, glancing at the Child of Chaos behind him, then turned his gaze back to the coffin lid in front of him¡ªthe Holy Radiance on it had begun to wane. Shi Dong and Mart also looked tired, clearly unable to hold on much longer. But seeing the state of the Child of Chaos, it seemed like it could still hold on. This way, they¡¯ll surely die. Without further thought, Fang Zheng immediately made a decision. The Child of Chaos seemed to be withstanding the pull of the space rift and was even beginning to climb out inch by inch. The space rift was becoming unstable. He didn¡¯t know how much longer Shi Dong and Mart could last, but they were clearly in bad shape. There¡¯s only one way. Thinking this, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment. In the world of Dark Souls, he had already learned how to seek life from death. For him, a little adventure was nothing, and besides¡­ Fang Zheng had his trump card. Thinking this, Fang Zheng looked up at his system. The teleportation option was in its countdown phase. Ten seconds. ¡°Fang Zheng, what are you doing!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng not responding, Shi Dong shouted again. Fang Zheng glanced at him and then smiled. Suddenly, Fang Zheng pulled out the Sky-Cleaving Sword from the ground and flipped himself towards the space rift. ¡°Kid, what are you doing!¡± Seeing this, Shi Dong was shocked. He tried to get up to stop him, but the immense wind pressure forced him back to the ground. He could only watch as Fang Zheng flew through the air like a bird, turning into a beam of white light and striking towards the Child of Chaos. ¡°¡ª¡ª-!!¡± Feeling the impending danger, the Child of Chaos roared. Although its limbs were busy anchoring itself, it didn¡¯t mean it was helpless. Its chest armor suddenly flipped open, and two long arms reached out, grabbing towards Fang Zheng. Facing the oncoming claws, Fang Zheng raised his Sky-Cleaving Sword high and slashed down. The blade clashed with the iron-like claws, making a dull collision sound. At the same time, the Holy Power on the coffin lid seemed to be exhausted. The white beam keeping the space rift open disappeared, and the rift began to close. The Child of Chaos roared, and with a forceful push, half of its body emerged from the rift. Just a bit more effort, and it would be free¡­ But in the next moment, dazzling white radiance forced it to close its eyes. ¡°That is¡­¡± At that moment, the Templars were stunned. When they saw the Child of Chaos break free from the rift, they thought they had failed. But then Fang Zheng did something that shocked everyone¡ªhe pressed his longsword forward. The silver-white longsword instantly emitted an unbearable radiance. Pure Holy Light burst forth, transforming into a figure with silver wings, bypassing the Child of Chaos¡¯s defenses, and charging towards its unprotected body. ¡°Angel!¡± Mart screamed, and the Child of Chaos was too late to react. It could only watch helplessly as the figure formed by light, along with the sword, plunged into its chest. The tremendous impact pushed the Child of Chaos back into the space rift. This time, it couldn¡¯t maintain its balance and, with a scream, let go. It tumbled into the space rift, but it wasn¡¯t willing to give up just yet. The claws from its chest lunged at Fang Zheng in a final attempt. ¡°Clang!¡± Fang Zheng swung his longsword, parrying the Child of Chaos¡¯s desperate attack. The angel turned into a beam of light, returning to the Sky-Cleaving Sword, while the Child of Chaos vanished into the void, screaming. But for Fang Zheng, the crisis was not over. The space rift was sucking in everything around like a black hole, and Fang Zheng was being pulled towards it like a fish caught in a whirlpool. Three seconds left. The space rift had shrunk to the size of half a person, but Fang Zheng was now less than a meter away. In a blink, he would be wholly sucked in or, worse, sliced in half by the closing rift. Time¡¯s up. However, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t panic. He kept his eyes fixed on the system information. The moment the teleportation option became active, he quickly pressed it. A bright white halo appeared in front of him, swallowing him whole. And at that moment, the space rift closed swiftly, vanishing into thin air. ¡°¡­..¡± For a moment, there was a deathly silence in the Great Hollow. The Templars watched in disbelief, completely uncertain of what to say. To them, it felt like a dream, but they all knew it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shi Dong pounded the ground in frustration, his face full of regret. He hadn¡¯t seen clearly what Fang Zheng had done at the end, but the fact that the young man wasn¡¯t there spoke volumes. ¡°Shi Dong, tell me, just who is Fang Zheng?¡± Mart now realized something was off. He had thought Fang Zheng was just promising, but after seeing the angel, he realized things weren¡¯t that simple. ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m not going to tell you. Ugh¡­¡± Shi Dong didn¡¯t answer Mart¡¯s question. He sighed deeply, looking complexly at the now-empty ground. ¡°That kid¡­ really¡­¡± ¡°Alright, Shi Dong, relax. I think he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Seeing Shi Dong¡¯s expression, Mart patted his shoulder. ¡°He could summon an angel, so he must be favored by the Goddess. The Goddess won¡¯t let him be harmed.¡± ¡°Hopefully¡­ The kid is still young¡­ Ugh, I should have¡­¡± ¡°Boom¡­¡± Shi Dong¡¯s words were interrupted as the Great Hollow started to tremble. Cracks appeared everywhere, and rocks mixed with dust fell. It might have been the loss of the sealing power or the intense battle earlier that had destabilized it. The Great Hollow couldn¡¯t hold any longer. Seeing this, everyone was alarmed. ¡°Damn, we need to get out of here quickly!¡± Under Shi Dong and Mart¡¯s leadership, the remaining Templars quickly evacuated the Great Hollow. Behind them, rocks and dust cascaded down like a tide, burying the entire space. Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Chapter 41: A World without Tomorrow Chapter 42: Chapter 41: A World without Tomorrow Editor: Exodus Tales The sense of weightlessness suddenly vanished. ¡°Thud!¡± Fang Zheng flew out of the Light Gate and landed heavily on the ground, emitting a groan. ¡°Damn it!¡± Feeling a dull ache from below, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth. He seriously began to suspect that he had some kind of grudge against teleportation. Ever since his rebirth in this world, every teleportation had ended with him in ridiculous situations: the first time, he was thrown into a horde of the living dead in the Dark World; the second time, he was teleported right in front of Magda, forcing him into an unplanned boss fight. Returning to the Main World, his first attempt at teleportation on the Path of the Stars separated him from his companions, and now this¡­ It seemed he was inherently incompatible with teleportation! ¡°What rotten luck!¡± Grumbling, Fang Zheng stood up and quickly scanned his surroundings. He sighed in relief seeing he wasn¡¯t thrown into a nest of creatures this time. Instead, he found himself in a narrow, dark alleyway flanked by tall concrete walls. In the distance, he could hear the blare of horns. The scene before him was both familiar and strange; familiar because it was reminiscent of his everyday life before, and strange because¡­ he no longer belonged to this world. ¡°Hey, brothers, look who it is!¡± As Fang Zheng was nostalgically absorbing the scene, an unwelcome voice interrupted him. He turned towards the source of the voice to find three white-skinned, blonde-haired men in scruffy clothes grinning at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to find a stray cat here. How¡¯s it going, little master?¡± The lead man sneered, cracking his knuckles as he swaggered towards Fang Zheng. ¡°This is Kafter Brothers¡¯ territory. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing here, but don¡¯t you think you owe us an apology?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Alright, scratch that. His past life¡¯s neighborhood didn¡¯t have such poor security. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Looking at the three punks, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. ¡°Apologies, then¡­!¡± Suddenly, Fang Zheng turned into a blur and appeared in front of the lead thug. He didn¡¯t use the Sky-Cleaving Sword, but instead punched the man hard in the chest, sending him flying back about ten meters before he crashed to the ground. ¡°Boss!¡± Seeing this, the other two followers cried out in alarm. One of them pulled out a switchblade, but Fang Zheng grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground before he could make another move. The unlucky fellow collapsed, bleeding from the nose. ¡°Help, help!!¡± This all happened in mere moments. From knocking out the leader to taking care of his lackeys, it took less than five seconds. Finally, the last thug snapped out of it and tried to scream for help, but Fang Zheng silenced him by gripping his throat and pinning him to the wall. ¡°Shh¡­ keep it down. I just want to ask you a few questions.¡± Facing the trembling thug, Fang Zheng remained calm. He was no longer the newly reborn man. He had fought cultists, battled the living dead, danced with the Abyss in his dreams, and just faced the Master of Lich head on. If this was just a normal world, he had nothing to fear. However¡­ ¡°It¡¯s definitely not a normal world.¡± Emerging from the alleyway, Fang Zheng counted the money he took from the thugs and sighed. He walked to a nearby shop and looked at the TV in the window. On the screen, the host excitedly reported the latest news. ¡°Five years later, we have finally scored our first victory! This footage comes from Verdun¡­¡± As the host narrated, the screen showed people cheering with excitement as armored vehicles sped down the central road. Soldiers on the vehicles stood and waved to the crowd, eliciting waves of cheers and joy. The camera cut back to the smiling host, who continued the report. ¡°Remarkably, the casualties and damage have been minimal this time, making it a tremendous victory! This is largely thanks to the new power combat armor. With these armors, training soldiers into super warriors takes only a short time. They can then enter the battlefield and defeat those aliens!¡± Yes, aliens. This was a world where humanity was fighting against aliens. From what Fang Zheng gathered from the thugs, five years ago a mysterious group of aliens arrived on Earth, launching an all-out attack. These aliens, called ¡°mimics¡± by humans, caused catastrophic damage from the outset. Completely unprepared, humanity stood little chance. They nearly lost all of Europe. But just yesterday, humanity celebrated its first victory over the aliens. At first, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t sure which world he was in until he saw Tom Cruise in a military uniform speaking on TV, alongside aliens that looked like bundles of wires. At that moment, Fang Zheng finally recalled the name of this world. Edge of Tomorrow. This was a science fiction movie with a simple plot: aliens invade Earth, pushing humanity to the brink of defeat. Tom Cruise played an officer assigned to the front lines for recording and combat. Naturally, he resisted, as he was meant for PR, not combat. However, the general wasn¡¯t swayed, having Cruise arrested and sent to the front as a deserter. As a rookie, Cruise was terrified but managed to hold the line, ultimately detonating a bomb to take an alien with him. To his surprise, the alien was special; its blood caused Cruise to wake up at the beginning of the same day. Everything started over! From then on, Cruise repeatedly fought, died, and grew stronger. Eventually, he met the female lead who had experienced the same phenomenon. Together, they fought and, in true Hollywood fashion, used the knowledge gained from their loops to find the alien leader. They successfully eliminated the boss and saved Earth. The movie was popular among game developers like Fang Zheng, who joked that it was like a player repeatedly loading saves to defeat a boss, though the forced death-to-reload mechanic was tough. Otherwise, it was considered a time-travel perk! To be honest, Fang Zheng felt a kinship with Cruise now, reminiscing about his time in the Black Soul World¡­ never mind, it was too painful to recall. Who would have thought he¡¯d travel to a movie world? Fang Zheng had assumed he would end up in a game world, given his previous experiences. The first world he visited was game-like, and the Free Instance, Black Soul World, also appeared game-based. So, he thought the third instance would also be a fantasy game world. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a science fiction movie world. So, what should he do next? While pondering this and watching the hosts on TV, Fang Zheng mused. The plot of this world was straightforward. Fang Zheng knew exactly where the alien boss was. But what was his mission? If it involved enlisting and fighting those creatures, he didn¡¯t want any part of it. He had just escaped constant battle in the Main World and didn¡¯t want to jump into another fight. ¡°Ding.¡± As Fang Zheng pondered, a soft chime sounded, and a system prompt appeared in front of him. [Main Quest Issued] Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: Chapter 42 Trial Task chapter 43: chapter 42 trial task editor: exodus tales [main quest activated: trial] [as a mage traversing between dimensional planes, you must possess keen observation and judgment abilities to fulfill this role. each world has its core values. seek and obtain the item you believe holds the highest value in this world. completion of the task may result in random rewards (the reward depends on the task evaluation). failure will result in all attributes being reduced by one level] this task is indeed quite challenging. reading the task description floating in front of him, fang zheng couldn¡¯t help but frown. on the surface, this task seemed very free, as long as fang zheng obtained the item he deemed to be the most valuable in this world, he could complete the task. but when thought through carefully, it was clear that things were not that simple. because there were two main difficulties in this matter. first, the item must be highly valuable. second, he needed to be able to obtain it. when it came to valuable items, this world had plenty. satellites, nuclear missiles, nuclear fusion, mechanical exoskeletons ¡ª all were highly valuable to fang zheng. unfortunately, even if he knew about these things, there was no way for him to get them. of course, if it were luxury cars or planes, fang zheng might be able to think of a way to steal one. but he could easily deduce that using such items to complete the task wouldn¡¯t rate highly. after all, the task clearly stated that it was a test of his abilities as a dimensional mage. thus, the target was already determined. to fang zheng, the most valuable thing in this world was the alien boss. in the movie, the doctor had mentioned that this alien boss possessed the ability to manipulate time. the protagonist gained the ability to continuously save and load time because he was infected with the boss¡¯s blood, even going back to the beginning of the movie after both he and the boss perished together. this was the power to control time! knowing that any ability related to time manipulation was extremely rare and precious made fang zheng even more excited. more importantly, from what he recalled in the movie, this boss had no combat ability at all, only summoning minions and using the time reset ability. if this were true, defeating this boss would be much easier for fang zheng. the only issue was that the aliens had already occupied the entirety of europe, and fang zheng alone couldn¡¯t traverse the occupied zone to capture the boss. but for fang zheng, this problem wasn¡¯t completely unsolvable. yet before that, he wanted to enjoy some modern-day food! fang zheng didn¡¯t possess any money in this world. but fortunately, the three kind-hearted hooligans earlier were more than willing to fund him. so he unceremoniously accepted their support, found a fast-food restaurant, and enjoyed a hearty meal. relishing the familiar flavors, fang zheng couldn¡¯t help but cry. although junk food wasn¡¯t healthy, at least it reminded him of the taste of home. next up was figuring out how to take action. while eating a hamburger, fang zheng watched the fast-food restaurant¡¯s tv and pondered. he remembered being a bit vague about the time concept in ¡°edge of tomorrow.¡± it seemed as though the protagonist hadn¡¯t trained for long before going to the battlefield, but later on, the timeline became strange. the constant saving and loading were one thing, but at a certain point, when he went to see the general, the general said, ¡°you used to be a deserter. i never thought you¡¯d come back here as a war hero.¡± this implied that tom cruise had at least won the battle against the aliens on the beach multiple times, making it hard to estimate the timeline. a single battle wasn¡¯t easy to win, let alone returning to london afterward. this made it difficult to judge the time, as the movie focused only on tom cruise¡¯s constant save-load-rebirth, without giving a clear timeline. additionally, there was another problem troubling fang zheng: would tom cruise¡¯s save-load ability affect him? if it didn¡¯t, then after tom cruise died, fang zheng would face a completely unknown future. although in reality, there was nothing unknown about it. if it didn¡¯t affect him, it would be better. the constant save-load might be enjoyable for the person experiencing it, but for those like fang zheng who were dragged into it, it was far from pleasant. but if it did affect him, it would be a big problem. fang zheng always wondered about one aspect of the movie: the protagonists believed that the alien boss used this time control ability to reset time repeatedly to secure victory. but fang zheng doubted this. on the surface, the alien beings were much stronger than humans, and their battles showed little strategic sense. the alien boss¡¯s intellect seemed quite limited. the only evidence of premeditated planning was the ambush on the human beach, which fang zheng saw as a basic reaction any gamer with a normal iq would have: ¡°oh, the enemy plans to attack the beach? let me save and come back prepared.¡± another problem: how should he capture this alien boss? fang zheng didn¡¯t plan to follow the protagonist. while tom cruise was relying on his save-load ability to act recklessly, knowing he could revive, for fang zheng, it was much riskier. the best strategy would be to command an army, solving most problems this way. as for where to get the army¡­ fang zheng glanced at his soulstone again. since there were already aliens involved, adding the zerg seemed reasonable. fang zheng¡¯s teleportation landed him not in london, but in a small border city. given that europe was completely occupied by these aliens, fang didn¡¯t stand a chance of reaching london to find the protagonist. but he wasn¡¯t too concerned. to be honest, the aliens exhibited strong fighting prowess but seemed to lack an air force. this stumped fang zheng. although the movie showed aliens with anti-air capabilities, the lack of an air force seemed problematic. but these were not issues fang zheng had to worry about. the dumber the enemy, the easier for him. so, after a satisfying meal, he found an opportunity to secretly leave the small town. the town, located just behind the front lines, didn¡¯t have stringent security, making it easy for fang zheng to leave unnoticed. ¡°now, let¡¯s see what this soulstone can do.¡± standing in the dense forest, fang zheng took a deep breath. he had switched from the [arthas] equipment to [kerrigan]. upon equipping the [kerrigan] soulstone, fang zheng felt his world change. strange knowledge filled his mind, mysterious powers he had never encountered or used before. the scenery in front of him seemed different. at first glance, it appeared the same, but focusing his mind, he saw the world covered in a dark red hue, the edges blurry. he also saw distant, moving light shadows. fang zheng closed his eyes and reopened them, restoring the world to its original state. ¡°this seems different from the game¡­¡± he flexed his fingers with a frown. extending his hand towards the distant bushes, he made a grasping motion. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!¡± with a low groan, a deer floated out of the bushes, struggling in vain as the psionic power firmly held its body. it had no chance of breaking free. with a gesture, fang zheng pulled the deer in front of him. a green substance formed in his right hand, which he placed on the deer. ¡°¡ª¡ª!! ¡ª¡ª-!¡± soon, the deer frantically shook its head and limbs while blood vessels emerged from its skin, spreading across its body. when the veins reached its head, the deer suddenly exploded with a loud pop, leaving a lifeless corpse. ¡°what the hell!¡± the sudden explosion startled fang zheng, making him step back hurriedly. as the psionic force dissipated, the deer¡¯s corpse fell to the ground with a thud. something inside the body squirmed, and moments later, a parasite emerged, breaking through the deer¡¯s stomach. seeing the worm crawling happily at his feet, fang zheng was speechless. he had wondered how kerrigan would create a zerg army without existing zerg. he never imagined such a method. this works too? watching the worm jump around, fang zheng was at a loss for words. the little creature wasn¡¯t as terrifying as he expected, appearing somewhat cute. as fang zheng tried to communicate with the parasite, a gunshot suddenly rang out behind him. ¡°bang!¡± Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Isnt living good? chapter 44: chapter 43: isn¡¯t living good? editor: exodus tales upon hearing the gunshots, fang zheng¡¯s eyelids twitched. he glanced at the smoking hole in the ground nearby and turned helplessly. behind him stood six or seven young men pointing their pistols at him. leading them was the ruffian leader he had beaten to a pulp earlier, his face still swollen and bruised. ¡°hey, you bastard!¡± the ruffian leader raised his gun, glaring viciously at fang zheng. his accomplices beside him exuded arrogance, emboldened by their firearms. just moments ago, they were on the verge of kneeling before fang zheng, but now they seemed eager to make fang zheng kneel before them instead. ¡°had your fun hitting me earlier, huh? think you¡¯re tough? come on, let¡¯s see which is tougher, your fists or my gun!¡± ¡°sigh¡­¡± fang zheng felt no fear as he stared down the barrel of the gun; he almost found it laughable. he never expected that simply roughing up a couple of ruffians would lead them to track him down for revenge. what kind of absurdity was this? ¡°so, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°simple.¡± seeing fang zheng¡¯s calm expression, the ruffian leader smirked triumphantly. he signaled to his cohorts before turning back to fang zheng and raising his gun. ¡°return laozi¡¯s money! then kneel down so laozi can teach you a lesson! oh, and strip off your clothes, so we can take pictures and post them online! that¡¯s the price for messing with the ¡®kafter brothers¡¯! now grab him, and you!¡± he gestured to a heavily made-up woman beside him, her face painted ghostly. ¡°make sure you take good pictures, this is tonight¡¯s headline!¡± the woman giggled at his words and raised her phone at fang zheng. ¡°sigh¡­¡± fang zheng shook his head in resignation. he looked at the ruffian leader and spread his hands. ¡°apologies, i have important matters to attend to and no time to play with you. how about this: i¡¯ll give you the remaining money, and you leave. i don¡¯t wish for conflict, but you wouldn¡¯t actually kill someone, would you?¡± ¡°why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± the ruffian leader sneered at fang zheng¡¯s response. ¡°in times like these, who knows when those damn aliens might invade. plus, people disappearing in the forest and getting killed by aliens isn¡¯t unheard of¡­ i¡¯m sure the police wouldn¡¯t mind adding another name. now, kid, raise your hands! i won¡¯t repeat myself. grab him and show him our might!¡± at his command, two of his accomplices rolled up their sleeves and approached fang zheng with sinister grins. they reached out to grab him, but what happened next caught everyone off guard. just as they were about to seize fang zheng, a parasitic creature jumped out from his feet, emitting a ¡°chirp chirp chirp¡± sound. ¡°what the hell is that?!¡± the sight of the parasite shocked the two accomplices, causing them to retreat hastily. but the creature was relentless, leaping onto one of the men. tendrils emerged from its body, penetrating the man¡¯s flesh! ¡°aaaahhh!!¡± the man screamed in agony before he turned, eyes bloodshot, and attacked his fellow cohort with a steel pipe. ¡°hey, stop!¡± the ruffian leader, surprised, quickly aimed his gun at his berserk subordinate. but before he could pull the trigger, he watched in horror as the man exploded into a mass of bloody flesh, and the other victim began screaming, clutching his head in pain. the leader¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°what did you do to them?!¡± he roared and aimed his gun at fang zheng, ready to pull the trigger. but before he could act, he felt a powerful, mysterious force gripping him and his accomplices, holding them tightly in place. ¡°sigh¡­ isn¡¯t living good enough?¡± fang zheng sighed at the sight of their reddening faces and futile struggles. he wasn¡¯t inherently evil nor fond of killing, but these people became more brazen with leniency, especially after witnessing the parasite. they had to be dealt with. with this realization, fang zheng prepared to end their lives. before he could proceed, the parasite jumped over to him, emitting a ¡°chirp chirp chirp.¡± though fang zheng couldn¡¯t understand its speech, he comprehended its intention. ¡°you want to absorb their life energy?¡± surprised, fang zheng glanced at the struggling ruffians suspended in mid-air by his psionic power. he pondered briefly before nodding. ¡°alright¡­ but be quick.¡± ¡°chirp chirp!¡± the parasite chirped excitedly and bounded off toward the ruffians. fang zheng waved his hand, releasing the psionic hold, causing the ruffians to crash to the ground. ¡°huff¡­ huff¡­¡± the ruffian leader gasped for air, his body wracked with pain. he had no idea what had happened, only feeling as though an invisible hand had choked him, lifting him off the ground despite his desperate struggles. he feared he would have suffocated if it went on. ¡°chirp!¡± suddenly, a strange sound reached his ears. instinctively, he turned to see a shadow pounce on him. ¡°aaaahhh!!¡± screams echoed through the forest, then faded. peace returned moments later. ¡°sigh¡­¡± fang zheng shook his head at the dismembered remains. these people were indeed courting death. he hadn¡¯t expected them to sneakily follow him for revenge. now, they no longer had to worry about payback. fang zheng didn¡¯t dwell on it. the dead were gone, and although he felt slightly sorry, killing them was necessary since they attacked first. shifting his attention to a human-sized insect egg not far away, which had evolved from the parasite after absorbing the ruffians¡¯ life energy, fang zheng observed its swelling form, wondering how long it would take to hatch. reality differed from games, after all. time ticked by. in fang zheng¡¯s eyes, the insect egg began to change rapidly. initially like an opaque balloon, it grew larger and brightened, revealing a moving insect inside. the creature expanded, the egg darkening within. the giant egg trembled, its sides deforming. with a ¡°pop,¡± it burst like an overinflated balloon, revealing a towering figure. it was an insect matriarch. unlike the familiar ones, this matriarch appeared more ¡°elegant.¡± her upper body resembled a human female, while her lower half, deviating from the spider type seen in games, was that of a deer, likely due to the parasite¡¯s initial host. ¡°master¡­¡± the matriarch bowed respectfully before fang zheng, who noted her hair¡¯s resemblance to kerrigan¡¯s tendrils. despite her alien features, she possessed a unique charm. hmm¡­ according to zerg customs, it was time to name her¡­ recalling kerrigan¡¯s data, fang zheng pondered briefly, then smiled at the insect matriarch. ¡°alright, from today, you¡¯ll be called mirune.¡± Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Come after me, if you catch me, Ill let you... chapter 45: chapter 44: come after me, if you catch me, i¡¯ll let you¡­ editor: exodus tales the zerg¡¯s expansion was faster than fang zheng had imagined. the reason fang zheng chose to summon the zerg in the world of edge of tomorrow was to try out the usage of the soulstone and to see how the zerg would proliferate in such a world. in the game, the zerg required resources like crystal mines and high-energy gas to develop. however, it was certain that these resources did not exist on this world¡¯s earth, so could the zerg still develop? as it turned out, that was not a problem at all. after conducting experiments, fang zheng was surprised to find that the zerg actually did not need crystal mines and high-energy gas at all. unlike in the game, the zerg here would not sit idly and do nothing, waiting for fang zheng to find minerals before transforming and collecting them. instead, the zerg drones would actively search for the resources they needed and, once they found something useful, they would report back to fang zheng through telepathy. once fang zheng nodded, they would immediately begin gathering those resources. out of curiosity, fang zheng had watched them collect minerals. he found that the zerg were not picky at all, collecting everything from coal, copper, and iron ores to oil and natural gas, and packing them away. fang zheng was quite surprised to see this at first, but after hearing mirune¡¯s explanation, he understood. the zerg needed energy, but energy itself only varied in quantity, with no significant differences. the limitation of crystal mines and high-energy gas in the game was likely a design requirement, but in reality, the zerg were not so particular. as long as it could produce energy, they didn¡¯t care about the rest. thus, fang zheng finally understood why the zerg in that other world never worried about resource shortages or consumption and could solve problems with a single f2a wave. if the zerg were really that undiscriminating, then their rapid and powerful development would make sense. the zerg¡¯s development went smoothly. there were a few mines in the surrounding forest, but perhaps due to the battles with the aliens, these mines were mostly abandoned. fang zheng did not hesitate to order the drones to occupy these mines and start collecting resources. soon, larvae hatched from the insect hive, and various zerg buildings began to quietly emerge in the forest. however, fang zheng was not very reassured because he still remembered that the big boss in edge of tomorrow could reset time. if it reset everything, would he have to start over from scratch? fortunately, the insect matriarch mirune gave fang zheng a good suggestion. she suggested that fang zheng kill some mimetic aliens. this way, as long as the zerg could obtain the flesh of these mimetic aliens, they could gain their unique powers through genetic adaptation. although these mimetic aliens were formidable, their abilities probably wouldn¡¯t affect the zerg. upon reflection, fang zheng found mirune¡¯s suggestion reasonable. the alien boss could manipulate time, but it seemed its ability did not affect his soldiers. after all, aliens couldn¡¯t just materialize out of thin air. if the aliens had to start producing soldiers from scratch every time they reset time, their numbers would not be so large. especially considering the alien boss had already controlled most of europe. if it had to reset and reproduce its soldiers every time, it would be very troublesome. conversely, if the aliens were unaffected, their numbers would only increase each time time reset. given that manipulating time was a skill the aliens had long mastered, it was possible they used it to snowball their forces. of course, this was all just conjecture for the moment, but it didn¡¯t matter. fang zheng had received news that in two days, humanity would launch a full-scale counterattack against the aliens on the french coast, signaling the start of the edge of tomorrow storyline. if he could obtain alien genes before then, even tom cruise resetting time wouldn¡¯t affect him. and now¡­ ¡°let the hunt begin,¡± fang zheng muttered to himself as he gazed at the abandoned town before him and quickly strode in. the alien attacks had grown fiercer. the place fang zheng was now in wasn¡¯t the small town where he had crossed over, but an abandoned town on the front lines. although the aliens were very cruel and cunning, humanity¡¯s greed was no less rampant. in the bar, fang zheng had heard more than once about people sneaking into these abandoned places to find valuable items to sell. of course, the risk was high; the aliens usually burrowed underground and didn¡¯t show themselves. looks like i need to deploy a few eye bugs for detection. with thoughts racing through his mind, fang zheng casually walked into the town. it had been completely destroyed by warfare, leaving only large expanses of ruins. but fang zheng didn¡¯t mind. he now possessed the queen of blades¡¯ psionic abilities, allowing him to easily sense the energy fluctuations around him. therefore, he soon discovered that several lifeforms were hiding in the nearby ruins. over there? raising his pistol, fang zheng cautiously moved toward the ruins ahead. this pistol was obtained from a few unfortunate thugs, and since dead men don¡¯t need guns, it was his gain. three meters, two meters, one meter. ¡°boom!!¡± just as fang zheng was passing by a dilapidated building, it suddenly exploded, and a creature burst out from within. it was an extremely strange entity, looking like a mass of cables assembled into a quadrupedal beast. although it was large, it moved as swiftly as a cheetah, charging at fang zheng with astonishing speed. the cables converged into two tentacles, aiming to pierce him. if fang zheng had been an ordinary person, this attack would have been enough to impale him and turn him into a corpse. however, armed with psionic abilities, fang zheng was not so easily taken down. as the alien lifeform pounced, he waved his right hand, shooting out a psionic shockwave that struck the creature¡¯s massive body, throwing it back. simultaneously, fang zheng turned and ran without hesitation. ¡°roar¡ª¡ª!! roar¡ª¡ª!!¡± although it had taken a heavy blow, the creature wasn¡¯t killed. it flipped up its mangled body, roared furiously, and chased fang zheng. as the creature roared, two more alien creatures leapt out from nearby, trying to block fang zheng¡¯s path from both sides. but fang zheng¡¯s speed exceeded their expectations. blue light flashed over his body, and in the next moment, he vanished, reappearing behind the two alien creatures. the aliens, momentarily stunned, did not expect this human to possess such extraordinary powers. nevertheless, they quickly reacted, turning to pursue him again. their back tentacles rose once more, emitting a dazzling light as energy bolts shot forth. ¡°boom! boom! boom!!¡± large energy bolts exploded around fang zheng, but he remained unscathed under the protection of his psionic shield. while running, fang zheng silently gauged the aliens¡¯ strength. they seemed to have only this one form, but in this form, the alien creatures were versatile, capable of both ranged and close combat, and effective against both air and ground targets. they could be considered all-purpose soldiers. however, their bodies were not sturdy. from the way human bullets easily tore through them in the movie, it was clear these alien creatures were fragile. the zerg didn¡¯t seem much different. thinking of this, fang zheng glanced at the three figures in hot pursuit, then smiled slightly. in the next moment, he disappeared in a flash of blue light. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª?¡± realizing their prey had suddenly vanished, the three alien creatures halted, waving their tentacles vigilantly as they scanned the surroundings. the alien creatures only now noticed that they had unknowingly pursued the human into the forest. they hesitated briefly, then turned to leave. but fang zheng hadn¡¯t brought them here to play hide-and-seek. ¡°whoosh!¡± as the three alien creatures turned, the ground around them erupted, and a swarm of hydralisks leapt out, attacking the enemies before them. a battle between alien lifeforms had begun. Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Using Plugins to Mass-Produce Troops chapter 46: chapter 45: using plugins to mass-produce troops editor: exodus tales the battle ended quickly. although those alien mimics could attack both from a distance and in close combat, the zerg didn¡¯t take much damage from them. two hydralisks and seven jumping bugs charged in and wiped them out; the only loss was two jumping bugs¡ªbecause they jumped out of the ground too eagerly, and were pierced through their bodies by the enemy¡¯s antennae as they died, serving as casualties. after this battle, fang zheng had a certain understanding of these alien mimics. although their actions seemed biological, they didn¡¯t genuinely appear to be pure life forms but some form of energy creature. as for combat power, it should be somewhere between hydralisks and jumping bugs averaged out. this insight came from mirune¡¯s dissection of the alien remains in the incubation pool. luckily, fang zheng¡¯s guess was correct; the zerg did detect a peculiar genetic sequence from these creatures¡¯ remains. according to mirune¡¯s analysis, this genetic sequence seemed to be used for immunity against time retrospective. not only that¡­ ¡°master, this genetic sequence can speed up the zerg¡¯s pace. i believe it will significantly enhance the zerg¡¯s combat power.¡± ¡°do you know how it works?¡± ¡°of course, master. according to my experiments, this genetic sequence can accelerate the zerg¡¯s time flow, granting them greater combat power.¡± ¡°¡­is that so?¡± hearing this, fang zheng couldn¡¯t help but frown. mirune¡¯s words were easy to understand. essentially, this genetic sequence would make the host¡¯s time flow much faster than other creatures. meaning, what would be a second for an ordinary person would be two seconds for the host of the genetic sequence. being faster naturally had its benefits; attack amplitude, frequency, and speed would all be greatly enhanced. but¡­ ¡°are there any side effects? if i recall correctly, the enemy has a similar control system. i don¡¯t want to face my own zerg turning against me on the battlefield.¡± ¡°it will cause accelerated aging for the host, but to the zerg, that¡¯s not an issue, master. the possibility of being controlled is essentially zero; the zerg are eternally loyal to their master.¡± ¡°makes sense.¡± upon hearing mirune¡¯s reply, fang zheng thought it over and realized. the zerg don¡¯t die of old age; they either die in battle or are on the way to dying in battle. he had never heard of a zerg dying of old age anyway. so accelerated aging wasn¡¯t really a problem for the zerg, and it was even uncertain whether zerg could naturally die of old age. in fang zheng¡¯s memory, zerg seemed to get tougher with age, and speeding up the time flow seemed to also accelerate the zerg¡¯s autonomous evolution? my god! that realization gave fang zheng quite a shock. if that were true, then the alien genes in ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± were absolutely fantastic for the zerg. accelerating battle and evolution simultaneously, it was like activating a speed hack in a game, taking a bunch of jumping bugs for a spin, and coming back to find they¡¯ve mutated and grown wings without even needing to upgrade the tech tree? no wonder mirune¡¯s eyes were gleaming green when she talked to him; she was already eager to enjoy this genetic feast. as for the control issue, fang zheng decided to put it aside. even if the zerg were controlled, he could always activate kerrigan¡¯s soulstone. the queen of blades would command all zerg, and fang zheng didn¡¯t believe that alien behemoth could outmatch the xel¡¯naga in controlling them, daring to snatch control from the queen of blades. after fang zheng gave his approval, mirune immediately began adjusting the zerg genetics. fang zheng had no idea how the zerg completed it, but overnight mirune reported that all the zerg nests and units successfully assimilated the ¡°time gene.¡± moreover, fang zheng received an unexpected surprise¡ªthis time gene was beneficial not only to combat units but also to zerg buildings and drones. since the gene accelerated time flow, manifesting as faster activity, and as zerg buildings were essentially biological entities too, they underwent changes after integrating the ¡°time gene.¡± the most noticeable evolutionary trait was the accelerated production speed, research speed, and the speed at which drones converted into buildings also increased. though it was only just under three seconds, fang zheng understood how powerful even that small advantage could be. imagine playing a game where all your units were three seconds faster than your opponent¡¯s¡ªwithin five minutes, your opponent would probably report you for cheating. the zerg continued to expand while fang zheng watched a live broadcast on a phone he took from some thugs. on the phone screen, a white-haired, uniformed old man was waving his hands confidently. ¡°this time, we will strike back. we will completely repel those alien creatures and show them the strength of humanity!¡± the scene changed to countless transport planes taking off, while the reporter, with a tense and serious face, reported: ¡°today, our brave warriors will cross the channel and face those terrifying alien creatures. let¡¯s wish them victory and a safe return. the enemy will ultimately fail. victory will be ours!¡± indeed, the enemy will fail. but victory belongs to the swarm. fang zheng put down the phone and glanced at the time. 10:23:45. today marked the beginning of the plot. if fang zheng was correct, tom cruise would go to the battlefield today, encounter that peculiar creature during the beach battle, and then die together with it shouting, ¡°on your feet, maggot!¡± before respawning and starting over. now fang zheng just had to see if he could gain any advantage during this event. as for himself, he wasn¡¯t worried. this was also a test for him. since his layout was finished, even going back a few days, his zerg would still be intact and impossible to interfere with. ¡°boom!¡± three hours later, fang zheng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. then he stood up and looked far into the distance. in the next instant, the weather changed dramatically. almost in the blink of an eye, the world in front of fang zheng began to change. everything seemed like a reverse playback, but at a faster speed, making fang zheng feel as if he had entered a time tunnel. he only saw the sky and the ground vaguely as the world grew blurry. within less than ten seconds, fang zheng felt a jolt, and then the scene became clear again. everything seemed unchanged, but fang zheng keenly sensed something was different. he turned his head and saw mirune quietly standing beside him, watching him. ¡°what¡¯s the situation, mirune?¡± ¡°just as you predicted, master. we seem to have traveled through time. do you remember what we were doing before?¡± ¡°discussing the next evolution plan for the jumping bugs?¡± ¡°it seems you successfully retained your memory, master.¡± hearing fang zheng¡¯s reply, mirune smiled. fang zheng shrugged, saying nothing more. he thought that his dimensional codex might have helped him make it through this time retrospection. after all, it was designed to have power beyond time and space, and could protect its bearer¡­ well, it turned out the settings he created for show were quite useful. ¡°report the situation?¡± ¡°all insect hives are normal, the alien insect population hasn¡¯t decreased, and according to the drones, the previously depleted resource minerals have been restored.¡± ¡°oh?¡± hearing this, fang zheng¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°does this mean we can use unlimited resources?¡± ¡°indeed, my master.¡± at this point, mirune¡¯s voice grew passionate. the zerg yearned for power and resources, and now, everything they needed was here. ¡°then, let¡¯s continue the action.¡± with that realization, fang zheng quickly made a decision. ¡°have the insect hives hatch more drones to gather resources and transform alien insects. when the time is right, we¡¯ll make sure the people of this world witness our power firsthand!¡± Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: 46. This protagonists aura is really strong! chapter 47: 46. this protagonist¡¯s aura is really strong! editor: exodus tales fang zheng could imagine, tom cruise must be in a miserable state. it wasn¡¯t obvious in the movie, but after actually coming into this world, fang zheng could confirm that he had died more than a hundred times. this conclusion came after fang zheng, while bored, counted the number of times he loaded his save file to the one hundred and first time. but what did it matter? a real man had to die a few hundred times. back then, when he faced those two rat kings in the sewer, didn¡¯t he also die¡­ how many times was it again? forget it, fang zheng couldn¡¯t be bothered to remember. it should be enough now. after yet another load, fang zheng let out a breath, then turned his head to look at the forest behind him. viewed from a distance, the forest appeared normal. but fang zheng knew very well that beneath the lush trees and underbrush of this forest surrounded by mountains, zerg lurked everywhere. hydralisks were hiding underground, jumping bugs prowled in the grass, and flying dragons nestled quietly among the branches. everything was ready. after so many loops and reloads, fang zheng¡¯s zerg army numbered in the tens of thousands, and he was confident that this wave of attack would make those alien life forms understand what true destruction was. compared to the zerg, which could easily destroy hundreds of planets, these aliens didn¡¯t impress fang zheng, aside from their time manipulation skills. what fang zheng couldn¡¯t figure out was, leaving the time paradox aside, how did energy conservation work here? he had emptied the mines underneath multiple times, even drained the shale oil, yet whenever the resources reset, they came back. so where were these resources coming from? he knew his zerg hadn¡¯t disappeared due to time retrospection. they genuinely used up all those resources. was it parallel worlds? or something else entirely? fang zheng thought about it for a long time but couldn¡¯t find an answer, so he stopped thinking about it. this stuff was too complicated. he wasn¡¯t a scientist in his past life, didn¡¯t study quantum mechanics or relativity theory. anyway, he was using it happily now, so he¡¯d just keep using it. as for potential problems? he¡¯d deal with them when they happened. so next, he needed to¡­ stop time from resetting again. fang zheng wasn¡¯t worried about the aliens, but he was very concerned about tom cruise, the ticking time bomb. the intervals between loading the save were getting longer, which suggested the plot was already advancing to the mid or even late stages. but fang zheng wasn¡¯t willing to give tom cruise the chance to save humanity. he needed that boss for his mission, and it would be a disaster if a grenade killed it. so he came here. london, hisro frontline base. fang zheng carefully observed the figure of a man in a military uniform ahead. he was running laps with other soldiers, but he looked at ease, as if he had experienced this many times before. if you were seeing him for the first time, you would never associate him with a staff officer; instead, you would think he was a battle-hardened veteran. this was the protagonist of ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± the unlucky yet lucky man, tom cruise. the entire base was heavily guarded. under normal circumstances, fang zheng would never get inside. but in fact, fang zheng didn¡¯t need to get in. he used his psionic ability to project his spiritual power throughout the hisro base, locking onto any target he wanted. honestly, fang zheng found psionic power quite useful, except for one downside: when he embedded kerrigan¡¯s soulstone, he couldn¡¯t use arthas¡¯s skills, and naturally, he couldn¡¯t use the holy light. this was probably a flaw of the dimensional mage system. even though fang zheng¡¯s zerg were unbeatable now, he knew if he didn¡¯t have kerrigan¡¯s soulstone embedded, the zerg wouldn¡¯t recognize him as their master. don¡¯t ask how fang zheng knew that. it¡¯s a tale of sorrow. but fang zheng was also helpless because this was how the dimensional codex was initially designed. in fact, skills learned from a soulstone were essentially its derivative skills. for example, fang zheng¡¯s royal cross swordsmanship was under arthas¡¯s soulstone branch. therefore, this skill only took effect when fang zheng had it equipped. without it, fang zheng could only make gestures with the sword, but he couldn¡¯t use the holy light, rendering the skill ineffective. when the soulstone was used up and shattered, players could choose to inherit the highest proficiency skill to their panel. at that point, the skill would detach from the soulstone and become the player¡¯s skill. of course, if the player didn¡¯t level up the skill proficiency much, then it would come down to luck or even be randomized. at first, fang zheng thought his design was brilliant and that it would make whales spend a lot. but looking at it now¡­ one should always leave some room for maneuver. using his psionic power, fang zheng watched as tom cruise did push-ups under the instructor¡¯s orders. he knew that soon tom cruise would find a cover and leave that spot when a vehicle passed by, going to meet the female lead to continue their endless slaughter journey. what fang zheng had to do was take care of tom cruise during this opportunity. interestingly, most movies never explain how to neutralize the protagonist¡¯s cheat. but in ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± almost every audience member knew how to remove tom cruise¡¯s hack. the process was brutally simple: don¡¯t kill him immediately; instead, make him bleed out slowly or give him a blood transfusion. then tom cruise¡¯s cheat would be completely nullified. so, what fang zheng needed to do was straightforward: critically injure tom cruise, force him to get a blood transfusion, and then it would be his and his team¡¯s turn to shine. as for how to do it¡­ ever watched ¡°death has arrived¡±? at this moment, a vehicle drove by the group doing push-ups. seeing the approaching vehicle, tom cruise¡¯s eyes flashed. he glanced around, and in that instant, he rolled under the car. at the same time, fang zheng activated his psionic power, causing the vehicle to suddenly swerve, with its rear wheel heading straight for tom cruise¡¯s legs. this was fang zheng¡¯s plan. in fang zheng¡¯s view, if he could successfully crush tom cruise¡¯s legs, tom would be sent for treatment immediately. after the blood transfusion, fang zheng¡¯s mission would be complete. then the zerg army would mobilize, and everything else would be a non-issue. but what happened next surprised fang zheng. not sure whether the driver was too skilled or too poor, the vehicle¡¯s rear wheel suddenly veered before hitting tom cruise¡¯s legs, causing the vehicle to flip to the roadside. this incident alarmed others, and soon soldiers rushed to help. tom cruise, visibly startled, stood up, glanced at the overturned vehicle with uncertainty, and quickly walked towards the end of the road when no one was looking. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± okay, maybe i¡¯m not proficient with psionics yet. watching tom cruise¡¯s departing figure helplessly, fang zheng shrugged and refocused on him. there would be more opportunities on his way to meet the female lead; no need to rush. he watched as tom cruise entered the training ground and, risking danger, walked towards the female lead. meanwhile, fang zheng made another move. ¡°whoosh!!¡± an inactive mechanical target suddenly started spinning, rushing towards tom cruise. tom cruise, slightly taken aback, was about to get hit, but just then, the mechanical target¡¯s base snapped with a ¡°pop,¡± and the spinning target whizzed past tom cruise, hitting the wall heavily. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± alright, i knew these old machines couldn¡¯t be trusted. in the training ground, tom cruise met up with the female lead. after a brief conversation, they turned and left, driving off under the female lead¡¯s direction towards the repair center. ¡°bang!!¡± but just as they approached the repair center entrance, the left front tire blew out. the out-of-control jeep swerved towards the wall, and the female lead slammed on the brakes. under her control, the jeep¡¯s speed gradually decreased, finally stopping just before hitting the wall. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± alright, miscalculating the forces was my mistake. as they rushed into the factory and headed inside, a mech fragment being repaired suddenly popped up. it flew towards tom cruise¡¯s arm, but just before it could sever his arm, a gust of wind blew, diverting the fragment to the wall beside tom cruise, startling him. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± alright, i didn¡¯t account for aerodynamics¡­ not! seeing this through his psionic power, fang zheng almost flipped the table. once or twice could be coincidental. three or four times? do you think i¡¯m an idiot? ¡°sigh¡­¡­¡± fang zheng realized he needed to accomplish something else before neutralizing the opponent¡¯s cheat. he had to withstand tom cruise¡¯s protagonist halo and finish him off. Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: Chapter 47: This is Really a Sudden Rash Operation chapter 48: chapter 47: this is really a sudden rash operation editor: exodus tales fang zheng used to think that the so-called ¡°protagonist¡¯s halo¡± was just a somewhat exaggerated metaphor. but now, he had no choice but to admit that this thing really exists! what? you ask why fang zheng was so sure? come on, he used psionic energy on tom cruise thirty times with a success rate of zero. could that possibly be chalked up to good luck?! the protagonist¡¯s halo was way too obvious! damn it, those worthless aliens could kill tom cruise in one hit, so why was it so hard for him to just severely injure the guy and draw some blood? if he didn¡¯t believe there was something fishy going on, fang zheng would never buy it. now he finally understood how frustrated the grim reaper in ¡°death has arrived¡± must have felt. after working so hard and going to so much trouble to quietly kill someone, only for them to escape, who wouldn¡¯t get upset? no choice but to do it himself. after reloading two more times, fang zheng had to make this decision. he noticed the plot was progressing to the later stages, and tom cruise had already realized that the dam illusion he had seen before was just a trap. the other side wanted to lure him there to bleed him slowly, causing him to lose his powers. fang zheng always thought this boss was really stupid. if you wanted to draw blood, couldn¡¯t you do it anywhere? on the battlefield, where you have the advantage in numbers, you could just send a hundred creatures to surround the protagonist and slowly draw his blood, and no one would dare bother you, right? or just knock him out and drag him away, wouldn¡¯t that work? but no, you had to lure the guy to an abandoned, desolate dam. and in the end, he even figured it out. these alien creatures¡¯ intelligence was really¡­ worrying. with the stupid alien creatures being unreliable, and the underhanded tactics being countered by the protagonist¡¯s halo, fang zheng had no choice but to go with plan b¡ªdo it himself and reap the rewards. in this loop, using psionic energy, fang zheng had already learned the general progress of the plot: tom cruise followed the illusion he saw upon death and headed for the dam, planning to face the boss alone. when he discovered it was a trap, he decisively committed suicide to reload. in this loop, after discussing with the heroine and her allies, one of the heroine¡¯s helpers mentioned creating a signal emitter that could enhance tom cruise¡¯s signal connection with the boss, allowing them to find the true location of the alien boss. in this loop, the two of them were heading to the command center in london, where they planned to find the commander who had previously sent tom cruise to the front lines and obtain the emitter created by the heroine¡¯s helper. when you think about it, this story is full of holes. the heroine¡¯s helper lost his job and became a repairman because no one believed him, yet the device he created was well-kept by the general. if the general didn¡¯t believe their story, why keep the emitter in a safe? normally, wouldn¡¯t he have just smashed it to pieces? oh well, there¡¯s no point in looking for logic in a hollywood movie. as long as there¡¯s plenty of action and excitement, who cares about reason? you already bought the movie ticket, it¡¯s not like you can ask for a refund after watching it. with american superheroes, there¡¯s barely a handful with normal intelligence, so let¡¯s not expect too much from these popcorn flicks. ¡°vroom¡­!!¡± fang zheng snapped out of his thoughts and stared at the road ahead. through his psionic energy, he could see tom cruise and the heroine driving towards the command center. thankfully, fang zheng had anticipated their route when he saved the game last time, otherwise, it would have been difficult to find them. soon, the car they were driving appeared before fang zheng. the heroine looked as calm as ever, while tom cruise seemed a bit nervous, frequently looking around. fang zheng understood why he would feel that way; his previous attempts to mess with tom cruise didn¡¯t cause any real harm but definitely scared him. after all, tom cruise had always thought that after reloading, everything would restart in order. fang zheng¡¯s ¡°mischievous acts¡± had no pattern and were not in tom cruise¡¯s memory. although the outcomes were all close calls, it was enough to make tom cruise worried and nervous. but this time, tom cruise could relax because fang zheng had given up on messing around and planned to handle it himself. ¡°remember, when we reach the command center, you need to¡­ oh, damn!!¡± tom cruise and the heroine were quietly discussing their next steps when they rounded a corner and saw a young man standing in the middle of the road in front of their car. he was dressed casually and simply stood there, watching the approaching car. seeing this unexpected person, tom cruise shouted in surprise; he never expected such a situation since there had been no one on the road the last time he came here! the heroine reacted quickly. upon seeing someone in front of them, she promptly turned the steering wheel, making the car swerve. but just then, they saw the young man raise his right hand suddenly. the next moment, their car seemed to be violently struck by something, flying off with a ¡°boom¡± and crashing into a nearby wall before halting. ¡°phew¡­ i don¡¯t believe i won¡¯t manage this time.¡± lowering his right hand, fang zheng let out a sigh of relief. ignoring his surroundings, he walked directly to the car and peered inside. through his psionic energy, fang zheng saw that neither of them was dead, just unconscious. nodding in satisfaction, he noted that his psionic control derived from kerrigan was quite adept. he should have come down hard directly at first instead of trying to imitate the grim reaper¡¯s tricks. a straightforward approach would have spared him all this trouble. with that thought, fang zheng extended his hand, and under the influence of psionic energy, the car began to disassemble. soon, he pulled the two people out and then casually tossed the heroine by the roadside, striding off with tom cruise. news of the incident quickly caused a stir throughout the city, as many people saw what fang zheng did, especially the scene where he used psionic energy to dismantle the car. numerous forces took notice of this mysterious and powerful young man. the city went into lock-down, and many soldiers were dispatched, searching everywhere for clues about fang zheng. the heroine was unlucky too, getting arrested and interrogated. but when she woke up, she was utterly distraught. how could she know who the young man who suddenly appeared in front of her car was, and he even kidnapped tom cruise! the heroine felt utterly hopeless¡ªthis must be the end for britain. while everyone was busy, fang zheng had already returned to the insect hive with tom cruise. it seemed the protagonist¡¯s halo had limits. fang zheng might not be able to sneakily take him down, but in a direct confrontation, he could completely overpower him, rendering any protagonist¡¯s halo useless. ¡°you¡¯re back, master.¡± as soon as fang zheng entered the insect hive, mirune eagerly hopped over¡ªthis insect matriarch was starting to look more and more like a dryad. ¡°yes, i¡¯m back.¡± hearing mirune¡¯s greeting, fang zheng nodded at her and casually tossed tom cruise to the ground. ¡°who is this¡­?¡± mirune glanced at tom cruise curiously. ¡°a human? master, i sense some sort of time gene sequence in him.¡± ¡°a lucky guy.¡± fang zheng gestured to mirune. ¡°can you extract the gene sequence from his body without harming him?¡± ¡°of course, master.¡± ¡°then go ahead.¡± ¡°yes.¡± upon receiving fang zheng¡¯s command, mirune bowed and retreated, and a few drones came over to drag the unconscious tom cruise away. when it came to biotechnology, nothing could surpass the zerg. within half a day, mirune reported back to fang zheng that the gene sequence extraction from tom cruise¡¯s body was completed. tom cruise was now an ordinary person again, but there was also an unexpected bonus. ¡°master, the gene sequence extracted from this human is far stronger than what we¡¯ve consumed before, i¡­¡± ¡°if you want it, just take it.¡± before mirune could finish, fang zheng already understood her intent. zerg instinctively craved powerful forces. the alien blood in tom cruise¡¯s body was just an inferior product to fang zheng. his target was the power core of the alien boss, that was the real prize. compared to that, these small, hors d¡¯oeuvres didn¡¯t interest him at all. ¡°thank you, master.¡± mirune was visibly thrilled, thanking fang zheng earnestly before hopping away. fang zheng looked at the unconscious tom cruise and shook his head helplessly before slapping him a few times to wake him up. ¡°uh¡­ where¡­ who are you?¡± tom cruise, who experienced countless reboots, immediately sensed something was wrong upon waking up. he jumped up and stared at fang zheng warily. fang zheng, seeing his surprised expression, just smiled. ¡°don¡¯t worry, the reason i brought you here isn¡¯t malicious. in fact, i wanted to tell you that your ability¡­¡± fang zheng intended to say, ¡°your ability has disappeared,¡± but before he could finish, tom cruise seemed to realize something. he quickly pulled out a handgun and shot himself in the head! ¡°bang!¡± ¡°¡­¡± fang zheng watched tom cruise slump to the ground, truly dead, his mouth twitching at a loss for words. ¡°master? what happened?¡± hearing the gunshot, mirune and a group of jumping bugs rushed over, stunned by the scene. ¡°this human¡­ how did he die?¡± ¡°¡­a bit of an accident, bury him in a mine pit.¡± what else could fang zheng say? well, at least tom cruise proved with his life that his ability was indeed gone. as for whether he died with regrets¡­ fang zheng had no idea. come to think of it¡­ this should count as suicide, right? Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: Chapter 48 The Zerg Appear! chapter 49: chapter 48 the zerg appear! editor: exodus tales tom cruise¡¯s death was completely unexpected for fang zheng. although, to be honest, fang zheng didn¡¯t have much affection for this world, tom cruise played a hero after all. so fang zheng intended to have a good talk with him. however, as soon as tom cruise heard him mention the word ¡°ability,¡± he decisively shot himself. fang zheng guessed he was afraid fang zheng would dissect him¡­ well, it seems some habits aren¡¯t always good. the protagonist was already dead, and fang zheng could only mourn for three seconds. what else could he do? the other party wanted to die, and he couldn¡¯t stop him. with tom cruise¡¯s death, the whole plot of ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± was surely ruined. however, fang zheng didn¡¯t care. he never planned to follow the protagonist¡¯s route, so whether tom cruise lived or died didn¡¯t matter much to him. in fact, it didn¡¯t matter much to humanity either because, at this point¡­ the situation couldn¡¯t possibly get any worse. the beachfront landing force was once again annihilated by the alien creatures. without the protagonist¡¯s checkpoint retrospection, the alien creatures crossed the strait and destroyed the entire london. through the live broadcast on the phone, fang zheng could see the entire london engulfed in flames. the screen then went black. although he couldn¡¯t witness what happened afterward, fang zheng could already predict the outcome. in the following days, the mimic monsters spread everywhere, launching a full-scale attack. europe had essentially fallen, and humanity was retreating step by step. after eliminating the surviving resistance forces in europe, these alien creatures began advancing towards the east where fang zheng was. it was almost time. through the internet, fang zheng had grasped the current situation on earth. europe had fallen, and other regions were also engulfed in flames of war. the bald eagle was busy with its internal struggles, and the eurasian continent was barely holding on. as humanity stood on the brink of extinction, it was time, according to the usual script, for the savior to appear. however, this savior didn¡¯t quite look like a savior at all. ¡°master.¡± while fang zheng observed the war situation on his phone and let his mind wander, mirune came to his side. ¡°the enemy is about to reach the front lines and is currently engaging with humans.¡± ¡°what¡¯s the situation?¡± fang zheng wasn¡¯t surprised by mirune¡¯s report. a few days ago, he had known that a joint force from the russian bear and rabbit had arrived here, setting up defenses against the impending mimic monster army. fang zheng had observed this but did not make contact with them. he even ordered the zerg swarming the mountains to burrow underground to avoid being discovered. otherwise, the sight of such a massive zerg army might scare them to death. ¡°humans are retreating step by step; it¡¯s only a matter of time before they are completely wiped out.¡± ¡°good.¡± fang zheng nodded in satisfaction at mirune¡¯s response, then turned off his phone and stood up. ¡°mirune, do you know why humans love superheroes?¡± ¡°superheroes? are those the beings from the stories you told before? i think it¡¯s because of their immense power, and humans must crave such power.¡± good, that¡¯s very zerg-like¡­ but it is indeed what many humans think as well. perhaps the similarities between the zerg and humans are more than he imagined? ¡°that¡¯s one reason, but the most important is that superheroes always appear in the deepest despair, offering something more precious than life itself¡ªhope.¡± ¡°asking for assistance from powerful individuals is a sign of weakness, master.¡± mirune obviously didn¡¯t care about this. despite her appearance resembling a human teenage girl, her essence was still zerg. ¡°the weak should only obey, not ask.¡± ¡°and that¡¯s the difference between the zerg and humans.¡± fang zheng didn¡¯t intend to convince mirune. for the zerg, the only value of powerful beings in their eyes was to kill them, consume their genetic sequences, and integrate their power into themselves to become stronger. trying to change this mindset was like convincing a tiger to become vegetarian, so fang zheng wasn¡¯t bothered by mirune¡¯s response. ¡°but in any case, it¡¯s always good to have less trouble. it¡¯s time for us to make our move. mirune, prepare to attack!¡± ¡°as you wish, master.¡± at the front line, the situation was already chaotic. ¡°captain wang!¡± a soldier in a mechanical exoskeleton strode over a sand dune to a person dressed as an officer, wiping blood from his face. ¡°what are the orders from headquarters?!¡± ¡°headquarters commands us to hold the line! this defense line is crucial for entering the east and must not fall!¡± captain wang raised his right hand and, aiming at the dust ahead, pulled the trigger. a string of bullets fired from the machine gun mounted on his arm, shredding a mimic monster that leapt out of the sand. ¡°we are short on manpower; we can¡¯t hold this. how¡¯s the situation with monkalievsky?¡± ¡°they¡¯re still holding on!¡± ¡°boom!!¡± before captain wang could finish his sentence, a violent explosion erupted. the two of them immediately turned towards the source, only to see a fireball rise into the air from the ground. ¡°damn it, that¡¯s position 215. they must have fallen!¡± seeing this, captain wang¡¯s face turned pale. he quickly opened communications and shouted loudly. ¡°this is position 128. can anyone hear me? if you hear me, please respond! damn it¡­¡± after hearing no response, captain wang angrily took off his helmet and threw it aside. then he raised his weapon and looked ahead. at this moment, several mimic monsters emerged, seeming to realize their enemies were on their last legs. they began screeching defiantly at the soldiers in front of them. ¡°you monsters! we will never give up or retreat! everyone, step forward!¡± with captain wang¡¯s angry roar, the surviving soldiers stepped forward with determined expressions and raised their guns. ¡°if you want to get through here, step over our dead bodies, monsters!!¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-!¡± hearing captain wang¡¯s furious shout, the alien creatures roared back in anger. but to everyone¡¯s surprise, instead of charging, they began to retreat. ¡°this¡­ this is¡­¡± ¡°what¡¯s going on, captain wang?¡± witnessing this, everyone was shocked. they had already prepared to die here. if the mimic monsters had charged, they would have surely died. but instead of charging, these creatures were retreating? could their captain¡¯s roar actually repel eight hundred elite soldiers? ¡°i don¡¯t know either.¡± raising the gun, captain wang was also baffled. he looked at these creatures, having no idea what they were up to. however, looking closer, he was surprised to find these creatures seemed¡­ very tense? tense? captain wang widened his eyes in astonishment, even rubbing them before looking again. indeed, these creatures seemed very anxious and uneasy. they were staring intensely at them, with their tentacles almost exploding. it was as if they had encountered some terrifying enemy. but nothing had changed on their side; they were just ordinary soldiers. when had these creatures ever feared them? ¡°rumble, rumble¡­¡± only then did captain wang hear a noise behind him. he looked down and was shocked to see the ground trembling slightly. as the sound grew louder, the alien creatures became more anxious, almost instinctively retreating and forming a defensive formation! defense? he had fought these creatures all his life and had never seen them form a defense! what was behind them? ¡°cap, captain wang!¡± at this moment, a trembling voice broke the silence. captain wang looked towards the source and saw a young soldier with a pale face looking back. he was trembling so much that he almost collapsed. captain wang recognized him as one of his bravest men, someone who wouldn¡¯t flinch even with a gun to his head. but now, this brave young man looked like a rookie on the battlefield, retreating towards the mimic monsters and then collapsing onto the ground! ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you? pull yourself together, what is it?!¡± shouting angrily, captain wang also turned his head to look behind him. and then he froze. ¡°my god¡­¡± Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Shocking the World chapter 50: chapter 49: shocking the world editor: exodus tales as someone who had played games before, fang zheng always believed that in terms of frontal assault, the zerg¡¯s sense of oppression was the greatest. the human steel flood seemed invincible, a beauty of iron and order. when they advanced, it was like a giant steel machine rolling forward, making people shiver. the individual combat power of the divine race was second to none in the world, and when they charged, it felt like the fearless assault of a group of warriors, inspiring awe. but the zerg were different. when that overwhelming swarm appeared before your eyes, it was more like a natural disaster you could not stop, resist, or even evade. just like an avalanche, flood, or tsunami, the zerg¡¯s battle was an ultimate use of quantity. facing the zerg¡¯s charge, what you felt was not the courage to fight, nor anger and madness, but the insignificance and instinctual fear of facing numbers beyond comprehension and acceptance. this was an indispensable part of any creature¡¯s natural evolution process. you could block a collapsing dam, resist a raging flood, but facing a tsunami tens of meters high and a sky-covering hurricane, it was hard to change anything. and this was the zerg. tens of thousands of jumping bugs poured out of the forest, turning into a turbid tide sweeping forward. from afar, it even looked like the entire battlefield was covered with a layer of blood-red carpet in an instant. above them, the flying dragons flapped their wings, turning into a dense cloud layer. this wave of attack made people feel as if they were witnessing the arrival of purgatory¡ªthe gates of hell had opened, and the crimson flames of purgatory were scorching everything from the ground to the sky, rapidly approaching them. captain wang put down the machine gun in his hand. he stared blankly at the zerg swarm before him, not even caring about the alien monsters behind him. extreme fear brought despair. they had never felt this way facing the mimic aliens, for while they were numerous, their attacks had no pattern. often hiding underground, these alien monsters¡¯ offensives seemed not as fierce as they actually were. but the zerg were different. they had not yet reached the battlefield, and their terrifying aura was enough to capture one¡¯s soul. this was the swarm. nobody fired. they even gave up struggling. in the face of such numbers, all they felt was powerlessness and despair. some soldiers even closed their eyes, waiting for death. but¡­ a miracle happened. those terrifying creatures did not kill these soldiers. instead, the rushing jumping bugs even made way for them. their massive bodies seemed completely unaffected, moving around the few warriors like a flowing river, continuing forward, forward, and even further forward. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± captain wang opened his eyes. he had been ready to die, but after waiting for a long time without death, he couldn¡¯t help but open his eyes and found that those terrifying bugs never intended to hurt him¡ªthey even avoided him? not only him, when captain wang looked around, he was surprised to find that his other subordinates were also standing there unharmed. some were dumbfounded, while others still had their eyes tightly closed, waiting for death. it looked somewhat comical, but at this moment, no one could laugh. a moment later, the swarm had already disappeared from their sight. they entered the battlefield and began to fight. everything around was so quiet it felt a bit unreal. a few soldiers stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do. ¡°my god, what was that?¡± after an unknown amount of time, a soldier broke the silence. he turned his head and looked behind him. others also turned their heads suspiciously towards the battlefield. there, the zerg were frantically slaughtering everything they saw, and the mimic aliens could hardly put up a fight. ¡°they¡¯re¡­ attacking those alien monsters?¡± the scene before them was hard for the soldiers to believe. but the truth was, these terrifying and ugly creatures that looked as if they had come straight from hell seemed to be¡­ on their side? ¡°no matter what, let¡¯s get out of here immediately!¡± the group still didn¡¯t understand what had happened, but captain wang immediately made a decision. the situation had exceeded their handling capability; they needed to return to the command post and report, then consider the next action. hearing his order, the other soldiers promptly followed his instruction and left the area. this was no longer their battlefield. although they didn¡¯t know where these creatures came from, since they were attacking the alien life forms, they hoped the creatures wouldn¡¯t lose. if fang zheng knew what these soldiers were thinking, he would disdainfully tell them. ¡°how could the flying dragons lose while riding on their face?!¡± fang zheng was not worried about being jinxed. there was no way he could lose. with such a large population advantage, he could only rely on a wave of dragon dogs. how could he lose? and facts proved that fang zheng¡¯s guess was correct. although these mimic monsters had versatile attack capabilities, their fatal flaw was the lack of air force. coupled with being vastly outnumbered by the zerg, during the first wave of the charge, the mimic monsters were torn to pieces by the jumping bugs and flying dragons, routed in disarray. from above, it would be seen that the previously menacing mimic monsters were like seashells on the beach, washed away cleanly by the swarm that was several times their number. however, fang zheng did not immediately go all-in. he knew that the mimic monsters¡¯ most powerful ability was not battlefield combat but their save-load ability. to avoid being hit by an sl tactic, fang zheng ordered his zerg to capture those peculiar nodal monsters and bring them back to the base for gene harvesting before killing them, just like dealing with tom cruise. this indeed limited the monsters¡¯ save-load ability. in just one day, the zerg had captured the entire front line. at this point, the human world was in complete chaos. the sudden emergence of the zerg shocked everyone. humans had thought that after fighting aliens, they were immune to surprises. but seeing these terrifying zerg, they realized they were still too naive. military leaders from various countries immediately gathered to hold meetings and study the matter. the group, just back at the command post, didn¡¯t even have time to change clothes before being taken to the united army¡¯s command center to report the situation. ¡°captain wang dong of the fifth armored battalion reporting!¡± in his bloodstained uniform, wang dong walked into the command center solemnly, saluted the people in front, and spoke. ¡°at ease.¡± seeing wang dong walk in, the elderly man at the head seat raised his hand in a gesture. ¡°wang dong, i believe you know why we called you here.¡± ¡°is it about those suddenly appearing creatures?¡± ¡°yes.¡± upon hearing wang dong¡¯s answer, the elderly man¡¯s face became serious. the expressions of the high-ranking officers of varying skin colors around him also changed. ¡°i heard your squad had direct contact with those creatures? can you share your thoughts?¡± ¡°my thoughts?¡± hearing the question, wang dong¡¯s expression changed. he recalled the nearly unstoppable, overwhelming swarm rushing towards him. for a moment, wang dong felt his legs almost give way, but he quickly relied on his strong will to pull himself together. he looked at the senior officers in front of him and slowly spoke. ¡°they¡­ are nearly unstoppable.¡± hearing wang dong¡¯s response, everyone present frowned, even the leading elder. they were all military men and looked down on cowardice. what wang dong exhibited seemed like fear to them. ¡°you may think i¡¯m making excuses, but gentlemen, i¡¯m merely stating the fact from the perspective of a frontline soldier and commander. this was my first impression when facing them. of course, if you don¡¯t believe me, i have battlefield footage. i believe once you see it, you¡¯ll understand what i mean.¡± ¡°let¡¯s see it.¡± upon hearing this, the elder signaled, and wang dong took out a memory card from his pocket and handed it over. shortly, a staff member inserted the memory card into a playback device, and the battle scenes began to appear on the screen behind. the screen initially showed wang dong¡¯s squad fighting the mimic monsters. though intense, the military attendees, many of whom had fought these monsters, were not particularly impressed. when only wang dong and a few others remained, on the verge of being surrounded, the elder nodded with appreciation at wang dong¡¯s courage. but the subsequent scenes changed everyone¡¯s expressions. when the mimic aliens suddenly halted their attack, everyone grew tense. reading about it in the reports was one thing, but seeing it was another. then, the camera turned, revealing the¡­ swarm. ¡°wtf?!¡± ¡°my god¡­¡± ¡°lord, what is that?!¡± seeing the swarm rushing from afar, everyone¡¯s face changed. many screamed, cursed, and some even stood up, pale-faced. those who stayed seated were barely composed, forcing themselves to remain calm, knowing it was just a video. but when the swarm reached wang dong, those overwhelming bugs charging at him, these people finally couldn¡¯t sit still. most instinctively stood up in defense. some showed desperate expressions, and a few with weaker resolve screamed and fell over with their chairs, hitting the ground hard. when these few looked around, realizing they were in a meeting room and not on a battlefield, they showed expressions of relief! and that was just the military top brass¡ªnearby civilians fared even worse. several young female clerks fainted from fright, and even the guards standing watch gripped their guns tightly, nearly opening fire. seeing this, wang dong clenched his fists. embarrassingly, he had closed his eyes waiting for death when the swarm rushed at him, unaware of the exact situation. but his camera recorded everything, showing zerg flying past him, not even glancing at him. even so, watching those sharp claws and fangs on screen made him shiver. if those creatures had attacked, he would be long dead. looking back, it was a miracle he was alive! the video finally finished, but no one moved. even the elder clenched his fists. wiping sweat from his forehead, he looked at the others and coughed, then spoke gravely. ¡°it seems we must make a plan.¡± Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: Chapter 50 The Savior or the Demon Lord? chapter 51: chapter 50 the savior or the demon lord? editor: exodus tales humans were on high alert when the zerg suddenly appeared. various precautions were taken, and even in the public sphere, news about the zerg was constant. initially, people didn¡¯t dare to get too close to the zerg. later, after discovering that the zerg seemed to completely ignore them, some journalists boldly relied on their agility, unexpectedly taking their cameras and heading to the front lines to film the zerg! fang zheng was stunned when he saw the news on his phone. these journalists were really gutsy! he had ordered the zerg not to attack humans, but even so, some limits shouldn¡¯t be crossed. he had to admit, although these journalists were indeed risking their lives, the first-hand footage they captured caused a worldwide sensation. through the camera, they detailed a battle between the zerg and some mimic aliens. predictably, the aliens were routed by the zerg onslaught; from start to finish, the zerg had the upper hand. it was unclear whether these journalists aimed to showcase the zerg¡¯s might or their threat. in any case, the video showed the zerg being ferocious, and those mimic aliens that humans regarded as terrifying beasts seemed no different from lambs awaiting slaughter in front of them¡­ although that was indeed the case. after the video went viral, public opinion split into two camps, as fang zheng had expected. one side believed the zerg were humanity¡¯s saviors, here to eradicate the mimic aliens. this could be seen from the fact that they did not attack humans. despite their frightening appearance, these creatures were humanity¡¯s allies. the other side argued that both the zerg and the mimic aliens were threats. the zerg ignored humans only because they found them too weak to care about, considering the mimic aliens their true enemies. once the mimic aliens were eliminated, humanity would likely face extinction! both sides had their arguments, and sometimes they even arranged debates. fang zheng watched some of these debates out of boredom and found that opinions were split almost 60-40, with those seeing the zerg as allies slightly outnumbering those viewing them as enemies. regardless of their stance, both sides shared a common understanding: these creatures were not from earth and possessed a level of civilization comparable to humans¡­ which was somewhat accurate. to fang zheng¡¯s surprise, while he was idly watching the debates, a system notification suddenly chimed in his ear. he saw a line of text appear before him. [campaign mission activated: black and white] [justice and evil are not always black and white. as a dimensional mage, you must understand the tremendous power you hold. each of your actions will have profound effects¡ªmake the correct choice, and this mission will determine your next summoning faction] ¡°what the hell!¡± the mission prompt almost made fang zheng throw his phone. what did this mean? my actions would determine the summoning faction? did it mean that if i acted like a saint mary sue here, then i would surely summon an angel next time? right now, i just want an angel!! for a moment, fang zheng really wanted to just go out and warmly tell everyone he was a cosmic good samaritan here to save the world, reassuring them that they did it all for free, without expecting any reward, all in the spirit of learning from lei feng¡­ fortunately, he restrained himself. fang zheng then furrowed his brows and began to think carefully. so far, i¡¯ve done nothing wrong. the mission constraints are specific to this world, and my actions here have not harmed human interests. although tom cruise is dead, that was a result of his own long-standing bad habits. apart from that, i have kept my distance from humans in this world, and as for those few thugs i killed¡­ well, that shouldn¡¯t count, right? after all, that happened before the mission was issued. you can¡¯t punish someone based on qing dynasty laws for actions taken during the ming dynasty, right? despite some nervousness, fang zheng thought this shouldn¡¯t impact the overall situation. after all, it was self-defense at the time, wasn¡¯t it? at worst, it was excessive self-defense. even vegetarian monks practice martial arts to vanquish demons¡­ fang zheng didn¡¯t know if explaining this to his dimensional codex would help, but considering the importance of summoning either an angel or a devil next time, he decided to be cautious. although he currently had no dimensional points, he could accumulate them over time. however, the opportunity to summon a specific faction was rare. if he ended up summoning a big troublemaker, fang zheng would really cry. while the mission was important, fang zheng eventually set it aside. as long as humans didn¡¯t bother him, he¡¯d collect the alien boss core and leave with the zerg. this process itself posed no problem. what fang zheng needed to focus on was the war against the aliens. after several battles, fang zheng understood why the mimic aliens in ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± were called ¡°mimics.¡± it turned out they could change shape and imitate their enemies! in subsequent battles, fang zheng even saw mimic aliens in the form of jumping bugs and flying dragons! this almost made fang zheng laugh to death. he couldn¡¯t understand how the brains of these mimic aliens worked. zerg were strong, but their strength came from swarm tactics. if they mimicked sanctuary warriors, he might worry, but imitating the zerg was purely suicidal. zerg could counter each other, but zerg against zerg was a numbers game. however, the mimics only got the surface right; they didn¡¯t grasp the zerg¡¯s exponential growth. thus, they were beaten into a disastrous retreat. frankly, fang zheng found it hard to believe that humans in this world had been defeated by such dumb aliens. although it seemed like smooth sailing, the zerg¡¯s advance was slower than fang zheng expected. the reason was that while the aliens¡¯ combat power was weak, their save-load mechanism was something fang zheng had to pay close attention to. after some investigation and combat, fang zheng finally understood their fighting style¡ªthese aliens came in three types. the regular soldiers showed off, the unique mimics that tom cruise ¡°gloriously¡± took down were intermediate units. if the core of the alien boss was the mainframe, these unique mimics were terminals, linked to the mainframe and then to the soldiers. these ¡°terminals¡± activated the save-load mechanism, with the core mainframe sensing external affairs through them and initiating the save-load ability. the mainframe seemed to have a limit, unable to control time as freely as it wished. despite the satisfying battles, they were painstaking¡ªfang zheng had to ensure that he bled each ¡°terminal¡± to prevent desperate readjustments. this made capturing these aliens alive a major hassle during battles. it was like cao cao capturing zhao yun in ¡°romance of the three kingdoms.¡± the soldiers knew they had to capture him alive, but zhao yun didn¡¯t know that. thankfully, the zerg had a numerical advantage and fearlessness, which helped mitigate the situation. fang zheng spent most of his effort on this, which was quite thrilling. several times, fang zheng thought he would face a reset, but he managed to pull through in the end. now, the zerg had advanced to paris, and fang zheng was prepared. he knew that the alien boss core was submerged in a pool beneath the louvre. once they captured paris and retrieved the core, his main quest here would be accomplished. however, before that, fang zheng received news from mirune. a group of humans had entered the zerg territory¡­ and from their appearance, it seemed like they wanted to communicate with the zerg? Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: Chapter 51 Third Kind of Contact (Part 1) chapter 52: chapter 51 third kind of contact (part 1) editor: exodus tales ¡°is this where those alien creatures are?¡± looking at the city before him, wang dong frowned, and the expressions of the people around him were not much better. but this was quite normal. after all, the zerg¡ªeverything from their soldiers to their buildings exuded a sort of¡­ well, saying they had a villain¡¯s aura was a bit much. however, calling them like a demon lord wouldn¡¯t be far off. moreover, the zerg particularly liked laying carpets for themselves, pretty much wherever they went. this led to humans¡¯ first impression of them being¡­ anything but an angel or a savior. ¡°should we go over there?¡± gazing at the thick, constantly wriggling fungal carpet at his feet, wang dong frowned and turned to look at the middle-aged woman with glasses behind him. this time, wang dong came here as a member of the united command¡¯s investigation team to protect the representatives sent by headquarters and make contact with these strange creatures. the main purpose was to figure out whether these creatures were friends or foes, why they came to earth, and why they were fighting the mimic aliens¡­ ¡°these strange big bugs, i think they¡¯re here to take over the earth!¡± looking at the continuously wriggling fungal carpet in front of him, a blonde man snorted and spoke dissatisfied. hearing his complaint, the woman with glasses glared at him with a serious expression. ¡°shut up, fool! we are here to communicate with them on behalf of all humanity, not to declare war! put your gun away! our situation is already bad enough. i don¡¯t want any more trouble.¡± ¡°alright, alright.¡± faced with the woman¡¯s words, the blonde man spread his hands and pouted. ¡°so what do we do now? do we keep moving forward?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s best not to do that.¡± this time, the woman with glasses thought for a moment and then gave an answer. ¡°although i don¡¯t know what this is, it looks like they¡¯re marking their territory. these creatures might have a strong territorial instinct. if we suddenly step in, it could provoke their hostility.¡± ¡°alright, damn it, this is our city!¡± seeing the blonde man¡¯s annoyed expression, wang dong and the woman with glasses exchanged a look and both showed a helpless expression. just like the online debates, even within the united command, there were widespread disputes about how to deal with these suddenly appearing alien creatures. especially after viewing the footage wang dong provided, many people were frightened and uneasy about this mysterious race that had suddenly appeared. wang dong knew well that even those in the command who supported communicating with the aliens were more driven by fear of their formidable combat power rather than any hope of peaceful coexistence. but who could blame them? the zerg looked anything but¡­ appealing to any normal human. ¡°so what now?¡± another portly man curiously asked the question. he was a very famous psychologist and a member of the ¡°negotiation team,¡± responsible for evaluating the psychology of both sides and hoping to get a rough idea of the alien civilization¡¯s development. ¡°we can¡¯t just stay here, doing nothing.¡± ¡°for now, let¡¯s not take any rash actions. we are the first human team to enter their territory. if they want to communicate with us, then¡­¡± ¡°ah, excuse me, madam, i need to correct you.¡± however, before the woman with glasses could finish speaking, the blonde man suddenly interrupted her. the woman, clearly displeased at being interrupted, frowned and glared at him. ¡°what now?¡± ¡°i think¡­ we are not the first human team to enter their territory.¡± as he spoke, the blonde man pointed to the sky with a bemused expression. seeing his gesture, everyone in the team was taken aback. they quickly turned their heads to look in the direction he indicated and soon saw a helicopter whizzing through the sky, entering the city. wang dong hastily activated his mecha¡¯s long-range scan to lock onto the helicopter. ¡°is that¡­ bbc?¡± ¡°those damned media! are they out of their minds?!¡± hearing wang dong¡¯s reply, the woman with glasses began to scream. ¡°those bastards care more about their news than the survival of humanity!¡± if fang zheng were there, he would certainly ¡°comfort¡± the woman with glasses and tell her not to worry because reporters destroying the world is a common trope in sci-fi movies. for example, they would dig up some doomsday news and report it, causing global chaos, making people who could have leisurely awaited their end panic and leading to a complete societal collapse. or, they might release animals meant for experiments in the name of freedom and justice, causing viruses to spread and wipe out humanity. so, in sci-fi movies, reporters, like scientists, are considered high-risk professions capable of destroying the world. clearly, as a sci-fi film, ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± carried on the tradition of unafraid and self-destructive journalists. it was evident when the tv station¡¯s helicopter entered the city, not cautiously but deliberately flying low and hovering. wang dong could even see a suicidal cameraman filming the zerg up close! ¡°those bastards!!¡± at this moment, wang dong wished he could just launch an rpg and blow them up. they hadn¡¯t even figured out the intentions of the aliens, and these fools went in to get themselves killed! what if the aliens perceived them as hostile?! don¡¯t those damned bastards worry about dragging all of humanity down with them?! ¡°¡ª!!¡± at that moment, as if responding to their worst fears, a huge corruptor slowly rose into the sky with a roar, heading toward the helicopter. following closely behind was a king worm. seeing the creatures heading their way, the helicopter began to sway nervously, trying to escape, but the corruptor was much faster. it wobbled up to the helicopter, reached out with its tentacles, and grabbed the helicopter, while the rotor blades tore into the corruptor, ripping off chunks of flesh. ¡°it¡¯s just a machine¡­ just a machine¡­!!¡± seeing this, everyone in the delegation turned pale, and the woman with glasses clasped her hands tightly, muttering prayers as if trying to explain to someone. but wang dong understood her panic. they were not certain why the alien lifeform grabbed the helicopter¡ªmaybe to attack, maybe out of curiosity¡ªbut clearly, the helicopter¡¯s reaction was far from their expectation. and more importantly, it hurt the alien!! empathetically, wang dong didn¡¯t believe that anyone would reach out to grab something strange, get hurt by it, and still think it was a harmless little bunny. this could be considered a near declaration of war for many races! would humanity face an onslaught from these terrifying zerg due to this? and the cause would be a damned media helicopter ignoring warnings to take pictures? wang dong thought that if this were how history recorded the events, he wouldn¡¯t have the face to meet future generations! Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Third Kind of Contact (Middle) chapter 53: chapter 52: third kind of contact (middle) editor: exodus tales dino was now quite excited. looking out at the zerg army from the helicopter, he was so thrilled that he could hardly hold the microphone steady. this was his chance! gripping the microphone tightly, dino swore silently to himself that this time he was going to make big news! those colleagues who only dared to sneak a few shots from a distance were wasting their time. he, dino quick of the bbc, was going to have a face-to-face with these suddenly appeared mysterious alien creatures! moreover, it was going to be a global broadcast! bart, get us a bit lower! are you crazy? you really want to enter those creatures¡¯ nest? they might attack us! the pilot, who was responsible for flying the helicopter, was shocked to hear dino¡¯s order and shouted in surprise, while dino waved his hand dismissively. that¡¯s why i hired you, bart. you¡¯re the best; i know you can do it! relax, those aliens won¡¯t attack us. they are friends of humanity! dino was among the humans who believed the zerg were friends of mankind. this was why he dared to personally enter the zerg¡¯s territory and even fly towards their nest. dino believed that these alien zerg were here to help humanity, so as a member of humanity, he felt he must welcome these alien guests on behalf of humans. dino could even imagine what kind of impact it would have when he talked to those aliens on live television in front of the cameras! he would become a hero in human history, a bridge of communication between humans and alien life! as for the military blockade, dino thought it was completely unnecessary. those soldiers only knew how to fight; they didn¡¯t understand the value of peace at all. we humans are a civilized species; how could we treat alien guests so barbarically? especially the news censorship; it was downright stupid! everyone had the right to know all this, they couldn¡¯t just block it all off! it wasn¡¯t fair! as a journalist, he had to defend the freedom of the press! even if it cost him his life! looking at the various zerg structures appearing in the city, dino was extremely excited. fang zheng had perfectly exemplified the characteristic of zerg building their bases whenever they established their presence, rapidly expanding several mines in one go¡ªnow, the underground near these cities had basically been hollowed out by the zerg. dino took a deep breath and then turned to the camera, gesturing to the cameraman. soon, the camera was on, the red light turning green. at the same time, dino quickly began to speak. hello, viewers, welcome to this special live broadcast. i am dino from bbc one, and i am currently leading my team to the location of the alien life. as you can see, we are now over them. look, these alien creatures are welcoming our arrival! as he spoke, dino made a gesture downward, while a few drops of cold sweat ran down the forehead of the cameraman holding the camera. to be honest, he didn¡¯t think those terrifying creatures below, circling around, were welcoming them. looking at them raising their heads and roaring¡­ it just felt like they were being eyed as food! dear viewers, next, we are going to¡­ but before dino could finish, a roar suddenly rang out, and they were astonished to see a huge creature silently rising into the air, heading straight for their helicopter! quick, get us out of here!! it had to be said that the zerg indeed didn¡¯t have a good appearance, and the corruptor was no exception¡ª a massive head, sharp jaws, swaying tentacles, and that eerie coloration, it looked like a demon from hell. so, upon seeing the corruptor, pilot bart immediately wanted to get out of there. no, we must ascend. it¡¯s coming at us, extending that damn tentacle. oh, no!! it¡¯s got us!! relax, bart, they are welcoming us! bart, don¡¯t overreact so much, oh¡­ damn it! but the pilot clearly wasn¡¯t going to follow dino¡¯s orders; he was already scared out of his wits by the flying corruptor, frantically operating the helicopter to sway left and right in an attempt to break free. dino was also at a loss for words now; he could only grip the nearby lever tightly to avoid being thrown out. although inwardly cursing this damn fool for having no composure, dino could only hope he wouldn¡¯t fall to his death! but what happened next almost scared them out of their wits! the corruptor suddenly opened its mouth and spat a strange liquid onto the helicopter. they watched as the helicopter¡¯s exterior rapidly softened, as if being corroded, and the once fiercely spinning propeller blades fell limp like noodles. the corruptor then extended its tentacles and grabbed the helicopter, wobblily carrying it away. oh my god, they¡¯re going to eat us! they¡¯re going to eat us! uh, dear viewers, i think we¡¯ve encountered a slight mishap, but it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem¡­ even dino¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good now. although he still believed these alien creatures were friendly, the power of the corruptor¡¯s spit troubled him. he was now worried whether the impulsive actions of the idiot pilot might make the aliens think they were coming with hostile intentions. if that were the case, it would be very bad! however, the corruptor didn¡¯t do as dino feared by delivering them to the center of some zerg nest, nor did it eat them. instead, it wobbled to the edge of the area and appeared before wang dong and the others, slamming the helicopter to the ground with a ¡°thud¡± of its tentacle. what is this¡­ seeing the corruptor fly over, wang dong and the others were fully alert, ready for any threat. but when the creature dropped the battered helicopter before them, no one knew how to react. before they could say anything, a voice suddenly rang out in everyone¡¯s mind. do not disturb us, humans! along with the unexpected voice in their minds, they saw a creature with the upper body of a human female and the lower body resembling a deer, emerging from the distance. beside it, a group of jumping bugs were glaring menacingly at the humans, radiating a clear aura of hostility. we are representatives sent by the united command! seeing mirune appear, everyone let out a sigh of relief. they had been worried about communicating with these terrifying aliens, but now it seemed possible. the bespectacled woman quickly stepped forward, spreading her hands in a harmless gesture. we only wish to communicate with you¡­ but i¡¯m not interested in you. mirune looked at the human woman in front of her with distaste. to be honest, if it weren¡¯t for fang zheng¡¯s order not to harm humans, she would have long turned these people into jumping bug food¡­ no, these fragile and useless beings weren¡¯t even worth that; they had no strength and nothing to excite the zerg¡¯s interest. according to the zerg¡¯s law, such valueless creatures should be destroyed immediately to maintain the purity of the gene pool. but mirune was annoyed by these humans¡¯ persistence. these fragile creatures should be trembling before the zerg¡¯s might, yet they dared to negotiate. this made mirune angry. she thought for a moment. fang zheng¡¯s order was for her to drive these humans away ¡°unharmed¡± and avoid any contact with them. but now it seemed she might need to use some other means. we only seek mutual understanding; we bear no malice! perhaps sensing the displeasure in mirune¡¯s tone, the bespectacled woman became even more anxious. she thought that it was the fault of those damn reporters for causing these aliens to be so displeased with them. but that was understandable; after all, they had intruded upon the creatures¡¯ territory. any territorial being would naturally be upset by this. mutual understanding? hearing this, mirune¡¯s eyes flashed with an idea. then let me show you what you¡¯re really facing! before the words finished, the humans saw the creature¡¯s eyes suddenly emit a dazzling light. the next moment, their heads felt like they were about to explode with pain, and visions filled their minds. it was the zerg. in the visions, the humans saw the zerg¡¯s progression, conquering one planet after another, consuming and assimilating every powerful species they encountered, growing stronger, and more terrifying. for the zerg, devouring and evolving was their eternal pursuit, and everything else¡­ was meaningless! the visions vanished in an instant, but everyone was drenched in sweat. the bespectacled woman, her face pale, collapsed to the ground, trembling and at a loss for words. leave now, humans. seeing the humans¡¯ reactions, mirune nodded with satisfaction. this was the attitude a lower species should have, not the arrogant belief that they could negotiate with the zerg. we have no interest in you. Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Chapter 53: Third Kind of Contact (Part 2) chapter 54: chapter 53: third kind of contact (part 2) editor: exodus tales ¡°they are a biological civilization developed to the extreme¡­ self-proclaimed as the alien insect. they possess unparalleled power and a collective goal, evolution. they travel through the universe, seeking out planets with powerful life forms, defeating them, and acquiring their strength to evolve themselves¡­¡± returning to the united command, in front of the big shots, the bespectacled woman no longer had her previous vigor, replaced by a face of despondence. although mirune had only shown her the tip of the iceberg of the zerg history, just this fleeting fragment was enough to make her tremble with fear. ¡°¡­¡± upon hearing the bespectacled woman¡¯s words, the united command was shrouded in deathly silence. no one spoke. although they had been mentally prepared, they had not expected these terrible creatures to be so ruthless. after a while, the elder leading them broke the silence with some difficulty. ¡°so¡­ why did it¡­ that alien insect, tell you these things? are they planning to declare war on humanity?¡± ¡°no¡­¡± facing the elder¡¯s inquiry, the bespectacled woman shook her head with a strange smile. ¡°you may find this hard to believe, but¡­ in fact, in their eyes, we humans are completely insignificant. we possess no individual strength or special abilities. the alien insects see us as nothing more than stones by the roadside. in their eyes, we hold no value. their only target in coming here is those extraterrestrial monsters fighting against us.¡± saying this, the bespectacled woman even revealed a complex smile. ¡°ironically, it is because we humans are worthless in their eyes that they don¡¯t bother with us¡­ if we possessed any unique power or strong abilities, these alien insects would spare no effort to conquer our planet and devour our genes to fuse and evolve¡­ this is a civilization completely different from us humans, extremely powerful, terrifying, and dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± upon hearing the bespectacled woman¡¯s words, everyone seated bit their lips and clenched their fists. regardless of what country they came from, what race they belonged to, in the end, they were all humans. they had always believed that after so many years of evolution, having achieved such advanced civilization and technology, and even started space exploration, they were qualified to converse with extraterrestrial life. but now, they finally understood that those things they took pride in were utterly worthless. to extraterrestrial life, humans themselves were of no value! the irony was, it was precisely because they were of no value that they escaped the zerg¡¯s extermination. otherwise, humanity might have faced total extinction! thinking of this, everyone present felt complex emotions and didn¡¯t know what to say. after a long while, the elder sighed deeply and spoke. ¡°you have worked hard¡­ go and rest.¡± ¡°yes¡­¡± the bespectacled woman and wang dong nodded and turned to leave without saying much. in fact, they were feeling a bit down. although humanity had been fighting the mimic monsters and losing ground, at least those mimic monsters were not unbeatable. with enough powerful firepower, humans could still harm these creatures. so they were somewhat confident, believing that even if there was a gap between them and extraterrestrial civilizations, it wouldn¡¯t be too vast. and if they could recover the remains of the mimic monsters for research, they might even reverse-engineer higher technology to drive these creatures off earth. after all, earth was humanity¡¯s home, and they were its rightful masters. but the sudden arrival of the zerg was like a cold slap, waking them from their dreams. the zerg didn¡¯t care if earth belonged to humans because, to them, humans held no more value than ants. would you care if a piece of land belonged to an ant? this realization left the higher-ups with mixed feelings. on one hand, they were relieved that they were not the zerg¡¯s target, while on the other hand, they felt humiliated and angry because, in the eyes of the zerg, they weren¡¯t even worthy of being a target! but these people were still smart enough to understand that since the zerg had no interest in them, it was best not to provoke them. according to the bespectacled woman, the zerg on earth were just a frontline force. they came here to devour the genes of the mimic monsters and complete a higher level of evolution. according to the ¡°insect matriarch,¡± they would leave once they accomplished their goal because this planet was too barren to interest the zerg for conquest. in this case, humanity would only court disaster by provoking the zerg. since the zerg were not interested in them, the likelihood of further interaction naturally disappeared. however, someone had to be blamed, so the reporter who had intruded into the zerg territory took the fall. the united command attributed the inability to communicate with the zerg entirely to this damned reporter. he and his two assistants were sentenced to death by the military tribunal for violating wartime military control orders and were executed. and so dino was recorded in history¡ªas the united command couldn¡¯t outright tell the public, ¡°the alien insects have no interest in communicating with us; they see us as trash,¡± dino¡¯s actions were framed as a provocation against extraterrestrial civilization, which closed the communication channels with humans and warned them not to disturb them again. this way, if people later asked why they hadn¡¯t seized the opportunity to communicate with these extraterrestrial visitors, this excuse would suffice. this excuse was quite plausible, as dino¡¯s globally broadcast suicide mission had made many people aware that he had intruded into the alien territory. while some cheered his bravery, more people worried that this act of stupidity might bring disaster. when the united command released the news, the world was in an uproar. that idiot had ruined humanity¡¯s first chance for peaceful communication with an alien civilization! dino¡¯s name, as he wished, went down in history, infamously. he would likely remain on the pillar of shame in human history as long as humanity survived. fang zheng did not bother with the ongoing affairs of the human world because, at that moment, the battle against the mimic alien was reaching its final stage. attack on paris!! the boss seemed to have realized fang zheng had sensed his presence, so he gathered all his minions in paris for a final showdown against fang zheng. tens of thousands of mimic alien creatures converged on paris, trying to protect their core. but this was meaningless to either fang zheng or the zerg. because the sacred f2 connected us!! swarms of jumping bugs poured into the city like a flood, while the mimic monsters screamed in resistance. countless artillery shells flew, exploding among the swarm and creating bursts of fire. but the swarm was unstoppable. a single mimic monster could use its tentacles to pierce a jumping bug, but the next moment, it would be torn apart by swarming enemies. even the flying creatures the mimic monsters developed to mimic the zerg were useless; flying dragons were the true rulers of the skies. from above, the dense zerg formed a massive red circle surrounding the entire city. the circle gradually shrank inward, and eventually, the whole city was enveloped in a nauseating dark red hue. ¡°phew, finally done.¡± standing before the louvre, looking at the enormous light orb in front of him, fang zheng breathed a sigh of relief. to be honest, there wasn¡¯t much to say about this battle. it was essentially about using the f2a strategy, relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm. roughly a thousand mimic monsters gegen ten thousand jumping bugs; the mimic monsters killed two thousand jumping bugs, then the remaining eight thousand drowned them. the process was simple and monotonous, hardly worth mentioning. however, the boss core caused some trouble in the later stages. realizing it couldn¡¯t defeat the zerg, it ordered its ¡°subsidiaries¡± to commit suicide, attempting to force a reload! noticing this, fang zheng was quite startled. though these creatures were easy to fight, he wasn¡¯t tom cruise, unwilling to repeat the battle hundreds of times. so he had to forcefully command the zerg to split their forces and rush, capturing these ¡°subsidiaries¡± at all costs before slowly surrounding and killing the small monsters. as a result, the zerg suffered heavy losses in the final assault, with about one-third of their forces being completely consumed. however, fang zheng didn¡¯t mind¡­ as long as there were enough resources, he could easily replenish them. now, looking at the core locked by psionic energy and floating in the air, fang zheng felt it was all worth it. the core of the alien boss appeared like a large glowing orb, but it wasn¡¯t purely an energy form. it looked like a glowing gelatin fused together, something between an energy form and a solid. currently, its glow was very dim¡ªwhich was expected since it had attempted a desperate attack on fang zheng when he appeared. after suffering a psionic impact from fang zheng, it was now half-dead. ¡°congratulations, master. we have successfully captured the target.¡± standing beside fang zheng, mirune gazed at the light orb with longing eyes. ¡°indeed, but we¡¯re not done yet.¡± hearing mirune¡¯s words, fang zheng nodded. the task in his information panel was still incomplete. the mission required him to ¡°find and obtain¡± the core, and right now, the core did not belong to him. fang zheng had already planned how to deal with the core. ¡°mirune.¡± looking at the core, fang zheng turned and issued an order. ¡°prepare the incubation pool. i am going to make modifications.¡± Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Zerg Modification is the Best in the World chapter 55: chapter 54: zerg modification is the best in the world editor: exodus tales regarding the matter of using zerg technology to modify his body, fang zheng had long planned it. in fact, when he learned that this world was ¡°edge of tomorrow¡±, fang zheng already had this idea. among the three interstellar races, the zerg¡¯s biotechnology was unparalleled in the world; no one could surpass their modification of the physical body. therefore, fang zheng had been fully prepared since that time. during the battle with the master of lich, fang zheng found that his physical attributes were really too poor and could not be of any use. training slowly was too time-consuming, so handing it over to the zerg for enhancement might be better. however, after mirune checked, she told fang zheng a bit helplessly that his current body was too weak to withstand core power. even the modification was the same. because the power balance was unequal, forcibly implanting the other party¡¯s gene sequence might cause mutations. of course, the zerg might not care about their appearance, but fang zheng still cared. however, mirune also offered another suggestion. ¡°you mean¡­ body reorganization?¡± ¡°yes, master.¡± hearing fang zheng¡¯s question, mirune nodded, swaying the tentacles behind her before she started to speak. ¡°frankly speaking, the efficiency of your current body is too low. i think the best way is to first decompose your body and then reassemble it. during this process, i will integrate the core gene sequence and the alien insect¡¯s gene sequence with your gene sequence step by step. this can maximize the fusion of the time gene¡¯s power¡­¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± although he had mentally prepared himself, fang zheng still felt nervous after hearing mirune¡¯s explanation. you know, even in the game, kerrigan did not have this treatment. but before that, there was one thing fang zheng had to ask clearly. ¡°can i choose my own appearance?¡± ¡°this¡­ of course, you can. psionic power can help you maintain your form. but master, i think this is somewhat counterproductive. after all, a form that meets the needs is more suitable for evolution¡­¡± ¡°no, for me, there are other uses, so that¡¯s settled.¡± fang zheng decisively refused mirune¡¯s temptation. kerrigan could give up anything for revenge, but he had not reached the level of transforming all his hair into insect whips. moreover, decomposing and reorganizing this body would be better for fang zheng. although this body looked seven or eight points similar to his own, it was still someone else¡¯s body and using it felt really awkward. but with reorganization, it would be entirely his own body! also, the human body has its limits, so¡­ i¡¯m not human anymore! thus, after making the decision, fang zheng took off his clothes and entered the incubation pool, starting his ¡°rebirth¡± journey. for fang zheng, this was an extraordinary experience. he wasn¡¯t quite sure what kerrigan¡¯s transformation was like, but fang zheng¡¯s reconstruction was noticeably different. he lay in the incubation pool, letting the strange liquid engulf his body. strangely enough, even though he was submerged in the liquid, fang zheng had no sense of suffocation. gradually, he felt like he was floating, and then fang zheng found his body gradually becoming numb, spreading from the fingertips to the arms and then to the shoulders, and finally throughout his entire body. if fang zheng could turn his head to look, he would find that his fingers were slowly dissolving and melting into the liquid. but fortunately, fang zheng couldn¡¯t feel anything now. thus, he didn¡¯t have to watch the eerie scene of his scalp dissolving, his skull being separated, and his brain melting¡­ time passed second by second. fang zheng felt nothing. in front of him was only pitch blackness, and the only thing he could feel was a warm breath, like being in his mother¡¯s womb¡ªwait! who would remember what it was like in their mother¡¯s womb! okay, to use another metaphor, it was like being cradled in his mother¡¯s warm embrace¡­ indeed, chinese culture is extensive and profound. in the darkness, fang zheng had nothing to do but think about such boring things. he didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, nor did he know his current state. after all, after his eyeballs dissolved, fang zheng had no organs to observe with¡­ ¡°ding.¡± as fang zheng was waiting bitterly in the dark, his ears suddenly picked up the system prompt tone again. hearing the prompt tone, fang zheng¡¯s heart moved, and he quickly activated the information system. soon, a line of system messages appeared in front of fang zheng. [main quest ¡°trial¡± completed] [user received one random reward] [user received the talent ¡°perfect body¡±] [begin body reshaping] immediately, fang zheng finally had other sensations. it was a very peculiar feeling. in the previously murky liquid, fang zheng felt something in his body starting to condense. he could even clearly experience the process of creation from nothing¡ªthe smooth surface and the deep grooves¡ªokay, that must be the brain. following closely were the nerves and eyes. fang zheng felt filament-like things separating from his cerebral cortex, intertwining like living snakes and then stretching forward as the crystals began to form. soon, the pitch blackness in front of fang zheng began to dissipate. the reshaping of his body continued¡ªnerves, muscles, bones, internal organs. if at first, fang zheng did not feel much, the intense pain in his body later on made it difficult for him to bear. the zerg¡¯s cosmetic surgery did not seem to be popular for anesthesia, so as his body healed, fang zheng felt a burning pain all over. especially before the skin covered the muscles, the feeling was unbearably intense¡­ luckily, this feeling lasted only a short while. fang zheng soon felt that he regained control over his body, and he opened his eyes and stood up abruptly. ¡°snap!¡± at this moment, fang zheng realized that his body was covered with a thick membrane. this membrane looked very tough but was surprisingly fragile. when fang zheng stood up, he passed through the membrane easily without feeling any resistance. the cold, clear air hit his face, making fang zheng close his eyes and take a deep breath. he then opened his eyes again and looked around. what greeted his eyes was still the familiar large water pond of the louvre, and there seemed to be no change around. meanwhile, mirune had been waiting for him by the side. seeing fang zheng, she hurriedly walked over and respectfully said. ¡°hello, master, it seems your transformation is complete.¡± ¡°yes, i feel¡­ pretty good.¡± as he spoke, fang zheng looked down at his body and nodded in satisfaction when he saw the four-pack abs. after the reshaping, his body was no longer the weak form of that spoiled rich kid williams and had completely restored his own form. that¡¯s right; even though his soul was his own, being reborn in that kind of body was quite uncomfortable. and now¡­ indeed, using his own body felt much more comfortable. he put on the clothes mirune handed to him, then fang zheng eagerly picked up a mirror and carefully examined himself. the face reflected in the mirror made fang zheng very satisfied. from head to toe, it matched his memory perfectly. before, fang zheng always felt a bit off looking at his face, but now¡­ that sense of discord was finally gone. ¡°how about the result of the transformation?¡± ¡°surprisingly successful, master.¡± facing fang zheng¡¯s inquiry, mirune didn¡¯t hide her surprise and doubt. ¡°logically speaking, the recombination and adjustment of gene sequences should take a lot of time, and even if fusion succeeds, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to restore the original state. but you managed to fully restore your original form¡­¡± ¡°i understand.¡± hearing mirune¡¯s words, fang zheng nodded. according to mirune, it should have been a long process, but it didn¡¯t take much time. given the previous system prompts, this was clearly a benefit from the system. now, what are my body¡¯s attributes like? curious and excited, fang zheng opened his character attribute panel. soon, a line of information appeared before him. Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Bumper Harvest!! chapter 56: chapter 55: bumper harvest!! editor: exodus tales [executor: fang zheng] [dimensional count: 0] [crystal energy: 40] [equipped soulstone: kerrigan] [activation count: 5] [gains: heart of the swarm (permanent), psionic control (permanent)] [equipped title: holy protector] [strength: d++ (punching a bear to death is basic)] [agility: c+ (your enemies can only see your afterimage)] [physical quality: b+ (as long as your head isn¡¯t blown off, you have no fear of death)] [perception: c+ (everything within sight is revealed)] [charm: c++ (you have the capital and power to charm others)] [equipped skills: none] [skill expertise: weapon mastery] [talent ability¡ªperfect body (d): you possess the legendary perfect body, with immeasurable growth potential (recovery speed increased by 20 percent, defense increased by 20 percent, learning speed increased by 20 percent, additionally gained skills: ¡°awakening,¡± ¡°regeneration,¡± all attributes increase when leveled up)] [talent ability¡ªgene absorption (d): you can absorb gene sequences from powerful beings to strengthen yourself and reach the pinnacle of evolution (specified targets have a certain chance of having their gene sequences captured and absorbed)] [talent ability¡ªtime manipulation (e): the power of time flows through your body, allowing you to sense and harness its mighty force (freely manipulate the flow of time within a radius of five meters, duration up to 10 minutes)] [exclusive task: home] [the swarm desires a home of their own, and as their ruler, you must find a place for them to proliferate and thrive¡ª¡ª¡ªin the next three instance journeys, find and occupy a territory for the swarm¡¯s nest, succeeding will unlock exploration mode, failure will consume three uses of the kerrigan soulstone] what a windfall! after seeing the brand new attribute panel, fang zheng couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists excitedly. this adventure was totally worth it in his eyes! not only were all aspects of his physical attributes greatly enhanced, but he also got rid of that uncomfortable shell. most importantly, though, were those three talent abilities! [perfect body] was an unexpected delight for fang zheng, especially with its innate abilities ¡°awakening¡± and ¡°regeneration.¡± ¡°regeneration¡± was a passive skill, exactly as it sounds, quickly healing any damage fang zheng takes. ¡°awakening¡± was an active skill. when fang zheng triggered ¡°awakening,¡± all his attributes would be boosted by one rank. moreover, during awakening, fang zheng would transform into a form similar to kerrigan as the zerg queen. however, possibly because fang zheng had not mastered psionic powers, his ¡°awakening¡± enhancements were more focused on physical attributes. upon ¡°awakening,¡± fang zheng¡¯s whole body would be covered with pitch-black scales, he¡¯d grow a long lizard-like tail, and huge bat-like wings. in this form, fang zheng couldn¡¯t use psionic powers but possessed incredible protective capabilities; even grenades and rockets couldn¡¯t penetrate his body. the hard scales formed a thick armor, protecting fang zheng from any harm. but the most exciting part of [perfect body] for fang zheng was the last line of its description: ¡°all attributes increase when leveled up.¡± as the designer of the dimensional codex system, fang zheng naturally knew the structure of the attribute display he designed¡ª¡ª¡ªattributes had hierarchical levels; for instance, strength d was definitely inferior to strength c. but victory or defeat within the same level wasn¡¯t that simple, hence the amplification setting. in other words, even within the same strength attribute, strength d in a contest with strength d+ would definitely lose to the latter. but make no mistake, amplification itself is just an auxiliary attribute. to give an analogy, it¡¯s like a naturally strong person whose base strength is d; if he learns iron sand palm, he¡¯d become even more powerful, as iron sand palm amplifies the destructive power of his strength, making his strength d+. however, amplification is just amplification; no matter how you train your strength to d+++, you¡¯ll never be a match for strength c. it¡¯s like while you can snap a towering ancient tree, you can¡¯t punch down a mountain. [gene absorption] was within fang zheng¡¯s expectations, given that mirune used zerg genes to fuse the time gene sequence. naturally, fang zheng would possess zerg abilities too. and [gene absorption] was its most representative power, so fang zheng wasn¡¯t surprised, though he was a bit concerned¡­ absorbing genes like the zerg did wasn¡¯t exactly pretty. fortunately, after carefully studying the ability, fang zheng found it much more convenient than he initially thought. in fact, fang zheng didn¡¯t need to devour his targets¡¯ flesh and blood like other zerg; he could directly acquire and modify himself with their gene sequences. but, considering the process, fang zheng didn¡¯t intend to use it on humans, as absorbing another person¡¯s gene sequences into his body was too disgusting to even contemplate. as for [time manipulation], it was fang zheng¡¯s goal in ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± and now he had successfully obtained it. after using it, fang zheng was amazed to find this ability was even more incredible than he imagined! initially, fang zheng was disappointed because time manipulation only lasted for ten minutes and had a maximum range of ten meters. but after practical experiments, fang zheng was shocked to discover its terrifying potential. although fang zheng could only manipulate time for ten minutes, he could fast forward, rewind, and even pause time at will during that period. wow, this ability is insanely powerful! realizing this, fang zheng was stunned. he now truly thought of that alien boss as an idiot. if used even a bit better, this ability could have definitely posed a threat to him and the zerg. but that fool only knew how to save and reload? that¡¯s just hollywood movies for you, nowhere in the real world would you find such a stupid boss. thinking it over, fang zheng decided it wasn¡¯t the boss being dumb but rather that they probably hadn¡¯t fully researched this ability. otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have restricted time manipulation to just the main and sub-controller, leaving grunts without it. however, regardless of the reasons, this power now belonged to fang zheng; he had gained a formidable weapon. fang zheng also found that if the duration was limited to ten minutes, he could manipulate time without pressure. but exceeding ten minutes caused intense strain, massively draining his strength. even gritting his teeth, he could only last another three seconds. though fang zheng considered using a loophole by stopping time for a second every minute to achieve infinite time control, he discovered after experimentation this method didn¡¯t work. time manipulation was relative, and fang zheng found that whether he controlled time for one minute or thirty seconds, the skill would enter cooldown, with the cooldown period matching the manipulation duration. so, if fang zheng controlled time for thirty seconds, the cooldown was thirty seconds; for one minute, it was one minute¡­ well, that¡¯s only natural. there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. using this, fang zheng also tested his skills¡¯ ¡°rarity.¡± of course, the rarity of talent abilities and skills couldn¡¯t be discerned by appearance, but fang zheng knew a method to gauge a skill¡¯s rarity. that was¡ª¡ª¡ªdimensional point testing method! as mentioned earlier, in the dimensional codex system, players could use dimensional points to enhance skill proficiency and ranks, with each skill requiring a different number of dimensional points for proficiency upgrades. rare and powerful skills consumed more dimensional points. fang zheng had also set an insane design where each proficiency and rank upgrade required five to ten times the previous dimensional points! in other words, if the first upgrade cost 1 dimensional point, the next would be 10 points, then 100 points¡­ through this, fang zheng was grateful frostmourne boosted his swordsmanship to a¡­ fang zheng used this method to test the rarity of his skills. [perfect body] required 500 dimensional points to upgrade; considering it was leveling up from (d), this seemed reasonable. [gene devouring] needed 100 dimensional points, as it was just one zerg ability, useful but not highly rare. [time manipulation] shocked fang zheng with its cost¡ª¡ª¡ªupgrading from (e) to (d) required 1000 dimensional points¡­ well, that¡¯s rare. as for the exclusive task, [home], fang zheng had no choice. he couldn¡¯t let mirune proliferate on this earth; she agreed on account of him being the master. however, the zerg were zerg; you couldn¡¯t ever convince them to become meek rabbits. as the swarm¡¯s ruler, fang zheng was obliged to find them a home¡­ so, he had to wait and see which world would be unlucky enough to catch the eyes of the zerg next. although somewhat frustrated internally, fang zheng had to admit he had massively profited in the ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± world. so, this minor frustration didn¡¯t bother him much. after sorting everything out, fang zheng was ready to return to the main world. Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Chapter 56: How long has it been? chapter 57: chapter 56: how long has it been? editor: exodus tales to the humans in ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± it felt like they had a dream. just yesterday, they were discussing when those terrifying alien creatures would leave earth. but when they woke up, they were shocked to find that the once vast zerg army had quietly vanished without a trace. the fungal carpet covering the ground had completely retreated. by the time wang dong and the bespectacled woman hurriedly got the news and rushed to the zerg base they had previously visited, it was already deserted, leaving only an empty city behind. ¡°phew¡­ it¡¯s finally done.¡± watching the leviathan disappear into space, fang zheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. frankly speaking, persuading mirune to leave earth had cost him quite some effort. although the zerg didn¡¯t care much for humans, they still needed to develop. if fang zheng didn¡¯t have the soulstone of kerrigan with him, mirune might have long since taken over earth and turned it into a zerg base. however, it didn¡¯t come without a price. ¡°never mind, let¡¯s rest first, then we¡¯ll talk¡­¡± throwing his troubles behind him, fang zheng shrugged his shoulders and reached out his hand. soon, the dimensional codex reappeared in his palm. radiant auras floated out of nowhere, enveloping fang zheng. then he disappeared into the auras, vanishing without a trace. as before, fang zheng didn¡¯t return to the main world immediately. after leaving ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± he arrived once again in the blank main world. shortly after, the system evaluation list appeared, spinning rapidly. [beginning to evaluate the user¡¯s mission completion] [main mission ¡°trial¡± ¡ª progress evaluation ¡ª a] [faction mission ¡°black and white¡± ¡ª progress evaluation ¡ª b] [overall evaluation: a-] [user receives an additional +5 dimensional points] evaluation b? seeing the settlement evaluation for the faction mission, fang zheng was taken aback. this faction mission was not settled until he left earth. but¡­ why a b? fang zheng remembered clearly that while completing this faction mission wasn¡¯t crucial, its reward was what he valued most. the mission reward for ¡°black and white¡± was to designate the faction for the next summoned soulstone. this was exceedingly important to fang zheng. although he had summoned two powerful soulstones before, he didn¡¯t dare to use them. now fang zheng hoped to summon a soulstone he could use in the main world! but what does this b evaluation mean? since the ¡°black and white¡± mission didn¡¯t provide clear conditions and just said it would evaluate based on fang zheng¡¯s actions in ¡°edge of tomorrow,¡± fang zheng could only guess. he speculated that it might be related to his behavior. if he had done good deeds anonymously, he might have gotten a soulstone from the good faction¡­ of course, this was just a guess. fang zheng carefully thought back and didn¡¯t feel he did anything wrong in the ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± world. he didn¡¯t attack humans and even helped them exterminate those mimic aliens without any cost to them. he didn¡¯t take anything from the public; he was self-sufficient¡­ so how did he only get a b? this evaluation is quite subtle. if it were an a or s, it would indicate excellent mission completion. if it were a c or d, at least it would confirm the mission was botched. but this in-between b, what is that? did i complete it or not? do i get my miss angel or not? can you give a definitive answer? fang zheng didn¡¯t know the reason, and now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t figure it out. he decided not to dwell on it. no matter what, it was a gamble. if he could summon miss angel, it would be a sure win. even if he couldn¡¯t summon miss angel, summoning something similar would be good, as long as it wasn¡¯t another big shot like kerrigan or arthas! that¡¯s something i really can¡¯t handle! sighing helplessly, fang zheng awaited for himself to be teleported back to the main world. but to his surprise, this time he waited for quite a while without being teleported back. this made fang zheng freeze. what happened? what¡¯s going on? [ding¡ª] before fang zheng could figure it out, a soft chime rang out. then a line of system prompts appeared before him. [detected that the teleportation site is unreachable. searching for a new teleport marker. initiating random teleportation¡­] ¡°oh, come on!¡± fang zheng didn¡¯t know that the underground cave he was in had collapsed after his time travel. therefore, seeing this system prompt startled him. he then felt a surge of terror. he had had enough of random teleportation to unknown destinations! ¡°wait, tell me where i¡¯m going first¡­¡± ¡°swish.¡± before fang zheng could finish his sentence, that familiar feeling of weightlessness captured him again. he saw darkness before his eyes and then felt himself being ¡°thrown¡± out once more. radiant auras appeared before him. previously, this would have made fang zheng dizzy, but luckily, after reconstituting his body, he could easily withstand this degree of ¡°torment.¡± moments later, fang zheng saw a bright light. next, it felt like he was sliding down a slide, flying forward. if it were the previous fang zheng, he would have landed on his butt. but this time, he showed extraordinary reflexes. he flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground, like a gymnast, smooth and pleasing to the eye. ¡°phew¡­¡± only then did fang zheng have a chance to look around. soon, he froze in place. because this wasn¡¯t shadow canyon. fang zheng clearly remembered that shadow canyon was a wasteland. but now he found himself in rugged mountains, surrounded by dense tall trees. not just that, the ground was covered with a thin layer of snow?! how long did i take to get here? staring at the snow-clad forest, fang zheng was dumbfounded. he clearly remembered leaving in early summer. now it looked like winter¡­ wait, no way! suddenly, fang zheng remembered something and his expression turned ugly. because of how ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± was repeatedly reset by tom cruise, he always felt time hadn¡¯t passed that long. but upon thinking, who knows how the dimensional codex measures time progression? what if it wasn¡¯t based on that world¡¯s standard but on the duration fang zheng stayed? wow, if that¡¯s the case, i¡¯ve stayed in ¡°edge of tomorrow¡± for over half a year! fang zheng¡¯s face turned pale. he had felt a bit guilty about making tom cruise commit suicide repeatedly. now¡­ if you hadn¡¯t died so many times, wouldn¡¯t there have been fewer issues? ¡°sigh¡­¡± inhaling the icy air, fang zheng glanced around. initially, he thought he might be on some high mountain, but now it seemed his location wasn¡¯t at a high altitude. this cold was not due to the terrain but the climate. in any case, first, he had to figure out where he was. Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Northern Kingdom Border, Snowy Forest of Linhai chapter 58: chapter 57: northern kingdom border, snowy forest of linhai editor: exodus tales fang zheng discovered he seemed to be inherently incompatible with teleportation girls. the evidence was that he had now been teleported to a godforsaken place once again. yes, literally. where on earth was this? walking through the forest, fang zheng couldn¡¯t figure out where he had ended up. if it was just a forest, it wouldn¡¯t be a big problem, but the issue was that fang zheng found this forest to be rather strange. even in winter, there should be animals in the forest. even if most animals hibernate, there should be some signs of life. but here, there was nothing! fang zheng walked in the forest for a day and a night and did not encounter any animals! there weren¡¯t even any birds in the sky. for a moment, this made fang zheng a bit nervous¡ªcould it be that teleportation made a mistake and threw him into a place with no life at all? if that were the case, it would be troublesome! the only fortunate thing was that fang zheng found a river in the forest, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. according to his memory, there must be human settlements upstream or downstream of the river, though the chances were not high. it was better than wandering aimlessly in the forest. although after transforming his body, fang zheng did not get hungry as easily as when he was an ordinary human, he still needed to eat. if he got lost for too long, he might have to resort to eating tree bark. however, fang zheng was not idle. while traveling, he was also exploring the time ability he had acquired to see if he could make something interesting out of it. after all, he had spent a lot of effort to obtain this ability in the world of ¡°edge of tomorrow¡±; it wasn¡¯t just for show. boredom is always the best stimulus for research. during his travels, fang zheng indeed discovered some ways to use his time ability. instant teleportation! of course, this ¡°instant teleportation¡± was not the kind of spatial teleportation but time-based teleportation. for example, if fang zheng could cover a distance of ten kilometers in ten minutes, his ¡°instant teleportation¡± would shrink this process to one second. in other words, fang zheng could appear ten kilometers away in an instant. however, this wasn¡¯t breaking the barriers of space; it merely accelerated the flow of time. since the time ability¡¯s range was centered on fang zheng himself, as long as he could move, there was no need to worry about stepping out of the ability¡¯s range. however, this method had one problem, which was the consumption of physical strength. time movement and spatial movement are different. spatial movement connects two points, shortening the distance. time movement, however, only accelerates time without reducing the consumption involved. in other words, if it took fang zheng a certain amount of physical strength to run a hundred meters, it would still consume the same amount after using time acceleration. this was a somewhat subtle drawback. also, time acceleration would similarly increase fang zheng¡¯s physical aging. the cost of being ten minutes faster than others is aging ten minutes quicker. although ten minutes is not very noticeable on the surface, cumulative small increments add up. when ten minutes becomes ten years, that¡¯s a different story. fortunately, the zerg genes in fang zheng¡¯s body solved this problem perfectly. mirune told him that zerg growth is a unique cycle. after they devour genes to enhance themselves, their bodies remain at this peak form until the next evolution. this was why zerg bosses were increasingly difficult to deal with, though due to their unique war tactics, hardly any zerg lived that long. in other words, while others aged a year every year, fang zheng aged only after each evolution. therefore, no matter how many times fang zheng used his time ability, he wouldn¡¯t age any faster than others. moreover, fang zheng also discovered another aspect of the time manipulation ability, which was that the duration and range of time control were relative! currently, fang zheng¡¯s time manipulation was at rank e, with a time limit of ten minutes and an effect radius of five meters centered on himself. however, fang zheng could increase the time limit by reducing the area or expand the area by reducing the time limit. for example, he could extend his range from ten meters to a hundred meters, but his time limit would drop to one minute. conversely, if he reduced the range to within one meter, his time limit would increase to twenty minutes. in addition, fang zheng figured out a more complex usage method! and this came from his understanding of the time ability since time manipulation explicitly stated ¡°arbitrary manipulation¡±! this meant fang zheng could not only accelerate the flow of time but even reduce or pause it! building on this, fang zheng also developed an effective combat method, which he called overlapping strike. the entire process was actually very simple. when facing a target, fang zheng could choose to use ¡°instant teleportation¡± to ¡°accelerate¡± the flow of eight minutes of time to ¡°teleport¡± beside the target, activate time ¡°pause,¡± then ¡°rewind¡± ten seconds to swing a sword, ¡°accelerate¡± ten seconds to swing another sword, ¡°accelerate¡± thirty seconds to cast a judgment, gather energy, ¡°accelerate¡± five seconds to cast a judgment, then ¡°accelerate¡± one minute to distance himself from the target. in the eyes of an observer, fang zheng would appear in front of the target in the blink of an eye, then several sword lights, followed by judgment, sword of justice, judgment, judgment¡­ fang zheng would disappear, and the target would be defeated. unfortunately, this ability had no loopholes. fang zheng could manipulate time but couldn¡¯t twist or alter it. he could achieve time control through acceleration and deceleration, but he couldn¡¯t bypass the process. if it took fang zheng eight minutes to reach the target, once he ¡°accelerated¡± eight minutes to get there, he couldn¡¯t ¡°rewind¡± two minutes and attack again. if he did, his body would return to where he was two minutes ago. similarly, if a sword strike took five seconds to hit the enemy, he couldn¡¯t ¡°rewind¡± each second within those five seconds to form an attack rate of one strike per second. if fang zheng wanted to modify it, he could only deem the strike unsuccessful, then rewind five seconds and re-attack from a different angle. moreover, regardless of how fang zheng ¡°rewound¡± or ¡°accelerated,¡± the total time he controlled was limited. he couldn¡¯t convert the time into infinite; no matter how he used it, he had to ensure the total time used didn¡¯t exceed the set limit. thus, to fang zheng, whether he ¡°accelerated¡± or ¡°rewound¡± by one second, the ability would consider it -1s, -1s, -1s¡­ and accumulate until the time limit was reached. if time was likened to money, fang zheng only had a fixed amount of money, which he could spend but not reclaim. additionally, fang zheng discovered a flaw in the time ability. if he used powerful skills while manipulating time, the duration would decrease! fang zheng realized this after using royal cross swordsmanship. within the set time, using normal attacks felt fine. but using powerful sword techniques like crusader strike + judgment + divine storm + judgment consumed a terrifying amount. he couldn¡¯t even maintain the ability, leading to possible exhaustion. this made fang zheng attentive¡ª executing this sequence on a stationary target only allowed his time ability to last up to three minutes. what if he faced those powerful enemies? ignoring the child of chaos for now, what about facing the master of lich, or formidable grand knights like mart and shi dong? how long could his ability hold before such adversaries? initially, fang zheng thought time manipulation would allow him to do as he pleased within a time frame. now it seemed that if the opponent was strong enough, his time control could be weakened. if he faced an enemy he couldn¡¯t handle, it might even be nullified. fang zheng constantly experimented with his ability along the way. the description of the ability was merely an introduction; he had to figure out its use himself. as a game designer and seasoned player, fang zheng had ample experience. he treated the ability like a game skill, testing whether it was better as an auxiliary or a main attack. for now, it seemed more useful as an auxiliary, but fang zheng felt that with upgrades, it might have considerable offensive potential. of course, for now, it wasn¡¯t very effective. ¡°hmm?¡± while fang zheng was busy researching the ability, he suddenly looked up, surprised by what lay ahead. he had keenly sensed a large number of life forms! the zerg genes in him had a sharp sense for this. in his mind, he could clearly feel numerous life signals gathering not far away. it was reminiscent of watching a small map with red dots in an interstellar game¡ªthough somewhat incongruous, it was very useful. finally found something alive! thinking of this, fang zheng got excited and quickly sped up, rushing forward. it didn¡¯t take long for fang zheng to reach his destination. as he expected, where there was water, there was habitation. what appeared before fang zheng was a small town. from the outside, it appeared to be a very beautiful place, but it bore no resemblance to peace and beauty now. the reason was simple: it was under attack. more importantly, the attack did not come from humans. ¡°what is that¡­¡± standing on a distant branch, fang zheng frowned, staring at the scene ahead. outside the small town, a three to four meter high wall blocked the invaders¡¯ steps. however, the invaders did not relent in their attacks. they were a pack of giant black wolves, each as large as a warhorse, numbering over a hundred. these black wolves circled outside the wall, frenziedly ramming the gate. some even breathed fire, spraying it onto the walls. magic beasts? fang zheng, of course, knew there were magic beasts in this world, and quite a few. he hadn¡¯t cared before, but after learning that spirit crystals could be used for top-up, he secretly took an interest in them. but fang zheng hadn¡¯t expected to see such a pack of magic beasts here?! under the attack of these magic beasts, the town was struggling to hold on. fang zheng saw militiamen on top of the wall shooting arrows or throwing spears at the black wolves, but these attacks were ineffective. the wolves¡¯ thick fur was like armor, deflecting the arrows and spears without causing any harm. if it weren¡¯t for the pile of stones blocking the gate, they wouldn¡¯t have lasted this long. but that was only for now. faced with the black wolves¡¯ assault, the town would soon fall. fang zheng could easily predict that once the black wolves breached the defenses, the fate of this beautiful town would be sealed. however, to fang zheng, this wasn¡¯t a problem. he had conducted countless experiments, but real combat was always the best test. besides, these black wolves were magic beasts¡­ thinking of this, fang zheng looked at the black wolves as if they were walking bags of money. time to top-up!! Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Wolf Pack Invasion chapter 59: chapter 58: wolf pack invasion editor: exodus tales the small town could no longer hold. holding his longbow, clark looked at the dense pack of wolves outside. he gritted his teeth, a look of deep pain on his face. those damn demon beasts were already close to breaching the wall, and he felt utterly powerless against these creatures. he turned his head to his side, where his militiamen were already in a sorry state. despite the protection of the wall, the black wolves¡¯ flames had still injured many, and these magic-infused flames were almost fatal to ordinary people! ¡°it¡¯s all over here.¡± clark sighed deeply, then turned his head toward a girl not far away. she had a head of golden curls, and the pure white divine robe she wore was now stained with dark red blood and dust. even so, the girl continued to try to heal the injured around her. she reached out her hand, and a faint white radiance soon appeared, enveloping the wounded and dispelling the black mist clinging to their bodies. under the holy light¡¯s illumination, the once pained expressions of the injured gradually became calm, but clark knew this was merely a drop in the bucket. ¡°girl, leave here!¡± clark sighed and looked at the girl beside him, speaking. ¡°there¡¯s still time. you don¡¯t need to die here with us! this is our home, and you¡¯re just a traveler!¡± ¡°but i am a cleric, a cleric of the order sanctuary!¡± hearing clark¡¯s words, the golden-haired girl wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and shook her head. her voice was hoarse, even trembling a little, but she still refused to leave. ¡°guarding order and fighting chaos is my duty! i will never flee!¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± hearing the girl¡¯s response, clark sighed again. he raised his longbow and looked down once more. the black wolves were already at the base of the wall, baring their mouths to unleash crimson flames upward. the scorching heat hit clark head-on, forcing him to step back to avoid the skin-melting temperature. even so, the stone wall beside him began to soften and melt like butter under the flames. ¡°damn it!¡± looking at the scene before him, clark¡¯s face turned ashen. these black wolves were not ordinary beasts but demon beasts. on this continent, the so-called demon beasts were creatures infected and mutated by chaos magic. their attacks weren¡¯t mere physical strikes; each carried the power of chaos. if hit, one would immediately be infected by chaos magic and tragically die, turning into a creature. if not for this cleric maiden of the order sanctuary staying here by chance, the town would have likely been destroyed in the first wave of black wolf attacks. but now¡­ ¡°you, take her away immediately!¡± clark made a quick decision without hesitation, signaling to two soldiers beside him, and issued a stern order. ¡°this lady is a cleric of the sanctuary and must not come to harm! escort her to the dock and board the red fish to leave! remember, even at the cost of your lives, ensure her safety. understood?!¡± ¡°yes!!¡± hearing clark¡¯s command, the two soldiers nodded and walked to the cleric maiden, intending to pull her up. but noticing their actions, the cleric maiden¡¯s face changed dramatically. ¡°you can¡¯t do this! if we persevere, help will come. you can¡¯t give up¡­¡± ¡°thank you, miss, but we know that continuing is pointless.¡± in response to her words, clark smiled bitterly. ¡°sweetwater town is just a small town. even if we send a call for help, the front line can¡¯t spare any forces. honestly, i am very grateful to you. because you stayed, we were able to evacuate everyone else. without you, the town would have fallen on the first night of the black wolf attacks. but now our families have safely left, we have no regrets. let us fight to the last moment for our home!¡± ¡°you¡­¡± the cleric maiden bit her lip, unable to say anything. clark turned his back to her, drew his bow again, and aimed at the wolves below. ¡°go quickly! you saved our families; now it¡¯s our turn to repay you! miss, you are still young, with a long life ahead of you!¡± ¡°but¡­¡± the cleric maiden was about to speak, but the two soldiers stepped in front of her. seeing their resolute yet pale faces, she hesitated. tightening her grip on her staff, she seemed to be lost in thought. at that moment, something unexpected happened! ¡°awoo¡ª!!¡± a sharp wolf howl echoed, nearly engulfing the entire town. clark and the cleric maiden¡¯s faces changed, and they quickly looked towards the source of the howl. they were shocked to see a massive black wolf, perched on a nearby hill, howling at the sky! ¡°the head wolf¡­¡± seeing the huge black wolf, which stood two to three meters high, clark¡¯s face turned pale instantly, and his longbow fell to the ground with a ¡°clatter.¡± a seasoned hunter from the northern kingdom, he knew well the terror of a head wolf. but even clark had never seen a real head wolf before. in the northern kingdom, black wolves were spread through children¡¯s bedtime stories and hunters¡¯ worried whispers. but seeing one in reality was an entirely different matter. ¡°awoo¡ª!!¡± responding to the head wolf¡¯s howl, the initially chaotic black wolves raised their heads and howled back. their attacks suddenly became fiercer! ¡°boom!!¡± the black wolves madly rammed into the wall, ignoring their safety. they charged straight at it, undeterred by injury or bloodshed. the black wolves¡¯ bodies were extraordinarily tough, making such collisions almost harmless to them. but for the militiamen on the wall, it was the last straw. under the reckless onslaught of the wolf pack, the wall began to shake violently. some unfortunate men lost their balance and fell from the wall. they had no time to scream before being torn apart by the black wolves below. witnessing this scene, the cleric maiden became more resolute. gripping her staff tightly, her eyes flickered as she looked at the carnage outside. seeing the militiamen scream and fall from the wall, only to be torn apart, a determined look flashed in her eyes. she gripped her staff tightly and placed it on her chest as if making a decision. at that moment, a holy white light beam descended from the sky. Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: Chapter 59 Black-clad Swordsman chapter 60: chapter 59 black-clad swordsman editor: exodus tales ¡°boom!!¡± the white light fell like a meteor, crashing into the pack of wolves. faced with this sudden attack, the wolves momentarily scattered. the powerful shockwave swept across the entire battlefield, and the few black wolves hit directly by the white light were blown away, howling as they crashed heavily back into the pack. their bodies, which had been impervious to arrows and spears, now seemed as fragile as paper. before they even hit the ground, their bodies were torn to shreds by the sword qi radiating from the blast, leaving only a bloody mess. the sudden scene stunned both the wolf pack and the soldiers on the wall. both sides turned their heads to look in the direction where the light beam landed. they were surprised to see a young man dressed in black slowly standing up. he held a longsword shimmering with pure radiance in his right hand, pointing it at the pack of wolves. he looked like an unstoppable sharp blade. the pack of wolves paused for a second in front of the young man, then the black wolves roared and turned, charging at the unexpected intruder. the sight of blood aroused their primal nature, and the human who attacked them was now their target to be eliminated. nothing more than this. fang zheng looked up at the pack of wolves before him. for an ordinary person, having over a hundred black wolves charging at them would be enough to make them wet their pants. but for fang zheng, who commanded the zerg army, a mere one hundred and eighty black wolves were hardly worth his attention. so, in the face of the incoming black wolves, fang zheng merely tightened his grip on his sky-cleaving sword and swung it forward. a dazzling light condensed into a silver line slashed through the sky, several crusader¡¯s holy crosses appeared before the black wolves, and then they exploded! ¡°boom boom boom!!¡± a series of explosions caught the charging black wolves off guard. their tough hides, resistant to iron swords and arrows, were unable to withstand the powerful sacred light. not to mention, fang zheng¡¯s power had already been upgraded from e to d. punching a bear to death was no joke! under the crusader strike, the vanguard of the black wolves scattered like they had collided with an invisible wall. but fang zheng didn¡¯t stop there; he fixed his gaze on the black wolves ahead, raised his longsword, and swung it again! as fang zheng raised his longsword, the sky-cleaving sword in his hand began to tremble slightly. when fang zheng slashed it forward, the holy light attached to the blade split into several rays, fanning out like a meat grinder, tearing through the hides of the black wolves that couldn¡¯t dodge in time, reducing them to bloody chunks of flesh. ¡°awooo!!¡± seeing his pack of black wolves suffer heavy casualties, the head wolf on the hillside howled again. hearing the head wolf¡¯s howl, the advancing wolf pack skidded to a halt. then two groups of black wolves split off from the left and right sides, flanking the area. the black wolves moved rapidly; before fang zheng could retrieve his longsword, they had already surrounded him from behind! ¡°watch out!!¡± seeing this, clark and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats. they hadn¡¯t expected the black wolves to be so cunning. now the young man was completely surrounded, and even if he had three heads and six arms, it would be hard to fend off attacks from all sides. not to mention the leading black wolves had opened their mouths, with pitch-black energy gathering, the demonic flames formed by chaos magic ready to be unleashed¡­ but for fang zheng, this was of no concern. of course, he could sense the thick chaos magic in the air. demon beasts could manipulate such power, which is what made them demon beasts. fang zheng had caught them off guard with his initial swift attack, but now, the black wolves had clearly figured out how to handle their prey. still, fang zheng had his own methods. the black wolves were already within five yards of fang zheng. their gaping maws sprayed sparks, and given a bit more time, they¡¯d be spewing flames to incinerate their quarry. in the observers¡¯ eyes, they saw the young man standing still, then flipping his longsword and plunging it into the ground. the next moment, a miracle occurred. from the ground around the young man burst forth a dazzling holy light, breaking through the soil as if it had been released from underground. the black wolves that charged into this holy light screamed in agony as their pitch-black bodies erupted into flames. white fire consumed them mercilessly, burning and spreading. at this moment, the pack of wolves finally halted. they let out terrified cries and instinctively began to retreat from the area imbued with sacred power. demon beasts polluted by chaos magic might be able to spit fire, but that didn¡¯t mean they were immune to it, especially not when it contained sacred power. ¡°awooo¡­ awooo!!¡± witnessing this, the head wolf finally showed agitation. it paced anxiously on the hillside, then made a firm decision and howled once more. hearing its howl, the black wolves, initially disturbed by the sacred flame, immediately regrouped and once again charged fearlessly. ¡°you can¡¯t fight them head-on!!¡± watching the scene unfold, clark furrowed his brow and shouted down to the young man below. ¡°the black wolves won¡¯t retreat unless you kill the head wolf, otherwise they¡¯ll fight to the death!¡± the head wolf. hearing clark¡¯s shout, fang zheng frowned. he quickly lifted his head, scanning the surroundings. soon, he locked onto the huge shadow on the hill. the head wolf turned to meet fang zheng¡¯s gaze, its red eyes gleaming with rage and madness. to fang zheng, these black wolves were nothing more than walking snacks, but saving time¡­ thinking this, a smile played at fang zheng¡¯s lips. time to test that move. gripping his longsword tightly, fang zheng prepared for action. clark had no idea what he was seeing. watching the young man raise his longsword and make a charging motion towards the oncoming wolves, clark blinked, and in that blink, the young man vanished from his sight. clark didn¡¯t know how the young man disappeared. he felt like he had just blinked, and the next thing he knew, the person who had been standing there vanished. he rubbed his eyes and looked around, finally spotting the young man¡¯s figure. he was standing behind the giant head wolf, motionless. how did the young man get there? ¡°swish¡ª¡± the sky-cleaving sword sliced through the air, casting a shower of blood. fang zheng turned to glance at the head wolf by his side, then sheathed his sword. ¡°clack.¡± as the longsword slid into its sheath, the head wolf finally moved. its head tilted slightly and then fell to the ground with a ¡°thud,¡± blood spurting from its neck, staining the pristine snow. its body collapsed heavily, lifeless. what just happened? clark¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. he couldn¡¯t comprehend what he had just witnessed. the head wolf had been killed that easily? wait, and the wolves? turning quickly, clark looked at the pack of wolves not far from the wall, only to find them standing still, like sculptures. they seemed frozen in time, caught in the harsh wind. then, time resumed. countless radiant light blades bloomed like a lotus, completely engulfing the pitch-black beasts. Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: Chapter 60 Cleric Maiden chapter 61: chapter 60 cleric maiden editor: exodus tales the crisis was averted, in a way no one had expected. looking at the ground littered with black wolf corpses, everyone stared at each other in disbelief. just moments ago, they were all prepared to die here. but now¡­ life¡¯s ups and downs were truly exhilarating!! ¡°thank you so much, sir!¡± after moving the stones blocking the door and opening it, clark looked at the young man before him, almost too moved to speak. if he hadn¡¯t appeared in time, sweetwater town would have surely turned into a living hell. so, even though there were many people that needed burial and treatment, he rushed over as soon as possible to thank fang zheng solemnly. ¡°no need to be so polite. i¡¯m also a knight of the sanctuary; it¡¯s my duty.¡± fang zheng certainly didn¡¯t mind continuing to flaunt his identity as a templar knight at this moment. though he was still an apprentice knight, he was still officially recognized by the sanctuary as a professional¡­ hmm, appearing more formidable with his title was the right move after all. ¡°a knight of the sanctuary?¡± hearing this, clark¡¯s face showed a look of realization. he had been curious about fang zheng¡¯s identity since his attire made him look more like a noble¡¯s son, but now that he said he was a knight of the sanctuary, the curiosity in clark¡¯s heart dissipated. after all, if he was a templar knight, young and possessing such great power, it wasn¡¯t entirely unreasonable. thinking of this, clark¡¯s smile became even warmer. ¡°i see, sir knight. it¡¯s surprising that you¡¯re so young and yet possess such power. the sanctuary truly is full of talent. both you and that cleric are good people. this time, we really owe it to you two.¡± ¡°oh? cleric?¡± ¡°yes, we had an apprentice cleric visit sweetwater town a few days ago. she said she was on a pilgrimage, so we let her stay for a while. though young, she is very talented and, more importantly, very brave. when the black wolves attacked, we wanted to send her away, but she insisted on staying and fighting with us. if it weren¡¯t for her, we might not have held out until now.¡± ¡°i see.¡± hearing the hunter-clad man¡¯s response, fang zheng nodded, growing interested in the cleric. after all, she was from the sanctuary, making her a colleague of his. having just teleported back, he didn¡¯t know the state of the sanctuary or what had become of shi dong and mart. it wouldn¡¯t be bad to find a colleague to ask. ¡°where is the cleric now?¡± ¡°she is helping us treat the wounded¡­ many of our people got hurt¡­¡± ¡°take me to her.¡± hearing this, fang zheng waved his hand and said. ¡°i know some healing techniques; maybe i can help.¡± ¡°really? that¡¯s wonderful. please follow me, sir¡­¡± hearing this, clark was overjoyed. although the cleric¡¯s healing techniques were impressive, clark knew she was running out of strength after supporting so long. seeing her pushing herself to continue treating others worried him. he wanted her to take care of herself, but the thought of his comrades on the brink of death made it hard to insist. hence, fang zheng¡¯s offer was a relief, and he hurriedly led the young man to the town¡¯s central meeting hall. the meeting hall was filled with wounded militiamen. unlike fang zheng, these ordinary folks were injured in the earlier battle. some with lighter wounds held on, gritting their teeth, but others lay on the ground groaning in pain. the air was thick with the smell of herbs and blood, creating a peculiar odor. as soon as he entered, fang zheng spotted a young woman in a robe, kneeling beside the injured. her face was pale, and her breath was labored. yet, she gritted her teeth and placed her hand on the injured person before her. soon, a faint white light emanated, enveloping the injured and starting to heal their wounds. to fang zheng, however, the holy light seemed dim, like an old incandescent bulb ready to be replaced. ¡°cough, cough¡­¡± the holy light didn¡¯t immediately heal the injured before her. he vomited blood, and his chest bandages began soaking through again. it was clear that her healing technique struggled to treat his wounds. the cleric maiden¡¯s face turned even paler as she gritted her teeth, hesitated, and then reached out again. ¡°hey¡­¡± seeing this, fang zheng sighed helplessly and cast a ¡°holy light flash.¡± a streak of white light enveloped the injured. the warmth from the holy light brought immediate relief, and his pained expression softened significantly. seeing this, the maiden was stunned and immediately turned to fang zheng. ¡°you are¡­¡± ¡°let¡¯s talk later. let me help treat these people first.¡± without waiting for her to finish, fang zheng stepped forward, cutting off her question and raised his right hand again. soon, streaks of holy light flashed over the militiamen, rapidly healing their wounds. there were about thirty injured in all, many severely hurt, but fang zheng wasn¡¯t worried. he first stabilized those closest to death before beginning large-scale healing. unfortunately, his [arthas] wasn¡¯t a paladin and had no group heal skills, making the process slower. ¡°phew¡­ all done.¡± due to the number of seriously wounded, fang zheng had to heal them multiple times before they finally rested peacefully, their cries ceased. to fang zheng, this was no big deal. but clark and the cleric maiden were utterly shocked! they had seen fang zheng¡¯s display of divine might beneath the wall; his immense power was undisputed, capable of killing the head wolf in one strike and effortlessly decimating the wolf pack. given his age, he was exceptional. but now, he showed such potent healing ability?! on this continent, whether it was mages, knights, thieves, priests, or astrologers, all used the power of the star spirits. the different manifestations of this power depended on their strengths. it was like how everyone has two arms and two legs but different talents like painting, running, or music¡­ the star spirit power worked similarly, based on one¡¯s strengths. some can¡¯t cook to save their lives, while others are tone-deaf and can¡¯t sing¡­ so, fang zheng¡¯s combat prowess wasn¡¯t surprising. but his expert healing skill left them astounded. even clark, who knew little, could see the difference. the cleric maiden performed devout prayers before healing, while this young man raised his hand, and the holy light just ¡°flashed.¡± and crucially, this holy light seemed even more effective than the cleric¡¯s! wasn¡¯t he a knight? why did he seem even better at healing than a cleric specialized in it? though puzzled, clark wisely kept quiet. he was just a town defense officer pretending to be knowledgeable among commoners. but before these important city folks, he knew better than to pry. but the cleric maiden¡¯s expression was completely different. she stared wide-eyed, in disbelief at fang zheng. ¡°why did you do that?¡± ¡°do what?¡± fang zheng was puzzled by her question. had the young lady overexerted herself and gotten confused? ¡°no, i mean¡­¡± she looked around as if searching for words, hesitated, then continued. ¡°i mean¡­ why didn¡¯t you heal the wounded all at once? why this back-and-forth?¡± ¡°because some are more severely injured? saving lives first is the right choice. i don¡¯t have eight hands, so i can only do it this way.¡± ¡°you can do that?!¡± much to fang zheng¡¯s surprise, the cleric maiden widened her eyes in shock, as if hearing something unbelievable. ¡°how else should i do it?¡± fang zheng was speechless. group healing to bring everyone to a safe level was basic. though he had never played a healer, at least he had seen it done¡­ ¡°¡­¡± hearing fang zheng¡¯s answer, the cleric maiden stared at him blankly, then suddenly closed her eyes and fainted. ¡°uh¡­¡± seeing this, fang zheng was taken aback. what just happened? did i say something wrong? Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Chapter 61: The Disaster of the Demon Beast chapter 62: chapter 61: the disaster of the demon beast the sudden collapse of the cleric maiden startled everyone, but luckily, after an examination, it was discovered that she had simply overexerted herself and was otherwise unharmed. moreover, clark immediately arranged for someone to escort the miss cleric to rest, and he also prepared a room for fang zheng¡­ after all, he was a great benefactor to sweetwater town, and naturally deserved to be treated well. meanwhile, fang zheng took the opportunity to make an unconventional request to clark, hoping he could help collect the spirit crystals from the bodies of the black wolves. clark didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment and agreed immediately. these hunters occasionally ventured into the forests to hunt lesser demon beasts and then dug out the spirit crystals to sell for money. they were well-versed in this process, so upon hearing fang zheng¡¯s request, clark immediately assured him that no one would dare embezzle fang zheng¡¯s spirit crystals, taking the task upon himself to see it done. clark was quite swift; it didn¡¯t take him much time to hand over all the spirit crystals extracted from the bodies of the black wolves to fang zheng. unfortunately, the quality of these crystals was quite ordinary. apart from the alpha wolf¡¯s spirit crystal, which yielded twenty crystal energy points for fang zheng, the rest were valued at one to two crystal energy points each. and since not every demon creature had one, fang zheng only ended up with a total of fifty crystal energy points. it was a little less than he¡¯d hoped, but it was better than nothing. with time on his hands, fang zheng also began to inquire about something very important out of curiosity. where exactly is this place? ¡°this is the territory of the northern alliance¡­ eh, mr. fang zheng, don¡¯t you know?¡± clark was clearly surprised by fang zheng¡¯s question but honestly answered it nonetheless. however, he then carefully voiced his own confusion. after all, sweetwater town was on the edge of the northern alliance¡¯s territory; how had this gentleman ended up here? ¡°ah, don¡¯t even mention it.¡± if clark hadn¡¯t asked, fang zheng would have spared himself the painful recollection. ¡°there was a problem with my teleportation spell, and somehow i ended up here¡­ i spent two days wandering the wilderness before i found my way out. but come to think of it, what exactly is going on here? i walked in the mountains for two days without encountering a single animal, not to mention that pack of black wolves¡­ i thought demon beasts rarely appeared in civilized lands?¡± ¡°it seems you¡¯ve had quite the bad luck.¡± after learning the reason for fang zheng¡¯s appearance, clark looked at him with a complex expression and a wry smile. ¡°you may not know it, but we¡¯re right in the middle of the beast horde season¡­¡± with clark¡¯s explanation, fang zheng finally understood why he had been considered unlucky. the northern alliance is located to the north, close to the twilight border, and every year, a beast horde occurs here. the reason is simple: demon beasts are wild animals tainted by chaos magic, and many wild animals have migratory instincts. they may be acting on instinct or under threat from more powerful demon beasts, but every winter, they launch attacks on the heartlands of human civilization. the northern alliance is naturally the first target for these demon beasts. although they have managed to block most of the demon beast attacks with the help of natural barriers and fortress checkpoints at mountain passes, the forest is vast, and there are always some that slip through. these black wolves were probably part of that ¡°school of fish¡± that had penetrated the defenses amidst the chaos. however, clark frowned and looked troubled when he spoke of this attack. ¡°to be honest, i¡¯m very concerned. we¡¯ve been dealing with the beast hordes every winter for years, but this year¡¯s seems to have come exceptionally early. moreover, the demon beasts have appeared too quickly. normally, even if there are a few that slip through during the beast horde season, they don¡¯t show up until after the third snowfall. but now, right after the first snowfall, they¡¯ve appeared here. i¡¯m really worried that something may have gone wrong at the twilight border fortress¡­¡± clark was troubled. as he said, the beast hordes had been a yearly event for more than just a couple of years; from the time he was born, every winter, when the snow sealed off the mountains, the demon beasts would try to invade the civilized heartlands. but all this had always followed a recognizable pattern, and although sweetwater town was said to be near the border, it was actually a considerable distance away. they usually packed up before the first snowfall, organized their belongings, and left after the first snow because then the mountains were sealed by the snow, and the wild animals had already fled far away due to the threat of the demon beasts, posing no danger. if they delayed for a few more days, the rivers would be completely frozen, making it much harder to leave. but this time, the demon beasts¡­ arrived a bit too soon. while clark was worried, fang zheng¡¯s eyes shone brighter the more he listened. countless demon beasts? ¡°` demon beast disaster? holy moly! how many spirit crystals is that? how much chump change? how many more times can i pull a ten-in-a-row jackpot?! right now, what was giving fang zheng the biggest headache was the lack of dimensional points¡ªit was never enough. however, there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it since he only created the core framework of the game; he didn¡¯t manage the instances and had no idea how the ¡°dimensional codex¡± linked to all those bizarre worlds. and what made fang zheng want to spit blood was the extremely small number of dimensional points each instance awarded! you have to understand that when fang zheng originally designed the game, it was a mobile game. in a mobile game, one chapter has at least a dozen levels, right? players who get through one chapter should at least be able to save up enough resources for a ten-pull. but for some unknown reason, after coming to this world, when fang zheng time-travelled into those ¡°instances,¡± the ¡°dimensional codex¡± turned out to be quite stingy, offering only the main quest and occasionally some vague side quests that might not even come with dimensional points. this really frustrated fang zheng; he immensely regretted not setting his starting dimensional count to 999999, even if just for experimentation¡¯s sake. now, each instance only yielded a limited number of dimensional points he could earn. although he also gained quite a lot of benefits, soulstones were still the core resource for fang zheng. not to mention he was still lacking a powerful ultimate move! both ¡°arthas¡± and ¡°kerrigan¡± were embarrassingly weak. now, fang zheng just hoped that the next time he performed a summoning, he could summon a real angel. that way, whether he was swaggering around or facing off against a boss, he¡¯d have a bit more confidence. he wouldn¡¯t end up like that time against the master of lich, where he was almost cornered with nowhere to run and was left relying on sheer luck. fang zheng had already decided on his strategy: use instances to farm for equipment and skills, and as for dimensional points¡­ given the system¡¯s nature, he might as well expect to top-up rather than accumulate points through quest rewards! now, the front lines were in dire straits, and it was time to come forward. as a guardian knight of the sanctuary, i should¡­ well, let¡¯s not go there. but no matter what, i absolutely can¡¯t let go of so much easy money! with that in mind, fang zheng had made up his mind deep down. head to order fortress, rake in cash, top-up! fang zheng¡¯s decision wasn¡¯t just about the money. as a member of the sanctuary, he was well aware that most of the twilight border fortresses were territories of the kingdom of the holy church. these properties were somewhat like the american territory of hawaii on earth, seeming a bit like a violation of other nations¡¯ sovereignty, but in reality, many small countries actually wished for the military bases of a great nation to be stationed with them. the border fortresses built by the kingdom of the holy church were no exception, and were even more welcomed, facing not humans, but the chaos demon creatures. these small countries certainly couldn¡¯t muster the manpower and resources to construct such a fortress to protect themselves. now that the kingdom of the holy church was willing to help, they were immensely grateful. not to mention, the kingdom of the holy church¡¯s forces were strictly disciplined, much better than the so-called anglo-saxon ¡°devils¡±¡ªat least from what fang zheng had seen of people like mart and shi dong, their dedication to ¡°serving the people¡± was solid. this attested to the good reputation of the kingdom of the holy church, which was better than that of other great nations. just look at the cleric maiden who had fainted from exhaustion¡ªshe had no prior relations with these people, was still quite young, and yet she was willing to fight alongside them. tsk tsk tsk¡­ fang zheng had to admit, the sanctuary really wasn¡¯t like what he had read in novels. of course, there were a few bad eggs, like connie¡­ but this was also a good thing, as it proved that the sanctuary was an entity of mortals, comprised of humans. he would really start to suspect that the sanctuary was controlling its members through brainwashing or similar means if every single member of an organization was a model comrade with incredibly high moral standards. after all, it¡¯s believable for most of the members of a power to be good people, but if they all were, that would be truly terrifying. after learning of the situation from clark, fang zheng decided to rest in sweetwater town for the night before heading to order fortress. aside from raking in cash and topping up, this was also like reporting back to the organization. fang zheng was actually quite curious about this since he hadn¡¯t been seen for over half a year¡ªshi dong and the others hadn¡¯t reported him dead¡­ had they? upon learning of fang zheng¡¯s decision, clark tried to dissuade him for a while, but seeing fang zheng¡¯s determination, he said no more. however, as their life-saving benefactor, clark would not neglect fang zheng; he gifted him the best carriage in sweetwater town. fang zheng gladly accepted. with order fortress several days¡¯ travel from sweetwater town, relying on his own two legs would probably kill him from exhaustion. now that he had a carriage, for fang zheng, it was a no-brainer. what fang zheng hadn¡¯t expected was that the cleric maiden actually sought him out and expressed her wish to join him and travel together to order fortress. fang zheng was slightly surprised but didn¡¯t think much of it and nodded in agreement. after all, they were colleagues, and looking out for each other on the journey was beneficial. and so, after resting in sweetwater town for a night, fang zheng and the cleric maiden set off together on their journey toward order fortress. Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: Chapter 62: The Stubborn Rookie Chapter 63: Chapter 62: The Stubborn Rookie The first snowfall of winter wasn¡¯t too heavy, cloaking the entire forest in a silver-white that looked exceptionally beautiful under the sunlight. Fang Zheng leaned against the carriage door, yawning as he gazed at the scenery outside, accompanied by the incessant rocking of the carriage. Although Clark prepared the best carriage in Sweetwater Town for Fang Zheng, it was still a small place after all, and this carriage was said to be handed down generation after generation by the town mayor. Not to mention anything else, at least a sense of history surged forth. And the current carriage, swaying left and right, could indeed be seen as¡­ well, it was quite an achievement not to have fallen apart. With this in mind, Fang Zheng glanced over at the young girl sitting beside him. She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, with curly golden hair that matched her fair skin, making her look quite like an adorable doll. At the moment, the girl clasped her hands tightly to her chest, devoutly offering her morning prayer. She said it was to bless those who had died in battle, hoping their souls could find eternal peace. After a moment, the girl sighed deeply and then opened her eyes, looking apologetically at Fang Zheng. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ Did I disturb you?¡± ¡°Not at all, Lady Fina.¡± Upon hearing the girl¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng shook his head with a smile. He had already introduced himself to her the day before; the girl¡¯s name was Fina Carlsti Nateli, an Apprentice Priest roaming from place to place. What was referred to as roaming was actually what Fang Zheng viewed as a sort of ¡°going to the countryside,¡± but Clerics had much better conditions than Apprentice Knights, as Clerics were not a combat-focused profession. Thus, an Apprentice Priest like Fina didn¡¯t need to follow the likes of Shi Dong around to take on Cultists or the Undead like Fang Zheng did. Instead, upon reaching a new place, they would stay in the local Sanctuary and do whatever work they could handle. Such as preparing medicines or treating some patients. However, for this young girl, her roaming journey had been a bit too thrilling. ¡°You don¡¯t seem very happy. Are you troubled by something?¡± Perhaps due to boredom, Fang Zheng curiously asked. He had noticed that ever since Fina woke up, she had been rather listless, as if she was preoccupied with something on her mind. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, why not share and let me listen?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not really anything important¡­¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Fina revealed a wry smile and then sighed helplessly. ¡°I just feel¡­ that I¡¯m too stupid¡­¡± ¡°Stupid?¡± Fang Zheng honestly found this answer quite unexpected; he had thought the young Cleric was still mourning for the deceased but couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d switch the topic to this. ¡°Yes¡­¡± At that point, Fina shrank into herself and bowed her head deeply. ¡°Was what I did yesterday stupid? If I could have been like you, Mr. Fang Zheng, then those Soldiers wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much pain. And¡­ in the previous battle, if I had thought things through more, I might have been able to save even more people¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± At this point, Fang Zheng was slightly taken aback. Although Fina hadn¡¯t been explicit, he could guess why she was feeling down. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the young Cleric had fallen prey to a common condition among rookie priests¡ªobsessiveness! Probably she was the type that wouldn¡¯t switch targets until their health bars were completely full. ¡°You¡­ always do that?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Fina pressed her head even lower in response to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, looking as though she¡¯d bury herself in the ground if there were a hole available. ¡°I can¡¯t bear to see them suffering. Every time I look into the eyes of those wounded, I can¡¯t help but feel I need to heal them completely¡­¡± You must be a Libra, right? That¡¯s a clear case of obsessive-compulsive disorder there. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so downcast. Well¡­ It¡¯s a common mistake many rookies make, very normal.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t really know what else to say, so he could only try to console her reluctantly. He didn¡¯t notice that when he said ¡°rookies,¡± Fina¡¯s expression changed, and then she lifted her head and looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is that true, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Almost there¡­ at least I¡¯ve seen plenty.¡± Yeah, he had indeed seen many a healer with full health OCD in games, but this was his first time encountering one in reality. ¡°I see¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Fina¡¯s expression turned complex, seemingly a mix of disappointed and yet somewhat relieved, but tinged with a bit of melancholy. However, she quickly shivered violently and let out a small sneeze. ¡°Achoo!¡± ¡°Is it very cold?¡± Observing the girl ceaselessly rubbing her pale hands together, Fang Zheng was taken aback. It must be said that although the carriage spared them the hardship of a long journey on foot, the carriage itself was terribly dilapidated, with drafts coming through gaps everywhere. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind since his body, enhanced by Zerg modifications, probably wouldn¡¯t freeze even if thrown into space. But it was clear that the girl was struggling to cope, so without a second word, he took off his own coat and draped it over her. ¡°This, how could I¡­ Mr. Fang Zheng¡­¡± Noticing Fang Zheng¡¯s action, Fina hurriedly waved her hands, looking flustered in an attempt to refuse, but Fang Zheng clearly didn¡¯t care about such formalities. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m not cold anyway, regardless of whether I wear it or not. On the other hand, Lady Fina, you fainted from exhaustion just yesterday, so it¡¯s best not to overdo it now. It would be troublesome if you got sick.¡± ¡°Ooo¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Fina obviously felt a little defiant and puffed her cheeks, but she couldn¡¯t argue. After all, the bitter cold inside the carriage was a fact, and she indeed had fainted the day before, feeling much weaker than usual now. Taking a look at Fang Zheng and ensuring that he didn¡¯t harbor any ulterior motives like those she had encountered before, Fina bit her lip and finally reached out to take the coat he offered. ¡°Then, I¡¯m sorry for the imposition, please allow me to borrow it for a while.¡± As she took Fang Zheng¡¯s coat and draped it over herself, Fina¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. For after putting on the coat, she soon found that her body, which had felt icy, was gradually warming up? This wasn¡¯t Magic Equipment, was it? There were many pieces of Magic Equipment on this continent, and the middle class could afford to buy some. Of course, these were basic items, like Spirit Crystal Lamps and Magic Furnaces for lighting and heating. Magic Apparel, tools, equipment, and weapons, on the other hand, were exclusive to the higher classes. The reason was simple¡ªsuch items were too expensive. To put it in perspective, in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, an average family could basically afford to have electric lights and gas, but they couldn¡¯t afford more expensive electronics. Even a piece of Magic Apparel with a temperature constant Array etched in, was only affordable by the Nobility¡ªprohibitively expensive for ordinary people. If it were a piece of Magic Apparel, Fina wouldn¡¯t have been so surprised. The Sanctuary was full of descendants from various noble families, and she had seen plenty of such things. But the problem was, Fina didn¡¯t sense any magical fluctuations from this simple overcoat, nor did it have the Engraving Talisman typical of Magic Apparel. It seemed to be nothing more than a standard overcoat. Watching Fina¡¯s surprised expression, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and leaned back in his seat. What he was wearing now was, of course, not the outfit he¡¯d had when he time-traveled to ¡°Edge of Tomorrow¡±, as that outfit was dirty and torn. Moreover, after Fang Zheng¡¯s body was remade, it no longer fit him due to the height difference with the original owner, so he¡¯d simply thrown it away. In fact, the clothing Fang Zheng was wearing now was specially tailored for him in the world of ¡°Edge of Tomorrow¡±. Even though the civilization in that world was beaten down by Aliens, their technology was still a notch higher than the one Fang Zheng lived in before his Rebirth. So, getting a custom-made outfit from head to toe in a clothing shop there was nothing out of the ordinary. These garments were made of lightweight nanomaterials, offering not only a degree of physical protection but also great flexibility as well as being waterproof, fireproof, and insulating. Of course, such a set of clothing was not cheap, and Fang Zheng had spent a fair amount of money on it. What? You ask where Fang Zheng got the money? Ha ha ha, of course, he didn¡¯t rob or steal. Why would he do such things? He simply opened up the vault of Banque de Paris and took a little ¡°reward¡±. You see, in RPG games, isn¡¯t looting chests in NPC houses part of the basic operations for a Hero? ¡°Creak¡ª¡± Just as Fang Zheng was looking at Fina before him, thinking of saying something more, the carriage came to a slow halt, and then a voice came from outside. ¡°Master, Miss Cleric, something seems off ahead.¡± Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: Chapter 63: The Attacked Stronghold Chapter 64: Chapter 63: The Attacked Stronghold ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Upon hearing the noise outside, Fang Zheng immediately spoke up. Of course, the carriage wasn¡¯t equipped with the high-tech ability of autopilot¡ªthe coachman was a young lad sent by Clark named Garrison, quite a clever fellow. Because of his young age, he had not previously been on the frontline in battle but had instead been responsible for logistical work at the rear, thus he was uninjured. His clever nature and familiarity with the terrain made Clark choose him to take charge of driving the carriage. ¡°It¡¯s like this, the outpost seems a bit¡­ off¡­¡± ¡°The outpost?¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows, then he stepped out of the carriage and walked over to the coachman¡¯s side. Seeing him approaching, the keen young man immediately nodded respectfully towards him, then pointed ahead. ¡°Master, you see¡­¡± Following the direction of Garrison¡¯s finger, Fang Zheng quickly saw the outpost not far down the hillside; according to Clark, this outpost was the safest place in the area, always manned with fifty soldiers and a Templar. It served as a link between the Order Fortress and the Northern Alliance¡¯s rear, which made it usually very bustling and heavily guarded. But now, it appeared in disrepair, with the once-solid outer walls missing several pieces, and black smoke was visible as it burned. This was not just a little off; no matter how one looked at it, something was very wrong. ¡°How is that possible? Has the outpost also been breached?¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s body, enhanced by Zerg genes, had vision ten times greater than that of an ordinary person, almost akin to carrying binoculars. Thus, he only glanced once and immediately understood the situation at the outpost. The young man, clearly lacking this ability, saw the outpost merely as a small black dot; if not for relying on experience to confirm that the black smoke was coming from the outpost, he wouldn¡¯t have suspected anything wrong there. But now, standing here staring at that distant little black dot, the lad felt increasingly uneasy. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be, even if there were a pack of black wolves, the outpost should have enough strength to withstand the attack, how could it¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and check the situation.¡± Fang Zheng cut off the young man¡¯s muttering, patted his shoulder, then scanned the surroundings. ¡°You drive the carriage to a safe place, I¡¯ll go investigate what happened there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going alone? Master, will you be alright¡­¡± But before the young man could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a ¡°swoosh¡± sound by his ear. When he turned his head back, he was shocked to discover that Fang Zheng, who should have been standing not far beside him, had vanished without a trace like a ghost. ¡°¡­This is really frightening.¡± Looking at the empty ground, Garrison patted his chest. If it were not for witnessing Fang Zheng¡¯s teleportation-like ability on the city walls, he might have thought he was encountering a mythical forest creature or a ghost¡­ Unaware of what was going through Garrison¡¯s mind, Fang Zheng had already arrived in front of the great gates near the outpost, his expression grave as he scrutinized the outpost before him. If earlier Fang Zheng had only been speculating, now he could almost be certain that the outpost had indeed fallen. The gates of the outpost were wide open; blood was splattered everywhere on the walls and the ground, with scattered weapons and charred corpses visible on the ground¡ªclear evidence of an intense battle having taken place. However, the reason Fang Zheng had such a serious expression on his face was not because the stronghold had been breached, but because he detected a faint scent of sulfur among those ashes burned to the ground. The black wolves could indeed breathe fire, but their flames, infused with magic power, were clean and odorless. In fact, there was only one type of flame that carried this unique sulfur scent. It was the flame from Hell. In Fang Zheng¡¯s memory, on this continent, there was only one type of people who used this flame. Cultists. Specifically, the believers of the Doomsday Church. Their ¡°Holy Scripture¡± detailed a prophecy that the world would ultimately be consumed and destroyed by flames. Therefore, the followers of the Doomsday Church particularly favored using the power of flames to demonstrate their power and authority, and the primitive, berserk nature of Hellfire, which could turn everything into ash, perfectly illustrated the cultists¡¯ imagination of the flames of destruction. Hence, they had learned how to borrow this fiery power from Hell for combat. The more outstanding the cultist, the more skillful they were in harnessing this power. As for how Fang Zheng knew all this? Quite simple, although he had changed bodies, Williams¡¯s memory was still not forgotten in his brain! As a cultist, that guy was quite qualified. Even Fang Zheng dug up a little secret from his memories¡ªthe heavier the scent of Hellfire on a cultist, the stronger their power. Fang Zheng also learned from Williams¡¯s memories that some crazed high-tier believers would even completely infuse Hellfire into their bodies, using secret techniques to bind its power. This allowed these high-tier believers to use the extremely powerful Hellfire anytime, anywhere, and they could even self-detonate if they were losing¡­ The situation at this stronghold seemed a bit odd to Fang Zheng. From the outside, it looked like it had suffered a fierce attack. It was evident that this stronghold had faced a very fierce assault initially. However, the interior was relatively calm by comparison; most of the rooms were intact, though there were traces of having been searched. This meant that after the stronghold was breached, it quickly surrendered, and then everyone was taken away¡­ Hm? Just then, Fang Zheng¡¯s ears twitched, he then turned his head and looked toward the wall next to him. Soon, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes began to change; his originally deep brown eyes rapidly turned golden, and his pupils transformed into vertical slits. This too was a power Fang Zheng had inherited from the Zerg genes. With this ability, not only could he easily see in the dark, but he could also use a skill similar to ¡°Infrared Detection¡± to scan for the presence of life forms. However, convenient as these abilities were, Fang Zheng could not use them at will. When deploying these skills, his eyes would inevitably transform into the Zerg form. This was naturally hard to explain to others, so unless he was alone or it was absolutely necessary, Fang Zheng was reluctant to reveal the abilities he had from the Zerg. Soon, in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, the world began to change, a vivid red enveloped everything and then dimmed. Right after, Fang Zheng saw a vivid red silhouette leaning against the door on the other side of the wall, taking a fighting stance¡ªit was apparent that the person had sensed something and was planning to launch a surprise attack on him. Was it a survivor? Or an invader? Fang Zheng gripped his longsword, blinked his eyes, and shifted his gaze back. Then, Fang Zheng reached out his hand, grasped the longsword, and forcefully chopped down at that wall! The dazzling sword light, like a battering ram, heavily smashed into the hard wall, causing the stone-constructed wall to cave in and burst. At the same time, the world before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes began to change again. The flying stone fragments suddenly slowed down, turning leisurely in the air, drifting like snails across the sky. This resembled the bullet-time scenes during a raid in FPS games Fang Zheng had played in his previous life, and in fact, this was also the inspiration for his use of his Time Ability, one of the methods he had devised. After all, in the games he played in his previous life, there were numerous ways to utilize time! Fang Zheng leaped into the hole and quickly saw a figure scrambling back, clearly not expecting his adversary to break right through the wall instead of using the door. The person raised their longsword, trying to counterattack. Unfortunately for them, their movements were excruciatingly slow in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, resembling a turtle¡¯s crawl. Before they could even lift their longsword, Fang Zheng¡¯s Sky-Cleaving Sword was already pressed against their neck. At that moment, time resumed. ¡°Clatter¡­¡± Scattered stones flew in every direction, dust spreading all around; the person struggled briefly, but before they could make a next move, Fang Zheng had clearly seen the face of the person in front of him, then he couldn¡¯t help but pause. ¡°Knight Conan? Why is it you? What are you doing here?¡± Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: Chapter 64: Reuniting with an Old Acquaintance Chapter 65: Chapter 64: Reuniting with an Old Acquaintance It was no wonder Fang Zheng was so surprised, for just as he was about to subdue his opponent, he saw the man¡¯s face clearly¡ªit was the very dangerous Knight he had once fought alongside. Fang Zheng just hadn¡¯t expected to encounter him again here. ¡°Who are you?¡± Startled by Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Knight Conan also paused, his struggling hands also coming to a rest. He had thought the other party was a cultist, but to his surprise, this person had recognized him by name, and he looked¡­ somewhat familiar? At that thought, Knight Conan furrowed his brows, looking toward Fang Zheng while desperately searching his memory for his name. However, soon enough, Fang Zheng revealed the answer. ¡°I¡¯m Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°You are Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± Upon hearing this answer, Conan¡¯s realization dawned on him; he eyed Fang Zheng from head to toe, finally recognizing the familiar traces on the young man. ¡°So, you really are alive, Mr. Fang Zheng. Where have you been these past six months? There¡¯s been no news of you at all, and, well, the change in you is quite drastic¡­¡± Fang Zheng understood Conan¡¯s puzzlement. The body he originally had appeared to be about 18 or 19 years old. When remodeling his body, Fang Zheng had chosen how he looked at age 20, so the difference wouldn¡¯t be too great. It was fortunate he had been away for over half a year; if it had been just a few days or months, such a change would have been hard to explain. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, actually. I only returned here a few days ago¡­ I didn¡¯t even realize I had been gone for so long.¡± As he sheathed his longsword, Fang Zheng answered. He wasn¡¯t worried that his response would raise any suspicions in Knight Conan. This was a world where magical civilization was considerably developed, and many mages mastered spells that could connect to different dimensional planes. Moreover, there were many recorded tales of people accidentally entering some worlds. In fact, Fang Zheng had prepared for his return¡­ and yes, he had another daring idea. ¡°I see¡­ Now that makes sense, Great Knight Shi Dong and Grand Knight Mart will be thrilled to know this.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s save catching up for later.¡± Since the other party was someone he knew, Fang Zheng relaxed his guard, looked around again, and then curiously asked, ¡°What exactly happened here? It looks like you¡¯ve been attacked?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly right! Those damn cultists¡­¡± When this matter was brought up, Knight Conan was also filled with anger, and he recounted the whole event to Fang Zheng. Now, Fang Zheng finally understood what had happened in the Main World after his time travel. After he had defeated the Child of Chaos, the underground cavern had collapsed (which finally explained why he had been teleported to this forsaken place). Fortunately, Great Knight Shi Dong and Grand Knight Mart, along with a few remaining Templars, had successfully escaped. The Master of Lich had also vanished without a trace, and the spatial barrier that had been used to block the area was lifted, allowing everyone to return to the Sanctuary subsequently. As a member of the group, Knight Conan was relieved of his squad duties upon his return to the Sanctuary. This was not due to any dissatisfaction from the Bishopric, but rather because the search squad had been a temporary assembly, and now that the mission was completed, everyone naturally disbanded and returned to their respective homes. Incidentally, according to Knight Conan, the Bishopric seemed to have concluded that the Templars who were killed while chasing the cultists were slain by the Master of Lich. Moreover, this time the enemy had killed more than ten Templars to complete the ritual of unsealing the Child of Chaos, firmly pinning the blame on the Master of Lich. After completing his mission, Knight Conan returned to the Northern Alliance, his birthplace and the place where he had become a Templar. He was originally supposed to head to the Order Fortress to participate in battle, but he had been severely injured during the fight with the Master of Lich and was further weakened by a magic-suppressing debuff from the Child of Chaos. Therefore, Conan was appointed to stay behind to monitor the supply lines and to recuperate, as it was relatively safer to be in the rear than at the front. Moreover, with Knight Conan¡¯s abilities, his presence there was naturally fit; otherwise, he would not have been chosen to join the squad that went to Shadow Canyon. At first, his duties were relatively leisurely, but as days passed, Knight Conan began to feel more apprehensive. He was a member of the Order Fortress and knew about the impending Demon Beast disaster. Although he was only able to contribute from behind the lines, he ordered everyone to stay alert and prepare for the Demon Beast onslaught, even dispatching two cavalry squads to patrol between the rear and the frontline. But something strange happened three days ago. It was just as the first snow had fallen. Knight Conan noticed that he had not received any communication from the Order Fortress, which puzzled him. According to protocol, the Order Fortress should have contacted the rear positions as soon as the first snow fell to ensure that everyone was prepared for the Demon Beast disaster. This procedure had not changed since Conan joined the Sanctuary, but by late at night when the first snowfall continued, he still had not received any communication, prompting Conan to immediately dispatch a cavalry squad to the Order Fortress to check on the situation while trying to contact the frontline using the Sanctuary¡¯s communication crystal. Still, there was no response. At this point, Knight Conan felt that something was terribly wrong, and he immediately reported back to the headquarters of the Sanctuary, only to find that he could not make contact with headquarters either. In that moment, Knight Conan was greatly alarmed, having never encountered such a situation before. But being an elite knight who had confronted the Master of Lich in Shadow Canyon, his reaction was swift. He urgently ordered the entire base to lock down and initiated Level One battle readiness. Unfortunately, the enemy¡¯s actions were quicker than Conan had anticipated. Before his orders could even be communicated, those damn cultists had launched an attack. They assaulted the entire base, and initially, the Sanctuary Soldiers fought against the cultists, but their opponents were overwhelmingly strong, including among them a Destruction Mage who could manipulate Hellfire! The Destruction Mage was a central figure of the Doomsday Sect, equivalent in power to a Grand Knight. If Shi Dong or Mart had been there, perhaps they could have stalled their advance. But Conan, merely a Templar and recently recovered from grave illness, was no match for them. Before he could even act, the enemy had deployed a Hellfire Explosion that demolished the tower he was in, burying Conan in the rubble. Fortunately, his life was spared, for this unlucky lad was not crushed to death, but upon waking, he found the entire base deserted. Conan himself barely managed to escape from the debris, and just as he was tending his wounds and planning to track down those cultists, Fang Zheng appeared. At that moment, Conan did not realize it was Fang Zheng; he thought the cultists had returned, so he hid by the wall, waiting to take a hostage, but unexpectedly¡­ he encountered Fang Zheng. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± After listening to Knight Conan¡¯s account, Fang Zheng had not much to say but sighed and patted the other man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright, relax a bit. At least you¡¯re still alive, and that¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± After all, considering your name¡­ I won¡¯t say anything more. ¡°Ah¡­¡± However, Knight Conan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look too good. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m only worried about what exactly happened at the fortress. Facing the Demon Beast disaster, they simply couldn¡¯t detach themselves. Without supplies from the rear, the fortress can¡¯t hold out for a month! And now, our communication with the rear has been completely cut off¡­ Those cultists also captured my subordinates, and I¡¯m really worried about what they might do¡­¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no reaction from our base after losing contact?¡± Faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Knight Conan shook his head with a grim expression. ¡°Though nominally, the Northern Alliance should send someone to check, in reality, it¡¯s us, the Sanctuary, handling everything. Moreover¡­¡± At this point, Knight Conan didn¡¯t say much more, just let out a long sigh. Fang Zheng naturally understood his meaning. In this continent, the relationships between nations were very delicate, even more so than on Earth. Although this continent was headed by a few of the strongest nations like the Kingdom of the Holy Church, other nations couldn¡¯t compare with them. But these powerful nations also couldn¡¯t oppress the smaller ones as they wished, like those on Earth. He had initially thought that the great powers in this world could do as they pleased. However, after reviewing the Sanctuary¡¯s records, Fang Zheng realized that this world was not exactly as he had perceived. The reason is simple, because this is a world of magic! A weak nation bullied by a great power, then destroyed, with their prince having to flee from home, subsequently encountering adventures and ultimately becoming a powerful Legendary Powerhouse who returns for revenge. These plots aren¡¯t just the stuff of novels on this continent; they¡¯ve genuinely happened, and more than once! There have even been instances where weak nations, unable to resist oppression, ultimately fell into complete despair and sacrificed their citizens to open the gates of Hell, plunging the entire continent into a dark period of warfare lasting a full one hundred fifty years. These events aren¡¯t just fiction, but are genuinely written in history books! This is a world of magic, anything is possible! Although those people ultimately perished for various reasons, and that mad nation was completely destroyed, these are bloody lessons! How can you be sure that there won¡¯t be another Long Aotian among those weak nations? Not to mention destroying your entire country, just casually killing a few members of your royal family, or targeting your capital with a series of Five Fireballs explosive attacks, wouldn¡¯t you be throwing away centuries of dignity? Even without magic, Earthlings can crash planes into buildings, play with human bombs just as smoothly. In this world, those aren¡¯t just human bombs; they¡¯re nuclear bombs! You might end up creating disasters lasting for centuries. This is also why those small countries haven¡¯t been completely swallowed up by the large nations. In the past, there hasn¡¯t been a lack of ambitious monarchs trying to obliterate these small nations, but all were ultimately thwarted for reasons like this. After stirring chaos across the continent for several hundred years, these great nations have reached a consensus¡ªwhy forcibly drive people into despair? The barefoot aren¡¯t afraid of the shoed. With our vast land, abundant resources, and such a harmonious and stable society, why force people to their deaths, and then sacrifice a flood through Hell¡¯s gates, dragging us down too? Isn¡¯t that just madness? Finally, after the event of that cataclysmic sacrifice, all the nations across the continent gathered in Caron and signed the world-renowned ¡®Violet Pact¡¯, agreeing that unless in an emergency, no nation shall lightly declare war on another. It also set the terms of alliances between various nations. So now, the situation on this continent is essentially that all the nations form alliances with each other, binding themselves together through economic or military means. The relationship between the Northern Alliance and the Kingdom of the Holy Church is just like that. The Northern Alliance, originally a union of smaller tribes from the north, then sent representatives to forge an alliance with the Kingdom of the Holy Church. The Kingdom assists them in guarding the borders, maintaining order, and eliminating Chaos. As a return, the Northern Alliance is responsible for supplying logistical support and materials to the Order Fortress. The partnership had always been good, but Knight Conan knew that things weren¡¯t actually that simple. There were many troubles within the Northern Alliance itself¡­ But now wasn¡¯t the time to talk about these, so he quickly shifted the topic. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, what is your view?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Hearing Knight Conan¡¯s question, Fang Zheng thought for a moment. ¡°In short, let¡¯s see how things play out first.¡± Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Top-up to Change Fate Chapter 66: Chapter 65 Top-up to Change Fate ¡°No, it¡¯s completely damaged.¡± Looking at the dimly colored communication crystal in front of him, Knight Conan wore a dejected expression. The communication crystal was a unique communication device specific to this continent, functioning similarly to video chatting. However, because it required a significant amount of energy to operate and was complex in construction and expensive, only various organizations could afford it; ordinary civilians couldn¡¯t use it. This particular communication crystal was even more tragic; it had been directly dismantled. Looking at the contact crystal before him, Mr. Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. He had learned about the workings of the communication crystal from Knight Conan, which essentially operated like radio communication. But the enemy wasn¡¯t foolish either; they understood how to employ electronic warfare to suppress communication¡­ In another dimension, this would definitely qualify as high-tech warfare. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, we need you to think of something. Honestly, I¡¯ve got no good ideas left.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing Knight Conan¡¯s request, Mr. Fang Zheng furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°Under the current circumstances, I think the most important thing is to relay the information here to the front lines and the rear. Since the enemy has cut off our communication this way, naturally, restoring communication is the highest priority. So¡­¡± As he spoke, Mr. Fang Zheng looked toward the three people in front of him¡ªaside from Conan, Garrison and Lady Fina had also arrived here. After hearing about the outpost¡¯s situation, both were taken aback and, of course, felt obliged to stay and help. ¡°I suggest we split into three groups. One group should head to the fortress to inform them of the situation at the rear and also hope they can devise a strategy to address the problem. Another group should go to the rear to notify the Sanctuary headquarters about what¡¯s happened here. The last group should track those cultists. Since they¡¯ve cut off communication, they must be planning something. We need to figure out the cultists¡¯ objective so that we can be somewhat prepared.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great plan!¡± Hearing this, Knight Conan¡¯s eyes lit up, continuously nodding in agreement. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t thought of a similar strategy; it just wasn¡¯t as comprehensive as Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s. Of course, by that time, Knight Conan didn¡¯t have enough hands, and he probably couldn¡¯t have done it even if he had thought of it. But now there was another problem: How exactly should the groups be divided? ¡°I can track those cultists!¡± Yet surprisingly, Garrison was the first to volunteer. ¡°I am a local. I know this environment well, and having grown up hunting in the forest with my brother, I¡¯m also skilled at tracking. I¡¯m certain I can find those cultists!¡± ¡°No.¡± But unexpectedly, Mr. Fang Zheng shook his head. ¡°Tracking cultists is the heaviest task of the three. The Order Fortress and the rear only need accurate information, and I think both sides will take measures as soon as they perceive something is wrong, so nothing but time is wasted. However, the cultists¡¯ intent is critical. We don¡¯t know exactly what those cultists want to do, but from what Knight Conan has described, their actions are clearly premeditated, not impulsive. And you are just an ordinary person; if anything happens to you, no one can save you, and the leads could be lost.¡± ¡°Then what should we do, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± Hearing this, Lady Fina also uneasily spoke up, as Mr. Fang Zheng scanned everyone before making a decision. ¡°Here is what we¡¯ll do, Knight Conan, you will be responsible for contacting the Order Fortress. You¡¯re the only face they recognize, and only by your going personally to the Order Fortress can their concerns be alleviated. As for the rear¡­ I¡¯m afraid Garrison and Lady Fina will have to make the trip. Garrison is a local and familiar with the terrain. Lady Fina is an apprentice priest at the Sanctuary, and as long as Knight Conan writes a letter, having Lady Fina deliver it to the Sanctuary headquarters should provoke a reaction. As for those cultists¡­¡± While he spoke, Mr. Fang Zheng pointed to himself. ¡°Leave them to me to handle. Although I¡¯m not particularly familiar with this area, I¡¯m somewhat skilled in tracking. And I¡¯m confident in my own strength; even if I can¡¯t beat them, I can run.¡± ¡°Is this not too dangerous?¡± Although Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s plan made sense, Knight Conan was still worried. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, are you sure you¡¯ll be alright on your own?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, it¡¯s really too dangerous for you to be alone here, especially in winter¡­¡± At that moment, Garrison also began to persuade him. ¡°Not to mention the Forest of No Return, the Dark Marsh is also a very terrifying place. It is said that there are many areas that even a Grand Knight would not dare to venture into alone. What would happen if something happened to you alone?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing the persuasion from both, Fang Zheng also slightly furrowed his brow. While he had considered these issues, he had not expected the place to be this dangerous. Although Fang Zheng felt confident with his time manipulation, along with two Soulstones, he thought nothing could possibly go wrong. But who knows? After all, no one could guarantee such things, right? Not to mention that Fang Zheng¡¯s dimensional teleportation was still in cooldown. If he encountered troubles he couldn¡¯t deal with, he really would have nowhere to run. At that moment, Fina stood up, timidly raising her hand. ¡°Um¡­ I have a suggestion. Why don¡¯t I go with Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°You?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng was momentarily stunned, and Fina nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes, according to Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s plan, we need two groups to ride quickly to notify the fortress and the rear, but currently there are no spare warhorses at the base, only our two draft horses. If I go with Garrison, I would slow him down. Moreover, according to Sir Conan, the enemy has a Destruction Mage¡­ I am a cleric of the Sanctuary, and a spellcaster myself, so I think I could be somewhat helpful in this respect.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Fang Zheng was genuinely tempted by Fina¡¯s proposal. Although the apprentice priest was rather single-minded, she had her strengths. Furthermore, she was right. Since arriving in this world, Fang Zheng had only encountered Miss Angel and the Master of Lich among the spellcasters, both of whom were more bizarre than the other. There was no need to mention the Master of Lich, who even made Mart and Shi Dong struggle. But even that gentle astrologer was able to conjure a Star Spirit in a mysterious way, which really said something. The enemy had a Destruction Mage, they had spellcasters, so he couldn¡¯t afford to take things lightly. Even with the capability of time manipulation, if he accidentally found himself overturned in a ditch, it would really be tragic. Moreover, Fina was right about the horses. With Garrison and Knight Conan each having one, naturally, there was none left for Fina. Time was of the essence, and sharing one horse between two was neither convenient nor fast. Therefore, in the end, Fang Zheng agreed to Fina¡¯s request to take her along, while Knight Conan and Garrison would head separately to the Order Fortress and the Sanctuary. With time pressing, once the decision was made, they wasted no more time. Although the warhorses at the base had been killed by the cultists, the harnesses were still there. Thus, it didn¡¯t take much effort for them to unhook the two draft horses from the cart, harness them up, and set off immediately after a brief preparation. As Garrison and Knight Conan left one after the other, soon, only Fang Zheng and Fina were left at the base. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, when do we depart?¡± ¡°Prepare some supplies first. Unlike them, we might face more difficulties, and I¡­ need to make some preparations.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s order, Fina nodded without hesitation, and immediately went to the warehouse to prepare the supplies. Although the cultists had abducted people, they had not taken the supplies. Of course, most things were burnt by them, but some supplies had survived. Perhaps not enough for a base, but for Fang Zheng and Fina, it was already enough. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Watching Fina turn away to leave, Fang Zheng sighed deeply and then reached out, looking at the Spirit Crystal in his hand. This was something he had asked from Knight Conan before he left. Although Knight Conan did not know what Fang Zheng needed them for, he had quickly given him the remaining dozen Spirit Crystals from the fortress. After all, this was the rearguard of the Order Fortress, where countless demon beasts were killed every year, making Spirit Crystals more abundant here. Even though the reserve Spirit Crystals in the warehouse had been stolen by the cultists, Knight Conan, as the base commander, still had some private property, which he had promptly given to Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng naturally felt embarrassed¡­ but he accepted them. ¡°Transformation!¡± As Fang Zheng murmured, the Spirit Crystal in his palm began to gradually decompose into photon particles, then disappeared into the air. Concurrently, the transformed Crystal Energy also appeared in front of Fang Zheng. ¡°485 Crystal Energy, huh? Plus the previous¡­ about 575 Crystal Energy¡­ that¡¯s enough!¡± Seeing the Crystal Energy appear before him, Fang Zheng excitedly clenched his fists. Next, it was time to summon his own Miss Angel! Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Come Out, My Miss Angel! Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Come Out, My Miss Angel! Fang Zheng¡¯s confidence wasn¡¯t without reason. Generally speaking, there are several ways to do card draws in mobile games, with the most common being single draws and ten-packs, and perhaps even friendship draws. But beyond that, there¡¯s a situation that designers must take into account. After all, in mobile games, top-ups rule. But the problem is that the controlled probability in mobile games is limited. You can¡¯t guarantee that every top-up tycoon will be able to escape Africa and enter Europe. What if someone is born with an African aura, and no matter how much they draw, they can¡¯t get the card they want? What then? Could you really afford to drive away a top-up tycoon who¡¯s finally willing to spend money? Of course, that¡¯s impossible. But what if the tycoon doesn¡¯t get a five-star and doesn¡¯t want to play anymore? That¡¯s when a new way to top-up emerges. That is¡­ Special Summon! As with many mobile games, in ¡°Dimensional Codex¡±, there are two types of Dimensional Count: the non-compensatory and the compensatory. The non-compensatory Dimensional Count is what players earn from completing tasks, and the compensatory¡­ is naturally from topping-up. Special Summon is a way to summon exclusively using compensatory Dimensional Points. Players can perform a ten-pack draw with compensatory Dimensional Points, and a Special Summon will always yield a Gold or Fantasy-grade Soulstone. That¡¯s why Fang Zheng was so oddly confident¡ªtopping-up can change your fate! Generally, Special Summons are only available during events, but Fang Zheng has a test build, so he set it to open once a month. Originally, Fang Zheng had not considered resorting to such a ¡°top-up-esque¡± method to escape Africa and enter Europe, but now it seems he has no choice but to¡­ Relying on instance-derived Dimensional Points, who knows when he would have enough for a ten-pack. Of course, Crystal Top-ups were a bit of a challenge too, considering Spirit Crystals weren¡¯t exactly a circulating currency and were hard to collect. Even the many years of Knight Conan¡¯s collection barely amounted to enough for a ten-pack, and if it hadn¡¯t been for the fifty Dimensional Points he got from cleaning up a pack of Black Wolves in Sweetwater Town, he wouldn¡¯t even have enough for a ten-pack now. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start. Escape from Africa, change fate with a top-up. Spirits of the earth and sky, may the cute Miss Angel manifest quickly!¡± After exchanging 500 Crystal Energy for 100 Dimensional Points, Fang Zheng immediately opened the Dimensional Codex, rubbed his hands together, and made a sincere praying gesture. If there really were deities in this world¡­ Well, there definitely were deities in this world, if they could hear my prayers, please grace me with a workable Archangel! I¡¯m fed up with hiding and not daring to show my face with the Lich King and Queen of Blades! While praying in his heart, Fang Zheng took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands once more, took a deep breath, and then placed his hand on the Dimensional Codex. The next moment, a dazzling array unfolded before him. Then, ten tiny light points began to rotate around Fang Zheng, picking up speed. As they spun, countless golden photon particles appeared out of thin air, merging into the ten light points and causing them to grow into ten light orbs, and then¡­ ¡°Boom!¡± With a soft sound, the first light orb burst open, revealing a golden pentagonal crystal. Reinforcement Stone, next! ¡°Boom!¡± The second light orb burst open, containing a silvery-white, spherical crystal ball. Energy Stone, next! ¡°Boom boom boom boom boom!!!¡± Fang Zheng blasted open seven in a row, all of which were damned Reinforcement Stones or Energy Stones, which was quite frustrating. Luckily, there was the guaranteed Gold, so he patiently clicked on the eighth Soulstone. ¡°Boom!!¡± This time Fang Zheng¡¯s patience finally paid off, as the aura burst apart, and a Soulstone shimmering with golden radiance appeared before him, and to his greater joy, it was imprinted with a pair of wings! Ha ha ha, my desired Miss Angel is coming! Seeing this Soulstone, Fang Zheng¡¯s face broke into an excited smile, and then he reached out and grabbed it. Then, everything transformed. First, a void appeared before his eyes. At the same time, a deep voice echoed in Fang Zheng¡¯s ear. ¡°I heard a voice, but I don¡¯t know what it is¡­¡± The scene spun, the void transformed, and a golden, ornate cup appeared before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t filled with drink, but with a swirling cosmos. Inside, Fang Zheng felt as if he saw something, yet as if he saw nothing at all. ¡°I sought answers from the Holy Grail but received no response. However, I knew where the voice came from¡­¡± The scene changed again, the viewer¡¯s perspective descended silently from the Peak of White Clouds, feather-like onto a brand-new continent. ¡°I arrived at Sanctuary, the world where humans dwell. The souls calling me were not there. I pursued those voices relentlessly, and finally, I understood where they were¡­¡± ¡°` The next moment, the world began to change, a blood-red sky and shattered earth enveloping the entire view. Looking up, there were countless souls wandering here, emitting painful wails that seemed to narrate their unfortunate fates. ¡°Souls spiraled and churned. I suddenly understood the truth of mortals. Whether in struggling agony or soaring triumphs, all paths of life inevitably lead to death. This¡­ is wisdom¡­¡± The world grew dimmer, and scenes flashed before Fang Zheng. Among them were brave warriors as well as vile villains. Some were willing to fight for justice until the very last moment, while others succumbed to the temptations of evil, becoming servants of darkness. ¡°Human souls display tremendous potential, they can be as virtuous and valiant as Angels in heaven, or as vile and cruel as Demons in hell. This free will to choose shouldn¡¯t be granted to them because they are nothing more than flesh and blood, born only to die¡­¡± Soon, everything would vanish. Fang Zheng saw cities burning in fierce flames, and death was omnipresent. Savage Devils slaughtered innocent civilians, and Angels too raised their spears against those who dared to resist them. ¡°Humans are inherently fallen and don¡¯t deserve the right to choose between good and evil. Neither Angels nor Demons make choices, and that is the truth¡­¡± The world gradually turned pitch black, the icy Wings of Death beginning to spread, overshadowing everything. ¡°Demons are easy to deal with, but before humans become too powerful, I must exterminate them root and branch. Only in this way can the eternal war end, because¡­ no one can stop death!¡± The shattered scenes restored themselves, and Fang Zheng stood dumbfounded in his room, looking at the pure white Soulstone in his hand, glowing with a golden radiance, completely at a loss for words. Well, the Angel of Death is still an Angel, no problem there! I have a word MMP! I don¡¯t know whether to say it or not!! Fang Zheng now had a feeling that he was straying further and further from the path of a big BOSS¡­ What did I do wrong? Why do things have to be this hard for me? ¡°Ding!¡± Just as Fang Zheng was wordlessly questioning the heavens, suddenly a system prompt sounded in his ear and a line of information appeared before his eyes. [User has obtained a Soul Summoning Stone] [Summon Binding initiated] [User has gained Summon Binding slot: 1] A Soul Summoning Stone? Seeing this prompt, Fang Zheng was startled, then quickly turned to look, only to find that behind this Soulstone, in the last two spheres, one burst with an Energy Stone, and the other¡­ was a hexagonal white crystal stone shape, with angel-like wings imprinted on it! This was a Silver Rank Soul Summoning Stone! How could there be a Soul Summoning Stone? Of course, Fang Zheng knew he had designed something called the Soul Summoning Stone, after all, nurturing followers and growing affinity was also a major selling point of top-up mobile games. The Soul Summoning Stone was a special type of Soulstone that players could place in their soul space and then summon to fight alongside them. According to Fang Zheng¡¯s design, these Soul Summoning Stones were supposed to be obtained by players through unlocking story processes in chapter challenges, then acquiring Soul Fragments, and finally piecing them together. However, considering the nature of the game, these Summoning Soulstones came in different strengths, and there were various ways to match them¡­ It¡¯s just that Fang Zheng didn¡¯t get to finish them before he time-traveled. So, from which world did this Summoning Soulstone come? Just as Fang Zheng was about to pick up the Soul Summoning Stone to take a closer look, suddenly, Fina¡¯s voice came from outside the door. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, are you ready?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng quickly snapped his fingers and stowed away the Soulstone and the Dimensional Codex. Then he strode to the door and pulled it open. Outside, Miss Cleric was already fully armed, waiting for his appearance. ¡°Time waits for no one, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°` Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Pursuit Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Pursuit The cultists had left their base for some time, but this wasn¡¯t much of a problem for Fang Zheng. With the keen perception of the Zerg, he quickly picked up the faint smell of sulfur lingering in the air. Following the scent, he and Fina didn¡¯t have to work too hard to find the lingering traces left by the cultists. In fact, this wasn¡¯t difficult at all. According to Knight Conan, aside from the cavalry patrolling outside, there were a total of thirty Sanctuary Warriors inside the base. That was no small number. Moreover, the cultists didn¡¯t kill them all but took them captive instead and left. Moving so many people at once without leaving traces would have been an impossible story. Therefore, it didn¡¯t take much time for Fang Zheng and Fina to determine the direction the cultists had left in, and they tracked them down without delay. Fang Zheng was mainly responsible for tracking, and Fina wasn¡¯t idle either. Although this rookie Cleric was somewhat dogmatic, the benefit of dogmatism was that at least she knew everything she was taught in the books. So, along the way, Fina was in charge of detecting any potential Magic Seals left behind by the cultists. According to Fina, to avoid detection, cultists often released warning seals in places they passed through. This was a very simple spell that would immediately alert the caster if someone crossed the seal. Because this spell was very convenient and only lasted for half an hour¡ªneither too long nor too short¡ªit had become a signature spell for many spellcasters to use as an alert. As a Cleric, Fina had naturally learned to use and detect this kind of spell. Right now, she was responsible for analyzing and searching for these seals to avoid Fang Zheng accidentally activating an alarm, which would certainly complicate matters. So, Fang Zheng was left to track the residual traces of the cultists while Fina followed by his side, guarding their surroundings and searching for Magic Seals. The two cooperated quite well. What Fang Zheng found interesting was that this Apprentice Priest, though seemingly fragile, actually had excellent physical quality. They had been traveling since leaving the base; half a day had passed, and they had climbed over a mountain, yet Fina by his side was still not showing any signs of strain or breathlessness. Fang Zheng himself had the physical quality of the Zerg, so he had no concerns about physical strength, but he was surprised that this Apprentice Cleric had such fortitude. Then again, he thought, people in this world seemed to temper their bodies through the cultivation of the Power of the Star Spirits, which explained her endurance. Of course, this also had its disadvantages, like Shi Dong and Mart, who usually seemed invincible, but were immediately incapacitated by a DEBUFF thrown by the Child of Chaos¡­ Perhaps the cultists were overconfident after breaking the base or they had more important matters to attend to. Thus, throughout their journey, they didn¡¯t seem to hide their traces, and with Fina responsible for guarding against the Magic Seals, Fang Zheng was able to speed up his search. At last, as the day approached dusk, Fina finally made a new discovery. ¡°There¡¯s a fluctuation from a Magic Seal ahead, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± ¡°Magic Seal?¡± On hearing Fina¡¯s warning, Fang Zheng quickly halted his steps, feeling a surge of excitement in his heart. According to Fina, a Magic Seal only lasted for half an hour. They hadn¡¯t seen any Magic Seals all this way, which might indicate that the cultists weren¡¯t on guard or that the effect of the Magic Seals had expired. If the latter were true, it meant they were still quite far from their quarry. The appearance of a Magic Seal now suggested they had closed the distance, and they might be no more than half an hour away from the cultists. ¡°Is there a way?¡± Responding to Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, Fina nodded confidently. ¡°Certainly, I can temporarily block the power of the Magic Seal. I can only maintain it for about ten seconds, but I believe that will be enough.¡± The manifestation of a Magic Seal was linear rather than circular, meaning it was more like an invisible wall formed by magic. Anyone crossing this wall would be detected. This was why Magic Seals were difficult to bypass, and thus, were commonly used in tracking and guarding. However, for spellcasters, naturally, there are means to deal with it. Mr. Fang Zheng looked at the cleric maiden beside him, only to see Lady Fina take a couple of steps forward, staring at the empty air in front of her, then she took a deep breath and raised the scepter in her hand. This was the object Fina had been holding all along, around the length of a person¡¯s forearm, entirely in silver-white, with strange patterns and characters carved upon it, and a round, white crystal embedded at the tip of the scepter. Mr. Fang Zheng was not sure whether this was standard equipment for a cleric, but judging by Fina¡¯s demeanor, it seemed likely that it was. ¡°Holy Light of Order, please grant me the power to shield the truth!¡± Chanting softly, Lady Fina raised her scepter and gently touched the empty air in front of her. Quickly, Mr. Fang Zheng saw a white light beam shoot out from the tip of the scepter, striking the air. Then, the air in front of him began to ripple like water, and suddenly, a peculiar wall appeared before Mr. Fang Zheng. It was entirely transparent blue, with mysterious runes glittering on it. These runes combined to form a wall about ten centimeters thick that stretched out, resembling a tall city wall blocking the way in front of the two of them. Except this wall, although it appeared towering, was not at all substantial, looking instead like a theatrical backdrop. Under the scepter¡¯s light beam, the initially shining wall gradually dimmed, and soon, Mr. Fang Zheng watched as the floating rune glows were extinguished one by one. Afterward, the formerly blue barrier turned into a shade of gray. ¡°Now, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he replied. Hearing Lady Fina¡¯s words, he nodded and then looked up at the barrier before him and stepped into it. Passing through the entire barrier was just a blink of an eye for Mr. Fang Zheng, and what surprised him was that despite having entered the barrier, he felt absolutely nothing. Even the keen senses granted to him by the Zerg did not detect any movement. This deepened Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s curiosity and solemnity regarding the magic of this world. It seems he must find a way to investigate how exactly the magic of this world works. ¡°Strange¡­¡± While Mr. Fang Zheng was pondering his future plans, Lady Fina also passed through the barrier, but at this moment, there was not a trace of excitement on her face. Instead, she turned her head, looking back at the barrier with full-faced confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lady Fina?¡± Seeing Lady Fina¡¯s puzzled expression, Mr. Fang Zheng timely asked, since she, although not a mage, was also a spellcaster, it would be good to gather a bit of information from her. Lady Fina didn¡¯t think much before she quickly spoke out. ¡°Just now, Sir Knight Conan mentioned that they have a Destruction Mage, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, he did say that.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s strange¡­ I don¡¯t feel the presence of Hell on this magic seal¡­¡± ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s another spellcaster?¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then quickly thought of something. ¡°Could it be a Necromancer or a Lich? They¡¯ve always been close to the cultists¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s different, Mr. Fang Zheng. You¡¯re not a spellcaster, so perhaps you don¡¯t understand this aspect. Although many professions are able to cast spells, there¡¯s always a remnant aura on their spells. Just like Destruction Mages, their released spells will definitely carry the presence of Hell, while the spells cast by Necromancers and Liches will mix with the aura of death. Even the Divine Arts we clerics and bishops release contain a similar sacred aura. But the aura on the magic seal just now isn¡¯t evil, nor does it have that sense of death and destruction. It feels very intricate, more like¡­¡± ¡°More like what?¡± This time Fina hesitated for quite a while before she finally gave a low reply. ¡°It¡¯s more like a spell released by a Mage from the Order School¡­ and moreover, it seems that the caster is of no low rank¡­¡± ¡°About what rank?¡± ¡°Judging by the power of the magic seal, at the very least, it¡¯s of Elite Level.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Upon hearing Fina¡¯s answer, Fang Zheng nodded. He had some idea of his own strength, too. Before he had traveled to ¡®Edge of Tomorrow,¡¯ according to Shi Dong, his normal strength should be about average among the elites. In the battle at Shadow Canyon, Fang Zheng could confirm that if he fought with all his strength, an ordinary Templar was no match for him at all. Even if faced with Shi Dong and Mart, he still had the power to fight, and if he activated the Soulstone, the two of them would surely die. As for the Master of Lich, Fang Zheng felt that only by activating the Soulstone would he be able to fight it, though the outcome of the battle was uncertain. Now, with the Time Ability and significantly enhanced physical quality, it meant that he already possessed the strength of the Elite Pinnacle level in his daily life. If he activated the skill of the Soulstone, he would definitely reach Grandmaster, and if he activated the Soulstone, he would assuredly attain Legendary status. This was also why Fang Zheng volunteered to come here to track down those cultists. As long as there were no forces at the level of the Master of Lich among the opponents, in theory, dealing with these guys should be as easy as dealing with grandchildren for him. Moreover, Fang Zheng wanted to try out the performance of the Time Ability in actual combat. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± Although Fang Zheng was a bit curious about a Mage from the Order School popping out among cultists, he didn¡¯t dwell on it too much. Instead, Fina looked solemn and seemed to be pondering something. Next, the two of them connected several more times, passing through the magic seal barriers, and finally, they stopped at the edge of a forest. The reason was simple¡­ even Fina could no longer find a way through this time. ¡°No good, this forest is protected by a very strong Illusion Barrier and Alarm Barrier.¡± After some attempts, Fina had no choice but to convey this unfortunate news to Fang Zheng. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to bypass it, but these barriers are interlocked. If there¡¯s an issue with one barrier, the other barriers will immediately be activated, causing a chain reaction¡­ I think this must be the cultists¡¯ camp.¡± ¡°It seems they indeed have something to hide¡­¡± Upon hearing Fina¡¯s report, Fang Zheng frowned. If there wasn¡¯t a problem, would these cultists bother to set up such elaborate stuff? No matter what, there must be something fishy inside! However¡­ Fang Zheng simply couldn¡¯t enter the forest right now. Although he could use the Time Ability to accelerate, according to Fina, those barriers would react immediately upon detecting traces. Fang Zheng¡¯s ability didn¡¯t involve space, and so if he were to enter the barrier, he could at most only delay the reaction time of the barrier. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Through the life detection of the Zerg, Fang Zheng could clearly feel that there were indeed several life forms deep inside the forest. It seemed that the cultists and their captives must be there. But the dense forest blocked his view, so even if Fang Zheng had excellent vision, he couldn¡¯t possibly see what the other party was doing. If only there was an unmanned aircraft for aerial reconnaissance¡­ Hmm? At this thought, Fang Zheng suddenly brightened. Hadn¡¯t he just summoned a Soulstone? If he remembered correctly, it was an Angel, right? If it was an Angel¡­ at least¡­ it should be able to fly, right? Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: Chapter 68: The Summon Falling from the Sky Chapter 69: Chapter 68: The Summon Falling from the Sky ¡°Miss Fina, please wait here for a moment.¡± After making his decision, Fang Zheng immediately stood up and looked at the Cleric Maiden beside him. ¡°Huh? Of course, no problem¡­ But Mr. Fang Zheng, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I want to try to break through these barriers.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Fina was instantly shocked. Throughout their journey, she had already discovered that the young man beside her knew nothing about spells. Now, why did he suddenly think about breaking through barriers? ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Taking into account the action he was about to take, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment and then organized his thoughts before speaking again. ¡°I have a special ability that allows me to communicate and summon beings from Another World. Since I now have such power, maybe I can summon an existence that can solve these problems.¡± Of course, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t speak with absolute certainty. Although, theoretically, summoning an Angel seemed much more reassuring than summoning a Demon, considering his past three absurd summoning results, Fang Zheng had to be extremely cautious. It was fine when he summoned Little Brother Ma, but if the Soul Summoning Stone summoned Izuor, that would indeed be problematic beyond explanation. Therefore, to be safe, Fang Zheng planned to stealthily summon by himself first to see who the other party was. If the being was presentable, he would bring it out; if not, he would dismiss it. And upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s explanation, Fina showed a surprised expression. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, are you actually a Summoner?¡± ¡°I just have that ability, and success isn¡¯t guaranteed.¡± Fang Zheng certainly wouldn¡¯t admit he was a Summoner¡­ although he indeed seemed to be one. ¡°But please be careful. After all, summoning creatures from Another World is a very dangerous matter. If you summon some dangerous being¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know my limits.¡± Fang Zheng knew what Fina wanted to say, but he wasn¡¯t very worried. Although he wasn¡¯t sure what he could summon, at least he designed the system himself. He had considered everything that should be considered while designing his system, although it was not yet perfect, he had thought of the important aspects. The only thing missing was the details¡­ and now that the Dimensional Codex had automatically filled in these details, he had no other choice but to use it. After persuading Fina, Fang Zheng turned around and walked behind a large boulder. Then he reached out his hand, and soon the Dimensional Codex appeared in his hands again, opening automatically. The heavy pages slowly turned and then came to a stop. ¡°Is it here?¡± Looking at the hexagonal copper frame on the page in front of him, Fang Zheng nodded. Summoning and binding required embedding the Soul Summoning Stone in this way, and the initial binding space was only one. To open others, players had to top-up. According to the settings, players could simultaneously summon up to ten souls. Of course¡­ the top-up amount required wouldn¡¯t be small. However, for Fang Zheng, this was enough for now. At this thought, he raised his right hand and made a grabbing motion towards the empty air, quickly revealing the Silver Grade Soul Summoning Stone between his fingers. Then he took the Soulstone and squinted, examining it closely. But he found nothing, and in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, the Soulstone carried no information. This was, of course, expected, because when Fang Zheng set up the system, the Soul Summoning Stone had to be embedded for summoning before its true nature would be revealed. Not only that, but initially, players knew very little about these summoned souls. They could only understand each other by fighting side by side, raising affection, and gradually making more in-depth connections. As affection increased, players would gradually discover and master the powerful forces hidden within these souls. The one thing that provided Fang Zheng with a bit of relief was that, if he remembered correctly, he had once requested the development team to set ninety percent of the summonable souls as cute girls. Hmm? You ask why? Is that even a question? With no digital girlfriend, who¡¯s going to spend on the game? Now, he just hoped that things here would be the same as his settings¡ªa cute girl would be great¡­ of course, it would be even better if she could be brought out! With those thoughts in mind, Fang Zheng silently prayed while placing the Soul Summoning Stone into the recess on the pages. ¡°Click.¡± With a light click, the Dimensional Codex, now embedded with the Soulstone, closed once again and began to spin rapidly. Then, Fang Zheng saw a dazzling Light Orb streak across the sky like a shooting star, before descending from the heavens and landing on the Codex. ¡°Boom!!¡± Accompanied by a low rumble, violent air currents suddenly erupted from the center of the Light Orb, so fierce that even Fang Zheng had to turn away and shield his face with his hand to block the flying sand and stones. After a moment, when the violent air currents calmed down, Fang Zheng turned to look ahead, then his eyes widened in astonishment. What appeared before Fang Zheng was a girl who seemed to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. She had azure long hair tied into two ponytails hanging at her sides, porcelain-like fair skin, a cute face, azure eyes, and delicate features that made her look as adorable as a doll. She wore an outfit resembling a super short dress with a white base and black trim, and her lower half was adorned with white boots and black thigh-high stockings, all under the cover of a white cloak. However, what intrigued Fang Zheng the most were her ears and the enormous pitch-black collar around her neck. Her ears were not of the human shape Fang Zheng had imagined. They protruded from her hair as two white, elongated objects, resembling some kind of high-tech gear. The girl¡¯s collar was even more startling. It was so large that it looked like it could bury her chin, and although it appeared to be a typical metal collar on the surface, when combined with a few segments of chains, it gave off an odd feeling. Furthermore, behind the girl was a pair of wings shimmering with colorful radiance, transparent and beautiful, gently fluttering. With a quiet gaze, the girl looked at Fang Zheng and then spoke. ¡°Electronic Warfare Omnipotent Angel, TYPE ¦Â, Nymph reporting for duty. Please issue your command, Master.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­¡± Facing the petite and adorable girl before him, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say. Although he was mentally prepared that he might not summon a normal angel, the girl that appeared still left Fang Zheng at a loss for words. Electronic Warfare Omnipotent Angel? What in the world is that? And that TYPE ¦Â, why does it sound like a robot¡¯s code? Wait, her ears also look mechanical, right? Don¡¯t tell me I have summoned an Artificial Angel? Is that even possible?¡­ Well, Artificial Angel or not, an angel is an angel, no problem! With the precedent set by Little Brother Ma, Fang Zheng quickly regained his composure. He cursed his own system inwardly for not doing the right thing and then turned to the girl with a slight smile. ¡°Hello, Nymph, my name is Fang Zheng. I hope you can fight alongside me¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°No, that is my duty, Master.¡± But before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an anxious and fearful Nymph. ¡°Whatever you need, I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­¡± As Fang Zheng faced Nymph, he was completely at a loss for what to say. Although she claimed to be an Electronic Warfare Omnipotent Angel, she was still an angel, and even called Omnipotent Angel, why did she seem so subservient? With that in mind, Fang Zheng then asked another question that piqued his curiosity. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the deal with the collar around your neck?¡± ¡°Ah, this?¡± For some reason, mentioning the collar seemed to bring a smile to Nymph¡¯s face. ¡°This is the sign of my subjugation to my master, please look, Master¡­¡­¡± As she spoke, Nymph took hold of the chain hanging from the collar, which seemed to be broken off, and to Fang Zheng¡¯s astonishment it began to materialize from thin air. It continued to extend, wrapping itself around his hand?! ¡°The chain allows the Master to issue commands to me at any time and monitor my movements. That is the purpose of the collar.¡± Wait a minute, this doesn¡¯t seem quite right! Looking at the girl excitedly explaining the function of the collar, Fang Zheng was dumbstruck. Even if this girl wasn¡¯t human, she was an angel, yet why did it feel like he was treating her like a pet, complete with a collar and a leash? What kind of bizarre situation was this? Treating a person like a pet? And this ¡°pet¡± seemed very proud of it? Wait, something must be wrong here. Is it me or the world that¡¯s off? ¡°Excuse me for a moment, Nymph¡­¡­¡± Fang Zheng shook his head, helplessly extended his hand to halt the girl¡¯s speech, and then pointed at the collar around her neck. ¡°Could you remove that¡­ I feel like it¡¯s not quite right¡­¡­¡± ¡°Remove the collar?!!¡± Before Fang Zheng could finish his sentence, Nymph¡¯s face suddenly turned pale, and then she actually kneeled on the ground, looking terrified at Fang Zheng. To her, it seemed as if Fang Zheng had spoken an unspeakable atrocity. ¡°Master, Master! Please don¡¯t do this! Please don¡¯t abandon me! I will do anything, just not that¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­¡± Looking at the tearful girl staring at him, Fang Zheng felt utterly overwhelmed. What on earth is going on here? Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: Chapter 69 This is simply black technology! Chapter 70: Chapter 69 This is simply black technology! It took Fang Zheng a good while to calm the excited Nymph down, which gave him an immense headache. Normally, according to the tropes of web novels, when someone encounters a slave or such who recognizes them as their master, shouldn¡¯t it be time to suavely say something like, ¡°You are free now, go choose your own destiny,¡± and then annul their bindings, leading to their profound gratitude and growing closeness with you? So why did it seem like trying to remove that dog collar from Nymph would make her act as though he was about to kill her entire family? What kind of twisted world did this poor child come from, to be so distorted? ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Looking at Nymph with tears in her eyes, gazing earnestly at him like an abandoned puppy, Fang Zheng found himself at a loss for words. He sighed helplessly and gave up on the idea of taking the collar off her neck. Frankly, he was uncomfortable seeing such a young child wearing such a large collar, but if Nymph flat-out refused to take it off, what could he do? It was just as well that the chain linked to his right hand could, according to Nymph, stretch and disappear at will; otherwise, if Miss Cleric saw him walking around with a girl on a chain, she might very well think he was some kind of pervert. But now¡­ oh well, it looked good enough for the moment. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng? How are things on your end? Is there a problem?¡± Just then, Fina¡¯s voice reached him from not too far away, and upon hearing Miss Cleric¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly and turned to reply. ¡°No problem now, come over here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Fina hurried over with a worried expression. Seeing Fang Zheng safe and sound, she let out a sigh of relief, and only then did she turn her attention to Nymph. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved you¡¯re okay, Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ Is this the otherworldly creature you summoned?¡± ¡°Pretty much¡­¡± Faced with Fina¡¯s question, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t quite know how to respond. However, Fina didn¡¯t seem to mind; she ran over to Nymph, eyes wide with curiosity, examining her closely. ¡°Such a cute child¡­ Hello, my name is Fina, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Nymph.¡± Confronted with Fina¡¯s enthusiastic greeting, Nymph seemed somewhat unaccustomed and instinctively hid behind Fang Zheng. The girl quietly turned her head to glance at Fang Zheng, and only after noticing no sign of dissatisfaction on his face did she relax and edge closer to him. ¡°I am TYPE ¦Â, an Omnipotent Angel specialized in electronic warfare¡­¡± ¡°Beta?¡­ Electronic what-now¡­ wait, Angel?¡± Though Fina didn¡¯t understand a word of what Nymph had said earlier, she definitely grasped the last part about angels. At that, she stared in amazement, her eyes widening; only now did she notice the beautiful, transparent, and colorful shimmering wings behind Nymph. ¡°Such gorgeous wings, it¡¯s my first time seeing this kind of angel¡­ Mr. Fang Zheng, I truly didn¡¯t expect you could summon an angel!¡± Neither did I expect to see this kind of angel. Fang Zheng was rendered speechless; Nymph had completely cast herself in the role of a slave, giving off an aura that if he didn¡¯t accept her as his servant, she might just die. In his last life, Fang Zheng had seen many web novels, anime, and played numerous games, but he had never encountered such an odd angel. ¡°So, Nymph¡­¡± Discarding the myriad of thoughts swirling in his head, Fang Zheng coughed and looked back at the little one behind him. ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s query, Nymph was momentarily startled before hurriedly responding with fear and trepidation. ¡°I am an Omnipotent Angel for electronic warfare, my master can send me as he wishes, I am willing to do anything¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± Now just hearing the phrase ¡°I am willing to do anything¡± from Nymph was enough to give Fang Zheng a headache. It was only them and Fina for now, which was manageable, but if they went out and Nymph kept uttering that phrase, Fang Zheng feared for his life. He decided that he needed to have a serious talk with Nymph later; at the very least, she should stop saying that line so readily, making it seem as though he was going to harm her. ¡°What I mean is¡­ look, I¡¯ve only just summoned you, so I¡¯m not too familiar with your capabilities. Could you please introduce them?¡± ¡°Ah, of course, there¡¯s no problem.¡± Having finally grasped what Fang Zheng meant, Nymph quickly began to explain. ¡°I can invade and interfere with any object and I also possess search and scanning abilities. I am confident that I can be of help to my master.¡± ¡°So you mean¡­ you don¡¯t really have combat abilities?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, master, please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant, I was just asking.¡± Seeing Nymph scared and about to kneel again, Fang Zheng had to quickly interrupt and calm her down. It seemed that the little angel was more of a support type, and although support types typically aren¡¯t devoid of combat abilities, expecting significant fighting prowess from them was¡­ well, basically a lost cause. Yet conversely, Fang Zheng was quite intrigued by Nymph¡¯s ability to ¡°invade and disrupt.¡± ¡°Can it manipulate anything?¡± ¡°Basically, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not very good at controlling plants¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s somewhat tremulous answer, Fang Zheng nodded and then led her out of the shadow of the huge rock, pointing toward the forest not far away. ¡°Do you see that forest?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Now tell me, what can you sense there.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon receiving Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph nodded and then looked toward the forest. At that moment, Fang Zheng noticed a change occur in the girl¡¯s blue eyes. If before, her eyes had seemed no different from those of an ordinary person, now they presented a completely different picture. Nymph¡¯s eyes began to emit a faint blue radiance, and shortly thereafter, a strange aura spun into existence within her eyes, looking as though a focusing lens was adjusting its direction. At the same time, the rainbow-hued wings on Nymph¡¯s back seemed to flicker in resonance with some sort of fluctuation. ¡°Wide-Area Radar activated¡­ Rank III energy scanning commenced, unidentified energy field detected, analyzing¡­¡± If just a moment ago Nymph had seemed like a weak little girl, now she was expressionless, more reminiscent of a cold machine. It wasn¡¯t long before Fang Zheng saw the blue-haired girl next to him suddenly look up at him. ¡°Energy field analysis complete, please instruct, Master.¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s done just like that?¡± Startled by Nymph¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was rather taken aback. Although Fina seemed utterly confused and didn¡¯t understand anything Nymph was saying, Fang Zheng could somewhat make sense of it, and it was clear that the ¡°Omnipotent Angel¡± must be a product of technology. Thus, he was quite skeptical about Nymph¡¯s ability to handle Magic Barriers, and now¡­ she had actually done it? What happened to the incompatibility of science and magic? ¡°Well¡­ then, can you stop the Barrier covering the forest from activating without letting the person who released it notice anything amiss?¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Upon Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph crouched down and stretched out her right hand to touch the ground. Soon after, Fang Zheng and Fina saw a faint glow emerge from Nymph¡¯s palm, spreading along the ground and into the forest. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± There was no sound, at least not that Fang Zheng and Fina could perceive. To them, the forest still appeared the same as before. However, at this point, Nymph had already stood up and spoke to Fang Zheng with a smile. ¡°Master, I have fully infiltrated the energy field and seized control permissions; the barrier that covers the forest will not be triggered now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ could you please put that in simpler terms¡­¡± ¡°Yes, in other words¡­ the Barriers that cover the forest, which Master refers to as ¡®Barriers,¡¯ are now under my control. Therefore, Master can come and go freely without worrying about triggering any form of fluctuations or alarms.¡± ¡°What?!¡± No sooner had Nymph finished speaking than the astonished Fina beside Fang Zheng widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°How is that possible?!¡± ¡°Is that impressive?¡± Looking at Fina¡¯s wide eyes, Fang Zheng asked curiously. The Cleric Maiden, coming back to her senses, nodded vigorously. ¡°This is truly incredible, Mr. Fang Zheng! You are not a Spellcaster, and you might not know, but every Spellcaster¡¯s released magic has a unique imprint, meaning that these magics can only be controlled by the one who cast them. To forcibly take control of magic from someone else, I have never heard of such a thing!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t difficult.¡± Perhaps because she had helped Fang Zheng, Nymph now wore a smug expression. ¡°My ability is to infiltrate and interfere with everything, so whether it¡¯s magic or humans, it¡¯s all the same.¡± ¡°Holy moly!¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention when Nymph said she could ¡°infiltrate and interfere with all objects¡± because she had introduced herself as an ¡°Electronic Warfare Omnipotent Angel,¡± and Fina might not know what electronic warfare meant, but Fang Zheng, whose soul was from the modern world, certainly understood its essence. At that time, he thought that Nymph¡¯s abilities were probably similar to radar plus an early-warning aircraft with electronic interference¡ªa high-tech existence. Now, Fang Zheng also understood what Nymph had referred to earlier; if those Barriers were compared to firewalls, then Nymph was like a Hacker who had directly breached the firewall, then seized the permissions and shut down the alarm system, after which she could do as she pleased. But ¡­ this is science, and that¡¯s magic! This isn¡¯t just high technology anymore, this is outright magical technology! Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Deep in the Jungle Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Deep in the Jungle ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Sister Nymph to be so powerful¡­¡± As they walked through the dark forest, Fina still had not recovered from her surprise. She looked around, at a loss for words. Being a spellcaster, she could clearly sense the magic essence emanating from all around, and in Fina¡¯s eyes, the numerous interlocking and circulating barriers felt close at hand, almost within reach. Logically speaking, being in such a massive chain of barriers, they should have been detected as soon as they stepped in unless the entire barrier was destroyed. However, now, Fina could feel that these barriers were still operational, but they completely disregarded their presence, as if the two of them were the masters of the barrier. The thought that all of this was the doing of that petite, adorable girl made Fina extremely emotional, unsure of what to say. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s sentiments, Fang Zheng also shook his head. To be honest, he had not held much hope for Nymph¡¯s level of power initially because, firstly, she was a silver-rank summoning stone, which generally meant a basic guarantee in Africa. Secondly, her frail appearance when she first appeared had somewhat disappointed Fang Zheng. Typically, individuals like her would not possess great strength. But¡­ damn, she was playing an unexpected hand! You can hack magic barriers, and you¡¯re pretending to be a little white rabbit here! Fang Zheng genuinely couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of world Nymph came from. With her abilities, she still lived on thin ice, nervously and willingly enslaving herself to others? Thinking this, Fang Zheng glanced up at the treetops. Nymph had not come along with them. Being an artificial angel, she could fly. Therefore, Fang Zheng had assigned her the task of aerial surveillance. Not only that, but the little one also possessed the ability to turn invisible, which eased Fang Zheng¡¯s worries considerably. Otherwise, if Nymph were to encounter any danger and he couldn¡¯t help, that would be a problem. ¡°Shh!¡± Just then, Fang Zheng suddenly stopped in his tracks and gestured to Fina beside him. Fina quickly crouched down and moved closer to Fang Zheng, clutching her staff tightly. Soon, they heard footsteps, and then saw several figures draped in black robes emerge from the depths of the forest. They weren¡¯t armed, but the sulfuric smell on them already betrayed their identities. Cultists. ¡°The master¡¯s command must be followed.¡± These cultists had not noticed Fang Zheng and Fina nearby and were whispering among themselves. Their voices were not loud, but for Fang Zheng, who had senses as sharp as the Zerg¡¯s, it was as if they were singing right by his ear. ¡°But isn¡¯t it too soon? We just caught these dogs of the Sanctuary¡­¡± ¡°For the master¡¯s plan, all this is unnecessary! Don¡¯t forget our mission! The master just sent a message; he has reached an agreement with that master. As long as we deliver these prisoners as agreed, that¡¯s enough. We don¡¯t need to worry about the rest!¡± ¡°But can we really trust that mage?¡± At this moment, one of the cultists asked in a somber tone. Hearing this, another cultist sneered. ¡°He¡¯s a traitor; we don¡¯t need traitors. Only the Twilight Legion, those corrupt fools, would fancy such an idiot. But for our master, his power is necessary. Since that foolish mage thinks he can gain power through negotiation, let him indulge in this brief and beautiful fantasy. I believe when that master arrives, he will understand what his choice truly means.¡± With that, these cultists broke into a series of sinister laughter and then turned away and left. ¡°Such blasphemy¡­¡± Listening to the cultists¡¯ speeches, Fina gripped her staff tightly, her expression filled with anger. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings. Perhaps it was because of the magic barrier, so these cultists did not conceal their actions and were not very vigilant. But because of this, Fang Zheng finally got a bit of useful information from these dedicated ¡°NPCs¡± mouths. Clearly, the cultists¡¯ attack on the stronghold was premeditated, and these prisoners seemed to have been brought here for someone. As for the use of these prisoners? Well, it¡¯s just a sacrifice, a sacrifice, a sacrifice¡­ After all, cultists seem to know nothing else. Beyond that, the words of this group of cultists also revealed something else: there was a mage with them, who, from their speech, seemed to be a traitor. But none of that was important to Fang Zheng. What was crucial was the secret the cultists had just revealed. Their master had reached an agreement with a master. ¡°Nymph.¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng immediately tightened his invisible chains and muttered to himself. Soon, he heard Nymph¡¯s voice in his ear. ¡°Yes, Master, what is it?¡± ¡°Can you check where the captured Sanctuary Warriors are located?¡± ¡°Of course, no problem, please wait¡­ found them. The detector scanned twenty-three disarmed humans; they are located in the northwest corner, surrounded by ten soldiers on guard.¡± ¡°What about the Mage?¡± ¡°It seems he is not in the camp; I didn¡¯t detect his energy fluctuation.¡± ¡°This is really interesting.¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s report, Fang Zheng¡¯s lips curled slightly, and then he recounted the situation to Fina standing beside him. After hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s account, Fina also frowned deeply. ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± ¡°In any case, let¡¯s first rescue those Sanctuary Warriors. There are too many Cultists here. Just the two of us can¡¯t handle them all.¡± Fang Zheng certainly didn¡¯t tell the whole truth; if he were to summon the Lich King or Kerrigan, it would simply be a massacre. What¡¯s more, who could outnumber the Scourge Legion and the Zerg? However, given the current situation, he still didn¡¯t want to use these two. As for the Sanctuary Warriors, although they were captured, they should still be able to fight. Even if they couldn¡¯t defeat the Mage, they should have no problem dealing with the ordinary Cultists. With Nymph serving as an aerial radar, avoiding the Cultists¡¯ sentries was remarkably easy for the duo. Moreover, perhaps due to overreliance on the external magic barrier, these Cultists never considered the possibility of someone sneaking in. This led to their internal defense being as empty as if it were non-existent. Not only did Fang Zheng feel as though he was strolling in his own backyard, but even Fina played the role of a top agent¡ªthe incompetence of their adversaries played a huge part in this. It didn¡¯t take long for the two to stealthily arrive where the Sanctuary Warriors were held captive. It had to be said that the Sanctuary Warriors were indeed in a pitiful state. By the light of the fire, Fang Zheng could see that their armors had been stripped off, leaving them only in thin outer garments. Moreover, each of them was tightly bound by iron chains. It was a very bizarre kind of chain, appearing rusty and dark red, looking exceedingly fragile as if a normal person could break it simply by twisting it. But in reality, the Sanctuary Warriors were completely enervated, collapsed on the ground with a lifeless gaze, appearing as though their bodies were hollowed out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those guys?¡± Staring at the Sanctuary Warriors lying on the ground with a despondent expression, Fang Zheng was taken aback. He had thought that these Sanctuary Warriors would have some resilience even if they were wounded. What was going on with this defenseless, dead-fish-like state? ¡°It¡¯s because of the Chaos Shackles, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± As a Cleric, Fina noticed the problem at once. ¡°These are shackles forged by the Cultists using Chaos Energy, specifically designed to imprison the offspring of order. As long as one is bound by the Chaos Shackles, they can¡¯t exert any of their powers.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng suddenly understood. This was essentially a tangible version of the Child of Chaos DEBUFF. It seemed that these years of conflict between the Cultists and the Sanctuary had indeed honed their abilities. Now that they understood the reason behind the Sanctuary Warriors¡¯ enervated state, the next step was figuring out how to rescue them. With this in mind, Fang Zheng peered around, taking advantage of the firelight. Compared to other areas, the security here was slightly stricter. Ten Cultists were responsible for guarding, all clad in long robes and standing so still under the illumination of the firelight that they looked like corpses. If Fina hadn¡¯t sensed the absence of a Necromancer¡¯s aura from them, Fang Zheng might have even suspected that these Cultists were some kind of Undead Creatures. But no matter what, what needed to be done still had to be done. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s no problem, Mr. Fang Zheng? The adversaries are quite strong.¡± As Fang Zheng made his preparations for battle, Fina anxiously voiced her concerns. The sulphurous aura from each of those ten Cultists was very intense, each of their strengths comparable to that of Knight Conan. This meant that all these Cultists were of Elite Rank. Fina was not worried about one or two, but with ten of them, and spread out, if something went wrong, they could immediately be surrounded by a large group of Cultists! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡± Drawing the Sky-Cleaving Sword from his waist, Fang Zheng nodded to Fina, then he looked forward, slightly crouching his body. The next moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure completely vanished from Fina¡¯s sight. Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: Chapter 71: In the Shadow of Darkness Chapter 72: Chapter 71: In the Shadow of Darkness ¡°You did well, it seems that you have secured the item?¡± Sitting on a stone chair, a man clad entirely in a black robe, his face bearing a slight smile, watched the mage before him. His attire seemed rather unassuming, even giving the impression that he was merely an ordinary person. However, a single glance at his face would immediately dispel such a mistaken notion. Underneath the black robe was a face that appeared as if it had been scorched by charcoal, gaunt and yellowed, with patches of hardened skin scattered across his cheeks. As he spoke, the muscles of his face quivered, and between those hardened patches, sparks could faintly be seen emerging. In fact, his whole being resembled a mobile human-shaped furnace, and even getting close to him meant being repelled by the scorching heat he emitted. This was a Destruction Mage, who had cast aside the shackles of mortality, using their own bodies as a furnace to absorb the endless flames from Hell. Their veins did not carry blood, but magma. And in their chests did not beat hearts, but roiling torrents of flame. In fact, from the moment they absorbed the Hellfire, they ceased to be human and became some sort of terrifying creature composed of the formidable flames of Hell. ¡°Yes, Master, as you have surmised¡­¡± Upon hearing the Destruction Mage speak, the mage before him respectfully bowed his head. He then reached into his robe and retrieved a peculiar purple crystal ring. The man was of middle age, quite ordinary in appearance and seemed unremarkable. In contrast to the Destruction Mage, this unassuming-looking man wore an exquisite robe with a white base and golden edges, and on the back was depicted an eagle in flight, its talons tightly grasping a white scale! If a spellcaster¡ªlike Fina¡ªwere to see his robe, she would certainly exclaim in surprise. For this emblem was the mark of one of the strongest spellcasting organizations on the continent, and a core member of the Order Alliance¡ªthe Tower of Heaven! This emblem alone was enough to command respect, but to the Destruction Mage, the man before him was nothing more than a disposable pawn. A foolish betrayer. Looking at the man before him, a cold smirk emerged in the eyes of the Destruction Mage. While the world may regard the Doomsday Church as greedy and evil, they did not tolerate betrayal. For any believer of the Doomsday Church, deciding to forsake order and embrace chaos and destruction was to make their final choice. They might fight to the death against the guardians of order, but that did not mean they appreciated betrayal against order. To the Destruction Mage, once a person made a choice, they had to take responsibility for their decision. Whether plunging into chaos or embracing order, having made that choice, they must stand by it until the very end. And anyone who made a choice only to later betray their faith was, in the eyes of Doomsday, untrustworthy¡ªtheir fickleness proved they lacked true belief. Neither a zeal for destruction nor a sworn defense of order were to be found in them. In fact, such wretches were nothing more than selfish, foolish pawns with some minor usefulness. They were no Twilight Legion, an organization of weaklings who banded together after betrayal; the sacred path of pilgrimage to Doomsday was not to be defiled. No half-hearted souls were allowed to mingle within, deceiving and masquerading. The Destruction Mage knew why the man before him had betrayed order: anger-filled revenge, family honor, the loss of loved ones¡ªall these trivial matters. Meaningless in the grand scheme, for those committing to destruction must be prepared for absolute annihilation. Even those without faith would end up facing the same fate. As the Council of the Fallen so aptly put it, no existence can escape death, and before the impending Doomsday, all are equal. If he did not still require the man¡¯s strength, he would have obliterated this betrayer long ago. With this thought, the Destruction Mage reined in his internal musings and looked again at the mage before him. He snapped his fingers and soon the ring quietly rose and landed in the Destruction Mage¡¯s hand. ¡°With this ring, the border¡¯s seal can be lifted. Good, the Doomsday Church will not forget your service¡ªyou will certainly obtain everything you desire. Now you may leave, and remember, be punctual in bringing the sacrifice.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master, serving you is my honor.¡± Hearing the Destruction Mage¡¯s words, the middle-aged man¡¯s face showed a mix of fear and excitement. Suppressing the joy in his heart, he humbly responded before his figure glowed briefly and then the mage vanished into thin air. As the middle-aged man departed, an almost imperceptible sneer of disdain flashed in the eyes of the Destruction Mage. Ultimately, it was just the folly of mortals. Time stopped. As Fang Zheng leapt out of the bushes, everything froze in place: the wind, shadows, light, even the flickering flames and scattering sparks. He soared through the air like a specter, his Sky-Cleaving Sword tracing a cold gleam before silently piercing the heart of the nearest cultist. Justice Backstab! The cultist¡¯s body trembled slightly, yet there was no other reaction. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care about that; he rolled forward rapidly, simultaneously drawing his longsword and fiercely chopping at another cultist. Benevolent Slash! The silver-white blade silently arced through the air, grazing the neck of a cultist, then leapt up like a venomous snake, stabbing into the throat of a third cultist. Friendly Strike¡­ ¡­alright, I can¡¯t make this up anymore. Of course, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t dare use any skills. He had stopped time, but time would eventually return to normal. Although he could have unleashed a Divine Storm to blast these guys to dust, the sound of his skill erupting would also carry once the time stop was lifted. Fortunately, after being enhanced by the Zerg, Fang Zheng¡¯s speed was extraordinarily fast, almost on par with a speed-boosted Jumping Bug. Not to mention, in the world of Dark Soul, Fang Zheng had long learned how to kill his enemies most efficiently. He moved through the cultists as if he was in a realm devoid of people, his flashing sword light graceful and nimble, touching the cultists¡¯ bodies as gently as a breeze. In the blink of an eye, accompanied by the falling silver light, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure silently appeared beside the last cultist, then turned his head to look. At that moment, time began to flow once again. ¡°Puchi!!¡± Just then, the first cultist that Fang Zheng had stabbed in the heart burst open at the chest, blood spurting out, while the cultist¡¯s eyes widened. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but collapsed to the ground, powerless. This seemed to be the start of a domino effect, as one by one, the cultists silently fell to the ground, lifeless. Their eyes were wide as if they couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened to them. But what these cultists did not know was that they had been dead for dozens of seconds already. Now, they were just experiencing the process. Not to mention, it¡¯s quite useful for assassinations. Looking at the scene before him, Fang Zheng nodded in approval deep inside. Using the Time Ability for assassination was indeed undefendable, and if combined with a poison-dipped dagger, it could be extremely effective. Even if one felt they had dodged it, one could simply bring them back to do it over. Or just as he did, strike them dead in one blow and retreat quietly, with the victim not even having the time to react. But regardless, all went smoothly. Sheathing his longsword, Fang Zheng turned and gestured to Fina, who was hiding in the bushes. Saving people was what mattered. Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Chapter 72 City of the Fallen Chapter 73: Chapter 72 City of the Fallen Rescuing these Sanctuary Warriors wasn¡¯t difficult; after finding the keys on the Cultists, Fina and Fang Zheng quickly opened the Chaos Shackles binding the Sanctuary Warriors. Free from their shackles, these warriors seemed much better off. ¡°Thank you both for your assistance.¡± The leading Sanctuary Warrior bowed respectfully to Fang Zheng, having already been informed of his identity. To Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, the warriors had somehow heard of his ¡°heroic deeds.¡± Apparently, Knight Conan hadn¡¯t spared any details at the base about the events in Shadow Canyon, prompting a respectful attitude from the warriors toward him. Of course, this was a good thing for Fang Zheng; at least he didn¡¯t have to go to great lengths to gain their trust. ¡°No need for formalities. In fact, the reason I pursued you was not only to rescue you but mainly to find out what these Cultists are up to. Do you have any leads?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­.¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the Sanctuary Warrior named John looked visibly troubled. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Lord Fang Zheng, we don¡¯t know the true intentions of these Cultists. They¡¯ve been tight-lipped all along the way, and we¡¯ve been unable to uncover any clues. All we know is that the Cultists intended to take us to the Dark Marsh¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Dark Marsh?!¡± Upon hearing this, Fina suddenly cried out, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the Sanctuary Warrior. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, they said they would take us to the Dark Marsh¡­¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there a problem?¡± Seeing Fina¡¯s pallor, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows and asked. At his question, Fina blinked and then shook her head. ¡°No, Mr. Fang Zheng, perhaps I¡¯m overthinking it¡­¡­.¡± ¡°In any case, go ahead and speak. Regardless, it¡¯s still a clue. I doubt these Cultists are taking their captives to the Dark Marsh for a vacation.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡­. if I remember correctly,¡± Hearing Fang Zheng speak, Fina hesitated before finally muttering through clenched teeth. ¡°That is¡­¡­. if my memory serves, deep within the Dark Marsh¡­¡­. lies the ruins of that forgotten kingdom¡­¡­. Samer¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Samer?!¡± At this, Fang Zheng had yet to respond, but Sanctuary Warrior John¡¯s complexion drastically changed. ¡°Are you suggesting that these Cultists intend to take us to that cursed City of the Fallen?!¡± So that¡¯s the place¡­¡­ Fang Zheng finally understood what Fina was referring to. It was mentioned before that a long time ago, this continent was rife with wars, and because a certain nation ultimately sacrificed its entire population to open the gates to Hell under threat, the continent underwent a dark period lasting over one hundred and fifty years. Afterward, the nations of the continent signed the Violet Pact to end the hostilities. And the originstator of it all was Samer. According to the historical records Fang Zheng saw in the Sanctuary, Samer was once a very prosperous small nation. However, as the flames of war spread, their country, due to its wealth and superior geographic location, came under threat from a nation called Kadra nearby, which was one of the very powerful countries on the continent at the time. Coveting Samer¡¯s position and wealth, Kadra dispatched a large army to invade Samer, aiming to completely annex it. But the people of Samer were tough, strong-willed, and full of fighting spirit. Despite the vast disparity in strength between the two sides, they still fought fearlessly to the death. Even so, Kadra ultimately destroyed the entire country and surrounded its capital, Radiant City. The Emperor of Kadra sent an ultimatum to the people of Samer, demanding they surrender and open the gates within three days, otherwise, he threatened to massacre the Royal Capital. Under immense pressure, the people of Samer eventually agreed to the demands of the Emperor of Kadra, and on the third day, they would surrender and open the city gates. But on the third day, Radiant City¡¯s gates remained shut, and the infuriated Emperor of Kadra personally led his army to break down the city gates. What they saw next was a horrifying sight. The city was strewn with corpses everywhere. The bodies of men, women, children, and even infants all formed a giant and evil magic circle. Just as the Emperor of Kadra entered the city, the magic circle activated. It tore apart the very fabric of space, and using the entire city along with the souls of all the people of Samer who died unjustly as a sacrifice, it summoned one of the most powerful Demon Kings from Hell¡ªGletus. Drake. Ba. The dark legion annihilated the entire army of Kadra in an instant. They then began to spread out, and the rulers of Samer made a pact with the Demon King with the souls of all their people, asking it to exterminate all countries that had invaded Samer or turned a blind eye to their plight during wartime. Ba was more than happy to fulfill this agreement, his devil legion laid waste to Kadra and the surrounding nations, then began a frenzied invasion into every corner of the continent. For the next one hundred and fifty years, the entire continent was engulfed in darkness, death, blood, and chaos. The Twilight Legion of the Order Frontier mobilized in full force, while darkness and devils rampaged in the flames of death and evil. Countless nations were destroyed, vanishing amidst the flames. Eventually, under the leadership of the Kingdom of the Holy Church and the Magitech Nation, the remaining forces of the continent united to mount a desperate counterattack. A group of warriors blessed with Divine Favor formed a suicide squad which, following the clich¨¦ of a Hollywood blockbuster, disguised themselves as the evil Fallen, infiltrated the dark magitech nest that Radiant City had become. There, they burned their own souls to summon the power of the True God, completely sealing the spatial passage and banishing the Demon God Babu from the Main World. The devil legion, without any reinforcements, was powerless and ultimately annihilated by the coalition forces. This Dark War lasted one hundred and fifty years, with countless lives lost in the fight against the darkness. More importantly, it was an invasion of Chaos into the Order World. Remember, before that campaign, Chaos was far from this continent. Now, why would the Order Fortress be built not far from the edge of the Dark Marsh? Because what once belonged to the vast territories of Kadra has now become a playground for the minions of Chaos! And all this stemmed from just one major nation¡¯s attempt to annex a smaller one. It was only after that when everyone finally understood to never push a country to the brink of desperation because if you do¡­ who knows if they might choose to drag others down with them. ¡°But wasn¡¯t that place completely sealed? I remember the records also mentioned that the Goddess of Order personally applied the seal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too, but I still have some worries¡­ Sorry, maybe I¡¯m thinking too much¡­¡± Seeing Fina¡¯s hesitant expression, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t without understanding for her concerns. It was like a police officer going on a mission to catch a criminal. If you bring back a murderer, and it turns out they¡¯re involved with guns and drugs, it¡¯s still considered normal and understandable. But if you catch a criminal who turns out to be planning to detonate a nuclear bomb to destroy the world, you¡¯d also question your life for a moment. That script is just not realistic. ¡°In any case, as long as we catch these cultists and interrogate them, we¡¯ll know what they¡¯re up to.¡± Fang Zheng waved his hand, about to say something more when suddenly, at this moment, the voice of Nymph rang in his ears. ¡°Master! I¡¯ve detected the energy fluctuations of that mage; he¡¯s already returned to the camp!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Nymph¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll soon find out what¡¯s going on.¡± Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Chapter 73: My Time Stop Cant Possibly Be This Weak! Chapter 74: Chapter 73: My Time Stop Can¡¯t Possibly Be This Weak! When Charles returned to the camp, he could no longer contain his excitement and joy. Victory was in sight! Looking at his own hands, Charles was even trembling slightly. He had betrayed everything he believed in for this moment. The master had already assured him that as long as he completed this mission perfectly, he would become one of them, and then he would possess the power to change everything. At that time, he would be able to fulfill his wish! Thinking of this, Charles closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes. ¡°Someone come here.¡± ¡°Yes, Master, what do you need?¡± Upon hearing Charles¡¯s command, a cultist came over and asked quietly. ¡°How are the captives?¡± ¡°All is normal.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Pleased with the answer, Charles nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Now, gather everyone immediately, we are leaving for the Dark Marsh right away.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes, it is the master¡¯s order!¡± Hearing this, the cultist hurriedly bowed his head and then turned to leave. Watching his retreating figure, Charles couldn¡¯t help but frown. He knew well that these cultists didn¡¯t really obey his orders. If it hadn¡¯t been for the powerful magic he had displayed and the instructions from the master, they probably wouldn¡¯t even consider him seriously. But these fools¡¯ pride was only temporary. Once he also gained that powerful strength, he would make these idiots understand the proper way to treat an archmage. After watching the cultists begin to prepare, Charles nodded and walked towards where the sanctuary warriors were detained. He didn¡¯t trust these cultists; what if they killed some for fun while he was away? They had done it before on the road! With this thought, Charles quickly arrived at the place where the sanctuary warriors were held. Seeing those warriors bound with chaos shackles, limp as dead fish, Charles nodded in satisfaction, then he raised his head to look at the guard beside him. ¡°Alright, take them away; we set off immediately!¡± After saying this, Charles turned to leave but suddenly paused and turned back around. Wait a minute¡­ was the number incorrect? As a mage, Charles was quite confident in his memory; he clearly remembered capturing over twenty sanctuary warriors, so why did there seem to be fewer on the ground now? With this thought, Charles turned around intending to count them again. If those damned cultists dared to pull the wool over his eyes at this time, then they shouldn¡¯t blame him for fiercely reporting them to the master later, making them understand why flowers are so red! ¡°Bang!¡± But what Charles hadn¡¯t expected was that as he turned around, a series of lightning suddenly erupted beside him. The surrounding thunder radiance enveloped Charles entirely, forming a solid shield. At the same moment, Charles was shocked to find a young man suddenly appearing in front of him! ¡°Who are you?!¡± The appearance of a living person out of thin air startled Charles, but as a mage, his reaction was quick. He stepped back a few paces and raised his hand without hesitation, pointing at the stranger. Then he saw several magic missiles roaring out from his fingertips, flying towards the stranger. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Charles was still in shock, little knowing that Fang Zheng was just as stunned. After learning from Nymph that the mage was heading in their direction, Fang Zheng had already planned out his approach. He had John and a few other sanctuary warriors, who were in relatively good condition, dress in black robes to impersonate the cultists. Then he rearranged the others to look like they were still bound, in order to deceive the mage. In fact, things had been going smoothly at first, especially when Fang Zheng heard they were preparing to leave immediately, he thought he could slip in and check the situation by muddling through. But the mage wasn¡¯t a fool, and seemed to sense something was off, thinking to check thoroughly? If they checked, they¡¯d definitely be exposed! So Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hesitate to use Time Stop and pounced forward, planning to subdue the mage. What happened next shocked Fang Zheng thoroughly. He had intended to place his sword at the mage¡¯s neck to coerce him into captivity. But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, as soon as his sword barely touched the mage¡¯s body, a series of lightning burst forth from the mage, and what shocked Fang Zheng the most was¡­ his Time Stop had been unexpectedly undone! Was it lifted? Was it lifted?! So Fang Zheng finally experienced the fear that many anime and video game bosses feel when faced with the protagonist, wait a minute, I¡¯m not a boss!! Wait a second, I seem to be a boss¡­ At this moment, Fang Zheng felt utterly disheartened, but fortunately, his reaction was quick. When the mage launched an attack, Fang Zheng¡¯s evasion skills he learned from the Dark Soul came into play once again. Faced with the magic missiles howling towards him, he immediately rolled to the side, trying to dodge the attack. However, during his evasion, he was shocked to see those magic missiles change direction mid-air, continuing to fly towards him. They have homing capabilities?! ¡°Be careful, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± At the same moment, Fina¡¯s voice rang in Fang Zheng¡¯s ears, followed by a flash of white light. A translucent shield, shimmering with holy radiance, appeared in front of Fang Zheng, blocking the magic missiles flying from the sky. ¡°Cleric? Where did you sneak in from? Dammit, why didn¡¯t my barrier react?¡± At this moment, Charles also saw Fina standing not far behind Fang Zheng, holding her scepter high. This made him both shocked and angry. The two¡¯s attire was unusual, and there were no clerics among the captives before. Obviously, these two were not his captives. But they had actually entered the camp and his barrier had failed to react? ¡°Attack!¡± The sound of magic missiles exploding echoed throughout the forest, naturally alarming the other cultists. Fang Zheng already saw a group of cultists running towards them, so he decisively resorted to Plan B¡ªassault! Following Fang Zheng¡¯s command, those Sanctuary warriors also removed their black robes. They had already retrieved their armor and weapons, and now it was time to settle scores with those darned cultists. The cultists raised their hands high, bellowing blasphemous names, then thrust their hands forward. Hellhounds, ugly as if genetically mutated, were summoned from the dim flames and lunged towards the Sanctuary warriors. Meanwhile, the Sanctuary warriors loudly shouted the name of the Goddess of Order and lit up like human-sized glowing lightbulbs, charging at the evil creatures. Fang Zheng also gripped his longsword and charged at the mage again. Unaware why his time-stopping ability was lifted, thus putting his powers into a cooldown, but with his body enhanced by the Zerg, Fang Zheng¡¯s speed was well beyond Charles¡¯s possible reaction limit. He saw the young man¡¯s figure blur, then reappear in front of him, the longsword in his hand bursting out blinding holy radiance, swinging down at him. ¡°Stupid and ignorant fool!¡± Charles roared, spreading his arms. Invisible sound waves burst in an instant, shattering the ground and rushing straight towards Fang Zheng. But the holy light in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand was not for show either. A dazzling silver light flashed and fell, shaking Fang Zheng¡¯s body sharply. His Sky-Cleaving Sword shone even brighter. The power of the holy light created a gap in the sound wave¡¯s torrent. One could clearly see the shattered ground headed towards Fang Zheng suddenly split apart on either side in front of the Sky-Cleaving Sword, leaving a triangular area of stability for its master behind. However, Charles clearly did not intend to stop there. He raised his hands, swooping through various strange symbols in the air like a conductor, while chanting spell text in a low voice. Just as Fang Zheng withstood the sound wave onslaught, Charles snapped his fingers with a flick of his right hand, and then another fireball appeared out of thin air, spinning towards his enemy. But at the same moment, Fina also cried out angrily, raising her scepter, and a beam of light turned into a blade shot from her scepter, striking at the center of the spinning fireball. Immediately following, with a loud ¡®boom¡¯, the fireball exploded instantly, the raging heat, and scattered flames forcing both parties in the battle to move away from this troublesome spot. What a headache! This was Fang Zheng¡¯s first fight with a mage from the Main World, and he felt almost no different from facing an Archmage in a game. If it was just simple attacks, Fang Zheng was still confident that he could dodge, but this damned mage¡¯s spells almost all came with tracking capabilities, or else they had such a wide range that Fang Zheng could not dodge. He had also tried to accelerate and slash down his opponent with his sword, but the Thunder Barrier in front of the Bald Mage made Fang Zheng grumble¡ªit seemed the holy light could negate some of the physical damage, but it was not very useful against the conducted electricity. This damned Bald Guy is just an electrified Pikachu! Fang Zheng was also fortunate to have a Divine Shepherd on his side to shield and heal him, but unfortunately, Fina¡¯s power had its limits, and she couldn¡¯t last long under the relentless assault of the Bald Mage. The battle had to end immediately. Fang Zheng glanced briefly at the battlefield, then immediately made a decision. The mage was troublesome, but he was not completely without countermeasures. ¡°Nymph!¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Along with Fang Zheng¡¯s shout, a blue-haired twin-tailed angelic girl appeared silently not far above his head. Seeing this suddenly appeared girl with colorful wings behind her, Charles was also stunned. But before he could do anything, he saw the girl suddenly spread her arms. Accompanying her movement, a pale blue sphere made up of triangles appeared beside the girl. ¡°Domain, full release!¡± Along with the blue-haired angel¡¯s shout, the next moment the sphere quickly expanded, enveloping Fang Zheng, Fina, and the Bald Mage within it. Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Chapter 74 This Isnt Science, but Its Very Magic Chapter 75: Chapter 74 This Isn¡¯t Science, but It¡¯s Very Magic What is this? Watching the circle that suddenly enveloped him, Charles was stunned for a moment, then he cautiously raised his hands, the radiance of magic flickering in his palms. As a mage, Charles knew better than to make hasty judgments about anything unfamiliar, although he could clearly feel that the girl¡¯s power was inferior to his. But she was an angel, and that alone was reason enough to treat her differently. However, Nymph did not launch an attack, instead, she hid behind Fang Zheng after deploying that domain. Fang Zheng, on the other hand, moved with a flash, his longsword transforming into a burst of silver light, followed by countless lightsabers that materialized out of thin air and bombarded the Bald Mage. Divine Storm! ¡°Hmph!¡± Watching the overwhelming Sword Qi barrage coming toward him, Charles snorted coldly. Though he looked down on warriors, it didn¡¯t mean he could emerge unscathed from Fang Zheng¡¯s attack filled with sacred power. As a mage, he obviously had a method to counter it. Charles took a step back and spread his arms. Then, a barrier shimmering with a rainbow¡¯s radiance unfolded by his side, attempting to block Fang Zheng¡¯s all-out strike. In Charles¡¯s view, his response was flawless. Wall of the Rainbow could withstand any attack below Legendary, and all he had to do was prepare the next spell under its protection to take out the bothersome warrior and that cleric. With this in mind, a cold smile appeared in Charles¡¯s eyes. His hands trembled unceasingly as he drew the power of magic from the air, concentrating and amassing it into a formidable force, ready to explode¡­ ¡°Eh?¡± But just then, Charles suddenly felt something was amiss before his eyes. Where¡¯s my Wall of the Rainbow? Such a huge Wall of the Rainbow, it was just right here, why has it disappeared? What is this exactly¡­? Before Charles could understand, the roaring Divine Storm came howling in, engulfing him like a tidal wave. The Lightning Shield on Charles lasted less than three seconds under the onslaught before being completely torn to shreds, and Charles himself let out a miserable scream as he was overwhelmed by the white Holy Light. ¡°Finally took care of that¡­¡± Looking at the Bald Mage lying on the ground, now unconscious, Fang Zheng also wiped a cold sweat. He had to admit, the mage had been tough to handle. If it hadn¡¯t been for Nymph¡¯s intrusion and interference, directly seizing control of the opponent¡¯s Defensive Magic, it would have probably been quite a chore to take this guy down. After dealing with the Bald Mage, the remaining cultists were basically sitting ducks for Fang Zheng. These cultists could summon projections of lower Demon Creatures from Hell to command, but they themselves had little combat power ¨C or to be precise, anyone with real combat power had been silently taken out by Fang Zheng during the earlier rescue. With their forces significantly reduced, what remained was easily overwhelmed; the Sanctuary Warriors swiftly took control of the situation. With that, the operation could be considered a great success, not only had they rescued the Sanctuary Warriors, but they had also captured the Bald Mage¡ªwho Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know, but could confirm was a person of importance. However, one thing still baffled Fang Zheng up to now, and that was¡­ why did his own ability stop working? Is this mage very powerful? To be honest, it was Fang Zheng¡¯s first time battling a mage from the Main World, but at least from his feeling, this mage was not weak at all. What was most important was that this Bald Mage was just like a hedgehog, giving people no way to start. He had tried several times to take advantage of his own speed to stealth attack the Bald Mage before he could react, only to be blocked by the Lightning Shield surrounding him. And what was even more deadly was that the magic released by the other party was either a wide-area attack or came with tracking that didn¡¯t even require aiming! As for Fang Zheng, aside from the invincible Hearthstone, he didn¡¯t have any other good defense methods; he could only take the hit hard or rely on Fina, the Divine Shepherd. Damn, no matter the world, an archmage is an archmage. As for assassination? Fang Zheng still hadn¡¯t forgotten that his first move was to stop time only to be countered directly by the opponent! What on earth was going on? ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng? What should we do now?¡± As Fang Zheng pondered, Fina appeared in front of him, curiously asking. Fang Zheng also withdrew his thoughts, shook his head, and then looked forward. The entire camp was already under the control of the Sanctuary Warriors, and corpses of cultists were everywhere. The Demon Creature projections they controlled dissipated automatically after their masters died, returning to Hell. The losses of the Sanctuary Warriors were not small either; after all, they were not Templars like Conan, their strength was just barely entering the elite standard. About five people had died in battle, but fortunately, most of them had survived. ¡°Have you gotten any information from those cultists?¡± ¡°No.¡± Responding to Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, Fina shook her head. ¡°They committed suicide immediately after being captured, we didn¡¯t even have time to stop them¡­¡± ¡°These guys are really determined¡­¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was also taken aback. He had originally planned to capture a live one to ask about the situation, but he didn¡¯t expect these cultists to be even more resolute than he imagined, committing suicide when things went awry. This wasn¡¯t scientific. What about the established notion that cultists were supposed to be sneaky, evil, cunning, and as scared as mice? However, they still had one prisoner. That Bald Mage was still lying on the ground unconscious, not sure if it was because of his poor physical condition, but right now Fang Zheng saw him with a pale face, breathing rapidly, looking like he was about to be rushed to the ICU. However, Fang Zheng obviously wasn¡¯t going to worry about his life or death; he just stared at the Bald Mage lying in front of him, wondering how he could wake him up. Too troublesome tasks were beyond him anyway, better to just slap him first. ¡°Hold on, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± But just as Fang Zheng was about to make his move, Fina hurriedly stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s very dangerous to wake a mage like this! I think we should make some preparations first¡­¡± ¡°Ready? It seems indeed necessary.¡± Upon hearing Fina¡¯s comment, Fang Zheng nodded his head as well. He had come to the realization that the mages here were even more dangerous than those in the games. Who knew if this guy would wake up and activate some sort of shield or something and then beat a hasty retreat? Many mages in games have spells like teleportation gates; he didn¡¯t know if the Bald Mage could do the same, but there was always a chance he might. If he truly intended to flee, Fang Zheng¡¯s efforts would have been in vain. His control was over time, not space¡ªoh, but even then, it seemed to have no effect on this guy. However¡­ ¡°Do you have any good solutions?¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t have any good solutions, I¡¯m just a Cleric¡­¡± Fina was helpless in this situation; she was but an Apprentice Priest, the individual before her was a mage more powerful than she, and Clerics themselves were a profession inclined more towards healing and protection, not skilled in imprisoning skills. But just then, Nymph suddenly raised her hand. ¡°Master, I think I can give it a try.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Nymph¡¯s offer, Fang Zheng looked at the Little Angel beside him. ¡°You have a method?¡± ¡°I think there shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re confident, go ahead and try.¡± Although she appeared somewhat uneasy in front of Fang Zheng, after considering for a moment, he decided to let Nymph give it a try. After all, she had displayed incredible power before and had played a key role in defeating the mage. Therefore, Fang Zheng trusted Nymph quite a bit. ¡°Yes!¡± Having received Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Nymph walked over to the unconscious Bald Mage and then extended her right hand, pressing it firmly against his forehead. ¡°Initiating the invasion!¡± With Nymph¡¯s soft utterance, in the next moment, her hand suddenly emitted a shining radiance that enveloped the Bald Mage before her. The light maintained its glow for a few seconds before quietly fading away; meanwhile, Nymph withdrew her hand from the forehead and turned to nod at Fang Zheng. ¡°Master, mission complete.¡± ¡°Good, now wake him up.¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng nodded and then approached the Bald Mage, extending his hand to deliver a series of slaps. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Whether it was Fang Zheng¡¯s forceful slapping or the mage¡¯s low tolerance for pain, after a few slaps, the Bald Mage slowly regained consciousness, shaking his head and opening his eyes. When he clearly saw Fang Zheng before him, the Bald Mage¡¯s expression dramatically changed, and hurriedly he raised his right hand. ¡°Burst!¡± With a loud shout, the Bald Mage extended his right hand, pointing his fingers at Fang Zheng, however¡­ nothing happened. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Observing Fang Zheng unharmed, the Bald Mage¡¯s complexion turned ashen. He widened his eyes, incredulously staring at his own hands, then began to wildly wave them while loudly reciting a variety of arcane Spell Texts. But no matter how he recited them, there was no effect; instead, he seemed to be behaving like someone in the grips of insanity. ¡°How did you do it?¡± Looking at the frantic Bald Mage, Fang Zheng curiously turned to Nymph and asked, to which Nymph smiled faintly and provided the answer. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Master. I simply invaded his brain and applied a lock on the portion of his memory that pertains to the use of magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.. So what does that mean?¡± ¡°It means he has forgotten how to use magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Fang Zheng thought, even though every word she spoke sounded scientific, why did it all sound so magical? Invade the brain? Apply a locking program? Are we sure we¡¯re discussing the real world and not The Matrix of Hackers? But anyway¡­ Looking at the Bald Mage, who stood there dumbfounded and open-mouthed, Fang Zheng smiled faintly. ¡°Hello, sir, it seems we have quite a bit to discuss, don¡¯t we?¡± Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Chapter 75 This is All a Routine Chapter 76: Chapter 75 This is All a Routine ¡°What have you done to me, where is my magic? Why can¡¯t I cast any spells?!¡± Charles had never felt such panic before. When he opened his eyes, his power had completely vanished¡­ No, it wasn¡¯t his power that had vanished. Charles clearly remembered he was a mage, and furthermore, a Three-Star Mage of the Order School. He knew he specialized in the Elemental System within the Order School and was adept at using elemental spells; he could even recite the names of instructors from every class he had attended. But, he just couldn¡¯t cast any spells! It was like a person starving to death, knowing that if they didn¡¯t eat, they would die, and knowing what food was, but just ¡°forgetting¡± how to eat! No, for a mage, this was even more cruel than starving to death! ¡°Give me back my magic! Give it back!!¡± Although Charles had been a powerful mage, without his magic, he was now merely an ordinary person. Hence, facing the furiously shouting Charles, Fang Zheng just snorted coldly and then raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword, pressing it against the other¡¯s neck. Feeling the cold blade, Charles involuntarily shut his mouth¡ªhe didn¡¯t have the Protective Blades spell to use now; one strike would utterly end his life. ¡°Alright, Bald Guy, now I ask one question, and you answer one. If you utter an extra word of nonsense, I can¡¯t guarantee I won¡¯t let my hand slip¡­ Understand?¡± ¡°You, you dare threaten me, do you know who I am¡­¡± ¡°Shush!¡± But before Charles could finish speaking, he saw a flash of the sword before his eyes, then he felt a chill between his legs, and as Charles looked down, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp¡ªFang Zheng¡¯s sword tip was pointing right between his legs, even less than a finger¡¯s distance away. ¡°Now, I ask, you answer, understood?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Charles swallowed hard and nodded vigorously. Now, whether he understood or not was beside the point. ¡°Good, start with your name and identity.¡± ¡°I, I am Charles Lawrence, I am a mage of the Tower of Heaven¡­¡± ¡°The Tower of Heaven, you¡¯re really from the White Tower?¡± Hearing Charles¡¯s answer, Fina couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, and even Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Of course, he knew what the Tower of Heaven was. To protect the ¡°Violet Pact,¡± the forces of order on this continent had formed an Order Alliance, which aimed to uphold order and eradicate chaos. As part of this alliance, there were four organizations, each the core organizational force of their respective nations. For example, Fang Zheng¡¯s Kingdom of the Holy Church was represented within the alliance by the ¡°Sanctuary of Reflection,¡± and the Magitech Nation was represented by the ¡°Tower of Heaven.¡± It was said that the Tower of Heaven was where all the elite mages of the Magitech Nation were located, much like the highest academic institution in the Land of Mages, where only students who passed the ¡°university entrance exams¡± were qualified to enter to study further and gain even greater power and lofty status. However¡­ it seemed that high credentials but low ability wasn¡¯t unique to any particular world. ¡°I can¡¯t believe mages from the White Tower would actually collude with cultists.¡± ¡°You have no idea what I have experienced!¡± Angered by Fang Zheng¡¯s mockery, Charles lashed out. ¡°Those damned colleagues, always scheming against me, even mocking me! I was expelled from the core circle, assigned to this godforsaken place as a Watcher, and I¡¯m fed up! I clearly¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your past, no need for more nonsense.¡± Fang Zheng truly didn¡¯t care about Charles¡¯s complaints. He had seen too many of these freshly graduated young people during interviews, always quick with ¡°it¡¯s not me, it¡¯s the world that¡¯s wrong¡± or ¡°my ideas are correct, just give me enough resources and I¡¯ll definitely succeed¡±¡­ yet none of these had any real use; you can¡¯t even handle things under limited resource conditions, yet you expect the company to rely on you? Must be delusional? ¡°Tell me something useful. What are these cultists planning? Why did they attack the stronghold, what are they intending to do with these Templars? Explain everything you know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± But this time, Charles didn¡¯t answer; instead, he looked at the Sky-Cleaving Sword in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand with a complex expression, seeming to ponder something. Watching his expression, Fang Zheng simply smiled slightly. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t think we don¡¯t already know just about everything, would you? Honestly, we¡¯ve almost gotten all the information we need from other prisoners already. Now it¡¯s just about verification, so confess for leniency or resist for severity. If you cooperate, we might consider letting you go. But if you don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°?¡± When Fang Zheng spoke, both Fina and John looked at him in surprise. Captives? Where did captives come from? Hadn¡¯t all those cultists committed suicide after being captured? ¡°Humph, I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Charles, on the other hand, scoffed at Fang Zheng¡¯s words. He was well aware of what kind of ruthless individuals those cultists were. In Charles¡¯s view, although the cultists were insane, their fanaticism towards their belief was terrifying. He simply couldn¡¯t believe that these cultists would betray their own, much less betray their master. ¡°Alright, it looks like you plan to resist to the end.¡± Seeing Charles¡¯s disdainful expression, Fang Zheng shrugged. ¡°I can understand you worrying that we¡¯re bluffing you, so here¡¯s a hint¡­ The City of the Fallen, Sanatoga, that¡¯s your destination, right?¡± ¡°How did you know¡ª!?¡± Upon hearing this, Charles was immediately shocked; he couldn¡¯t understand how the other party knew. He had only just learned about their destination from his master, and he hadn¡¯t even notified the other cultists. Logically speaking, this young man couldn¡¯t possibly know this secret! But when Charles saw Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, he finally realized. ¡°You tricked me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I thought mages were all quite smart, but it seems¡­ Well, intelligence and emotional intelligence have never been directly proportional.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Charles¡¯s face turned livid. If it wasn¡¯t for his concern about the other¡¯s longsword, and for some reason his current inability to cast magic, he would have even wanted to rush up and fight this young man to the death! At this moment, Charles was filled with rage, while Fina and John were utterly stunned by the news. ¡°Could it be that those cultists really plan to reopen the Gates of Hell?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± At this point, Charles had nothing left to lose. He had lost his magic and had been captured by the Sanctuary, essentially ruining his reputation. He could even imagine what he would become once he returned. Thus, Charles had nothing else to worry about. ¡°That master is about to open the Gates of Hell and summon the Devil Legion to this world again. By then, all of you will die!¡± ¡°This is impossible!!¡± But Fina shook her head vigorously, utterly unwilling to believe Charles¡¯s words. ¡°The Gates of Hell were personally sealed by the Goddess of Order; it is absolutely impossible to open them, whether from the inside or the outside. Even if Sanatoga himself came, it would be impossible!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I say, being stupid is a lifelong thing.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng looked at Charles with a pitying gaze, then shrugged. ¡°It seems there are plenty of fools among mages. You believe whatever others say. I guess by the time they sell you out, you will probably be counting money for them¡­¡± ¡°Of course, you brain-damaged believers in god won¡¯t understand!¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s taunt, Charles simply sneered. ¡°Indeed, the Goddess¡¯s seal is very strong, and reopening it is impossible. But who said that the sealed gates must be reopened? If the gates can¡¯t be opened, can¡¯t we just create a new breach? Hahaha, you¡¯re all so foolish¡­ you just don¡¯t understand¡­ hahaha¡­¡± By now, John and Fina were completely at a loss for words, especially Fina. She knew very well that Fang Zheng knew nothing, and her previous remarks were only speculations. But she hadn¡¯t expected that this young man could be so formidable, convincing Charles to admit it with just a few equivocal guesses. ¡°¡­So, being stupid is a lifelong thing.¡± Looking at the bewildered Charles, Fang Zheng shrugged again, then turned his head to look at Fina beside him. ¡°It seems we need to carefully consider our next moves now.¡± Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Chapter 76: The First Main World Mission Chapter 77: Chapter 76: The First Main World Mission After obtaining intelligence from Charles, Fang Zheng immediately pulled Fina and John aside to discuss the matter. At this moment, both of their complexions were extremely ashen, but that was no surprise. It was like a group of police officers who had captured terrorists, originally believing they were planning to smuggle a nuclear bomb from abroad for a terrorist attack, only to find out these terrorists were actually planning to build one themselves¡­ ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­ this can¡¯t be¡­ That mage must be lying!¡± John was panicking at this point as well. The dark days for the residents of this continent were nothing short of a nightmare, and the mere thought that these damned cultists were planning to bring it all back made it impossible for John to think calmly at the moment. Seeing the Sanctuary Warrior in such a distracted state, Fang Zheng decided not to bother him further and turned to Fina, starting to ask questions. ¡°Lady Fina, what do you think?¡± ¡°Me, what do I think?¡± ¡°Is there any possibility of what the Bald Mage said coming true? I mean, even just theoretically, as long as it could be realized.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t understand magic, and Nymph only understood technology, so when it came to the magical knowledge of this world, he could only consult the only spellcaster present. ¡°This¡­ this¡­ please, let me think for a moment¡­¡± Fina was obviously a bit nervous at this time, as she fiddled with the scepter in her hand and furrowed her brows, muttering softly. ¡°¡­The entire City of the Fallen is covered by the Goddess¡¯s Barrier; by all logic, no issues should arise. The space around it is very stable, and the design of the Seal is intact. Moreover, the Seal is placed within the temporal rifts, so even if the cultists managed to damage the Seal¡¯s structure from this side, it wouldn¡¯t do much¡­¡± ¡°So, how did Samer¡¯s people manage to open the Gates of Hell before?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Fina was taken aback, and then she provided an answer. ¡°They used their own people as a sacrifice, and by doing so, they attracted Bob and reached an agreement with him, after which they were able to open the Gates of Hell¡­¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng suddenly paused, interrupting Fina¡¯s narration impatiently. ¡°You mean to say that because Samer offered so many souls, they were able to open the passage?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°So the Goddess Seal only sealed the passage? Would it also block communication between those cultists and the Demon King? Would their communication be prevented as well?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± This time, Fina found herself at a loss for words. ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m not certain¡­ but generally speaking, places tainted by the demonic are indeed more likely to attract the attention of devils¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Having heard this, Fang Zheng had mostly figured out how this world summons devils. To him, what Samer¡¯s citizens did was akin to erecting a communication tower in a place without a signal in order to ¡°cover¡± Hell, and then using ¡°sacrifices¡± to enhance the signal fluctuations, thus enabling communication with the devils of Hell. Following Fina¡¯s words, the initial Seal of the Goddess only sealed the Gates of Hell¡¯s passage, without destroying the communication tower¡ªit merely cut off its power source and abandoned it. So, if someone were to bring a diesel generator to repair the communication tower, could it once again be used? ¡°Then, if those cultists made contact with the Demon King from Samer and opened a Hell passage outside the range of the Goddess Seal, do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not very likely!¡± Upon hearing this, Fina shuddered. ¡°Opening the Gates of Hell requires a great many souls, no offense, Mr. Fang Zheng, but you absolutely cannot find that many people around here for a sacrifice!¡± However, Fang Zheng¡¯s train of thought was clearly different from Fina¡¯s. ¡°Just a great many souls are needed? Do they have to be from our side? Wouldn¡¯t souls from Hell work? If we just establish a coordinate here, and then have Hell to sacrifice souls, could we reopen a new Gate of Hell?¡± ¡°From Hell¡¯s side¡­¡± At this point, Fina¡¯s gaze at Fang Zheng was as if she were looking at a devil. ¡°The nature of the Gates of Hell is just a passage connecting two worlds. Theoretically, sacrificing souls from either our side or theirs doesn¡¯t seem to pose a problem, and indeed, since Samer¡¯s surroundings have long been eroded by Hell¡¯s power, it indeed makes it easier to connect to that world¡­ But why would the devils do this? Why would they kill their own kin for a sacrifice?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just what devils do?¡± Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t as conflicted; the Sanctuary¡¯s books described devils similarly to those he was familiar with. If that was the case, then what did it matter if they sacrificed their own kin to the devils? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Fina was rendered speechless, giving the impression that she found his points too reasonable to argue against. ¡°` ¡°So, there truly is a theoretical possibility of reopening the Gates of Hell?¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s repeated questioning, Lady Fina was at a loss for words, only nodding vigorously. After receiving Fina¡¯s response, Fang Zheng thought for a moment and then made a decision. ¡°Then we¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ding.¡± But before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, as if to stop him from making a decision, a system alert sounded in his ear. Subsequently, a line of system information appeared before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes. [Main World Mission Triggered: Gates of Hell] [The darkness of Hell is spreading, and disaster is about to descend upon this world once more. You have perceived the conspiracy hidden within these shadows and are determined to stop it all. (Prevent the Gates of Hell from opening, destroy the altar. Upon successful completion of the mission, the time ratio between the Main World and the instance world will expand to 1:10. If the mission fails, the Dimensional Codex System will shut down.)] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Fang Zheng was completely speechless looking at the prompt in front of him. I damn well have a word MMP that I don¡¯t know whether to say or not! MMP! Did you hear that? MMP!! Truth be told, Fang Zheng had no intention of stirring these waters initially, as the psychological shadow left by the previous Master of Lich incident was too profound that just hearing the words ¡®cultist¡¯ and ¡®ritual¡¯ made him want to steer clear. And now, the situation was even more horrifying; these cultists were actually trying to reopen the Gates of Hell!? Without overthinking it, Fang Zheng could guess that dealing with this matter would certainly be harder than the time the Child of Chaos seal was lifted. So after confirming his own conjectures, he had already planned to back down. After all, the Gates of Hell were not something easily opened, and he only had a little over twenty Sanctuary Warriors at his disposal, not to mention an Apprentice Priest who was just passing through. With such a small force, tackling an instance set to level 60 would probably lead to annihilation, so what the hell was the point of giving him a nightmare mode? Afraid of dying too slowly? Honestly, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even want the reward for this mission. Nothing was more important than his own life. When the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. He was just an Apprentice Knight, why get involved in such a mess? He wasn¡¯t from this world! But what troubled Fang Zheng was that the punishment was too terrifying! Dimensional Codex System shutdown? System, are you forcing me to go on a suicide mission because you know I don¡¯t want to die? I am your father! Your real father! Dammit, I knew getting Arthas the first time wasn¡¯t a coincidence; it was you, wasn¡¯t it! You backstabbing little shit! ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± Watching Fang Zheng standing there in a daze without a word, Lady Fina curiously initiated the conversation. Only then did Fang Zheng barely suppress the frustration within him. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do this, Mr. John, please take the others and escort Bald Guy back to the Sanctuary to request reinforcements immediately. It seems impossible to get enough support from the Order Fortress right now. But I think if the Sanctuary learns of the situation, they will certainly send additional forces to aid us.¡± ¡°And what about you, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Faced with Fina¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng showed a helpless smile. There was no escaping now, so let me put on a little act¡­ ¡°I will track down those cultists in the Dark Marsh. At the very least, I must find out whether those people are daydreaming or have actually made progress while waiting for reinforcements¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not foolish enough to seek death on my own.¡± I don¡¯t want to die, but the system seems bent on sending me to my death. Of course, Fang Zheng felt no need to voice this thought aloud. ¡°I will go with you!¡± And just then, Lady Fina also stood out. ¡°I am a Cleric, and I believe I can definitely be of help to you, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°Of course, Lady Fina, I am delighted that you will join me.¡± In fact, Fang Zheng had never intended to let go of Fina, as she was the only Spellcaster here, and only she, as a Cleric, possessed knowledge of the Sanctuary¡¯s Sealing Spells and such. Fang Zheng himself would probably be overwhelmed trying to decipher that information alone. He had been pondering how to extend an invitation, but now that Fina had taken the initiative, he naturally agreed to go along with her idea. As for John and the other Sanctuary Warriors, Fang Zheng decided not to keep them. It was one thing for Fina to be with him; if necessary, he could take her and flee. But these Sanctuary Warriors were a different story. They were not strong enough and too numerous. Bringing them along would only be a burden, thus, it was more secure to send them back with the Bald Mage to the Sanctuary. Besides, Nymph had already disabled Bald Mage¡¯s Magic, so he posed no threat at the moment. Regarding Bald Mage, although he ¡°enthusiastically¡± offered to guide Fang Zheng, Fang Zheng hardly trusted his goodwill. Considering numerous stories in web novels, games, and animations where the protagonist is betrayed by scammers, and given that Bald Mage was an uncle rather than a girl and there was no FLAG, Fang Zheng decisively refused Charles¡¯s ¡°request,¡± instructing the Sanctuary Warriors to take him back for questioning and handling. The Dark Marsh wasn¡¯t that large, and even if he didn¡¯t know the way, Nymph, acting as a human radar, could easily find it. Due to the urgency, there wasn¡¯t much time for discussion, and soon John had left with the Sanctuary Warriors and Bald Guy, who had been knocked out again for safe transport. Before long, only Fang Zheng, Nymph, and Lady Fina were left in the encampment. ¡°Shall we set out immediately too, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°No, wait a moment.¡± Looking at the young Cleric in front of him, Fang Zheng suddenly felt an impulse. ¡°Lady Fina, there is something I wish to consult you about.¡± ¡°` Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Oh my, this idea is really too bold. Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Oh my, this idea is really too bold. ¡°About Mages?¡± The Cleric Maiden blinked curiously and looked toward Fang Zheng. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng wishes to know about Spellcasters?¡± ¡°Exactly. During the previous battles, I found myself quite unfamiliar with Spellcasters, so I¡¯d like to ask Miss Fina about their combat methods and such.¡± Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t making excuses; on the contrary, if he had felt no need to understand the Mage profession before, he now had to change his mind. A single Bald Guy, Charles, had managed to embarrass him, and had it not been for Nymph¡¯s assistance, he probably would have had to flee in disarray. Considering that they might encounter a Destruction Mage among their future enemies, Fang Zheng naturally intended to gather some information on Spellcasters first. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not a problem. What would you like to know, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°What exactly is that Lightning Shield all about? Why did it appear suddenly when I launched an attack?¡± This was Fang Zheng¡¯s most confounding issue. At that time, he could have sworn the Bald Mage had been stopped by his Time Stop, and theoretically, he should have been an easy target. However, just as his sword was about to strike, the lightning appeared out of nowhere, repelling him, and disrupting his manipulation of time, which was the most perplexing part for Fang Zheng. However, Fina quickly provided an answer. ¡°Based on Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s description, I believe that must be the Mage¡¯s stored Spell Trigger¡­ It¡¯s a technique where a Spell is stored in advance and then automatically triggered under specific circumstances; most Intermediate Mages possess this Skill. I suppose that Mage Charles had set up the trigger to release a Lightning Shield upon being attacked, hence your attack being blocked, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Well, that¡¯s just like an automatic cheat, isn¡¯t it? Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes, reminded of the many cheat programs in online games of the past, such as automatically drinking a Blood Bottle when HP fell to a certain level or regenerating mana once MP dropped¡­ Damn, an Archmage is truly an Archmage! ¡°Then Miss Fina, do you possess this Skill too?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s curious inquiry, Fina showed a troubled expression. ¡°Spell Trigger is a Skill known by Intermediate and higher-level Spellcasters. However, there are Divine Arts that can achieve similar effects, though they must be cast in advance¡­ ¡± ¡°Then, how should one deal with such a situation?¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned. According to Fina¡¯s words, Mages seemed invincible, impervious to sneak attacks and tough in battle, and capable of escaping when overpowered. It was fortunate he had the Little Angel, Nymph, who could invade and take control of the Mage¡¯s Spells. Otherwise, facing a Mage, would he have to give up fighting and just go home to sleep? ¡°Spellcasters prepare specialized Spells to remove another¡¯s defenses when fighting each other, and there are also some weapons capable of breaking magic¡­ Besides that, using overwhelming power to break through is another method¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After Fina¡¯s response, Fang Zheng¡¯s brows furrowed. He didn¡¯t have any magic-breaking weapons, and using overwhelming force was a solution, having eventually broken through the Bald Guy¡¯s Lightning Shield with Divine Storm. However, that was because Nymph had prematurely nullified the Bald Mage¡¯s Protection Magic. As the saying goes, ¡°Know thy self, know thy enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles¡±¡­ It seems¡­ ¡°Miss Fina.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here, what is it?¡± ¡°If I want to learn magic, are there any restrictions?¡± ¡°Restrictions?¡± Upon Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Fina paused, then shook her head. ¡°Well¡­ the Sanctuary doesn¡¯t impose any restrictions, but magic is a highly complex and difficult Spellcasting technique that requires a significant amount of effort and is not easily mastered. Thus, it¡¯s rare for someone to study magic while also specializing in swordsmanship¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I was being a bit impatient, thank you.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s initially vexed mood finally calmed down. As Fina said, he had yet to perfect his swordsmanship; considering magic might indeed be premature. However, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t give up on studying magic because of this. From that Bald Mage alone, he saw many useful aspects of magic that were far more beneficial than simple swordsmanship. And besides¡­ damn it, he was a Dimensional Mage, what sort of mage doesn¡¯t know any spells? Just a Holy Light and Weapon Mastery would be following the Gandalf template. So now there was only one question left. ¡°Lady Fina, you mentioned earlier that Divine Arts also has similar effects¡­ Can you perform it? I would like to conduct a small experiment.¡± ¡°Ah, of course, that¡¯s no problem.¡± Fina readily nodded in agreement to Fang Zheng¡¯s request. Although she hadn¡¯t spent much time with him, the intelligence and wisdom he had displayed had already filled her with trust in him. Not only had he easily extracted their conspiracies from Charles, but he could even use these vague pieces of evidence to deduce the enemy¡¯s actions. It was a skill that made Fina feel inferior, so even though she didn¡¯t know why Fang Zheng wanted to do this now, she quickly agreed, raised her staff, and Fang Zheng saw a beam of light suddenly appear, enshrouding Fina and then disappearing into specks of radiance. ¡°This is Holy Armor, it will actively manifest to block an attack when I¡¯m under attack, and the effect should be similar to the spells cast by mages¡­ It just needs to be actively released¡­¡± ¡°Um, I understand.¡± Staring at the radiance around the girl, Fang Zheng nodded. The next moment, time stopped. In Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, the girl before him suddenly froze in place, standing there like a statue without moving, her eyes staring ahead, looking just like a wax figure. Fang Zheng reached out and gently patted her shoulder; it was warm and soft to the touch, but the girl did not show any reaction. Um¡­ in this situation, I suddenly have a bold idea. Looking at the Cleric Maiden before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help swallowing hard; for some reason, he suddenly remembered certain scenes from the adult films he had seen in the past¡­ Speaking of which, it seems time stop does have such uses! Cough cough¡­ Thinking too much, thinking too much, stop right there. Patting his head and tossing away the movie scenarios in his mind, Fang Zheng started to carefully observe the girl before him, then he raised his longsword and thrust at the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ding!¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s strike was not fast, but just as he was about to pierce her body, a golden barrier suddenly appeared and blocked his strike, and along with the appearance of the barrier, Fang Zheng quickly felt his grasp on time begin to weaken, with the duration of the effect rapidly decreasing. Perhaps it was because Fina was not as strong as the Bald Mage, so Fang Zheng still had time to grasp and feel. Indeed, if I face an enemy¡¯s released Skill while manipulating time, will my maintained duration decrease? Fang Zheng had considered this while he was performing his combo attacks, and now after battling the Bald Mage and practicing with Fina, he was increasingly certain his speculation was correct. The time manipulation he wielded wasn¡¯t invincible; quite the contrary, this ability had many restrictions, and there was the danger of being resisted and immuned. Even when facing an Apprentice Priest like Fina, my time manipulation is at risk of being weakened. So, it¡¯s not surprising that it was directly countered by the Bald Mage; he said he was a Three-Star Mage¡­ It must be the baseline for Africa, at least stronger than One-Star and Two-Star, right? I wonder what a Five-Star Mage is like? While his mind wandered aimlessly, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and time began to flow again. Fina, in front of him, also returned to normal. ¡°Thank you for your help, Lady Fina.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Although Fina didn¡¯t know what exactly Fang Zheng had done, she quickly bowed her head in response. And then¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s set off.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng glanced over the encampment strewn with corpses; this place was not suitable for camping out. ¡°We¡¯ll find a safe place to rest first, then head to the Dark Marsh¡­ I¡¯m also curious about what those Cultists are really up to.¡± Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Artificial Angel Dont Dream Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Artificial Angel Don¡¯t Dream The forest at night was pitch black. Fang Zheng lifted his head, only able to make out vague shadows in the distance, unable even to see the sky. Except for their small fire nearby, everything around them seemed to have been swallowed by the darkness. Fang Zheng had not chosen to stay overnight at the campsite, as it was littered with corpses and likely to attract wild beasts. He also worried that the enemy might have accomplices who could pose a danger should they notice something amiss and come searching. Therefore, after leaving the campsite, Fang Zheng found a cave halfway up the mountain to use as a temporary camp. It must be said, after following those cultists all day, both of them were exhausted. Fina drank some water, ate some dry food, then leaned against a nearby rock and fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng stayed at the cave entrance, admiring the night outside, but soon, he saw a streak of blue flying through the air and landing in front of him. ¡°Master, I have finished scouting. Everything is normal around us, and there is no danger.¡± ¡°Thank you, Nymph. You should also rest a bit.¡± Looking at the blue-haired Little Angel in front of him, Fang Zheng smiled as he spoke to her. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Nymph cautiously glanced around before respectfully sitting on a rock not too far from Fang Zheng. ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng flipped his hand, and soon a bottle of beverage and some chips appeared in his hand. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t have equipment like a ¡°Spatial Bag,¡± but luckily, as a Dimensional Mage, he inherently had a storage space, albeit not a large one¡ªno more than the capacity of a shipping container. In the world of ¡°Edge of Tomorrow,¡± to reminisce about modern life, Fang Zheng had emptied an entire supermarket, mostly with beverages and snacks, plus some daily necessities. Of course, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t plan to show these things in front of others, as these items were too different from this world and hard to explain. But for his summoned items, he was quite generous. ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Seeing the beverage and chips that Fang Zheng had taken out, Nymph also showed a smile, took the food, nodded politely at Fang Zheng, and then started eating in small bites. Finally, a normal summoned item. Looking at the blue-haired Little Angel in front of him, Fang Zheng reflected inwardly, thinking that he might only ever summon strange beings in his lifetime. It appeared to be just a matter of luck. Of course, strictly speaking, this blue-haired Little Angel wasn¡¯t particularly normal either. At least her demeanor, which positioned herself as a slave, was something Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t quite accustomed to. ¡°You must be tired too, right? You¡¯ve worked hard today. Eat your food and then sleep; I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Nymph was momentarily stunned, then looked up in surprise. ¡°Master, you don¡¯t need to do that; I don¡¯t need rest¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Responding to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nymph nodded. ¡°Artificial Angels aren¡¯t endowed with the ability to sleep when they are created, and they also don¡¯t dream¡­ So please don¡¯t worry, Master. I can take care of watching over us tonight, please rest assured.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s response, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know quite what to say. He was silent for a moment, then reached out his hand and gently stroked Nymph¡¯s little head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you, Nymph. If anything happens, wake me up immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, Master.¡± A night passed. The deep mountains in early winter were exceptionally cold, but fortunately, this world had unscientific things like Divine Arts and Magic¡ªbefore going to sleep, Fina had cast a ¡°Cold Protection¡± on both Fang Zheng and Nymph, so they managed to safely survive this dark and icy night. Unfortunately, this didn¡¯t mean their luck had changed for the better. In fact, snow began to fall in the mountains before dawn even broke. Fate wasn¡¯t kind, but still, they had to keep moving. ¡°Once I return to the Sanctuary, I must find a mount,¡± Fang Zheng muttered as he trudged through the snow. If he could summon the Zerg now, he could have summoned a King Worm for a mount. Unfortunately, due to mission constraints, the next time he could summon the Swarm would be for them to build their new home. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t dare unleash the Swarm¡¯s might in this world, so for now, apart from somberly walking on his own two legs, he had no better options. Right now, Nymph might be the most comfortable, having the capricious ability to fly as an angel. ¡°If Mr. Fang Zheng, you manage to enter the core institutions, then perhaps you could get a Pegasus mount,¡± Fina chirped, perhaps trying to dispel some of the boredom and loneliness of their march. ¡°After all, many people in the Sanctuary do envy the Pegasus Knights,¡± ¡°A Pegasus? That certainly is something special. I¡¯d want one, too, if I could¡­¡± Hearing Fina¡¯s response, Fang Zheng just shrugged his shoulders. He wasn¡¯t wrong, though, for a Pegasus was second only to Dragon Riders in a man¡¯s romantic fantasies, featured in many games, animations, and novels¡­ Of course, riding a dragon was still more romantic, if one were to be precise. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have no problem. With such strength and the ability to control Holy Light, not to mention detecting the Cultist¡¯s schemes. If all goes well, the Sanctuary will surely reward you with a Pegasus after this battle is over.¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng felt a chill down his spine. Young lady, you¡¯re planting flags like there¡¯s no tomorrow. ¡°Do you want a mount, master?¡± At that moment, Nymph, flying beside Fang Zheng, curiously asked, and Fang Zheng nodded in response. ¡°Yes, with this rotten weather¡­ it would indeed be a nice option for transportation. Unfortunately, I suppose I won¡¯t encounter a Unicorn now¡­¡± At this point, Fina reached out her hand to shield from the falling snowflakes, then spoke. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, according to legend, Unicorns only approach pure maidens who are beautiful and kind. I think you¡¯re out of luck¡­¡± ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t want to meet that pervert, either.¡± ¡°Per¡­vert?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s languid reply, Fina¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Yes, you just said it. Unicorns only approach beautiful, kind, pure maidens. Isn¡¯t that just a pervert? Likes only women, picky at that, and will attack any man that comes close. Such a lecherous animal, I think even a Giant Dragon can¡¯t compare.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­..¡± Confronted with Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Fina¡¯s expression turned complex. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, the legend of Unicorns is many girls¡¯ dream. With you saying that¡­ it feels a bit like a fantasy shattered.¡± ¡°Well, distance does lend enchantment to the view¡­ Hmm? Where¡¯s Nymph?¡± Fang Zheng turned around, only then noticing that the little angel who had been close by had disappeared without a trace. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, Fina also blanked out for a moment, then started looking around. ¡°Ah, truly, Miss Nymph is gone! Could she be lost?¡± ¡°How is that possible? There¡¯s only one path here¡­ Let me ask.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng tightened his grip on the transparent chain in his hand, then asked in his mind, ¡°Nymph? Where are you?¡± ¡°Ah, master, I¡¯m terribly sorry!¡± Immediately after, Fang Zheng heard Nymph¡¯s response in his ears. ¡°I¡¯m currently preparing a mount for the master, please wait a moment¡­ Done!¡± A mount? Hearing this, Fang Zheng was also surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected that his casual comment would lead Nymph to actually go find him a mount. This little angel is really going all out! ¡°Thud thud¡­ thud thud¡­¡± Just then, Fang Zheng suddenly heard a series of rapid footsteps from afar. He immediately turned his head, with Fina looking in the direction of the sounds as well. As both watched, a huge figure emerged slowly from the snowstorm and came to a stop before them. Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Land Abandoned by God Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Land Abandoned by God ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Seeing the imposing figure before him, Mr. Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but whistle. Lady Fina, even more surprised, widened her eyes and opened her mouth, unable to speak. In front of the two, stood a massive black bear. However, compared to the bears Mr. Fang Zheng had seen in the animal world, this black bear was enormous, with its body lying flat on the ground measuring nearly two meters tall. It stood there in front of Mr. Fang Zheng and Lady Fina, watching the two humans. Shortly afterward, Mr. Fang Zheng saw the Little Angel with blue hair come around from behind the giant bear. ¡°How about it, Master? Look, this is what I just found. I¡¯ve already made an arrangement with it, and it has agreed to serve temporarily as your mount to carry both of you down the mountain.¡± ¡°Very nice.¡± Mr. Fang Zheng patted the Nymph¡¯s little head, and the Little Angel revealed a delighted smile. Then, she reached out, placed her hand on top of the giant bear¡¯s head, as if to communicate. Subsequently, the giant bear obediently crouched down, signaling for the two to mount its back. Since such a useful mode of transportation was available, Mr. Fang Zheng naturally did not hesitate to mount it. As for Lady Fina, the Cleric Maiden hesitated for a moment but eventually gingerly seated herself behind Mr. Fang Zheng. Then, the giant bear stood up and swiftly ran towards the base of the mountain with the two on its back. The bear was massive, but its run was very steady, making Mr. Fang Zheng and Lady Fina feel even more stable than riding on horseback. Mr. Fang Zheng wondered where the Nymph had found this giant bear and how she had ¡°convinced¡± it to serve as their mount. Regardless, with this giant bear, the journey ahead was much easier. As one of the top predators in the forest, this bear obviously belonged to the category of the kings of the mountain, with no animal daring to provoke it. And despite its huge size, the bear¡¯s speed was also surprisingly swift, making Mr. Fang Zheng even think that if it were equipped with battle armor, it could probably go directly to Zu Oman to serve as a mount¡­ Ever heard of the Amani War Bear? Of course, that was just Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s idle thoughts to pass the time. The bear obviously lived comfortably in the forest and had no intentions of wandering into a wretched place like Zu Oman. In fact, in less than an hour, it had carried Mr. Fang Zheng and Lady Fina through the forest and arrived at the Dark Marsh. This was a dark swamp. Though he had heard about the Dark Marsh from Garrison and Knight Conan, and Lady Fina had introduced its history to him, when Mr. Fang Zheng actually saw this pitch-black land, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit dazed. Snow was still falling, the pristine snowflakes landing on the ground, enveloping the entire land in a blanket of white. However, this was limited to the mountains and forest where Mr. Fang Zheng was located. In front of him, at the foot of the mountain bordering the Dark Marsh, a clear black-and-white boundary stretched forth. The snowflakes seemed to leave no mark whatsoever on the swamp, only the pitch-black soil and the sporadic ruins in the distance. The Dark Marsh was indeed dark. ¡°Roar¡­¡­ Roar¡­¡­¡± Standing at the foot of the hillside, the giant bear also stopped moving, opened its mouth, and let out a low growl towards the dark swamp, as if it was facing some terrifying enemy. The Nymph flew to its side, placed her hand on the bear¡¯s head, and after a moment, turned around to face Mr. Fang Zheng, shaking her head. ¡°This child can only take Master this far; it doesn¡¯t want to enter that swamp¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s response filled with unease and apology, Mr. Fang Zheng waved his hand. Then, he flipped off the bear¡¯s back, came in front of it, and stealthily patted it. The next moment, he had a salmon in his hand. ¡°I really don¡¯t have anything better; consider this as the fare.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± As Fang Zheng held the salmon in his hands, the giant bear paused, then cautiously approached. It first sniffed the salmon in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand and, after confirming there was nothing wrong, took it in one bite. Then, with a low growl, the bear nodded at Fang Zheng and turned to disappear into the forest. ¡°Indeed, having a mount does feel quite nice.¡± Watching the bear¡¯s figure vanish, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders, then turned to look at the young girls beside him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The path through the Dark Marsh was not easy to navigate. In fact, if Fang Zheng were to describe it, walking on the marsh felt similar to walking on a Zerg fungal carpet. The ground underfoot was not hard but rather soft and squishy soil. Even through leather boots, one could feel a warm pulsation beneath, as if walking not on land but on the body of a foul-smelling creature. The fluttering snowflakes had also disappeared. In fact, upon entering the marsh, it felt as though he had stepped into another world. Dense clouds above nearly blocked out all light, making it appear gloomy and dark even during the day. The cold wind passing through the marsh wailed like the mournful cries of ghosts, as if vengeful spirits from centuries ago still lingered over this land. ¡°This place was once a prosperous nation¡­¡± Lady Fina looked complexly at a ruin beside her, its appearance still vaguely resembling a manor. But now, the manor was completely burned into pitch-black ruins. The columns had collapsed, leaving only a few walls still standing, which continued to tell of its former glory. ¡°But it was humans who destroyed it, not devils.¡± After scanning his surroundings, Fang Zheng took out a map to check their bearings and casually answered. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Fina¡¯s expression turned complex; she hesitated for a moment before speaking. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, do you think wars will ever cease?¡± ¡°War, war never changes,¡± he said, comparing directions and continuing forward without looking back. ¡°Frankly, from my standpoint, I¡¯d of course hope for a lifetime of peace and stability where I can comfortably idle at home, not caring for or doing anything, and enjoy my days in leisure. However, unfortunately, the world will never offer such good fortunes. Conflict is everywhere, and sometimes, you must fight for something. Honestly, I can somewhat understand that nation¡¯s thinking¡ªtheir only mistake was underestimating the opposing side¡¯s resolution to resist till the end.¡± ¡°And what about the battle between order and chaos?¡± ¡°Chaos¡­ frankly, it¡¯s still too far away from me at the moment, although I have encountered a Child of Chaos once¡­¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Fina, flashing an intriguing smile. ¡°By the way, Miss Fina, have you ever thought about one thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Perhaps it was Fang Zheng¡¯s somewhat ¡°malicious¡± gaze, so Fina also tensed up instinctively and asked. ¡°Could it be¡­ that Chaos might also be a part of order?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ What?!!!¡± This time, Fina seemed utterly shocked, her eyes widened, and she screamed even before Mr. Fang Zheng had finished speaking. ¡°How could that be possible? Order and Chaos are mortal enemies! Moreover, they are completely different!¡± ¡°Oh? Then tell me, according to your understanding, what is Order? What is Chaos?¡± ¡°Well, order is¡­¡± Perhaps Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s question was too bizarre, so much so that Fina did not know how to respond for a moment. She opened her mouth, stunned for a while, before it seemed like she remembered something and clapped her hands. ¡°Order has identifiable features, and it conforms to rules and regularities. Meanwhile, Chaos is disorganized and has no law or regularity¡­ How could they be the same?¡± ¡°According to what you just said, then Chaos indeed is a part of order.¡± ¡°How could that be possible? Chaos has absolutely no regularity and¡­¡± ¡°The characteristics of Chaos, didn¡¯t you just mention them?¡± At this point, Mr. Fang Zheng winked playfully at Fina. ¡°You said Chaos is disorganized, without laws or regularities¡­ Isn¡¯t that its identifiable characteristic?¡± ¡°Could that be?¡± At this point, Fina was completely thrown, her mouth agape, staring at Mr. Fang Zheng as if he had declared something utterly sacrilegious. ¡°What could not be?¡± Seeing Fina¡¯s puzzled expression, Mr. Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but smile. He stretched out his hand, pointed at the ground beneath their feet, and then to the distant mountains shrouded in Shirayuki. ¡°Just like black and white, even though they are so different, aren¡¯t they both part of color?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± This time, Fina did not counter, she lowered her head, her expression fluctuating. Mr. Fang Zheng, meanwhile, turned and continued walking forward¡­ thankfully, Nymph was on watch above, otherwise, Fina¡¯s scream might have drawn the Cultist. Watching Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s receding figure, Fina bit her lower lip, then followed him. ¡°So, Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ do you think our war against Chaos is wrong?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°But you just mentioned that Chaos is also a part of order¡­¡± ¡°I also said that they are like black and white.¡± Mr. Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t a Cultist, so he naturally had no intention of brainwashing this poor girl. He just suddenly thought of this paradox and decided to tease her a bit. Leading her astray would be quite troublesome. ¡°If compared to nations, then we are citizens of White Kingdom, and Chaos is from Black Kingdom. They want to turn us black, and we naturally refuse¡­ I suppose, Lady Fina, you wouldn¡¯t want to be dyed black either, it wouldn¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ Hehe, Mr. Fang Zheng, your words are really interesting.¡± At this, a smile finally appeared on Fina¡¯s face, but her eyes looking at Mr. Fang Zheng were increasingly complex. ¡°So, Mr. Fang Zheng, if we are the citizens of the White Kingdom, who is the painter then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that. Perhaps the Goddess knows the answer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, Fina did not say anything else. She lowered her head to look at her toes and then murmured softly to herself. ¡°Perhaps¡­ even the Goddess¡­¡± But before Fina finished speaking, Mr. Fang Zheng suddenly changed his expression and pulled Fina to hide behind the nearby ruins¡¯ shadow. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Shh¡­¡± As Fina looked astonished, Mr. Fang Zheng made a gesture while looking upward to the sky. Soon, under their gaze, a pitch-black shadow with flapping wings soared through the sky. It had a head resembling a hyena¡¯s, the wings of a bat, a humanoid body, and a long black tail. In fact, when he saw this creature, Mr. Fang Zheng knew its identity without Fina having to explain. It was a Devil. Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Nymphs Little Adventure Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Nymph¡¯s Little Adventure ¡°It¡¯s a Little Demon.¡± After watching the shadowy figure disappear, Fina finally spoke in a low voice. She stared at the place where the Little Demon had gone, her expression extremely solemn. ¡°How could it appear here?¡± ¡°Perhaps because this place is connected to Hell?¡± ¡°Of course not, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Fina immediately denied Fang Zheng¡¯s guess. ¡°The Goddess sealed off this land, and all demons were annihilated. It is impossible for any demon to enter or exit here¡ªeven a Little Demon, which is the lowest rank among demons. The only possibility is if someone summoned it¡­¡± As she spoke, Fina¡¯s eyes widened and her voice grew fainter. ¡°Alright, it seems we now know how that thing got here.¡± Glancing at Fina¡¯s expression, Fang Zheng gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword at his waist. Since the Little Demon could not have appeared out of thin air, someone must have summoned it. And in this godforsaken place, only those cultists would dare to summon a demon. ¡°Nymph.¡± ¡°Present, master.¡± ¡°Stay invisible, follow it, and see where that monstrosity is heading. Be cautious and maintain a long-range reconnaissance; don¡¯t get too close. If you encounter any danger, retreat immediately. Do not engage, safety first.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, the Little Angel hiding invisibly in midair immediately took action. She glanced in the direction the Little Demon had gone, spread her wings, and flew after it. As a vanguard of the Devil Legion, the Little Demon was not very powerful, but it was cunning and vigilant. Generally, tracking such a creature is a daunting task, but for Nymph, it was simple¡ªher invisibility camouflage could shield her from any prying eyes, and as an Artificial Angel, Nymph did not need to rely on sight to locate her target; radar scanning sufficed to lock onto everything. Thus, while the Little Demon looked left and right, alert to its surroundings, it could never imagine that above it, in the clouds, a Little Angel was quietly hiding, using radar to track it. So it goes, technology is truly the primary productive force. Even though for the Little Angel, this was entirely black technology. Under the ¡°guidance¡± of the Little Demon, Nymph soon arrived at a vast ruin deep within the Dark Marsh. This place once was a bustling city, but now, only broken walls and remnants remained. ¡°Structures built by Ground Worms are always so fragile.¡± Looking at the creation before her, Nymph hummed lightly. Fang Zheng did not know her origin, but Nymph was well aware of what humans in her world were like¡ªwhat they had done, what they were doing, and what they intended to do¡­ In Nymph¡¯s view, humans in any world hardly changed. However¡­ this place was no longer Synapsus. Thinking this, Nymph reached into her bosom and pulled out a silver-white card, frowning and sighing. This was an Omnipotent Card, unknown to Fang Zheng as one of the standard issue items for Artificial Angels. Using this card, they could connect to Synapsus and summon various objects of different natures, such as a Quantum Converter that could transform into any shape or a Dream Passage Door that could enter another person¡¯s dreams. Unfortunately, this was not the world of Synapsus, so Nymph could not use this card to summon anything here. This made Nymph somewhat annoyed; as an Artificial Angel, she was supposed to fulfill every command given by her master because that was the only way she held value. Artificial Angels need a master, and luckily, her master did not seem so strict and was quite kind to her, unlike¡­ At that thought, Nymph couldn¡¯t help shivering, then she closed her eyes, shook her head with effort, and looked again at the ruins before her. Although the ruins were thousands of meters below where Nymph was in the sky, this distance meant nothing to an Omnipotent Angel specialized in search, reconnaissance, and electronic intrusion. Nymph could even clearly see each blade of grass on the ground and a bee gathering honey from a flower. Of course, there were neither flowers nor bees, only cultists laboriously sifting through the rubbish in the ruins. What exactly were they looking for? Nymph adjusted the frequency and could faintly hear the cultists muttering words like ¡°Fragment¡± and ¡°Core.¡± They were not only working by themselves but also had some creatures similar to the Little Demons she had tracked before scurrying around. Unfortunately, the city seemed quite large, and comparatively, these people seemed to be accomplishing very little. Soon, Nymph saw a cultist unearth a strange object from the ruins, which looked like part of a sculpture. The cultist seemed quite excited, as he respectfully brought the fragment over to a Black Robe not far behind him, then handed over the piece. The Black Robe took the fragment, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction. The cultist then turned and went back to his digging. ¡°Is that the one?¡± Nymph watched as the Black Robe received the fragment and solemnly placed it in a wooden box next to him. She just scanned it lightly and immediately sensed many similar energies in the box. It seemed the cultists¡¯ scavenging was quite efficient after all. Hmm¡­ Although her master¡¯s orders were merely to recon, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t just do nothing. Nymph of course didn¡¯t know what these cultists were up to, but she was well aware that these people were her master¡¯s enemies, and their current actions were clearly detrimental to her master. So, she had to prevent them from achieving their goal. Although Nymph appeared delicate and cute, she was, after all, an angel, and specifically an Omnipotent Angel engineered for electronic warfare. Although Fang Zheng did not think she was much of a fighter, for Nymph, combat was her heavenly duty as well. Of course, charging in like a fool was something only ¦Á and ¡÷ would do. As a ¦Â type Combat Angel, Nymph naturally had her own methods. ¡°Energy fluctuation scan, confirm, wide-area radar deployment¡­¡± In the girl¡¯s eyes, the focusing aperture began to rotate, and she successfully recorded the energy fluctuations of the fragments inside the wooden box. She then used this as a base to scan the entire ruins. Quickly, through energy resonance, she rapidly located several other fragments hidden in the ruins. The whole process took no more than ten seconds, quick, decisive, and effective. ¡°Very good.¡± Nymph nodded in satisfaction, then disdainfully glanced at the cultists who were still laboriously digging on the ground. She turned and flew toward the other side. Through energy resonance, Nymph quickly found another fragment, but¡­ ¡°What on earth is this thing?¡± Looking at the huge fragment buried in the soil, which looked like the upper half of a monstrous creature¡¯s head, Nymph frowned in confusion. There seemed to be no such monster in her memory. However, that was unimportant. What mattered was that when Nymph excitedly arrived, she felt frustrated to discover that the fragment was larger than her entire body. ¡°This is troublesome¡­¡± Nymph looked around helplessly. The sky above the ruins swarmed with the traces of Little Demons flying around. Although the fragment was not too heavy for Nymph, being an Artificial Angel, she was stronger than humans, but due to its large size, moving it might attract the attention of those Little Demons¡­ Hm? At that moment, Nymph suddenly directed her gaze to the forehead of the broken statue¡¯s fragment, where she saw a dim, dirty-glass-like gem. While the gem looked more like a discarded object, a radar scan told Nymph that most of the fragment¡¯s energy aura emanated from this small red gem. That¡¯s it! With that thought, Nymph hurriedly walked over to the fragment, then stretched out her hand to prise the gem, which was as large as a grapefruit, from it. She then looked around, quickly resumed her stealth mode, and flew up into the sky to quietly depart. Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Reinforcements Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Reinforcements ¡°Miss Nymph still hasn¡¯t returned?¡± Hidden within the shadows of the ruins, Fina anxiously gazed into the distant sky. Under the gloomy, overcast sky, one could see things resembling insects circling overhead the ruins, those were the Little Demons swirling around within the ruins. Although from the distance where Fina and Fang Zheng stood it was hard to see clearly, it was certain that the area was fraught with danger. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, is Miss Nymph really alright?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Fang Zheng could only be sure of this much. Previously, Nymph had told him that she was going on a reconnaissance mission before she vanished without a trace, which caused Fang Zheng some worry. However, he could still feel those transparent chains in his hand, and the Soulstone embedded in the Dimensional Codex showed no issues, which somewhat relieved him. ¡°I think that child wouldn¡¯t deliberately seek out danger, so long as we wait a while¡­ Hmm?¡± At that moment, Fang Zheng suddenly felt something vibrating in his pocket. He quickly reached in and pulled out a badge¡ª¡ªhis Sanctuary badge. At this moment, the badge faintly emitted a white light and vibration, looking as if a mobile phone¡¯s vibration mode had been activated. Seeing this, a smile spread across Fang Zheng¡¯s face. ¡°Reinforcements have arrived!¡± During his time at the Sanctuary, Fang Zheng had learned some intelligence about it. One of them was the mutual resonance of these badges, because this world had spatial restrictions and communication blocking spells, hence people naturally developed corresponding methods. The resonance of the badge in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand was one of the relatively simple methods. The badges of the Sanctuary were blessed with order, within a certain range, just by injecting power they would resonate and vibrate automatically, and along with direction and distance, its flashing frequency and brightness would also change, this was actually somewhat similar to a light-emitting metal detector. Clutching the badge, Fang Zheng injected a thread of power into it, soon enough, the badge in his hand became hotter, and its glow began to shine. Not long after, Fang Zheng heard a series of wing flapping sounds, and then he saw several dark figures descending from the sky, flying in his direction. They were knights riding Pegasuses. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, really handsome.¡± Looking at those knights dressed in white armor, with capes fluttering, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but remark to himself; the style of the Sanctuary truly had a regal flair to it, not to say anything else but one word¡ª¡ªhandsome! And with them riding the Pegasus, it was even more striking. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t choose to foolishly wave towards them. He was long past his impulsive younger age; moreover, in such a dangerous place, he only hoped that the Pegasus knights wouldn¡¯t attract the Little Demons¡¯ attention, otherwise the situation might worsen. Fortunately, these Sanctuary-sent Pegasus Knights weren¡¯t foolish enough to let themselves be discovered by enemies, they spiraled down in the air and then came to land in front of Fang Zheng and Fina. As soon as the Pegasus landed, Fang Zheng saw the knight at the forefront dismount energetically and walk over to him. Before Fang Zheng could open his mouth to say anything, the knight slapped Fang Zheng on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, kid! I knew you wouldn¡¯t be so easily killed!¡± ¡°Mentor?¡± Hearing this familiar voice, Fang Zheng was clearly taken aback, while the knight in front of him took off his helmet, revealing Great Knight Shi Dong¡¯s ¡°very characteristic¡± face, who was grinning at Fang Zheng. ¡°To be honest, when I got the message, I thought someone was pulling my leg. Didn¡¯t expect it to be true! Hey, you little rascal, how come you didn¡¯t say hello when you came back? And where have you been? Not a single word for over half a year, but looking at you, you seem to have changed quite a bit, your body has gotten a lot sturdier too, looks like you¡¯ve been doing quite well!¡± As he spoke, Shi Dong slapped Fang Zheng hard, which in the past would have been enough to knock him over, but now Fang Zheng¡¯s body had been enhanced by the Zerg, so these slaps were nothing to him now. ¡°Please wait, Your Excellency Shi Dong.¡± Just then, an icy voice emerged behind Shi Dong, and hearing this voice, Shi Dong¡¯s expression slightly changed. He helplessly made a face at Fang Zheng before stepping aside, and subsequently, Fang Zheng saw an old man in a white robe emerging from behind and walking towards him. On the surface, this old man seemed no different from an ordinary elder. He was tall and thin with white hair and beard, yet his movements carried an air of elegance. He looked at Fang Zheng with a stern gaze, and after a moment, he finally asked softly. ¡°Are you Fang Zheng? From the Silver Nation, the Apprentice Guardian Knight serving at the Star Moon City Sanctuary?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Although the old man¡¯s tone was not very polite, Fang Zheng glanced at Shi Dong and still obediently nodded his head. He had outgrown the age of youthful impulsiveness. Even though the old man¡¯s tone was not nice, since even his mentor had to stand obediently and deal with him, Fang Zheng certainly wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to trouble himself at this moment. ¡°I need to see your proof; show me your badge and Star Pattern.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s command, Fang Zheng took out a badge and Star Pattern from his bosom, while the old man approached, first carefully examining the Templar badge in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand, then looked at his Star Pattern, and subsequently took out a scroll, murmured a few lines of blessing, and with the old man¡¯s chanting, the scroll turned into a golden light and shot into the Star Pattern in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand. Soon after, Fang Zheng felt a gentle white radiance emanating from his body, and at the same time, his Star Pattern began to flicker. A moment later, the radiance disappeared, and only then did a slight smile appear on the old man¡¯s face, which seemed unchanged for tens of thousands of years. ¡°Welcome back to the Sanctuary, Your Excellency Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°Wait, Your Excellency?¡± Hearing this address, Fang Zheng was taken aback and then looked at Shi Dong in astonishment. If he remembered correctly, in the Sanctuary, only Grand Knights and higher ranks are addressed as ¡®Your Excellency¡¯. How could he, an Apprentice Guardian Knight, be referred to as ¡®Your Excellency¡¯? Perhaps sensing Fang Zheng¡¯s confusion, the old man slowly began to speak. ¡°Your heroic actions in Shadow Canyon have been reported to the Bishopric by Grand Knight Mart and Great Knight Shi Dong. Your willingness to sacrifice for order and justice, and your courage to face the Child of Chaos are admirable. Hence, after deliberation, the Bishopric decided to bestow upon you the title of Grand Knight; thus, you are now a Grand Knight, just like Great Knight Shi Dong.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng was even more stunned. He knew well that the title of Grand Knight was not just a symbol of strength, but also of honor, experience, and achievements¡ªin Fang Zheng¡¯s own case, his abilities were slightly superior to Connie¡¯s. If the ranking were based on ability alone, then Fang Zheng would definitely be a fully-fledged Guardian Knight. Yet, he had to start as an apprentice. And now, to suddenly be promoted from an Apprentice Guardian Knight to a Grand Knight¡­wait, he recalled, wasn¡¯t this double promotion kind of a martyr¡¯s treatment? ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s tormented expression, Shi Dong finally burst out laughing. ¡°You¡¯ve finally realized, hahaha, me too¡ªI laugh so hard that it kills me, those stubborn old men, I¡¯ve told them so many times that you weren¡¯t that easy to kill, yet they insisted on treating it like you were deceased. Well, now it turned out great, hahaha, kid, you should have seen it, when your news reached the Sanctuary, the faces of those old men¡­thinking about it still brings me to laughter!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Seeing his mentor¡¯s cheerful demeanor, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what to say, he hadn¡¯t expected such an event¡­it seemed like, even returning to the Sanctuary, there might still be a multitude of troubles. No wonder the old man was so serious earlier, checking both his badge and Star Pattern¡­it turned out, he was a Grand Knight now? ¡°Okay, don¡¯t look so glum.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, Shi Dong laughed even more joyfully. ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it? A Grand Knight, many never achieve that in their lifetimes, and besides, you have the strength. That Child of Chaos was defeated by you alone, Mart and I hardly helped a bit. From that perspective, both your strength and qualifications are sufficient for a Grand Knight, plus you also brought back intelligence¡­Oh, what¡¯s the situation now?¡± ¡°Please wait a moment, mentor.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng also finally got in touch with Nymph, and after learning that she had safely returned, he could finally relax a bit. ¡°My companion has gone to scout; she should be back soon, we¡¯ll know the details once we ask her, ah, here she comes.¡± ¡°She?¡± Just then, Shi Dong saw a blue-haired girl, who seemed like a fairy, flying down from the sky and landing beside Fang Zheng. ¡°Report, master, I have returned¡­who are these people?¡± Seeing so many unfamiliar faces, Nymph seemed a bit uneasy. While warily eyeing the Pegasus Knights, she quietly moved behind Fang Zheng. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing the multi-colored radiance emanating from the wings behind the blue-haired girl, Shi Dong and the Pegasus Knights behind him were astonished. ¡°An angel?!¡± Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Chapter 82 Six-Armed Snake Demon Chapter 83: Chapter 82 Six-Armed Snake Demon ¡°Kid, she is¡­¡± Watching the blue-haired little angel before him, Shi Dong also couldn¡¯t help but take a step back before curiously asking. Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng first patted Nymph¡¯s head to ease her tension before he began to answer. ¡°This is my companion from the Otherworld¡­ Her name is Nymph.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Facing Nymph, Shi Dong wasn¡¯t as nonchalant as he had been with Fang Zheng. Not just him, even the other Pegasus Knights were looking at Nymph with grave expressions, respectfully bowing to her. Nymph huffed slightly in response to their salute, but after looking at Fang Zheng, she still obediently nodded towards the group. ¡°Uh, Nymph, what about the results of your scouting?¡± Seeing the atmosphere had become somewhat strange, Fang Zheng had to cough to break the awkward silence, then he asked. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the blue-haired little angel suddenly remembered something and slapped her head. ¡°Right, Master, I followed your instructions to track that little demon, and then I found a group of Cultists. They were digging through garbage in a ruin.¡± ¡°Digging through garbage?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fang Zheng looked puzzled by her response, to which Nymph nodded proudly. ¡°They seemed to be looking for fragments of something, it looked like an ugly demon¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what that statue looked like, Angel my dear?¡± Listening to this, the old man, who had been silent until now, suddenly looked at Nymph and asked. After hearing his question, Nymph turned to glance at Fang Zheng before pursing her lips. ¡°Of course, I scanned the energy fluctuations of those fragments and checked some of them, I remember if combined they should look like¡­¡± As she spoke, Nymph reached out and traced in the empty air, and soon a sinister demon appeared before everyone. It looked like a hybrid of a human and a venomous snake, with a long snake tail for its lower half, while the upper half resembled a humanoid form. Its head was that of a female human, but it bore three eyes on its face. Compared to that, the six arms spread out to either side of its body were less notable. ¡°It¡¯s roughly like this.¡± After effortlessly constructing the demon¡¯s image, Nymph returned to Fang Zheng¡¯s side. At this moment, both the old man and Shi Dong were gazing solemnly at the figure. ¡°Is this¡­ a Six-Armed Snake Demon?¡± ¡°This is not just a Six-Armed Snake Demon.¡± As compared to Shi Dong, the old man¡¯s expression had become even more grave. ¡°Do you see the third eye in the center of her forehead? Among those demons, there is only one cursed being with such a mark, and that is Three-Eyed Bella!¡± ¡°Are you saying, the subordinate of Bob? The Bella known as the most cunning Six-Armed Serpent Lord in history?¡± Upon hearing this, Shi Dong¡¯s face showed a look of shock, not just him, but also the other Pegasus Knights beside him appeared greatly unsettled after hearing this news. The destruction of Samer and the onset of the Dark Age were, of course, caused by the Demon King of Hell, Bob; but after all, a Demon King is a Demon King. Destroying worlds is a task where he merely needs to shout slogans, the rest naturally falls to his subordinates. And Bella was the most fearsome among them. According to human records, when Bella crossed the Gates of Hell into the Main World, she was just a captain of the Royal Guard under Bob. Yet soon, Bella gained the Demon King¡¯s attention with her ¡°outstanding¡± performance. She personally led an army that orchestrated the massacre targeting the Kadra Kingdom¡ªknown in historical records for its assault on Samer. She introduced Hell Serpent Eggs into the underground sources and wells of Kadra, and the Kadra residents who drank this water gradually became weak. Yet, most of them paid it no mind, thinking it was merely due to the continuous rainy season making them unwell. Only a few realized something seemed amiss, but before they could ascertain what had happened, disaster struck. On the last rainy night of the monsoon season, the serpent eggs that had absorbed enough strength began to hatch. Hell vipers broke through people¡¯s stomachs, burrowing out of their corpses. They voraciously consumed the human flesh and gradually grew stronger. Kadra was almost overnight turned into a bloody and horrifying slaughterhouse, with bodies everywhere and madly writhing vipers that plunged many cities into a sea of snakes! This scene naturally caught the attention of the Sanctuary, but unfortunately, at that time, the Sanctuary itself was facing an assault from the Devil Legion and could not afford to look after other nations. Having now acquired enough ¡°subordinates,¡± Bella completely swept through the entire Kadra Kingdom, turning it into a realm of death. Bella¡¯s ¡°meritorious deeds¡± naturally attracted the attention of Demon King Bob. Her position was elevated from a Royal Guard captain to Legion Commander, and Bella seized this opportunity to assimilate a Six-Armed Snake Demon Legion that had come through the Gates of Hell. After a series of wars, she became a Six-Armed Serpent Lord. She was cunning, deceitful, deceitful, and cruel. To achieve her goals, she would stop at nothing, yet she was also fiercely loyal to Demon King Bob. The common people who perished at her hands were countless, and the heroes who went to subdue her all died without a place for burial. So much so that it was believed on the continent at that time that no one could kill her. But in the end, this Six-Armed Snake Demon died in a way that no one had anticipated¡ªthree heroes disguised themselves as The Fallen and infiltrated Samer. They directed the Goddess¡¯s power to attack and destroy the Gates of Hell and in the process, sent Bob back to the Abyss. And Bella, as Bob¡¯s most loyal subordinate, naturally did not escape this fate. It is rather ironic that even after Bella had not appeared since then, the allied forces never let their guard down, even though they knew that Bob had been cast back into the Abyss. Because this Six-Armed Snake Demon was too cunning and too cruel, so much so that even after the allied forces had completely eradicated all of the Demon King¡¯s legions from the Main World, many still worried whether Bella had feigned death to escape or hid somewhere, biding her time for a resurgence. This concern persisted for a full fifty years. In the end, as time passed, people gradually forgot about that period. But now, looking at the phantom before them, everyone seemed to recall once again the fear dominated by the Six-Armed Snake Demon and the humiliation of being played with in its grasp¡­ It now seems that Bella had indeed died back then, but these cultists are trying to resurrect this terrifying legend! ¡°We must stop them! No matter what these cultists intend to do, since it¡¯s related to Bella, we have to foil their plans! Even the Demon King Bob is not as terrifying as this accursed Six-Armed Snake Demon!¡± Shi Dong clenched his fists, his expression serious, and the old man nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right, we must take action¡­ but relying solely on these people is not enough, we need reinforcements! Not to mention, those people have also obtained the key! No one knows what they¡¯re capable of!¡± ¡°The key?¡± At this, Fang Zheng paused, puzzled. ¡°What key?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know yet, huh.¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, Shi Dong huffed discontentedly. ¡°The mage named Charles that you captured is the Watcher of the Tower of Heaven stationed here. He possessed an amethyst ring that can temporarily open the seal here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Fang Zheng was startled upon hearing this. ¡°Such an important item, and you entrusted it to a novice? Didn¡¯t you vet your people before sending them?¡± ¡°Who knows what¡¯s going through the minds of those mages from the Tower of Heaven! Every single one of them doesn¡¯t take this seriously! It seems like all that book learning has made their brains crooked!¡± Shi Dong was now also angrily clenching his fist and waving it, clearly quite dissatisfied with the mages of the Tower of Heaven. As he spoke, he turned to a Pegasus Knight nearby. ¡°You must return to the Sanctuary immediately and inform the Bishopric that these cultists are engaged in activities related to the Six-Armed Snake Demon Bella in the Land of the Fallen, their numbers are vast, and the current situation is unclear, request immediate reinforcement! Everyone else, remain on high alert!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hearing the elder¡¯s orders, the Pegasus Knight hastily saluted and then rode off, quickly ascending into the sky and vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the other Pegasus Knights also led their Pegasi to conceal themselves on the other side of the hill, watching the surroundings vigilantly. That¡¯s more like it. Watching the scene unfold before him, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. The intelligence of this Sanctuary seemed to be on point¡ªseeking reinforcements when confronted with a problem. He had been worried that these people would decide to charge in directly. After all, according to Nymph¡¯s report, in addition to the cultists, there were all sorts of little demons there, adding up to a force of over a hundred. Even if his side could fight ten times their number, it would still be a tough battle¡­ In any case, Fang Zheng was none too keen on the sort of hero tales where the hero turns the tables from a disadvantageous position. A resource unused is a resource wasted. ¡°Nymph.¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng then gave an order to Nymph. ¡°Continue to monitor those cultists and report back on their activities at all times. If those guys make any suspicious moves, notify me immediately, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s order, Nymph quickly nodded and took a nervous glance at the others. Then she immediately entered a state of invisibility and flew up into the sky, vanishing from sight. ¡°I never imagined that you could even get an angel to work for you.¡± Admiring the angel disappearing before his eyes, Shi Dong couldn¡¯t help but marvel, then he turned to Fang Zheng, shaking his head. ¡°Although I¡¯ve known you were¡­ But this is just too¡­¡± Perhaps because there were other people around, Shi Dong didn¡¯t articulate his point very clearly, but Fang Zheng understood that he was referring to his Holy Spirit Protection¡­ Speaking of which, Fang Zheng had forgotten that Shi Dong had always taken it for granted that he was under the protection of a guardian angel. Ah, that¡¯s right! Suddenly, it dawned on Fang Zheng. ¡°Teacher, should we take action now?¡± ¡°No, not for the time being. Since you¡¯ve already sent your Guardian Angel to scout, we¡¯d better be cautious. Anything related to Bella deserves utmost care, so no need to do anything for now¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± *Sigh*¡­ Relieved by Shi Dong¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng looked at Shi Dong earnestly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there is something I¡¯d like to ask you about.¡± Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Overwhelmingly Powerful Strength Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Overwhelmingly Powerful Strength ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Shi Dong was clearly interested, and after all, as a mentor, it was his duty to assist his students. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Fang Zheng pondered while carefully organizing his words. ¡°In another world, I unintentionally obtained a certain ability, but I found this ability somewhat difficult to control¡­ I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shi Dong showed clear interest. He looked around and then walked with Fang Zheng behind a large boulder. ¡°A new power?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­You are really lucky, kid.¡± Amazed by Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shi Dong clicked his tongue in wonder. Then, he squinted his eyes and took a careful look at Fang Zheng. ¡°Hmm¡­ but if you ask me, aside from being quite sturdy, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special about you¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything strange either¡­ Let¡¯s do this, display that ability for me to see.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fang Zheng nodded and looked towards Shi Dong. In fact, he indeed needed someone to help him resolve his confusion. The Time Ability was undoubtedly a very powerful force, something Fang Zheng had already experienced. However, what baffled Fang Zheng was that sometimes it seemed extremely fragile. For instance, when facing the Bald Mage, although Fina mentioned that the opponent was a Three-Star Mage, similar in strength to Fang Zheng¡¯s usual encounters, Fang Zheng still couldn¡¯t accept that his ability to manipulate time could be so easily shattered by a Bald Mage. He must figure out what the situation with the Time Ability was in this world, but naturally, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t just tell anyone about it, and Shi Dong was clearly the best choice. Moreover, Fang Zheng also wanted to test if this ability was effective against the Grand Knight rank. Thinking this, Fang Zheng concentrated and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, staring at Shi Dong in front of him. The next moment, the power of time unfolded instantly. However, to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, just as his power enveloped Shi Dong, Fang Zheng felt as though he was a bird suddenly caught in a berserk tornado. His whole body shook violently, and soon, he rapidly lost control of the Time Ability. Time, which had originally stopped around them, once again began to flow, and the backlash returned along the same path into Fang Zheng¡¯s body, making him feel as if his internal organs were struck by an invisible heavy punch! ¡°Pu!!¡± A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth. He covered his mouth, feeling a burning pain all over his body¡ªnow Fang Zheng finally understood what a Martial Hero novel described about Inner Strength backlash. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a minor injury¡­¡± Fang Zheng resignedly wiped his mouth, then cast a healing spell on himself. He had not expected it to turn out like this; his ability not only failed to have an impact, but collapsed the moment it was deployed? ¡°So, mentor, do you have any idea?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± To Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, this time Shi Dong did not immediately respond. He frowned, gazed at Fang Zheng thoughtfully for quite a while, and then finally spoke. ¡°¡­I really don¡¯t know whether to say you are lucky or unlucky¡­ Ah, of course, if you ask me, I would definitely say your luck is good.¡± ¡°¡­Mentor?¡± This time, Shi Dong did not say much else but waved his hand and sat down on a nearby large boulder. He then gestured for Fang Zheng to sit down. ¡°You should know, on this continent, aside from those Transcendent creatures, the most formidable are the Legendary Powerhouses. So, how powerful do you think a Legendary Powerhouse should be?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s question, Fang Zheng was startled, then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.¡± Having said this, Shi Dong smiled and then pointed at himself. ¡°If there were a Legendary Powerhouse here, then a hundred of me plus a hundred Marts would still be no match for him.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± Upon hearing Shi Dong¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was instantly dumbfounded. Although he understood that a Legendary Powerhouse must be much more powerful than a Grandmaster, Shi Dong¡¯s statement seemed exaggerated¡ªcould a hundred of him plus a hundred Marts really not stand a chance? That number should be enough to exhaust the opponent to death. ¡°Hehe.¡± Perhaps seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, Shi Dong chuckled. ¡°Once you witness it with your own eyes, you¡¯ll understand what I mean. In fact, at the level of Legendary and Transcendent, numbers have become completely meaningless to them. Not to mention a hundred of me, even a thousand of me¡ªin front of a Legendary Powerhouse, we could only line up to be slaughtered. Do you know why?¡± Fang Zheng shook his head; his knowledge mainly came from Williams¡¯s memories, and he knew nothing about how formidable a Legendary Powerhouse could be. Williams was only a Lower Rank Cultist, who could hardly ever meet a Grandmaster like Shi Dong, let alone a Legendary Powerhouse. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.¡± While speaking, Shi Dong reached out his hand as if grasping the sky and clenched his fist tightly. ¡°Because any Legendary Powerhouse possesses the power of a Domain. Within their Domain, they are like Generals, Kings, wielding the authority over life and death. Unless you also possess this kind of power, you simply cannot withstand their presence. Even I would be the same; if I were to fight a Legendary Powerhouse who masters the Domain of Wind, I would be utterly defeated.¡± Having said this, Shi Dong turned his head and smiled at Fang Zheng. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± ¡°¡­ so what you mean is¡­¡± Fang Zheng was no fool, and he naturally understood that Shi Dong was not just telling him a story. ¡°The power I possess is the power of a Domain?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shi Dong nodded. ¡°I was once fortunate to meet a Legendary Powerhouse and received his guidance. At that time, I personally experienced the power of the Domain of Legends. And just a moment ago, I felt the same sensation. But¡­¡± At this point, Shi Dong looked at Fang Zheng with a half-smile. ¡°¡­ compared to that Master, you are much weaker.¡± Damn it!! Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s answer, Fang Zheng helplessly rolled his eyes. By now, he had finally understood Shi Dong¡¯s meaning. Thinking about it carefully, his own power was indeed somewhat similar to the Domain of Legends Shi Dong mentioned. Previously, when facing beings weaker than himself, Fang Zheng had effortlessly harvested them in an instant. He wouldn¡¯t care if there were even a hundred more such weaklings. This completely matched what Shi Dong had described. However¡­ the disparity between their power ranks was as vast as the heavens and the earth. And Fang Zheng also understood the reason Shi Dong said he was both lucky and unlucky. Saying he was lucky was because he had the power of a Domain, which only Legendary Powerhouses could control and utilize. Saying he was unlucky was because¡­ the reason the Domain of Legends was a capability only Legendary Powerhouses possessed was exactly because only they could master it! It truly hits home! If his Time Ability were likened to a huge and sharp sword, then Fang Zheng was just a child. Perhaps he could swing the sword a few times ordinarily and pose a little, but once he faced an adult, no matter how sharp or gigantic the sword in his hand was, due to his own lack of strength, Fang Zheng would ultimately be defeated. And the only way to fix this flaw was¡­ to become as powerful as his opponent! But before that¡­ his power would probably only be useful for bullying the weak. Realizing this, Fang Zheng was thoroughly speechless. This is truly a trap! Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Chapter 84 Breaking Through the Grandmaster Bottleneck Chapter 85: Chapter 84 Breaking Through the Grandmaster Bottleneck After resolving his doubts about his time ability, Fang Zheng immediately sought advice from Shi Dong on another matter¡ªthe question of swordsmanship. This was something he intended to ask on his way to Shadow Canyon, but due to a lack of time and subsequent accidents, Fang Zheng had not had the opportunity to inquire. Now that he saw Shi Dong here, he naturally wanted to resolve it as well. What surprised Fang Zheng, however, was that after hearing his request for guidance, Shi Dong did not immediately respond. Instead, he looked at Fang Zheng for a good while before sighing and patting his shoulder. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you, kid, would make progress so quickly¡­ but it¡¯s not surprising¡­ Well¡­ Thinking about it, with your strength, it¡¯s only natural to encounter this bottleneck.¡± ¡°Bottleneck?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As he spoke, Shi Dong¡¯s expression grew much more serious. He stared at Fang Zheng and said, ¡°The bottleneck you are facing now is one that every professional, whether spellcasters or warriors, must confront. If you can successfully break through it, then you can step into the domain of a Grandmaster. But if you can¡¯t break through, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be stuck at your current level for the rest of your life. Even if you have great strength¡­ it¡¯s the same¡­¡± ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression changed slightly, but seeing his reaction, Shi Dong just laughed. ¡°All right, relax a bit. Actually, this is not so difficult, but it¡¯s not so simple either¡­ Well, to put it plainly, you¡¯re beginning to realize the shortcomings of your swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Shortcomings?¡± Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t make sense of Shi Dong¡¯s words, feeling that Royal Cross Swordsmanship was quite useful. Being a Paladin means being able to attack, defend, AoE, heal, be invincible, and break control¡ªall quite comprehensive. What shortcomings could there be? Of course, it would be nice if the invincibility could last a little longer¡­ ¡°Do you know, kid?¡± Shi Dong seemed to have sensed Fang Zheng¡¯s thoughts, shrugging his shoulders and then gazing at the two-handed giant sword in his hands. ¡°The Storm Swordsmanship I learned was actually created by a female ancestor of ours. At that time, it wasn¡¯t called Storm Swordsmanship but Sword of the Heavens. It described this swordsmanship as being like a light breeze in the vault of the heavens, elusive but omnipresent.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling that what Shi Dong described was entirely different from what he had seen. Fang Zheng had witnessed Storm Swordsmanship more than once, and if he had to describe it, there was only one phrase that fit¡ªa moving, human-sized land-based tornado. Elusive? Impossible! Such a huge tornado is visible to everyone, only a blind person would miss it! ¡°But to me, it¡¯s not the Sword of the Heavens, it¡¯s Storm Swordsmanship, do you understand, kid?¡± As he spoke, Shi Dong tapped his sword. ¡°What we learn is swordsmanship, what spellcasters learn are spells, but in the end, all of these are legacies left by those before us. Our ancestor was a woman, and perhaps she was more suited to the Sword of the Heavens style. But I¡¯m not, I prefer to roll right over them, so in my hands, the Sword of the Heavens is not the Sword of the Heavens, it¡¯s Storm Swordsmanship. It¡¯s the same for you, kid.¡± Speaking of this, Shi Dong once again looked towards Fang Zheng. ¡°Everyone needs to find their own path, and here you stand, making a decision. The reason why you feel that your swordsmanship isn¡¯t smooth enough is that it simply isn¡¯t meant for you to fight in this manner.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng instinctively opened his mouth, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he fell into deep thought. Was Shi Dong wrong? To be fair, Fang Zheng thought he was quite right. He had never really been a melee player. In online games, Fang Zheng favored long-range attacking professions, such as Archers and Mages. Next would be classes like Thieves that could control and backstab, while he did not particularly excel at or enjoy classes like Knights and Warriors. In fact, whenever Fang Zheng started an online game, the first roles he would look at were remote and summoning classes, followed by those that allowed for stealth and survival. As for Knights and Paladins? They were always his last choice. Mastering the Royal Cross Swordsmanship for Fang Zheng was more like being pushed into a situation he hadn¡¯t chosen, because, at the time, he was powerless and would take whatever he could get without giving much thought to other options. He might even say that he preferred the combat style in Dark Soul more than Royal Cross Swordsmanship because it allowed him to take advantage of openings, and exploiting weaknesses was what Fang Zheng enjoyed the most. Put simply, Fang Zheng relished the experience of capitalizing on an enemy¡¯s vulnerability to deliver a deadly, powerful blow. This was unlike the Royal Cross Swordsmanship, which required a poised, steady approach, typical of Paladin tactics. For instance, it¡¯s like comparing the Thief and Knight classes in a game. A Thief might have a weak basic attack but can strike a critical hit or triple damage from sneak attacks. Knights might do slightly more damage with their basic attacks but are less likely to land a critical hit. Given the choice between these two classes, Fang Zheng would prefer the former over the latter. Yet, now he was following the path of the latter. Shi Dong¡¯s words were clear to Fang Zheng; the biggest difference between a Grandmaster and an elite was that a Grandmaster could innovate, developing unique skills based on existing knowledge. That is why Shi Dong said that while the Sword of the Heavens remained the same in the hands of his ancestors, it became Storm Swordsmanship in his own. The same swordsmanship, because of the different focuses of the wielders, could have entirely different manifestations. The old Fang Zheng was just a novice, so he would use whatever skills were handed to him, much like many beginner gamers who would follow the game instructions for their actions. But with a deepening gaming experience and increasing knowledge, these novices would gradually grow and start mastering and using skills suited to them. Some people prefer to be aggressive, while others are more cautious. Thus, when you see Hunters charging forth with polearms and Paladins who only throw hammers from the back¡­ it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise. And Fang Zheng had now successfully moved past the ¡°Novice Period¡± and reached the point where he needed to find the ¡°style of output¡± that fit him best. ¡°So, instructor, do you have any advice?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any good advice.¡± Faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s earnest request for guidance, Shi Dong shook his head. ¡°If I were to say anything, it would be to stick to your own ideas. Every combat style exists for a reason, and while some may look down on them, it doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t effective. Stay true to yourself, find the fighting style that suits you best¡ªthat¡¯s the only advice I can give you.¡± ¡°Thank you, instructor.¡± Having listened to Shi Dong¡¯s guidance, Fang Zheng stood up and bowed to him. In all honesty, Fang Zheng understood what Shi Dong meant. Although it sounded simple, he knew very well that perfecting his combat style¡ªor even just defining the style he wanted to stick to¡ªwas not going to be easy. But no matter what, Shi Dong had pointed him in the right direction and resolved his doubts. What was left¡­ as Shi Dong said, was up to his own efforts. It must be said that Shi Dong was quite an adequate instructor. The two questions that had always troubled Fang Zheng had been answered¡ªhis Time Ability was not strong enough because his own strength was too weak. As for a breakthrough in swordsmanship, it was up to him to work hard and achieve it. However, unfortunately, neither of these was an easily solved issue. So Fang Zheng had to put aside the idea of further improving himself for the time being and shift his focus to the group of Cultists. After all, that was where the focus lay ahead. Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Racing Against Time Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Racing Against Time Too slow. Standing on the altar, looking down at the bustling cultists, the Black Robe¡¯s face was gloomy. He reached out his hand and, looking at the flame that was flickering in his palm, it was as if it mirrored his mood at the moment. The dark red brilliance between his fingers also grew steadily brighter. According to the plan, that fool should have already brought the captives to this ruined city by now. Why is there no sign of him yet? Could something have happened, or did some trouble cause a delay? That shouldn¡¯t be the case, right? That guy has my Communication Technique. If there¡¯s a problem, he should get in touch with me right away¡­ Of course, the Destruction Mage didn¡¯t know that Bald Mage Charles naturally wanted to contact him, but the issue was that his brain had been invaded and locked down by Nymph. As a result, he was completely unable to use even the slightest bit of magic. This was also why the Destruction Mage remained completely oblivious to everything that was happening at the camp so far. But it was nearly reaching the limit. ¡°Snap.¡± The Destruction Mage stood up and snapped his fingers. Soon, he saw a Little Demon flying in circles in the sky, respectfully kneeling in front of the Destruction Mage. ¡°Go check out what that idiot has gotten himself into.¡± Hearing the Destruction Mage¡¯s command, the Little Demon let out a low cry, then spread its wings and flew into the sky. After turning a circle, it headed towards the mountains. ¡°Trouble.¡± Meanwhile, Fang Zheng had also received word on the situation there through Nymph¡¯s report. ¡°It seems they¡¯ve become suspicious. They¡¯ve sent a Little Demon to check on the camp.¡± ¡°To have stalled for so long is already not easy¡­ What should we do, should I send someone to intercept the Little Demon?¡± ¡°You had better not do that.¡± No sooner had Shi Dong¡¯s voice fallen than the gaunt old man in the Bishop¡¯s robe shook his head with a grim expression. ¡°Little Demons are summoned by the Summoner. They share a telepathic connection. Once you make a move, even if you kill the Little Demon, if that Destruction Mage notices, then all our efforts will be in vain.¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Upon hearing the old man¡¯s reply, Shi Dong furrowed his brows. ¡°We can¡¯t just let it scout out the place. If the Little Demon discovers the camp¡­¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± However, before Shi Dong could finish speaking, the old man interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯ll handle that Little Demon. This should buy us some time, but¡­¡± As he spoke, the old man glanced at the sky. ¡°If reinforcements haven¡¯t shown up by the time the Guiding Star appears, then we¡¯ll have to take action. If the Destruction Mage realizes something is amiss, things will likely get even more complicated¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hearing the old man¡¯s response, Shi Dong thought it over and eventually nodded helplessly. ¡°That¡¯s the only way, then. Please, take care.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± In response to Shi Dong¡¯s words, a shadow of a grim smile emerged on the old man¡¯s icy face. ¡°I¡¯ve lived longer than you have. To me, this is as simple as can be.¡± ¡°Swish!¡± Suddenly, a pair of pitch black wings, resembling those of a bat, sprouted behind the old man. At the same time, the old man¡¯s previously desiccated and lean body began to swell, his white hair darkening. In the blink of an eye, what was once a tall and thin old man on the verge of his twilight years had transformed into a handsome and dashing young man. His expression no longer carried the icy aloofness, but rather a courteous, spring-breeze-like smile. The ¡°old¡± Archbishop gave Fang Zheng a nod with that smile, then spread his wings, and, like a bolt of lightning, quickly soared into the sky. What in the world?! Fang Zheng stared, dumbfounded, as the figure of the ¡°old¡± Archbishop receded into the distance. His mouth agape, he had no idea what to say. He blinked his eyes and then turned to look at Shi Dong beside him. Clearly, he needed an answer. ¡°Surprising, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shi Dong obviously enjoyed Fang Zheng¡¯s reaction. Only now, with a grin on his face, he began to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by Bishop Carl¡¯s stern and rigid demeanor. He¡¯s a Vampire Earl and a devout believer of the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°¡­There are vampires in the Sanctuary?¡± Fang Zheng felt like all the novels he had read in the past were utterly bogus. ¡°Of course.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shi Dong nodded. ¡°The Order Sanctuary upholds order. We welcome all like-minded members to join us in our mission to safeguard order. We do not discriminate based on race, profession, or origin. As long as one is willing to protect order and oppose Chaos, they are our friends.¡± ¡°But¡­ shouldn¡¯t vampires need to feed on blood?¡± Fang Zheng was completely at a loss. ¡°Of course, normal vampires do need blood. But devout followers like Bishop Carl are able to draw sufficient strength from the Holy Light, so unless it¡¯s a dire situation, he doesn¡¯t need blood.¡± ¡°So that means the Sanctuary has a lot of vampires?¡± Wow, the Sanctuary really plays big. ¡°Of course not.¡± Confronted with Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, Shi Dong shook his head. ¡°In fact, only a very small portion of vampires can resist the temptation of blood and join the Sanctuary, becoming one of us. The majority of them cannot forsake the power and pleasure that blood brings. They cannot abandon such wicked deeds, so we only accept those vampires who share our ideals and are willing to give up their bad habits to become our allies.¡± ¡°Then¡­ don¡¯t you worry they might say one thing and do another?¡± ¡°Of course not. These vampires, while gaining strength through the Holy Light, also make sacred vows. If they betray their vows, the Holy Light within them will turn to flame and burn the oathbreakers to ash. Of course, this isn¡¯t limited to just vampires.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng nodded, finally understanding Shi Dong¡¯s point. It¡¯s as if the Sanctuary was likened to a drug rehabilitation center, and if vampires wanted to quit their ¡°addiction,¡± the Sanctuary would help them, becoming their companion. Of course, this only applies to vampires willing to willingly accept the guidance of the Order¡¯s Holy Light (Shi Dong¡¯s words). As for the vampires who are still immersed in blood and power, they are also their targets. ¡°What about Liches?¡± ¡°Liches are different.¡± Upon reaching this topic, Shi Dong¡¯s expression immediately became serious. ¡°Vampires can be forgiven, as many of them were forced to become such creatures, but Liches are a different story. They have actively abandoned their own lives to transform into Undead beings. Liches play with the souls of mortals, denying them peace. Such actions will never be tolerated, so Necromancers and Liches have always been our targets.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Having heard this, Fang Zheng finally had a clear understanding of the Sanctuary¡¯s stance. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t just their origins that the Sanctuary judged to be their enemy; it was more their actions. Like the Liches and Necromancers, the reason the Sanctuary eradicated them was not because of their identities but because of their nefarious deeds¡­ Hmm, with this in mind, Fang Zheng decided to hide Malthael and Arthas¡¯s Soulstones even deeper¡­ It seems that in the Main World, these two could definitely not be used anymore. The actions of the Vampire Bishop were obviously swift. Before long, Fang Zheng and Shi Dong saw him return. However, unlike before, this time a Little Demon followed behind the old Archbishop. At the moment, this Little Demon had none of its previous cunning and ferocity; rather, it had a vacant look in its eyes, appearing like a puppet ¡ª Hmm, considering the old Archbishop was a vampire, Fang Zheng felt he guessed what had been done to the Little Demon. The crisis had temporarily receded, but the situation hadn¡¯t improved. Time ticked by, second by second, until nightfall, when finally the reinforcements arrived just in time. But they brought with them even more surprising news. The Order Fortress was in danger! Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Attack (I) Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Attack (I) Although the method of human communication Fang Zheng used was very ancient, it had to be said that it was extremely effective. Knight Conan arrived at Order Fortress with the greatest speed, and reported the situation of the rear base to the higher-ups. After receiving Knight Conan¡¯s report, Order Fortress was greatly shocked. In fact, due to the loss of communication with the rear base, Order Fortress had guessed that there might be a problem at the back, but they did not expect the situation to be so serious. Not to mention, the situation in Order Fortress itself was far from good. Because this year¡¯s Demon Beast Disaster had already become too much for them to resist! In this year¡¯s Demon Beast Disaster, not only was the number and strength several times that of previous years, but there were also three Lord-Class Demon Beasts among the army attacking Order Fortress! It was these three Lord-Class Demon Beasts that made Order Fortress dare not dispatch anyone to explore the unknown, and the two powerhouses stationed at Order Fortress had already reached their limits. They were tied up by the three Demon Beast Lords, with no chance to leave. After learning about the situation, Order Fortress immediately dispatched a small squad to break through the blockade and seek support from the rear. Upon learning of the situation at Order Fortress, the Sanctuary was greatly shaken!! Order Fortress was the only barrier protecting the Northlands, and if it truly fell, when the Demon Beast Disaster charged straight in, the whole Northlands would suffer! In such circumstances, the Sanctuary immediately withdrew all the forces they could muster in the Northlands and sent them to Order Fortress, hoping to withstand the terrifying Demon Beast Disaster. However, when it rains it pours, the Sanctuary headquarters in the Northlands had barely managed to assemble reinforcements to send off when the request for help from Shi Dong came in. And after seeing Shi Dong¡¯s request for help, the Sanctuary had another headache. Bella, Six-Armed Snake Demon!! The Demon Beast Disaster was troublesome, but Bella, Six-Armed Serpent Lord, was also notoriously fearsome, terrifying people at the mere mention of its name. In fact, the high echelons of the Sanctuary almost peed their pants when they heard this name from the Pegasus Knights! Although they did not know what those cultists intended to do by collecting statues of Bella, could anything the cultists do ever be good? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Not to mention, especially at this critical juncture, coupled with the abnormal attacks Order Fortress was experiencing¡­a thick sense of conspiratorial clouds gathering before a storm was blatantly obvious. But the Sanctuary was helpless, as the Kingdom of the Holy Church was a huge nation, with armies to maintain stability throughout its lands, not to be easily mobilized. Moreover, the Northern Alliance did not border the Kingdom of the Holy Church, this area could be considered an ¡°enclave¡± of the Kingdom of the Holy Church. Although the Kingdom of the Holy Church also had administrative rights over Order Fortress, that was limited to Order Fortress alone. Even putting that aside, it was not so much that the Sanctuary couldn¡¯t muster enough Army forces here in a short time, but even if they did, they definitely couldn¡¯t just use Teleportation Arrays to arrive in the Northern Alliance, as this was basically akin to a major nation¡¯s Army dropping into the heartland of another country ¡ª¡ª it could almost signify the vanguard of a war!! Besides, distant waters can¡¯t put out a nearby fire, and it was unknown how long it would take for the forces of the Kingdom of the Holy Church to gather reinforcements. By that time, it would probably be too late. Fortunately, the Sanctuary was not stubborn and obsolete. I truly never expected the Sanctuary of this world to be so adaptable. Looking at these disheveled warriors before him, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. In fact, in the second batch of reinforcements brought back by the Pegasus Knights, only half were warriors and Pegasus Knights of the Sanctuary; the rest ¡­ were mercenaries! That¡¯s right, according to that Pegasus Knight, after realizing they were short-staffed, the Sanctuary went directly to the mercenary guilds and issued commissions ¡ª¡ª after all, as such a large organization, the Sanctuary certainly was not short of money, and the problem now was lack of manpower. In the eyes of the Sanctuary, a problem that money could solve was obviously not a problem at all. This time the Sanctuary sent out ten Pegasus Knights and ten mercenaries ¡ª¡ª this was also because each Pegasus could at most carry two people, and the Sanctuary now truly had no more Pegasus Knights available. Fang Zheng now felt more than ever that the Sanctuary of this world was completely different from what he had envisioned. His initial impression of the Sanctuary came from Williams¡¯s memories, and of course, one could imagine that a cultist would certainly not have a good impression of the Order Sanctuary. After that, during his brief stay at the Sanctuary, Fang Zheng only felt that it seemed similar to the religious sects he saw in novels or in games and animations. But today, Fang Zheng saw another side of the colossal entity that is the Sanctuary. This immense organization didn¡¯t possess that binary value system that paints everything in black and white, believing that they are the embodiment of good and all who oppose them are the forces of evil. Moreover, they did not seem to especially value certain statuses or be constrained by rules. They adeptly and flexibly wielded all the power they could access¡­ But when you think about it, it makes sense, after all, the deity they worship isn¡¯t one associated with concepts like justice, benevolence, or light, but rather the god of order. But order has never been simply black or white. ¡°If we delay further, the Destruction Mage will surely grow suspicious, we must act immediately.¡± The Old Archbishop looked up at the sky, the guiding star was already nearing its appointed position. ¡°I suggest we divide our forces into two groups.¡± When it came to battle strategies, perhaps only Shi Dong was truly experienced here. ¡°Those flies above are quite bothersome. I propose that the Pegasus Knights first scatter and destroy those Little Demons, then take advantage of the enemies¡¯ ensuing chaos for our ground forces to charge in and completely disrupt their ritual.¡± It was still a coordinated strike from air and ground. ¡°So the Pegasus Knights will be in charge of dealing with the Little Demons, and we¡¯ll leave the ground enemies to those mercenaries.¡± The Old Archbishop made the decision quickly, as there really wasn¡¯t enough time left to waste. ¡°The Pegasus Knights Order will be led by Your Excellency Shi Dong, as for the mercenaries on the ground¡­¡± ¡°Leave them to me.¡± At this moment, Fang Zheng stepped forward, having volunteered himself. Of course, he had seen Shi Dong signaling to him to join in the aerial raid, but after thinking about it, Fang Zheng decided to refuse that suggestion. To be honest, while the Sanctuary¡¯s Pegasus Knights had many good points, they were a bit too militarized for his liking, which made him feel uncomfortable fighting alongside them. On the other hand, the mercenaries felt more familiar to him, a bit like randomly teaming up with new companions in a pick-up group. Besides, mercenaries were generally easygoing and not bothered by trivial matters. If Fang Zheng were forced to use some of his powers, it would be easier to fool them. It would be much more difficult under the watchful eyes of the Pegasus Knights. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, Your Excellency Fang Zheng.¡± The Old Archbishop looked at Fang Zheng and confirmed the decision, then he reached into his robe and took out a crystal the size of a fingertip. ¡°This is a Communication Crystal, which can penetrate communication blocks over short distances. I know you have a unique way of communicating with that Angel, thus I hope you can use this crystal to report the enemy¡¯s situation to us¡ªthe mercenaries are yours to command. I will take the remaining few people and provide support from the side.¡± The Old Archbishop spoke these words almost instantly and handed the Communication Crystal to Fang Zheng, then he turned his head to glance at the Little Demon and, shortly after, the Little Demon previously under the Old Archbishop¡¯s control stood up and flew off into the night sky. ¡°I¡¯ve taken control of it. When it returns, it will tell the Destruction Mage that the person he¡¯s waiting for was delayed by a wolf attack in the forest. I think this will buy us some time, but not for long.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Upon hearing the Old Archbishop¡¯s plan, Shi Dong nodded, and then he glanced at Fang Zheng. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the operation.¡± Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Forceful Attack (II) Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Forceful Attack (II) ¡°From now on, I will be acting together with you.¡± Looking at the mercenaries before him, Fang Zheng spoke up, having just learned from others that this group was known as ¡°Light of the Rainbow,¡± a very famous mercenary group from the Northlands with a quite good reputation. Of course, hiring these people didn¡¯t come cheap. However, for the Sanctuary, problems that could be solved with money weren¡¯t considered problems at all. If the Six-Armed Snake Demon could be dealt with using money, Fang Zheng had no doubt that the Sanctuary would simply throw money at that guy until he was dead. Just now, Fang Zheng had hastily glanced over the mercenary group and noticed that their professional composition was quite reasonable. The middle-aged man standing before him was their leader, and behind him followed three warriors dressed alike. Then there were two gargantuan figures who looked more suited for playing basketball; they were the unique Barbarians of the Northlands, and their profession¡­ was of course Barbarian. Besides them, the team also included a skinny thief, two archers ¡ª one of whom was an Elf archer ¡ª and a mage. Admittedly, even from a player¡¯s perspective, Fang Zheng thought this team was pretty formidable, with a tank, damage dealers, and crowd control. The only thing missing was a healer¡­ Speaking of which, where was Fina? ¡°I¡¯m here, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± At that moment, Miss Cleric also came over, holding her staff, and Fang Zheng realized that this Cleric seemed to have a rather weak presence. At least after Shi Dong and the others arrived, she seemed to have disappeared. In fact, even Fang Zheng had temporarily forgotten about her, but now¡­ cough cough, thankfully he remembered again. ¡°Let¡¯s set out.¡± After quickly checking the number of people, Fang Zheng gave the order, and the mercenaries simply nodded, silently following behind him as they walked in the direction of the ruins. This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to go. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Watching the silent mercenaries follow behind him, Fang Zheng felt somewhat frustrated. He had expected, following the common tropes in the novels he read, that someone would now question whether he had the ability to lead them. Then he could unleash a dramatic face-slapping scene. Although Fang Zheng thought this might be a bit of a waste of time, he was mentally prepared for it. But¡­ these darn mercenaries didn¡¯t play out the scenario as he had anticipated. The leader didn¡¯t even voice any objections, just nodded and seemed to agree! Reality really wasn¡¯t as dramatic as a script, or perhaps he just didn¡¯t have the luck of a main character? Thinking this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly sentimental. On second thought, the rich second-generation running amok in the streets was something that only happened in novels, right? After all, he had never seen such a thing in real life¡­ basically anyone who acted like that ended up in a bad way. Forget it, if there¡¯s no face-slapping, then so be it. Time is pressing, and traveling quickly is what matters now. The night grew deeper. Under the cover of darkness, the entire ruin fell into deathly silence. The pitch-black night, where you couldn¡¯t see your hand in front of your face, almost engulfed everything, and more importantly, under these circumstances, Fang Zheng and his group couldn¡¯t use torches for light. After all, besides them, there were only Cultists who could blatantly have bonfire parties, but if they did the same, it would be akin to the police sounding their sirens when going out to catch criminals. The Cultists were naturally very cunning. Even though from the center of the ruins Fang Zheng could clearly see the fires they had set, Nymph¡¯s radar scans also told him that in the vicinity, within those ruins, numerous eyes were hidden. One had to admit, these Cultists were very patient. You see, winter nights were extremely cold, and places like the Dark Marsh were even colder to a deadly degree. Fang Zheng¡¯s group escaped this fate thanks to warmth protection spells cast by Fina, but the Cultists obviously didn¡¯t have such luxuries. Being a Cultist was not simply due to following a wrong path of belief; upon abandoning order, they could no longer wield magic and skills like ordinary professionals of this world. They could only gain power in other ways, such as signing contracts with Devils from Hell, selling their souls, or, like a Destruction Mage, using Hellfire for their purposes. That¡¯s why, even though the Destruction Mage looked down on Charles the Bald Guy, he still needed to rely on the other¡¯s power, because after becoming Cultists, no matter how powerful they used to be, it had all left them. They could not use Order Spells or Order Skills¡­ In other words, on this cold winter night, when Fang Zheng and his companions comfortably enjoyed the power of the ¡°Protection from Cold¡± Divine Arts while traveling, those Cultists were huddled in the ruins, shivering while keeping guard¡­ In some respects, they were indeed fervent and loyal. Unfortunately, in the face of advanced technology, their zeal and loyalty were of no use. Nymph could easily scan the life signs of these people, she could even clearly mark the field of vision of every cultist! Consequently, Fang Zheng¡¯s journey immediately went from a ¡°Ten-Person Ruins Edition¡± to ¡°Allied Suicide Squad,¡± and with Nymph¡¯s guidance, he effortlessly led the other mercenaries past the search of the peripheral cultists, beginning to gradually approach the center of the ruins. At this moment, the patience of the Destruction Mage finally ran out. Something wasn¡¯t right. He stared into the dark wilderness outside, clenching his hands. The Destruction Mage had received word from his servant that the foolish mage had been delayed by a wolf attack. But the Destruction Mage didn¡¯t quite believe this excuse, and as time went on, he felt more and more that something was amiss. Although that fool was stupid, he wouldn¡¯t give up such an opportunity¡ªcould there be a problem? With this thought, the Destruction Mage became somewhat restless. He had once been a mage, even a Prophet Mage. If it had been in the past, he could have cast his spells to quietly glimpse some changes from the prophecies and the future. But now, he had lost this ability¡ªno, rather, he had abandoned this ability. As a Prophet Mage, the future he saw was so burdensome that it left him breathless. He realized in despair that the future was an inevitable fate, impossible to change or escape. A momentary choice could never alter the ultimate outcome. It was for this reason that he left the ranks of Order to join Doomsday. If he couldn¡¯t change it or escape it, then let everything be utterly destroyed. His past nostalgia made only a small circuit in the Destruction Mage¡¯s mind, stirring no ripples. Those days had never been good to him; he was once naive and childish enough to believe that if he could foresee the future, he could control his own destiny. But afterwards, he despaired to learn that sometimes, being an ignorant fool could be happier. ¡°Begin the ritual immediately.¡± With this thought, the Destruction Mage decisively made his decision. He turned his head and glanced behind him. On the altar, the previously shattered statue of the Six-Armed Snake Demon had been put back together and placed there. At that moment, it glowed with a faint and evil cyan light. Perhaps it was an illusion, but under that glow, the originally broken statue seemed to be healing gradually. In front of this statue, a ring was floating. It was the ring Charles had given to the Destruction Mage. But at this moment, the ring seemed to be emitting a faint green light¡­ ¡°You, come here.¡± The Destruction Mage stretched out his hand, pointing to a few cultists standing not far from him. The cultists walked to the front of the Destruction Mage without hesitation, their expressions serious and cold, as if devoid of any will of their own. ¡°There¡¯s been a slight issue; we must start the ritual immediately.¡± The Destruction Mage briefly explained with a single sentence, and then issued an order. ¡°Prepare the sacrifice.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing the Destruction Mage¡¯s order, the cultists nodded without hesitation. Then, the one leading them strode forward, approaching the altar to pick up a dagger And just at that moment, suddenly, the Destruction Mage turned his head to look up into the sky. There, he saw a holy white brilliance cutting through the dark night sky like a meteor, plunging straight in the direction where he and the others were. Enemy attack!! Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Strong Attack (III) Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Strong Attack (III) Pegasus Knights shouted loudly as they swooped down, their Holy Light illuminating the night sky. The first to realize something was amiss were the Little Demons on patrol in the sky. Facing enemies descending from above, they screamed and raised their long spears to meet them. The two sides collided fiercely; the knights¡¯ longswords pierced through the bodies of the Little Demons, and the fireballs spewed from the mouths of the Little Demons exploded rapidly in the night, turning the once pitch-black sky into a fireworks display filled with flashing orange-red and pure white Radiance. ¡°Begin the ritual immediately!¡± ¡°In your dreams!¡± The Destruction Mage had barely finished speaking when Fang Zheng suddenly appeared in front of him, his Sky-Cleaving Sword radiating a pure glow. Clutching his longsword tightly, Fang Zheng swept through the nearby Cultists. Accompanied by a series of explosions, the Cultists were struck before they even had the chance to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs, being blasted away. Then Fang Zheng retracted his longsword and aimed a swing at the damaged statue in front of him. The dazzling Holy Light turned into Sword Qi as it shot out from the sharp blade, targeting the statue in front of him. However, just as the Sword Qi, powerful enough to split a huge rock in two, was about to hit the statue, the green light on the seemingly damaged sculpture suddenly flared up, and the Sword Qi from Fang Zheng disappeared quietly into the air without a trace, as if a droplet had fallen into a pond. But the damaged statue seemed to have consumed a lot of power, causing the green glow on it to gradually fade. Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. The Holy Light on his longsword started flickering again; he just needed to swing forward¡­ ¡°Back off!!¡± With a roar of rage, the Destruction Mage who stood beside the altar finally made his move. Without any noticeable gesture, a deep-red fire surged toward Fang Zheng like a tidal wave, forcing him to roll backward to dodge the peculiar flames. Meanwhile, the Cultists around the altar seemed to have finally reacted. They yelled and cursed, starting to Summon Hell Monsters to attack. But at the same time, arrows and spells flying in from the darkness also began to take effect. Brave and fierce Sword and Shield Warriors leaped out of the Shadows with their companions, forming a firm barrier that blocked the Cultists¡¯ path. Simultaneously, the chaotic battle officially began. In the sky, Pegasus Knights and Little Demons clashed, and although the Little Demons were clearly no match for the Pegasus Knights in terms of strength, as quantity often compensates for disadvantage in quality, about a hundred Little Demons simultaneously attacking made it difficult for just over twenty Pegasus Knights to break through their blockade. The mercenaries temporarily held back the Cultists, and the Pegasus Knights above were kept at bay by the Little Demons. For a moment, the altar where Fang Zheng stood was calm, like the eye of a tornado, save for him and the Destruction Mage; there was no third person. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Die, you lapdog of Order!¡± ¡°That line should be mine to say, corpse aflame.¡± At this point, neither party bothered to ask what the other intended to do. They knew only one thing: he was the enemy, they were the enemies, and enemies were there to fight, obliterate, and kill. As for why these people came here¡­ forget that, there would be plenty of time to ponder that when one becomes a corpse! And right now, the most important thing was the battle! Divine Storm!! Dozens of radiant swords materialized in front of Fang Zheng, thrusting forward fiercely with his gesture. The Destruction Mage, on the other hand, roared angrily, and a vivid flame burst from his robe, transforming into a humanoid giant that stood in Fang Zheng¡¯s way. It extended its arms to meet the oncoming storm of swords. Countless Radiant Swords stabbed into the body of the Flame Giant. Holy Light and Hellfire interweaved and clashed, instantaneously igniting a series of explosions and flashes. A scorching air current abruptly expanded and spread through the air before exploding. At the same time, Fang Zheng had already rolled past the remnants of the Hellfire Flame, his Sky-Cleaving Sword relentlessly thrusting at the enemy before him. He didn¡¯t use his Time Ability to affect the opponent; after failing twice with the Bald Mage and Shi Dong, Fang Zheng had learned to never use his Time Ability against those who seemed as strong or stronger than himself. But this didn¡¯t mean he had no way to deal with the fiery man! ¡°Foolish move!¡± Watching Fang Zheng charge at him, the Destruction Mage snorted coldly, his right hand lifting, and as he moved, dozens of fireballs suddenly appeared behind him, launching toward Fang Zheng. Facing the oncoming fireballs, Fang Zheng, with his swords in hand, swiftly transformed the Holy Light into several shields in front of him. ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!¡± Fireball after fireball ruthlessly smashed into the Holy Light Barrier, exploding on impact. After withstanding the assault for several seconds, the barrier seemed to have reached its limits, flickering erratically as if it were an overinflated balloon teetering on the brink of bursting. Just when the Destruction Mage tried to take advantage of the situation, he suddenly felt a blinding brightness emerging from the verge of bursting Holy Light Barrier! ¡°Bang!!¡± Finally, under the barrage of Hellfire Flame, the Holy Light Barrier shattered, but at the same time, the concealed Holy Power within erupted thunderously, spreading to all directions. Feeling the Sacred Aura heading straight for him, the Destruction Mage screamed and staggered backward. To an ordinary person, this might feel like a gentle breeze, but to the Destruction Mage, it was as though someone had splashed acid across his face! The explosion of the Power of the Holy Light inflicted intense pain on the Destruction Mage, who stumbled backwards, screaming loudly. Seizing the opportunity, Fang Zheng took a healthy stride forward, his Sky-Cleaving Sword swinging downwards towards the Destruction Mage¡¯s body. He was confident that his sword could cut from the shoulder straight into the Destruction Mage¡¯s heart, putting a decisive end to this damned creature! However, an Archmage is still an Archmage after all. ¡°Boom!!¡± Just as Fang Zheng¡¯s sword was coming down, a surge of Hellfire erupted suddenly in front of him, forming a barrier that blocked his vision. His longsword, colliding with the spraying Hellfire Flame, was knocked back, and he too had to retreat a few steps to barely counteract the impact of the Hellfire. ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to defeat a mage.¡± As the flames dissipated, the Destruction Mage coldly watched Fang Zheng, the corner of his mouth curling slightly upwards. Spellcasters in this world often felt a sense of superiority over other Professionals, and he was no exception, even having ¡°transitioned¡± into a Destruction Mage. Paladins were indeed troublesome, but to defeat a mage, this young man was still far from adequate. I just don¡¯t believe it!! Gazing at the Destruction Mage before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression grew dark. His major flaw at the moment was the lack of variety in his long-range offensive capabilities, making it easy for the opponent to counter him. On the other hand, this damned Destruction Mage had an abundance of tricks up his sleeve, making closing the distance no easy task. Just a mere Destruction Mage, not even the Master of Lich could leave him at a loss, right? Since that¡¯s the case¡­ it¡¯s time to change the strategy. ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, the Destruction Mage was surprised to see the young man in front of him suddenly lower his longsword; he was staring at him coldly as the Holy Light that had been shining on him quietly faded away. At the same time, a strange aura began to emerge from the young man. Is this¡­ Sensing this aura, the Destruction Mage couldn¡¯t help but frown. If the feeling he had gotten from this young man before was that of the loathsome Sacred Aura similar to those of the Order Guardians, then now, the young man gave off the vibe of a ferocious beast from the depths of Hell. No, not just one! It felt as though countless savage, bloodthirsty beasts were coldly glaring at him, exuding a Berserk aura as if they wanted to tear him to shreds! Fang Zheng once again lifted his head, and it was then that the Destruction Mage was shocked to discover that the young man¡¯s eyes had transformed into a pair of golden, eerie eyes. Could this be¡­ Before the Destruction Mage could come to a realization, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure flashed, and in the next moment, he leaped into the air with his sword, striking down fiercely at the Destruction Mage below!! Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Strong Attack (IV) Chapter 90: Chapter 89: Strong Attack (IV) ¡°Performing your tricks!¡± Facing Fang Zheng, who was lunging at him once again, the Destruction Mage roared. He raised his hands, and the blazing Hellfire Flame gathered in his palms. Then, with a swift wave forward, the searing flames erupted and engulfed Fang Zheng entirely. But in the next moment, the flames began to swell and burst, revealing Fang Zheng once again. However, this time, a circular transparent shield appeared in front of him. This, of course, seemed trivial to the Destruction Mage. With another gesture, the scattered Hellfire Flames recondensed and transformed into a giant, ferocious beast resembling a lion, roaring as it pounced on its prey. At the same time, Fang Zheng also raised his right hand. The invisible psionic force burst out in the blink of an eye. The Destruction Mage only saw the air in front of him twist violently, and the next moment, the beast formed by Hellfire was torn into shreds by the potent invisible force. Seeing this, the Destruction Mage¡¯s eyes widened as he stared intensely at the man before him. ¡°Is it just a long-range attack? I can do that too,¡± A sinister smile curled at the corners of Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth. ¡°Feeling great as an Archmage, aren¡¯t you? How about you experience some psionics?¡± Is it just a shootout? I¡¯m not afraid of you! Arthas and Malthael wouldn¡¯t dare to use Kerrigan? Damn it, even if I don¡¯t call upon the Swarm for a Psionic Rush, I¡¯ll still kill you! With that thought, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t stop his hand movements and condensed another wave of psionic energy, launching it at the Destruction Mage! Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s renewed attack, the Destruction Mage roared again and summoned Hellfire, hurling it forward. Soon, the invisible psionics clashed with Hellfire, exploding on contact. However, the Destruction Mage did not notice that behind him, a small figure had quietly appeared next to the fragmented statue. Looking at the statue before her, Nymph furrowed her brows. Just moments ago, she had received an order from Fang Zheng ¡ª find a way to destroy this statue, no matter what it was doing; just thoroughly disrupt the ritual! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Now was the moment¡ªseeing that the Destruction Mage¡¯s attention was entirely on Fang Zheng, Nymph quickly extended her hand to the statue and whispered softly. ¡°Intrusion begins!¡± Soon, a faint blue radiance emerged from the palm of Nymph¡¯s hand, gradually spreading inside the statue. However, Nymph¡¯s expression did not lighten; on the contrary, as the intrusion intensified, her complexion grew increasingly pale. ¡°How could this be, is this meant for¡­ oh no!¡± But before Nymph could react, the bizarre Six-Armed Serpent Lord statue suddenly turned its head to stare at her, and then, two beams of green light shot out from its eyes, striking Nymph! ¡°Aah¡ª¡ª!¡± ¡°Not good!¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s scream, both the Destruction Mage and Fang Zheng were stunned. They quickly turned towards the source of the sound, only to see the Six-Armed Serpent Lord statue emitting green radiance, with the green light seemingly transforming into a giant python that tightly coiled around Nymph! ¡°What have you done to the sacred statue!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Shocked by what he saw, Fang Zheng swiftly dashed toward Nymph, leaving a trail of illusions as he moved. Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s actions, the Destruction Mage hastily summoned Hellfire again and blasted it towards him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare get close to the sacred statue!¡± ¡°Cut it out!¡± Sensing the Hellfire blasting towards him, Fang Zheng clenched his teeth. Then, his right hand flickered with the radiance of a sword, and in the next moment, stone slabs on the ground flew up like dragon scales reversed, forming a rather frail shield in front of the Hellfire. At the same time, Fang Zheng switched back to Arthas¡¯s Soulstone, pointing his sword at Nymph. Protective Blessing! With Fang Zheng¡¯s movement, a transparent oval barrier appeared out of thin air, enveloping Nymph. The green snake that had been tightly coiled around the girl was shaken backward by this strong force. However, the green snake seemed unwilling to give up just like that. Instead, it hissed and lunged at the Little Angel again, but was blocked outside by the seemingly transparent and fragile barrier. ¡°Get lost!¡± At the same time, Fang Zheng also reached Nymph¡¯s side, and without hesitation, he chopped down at the green creature with his longsword. Sensing the Power of the Holy Light on Fang Zheng¡¯s longsword, the creature let out an angry cry, then retreated back into the statue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay, are you hurt?¡± ¡°No, Master, thank you¡­ But I¡¯ve just discovered how this statue works, please be careful, Master. This statue is just a pointer, its real function is¡­¡± ¡°Boom!¡± But Nymph hadn¡¯t finished her sentence when the originally battered statue suddenly exploded. Right after that, Fang Zheng saw the green, eerie snake that had escaped from the statue reappear and lunge at the following Destruction Mage. Instead of showing any hint of panic, the Destruction Mage watched the green creature approach, his face breaking into an irrepressible smile. ¡°Finally, my Doomsday has come! My Lord, please make full use of my body!¡± Before Fang Zheng could react, he saw the creature climb onto the Destruction Mage and then it actually burrowed directly into his mouth! Gosh, that¡¯s disgusting! Although inwardly disgusted, Fang Zheng¡¯s actions didn¡¯t stop. Almost simultaneously as the snake burrowed into the Destruction Mage¡¯s mouth, he had already reappeared in front of the mage, his Sky-Cleaving Sword raised high, its Holy Light shining ever brighter. Judgment of the Templar! The silvery light of the sword seemed to tear apart the world; even in the pitch-black wilderness, it lit up the surroundings with bursting Holy Light. To Fang Zheng, this thunder-like strike should have been enough to completely annihilate his enemy. But, he had not managed to strike true. The blade of the Sky-Cleaving Sword stopped mid-air, the Destruction Mage reached out his right hand, blocking this nearly unstoppable sword. He lifted his head, staring coldly at Fang Zheng, then suddenly bared his teeth in a fierce grin. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng saw sparks of fire flash across the Destruction Mage¡¯s eyes. Not good! Acting entirely on an instinct honed by being killed hundreds of times in the Black Soul World, Fang Zheng quickly retracted his sword and retreated, grabbing Nymph and holding her close as he quickly rolled backward. At the same time, the body of the Destruction Mage completely exploded. ¡°Roarrrrrr¡ª¡± At this moment, it seemed as if even the earth was trembling, the huge flames that erupted engulfed the entire altar, and the rising mushroom cloud was a sight to behold. Fang Zheng even felt his ears buzzing; luckily, his body had been modified by the Swarm, otherwise, who knows what would have happened. This damn bastard, always self-detonating without a word, what exactly is he trying to do? While inwardly cursing, Fang Zheng looked up, then his eyes widened in surprise. At the altar, where the Destruction Mage had once been, there was now no trace of him. Instead, a creature stood two meters tall, with a female upper body and a serpent lower body. She had six arms, each holding various types of weapons like swords and shields, and at that moment, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord simply stared coldly at Fang Zheng and Nymph, silent. Could this be Bella, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord? Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Chapter 90: The Resurrection of the Six-Armed Serpent Demon Chapter 91: Chapter 90: The Resurrection of the Six-Armed Serpent Demon ¡°Master, be careful,¡± huddled in Fang Zheng¡¯s embrace, Nymph looked at the Six-Armed Snake Demon with terror. ¡°After I explored just now, I discovered that the statue is actually an energy storage device for that creature. It doesn¡¯t have a real body yet¡­ and those cultists originally planned to perform a ritual, providing it with enough flesh and blood to allow it to revive. However, I¡¯ve already forcefully interrupted the ritual¡­¡± Indeed, just as Nymph said, Fang Zheng only now realized that the Six-Armed Snake Demon¡¯s expression was very ugly. She was staring intently at the Little Angel in his arms as if she wanted to swallow her whole! No wonder Bella was so enraged. Back when those damned Hero Squads were throwing their ultimate moves at the Demon King, Bella had already sensed that something was amiss. So, when the Goddess launched her full-screen, map-wide AOE attack, Bella used a Devil¡¯s secret technique to transform herself into this Cursed Statue. This was a form of self-seal, and in such a condition, ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to detect anything wrong with the statue. Only those with evil intentions or who had the power of Hell could sense the power inside it, influenced by Bella to act accordingly. For Bella, a few hundred years were but a flick of a finger, and she was very patient. And indeed, just as Bella had thought, the Doomsday Church discovered her remains and was eventually led here, beginning their plan to resurrect her. Even the subsequent arrival of Paladins and the like didn¡¯t concern Bella, for under her guidance, the Destruction Mage had quietly transformed the entire altar into an Array. As long as they battled here, no matter who died, their souls and power would nourish her. In fact, when Nymph quietly approached Bella, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord had already detected her presence, but she didn¡¯t care, for Nymph was too weak that Bella didn¡¯t think the angel posed any threat. She even considered targeting Nymph, considering it a surprise that an Angel would join the battle. And it seemed this Angel was still in her juvenile form, not so powerful? Ahhh, what to do, tempt her to fall or devour her power? Such a tough choice. Thus, when Nymph reached out and placed her hand on the statue, Bella didn¡¯t think she posed any threat. But the next moment, she was completely stunned. This Little Angel indeed didn¡¯t possess a tremendous amount of Holy Power, but Bella could keenly feel that almost the instant Nymph¡¯s hand touched the statue, the Little Angel had invaded her Array and quickly figured out the entire Array¡¯s operational principle! Subsequently, Bella discovered in horror that the opponent didn¡¯t hesitate at all to directly sever her Array¡¯s connection! Severed it! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã0 And what was more infuriating was that when the Six-Armed Serpent Lord attempted to counterattack, Nymph, sensing danger, had gathered the remaining power of the severed part and struck Bella with a fierce blow! It was just like a Magical Girl being pulled out halfway through transformation, and then slapped right across her face! Even the Six-Armed Serpent Lord couldn¡¯t bear it! She had thought this frail Little Angel was incompetent, but beneath that exterior hid a little lioness! That swipe nearly killed the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, who now glared viciously at Nymph, looking as if she wanted to rip her apart and devour her. If it hadn¡¯t been for Fang Zheng noticing the danger and protecting Nymph with an invincible shield in time, she would have already killed the angel and stolen her power! However¡­ what baffled the Six-Armed Serpent Lord the most was that this girl was clearly an Angel, yet she could barely feel any Holy Power on her. The power Nymph used to invade her Array was also nothing the Six-Armed Serpent Lord had ever encountered. But no matter what, she was doomed! Feeling the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s furious gaze, Nymph couldn¡¯t help trembling, but ultimately, she was an Artificial Angel, and immediately stared back without hesitation. ¡°Master, the enemy¡¯s power is very weak right now. I suggest we take this opportunity to subdue her! Her current power level is only about the same as that big guy you know!¡± The big guy? Does she mean Shi Dong? Hearing Nymph¡¯s words, Fang Zheng quickly focused his attention on the adversary. Indeed, at this moment, although the Six-Armed Snake Demon seemed to have a strong presence, the aura she exuded was indeed on a Rank similar to Shi Dong¡¯s, which made Fang Zheng sigh with relief¡ªdamn, I thought I had encountered another Master of Lich. Now it seems where would my luck be so bad! ¡°` But now is good, too. As long as I kill the BOSS while she has the DEBUFF on, there won¡¯t be any problems! ¡°Nymph, go destroy the altar!¡± Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fang Zheng also quickly surveyed the situation around him. The number of little demons in the air was diminishing, but he couldn¡¯t count on the group of Pegasus Knights to be of any help in the short term. And the mercenaries behind him were in dire straits; if it weren¡¯t for Fina¡¯s healing and shielding at the back, they would have been wiped out by now. Reinforcements wouldn¡¯t be of any help to him for the time being, and the whereabouts of that old vampire archbishop were unknown. He had said he would provide support at the crucial moment, and now Fang Zheng had no choice but to trust him. ¡°I¡¯ll hold off this damn snake!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph hurriedly nodded her head, then she glanced at the Six-Armed Serpent Lord and immediately vanished into thin air¡ªthis little angel might not be strong in combat, but her mind was certainly sharp. Clearly, she understood that she posed more of a threat when hidden than when following closely behind Fang Zheng. ¡°You damned wild chicken! I¡¯ll pluck your wings off and show you what real pain feels like¡­¡­!¡± As Nymph disappeared from view, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord shouted in anger. She widened her eyes and spread her arms, attempting to do something. But the next instant, psionic energy rapidly gathered, grasping the Six-Armed Serpent Lord by the throat and forcing her to swallow her words. However, even the force of the psionic power could only bind the Six-Armed Serpent Lord for a second. Before Fang Zheng could attack again, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord let out a screech, and an invisible ripple exploded around her, breaking free from the psionic restraint. But at that moment, Fang Zheng had already reached the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s side, and his longsword thrust directly towards her heart. ¡°Mortal, you have succeeded in enraging me!¡± As if I wasn¡¯t here to draw aggro! Hearing the screech of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes, but his longsword didn¡¯t stop for a moment, continuing its thrust forward. However, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s reaction was equally swift, and she archly bent backward at an angle impossible for a human to achieve, avoiding Fang Zheng¡¯s strike. Immediately after, Fang Zheng saw several silver flashes moving towards him like blades of a meat grinder. Swish swish swish!! This was Fang Zheng¡¯s first time fighting a creature like the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, but in Dark Soul, he had already learned to be cautious when facing such abnormal enemies. So, when his first strike missed, he quickly somersaulted backward, once more creating distance between him and the Six-Armed Serpent Lord. As Fang Zheng made his retreat, six trails of blade light swept through the afterimage he left behind, shredding it to pieces. So fast! Watching the scythe-like lights flash past in front of him, Fang Zheng also broke out in a cold sweat. The Six-Armed Serpent Lord had six arms and wielded six scimitars; Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t blind and naturally knew this must be her way of fighting. But what he hadn¡¯t anticipated was her astonishing speed! He had thought that with six arms, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord would surely expose weaknesses during combat. What Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that these six arms coordinated so adeptly, almost as if six people were simultaneously striking to kill him! Had he been half a step slower just now, he would have died on the spot. Did this damn Six-Armed Serpent learn to fight with both left and right hands? But¡­ I¡¯m not one to be trifled with either. Looking at the Six-Armed Serpent Lord before him, Fang Zheng gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand tightly. It¡¯s still up for grabs who the prey is! Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Chapter 91: 3 vs 3 Chapter 92: Chapter 91: 3 vs 3 ¡°Damn it!¡± Shi Dong swung his sword and once again knocked down a little demon that screamed and rushed at him. Then, he turned his head, his expression anxious as he gazed down at a nearby altar. Seeing the figure of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, Shi Dong¡¯s face grew incredibly grim. He didn¡¯t know what exactly was happening there, but it looked very bad! That Six-Armed Serpent Lord seemed to have resurrected! If possible, Shi Dong really wanted to go down and battle it out with them. As a Grand Knight, he had fought against Six-Armed Snake Demons several times. They were ferocious, cunning, and sinister creatures that ordinary Templars couldn¡¯t handle. Even when led by a Grand Knight, the battles sometimes resulted in heavy casualties. Moreover, the combat strength of Six-Armed Snake Demons was formidable. Although they mostly served as strategists or commanders, this did not mean their combat power was inferior. On the contrary, having six arms, they seemed overwhelmingly strong against any single opponent, making it feel like being attacked by three people at once; and with a single lapse in attention, one could be sliced into pieces by a Six-Armed Snake Demon. As for Fang Zheng¡­ How long could he last alone? With this thought, Shi Dong glanced around, then suddenly spurred his horse, and the Pegasus beneath him neighed. Rapidly, it carried Shi Dong towards the altar. ¡°Squeak¡ª!!¡± But just as Shi Dong moved, the little demons in front also screamed and opened their mouths. Soon, fireballs were spewing out toward Shi Dong. ¡°Get lost!¡± Facing the incoming fireballs, Shi Dong roared and raised his longsword, swinging it forward. The roaring air pressure spiraled out, directly engulfing the fireballs released by the little demons. However, these little demons clearly did not intend to give up; taking advantage of Shi Dong¡¯s sword swing, three little demons attacked him from the front and both sides. But before these little demons could get close, the great sword in Shi Dong¡¯s hand suddenly described a circle in the air, slicing the three little demons in front of him in half. Yet, in those few brief seconds, dozens of little demons had gathered from all around and once again blocked Shi Dong¡¯s route. ¡°Damn it!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Looking at this scene, Shi Dong gritted his teeth, then quickly pulled on the reins, once again soaring high on his Pegasus, avoiding the sneak attack from the little demons below, and was forced to rejoin the formation of Pegasus Knights. ¡°Damn it, if we were on the ground¡­¡± Looking at the little demons from all sides, Shi Dong was momentarily at a loss. On the ground, relying on his solid and methodical approach, he might have been able to kill these little demons more easily, but the sky was a completely different battlefield. Although the Pegasus Knights were also adept at aerial combat, these little demons were not far behind. In fact, were it not for Shi Dong¡¯s presence, the Pegasus Knights Order might have already been defeated. ¡°What the hell is that old guy doing!¡± Looking again towards the battlefield below, Shi Dong couldn¡¯t help but complain again, then his gaze returned to the indistinct figure on the altar. Kid, you absolutely have to hold on! ¡°Whoosh!¡± A flash of blade light passed through the air, and six silvery blooms unfurled from all directions like unfolding buds, then closed in again, attempting to utterly shred the prey before them. But just before they closed in, Fang Zheng suddenly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade light by a hair¡¯s breadth. And when the scimitars missed, they didn¡¯t retract but instead, like venomous snakes, lunged forward again, tightly following Fang Zheng as he stabbed again. Facing the relentless scimitars, Fang Zheng swung his Sky-Cleaving Sword. Shortly, a golden shield appeared before him, blocking the chase of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord. ¡°Clang clang clang clang clang clang!¡± Six scimitars chopped at the Holy Light Barrier almost simultaneously. The heavily struck Holy Light Barrier finally exceeded its limit and, after flickering a few times, immediately disappeared. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng spotted a snake tail whipping towards him like a long whip from the side. Without hesitating, he leapt into the air, barely dodging the strike. At that moment, Fang Zheng raised his hand at the Six-Armed Serpent Lord in front of him; seeing his action, the face of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord changed slightly. She hurriedly retracted her six arms, crisscrossing them in front of her face. At the same time, the force of the Psionic power burst forth. ¡°Boom!¡± The powerful psionic force struck the body of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord like a heavy hammer. Fang Zheng, using the rebound force, did a somersault and landed. Then he swung his Sky-Cleaving Sword forward again. But this time, the glow that appeared on the Sky-Cleaving Sword was not the dazzling Holy Light but a faint, mist-like dim radiance. Seeing this sword, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s face suddenly changed, and she shot backward like lightning while vigorously swinging the six scimitars in her hands, forcing Fang Zheng to retreat once again. ¡°Tsk.¡± Watching the whistling lights of swords and scimitars before him, Fang Zheng did not hesitate to retract his sword and retreat. Then, when he stood up again, the Holy Light reappeared on his body. What exactly is going on with this mortal? Bella stared intently at Fang Zheng, her eyes revealing confusion and doubt. Initially, she was indeed very angry. In the view of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, even if her power was somehow diminished, dealing with a mortal should have been effortless. The greatest strength of a Six-Armed Serpent is to divide into three, meaning when one faces a Six-Armed Serpent, they are actually facing the onslaught of three creatures with equal power. Under such a sudden attack, it is difficult for anyone to withstand her assault. But what Bella could not understand was that, though there clearly was only one person opposite her, she also felt as if she was battling three people. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t like the simultaneous strikes of the Six-Armed Serpent, it felt more like a rotational battle! This left Bella quite perplexed. As a resident of the Abyss, she was highly sensitive to auras. Therefore, Bella could be sure that the aura of this young man was quite peculiar. Sometimes he emitted an aura that was utterly repulsive and familiar to her, that of the Sacred Aura. But at other times, his body radiated a terrifying aura like a multitude of fierce beasts combined, and most surprisingly, she even sensed an utterly pure Power of Death emanating from him! Isn¡¯t he a Templar? Of course, Bella could not imagine that, in fact, she was fighting against three people. And this was the tactic that Fang Zheng had devised to deal with the Six-Armed Serpent at hand. To be honest, initially, Bella¡¯s attacks did catch Fang Zheng off guard, even though he had practiced in the Dark Soul realm to the extent that he could dance with the Nameless King with his eyes closed. Facing the cheating-like combat abilities of the Six-Armed Serpent, however, he had no solution because, in the Black Soul World, Fang Zheng always avoided finding himself surrounded. Once surrounded¡­ well, that was the end of that. However, Fang Zheng soon thought of a way to tackle the problem. That was to switch Soulstones! The basic flow of Fang Zheng¡¯s battle was as follows: defense with ¡°Arthas,¡± long-range attacks with ¡°Kerrigan,¡± and if he got a chance up close, he¡¯d use ¡°Malthael¡± to strike her with a slash. Because Fang Zheng discovered, although each skill has a cooldown CD, switching Soulstones itself doesn¡¯t have this restriction. This means that if Fang Zheng was willing, he could risk everything to switch Soulstones multiple times in an instant to unleash attacks from various Soulstones. This was also the reason why Fang Zheng could barely withstand Bella¡¯s attacks, but of course, the greatest credit must be given to the ¡°Malthael¡± Soulstone that Fang Zheng had drawn. Soulstone: Malthael Quality: Gold Activation Count: 5 Gained Buffs: Gap Between Life and Death (a certain chance to be immune to external attacks), Scythe of the Soul (a certain chance to deal a Lethal Strike to the enemy) Of the three Soulstones Fang Zheng currently held, ¡°Malthael¡± was the most special one. ¡°Arthas¡± could be easily utilized by Fang Zheng anytime and, due to the benefit of ¡°Royal Cross Swordsmanship,¡± it became the Soulstone he used the most. ¡°Kerrigan¡± could only unleash its greatest power in a permanent state. However, ¡°Malthael¡± was the opposite; Fang Zheng discovered after his research that this Angel of Death¡¯s Soulstone would only exhibit its fullest potential once activated! Although ¡°Malthael¡± also gave Fang Zheng two buffs, these buffs really just looked cool but were actually not easy to use. ¡°Gap Between Life and Death¡± is a matter of chance, and there was nothing Fang Zheng could do about it. He currently only had the most basic Soulstone and hadn¡¯t had the chance to enhance it to be as bug-like as the original. As for ¡°Scythe of the Soul,¡± it was entirely a double-edged sword. Lethal Strike indeed sounded great, but its conditional and uncertain activation made it uncontrollable. This means that when Fang Zheng equipped ¡°Malthael,¡± he had to consider his battle environment. If he faced a large group of enemies, that was one thing. But if it was something like a sparring session, it would be best for Fang Zheng to put away this Soulstone. Otherwise, it could cause a big problem if someone either luckily or unluckily triggered a Lethal Strike and then directly¡­ well, that could get very troubling. But now, for Fang Zheng, he obviously did not have to worry about this issue. Instead, it was Bella who was dragged by the current Fang Zheng into a dilemma! Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Chapter 92 Dilemma Chapter 93: Chapter 92 Dilemma To be frank, if it were a one-on-one duel, Bella would not fear Fang Zheng. This young man indeed possesses strange and formidable powers, and Bella could sense that he hasn¡¯t played all his cards yet. But so what? As a servant of the Demon King, in the Abyss Bella had seen countless demons and devils, all equally cunning and sinister. But the issue is, it isn¡¯t a duel between the two of them! Bella hadn¡¯t forgotten that it was Fang Zheng who ordered that little angel to sabotage the altar. But for Bella, the altar was absolutely off-limits for destruction, as it was the most crucial part of her plan. If the altar were destroyed, it would essentially spell the failure of her plan once more¡ªan experience Bella had tasted before, but she really hoped to succeed this time after waking up. Initially, Bella thought she could easily kill the mortal in front of her and then find that angel¡ªthe opponent seemed so weak it was beyond her imagination. Even though she had some abilities that, in Bella¡¯s eyes, seemed odd, when it came to fighting, Bella thought that angel was utterly useless. To deal with her would be nothing more than child¡¯s play. But Bella didn¡¯t expect that, due to a moment¡¯s distraction, she¡¯d be held up by Fang Zheng! The current situation was that Bella didn¡¯t want to fight, but Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t let her leave. And because Bella¡¯s strength was restricted to that of a Grandmaster¡¯s rank, there wasn¡¯t a significant difference between her and Fang Zheng. But that wasn¡¯t the most important thing; what mattered was the terrifying scent of death she felt emanating from Fang Zheng! If it had been Holy Light or that strange, fierce beast¡¯s aura, Bella wouldn¡¯t have cared. But that particular scent of death was different¡ªBella had an intense premonition that if she were struck by that aura, she might actually die! Keep in mind, Bella didn¡¯t currently possess a physical body; the body she had was recreated using the power sacrificed by the Destruction Mage and her own soul, not just a mere clone! In other words, if she died, she would truly be dead! For this reason, Bella hesitated in the face of Fang Zheng. She had been revived with great difficulty and, naturally, it wasn¡¯t so that someone could kill her off again. The current situation was not in her favor, the little demons were still resisting the attacks of the Pegasus Knights, but were gradually hard-pressed. If she were able to move now, she would first get rid of those damned mercenaries, and then¡­ But such thoughts were pointless now. A bunch of good-for-nothings! Bella was infuriated, clenching her teeth as she observed the cultists who were blocked outside by the mercenaries. If those cultists could get rid of the interfering mercenaries and come to help, even if they only managed to delay for a few seconds, it would be enough for her to escape. But now, those cultists were utterly useless! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï And that angel, where on earth was she?! Bella surveyed her surroundings cautiously, but she couldn¡¯t spot Nymph anywhere. If it were an ordinary angel, Bella could easily track their position through the Sacred Aura. But the Sacred Power in Nymph, the angel, was so weak it was nearly non-existent, not to mention that she didn¡¯t resemble the angels from Bella¡¯s memory¡ªwho were ¡°open and noble¡±¡ªbut was incredibly sly instead. Just thinking about that angel hiding invisibly nearby, waiting for an opportunity, made Bella all the more frustrated. Who is the angel here, and who is the demon? Compared to the anxious Bella, Fang Zheng seemed very calm. To tell the truth, Fang Zheng still didn¡¯t understand what Bella and the Destruction Mage planned to do with that Daimon, but it didn¡¯t matter¡ªhis mission objective was very clear: destroy the altar! So when in doubt, breaking up the scene was definitely the way to go! That¡¯s why Fang Zheng had ordered Nymph to destroy the altar while he restrained Bella. That was the only thing he could do at the moment since the Six-Armed Serpent Lord was also not easy to deal with. Without activating the Soulstone, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t possibly kill her. However¡ªunder the current circumstances, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t possibly activate the Soulstone either. If he did, it was very likely that the Six-Armed Serpent Lord in front of him would consider switching allegiance. Thus, the altar once again descended into an eerie equilibrium, and if one wanted to break this balance next, either those cultists needed to breach the mercenaries¡¯ defensive line first, or the Pegasus Knights had to repel the attacks of the little demons. It all depended on whose reinforcements were more effective. While Fang Zheng stood off against Bella, Nymph quietly reached the Core Zone of the altar. As an Omnipotent Electronic Warfare Angel, Nymph had first-rate capabilities in searching and investigation. In fact, when she infiltrated the statue earlier, she immediately noticed that beneath the entire altar there was a hidden massive Array, which seemed to have some connection to the statue above. Unfortunately, Nymph hadn¡¯t had the chance to explore further before that statue initiated its counterattack mode, which forced her to abandon the search. But now¡­ ¡°As expected, it¡¯s still incomprehensible,¡± she said. Looking at the engravings that seemed like gibberish on the ground, Nymph furrowed her brows. If the Array were to act, she might be able to make a rough judgment and speculation by observing the energy fluctuations, spatial axis displacement, and so on. But since the Array was inactive, and Nymph had no knowledge of magic in this world, she could only stare helplessly at the runic engravings and Array before her. However, it was okay because her mission from Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t to explore but to destroy! Although Nymph didn¡¯t know the true function of the Array, it didn¡¯t stop her from finding its core. After all, energy flows in the same way everywhere, so discovering the core of the energy flow was not hard. Is that it? Looking at the gigantic pillar in the center of the altar, Nymph frowned slightly. Her combat strength wasn¡¯t very strong; to be precise, Nymph only had one fighting technique at her disposal. But this technique was enough to cause destruction! With this thought in mind, Nymph opened her small mouth, gazed at the pillar before her, and took a deep breath. ¡°Boom!!¡± Swords clashed. Bella quietly retreated, her six scimitars still shining with a silver glow, while in front of her, Fang Zheng rolled up from the ground. His exquisitely made clothes were now covered in dust. ¡°How disheveled.¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s current state, Bella couldn¡¯t help but mock him. ¡°Look at you, mortal. What¡¯s the point of persisting like this? Moreover, I can feel that you are not one of those brainwashed fools, your power hides a darkness¡­¡± ¡°If you said ¡®I¡¯m your father!¡¯ right now, I might actually consider it¡­¡± Before the Six-Armed Serpent Lord could finish her speech, Fang Zheng interrupted her with a cold laugh, then twirled his Sky-Cleaving Sword and pointed it once more at his enemy. ¡°Sorry, the prophecy says I will destroy Xis, not join them. I¡¯m supposed to bring balance to the Primordial Force, not fall into darkness.¡± ¡°What? Xis? Primordial Force?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord was taken aback, but the next moment, she revealed a triumphant smile. ¡°I may not know what you are talking about, but¡­ it seems you have already failed.¡± ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, we can¡¯t hold them back any longer!¡± Just then, an anxious voice from Fina reached Fang Zheng from behind. Clearly, the cultists had finally broken through the mercenaries¡¯ defensive line and were moving towards Fang Zheng¡¯s position! There was no helping it; after all, the mercenaries were of limited strength, and there were simply too many cultists on the ground. To have held their ground until now was already quite an achievement. ¡°Now, what can you do?¡± Glancing at the sky, Bella smiled confidently. The Pegasus Knights Order was still entangled with Little Demons and couldn¡¯t spare any effort to help. As long as those cultists arrived, she would surely hold victory in her hands! What the Six-Armed Serpent Lord didn¡¯t expect was that in response to her question, Fang Zheng gave a slight smile, then planted his longsword in the ground. ¡°Are you trying to surrender?¡± ¡°No, I was going to say¡­¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng glanced at the ground. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Before he could finish, suddenly, a fierce explosion rang out, and then Bella was shocked to see the altar beneath her feet begin to collapse like a stack of tumbling blocks! Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: Chapter 93 Angry Bella Chapter 94: Chapter 93 Angry Bella ¡°BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!¡± The cultists had just set foot on the altar when the whole structure began to roar. Then, to their horror, they watched as the ground beneath their feet started to collapse, and with a series of screams, everyone on the altar plunged downward with the crumbling debris. The platform that the group stood on was located at the front of the square, and from its style, one could tell it was indeed a creation of the Abyss. But no one knew what the altar was actually for. As an altar, however, it perfectly embodied the standard style of all similar structures¡ªheight! The altar before them was dozens of meters tall, resembling the shape of a Maya Pyramid. For this reason, when the collapse began from the highest point, nothing could escape unscathed. Viewed from above, the altar looked completely hollow, which is why the top where Fang Zheng and the Six-Armed Snake Demon were situated collapsed first. The supporting stone slabs and pillars around them also rapidly gave way. It was as if a massive hole suddenly opened up on the ground, spreading outward! ¡°This is impossible! Why has it turned out like this!¡± Feeling the rapid descent, Bella couldn¡¯t help but scream in panic. Of course, she guessed that the Little Angel had something to do with it, but what puzzled Bella was that the angel had no combat ability! And this altar, which had survived even the Goddess¡¯s Light in the past, how could it possibly be destroyed by a noncombatant angel?! Bella couldn¡¯t figure it out, but Fang Zheng understood very clearly. To be honest, Nymph¡¯s combat ability was indeed low, and if it came to potential, in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, Nymph was probably only a bit stronger than Fina¡­ after all, the Apprentice Priest was a true support Divine Shepherd and typically didn¡¯t engage directly. But that didn¡¯t mean the Little Angel¡¯s destructive power was weak. In fact, while Fang Zheng was fighting Bella, he was also listening to Nymph¡¯s report. At that time, even he wasn¡¯t sure, after all¡­ the Little Angel¡¯s combat ability¡­ well, let¡¯s not talk about that. What Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that Nymph actually brought him a surprise! She scanned the entire structure of the altar, deducing the most fragile supporting columns inside! In other words, the Little Angel alone was as effective as an entire professional demolition and blasting team! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï Indeed, in any world, knowledge is power! Now, Fang Zheng was extremely grateful he had summoned Nymph. Although the Little Angel couldn¡¯t help him fight on the front lines, her abilities and knowledge were too useful. Take Bella, for instance. Had Fang Zheng summoned another, more combative angel, he might have had to charge headfirst into the fray and make his way to the altar. By then, Bella might have fully revived and conjured up some other trickery, leading to an unavoidable, arduous battle. With Nymph, however, Fang Zheng easily evaded the cultists¡¯ outer searches, and at a critical moment, the Little Angel disrupted Bella¡¯s scheme, resulting in the Six-Armed Snake Demon having to battle him in an incomplete state. If the entire process were compared to a boss strategy battle in a sandbox game, Fang Zheng was like someone who stealthily entered the boss room with divine teammate support and even applied a debuff to significantly weaken the boss. Moreover, the Little Angel had just caused arena destruction to the boss! Such a divine teammate is just too adorable! Fang Zheng silently gave the Little Angel a thumbs-up in his heart, naturally not letting go of this opportunity. The altar¡¯s collapse was unexpected for Bella, but for Fang Zheng, he had been waiting for this moment! The moment the ground collapsed, Fang Zheng flashed and pounced toward the Six-Armed Serpent Lord. This creature had no wings and couldn¡¯t fly, and Fang Zheng had even foreseen her next moves! ¡°Bastard!¡± Feeling the sword wind behind her, Bella was furious. She hadn¡¯t expected to be outsmarted by a mere mortal in cahoots with an extremely weak angel. Now that the altar had completely collapsed, and more importantly, with the Array hidden beneath it seemingly thoroughly destroyed, her plan had truly failed!! ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Although the Six-Armed Snake Demon couldn¡¯t fly, Bella was no stranger to aerial combat. She roared and turned around, unleashing six waves of scimitar light behind her, swiftly stabbing at Fang Zheng. At this moment, Bella¡¯s killing intent was intense, and she was full of confidence. Previously on the ground, this mortal had managed to narrowly dodge her attacks with those strange rolls, but now in mid-air, there was nowhere for him to roll, so Bella was certain that this time she could tear the detestable human to pieces! ¡°CLANG!¡± Indeed, just as Bella expected, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t choose to dodge with a roll this time. Instead, he raised his Sky-Cleaving Sword and swept it forward. The gleaming sword light cut through the darkness, forming a lightning barrier that blocked the intersecting strike of Bella¡¯s two scimitars. Then Fang Zheng¡¯s body shook violently, using the impact to leap backward. The two scimitars narrowly missed his fringe, and if Fang Zheng had been half a second slower, his head would have already been Bella¡¯s trophy. But, that was as far as it goes!! As Fang Zheng dodged, the last two streaks of scimitar light, like serpents in the darkness, silently emerged and lashed out at Fang Zheng once more! This time, with no support to leverage from and suspended in mid-air, Fang Zheng had no way to evade this strike! And this was Bella¡¯s killer move! ¡°Die, mortal!¡± Watching Fang Zheng¡¯s helpless figure suspended in midair, a cruel and bloodthirsty joy surfaced in Bella¡¯s eyes. She could almost foresee the delightful scene where the mortal before her would be sliced in half by her blade and then die! However, what surprised Bella was that faced with her ultimate strike, Fang Zheng¡¯s face did not show the surprise or fear she had expected. Instead, in that moment, Fang Zheng suddenly curled into a crouching position. What¡¯s he doing? ¡°Boom boom boom!!!¡± The instant Fang Zheng curled up his body, accompanied by a rumbling collapse, a huge piece of the floor nearly grazed his body as it plummeted down. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t curled up in time, he might have been crushed to death by the stone slab¡¯s fragment without Bella even lifting a finger! But what Fang Zheng did next took Bella by complete surprise! Just as the piece of the floor whizzed past him, Fang Zheng thrust his foot against it with great force, and in a blink, his whole body accelerated, turning into a dazzling silver flash with sword in tow as he pierced through Bella¡¯s web of blades. And in the next instant, the Sky-Cleaving Sword, carrying the breath of death, plunged into the body of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord!! ¡°Aaahhhhhhh!!!!!¡± As the sword penetrated, Bella let out an involuntary scream. She could feel her life rapidly slipping away. As a Six-Armed Snake Demon, Bella was not inexperienced in dealing with undead creatures. But she could distinctly feel that the Power of Death entering her body was entirely different from the Negative Energy used by the undead. It was true death!! ¡°Let go of me!!¡± To Bella, never before had death felt so close; she even sensed the scythe of death had pierced her body, about to seize her remaining life!! In that moment, the fear of death completely enveloped Bella¡¯s heart. She roared and began to struggle, flicking her serpentine tail in an attempt to entangle the man before her. But unexpectedly, just as her tail came wrapping around, Fang Zheng stepped on her body and, pulling out his sword, leaped backwards. Beneath Fang Zheng¡¯s forceful kick, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s body suddenly accelerated in its fall, crashing heavily to the ground. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Landing on the ground, Fang Zheng let out a long breath; his surroundings were a complete mess. All around him lay scattered rubble and debris. Before him, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord lay collapsed, her luck far worse than Fang Zheng¡¯s; after falling, a huge stone had pinned down her tail. Now she could only glare fiercely at Fang Zheng, completely helpless. ¡°How is it possible? How could you dodge my attacks? What did you do!?¡± Bella couldn¡¯t understand how Fang Zheng could repeatedly dodge her attacks, let alone how he had foreseen everything at the end. What did he do? Hearing Bella¡¯s question, Fang Zheng sighed and reached out to touch his eyes. There¡¯s always more than one way to utilize time. To be honest, after learning his lesson from Shi Dong, Fang Zheng had almost given up on using time to control enemies¡ªunless he intended to play with electricity or indulge in campus play, the costs outweighing the benefits. More importantly, if any of his enemies happened to be feigning weakness, just the backlash alone would be enough to give Fang Zheng a hard time. But that doesn¡¯t mean time has no other uses. If one can¡¯t affect external things then affect oneself! Looking at the Six-Armed Serpent Lord before him, spitting blood incessantly, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth. Miss, have you ever heard of Future Sight? Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: Chapter 94: An Unexpected Ending Chapter 95: Chapter 94: An Unexpected Ending Just as mentioned before, there are many ways to utilize time. Besides affecting enemies, it can also affect oneself. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care about Emiya Kiritsugu¡¯s low-level Inherent Time Control; it was merely speeding up or slowing down his own body. To put it plainly, that method was only necessary for mortals like Kiritsugu to rely on in combat. For Fang Zheng, his speed, comparable to that of a Jumping Bug, was sufficient to pin Kiritsugu, even with ten times the Inherent Time Control enhancement, to the ground and beat him a hundred times. Of course, whether Fang Zheng would die with a body modified by the Zerg was still a question, but whether Emiya Kiritsugu could survive was definitely not. So, for Fang Zheng, there was only one other method of manipulating time that could allow him to benefit while weakening the enemy. Future Sight. This was also why Fang Zheng could always dodge Bella¡¯s attacks in time. Apart from the evasion skills he learned in the Black Soul World, it was also because he harnessed the power of Future Sight. Fang Zheng concentrated all his Time Ability into his left eye to foresee the future a few seconds ahead. This was precisely why he could continue to fight evenly with Bella. Without such Prophet-like power, Bella wanting to escape would indeed have been troublesome for him. No, to tell the truth, Fang Zheng¡¯s head was actually hurting now. Looking at the Six-Armed Snake Demon pinned under a huge rock, Fang Zheng reached up to press his forehead, one eye on the present, the other looking to the future. It might sound cool, but the actual use was indeed headache-inducing. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know if real Future Sight caused headaches, but after maintaining it for so long now, he felt his head starting to throb. This was not only due to using the ability but also because Fang Zheng had to choose between the two visions he saw: not to mistake the present for the future, nor the future for the present. Otherwise, this wouldn¡¯t be a Golden Finger, but rather a deadly poison leading one to doom. But thanks to Future Sight, Fang Zheng was able to effortlessly kill the Six-Armed Snake Demon¡­ Oh, I misspoke, she isn¡¯t dead yet, but in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, her death was just a matter of time. Meanwhile, Nymph reappeared at Fang Zheng¡¯s side and revealed herself, vigilantly staring at the Six-Armed Snake Demon and cautiously hiding behind Fang Zheng. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï ¡°A mortal, an angel weaker than a Demon of Cowardice, and yet I¡¯m defeated by you two!!¡± Bella glared at Fang Zheng, her six arms clenched into fists. ¡°But don¡¯t you dare¡­ Aaargh!!¡± Before Bella could finish her sentence, suddenly, a column of light descended from the sky, engulfing her, while simultaneously, the Old Archbishop¡¯s voice echoed over the ruins. ¡°Demon, this is not where you belong, accept your fate!¡± With the Old Archbishop¡¯s roar, the column of Holy Light grew brighter, and at the same time, Fang Zheng saw countless pitch black bats fluttering out of the darkness and gathering together. Then, the Vampire Old Archbishop emerged from the swarm of bats, radiating holy radiance, holding a Holy Scripture in both hands, and striding forward. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng hesitated briefly, ultimately choosing to remain silent. Using Holy Light as a vampire¡­ this is too ironic for me to even comment. ¡°This time, you will have no chance to escape! Bella, be purified in the Holy Light!¡± With the Old Archbishop¡¯s roar, the light column rapidly expanded, and soon Fang Zheng saw the countenance of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord grow unsightly, the shadows around her began to dissipate, but that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that, as the shadows melted away like snow, a small Green Snake appeared from beneath, painfully writhing and loudly shrieking in sharp, angry cries. ¡°You people playing with Holy Light have dirty hearts!!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk tsk¡­¡± Watching this scene, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. That Six-Armed Snake Demon was truly cunning, pretending to be the big boss and spewing harsh words to buy time on one hand and secretly planning to escape on the other. That¡¯s a typical boss tactic, although¡­ Thinking this, Fang Zheng glanced at the Vampire Old Archbishop, who now seemed solemn and sacred under the glow of Holy Light, a formidable aura emanating from him. Hmm, if only the light were red, then he would perfectly embody a grand vampire, like Count Dracula¡­ Fang Zheng really wanted to ask him if, before joining the Sanctuary, he was also a boss-level figure; otherwise, how could he be so familiar with a boss¡¯s tricks? But the next moment, his expression abruptly changed. ¡°Not good, retreat quickly!!¡± ¡°You will pay for everything you have done!!¡± Before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, he saw the small Green Snake, symbolizing Bella¡¯s true form, suddenly roar in anger. Right after, Fang Zheng felt a dark energy burst forth from the Green Snake, forming a semi-circular pitch-black barrier that spread outwards, successfully blocking the Holy Light¡¯s assault. Meanwhile, the body of the Green Snake and the Six-Armed Snake Demon began to fade away, soon replaced by a much larger phantom of a Six-Armed Snake Demon. ¡°Darn it!¡± At this scene, the Old Archbishop¡¯s expression drastically changed as well. He hurriedly raised the Holy Scripture in his hand, but in the next moment, suddenly accompanied by the sound of thunder, countless pitch-black lightning bolts abruptly materialized from thin air, bombarding the ground around them. Meanwhile, the figure of the Six-Armed Snake Demon also grew increasingly larger. Indeed, the second stage transformation is a standard procedure in a boss fight! Facing this sudden lightning, Fang Zheng hurriedly pulled Nymph over, then raised his right hand and swiftly switched to the Kerrigan¡¯s Soulstone to deploy a Psionic Shield. He had no idea how powerful this thing was, but Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t eager to find out, especially since the ground that got hit by the black lightning, breaking apart, was enough to prove that this black lightning wasn¡¯t just a time-wasting cutscene during the transformation process! ¡°No good! She¡¯s about to activate the Eye of the Soul!¡± The Old Archbishop was also greatly alarmed at this moment, he hurried back to Fang Zheng¡¯s side, hiding within Fang Zheng¡¯s Psionic Barrier as well, glancing at the Vampire Bishop beside him with a wry smile. ¡°What is that? Do we have a way to deal with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult!¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, the Old Archbishop frowned deeply, the radiance of his Holy Scripture had dimmed significantly, perhaps for this reason, the column of light that had been striking the Six-Armed Snake Demon also began to darken gradually. ¡°I have only heard the legend of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s third eye, which is said to have been born with three eyes in the Abyss. The third eye allows her to absorb the power of souls, making her always the frontline warrior as carnage makes her grow stronger! Also, there is a rumor that this third eye is where the soul of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord resides¡­ ¡± Isn¡¯t this just a real version of gaining experience points to level up? Hearing this, Fang Zheng looked at the Six-Armed Serpent Lord in surprise. Could it be that this lady is also a transmigrator? ¡°None of you will escape!!¡± With Bella¡¯s roar, Fang Zheng saw the surroundings suddenly covered with fresh blood. The corpses of the mercenaries and cultists scattered around suddenly shriveled up as if their blood was being extracted by an invisible force, along with their souls, merging into Bella¡¯s apparition. And at that moment, she seemed like the god of this place, the God of Blood! ¡°You are all going to die here, tremble before my Eye of the Soul, I will suck your souls into¡­ ¡± While speaking, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord slowly raised her hand to her forehead, while Fang Zheng, Nymph, and the Old Archbishop had a solemn expression. However, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression was a bit weird, as he had already seen what was about to happen through Future Sight; only, that future¡­ Had he not fully mastered it yet? Just at that moment, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord¡¯s arm had already reached the center of her forehead, then¡­ her expression suddenly changed. ¡°Where is my Eye of the Soul? My third eye, how could it be with you? How did you¡­ ¡± At this point, Bella seemed to realize something, her gaze in astonishment turned towards Fang Zheng and his companions. And just then, Nymph was holding a bright red orb¡ªthis was what she had earlier taken from the head of a broken statue. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Fang Zheng and the Old Archbishop weren¡¯t fools, following Bella¡¯s gaze, they immediately spotted the issue. ¡°Give it back to me¡ª!!¡± Watching this scene, Bella screamed and her figure moved rapidly, the torrent of blood, mixed with anger, furiously charging towards the three of them. But at the same time, the Old Archbishop turned to look at the gemstone in Nymph¡¯s hand, then roared angrily. ¡°Holy Light Judgment!!¡± Accompanying the old man¡¯s roar, the Holy Scripture in his hands suddenly burst, transforming into a bright Light Orb. Meanwhile, the blood-red gemstone in Nymph¡¯s hand seemed to sense something, furiously erupting with a powerful force, trying to disengage from the Little Angel¡¯s hand to escape the Light Orb. But at that moment, Fang Zheng suddenly reached out his hand, and an invisible Psionic force instantly bound the gemstone firmly. Immediately following, the Light Orb flashed and directly hit the bright red gemstone. ¡°No!!!¡± Accompanied by this scream, the approaching Bella instantly turned into a pool of blood, utterly bursting! Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: Chapter 95: After the Battle Chapter 96: Chapter 95: After the Battle ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± The rich scent of blood enveloped the area, making both Fang Zheng and Nymph¡¯s faces turn slightly pale. Fortunately, along with the complete destruction of the ruby by the Holy Light, that unfortunate Six-Armed Serpent Lord seemed to have no response left, having completely dissolved into a pool of blood scattered all over. For now, aside from emanating a foul stench, it seemed there was no other movement. ¡°That should finally be the end of it, right?¡± Looking at the silent remnants of rubble in front of him, Fang Zheng let out a sigh of relief. Previously, he had thought this mission would definitely be difficult, but it had turned out to be surprisingly simple, except for that Six-Armed Snake Demon being a bit of a hassle. Of course, this was all because¡­ ¡°Thanks to you, Nymph.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng reached out to pat the head of Nymph beside him. Feeling Fang Zheng¡¯s touch, Nymph showed a relieved smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Master. It¡¯s what I should do.¡± ¡°But now that we mention it¡­¡± It was at this point that something seemed to occur to Fang Zheng. ¡°Where did you get that ruby from?¡± ¡°I picked it up from the fragment when I was scouting earlier. I originally wanted to give it to the master, but because of them¡­¡± While she spoke, Nymph gave the Old Archbishop a glance. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? ¡°¡­I accidentally forgot about it. I¡¯m very sorry, Master.¡± ¡°No need to apologize, you are the greatest hero of this mission.¡± Fang Zheng meant every word, as he had not expected this seemingly frail Little Angel to play such a crucial role in what looked like a highly dangerous mission. She not only interrupted the revival ritual of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord in advance but also destroyed the altar, even snatching away that so-called ¡°Third Eye¡± of Bella beforehand¡­ Fang Zheng really wanted to check her character information to see if the Little Angel¡¯s luck was EX-rank¡­ Without Nymph, Fang Zheng estimated this mission would have been much more difficult. If that Six-Armed Snake Demon had regained its true form, or if it had used the altar to open the Gates of Hell¡­ then Fang Zheng would have been left with no choice but to run, run, or run. ¡°You are correct, Your Excellency Fang Zheng.¡± At this, the old man had once again approached Fang Zheng and Nymph, and nodded in agreement to Fang Zheng¡¯s words. ¡°I have already investigated, and the Magic Circle hidden beneath this altar is actually the core of the Gates of Hell. If it had been activated by Bella, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡± As he said this, the face of the Old Archbishop became extremely serious. ¡°Not to mention, those people actually got their hands on the key. This time the matter is very grave! Although it hasn¡¯t caused any severe consequences, if there had been any accident, then the entire Northlands would have faced a crisis!¡± ¡°So, you are planning to hold the Tower of Heaven accountable?¡± By the tone of the Old Archbishop, Fang Zheng knew that this matter probably couldn¡¯t be settled amicably. Although it was Fang Zheng and others who had ¡°timely¡± prevented the misdeeds, the crime of collusion with the enemy would not just be dropped because there was no substantial damage. Not to mention, Charles had actually handed over the key to break the seal to these cultists¡­ Speaking of which, where is the key? ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Perhaps guessing what Fang Zheng was thinking, the old man emotionlessly held up his right hand. In its center, lay an Amethyst Gem Ring that looked as if it had just been dug out of mud, looking quite filthy and ugly. ¡°It has been contaminated with the atmosphere of the Abyss, and it will be the best evidence. This time, the White Tower will definitely not escape punishment!¡± ¡°This time?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then his expression turned strange. From the Old Archbishop¡¯s words¡­ was it that the Tower of Heaven not only had a previous record but was also a repeat offender? ¡°Hey! Your Excellency Bishop Carl! Fang Zheng! Are you alright?¡± At this point, Shi Dong had finally hurried over with the members of the Pegasus Knights Order. After the collapse of the altar, those startled Little Demons ran away quickly, sensing danger, while the cultists seemed determined to fight to the death. Therefore, Shi Dong and the others had to first help the mercenaries deal with those desperately resisting cultists before coming over to check the altar. As for those scattered Little Demons, in Shi Dong¡¯s view, these creatures were not a concern; with their master dead, they essentially lost the ability to remain in this world, and returning to their own world was just a matter of time, hardly worrying. In this battle, the core group, with Fang Zheng and the others, was undamaged, but the periphery suffered heavy casualties. Out of the twenty-something Pegasus Knights that had faced the Little Demons, only half survived, and that was because of Shi Dong¡¯s presence to control the situation. Otherwise, they probably would have been completely wiped out. And the mercenaries had also suffered heavy losses, with only the Mercenary Leader, two archers, and the Mage surviving. The rest had been killed in battle, and Fina had suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, her injuries were not severe, and she had only fallen unconscious due to the shock from the explosion, so there was no great harm. But, no matter what, they had successfully stopped the vile plot of these cultists, and, as confirmed by the Old Archbishop, the core of the Array hidden within the altar had indeed been thoroughly destroyed by Nymph, rendering it completely useless. Although the mission had ended, to be cautious, the group decided to search the vicinity after discussion, to avoid anything left behind by the cultists. Of course, before this, Shi Dong had sent out a Pegasus Knight to convey the message that the mission was accomplished to the Sanctuary. That way, they wouldn¡¯t lose sleep over it¡­ which isn¡¯t good for the body. Even though the battle was over, for Fang Zheng¡­ it was not the end of the story. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Watching those bodies disappear into the roaring flames, Fang Zheng shook his head. To be honest, he didn¡¯t like fighting alongside others, whether in the Dark World or the world of Edge of Tomorrow, Fang Zheng mostly acted independently, or only with his Summoned Items by his side. As for the reason¡­ ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± Hearing the voice of the Cleric Maiden beside him, Fang Zheng turned to look at her, then heaved a soft sigh. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for putting you in danger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s apology, the Cleric Maiden shook her head instead. She looked quite disheveled at the moment, with her clerical robe torn and tattered, and a bandage wrapped around her head. There were traces of blood on her cheek, and she appeared extremely weary but still stood here. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to rest for a bit?¡± ¡°I will later, but Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ you seem to be in a bad mood?¡± ¡°Indeed, not great.¡± While he spoke, Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze returned to the fire before him. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really like this feeling.¡± ¡°This¡­ feeling?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Fina¡¯s query, Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°Look at that big guy, you know? I had a conflict with him before, he thought I wasn¡¯t fit to be their leader, then I gave him a good beating, and afterward, we had a drink together¡­ and then he acknowledged me.¡± ¡°Did that really happen?¡± Fina¡¯s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. ¡°How come I didn¡¯t see it?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because I originally thought it should happen.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Just a joke.¡± Seeing the complex look on Fina¡¯s face, Fang Zheng gave a slight smile, but the smile on his face quickly vanished. ¡°But to tell you the truth, it really doesn¡¯t feel good.¡± Fang Zheng was speaking his mind. He was born in a peaceful world, where he was usually faced with heavy work, endless meetings, and working late into the night. There might be resignations, new hires, and even dismissals, but none of these endangered lives. He had made many decisions, but those decisions never cost anyone their life. However, it was different here. Every decision he made could endanger someone¡¯s life or even lead them to death. Of course, these mercenaries were strangers to Fang Zheng, the previous events were just his ¡°fantasy¡±. But it was different for Fina, who had followed him to the Dark Marsh. Although they hadn¡¯t been able to fight side by side afterwards, Fina had helped him a lot. If it hadn¡¯t been for this Divine Shepherd casting buffs on those mercenaries, they probably wouldn¡¯t have held on for long. Yet this maiden had nearly died. If the death of the mercenaries only made Fang Zheng somewhat reflective, Fina¡¯s near death genuinely frightened him. This wasn¡¯t a game where NPCs could respawn if they died. At that time, Fang Zheng¡¯s head was filled with his own mission and how to deal with that damned Six-Armed Serpent Lord, but now that he¡¯d calmed down, he suddenly felt a sense of fear¡ªif after sorting all this out he¡¯d heard the news of Fina¡¯s death, he would have been filled with regret. After all, he could have chosen not to bring Fina along on this adventure; it was his own affair, yet he had involved someone completely unrelated. As a modern person, he was accustomed to living a life of ¡°every man for himself,¡± meaning others shouldn¡¯t bother him, and likewise, he wouldn¡¯t bother others. He would step in to help someone in trouble, but in the face of danger, he would prioritize his own safety. Fang Zheng had never experienced making a decision that sent others to death¡­ of course, in his world, people wouldn¡¯t have obeyed his commands to march to their deaths anyway. After all, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t a soldier. And not only that¡­ Fang Zheng extended his hand, opened the system in front of him, and looked at the message alert on it. [Main World Task ¡°Gates of Hell¡± completed, main world time to instance time ratio adjusted to 1:10.] On the surface, this task seemed to have no problems, similar to the ones Fang Zheng had completed in the instance world. But he always had a peculiar premonition. Because he remembered clearly, back in Star Moon City, the Law Resonance he triggered the first time he entered the Sanctuary, as well as the system information prompt at that time. [Order parallel port detected.] [Port activation initiated.] As the designer and creator of the Dimensional Codex, Fang Zheng certainly knew what this prompt meant, but since there had been no follow-up from the Codex after that, he hadn¡¯t paid it much attention. However, the system suddenly issuing a main world task made Fang Zheng recall that incident. He had a feeling that this task was actually an exchange between the system and this world; he helped this world prevent the Gates of Hell from reopening, and in turn, they allowed the Dimensional Codex to make appropriate adjustments and changes to the flow of time. This was like the game¡¯s core and DLC¡ªif the Dimensional Codex were likened to the core game, then this world would be the DLC. You have to install and connect to the DLC¡¯s map before you can accept and complete the exclusive tasks of the DLC. So the question arose. Who is the ¡°NPC¡± that issued this task? At this thought, Fang Zheng glanced at the badge on his chest. He was beginning to have an answer. Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Return to the Sanctuary Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Return to the Sanctuary Putting aside his brief sentimentality for a moment, it took a further two days of searching before Fang Zheng, convinced that the Dark Marsh had no more issues left, could finally depart with Shi Dong and the others. Of course, the most crucial factor was still relying on Nymph¡¯s search abilities, considering that Little Angel¡¯s black technology from Synapsus was super first-class in this regard. Riding on Pegasus, the group returned to the Sanctuary, exhausted. Unfortunately, the grand welcome ceremony that Shi Dong had anticipated did not occur. Only a few Clerics stationed within the Sanctuary came out to greet them. According to them, almost all the Sanctuary¡¯s manpower had been deployed to the Order Fortress. Fortunately, because the news had arrived on time, the situation at the Order Fortress had stabilized, and there was no need to worry about it being breached anytime soon. ¡°Ah, the peaceful life¡­¡± Sitting in a chair and looking out the window, Fang Zheng sighed deeply. They were now at the Sanctuary headquartered in the Northern Alliance, which, unlike the delicate and beautiful architectural style of Star Moon City, was marked by the rugged and wild characteristics of the north. The more he learned about the Sanctuary, the more Fang Zheng realized this organization was unlike any religion he knew of. In his memory, religions always seemed to want to create their churches and followers as if they were products from the same mold. Moreover, they seemed to want their priests to have the same predilections¡­ Indeed, from this perspective, Fang Zheng regarded the religions on Earth as assembly lines, mass-producing believers with the same thoughts, churches with the same design, uniforms with the same style, and priests with the same preferences¡­ And their doctrines were quite similar too. However, the Sanctuary in this world wasn¡¯t like that; it didn¡¯t have the homogeneity that Fang Zheng expected. Quite the contrary, the architecture of the Northern Temple looked no different from the ordinary northern-style buildings in the area, just larger and more distinctive, with only a Sanctuary symbol to mark its difference. If judged by appearances alone, Fang Zheng could hardly see any familial resemblance to the Sanctuary in Star Moon City. It must be said, the Sanctuary was good at adapting local customs. But where there are people, there are ¡®Jianghu¡¯. Looking at the scenery outside, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, reminiscing about what Shi Dong had said to him. ¡°You should know, Grand Knights have their own fiefs. Of course, domains like Knight¡¯s Domain are things only Ambassador Knights have, and we Grand Knights can at most be granted a small town. But, to ¡®commend¡¯ your heroic sacrifice, the Bishopric couldn¡¯t be too harsh, so they assigned Silver Flower Town as your Knight¡¯s Domain. It¡¯s a key transport hub, convenient and wealthy, you know? Technically, according to records, you were ¡®fallen¡¯ and had no descendants, so the town was ¡®managed¡¯ by the Bishopric, but now you¡¯ve returned¡­ Hehe, you get my point, right?¡± Of course, he understood. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?? Having been a high-level leader in his previous life, Fang Zheng knew how awkward this was. It was like knowing a programmer couldn¡¯t possibly develop a game engine that met the requirements, yet still assigning him the task and publicly announcing that if he succeeded, he would be made the CEO. And somehow, the programmer actually succeeded! How embarrassing for a leader like him! But that was exactly right. It was normal for organizations to have internal power struggles. Total harmony¡­ was terrifying! Perhaps for ordinary employees, it would be best if a company was united and harmonious. But for a leader, it was far less interesting if there wasn¡¯t any competition within the group. In fact, Fang Zheng had more than once created situations between the planning and character design teams, sometimes even dragging the programming team into the mix. It was better to spur competitiveness among them rather than forcing them to work relentlessly. After all, if they were forced, whether the outcome was good or bad, their resentment would be directed at the company. With competition, however, they would focus only on their rivals and goals. Moreover, with rewards also came penalties, which was the right way to allocate resources. Although this world had a higher level of martial prowess than Fang Zheng¡¯s original world, interpersonal matters were mostly the same; hence, Fang Zheng was very aware that his current situation was not really that favorable. On one hand, the Bishopric had sealed him a particularly wealthy town as a show of their ¡°magnanimity,¡± but everyone knew he had died and left no heirs, so for the Bishopric, this was just ¡°shifting from one hand to the other.¡± It didn¡¯t cost them anything, and yet it showcased the Bishopric¡¯s ¡°clear rewards and punishments.¡± Of course, seeing Shi Dong¡¯s smugness when discussing the matter, Fang Zheng knew that Shi Dong must have played a disreputable role, although Shi Dong always complained to him that ¡°those old geezers never believed you were still alive¡±. Fang Zheng guessed that Shi Dong must have anticipated his return, thus deliberately leading to such an outcome. After all, as long as Fang Zheng returned, the reward from the Bishopric was still his! After all, others might not know his identity, but how could Shi Dong not? Hadn¡¯t he already considered him a Holy Spirit Knight? Now¡­ ¡°This is really a headache¡­¡± Fang Zheng pressed his hand against his forehead, currently awaiting the Bishopric¡¯s summons. Although Shi Dong assured him that there would be no problems, Fang Zheng knew that matters were not as simple as Shi Dong thought. Humans are creatures that seek advantages and avoid harms. Although Archbishop Carl had also promised to speak well on his behalf, just depending on someone else¡¯s friendship was not enough. More importantly, Fang Zheng himself was also hesitant about the road ahead. Because Fang Zheng didn¡¯t particularly want to accept this award. For Shi Dong, this award was a good thing, but Fang Zheng thought deeper. If he accepted the award, it would imply a deeper connection with the Sanctuary. Of course, to put it bluntly, he was afraid the Sanctuary would send him to his death. This wasn¡¯t to suggest that the Sanctuary wanted to eliminate dissidents or intentionally send him to die. In fact, from the behavior of Mart and Shi Dong, Fang Zheng could see that their current positions were not only due to their strength, but also their devotion. To phrase it rather quaintly¡ªit was the devotion to sacrifice one¡¯s life for the people¡¯s happiness and the preservation of order! Actually, it was only natural that if you wanted to join an organization and become part of its higher echelons, you had to follow the leadership of the organization, uphold its charter, and dedicate your own strength to the organization. If Fang Zheng had grown up in this world since he was young and had received the local cultural education here, he might actually have had such thoughts. Unfortunately, Fang Zheng was an outsider! He certainly did not possess the ideological awakening to die for this world, and maybe as time passed, he would gradually change his mind. But, that was definitely not now! Moreover, most people in this world have blond hair and blue eyes, and they do not seem to have any nostalgia when fellow countrymen meet each other. So, compared to Shi Dong, Fang Zheng actually did not particularly want to accept the position and identity of a Grand Knight¡ªhe really was indifferent to the idea of sacrificing his own life to save order. However, if he refused, it would definitely leave a bad impression on Shi Dong and Mart, after all, their values and the worlds they live in were different. Of course, this was also a result of Fang Zheng¡¯s own making. If he had not joined the Sanctuary initially to conceal his identity, it would not have ended up like this¡­ Whose fault was it? It was surely Shichen¡¯s fault! Quietly cursing the person whose whereabouts were unknown, Fang Zheng collected his thoughts once again. There were certainly ways, and if everything went smoothly, he could still achieve his goal. Right now he just did not know what the situation inside the Bishopric was like, but judging by his own experience, um¡­ ¡°Knock knock.¡± Just then, a knock on the door interrupted Fang Zheng¡¯s thoughts. He looked up and glanced at the door. ¡°Please come in.¡± ¡°Click.¡± The door opened, and a nun walked in. She bowed respectfully to Fang Zheng and then began to speak. ¡°Your Excellency Fang Zheng, the bishops are waiting for you.¡± ¡°Alright, I know, thank you.¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng stood up and nodded with a smile to the nun. Then, he glanced outside the window¡ªNymph was leaning against an evergreen tree in the courtyard, playing gleefully with a squirrel in her hand. This was the expression a child of her age should have. Thinking this, Fang Zheng turned his gaze back from the window and looked at the nun once more. ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Perhaps because the frontlines were tense at the moment, only three members of the Bishopric appeared before Fang Zheng this time, one of whom was the Vampire Bishop Carl, whom he had met before. The other two were one plump round face and one skinny as a rail¡ªsince they didn¡¯t plan on introducing themselves, Fang Zheng felt no remorse in nicknaming them on his own. Fang Zheng walked into the hall and approached the trio, offering them a bow, which they acknowledged with a nod. Then the skinny rail picked up a document in front of him, glanced at it for a moment, and began to speak. ¡°You are the Apprentice Guardian Knight of Star Moon City, Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fang Zheng lifted his head and responded while looking at the three of them. Bishop Carl appeared calm, the skinny rail¡¯s expression was somewhat stern, and only the plump round face seemed amiable, smiling merrily. However, Fang Zheng could keenly sense the hidden nuances beneath that smile. From Fang Zheng¡¯s experience, when someone smiled at you for no reason, they either needed something from you or were masking their real feelings. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng smiled inwardly. He already had an idea. Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Villains Are Good Stuff Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Villains Are Good Stuff ¡°As a loyal Guardian Knight of the Sanctuary, you have fulfilled your mission very well,¡± the thin man said at a leisurely pace, while the other two showed no intention of speaking. ¡°The Bishopric has reviewed Bishop Carl¡¯s report, and you have performed admirably in the Dark Marsh. Not only did you uncover the conspiracy of the cultists in time, but you also promptly informed the Sanctuary, thwarting their plans to reopen the Gates of Hell. Not to mention the incident involved Bella¡­¡± At this point, a barely perceptible calm surfaced in the thin man¡¯s tone. ¡°¡­Everything you have done will forever be remembered by the Order.¡± ¡°It is my honor.¡± Upon hearing the thin man¡¯s words, Fang Zheng inwardly chuckled. This was exactly the outcome he had hoped for. After all, reality wasn¡¯t a game ¨C you couldn¡¯t simply click on a mission point and proceed. You had to consider your status. Politics are an inseparable part of human life, whether in a laboratory, an office, or a boardroom. Networking is key to climbing the ladder, and if you don¡¯t have that ability, then exceptional talent must compensate. Fang Zheng had opted not to directly attack using the Soulstone for several reasons ¨C caution was one, but also considering factors within the Sanctuary was another. Although he was nominally affiliated with the Sanctuary, he had been missing for a long time. To return to the Sanctuary without being subject to investigation or suppression, he needed to win some people to his side. Shi Dong was, of course, a reliable support, but one should never put all their eggs in one basket. This was another reason Fang Zheng had chosen to wait for reinforcements. He was acutely aware that the more perilous the mission, the more generous the rewards that followed. It was like a company tackling a key technology project ¨C the task was inevitably difficult, but if you accomplished it, any competent leader would not overlook the significant contributions made by your department. Moreover, from the tone of Fina and the other Sanctuary Warriors, Fang Zheng could deduce that reopening the Gates of Hell was, undoubtedly, a terrifying and significant affair. Logically, the Sanctuary should be the one to take charge of such a matter. That was another reason Fang Zheng refrained from a direct attack, choosing instead to wait for reinforcements. As the saying goes, share the wealth in prosperous times and face difficulties together. If Fang Zheng had gone ahead and handled everything without saying a word, though he would have naturally received credit for his Guardian Knight status, it would have been limited to him alone. Honestly, with Fang Zheng¡¯s current status, he wasn¡¯t yet in a position to act independently. It¡¯s like apprehending a criminal: if you¡¯re a passerby who spots an escaped fugitive and decides to catch them, your heroism is acknowledged if you succeed, and if not, you¡¯re forgiven given your civilian status. But if you¡¯re a police officer, even a rookie, and you rashly jump into action, you¡¯re bound to face scrutiny and criticism, successful or not. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? Questions like why didn¡¯t you contact your superiors, why did you act alone, why didn¡¯t you consider the environment¡­ Fang Zheng¡¯s current status at the Sanctuary was like that of the rookie officer: no matter what you do, you must first contact the organization and leave the decisions to them. In this way, if you succeed, everyone is happy, and no one thinks you¡¯re glory-hogging or acting solo. If it fails, you aren¡¯t the one carrying the can alone. Collective decision-making is a treasure; you heave the blame onto it. Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of having a board of directors? This is also why the Northern Temple¡¯s attitude toward Fang Zheng is quite favorable now. Although, according to Bishop Carl¡¯s report, Fang Zheng did the lion¡¯s share, the Sanctuary also contributed to this brutal battle. Though the twenty-odd Pegasus Knights weren¡¯t many, they effectively tied up the enemy¡¯s air forces. Going by a 40-60 split of rewards, they should at least get a ¡°forty,¡± right? As a result, their scores for the annual evaluation would undoubtedly rise, and the Northern Temple made a name for itself amongst its peers. But if Fang Zheng had done it alone, even if the Northern Temple wouldn¡¯t openly complain, they would be discontent internally. If you handle everything solo, what are we ¨C useless? Stepping out in the future, people would mock them saying, ¡°Can¡¯t believe the Northern Temple consists of incompetents, in the end, it took an apprentice Guardian Knight ¨C oh, just an apprentice ¨C to rescue you. Isn¡¯t that shameful?¡± Where would they put their faces then? In doing so, Fang Zheng would gain no advantage and earn great enmity from the Northern Temple, a completely lose-lose situation. As for now¡­ his reputation within the Northern Temple was probably, if not respectful, at least friendly. ¡°I believe you¡¯re aware, thanks to your prior actions, the Bishopric has already granted you the title of Grand Knight. And this time, in the Dark Marsh, you¡¯ve defended the glory of the Order¡­ um¡­¡± As he spoke to this point, the skinny man paused for a moment, evidently at a loss for words. However, Fang Zheng also understood why the other party was having difficulty. Logically speaking, the out-of-turn promotion was already a reward for himself, but the problem was that the Bishopric had treated him as a martyr, which made this time¡¯s reward somewhat tricky to handle. With his identity and strength, of course, he wasn¡¯t qualified to become a Knight Captain, but Fang Zheng¡¯s undeniable merit in defeating Bella, the Six-Armed Serpent Lord, and destroying the Gates of Hell Array in the Dark Marsh was clear for all to see¡ªthere were so many witnesses that if you didn¡¯t award anything, it definitely would be hard to explain. But this reward in itself was a difficult matter. Reward too little, and people would feel disheartened thinking that after fighting so hard for you, this meager reward is how you treat those in need. Give too much, and Fang Zheng¡¯s age and experience would become awkward, possibly inciting dissatisfaction among many elders. So the best solution was¡­ ¡°After the Bishopric¡¯s discussion, we have decided that the Sanctuary can satisfy all your demands. Just state your request, and as the citizens of order and Guardians, we will definitely not be stingy with any reward,¡± See, they¡¯ve tossed the hot potato back. Hearing this, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. MD, it seems bargaining is the same anywhere. Don¡¯t be fooled by how open-handed they sound, saying any request can be made. But if Fang Zheng naively made some impractical demands, that would be problematic. Even if the Sanctuary agreed to his conditions, it would likely lower Fang Zheng¡¯s reputation. But if the demands Fang Zheng made were simple and not much of a bother, then the Sanctuary naturally wouldn¡¯t be stingy, and might even engage in a bit of mutual flattery publicly, letting others know about Fang Zheng¡¯s understanding of propriety and frugality¡ªsubtext: it¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t give him better, it¡¯s just that he only wants these, and we can¡¯t help it. They¡¯ve shrugged off all responsibility. MD, isn¡¯t it just mutually beneficial flattery and bargaining? Magic I can¡¯t do, swordsmanship I don¡¯t yet understand, but this¡­ this is my domain! Thinking this, Fang Zheng¡¯s face also revealed a complex and conflicted expression. Then he hesitated for a moment, raised his right hand to his chest, and gave a slight bow to the three men. ¡°Thank you for the Sanctuary¡¯s grace. In truth, I only did a trivial task and feel quite ashamed. Even though it¡¯s hard for me, there¡¯s indeed something that I have to ask¡­¡± ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng showed a somewhat troubled expression. ¡°If possible, I hope to obtain some Spirit Crystals¡­¡± ¡°Spirit Crystals?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s request, the three Bishops were taken aback. They clearly hadn¡¯t expected Fang Zheng to make such a demand. And Fang Zheng lowered his head, a faint smile emerging on his lips. Good, the exchange of interests is a success. I¡¯ve told you what I want, now how much you give depends on your own conscience. After all, ¡°some¡± is a very delicate word. A jin is some, a kilogram is also some, a ton is also some¡­ Are you going to be generous? ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem,¡± And at that moment, finally, the fat round-faced man spoke. He still looked at Fang Zheng with a smile, but his tone was a bit strange. ¡°I am just curious, Knight Fang Zheng, what do you need the Spirit Crystals for? Don¡¯t tell me you plan to learn magic?¡± That¡¯s more like it. When Fang Zheng heard the sarcasm in the other man¡¯s voice, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, without a villain to play the opposing role on a stage, the play simply can¡¯t go on¡­ Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Introducing the Best Supporting Actor Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Introducing the Best Supporting Actor ¡°Indeed.¡± When he heard the round-faced man¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng pretended to be straightforward and nodded. ¡°In the course of this operation, due to a stroke of luck, I had a chance to fight against two mages. The magic they wielded left a deep impression on me, and I believe that to learn how to cope with magic, one must first understand the principles of magic¡­ That¡¯s why I indeed plan to study magic¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Before Fang Zheng could finish, the round-faced man interrupted him, his smile growing brighter, while the thin bamboo stick beside him furrowed his brows, showing a dissatisfied expression as he looked at the round-faced man. As for Bishop Carl, who was in between the two, he continued to have his eyes slightly closed, looking as if he were asleep. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Great Knight Shi Dong that you have a very deep comprehension and understanding of Holy Light, and can skillfully wield its power. Now that you plan to study magic, does it mean you think Holy Light is inferior to magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Your Excellency Bishop.¡± Upon hearing the round-faced man¡¯s retort, Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°expression changed slightly,¡± and he began to defend himself. ¡°I think that Holy Light and magic each have their own strengths in different domains, and if I could learn this point¡­¡± ¡°I understand your point.¡± Just as the thin bamboo stick wanted to say something, he had barely begun to speak when the round-faced man cheerfully cut him off once again. ¡°Your perspective is quite rare indeed. Truly, both magic and Holy Light belong to the powers of order. I think your idea is very good. In that case, I personally approve of your request, and I will even allow you to enter the Tower of Heaven to study magic. Would you wish to do so?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency Bishop!¡± Now, Fang Zheng genuinely showed an expression of joy and hastily expressed his gratitude. The thin bamboo stick next to him looked at Fang Zheng with the expression of a policeman who has just witnessed a victim of fraud and sighed helplessly. ¡°What are your opinions?¡± The round-faced man¡¯s smile grew even broader as he turned his head to look at Bishop Carl and the thin bamboo stick. The thin man furrowed his brow, indicating he wanted to say something. Unfortunately, at this moment, Bishop Carl seemed to have woken up; he just quietly looked at Fang Zheng and, after a moment, nodded slightly. ¡°Since the individual herself agrees, then I have no objections.¡± ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Perhaps because several times he tried to speak he was interrupted, the thin bamboo stick now appeared disinterested. He shook his head, glanced at Fang Zheng, and then simply nodded in agreement. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± After obtaining affirmative answers from the other two bishops, the round-faced man once again turned to Fang Zheng with a cheerful smile. ¡°The Bishopric has granted your request. Just so happens, the investigative mages from the Tower of Heaven are here; they will take you to the Tower of Heaven for your studies. Also, the Spirit Crystals you need will be prepared properly. You may leave now.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency Bishop.¡± Hearing the round-faced man¡¯s words, Fang Zheng left with an ¡°excited¡± smile, respectfully bowing to the three men before turning to depart. Once Fang Zheng had left the hall, he finally couldn¡¯t help but clench his fists tightly. Success! Although the round-faced man¡¯s smile was friendly and approachable, Fang Zheng was no pushover. Having been in management for so many years, how could he not know what the other party was thinking? For a company, an organization, or a force, what is the most important thing about a subordinate? Ability and loyalty! One can lack ability, after all, geniuses are always in the minority, but loyalty is the part all organizations and forces value most. Loyalty is not only about being faithful to a person, but also about whether there are shared values, interests, and goals. Because only these are the foundation that maintains loyalty and prevents betrayal. This principle applies equally to organizations as well as to nations. On the surface, what the round-faced man said was correct, the Sanctuary is the guardian of order, and both Holy Light and magic are part of order. So whether one studies Holy Light or magic, seemingly both serve order, and there¡¯s no difference. But these words are really just for deceiving three-year-old children. If there really were no difference, then why wouldn¡¯t the Sanctuary of Reflection and the Tower of Heaven merge? Looking at the way Shi Dong acted, it¡¯s amazing that the Sanctuary and the White Tower haven¡¯t turned everyone¡¯s brains into dog brains. And the reason the fat round-faced person did this was crystal clear to Fang Zheng, the moment he agreed to his terms, it would mean that Fang Zheng would lose all possibility of being promoted within the Sanctuary! Put plainly, it meant that Fang Zheng, as an employee, didn¡¯t sufficiently buy into the corporate culture of the Sanctuary, nor did he have a strong enough sense of group belonging, and his views clashed with those of his superiors. For instance, if the company clearly intends to allocate all resources to develop a hit FPS game sequel, yet you insist that FPS games will incur losses and advocate for an RTS game¡­ With such an employee, do you think any leader would favor them? It would be lucky if they weren¡¯t given the boot at the first opportunity. On the White Tower¡¯s side, they might pay exceptional attention to Fang Zheng initially, but he was certain they wouldn¡¯t trust him much either. After all, he was from the Sanctuary, and quite possibly the only Templar to come learn magic, which meant his identity predestined that he couldn¡¯t climb to the upper echelons of the mages either. If someone else were in his shoes, the fat round face¡¯s scheme would seem incredibly cunning and sinister, essentially dooming a person to never get ahead. But for Fang Zheng, this was fantastic! I just love you, brother!! Isn¡¯t this like an Oscar-worthy performance for Best Supporting Actor? Although on the surface, someone like Fang Zheng who sits on the fence could be despised by both sides, the fence-sitters are despised exactly because they sit on the fence. But when a fence-sitter turns into a towering tree, the question of being despised no longer exists. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t wish to get too close to the Sanctuary, nor did he want to cozy up too much to the White Tower, so the identity of a two-faced fence-sitter suited him best. If anything went wrong, he could decisively desert both the Sanctuary and the White Tower, or even become their enemy without any psychological burden. Otherwise, as the saying goes, ¡°It¡¯s hard to slap a smiling face¡±, it would be unreasonable not to reciprocate kindness. Of course, Fang Zheng also knew that the so-called fief of his was definitely off the cards. The Sanctuary couldn¡¯t possibly hand over its territory to a knight off to learn magic, for what if those mages decided to nest in his territory? But this was fine by him because he had no intention of taking that piece of land anyway. After all, he was waiting for the opportunity to time-travel through an instance. When the time came for him to disappear for tens of days or half a year, how could he be bothered with managing any fief matters? Prolonged absence can raise suspicions, and it would be easier to claim freedom and vanish without raising eyebrows, wouldn¡¯t it? Just then, a voice sounded. ¡°Is this the decision you¡¯ve made?¡± Upon hearing the voice, Fang Zheng stopped in his tracks, turned his head toward the source of the voice, and saw Bishop Carl stepping out of the shadows, watching him. ¡°Bishop Carl.¡± Fang Zheng was not surprised by the appearance of Bishop Carl. During the battle with the Six-Armed Snake Demon, he had used several kinds of powers in succession. Bishop Carl must have been nearby, and since even the Six-Armed Snake Demon Bella could sense his aura, Carl was sure to have noticed it too. ¡°You choose to leave the Sanctuary, can you tell me why?¡± Clearly, Fang Zheng was smart, and Carl was no fool either. ¡°I am just an ordinary person.¡± Upon hearing Carl¡¯s question, Fang Zheng sighed and then looked into the Old Archbishop¡¯s deep eyes. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t have the same dedication as my tutor or Grand Knight Mart. During that day¡¯s battle, more than half of the mercenaries who went with me died. Although I know they received their payment and compensation, I¡­ I¡¯m just not very good at leading others to their deaths.¡± ¡°Every man should have the courage to face his responsibilities.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but the world is too big, and my hands are too small¡­ Just protecting those I know around me is already taking all I have.¡± ¡°After all, you are still young.¡± After hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, the Old Archbishop fell silent for a moment. ¡°Be that as it may, being willful and obstinate are privileges of the young, and sometimes evasion is not an act of cowardice. At least you clearly recognize the magnitude of responsibility. That¡¯s much better than those dreamers immersed in illusions without understanding what responsibility means¡­ I only have one request: I hope you will stand on the side of order and never bow to Chaos.¡± ¡°¡­I will do my best.¡± ¡°Good.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, the Old Archbishop showed a satisfied expression. Then he nodded, turned around, and left, melting back into the shadows once more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the White Tower; I¡¯ll have an old friend look after you¡­ Strive to grow, child.¡± Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: Chapter 99 Farewell Chapter 100: Chapter 99 Farewell Ultimately, under Fang Zheng¡¯s deliberate guidance, the matter came to a successful conclusion. The round-faced Bishop believed he had tricked Fang Zheng, the ¡°naive and upright¡± young man, and felt extremely pleased with himself. By using the round-faced Bishop¡¯s manipulation, Fang Zheng also distanced himself from the Sanctuary. Each had gotten what they needed, and both were very satisfied. Therefore, every time Fang Zheng saw the round-faced Bishop, he would always wear a big, beaming smile. The round-faced Bishop was quite enthusiastic as well, although deep down he probably still mocked Fang Zheng as a foolish idiot who had cut off his own escape route. But how does the saying go? Everyone has their own kind of happiness. Shi Dong, on the other hand, was quite angry when he heard about this, and grabbed Fang Zheng planning to confront the Bishopric for an explanation. However, Fang Zheng eventually persuaded Shi Dong to drop the idea. Just as Fang Zheng had predicted, he lost his fiefdom. According to the orders from the Bishopric, Fang Zheng was to go study at White Tower, which meant his fiefdom would continue to be managed by the Sanctuary during this time. Fang Zheng was already mentally prepared for this, recognizing it as a common tactic. It was like the carrot dangled in front of a mule, a so-called ¡°wait-and-see policy¡±. If Fang Zheng eventually ¡°saw the light¡± at White Tower and decided the Sanctuary was better, he would naturally regain his territory. But if Fang Zheng remained ¡°stubbornly deluded,¡± then the Sanctuary would probably find an excuse to give his fiefdom to someone else. Fang Zheng originally hadn¡¯t planned to keep it, so he let them play their games. The situation at Order Fortress stabilized for the time being, and there was no need for more manpower. And as gathering Spirit Crystals also took time, Fang Zheng took the opportunity to hang out with Fina and Nymph, strolling through the streets leisurely. With two cute girls for a date, how could he pass up such a great opportunity! Unfortunately, both this world and Nymph, the Little Angel who had been summoned, seemed unaware of what ¡°dating¡± meant, but being out and about with Fang Zheng was certainly a delightful matter for them. Thus, they gladly accepted Fang Zheng¡¯s invitation and started exploring the city. The Northern Temple was located in the Royal Capital of the Northern Alliance, a city built halfway up a mountain, and its overall style was filled with the rich, wild essence of the northern tribes. To Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, he encountered a unique Northern snack here. It was a snack where wild fruits were skewered on wooden sticks, dipped in sugary syrup, and then enjoyed after they had set in the cold wind. Each bite was sour and crunchy, with the sweet fragrance of wild fruit and a hint of coldness, making it quite enjoyable. This instantly reminded Fang Zheng of the tanghulu from his own world, and he promptly bought some to relish. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to buy one for both Nymph and Fina as well, and both enjoyed it immensely. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°This is really tasty,¡± Nymph said, taking small bites and happily squinting her eyes. Although Nymph was still wearing her peculiar clothing, it did not cause much of a stir, since Fang Zheng had already ordered her to hide her wings. The Sanctuary was one thing, but if rumors about an angel spread outside, it would not be good for Nymph. In fact, up to now, very few people were aware of Fang Zheng having an angel companion. The higher-ups in the Sanctuary might know a bit, but they apparently did not seem inclined to interfere. But this was just as well. If those people dared to do something, they couldn¡¯t blame Fang Zheng for turning ruthless and unforgiving. ¡°Eat as much as you like; I¡¯m treating,¡± Fang Zheng said, looking at Nymph and patting her head with a generous smile¡ªthe mission had also rewarded him with Gold Coins besides Spirit Crystals. It was a considerable amount, five thousand Gold Coins, roughly equivalent to a year-end bonus in his own world, enough to feast on salted fish for a whole year without worries. Although Fang Zheng said so, Nymph and Fina were still a bit shy about it. Out of helplessness, Fang Zheng personally took action. He bought Nymph a bunch of snacks from the specialty products of the Northlands, and for Fina, he gave her a piece of silver jewelry crafted by Northland artisans as a gift. Fina, though somewhat bashful, eventually accepted it gracefully. Although the silver jewelry was quite expensive, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind because this outing was not just a ¡°date¡± but also a ¡°farewell¡±. ¡°Have you really decided to leave this place?¡± Fang Zheng asked, standing at the gates of the Royal Capital of the Northlands, looking at the Cleric Maiden before him. Noticing Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, Fina nodded shyly. ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, my pilgrimage is not yet complete, so I must continue on my journey.¡± So it goes, the unpredictability of life. Looking at the Cleric Maiden before him, Fang Zheng shrugged. He hadn¡¯t expected that he would still be here while Fina had decided to leave the Sanctuary first. Originally, Fang Zheng thought that after reaching the Northern Temple, Fina would stay here. After all, the pilgrimage was just a trial, not a marathon. Just like Fang Zheng, who as an Apprentice Guardian Knight was supposed to ¡°go to the countryside,¡± but having dealt with a Child of Chaos with Shi Dong also fulfilled the requirements for his advancement, allowing him to ¡°turn professional¡±. It was for this reason that Mr. Fang Zheng thought that Lady Fina probably deserved a promotion, after all, the ¡°Gates of Hell¡± incident, although it didn¡¯t lead to serious consequences, was still dangerous. And as one of the members who prevented the Gates of Hell from reopening, wasn¡¯t it natural for Fina to get a promotion and official recognition? To Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, when he went to find Lady Fina, he discovered to his astonishment that she intended to pack up and leave, and since they had fought together, they were friends. This prompted Mr. Fang Zheng to invite her out for a meal, following the customs of his hometown, and to take a stroll afterwards. ¡°You, Mr. Fang Zheng, are you really going to the White Tower?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Upon hearing Lady Fina¡¯s slightly worried inquiry, Mr. Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯m very interested in the mysteries of magic, and to tell you the truth, I am a very lazy person. Magic seems to help reduce a lot of trouble for me.¡± ¡°Huff huff¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Lady Fina couldn¡¯t help but cover her mouth and giggle. ¡°That¡¯s not true at all, Mr. Fang Zheng. Studying magic is much more difficult than you think¡ªeven more so than Divine Arts. If you¡¯re just embracing it with the idea of being lazy, you¡¯re going to have a hard time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because people want to be lazy that they make progress.¡± ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s ways of speaking are still so unusual.¡± Lady Fina helplessly shook her head, then looked at Nymph beside Mr. Fang Zheng with a smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m leaving, Sister Nymph, take good care of yourself.¡± In response to Lady Fina¡¯s words, Nymph bit her ¡°sugar-coated haws¡± in small nibbles, slightly nodding her head as a response. Looking at Nymph, Lady Fina smiled softly, then looked back at Mr. Fang Zheng. ¡°So, Mr. Fang Zheng, I¡¯m leaving. I hope everything goes well for you at the White Tower, and¡­ it¡¯s best not to disclose Sister Nymph¡¯s identity. Although the White Tower is part of the Order Faction, their attitude towards angels is not as respectful as the Sanctuary¡¯s. Some there might harbor ill intentions toward Sister Nymph, so please be careful.¡± ¡°Thank you for your reminder.¡± Mr. Fang Zheng also had such concerns, but he wasn¡¯t particularly worried. After all, Nymph¡¯s ability was almost a Mage¡¯s bane, and while she might struggle against the muscular Paladin, she just had to deploy her ¡°Invasion Field¡± against those Mages, and it was basically one word¡ªstable! Of course, blind arrogance was unacceptable, and necessary preparations had to be made. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then.¡± ¡°Have a safe journey, Lady Fina.¡± ¡°You too, Mr. Fang Zheng. May the Goddess bless you.¡± As she spoke, Lady Fina respectfully bowed, then she turned and walked away. Mr. Fang Zheng watched as the Cleric Maiden¡¯s figure disappeared into the crowd, soon out of sight. Watching Lady Fina leave, Mr. Fang Zheng remained silent for a moment, then turned around and patted Nymph on the head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Chapter 100: The Mage with the Wrong Style Chapter 101: Chapter 100: The Mage with the Wrong Style Fang Zheng had once heard a saying. ¡°If you haven¡¯t gotten what you want, it¡¯s not because you¡¯re unlucky, but because you haven¡¯t topped up enough.¡± But now, Fang Zheng was seriously doubting the accuracy of this statement. ¡°¡­Am I just having bad luck these past two days?¡± Looking at the Dimensional Codex before him, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even have the energy to sigh. The Spirit Crystals promised by the Sanctuary had been delivered, and after conversion, Fang Zheng had obtained five thousand points of Crystal Energy, which, from this perspective, meant that the Sanctuary had indeed not cheated him. And with five thousand points of Crystal Energy, according to the exchange rate of Dimensional Points, he should have been able to exchange for at least a thousand Dimensional Points, definitely enough for a ten-pull. Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t convert all of this five thousand Crystal Energy into Dimensional Points. He first spent 520 points of Crystal Energy to exchange for the ¡°Soul Ring,¡± an essential piece of equipment for all wealthy players, then Fang Zheng also exchanged for the ¡°Necklace of Destiny¡± and the ¡°Eye of Insight¡±; the ¡°Necklace of Destiny¡± reduced the cooldown of Soulstone Skills by 10%, and the ¡°Eye of Insight¡± could lock onto unappraised items and appraise them. Don¡¯t think this feature seems trivial, but in fact, it is quite useful. Because in the design of the ¡°Dimensional Codex¡± instances, there¡¯s a probability of ¡°item-triggered¡± events, meaning that if you appraise an unknown item, you could potentially trigger a mission. Of course, not every player can afford them, but this is not absolute. Because players can take items to find an NPC, and triggering the mission that way works the same. However, this means more time is consumed in the process. It¡¯s like in many games, if players face a locked door and they don¡¯t have a key, they might have to go back to the hub to find an NPC, then the NPC says you scratch my back, I¡¯ll scratch yours, giving the player a quest, and after completing it, the NPC would finally help open the door. But if a player has a ¡°lockpicking¡± skill, they can obviously skip this step, open the door directly, and not waste time with NPCs, right? These three top-up items are regarded by Fang Zheng as not affecting the game balance, if only by a little; they just reduce some of the time-wasting for wealthy players. He even dubbed them the ¡°Wealthy Trio¡±¡­ The result was, after he exchanged for these three items, Fang Zheng¡¯s five thousand Crystal Energy dwindled to just over two thousand points, which when converted to Dimensional Points was only about 420 points, at most enough for four ten-pulls. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Doing the math, it felt like after decades of hard work, he was back to square one overnight. Which bastard designed this damn exchange rate? Did they lose their conscience to a dog? Oh, right, it seems it was me¡­¡­. So, did I just screw myself over? Fang Zheng looked helplessly at the Soulstone in his hand, at a complete loss for words. He knew he had designed a fluctuation rate in the system, which was actually quite understandable. A person can¡¯t always get five treasures in a ten-pull, so if he had gotten good items previously, the system would naturally lower the probability of receiving rare items in subsequent draws. Damn these designers¡­ well, he had made his bed, now he had to lie in it, even if through tears. Fang Zheng had wanted to try and summon a magic-based Soulstone, as he was going to study magic next, and a magic-based Soulstone would be more reliable. But what was frustrating for Fang Zheng was that, after a few single pulls, apart from Reinforcement Stones and Energy Stones, he only managed to pull two Bronze Rank Soulstones! And they were freaking assassins, of all things! Hasn¡¯t the Magic Rank heard of defeating the assassin rank!? ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Looking at the two Soulstones before him, revealing images of a suave man draped in a white robe like the wind, and a large bald guy in a black suit, Fang Zheng let out a helpless sigh, then closed the system. Forget it, no more draws for this month. I¡¯ll just wait for next month¡¯s top-up ten-pull. Bronze has already come out, is life even worth living? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡± Perhaps sensing something amiss with Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, Nymph, who was next to him, curiously looked at him and asked. But Fang Zheng just smiled and reached out to pat Nymph¡¯s little head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just feel a bit unlucky.¡± After spending these past days with Fang Zheng, Little Angel seemed to have become less reserved and more lively. This was what Fang Zheng liked to see, since he could barely stand her initial subservience, and now she at least seemed a bit more like a normal person. But as for the collar, it still seemed to be a no-go subject. In fact, both Bishop Carl and Shi Dong had asked Fang Zheng several times. After all, nobody was blind; an angel wearing a collar wasn¡¯t a good sign. But Fang Zheng was helpless too; he didn¡¯t know why Nymph held the collar so dear, no matter what he said she absolutely refused to take it off. What else could he do but let her be? Besides, the sight of a Little Angel with teary eyes pleading was too damaging for Fang Zheng to bear¡­ *cough*¡­ mea culpa, mea culpa¡­ At this thought, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but glance at Nymph again. The little one had obediently settled down to read a book the moment she got on the carriage. When Fang Zheng had curiously picked up the book to read, he found it was mostly about princesses and knights, or about wealthy daughters and knights, or about commoner girls and knights¡­ Why was it always knights? Aside from knights being horse riders, not people riders! You can¡¯t just get on someone just because ¡®knight¡¯ is in their title, can you? Shouldn¡¯t there be some dignity? Of course, leaving aside the fantastical exterior of another world, Fang Zheng saw it for what it was ¨C just the fantasy version of those girl¡¯s novels, like the overused trope of the domineering CEO that never tires after a hundred uses¡­ What Fang Zheng didn¡¯t expect was that Nymph would actually enjoy reading such novels. He just hoped she wouldn¡¯t be led astray. ¡°Master, it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Fang Zheng stood up and straightened his clothes. Today was the day the mentor from the Tower of Heaven was coming to the Sanctuary. If all went well, the mentor should be his. To be honest, Fang Zheng was feeling pretty nervous now, because mages were reputed to be temperamental and hard to approach. If this mage was anything like the rumors, it would indeed be troublesome for Fang Zheng. But no matter what, since he had made a decision, he had to follow through to the end. Although he was mentally prepared, when Fang Zheng saw the mage before him, he couldn¡¯t help but be startled. ¡°Are you the kid that old coot talked about, the Paladin who wants to learn magic?¡± Sitting on the sofa was a man nearly two meters tall, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, with a swept-back Mediterranean hairstyle already pure white. However, what was truly shocking to Fang Zheng was the man¡¯s physique¡ªthe old man, though he was wearing a wizard robe, filled it out so it almost looked like a tight shirt, and with the man¡¯s movements, Fang Zheng could clearly see the outlines of the six-pack under the robe¡­ Hold on a second, this is a mage? Are you sure he¡¯s not a Barbarian from the Northlands? ¡°I am Rex of the Tower of Heaven.¡± The self-proclaimed Rex waved his hand casually, crossed his legs in a cavalier manner, and stared at Fang Zheng with eyes as big as bronze bells. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect someone to give up being a Paladin to become a mage. What¡¯s so great about mages? A bunch of weak and incompetent creatures that can¡¯t even run properly! Aside from chanting a few spells and releasing a spell or two, they are almost good for nothing! Why would you want to become a mage?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Excuse me, sir, but aren¡¯t you a mage yourself? Are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to say that? Fang Zheng felt like ever since he returned to this world, things were just getting weirder; first, he encountered a vampire that could cast Holy Light, and now a mage that looked like a Barbarian¡­ ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Although inwardly Fang Zheng was full of sardonic thoughts, he quickly organized his language in his mind and then answered Rex¡¯s question. ¡°In a previous mission, I fought against two mages, so I want to delve into the mysteries of magic and learn and understand¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to understand?¡± Rex interrupted before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Mages are nothing but a bunch of weaklings who can cast a few Magic Missiles, BIUBIUBIU. Just charge at them and smack them! Once you smash their shields, these weaklings are no different from dead fish, and you can beat them however you like!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng silently glanced at Rex¡¯s six-pack. Those words had zero persuasive power. ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re the one with the screw loose, not me. Just don¡¯t come crying to me later, and besides, you might not even be able to join the White Tower.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Facing Rex¡¯s words, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. It seemed there was more to the story. ¡°Is that even a question?¡± Despite showing an extremely impatient expression, Rex still spoke. ¡°You think the Tower of Heaven is some charity of the Sanctuary? Do you think just anyone can get in? That¡¯s the Sacred Land of Mages! You, a Templar, who can¡¯t even recognize a single Magic Rune, want to run to the White Tower to learn? You must be out of your mind! I hold some clout in the White Tower, and if I bring out a dimwit student, it¡¯s my reputation on the line! So, I made a deal with the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At this point, Rex narrowed his eyes, his face that resembled a Barbarian¡¯s showing, for the first time, the cunning and wisdom of a mage. ¡°To be honest, nobody knows if you¡¯re just a flash in the pan because guys your age are as fickle as they come, like their interest in bed or food lasts only for three minutes; who knows how long you¡¯ll stick with it. So¡­ I will take responsibility for teaching you here for one month! After one month, you have to meet the minimum standards of the Tower of Heaven! If you don¡¯t, then just roll back to Sanctuary to be your Knight, and stop fantasizing about other things, got it?!¡± So that¡¯s how it is. Watching Rex, Fang Zheng immediately grasped his meaning. It seems that the Sanctuary still isn¡¯t willing to give up on me just yet¡­ but when you think about it, it makes sense. Although Fang Zheng had no idea what the minimum entrance standard for the Tower of Heaven was, considering the Tower¡¯s reputation, he had a rough estimate¡ªthe task was almost like asking a primary school student to pass an exam for Tsinghua and Peking Universities. But regardless, there¡¯s no harm in trying. And besides, if all else fails after a month¡­ he could always try his luck with a Top-up Ten-Pull! With that in mind, Fang Zheng made up his mind and then bowed deeply to Rex. ¡°I understand, Mr. Rex. I¡¯m willing to accept this condition.¡± Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Chapter 101 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 1) Chapter 102: Chapter 101 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 1) Rex was a man who acted swiftly and decisively. That very afternoon, he took Fang Zheng and Nymph out of the Sanctuary and through the Mage¡¯s Teleportation Array to a somewhat dilapidated Mage Tower. ¡°Starting today, you two will live here,¡± he said. Although the room in front of them looked somewhat shabby, it was at least clean. Rex clearly didn¡¯t care much about these ¡°trivial matters.¡± Satisfied, he clapped his hands and then pulled out a book almost as thick as a Lexicon and tossed it in front of Fang Zheng. ¡°Read this first, and after you¡¯re done, begin practicing. How much you learn depends on your own fortune. If you have any questions, come find me upstairs. But remember, if there¡¯s a sign hanging on my door, don¡¯t you dare come in. If you get turned into a charred corpse, it¡¯s your own bad luck, and no one will care!¡± Having said this, Rex turned and left, leaving Fang Zheng and Nymph behind without a second thought. ¡°It seems that Mages are just as difficult to deal with as the rumors say,¡± said Fang Zheng as he picked up the thick ¡°Lexicon¡± and glanced out the window. Outside, the scene was no longer the bustling view of the Northern Capital they had seen before. Instead, as far as the eye could see, there was the Snowy Forest of Linhai. Without asking, one could tell that this Mage Tower was surely built in some barren, uninhabited area¡­ after all, that¡¯s just what Mages do. ¡°Really, that guy, how dare he be so rude to his master!¡± Nymph complained, clearly not as composed as Fang Zheng. If it hadn¡¯t been for Fang Zheng¡¯s earlier order for her to stay quiet, the Little Angel might have already jumped up and attacked Rex. ¡°It¡¯s nothing but a mere Ground Worm¡­¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s really not a big deal,¡± Fang Zheng reassured. Picking up the ¡°Lexicon,¡± Fang Zheng casually flipped through it, then sat down on a chair nearby. Rex had made it clear they had only one month. If Fang Zheng could not earn Rex¡¯s recognition in this month, he would not be able to enter the White Tower, meaning he would have to return to the Sanctuary¡­ Fang Zheng was reluctant to do so. Although it was unspoken, both parties fully understood that Fang Zheng did not feel a strong sense of belonging to the Sanctuary; it was a matter that just lacked being laid out openly. Should he return, would his pride still stand? For the sake of his pride, he could not let this opportunity slip away! With this in mind, Fang Zheng immediately began reading the ¡°Lexicon¡± intently, while Nymph sat down on another chair not far behind him, gazing at the man before her. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Although Rex was a tough talker, he clearly had a way with teaching. Just skim reading the introduction, Fang Zheng realized this book was pretty much an ¡°Introduction to Magic.¡± Following the content written in the book, Fang Zheng finally understood how Mages used the Power of the Soul to fight. Unlike melee professions like Knights who directly attach the Power of the Soul to their weapons or use it to perform attacks, the Mage¡¯s Power of the Soul is primarily used to condense Magic Runes. According to the ¡°Introduction to Magic,¡± there are a total of 69 Magic Runes in the world, and these runes have properties somewhat similar to the ¡°Elemental Periodic Table.¡± Each Rune holds different attributes and meanings. The process of Mages casting spells is essentially condensing Magic Runes using their Power of the Soul, combining them into Spell Text, and then releasing them. To Fang Zheng, this seemed a bit like a combination of match-three puzzle games and word games. If you consider Magic Runes to be blocks of different colors, then what Mages do is arrange them into combinations based on similar attributes and then clear them all at once. As everyone knows, the more blocks you clear in one go, the higher the score you receive. Similarly, the more Magic Runes a Mage resonates with, the greater the power of the magic. However, this doesn¡¯t mean you can form Runes leisurely like coding at your own pace. On the contrary, directly using the Power of the Soul to condense Magic Runes means that each Rune only lasts for a few precious seconds. This means that Mages must construct the Magic Incantation within these few seconds with the fastest and smoothest motions and techniques, or else if too much time passes, either the foundational model of the spell collapses with a backlash, or the spell simply fails and cannot be used at all. Thus Fang Zheng finally understood why Charles had cast spells so quickly during their fight¡­ but of course, if a Mage took an age to release a spell, they¡¯d be dead long before finishing it. Beyond that, there were also characteristics of spells, features of the Spell School¡­ In short, as a book popularizing magic, this one was quite up to standard. With no hesitation, Fang Zheng threw himself into the study of magic. Fortunately, with the help of the Zerg-restructured body, Fang Zheng was full of energy; he could stay awake for three days and nights without feeling the slightest fatigue. Not to mention that he had Nymph by his side, who claimed that Artificial Angels like her have their own power sources and also do not need rest or sleep. Although ¡°Introduction to Magic¡± was indeed complex, Fang Zheng took two days to read through it thoroughly, and then he returned to the space at the top of the tower where Rex was staying and knocked on the door. Soon, Rex¡¯s voice came from inside. ¡°The door¡¯s not locked, come in.¡± ¡°Sorry for the intrusion.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng pushed the door open and entered the room to see Rex sitting boldly in his chair, staring at the boiling flask in front of him. When Rex saw Fang Zheng coming in, he glanced at him and said indifferently. ¡°What, you find it troublesome and don¡¯t want to learn? If you don¡¯t want to learn then just leave, I don¡¯t have any spare time to waste on you here, I could just tell that old immortal a word about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this, Mr. Rex¡­¡± Hearing Rex¡¯s words, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes and then took out the book that Rex had given him earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve pretty much mastered the contents of this book, and I want to ask next how to¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± But before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, he saw Rex looking over with a mocking and surprised expression. ¡°You¡¯ve mastered it? Hey kid, do you think this is just a book, and all you need to do is memorize its contents? This is not some brainwashing junk from the Sanctuary, you need to understand, a Mage is¡­¡± However, Rex¡¯s words cut off abruptly as he stared, eyes wide, at Fang Zheng¡ªor, more precisely, at the Light Orb hovering in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand. This was a Level Zero Spell, Light Sphere Technique. To Rex, this spell was nothing special; in fact, any Mage Apprentice could master it. But the problem was¡­ it was Fang Zheng who was casting this spell! And he had only started learning magic three days ago, not even a full three days at that!! ¡°A Light Sphere Technique? It seems you¡¯ve worked hard¡­ but¡­¡± However, before Rex could finish his sentence, he saw Fang Zheng lightly tap with his finger, and the next moment, a white ray full of chill shot out from his fingertip, striking the table not far away, freezing the candelabra within White Frost. Freeze Ray! Seeing this, Rex was dumbfounded; his mouth hung open, completely at a loss for words. It was only after quite a while that Rex slowly turned to Fang Zheng and asked. ¡°How many of these Level Zero Tricks listed here can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned them all.¡± This was also the reason Fang Zheng had come to find Rex; after all, in his view, the spells in this book were just the basics, and the spells recorded were all the lowest level trickeries¡ªthese things hardly had any power and couldn¡¯t even be considered genuine spells. Next, he should be able to learn some real spells, right? What surprised Fang Zheng, though, was that Rex¡¯s face looked quite unpleasant, which made him a bit worried. Had he behaved too foolishly before? Fang Zheng was, after all, encountering magic for the first time and naturally was cautious. Although it took him only a day to grasp the contents fully, to be on the safe side, Fang Zheng still had Nymph assist him with another review, feeling that nothing was missed, before seeking out Rex. But seeing his reaction¡­ had he done something wrong? Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: Chapter 102 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 2) Chapter 103: Chapter 102 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 2) ¡°¡­Are you really learning magic for the first time?¡± Rex glared fiercely at Fang Zheng, like a ravenous wolf ready to devour him, and Fang Zheng simply nodded in response. ¡°Of course, Mr. Rex.¡± Like hell!! Looking at Fang Zheng before him, Rex really wanted to smack him across the face. Although he didn¡¯t think this young man had much potential, as a teacher, he was naturally committed to teaching wholeheartedly. Although the White Tower and the Sanctuary didn¡¯t get along well, he still had to do the job well. The ¡°textbook¡± he had given to Fang Zheng was a beginner¡¯s textbook studied by all Mages in the Magitech Nation. But¡­ normally speaking, those Mages would need at least a year to grasp the contents! You¡¯ve mastered it in two days and then you come here asking me what to do next? Rex had seen his fair share of remarkably talented Mages. The Sanctuary had Holy Spirit Knights and Divine Favorers, and there were similar beings among the Mages since both groups worshipped the Goddess of Order. But¡­ someone who could master the basics of spells in just two days was unheard of to Rex! Oh, right, the kid hadn¡¯t even chanted the Spell Text; he used Silent Spell! Compared to Rex, Fang Zheng seemed quite composed, not because he was pretending to be, but after going through modern educational trials, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t find these materials challenging. The so-called Magic Runes just needed to be memorized like an Elemental Periodic Table¡ªdidn¡¯t everyone emerge victorious from their college entrance exams by doing just that? As for Spell Text? He refused to believe it could be more difficult than C++, which ranged from beginner to grave! In fact, it was quite simple. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Perhaps Spell Text was indeed challenging for the average person, but for Fang Zheng, who had survived coding, how could Spell Text, which was infinitely simpler than code, pose a challenge? There were no circular references or destructor functions to worry about, just a game of text elimination¡ªhow hard could that be? As for Silent Spell¡­ of course, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t aware of the principles behind Silent Spell, but after reading the whole textbook, he grasped its essence. After all, it¡¯s easier to invoke and remember words when you vocalized them, so Mages chanted spells not because they needed to, but because it helped reinforce memory while utilizing the Power of the Soul to trace Runes. However, for Fang Zheng, who possessed a Perfect Body, his memory, though not quite as perfect as those with absolute recall, wasn¡¯t far off, so he didn¡¯t need to chant and could quickly use the Power of the Soul to trace Magic Runes in his mind and Release spells. Unfortunately, Fang Zheng had also wanted Nymph to learn magic incidentally, but Nymph just couldn¡¯t cast spells. Oddly enough, Nymph could invade others¡¯ spells to control them; however, she was incapable of casting even a Level Zero Trick. Of course, this definitely wasn¡¯t a matter of her intelligence; as an Artificial Angel, Nymph truly had a photographic memory, grasping things upon a single exposure, but she just couldn¡¯t Release magic, which was quite awkward. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rex looked at Fang Zheng with a complex expression, at a loss for words. Similar to the Sanctuary, anyone wishing to enter the White Tower had to undergo a thorough investigation. They had also received information about Fang Zheng from the Sanctuary. According to the information, this young man was of Fallen Nobility, and his abilities were decent. But there had never been any evidence that he knew magic before, only that the immortal old man had once mentioned some special traits about this young man¡­ Could there really be someone so favored by the Goddess in this world? Of course, if translated into Fang Zheng¡¯s world terms, what was going on in Rex¡¯s mind would be, ¡°To cheat so egregiously, how are other players supposed to survive? Don¡¯t think you can do whatever you want just because you¡¯re clinging to a GM¡¯s coattails! Everyone¡¯s here to win!¡± After the initial shock, what Rex felt was anger and excitement. The cause of his anger was¡ªsuch a promising magic talent had been squandered by those immortals at the Sanctuary! And what excited him was¡ªhe might witness the emergence of a legend! Hehehe, who knows how far this kid can go? Thinking this, Rex narrowed his eyes, fell silent for a moment, and then stood up to look at Fang Zheng. ¡°Very well, since you have passed the basic test, next, you must choose your own specialization faction,¡± he said. For Fang Zheng, the spells of this world were completely foreign to him, but after some fervent cramming, he had finally grasped the formation of spells in this world. In the Main World, spells were divided into eight major systems. Protection Class, Spellcraft System, Prophecy System, Enchantment School, Shaping Type, School of Illusions, Necromancer Class, and Transmutation. The Protection Class, as the name suggests, specialized in defensive and isolative spells. If one were to elaborate, the Protection Class would be the sturdiest shield among the magic, used to shield mages from harm and isolate enemies. To Fang Zheng¡¯s understanding from his world, the Spellcraft System resembled that of a summoner. The essence of the Spellcraft System was to use magic power to summon various things and creatures from alternate dimensional spaces for battle¡ªin simple terms, ganging up on the few with many. Compared to other factions, the Prophecy System appeared to be a very ¡°harmless¡± spell school, although it did not allow one to completely and thoroughly master one¡¯s destiny, it could alert the spellcaster about what was happening or was about to happen somewhere. Sometimes, just a premonition, a revelation, was enough to change the entire course of a battle. As an outlier among the spell schools, the Enchantment School to Fang Zheng seemed a particularly malevolent school, as its essence involved using Arcane Magic to influence and distort others¡¯ spirit and will, targeting the mind and soul specifically. Well¡­ it was hard not to think of harmonious titles such as ¡°Hypnotism Ryo Academy¡± and ¡°O Mother Brainwashing¡± when Fang Zheng encountered this school¡¯s spells. The Shaping Type needs no further elaboration¡ªfamously known as the Five Fireballs Sect, wielding the Elemental Power to destroy everything. If the Protection Class is the mage¡¯s sturdiest shield, then the Shaping Type is the mage¡¯s sharpest spear. Creating tsunamis and tornadoes with powerful spells is effortlessly easy for them, impossible for ordinary people to withstand. But the most indomitable enemy one faces is always oneself. Precisely for this reason, the School of Illusions became one of the eight major spell schools. It crafts the scariest scenarios in one¡¯s heart through illusions, thus transforming one¡¯s will. Superficially, the School of Illusions doesn¡¯t seem much different from the Enchantment School, but in reality, they are quite distinct. If Enchantment is likened to ¡°hypnosis,¡± then in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, the School of Illusions seemed more akin to ¡°conditioning¡±¡ªwhile hypnosis might one day be broken, once a person autonomously transforms their will within an illusion, it¡¯s very difficult to revert to the past. The Necromancer Class also needs no further elaboration¡ªa profession dealing with skeletal frameworks and souls. However, what surprised Fang Zheng was that the White Tower actually did not prohibit the existence of the Necromancer Faction. Although Shi Dong had once told him that the Sanctuary absolutely could not allow the manipulation and play with the dead¡¯s souls to occur. But for Rex, he evidently had a different explanation. ¡°Those grave-diggers are just summoning other people¡¯s souls for trading, nothing as evil as the idiots at the Sanctuary say!¡± he explained. Thus, Fang Zheng immediately understood where the values of the White Tower and the Sanctuary diverged. And as the last of the eight factions, the Transmutation focused on the word transformation, capable of changing the properties of any object through the power of Arcane Magic, whether turning wood into steel or a person into a chicken, all at their whim. Even advanced Transformation Spells could change the weather and terrain of an entire area¡ªviewed from a certain angle¡­ Transmutation Mages were much more reliable than artificial rain. Honestly, Fang Zheng wanted to master all eight factions, but regretfully, Rex was not planning to give him that chance. ¡°Stop dreaming, kid! According to the rules of the White Tower, a mage can only specialize in one spell school while studying up to three more! All others must be restricted! You must make your own choice!¡± he declared. To choose four out of the eight factions and then restrict four? This was torment for someone with decision paralysis! Chapter 104 - Chapter 104: Chapter 103 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 3) Chapter 104: Chapter 103 Easy-to-Understand Arcane Magic (Part 3) ¡°So, you¡¯ve made your decision?¡± Looking at Fang Zheng in front of him, Rex furrowed his brow. ¡°To specialize in Spellcraft, and then study Prophecy, Protection, and Shaping Energy on the side?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Fang Zheng nodded, a conclusion he had reached after much thought. Spellcraft System was a must to specialize in, considering that he might likely summon various Soulstones in the future, it was naturally easier for Fang Zheng to explain with a Spellcraft identity. As for the Prophecy spells, Fang Zheng planned to use them in conjunction with his Time Ability. Based on his understanding of the Prophecy System, some of its spells could achieve effects similar to the Time Ability, thus Fang Zheng saw it as a double enhancement, not lacking in anything. As for Protection and Shaping Energy, those were ultimately the disciplines Fang Zheng decided on, since he was currently lacking in defensive magic and long-range attacking abilities. Although he was irresistibly attracted to Illusion Technique and Enchantment¡ªSpell Schools that could be played for fun¡ªafter long consideration, he still felt that his safety was paramount. With his status, what woman wouldn¡¯t he have? He didn¡¯t need to resort to such methods to attract women, and moreover, he was a Paladin after all. A Templar learning spells to manipulate others¡¯ wills and thoughts would likely tarnish the Sanctuary¡¯s reputation. This was also a consideration in Fang Zheng¡¯s choice of specialty; he wasn¡¯t an unknown rookie, but a knight of the Sanctuary, and a Grand Knight at that. While a Grand Knight entering the White Tower to study magic was already a topic of discussion, if Fang Zheng chose disciplines like Necromancy, Enchantment, and Illusion Technique, it might give the impression that the Sanctuary itself favored such practices¡­ Besides, that would only decrease Shi Dong and the others¡¯ favorable impression of him, a loss not worth the gain. It was for these reasons that Fang Zheng gave up these three Spell Schools. As for the Transmutation School¡­ well, although it was powerful as well, for Fang Zheng, its utility was far less compared to the other four systems, thus he ultimately abandoned the Transmutation spells. ¡°Indeed, specializing in Spellcraft is more than suitable for you. I¡¯ve heard that the little girl by your side was also summoned by you¡­ perhaps this ability is in your blood.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 As he spoke, Rex reached into his desk, shuffled around a bit, and then threw several books over. ¡°Here, these are the basics of Protection, Spellcraft, and Shaping Energy. Read them yourself, same old rule, come to me if you don¡¯t understand. As for Prophecy, come directly to me.¡± ¡°Come to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As he spoke, Rex crossed his arms and stared intensely at Fang Zheng. ¡°I¡¯m a Prophecy System mentor; you don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Honestly, I really don¡¯t. Fang Zheng silently observed Rex¡¯s muscular build, at a loss for words. ¡°May I ask¡­ why did you choose the Prophecy System?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rex snorted dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s convenient for fighting, of course. Look, I strike before the opponent has a chance, isn¡¯t that the way to victory? I see potential in you, kid, work hard!¡± You make a lot of sense. Fang Zheng put away the books and silently backed away. A muscular prophecy mentor¡­ well, any image he had of a wizard donning robes and performing mysterious acts completely shattered. Returning to his room, Fang Zheng greeted Nymph and then delved back into his spell studies. This time, it was real spellcraft. Compared to those tricks that were previously just good for lighting lamps and freezing meat, what Fang Zheng was now seeing was what a mage would use after becoming a professional. And first, he was to learn the most basic and important spell of the Spellcraft System. Summoning creatures from the Otherworld. The spell was not difficult, since the textbooks Rex gave Fang Zheng were elementary, naturally not permitting him to summon a Flame Demon. After some study, Fang Zheng also finally understood the concepts and traits of Spellcraft spells. In layman¡¯s terms, Spellcraft basically involved using the Power of the Soul to post on a forum in the multiverse, and then, if an Otherworld creature that saw the post was willing to take the task, they would reply, and then be teleported to the summoner¡¯s side. Of course, as a return, summoners also have to fulfill their demands. According to the ¡°textbook,¡± the demands of these creatures from otherworlds vary. If it¡¯s a benevolent creature, it probably just wants to protect more lives, fight evil, or simply wishes to see other worlds to broaden its perspective. However, if it¡¯s an evil creature, it might be more interested in revenge, slaughter, and destruction. As for the strength of the summoned creatures, it depended on the caster¡¯s own level of power. Just like Fang Zheng, who had just started, he could only post in the Level One Area, and those who saw his post were the weakest creatures. As Fang Zheng progressed further down this path, his ¡°permissions¡± would also increase, allowing him to post in other sections. Such as the Second Rank Area, the Level Three Area, or the Heaven Area, Hell Area, Otherworld Area, and so on¡­ Not only that, if Fang Zheng¡¯s power was strong enough, he could set his ¡°posts¡± to be featured, pinned to the top, or highlighted in bold and red to attract the attention of those with great powers. Of course, the cost he had to pay was also substantial. But that said¡­ At this point, Fang Zheng suddenly remembered something. Then what about the creatures summoned by the ¡°Dimensional Codex¡±? ¡°Nymph.¡± ¡°Master? What is it?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s voice, Nymph, who was engrossed in reading ¡°Knight¡¯s Revenge,¡± curiously looked up at Fang Zheng. ¡°Why were you summoned here?¡± ¡°Eh? Master, did I do something wrong?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nymph visibly tensed up, hastily put down the book, and stood up to anxiously inquire. Seeing Little Angel¡¯s anxious look, Fang Zheng also waved his hand. ¡°No, you misunderstood. I am studying the summoning techniques of this world, and it occurred to me that you were summoned by me as well, so I wanted to ask¡­ how you came here.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng say it wasn¡¯t a reprimand, Nymph finally relaxed, then she closed her eyes and thought for a while before speaking. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really understand¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I only remember being in Synapsus before, then¡­ something seemed to happen, and then I was summoned by you, Master, to this world. But what exactly happened, I¡¯m not very clear, I only know that you are my master, and it was you who summoned me¡­¡± ¡°Then you¡­ don¡¯t feel dissatisfied?¡± ¡°No, Master!¡± Upon hearing this, Nymph vigorously shook her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s good here. To be honest, I was worried at first, but now I think this world is not bad either, at least better than my own world¡­¡± At this point, Nymph didn¡¯t continue, and Fang Zheng didn¡¯t ask further. From Little Angel¡¯s complex tone, it could be inferred that her world was not quite wonderful. At least, so it seemed to Little Angel. ¡°Sorry, it seems I¡¯ve reminded you of unpleasant things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng speak, Nymph raised her head and showed a smile. ¡°Master is really kind. In Synapsus, I never felt this way. Artificial Angels like us were just created as weapons, and everyone¡­ never mind.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Seeing Nymph¡¯s expression, Fang Zheng nodded, not dwelling further on the topic. Since Nymph didn¡¯t want to talk about it, he was not going to pry. And for Fang Zheng, the most important thing now was to study and learn these spells. Chapter 105 - Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Climb the Stairway to Heaven Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Climb the Stairway to Heaven In the following days, Fang Zheng stayed in the Mage Tower, learning spells as quickly as possible. Although he was well aware that haste made waste, at the present time, flaunting one¡¯s strength was the best way to get the White Tower to pay more attention to him. Otherwise, once the White Tower deemed him of no value, Fang Zheng might have to face the choice of returning to the Sanctuary. That¡¯s why Fang Zheng didn¡¯t intend to conceal his abilities at all, voraciously learning every magic spell at the fastest pace. Watching Fang Zheng¡¯s rate of growth, Rex had no more energy to sigh. He had predicted early on that Fang Zheng definitely possessed considerable talent, but the other¡¯s progress was simply too fast. It had been only a little over half a month since he started teaching Fang Zheng magic, yet Fang Zheng had already completely mastered Level Four Magic¡ªbearing in mind he was learning four spell schools simultaneously, one could describe his growth rate as freakishly fast. One must know that even for mages of the White Tower, reaching this level would be impossible without over a decade of accumulation and learning. What was even more blood-boiling for Rex¡­ was that Fang Zheng¡¯s displayed aptitude wasn¡¯t limited to just his talent in learning spells. Truth be told, every time he saw Fang Zheng now, Rex couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he¡¯d wasted the previous decades of his life like they were nothing. That feeling was not pleasant at all. And that was why Fang Zheng was standing here now, ¡°While I¡¯ve adjusted your schedule as much as possible, to be honest, I think you¡¯ve gone beyond any limit I could have imagined. But this is still not enough, mages aren¡¯t bookworms. Even if you learn Ninth-Level Spells by heart, they¡¯re useless without sufficient experience. So, I¡¯m sending you to a place next¡ªan arena for mages, if you will. As of now, your knowledge is not lacking, only experience. So, I suggest you go there and have a good fight with those mages, hone your skills¡­ you¡¯ll be told how to proceed once you¡¯re there. Right, I¡¯ve prepared a wizard robe and a magic wand for you. Take off these ridiculous clothes before you go. That place is no noble ball or banquet, and no young lady will invite you to dance dressed like that!¡± ¡°Is this the place?¡± Dressed in a white robe and holding a magic wand, Fang Zheng lifted his head, gazing at the space before him. He had been teleported to this strange space after being hustled into the Teleportation Array by Rex. Looking around, everything seemed to float in the air as if suspended. Fang Zheng could see floating slabs of stone, a massive plaza close at hand, and circles moving automatically like elevators. He turned his head to look around and saw pure white clouds hanging in the sky, but strangely enough, though the place was extremely bright, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Even more, when Fang Zheng looked down, he couldn¡¯t see the ground either. Is this a Demi-Plane? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï After a period of intensive study, Fang Zheng had come to understand some of the basic knowledge of mages, including their fondness for using demi-planes to solve problems. After all, a demi-plane is an often-employed method by mages, with rumors that some powerful mages could even create demi-plane spaces as vast as half a country. Judging by what Fang Zheng was seeing now, this wasn¡¯t far off. ¡°The spatial axis here is very precise, with signs of artificial adjustment, master, I think this space must have been man-made.¡± At this point, Nymph, following beside Fang Zheng, spoke up¡ªoddly enough, despite her outstanding abilities in this aspect, she couldn¡¯t use a single spell, which was somewhat puzzling. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After a glance around, Fang Zheng moved forward. His location was a small platform with a closed stone gate behind it, carved with a peculiar and mysterious symbol. However, Fang Zheng knew it was Rex¡¯s symbol¡­ which is why he was in this place now. Together with Nymph, Fang Zheng stepped onto a silver disc in front of the platform. After activating it with the Power of the Soul, the silver disc automatically ferried them swiftly towards the central plaza. The whole process looked straight out of a science fiction movie, even impressing Fang Zheng, who couldn¡¯t help but marvel. Nymph, on the other hand, showed no special expression¡ªperhaps in her world, such a thing was not considered remarkable. The silver disc carried Fang Zheng and Nymph to a corner of the aerial plaza, and the moment the disc stabilized, Fang Zheng saw an invisible servant made entirely of runes ¡°float¡± up to his side. ¡°Greetings, mage. Is this your first time at the Sky Arena?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hearing the Invisible Servant¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng nodded. After obtaining the answer, the Invisible Servant quickly took out a scroll and handed it to Fang Zheng. ¡°Then, please sign your name here, as well as the Star Pattern seal.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s no problem.¡± Having lived in this world for so long, Fang Zheng understood that this was essentially tantamount to ¡°signing your name plus handing over a copy of your ID card,¡± so he skillfully accepted the scroll and feather pen handed over to him, first signing his name, then taking out the Star Pattern and stamping it on the place of the signature on the scroll. A flash of light passed by, and the next moment, a peculiar Star Pattern appeared there. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng from Thunder Tower¡­ Your queue number is 876. The first match will begin in two minutes, please prepare yourself. Your servant may remain on the disc for a close-up view, of course, you may also request her to join the fight. The rules of competition are simple, whatever means you use, knocking your opponent off the stage will determine the victor, or if the opponent surrenders directly, or loses consciousness as well. There is no need to worry about causing physical or mental harm to other participants; any magic that would cause bodily or mental damage will be strictly limited in power, so please don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After listening to the Invisible Servant¡¯s speech, Fang Zheng nodded. He could already hear the cheers coming from the square, along with explosions caused by the collision of spells and similar noises. Clearly, from this situation, it was apparent that these mages were evidently not the types who would settle things verbally rather than physically. As Fang Zheng contemplated this, the disc at his feet rose again and flew to another side. Soon after, he saw his disc silently land in a small, circular arena¡ªit was about half the size of a soccer field, circular like the arenas of Ancient Rome. On the spectator seats on both sides sat a sparse few spectators. Fang Zheng raised his head and saw a man in a red Mage Robe on the opposite side, staring at him with a serious expression. ¡°Time to climb the ladder.¡± Muttering to himself, Fang Zheng stepped off the disc, then stood at the position designated by the light cursor. Right behind him, a wall of light emerged, separating him and Nymph. After that, a voice appeared in the center of the arena. ¡°The match begins.¡± As soon as the words were spoken, Fang Zheng saw the Red Robed Mage opposite him start dancing with his Magic Wand and chanting the Spell Text. His wand began emitting a dazzling red light, and the voice of the Red Robed Mage chanting the spell grew louder in the arena. Soon, a bright red barrier appeared beside him, forming a sturdy shield¡­ Until the Red Robed Mage had finished casting his first spell, Fang Zheng remained unresponsive, standing there. Seeing this, a smug smile appeared on the Red Robed Mage¡¯s face. As a regular of the arena, he certainly knew that many rookie mages who came here would have this initial reaction, just like fools not knowing how to fight at all; a duel between mages wasn¡¯t as brutish as that of warriors, rather it was a collision of wits that was the main melody here. It seemed that this young man before him was the same, so, let him, himself, teach him the basic know-how of this place! With this in mind, the hands of the Red Robed Mage began to move, once again conjuring runes with the Power of the Soul, when at that moment, he saw the black-haired young man raise his Magic Wand, pointing it towards him. Hmph, a rookie indeed, not chanting or casting, merely relying on¡­ ¡°Snap.¡± However, before the Red Robed Mage could finish his thought, the Elemental Shield in front of him burst like a bubble with a ¡°snap,¡± and immediately a series of flashes appeared before the Red Robed Mage¡¯s eyes. The merciless Magic Missiles whistled past and, without any hesitation, penetrated the shattered Magic Barrier, sending the Red Robed Mage flying violently. How could this be?! Feeling the searing pain on his body, the Red Robed Mage¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. But before he could get up, that previous voice emerged again. ¡°Number 812 has been defeated, number 876¡¯s ranking has risen to 812.¡± Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Promotion Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Promotion Just as Rex said, the Sky Arena was indeed a great place for Fang Zheng to hone his skills. According to Rex, the entire Sky Arena was divided into three areas: primary, intermediate, and advanced. The primary area had ten subsections, the intermediate had five, and the advanced had only one. In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, this was very similar to the servers in online games. Now, Fang Zheng was in the last ¡°newbie server¡± of the primary area, where most were Mage Apprentices who had just entered the White Tower not long before. The intermediate level was for regular Mages who had left their apprenticeship behind, while the advanced was reserved for powerful Mages. Although Fang Zheng often heard the saying ¡°There is no such thing as a useless spell, only useless Mages,¡± the reality was not so. Some spells, only when utilized in actual combat, revealed their strengths and weaknesses, and thus could be chosen or discarded to complement one¡¯s own combat style. Even though Fang Zheng specialized in Spellcraft, he cunningly chose the Prophecy System as his initial combat approach because the spells of the Prophecy System could complement and enhance his Time Ability. Among the Prophecy System spells, Fang Zheng¡¯s top three favorites were Clear Defense at Level One, Invisibility Detection at Second Rank, and Suppress Good Luck at Fourth Level. ¡°Clear Defense¡± was a spell that allowed the caster to understand the target¡¯s special defensive abilities. This was incredibly useful for Fang Zheng, who was both a Templar and a Mage. It was much like detection in games; if you encounter an enemy with unknown attributes, you throw a detection spell, figure out their attributes, and then target their weaknesses for attack. This was a common tactic in games, and now Fang Zheng was using it in his combat as well. Invisibility Detection naturally needed no explanation. Although Fang Zheng could keenly sense his surroundings using Zerg sensory abilities, the Invisibility Technique of Mages wasn¡¯t so simple. Furthermore, many Mages liked to strike only from an unbeatable position, so Invisibility Detection was very useful to him. As for Suppress Good Luck, that was just Fang Zheng¡¯s wicked sense of humor. The effect of Suppress Good Luck was straightforward: it suppressed the target¡¯s luck to the lowest point for a certain amount of time, making every action they took result in the unluckiest outcome. As this was not considered an ¡°attack action¡± but more like a ¡°curse¡± or ¡°blessing,¡± few Mages cast protective spells against it from the start. The result was that many Mage challengers inexplicably sprained their ankles or stumbled on flat ground, or even mispronounced spell texts causing backlash of magic power in front of Fang Zheng¡­ So now, Fang Zheng¡¯s basic process for battling other Mages was first to use ¡°Future Sight¡± to check whether the opponent¡¯s initial move was to attack or defend, and then start casting spells accordingly. He would either defend against the opposing Mage¡¯s spell or directly break their defense, and then raise his hand to send over a lesser Magic Missile Storm. Basically, with this sequence, the opponent would almost always surrender; if there were any who had a ¡°rather die than submit¡± attitude, Fang Zheng would just kick them away¡ªhe was a Templar, after all, wasn¡¯t he just as slick in close combat as a Mage? As Fang Zheng¡¯s ranking in the Sky Arena rose, many Mages began to recognize the existence of such a person, and he became the focal point of discussion among the Mage contestants. The reason was simple: to other Mages, this challenger was too bizarre. With the double boost from ¡°Time Stop¡± and ¡°Future Sight,¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s initial spell in each fight was almost always a Quickened Spell. Additionally, as no one had ever seen Fang Zheng chanting, many Mages believed that Fang Zheng had mastered both ¡°Quickened Spell¡± and ¡°Silent Spell¡± superpower skills. But these were skills only Advanced Mages were qualified to master, and yet Fang Zheng had never cast a spell above Fourth Level in the arena. Furthermore, what other Mages found most unbelievable was that at the start of each battle, this young Mage could perfectly counter the opponent¡¯s spells, whether they were offensive or defensive. While it¡¯s true that the Prophecy System does have spells like ¡°Clear Defense¡± and ¡°Preemptive Strike,¡± according to the rules of the Sky Arena, everyone must start spellcasting only after the battle begins. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï That meant if Fang Zheng and his opponent began casting spells at the same time, Fang Zheng¡¯s spell had to be one that nullified the opponent¡¯s first spell. This was very interesting indeed. What¡¯s more crucial, up till now, Fang Zheng¡¯s record in the Sky Arena had been undefeated! Wow, how could one tolerate that? A previously unknown young Mage had maintained a full winning streak? Among the participants of the Sky Arena, many were seasoned apprentices from the White Tower. Of course, they knew that the young man wasn¡¯t a member of the White Tower but¡­ that couldn¡¯t mean he could just come in and beat up their members, right? To know that Fang Zheng¡¯s every fight was almost always a one-shot, how could these Mages accept it? Could it be that they were all weaklings, easily dealt with by a casual attempt from their opponent? And in fact, this had to do with Fang Zheng¡¯s way of fighting. After researching magic, Fang Zheng realized that if a Mage is likened to a gun, then spells were the bullets. Damage-dealing spells were regular bullets, penetrating spells were Armor-Piercing Shells, and wide-range AOE spells were Incendiary Bombs. In theory, a Mage could fire bullets endlessly until a jam or overheating occurred. However, in reality, a Mage¡¯s ¡°carry weight¡± was limited. Much like a special forces soldier, you can¡¯t go to battle with an endless supply of bullets. Before every fight, you can only choose a few magazines. This was the ¡°preparation¡± a Mage had to do each day; they had to consider what kind of battle they¡¯d face that day to decide whether to prepare more regular bullets, Armor-Piercing Shells, or Incendiary Bombs. After all, there is a limit to the human body. Through the battles in the Sky Arena, Fang Zheng found that almost every mage had a common problem: they all particularly liked to first put themselves in an invincible position, and then attack each other slowly and steadily before securing their victory. This was like in the movies where the protagonist and the BOSS shoot at each other. In the end, all bullets are spent, and neither side has a single hair harmed. Then, they end up grappling with each other, and finally, the protagonist unexpectedly grabs a handgun and delivers a fatal blow to the BOSS¡­ Who plays like that in real life? If most mages were compared to machine gunners, then Fang Zheng was a sniper. Striking lethally and quietly withdrawing was his creed; throwing bullets around wildly, causing a huge commotion, was not his style. Precisely because of this, each of Fang Zheng¡¯s battles ended especially quickly, so much so that the mages watching couldn¡¯t even react in time. ¡°Number 652 has been defeated; number 684¡¯s ranking has risen to that of 652.¡± ¡°Looks like that guy has won again.¡± Watching Fang Zheng turn and leave the arena, a mage sitting in the audience spoke up with a chuckle. He had fiery red hair, meticulously combed back, and despite being young, he gave off a very mature vibe. Following that, the red-haired mage turned his head to look at his companion. ¡°I heard he came from Thunder Tower; it seems that the instructor has found a worthy successor.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s not an apprentice from the White Tower.¡± Upon hearing the red-haired mage¡¯s comments, the black-haired mage sitting next to him, wearing glasses, huffed and watched Fang Zheng¡¯s retreating figure. ¡°A mere wild mage making it this far is already impressive¡­ but that¡¯s as far as he goes. This is the hunting ground of the White Tower apprentices; we¡¯re not here to be hunted.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The red-haired mage looked at his companion with curiosity. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re planning to enter the fray yourself?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As he spoke, the bespectacled mage stood up. ¡°I will show him with my strength who is the hunter and who is the prey.¡± Watching the bespectacled mage leave, the red-haired mage curled his lip. ¡°Ah, that kid is still so arrogant. But¡­¡± Speaking to this point, the red-haired mage revealed a smug smile. ¡°Since he has encountered the new player killer, let me see what this little mage is truly capable of.¡± Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: Chapter 106: New Assassin Chapter 107: Chapter 106: New Assassin ¡°About time.¡± Looking at the ranking in front of him, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows. The Sky Arena didn¡¯t require one to challenge others in sequential order; instead, it offered a general range of opponents. For instance, since Fang Zheng was currently ranked 652, his opponent would come from within the range of number 600 to 650. As long as he could defeat the opponent, Fang Zheng would take over that person¡¯s ranking, while the defeated would automatically drop down a rank. Since entering the Sky Arena, Fang Zheng had defeated over forty Mage Apprentices, though this was also partly because these apprentices were woefully inferior. Deep down, Fang Zheng compared them to Charles and that Destruction Mage, feeling they were considerably lesser in caliber. Now, Fang Zheng only hoped that after rising in rank, he could encounter some truly formidable mages. ¡°Ding-dong.¡± At that moment, a crisp bell sound rang, followed by a voice near Fang Zheng¡¯s ear. ¡°Player number 652, player number 500 has challenged you, do you accept?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing the magic command relayed through the communication, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Although he had learned from his Invisible Servant that members with enough points in the Sky Arena could spend points to specifically challenge opponents, Fang Zheng had no plans to do so. His current goal was not to clash with any specific person but to gradually understand the combat styles of mages at various levels. However, it seemed now that he was being targeted? ¡°Accept.¡± With this thought, Fang Zheng promptly chose to accept, guessing that probably someone was displeased with him or just looking for some fun. This type of rookie targeting was all too common in gaming, especially in online games where blocking the entrance to the Beginner Villages to attack newcomers wasn¡¯t rare. That¡¯s why many online games had set a level cap before which player killing wasn¡¯t allowed, to prevent newcomers from having such poor game experiences that they might quit in frustration. And as a game lead designer, Fang Zheng always had his ways to make these troublemakers respectfully call him ¡®grandfather¡¯. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï Soon, the platform moved again, coming to another arena. Stepping off the platform, Fang Zheng took his place and soon saw a brown-haired mage wearing round glasses across from him. The mage wore a pitch-black Mage Robe and held a Magic Wand embedded with crystals, which seemed quite more imposing than the previous mages. ¡°So you¡¯re the Wild Mage from Thunder Tower.¡± Looking at Fang Zheng, the man displayed unmistakable arrogance on his face. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect a Wild Mage like you to defeat so many younger apprentices in the Sky Arena¡­ Honestly, I must say, you¡¯ve done quite well. But unfortunately, this is where it ends.¡± As he spoke, the man with glasses raised the Magic Wand in his hand. ¡°The Sky Arena is the hunting ground of the White Tower, and for a Wild Mage like you to have come this far is quite promising. However, it¡¯s unfortunate that you¡¯re not a mage of the White Tower, so I¡¯m sorry, but this is as far as you go.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. He clearly understood the underlying meaning of the man¡¯s words, which was to say, the Sky Arena was created to train mages of the White Tower. Those mages not qualified to enter the White Tower came here essentially as free sparring partners. As he said, this place was a hunting ground, and Wild Mages like himself were the prey, while the mages of the White Tower were the hunters. They would hone their skills and improve themselves in the process of chasing down their prey. But once the roles were reversed, it was a different matter altogether. ¡°So you¡¯re saying, you¡¯re the watchdog of the White Tower?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s relentless taunt, the bespectacled man¡¯s face darkened instantly, and laughter erupted from the nearby spectator seats. Many of them were mages from the White Tower, and while Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know the specifics about the bespectacled man, they did. Although this man was also a White Tower mage, his limited talent meant rising further was difficult. Holding the 500th rank was already his peak, and he had stayed in that position using the excuse of ¡°teaching¡± to suppress the newcomers, especially the Wild Mages. After all, the reason Wild Mages were called such was because their inheritance wasn¡¯t comprehensive, and as a Spellcraft System mage from the White Tower who had undergone systematic training, the bespectacled man did possess a few ace skills, making it possible for him to generally secure victories. Although there were many in the White Tower who disliked the bespectacled man¡¯s actions, they, due to their status, did not wish to interact with such people. Now, hearing how vividly Fang Zheng put it, many of them couldn¡¯t help but rejoice at his misfortune. After all, to most mages, losing the motivation to progress meant no longer being a part of them, and for someone like the bespectacled man, who could stoop to bullying newcomers just to stay in the White Tower, they naturally looked down upon him. With that thought, he really did seem like the White Tower¡¯s guard dog. Hearing the laughter coming from the audience, the bespectacled man¡¯s complexion grew even more livid, knowing he didn¡¯t have much status within the White Tower, but was still somewhat of a figure. And now, this damned Wild Mage had reduced him to a mere guard dog with a single sentence ¡ª the bespectacled man was well aware that, after today¡¯s duel, regardless of the outcome, the title ¡°guard dog¡± might begin to circulate within the White Tower. ¡°Very well.¡± Thinking this, the bespectacled man¡¯s expression turned much gloomier. ¡°It seems you¡¯re quite arrogant, Wild Mage, I really do find you annoying.¡± ¡°Understandable, since you¡¯re uglier than me.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­!!¡± ¡°Hahahahaha!!¡± By then, the laughter from the nearby audience had escalated from a hushed giggle to a boisterous uproar. After all, what Fang Zheng had said was true, as the face is the mirror of the mind, the bespectacled man was rather ordinary-looking with round glasses, and unlike Harry Potter, his forehead bore no lightning scar, so he naturally lacked charm. But Fang Zheng was on another level; his charm rating was C++, making him the center of attention wherever he stood, outshining even ordinary celebrities. Although nobody had initially thought that far, once Fang Zheng pointed it out, a comparison made the crowd burst into laughter. ¡°You¡­very well!¡± By then, the bespectacled man had turned deathly pale, abandoning his efforts to suppress Fang Zheng. The typical Wild Mages would tremble before him or curse furiously, but none of that had harmed him. However, he hadn¡¯t expected this man in front of him to be so formidable, infuriating him almost to the point of madness with just a couple of sentences. Thus, he had decided not to engage verbally any longer and was ready to take action. ¡°Let me show you the true power of a White Tower Mage!¡± ¡°I¡¯d advise you to not casually represent the White Tower.¡± Looking at the bespectacled man before him, Fang Zheng smiled slightly once again. ¡°Honestly, if I were a White Tower Mage, I wouldn¡¯t want to be represented by you; it¡¯s too embarrassing.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Fortunately, the bespectacled man didn¡¯t have a heart condition, or else he definitely would have been angered to death by Fang Zheng right there. Because he could feel the gazes from all around, most of which were full of displeasure and disdain, and even some gloating. Clearly, just as Fang Zheng had said, they did not want to be represented by such a guy. ¡°Go to hell!!¡± By then the bespectacled man was almost in tears, not having expected that the last scene-stealing phrase he threw out would still be turned against him by this damned bastard. Now it was clear, regardless of the outcome of this battle, he was doomed to fail within the White Tower. But before that, he also wanted to vent his own inner fury!! With this thought, the bespectacled man decided not to hold back any longer. He reached out to lightly swipe his ring, and the next moment, twin bursts of light erupted, and then, from the brightness, emerged two white wolves as large as battle horses, viciously staring at Fang Zheng before them, and growling angrily. Who would have thought, they¡¯re of the same trade after all. Seeing the two summoned Otherworld white wolves, Fang Zheng was also somewhat surprised. But soon, he sighed. When like meets like, it¡¯s about time to get serious. With that thought, Fang Zheng casually tossed aside his Magic Wand. Then he silently took out his Sky-Cleaving Sword. Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Chapter 107 Mage Slayer Chapter 108: Chapter 107 Mage Slayer Watching Fang Zheng pull out a sword, everyone was dumbstruck. This doesn¡¯t fit the script at all? Some had seen Fang Zheng¡¯s previous battles, solved with just a few spells. But now facing the glasses-wearing man, why did he draw a sword? And with a sword in hand, how could he cast spells? ¡°Attack! Kill him!!¡± At this point, the glasses-wearing man wasn¡¯t thinking so much. He pointed at Fang Zheng and roared, and the two otherworldly white wolves instantly pounced towards their target. What followed next was astonishing. With the otherworldly white wolves lunging at him, Fang Zheng showed no sign of dodging. Instead, everyone watched as a flash of light zipped by, and with the sound of a thunderous explosion, the two wolves were knocked back, howling in pain before turning into two beams of white light and vanishing into the air. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure had already appeared in front of the glasses-wearing man! ¡°How is this possible?!!¡± Seeing his strongest trump card flipped so effortlessly, the glasses-wearing man was wide-eyed with shock. By the time he came to his senses, he saw the blade in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand cleaving down toward him! Wait, don¡¯t panic, I have a magic shield, he couldn¡¯t possibly¡­ But before the glasses-wearing man could react, he saw Fang Zheng raise his left hand and point at him, his magic shield shattering instantly. Then, as if struck by a sledgehammer, the dazzling sword light smashed into the glasses-wearing man¡¯s chest, and with a scream, he was sent flying by the Holy Light, crashing heavily outside the arena. And Fang Zheng silently sheathed his longsword, then turned and walked away. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± For a moment, the whole Sky Arena fell into eerie silence; the mages who were spectating were all dumbfounded, staring at Fang Zheng¡¯s departing figure, at a loss for words. Especially the White Tower Mages in the audience, initially shocked, but as they grasped what had happened, they were all terrified!! ¡°This man is incredible!¡± A female mage gripped her magic wand tightly, gazing solemnly at Fang Zheng¡¯s retreating figure. ¡°That sword strike of his was almost at par with my father¡¯s!¡± ¡°Impossible? Your father is a master of swordsmanship, could he possess the strength of a swordsmanship master?¡± Upon hearing the woman¡¯s words, another male mage beside her shook his head. ¡°But even if he possesses such swordsmanship, what does it prove? Mages have stood their ground for hundreds of years; we have never feared those warriors, have we?¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve forgotten that he is also a mage¡­ and he can cast Silent Spells and Quickened Spells! I don¡¯t know what class he specializes in, but I can be sure, it definitely includes the Protection Class!¡± ¡°What does that prove¡­ No way!¡± Hearing the female mage¡¯s rebuttal, the man beside her started to say something reflexively, but he quickly shuddered, trembling all over. The Protection Class specializes in defense and prohibition. But as they say, how can one know how to save lives without understanding how to take them? Who could understand better how to break through a magic barrier than someone from the Protection Class?! Of course, the average member of the Protection Class isn¡¯t a cause for concern; after all, casting spells takes time. The process of countering spells is also one of observation and duel. But what can they do against someone like Fang Zheng, who can cast Quickened and Silent Spells, and possesses formidable close-combat abilities? You see, there are only so many protective spells in the world, and even fewer that guard against physical attacks¡ªjust magic shields, the Stone Skin Technique, and Protective Blades. When mages duel, they engage in a battle of wits, but if one side has overwhelming physical combat power, then the other must be prepared with spells to guard against physical attacks. But none of that¡¯s important; the important thing is that the moment they do so, they would be grasped tightly by the other in one aspect! Mages are powerful because to outsiders, their spells are ever-changing and mysterious. However, once their patterns are deciphered, countering them becomes much simpler. And the very thought that Fang Zheng came from the Thunder Tower scared the mages senseless! Could this man indeed be the student of that Devil Muscle Man? Wait a minute¡­ if I remember correctly, the Thunder Tower¡¯s tutor specializes in¡­ The Prophecy System!! This is bloody outrageous!!! The Mages of the White Tower are no fools, and after figuring things out, they all turned pale as death. The Prophecy System might seem powerless on the surface, but it¡¯s actually the last thing any Mage from any other system wants to encounter. After all, every Mage knows very well that if used properly, there are no secrets before a Prophecy Mage. And this young man came through the Thunder Tower¡¯s Teleportation Array, which means he must know Prophecy Spells, and he has Protection Class too, plus his own super-strong combat power¡­ It¡¯s like the African Savannah, where everyone¡¯s eco-cycle is happy and harmonious, and then a tiger shows up, and what the heck, this tiger can fly?! Are you even leaving any way out for the other animals?! Once Fang Zheng made his move, that unfortunate guy with glasses was left unattended, but the whole Sky Arena turned into chaos. For the next few days, it felt like doomsday had arrived for those Mages. They all had bitter expressions whenever they met each other. ¡°Did you get beaten by that Wild Mage too?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I really hadn¡¯t expected the Wild Mage to be so fast. I had just released a Shield! And then he rushed up¡­¡± ¡°Did he break your Shield?¡± ¡°No? He just cut me and the Shield together with one strike!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help it, I¡¯m not specialized in the Protection Class. I thought¡­ who knew¡­¡± ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re still not too bad. That Shaping-Type had it worse! He pushed himself to spit blood to quicken an Acid Sphere, and then¡­¡± ¡°And then what happened?¡± ¡°Then the Wild Mage gave himself Elemental Immunity¡­ and then¡­ I couldn¡¯t bear to keep watching¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯s The Shapeshifter doing? I heard he also ran into that Wild Mage?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it, he really did learn the Prophecy System, none of The Shapeshifter¡¯s Spells worked on him, and he still got cut down with one strike.¡± ¡°What about you then? You¡¯re a Prophecy Mage too, right? Prophecy System against Prophecy System, shouldn¡¯t it be a fair fight at least?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started!! Yeah, I¡¯m a Prophecy Mage, but I can¡¯t keep up with his speed. I had just sensed his attack direction when his fist was already in front of my eyes! Look at my eyes, they¡¯re still black and blue!! But Bit from the Necromancer Class might be able to teach him a lesson. I heard that Wild Mage is about to face Bit!¡± ¡°That makes sense, the Wild Mage has overwhelming strength and speed, perhaps only a Necromancer can handle him! Just summon an Undead Legion, and no matter how strong he is, he should have trouble, right?¡± ¡°Bad news, bad news!!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°That Wild Mage¡­ he, he¡¯s a Templar!!¡± ¡°What? What did you say?¡± ¡°Bit just fought him, Bit summoned an Undead Legion, and then the Wild Mage wiped them all out with Holy Light!!¡± ¡°¡­Are we Mages even supposed to have a chance?!! He¡¯s practically a Mage Slayer!!¡± For a while, the entire Sky Arena was in turmoil, those Mages who had studied Spells for half their lives had never seen someone like Fang Zheng who played by his own rules. Magic and Martial Arts dual cultivators are not unheard of, but they require talent, much like not everyone can excel in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but those who do excel are surely geniuses. Mages like Fang Zheng who can use Magic, fight in close combat, and also wield Holy Light, are probably a first for the entire White Tower. Of course, if he encounters a Female Mage, Fang Zheng would still give them some face, let them cast a few Spells and make some gestures. Anyone who can become an apprentice of the White Tower is no fool, and they would promptly surrender when they know they are overpowered. But when it comes to Male Mages, Fang Zheng certainly doesn¡¯t need to show any gentlemanly demeanor. He just lifts his Sky-Cleaving Sword and chops wildly; if you can block it, good for you, if not, too bad. At first, some Mages were willing to fight Fang Zheng, but later, many would forfeit as soon as they entered the arena, especially those from the Necromancer Class who would turn and run at the sight of Fang Zheng. Although you can¡¯t die in the Sky Arena, getting purified by Holy Light still hurts like hell! Undead Creatures differ from summoned creatures; if summoned creatures are killed in the Main World, they just go back to their own world to recover from serious injuries for some time, but if Undead Creatures die, they¡¯re gone for good! And being purified by Holy Light, that¡¯s a fate you can¡¯t come back from! Proper Necromancers are not allowed to play with souls, so their duties are more akin to the Taoists in many urban fantasy novels, wandering the mountains and plains looking for Vengeful Spirits to then make a deal and take on board. Of course, if you manage to reform them, then you can subdue these Vengeful Spirits for your own use. You can imagine how these Necromancers feel seeing Fang Zheng, their hearts trembling with fear. The helpers they painstakingly gathered up, sent back to their hometowns to get married by a Holy Light, that¡¯s a blow no one can take. Poor Bit is still lying in bed, spitting up three liters of blood every day. Goddess of Order, I beg for your mercy, take this demon away!! Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Returning to the Free World Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Returning to the Free World In the Sky Arena, the White Tower Mage was thrown into utter chaos, and Fang Zheng had contentedly acquired what he desired. However, unfortunately for him, the outcome was not wonderful. ¡°How is it? Nymph?¡± ¡°Yes, Master, during today¡¯s battle, you were controlled by Enchantment School mages eighteen times and fell into illusions seven times, with the shortest breakout time being one second and the longest five seconds.¡± ¡°The situation is not good¡­¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s report, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows and crossed his arms in thought. If there were any troublesome foes in the Sky Arena for Fang Zheng, then mages of the Enchantment and Illusion Schools were his most headache-inducing adversaries. The School of Illusions was manageable, as the Prophecy System countered illusions, and under True Vision, all illusions were exposed. But the Enchantment School was different. Various psychic manipulation spells emerged continuously, causing Fang Zheng endless complaints. Fortunately, the Enchantment School mages he currently encountered were mostly of low rank, using only rudimentary spells like the Sleep Spell. Even so, it frightened Fang Zheng, who for the first time realized, no matter how powerful his combat skills, how mighty his spells, and how perfect his physique were, his spirit was still so vulnerable. Even a minor Enchantment School mage could impact him. What disturbed Fang Zheng more was that within the Enchantment School were many bizarre and terrifying techniques. For instance, he had once read about a spell called ¡°Binds of Mercy¡±, which simply forced a creature to fight in a more merciful manner¡ªno poisoning, no infliction of fatal injuries, no deadly strikes on non-threatening targets¡­ When Fang Zheng read this, he felt chilled from head to toe. This was simply forcing a boss to set up a flag for defeat! Fang Zheng could almost confirm that this spell effect could explain the death of over ninety-nine percent of bosses across various worlds. At its zenith, the Enchantment School even possessed horrifying spells such as ¡°Weave Memories,¡± ¡°Invade the Mind,¡± and ¡°Decree of Death¡±¡ªFang Zheng was not willing to experiment with whether he could withstand these spells. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Unfortunately, when Fang Zheng consulted Rex about this, he also said that there were very few real methods to counter the Enchantment School. ¡°Like the Prophecy System, the Enchantment School isn¡¯t suited for direct combat. But, as the future represented by prophecy cannot be avoided by anyone, the same is true for the Enchantment School, as human will and spirit are always the most complex and elusive. People yearn to escape fate, to change the future, but they will eventually find that everything they do is a part of fate. And the same goes for will and spirit, always sought to be escaped from and changed but ultimately it is in themselves.¡± ¡°But no one can be sure whether it comes from the outside or is born within.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s rebuttal, Rex remained silent for a long time, finally giving him this answer. ¡°Does it matter? After all, you are the only one who knows.¡± According to Rex¡¯s words, regarding spells of the Enchantment School, one could either rely on one¡¯s own strong willpower to break free or wear magic equipment that provides immunity to mind control. The latter Fang Zheng currently lacked, and regarding the former¡­ after these days of battle, he was not very confident. He felt he should be strong, but now Fang Zheng was no longer so sure. Fortunately, Nymph was by his side, the Artificial Angel who did not dream and was immune to all Psychic System and illusionary techniques. Therefore, Fang Zheng was always able to break free in time, and of course, this was inseparable from his complete trust in Nymph. But Fang Zheng was worried¡ªwhat if he encountered more formidable mages from the Enchantment School? The techniques of mages of this rank were still rather simple, but having seen plenty of novels, animations, movies, and games, Fang Zheng knew all too well how easy it was to destroy someone from the depths of their will. He could now trust Nymph without reservation, but what if someday someone purposefully targeted him with a suggestion? Quick and forceful methods like sleep and paralysis could be resisted by will, but the most frightening were subtle suggestions. What if Fang Zheng no longer trusted his summoned beings? Or if he even started doubt himself? Thinking of this, Fang Zheng felt worried. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. He once thought he was very strong. After all, dying hundreds of times in the Black Soul World made him indifferent to death; what else could be frightening? But now it seemed he was not as strong as he had imagined. Regarding this, Rex did not have good advice, as a qualified Prophecy Mage would never let themselves be controlled or influenced by an Enchantment School mage. This was the mutual restraint among the various Spell Schools; while the Enchantment School could influence a person¡¯s spirit and will, the Prophecy System could sense danger in advance and avoid it. Each had their own methods, and the less skilled one deserved their misfortune. However, Rex also agreed that Fang Zheng should train his spirit and will, as for mages, a firm will is essential. Especially so for Prophecy Mages. ¡°The future is not unchangeable, nor is it predetermined fate. What is woven into the web of fate is not necessarily fact; it can also be a deceptive dream. How to see through the fog of fate, everything depends on your inner strength. Those who are too fragile cannot become Prophecy Mages; this is also a path you must take, so strive hard.¡± ¡°Master, are you really prepared?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Facing Nymph¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng nodded, then he reached out his hand and touched the head of the Little Angel. ¡°During this period, I¡¯ll trouble you to look after things. If anything happens, remember to record it and tell me.¡± ¡°Of course, no problem, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph nodded with a smile. ¡°I hope you can return safely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± With that, Fang Zheng once again opened the Dimensional Codex. While Teleportation to other worlds was still cooling down, the teleportation to the Free World could be used. Previously, out of the ¡°Spirit,¡± ¡°Skill,¡± and ¡°Body¡± Free Worlds, Fang Zheng had only visited the ¡°Skill¡¯s¡± Black Soul World, and had not visited the other two worlds. However, now, Fang Zheng decided to open another new instance of the Free World. ¡°Spirit.¡± ¡°Skill¡± had honed Fang Zheng¡¯s abilities, so ¡°Spirit¡± must be about training the soul and mind. It was just unknown what kind of world he would visit this time. Looking at the Dimensional Codex before him, Fang Zheng felt somewhat apprehensive. It was no surprise, as in Fang Zheng¡¯s understanding, any world related to the ¡°soul¡± and ¡°will¡± was not easy to deal with. Physical pain could be endured, but pain inflicted on the soul was true torture. Even Fang Zheng was not sure if he could resolve it smoothly. But after all, this was the path he had chosen. Thinking thus, Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze grew much more determined. He took another look at Nymph standing beside him, then firmly pressed the button. The next moment, the Dimensional Codex instantly dissolved, turning into photon particles that enveloped Fang Zheng. In just the blink of an eye, the light ascended, then disappeared into thin air. This time, it was not soul transference. When Fang Zheng opened his eyes again, he was sitting in a minibus, a rather old one. Apart from himself, there was only an old lady on the bus who was squinting her eyes, speaking with the driver driving the minibus. It was Japanese. Listening to their conversation, Fang Zheng looked down at his attire. His outfit was different from before. Now, Fang Zheng was wearing only a plain shirt and trousers, with a small travel bag beside him. Looking out of the bus window, he could see dense forests on both sides of the road and fields in the distance. The time seemed to be¡­ modern, and the place was¡­ Japan, more precisely, the countryside of Japan? What world was this? ¡°This stop, sir,¡± As Fang Zheng pondered, the bus had already slowly stopped in front of a dilapidated bus station, and the old lady who had been on the bus before had already alighted. Then the driver turned his head and greeted Fang Zheng. Hearing the driver¡¯s words, Fang Zheng nodded, then picked up his travel bag and disembarked. It was already dusk. Looking into the distance, one could see the bright red sunset shining over the land. And softly echoing in Fang Zheng¡¯s ears, was the sound of cicadas chirping from somewhere unknown¡­ Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Welcome to……… Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Welcome to¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Whimpering¡­¡± As the vehicle faded into the distance, Fang Zheng set down his travel bag and turned to look around. What he saw confirmed that he was in a rural small town in Japan. The train station before him was old and dilapidated, merely a wooden shelter built to provide cover from the rain. The station sign next to it, having been weathered by wind and rain, had begun to fade, and even the name on it was no longer visible. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve finally arrived, Fang Zheng,¡± At that moment, a voice sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw a woman with short blue hair, smiling and waving at him. ¡°Chie-senpai, long time no see.¡± In the instant he saw the woman before him, just as in the Black Soul World, memories of her also surfaced in Fang Zheng¡¯s mind. The woman known as Chie Rumiko had attended the same school as him. After graduating, she came to this place to teach. She was struggling due to a shortage of manpower. Thus, she thought of Fang Zheng, with whom she had a very good relationship at school, and wrote a letter inviting him to come here. This time, Fang Zheng¡¯s role was to answer Chie¡¯s invitation and become a ¡°village teacher.¡± ¡°Indeed, it has been a long time. This place is quite remote; it must have been tough on you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Hearing Chie¡¯s words, Fang Zheng smiled and shook his head. ¡°I am already very happy to be able to help my senior.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve always been like this since the beginning¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Chie revealed a somewhat complicated expression. She looked at him quietly and then smiled, extending her hand. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?? ¡°In any case, Fang Zheng, welcome to Hinamizawa.¡± Hinamizawa. Although Fang Zheng had a premonition, when he actually heard this name from Chie¡¯s mouth, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a tremble in his heart. At this moment, he could finally confirm which world he had arrived in¡ª ¡°When the Cicadas Cry.¡± Fang Zheng was very familiar with this work. It tells the story of the lives of young boys and girls in a village called Hinamizawa. If it had been made ten years later, it probably would¡¯ve been a typical slice-of-life anime filled with cute moments. But ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± was different, and the reason lay in Hinamizawa itself, home to an exceedingly terrifying disease¡ªHinamizawa Syndrome. This was a very special pathogen, transmitted through human mucous membranes, meaning that almost any contact with the pathogen could lead to infection. This pathogen is categorized into five stages, referred to as L1¡ªL5 in the game and anime. L1 is the latent period, during which the infected individual exhibits no issues and is not conscious of being infected. To all appearances, an L1 patient is no different from a healthy person. In fact, most people never exhibit symptoms until they die. However, once a patient leaves Hinamizawa, they move into the L2 phase¡ªakin to an early warning period. During this time, the patient still doesn¡¯t show any signs of illness, but the pathogen can be detected in their blood. If the patient returns to Hinamizawa, their condition will improve. But if they delay and do not return, they will progress to the L3 stage. Once a patient enters the L3 stage, they begin to experience auditory hallucinations and a scratchy throat, along with mental anxiety, signaling that the patient is gradually succumbing to the illness. But if one enters Stage L4, then the situation becomes more severe. The patient, due to prolonged hallucinations and physical discomfort, will exhibit hostility and suspicion towards everything around them, and may even experience extreme agitation and restlessness. When they reach the terminal stage of L5, patients will experience fear, phantom visions, auditory hallucinations, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and severe anxiety. Their consciousness becomes wildly aggressive, and they possess a strong tendency to attack. Moreover, due to an unbearable itch in the throat, at the end of the outbreak, they almost invariably choose to die from excessive blood loss by tearing their throats and rupturing their carotid arteries. In the popular online saying, ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome¡± is actually a virus that causes people to become darkened, and in the story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± nearly all of the main characters darken and run amok due to the infection of this virus, eventually turning into blood-soaked murderers. The debut of this anime shocked many viewers because, although there were animations with dead girls at the time, the concept of cute girls turning dark and committing murder was something that only a few non-mainstream animations like ¡°Fairy Melody¡± would depict. The story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± where all the main characters darken in turn, slaughter others in turn, and each death is incredibly gruesome and terrifying, really frightened many viewers. But to tell the truth, Fang Zheng had always been doubtful about this explanation. Although several of the main characters in ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± such as Maehara Keiichi, Rena Ryuuguu, Sonozaki Shion, and Satoko Hojo, had exhibited symptoms to varying degrees, whether those were really the influence of Hinamizawa Syndrome, Fang Zheng always had his own opinions. The reason is simple, because if one observes closely, one will find that those who fell ill were almost invariably under immense psychological stress. Maehara Keiichi, the protagonist of the story, had once committed the crime of injuring children. Rena Ryuuguu¡¯s father was defrauded in a badger game, leading to the loss of all family property, even their house, to someone else¡¯s hands, while Shion¡¯s beloved Satoshi disappeared without a trace, leaving his fate unknown. As for Satoko Hojo¡ªgiven her abused family environment, it would be the biggest psychological issue if she didn¡¯t have any mental problems. The onset of Satoshi Hojo¡¯s symptoms was also highly suspicious, as their family had been ostracized by the village for supporting the dam construction. After that, both parents died, leaving Satoshi and Satoko to rely on each other. In such circumstances, losing parental care and being ostracized by the villagers, the two young children naturally faced enormous psychological stress. Satoshi was also at the age of rebellious puberty, so it was not strange for him to do something extreme. At the time, Fang Zheng was studying psychology at university, so out of curiosity, he analyzed the actions of these main characters and found that even without that so-called ¡°virus,¡± humans under immense psychological stress would also exhibit extreme behaviors. Not to mention, those main characters were essentially high school and middle school students, whose mental maturity was not particularly sound. If there was no one to guide them, they were naturally prone to problems. A careful observation would reveal that the characters who turned dark and committed murders all shared the common trait of bearing immense psychological stress without any channels for resolving their problems, resulting in them taking extreme measures to combat everything. There are plenty of such clinical cases in psychology, and in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, Hinamizawa was simply a gathering of these extreme mental cases. Of course, this was just Fang Zheng¡¯s guess, but now he had the opportunity to verify his own theory. The reason was simple¡­ This time his visit to Hinamizawa was not just at the invitation of Chie Rumiko, but with another identity¡­ ¡°So you are Fang Zheng, welcome to Hinamizawa!¡± The bald headmaster, dressed in a black suit and looking like a gang boss, stepped forward with big strides and reached out his hand to Fang Zheng. ¡°Welcome, I¡¯ve heard about you from Teacher Chie, ¡®concerning the psychological health of rural children¡¯¡ªI never thought you¡¯d have such an idea. But it makes sense; as educators, we should focus not only on the physical health of our students but also on their psychological well-being¡­ But to be honest, between Teacher Chie and myself, we really can¡¯t handle it all, hahaha¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely why I¡¯m here.¡± Shaking hands with the bald headmaster, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and responded. Indeed, according to the setting in the ¡°Dimensional Codex,¡± Fang Zheng came to Hinamizawa this time at the invitation of Chie Rumiko, to take up a position as a teacher at the Hinamizawa branch school while also serving as a school doctor and psychological consultant. According to Chie Rumiko, it was after reading his paper on the psychological health issues of rural children that she came up with the idea and invited him here. But can this world really address his problems? Unlike mission worlds, the Free World does not issue missions but lets Fang Zheng find his own way. However, based on the identity ¡°Dimensional Codex¡± provided to him, Fang Zheng could roughly guess what his mission in this world was. To train his will and at the same time protect those youngsters who were supposed to face death, freeing them from their doomed fate. In other words, he was here to crash the party!! Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Chapter 110 Life as a Rural Teacher Begins Chapter 111: Chapter 110 Life as a Rural Teacher Begins [PS: The book is now on sale, please support it with your monthly votes, although to be honest, the timing of it going live is a bit awkward¡­] ¡°This is Teacher Fang Zheng, starting today, he will be responsible for your learning alongside me. Let¡¯s welcome him with a round of applause.¡± ¡°Clap clap clap¡­¡± Chie Rumiko¡¯s reputation in the Hinamizawa branch school was obviously quite high. Just as her voice fell, students in the classroom immediately started clapping enthusiastically, while curiously looking at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng also smiled and nodded at everyone while swiftly scanning the classroom. Just like in the anime, there was only one class here, and the students in the class ranged from elementary to high school. After all, the number of students was too sparse, and with only Chie Rumiko as the teacher, it was not possible to split classes, so all the children were divided into one classroom, then taught separately. For Fang Zheng, this was also a very fresh experience. After all, he had been a person in two lives, and this was also the first time participating in a ¡°rural teaching¡± activity. It didn¡¯t take much effort for Fang Zheng to quickly find the main characters of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± in the class. The boy with short hair and wearing a white shirt was Maehara Keiichi. And sitting opposite him, with long green hair tied up in a ponytail, looking very cheerful and straightforward, was Sonozaki Mion. The girl with brown short hair and wearing a white dress was Rena Ryuuguu. Next was the tsundere loli with blonde hair, Satoko Hojo, and the little loli with black straight hair, Furutega Rika. Sonozaki Shion is not here¡­ which means¡­ the story is still in the early stages now? ¡°Fang Zheng is my junior and also a very outstanding teacher. He will be responsible for teaching you mathematics and English. Moreover, Teacher Fang Zheng has just returned from studying abroad in America. I can guarantee that his English level is very good indeed.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Ohhh!¡± Upon hearing this, the children looked at Fang Zheng with eager and curious expressions. After all, the story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± took place in the eighties. At that time, there wasn¡¯t much in the way of developed news media or technology, and in a small village like Hinamizawa, they barely saw people from the city. Now, suddenly, they were meeting someone who had come back from studying overseas, which indeed made them excited and thrilled. ¡°Hello, my name is Fang Zheng.¡± Seeing that the atmosphere had already warmed up, Fang Zheng stepped forward and greeted the children. ¡°I will be in charge of teaching everyone mathematics and English here; please give me your guidance. Also, I will be the school doctor and Psychological Consultant. If anyone has any troubles, you can come and talk to me. I am always open to listen.¡± ¡°School doctor? Ah, why isn¡¯t the school doctor a pretty woman in a white coat!¡± Hearing this, Maehara Keiichi couldn¡¯t help but cry out while holding his head, while Rena Ryuuguu curiously tilted her head, looking at Fang Zheng. ¡°Teacher, what is a Psychological Consultant? What is it?¡± ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s to help resolve some psychological stress and burdens.¡± In response to Rena Ryuuguu¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng smiled and explained. ¡°If you are worried or uneasy about something, you can come to me, and you can talk to me about anything. I can guarantee that this is a secret between you and me, and I won¡¯t tell a third person. This is the professional integrity of a Psychological Consultant.¡± ¡°Ohh, isn¡¯t this the psychologist that often appears in movies?¡± Upon hearing this, Keiichi, who had just been holding his head and shouting, excitedly raised his head to look at Fang Zheng as if seeing the FBI in reality. ¡°It must be very expensive!¡± ¡°Psychological Consultants and psychologists are similar but not the same, student. And, I don¡¯t charge any money.¡± As for Maehara Keiichi¡¯s reaction, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind. After all, Maehara Keiichi was a very ¡°lively¡± guy in the original work, and honestly, it didn¡¯t seem like he had any psychological issues. However, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t surprised by this at all; after all, it¡¯s the quiet ones who are the most scary when they get angry. The less the problems show on the surface, the bigger the issues that can come up. Look at Rena Ryuuguu and Maehara Keiichi, that¡¯s how it was. Instead, it was Sonozaki Mion, who was always tense and seemed likely to snap, that never darkened from start to finish, and in the end, was only driven to collapse by her sister. After a brief self-introduction, Chie Rumiko began today¡¯s lessons. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t jump straight into teaching but followed Chie Rumiko, silently observing her teaching progress. Since Fang Zheng was new to the place and not fully aware of the student¡¯s progress, he didn¡¯t immediately interrupt but observed from the side. Chie Rumiko knew what Fang Zheng was thinking, so after teaching, she would have Fang Zheng help tutor those students who hadn¡¯t fully grasped the knowledge. This wasn¡¯t difficult for Fang Zheng, so he quickly nodded in agreement to take on the task. At first, those children were somewhat guarded around Fang Zheng, but of course, that wasn¡¯t an obstacle for him. Having been in management for so many years, he naturally knew how to win people¡¯s favor, and now his charm was at a C++ level. Soon enough, the kids relaxed their wariness of Fang Zheng, starting to find this new teacher handsome and humorous, and also very kind and approachable. He didn¡¯t seem nearly as scary as they had initially thought, which led many of them to change their opinions about him. Of course, this was just a first impression. Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t learned any Enchantment School spells, so he naturally couldn¡¯t influence the children too much. In this world, he could only rely on the power of his own physical attributes. The only consolation was¡ª the system defaulted the spells he learned in the Main World as his own power. But for Fang Zheng, that was enough. ¡°Ding-ding-ding¡ª¡± The brief day quickly passed, and as the school bell rang, the children left the school one after another. Fang Zheng also stretched and let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°How was it? Your first day at school? Are you getting used to it?¡± At this time, Chie Rumiko also walked up to Fang Zheng, smiling as she looked at him and asked. Facing Chie Rumiko¡¯s question, Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°Not bad, to be honest. After being in the big city for so long, this rural life is quite refreshing for me.¡± ¡°Maybe for someone who¡¯s just come from the city, but you¡¯ll find it dull after a while. After all, this is a village where there¡¯s nothing.¡± As she spoke, Chie Rumiko waved her hand at Fang Zheng. ¡°Well then, I should be off¡­ Do you need any help with anything?¡± ¡°No need to trouble yourself too much on my account.¡± Since Hinamizawa was just a small village, naturally there were no spare houses for Fang Zheng to live in, so he stayed at the school. This was a good thing for Fang Zheng. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off.¡± After seeing Chie Rumiko off, Fang Zheng returned to the school. Just as he stepped into the corridor, he quickly heard the sounds of frolicking from one of the classrooms. Is it just like the anime, after all? With this thought, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and then walked up to the classroom door and opened it. Sure enough, he saw Sonozaki Mion, Rena Ryuuguu, Furutega Rika, and Satoko Hojo sitting at a table, giggling as they watched Maehara Keiichi, whose face was pale and who was clutching the playing cards as if he were cursed, trembling. ¡°Devils¡­ you all are devils¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why haven¡¯t you gone home yet?¡± ¡°Ah, Teacher Fang Zheng!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s voice, everyone hurriedly looked up at him, and then Rena Ryuuguu waved at him. ¡°We¡¯re holding a club activity.¡± ¡°A club activity?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± With her green ponytail, Sonozaki Mion also cheerfully posed at Fang Zheng. ¡°This is our club that we formed to deal with the complexities and dangers of society. Please don¡¯t underestimate it, Teacher Fang Zheng¡­¡± At this point, Mion seemed to think of something. She rolled her eyes and then revealed a sly smile. ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t you join us too, teacher?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Chapter 112 - Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Discussing Strategies for the World of Cicadas Song Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Discussing Strategies for the World of Cicada¡¯s Song Upon hearing Mion¡¯s proposal, everyone was stunned, and after a moment, Satoko finally spoke up with trepidation. ¡°Mion, can teachers join too?¡± ¡°Of course, Fang Zheng can come and be our advisor, all the clubs usually have a teacher advisor, right?¡± ¡°Even if I become your advisor, you won¡¯t have any club funds to use.¡± Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t miss the invitation from Mion, as he had been considering ways to infiltrate the protagonist¡¯s group. Now with this opportunity, he naturally wouldn¡¯t let it slip by. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the funds, Mion¡¯s family is a well-known landowner.¡± Rika also smiled and chimed in at this point. Fang Zheng could sense, however, that Rika was looking at him with a mix of wariness and curiosity. Fang Zheng thought for a moment and found it no wonder, Rika, in a sense, wasn¡¯t much different from Tom Cruise; both had reincarnated hundreds of times. The only advantage for Tom Cruise was that he was an adult, with no physical issues. He only lacked experience and awareness. Rika, on the other hand, was different. Her body was so frail she could hardly do anything physically. Apart from reincarnation, Rika was almost defenseless. Honestly, Fang Zheng truly felt pity for Rika; a child who had reincarnated hundreds of times, each time bearing the fear of death yet without any means to escape. It was a tale heartbreaking to hear and sorrowful to witness. For Rika, this world was but one of her countless reincarnations, but now, a new character who had never appeared in dozens of past lives had emerged. It would have been strange for Rika to not react at all. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I accept your invitation, Mion, to take the position of advisor¡­ By the way, what¡¯s the name of our club?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s question, this time everyone was stumped, and Keiichi also scratched his head, curiously looking at the others. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 ¡°Right, I don¡¯t know either, our club has to have a name, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I haven¡¯t thought of a name at all.¡± ¡°Come on, Mion! Think of one right now!¡± ¡°Even if you ask me to think of one now¡­ how about the Game Club?¡± ¡°Too common! Or should I say, too old-fashioned!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­.¡± ¡°You can do it! Go, Mion!¡± Watching Mion hold her head in agony, the girls surrounding her couldn¡¯t help but cheer her on. Unfortunately, Mion seemed to lack talent in naming, as she finally let out a scream and then collapsed onto the table as if she had exploded. ¡°I can¡¯t do it, I can¡¯t come up with a name for the club! All I can think of are names that are too plain!¡± ¡°Mion, you¡¯re really hopeless¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Upon hearing Rena¡¯s words, Mion puffed out her cheeks defiantly, then her eyes lit up, and she swiftly turned to Fang Zheng. ¡°That¡¯s it, let Fang Zheng decide our club¡¯s name! Since the teacher is our advisor now, this task is all yours!¡± True to the successor of The Three Noble Houses, she deftly passed the buck with skill rivaling a seasoned politician; her mastery was noted. Silently labeling Mion in his heart, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment before speaking up. ¡°Then, how about the Academy Life Division?¡± ¡°Academy¡­¡± ¡°¡­Life Division?¡± ¡°It sounds quite nice,¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s decided, starting today, our club will be called the Academy Life Division!¡± With Mion¡¯s words, the name was firmly established. Afterward, everyone left the school chattering and laughing, heading home. Fang Zheng returned to his own room in the school¡ªonce a clinic, it now served as a decent temporary dwelling, at least equipped with essentials like a refrigerator and a gas stove, sufficient for daily living. As the sun set, the night grew deep. Looking out the window, the fields were pitch black, with only the bleak white light from the road lamps along the country lane, which somewhat evoked the atmosphere of a rural ghost story. However, Fang Zheng certainly wasn¡¯t afraid of such things. In this world, he couldn¡¯t use the power of the Soulstone, but he could rely on his own abilities. Setting aside his now-transformed Zerg body, even without the Royal Cross Swordsmanship, the magic Fang Zheng had learned was enough to handle the crises here. However, since this world was meant to train the mind and the will, strength alone was definitely not enough. Should I be thankful the Codex didn¡¯t throw me into the world of Danganronpa at this point? Sighing, Fang Zheng began to write and draw on the blank cards in front of him. As the advisor of the ¡°Academy Life Division,¡± he had promised Mion and Rena that he would create a new game for the club. There wasn¡¯t much for Fang Zheng to worry about in this regard, as a game designer, even a simple board game was something he was quite familiar with, not to mention it was the 1980s, an era where such resources were scarce, so producing a satisfactory game for everyone would surely be a piece of cake for Fang Zheng. But for Fang Zheng, that wasn¡¯t his main focus. What he needed to consider was how to ¡°clear¡± this world. In the world of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± everyone had a reason to darken, and in fact, for Fang Zheng, Miyo Takano, the mastermind, was the least of his concerns. Since she acted solely out of brute force, something Fang Zheng was least afraid of, he excluded her first despite her role as the world¡¯s final boss. But it was the problems that couldn¡¯t be solved by violence that were the most troubling for Fang Zheng. The story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± made it clear, out of the five protagonists, three would be driven to a corner and snap, darkening and starting to commit murder. The best approach for Fang Zheng was to eradicate the cause of their darkening. And this was the most difficult part. And the cause was the Hojo Family. In the story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± a key background element was that the government once wanted to build a dam in Hinamizawa. The villagers of Hinamizawa didn¡¯t want to leave their homes. Thus, a division was formed between those in favor and those opposed to the dam construction, with the Hojo Family siding with the former. However, in the end, the opposition won, the government canceled the construction plan, and the Hojo Family, who had backed the wrong side, found themselves in an awkward position. They were ostracized and even branded as traitors by the rest of the village. Then, the Parents of Hojo died after falling off a cliff during a trip, and the two Hojo children¡ªSatoshi Hojo and Satoko Hojo¡ªwere taken in by their uncle¡¯s family. But clearly, the two of them were not happy. In fact, Teppei Hojo¡¯s family had been abusing Satoshi Hojo and Satoko Hojo. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Satoshi Hojo, in order to protect Satoko, killed their abusive aunt. Soon after, he was sent for treatment due to an outbreak of the ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome¡± and was officially reported as missing ¡ª which was announced as him moving to another school. Meanwhile, Sonozaki Mion¡¯s sister, Sonozaki Shion, had always harbored an unrequited love for Satoshi Hojo. However, her position was quite awkward. The Sonozaki Family, being one of the Three Noble Houses of Hinamizawa, was essentially a driving force behind the ostracism of the Hojo Family. It was akin to those ancient novels where a local tyrant landlord torments a poor scholar, while the landlord¡¯s daughter happens to fall for that same poor scholar. Of course, both Romeo and Juliet met tragic ends, so the rural landlord¡¯s low-budget version ¡ª Satoshi Hojo and Sonozaki Shion ¡ª was even less hopeful. Not to mention that Shion¡¯s love was unrequited, it was almost as if she had taken every tragic flag from girl-centric tragedy novels and raised them all. After Satoshi Hojo disappeared, Sonozaki Shion always believed that it was the Sonozaki Family who had killed him. This became her almost unchangeable dark fate ¡ª she was already laden with pain and now the person she loved had vanished without a trace. Thus, Sonozaki Shion could be said to be one of the most susceptible to darkening in the entire World of Cicada¡¯s Song. The situation for Satoko Hojo was similar. Fang Zheng remembered clearly, in the later parts of the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, Satoko had gradually begun to live the peaceful life she wished for. However, the return of her uncle, Teppei Hojo, shattered this false sense of happiness. In the end, what was once a happy routine began to collapse, transforming into the pitch-black Abyss. It was for these reasons that Fang Zheng felt these two issues were the hardest to resolve. If Maehara Keiichi and Rena Ryuuguu¡¯s problems could be prevented beforehand, then Sonozaki Shion and Satoko Hojo¡¯s issues were not so easily dealt with ¡ª these were ¡°historical problems¡± that couldn¡¯t be easily smoothed over with intervention. Of course, from Fang Zheng¡¯s point of view, the best solution would be to kill Teppei Hojo. He had enough strength and confidence to make Teppei Hojo¡¯s death look like an accident. But Fang Zheng did not dare to do so, each world had its rules, and he had a vague feeling that if he killed Teppei Hojo, his own fate would probably not be much better than Maehara Keiichi¡¯s. In Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, this world was even harder to deal with than Black Soul. Black Soul simply disallowed the use of power beyond certain limits, but at the end of the day, everything was still determined by combat. However, this world appeared to extremely discourage the use of violence, unless it was for self-defense, and any violent actions beyond that seemed to provoke some kind of backlash. A world that trains the spirit, huh? High combat values are pointless if you¡¯re unable to use them. With that thought, Fang Zheng shook his head, then just as he was about to continue with his work, suddenly, his ears twitched slightly. ¡°Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­¡± Behind him, a series of slow footsteps emerged in the pitch-black corridor, getting closer and closer. Soon, Fang Zheng heard the footsteps stop right outside his door, then all was silent. Ah, this feeling¡­ you can¡¯t tell me there are no ghosts, I wouldn¡¯t believe it. Fang Zheng sighed helplessly, then stood up and walked to the door. With a ¡°click,¡± he opened the previously locked door and looked at the figure standing outside, greeting them with a smile. ¡°May I ask, what brings you here so late at night?¡± Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: Chapter 112: An Unexpected Guest at Night Chapter 113: Chapter 112: An Unexpected Guest at Night ¡°Huh?¡± Standing in front of Fang Zheng was a girl who appeared to be about the same age as Rika and the others, but her attire was different. She was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, her small face featuring eyes wide open, staring intently at Fang Zheng as if she hadn¡¯t expected to be discovered at all. However, the most eye-catching feature was the pair of curved, horn-like protrusions on her head¡ªno, those were actually horns. Fang Zheng, of course, knew who this girl was. In fact, the seemingly cute and fragile girl in front of him was none other than Master Oyashiro-sama, legendary in the tales of Hinamizawa¡ªas the alleged culprit behind the mysterious disappearances of several innocent civilians¡­ which was of course nonsense. It was strange to say, even though the entire World of Cicada¡¯s Song was nearly ruined by infinite loops, it remained oddly scientific. From beginning to end, the main characters almost never used any supernatural powers when facing challenges. They literally just relied on their own strength to face and overcome the problems. Of course, the fact that they could defeat special forces members was either a testament to those guys being incompetent or these protagonists being ridiculously overpowered. However, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t understand why she would appear before him. Logically, Master Oyashiro should share senses with Furutega Rika, and only those who progressed beyond stage L3 of the Hinamizawa Syndrome would be able to¡­ Hold on, I¡¯ve only been here one day and I¡¯m already at stage 3? Are you kidding me? Internally cursing, Fang Zheng was baffled, and so was Haneiru, her face clearly confused, apparently not expecting that this man could actually see her. ¡°Are you also a student here? Well, come in first.¡± At this moment, Fang Zheng also grew curious, feeling very good about himself, convinced he couldn¡¯t possibly show any symptoms of Hinamizawa Syndrome, yet he clearly saw Haneiru. Whatever the case, this was an interesting development. Pretending to know nothing, he opened the door and invited her in. ¡°Ah, thank you, sorry to disturb you¡­¡± At this moment, Haneiru, perhaps still not fully comprehending that someone could see her so clearly, instinctively bowed to Fang Zheng and then slowly walked into the room, taking a seat on a chair nearby. ¡°Would you like something to drink? Tea? Or coffee?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã? ¡°Ah, no need!!¡± Upon hearing this, Haneiru quickly began to vigorously shake her hands. Seeing her action, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t ask any further. He knew that the current Haneiru was probably just an apparition, guessing that even if he gave her something, she wouldn¡¯t be able to drink it. But now was the time for performance¡­ and of course, I couldn¡¯t just ignore what you were expecting. ¡°I see¡­ By the way, I don¡¯t think I know your name yet?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am called¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Haneiru was clearly anxious. She hesitated for a moment before speaking in a lowered voice. ¡°My name is Haneiru, Furutega Haneiru.¡± ¡°Oh? You are Rika¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re relatives¡­¡± Japan has been using this trick for years, isn¡¯t it? A girl from the heavens can introduce herself as a relative, a girl from another world can still say she¡¯s a relative, and now even a ghost¡­ sorry, Oyashiro-sama could be considered a relative. Oh, wait, they are actually relatives, just separated by a few generations. ¡°Nice to meet you, Haneiru.¡± While internally pondering, Fang Zheng nodded at Haneiru. ¡°You might have heard from Rika, I am Fang Zheng, a teacher who just arrived to teach here these past few days. I look forward to your guidance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me who should say that, please guide me well.¡± Haneiru appeared exceedingly formal in front of Fang Zheng. Hearing this, she quickly stood up, bowing respectfully to him. ¡°So, it¡¯s quite late, why are you looking for me?¡± ¡°This¡­ um¡­¡± Haneiru obviously wasn¡¯t very good at lying. In fact, she was still not quite recovered from the shock, thinking, I¡¯m just a ghost, how did a human manage to see me? And not only see me but also treat me like a regular person¡­ ¡°I¡­ I heard from Rika about the new teacher, so I wanted to come and see¡­ ah, umm¡­¡± Haneiru clearly wasn¡¯t very good at lying; nearing the end of her explanation, she almost had to bow her head, her face flushing red, unable to look up directly. Anyone with clear eyes could see there was something off with your reaction, girl. ¡°This late, isn¡¯t it dangerous for you to be here alone? If you wanted to see, why not come to school for lessons? I haven¡¯t seen you at school, either.¡± ¡°Well, because of some reasons¡­¡± By now Haneiru could no longer hold back tears. She knew that she was only able to leave Rika¡¯s side and appear next to others when those people were experiencing an outbreak. Thus, Haneiru was initially curious; although Hinamizawa Syndrome indeed has an incubation period, it made no sense that Fang Zheng would fall ill just one day after arriving. But what surprised Haneiru even more was that not only did Fang Zheng appear completely well, but he could also fully perceive her presence! After all, even patients deeply afflicted with stage L5 could only just vaguely hear her voice! Speaking of which, by continually apologizing to those deep in the throes of the disease, aren¡¯t you making them even more paranoid, girl? ¡°Um, I¡¯m very sorry to have disturbed you, I have to go now, very sorry, please don¡¯t tell anyone I was here!¡± Having said that, Haneiru finally couldn¡¯t sit still any longer and hurriedly got up to leave. Watching her departure, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow but ultimately did nothing. Frankly, Haneiru¡¯s appearance was unexpected for Fang Zheng, yet it was a good beginning. He had always hoped to find an opportunity to discuss things with Rika. But if he were to approach her directly, Rika clearly would not trust him. She might have been suspicious of his appearance, but she would likely be cautious and test the waters rather than confronting him outright. Perhaps for Rika, this failure was tolerable, but not for Fang Zheng. He was well aware that although Rika¡¯s abilities appeared similar to Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow on the surface, fundamentally they were vastly different. Tom Cruise would retrospect the entire world upon his death, but it would be more apt to say Rika was jumping across parallel worlds rather than engaging in time retrospection. Upon failing in this world, Rika would find another world¡¯s timeline to start over. However, Rika¡¯s ability to traverse worlds did not mean Fang Zheng could do the same. His power was time; it did not involve parallel worlds. Moreover, Rika¡¯s powers, deriving from Haneiru, were ¡°single-user exclusive,¡± so Fang Zheng was not keen to try it out. He wondered if the Rika in this world didn¡¯t achieve her goal, whether he would end up starting over in the next world with her. Now, with Haneiru acting as a go-between, perhaps Rika would take some other actions. Thinking this, Fang Zheng reached out to pick up the mug beside him and took a sip of coffee. Then, he turned his head and looked out at the pitch-black night sky. Resonating beneath the night sky was the low sound of cicadas. ¡°Rika! Rika! Rika!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Haneiru?¡± Watching the frantic Haneiru appear before her, Rika also frowned. She glanced at the already dormant Satoko not far away and then turned to face the other side, glaring at Haneiru discontentedly. ¡°Where exactly have you been? Why didn¡¯t you respond when I called you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bad, really bad, this time it¡¯s really serious! Ah woo ah woo!¡± ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Seeing the panicked appearance of Haneiru, Rika became curious. ¡°I, I was seen by someone!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Hearing Haneiru¡¯s response, a look of immense surprise also appeared on Rika¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean you were seen? Can someone actually see you?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, the new teacher who arrived today; I went over tonight to check on him. But I didn¡¯t expect to be discovered by him, and he even invited me to sit for a while!¡± ¡°Was there anything unusual about his behavior?¡± At this moment, Rika¡¯s expression also grew serious, as she well knew the conditions under which Haneiru would appear before someone else. ¡°Could his condition have progressed to Stage L3?¡± ¡°No no no, he was very normal, that¡¯s what¡¯s strange. His reactions are different from everyone else¡¯s! When he looked at me, he seemed to be able to see my existence very clearly, and he treated me like an ordinary student, asking me a bunch of questions¡­¡± Saying this, Haneiru bit her lower lip and then looked at Rika. ¡°Rika¡­ I think, this Mr. Fang Zheng might be our hope for breaking free from this fate.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± But this time, Rika did not speak. Instead, she lowered her head to think for a moment, then slowly leaned against the wall and sat down, looking up towards the window. Seeing her strange reaction, Haneiru cocked her head, curiously watching her. ¡°¡­Rika?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± As she spoke, Rika curled up her trembling body. This was not due to fear, but rather from excitement. A person who had never appeared in her previous cycles, someone who, like herself, could communicate with Haneiru. As Haneiru said, perhaps this man was the hope that could rescue her from the abyss of suffering. But would he really help her? Hope bred greater disappointment, and the girl who had experienced nearly a hundred cycles knew this all too well. What if he did not wish to help her, or even if he did, turned out to be like Akasaka¡­ Thinking this, Rika lowered her head and closed her eyes. This time, would it truly be worth trying? Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Chapter 113: The Wheel of Change Begins to Turn Chapter 114: Chapter 113: The Wheel of Change Begins to Turn In the following days, Fang Zheng did not immediately spring into action; instead, he went about the same work day after day. He taught lessons, took leaves, and then sipped tea in the infirmary, waiting for someone to come for consultation. Perhaps because the profession of Psychological Consultant was deemed prestigious, or maybe because Fang Zheng¡¯s so-called ¡°overseas study¡± background was quite eye-catching, quite a few children came to seek his help. Of course, the issues the children brought up to Fang Zheng were the likes of ¡°he stole my toy,¡± ¡°I have a crush on OO, but I don¡¯t know how to express it,¡± ¡°I¡¯m being disliked, what should I do?¡± Nonetheless, Fang Zheng patiently counseled them one by one. Because Fang Zheng was well aware that only in this way could he gain the recognition of certain beings. As expected, perseverance paid off, and after a week, a visitor Fang Zheng had anticipated arrived at his ¡°Psychological Counseling Office.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Teacher, I¡¯m not disturbing you, am I? I¡¯m not, right?¡± ¡°Welcome, Rena.¡± Looking at the girl in front of him, dressed in a white sundress, Fang Zheng smiled, stood up and made a welcoming gesture. ¡°No, not at all, it¡¯s part of my job, after all. Please, have a seat¡­ would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? I also have some cake here.¡± ¡°Ah, then I¡¯d like a cup of black tea.¡± ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Upon hearing Rena¡¯s request, Fang Zheng nodded and then poured a cup of black tea, before taking out a slice of fruit cake from the refrigerator next to him. Seeing the fruit cake, Rena¡¯s expression instantly changed. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so cute, I want to take it home!!¡± This must also be a kind of psychological illness. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï Watching Rena, who squinted her eyes as if magnetized by the fruit cake, swinging back and forth, Fang Zheng murmured a critical comment to himself. Then he shut the door of the room, sat back in his chair, and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the soundproofing magic took effect, converting the entire room into a sealed chamber. This was one of Fang Zheng¡¯s techniques, after all, this was just an ordinary rural school with pretty average construction. Most of the school¡¯s population was children, and because of this, they were particularly sensitive to such matters. Fang Zheng would not want someone eavesdropping while he conducted psychological consultations; while they might seem like trivial concerns, if someone outside were to overhear and then speak to the parties involved about them, that would be a major problem for him. That¡¯s why Fang Zheng always deployed soundproof magic before each ¡°treatment¡± to eliminate this issue. Of course, from another perspective, this also meant that no matter what happened inside the infirmary, no one on the outside could hear any sound¡­ hehehe¡­ Alright, that¡¯s enough thinking. Perhaps due to the tea and cake, Rena was no longer as tense as she had been when she first arrived; she took a sip of black tea and then looked towards Fang Zheng. ¡°Actually¡­ Teacher, I have something really troubling to discuss, I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ it¡¯s about my father¡­¡± As he listened to Rena¡¯s story, Fang Zheng began to recall the related plot. Rena¡¯s story was quite tragic, too. Her mother was an excellent designer, and her father had resigned from his job and moved to where his wife worked in order to make her job go smoother. Unfortunately, his decisions did not lead to a happy outcome, as his wife, whose status had gradually risen, clearly disdained her husband who had quit his job to be a homemaker, turning her eyes toward men who were in the same position as she was. Eventually, Rena¡¯s mother engaged in an extramarital affair and divorced her husband, leaving Rena deeply hurt. But this was only the beginning. After moving back to Hinamizawa, Rena¡¯s father became despondent, seeking solace in alcohol day after day. Then, he met a woman at a hostess club¡ªMamiya Rena. This woman was Teppei Hojo¡¯s mistress and his partner in crime. She and Teppei Hojo played a badger game to lure Rena¡¯s father in, making him spend a great deal of money on her and even fooling him into buying her an apartment in the name of marriage. After the apartment was bought, Teppei Hojo showed up in time to severely beat Rena¡¯s father under the pretext of ¡°You dare lay hands on my woman,¡± resulting in him being cheated both personally and financially, utterly defeated. Seeing what her father had suffered, Rena naturally could not stand idly by. In the end, she killed Mamiya Rena and Teppei Hojo, starting the legend of the Hinamizawa Darkening, with the machete becoming one of the three infamous weapons, known throughout the world. Considering the situation from Rena¡¯s perspective, Fang Zheng thought anyone would be unable to tolerate such events, especially since winning a lawsuit over such matters would be incredibly difficult. In fact, most people experiencing what Rena did would likely have the initial reaction to simply kill the malevolent couple. So, this really had nothing to do with being infected by a virus, anyone in that situation would have taken action, right? Regrettably, Fang Zheng had a premonition that in this world, he absolutely could not commit murder, or else he would have already found a way to dump those two people into Tokyo Bay. ¡°My father is still planning to buy that woman an apartment¡­ I really don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± This was the ¡°child¡¯s¡± limit. Quietly observing Rena as she lowered her head, Fang Zheng sighed. ¡°Children¡± are ultimately just ¡°children.¡± No matter how clever or powerful they seem, they all yearn for their parents¡¯ assistance and reliance. And for someone like Rena, coming from a single-parent household was already quite stressful. With such an incident on top of it all, despite Rena¡¯s typically carefree nature, she probably could not find happiness. However, Fang Zheng was not entirely without a plan. ¡°Rena, do you trust your father?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Startled by Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rena hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know, teacher¡­ I just feel that my father can¡¯t go on like this¡­¡± ¡°Then let me rephrase the question.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng took a sip of his coffee. ¡°Do you believe that your father still loves you?¡± ¡°Of course, my father loves me!¡± At this, Rena stood up abruptly, her fists clenched with emotion. ¡°I also wish, I want my father to forget the past and live well, but that woman¡­ that woman has deceived him! Now all he sees is that woman!¡± At that moment, Rena¡¯s face became increasingly fierce, and even Fang Zheng could feel the terrifying murderous intent emitting from the girl before him, as if a ferocious beast was about to bare its fangs. Is this the Hinamizawa Syndrome? What¡¯s more, to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, Rena¡¯s strength had increased! According to the Main World¡¯s classification, Rena¡¯s strength had been at an average human¡¯s level, but now, she was gradually approaching Entry Level standard! Could this virus be likened to a Saiyan reincarnation? Could it also lead to a super super super transformation? ¡°Then, go and have a proper talk with your father.¡± Fang Zheng was, of course, well aware that the last thing to do when someone is angry is to try to pacify them. Venting anger is everyone¡¯s instinct, and pacifying feels like forcibly holding down a lid that should be lifted, only making the anger burn more fiercely. So, he was not trying to pacify, but to open the lid, and then¡­ extinguish the flame. ¡°Huh?¡± Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, Rena stopped short, staring blankly at Fang Zheng. The ferocious expression slowly faded from her face, and at the same time, the savage killing intent and aura began to recede. ¡°If you¡¯re truly dissatisfied with what your father is doing, then tell him directly. Suffering in silence won¡¯t change anything. If you want to speak out, then do it loudly. If you still believe that he is your father, then you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of this, should you?¡± With that, Fang Zheng took another sip of his coffee, looking at Rena with a half-smile. ¡°Or do you think¡­ your words won¡¯t matter to your father, that he cares more about that woman instead of you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible, Dad loves me the most! And I love him the most too!¡± Fatherly love is like a mountain, huh? Should there be a twist of a fiendish father here? ¡°Then, find your father and have a proper talk.¡± Fang Zheng put down his mug and watched Rena with a smile. He had similar experiences and understood well what these children had in their hearts. They all knew they had been wronged, but to be ¡°obedient¡± and ¡°understanding,¡± these children kept their grievances to themselves and never released them. They just hoped that by doing so, their parents would have a change of heart or grow closer to them. But clearly, that was impossible. ¡°If you don¡¯t speak up, your father won¡¯t know. People need to use words to communicate because not everything will happen the way they want it to. Perhaps you should try it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Rena stayed silent for a moment; then it seemed she made up her mind, bowing respectfully towards Fang Zheng. ¡°Thank you, teacher, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°I wish you success.¡± Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The Changed World Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The Changed World The advice from Fang Zheng turned out to be correct; all it took was one look at Rena¡¯s exuberant smile when she arrived at school early in the morning to know the answer without saying a word. ¡°Teacher, I really want to thank you!¡± After arriving at school, the first thing Rena did was to run up to Fang Zheng, bow deeply to express her gratitude, and then she took out a lunchbox. ¡°Thanks to your blessing, my troubles have been resolved! I am so grateful to you! These are some Peony cakes I made, please accept them if you will.¡± ¡°Seeing you like this, I already know the answer.¡± Looking at Rena¡¯s radiant smile, Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth curved slightly into a smile, and he reached out to take the lunchbox she offered. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take this then, as a side dish for my lunch.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng nodded to Rena and then turned to leave. Seeing Fang Zheng depart, the rest of the curious crowd gathered around. ¡°What happened, Rena?¡± ¡°Did something happen between you and Teacher Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Perhaps because her troubles were already resolved, Rena no longer felt embarrassed to speak, and she openly told her friends everything that had happened. This included her parents getting divorced, her father being unemployed at home, being infatuated by a strange woman, and squandering money¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï After listening to Rena¡¯s story, everyone was taken aback. ¡°Such a thing actually happened?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rena nodded, then she placed a hand on her chest and took a long sigh of relief. ¡°To tell the truth, I really didn¡¯t know what to do at that time. It was later that I thought of going to Teacher Fang Zheng since he said to find him if I had troubles¡­ It was also the teacher who made me realize that I couldn¡¯t go on like this, that I had to buck up and have a clear talk with my father. If things continued to remain ambiguous, only bad things could happen, so I followed the teacher¡¯s advice and had a good talk with my dad¡­¡± As she spoke, a look of relief appeared on Rena¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Fortunately, my father finally came to his senses. He has decided to look for a job again and to stop living such a dazed life. He also promised me that he would break up with that woman. It¡¯s really great; you know, he was even considering buying her a house at one point; if it had come to that¡­¡± ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Keiichi furrowed his brow. ¡°If it had really come to that, the situation might have become even more troublesome.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± As she said this, Rena¡¯s expression became much more solemn¡ªshe fidgeted with her clothes, lowering her head and gazing at the ground. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how to say it, but I feel¡­ the teacher saved me once.¡± ¡°Saved you?¡± Hearing Rena¡¯s words, Mion looked at her curiously. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Facing Mion¡¯s question, Rena showed a complex expression. ¡°Actually, on the night after I spoke to my father, I had a very strange dream¡­¡± ¡°A dream?¡± ¡°Yes, in the dream there was no teacher; I didn¡¯t look for anyone to consult with and just watched my father get deeper and deeper into trouble. Later, my father gave everything he had to buy that woman a house, and then¡­ a man showed up, beat my father up, saying my father messed with his woman. Then they took everything my father had¡­ I was so angry, so very angry, so I went to confront that woman, but she just badmouthed my father right in front of me, and in a fit of rage, I¡­¡± ¡°This¡­ this is just a dream.¡± Watching the silence descend upon the air, Satoko wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, then spoke to offer comfort. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, Rena, it was just a dream.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ just a dream¡­¡± As she spoke, Rena stared at her own hands. ¡°But I don¡¯t know why, I felt the dream was so real, as if I really did kill that woman, and then dismembered the man as well¡­ and more¡­ I dragged everyone into it, making all of you my accomplices¡­¡± Having said that, Rena closed her mouth and shook her head. She still remembered that when she opened her eyes the next day, the shock and fear she experienced were so intense that, for a moment, she actually thought she had murdered that couple and hidden their dismembered bodies in the dump. It wasn¡¯t until Rena hurried to the living room and saw her father greeting her with a smile that she was completely freed from that horrible nightmare. ¡°Yeah, if things go according to what you said, Rena, it might really end up that way in the end, and that would be too terrifying.¡± ¡°But according to what you said, Teacher Fang Zheng has already solved the problem for you, hasn¡¯t he?¡± The one to bring the energy back was, naturally, Maehara Keiichi. ¡°So you have nothing to worry about, Rena, it was only a bad dream, and bad dreams just pass once they¡¯re over! But Teacher Fang Zheng is really amazing, it seems I also need to find time to talk to him about my troubles.¡± ¡°Troubles? What troubles could you have, Little Gui?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I lose every time we have club activities, and that¡¯s a serious problem for me!¡± ¡°For such minor troubles, instead of bothering the teacher, you should just work hard on your own, ohohoho¡­ Keiichi, you¡¯ll need another eighty years before you can beat us!¡± ¡°Damn it, Satoko, you wait right there. Today we¡¯ll have a showdown!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already a girl; we don¡¯t need to decide that, unless you¡¯re planning on wearing a dress after you lose, Keiichi?¡± ¡°Aaargh, just you wait!!!¡± The once quiet classroom regained its usual liveliness, and no one noticed the astonished and inexplicable look in Rika¡¯s eyes as she stood in the corner, watching everything unfold. ¡°¡­ The future¡­ has changed!¡± For Fang Zheng, this was just a small beginning, but not the end. He had found the conditions for winning in this world, but¡­ ¡°Is this really useful?¡± Walking on the street, looking at the scenery around him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but ponder. Indeed, the World of Cicada¡¯s Song is not one dependent on martial strength, but on the flip side, hadn¡¯t all he had done only helped the protagonist grow in will and spirit? What did that have to do with him? Or was there something he had overlooked? Fang Zheng absolutely didn¡¯t believe that the Dimensional Codex had sent him to this world to be a spiritual mentor. He had made that mistake in the world of Dark Soul, initially suspecting that the zombies were nothing but weaklings that fell with a single cut and not worth honing his skills against, only to be taught a lesson by a zombie Sword Saint. Although it¡¯s said one doesn¡¯t make the same mistake twice, Fang Zheng felt a bit worried at the moment. He had a bad premonition that if he didn¡¯t find the ¡°key¡± this world had left for him, he might well repeat his past failures. And to this pitfall-laden system¡­ Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. ¡°Hm?¡± Just then, as if sensing something, Fang Zheng looked up across the street. Quickly, he saw a green-haired girl standing on the sidewalk, talking to a group of men dressed like thugs. From their look, they seemed to be outsiders just passing by. But now, it seemed they intended to engage in some more ¡°promising¡± activities. ¡°Hey, cutie, wanna take a ride with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested, and I have classes in the afternoon. I¡¯ll pass.¡± After saying these words, the green-haired girl snorted coldly and turned to leave. Watching this unfold, the faces of the thugs turned ugly. ¡°Hey, you woman¡­¡± The lead thug bellowed as he reached out, trying to grab the girl. Watching the thug lunging at her, the girl furrowed her brow, stepped back, and then reached into her bosom¡­ But in the next moment, a figure appeared in front of her. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing to my student?¡± Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Twins Sisters Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Twins Sisters ¡°Huh?¡± As Fang Zheng suddenly appeared, both parties were taken aback. The green-haired girl looked at Fang Zheng with surprise, then withdrew her hand from her bosom. However, at the same time, the ruffians in front of her clearly didn¡¯t intend to let things go. ¡°Hey, who are you, buddy? Do you know that¡­ Aaaaah it hurts hurts hurts hurts¡­¡± ¡°To pick up someone in broad daylight on the street, at least have some decency.¡± Fang Zheng indifferently held the ruffian¡¯s right hand, not letting go despite his howls of pain, merely smiling as he watched the scene unfold. These people could be killed. Unlike his previous encounter with Teppei Hojo, when Fang Zheng felt murderous intent towards the men before him now, he didn¡¯t sense the sort of warning or danger from the entire world. It seemed that this world was indeed peculiar. Someone despicable like Teppei Hojo was protected by the Will of the World, yet these small-time thugs, guilty of lesser crimes, could simply be killed by anyone¡­ How interesting. ¡°Leave now. I don¡¯t want to repeat myself.¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng snapped back to the present and coldly looked at the small-time thugs. By now, they had lost all their arrogance and bravado and were so frightened by the murderous aura emanating from Fang Zheng that they didn¡¯t dare move. It felt as though they were surrounded by countless monsters, each one eyeing them eagerly, ready to pounce and tear them to pieces at a single command. ¡°Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, sorry! We¡¯re leaving right now!!¡± After Fang Zheng released his hand, the ruffians practically tumbled over each other in their haste to flee, even abandoning their motorcycle by the roadside. But perhaps that was for the best, after all, it¡¯s easy to cause a traffic accident when driving with frayed nerves. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï With that, Fang Zheng turned around and looked at the girl behind him. ¡°Mion, shouldn¡¯t you be in class? What are you doing here?¡± Indeed, the girl who had been approached by the thugs was Fang Zheng¡¯s student, and one of the main characters¡ªSonozaki Mion. No way! Fang Zheng of course knew her true identity, which was the same as he had just said¡­ Sonozaki Mion. But this Sonozaki Mion wasn¡¯t the one from Hinamizawa. Strictly speaking, the one attending classes in Fang Zheng¡¯s class in Hinamizawa was Sonozaki Shion. Meanwhile, the girl strolling through Okimiya at this moment was the real Sonozaki Mion. This brings us to an absurd accident in the Cicada¡¯s Song. The two kids were twins who looked identical from birth. However, as per the Sonozaki Family¡¯s tradition, if two daughters were born, the second daughter would have to be drowned. Naturally, Shion wasn¡¯t drowned; instead she was sent to Okimiya, essentially being exiled. As for Mion, she was trained and cultivated in Hinamizawa as the future heir of the family. The sisters would secretly meet occasionally. Shion was very envious of Mion, and in turn, Mion would allow them to switch identities, allowing Shion to enjoy her life for a change. And so, tragedy struck during one of these identity swaps. It happened before a banquet, with the elder sister, Mion, not realizing the importance of this event. She thought it was just a regular banquet. At the time, Shion was also very envious and pleaded with her sister to switch places with her to enjoy the banquet. Mion agreed without realizing the consequences¡­ And then the tragedy occurred. The banquet was actually a ceremony to confirm the successor of the Sonozaki Family, and for the next family head, a tattoo of an ogre had to be inked on their back. Since the sisters looked exactly the same, no one realized that the Mion in front of them was actually Shion in disguise, so the tattoo of the ogre¡¯s emblem was inked on her back, and hence, the tragedy transpired. Shion, as the younger sister, was mistaken as ¡°Mion¡± and remained in the family¡¯s main house. But Mion, the original elder sister, was cast away as ¡°Shion.¡± This was rather awkward. After that, Mion cried and pleaded several times, but unfortunately, the Sonozaki Family recognized tattoos, not people, so she had to accept her fate as ¡°Shion¡± and live as the ¡°younger sister¡± in Okimiya. This was one of the reasons that led to ¡°Shion¡¯s¡± darkening, because a childhood prank cost her everything she had once owned. Her sister took over the fortunate life meant for her, while she was left to live alone in Okimiya with no home to return to¡­ Who could bear such a thing? If this were a starting point for a novel¡¯s protagonist, there wouldn¡¯t be peace without a bloodbath. So, it¡¯s all because of Oyashiro-sama¡¯s curse, right? The Hinamizawa Syndrome and such are just nonsense¡ªif one could stay calm in such a situation, that would be abnormal. Everyone¡¯s gone stoic, haven¡¯t they? ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Perhaps only now did Mion¡ªor should we say, Shion¡ªrealize what was happening, as she showed an embarrassed smile, took a couple of steps back, and then waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, teacher, I just had a little¡­ something to do.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes with interest as he regarded her. ¡°You¡¯re not Mion¡­ you¡¯re her¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Shion¡¯s expression turned complex. She hesitated for a moment, then revealed a sly smile. ¡°Right, I apologize. My name is Sonozaki Shion, Mion¡¯s younger sister. You must be Mr. Fang Zheng. It¡¯s nice to meet you; my elder sister has been in your care.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re her younger sister.¡± In reality, she should be the elder sister. ¡°Yes, thank you for your help, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Speaking of which, Shion looked at Fang Zheng and then extended an invitation. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how about having a cup of tea together? I¡¯m quite interested in my older sister¡¯s life in Hinamizawa too.¡± See, this is the advantage of having high charm. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem.¡± Invited by Mion, Fang Zheng came with her to a nearby caf¨¦. After they sat down, Shion immediately started sizing up Fang Zheng without any hesitation. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Mr. Fang Zheng to be able to tell that my sister and I are not the same person. To be honest, I¡¯m really curious, how did you discover that?¡± ¡°Because the aura is different.¡± ¡°Aura? You don¡¯t mean the smell, do you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the aura, or you can also think of it as each person¡¯s personality.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng took a sip of black tea and then looked at the girl before him with interest. ¡°For example, you might feel constrained in front of some people, but at ease with others, that¡¯s the aura. Some people¡¯s aura can make others feel tense, while others do not. It¡¯s inherent and unchangeable. You and Mion give off different vibes, Mion is more lively, and you seem more composed.¡± ¡°You can even tell by that¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Shion looked at him with wide eyes, slightly surprised. ¡°My sister mentioned that Mr. Fang Zheng serves as a Psychological Consultant at the school. Now, it seems you do have some real skills¡­ Has my sister ever discussed any worries with you?¡± ¡°As a Psychological Consultant, I have a duty of confidentiality.¡± ¡°What does it matter? I¡¯m her sister after all. If my sister has worries, she could consult with me just the same.¡± ¡°But everyone perceives problems differently.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng looked at the girl before him with a smile. ¡°Perhaps what seems like a small issue to you may be a tremendous concern for Mion¡­ The reverse is also true, everyone has their own issues, and their perspective on them is different.¡± As he said this, Fang Zheng stood up. ¡°Well, I have other matters to attend to, so I must be going. By the way, if you are interested, you can also come to the school to consult with me, free of charge.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng nodded toward Shion, then turned and left. Shion watched Fang Zheng depart, her expression inscrutable, and after a moment, she let out a long sigh. ¡°Kasai, you¡¯re there, aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Yes, miss.¡± With that, a man dressed in a black suit, tall and imposing, wearing sunglasses, looking much like a member of the mafia, stepped forward. He bowed respectfully to Shion and then sat down where Fang Zheng had been. ¡°What do you think of Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°If I may speak frankly, he is a very dangerous man.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± At Kasai¡¯s response, Shion¡¯s eyes widened with curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard you describe someone as dangerous. Could it be that he¡¯s a playboy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± The man in the black suit shook his head and then spoke in a low voice. ¡°Just now, when those thugs were bothering the young lady, I felt a terrifying murderous intent emanating from him, a feeling even I could hardly bear¡­¡± ¡°Eh? But I didn¡¯t feel anything of the sort?¡± ¡°I have heard that some masters can skillfully control their murderous aura, and it seems that gentleman has such ability.¡± ¡°How interesting¡­¡± Hearing this, Shion¡¯s eyes grew even more curious. ¡°Why would someone who even scares you, Kasai, come to a small place like Hinamizawa?¡± ¡°Am I not working for you, miss? Everyone has their past. However, I don¡¯t think that gentleman will cause harm to Miss Mion.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Upon hearing Kasai¡¯s response, Shion¡¯s eyes wandered, and then they lit up. ¡°Mm¡­ I just thought of a good idea.¡± Chapter 117 - Chapter 117: Chapter 116 I Believe in Science Chapter 117: Chapter 116 I Believe in Science Regarding the issues with Sonozaki Shion and Satoko Hojo, Fang Zheng still had no clues for the time being. As things stood, unless Teppei Hojo returned, he had no way of intervening. And concerning Sonozaki Shion, unless the other party brought it up, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t just come out and say it. He didn¡¯t have any better options, so he could only let things take their course for now. Not to mention, he had another matter to attend to at the moment. That was the upcoming Cotton Flow Festival. As Hinamizawa¡¯s annual festival, the Cotton Flow Festival was an exceptionally lively event. Each year on this day, people would gather here to enjoy the dance performed by the Shrine Maiden, followed by releasing the torn pieces of cotton into the river during the ritual. In a horror-themed world, this festival, naturally, was linked to murder. The rumor had it that every year on the day of the Cotton Flow Festival, one person would die, and another would disappear. Hmm¡­ Fortunately, there was no glasses-wearing Shinigami Elementary Student here, or else solving the case would just be a matter of time. As a school teacher, Fang Zheng naturally had to participate and was in charge of some heavy physical work, but he didn¡¯t mind. On the contrary, it was a good opportunity to close the gap between himself and the residents of Hinamizawa. After all, considering what he had planned for the future, it was beneficial to build up his reputation in the village sooner rather than later. With a body reconstituted by the Zerg, Fang Zheng gracefully and flawlessly played the role of someone who, undaunted by hardship or fatigue, embodies the spirit of Lei Feng in doing good deeds for a hundred years without wavering. Not only did he smoothly complete his assigned tasks, he even helped others with much of their work. Adding to that the bonus of Fang Zheng¡¯s charm and his way of conducting things, the villagers had nothing but praise for this newcomer. It could be said that Fang Zheng made the most of this opportunity to significantly boost his reputation. Finally, the eve of the Cotton Flow Festival arrived¡­ ¡°That¡¯s it for today, thank you everyone for your hard work.¡± Fang Zheng clapped his hands and, looking at the finished stand, turned to his companions. There, Maehara Keiichi and the other members of the Academy Life Division were sweating profusely but had satisfied expressions on their faces. Regardless, the sense of accomplishment that came from everyone working together in harmony was irreplaceable. ¡°So, as usual, I¡¯ll treat everyone to drinks today. Keiichi, you¡¯re in charge of buying them. Everyone, feel free to say what you¡¯d like to drink. Oh, and I¡¯ll have a coffee.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng took out his wallet and tossed it over, and Keiichi caught it with a smile, gesturing at Fang Zheng. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï ¡°The teacher really is generous. Well then, I won¡¯t hold back! Everyone, what do you want?¡± ¡°I want orange juice!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a cola!¡± ¡°Please get me a can of tea!¡± Soon after, Keiichi and the others left the site to purchase drinks. At that moment, Fang Zheng saw a man and a woman entering the shrine and walking towards their group. The man appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in a vest and shorts with a camera in hand, seemingly a photographer. The woman was wearing a green coat, her golden shoulder-length hair giving her a quiet, graceful demeanor. Upon seeing these two, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes narrowed instantly. The reason was simple, for the woman now standing before him was the ultimate and most malevolent enemy of this world¡ªMiyo Takano. ¡°My, what a bustling scene,¡± The man dressed as a photographer came up and took a photo of the group, then raised his hand in greeting. The woman beside him nodded at Fang Zheng and the others as well. ¡°Good afternoon.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Mr. Tomitake and Miss Takano, hello there.¡± Seeing the two arrive, Mion, standing beside Fang Zheng, quickly stepped forward to greet them. When they saw Fang Zheng, both looked over curiously. Tomitake then spoke up. ¡°You must be the new teacher everyone¡¯s talking about. My name is Tomitake, a freelance photographer from Tokyo. This is Miss Miyo Takano, a nurse at the clinic.¡± ¡°Hello, nice to meet you for the first time, I¡¯m Fang Zheng.¡± Fang Zheng also nodded and greeted them. Then, he quietly glanced at the woman. She was the biggest boss of the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, Miyo Takano. Fang Zheng knew that the World of Cicada¡¯s Song had two main storylines. In the overt storyline, the protagonists would become darkened and go on a rampage due to the Hinamizawa Syndrome, leading to a violence unmatched. The other, hidden storyline had this woman as its main character. Her adoptive father, Hifumi Takano, had discovered the existence of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and due to various reasons, his grandfather¡¯s research was halted and ended in despair. Miyo Takano swore to fulfill her grandfather¡¯s will and continued the study of this disease. According to Hifumi Takano¡¯s theory, Hinamizawa Syndrome was a disease caused by parasites infecting the human brain, subtly affecting human emotions. More importantly, among the parasites was a so-called ¡°Queen¡± leader, and all the infected could not stray too far from the Queen, or they would fall ill. This was one of the reasons why residents of Hinamizawa rarely left their hometown. Furthermore, should the Queen Infector die, other patients would descend into madness within 48 hours. In the story, to prove to others that her adoptive father Hifumi Takano¡¯s research was correct, Miyo Takano not only killed Furutega Rika, the ¡°Queen¡± infector, but even ordered her Mountain Dog Unit to release poison gas, killing over two thousand villagers of Hinamizawa. She even murdered Rika¡¯s parents when they tried to stop her from experimenting on their daughter, to ensure that her research continued unhindered. It could be said, in order to prove her adoptive father¡¯s research was indisputably correct, Miyo Takano had gone to extreme lengths. For this reason, Fang Zheng naturally had no good feelings towards this woman. And facing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Miyo Takano simply smiled slightly. ¡°Please enlighten me, Mr. Fang Zheng, you are quite famous in Hinamizawa. I often hear patients talking about you in the clinic¡­ I heard you have just returned from studying in America? Why come to such a small place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of Chie Rumiko¡¯s invitation, and I also had some research to complete, so I came to Hinamizawa. Although it¡¯s a small village, it¡¯s very peaceful, and I enjoy living here.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Miyo Takano gave him a meaningful glance. ¡°Then¡­ Mr. Fang Zheng, do you know about Oyashiro-sama¡¯s curse?¡± ¡°Curse?¡± In response to Miyo Takano¡¯s question, Fang Zheng ¡°aptly¡± looked perplexed, and at that moment, Mion beside him suddenly looked grimmer, opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn¡¯t know how to start. ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, are you aware of the Hinamizawa Dam project?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard bits and pieces, it¡¯s about the plan to build a dam here, right?¡± Fang Zheng nodded, he obviously knew what Miyo Takano was about to say. But now, I¡¯ll just watch your performance quietly as I¡¯m supposed to. ¡°Exactly. To oppose this plan, the residents here started a protest movement. At that time, they centered it around this shrine, praying for their victory.¡± ¡°Looking at it now, it seems the plan has been retracted, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Since we are actors, we must of course be professional, so Fang Zheng too put on a feigned expression of ignorance just in time. ¡°But what does this have to do with the so-called curse of Oyashiro-sama?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± It seemed Miyo Takano relished explaining these things to others, so faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s question, she started her ¡°lecture¡± with a cheerful smile. ¡°Four years ago, the supervisor on the construction site of the Hinamizawa Dam was murdered. The following year, a local couple from Hinamizawa who supported the dam were killed when they fell off a cliff during a trip, an apparent accident. The next year, the priest of this shrine died suddenly of a mysterious illness. And last year, the body of a relative of the accident victim from Hinamizawa was found, having been beaten to death.¡± ¡°Are you saying that there are deaths every year?¡± ¡°Yes, and what¡¯s more, these incidents and accidents surely happen on the night of the Cotton Flow Festival every year.¡± As she said this, Miyo Takano¡¯s face flushed with excitement. ¡°If this isn¡¯t due to a curse or a coincidence, then what exactly is going on with these incidents?¡± ¡°Then naturally, it would be a crime,¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t fall for it like Maehara Keiichi and immediately gave an answer. ¡°Such things are not uncommon. Using the name of divine ceremonies to commit murder has happened in many places. I just hope the police can find the culprit soon and bring them to justice.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Perhaps Fang Zheng¡¯s answer was too unexpected for Miyo Takano, causing her expression to freeze for a moment, but she continued, not giving up. ¡°Do you really think these are criminal acts, Mr. Fang Zheng? You know, all four incidents occurred on the night of the Cotton Flow Festival. Four times in a row? Can that still be considered a coincidence?¡± ¡°Four times in a row is certainly not a coincidence, but according to what you say, Miss Takano, it¡¯s not hard to explain at all. The Cotton Flow Festival is the grandest festival in Hinamizawa, and on that day, of course, people will come here, leaving few elsewhere. If someone were to commit murder at this time, the probability of there being witnesses would be smaller, wouldn¡¯t it? And about the sudden death of the Furutega Shrine¡¯s priest¡ªI haven¡¯t seen the autopsy report, so it¡¯s not convenient to say too much, but in fact, science has long proven that human psychological activity can have an impact on bodily functions. As for the fourth year¡¯s incident¡­ you said it yourself, Miss Takano, it was death by beating, so why rule out foul play? In my opinion, of the four incidents, only the second year¡¯s accident may be a coincidence, the others almost have no relation to any supposed curse. Miss Takano, I can understand the fascination with macabre stories, but to exploit the dead as entertainment material isn¡¯t that inappropriate?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Taken aback by Fang Zheng¡¯s rebuttal, Miyo Takano was at a loss for words. The rest who heard Fang Zheng also didn¡¯t know what to say. Only Mion looked at Fang Zheng beside her with complex emotions, uncertain of what to say. Meanwhile, suddenly, a voice arose from behind everyone. ¡°Oh, young man, your point of view is quite interesting.¡± Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Face the Haunting Presence in Battle! Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Face the Haunting Presence in Battle! ¡°Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!¡± Having returned to her room, Miyo Takano had completely lost the composure and elegance she displayed before others. Her face was twisted with fury, and her eyes were bloodshot like those of an enraged cow. At this moment, her palms were covered in bloody wounds, but she didn¡¯t care about such trivial matters at all. ¡°How dare he, how dare he mock Grandfather¡¯s research!! Who does he think he is!! A mere bastard!! How dare he look down on Grandfather¡¯s research!!!!¡± She tore the paper in front of her to shreds, completely engulfed in rage. All that filled her mind now was Fang Zheng¡¯s smug smile from earlier, and the scornful tone he used when mentioning her grandfather. All of it made Miyo Takano relive the scene from her childhood, when those so-called ¡°experts¡± mocked her grandfather¡¯s research in his own home. Back then, her grandfather couldn¡¯t say anything in the face of their mockery. He could only bear it silently¡­ But¡­ Times have changed now!! I will make you pay for your careless words! Thinking this, Miyo Takano bared her teeth, revealing an excited smile. That¡¯s right¡­ Oyashiro-sama¡¯s curse¡­ let him experience what true divine punishment is! With that thought, Miyo Takano picked up the telephone beside her and dialed a number. ¡°Hello, is this Konokig? It¡¯s me, I have a new target for the next phase of the plan¡­¡± The web of fate was shifting. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Fang Zheng raised his head, staring at the pitch-black night sky. After becoming a Prophet Mage, he vaguely sensed the existence of certain things: fate, the future, everything. Nothing was immutable; one cannot step into the same river twice, for the waters of fate are always flowing and changing. The end is the only constant, and people are like leaves falling into the river of fate, desperately trying to grasp and change their own destiny. Yet ultimately, their outcomes remain unchanged. Death is the end of all life, and even with insight into the future, this cannot be changed. The only thing a Prophet Mage can do is to choose as smooth a river as possible, rather than a turbulent waterfall. However, those who drift with the current can never change the river¡¯s course. Choosing is the plea of the weak; changing is the desire of the strong. And fate itself exists, unchanging and eternal. Whether raging torrents or gentle streams, both are parts of fate. It will not change direction for people¡¯s pleas, nor stop for their entreaties. Until forever. ¡°Thud!¡± The deep drumbeat resounded. Hearing this, Fang Zheng turned his head, looking towards the shrine before him. There on the raised platform, Rika, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, held a towering rake plow and performed the offering dance with solemn focus. This too was a small life wishing to change its own fate. Repeating countless times in a fractured world, longing to escape the shadows of death and the endless cycle, but for her, fate remained ever the same. ¡°Thud! Thud! Thud!¡± As the drumming stopped, Rika nodded to the crowd from the stage, then turned and walked away. Next, the villagers, one by one, took the cotton to the river¡¯s edge to perform the final rite of the Cotton Flow Festival. Fang Zheng, with another glance at the now-empty platform, turned and left. Night deepened. Under the silvery moonlight, the forest was pitch black, with the distant river¡¯s edge lit by burning lamps. The entire village was a picture of peace, with no one able to imagine that after this festival, this small village would gradually become a dreadful hell. And all this was merely due to a woman¡¯s pitiful and futile delusions. But now, none of this would happen again, I will shatter your tedious persistence, and let you taste what true despair is. ¡°Ah, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± Just then, a voice rang out. Fang Zheng snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward the direction of the sound. He saw, on a path not far away, a green-haired girl in a dress watching him with a smile. ¡°Hello, Shion. It¡¯s getting late, aren¡¯t you planning on going home?¡± ¡°I was a bit worried about going alone, so could you give me a lift, Mr. Fang Zheng? Just to the intersection would be fine; someone will come by car to pick me up there.¡± The girl named Sonozaki Shion bounded over to Fang Zheng¡¯s side and then clasped her hands together, gazing at him. ¡°Is that okay, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Of course, no problem.¡± Honestly, Shion¡¯s appearance surprised Fang Zheng, especially at this Cotton Flow Festival, where she unexpectedly didn¡¯t pretend to be Mion like in the anime, instead appearing as herself. Not only was Fang Zheng surprised, but so were Mion, Keiichi, and Rena; they were all shocked. After all, they had never heard Mion mention she had a sister, so it also caused quite a stir. Now, seeing Shion¡¯s smug expression, it was obvious she had pulled one over on Mion. ¡°I heard from my older sister that you¡¯re the advisor for their club, Mr. Fang Zheng? I¡¯ve also played that ¡®Warring States¡¯ game; it¡¯s really fun.¡± ¡°Glad you like it.¡± ¡°And also, and also¡­¡± Perhaps because she rarely came to Hinamizawa, Shion was incredibly excited along the way, chattering away to Fang Zheng like a little bird about the happenings at the Cotton Flow Festival. This included participating in festival games with Keiichi and the others, enjoying various foods, and her thoughts about other people. Such as how Keiichi was always tormented by them, how Rena was even tougher than she imagined, and then there was Satoko¡­ ¡°¡­¡± At this point, Shion suddenly fell silent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Shion fall into silence all of a sudden, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow and asked. He, of course, understood why the girl had become quiet; Satoko Hojo was the subject of Shion¡¯s secret crush, Satoshi Hojo¡¯s sister. And Shion¡¯s feelings towards Satoko were quite complicated. She resented Satoko because, in Shion¡¯s view, Satoshi had long been mentally wounded by various burdens. In his fragile state, Satoko still completely relied on him without considering her brother¡¯s condition. This only increased the pressure on Satoshi, causing him frequent anguish¡­ That was, of course, Shion¡¯s perspective. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± In the end, Shion smiled and shook her head at Fang Zheng. ¡°By the way, Mr. Fang Zheng, I would like to come and consult with you about some issues in a few days, would you have time then?¡± ¡°Certainly, no problem.¡± Upon hearing Shion¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng readily responded. ¡°Thank you, then. Ah, the person picking me up has arrived. I should head back first. Goodbye, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± ¡°Beep beep¡­¡± Just then, a pitch-black sedan drove up from the end of the road, pulled over, and after Shion waved at Fang Zheng, she got into the car and left. I know what you want to say to me. Watching the departing figure of Shion in the car window, Fang Zheng¡¯s lips curled up slightly. The nice thing about being a Prophet Mage is that I can now have some premonitions about many things. Of course, it¡¯s only a vague feeling, but for someone with ¡°Future Sight¡± like Fang Zheng, that¡¯s enough to confirm things easily. But I think, you will soon get your answer. With that thought, Fang Zheng glanced once more toward the forest path nearby. He could clearly see a silver minivan quietly parked on a byroad within the forest. As soon as the vehicle Shion was in drove away, the minivan started and turned onto the main road, heading toward his own direction. Because you¡¯ve been scorned, you¡¯ve grabbed the BOSS¡¯s attention, huh? With that thought, Fang Zheng sneered and turned to walk in the direction of the school. Come at me if you¡¯re not afraid to die. Since you want to play, then let¡¯s play a good game¡­ Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 119 Im Not Giving Points for This Trick Chapter 120: Chapter 119 I¡¯m Not Giving Points for This Trick ¡°This festival is really too much fun!¡± Sitting in the car, Sonozaki Shion stretched languidly with great joy. ¡°It seems like a spur-of-the-moment decision to attend the Cotton Flow Festival was indeed the right choice¡­ Hmm, should I also transfer to my sister¡¯s school? It feels like it would be fun¡­ Ah! Oh no!¡± Just then, Shion suddenly remembered something and slapped her hand. ¡°I forgot the message my sister asked me to give to Mr. Fang Zheng¡­ Oh¡­ Maybe the teacher hasn¡¯t gone far yet, Kasai, turn around!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing Shion¡¯s command, the driver in the suit nodded, then suddenly turned the steering wheel to head back the way they had come. ¡°Oh?¡± When the car returned to the place they had just left, Shion could still see Fang Zheng¡¯s figure in the distance, but soon, she noticed something was off. At the moment, a van was slowly approaching him from behind. Here they come? Listening to the engine sound getting closer, Fang Zheng chuckled coldly, knowing all too well who the newcomers were. If Fang Zheng remembered correctly, these guys were Takano¡¯s ¡°Mountain Dog Unit,¡± ostensibly a research group serving Miyo Takano, and also a special forces tasked with protecting Rika. In fact, these people were just Takano¡¯s dogs, who would later kidnap Rika and kill over two thousand people in Hinamizawa. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã? And now¡­ they had set their sights on him? They really had some nerve. ¡°Screech!¡± Just then, the van suddenly stopped next to Fang Zheng. The doors opened and two men in work clothes leaped out, lunging at him from behind, trying to subdue him. But at the moment they lunged, Fang Zheng swiftly dodged their attack. He frowned and stared at them with a serious expression. ¡°Who are you?! Why are you attacking me?¡± Did they fail? Seeing how easily the young man had dodged their attack, the Mountain Dogs were obviously taken aback. According to their intel, this young man was just a greenhorn who had recently returned from studying abroad. Although they didn¡¯t know why the higher-ups had ordered his capture, to the members of the special forces, kidnapping an ordinary person was supposed to be a stress-free job. But now¡­ this was not what they had agreed on! ¡°Charge!¡± Though surprised, as members of the Special Forces, the Mountain Dogs would not just give up. Instead, they glanced at each other and charged at him again. Perfect timing. Seeing these clueless fools rush at him, Fang Zheng felt secretly thrilled. He had been longing to deal with these cruel-hearted individuals, and now that they were throwing themselves at him, how could he not give them a thorough beating they¡¯d never forget? ¡°Haah!¡± Facing the two men charging at him, Fang Zheng turned his body and clenched his fist, striking one of the men heavily in the face and sending him flying. The other man paused in shock, but before he could react, Fang Zheng had already reached him and kicked him between the legs. ¡°Oh¡ªahhh¡ª!¡± Feeling unspeakable pain surge from below, the man¡¯s expression twisted bizarrely as he doubled over. But at the same moment, Fang Zheng landed a right hook on the man¡¯s jaw, temporarily relieving him from the pain as he fell into unconsciousness. ¡°How could this happen?!¡± Watching this scene, the others in the van were also significantly shocked. They hadn¡¯t expected that their simple kidnap attempt of an ordinary person would result in two of their men getting floored in an instant. The remaining members of the Mountain Dog Unit immediately became serious; they jumped down from the van and surrounded Fang Zheng from all sides. Their expressions were no longer relaxed, they even appeared grave. The two unfortunate comrades lying at Fang Zheng¡¯s feet had proven that this young man was not to be trifumed with. And he was¡­ extremely cruel¡­ Seeing their comrade, who was neither laughing nor crying, with both hands tightly covering his crotch as he lay unconscious, the others felt a tightness in their legs¡­ That was too ruthless! We mean no harm and have no quarrels, why do you have to go this far? ¡°Everyone, charge!!¡± But as members of the Special Forces, the Mountain Dogs still had a shred of professional integrity. Even though the young man appeared strong, they were professionals! Moreover, this is an order! No matter how you put it, two fists can¡¯t beat four hands. He alone certainly can¡¯t stand against the six of us, right? ¡°All together now!¡± Following that command, the others immediately rushed toward Fang Zheng. To the Mountain Dog Unit, they believed their superior numbers, along with pistols and stun batons, would easily subdue a single, unarmed man. However, as soon as they engaged, they realized this was nothing like they had anticipated! The young man in front of them wasn¡¯t only strong; his reactions were surprisingly quick. No matter how they attacked, he slid through their gaps like an eel, evading with ease. Moreover, the members of the Mountain Dog Unit discovered that the young man¡¯s strength was extraordinarily great! They had intended to restrain him, but two people had just grabbed his shoulders when Fang Zheng forcefully leaned back, slamming into both. The next moment, these unfortunate ones felt a massive force hit them head-on, like being struck by a large truck, as they howled and flew backward, crashing heavily into the fields beside the road. Immediately afterward, Fang Zheng stretched out both hands, clenched them into fists, and struck the two Mountain Dog Unit members in front of him, one left and one right. Poor things¡ªthey couldn¡¯t even manage a bit of evasion before Fang Zheng¡¯s fists met their chests, causing them to groan in agony and fall to the ground motionless. ¡°No, no good!!¡± Seeing their companions swiftly knocked down by Fang Zheng, the remaining two didn¡¯t dare charge forward to meet their deaths. They exchanged glances, then turned to escape by car, but just as they turned around, they felt a hand grasp their heads. Suddenly, the world spun and danced before their eyes and then¡­ they completely passed out. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Fang Zheng dusted off his hands, looking down at the felled members of the Mountain Dog Unit with a snort. He likely guessed the reason for their arrival. According to the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, during the Cotton Flow Festival, there must be one death and one disappearance. Originally, the one to die was supposed to be Tomitake Jiro, who posed as a photographer but was in fact a Supervisor, and the one missing was supposed to be Miyo Takano. But now, it seemed Takano intended to have him take Tomitake Jiro¡¯s place¡­ Too bad she picked the wrong opponent. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng¡­!¡± Just then, a somewhat panicky voice came from a distance. Fang Zheng looked up to see Sonozaki Shion running anxiously toward him, with a man in a black suit following her. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay! What on earth is going on? Who are these people?¡± As she looked at the men lying unconscious on the ground, Sonozaki Shion¡¯s face showed uncontrollable surprise and astonishment. Initially, she too had seen the van approaching Fang Zheng and felt something was off. But what happened next had utterly shocked the girl, as those who descended from the van attempted to attack Fang Zheng! What is going on here?! Originally, Shion had intended to have her bodyguard Kasai intervene, but she hadn¡¯t expected Fang Zheng to move so quickly. By the time they arrived, he had already dealt with all of them. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so formidable, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± At this moment, Shion¡¯s view of Fang Zheng changed. Although she had been informed by her bodyguard that this young man was dangerous and powerful, only by witnessing him in action did she realize that Fang Zheng was even more formidable than she had imagined. Each of these men was strong and, even for Kasai, dealing with so many of them at once with bare hands would have been difficult, yet Fang Zheng had handled them with ease? However, a new question arose in her mind very soon. ¡°Who are these people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± responded Fang Zheng, shrugging his shoulders to Shion¡¯s inquiry. ¡°I was just walking along when these people came looking for trouble¡­ by the looks of it, they seemed to be planning a kidnapping.¡± As he said this, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression carried a smile that was not quite a smile. ¡°¡­ Speaking of which, today is the Cotton Flow Festival, isn¡¯t it? Maybe these people were planning to have me suffer from Oyashiro-sama¡¯s curse.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Hearing this, Sonozaki Shion¡¯s expression changed dramatically, and she stared intently at the people who had collapsed on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, she then looked at Fang Zheng and asked again. ¡°So, Mr. Fang Zheng, what do you plan to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± As for his plan, Fang Zheng had already figured it out. ¡°Call the police.¡± Chapter 121 - Chapter 121: 120 Chapter 121: 120 ¡°` In the eighties, there were no mobile phones, let alone smartphones; people mostly relied on phone booths or landline phones to communicate. So although Fang Zheng was a formidable figure capable of taking down the South Mountain Nursing Home with his fists and the North Sea Kindergarten with his kicks, he had no choice but to obediently walk two streets away to find a public phone to call the police¡­ After that, Oishi led his team over in a storm of fury. It was no surprise that the officer responded so quickly. Each year, during the Cotton Flow Festival, an incident involving one death and one disappearance occurred, naturally putting pressure on the local police like Oishi. Fang Zheng¡¯s sudden report of being mysteriously assaulted certainly triggered Oishi¡¯s nerves. Moreover, they had already been on alert near the Cotton Flow Festival site and hadn¡¯t yet finished their duty. Receiving the report, the officers immediately sprang into action and arrived at the crime scene, where they arrested all the still-unconscious thugs. The result of the on-site investigation also exhilarated Oishi. Perhaps because they didn¡¯t expect their mission to fail, these ¡°Mountain Dog¡± special members hadn¡¯t bothered to hide anything. So, in their vehicle, the police not only found stun guns, ether, and ropes but even handguns! Seeing these items got Oishi immediately fired up. This was a big case indeed! If nothing had been found, the police might at most have considered this a case of assault or robbery. But now that firearms had been revealed, it was clear that this was no ordinary kidnapping. Especially since the perpetrators had chosen to strike on the night of the Cotton Flow Festival, Oishi grew even more suspicious that these people might be related to the string of murders in Hinamizawa over the past few years! Based on the testimonies from Fang Zheng and Shion at the scene, it was clear that the assailants had come prepared, obviously targeting Fang Zheng. But surprisingly, the young man was too much for them, knocking them all down without exception. For Oishi, however, this was clearly good news, and he immediately gathered his men and brought the criminals back to the police station for interrogation overnight. But for Miyo Takano, this was not good news. In fact, when Miyo Takano heard the news in the secret base beneath the Irie Clinic, she was completely flabbergasted. A special forces team went to kidnap an average person and not only failed but was completely taken down by him, and now they¡¯re being escorted back to the police station? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Are you kidding me? How could this happen? For the moment, Miyo Takano was at a loss. According to her plan, the Cotton Flow Festival was supposed to be the start of the operation. She planned to ¡°disappear¡± as scheduled, and Fang Zheng was supposed to die due to the ¡°curse of Oyashiro-sama¡±. The next day his body would be discovered, and Takano could use this as a pretext to initiate the ¡°final operation¡±, with the ultimate goal of using the opportunity to kill Furutega Rika, and using gas to kill all the villagers of Hinamizawa to prove her foster father¡¯s thesis correct. But now¡­ her Mountain Dog Unit, her right hand, had been defeated by a young boy? What a joke!! But whether it was a joke or not, Miyo Takano now had to face the trouble that Fang Zheng left for her. The ¡°Mountain Dog¡± was a special ops unit, and the Irie Clinic was a secret research facility studying the Hinamizawa Syndrome, which could not be made public. Although those people were professionals, who knew if they might slip up and say something they shouldn¡¯t. If those higher up took this chance to make a big deal out of it¡­ it wouldn¡¯t just be the ¡°Mountain Dog¡± Unit in trouble, likely the whole research facility would be forced to shut down! Damn it!! ¡°Immediately find someone to get them out! And figure out a way to have the Metropolitan Police Department downplay the incident, just say it was an accident!¡± ¡°Report! Lieutenant Tomitake has a call for you.¡± ¡°Tomitake¡­¡± ¡°` Hearing the report from her subordinate, Miyo Takano hesitated for a moment before picking up the handset. Soon, Jiro Tomitake¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Miyo Sanchi, what on earth is going on? Why did ¡®Mountain Dog¡¯ make a move against civilians?¡± ¡°It was just an accident!¡± Hearing Jiro Tomitake¡¯s interrogation, Miyo Takano also panicked. She knew that the man disguised as a birdwatcher¡¯s true identity was actually the liaison between the research institute she belonged to and its behind-the-scenes boss ¡°Tokyo.¡± If he reported this incident to ¡°Tokyo,¡± they would surely order a thorough investigation, and by then, everything she had done here would probably be exposed! ¡°We believed that the target had likely been infected with ¡®Hinamizawa Syndrome,¡¯ so we wanted to take him in for isolation and observation, but¡­ something unexpected happened¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hearing Miyo Takano¡¯s response, Jiro Tomitake¡¯s tone softened considerably, which allowed Miyo Takano to gradually relax. ¡°But, you were too reckless in your actions. You should know, ¡®Tokyo¡¯ doesn¡¯t allow things to get out of hand! You must eliminate the impact of this incident as soon as possible, otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to help you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jiro.¡± At this point, Miyo Takano finally felt at ease, knowing that this man loved her, which was exactly why she had made that decision. But now¡­ Thinking this, Miyo Takano shook her head. The original plan was no longer viable, and although Jiro Tomitake deeply loved her, he had duties to fulfill, and with the current situation, it was already too late to stop the communication with ¡°Tokyo¡± by killing him. The incident had a big impact; ¡°Tokyo¡± would surely focus on the aftermath, and if she were to murder Tomitake at this point, ¡°Tokyo¡± would definitely become suspicious. ¡°Damn it!!¡± After hanging up the phone, Miyo Takano punched the table hard in frustration. All of this was because of that bastard Fang Zheng¡ªif it weren¡¯t for him, things would never have escalated to this point!! Not to mention Miyo Takano being busy as if her pants were on fire trying to clean up various messes, early the next morning, the news of Fang Zheng¡¯s attack had spread throughout the entire village. After all, although there had been several murder cases in Hinamizawa, those were unsolved cases without evidence or a suspect. But this time was different; the perpetrators were caught red-handed, and many people had seen them being taken to Okimiya Police Station, causing quite a stir in Hinamizawa. Apart from the somewhat eerie ¡°consecutive murder cases,¡± Hinamizawa was a peaceful place, and now suddenly, there was a robbery, which surprised everyone. For a while, there was much discussion, and even the Sonozaki Family took great interest in the matter. However, the most surprised of them all was Furutega Rika. As an infected ¡°Queen,¡± Furutega Rika was the most knowledgeable about the ¡°Mountain Dog Unit¡± among the people, as one of their tasks was to ensure the safety of Furutega Rika, the ¡°Queen¡± carrier. But, they actually went to attack her teacher? And what was most important¡ªwere they brought down by their target? ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± At this moment, Rika was completely at a loss. In the countless previous cycles, she had never encountered such a thing. It made sense if Fang Zheng was having an outbreak, but the problem was that Fang Zheng didn¡¯t look like he was having one, and he didn¡¯t kill those people, he simply knocked them down. In the end, Rika made up her mind. ¡°I have to try, Haneiru. I have a feeling that perhaps, the teacher will be the key figure who lets me break free from this tragic cycle.¡± Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Theres Only One Truth Chapter 122: Chapter 121: There¡¯s Only One Truth In the following days, Fang Zheng was very busy. After all, the fact that he¡¯d been attacked in Hinamizawa was not a minor issue, and more importantly, his attackers weren¡¯t locals but outsiders, which further complicated the situation. If Hinamizawa locals had attacked Fang Zheng, then people would wait and see if there was some kind of misunderstanding or conflict. But the attackers were foreigners, and based on the current intelligence, it seemed like they planned to kidnap Fang Zheng. This immediately created a leaning stance among the residents of Hinamizawa. Although Fang Zheng had been in Hinamizawa for less than a month, he had brushed past all the reputations, big and small. At school, Fang Zheng was very popular among the children, and during the Cotton Flow Festival, he didn¡¯t skimp on effort, thereby winning over the adults¡¯ reputation as well. This resulted in many people coming to visit after hearing about the incident. This also allowed Fang Zheng to personally experience Hinamizawa¡¯s ¡°united effort,¡± and to tell the truth, such unity was very touching if you were on the friendly side. But it would be terrifying as an enemy. Previously, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t had a personal sense of the plight of Satoshi Hojo and Satoko Hojo, but now, after making a comparison, he spent a few seconds silently mourning for them¡­ Being on the wrong side was indeed fatal. The first to come was naturally Chie Rumiko. No matter what, she was considered Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°senior,¡± and she was very worried about what had happened to him. She didn¡¯t leave until she confirmed that Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t injured. Next came Sonozaki Mion and Maehara Keiichi. Mion¡¯s visit was to convey to Fang Zheng how seriously the Sonozaki Family took this attack. The head of the Sonozaki Family, Ghost Granny, seemed quite concerned about it and had already sent people to investigate. As for Maehara Keiichi, he was more interested in how Fang Zheng managed to single-handedly take on six and beat them to a pulp, persistently pestering him about whether this was the legendary kung fu or ninjitsu¡­ After that came Rena and Satoko, who, like everyone else, were relieved to hear that Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t injured. What puzzled Fang Zheng, though, was that Rena appeared particularly concerned about the incident and even volunteered to prepare lunch for him¡­ While it was a bit odd, Fang Zheng of course wouldn¡¯t refuse Rena¡¯s kindness. After all, eating food prepared by a girl beats making instant noodles for oneself. If the appearance of his students was rather normal, then the arrival of Sonozaki Shion surprised Fang Zheng. Shion didn¡¯t come just to visit; on the contrary, she informed him of something that was expected yet unexpected¡ªthat the thugs who attacked Fang Zheng were involved in a major case and had been taken away by agents from the Metropolitan Police Department. Although Officer Oishi desperately wanted to stop them, as a police officer, of course, he couldn¡¯t go against the orders of his superiors. As for where those ¡°thugs¡± were taken, nobody knew. Not only that, but Sonozaki Shion also spoke to Fang Zheng about Satoshi Hojo. Initially, Sonozaki Shion only suspected that her own family had killed Satoshi, but after seeing those people yesterday, she suddenly had a strong intuition; she kept feeling that there was some connection between those who attacked Fang Zheng and Satoshi¡¯s disappearance. Their subsequent ¡°removal¡± made Shion even more convinced that there was something fishy going on. So, Sonozaki Shion came to Fang Zheng, hoping to join forces with him to investigate. Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t refuse. He knew that even if he did refuse, given Shion¡¯s feelings for Satoshi, she wouldn¡¯t let go of this clue. But the opponents were all murderers who didn¡¯t blink an eye; rather than letting Shion foolishly rush in to meet her death, it would be safer with him by her side. And Fang Zheng, at sunset, finally met the person he had been waiting for. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Mipah¡­ Sensei, do you have time now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Looking at the long, black-haired loli peeking out from the door, curiously staring at him, Fang Zheng nodded. In reality, ever since he found out that Furutega Rika hadn¡¯t come to visit him with Satoko Hojo, he knew that this girl, who had repeated the world nearly a hundred times, had clearly made up her mind to tell him something. But¡­ you really should change this habit of charming your way through, huh? Looking at Furutega Rika in front of him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but think of a certain bespectacled Shinigami Elementary Student who, despite having a mature spirit, had to act like a cute child¡­ In a way, it¡¯s truly a struggle for you. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rika gave a slightly embarrassed smile. ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m drawing a manga, but I¡¯m not sure how to go about the plot, so I wanted to discuss it with you, Sensei¡­¡± So it was, her actions finally touched by what he had done? Watching the girl in front of him, Fang Zheng smiled slightly. As long as he could convince Furutega Rika, then this instance was already half stable for him. With that thought, Fang Zheng looked at Rika and nodded. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem.¡± Sure enough, Rika hinted subtly at the Hinamizawa Syndrome, which was very similar to the plot in the anime. However, unlike the anime, Rika was trying to deduce the process and motive knowing that the culprit was Miyo Takano, while this time, Rika still did not know who the culprit was and hoped to use Fang Zheng¡¯s help to find the murderer. For Fang Zheng, the most important thing currently was to give Rika a hint and tell her the identity of the true culprit. But this was not an easy task, because as far as Rika was concerned, Miyo Takano and the ¡°Mountain Dog¡± unit were definitely there to protect her. In fact, after so many cycles of repetition, Rika might feel that even if everyone else around her would kill her, Takano would not lay a hand on her. That is why Rika never considered that possibility before. And in the original story, if it weren¡¯t for Haneiru, who was almost one with her, revealing that the true culprit was Miyo Takano, Rika would never have believed it. ¡°Hmm¡­ A village that perishes once the Queen Infector dies¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rika nodded and then looked at Fang Zheng with focused attention. ¡°I can¡¯t wrap my head around how to set the real murderer and why they would do such a thing¡­¡± ¡°Following general reasoning, if this were a murder, there would certainly be someone who benefits from it.¡± Fang Zheng took a sip of coffee, smiling as he looked at Furutega Rika. ¡°So if I had to say, the culprit should come from among those in the know¡­ Especially according to your setup, in almost every cycle of the world, the Queen Infector is killed, even more so.¡± ¡°But, but¡­ There are people protecting the Queen Infector.¡± ¡°However, looking at the facts, they have failed to fulfill their duty every single time, haven¡¯t they? There are two possibilities here. One is that the opponent is stronger than them, and the other is¡­ that they have turned traitor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing this, Rika suddenly froze, shivering. She looked at Fang Zheng once again. ¡°But, but¡­ Why would they do that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Facing Rika¡¯s question, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment before turning his gaze to the girl in front of him. ¡°So, Rika. According to your ¡®setup,¡¯ this disease shows no particular signs during the incubation period. Only during the outbreak does it produce hallucinations and paranoia, followed by increased aggression. Yet a regular autopsy fails to detect the presence of the parasite, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± At these words, Rika nodded blankly, not understanding what Fang Zheng meant. ¡°Do you know what this means to investors?¡± ¡°Investors? Are you talking about that organization called ¡®Tokyo¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng gave Rika a meaningful glance. ¡°It doesn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°This disease, it¡¯s entirely based on the word of the researchers from start to finish. This is the least favorite scenario for investors. Those case studies are not very convincing either. Psychology has long told us that under the same stress, people respond differently based on their personalities and experiences. In the face of the same situation, some become stronger, but others collapse completely. It¡¯s quite common.¡± ¡°But, but¡­ There were indeed cases in the study where soldiers who left the village went berserk and committed murder due to an outbreak, right?¡± ¡°War syndrome is a fairly common reaction on the battlefield.¡± Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. ¡°For instance, if we were talking about the real world, there would be plenty of similar cases. But could I attribute one of the villagers to some rare disease just because they came from that village? If other people are from big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, does that mean they suffer from such syndromes too? This is the weakest part of your current ¡®setup,¡¯ and it¡¯s exactly what scientific research shuns: any evidence is selective, favorable to your hypothesis is raised, unfavorable is disregarded. Of course, it¡¯s understandable to make minor changes when facing investors, but they aren¡¯t fools; nobody¡¯s money falls from the sky. According to what you said, they even funded a research facility in that village, which is no small amount of money. For an organization, with investment comes the expectation of results.¡± ¡°But, but, Teacher, you still haven¡¯t said what this has to do with the protagonist being killed.¡± Hearing this, Rika¡¯s anxiety grew, and even her little face turned pale. She wasn¡¯t an average child. Having cycled through so many times, Rika¡¯s mind had matured. She quickly found the answer to Fang Zheng¡¯s words, which made her even more frightened and uneasy. Observing her expression, Fang Zheng shook his head inwardly. Truthfully, if Rika were fifteen or sixteen years old, she would¡¯ve been able to escape this cycle after several dozen recurrences. But Rika was just a child; she couldn¡¯t leave the village. More importantly, she couldn¡¯t obtain enough information through other channels. Even after so many recurrences, the information she had was still sourced from Miyo Takano and Dr. Irie. This single channel of information prevented Rika from discerning the truth through sufficient evidence. Now, though, Fang Zheng was here to fill in the gaps for her. ¡°It matters a great deal.¡± Gazing at Rika, Fang Zheng pointed with his finger. ¡°First, according to your setup, this disease has almost no observable specific characteristics from discovery to cure. Second, the most distinct feature of the disease is after the Queen Infector¡¯s death, the whole village will consequently perish.¡± Saying this, Fang Zheng smiled faintly, looking at Rika whose face grew even paler. ¡°Do you understand now, Rika? Trying to prove to others that this disease exists, through a cure, is time-consuming and laborious, and it¡¯s easily questioned. Truthfully, if I were in that situation, I¡¯d suspect it was cured through psychiatric drugs or therapy rather than some parasite. Therefore, by killing the Queen Infector and then eradicating the entire village, it becomes easier to convince others of the existence of the disease. After all, the total annihilation of an entire village isn¡¯t something ordinary reasons can explain. However, if it¡¯s according to your setup, then it makes perfect sense.¡± ¡°Clang!¡± At these words, the cup in Rika¡¯s hand fell to the ground with a crash. Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Chapter 122: The Disadvantage of Being Uncultured Chapter 123: Chapter 122: The Disadvantage of Being Uncultured In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, the entirety of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± when assessed from a realistic standpoint, was entirely unscientific and far from magical. The reason was simple: those researching the so-called Hinamizawa Syndrome, according to Fang Zheng, were mostly incompetent. First came Hifumi Takano, who proposed the Hinamizawa Syndrome; he was merely a professor, and an ordinary one at that, with no notable reputation in the academic community, which is another reason why his theories were ridiculed by the experts. Though the story attributes this mockery to directives from an organization behind the experts, it boiled down to his lack of scholarly merit and absence of reputation. If you had Stephen Hawking saying something casually, who would dare to refute him so carelessly? Definitely not a chance. Next was Miyo Takano, who did have a background in parasitology, but in Fang Zheng¡¯s opinion, she had never led any noteworthy experimental group. In other words, Miyo Takano¡¯s capabilities were just that of a small laboratory boss, and as for Dr. Irie, not to mention, his field was psychiatry, which wasn¡¯t even related. Assessing patients¡¯ psychological and mental state was indeed part of his job, but researching parasites and the brain¡­ better go read more papers first. Thus, the story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± was essentially about a second-rate professor who deceived his own foster daughter based on his conjectures, who in turn tricked a team of equally incompetent individuals to deceive others. Throughout the process, there was no sight of scientific rigor or proof; all that was evident was a fervor akin to religious belief. Only the villagers of Hinamizawa could have been deceived by such incompetence; in the academic sphere, a single question during a lecture would send you home to rethink your life. Even studying quantum physics never deceived people this much. That was the downside of being uneducated. Low academic standards and causing harm to others, such experts are the most revolting. As Fang Zheng was internally criticizing Miyo Takano and her associates, at that moment, Furutega Rika was emerging from the Irie Clinic, her face pale, looking utterly drained. For she had just learned from Dr. Irie about a special contingency plan called ¡°Document 34¡± in the whole scheme¡ªthis was to ¡°disinfect¡± the entire village with toxic gas in the event of her accidental death as the Queen Infector, to prevent any issue from arising in Hinamizawa. And in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, this plan itself was a display of Miyo Takano¡¯s lack of professionalism. While isolation and ¡°disinfection¡± do exist in special circumstances, they hadn¡¯t been this unprofessional; in fact, even ¡°disinfection¡± should only be sanctioned after a major catastrophic outbreak in Hinamizawa. This way, the higher-ups would reassess Miyo Takano¡¯s research and might even fund her to continue her studies, which would have been the best outcome for her. But what did Miyo Takano do? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? She actually submitted a ¡°disinfection contingency plan¡± to preempt, just in case? What does this tell you? Either she herself was academically incompetent and lacking in intelligence, indicating that her degree was probably from some third-rate, unprofessional college of biology. Or Miyo Takano herself was unsure of her foster father¡¯s theories, hence her resorting to such methods as a precaution. Of course, this could also be interpreted as a hostile move by Miyo Takano¡¯s superiors to sabotage her, but as the head of the experiment, Miyo Takano failed to notice the problems in ¡°Document 34¡å¡­ Her intelligence was probably just that. Rika, of course, did not know Fang Zheng¡¯s thoughts, but now, for the first time, she felt fear, especially after learning from Dr. Irie that the funding for the Hinamizawa Syndrome research would cease in three years, recalling Fang Zheng¡¯s words, she felt increasingly uneasy. ¡°Could it be that Takano¡­ killed me, and¡­ killed everyone?¡± The more Rika knew, the more her understanding seemed to shake; she once viewed Takano and Dr. Irie as the most reliable people, but now, she suddenly found that her pillars of support could potentially become her greatest enemies. ¡°Haneiru! Haneiru!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, Rika.¡± Accompanying Rika¡¯s call, a figure discreetly appeared beside her. ¡°What do you think? Do you really believe Takano is the culprit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rika¡­¡± Upon hearing Rika¡¯s question, Haneiru lowered her head. ¡°But¡­I remembered something¡­ Do you remember? Every time we reincarnated before, the same thing happened after the Cotton Flow Festival: Tomitake would die, and Takano would disappear¡­ But this year is different, Tomitake didn¡¯t die, and Takano didn¡¯t disappear; instead, the teacher was attacked¡­¡± Saying this, Haneiru bit her lip, clenching her fists tightly. ¡°To be honest, we all know about the teacher being attacked. If the teacher hadn¡¯t been so capable of defeating so many, what would have happened? Could we have received news the next day that the teacher was murdered and Takano had disappeared? And haven¡¯t we always wondered why the ¡®Mountain Dogs¡¯ would attack the teacher? If Takano was behind it all¡­¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡± At this, Rika also realized it. ¡°Takano¡­ didn¡¯t actually die before? But the police¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the teacher also say it? It was just a charred body, impossible to determine if it was really him, and if they had done an examination, there were too many opportunities to tamper with it. As long as they have their people inside the police, wouldn¡¯t it be easy to manipulate?¡± ¡°Takano¡­¡± At this thought, Rika bit her lip tightly. If previously she had been half-doubtful, then now, Rika was quite sure that Miyo Takano was very likely the mastermind behind everything. But¡­ even so, what could be done about it? Should she still consult the teacher? Thinking of Fang Zheng, Rika frowned slightly, showing a troubled expression. Fang Zheng¡¯s sharp judgment and vast knowledge had made Rika realize this never-before-seen figure in her previous reincarnations could very well be the key to breaking her endless cycle of rebirths. However, revealing everything to Fang Zheng was still a difficult decision for her. She could trust Keiichi, Rena, Mion, and Satoko unconditionally because of the friendship and trust built over nearly a hundred years of countless reincarnations with them. But with Fang Zheng¡­ For this presence who had appeared for the first time in her cycle of reincarnations, Rika didn¡¯t know how to face him. Even though everything he had done had already changed many people¡¯s futures, the crises of Rena, and even Shion had been resolved by him. Especially for Shion, although Rika didn¡¯t know what Fang Zheng had said to her, she no longer treated the Sonozaki family as the murderers of Satoshi like before. ¡°Ah¡­¡± After a long sigh, looking at the home just before her, a smile returned to Rika¡¯s face. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t show this troubled expression in front of her best friend, or else she would surely be worried. ¡°I¡¯m back, Satoko~ Snap!¡± ¡°You¡¯re back, Rika, dinner will be ready soon, okay?¡± Upon hearing Rika¡¯s voice, Satoko Hojo, standing in the kitchen, grinned at her and spoke. Hearing Satoko¡¯s reply, Rika happily raised both hands, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great, Satoko¡¯s dinner is the most delicious to me.¡± ¡°Oh ho ho ho, just watch, I will make the tastiest dinner!¡± Watching Satoko¡¯s back as she turned away, Rika sighed softly, then she clenched her fists. This time, it must succeed! Chapter 124 - Chapter 124: Chapter 123 Certain and Uncertain Mirai Chapter 124: Chapter 123 Certain and Uncertain Mirai The next day, when Fang Zheng returned to the school, he received an invitation from Furutega Rika. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng, please wait after school today. I have some matters to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After hearing Furutega Rika¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng nodded. In fact, even if Rika hadn¡¯t mentioned it, Fang Zheng had already guessed what she wanted to do. Soon, another day passed, and as dusk fell, Fang Zheng once again arrived in the classroom. There, the other members of the College Life Division were already waiting. Seeing Fang Zheng appear, they couldn¡¯t help but be momentarily stunned. ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°Were you also called here by Rika?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing Mion¡¯s question, Fang Zheng nodded, then he looked around at everyone. ¡°And you guys?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maehara Keiichi nodded, then showed a puzzled face. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but Rika told me to stay behind after school, saying there was something very important to talk about.¡± ¡°Me too¡­ she also asked me to bring Shion¡­¡± Mion was just as baffled, and sitting beside her, Shion was even more at a loss. Although the protagonists were all bewildered, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t explain anything to them. He had a vague idea that Rika had gathered them there to lay her cards on the table, but Fang Zheng had an unsettling premonition ¡ª as a Prophet Mage, his talent in this area was high. Perhaps it was because Fang Zheng always had a strong sixth sense that after becoming a Prophet Mage, he could often sense if something was good or bad before it happened. And now, what Rika was about to do made Fang Zheng feel unsettled, as if¡­ there were some issues. ¡°Click.¡± Just then, the classroom door opened again, and Rika and Satoko appeared in front of everyone. Seeing everyone gathered, a smile appeared on Rika¡¯s cute little face. ¡°Meep! It looks like everyone is here.¡± ¡°Rika, what is it that you called us here for?¡± Seeing the person in charge appear, everyone became curious, and Rika, facing the gaze of the crowd, walked over with Satoko, glancing at them all. ¡°Actually¡­ I have something very important to tell you all.¡± ¡°Something very important?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hearing Keiichi¡¯s retort, Rika nodded. ¡°It¡¯s about Hinamizawa¡­¡± After that, Rika began to disclose everything she knew, including that the ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome¡± was caused by a parasitic virus, and the true facts behind the deaths attributed to the curse. She also revealed the true purpose of the Irie Research Institute which was to study and treat the disease, and that they had a contingency plan to destroy the entire village should the Queen Infector perish. After listening to Rika¡¯s narrative, everyone wore expressions of disbelief, clearly overwhelmed by the extraordinary nature of Rika¡¯s revelations. ¡°Is this true, Rika?¡± After a long while, Mion hesitantly began to inquire. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the Sonozaki family received any news about this?¡± ¡°Such matters are confidential, the Sonozaki family wouldn¡¯t be privy to them.¡± Rika shook her head, not knowing much herself. Meanwhile, Shion furrowed her brow, appearing contemplative. However, not everyone was ready to believe what Rika was claiming. ¡°But¡­ Rika, can that¡­ parasite really do such things?¡± Keiichi looked at the girl in front of him with total confusion. ¡°It sounds more like some horror story.¡± ¡°I am serious!¡± Hearing Keiichi¡¯s question, Rika became agitated and slammed her hand on the table. She couldn¡¯t believe that after she had finally braced herself to explain everything, they¡­ didn¡¯t believe her!? ¡°But¡­¡± Faced with Rika¡¯s reaction, everyone seemed confused. That was understandable since they were all ordinary young men and women who had led peaceful lives up to that point. To suddenly discuss a parasite-related disease named ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome¡± and to consider that they might all be infected was indeed quite unfathomable. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Seeing the situation was not looking good, Fang Zheng quickly stood up. ¡°What Rika has shared is certainly unexpected, but I believe she wouldn¡¯t lie just to scare us, and April Fool¡¯s Day has long passed. Anyway, since everything that needed to be said has been said, everybody should go back and rest, and think things over. If there¡¯s anything else, we can talk about it tomorrow. Also¡­¡± At this point, Fang Zheng paused, looking at everyone. ¡°¡­¡­I think you all know this matter is of great importance, but whether what Rika says is true or not, I hope none of you will speak of this to others, understood?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, the crowd¡¯s expressions varied, yet they all nodded. As he looked at the odd atmosphere before him, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what else to say, so he simply clapped his hands. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go home now, everyone.¡± Following Fang Zheng¡¯s order, everyone left the classroom¡ªeven Furutega Rika now seemed very downcast and despondent. Fang Zheng could understand her reaction, though. In fact, even he had thought that once Rika revealed the matter, everyone would be able to accept it. But now, thinking it over, Fang Zheng realized. An anime episode is only thirty minutes long¡ªthere isn¡¯t enough time to perform it all for the audience, so in the anime, everyone believes Rika right away. But reality¡­ after all, isn¡¯t an anime. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Returning to his room and looking out the window, Fang Zheng extended his hand to press on his forehead. A faint sting sent a wave of discomfort through him. Here it comes again¡­ Never mind, time to rest. Thinking this, Fang Zheng closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, the others who had left the school were also experiencing a variety of reactions. Rika, claiming to feel unwell, left early with Satoko. The rest of the group didn¡¯t know quite how to respond. ¡°What Rika said¡­ Is it true?¡± Keiichi frowned, mulling over this question while muttering to himself. ¡°Little Gui, you don¡¯t believe her?¡± Hearing Keiichi¡¯s murmur, Mion glanced at the youth beside her. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really believe it either. Although ¡®curses¡¯ and such are just legends, the idea that it¡¯s some parasitic disease¡­ it¡¯s just too bizarre.¡± ¡°I, on the other hand, believe Rika.¡± However, as soon as Mion finished speaking, Rena voiced a differing opinion. ¡°Although I find what Rika said somewhat unbelievable, I always feel like I can trust what she says is true. I don¡¯t know why, but I have this sensation that I really have felt something before¡­¡­¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Unexpectedly, the second to agree with Rena was Shion. ¡°Honestly, I had a really strange dream a few days ago¡­ It felt really awful, but for some reason, I feel like that dream is deeply connected to what Rika said¡­¡­¡± ¡°A dream?¡± ¡°Just a dream, yep.¡± Seeing the curious expressions on the others¡¯ faces, Mion smiled sheepishly. ¡°This Shion here, said she killed me and Satoko and even seriously apologized to us. Truth be told, I think she took it a bit too seriously.¡± ¡°Seriously, I was really troubled by that.¡± Hearing Mion spill the beans, Shion¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Because that dream was so eerie, I didn¡¯t just kill you, but also Satoko and Ghost Granny, and even your nails¡­¡± ¡°Ah, stop! It hurt just to think about it when you said it before!¡± ¡°But¡­ if what Rika said is true, shouldn¡¯t we verify it?¡± Just then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, Keiichi suddenly clapped his hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t Rika mention that the Irie Clinic is a research institute? Then we might as well go check it out. If we really find out it¡¯s a research institute, doesn¡¯t that prove that what Rika said is true?¡± ¡°Wait, wait a minute, Keiichi!¡± Seeing Keiichi ready to take action, Rena quickly reached out to grab him. ¡°Did you forget what the teacher said? If what Rika says is true, wouldn¡¯t you be alerting them to our awareness?¡± ¡°But¡­ we need evidence!¡± ¡°¡­¡­So you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t plan to follow the teacher¡¯s instructions?¡± A chilling voice whispered past everyone, with Rena staring down at the ground, as if she hadn¡¯t been the one to speak at all. And perhaps sensing something, Maehara Keiichi took a step back. ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t say that, but¡­¡± ¡°You heard what the teacher said, Keiichi.¡± Rena lifted her head, her eyes seemingly unfocused as they bore into the boy before her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell others, and don¡¯t do anything you shouldn¡¯t. Whether we believe Rika or not, you know it best, Keiichi. So why bother with these pointless actions? Why?¡± ¡°The teacher didn¡¯t say we shouldn¡¯t do it! And Rika made it so clear¡­ Forget it! If you guys don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll go by myself just the same!¡± Having said that, Keiichi didn¡¯t hesitate to turn around and leave. Watching Maehara Keiichi¡¯s departure, the others seemed to lose their focal point and eventually dispersed. Only Rena stared in the direction Keiichi had gone, silent for a moment before following him like a ghost. Chapter 125 - Chapter 125: Chapter 124: The Sickness is Called Love Chapter 125: Chapter 124: The Sickness is Called Love It¡¯s just too strange!! Back at home, Keiichi grew angrier the more he thought about it. He just had a few doubts, and besides, the things Rika had mentioned were too bizarre. If he knew nothing, how could he possibly help Rika? Moreover, he felt that something was not quite right about Rika at that time¡­ Could it be that she was sick? With that thought, Keiichi made up his mind. He still wanted to check out Irie Clinic to see the situation. If what Rika said was true, then he would think of a plan then! Without any hesitation, Keiichi picked up a baseball bat and left the house, running quickly in the direction of Irie Clinic. ¡°Where are you going?¡± However, just as Maehara Keiichi was walking from the path towards the clinic, suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. A white one-piece dress, a cute face, short brown hair¡ªthat was Rena Ryuuguu. ¡°Rena? What are you doing here?¡± Looking at the girl before him, Maehara Keiichi asked with a serious expression, and Rena Ryuuguu tilted her head curiously, watching Keiichi. ¡°Because I¡¯m worried about you, Keiichi. I always feel like you¡¯re about to do something foolish, so¡­ ¡± While speaking, Rena shifted her gaze to the baseball bat in Keiichi¡¯s hand. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Keiichi, it¡¯s late, what are you planning to do with a bat? What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°This, this¡­¡± Noticing Rena¡¯s gaze, Keiichi hastily moved the bat behind his back. ¡°Well, I saw that the weather was good today, so I thought about doing some practice swings¡­ ¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!!!¡± But before Keiichi could finish his words, he was completely interrupted by Rena¡¯s loud shout. She narrowed her eyes, staring at the young man before her with a cold gaze. ¡°You¡¯re going to the clinic, aren¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t the teacher say not to do such foolish things?¡± ¡°The teacher never said that!¡± Keiichi was certain that Mr. Fang Zheng had never told them that they couldn¡¯t go to the clinic. ¡°But that¡¯s what the teacher meant, I understand very clearly¡­ ¡± Rena revealed a smile, standing in the middle of the road and watching Keiichi with a cheerful look. ¡°Rena and the teacher have a psychic connection, so I know what the teacher is thinking. But if you do this, Keiichi, wouldn¡¯t you be wasting the teacher¡¯s good intentions?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± At this moment, Keiichi was also running out of patience. ¡°I¡¯m just going to take a look. Even if that research institute exists, it can¡¯t prove anything, right? If I pretend I stumbled in by accident, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± ¡°¡­It seems you¡¯re still determined to go against the teacher¡¯s will.¡± Upon hearing this, Rena narrowed her eyes dangerously. She raised her right hand¡ªa sharp machete slowly emerged, and under the bright moonlight, it cast a fleeting cold glint. ¡°In that case, Rena has no choice. Keiichi is about to do something the teacher would dislike, but Rena won¡¯t let you to do it. You still have a chance, Keiichi. Put down the bat, go back, get a good night¡¯s sleep, think it over carefully, and then make your decision, okay?¡± ¡°Move!!¡± At this moment, Keiichi was gripping the bat tightly, glaring at Rena. ¡°I won¡¯t say it a second time, Rena. I just want to check the situation. Why do you insist on stopping me!¡± While speaking, Keiichi raised the bat, staring coldly at Rena. ¡°Move aside, Rena, or I¡¯ll have to make a move. Even you cannot stop me!¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ Keiichi is so stubborn, but it¡¯s a pity, for the sake of the teacher, I must stop you here, okay?¡± Rena also raised the huge sickle in her hand, smiling as she watched Keiichi. ¡°It¡¯s such a pity, Keiichi. Why won¡¯t you listen to everyone, just like Satoshi? By doing this, won¡¯t you have to transfer schools too? It¡¯s too bad, Rena thought that she could become good friends with Keiichi.¡± The surroundings fell into deathly silence, the bright moon that once hung in the sky was now shrouded by dark clouds, and the whole world gradually sank into darkness. And just at that moment, suddenly a voice rang out. ¡°It really is too bad, I also thought that I could become good friends with Keiichi.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Keiichi froze for a moment upon hearing the sudden voice that emerged from behind him, but the next moment he felt an electric shock surge through him, striking his body. ¡°Aaaahhhhh!!¡± Accompanied by the ¡°crackle and snap¡± of the electric shock, Keiichi screamed as he fell to the ground, passing out. Rena then lifted her head, looking towards the green-haired girl who appeared behind Keiichi at some point, holding a stun gun. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d come too, Shion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just like you, Rena, worried that Keiichi might do something foolish, so I followed him. It seems my worries were justified. Really, Keiichi causes trouble in such places, he¡¯s just making it difficult for Mr. Fang Zheng¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± While speaking, the two of them looked at each other and laughed, but even so, the tension in the air did not dissipate but grew even more intense. At that moment, Rena once again gripped the sickle tightly, turning her gaze towards Shion in front of her. ¡°So, Shion, you didn¡¯t come here just to stop Keiichi, did you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Upon hearing Rena¡¯s question, Shion also put away her smile. ¡°Rena, haven¡¯t you been getting a bit too close to Mr. Fang Zheng lately? I¡¯m more concerned about this issue.¡± ¡°If it were Mion, I could understand. Why do you care about this, then?¡± Rena blinked, her smile unchanged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Shion have Satoshi? This isn¡¯t very good, is it?¡± ¡°¡­I have the right to change too, after all, you can¡¯t always look back. Sometimes you have to look ahead.¡± While speaking, Shion raised the stun gun in her hand. ¡°Is this really okay? Satoshi will cry, you know? Besides, I don¡¯t think the teacher will like you. After all, I¡¯m the one who likes the teacher the most¡­¡± ¡°A student liking her own teacher? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Mr. Fang Zheng would be taken away by the police if you said it out loud?¡± ¡°What does it matter? If the teacher is willing, he could even take Rena home.¡± Rena raised the sickle, pointing it at Shion in front of her. ¡°On the other hand, you, Shion, a woman who is fickle, is not suitable for the teacher. I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t continue this, okay?¡± ¡°You speak well¡­ At these words, Shion¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if you have the ability to back up your words!!¡± With a roar of rage, the next moment Shion raised the stun gun in her hand and lunged at Rena! Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 125 Mirai at the Crossroads of the Future Chapter 126: Chapter 125 Mirai at the Crossroads of the Future ¡°` When Fang Zheng opened his eyes again, it was already dusk. ¡°That was a terrible dream.¡± Pressing his forehead, Fang Zheng sighed. He had just had a dream in which everyone was arguing, and then Keiichi decided to explore the Irie Clinic alone and was stopped by Rena and Shion along the way. And then¡­ freaking hell, they started killing each other out of nowhere. Truthfully, Fang Zheng was quite calm about the first half of the dream, but the development that followed left him dumbstruck. Rena and Shion had actually ¡°transferred their affections¡± and both fallen for him?! How is that possible? Honestly, Fang Zheng found this development utterly incredible. It was strange, considering that ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± was a work with a standard harem setting featuring one male and multiple females, the story involved very little on the romantic front. Perhaps it was because the setting was in the eighties, where expressions of love, whether by males or females, were quite conservative. Of course, there were some harassment plots and risqu¨¦ attire, but compared to the modern harem anime, those elements were more in the vein of ¡°pranks.¡± And as the only male protagonist, Maehara Keiichi had not established a romantic relationship with any of the female protagonists. Unlike later harem series where the relationships between males and females were ambiguous, with every female character tacitly in love but the male protagonist failing to make a clear commitment, in ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± both male and female characters were in the very early stages of love, with only Sonozaki Mion and Sonozaki Shion having anything resembling a sense of romantic feelings, but even that was limited to naive, unrequited love. One could say that compared to many of the female protagonists in later anime who were eager to get into the male lead¡¯s bed to express their feelings, the protagonists in ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡± were excessively innocent. This was why Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t thought about it at all initially. Indeed, Rena always brought lunch for him, but Fang Zheng knew that was just her style. As for Shion¡­ honestly, although he often discussed ¡°that matter¡± with her, perhaps because the story depicted Shion¡¯s feelings for Satoshi so deeply, it never crossed Fang Zheng¡¯s mind that he could actually be putting a green hat on that poor, unfortunate guy. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? This has to be a joke, right? We¡¯re in Hinamizawa, not Sakanoue Academy, and I¡¯m not Makoto, nor have I been fickle in love, so how did it suddenly come to a bloody end? Isn¡¯t this just mocking me? Recalling the scene in the dream where Rena and Shion fought fiercely, and then Rena chopped Shion to death with a hatchet and smashed Keiichi¡¯s head into a pulp, Fang Zheng shivered involuntarily. Well, it must have been a dream¡­ it must have been¡­ ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Just then, there was a knock on the door, and upon hearing it, Fang Zheng immediately gathered his thoughts. ¡°Come in.¡± Following Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the door creaked open, and then he saw Furutega Rika walk in. She managed a forced smile at Fang Zheng before she began to speak. ¡°Excuse the interruption, Teacher, do you have a moment now?¡± ¡°Of course, I do, but¡­ how come it¡¯s just you? Where are the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already dispersed and left.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Upon hearing Rika¡¯s answer, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression changed slightly. It reminded him of the dream he just had. If the dream was accurate, Rena should be following Keiichi right now¡­ wait, could it be that it wasn¡¯t just a dream? With that thought, Fang Zheng suddenly felt a pang of unease. If it was indeed as the dream had proclaimed, he should leave immediately and go stop the fight between the two. But just as Fang Zheng began to entertain this notion, he felt that indescribable yet omnipresent ¡°premonition¡± again. It was the premonition that if he really did so, things might reach an irreversible point. ¡°` What¡¯s going on? Fang Zheng stood there, dumbfounded. Logically, if that dream was more than just a dream, then he must stop it. After all, if Rena were to kill Shion and then Keiichi, it would mean Fang Zheng¡¯s mission has utterly failed. Furude Rika would never accept such a world. She had been reincarnating for over a hundred years to find an ending where she and all her friends could be happy. If that world could not be found here, she would definitely leave and seek another world. Therefore, both emotionally and rationally, Fang Zheng needed to stop this immediately. However, his intuition was stopping him, wait¡­ Thinking of this, Fang Zheng¡¯s face instantly turned sour. He had finally discovered where the pitfall this world had set for him was!! Ever since arriving in this world, Fang Zheng had been full of confidence. He thought he was on solid ground and couldn¡¯t possibly fail. His reason was simple, he knew who the orchestrator was, and he understood the nature and cause of ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome.¡± He believed that as long as things progressed like the storyline, he could surely ¡°clear¡± the challenge. But now, Fang Zheng had finally realized that he, too, had long been afflicted with ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome,¡± and it might have even progressed to the fourth stage! Because he now found himself unable to make up his mind or make any judgment! Should he trust his dream? His intuition? Or his instincts? Fang Zheng felt like he was trapped in a maelstrom at this moment. He used to believe that he knew everything about ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± and never worried about any unexpected developments. But now, he realized that it might have been better if he¡¯d known nothing at all. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t known the storyline of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± he might have just regarded that dream as a mere dream and trusted his gut more. After all, there was a deep friendship and bond among these children, and he trusted them¡­but that was impossible! Because in the story of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± it was these seemingly ¡°loving and affectionate¡± friends who, one by one, darkened and went berserk due to various reasons, and then raised their butcher knives towards their friends. The crazed Keiichi nearly destroyed everything; even with Mion and Rena¡¯s resolve to face death, and despite Rena raising her hands with a smile, asking Keiichi to trust her while he held a raised baseball bat, he still killed her without hesitation. Shion was the same; she killed the Ghost Granny, imprisoned her own sister, and cruelly murdered Satoko, whom she should have protected¡­ As for Rena, it goes without saying, she even thought about having the whole school accompany her into death because she couldn¡¯t achieve her goal¡­ And it was precisely because of these ¡°loving yet murdering¡± plots that Fang Zheng was utterly uncertain about their friendship. If one of them fell ill, the consequences would be unimaginable! And now, Fang Zheng had finally realized that he, too, without realizing it, had fallen into it! He didn¡¯t dare trust the dream, nor his intuition, nor his spells, and could find corresponding explanations for each doubt within his mind. Only now did Fang Zheng remember what Rex had told him when teaching him the prophetic magic. ¡°For a Prophet Mage, the future is just a choice, but a choice doesn¡¯t necessarily lead to the result you need. Even if you see the future, that future will change because of it. As a Prophet Mage, you must confirm how far you can accept the future. Remember, a Prophet Mage is not a deity; even deities themselves cannot escape the grasp of fate. Never forget, when you are full of confidence trying to change fate, the choice you make is an inseparable part of fate itself.¡± And now, Fang Zheng had finally understood the meaning of Rex¡¯s words. In a sense, he had been doing something quite similar to a Prophet Mage in the past because he was ¡°familiar with the storyline,¡± allowing him to create chaos in those world instances. Only in the Black Soul world, which Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t very familiar with, was he lucky because that world was a linear one. There, what he needed to do more was to refine his combat skills, and the decisions he made were unlikely to affect much¡ªafter all, there weren¡¯t many living people left in that world. And now, Fang Zheng had finally discovered the hidden dangers and traps within it. He knew too much, so much so that he couldn¡¯t make any judgments or decisions. Go? It was just a dream, and his intuition told him that doing so could bring unpredictable consequences. Not go? But what if it wasn¡¯t just a dream? Would he have to see two corpses the next day¡­ oh, no, that¡¯s wrong. Rena would take care of the bodies, then claim they were feeling unwell and couldn¡¯t attend the meeting! Only then did Fang Zheng finally detect the malice this world had for him. It seemed no matter what choice he made, it was going to be a BAD END! Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Chapter 126: From Another World! Chapter 127: Chapter 126: From Another World! Fang Zheng felt like he was advancing through a hail of bullets on the battlefield, only to realize he had stepped on a landmine. He had always been wary about how this world might trap him, but surprisingly, when the moment came, it still ensnared him. And in an area Fang Zheng was skilled in no less. Until today, Fang Zheng had always believed that the knowledge he possessed upon entering certain instance worlds granted him immense convenience, but now, he had come to realize that this almost ¡°foreknowledge¡± could sometimes be a double-edged sword. Many motivational quotes have said that fools are happy because intelligent people do not find happiness, as they know too much, and the more they know, the more pain they endure. Fang Zheng used to think this was just melodramatic nonsense, but now he had to give that statement thirty-two likes. He currently found himself in the state of ¡°the more you know, the more painful it becomes.¡± Damn, this is lethal! Fang Zheng¡¯s expression also grew unsightly because he was acutely aware that, in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, the mark of doomed protagonists often starts with indecisiveness¡ªa near-perpetual doubt that was almost inevitable. Yet now, Fang Zheng discovered he too had this tendency, and he was utterly unable to control it! He was genuinely worried that Rena might kill Shion and Keiichi¡ªafter all, she had a history of violence! No, it should be said that any one of the three coming together could normally end in murder, because all of them had a history! Damn it¡­ why did I watch so many animations! Fang Zheng now regretted his actions too late, as he replayed the plot over and over in his mind. Eventually, Fang Zheng had to sadly admit, apart from the part about Rena killing out of love which seemed a bit far-fetched, both Shion and Keiichi¡¯s reasons were very much ¡°in character¡± for them. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï But at the moment, he was unable to make a choice. The sky was still not dark, and if his dream was correct, then the rising of the moon would mark the start of a bloody massacre. But if his premonition was right, then it was best not to try and stop any of it. This is so irritating! After much deliberation, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth. Forget it, let¡¯s take a gamble and not worry about anything; the rest can wait until tomorrow. After all, this is just a Free Instance, and even if he lost, nothing would be deducted. Since that was the case, he might as well follow his heart! ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Thinking this, Fang Zheng also abandoned the idea of immediately leaving to prevent Rena and Keiichi from acting. After all, that was just a dream, not reality. The reality was that Rika had come here to find him¡­ obviously, not for a casual tea. Indeed, after hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rika was silent for a moment, then slowly lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°Teacher, do you¡­ believe what I say?¡± It was the same question, but this time, Rika¡¯s voice was completely different. If one were to say Rika¡¯s voice was usually light and bright, her voice now was that of a mature woman¡¯s, filled not only with that maturity but also with a never-before-felt pressure. Here it comes! Hearing this voice, Fang Zheng had a realization. He finally understood why he had that premonition earlier. In the world of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± Furutega Rika had been reincarnated for a hundred years! A loli who has reincarnated for a hundred years, even if her appearance is still loli, her spirit certainly isn¡¯t. In fact, the current Rika was the true Furutega Rika. The naive, innocent, and cute persona she previously displayed was all for show. In reality, the somewhat gloomy, fearful, and even desperate Rika now was the real her. And this, unfortunately, might have been the reason Fang Zheng had that premonition earlier. It seemed that the behavior of his companions had profoundly disappointed Rika, and this is why she had come to him for one final confirmation. If Fang Zheng rejected her at this moment or continued to indulge her superficially, then Furutega Rika might completely lose hope in this world. However, Fang Zheng was no fool; he could tell that Rika reaching out to ask him this was more out of habit. It¡¯s like a terminally ill patient asking a doctor if there¡¯s still hope, knowing well there isn¡¯t, but hoping the doctor would say something comforting. The current Furutega Rika was in that phase. She was clearly very disappointed, and one might even say hopeless. In such a scenario, mere words of comfort were useless, so¡­ ¡°I believe you.¡± Facing Rika¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng nodded, and hearing his answer, Furutega Rika revealed a disappointed smile. ¡°I see¡­ you are just like the rest, treating this as a child¡¯s fantasy¡­ I knew it¡­¡± ¡°No, I said.¡± But before Rika could finish, Fang Zheng cut her off. He then squinted his eyes, staring at the girl in front of him. ¡°I believe you¡­ or rather, I finally found you.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Rika glanced at him, but the next moment, her eyes widened in astonishment. Because at that moment, right before Rika, Fang Zheng¡¯s form was rapidly transforming! Pitch Black scales instantly covered Fang Zheng¡¯s body, and hard spines grew out from the top of his head, jutting out like horns. Not only that, behind Fang Zheng, pitch black, enormous wings suddenly ripped through his clothes, unfurling! ¡°Who, who are you?!¡± Looking at the scene before her, Furutega Rika¡¯s face turned completely pale; she had cycled through a hundred years, but she had only encountered humans. The only exception, Haneiru, only had horns on her head, and besides that, there was no difference between her and humans. But the current Fang Zheng barely resembled a human at all! That terrifying aura, it was just like a creature! In fact, this was Fang Zheng¡¯s Zerg Awakening form, and he was well aware that under the current circumstances, relying purely on verbal persuasion was impossible. He had to produce some compelling evidence, and right now, the most convincing method was to transform! However¡­ even Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t anticipated that the first use of this tactic would not be for combat but to frighten a little girl¡­ Well, as long as it serves the purpose, it¡¯s enough. ¡°Could it be, you are also from the Haneiru clan¡­¡± ¡°There are not only them in this world.¡± Fang Zheng reverted to his original form, for maintaining the Zerg Awakening state in this world was too draining on his strength¡ªusing it to scare people might be fine, but using it in combat would be an overkill. ¡°I am a member of the Space-Time Bureau. The Bureau detected a problem with the timeline in this world, which prompted them to send me here to investigate. According to my investigation, the origin of the timeline issue lies here, which is why I came.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, this time Furutega Rika immediately believed him. You see, she had only confided with everyone about the Hinamizawa Syndrome prior, but she never spoke a word about her own cycles of reincarnation. Although she had mentioned some aspects as a ¡®manga setup¡¯ while interacting with Fang Zheng previously, she had not been this detailed! If Fang Zheng had solely relied on verbal explanation, then Rika might still have her doubts. But the Zerg form was too shocking that even Rika was frightened. Hence, now she was willing to listen to whatever Fang Zheng said. ¡°But, but your coming here¡­¡± Soon, however, the expression on Rika¡¯s face as she looked towards Fang Zheng turned fearful again. She was previously unafraid of death; for Rika, death was just a momentary affair. As long as she opened her eyes, she could locate another timeline¡¯s version of herself and start over. But Fang Zheng was different, claiming to be from some ¡®Space-Time Bureau¡¯, a body seemingly possessing powers far beyond her own world-traveling capabilities. And Fang Zheng had also stated that they were here to investigate her century of cycles! And now¡­ they wouldn¡¯t take her back and lock her up, would they? Thinking this, Rika shivered slightly, though also feeling a vague sense of anticipation. After all, she was unable to escape the cycle on her own; if someone could help her break it, then even being locked up, she would accept it! ¡°The Space-Time Bureau, in theory, does not actively interfere with occurrences in other worlds.¡± Seeing that he has successfully convinced the little Rika, Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°However, solving problems is necessary, as distortions in time can lead to many unnecessary complications. Thus, I am here to find the origin of the problem and resolve it.¡± With that said, Fang Zheng also looked towards Rika. ¡°Now, it appears that the center of the problem in this world is quite clear.¡± Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Chapter 127 This Is Not a Romance Simulation Game! Chapter 128: Chapter 127 This Is Not a Romance Simulation Game! Under Fang Zheng¡¯s coaxing, Furutega Rika finally cheered up. She agreed to cooperate with Fang Zheng to prevent the destruction of Hinamizawa. Of course, Rika also raised the issue of several other friends to Fang Zheng. To this, Fang Zheng readily agreed¡­ Although, after having that dream, Fang Zheng always had the mistaken impression that Rena had achieved a double kill, but¡­ It should just be a dream, right? In fact, if there was time, Fang Zheng really wanted to try to overcome the L5 curse with psychological treatment alone, without relying on medication. After all, in the anime, Rena had once regained her sanity on her own strength. Of course, she was the only one in the main cast who broke the limit purely on her own without any medicinal help. Regrettably, there wasn¡¯t enough time. ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Teacher.¡± Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives. Looking at Rena entering with a lunchbox, Fang Zheng had mixed feelings. Previously, Rena brought him lunch every day, and he didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with that, because, according to Rena, it was to thank him for helping her with the problem concerning her father. But since having that dream yesterday, Fang Zheng suddenly felt¡­ a girl bringing lunch to him every noon indeed seemed a bit problematic. Moreover, approaching the protagonist under the guise of gratitude to gradually increase favorability is also the standard plot of many romance shows, isn¡¯t it? But he was not the male protagonist. ¡°Teacher, I made peony cakes today. Please have a taste.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï Looking at the lunchbox Rena was smilingly handing over, Fang Zheng hesitated. He used to think that many male protagonists in romance anime were foolishly indecisive when facing the female lead¡¯s advances. Now that it was his turn, he realized that this was a troublesome matter! After all, Rena¡¯s reason was flawless. If Fang Zheng rejected her now, it would seem like he was overly self-conscious. She was just saying she is bringing you food, not that she wants to date you. And he himself is a teacher, isn¡¯t he¡­ Not to mention it would hurt the other person¡¯s feelings¡­ Well, in a normal world, hurt is just hurt, but in this world¡­ Damn, she might actually start sending packed lunches next time! ¡°Thank you.¡± Although he felt downtrodden inside, Fang Zheng still took the lunchbox from Rena¡¯s hands. Then he hesitated for a moment before asking. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Keiichi? Why isn¡¯t he here today?¡± ¡°Keiichi? He has some matters to deal with today and might not be able to come to school.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rena answered cheerfully with a smile. Upon hearing Rena¡¯s response, Fang Zheng¡¯s actions paused slightly. Because he had heard this sentence in his dream as well. Could it be true, just as he had seen in his dream, that Rena had killed Shion and Keiichi? Fang Zheng felt anxious inside, but he did not show it on the surface. Facing Rena¡¯s response, he simply nodded. If one were to describe the current Fang Zheng using a famous saying from the internet, it would be ¡ª calm as an old dog on the outside, panicking like hell inside. This was the only response Fang Zheng could determine after mulling over it for an entire night. No matter whether Rena really killed Shion and Keiichi, until he saw their bodies with his own eyes, he absolutely could not show a trace of distrust towards others. Especially Rena Ryuuguu!! Speaking of the most formidable character in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, Fang Zheng believed Rena Ryuuguu was definitely at the top of the list. Her reasoning, logical deduction, judgment, and observational skills were all super first-class, and her combat ability was also upper-tier. Keep in mind that in ¡°When the Cicadas Cry Expansion,¡± Rena wielded a machete and cut her way through a crowd seven times in and out, fighting decisively and calmly. To be honest, such a person would be a godlike teammate. But if she were an enemy, that would be terrifying. In a sense, in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, Rena Ryuuguu¡¯s status was no less than that of the Detective Elementary Student and Detective Kindaichi. As long as she caught a flaw, almost all the subsequent problems would no longer be an issue. In the Cotton Flow Chapter, Rena Ryuuguu almost perfectly deduced the opponent¡¯s modus operandi from the beginning to the end, and her only mistake was not knowing the ¡°historical reasons¡± for the sisters¡¯ identity swap. But these deductions were made almost without interacting with Shion, and merely based on her observations of her in everyday life and some external understanding of the case. This was even more terrifying from a certain perspective than the Detective Elementary Student and others, as Conan and Kindaichi both needed to carry out investigations and gather evidence on-site for their judgments. But Rena Ryuuguu, without even going to the crime scene, directly identified the ultimate culprit, which is a truly heaven-defying observational and deductive ability. So Fang Zheng absolutely could not show any wavering in front of her, otherwise, it would definitely arouse Rena¡¯s suspicion. If she had truly killed someone, she would soon realize that Fang Zheng might have perceived her actions. But, if she hadn¡¯t killed anyone, she would surely be saddened after sensing Fang Zheng¡¯s distancing himself. Maybe she would just fall ill, and then darken, machete in hand¡­ This world is really headache-inducing. Therefore, in front of Rena, Fang Zheng¡¯s attitude showed no change from usual. He was also a senior executive in a company, had attended numerous press conferences, and had to coordinate work among various departments, so he did have some experience in cultivating his demeanor. As a superior, many times, even if he was going berserk inside, he had to appear as calm as if nothing was wrong on the outside. Otherwise, who knows what would happen. Luckily, Rena didn¡¯t seem to notice anything strange in Fang Zheng either, and as usual, she enthusiastically introduced what she had made that day and shared other delicious items with him. She even complained to Fang Zheng that her father had found work and was hardly ever at home, and although she was happy that her dad was picking himself up again, he really could show a bit more concern for his daughter. ¡°Really now, Dad¡¯s been working overtime so much lately, I¡¯ve even told him to take more care of his health¡­¡± ¡°Lonely?¡± ¡°A little.¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Rena showed a slight bitter smile, but quickly, she shook her head. ¡°However, seeing Dad cheer up, Rena is already very satisfied. And¡­ for Rena, it¡¯s not that lonely actually¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng curiously lifted his head to glance at Rena, and then he was surprised to find that, without knowing when, Rena had come right in front of him, quietly looking at him! ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Hearing Rena¡¯s question, Fang Zheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, then he put down his lunchbox and looked at Rena to ask. ¡°Teacher¡­ what do you think of Rena?¡± What the hell is with this dating simulation-style dialogue?! ¡°Uh¡­ very cute, lively, an interesting girl.¡± Resigned to only answering within the script, Fang Zheng felt helpless. He indeed wanted to say something else, but¡­ this was a damn life-or-death question!! ¡°Then, does Teacher like Rena? Do you like me?¡± ¡°Of course, how could I not like such a cute student? Not just you, Rika, Satoko, and Mion, I like all of you.¡± While saying this, Fang Zheng was internally holding his head and weeping bitterly. This wasn¡¯t a romance game, so why on earth was he sticking to this script? If Fang Zheng were to tell the truth, then Rena was indeed a good girlfriend material ¡ª gentle, lively, kind, cute, with good looks and a nice figure, save for the Blackening and the cleaver, there were seemingly no flaws. But for Fang Zheng, he wasn¡¯t like Keiichi, a boy who had just entered puberty, to foolishly nod and agree just because a girl confessed to him. Furthermore, to Fang Zheng, the most important thing was that this was just the Free World. He didn¡¯t know how long he would be able to stay in this world, and he also didn¡¯t know if he could bring someone out from the Free World. However, in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, a child like Rena was better off living an ordinary and peaceful life in this world. The Main World might be more colorful, but it was too dangerous for her. To be honest, in ¡°When the Cicadas Cry¡±, Fang Zheng indeed liked the characters Furutega Rika and Rena Ryuuguu, but that was more of an appreciation rather than the ¡°XX is my wife, come fight me if you disagree¡± level. So even if Rena Ryuuguu confessed to him, it would be more of a disadvantage than a benefit for him. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Rena puffed up her cheeks slightly dissatisfied, her eyes unwaveringly staring at Fang Zheng. ¡°Rena likes everyone too, whether it¡¯s Mion or Shion, as well as Satoko and Rika, and Keiichi too¡­ But, Rena¡¯s feelings for Teacher are different from the others¡­¡± While saying this, Rena slowly moved closer to Fang Zheng. As for Fang Zheng, he watched the girl before him, while his mind raced with thoughts on how to handle this troublesome situation. Ideally, if this were a novel or anime clich¨¦, someone should come knocking at the door right now to break the tension and stop all this. But¡­ perhaps Fang Zheng didn¡¯t bribe the author enough, which was why, as Rena drew close to his face, he still hadn¡¯t experienced the clich¨¦d scenario of someone suddenly knocking at the door. Not only that, but the entire school was also very quiet, as if the whole world in its mysterious ways wanted to see how Fang Zheng would solve this difficult problem. ¡°Teacher¡­ Rena¡­ likes you?¡± Staring intensely at Fang Zheng, Rena finally uttered those words she shouldn¡¯t have said. ¡°It¡¯s a different kind of like, even though Rena doesn¡¯t fully understand this feeling, just seeing Teacher makes Rena very happy. If I can¡¯t see Teacher, Rena feels very lonely. If possible, Rena really wants to take Teacher home¡­¡± Young lady, that¡¯s a dangerous thought! In front of him was Rena Ryuuguu¡¯s beautiful and pale face, Fang Zheng could even smell the unique fragrance of a young girl coming from her, and at this moment, Rena¡¯s cheeks were slightly flushed, giving her a shy and cute appearance. For anyone else, this scene alone could make them drift away in euphoria. But Fang Zheng was different; his exterior remained expressionless, yet inside, he was on high alert! Because Fang Zheng could clearly feel that, within Rena, the previously suppressed Hinamizawa Syndrome was showing signs of erupting again! That terrifying, eerie aura, was starting to emerge and spread from the girl¡¯s body. At the same time, Rena¡¯s eyes also underwent a transformation. Her originally bright eyes began to dull, and her pupils slowly started to elongate, changing like those of a reptile. ¡°¡­ Teacher, do you like Rena? If Teacher likes me, you can also take Rena home, you know? Rena¡­ wants to be with Teacher forever¡­ Even though I really like everyone, but Teacher is different. Teacher is so handsome, gentle, and you even helped Rena with many troubles¡­ Rena really likes Teacher a lot, so Teacher, what do you think of Rena?¡± While saying this, Rena was almost leaning on Fang Zheng¡¯s body, he could even faintly sense the heat emanating from the girl opposite him. If it wasn¡¯t for those dim, lightless eyes, this moment could have been incredibly sweet. But¡­ Fang Zheng was very clear that the next wrong answer from him could send him plummeting into an abyss! But¡­ wait a minute! Thinking this, Fang Zheng seemed to suddenly realize something, then, he suddenly opened his eyes. That¡¯s it!! Chapter 129 - Chapter 129: Chapter 128: Destiny of Their Own! Chapter 129: Chapter 128: Destiny of Their Own! ¡°` Ever since he time-traveled to the Higurashi World, Fang Zheng had been pondering a question. That was, in this world, what could he actually gain? Hinamizawa Syndrome? The consequences brought about by this virus were indeed terrifying, but¡­ his Zerg body wasn¡¯t afraid of it, right? Then¡­ was it trust? Fang Zheng used to think so, but then he felt this was unreliable, for a very simple reason: he was not at all familiar with Rena and these people, and they had only been together for a little over a month. You¡¯re talking to me about trust? If Fang Zheng had never watched ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± then there¡¯d be no trust to speak of, would there? However, now, seeing Rena confessing to him, Fang Zheng suddenly thought of something. After coming to this world, he seemed to have been making choices all along! Initially, Fang Zheng was quite free in this world, doing whatever he wanted. But after having that dream, he seemed to have lost his bearings, and then it was as if it had been prearranged, choices began popping up in front of Fang Zheng, one after another. And these were all multiple-choice questions: either A or B, such as Rena¡¯s killing of Shion and Keiichi, and Rika begging for help, Fang Zheng had to choose one or the other. And then, Rena¡¯s confession to him was the same. On the surface, it seemed he only had two options, to agree or not to agree, but¡­ Why were they multiple-choice questions? Take Rena, for example; whether Fang Zheng agreed or not didn¡¯t really matter. If he wanted to, he could just kidnap Rena and then play some kind of secret confinement or whatever, which wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all. No matter how formidable Rena was, she was still human, not comparable to Fang Zheng in any way. And for these main characters, if Fang Zheng didn¡¯t want to play along, he could just knock them all out, then with a spell bury the entire Irie Research Institute along with Miyo Takano, and tell the outside world it was a mudslide caused by a flash flood. Wouldn¡¯t that solve all problems? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï So, what exactly did he want to do?! At this moment, Fang Zheng¡¯s mind cleared, and he finally understood what the ¡°ultimate question¡± posed to him by this world was. That was, what did he want to do? Up until now, Fang Zheng had traveled through several worlds, including Diablo, Dark Soul, and Edge of Tomorrow. In these three worlds, Fang Zheng seemed to have been constantly seeking power. In the Dark World, he was only concerned with survival, while in the world of Edge of Tomorrow, he hoped to gain power. The Dark Soul, for him, was a place to hone his skills. But in fact, Fang Zheng¡¯s visits to each world were out of necessity. He went to the Dark World to evade the pursuit of the Templars. To escape from the dimensional rift, he went to Edge of Tomorrow. He traveled to Dark Soul because he wasn¡¯t strong enough. It could be said that most of these travels were not Fang Zheng¡¯s active choices but passive ones. Upon arriving in those worlds, Fang Zheng just drifted along, one time only thinking about how to survive, another time only thinking about how to complete the mission. He was like an office worker: clocking in, going to work, and then the boss would assign tasks, which he would complete. Get paid, receive bonuses, get promoted. Then repeat the process. When he could lead a team, he started to have more work and higher goals. But was this his goal? To make a game, a popular game, a money-making game? These were the company¡¯s goals: performance, reports, revenue. These were the company¡¯s goals, but they were not Fang Zheng¡¯s personal goals. Just like many motivational speeches ask, when you¡¯re blindly repeating your duties in the city, have you ever thought about the meaning of life? What are you living for? Facing this kind of question, most people don¡¯t care. After all, Laozi is now so poor that he can barely survive, with thirty years of mortgage to pay off. Let¡¯s wait until the day I can survive before pondering the answer to this question¡­ provided I haven¡¯t died of overwork by then. As for the meaning of life? Leave that sort of thing to those who are willing to think about it! What do I want? Looking at Rena in front of him, Fang Zheng was pondering this question. At this moment, he felt as if the entire world had stopped. Power, I want power. It is only natural, for humans live for power. Money, status, authority, force, humans are constantly yearning to acquire all of this, but what are they seeking these for? ¡°` Live better, but what then? Furutega Rika had been through a hundred years of cycles, all just to break free and gain her freedom. This was quite similar to himself; even in the Main World, despite having great power, he still had to act according to the rules. From this point of view, there wasn¡¯t much difference between him and Furutega Rika, both longing to break free. But, Furutega Rika had a clear goal, she just wanted to survive that June, grow up, and live a happy and joyous life with others. And what about Fang Zheng? He traveled from one world to another, what was the purpose of gaining power? No, that¡¯s not right! Think again, back in his own world, why was he working day and night, getting promotions, for what? For a bonus? A high salary? A position? No, no, no, these were all just means, not the end. That¡¯s right, he worked day and night because he wanted to make the games he liked, preferably those that players would curse while spewing blood but still couldn¡¯t stop playing. And such a feat was impossible when he was just an ordinary employee. To achieve that, he had to climb the career ladder, gain more power, and preferably take charge of or create a company! And even better, possess endless wealth! That way, he could make whatever game he wanted, not worrying about reputation, the market, losses, or the media¡¯s nagging. Laozi would spend his own money, invest in his own productions, and play them himself, casually releasing them for others to see¡ªif they like it, play; if not, screw off. The world is so vast; if you don¡¯t play, there are plenty who will. Push me, and I¡¯ll just release it for free. Then wouldn¡¯t there be loads of players kneeling and calling me daddy? Rich, so capricious! And all this because¡­ I¡¯m damn pleased!! ¡°Boom!!¡± It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Fang Zheng felt as if he finally understood something, his body suddenly trembling, and then he felt that the sensation of being bound by the entire world had completely disappeared. In that moment, he even felt as if his soul had been utterly liberated. Even facing Rena in front of him, he wasn¡¯t too worried. Even though she was currently in a ¡°Darkening¡± phase and might give Fang Zheng a cleaver at the slightest disagreement, he didn¡¯t find Rena scary. Instead, he thought this little girl¡¯s Darkening was rather cute. This feeling was as if Fang Zheng had once again returned to his own world, watching their stories, their lives through the screen¡­ No! As the audience, they might feel sorrow, anger for the pain these characters suffer, but they could do nothing except vent through comments. Perhaps that¡¯s why they found these characters pitiable, tragic. But Fang Zheng was different; he had power. He could watch the animation from outside the screen, and if he was annoyed, he could just leap into the screen and smack the villain with a big slap. I just think you¡¯re a pain, do what you will! Disagree? Then come fight! ¡°Teacher?¡± Seeing Fang Zheng not responding to her question for a long time, Rena asked again, meanwhile, the darkness in her eyes was growing deeper. ¡°Could it be, you don¡¯t like Rena?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re quite cute.¡± This time, facing Rena¡¯s question, Fang Zheng just smiled slightly and reached out to pat her little head. ¡°Actually, I like you quite a bit too, but¡­ well, I haven¡¯t thought about dating a child, maybe when you¡¯re in high school we can consider it?¡± By the way, in the world of ¡°When the Cicadas Cry,¡± Rena is 15 years old, in her third year of junior high. ¡°Really?!¡± Upon hearing this, Rena¡¯s previously dull eyes began to shine again, while Fang Zheng just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Of course, but¡­ I might not stay here for too long, so I can¡¯t give you any promises. Wait until you¡¯re mentally prepared, then come find me, and by then, I¡¯ll tell you everything about me.¡± PS: Release that monthly ticket, monthly tickets are innocent, please exchange it with me. Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Chapter 129: Its Time to End This! Chapter 130: Chapter 129: It¡¯s Time to End This! The Trial was passed! Although there was no system prompt in the Free World, Fang Zheng could clearly feel it. After his ¡°enlightenment,¡± Fang Zheng felt completely different. Before, if he was like a bird locked in a cage, unable to escape no matter how hard he tried to fly. Now, for Fang Zheng, it was as if he had returned to the boundless blue sky, free to go wherever he wanted. He could watch a play on the East African Savannah or drink coffee at Kilimanjaro. Not only that, but after breaking through this boundary, he finally understood what he had perceived as the ¡°Will of the World¡±! In fact, it wasn¡¯t the Will of the World at all, but Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°self-awareness¡±! Frankly speaking, when facing Teppei Hojo, Fang Zheng did indeed want to kill him, but considering that he was a key figure driving the plot, Fang Zheng subconsciously held back. He was afraid that if Teppei Hojo died, the plot would collapse, and once the plot collapsed, he would be at a loss. It was for this reason that Fang Zheng instinctively resisted changing any of this. And this world just magnified Fang Zheng¡¯s hesitation and refusal internally, creating an illusion that it wasn¡¯t him who didn¡¯t want to kill the man, but the world that was preventing him. However, all along, the world had never stopped Fang Zheng from doing anything. The only thing stopping him was himself. Additionally, his ¡°excessive understanding¡± of this world led him to become paranoid due to too much information, suspecting one moment that he was suffering from Hinamizawa Syndrome, and the next moment suspecting others were showing symptoms¡­ But all this was merely Fang Zheng¡¯s delusion, not reality. But now, for Fang Zheng, this was no longer a problem. ¡°Squeak¡ªThud!!¡± ¡°There¡¯s been a car accident!¡± ¡°Quick, save them!!¡± Watching the chaotic intersection and the blond man being carried to an ambulance, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and casually picked up the soda placed on the nearby counter. Just moments ago, he had cast ¡°Suppress Good Luck¡± on Teppei Hojo, then silently watched as he suddenly stumbled while walking, got hit by a speeding truck, and fell onto the steps beside¡ªFang Zheng even clearly saw his neck make intimate contact with the edge of the steps¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?0 And now¡­ according to the doctors who rushed to the rescue, Teppei Hojo was likely to be nothing more than a vegetative and fully paralyzed person if he was saved. For him, this outcome was quite satisfactory. However, for Fang Zheng, Teppei Hojo was just a small fry; what he valued was another bigger fish. Just as Fang Zheng had finished the soda in his hand, he saw a man in a green vest walking out of the crowd. That man was the one previously with Miyo Takano, who claimed to be a wild bird photographer, Tomitake Jiro. But his real identity was the liaison between the Irie Institution and the ¡°Tokyo¡± organization. Frankly, everyone in the Higurashi World was second rate, and this liaison was no exception. Initially, as a representative sent by the headquarters for inspection, Tomitake Jiro was utterly bewitched by that woman Miyo Takano, forgetting his own surname after a night in bed and ultimately getting killed by Miyo Takano. Truth be told, Fang Zheng had no good impression of this man, a natural lover. Even after Miyo Takano¡¯s conspiracy failed in the final resolution, he still thought about helping her escape punishment. Such negligence of duty¡­ someone needed to deal with it. With that thought in mind, Fang Zheng casually threw away the soda bottle and walked towards Tomitake Jiro. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tomitake.¡± ¡°Huh? You are¡­¡± Startled by the sound of his name, Tomitake Jiro looked up at the approaching Fang Zheng, pondered for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Ah, Mr. Fang Zheng, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you in Okimiya¡­¡± ¡°Neither did I expect to see you here. Would you be interested in having dinner together?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s invitation, Tomitake showed some hesitation. Actually, upon seeing Fang Zheng, he felt somewhat embarrassed. He knew that Takano had deployed the Mountain Dog Unit to attack Fang Zheng, only for it to end up with Fang Zheng defeating them. To be honest, he was curious why Takano launched an assault with the Mountain Dog Unit against a normal person, although Takano claimed it was because Fang Zheng had an outbreak of Hinamizawa Syndrome. But clearly, that wasn¡¯t the case. Although members of the Mountain Dog Unit were injured, no one died, and Fang Zheng¡¯s behavior afterward was quite normal. This raised doubts in Tomitake¡¯s mind, but well¡­ he was still in the investigation phase, without any significant clues. ¡°I have recently taken some photos of wild birds¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just having a meal¡­ Oh, I¡¯ve recently found a really nice ramen restaurant, but I don¡¯t know where it is. Could you help me figure it out?¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng took a card out from his coat and handed it over. Tomitake hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take the card and glanced at it. The next moment, his expression changed dramatically and when he looked at Fang Zheng again, it was with a hint of terror! Then Tomitake instinctively put down his camera and raised his right hand towards Fang Zheng. ¡°You¡­ ¡± ¡°No need to salute; the Mountain Dog might be watching.¡± Seeing Tomitake¡¯s gesture, Fang Zheng snorted coldly. Hearing his voice, Tomitake hurriedly lowered his hand and glanced around. ¡°Inviting me for some ramen isn¡¯t too much to ask, I assume you know a familiar place.¡± ¡°Of course, Mr. Fang Zheng.¡± This time, Tomitake¡¯s attitude toward Fang Zheng was much more respectful. ¡°Follow me, I know a ramen shop with excellent skills; you¡¯ll definitely like it.¡± No wonder Tomitake was so respectful towards Fang Zheng, because the card Fang Zheng had just handed him was not some chef¡¯s business card but an identity card! Its content was simple, proving that Fang Zheng was the representative sent by ¡°Tokyo¡±! Indeed, when Fang Zheng arrived in the Higurashi World, his public identity was that of a classmate of Chie Rumiko, but privately, he was also the representative of the covert organization ¡°Tokyo¡±! If Tomitake was a frontier fighter, then Fang Zheng was akin to an imperial emissary; the status and identity of the two were naturally incomparable. Originally, Fang Zheng came here in search of a trial, but now, he had seen through the true meaning of this world, and thus, it was time to end this game. However, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t forgotten to deliver the final blow to Miyo Takano, a woman he had loathed while playing the game. If he didn¡¯t crush her now, he wouldn¡¯t feel enlightened at all! ¡°Miyo Takano embezzled public funds, secretly bribed the ¡®Mountain Dog¡¯ unit, and even tried to conceal her doings, making a move against me¡­ Honestly, I never expected to encounter such things during my visit to Hinamizawa. The Irie Institution has always been controversial within ¡®Tokyo,¡¯ and now, the higher-ups will not let these matters slide!¡± As he ate the ramen, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t forget to spoil the plot to Tomitake; Miyo Takano had embezzled substantial public funds to bribe them, so the ¡®Mountain Dog¡¯ unit followed Takano¡¯s orders against Hinamizawa. Now, Fang Zheng naturally didn¡¯t need to provide evidence; his identity itself was the evidence. ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng speak, Tomitake was sweating profusely. Although the ramen in front of him was delicious, he had no appetite to enjoy it. If Fang Zheng¡¯s words were true, then it meant that the woman, Miyo Takano, had deceived him for a long time! And as a liaison officer, he hadn¡¯t noticed any issue at all, a fact which, if revealed, would at least mark him as negligent! ¡°It¡¯s not just that. I also received information that Miyo Takano intends to use ¡®Hinamizawa Syndrome¡¯ as a cover to conduct research and manufacturing of biological weapons! This is a very vile act, and if it gets out, ¡®Tokyo¡¯ will be put in a very passive position!¡± It wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with Miyo Takano, but the challenge was how to conceal the matter about ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t want Furutega Rika and the others to be taken for experiments and dissection, but the disease wasn¡¯t so easily curable. His previous psychological discourse was to mock Miyo Takano for pulling a boss-level hatred. But whether Hinamizawa Syndrome really existed was always a mystery. Moreover, if the queen infector Furutega Rika died, would the entire Hinamizawa go mad? Not necessarily. Because in the first world of Cicada¡¯s Song, Furutega Rika had been killed, yet Rena Ryuuguu survived and lived for more than twenty years. She neither went mad due to the death of Furutega Rika nor died. This indirectly proved that Miyo Takano¡¯s so-called ¡°all members rioting upon the queen¡¯s death¡± was complete nonsense. If Fang Zheng directly said that Miyo Takano was using parasitic worms from Hinamizawa for biological weapon research, it would definitely attract prying eyes. Then, if one Miyo Takano died, the higher-ups might even send someone else to take over. But conversely, if it was stated that ¡°Hinamizawa Syndrome¡± was used as a front for the secret development of biological weapons, that was a different story altogether. This is like selling mutton while also selling its innards, as opposed to displaying a goat¡¯s head but selling dog meat; the nature is completely different. So, the art of language is so profound indeed, just changing the expression, suddenly it becomes different. ¡°I require you to immediately notify ¡®Tokyo,¡¯ to dispatch the ¡®Hunter¡¯ unit to the Irie Institution, and catch Miyo Takano and her accomplices in one fell swoop!¡± Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: Chapter 130 The Last Desperate Struggle Chapter 131: Chapter 130 The Last Desperate Struggle Fang Zheng had to admit that technological advancement truly was the key to swagger. Back in his own era, the protagonist would coolly make a phone call, and armies would appear to meet him. But here? He literally had to go to a public phone booth and connect through a switchboard¡­ The proper Hollywood atmosphere was completely ruined by this backward, crumbling technological standard. After assigning tasks to Tomitake, Fang Zheng returned to Hinamizawa. There wasn¡¯t much for him to do in Okimiya; instead, coming back to see Miyo Takano¡¯s failure was a form of entertainment and pleasure. However, what surprised Fang Zheng was that upon returning to the school, he found several unexpected people. ¡°Keiichi? Shion? And Director Irie? What happened to you all?¡± Seeing everyone hiding in his room, weapons in hand, Fang Zheng was taken aback. Seeing him return, the originally tense expressions of everyone immediately turned to joy. ¡°Teacher, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Through Shion¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng finally understood what had happened to this group of characters. Afterward, Keiichi still wanted to investigate the Irie Research Institute. Then he met Shion, and after discussing, they immediately agreed and decided to visit the Irie Clinic under the guise of seeking treatment. However, what Keiichi and Shion didn¡¯t expect was that they had just arrived outside the Irie Clinic and hadn¡¯t even begun their plans when they discovered Dr. Irie being chased by a group of people. Being protagonists, however, Keiichi and Shion were no fools; they helped Dr. Irie successfully escape from those pursuing him. Along the way, they encountered Rika and Satoko, followed by Rena who also rushed over. Eventually, on Rika¡¯s suggestion, they came to the school to seek help from Fang Zheng. Without Fang Zheng there, they had no choice but to hide here and wait for him to return. Luckily, this also indicated that what had previously occurred was indeed just a dream. But why did Miyo Takano suddenly turn against Dr. Irie? ¡°It seems Takano received a report¡­ I¡¯m not very clear on the specifics, but it seems to involve an issue with Lieutenant Tomitake¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï That idiot! Hearing Dr. Irie¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression darkened. He had always known that guy was unreliable, but since he was the only one who had a way to communicate with ¡°Tokyo,¡± Fang Zheng had no choice but to entrust Tomitake Jiro with the task. This guy had no sense of confidentiality at all. Takano¡¯s sudden move was probably because she had learned from a traitor within ¡°Tokyo¡± that the organization was aware of her embezzlement of funds, and she intended to strike before the organization could! It was already mentioned in the story that the ¡°Tokyo¡± organization wasn¡¯t united internally; the current leader faction wanted to stop the research on the Hinamizawa Syndrome, but there was also a group that wanted to take down those leaders using this opportunity. Thus, they directed Takano to act against Hinamizawa, as such a large-scale disaster would undoubtedly require someone to be held accountable and resign. The benefit promised to Takano was that she would still be in charge of the Hinamizawa Syndrome research after everything ended. Of course, if Takano had even a bit of sense, she¡¯d know that even if those people came to power, she would still be thrown out as a pawn. But¡­ well. Expecting her to think was like expecting a sow to climb a tree. ¡°Whoo¡­¡± Just then, a noise suddenly came from outside the window. Hearing this, everyone¡¯s expression changed slightly, and then Keiichi walked to the window to take a look, immediately becoming tense. ¡°Oh no, those guys have already chased us here!¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just fight them!¡± Since today was a holiday, there were no other students in the school besides Fang Zheng. It was precisely for this reason that the Mountain Dog could brazenly appear here and surround the entire school. Seeing those fully armed soldiers wielding guns charging down from their vehicles, everyone tensed up. After all, they had only seen such scenes in movies before, but facing it in person was another matter entirely. ¡°Teacher, take Rika and the others and leave!¡± While speaking, Rena raised her machete. ¡°According to Dr. Irie, these people are after Rika. As long as she is safe¡­¡± ¡°No! If we go, we go together! I don¡¯t want to lose a single friend!¡± ¡°Rika¡­¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts!¡± Seeing her companions blocking in front of her, Rika also felt a twinge of sadness. She had felt despair before, but now, even though her companions hadn¡¯t believed her initially, they still stood by her side, which was enough for Rika. ¡°Teacher, you must have a way, please, help us.¡± ¡°Of course, I have a way.¡± Seeing the girl pleading desperately, Fang Zheng gave a faint smile and reached out to pat Rika¡¯s small head. Now that he had achieved ¡°mastery of divine skills¡± and resolved the ultimate question of this world, Fang Zheng indeed had ways to handle everything. ¡°Leave it to me. You all stay here, don¡¯t go anywhere. Just sit back and enjoy my performance.¡± At the same time, the fully armed Mountain Dog Unit had already arrived at the school entrance. Seeing the closed gates, the squad leader made a gesture. ¡°The targets are inside. Remember, capture the target alive, then eliminate all other witnesses¡ªAah!!!¡± But before the squad leader could finish his sentence, the gate that had been closed in front of him suddenly flew up, smashing squarely onto the unfortunate man, and with a scream, the assault leader was immediately thrown backward, crashing to the ground. Seeing this scene, the other Special Forces members were also taken aback, hastily raising their submachine guns aimed at the door. But before these soldiers could even pull the trigger, Fang Zheng rushed out like a hurricane, fists clenched, and pounded the enemies before him fiercely! ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± To be honest, as a special forces unit, Mountain Dog was rather weak within the military. After all, they specialized in intelligence gathering, not combat. They only bullied civilians with superior weapons and numbers. For Fang Zheng, these guys were barely different from targets. He didn¡¯t even need to activate Time Manipulation; using his own speed and strength was enough to take down this group of fools. However, to the Mountain Dog Unit, this was a completely different scenario. They only saw a blurry shadow flash before their eyes like a ghost, and the next moment, a massive force struck them head-on, mercilessly tossing them into the air. For a time, screams filled the air as the members of the Special Forces, dressed in work uniforms, were thrown skyward and then fell heavily to the ground. When Fang Zheng ceased his attack, before him lay those who initially boasted with their firearms, now silent and motionless. ¡°God, oh God.¡± Seeing this scene, everyone in the command vehicle behind sweated coldly, even Miyo Takano turned pale. She had once defied Haneiru, believing her firm will could defeat fate and even deities. But now, for the first time, she felt that, in the face of overwhelming power, she was as helpless as a child. ¡°Quick, get out of here!!¡± Thinking this, Miyo Takano couldn¡¯t help but tremble all over. In her eyes, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure began to blur, merging with the man who had abused her at the orphanage in her youth; she had been just as powerless then¡­¡­ ¡°Move, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Thud!!¡± However, as soon as Miyo Takano¡¯s words fell, a loud bang came from behind the command vehicle. The next moment, the firmly shut door of the vehicle was torn apart effortlessly by Fang Zheng, like tearing paper. He reached in to pull the whole door open, then quietly looked at the woman before him. ¡°Who, who are you exactly? What do you want to do?!¡± Watching this unfold, not only was Miyo Takano stunned, but everyone else in the command vehicle was also dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. However, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t pay much heed to Miyo Takano¡¯s questions; he just stepped onto the command vehicle and walked towards her. ¡°No, don¡¯t come closer!!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng approaching, Miyo Takano raised the handgun in her hand in terror and pulled the trigger. But the next moment, Fang Zheng suddenly appeared beside her, stepping on the handgun and crushing it into pieces. ¡°Bang!!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!¡± The handgun exploded instantly, and the ensuing pain made Miyo Takano scream. However, Fang Zheng was completely indifferent to her cries. Instead, he reached out, grabbed a handful of Miyo Takano¡¯s blonde hair, and dragged her out of the vehicle like dragging out trash. ¡°No! You can¡¯t do this! Please, I beg you to spare me! Help me, Grandpa! Grandpa!! Help me!!¡± Miyo Takano struggled frantically, rolling around, crying out. But Fang Zheng was entirely unmoved; he only dragged her by the hair from the vehicle and threw her onto the cold cement floor. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve always found you very displeasing.¡± Looking at Miyo Takano collapsed on the ground, Fang Zheng slightly smiled. ¡°But now, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, your plan has already failed¡­¡­ Soon, Tokyo will send someone to take over everything. Honestly, from my standpoint, someone like you doesn¡¯t deserve to live, but¡­¡­¡± Saying this, Fang Zheng paused, then turned his head to look towards the school windows. There, Furutega Rika watched with a complex expression the woman lying at Fang Zheng¡¯s feet. It was she who had disemboweled herself time and again in endless loops, she who had killed her friends over and over, destroying the entire Hinamizawa. And all this, merely for¡­ ¡°Foolish research.¡± Fang Zheng reached out and snatched the documents that Miyo Takano clutched tightly to her chest. Seeing Fang Zheng taking her possessions, Miyo Takano suddenly became stiff, then she suddenly stood up and lunged towards him. ¡°Give it back to me! That¡¯s my grandfather¡¯s research! My grandfather¡¯s life¡¯s work!¡± ¡°A third-rate pseudoscientific study?¡± Facing Miyo Takano lunging at him, Fang Zheng showed no mercy and slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. ¡°A mere pseudoscience? For this, you would sacrifice over two thousand lives? For this?¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng threw the documents onto the muddy ground and then forcefully stepped on them. Under Fang Zheng¡¯s feet, the documents that Miyo Takano had treasured like jewels now turned into a pile of trash. ¡°No!! No!! Grandpa!! Grandpa¡ª¡ª¡ªthis is Grandpa¡¯s research, the key to human evolution!!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, this is just the delusion of a pseudoscientist.¡± Fang Zheng watched the woman crying violently before him, then shifted his gaze to someone beside Miyo Takano¡ª¡ª¡ªthere, Furutega Hane in her red and white shrine maiden outfit, watched the scene with complex eyes. ¡°How about you, Oyashiro-sama? What do you think of this woman?¡± ¡°Er¡­ah¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s query, Haneiru exhibited an embarrassed expression. She complexly watched Miyo Takano lying in the muddy ground, and eventually lowered her head, saying nothing. ¡°Well, since the principal party doesn¡¯t plan to settle accounts with you after autumn, I might as well stop here too.¡± Glancing at Furutega Hane beside him, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders and stepped back. Miyo Takano, however, lunged forward like a madwoman, grabbing onto the research materials in the mud and began sobbing softly. ¡°However¡­¡­ it¡¯s over for her.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng looked at the sky. There, the rumbling noise of a helicopter grew from distant to near. Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Chapter 131: Psychic Expertise [Free Will] Chapter 132: Chapter 131: Psychic Expertise [Free Will] With the intervention of ¡°Tokyo,¡± Miyo Takano was finally doomed. The entire Irie Research Institute was isolated for an audit, and Takano was arrested and incarcerated. This time, Fang Zheng did not allow the foolish Tomitake Jiro, a love-struck fool, to attempt a rescue. Instead, he directly ordered the special forces under ¡°Tokyo¡± to take Takano away. She would be indicted for embezzlement, murder, and illegal human experimentation. As for whether she would receive the death sentence¡­ Well, before she was taken away, Fang Zheng had gifted her with a ¡°Suppress Good Luck¡± spell. Now, he could only hope that Takano¡¯s fate was stronger than the scum Teppei Hojo and that she could survive long enough to make it to court. As for the Irie Research Institute, under Fang Zheng¡¯s protection, Dr. Irie Kyosuke stayed on and resumed work in place of Takano. All those who had unclear relations with Takano were cleansed from the place. As a result, the personnel of the Irie Institution was greatly reduced, but in exchange, ¡°Tokyo¡± extended the institution¡¯s lifespan from three to five years. This was one of the few bits of good fortune for Irie Kyosuke who, at least, was confident that he could find a cure for the Hinamizawa Syndrome within these five years. But even if he could not make any progress, Fang Zheng had decided to return to his own world, or to explore other worlds to find a way to eliminate the disease. Although Rika had escaped the endless cycle of reincarnation, as a Queen Infector, she still could not travel freely. Of course, in the 1980s, this was not such a troubling issue. However, Fang Zheng was well aware that in another ten or twenty years, the world would undergo earth-shattering changes. If Furutega Rika remained alone in the village then, it would be rather pitiful. However, for Furutega Rika, this was a problem for the future. Now, she could freely enjoy life without worrying about being killed¡ªof course, Furutega Rika also had to be cautious for her safety. Otherwise, she might not die from the conspiracy, but from an accident, leading to another cycle of rebirth¡­ That would be truly tragic. But this was no longer of immediate concern to Fang Zheng. After accompanying Rika to watch the last sunset of June, he left that strange world and returned to his own room. ¡°Phew¡­¡± As the scenery before his eyes changed once again, the landscape of Hinamizawa disappeared, replaced by the cold and monotonous decoration inside the Mage Tower. Back in his own room and feeling the chill in the air, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but exhale deeply. To be honest, although the World of Cicada¡¯s Song he had entered was not inherently dangerous, it was sinister. Most importantly, this trial was not merely about strengthening one¡¯s will and spirit as Fang Zheng had initially thought. On the contrary, the world had struck a deadly blow to Fang Zheng¡¯s most vulnerable spot. When you have foreknowledge of the future and are familiar with the plot, what will you do? Will you go with the flow and become a pawn, or will you step out of it and become the player? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï For a time, Fang Zheng nearly fell into it. He finally understood what Rex meant when he warned, ¡°Prophet Mages see the future, but it doesn¡¯t mean they can control it.¡± Sometimes, the very act of seeing the future is a sign you are caught in its trap, and by the time you come to your senses, it¡¯s too late to escape. Fortunately, Fang Zheng was always on guard, so he managed to pull back at the last moment. Otherwise, he might have been forced to follow Furutega Rika¡¯s infinite cycle of rebirth¡­ And worse, if Rika had left the world, leaving Fang Zheng alone, then he would have been at a loss! Damn it! Who would have thought that a situation that seemed to be in the bag could nearly collapse because he scared himself? Even now, thinking back on it, Fang Zheng was drenched in a cold sweat. Perhaps this was what the Dimensional Codex intended to tell him: a Dimensional Mage is an existence that transcends worlds, not a pawn confined to any single world¡­ And this was a setting he had written himself, yet he nearly forgot it when it mattered! ¡°You¡¯re back, Master!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng appear, the little angel Nymph rushed to greet him. ¡°I¡¯m back, Nymph.¡± Looking at the blue-haired little angel beside him, Fang Zheng smiled and reached out to fondly pat her small head. ¡°How long was I gone?¡± ¡°About five minutes.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± He had spent a month in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, but only five minutes had passed here. Luckily Nymph was an Artificial Angel, for a human, this sense of time would have been disconcerting. With that thought, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders and then stretched out his hand to open the system alert. Soon, a line of information appeared in front of him. [User has completed the Free Instance ¡°Heart,¡± Rating: B] [User has acquired the Mind Skill ¡°Free Will¡±] [Free Will: In the endless worlds, only the self is the eternal truth. All things will perish, even time will change everything. However, all these cannot bind a heart that yearns for freedom, all is illusion, all is permissible. What keeps you from moving forward is not the wild wind of the mortal world, but the shackles from the depths of the soul (+10 resistance to the influence of Mind Willpower, unable to be immediately influenced)] ¡°Ah¡­¡± Looking at the Skill notification in front of him, Fang Zheng slightly curled his lip in dissatisfaction. To be honest, what he most wanted was a Skill that could provide a 100% immunity to Mind Willpower influences, but unfortunately, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t getting something that good this time. But this ¡°Free Will¡± was still not bad, although it couldn¡¯t provide full immunity, it had the attribute of ¡°unable to be immediately influenced.¡± This was also a very important property, after all, the unpredictability of Mind Willpower Spells is in their ability to strike when least expected; you can never know when you¡¯ve fallen victim to one. But the ¡°unable to be immediately influenced¡± from ¡°Free Will¡± is equivalent to an early warning. The biggest weakness of Mind Willpower is that once you notice something is off, the effect will drastically decrease. Of course, it would be better if it could be nullified, but for now, for Fang Zheng, it was better to have it than not. And it was at this moment that suddenly, an unexpected voice rang out. ¡°Meow¡­¡± ¡°A cat?¡± Looking at the black cat that had emerged from Fang Zheng¡¯s body, Nymph was taken aback for a moment. She blinked her eyes, looking towards her master. The Little Angel clearly remembered that her master had not left with any cat before. Could it be, he brought this one from that world? ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Looking at the black cat that suddenly appeared in front of him, Fang Zheng was also quite surprised. How could there be a black cat here? Could it be one he had brought from the World of Cicada¡¯s Song? But¡­ there were no cats in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, right? So where did this cat come from? Thinking this, Fang Zheng reached out his hand and picked up the black cat, staring intently at it. However, this black cat did not seem like the wild cats Fang Zheng had seen before; even when he picked it up, it did not struggle at all, but just stared at Fang Zheng with its big eyes, blinking occasionally and even flicking its tail from time to time ¡ª it was only then that Fang Zheng noticed that there was a blue ribbon tied into a bow on the tail of this black cat. It¡¯s quite cute, actually. I really don¡¯t know where this black cat came out from. Fang Zheng scratched the black cat¡¯s chin, and it cooperated by squinting its eyes and letting out a soft meow¡­ Ah, how can a cat be so cute? How can such an adorable animal exist in this world? I can¡¯t resist it; I just want to cuddle it¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Fang Zheng petted the black cat before handing it over to Nymph beside him. ¡°You¡¯ll take care of it, no problem, right?¡± ¡°Of course, master.¡± Nymph had been eyeing the adorable Little Hei with glistening eyes. Upon hearing what Fang Zheng said, she quickly reached out with a grin and took Little Hei into her arms. The little cat also ¡°meowed,¡± then reached out its head to gently rub against Nymph¡¯s cheek. Oh my¡­ why does the world have such adorable animals? Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: Chapter 132 An Invitation from the Sanctuary Chapter 133: Chapter 132 An Invitation from the Sanctuary Mr. Fang Zheng felt that his luck was not too bad. Although he did not gain the specialized ability to be immune to mental control, obtaining ¡°Free Will¡± was a decent choice, and it even came with a bonus¡ªa black cat¡­ Well, although this black cat could not provide much assistance to Fang Zheng, most of the time it just played by itself, but for Fang Zheng, having a cat to pet was not bad at all, right? It could at least provide some relaxation, couldn¡¯t it? In the following days, Fang Zheng continued to climb the ranks in the Sky Arena while testing his new ability. He was pleased to find that ¡°Free Will¡± had indeed increased his resistance to the Enchantment School¡¯s spells substantially; now, most low-rank mages from the Enchantment School could no longer affect him at all. Only occasionally, a few high-level apprentices would cast Enchantment School spells that could influence Fang Zheng for a brief one to two seconds. This was a good thing for Fang Zheng, but not so much for the other mages in the Sky Arena. Mages are no fools; noticing his own weakness, the other mages naturally discovered it as well. Thus, in the following days, the number of Enchantment School mages who challenged Fang Zheng increased significantly; clearly, they also sought to use various methods to block the progress of this Wild Mage. Unfortunately for them, with ¡°Free Will¡± now in his arsenal, Fang Zheng was no longer afraid of such spell attacks, and soon, the apprentices of the Enchantment School became the second group, after the Necromancer Class, to deliberately avoid him whenever they saw him. You ask why? Nonsense, most spells from the Enchantment School require close proximity to cast. If it is a battle between two mages, casting spells up close isn¡¯t an issue, but against a Templar¡­ Ouch¡­ My jaw still hurts! By the time Fang Zheng had advanced to the top hundred ranks in the Sky Arena, he had already mastered fifth-level spells from four factions. This had left Rex completely speechless; he had never seen such abnormal skill in learning spells. You must know, those spell texts were extremely complex and quite the mouthful, and many mages spent a lot of time just memorizing these texts, not to mention embedding them in their Power of the Soul. Spells themselves contain powerful forces, thus the higher the rank of the spells a mage masters and learns, the more difficult it becomes. Aside from the complexity of the spell itself, another reason is the powerful force of the spell itself. If you compare mages to hard drives, then spells are like the programs installed inside; perhaps those low-level trickery spells only occupy a few MB or dozens of MB, but as time goes on, the more powerful the spells become, the more ¡°space¡± they take up, even reaching tens of GBs or hundreds of GBs. This is why the White Tower makes mages make constrained choices while specializing in factions; after all, every mage¡¯s ¡°capacity¡± is limited, so the number of spells they can ¡°install¡± is naturally also limited. In fact, even within the White Tower, it is rare for mages to truly specialize in one faction before choosing three others. Given their qualifications, just studying and learning the spells of a specialized faction was already burdensome, let alone studying other minor factions; they usually just needed to understand a little and then select a few for daily use. If you compare ordinary mages to mechanical hard drives and Rex, as a faction instructor, to a solid-state drive, then Fang Zheng was like a black-technology quantum hard drive. At least for now, he had no apparent ¡°capacity¡± limits, and even his ¡°read¡± speed was incredibly fast. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï This made Rex even more convinced that choosing the path of magic was the right choice for Fang Zheng; he was already considering how to bring Fang Zheng into the White Tower. But before that, Fang Zheng still had one troublesome matter to face. ¡°A banquet?¡± Looking at the invitation Rex had thrown over, Fang Zheng scanned the invitation in surprise and saw that it was actually issued by the Sanctuary¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right, you also know that the Order Fortress was almost breached recently, right? The situation there has finally stabilized now. So, the Sanctuary plans to host a banquet to invite all the brave warriors who have achieved great merits in this battle¡­ you are one of them, got it?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± After hearing Rex¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng put away the invitation and nodded. He had heard about the situation at the Order Fortress a few times; although initially, the Demon Beasts were indeed ferocious, the situation eventually stabilized after the Sanctuary increased their military efforts. Now it seemed that those ambitious Demon Beast Lords had finally retreated, so the Sanctuary could finally take a breath and celebrate their victory. ¡°Same place, during the New Year festival; I have to say, these old fellows really know how to pick the time. You¡¯ve also received an invitation; it wouldn¡¯t hurt to go and check it out. These kinds of gatherings are meant for eating, drinking, and playing with women; as a young fellow like yourself, you shouldn¡¯t miss out on these good things.¡± At this point, Rex tapped his forehead, as if he had suddenly remembered something and looked at Fang Zheng again. ¡°By the way, kid, if you stir up any trouble this time, don¡¯t come back for now. When the time is right, I¡¯ll come find you, got it?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Although Fang Zheng did not know what Rex meant by that, he still nodded respectfully. He took the words of a Prophecy System instructor seriously. After hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Rex then waved his hand. ¡°Alright, off you go. Enjoying the fun of the festival is the real deal in life; everything else is nonsense. Go and enjoy the festivities.¡± It was because of Rex¡¯s words that Fang Zheng, along with Nymph, once again used the Teleportation Array and returned to the Northern Capital City of the Northern Alliance. Unlike before, the Northern Capital City was now adorned with festive lights and a joyous atmosphere. Lanterns were lit everywhere, and the streets were bustling with people. From afar, one could even faintly hear the sounds of music and the noise of the crowd. Compared to the tense atmosphere before, the Northern Kingdom capital now seemed quite lively. ¡°No matter where you are, parties are always boring.¡± Standing on the balcony, Mr. Fang Zheng stroked the black cat in his arms and squinted at the brightly decorated city in front of him, while Nymph who stood quietly by his side, looked around somewhat bored. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± What Mr. Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t expected was that he had only been here a short while before he bumped into an acquaintance. ¡°Knight Conan?¡± Looking at Knight Conan, who was rushing toward him excitedly, Mr. Fang Zheng suddenly felt a bit regretful; he thought leaving now might have been the right choice. Otherwise, if some ¡°Midnight Ritual Murder¡± were to occur¡­ that would really be troublesome. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to still be alive?¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect it myself either.¡± Hearing Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Knight Conan also showed a bitter smile. ¡°Honestly, when I arrived at the fortress, those terrifying Demon Beast Lords had already launched a fierce attack on the Order Fortress, if not for the timely arrival of reinforcements, the entire fortress might have fallen. And many of my colleagues were heavily casualties in that battle¡­¡± According to Knight Conan, after he arrived at the Order Fortress and relayed the rear¡¯s messages to the Fortress Commander, he was immediately assigned to a defense squad. This defense squad soon encountered an attack from the Demon Beast Lords, and nearly everyone was annihilated. Fortunately, at the very last moment, the Sanctuary¡¯s reinforcements arrived in time, allowing Knight Conan to narrowly escape. But this was not beyond Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s expectations. ¡°No matter how one puts it, you did manage to survive, Knight Conan, and¡­¡± As he spoke, Mr. Fang Zheng glanced at Knight Conan¡¯s chest. ¡°You even received a medal, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Although you say that¡­¡± Hearing Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Knight Conan showed a slightly embarrassed smile, but soon, he let out a long sigh. ¡°But¡­ I have to tell you, Mr. Fang Zheng, I¡¯ve already planned to retire.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Knight Conan¡¯s revelation, Mr. Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Templars indeed could retire, just like soldiers, they had their own service period. Of course, unlike those soldiers who must leave the army after their service period, Templars have specific restrictions. For example, during the first five years after you become a Templar, you aren¡¯t allowed to leave voluntarily. But after those five years, you can choose to stay or retire. The time Knight Conan had served in the Templar Order was not short, so his decision to retire seemed a natural choice. Especially considering everything he had been through¡­ yes, you should retire. ¡°Retire?¡± ¡°Yes, to be honest, always watching my comrades die around me has become somewhat unbearable for me, I think¡­ it¡¯s time for me to leave the battlefield. Perhaps I¡¯ll return to my hometown and become a sheriff, maybe even find a wife or something¡­¡± As he spoke, Knight Conan sheepishly scratched the back of his head, while Mr. Fang Zheng merely smiled slightly. ¡°Well then, I wish you all the best in advance, Knight Conan.¡± And silently, he lit thirty-two candles in his heart for Knight Conan¡¯s hometown. Chapter 134 - Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Its That Silly Woman Again Chapter 134: Chapter 133: It¡¯s That Silly Woman Again The banquet was held in the Sanctuary Hall, and at the moment most of the guests had not yet arrived, only characters like Fang Zheng and Knight Conan had arrived at the scene early. After all, there were protocols to be observed at a banquet, like walking on a red carpet; ordinary people could not walk on the red carpet upon entering the hall, only those with fame and reputation could do so. Although logically speaking, Fang Zheng was one of the people qualified to walk the red carpet¡ªafter all, he was the main figure who destroyed the Gates of Hell and his merits were arguably not much lesser than the Guardians of the Order Fortress¡ªhe was not interested in such matters, so he brought Nymph along early to the banquet hall to snack and drink casually. After chatting a bit with Knight Conan, Fang Zheng took Nymph to a corner to rest. He had already learned the flow of this evening from Knight Conan, which was nothing more than first parading all the heroes who protected the Northlands in front of everyone, then the Archbishop at the core would come out to give a speech, followed by everyone eating, drinking, and if sympathetic, dancing and chatting with each other to cultivate relationships¡­ Of course, Fang Zheng had no interest in these activities, he was only there because he heard that Shi Dong and Carl were also attending, thus he suppressed his true feelings and waited until now. Although currently Fang Zheng was considered a fringe member within the Sanctuary, Shi Dong was still quite decent to him, and both reason and sentiment demanded that he greet them. Then¡­ then Fang Zheng would clean up, shake off, and leave, staying here was no fun, and it wasn¡¯t as good as going home to pet the cat and learn magic spells. Fang Zheng had never particularly liked such banquet scenes, even before his rebirth, he actually despised similar gatherings. Unfortunately, as a high-level corporate executive, he had no choice but to attend¡­ Time ticked by, and the hall gradually filled with more people, but these individuals were unrelated to Fang Zheng; he simply sat in the corner, amusing himself with the black cat in his lap and chatting with Nymph beside him. As for this young man hiding in the corner, although people were quite curious, nobody came to cause trouble. Given Fang Zheng¡¯s current awkward status, he was not dressed in Templar armor nor a Wizard Robe, but as always, he wore noble attire. As for Nymph beside him, she was not dressed in her usual cloak and miniskirt, but had changed into a light and flowing long dress. Of course, Little Angel had already hidden her wings before arriving at the Sanctuary following Fang Zheng¡¯s orders, otherwise, an Angel appearing in the Sanctuary would attract unwanted attention no matter how low-key Fang Zheng acted. Although Fang Zheng had indeed performed great feats, his reputation at the moment was still not prominent, even less so than Knight Conan, who had returned from the Order Fortress. This was also a consequence of Fang Zheng¡¯s negotiations with the Bishopric, since he expressed his unwillingness to commit wholeheartedly to the Sanctuary, naturally the Sanctuary also wouldn¡¯t expend efforts to promote him. Therefore, apart from a few nobility ladies attracted by Fang Zheng¡¯s appearance, most people regarded him as just a member from some noble family in the Northlands. If Fang Zheng were alone, perhaps some noble lady would come to chat, but with Nymph at his side, such bother was naturally absent. Although Nymph always treated Fang Zheng as her master, he had never regarded Nymph as a servant, but rather treated her more like his own sister. Therefore, Fang Zheng was naturally not stingy in spending money on her; the clothes he bought her were naturally top-tier. For this reason, no one dared come up to disturb them. After all, according to the rules of nobility in this world, if a woman did not attend a banquet by herself, then she must be accompanied by a man, either an elder brother or a fianc¨¦. Although Nymph was young, the laws of this world did not concern such matters; in fact, many great nobles would train a ¡°Female Attendant¡± for their children from a young age, essentially similar to a ¡°child bride.¡± The nobles present were not blind, Nymph was young but very respectful toward Fang Zheng, yet seeing her sitting beside him rather than standing behind indicated that this girl wasn¡¯t Fang Zheng¡¯s servant. If you considered them as siblings, it didn¡¯t quite fit either. Thus, this was obviously the best explanation. Since there were no legal stipulations regarding this matter in this world, therefore no one spoke more of it, much less caused trouble¡ªthis was a celebration banquet at the Sanctuary, did you overeat and come here to cause trouble? Perhaps tired of living? Since no one came to cause trouble, Fang Zheng was happy to relax, sitting in the corner playing with the black cat in his embrace. Little Black Cat was also irresistibly adorable, facing Fang Zheng¡¯s approaching fingers, it would sometimes stretch out its little paws to pat at them, sometimes open its mouth to gently nibble. After being scratched by Fang Zheng on its chin and belly, it would comfortably purr and curl up in Fang Zheng¡¯s lap, just like a little child. Occasionally rolling over, turning its body, let out soft cries¡ªsimply too cute! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.?¦Ï Ah, why are there such adorable creatures in this world? Truly, one lives to pet cats! As Fang Zheng was immersed in the joy of petting the cat, unable to extricate himself, suddenly, a voice rang out next to his ear. ¡°Why is it you? How could you be here?¡± Hearing this sudden voice, the little cat that had been rolling and frolicking in Fang Zheng¡¯s hands got a fright and immediately burrowed into his chest. Fang Zheng also frowned in displeasure and lifted his head to look in the direction of the voice, his expression growing even darker upon seeing the person before him. ¡°Hasn¡¯t your family taught you how to greet people, Miss Connie? Can¡¯t you show some manners?¡± Indeed, the person standing before Fang Zheng at this moment was the Templar Connie, who had previously clashed with him in Shadow Canyon. At this moment, she was dressed in Templar armor, looking heroic and valiant. However, her expression as she looked at Fang Zheng was exceedingly severe and wary, as if she had seen an enemy. And facing this woman before him, Fang Zheng naturally had no intention of showing a pleasant face, snorting coldly as he spoke. Hearing his words, another Templar standing beside Connie couldn¡¯t help but step forward, one hand on the hilt of his sword, while glaring coldly at Fang Zheng. ¡°How rude, you dare to speak to Lady Connie in such a manner! To be disrespectful to a Templar is a serious offense! Apologize to Lady Connie immediately!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing the man¡¯s angry shout, Fang Zheng snorted coldly and then disdainfully swept the man a glance. ¡°Being disrespectful to a Templar is a serious crime? Then what crime is it to be disrespectful to a Grand Knight? Do you want to disembowel yourself right here? And¡­ Miss Connie¡­¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng once again looked at the pale-faced woman with a mocking smile. ¡°As a Templar, you dared to be disrespectful to a Grand Knight, it seems this is not just a problem of upbringing, but you also have quite the nerve¡­¡± ¡°You¡­!!¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s mockery, Connie angrily gripped her sword handle tightly, intending to draw her sword and fight Fang Zheng to the death right there. Unfortunately, she knew she could not do so, as they were in the Sanctuary Hall, and it was the New Year¡¯s Goddess Festival. Starting a conflict here would only tarnish the Sanctuary¡¯s image. Not to mention that Fang Zheng was a Grand Knight¡­ His position was higher than Connie¡¯s. Although the Sanctuary did not especially emphasize hierarchy, a Templar shouting and making a scene at a Grand Knight would not look good if word spread. How would others see her? Not to mention, she was the pride of the heavens, a descendant of the Castina Family¡­ ¡°¡­I am very sorry, Your Excellency Fang Zheng.¡± Although the anger in Connie¡¯s heart was enough to boil the entire Infinite Sea, she still clenched her teeth and bowed her head. ¡°I lost my composure just now and disturbed you; please forgive me.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, stay away from me and stop bothering me.¡± Fang Zheng had no affection for Connie, knowing she also disliked him, and perhaps she still saw him as that cultist, Williams. Since she was persistent in her ways, Fang Zheng naturally would not fake a smile to appease her, as that would only make her suspect he had ulterior motives. So, Fang Zheng simply made it clear he did not get along with Connie. That way, if she dared to accuse him of being a cultist in the future, everyone would suspect she was settling personal scores. Although she was also quite attractive, so what? Is she as cute as our Nymph? Is she as fun as our Black Cat? Having a little girl to accompany one while playing with cats is much more comfortable than getting involved with such a woman. So, having said that, Fang Zheng then bowed his head again and began to play with the kitten in his arms. As for Connie next to him, he did not even bother to glance at her. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Seeing Fang Zheng ignoring her like this, Connie clenched her teeth, trembling all over with anger. Finally, she bit her lower lip and bowed down. ¡°I am very sorry for disturbing you; we will take our leave now.¡± After saying this, Connie immediately turned and left, and the other Templars also quickly retreated. They were no fools; Connie was the Sanctuary¡¯s cherished one, and even the bishops from the Bishopric tended to favor her. Yet this young man not only disregarded her but also severely reprimanded her. And more importantly, Connie was so chastised that she dared not retort? Who is he? Although they had already distanced themselves greatly from Fang Zheng, the Templars were still pondering this question deep in their hearts. But what they did not know was that on the other side of the hall, another person had also raised the same question. Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: Chapter 134: The Family of Divine Favor Chapter 135: Chapter 134: The Family of Divine Favor ¡°Bishop Carl, who is that young man?¡± Standing on the balcony of the second floor, a middle-aged man turned his head and looked toward the Vampire Bishop beside him, asking softly. He had a head of brilliant blond hair and a resolute face that seemed as if it had been chiseled by the wind and rain, solemn and serious. The man stood about two meters tall, dressed in silver-colored Templar armor with a bright red cape draped over it, and on the cape, one could clearly see the image of an Old Eagle spreading its wings in flight. He was one of the Knight Captains of the Sanctuary, and one of the strongest within it, ¡°Blade of Justice¡± Brand Castina. The Castina Family was a family under the Divine Favor of the Deity. Ever since the foundation of the Sanctuary, there had been rumors that the Castina Family was not like the Holy Spirit Knights who were guarded by Angels. In fact, there were few members in the Castina family, and on the surface, they seemed quite ordinary. But¡­they had the Goddess¡¯s Favor. Of course, this was an internal view within the Sanctuary. To everyone else, the Castina Family was no different from ordinary people, lacking any special bloodline or Holy Spirit Protection. Yet, this family seemed to have strange ¡°luck.¡± Yes, luck. The ancestor of the Castina Family was an ordinary Templar who, in the battle against Chaos, became separated from the main force by accident, and then stumbled upon a Temple. There, the ancestor of the Castina Family received the legacy of the Ancient Holy Light, and after tireless cultivation, he returned to the Sanctuary with great power, helping it to repel the onslaught of Chaos. Thereafter, the Castina Family became a shining star within the Sanctuary. Of course, any family that grew too powerful would become a target for their enemies. In the centuries that followed, the battle between the Castina Family and the forces of Chaos and evil never ceased. And since their enemies were formidable, they eventually pushed the Castina Family to the brink of destruction. At that time, the Castina Family was reduced to just two brothers. Chased by assassins sent by Chaos, they fell off a cliff by misfortune¡­ Hmm? Why does this pattern seem so familiar? Yes, just like everyone suspected, after these brothers fell off the cliff, they ¡°accidentally¡± discovered another mysterious altar. There, they formed a pact with the Sacred Beast of Light, and then¡­ well, do I need to go on? With the power of the Sacred Beast of Light, the Castina brothers not only eliminated the mastermind behind the scenes but also reestablished their foothold in the Sanctuary. After that, the Castina Family flourished once again. However, good days are always short-lived. A hundred years later, Hell targeted the Castina Family for another assassination. The old Clan Leader had just passed away, and the new one had not yet married or had children. So, Hell sent a confidant to tear open a space rift on the day of the funeral and dragged the new Castina Clan Leader into Hell! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 If I can¡¯t kill you in the Main World, you surely won¡¯t be able to jump around in Hell. And then¡­ well, the Demon King of Hell indeed succeeded in capturing the current Castina Clan Leader and imprisoned him. This excited the Demon King, who even invited other Demon Kings to witness the public execution of this ¡°Chosen One!¡± It¡¯s a pity, had that Demon King read a few more novels, he would have understood what it means to strike first and suffer later. The result was that, while in the Demon King¡¯s prison, the Castina Clan Leader of that generation ¡°happened¡± to meet an imprisoned Angel, who sacrificed its life to help the Clan Leader escape prison. Following the Angel¡¯s guidance, he found the Holy Sword ¡ª Blade of Justice ¡ª lost in Hell during the great war between Heaven and Earth! What comes next is predictable. On the day of the ceremony, the hero emerged with the divine weapon to slap the unlucky Demon King¡¯s face, cracking open space to return to the Main Dimension, leaving behind only the ashen faces of the other Demon Kings¡­ And that person was the father of the current Knight Captain. This is also why the Sanctuary says that the Castina Family enjoys the ¡°Goddess¡¯s Favor.¡± Others would have fallen off a cliff to meet their end or drowned in water, but somehow, when it came to the Castina Family, they kept encountering these miraculous adventures and divine weapons¡­ If you say that¡¯s not the Goddess¡¯s Favor, no one would believe it to their death! However, there was a cost. Perhaps it¡¯s the so-called rule of three; although the Castina Family had various ¡°adventures¡± and ¡°divine weapons,¡± almost none of them made it to the third generation in the family¡¯s hands. The Holy Light knowledge that the first Clan Leader of the Castina Family had learned was lost after three generations due to the fragmentation of the family, with the profundities of its legacy scattering away during the struggle. And the brothers who had made a pact with the Sacred Beast of Light had only secured its protection for three generations. Brand Castina was the second generation that inherited the ¡°Blade of Justice,¡± and the third generation is his daughter, Connie Castina. He was a staid, serious man, devoted his life to his faith and the Sanctuary. Defending justice and combatting evil were his tenets. His daughter, Connie, also inherited his detestation for evil, but being much younger than Brand, she was somewhat impulsive. Yet, seeing someone daring to give Connie trouble right to her face, Brand still got upset. Although he too thought Connie was a bit rash, she was essentially a good child; and in the Sanctuary, it was rare for anyone to target her so. But that young man seemed an exception. ¡°His name is Fang Zheng, Lord Brand.¡± Upon hearing Brand¡¯s inquiry, Bishop Carl beside him didn¡¯t even blink as he directly replied. ¡°The young Grand Knight?¡± As he heard Carl¡¯s response, Brand became even more puzzled. ¡°What kind of grudge exists between him and Connie?¡± ¡°According to Grand Knight Mart¡¯s report, during their first meeting, Connie accused him of being a Cultist and even fought with Grand Knight Fang Zheng. She was defeated and retreated.¡± ¡°A Cultist?¡± Faced with this unexpected answer, Brand was stunned, then he turned his head to look at Carl with a clearly dissatisfied expression in his eyes. In response to Brand¡¯s scrutinizing gaze, Bishop Carl snorted coldly. ¡°All Grand Knights are knighted after a rigorous scrutiny by the Bishopric.¡± What he meant was clear: Fang Zheng¡¯s identity was not in question. ¡°But he disappeared for over half a year, and no one knows where he went.¡± ¡°The man has Holy Spirit Protection.¡± Bishop Carl¡¯s eyelids remained firm, betraying no emotion. ¡°Do you doubt the will of the Goddess?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Brand furrowed his brow slightly, then turned to look at the girl beside Fang Zheng. Although Nymph had used special means to hide her wings, in the eyes of a powerful Legendary being like Brand, they were still somewhat visible. ¡°What¡¯s with the collar around her neck?¡± ¡°No one knows, but looking at her, she seems not to mind it.¡± As Carl said, to Nymph, she was actually more concerned about the small cat in Fang Zheng¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­I will keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better be just ¡®watching,¡¯ as you said.¡± This time, Bishop Carl finally reacted, opening his eyes and gazing at the Knight Captain before him. Brand was one of the top combatants in the Sanctuary, but he was also rigid and stubborn, never looking back once he was set on something. The reason Connie had become what she was now was inseparable from Brand¡¯s ¡°teachings.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Holy Spirit Knight, and you should understand the Bishopric is very interested in him.¡± ¡°But no one is allowed to act recklessly.¡± Brand seemed no longer inclined to speak further with Bishop Carl, simply turning around and walking towards another direction. Watching Brand¡¯s retreating figure, Bishop Carl furrowed his brows, then he sighed imperceptibly. ¡°I truly hope that young man doesn¡¯t get into any trouble¡­¡± Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Connies Surprising Discovery Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Connie¡¯s Surprising Discovery Fang Zheng had no idea he had caught the attention of a Knight Captain; the banquet had already begun, just as he expected. After the banquet started, Bishop Carl, who was in charge of the Northlands, immediately began his speech. It was the usual rhetoric: the Order Fortress faced danger, the valiant warriors were immensely honorable, and they had dedicated their lives to the court¡­ Oh, no, for the peace of the world, they had made monumental sacrifices. Their merits would be forever remembered in our hearts. Next, we would like to invite the first person who moved the Sanctuary this year¡­ The majority of those who went up to receive awards and cheers were people stationed at the Order Fortress, including those two powerhouses who held the fort as well as the reinforcements who arrived later. Of course, Bishop Carl did not forget to mention Great Knight Shi Dong. However, he didn¡¯t specify what Shi Dong and his men had done, merely stating that under the leadership of Great Knight Shi Dong, they had thwarted the evil deeds of the Doomsday Church that attempted to take advantage of the Order Fortress in its time of peril, which was quickly brushed over. Naturally, those in the know were aware that the Demon Beast siege this time was actually orchestrated by the Doomsday Church, and that the Demon Beast Lords were merely taking the hit for them. Or rather, those Demon Beast Lords were merely meant to distract the Templar forces. Otherwise, the Sanctuary wouldn¡¯t have sent so few men to the Dark Marsh¡­ Of course, such things need not be said to avoid embarrassment. Fang Zheng was listening from below, bored out of his wits, and also frowning secretly. Although Bishop Carl¡¯s speech was full of official jargon, as a high-level official who had to attend countless meetings each year, Fang Zheng certainly knew how to look for clues within the jargon. Sometimes, to ordinary people, official jargon sounded like empty talk and was dismissed as such. But to those in the know, they could immediately discern the meaning behind a seemingly ordinary official phrase. This time, Bishop Carl¡¯s jargon, on the surface, praised the warriors stationed at the fortress. In reality, he left the matter of the Doomsday Church for the end. While most people might see that as a casual mention, those at this level would immediately understand¡ªoh, it turns out it was those damned Doomsday Church bastards who were behind this. But the name Bishop Carl mentioned next was rather interesting. Under the leadership of Great Knight Shi Dong¡ªah, this meant that the credit for this operation was attributed to Shi Dong. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care much, as he knew that given his current relationship with the Sanctuary, they were unlikely to honor him publicly. Shi Dong was indeed a prime candidate given his experience, reputation, and loyalty. However, Bishop Carl didn¡¯t mention Fina at all, which made Fang Zheng somewhat dissatisfied. Fina had played a crucial role in this operation; honestly, if it weren¡¯t for the warning Fang Zheng received from Fina, would these people still have time to drink and celebrate here? It¡¯s more likely they would have been wiped out by the Hell Legion! This discontent arose because Bishop Carl should not have been foolish enough to miss the connection, yet he failed to mention Fina, which was indeed strange. Fang Zheng himself had a general relationship with the Sanctuary and had joined them halfway, so it was understandable that they would forsake him. But Fina seemed to be one of your Apprentice Clerics, wasn¡¯t she? Why not boast about her now and instead keep her hidden? Could it be that she is still your secret weapon? Superman doesn¡¯t need recognition for doing good deeds, but that doesn¡¯t stop the media from praising him, right? Furthermore, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t seen Fina at the banquet¡­ could it be that she was also shunned by the Sanctuary like he was? No, that couldn¡¯t be¡­ At this thought, Fang Zheng shook his head. That naive girl was steadfast in her beliefs and quite devout; she wouldn¡¯t have fallen out with the Sanctuary. But pondering here wouldn¡¯t shed any light on the matter; Fang Zheng decided to ask Shi Dong about it later, hoping to glean some insights. After a round of fantastical and convivial official exchanges, the banquet officially began. Noble young ladies immediately approached and struck up conversations with the ¡°heroes¡± who guarded the Order Fortress. Fang Zheng even noticed a young lady chatting happily with Knight Conan, only questioning whether the child could bear the tremendous force behind the name of Knight Conan¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°Fang Zheng!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, mentor, congratulations on receiving the Honor Knight Medal.¡± Seeing Great Knight Shi Dong smiling and approaching him, Fang Zheng smiled back, showing his respect with a bow. He had great respect for Shi Dong; although they hadn¡¯t been together for very long, Shi Dong had been very kind to him. Seeing him coming straight to Fang Zheng after stepping down from the platform suggested that Shi Dong had no hard feelings about Fang Zheng¡¯s choice. And the Honor Knight Medal that Shi Dong received was considered the highest honor below the rank of Knight Captain, after all, the title of Knight Captain required Legendary Rank strength to hold. Although Shi Dong had made great contributions this time, he was only at the Master Class level, so there was no way to promote him to Knight Captain, and the Honor Knight Medal was a very nice reward indeed. ¡°Hey, you have the nerve to say that.¡± Upon Fang Zheng¡¯s mention of the medal, Shi Dong slapped him on the shoulder, looking both frustrated and disappointed. ¡°This was originally prepared for you, if only you hadn¡¯t caused that issue with the Bishopric¡­¡± Great, these bastards really planned to tie me to their ship. Hearing Shi Dong¡¯s response, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but gasp. He had only recently become a Grand Knight, and they intended to give him a medal that represented the highest honor of the Templars? Those Bishops were indeed ruthless and cunning; thankfully, he had escaped in time, or he might have been worked to his death. ¡°People have different aspirations, that¡¯s all. Speaking of which, how are the others? Those Pegasus Knights must have been rewarded as well, right?¡± ¡°Of course, the Sanctuary always rewards achievements. That operation required their efforts to detain the demonspawn summoned by the Doomsday Church, and they made considerable sacrifices; the Bishopric certainly would not ignore that.¡± ¡°What about Fina then? I assume the Miss Cleric also received some form of recognition from the Bishopric.¡± ¡°Fina?¡± Yet upon hearing this name, Great Knight Shi Dong merely blinked in bewilderment, his gaze shifting toward Fang Zheng. ¡°Are you referring to¡­?¡± ¡°Hmph!!¡± However, before Shi Dong could finish his sentence, he saw Fang Zheng¡¯s expression suddenly darken. The smile that had been on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy chill of killing intent! ¡°That bastard, he¡¯s really asking for death!¡± The next moment, Shi Dong felt a blur before his eyes, and then Fang Zheng¡¯s figure vanished from sight right in front of him. What had happened? Witnessing this scene, Shi Dong was momentarily stunned, then his expression turned solemn. His interactions with Fang Zheng had not been very long, but he knew him well enough. Right now, Fang Zheng¡¯s eruption of such intense killing intent in the middle of a public space meant that something must have gone terribly wrong! This is bad, something has happened! Let¡¯s turn back the clock a few minutes. Leaving the noisy hall behind, Connie¡¯s brows were deeply furrowed, unable to hide her inner restlessness and despondency. As one of the members protecting the Order Fortress, Connie naturally received the Sanctuary¡¯s reward, and in the past, the young girl would have been overjoyed by now. But at the moment, Connie was far from excited. Whenever she thought of her colleagues who were sacrificed within the Order Fortress, it made the girl feel immensely heavy-hearted. Moreover, unlike others, because her father was a high-ranking official in the Sanctuary, Connie was well aware that it was those cultists behind the scenes who had mounted such a fierce attack on the Order Fortress. Those damn cultists!! Upon this thought, Connie remembered the face that made her grit her teeth in hatred, certain that it was indeed Williams. She didn¡¯t know how he managed to evade the inspection, sneaking into the inner sanctum of the Sanctuary. Moreover, it was after his appearance that news came from the Northlands of the Doomsday Church performing a ceremony in the Dark Capital. Although the intelligence reported that he had stopped the other party¡¯s consciousness, Connie didn¡¯t believe for a second that a cultist would turn over a new leaf. It had to be some sort of scheme to lure the Sanctuary into lowering its guard! Not to mention, before that, the guy had disappeared for over half a year, and no one knew where he had gone. Although Great Knight Shi Dong and Grand Knight Mart said that he had leapt into a spatial rift to defeat the Child of Chaos, who could say whether that was true or not? How infuriating, if only evidence could be found¡­ This bastard, who swaggered around the Sanctuary all day, must be plotting something. He must not be allowed to succeed! ¡°La la la¡­¡± Just then, Connie suddenly heard a string of clear singing. She looked up and realized that she had unwittingly walked into the garden behind the Sanctuary. Following the direction the singing came from, she saw a blue-haired, twin-tailed girl sitting under an evergreen tree nearby, amusing a kitten in her hands while singing a song. Isn¡¯t she that girl who was always with Williams? Seeing the blue-haired girl, Connie was also taken aback, not because she particularly cared about the other party, but because the huge collar on Nymph¡¯s neck was too eye-catching for Connie to ignore. But why was she hiding here? Could it mean that the cultist had sent her to scheme something sinister during this ceremony? As Connie looked at Nymph, she clenched the hilt of her sword, suddenly struck by an idea. If she could start with this girl, could she find evidence of Williams being a cultist? The more Connie thought, the more it seemed to make sense. Judging by this girl¡¯s appearance, she must have been coerced by that cultist Williams; otherwise, why would a normal girl wear such a large collar? Could there be something wrong with this collar? With this in mind, Connie¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Nymph, and quickly, dazzling Holy Light emerged from her eyes¡­ But in the next moment, Connie¡¯s face changed dramatically! Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: Chapter 136: Youre seeking your own death! Chapter 137: Chapter 136: You¡¯re seeking your own death! As a Templar and Divine Favorer, Connie possessed a unique ability¡ªthe Eye of Truth. This was somewhat similar to the True Knowledge Technique in magic, enabling Connie to see through evil disguises and hidden elements at certain times. This was her innate bloodline ability and the reason why Connie was called a Divine Favorer. She initially wanted to see if the girl in front of her was under some guise or was disguised as something else, but when she activated the Eye of Truth, what she saw shocked her immensely. She actually saw a pair of colorful, beautiful wings growing from the girl¡¯s back! Not only that! Connie also saw a transparent chain emerging from a collar around the girl¡¯s neck, directly connecting towards the direction of the great hall! This girl was an angel! And she was an imprisoned angel! At that moment, Connie felt she had discovered the truth, and all the mysteries had unraveled. That damn cultist had used some evil means to imprison a pure and kind angel to serve him. Yes, he must have used this method to make the Bishopric acknowledge him as a Holy Spirit Knight! It had to be this way! Thinking this, Connie¡¯s resolve strengthened; she wanted to help the angel break free and regain her freedom! By doing so, she would no longer be deceived by that cultist. Once the angel could testify, the cultist would definitely not escape punishment again! She would help the angel break free and regain her freedom. Then, she would ensure that the damn cultist received the punishment he deserved! I must avenge my comrades! After making her decision, Connie immediately started walking towards Nymph. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Nymph, of course, noticed Connie¡¯s presence, but the Little Angel didn¡¯t care. She came here to avoid the noisy crowd. Just like Fang Zheng, Nymph was now hopelessly charmed by kittens, finding it much more interesting than staying in the hall with those utterly boring Ground Worms. So, after obtaining Fang Zheng¡¯s permission, she left the banquet hall and hid here with a kitten. Initially, Nymph didn¡¯t see anything wrong with Connie, but seeing her approaching now, the Little Angel felt somewhat displeased. She did not like this woman¡ªshe had been right beside Fang Zheng when he had confronted her. If the Master disliked a woman, she naturally wouldn¡¯t have a favorable impression either. ¡°Respected Angel!¡± But facing Nymph¡¯s wary expression, Connie gave a respectful bow. ¡°I am Templar Connie. Please do not be afraid; I am here to help you!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Help me? What do I need your help with?¡± Hearing Connie¡¯s words, Nymph was even more puzzled. She was happily engaging with the kitten here, what nonsense was this Ground Worm talking about? ¡°I know you are bound by a cultist!¡± And seeing Nymph¡¯s baffled expression, Connie sighed inwardly. In her view, this Little Angel was quite naive and probably couldn¡¯t understand her situation. She wasn¡¯t just imprisoned by that cultist but also deceived by him! Realizing this, Connie further solidified her belief¡ªshe must rescue this angel! ¡°I am willing to break these bonds for you; please trust me!¡± ¡°What?¡± If Nymph still did not understand Connie¡¯s intent to this point, but when the Templar focused on her collar, Nymph¡¯s face turned pale. This Ground Worm, she actually wanted to sever the connection between herself and her Master! Realizing this, Nymph immediately backed away. But her movement, viewed by Connie, only further proved her speculation. Clearly, this Little Angel had been imprisoned by that damn cultist! She was in fear of that man! But I will not be afraid, no matter how powerful the evil, it cannot defeat the power of justice! ¡°Rest assured, Angel Master, I can help you¡­¡± ¡°Go away!¡± Seeing Connie approaching, Nymph suddenly screamed and then turned to fly upwards. And seeing Nymph actually turning to flee, Connie also panicked, promptly leaping towards Nymph. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± Feeling Connie rushing towards her, Nymph¡¯s face changed drastically; she suddenly turned around, opened her mouth, and soon, an invisible ultrasonic wave formed in the Little Angel¡¯s mouth and then burst out, rushing towards Connie. This was Nymph¡¯s only attack skill, Song of Heaven! Not good!! Noticing the ultrasonic attack coming straight at her, Connie was greatly startled. She hurriedly drew her longsword from her waist, and quickly, infinite thunder power burst out, charging towards the ultrasonic wave. Accompanied by thunder rumbling, the dazzling thunder and lightning ripped through the air, spreading out in all directions. Nymph¡¯s Song of Heaven was shattered by this thundering onslaught. But, this was just the beginning! Connie¡¯s all-out attack was not something anyone could withstand, especially Nymph, a combat-less Electronic Warfare Angel, who didn¡¯t even have a shield. Faced with the thunder rushing towards her, the only thing Nymph could do was to put her hands instinctively in front of her body. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The next moment, countless bolts of thunder struck Nymph harshly. Accompanied by a cry of pain, under the bombardment of electric light, Nymph fell heavily to the ground. ¡°Ow¡­ my wings¡­ my wings¡­¡± Clenching her fists, Nymph¡¯s eyes widened; she could feel that her wings were destroyed by the dreadful thunder. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Looking at the blue-haired girl in front of her, Connie slightly furrowed her brows. In fact, her previous action was instinctual, but Connie didn¡¯t expect the angel to be so weak that she was injured by just one hit! This must be the cultist restricting her power. As long as she could break his imprisonment, this little angel would surely understand her good intentions! With that thought, Connie forced herself to harden her heart, walked up to Nymph, and then reached out and grasped the chain on Nymph¡¯s collar. Soon, in Connie¡¯s hand, the chain, which initially appeared to be half-broken, now revealed its full form. Seeing this scene, Nymph¡¯s face turned even paler. ¡°What, what do you want to do? Let go!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Angel Master, I will free you from all of this!¡± Clutching the longsword in her hand, Connie focused on the chain that emerged within the void. At this moment, her anger was immense¡ªa sacred and lovely angel, being chained like a dog, was a desecration! Thinking this, Connie did not hesitate, lifted the longsword with force, and swung it downward! ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡°Boom!!¡± At the same time, the wall behind Connie suddenly burst, followed by countless Swords of Holy Light spinning and stabbing towards her. Connie gave a cold huff, accompanied by the sudden burst of thunder, as numerous bolts of lightning at that moment enveloped the entire courtyard, clashing fiercely with the shining Swords of Holy Light. In an instant, the bursting flashes of light sprang from the ground, and the next moment, Connie was thrown backwards, flying through three large trees before crashing into a nearby house. With a loud noise, the entire house collapsed tumultuously. ¡°You damn bitch, you¡¯re asking for it!!¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s face darkened as he held the Sky-Cleaving Sword and walked out of the ruins. He had known something was wrong when he heard Nymph calling him, but Fang Zheng never expected this woman to dare attack Nymph at a banquet! ¡°Nymph, are you alright? Damn!¡± Seeing Nymph¡¯s wings, which were originally as beautiful as crystal, now shattered, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth and quickly reached out to touch Nymph¡¯s wings. Time Retrospection! Under Fang Zheng¡¯s hands, Nymph¡¯s wings began to regenerate. The previously lightning-struck, charred, and broken wings seemed to rewind in time and regrow. After a while, Nymph¡¯s crystal-like beautiful wings were finally restored to normal. ¡°Phew¡­¡± It was only then that Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. It was lucky Nymph was much weaker than him; otherwise, restoring her wings would not have been an easy task. ¡°Master, Master!!¡± Looking at Fang Zheng, Nymph rushed into his embrace, clutching tightly at Fang Zheng¡¯s collar. ¡°She, she destroyed my chain¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing Nymph speak, Fang Zheng was greatly startled and quickly looked up, only to find that the chain on Nymph¡¯s collar¡ªhad been severed? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me¡­ it can¡¯t be restored?¡± Fang Zheng had thought that by using his power of time, he could repair the chain to its state before destruction. But to his surprise, when he tried to use his power on the chain, he found that his power of time had no effect on the chain at all? You must be joking, Nymph¡¯s wings could be restored, but this broken chain couldn¡¯t? Could the rank of this chain be higher than Nymph¡¯s? ¡°Stop wasting your efforts!¡± Rising from the ruins, Connie, looking at Fang Zheng, flashed a confident smile. ¡°I have completely severed the evil magic that bound this angel. From now on, she is free! Your wicked deeds have been exposed, cultist!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Haah¡­¡­¡­¡± However, contrary to what Connie had expected, Fang Zheng did not react with explosive anger or fury; instead, he simply sighed softly and then stood up. ¡°It seems that talking is useless.¡± Then, Fang Zheng raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, pointing it at Connie. ¡°So, prepare to die.¡± Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Berserk Battle Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Berserk Battle ¡°Damn it, what the hell is going on!?¡± When Great Knight Shi Dong arrived at the rear courtyard, it was already a complete mess. Fang Zheng¡¯s all-out effort, of course, caught the attention of everyone inside the Sanctuary, although initially, they didn¡¯t pay much attention. But when Fang Zheng clashed with Connie, the fierce impact that erupted immediately made the experts vigilant. When they arrived at the scene, what they saw was utterly dumbfounding. In the rear of the Sanctuary, the once-beautiful courtyard had completely shattered, turning into scorched earth, and on this chaotic battlefield, Thunder and Holy Light intertwined and shone, like two wild beasts biting and colliding with each other. Seeing this scene left everyone greatly shocked. They had originally thought it was a private duel, but now, it appeared to be a fight to the death! ¡°That¡¯s Connie and Fang Zheng¡­ why have these two started fighting again?¡± At that moment, Great Knight Shi Dong was also greatly surprised. He had noticed something off about Fang Zheng¡¯s expression just now; could it be that Connie had done something to provoke Fang Zheng? ¡°Die, cultist!¡± Connie leapt high into the air, the power of Thunder manifesting around her, covering the entire sky. She raised her longsword, and with numerous thunders twining around it, she roared and swung down the longsword, sending a Thunder Spear shooting out straight from the blade toward Fang Zheng. ¡°Laozi won¡¯t let you kill me today! You dare to trample on my head?!¡± Facing the oncoming Thunder Spear, Fang Zheng showed no intention of evading. He gripped his Sky-Cleaving Sword, and the Holy Light burst forth in an instant, forming a beam straight up to the clouds. Immediately after, numerous golden threads gathered before Fang Zheng, sketching out a Holy Light Barrier that shielded him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï ¡°Boom!!!¡± The Thunder Spear struck the Holy Light Barrier, and the huge impact even shattered the garden around them. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng snorted coldly, the Holy Light in front of him instantly dispersed, transforming into an aura that blasted outward. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng flashed and raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword toward Connie. ¡°Not good!¡± Seeing the scene before them, Bishop Carl and others rushing from the hall also changed their expressions dramatically. They hurriedly lifted their hands, and with the divine chant, golden barriers quickly emerged, shielding the perimeter of the Sanctuary. Otherwise, just the aftershocks of the conflict would have been enough to collapse the entire Sanctuary! ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Knight Connie, who is she fighting?¡± By now, others had also come running out, and seeing the battle unfolding before them, they were utterly bewildered. They thought Connie was fighting an enemy, but seeing Fang Zheng, who was unleashing Holy Light¡­ what was going on? Why were the Templars fighting each other? Moreover, judging by their stance, they were fighting to the death! ¡°Stop fighting! Connie, Fang Zheng! What are you doing! This is the Sanctuary!¡± Seeing the scene before him, Great Knight Shi Dong also urgently roared. Hearing his voice, Connie paused for a moment, then immediately responded. ¡°Hurry and help me, Sir Shi Dong! This Williams is a cultist! He has used Evil Magic to bind an Angel, and I have seen through his plot!¡± ¡°Your mother! Even if you say I¡¯m the Demon King of Hell today, I¡¯ll still kill you, you wench! Nymph! Attack!¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± With Fang Zheng¡¯s roar, Nymph also flipped and flew into the sky. Seeing the glowing wings that appeared behind the girl, the spectators were greatly surprised. ¡°My God, that¡¯s an Angel!¡± ¡°How could there be an Angel here?!¡± But before the crowd could recover, they witnessed another baffling scene unfold before them. The young man repelled the fierce Connie with a sword, then he raised his right hand and pointed forward, following which several basin-sized Fireballs appeared out of thin air, spinning and bombarding Connie! ¡°Is that¡­ Fireball Technique?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he a Templar?¡± Seeing the scene before them, whether it was the Knights of the Sanctuary or the nobles, everyone was dumbfounded, but the next scene made them feel as if they were living in a dream. Facing the incoming Fireball Technique, Connie immediately grasped her longsword, and countless thunders emerged from her body. Just as the fireball was about to hit her, Connie transformed into a flash of light and disappeared into thin air. Logically, the fireball, having lost its target, should have directly hit the ground, but¡­ ¡°Over there!¡± As Connie disappeared, the Nymph hovering above Fang Zheng¡¯s head suddenly turned her head, looking towards a clearing. Then, she pointed her hand and subsequently saw several fireballs, as if alive, sharply turning ninety degrees to chase their target again! ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°How did she do that?¡± Seeing this scene, several mages who had come to the party also widened their eyes, not believing what they were seeing. The Fireball Technique is the most commonly used spell by mages, as its power and effectiveness make it very versatile. Thus, most mages choose the Shaping Type Fireball Technique as one of their main offensive methods, so they were quite familiar with it. The Fireball Technique belongs to a large area non-directional skill, meaning it doesn¡¯t lock onto targets like the Magic Missile but only follows a predefined trajectory. But what had they just seen? A Fireball Technique that turned ninety degrees? This couldn¡¯t be a real Fireball Technique! Nymph was as weak as a chicken in direct combat, but tracking and targeting were her specialties. Almost at the instant Connie fled, she had locked onto her location, then directed the fireballs toward Connie. At that moment, Little Angel felt a deep rage towards Connie, who had attacked her while she was merely sitting there without provoking anyone, even severing the chain between her and her master¡ªthis was a deadly feud! ¡°Boom boom boom!!¡± Connie had obviously never seen a curving Fireball Technique before, so she couldn¡¯t prepare her defense in time. The barrage of fireballs burst forth, engulfing Connie in a radiant blaze. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Stop it now!!¡± Seeing this, the crowd could no longer hold back. Although they didn¡¯t know why the two were fighting, it looked like a life-or-death struggle. Connie was a Divine Favorer and also the heir to the Castina Family. If she died here, that would spell trouble! Seeing her comrades arriving, Connie hurriedly sheathed her sword and retreated, but Fang Zheng clearly wasn¡¯t willing to let her go. This crazy woman, claiming she was a Cultist and even daring to attack Nymph. Although Fang Zheng still didn¡¯t understand what that chain meant to Nymph, seeing the Little Angel so sad and distressed made him furious. You still think you can escape? I won¡¯t let you live today!! Watching Connie retreat, Fang Zheng immediately stretched out his hand forward and pointed, dozens of Magic Missiles turned into a raging storm and charged towards his enemy. Facing the frenzied Missile Storm, Connie had no time to retreat further, she gritted her teeth, lifted her longsword, and charged forward. With a cry, her sword was instantly covered in lightning, transforming into beams of light that met each of the Magic Missiles. Following a series of explosions, the Magic Missiles were intercepted mid-air by Connie, turning into dust and disappearing. But for Fang Zheng, this was just the beginning! ¡°Hah!!¡± The floating dust suddenly split apart, and then Fang Zheng leaped out from it, his Sky-Cleaving Sword slashing down forcefully towards Connie¡¯s body. This time Connie had no way to evade, she raised her longsword to meet Fang Zheng¡¯s powerful strike. ¡°Clang!!¡± With a clash, electricity scattered, and Holy Light shone everywhere. Both of them staggered backward a step. ¡°Die, Cultist!¡± Connie roared angrily, her longsword thrusting forward again, aiming at Fang Zheng¡¯s chest. Facing this thrust, Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth curved into a cold smile. Suddenly, he flipped his left hand, and a dagger appeared in his palm, then, he swung his arm, meeting Connie¡¯s thrust! ¡°Clang¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± At the moment the longsword and dagger collided, Connie felt as if she had suddenly lost all strength, her body staggering and kneeling on the ground, her right hand holding the longsword went limp, showing no response. What kind of demonic art was this?! ¡°Die, bitch!¡± Fang Zheng certainly wasn¡¯t going to miss this opportunity; he had saved this counter-attack for now, prepared for this very moment. Thus, facing Connie, who was kneeling on the ground, Fang Zheng¡¯s longsword continued its course unstopped, stabbing directly towards her heart. But just at that moment, suddenly, a strong aura descended from the sky, heavily impacting Fang Zheng¡¯s body! Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Chapter 138: For Whom the Bell Tolls Chapter 139: Chapter 138: For Whom the Bell Tolls ¡°Agh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Feeling the immense pressure descending from the sky, Fang Zheng staggered. It felt as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly slammed down, heavily striking his body. Even so, Fang Zheng did not abandon his action but clenched his teeth and thrust the Sky-Cleaving Sword towards Connie¡¯s chest! ¡°How dare you!!¡± Just as Fang Zheng¡¯s blade was about to pierce Connie¡¯s chest, a furious shout suddenly erupted. At the same moment, Fang Zheng felt as if he had been hit by something, he grunted and was thrown backward, heavily crashing to the ground. When he stood up again, he saw a man with a ghastly pale face standing in front of Connie, his hand on the hilt of his sword, coldly watching him. ¡°In broad daylight, you dare to attempt murder?¡± ¡°How strange, as a Templar, upright and just, why can¡¯t I kill in broad daylight? This is not something shameful!¡± Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, glaring fiercely at the man. ¡°Father, father¡­¡± Seeing the middle-aged man¡¯s appearance, Connie seemed to finally realize the situation. Just moments ago, she truly thought she was going to die by the despicable cultist¡¯s sword. But now, with her father by her side, Connie felt as if she had found her backbone and stood up again. ¡°He, he is a cultist¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Connie¡¯s words, Brand remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze towards Fang Zheng. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?? ¡°Do you have any explanation?¡± ¡°Explanation?¡± Faced with Brand¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng snorted coldly. ¡°I suspect Connie is a cultist, that¡¯s my explanation!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Brand roared angrily, his hand gripping the hilt at his waist, coldly staring at Fang Zheng. ¡°Bring him down! I will interrogate him myself!¡± ¡°Master Brand!¡± ¡°You want to capture me?¡± Faced with Brand¡¯s command, Fang Zheng snorted coldly. ¡°How ridiculous, clearly that woman attacked first, yet you want to arrest me? Indeed, you¡¯re all in the same clique, it seems none of you in this family are decent!¡± ¡°Fang Zheng!¡± Hearing this, everyone around turned ghastly pale, and Great Knight Shi Dong quickly tried to persuade him. ¡°Shut your mouth, that¡¯s Knight Commander Brand!¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s the Knight Commander? I thought he was the Creator God, deciding whatever he says goes. Does he really think he¡¯s a deity?¡± Fang Zheng cracked a smile, slowly drawing his longsword. ¡°Today I¡¯m going to kill this woman, and nobody can stop me, not even the Knight Commander¡­ nobody can!¡± Fang Zheng was driven mad with rage, this damn woman had only met him twice yet clung to him like a rabid dog. Attacking him was one thing, but daring to strike at Nymph? Previously, Fang Zheng might have considered secretly killing her, but now, after training in the World of Cicada¡¯s Song, he had seen through it all. Strength is fought for, not spoken about! Hesitations are useless, might makes right! More importantly, killing that woman would make me happy! Oh my God, has this young man lost his mind? Hearing this, everyone around was dumbfounded, even Carl and Shi Dong looked at each other in confusion. It was the first time they saw Fang Zheng in such a state where he would not recognize anyone, even his own relatives. Although they didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened before, it was now clear that Fang Zheng was intent on fighting to the death! ¡°Arrogance to the extreme!¡± Brand¡¯s expression darkened at that moment. He had no good feelings toward Fang Zheng, and the pressure he emitted earlier was meant to make Fang Zheng back off. But Fang Zheng, disregarding everything, was still intent on killing Connie, which had infuriated Brand. Now seeing Fang Zheng disregard even him, an inner rage was ignited. He had been a Knight Commander for many years, yet this was the first time he had encountered such a fanatic! ¡°Prepare to die!¡± Brand roared, then suddenly drew a longsword from his waist¡ªits blade golden, radiating an endless sacred aura. This was the Holy Sword, the Blade of Justice, which had once fallen from Heaven into Hell! ¡°Whoosh!¡± As Brand drew the Holy Sword, a beam of light fell from the sky onto Fang Zheng, pinning him fiercely to the ground. Fang Zheng, with both hands gripping the Sky-Cleaving Sword, coldly watched the approaching Brand. The clothes on his body began to tear and burn, the invisible heavy pressure mixed with flames descended from the sky, enveloping Fang Zheng within. ¡°This is the flame of justice¡­ any evil will reveal its true form before it!¡± Raising the Blade of Justice in his hand, Brand stared at Fang Zheng¡¯s figure. ¡°Be it Cultists or Templars¡­ they are the same!¡± ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± However, contrary to Brand¡¯s expectations, even though engulfed by the flames of justice, Fang Zheng showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he raised his head and coldly glared at the man before him. ¡°Your justice can¡¯t stop me¡­ because¡­ no one can stop Death!¡± ¡°Ding.¡± As Fang Zheng¡¯s words fell, a sparkling Soulstone quietly emerged before him, its surroundings littered with shattered Enhancement Stones. At the same time, a system notification flashed before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes. [(Malthael) Awakening breakthrough, enhancement +3 completed] ¡°Not good!¡± At this moment, Brand suddenly realized something was amiss because at the same time, he sensed an extremely powerful aura emanating from the young man opposite him, which immediately changed his expression. He then saw Brand suddenly raise his longsword, the pure white fire of justice instantly igniting, covering the entire blade. Then came Brand¡¯s furious roar as he violently swung his longsword forward!! ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Accompanied by an almost deafening roar, under the eyes of everyone, a pure white fire Giant Dragon roared out, its gaping maw transforming into a wild torrent rushing forward. In front of it, even Fang Zheng seemed as minuscule as a mouse. If the pure white fire Giant Dragon were to pounce down, it would be enough to turn Fang Zheng to ashes¡­ But the next moment, a wild gale burst forth. A detached fog condensed into a wild and icy storm, colliding head-on with the dragon formed by the fire of justice. Under the buffeting of the icy gale, the pure white fire Giant Dragon slowly started to weaken, its flames began to extinguish, and its form also shrank. Accompanied by a mournful wail, the dragon of flames disappeared into the icy storm, utterly torn to shreds! What was this power? At this point, the surrounding spectators were frightened and bewildered; that was indeed Knight Commander Brand¡¯s full-force attack, yet it was blocked by the opponent? No, not just blocked, it looked¡­ incredibly effortless! And this power¡­ ¡°What is this power?¡± Bishop Carl furrowed his brow, staring intently in Fang Zheng¡¯s direction. As a Vampire, he could sense that the chilling wind contained the icy Power of Death. However, this was different from the death energy used by the Undead, but a kind of even purer¡­ power. The smoke and dust dispersed. ¡°Hmm?¡± It was only then that Brand noticed that the young man before him had changed; his previously burned and tattered clothes had vanished, replaced by a silver-black robe. He stood there quietly, coldly watching himself. What surprised Brand even more was the tall figure hovering behind Fang Zheng. It wore a pitch-black robe and armor, holding two scythes. Under the hood, no one could see its face; all that was visible was darkness. ¡°Indeed, have you sold your soul to evil and darkness?¡± Brand also felt that pure aura of death, and his expression became even more solemn. Clearly, he believed he had discovered the reason why this young man had attacked his daughter. Obviously, it was because his daughter had discovered the man¡¯s true identity, so he had struck her! ¡°Fang Zheng, you¡­¡± Hearing Brand¡¯s words, not only did the surrounding Templars cast hostile looks toward Fang Zheng, but even Great Knight Shi Dong furrowed his brow, watching him. He didn¡¯t know what to say; he didn¡¯t think Fang Zheng was the type to betray the Holy Light and Order, but the eerie presence behind him and the cold death aura were undeniably real. Could it be that he really¡­ But, as everyone pondered, they saw Fang Zheng curl his lips, laughing coldly. ¡°Evil and darkness? To think you are the Grand Knight Commander and yet fail to understand the essence of Order and Holy Light, I wonder how you even got to this position¡­ Forget it, I¡¯m not in the mood to lecture you. As the saying goes, seeing is believing and hearing is misleading, let me show you how foolish your thoughts are!¡± ¡°Hmph, nonsensical prattle!¡± Brand had grown tired of arguing with Fang Zheng. In his view, this young man must have already struck a deal with some evil, dark entity, perhaps to destroy the Sanctuary. Such a dangerous person must not be spared! Thinking this, Brand gripped the Blade of Justice more tightly. ¡°Comrades, evil stands before us, and we must not stand idle. Let us unite and eliminate this dark presence! By the Holy Light, we shall not retreat!¡± ¡°Yes, Commander!¡± Upon hearing Brand speak, several Templars immediately rushed out from the crowd, coming before Brand, raising their blades as they eyed Fang Zheng. Meanwhile, the Bishops also raised their scepters, beginning to chant low sacred prayers. And just then¡­ ¡°Clang¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The sound of a bell rang out. Chapter 140 - Chapter 140: Chapter 139 This is Quite Embarrassing Chapter 140: Chapter 139 This is Quite Embarrassing ¡°Dang¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The resonant sound of the bell suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire city. Where is the bell sound coming from? Not only the people inside the Sanctuary but also everyone in the Northern Capital of the Northern Alliance looked up curiously, searching for the origin of the sound. As the capital of the Northern Alliance, there naturally was a bell tower for alarm purposes. However, this bell sound was different from the bell tower¡¯s sound. In fact, almost everyone could tell where the bell sound was coming from. But precisely because of that, they couldn¡¯t believe their own ears. ¡°Dang¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± The bell sounded again, and this time, among the crowd of onlookers, a nobleman suddenly raised his hand, looking astonished towards the sky. ¡°Look, look at the sky!!¡± Indeed, without his reminder, everyone had already seen it. Behind Fang Zheng, the heavy, white clouds in the sky gradually parted, revealing a city amidst the clouds that shimmered with a golden radiance. Even faintly, people could see the towering gates in front of the city in the clouds and a high tower vaguely emerging behind them. The splendor and magnificence of those pure white buildings were so attention-grabbing that many were stunned by the spectacle. ¡°Could that¡­ be the Heavenly Kingdom?¡± Gazing at the City in the Clouds in the distance, everyone was dumbstruck. And those devout citizens elsewhere in North Capital immediately fell to their knees, beginning to pray in hushed voices. Comparatively, those in front of Knight Commander Brand were utterly befuddled, not knowing how to react. What in the world was happening?! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Brand was certain that this was not an illusion, for he could feel that thick Sacred Aura. Even he, as a Knight Commander, felt the involuntary urge to kneel in reverence of this great divine sign. But¡­ why had the Holy City of the Supreme Heaven appeared here? Could it be¡­ Before Brand could ponder any further, in the next moment, he saw dozens of lights emerge from the City in the Clouds. They transformed into streams of colorful light shooting across the sky, then landed on the ground, taking form as armored beings with Wings of Light on their backs. ¡°Angels!¡± Watching those armored figures with Wings of Light unfurled, many people screamed. The devout Believers immediately prostrated themselves and started praying. However, others, including Bishop Carl and Shi Dong, wore grave expressions. They watched Fang Zheng uneasily and glanced at Brand, uncertain of what to do. Those Believers and Nobility might still be immersed in the shock of the Angels¡¯ descent, but they had clearly sensed that something was amiss. The Angels had descended to stand in front of Fang Zheng and Nymph, effectively protecting them! Not only that, those who knew the inside story of the Holy Spirit Knight were thinking even more! Why the Holy Spirit Knight had disappeared from the Sanctuary was clear to the higher-ups. After that dark incident, no Holy Spirit Knight had appeared in the Sanctuary ¡ª until Fang Zheng came along. So, there was a question. Now that the Holy Spirit Knight had reappeared, would those Angels allow history to repeat itself? Of course not. Anyone with a bit of sense would understand that not even one person would make the same mistake twice, let alone Angels. So, if this Holy Spirit Knight faced the same situation as before, then¡­ did they not have a countermeasure?! This is bad! Realizing this, Bishop Carl¡¯s face went pale as he urgently looked towards Brand not far away. And Brand, with his face ashen, gripped the Blade of Justice in his hand, glaring at Fang Zheng in front of him. Clearly, he too had realized the problem with the current situation ¡ª if these Angels were indeed here to protect the young man, then he had no way of attacking Fang Zheng any longer, because if he did, he would inevitably have to battle with these Angels! A Templar Knight Commander attacking the Angels of the Sanctuary¡¯s faith in full view of the public? The situation calls for the Highest Bishop and the Pope to intervene! But for now¡­ would Fang Zheng simply let things rest? ¡°Charge.¡± However, Fang Zheng¡¯s command shattered Bishop Carl¡¯s wishful thinking. Fang Zheng certainly wouldn¡¯t stop there; he had expended a usage of the Soulstone, and it wasn¡¯t just for show. Since this Knight Commander Brand was so formidable, then let¡¯s see who was more powerful, him or Malthael! After enhancement, Malthael now possessed not only the Power of Death but also the dual forces of the Angel of Death and the Angel of Wisdom. That was the reason Fang Zheng could Summon the projection of the Supreme Heaven. After all, Malthael was one of the Five Great Archangels¡ªif it couldn¡¯t even summon underlings, that would be a huge letdown! At Fang Zheng¡¯s command, the angels immediately raised their weapons and charged towards Brand and the others. And as the angels charged towards them, the Templars were at a loss for what to do! Among these Templars, there were not a few strong individuals, but now, faced with this situation, they really wanted to just turn around and leave. The church¡¯s strong warriors were certainly devout in their faith, which was precisely why, upon seeing these angels, they were internally cursing up a storm. How were they supposed to fight this? To fight or not to fight? To strike at the messengers of their worshipped Deity, what sin would that be?! Quite a few Templars chose to back down, not being fools. Fang Zheng and Knight Connie had just fought fiercely, and she had repeatedly called Fang Zheng a Cultist. Many had witnessed this scene, and although they hadn¡¯t thought much of it then, now the appearance of the angels immediately brought the term Holy Spirit Knight to their minds. Recalling the earlier events, many turned pale. Damn it, is this a replay of the Dark Fallen Moon? I refuse to be an accomplice! The impact of the Dark Fallen Moon was profound. Anyone in the Sanctuary with a bit of status knew the disaster it had brought about. That¡¯s why, ever since, the internal scrutiny of colleagues within the Sanctuary had always been strict and secretive; unless there was solid evidence, it was rare to actually accuse a Templar of being a Cultist. Because Fang Zheng and Connie had been fighting so intensely earlier, everyone had been too confused to react. Now, after calming down and giving it some thought, they felt it was as if they had been smacked by the sun. My goodness, isn¡¯t this just a repeat of the Dark Fallen Moon?! Back then, those Bishops had greedily and arbitrarily accused Holy Spirit Knights of being Cultists, and now the tables have turned and it¡¯s the same scene again? No wonder ¡°the higher-ups¡± are furious! Realizing this, most of the Templars and Bishops immediately recoiled. They still didn¡¯t know the complete details of what had happened, but now it seemed clear that the right was not on the side of Connie and Knight Commander Brand. If that was the case, would they not be out of their minds to assist them? If all the other Templars had realized this, then Knight Commander Brand must have as well. He clenched the Blade of Justice, his face pale as he looked at the angels charging towards him. Truthfully, as a Knight Commander, he should never have crossed blades with an angel. But as a father, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch his daughter die! ¡°Knight Commander Brand, take Knight Connie and leave quickly!¡± Just then, several Templars rushed in front of Brand, blocking the angels. These were Brand¡¯s personal guards, who were quite loyal to him. Although they also worried about punishment, they still hurriedly moved forward and blocked the angels. Hearing his guards shouting, Brand snapped back to reality. Right, no matter what, I need to get Connie out of here first! ¡°Run!¡± Thinking this, Brand hurriedly grabbed Connie, trying to turn and leave. Upon witnessing this scene, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, a cold murderous intent flashed through them. Trying to leave? Did you even ask me?! The next moment, a white light suddenly flashed within Fang Zheng¡¯s body, and in the blink of an eye, he reappeared in front of Brand with Malthael, blocking his way! ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng blocking his path, Brand knew that today¡¯s affairs wouldn¡¯t end peacefully. He let out a roar and, raising the Blade of Justice, charged at Fang Zheng. Meanwhile, the Angel of Death behind Fang Zheng also moved, raising the Scythe of the Soul and meeting the roaring Brand head-on! Chapter 141 - Chapter 141: Chapter 140 The Will of the Goddess! Chapter 141: Chapter 140 The Will of the Goddess! ¡°Swoosh!!¡± As a Legendary Powerhouse, when Brand unleashed his sword, it was as if the sun itself blazed in the heavens, its scorching radiance enveloping the entire sky in an instant. In that moment, he seemed to merge with the world, his holy light covering everything in sight. This was his Domain! Feeling the power of Brand¡¯s sword, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression darkened slightly. He now understood what Shi Dong had been telling him about the strength of a legendary being. To be honest, Brand¡¯s sword attack seemed simple and not particularly flashy or filled with any special visual effects. But the moment Brand struck, Fang Zheng felt an instinctive sensation, as if he were a condemned prisoner being led to the scaffold, awaiting the judge¡¯s verdict, followed by the dropping of the executioner¡¯s block. Then the executioner would raise his axe and sever his head with a single stroke! That¡¯s right, when a Legendary Powerhouse makes a move, it¡¯s as though they pull their enemy into a world of their own. In Brand¡¯s world, it seemed ¡°Judgment¡± was the theme, which is why it imparted such a feeling. No¡­ in fact, it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. ¡°Clatter clatter clatter!!¡± As Brand made his move, golden chains materialized out of thin air, rushing towards Fang Zheng and Malthael behind him as if omnipresent. Clearly, these chains were manifestations of Brand¡¯s Domain! If it had been an ordinary Templar, they might truly have had no counter, but¡­ No one can stop Death! ¡°Clatter clatter clatter!!¡± Instead of being bound, the golden chains simply passed through the bodies of Fang Zheng and Malthael as if they were merely illusory shadows that did not exist in reality. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Hmph!!¡± Watching the chains pass through his body, Malthael snorted coldly. His body suddenly trembled, and the next moment, thin mists emerged from beneath his pitch-black armor, spreading rapidly around him. Under the erosion of the mist, the originally golden chains began to shatter, and even the world cleansed by the Holy Light was instantly covered with a dark shadow. If earlier the world had resembled a majestic courtroom, now it looked more like a decrepit, death-filled graveyard! ¡°Pfft!!¡± Feeling the oncoming Power of Death, even Brand turned white and was blown backwards, spewing blood as he collapsed to the ground. ¡°Father!!¡± Watching the scene unfold before her, Connie¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. Her father, unable to withstand even a single blow from the opponent, had fallen heavily wounded?! Connie, of course, did not know that after the Soulstone was enhanced, a character¡¯s power would gradually increase. With Malthael currently possessing the dual powers of the Angel of Wisdom and the Angel of Death, his Awakening had granted him an abnormally invincible and overpowering cheat ability like the Life and Death Gap. Unless Brand could obtain the Power of Death, similar to Nephalem¡¯s in the Diablo universe, he would be incapable of inflicting even the slightest damage on Malthael! Not to mention, Malthael¡¯s Power of Death was extremely oppressive to all life. Brand, formidable as he was, was still a mortal, not even a demigod. How could he possibly battle one of the Five Great Angels? ¡°I¡¯ll fight you with everything I¡¯ve got!¡± Staring down at her father lying on the ground, blood spilling from his mouth, Connie glared at Fang Zheng with intense hatred. She couldn¡¯t clearly define her emotions at that moment. Why had things turned out this way? She had believed that if she could just help that Little Angel break free, then this damned jerk would definitely receive his due punishment. But what was happening now? Why did this occur? How could he possibly have the protection of an Angel? Was she really mistaken? ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!¡± In that moment, Connie felt as though she was going insane; she had given up on thinking, screamed, and charged at Fang Zheng with her weapon raised. Angels, Holy Spirit Knights, Justice, Evil¡ªshe no longer wanted to think about any of it. All she desired was to fight, fight, fight!! Don¡¯t think about anything, just go for it! ¡°Hmph!¡± Watching Connie charge at him in a frenzy, Fang Zheng wore a grim expression and snorted coldly. Then, he raised his right hand and swung it forward. Accompanied by his movement, Malthael behind him stood up, and the translucent wings that seemed to form from the mist, flared forward with a mighty flap! ¡°Hoo¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The storm of death erupted forward, accompanying Malthael¡¯s motion with a howling roar, and before this fiercely berserk death storm, Connie¡¯s lightning did not even stir a ripple, extinguishing silently like the flame of a small candle. Then, all of a sudden, Malthael reached out and swung his arm forward, and the Scythe of the Soul instantly responded, piercing into Connie¡¯s shoulder in the blink of an eye! ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡± The intense pain made Connie finally unable to hold back her screams. Her body began to shake wildly, her eyes starting to roll back. Subsequently, a phantom silhouetted figure gradually emerged from within Connie¡¯s body, as if being torn by the Scythe of the Soul, trying to pull it out of her body. Accompanying Malthael¡¯s actions, Connie¡¯s body also began to deform, her originally youthful face becoming gradually old and her fair and delicate skin starting to dry up like bark on a tree. Within just a few breaths, this young girl seemed to age and weaken as if she was withering away¡­ Immediately after that, Fang Zheng flung his arms, and in the next moment, a spectral soul shadow was yanked out of Connie¡¯s body by the Scythe of the Soul, as she desperately struggled to return to her body. But the next moment, that phantom soul shadow was engulfed by the rolling tides of death, disappearing under the pitch-black cloak. ¡°No!!¡± Seeing this scene, Brand let out a roar and suddenly leaped up from the ground, raising the Blade of Justice in his hands and swinging it mightily at the Scythe of the Soul! ¡°Clang!!¡± As a divine artifact, the power of the Blade of Justice was unquestionable. Under Brand¡¯s full-force strike, the Scythe of the Soul also rose in response, but Fang Zheng clearly would not let Brand get his way so easily. As Brand made his strike, Fang Zheng¡¯s hands began to condense the Power of Death, wrapping it around the Sky-Cleaving Sword. Next, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure flashed sharply, appearing in front of Brand. Without hesitation, he raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword and thrust it forcefully into Brand¡¯s chest! And facing Fang Zheng¡¯s attack, Brand bit down hard, not retreating but advancing to meet the attack head-on. He even abandoned defense, clenching both hands firmly around the Blade of Justice and raising it high to swing it down. He had decided that even if he were killed, he would drag this young man down to Hell with him!! But what no one expected was just at this moment, suddenly, a beam of golden light burst forth out of nowhere! ¡°Boom!¡± In the next instant, a golden barrier rose up like a wall from the ground, forcefully separating the two men. Facing this sudden turn of events, both Fang Zheng and Brand were taken aback, quickly raising their heads to look towards the source of the light beam. It was then that they saw that the statue of the Goddess of Order, previously positioned in front of the Sanctuary, was now emitting a dazzling and gentle radiance! Was this¡­ the Goddess manifesting? Clenching the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly in his hand, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression was dark. He had been prepared for it, but he did not expect the Goddess of Order to intervene at this moment¡­ What did she mean by this? ¡°This is bad¡­¡± Not only was Fang Zheng¡¯s expression dark, but so were Bishop Carl¡¯s and Shi Dong¡¯s as their expressions changed dramatically at the sight before them. The more they looked at it, the more it seemed like a replay of the Dark Fallen Moon of the past¡ªwhen Antonio defied the Cardinal Council because he was aggrieved by the Goddess¡¯s protection and fell, it inaugurated the darkest and most chaotic years of the Sanctuary. And now¡­ history couldn¡¯t be repeating itself, could it? However, just as everyone was feeling anxious inside, suddenly, something unexpected happened. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Before everyone¡¯s eyes, the statue of the Goddess with her right hand raised and clutching the Order Staff suddenly emitted a dazzling golden beam from its tip, shining down upon Brand. Then, what happened next was shocking. Brand¡¯s Blade of Justice, which he had been gripping tightly, heeded the call of the light beam, escaping its master¡¯s grasp and slowly rising up before abruptly vanishing in a flash, as if attracted by the beam of light. After the Blade of Justice disappeared, the glow from the Goddess of Order¡¯s statue extinguished, and the barrier that had been blocking Fang Zheng and Brand also vanished without a trace. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± For a moment, the surroundings fell into deathly silence. ¡°How could¡­ How could this be¡­?¡± Brand looked at his empty hands, feeling for a moment as if the sky had collapsed. As the second bearer of the Blade of Justice, he had made a contract with it. But just now, he could feel that his contract with the Blade of Justice had been completely severed! Not only that, Brand felt so weak, the once powerful force now also slipping away from him along with the Blade of Justice. What did this mean? Was this truly the will of the Goddess? Chapter 142 - Chapter 142: Chapter 141: The Tremors of the Sanctuary Chapter 142: Chapter 141: The Tremors of the Sanctuary ¡°` All that happened at the Northlands¡¯ New Year¡¯s festival soon shook the entire Sanctuary. ¡°This is simply a disgrace to the Sanctuary!¡± Standing in the center of the Hall of Glory, the Highest Bishop, dressed in a deep red Mage Robe, had an iron-blue complexion, and even the hand holding the scepter turned somewhat pale due to an excessive grip. Before him, the Bishopric, led by Bishop Carl, bowed their heads, not even daring to breathe a breath of air. It was no wonder the Highest Bishop was so incensed, as it had already been embarrassing enough that a scandal had broken out during the Sanctuary¡¯s New Year¡¯s festival. However, the problem was that it was not just a simple private fight. One party was known within the Sanctuary as the Divine Favorer, and the other was a Holy Spirit Knight! Moreover, this private squabble eventually even involved the Angel Legion and direct intervention from the Goddess!! ¡°What on earth is going on!!¡± The Highest Bishop glared furiously at the Bishopric before him, his aged face trembling with rage. ¡°Who can tell me why one of our Sanctuary¡¯s Divine Favorers would fight with a Holy Spirit Knight. Why did the Angel Legion appear, and why did it come to a point where the Goddess had to intervene personally? Hm? What were you all doing? What have you all been up to?!¡± The Highest Bishop became increasingly furious as he spoke, normally the appearance of the Heavenly Kingdom, Angels or the Goddess would be considered a blessing for the Sanctuary. But this one time, the Sanctuary was, regrettably, thrust into the eye of the storm. Now, the rumors outside were getting more and more absurd, even Cultists with ulterior motives were spreading heretic rumors in private, claiming it was because the Order Sanctuary had betrayed the will of the Goddess, and thus the Goddess sent her messengers to punish the Sanctuary. In the past, such remarks would have been met with laughter. But now, many people even started to falter! And no wonder, since at the time Fang Zheng summoned the Angel Legion, there were many Nobility and Mages present. They all heard, with their own ears, Knight Captain Brand, the Sanctuary¡¯s mightiest, personally identifying Fang Zheng as a Cultist, followed promptly by the other party Summoning an Angel to slap his face. The events that transpired really made one ponder. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?0 Brand was indeed the highest pinnacle of the Sanctuary¡¯s combat strength, and in a certain sense, he truly represented the will of the Sanctuary. And now, a spokesperson of the Sanctuary pointed at someone protected by Angels and called them a Cultist? And then they all fought to the death? Plus, in the end the Goddess took away Brand¡¯s Blade of Justice, this Divine Artifact¡­ Aiya, how can people not overthink? All this happened in full view of many witnesses. Even if the Nobility and Templars who attended the banquet would not spread rumors, what about the many Attendants and maidservants? The Sanctuary knew the principle that it¡¯s harder to guard against the slander of the people than to guard against the rivers, so how could this matter possibly be covered up? Once this all spread, once those damned Cultists stirred things up¡­ maybe people really would start to believe that the Sanctuary had betrayed the will of the Goddess, even planning to find an opportunity to kill Fang Zheng, the Goddess¡¯ spokesperson. So the Goddess could not stand by any longer, therefore She directly dispatched the Angel Legion to protect him, and even personally took back Brand¡¯s Divine Artifact. ¡°Please, do not be too incensed, Highest Bishop.¡± It was at this moment that a soft voice sounded. Upon hearing this voice, the previously furious Highest Bishop instantly turned around respectfully and bowed towards the other side of the curtain. ¡°But¡­ Your Holiness¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s first discuss what happened¡­ At least, we need to understand what transpired before making any judgments, don¡¯t we? Sir Carl, you were in charge of the matter on site, so I presume you have a complete report.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness.¡± At this, Carl, standing below, stepped forward and began to recount the sequence of events in detail. Although Carl did not witness what happened, fortunately, there were guards on duty and Attendants passing by in the Sanctuary¡¯s backyard apart from Nymph and Connie. From their accounts, combined with the interrogation of Brand, Carl still managed to clarify the entire story. And after listening to Bishop Carl¡¯s narrative, the others present simply did not know what to say. ¡°¡­So you mean to say, Knight Connie believed that the Angel had been bound by some sort of Magic or means used by Knight Fang Zheng, so she intervened trying to free her from those bindings? She really is something¡­!!¡± The Highest Bishop now lacked even the energy to be angry, only feeling bemused at the thought of having such a foolish Templar under his command. ¡°Sir Carl, in your estimation, was the Angel under any form of restraint?¡± ¡°No, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°` Upon hearing the inquiry, Bishop Carl once again replied with solemnity. ¡°To be honest, during the battle in the Dark Marsh, I had the fortune to fight side by side with Knight Fang Zheng and that Angel. From what I observed, the Angel placed great trust in Knight Fang Zheng, and there was no rift between them. Moreover, that Angel played a pivotal role in destroying the Gates of Hell¡¯s Array. Without her, we would not have been able to defeat the Six-Armed Snake Demon, Bella, nor dismantle the array of the Gates of Hell so easily¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Upon hearing this, the crowd glanced at each other with even more puzzled looks. They finally understood why that young man would strike someone without saying a word. Great, after going through all the trouble to help you all eliminate such a huge threat, not a word of thanks was offered, and now they even went as far as to harm someone¡­ and for no valid reason at all. Anyone would be angry in such a situation. ¡°¡­¡­.Now, regarding Knight Connie¡¯s funeral¡­¡± ¡°¡­.We are considering it¡­¡± Speaking up to this point, Bishop Carl looked helpless. ¡°To tell the truth, we have also examined Knight Connie¡¯s body, and her soul and life have completely disappeared¡­¡± ¡°Was it the handiwork of the Angel of Death¡­¡± Upon hearing Bishop Carl¡¯s response, the Highest Bishop frowned. Perhaps the lower-ranking believers might harbor doubts about the Power of Death, but in reality, as high-ranking members of the Order Sanctuary, they did not truly detest the powers of darkness and death. Because both darkness and death are, in fact, parts of order. Therefore, the Order Sanctuary opposed not darkness and death, but the disasters and pain brought by these forces¡ªafter all, compared to Holy Light, the former posed a greater threat. ¡°¡­.and what of Brand?¡± ¡°He has been convalescing at home. It seems losing the Blade of Justice has been a great blow to him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Bishop Carl¡¯s response, the Highest Bishop sighed helplessly. Brand really brought it upon himself this time. Not only did he lose the Blade of Justice, but even his power was stripped away by the Goddess, and now he had become a decrepit mortal, no longer possessing legendary strength. In fact, the Sanctuary had already decided to strip Brand of his title as Knight Captain. What he did was too excessive, and even the Goddess had to intervene personally. If the Sanctuary didn¡¯t respond promptly, then they truly would be doomed. ¡°That Knight Fang Zheng¡­ Have you found him?¡± ¡°I am sorry, we still have not discovered the whereabouts of Knight Fang Zheng.¡± After the battle ended, Fang Zheng just took off with Nymph. With Malthael¡¯s Angel Legion protecting him, others dared not stop him, they could only watch him leave. Afterwards, Bishop Carl, along with Shi Dong and others, searched everywhere for Fang Zheng, even inquiring with Rex, but unfortunately, there were no clues. ¡°Is there no way to find his location through the Star Pattern?¡± Hearing this answer, the Highest Bishop grew even more anxious. As the saying goes, ¡°the bell¡¯s own ringer can undo the ringing¡±. Right now, the best course of action would be to find Fang Zheng and publicly announce that he and the Sanctuary do not have any issues. This way, all rumors would collapse on their own. The problem is that Fang Zheng is hiding and they can¡¯t find him, which complicates matters greatly. If someone were to impersonate the Sanctuary and launch an attack on Fang Zheng, attracting hatred to themselves, then what? One Antonio was already enough to cause a headache¡ªif another were to appear, how could the Sanctuary endure it! What the Sanctuary needed to do now was to find Fang Zheng and clear up the misunderstanding. At least let him know that the Sanctuary held no grudge against him, and there were no negative feelings. Everything before was Brand¡¯s and Connie¡¯s unilateral actions and did not represent the Sanctuary itself. But now¡­ Fang Zheng was nowhere to be found, rendering their sincerity futile! ¡°I am sorry, I¡¯ve consulted Master Oscar, but he said that Knight Fang Zheng¡¯s stellar signs have been obscured, and we can¡¯t ascertain his true location¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± On hearing this, the Highest Bishop could only sigh, feeling helpless. ¡°But perhaps this is for the best. If we can¡¯t find him, then those with ulterior motives won¡¯t be able to either¡­ Maybe this is also the will of the Goddess.¡± But where on earth had the young man gone? Chapter 143 - Chapter 143: Chapter 142 Going on a Vacation to the New World Chapter 143: Chapter 142 Going on a Vacation to the New World Where was Fang Zheng exactly? Honestly, even Fang Zheng himself didn¡¯t know. All he knew was¡­ this place was incredibly secluded. ¡°It¡¯s started to snow again.¡± Looking at the howling blizzard outside the window, Fang Zheng frowned. After leaving the Northern Capital, he and Nymph had plunged into the forest and found this cabin. From the looks of it, it seemed like a hunter¡¯s lodge used for resting during hunts in the mountains. Fortunately for Fang Zheng and Nymph, the heavy snowfall had blocked the hunters from entering the forest, allowing them to stay here temporarily without any issue. Fang Zheng had no intention of living in the city. Using his intuition, he could guess that the Sanctuary must be frantically searching for him by now. But Fang Zheng did not plan to have too much to do with the Sanctuary. This conflict, unexpected as it was, had served its purpose as far as Fang Zheng was concerned. With this rift, the Sanctuary would have to think twice before asking him to do anything for them in the future. The reason Fang Zheng was avoiding the Sanctuary wasn¡¯t just that. He wasn¡¯t foolish; he knew that stirring up such trouble would not only draw the Sanctuary but also the Cultists. Whether it would be an attack disguising as the Sanctuary or an attempt to recruit him, Fang Zheng wanted no part of it. As for the Mage Tower¡ªconsidering the advice Rex had given him, Fang Zheng sensed he might have foreseen something. Since that Prophecy System instructor advised him not to return for now, Fang Zheng decided to stay away. However¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go get some food.¡± Looking at the raging snowstorm outside, Fang Zheng frowned again and then stood up. But as he did, Nymph, who had been sitting beside him, also quickly got up, reaching out to grasp Fang Zheng¡¯s sleeve, looking up at him with puppy-like eyes as if afraid of being abandoned by her master. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã? Seeing Nymph¡¯s expression, Fang Zheng helplessly reached out and gently stroked her head. Ever since the day her chains were cut, Nymph had stuck by Fang Zheng¡¯s side every step of the way. Even while sleeping, the Little Angel seemed terrified of being abandoned by Fang Zheng, although he had assured her several times. But it seemed Nymph still couldn¡¯t shake off that deep psychological shadow. Damn it, killing that woman was still a loss. Looking at Nymph in front of him, Fang Zheng clenched his teeth. He had planned to take down Brand as well. But with the Goddess of Order intervening, Fang Zheng was left with no choice. If the Goddess of Order had been helping Brand and Connie, Fang Zheng might have had something to say, possibly going as far as to attack directly. But since the Goddess of Order clearly helped him by taking Brand¡¯s weapon and neutralizing him, he couldn¡¯t really justify going too far. That was why Fang Zheng didn¡¯t take the opportunity to strike again but instead vanished from the scene¡ªafter all, the involvement of the Goddess of Order indicated that a True God was watching over him. Currently, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t possess a Soulstone powerful enough to counteract a deity¡¯s power, so it was prudent to cut his losses while he could. Yet¡­ seeing his sister¡¯s pitiful state, Fang Zheng was quite displeased. Once could be overlooked, twice tolerated, but if that bastard dared to trouble him again, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t care if a Goddess intervened or if the Goddess herself appeared; he would definitely kill that scoundrel. Although Fang Zheng had asked Nymph if there was a way to restore the chains, Nymph didn¡¯t have a definite answer. She only remembered there might be a way, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t recall what it was. That left Fang Zheng with no choice but to wait patiently. While internally cursing Rand to not die a good death, Fang Zheng took a pot out from his space, boiled some snow water, and cooked two packs of instant noodles¡­ Thankfully, the supplies he brought back from the Edge of Tomorrow World were not yet exhausted, and they were good enough to fill their stomachs. While Fang Zheng was cooking, Nymph was beside him, playing with a kitten. Having this kitten around was fortunate as it helped the usually gloomy Nymph regain some of her vitality; otherwise, she might have been even more depressed. It was about time. While boiling the instant noodles, Fang Zheng opened the Dimensional Codex. He hadn¡¯t brought Nymph to this remote forest to admire the snowy scenery. Whether it was the Sanctuary, the Cultists, or anything else, if they really wanted to find them, there were plenty of ways in this world. Now that Fang Zheng was also a Mage, he knew that mages had many methods to locate people. Even the Prophecy System could pinpoint a rough location and then send people to search. For that reason, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t plan to stay in this world much longer. As the cooldown time for the instance was almost over, he had taken Nymph to hide in this remote forest, just waiting for the cooldown to end. He would then take Nymph and temporarily leave this world for a ¡°vacation¡± in another world. Just what kind of world would it be next¡­ The mission to the Zerg homeworld had no leads up to now; Hinamizawa definitely wasn¡¯t an option. He just hoped that the next mission instance would yield some reward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Master.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Just as Fang Zheng was contemplating their next moves in the upcoming world, he suddenly heard Nymph¡¯s voice beside him. He turned his head to see the Little Angel anxiously looking at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That ¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nymph bit her lip and lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry. If it weren¡¯t for me, Master, you wouldn¡¯t have needed to¡­¡­¡± At this moment, Nymph also felt deep regret. As an Artificial Angel, she was supposed to perfectly accomplish every command of her master. However, now she had become rather a stumbling block for Fang Zheng. Especially since Fang Zheng even confronted a powerful figure from the Sanctuary for her sake. Just thinking about this made Nymph feel uneasy; her education had always taught her that Artificial Angels should serve their masters, and that masters had no obligations towards Artificial Angels. But now, her master had not only caused a conflict with one of the most powerful forces in the world for her sake, but had also run away to this desolate and dangerous place to hide¡­ This made Nymph immensely sad. She felt completely incompetent as an Artificial Angel. If she were in Synapsus, just what she had caused alone would be enough to have her completely discarded. But here, her master seemed not to be planning to do that, which made Nymph feel both fortunate and extremely ashamed. ¡°This is not your fault, Nymph.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t quite understand Nymph¡¯s thoughts, but her expression was enough for him to guess it. He reached out his hand and stroked her little head, and then smiled slightly. ¡°Honestly, rather than it being your fault, it¡¯s more like mine, because I was supposed to protect you¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Master. We Artificial Angels exist solely for our masters. You really didn¡¯t need to¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Nymph widened her eyes and hastily objected. But she was interrupted by Fang Zheng waving his hand before she could finish. ¡°Listen, Nymph, I don¡¯t know how it is in Synapsus. But here, I can tell you that you have helped me a lot. There are things that you are good at, which I am not capable of. Conversely, there are things that you aren¡¯t good at, that require me to do. You have fulfilled your tasks, but I as your master haven¡¯t adequately protected you¡­¡­ I should be the one apologizing to you.¡± ¡°You absolutely don¡¯t need to apologize to me, Master!¡± Upon hearing this, Nymph quickly stood up. ¡°It¡¯s really me¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not argue anymore; talking about this now is pointless. But Nymph, I want to tell you.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng reached out his hand and laid it on the Little Angel¡¯s shoulders, gazing unblinkingly into her deep azure eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t always worry that I might abandon you, because I won¡¯t do that. You are my companion, and you have helped me a lot. On the contrary¡­ I¡¯m more worried that you would leave me, since compared to you, what I¡¯ve done is indeed lacking a bit¡­ Nymph, you won¡¯t leave me, will you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Nymph¡¯s eyes widened as she gazed at the man before her. After a moment, her lips curled up in a gentle smile. ¡°Of course, Master. I will always follow you.¡± Then, Nymph firmly gave her answer. ¡°Good.¡± Upon hearing Nymph¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng also smiled slightly. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get ready for our adventure into the new world.¡± ¡°Yes! Master!¡± Chapter 144 - Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Survival in the Wild or Landing in a Coffin? Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Survival in the Wild or Landing in a Coffin? ¡°` Perhaps it was the presence of a Nymph companion, or maybe it was the system upgrade. In any case, for Fang Zheng, this time the time travel wasn¡¯t as unbearable as before. However¡­¡­ ¡°It¡¯s so hot.¡± When Fang Zheng opened his eyes, the first thing he said was to complain about the climate here. A moment ago they were still in the deep mountains where the snow roared, and now they had ended up in a boundless tropical rainforest, surrounded by dense green vegetation. The stifling heat in the air was somewhat unbearable, but fortunately, Fang Zheng only grumbled for a bit. After undergoing the Zerg transformation, his body could almost withstand the climate changes under various conditions. Apart from the exceedingly extreme climates, essentially nothing could challenge him. Nonetheless, this moist and sweltering sensation was not comfortable at all. As for the Nymph, there was even less to say, Artificial Angel¡­ as long as it didn¡¯t threaten her own existence, these minor environmental flaws weren¡¯t a problem at all. ¡°Nymph, scan our surroundings.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, the Nymph nodded, then stretched out her hand to her ear. Immediately after, a flash of azure light glowed in the Nymph¡¯s eyes once more. ¡°Current temperature 29 degrees, relative humidity 90%, no harmful gas detected¡­ suitable for life and human survival¡­ Also, Master, this is not Earth.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã0 Upon hearing the Nymph¡¯s reply, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. ¡°Not Earth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. According to the gravitational and magnetic field analysis, this is not Earth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really interesting¡­¡­¡± While saying this, Fang Zheng looked up above him where the dense rainforest hid everything from view. However, he didn¡¯t care; on the contrary, he was more curious about what world he had come to. Not Earth, but with an environment similar to Earth, Fang Zheng¡¯s first thought was ¡°Avatar,¡± but after thinking it over, he negated this idea, since Avatar¡¯s setting contained toxic gases, and he didn¡¯t feel any toxins here. Moreover, the vegetation in the world of Avatar looked even stranger, while the plants here, at least on the surface¡­ looked pretty normal. After all, Fang Zheng was not a botanist, so naturally, he couldn¡¯t discern anything particularly strange about the plants here. ¡°Master, there are people coming!¡± Just then, the Nymph suddenly had a change in expression and then spoke to alert him. Hearing her, Fang Zheng smoothly drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword from the void and turned to look to the side. In fact, even without the Nymph¡¯s reminder, he had already sensed several life forms approaching their location. Not only that, those people seemed to be¡­ fully armed? ¡°Get behind me.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng casually cast a couple of protective magic spells on the Nymph. The Nymph obediently hid behind Fang Zheng, vigilantly watching the front. Soon, under their watchful eyes, several figures walked out of the forest, and upon seeing Fang Zheng and the Nymph, the people on the other side were also taken aback. A few of them even hurriedly raised their guns, aiming at the two. ¡°Hey, hold your fire!¡± Seeing the action of her companions, a woman with braids holding a sniper rifle quickly raised her hand to stop them. Perhaps because Fang Zheng and the Nymph looked too inoffensive, the others just became tense for a moment before lowering their weapons. ¡°Hey, buddy.¡± Following that, one of them waved at Fang Zheng and the Nymph. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve found two more companions.¡± ¡°Companions?¡± Hearing this word, Fang Zheng squinted his eyes and scanned the group. There were eight of them, mostly white, with one Black and one Asian person. Their attire was a mix, with some wearing wilderness combat suits, some in prison clothes, and others in T-shirts and jackets. Almost all of them were carrying weapons, with even one man wielding a heavy machine gun¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Perhaps because Fang Zheng and the Nymph appeared rather weak and harmless, the only female among the eight people kindly stepped forward to explain to them. ¡°You guys came from the sky, right? How about it, want to join us?¡± The sky? Hearing the woman¡¯s question, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but raise his head to scan the sky. Isn¡¯t this supposed to be a wilderness survival situation? When did it turn into a battle royale? ¡°` ¡°Of course,¡± Even though strange thoughts were swirling in his mind, Fang Zheng still nodded. He had yet to figure out which world this was. In fact, Fang Zheng had taken the opportunity to size everyone up but couldn¡¯t find any familiar faces. That wasn¡¯t surprising, since he never really remembered actors when watching movies; often, unless someone had distinctive features, he simply couldn¡¯t tell them apart. Like Natalie Portman, for example¡­ Say her name and I recognize her, show me a picture and I can¡¯t tell the difference between her and Emma Watson. Among this group, the only person who seemed vaguely familiar to Fang Zheng was the man leading them. He had a pair of bushy eyebrows and a face that looked as though he owed money he could never pay back, twisting into an expression that spelled embarrassment. It seemed somewhat familiar to Fang Zheng, suggesting that he must have seen something from this world before, whether it was a movie or a game¡ªit certainly couldn¡¯t be an animation. After all, the people here were too ugly for that. Under the lead of Big Nose with the embarrassed expression, the group continued forward, seeking a high point to at least ascertain where they were. Following behind with Nymph, Fang Zheng had learned from her that this wasn¡¯t Earth, but he still didn¡¯t know what kind of world this was. Since Big Nose¡¯s appearance struck a chord with him, suggesting he might be the protagonist, Fang Zheng followed him to first understand the origins of this world and then make a decision. Along the way, by chatting with others, Fang Zheng also figured out what was happening with them. They had all been going about their business around the world and then, for some unknown reason, ended up here. And when they had opened their eyes, they were falling from the sky, equipped with nothing but parachutes and the weapons they had on them¡­ Yep, this was sounding more and more like they were all boxed in. However, until now, Fang Zheng still hadn¡¯t worked out what kind of world this was. Perhaps that¡¯s also why the system hadn¡¯t issued any quests to him yet. After all, the previous times quests were released, they were based on Fang Zheng¡¯s knowledge of the world. Now, since Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know which world this was, the system had not issued any quests¡ªconsidering another angle, maybe the system was worried that releasing a quest would spoil the plot? This damn system sure had a twisted sense of humor. Does it not realize the fate that awaits Arthas? Under Big Nose¡¯s lead, the group emerged from the forest and came upon a rocky mountain area. They were all exhausted and sat down to rest. That¡¯s when Braids approached Big Nose, who had somewhat assumed the role of their leader during the journey. ¡°What do you think is actually going on here?¡± Standing by Big Nose¡¯s side, Braids furrowed his brow and stared at the leaves floating on the water before them, which they had intended to use to determine their direction. But, unexpectedly, not only did the leaves fail to offer any guidance, they were spinning crazily out of control. By now, even someone as slow on the uptake as Braids had realized that this place was more complicated than it seemed. ¡°What do I think?¡± On hearing Braids¡¯ question, Big Nose turned around and swept his gaze over the people behind them. ¡°Alpha Squad, Drug Cartel, United Front, Sierra Leone Assassination Squad, Japanese Mafia, and the FBI¡¯s most wanted¡­ and those three,¡± While speaking, Big Nose cast a dismissive glance at Fang Zheng, Nymph, and the man wearing glasses, then turned back to Braids. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it odd? Every one of us is exceptionally skilled, yet only those three are the exception. And that girl, I don¡¯t know exactly who she is, but just look at what she¡¯s wearing on her ears and her clothes, that¡¯s not how ordinary people look. Moreover¡­ I always feel that there¡¯s something off about those two,¡± ¡°You mean that man and the little girl?¡± Hearing Big Nose¡¯s words, Braids glanced over at Fang Zheng and Nymph. He had to admit that these two indeed stood out among the group. Fang Zheng was dressed in a suit he had tailor-made in the Edge of Tomorrow World, while Nymph wore her original battle garb she had had on when summoned. This contrasted sharply with the others, who were scruffy and disheveled. ¡°Yes,¡± Big Nose nodded his head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? Every one of us is uneasy about finding ourselves in this strange place, but those two seem quite calm, as if they¡¯ve come here just to find a place to travel¡­ isn¡¯t that rather unreasonable?¡± ¡°You mean they¡­¡± Tense with the implications of Big Nose¡¯s analysis, Braids spoke up. ¡°They have a problem? Could it be they are the ones who threw us here?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Big Nose shook his head. ¡°Look carefully, they¡¯re just as unfamiliar with this place as we are, only they¡¯re not as nervous as we are. This means either they¡¯re not right in the head, or¡­¡± ¡°Or what?¡± ¡°Or, they have sufficient strength and confidence that they are sure they can easily deal with any danger they encounter.¡± As he spoke, Big Nose cast a meaningful glance at Fang Zheng and Nymph. ¡°But honestly, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing.¡± Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: Chapter 144 What the hell is this!? Chapter 145: Chapter 144 What the hell is this!? After a brief rest, the group set off again, venturing deeper into the jungle. Fang Zheng and Nymph walked at the rear, merely observing the surroundings while Nymph quietly informed Fang Zheng about the planet. Clearly, it was an Earth-like planet, but there seemed to be no signs of civilization development¡ªat least, Fang Zheng knew it couldn¡¯t be the case. From the looks of it, these people had been thrown here by some person or force. After all, it did sound like a movie plot he had seen before¡­ ¡°Wow!¡± As Fang Zheng was pondering, Old Hei walking ahead suddenly tripped and fell. Before the rest could react, they saw a tree branch violently spring up and, accompanied by a whooshing sound, a thick tree trunk emerged from behind them and hurtled towards the group! ¡°Be careful!!¡± Seeing this, everyone¡¯s faces drastically changed. They all threw themselves to the ground to dodge the unexpected attack. But soon, they realized they had made a wrong decision! ¡°Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!¡± The one who set the trap seemed to have anticipated this, and as everyone dove for cover, another trap was triggered. Sharp wooden spikes descended from the sky like rain, fiercely shooting towards them. Seeing this, the group was utterly horrified, staring blankly at the descending wooden spikes, evidently without even the time to react! It was then that Fang Zheng finally took action. Indeed, the moment Old Hei fell, Fang Zheng, as a Prophet Mage, immediately sensed the threat from behind. So, when the huge tree began to crash towards them, he swiftly turned around. His Sky-Cleaving Sword glowed brilliantly as he swung it forward, and with a loud ¡°boom¡±, the enormous tree trunk, thick enough for two people, was split by Fang Zheng¡¯s sword, scattering fragments all around. Immediately afterward, Fang Zheng scanned his surroundings and swung his longsword towards the sky. A blade of Sword Qi rose from the ground, instantly transforming into a whirlwind that spread in all directions. The wooden spikes falling towards them were instantly ¡°bang¡± torn into shreds by the Sword Qi. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0 Only when the fragments had fallen did the previously terrified group snap back to reality. They hastily picked up their weapons, vigilantly scanning their surroundings while quickly moving closer to Fang Zheng. If some of them had considered Fang Zheng and Nymph a burden before, this single sword stroke was enough to show who among them was truly the strongest. They knew how formidable they were, but that was with the help of firearms. Without firearms and left to bare hands, they had no confidence at all. Yet this young man, armed just with an unusual-looking longsword, had effortlessly resolved their crisis, a feat that was far more convincing than bullets! ¡°12 o¡¯clock, there¡¯s an enemy!¡± At the same time, Braids with the sniper rifle hurriedly raised her gun and aimed in the direction of the enemy. Hearing her, the others quickly gathered around. ¡°Kill him, kill him!¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± But, to everyone¡¯s surprise, after carefully aiming, Braids put down her sniper rifle. ¡°He¡¯s already dead.¡± ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Just as Braids said, when the group located the ¡°prime culprit,¡± he was already dead. Or rather, he had been dead for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we fell into a trap set by a dead man.¡± Looking at the corpse of the man who had been dead for several days, the black man spat in disgust. Beside him, the bespectacled man caught his breath before speaking again. ¡°From the degree of decomposition, he¡¯s been dead for two weeks¡­¡± Hearing the bespectacled man¡¯s words, the gaunt man in prisoner¡¯s clothes also caught his breath and said irritably. ¡°Why did he set traps here to harm us? I almost got killed by him!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t for us.¡± Looking at the corpse, Big Nose shook his head. ¡°He did it to counter other enemies¡­¡± At this point, Big Nose turned his head and glanced at Fang Zheng. ¡°I think it must be a very tall and ferocious guy, what do you think?¡± ¡°What do I think?¡± Facing Big Nose¡¯s question, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I think¡­ there¡¯s no need to guess, just find the real culprit!¡± Before he had finished speaking, Fang Zheng¡¯s longsword suddenly leapt up in his hand and thrust forward. A flash of sword light, like a bolt from the blue, streaked past everyone¡¯s eyes and struck heavily against the tree in front of them! ¡°Boom!!¡± Accompanied by a loud noise, the large tree, thick enough to be hugged by several people, was instantly split in two by the sword light, and at the same time, with a roar like that of a wild beast, Big Nose and the others saw a shadow flash through the dust. ¡°Over there!!¡± While roaring, they all raised their guns to try to aim at and shoot the figure. But before they could pull the triggers, the scene before their eyes blurred. The next moment, Fang Zheng descended from the sky, his Sky-Cleaving Sword piercing through the figure unstoppably and pinning it firmly to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing this scene, everyone was stunned. Even the prisoner who was always joking around was now gaping in disbelief at the sight of Fang Zheng¡¯s back. ¡°Could this guy be Superman from Asia¡­?¡± ¡°Still trying to run?¡± Looking at the enemy before him, Fang Zheng snorted lightly. In fact, when they had arrived here, he and Nymph had already sensed something lurking nearby. However, just to be safe, Fang Zheng had not acted immediately but had Nymph conduct a covert reconnaissance. Once Nymph confirmed that there was only this one enemy nearby, Fang Zheng forced it out. What followed was simple¡ªTime Stop sprint, executed seamlessly. The creature, lacking the power of a Grand Knight, was naturally killed instantly by Fang Zheng¡¯s sword. ¡°Hey, are you okay¡­ Good God, what is this thing?¡± Just then, the others hurriedly converged around Fang Zheng, but the next moment, they all involuntarily widened their eyes. Right in front of Fang Zheng, where the ground had been empty, the air suddenly started to tremble. Then, centered around the longsword in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand, a bizarre humanoid creature emerged from its invisible state, appearing right before them. It wore pitch-black armor and a steel helmet, its entire figure tall and burly, with long, sharp blades on its arms! ¡°What kind of monster is this!¡± As they looked at the large figure of the creature¡¯s corpse, everyone instinctively stepped back. Watching their reactions, Fang Zheng withdrew his longsword, casually flicked off the green blood staining it, and then spoke. ¡°This is the prime culprit who brought you here.¡± ¡°You know what this is?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, Braids widened her eyes in astonishment, looking at the young man before her. Fang Zheng just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Yes, they are aliens¡­ They captured you guys and threw you into this jungle.¡± ¡°But, but why would they do this?¡± Upon hearing this, the man with glasses inquired curiously, and listening to his question, Fang Zheng smiled and glanced at a thoughtful Big Nose before responding. ¡°It¡¯s simple¡­ hunting.¡± Chapter 146 - Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Conquest Mode Activated! Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Conquest Mode Activated! ¡°Hunting?¡± Although everyone had already vaguely guessed this, when they heard Fang Zheng say it, they still found it somewhat unacceptable. You must understand, they are people, not animals. But now, were they being captured and hunted like animals? ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At this moment, Fang Zheng had finally recalled what this world was about; he had seen this movie a long time ago. In fact, as soon as he saw the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s face and the big braids, he had some impression of it. And now, Fang Zheng had finally remembered exactly what world his latest time travel venture had landed him in. That world was ¡ª the New Iron-Blood Warrior, also known as Ironblood Warrior 2010. The plot of this movie was actually quite simple: the protagonist and his companions are captured by the Ironblood and taken to their alien hunting grounds to be hunted, then the protagonist manages to turn the tables and triumph with the help of an Aura. Compared to the first and second movies, this plot didn¡¯t offer much of a difference. The reason Fang Zheng recognized Big Nose was because this very Big Nose was the main character from the movie, Royce. Hmm¡­ Fang Zheng had to admit, that memorable face had stuck with him; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t remember such an average popcorn flick to this day. ¡°The Ironblood Warriors enjoy hunting intelligent life forms; only the battle with intelligent beings can satisfy them, which is why humans are considered the best prey to them.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng held the Sky-Cleaving Sword and pointed at the corpse of the Ironblood Warrior in front of them. ¡°Hmm¡­ As you can see, they are large and move quickly, and they also possess the ability to become invisible. They enjoy pursuing their prey, and the blades on their arms are their weapons. They also have a type of Shoulder Cannon, whose power is not less than that of an RPG¡­ the only drawback is that it requires aiming. You need to be alert at all times; if you see three little red dots, it means an Ironblood Warrior has targeted you, the right choice is to run immediately.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?¡± After listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s explanation, Big Nose immediately became suspicious. The appearance of Fang Zheng and Nymph was already very mysterious, and now he seemed to know these alien life forms¡¯ combat method too? Just who exactly were they? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask about that, and even if you did ask, I¡¯d have no obligation to tell you the answer.¡± In response to Big Nose¡¯s question, Fang Zheng spread his hands. ¡°Hmm¡­ Actually, consider this my parting gift to you. From here on out, please do your best to survive. I have some matters to attend to and cannot accompany you any longer.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Upon hearing what Fang Zheng said, everyone was shocked. Although they felt something was a bit off when he was giving a detailed introduction of the Ironblood Warrior just now, they were even more surprised to hear that he was about to leave. After all, Fang Zheng had already shown far superior strength than any of them and had easily killed such a terrifying alien life. Although his origins were a bit mysterious, it was at least safe to be by his side. But now, he was saying that he was about to leave? ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Sir, this¡­¡± ¡°I am truly sorry.¡± Facing the dumbstruck protagonists, Fang Zheng smiled helplessly. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but unfortunately, I have my own business to attend to, so I won¡¯t be able to continue with you. I hope you all manage to evade the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ pursuit and find your way back to Earth¡­ So, we shall part ways here. Nymph, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph nodded, glanced at everyone once more, and followed Fang Zheng as they left. Watching the two depart, the others were left looking at each other in bewilderment until someone finally thought to follow after them. ¡°Hey, wait, you can¡¯t just leave like this, hey¡­!¡± ¡°Alright, stop calling out.¡± Big Nose sighed helplessly and interrupted the others¡¯ shouting. ¡°If they don¡¯t want to stay, your calling is useless. Do you really think you can make them stay?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Hearing what Big Nose said, everyone¡¯s expression stiffened. Based on the display of power Fang Zheng had shown them just now, to be honest, even if they had guns¡­ they wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop him. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Braids looked toward the direction where Fang Zheng and the others had disappeared, her expression complex, before turning her head back to face Big Nose and voicing her question. Faced with Braids¡¯ question, Big Nose could only shake his head helplessly. ¡°What can we do? Fortunately, that young man didn¡¯t leave us with nothing. At least we know the name of these aliens, their mode of attack, and characteristics. If everything he said was correct, then we might just be able to survive these Ironblood Warriors¡¯ pursuit! As for what comes next, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it!¡± Big Nose was quite lucid; although he was also curious about Fang Zheng¡¯s origins, he was more aware that their being sent here was not to uncover secrets. For them, surviving was the ultimate goal. If they could not survive, then everything else was in vain! ¡°We continue moving forward! Now that we know who the prime culprit is, I swear, I will make it pay the price!¡± Big Nose continued on with their scripted mission with the others, while Fang Zheng took Nymph and left them far behind. Although Nymph had already told Fang Zheng that they were on an alien planet, Fang Zheng still proceeded with caution; after all, in his memory, whether it was from movies or games¡­ the power levels involving aliens were quite terrifying, so it was best to be cautious until he understood what kind of world this was. Now, having learned that he was in the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ world, Fang Zheng immediately felt at ease. Ironblood Warriors, huh? They¡¯re just a bunch of weaklings. Of course, if Fang Zheng were alone, he certainly wouldn¡¯t dare call the Ironblood Warriors weaklings; as weak as they were, they could still traverse the stars, and their spaceships were still considerably large. But¡­ Fang Zheng had the Zerg! No matter how formidable the Ironblood were, could they match the Divine Race? Ayr had fallen, and you¡¯re bringing this up with me? Fang Zheng had previously been worried about finding a world for the Zerg, but now it seemed that the world of the Ironblood Warriors was perfectly suitable! In the Ironblood World, the known apex combatants were the Ironblood Warriors. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know if Prometheus existed in this world, but even if it did, the technology of Prometheus didn¡¯t seem to be much higher. At least none of the civilizational forces he knew in this world could compare with the top three of the Interstellar. Given enough time, the Zerg would become the sole dominators here! And Fang Zheng felt no qualms about invading the Ironblood. The Ironblood themselves were no saints, always treating Earthlings as prey¡­ It was time for them to taste what it felt like to be hunted! ¡°Ready.¡± Having made up his mind, Fang Zheng quickly opened the Dimensional Codex, then selected the ¡°Homeland¡± mission. Soon, a system prompt appeared before him. [Zerg mission ¡°Homeland¡± is about to be activated. Are you sure you want to choose this plane as the mission location?] ¡°Confirm!¡± Upon seeing the system prompt, Fang Zheng immediately gave his answer. As he responded, the Dimensional Codex he held trembled violently! ¡°Boom!!¡± In the next moment, a nearly five-meter tall oval-shaped black hole suddenly appeared. Immediately after, a string of information leaped before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes. [Target plane confirmed for mission; ¡°Homeland¡± mission activated] [Conquest mode initiated] [Mission target updated] [The Swarm yearns for its own homeland, and you, as their overlord, must find them a place to thrive and multiply. Now, this new world shall become the Zerg¡¯s nest (The mission is complete when the target planet is entirely occupied, with a conquest degree of 100%¡ªUpon completion, this plane will transform into the Free World. Depending on completion, users will randomly receive +1 skill reward, fixed ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± skill)] Following the mission information update, from the other side of the Teleportation Gate, Mirune¡¯s figure appeared, stepping out slowly to stand before Fang Zheng, respectfully bowing her head. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve come.¡± Looking at the Insect Matriarch before him, Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°As we agreed, I have found suitable land for the Zerg to settle. Starting now, I command the entire Zerg army to mobilize and completely occupy this planet!¡± ¡°Your will be done, Master!¡± Chapter 147 - Chapter 147: Chapter 146 Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 1) Chapter 147: Chapter 146 Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 1) The reward for the ¡°Homecoming¡± quest was a major boon for Fang Zheng. Most importantly, as long as Fang Zheng completed the mission, this plane would become a Free World like Dark Soul and When the Cicadas Cry. Once the plane was a Free World, it meant that Fang Zheng could enter and exit this world at will without waiting for cooldowns. Moreover, upon completing this mission, Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± Skill would no longer be exclusive to the Soulstone, but would be fixed to his person. This would save Fang Zheng the trouble of having to switch to Kerrigan each time he controlled the Zerg. Although Kerrigan¡¯s Soulstone was quite useful, there were many instances where Fang Zheng needed the abilities of other Soulstones in battle. If he was limited to only using Kerrigan while controlling the Swarm, then his strategic options would also be restricted. Once he had solidified the ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± Skill, Fang Zheng could switch Soulstones while manipulating the Swarm ¨C at least he wouldn¡¯t be so passive. Like in the Edge of Tomorrow World, after summoning Mirune and the others, the first order was to command the drones to establish a base. Whenever in doubt with the Zerg, claim a mine. First, secure the resources, then mass-produce soldiers and push them all with a basic A-move. However, dealing with Ironblood Warriors wasn¡¯t as simple as dealing with the wire creatures in the Edge of Tomorrow. Although Ironblood Warriors weren¡¯t strong, they were a low-tier version of the Divine Race with both air and ground troops. Facing such enemies required careful consideration. First, conduct exploration to understand the enemy¡¯s layout, then decide whether to rush with Dragoon-Dog squads or go F2A. After some reconnaissance, Fang Zheng had figured out the general situation on the planet. As depicted in the movies, the planet was a hunting ground or rather, a playground for the Ironblood Warriors. As such, the planet¡¯s defenses weren¡¯t particularly stringent. According to the Swarm¡¯s reconnaissance, the Ironblood Warriors had only built a main building to rest and dock their ships and a few defensive facilities. Other than that, there was nothing else. However, given the Ironblood¡¯s tradition of a military society, whether these warning facilities were constructed or not didn¡¯t really matter much. Furthermore, according to the Swarm¡¯s report, the Ironblood Warriors on this planet didn¡¯t only have Big Nose and their group¡¯s playground; in fact, during the reconnaissance, the Swarm continuously discovered hundreds of humans. They were captured by the Ironblood Warriors from Earth and then thrown onto this planet. The distribution of these humans was also interesting; some were thrown into gobi deserts, others even to frigid snowy lands, and some were left on islands. Besides humans, the Ironblood had also captured various Alien Life forms, many of which possessed very strange and clever abilities¡­ um, for the Swarm, this was simply the best hunting ground. It seemed that the Ironblood Warriors honed their skills by fighting these creatures in different environments¡­ of course, for humans, this was a tragedy. Compared to those thrown into deserts or left in neighboring areas, the treatment of Big Nose and the other protagonists was quite good. At least they were in tropical regions, with no worry about freezing or dying of thirst¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã? Fang Zheng also figured out the behavior pattern of these Ironblood Warriors. They would first arrive at the planet on their mother ship, then descend to the meetup point in their small ships. The Ironblood Warriors would choose their desired ¡°play¡± areas and then break into teams of three, with hunting dogs heading to the ¡°playgrounds¡± to start their hunt. Whether the Ironblood Warriors had Points or any rankings, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t sure, but to him, they seemed indifferent to these things. They were simply sharpening their skills and fighting with humans abducted here to gain reaction and experience to various attacks in different environments and situations. Fortunately, based on Fang Zheng¡¯s observations, the areas controlled by the Ironblood Warriors were divided. If a three-person team had already entered an area to hunt, other teams would not choose that area. Only after the three-person team either failed and died or succeeded and left would others enter the area to begin hunting. If Fang Zheng¡¯s memory was correct, then those responsible for hunting in this area were the Gryphon trio from the movie. Oh, wait, he had already killed one of them, so now there were only two left. But¡­ none of this mattered to him. In the Edge of Tomorrow World, Fang Zheng chose covert actions because the mission restricted his faction and he didn¡¯t want to scare the humans. But in this world, there were no faction restrictions. So Fang Zheng didn¡¯t hesitate and went all out. Although Fang Zheng had not yet had time to build too many bases on this land, the soldiers he amassed in the Edge of Tomorrow World were not in vain. Before leaving the Edge of Tomorrow World, he had stuffed all his Zerg troops into the Leviathan and sent them into space. Now, through the Dimensional Codex¡¯s opened Teleportation Gate, these Zerg troops returned! Fang Zheng didn¡¯t immediately go looking for trouble with the Ironblood. For him, completely occupying the planet was of utmost importance. Mine and mass-produce soldiers, then attack en masse¡ªthen he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of anyone! Of course, that was easier said than done¡­ But in reality, Fang Zheng had no clue how to go about it. In the Edge of Tomorrow World, Fang Zheng chose to control the Swarm himself because he knew the enemy would reset. Moreover, the battles in the Edge of Tomorrow World were within Fang Zheng¡¯s grasp. But in the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s world, he knew nothing about interstellar warfare. After all, in the world before his Rebirth, humanity hadn¡¯t even colonized the moon yet, let alone experienced grand interstellar conflicts. So, Fang Zheng simply played the part of a hands-off shopkeeper and entrusted everything to Mirune, as he planned to watch closely how the Zerg conduct warfare in the cosmos. And under Mirune¡¯s command, a storm was about to be unleashed across the entire planet. One by one, the worker bees quietly dispersed, taking Lords to every corner of the planet in search of resources. They silently spread in all directions across the planet, and tunneling worms began to burrow underground, creating a network of tunnels to connect the bases. With the acquired resources, the Insect Hives began to spread wildly, not hiding their desire to consume everything, much like a virus starting to devour the entire planet. And all this¡­ finally caught the attention of the Ironblood Warriors. Night fell. A small mechanical falcon spread its wings and flew swiftly towards the depths of the jungle. It was on the hunt for prey, like a hound raised by hunters, searching for traces and then¡­ reporting back. In the scan of infrared vision, the rainforest was immersed in darkness. But just as the mechanical falcon was about to head home, suddenly, a large patch of bright red appeared before its eyes! What was that? The mechanical falcon wasn¡¯t startled. It quickly changed direction and headed deeper into the jungle once more, but before it could get a clear view of the red, suddenly, accompanied by a shriek, countless spikes shot out from below, completely destroying it! ¡°Bang!!¡± With a soft sound, the mechanical falcon exploded instantly, turning into a heap of scrap metal. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± At the same time, in a distant camp, an Ironblood Warrior wearing a falcon mask stood up and looked solemnly into the distance. Just moments ago, he had sent his mechanical falcon to search for missing comrades, but unexpectedly, it stumbled upon something else and got destroyed before it could identify what it was. Recalling the last infrared vision transmitted by the mechanical falcon, that Ironblood Warrior was also puzzled. All the ¡°prey¡± on this planet had been caught by them from various planets, and they had some understanding of these creatures. But¡­ what exactly was that red? Thinking this, the Ironblood Warrior whistled, and soon, following the sound of his whistle, the ¡°hounds¡± that had been lying around the Ironblood Warrior all stood up. These ¡°hounds¡± looked like peeled wild dogs, only their bodies were covered with sharp bone spikes, appearing extremely ferocious. Following the command of the Ironblood Warrior, these hounds also immediately dashed into the jungle, heading towards the direction of the mechanical falcon¡¯s crash. However, not long after the hounds left, suddenly, the Ironblood Warrior heard the howling of the hounds from afar, but only for a moment, and then there was no response from them again! ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Sensing something was wrong, the Ironblood Warrior looked around warily. He whistled again, but this time, he received no response from the hounds. ¡°Swoosh!!¡± Realizing that the situation was dire, the Ironblood wearing the falcon mask immediately waved his hands, and sharp blades sprang out from between his arms, while the shoulder cannons on his body started to rotate left and right. The Ironblood Warrior turned around, quickly switching through various scanning modes, vigilantly watching the jungle around him. At the same time, another Ironblood Warrior wearing an elephant mask also got ready for combat, keeping an eye on their surroundings. It was unclear whether it was the wind or something else, but at this moment, the bushes in the dark night also made rustling noises, as if something was moving through them. And just as the Ironblood Warrior switched back to infrared scanning mode, dozens of bright red life signatures suddenly leaped out of the undergrowth, lunging at them! Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Chapter 147: The Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 2) Chapter 148: Chapter 147: The Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 2) ¡°Ironblood that weak?¡± Standing in front of the Ironblood Warrior that had been torn to shreds by a Jumping Bug, Fang Zheng was also completely baffled. After all, he had seen ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior,¡± where the Ironblood Warriors were incredibly tough, not even flinching when facing Aliens. Originally, when Fang Zheng had received the news, he was wondering how many losses his side had incurred¡­ but the result¡­ Mirune told him there were zero casualties. Fang Zheng: Meow meow meow? Are you sure you¡¯re not joking with me? What happened to the brave and invincible Ironblood Warriors who could take on a thousand foes single-handedly? To confirm, Fang Zheng even specially called out those few Jumping Bugs that fought the Ironblood Warriors for a closer inspection, only to find¡­ indeed, the Ironbloods were weak as trash. The Blade Arm, which could easily stab a person to death, couldn¡¯t even scratch the shell of a Jumping Bug¡ªthat was still fine, since his Jumping Bugs had also levelled up. But the Shoulder Cannon, which was hyped up in the movie, had only blown a hole in one of them, and that unlucky Ironblood Warrior only managed to fire that one shot before being swarmed and dismembered by the Jumping Bugs. As for that hole¡­ looking at the Jumping Bug now, it probably would be fine after rolling around on the Fungal Carpet for a bit. But after giving it some thought, Fang Zheng immediately understood that he had mistaken the basis for comparison. The Ironblood Warriors in ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior¡± were so fierce partly because, compared to the Zerg, Aliens were too weak. If a Jumping Bug was akin to a knight charging in Heavy Armor, then an Alien was at best an assassin in leather armor, who could be gunned down easily by humans. The Ironblood Warriors¡¯ Shoulder Cannons were stronger than human weapons, but only by so much. They were adequate for dealing with Aliens that excelled in stealth and backstabbing, but helpless against the sheer numbers of Jumping Bugs. Moreover, these Ironblood Warriors were here to hunt, not to represent the full combat strength of Ironblood Warriors. It¡¯s not like you¡¯d bring a tank on an African safari and call in an F22 for a combined air-ground strike, right? Therefore, what these Ironblood Warriors demonstrated wasn¡¯t their true strength. Of course, Ironblood Warriors did have weapons of mass destruction. The little BB device they wore on their arms wasn¡¯t just for communication and controlling spaceships but also a miniature nuclear bomb¡­ oh, speaking of which, where¡¯s that BB device from the Ironblood Warrior? Luckily, the Jumping Bugs only killed the Ironblood Warrior without smashing his gear into scrap metal. So, it didn¡¯t take Fang Zheng long to find the microcomputer the Ironblood Warrior was carrying amid the pile of flesh. Of course, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t understand a word of Ironblood script, but that was okay, as there are experts for every field. ¡°Nymph, can you hack this thing and break into it?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Looking at the BB device in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand, smeared with blood, Nymph frowned slightly and nodded. It wasn¡¯t that she had doubts about Fang Zheng¡¯s actions, as Synapsus had conquered hundreds, if not thousands, of worlds. It was just that the device¡­ looked too dirty. ¡°Of course, no problem, Master. Please leave it to me¡­¡± As an Electronic Warfare Angel, Nymph¡¯s direct combat abilities were pitifully weak, but in the realm of electronic warfare, no one could surpass her. She had cracked the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s computer in less than half a minute and even located the cloaked Ironblood Ship hiding outside the camp! As for the ship, Fang Zheng naturally welcomed it with open arms, laughing gladly at the acquisition. Although he frankly didn¡¯t find the Ironblood aesthetics to his taste¡ªFang Zheng believed that at least something at the Star Spirit rank would be more to his liking¡ªat the moment¡­ it was surely better than cramming into an Insect Hive, right? He didn¡¯t particularly dislike the Zerg, but after all, mechanical creations were more visually pleasing to the eye. At this time, Nymph also demonstrated her formidable abilities. Through the smart computer on the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s ship, the little one directly invaded the core network of the entire Ironblood forces. She not only familiarized herself with the stars under their control but even ascertained what weapons they had, how many planets they owned, and the extent of their territory¡ªall crystal clear! Indeed, technology is power. No matter how fierce and formidable the Ironblood was, facing Little Angel Nymph, they had no choice but to kneel down and surrender. With true knowledge of the enemy and oneself, one will never be endangered in a hundred battles. After receiving accurate intelligence about the Ironblood forces from Fang Zheng and Nymph, Mirune immediately began commanding the Zerg to aggressively breed and expand, while also launching attacks on the Ironblood Warriors who had come to hunt! At first, the Ironblood Warriors thought the Zerg were new prey and were overjoyed. After all, the Ironblood Race relished fighting against intelligent and powerful enemies. But as soon as the Zerg initiated their breeding surge and the endless Swarm appeared, the Ironblood Hunters were suddenly dumbfounded. What happened to the hunt? Who is hunting whom now? Can¡¯t we have a fair competition and face off in a duel? To this, the Zerg responded, ¡°A duel is no problem. Us ganging up on you is also a duel, do you have any objections?¡± Of course there were objections! The Ironblood were tough, but not stupid. Realizing that the number of Zerg had grown too vast for them to defeat, the Ironblood Warriors immediately began sending distress signals to their home planet, and some even tried to escape on their ships. Unfortunately for them, Nymph had already covertly taken control of the entire Ironblood intelligence network, intercepting all the distress signals. As for those Ironblood Hunters who attempted to flee on their ships, they didn¡¯t even require the Flying Dragon to act; they were simply taken out by Little Angel¡¯s self-detonation. So you see, sometimes you can¡¯t be too tough¡ªhandling things like remote-controlled self-detonation requires caution. Otherwise, once hacked, well¡­ heh heh. In just under half a month, the occupancy rate on Fang Zheng¡¯s panel had already exceeded 30%, a figure so astounding it even shocked Fang Zheng himself. This was the first time he truly realized how terrifyingly prolific the Zerg¡¯s unchecked spread could be once unleashed. Keep in mind this was an entire planet, and according to Nymph¡¯s scans, this planet was much larger than Earth. In such circumstances, the fact that the Zerg could expand to such an extent in just a few days was quite remarkable¡ªeven if one discounted areas like oceans and polar regions unsuitable for large-scale Zerg breeding. The actions of the Swarm naturally affected the human survivors who had been captured and brought to this world. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any of those Ironblood Warriors for several days now.¡± Big Nose wiped the grime from his face and stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at the ruins not far away. Because Fang Zheng and the Swarm had killed those three Ironblood Warriors, Big Nose and his group had not been hunted down by the Ironblood Warriors as they would have been in a movie. However, this did not mean they were safe, for among the things thrown down by the Ironblood Warriors, there were many other ferocious creatures from Alien Planets, which had no common language with each other, and even less so with humans. Therefore, Big Nose and his group also fought several bloody battles with these Alien Life forms, and they suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, afterward, they encountered several waves of warriors who had survived from other places. After several dangerous battles, they finally arrived here. ¡°The monsters we¡¯ve encountered these last two days are becoming fewer and fewer.¡± Standing beside Big Nose, Braids was also frowning deeply. ¡°They seem to be avoiding something and we haven¡¯t seen those Ironblood Warriors again¡­¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re safe!¡± Another person interrupted Braids, he was someone who had joined the group later and wasn¡¯t very familiar with what had transpired before. ¡°I¡¯m sick of those bastards, we must find a spaceship and leave!¡± ¡°How do you know for sure we can leave if we find a spaceship?¡± Hearing this, Braids immediately retorted. ¡°Have you forgotten what we¡¯ve encountered before?¡± The others had mixed expressions upon hearing Braids¡¯ words. This was still an event that had happened a few days ago when they had set a trap and ambushed an Ironblood squad, hoping to hijack them and make them fly the spaceship to take them away. But unexpectedly, the Ironblood Warriors broke free and took the chance to escape on the spaceship. What nobody expected was that the spaceship had just flown high up into the sky when it exploded with a ¡°boom¡± right in front of everyone, scaring the wits out of Big Nose and the others. Even now, they couldn¡¯t figure out why the spaceship had exploded since they couldn¡¯t even get close to it at the time. Out of nowhere, the spaceship just blew up¡­ although some people fired a few bullets at the spaceship in a fit of anger, any person with a shred of sense knew, you can¡¯t shoot down a spaceship with an AK. Of course, they didn¡¯t know that this was simply the result of a casual stroke by a Little Angel. ¡°So, we¡¯re just supposed to keep running like this? Until we die? I don¡¯t want to end up dying alone in this godforsaken place!¡± ¡°Of course that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Seeing his comrade starting to get agitated, Big Nose hurriedly tried to intervene. But in the next moment, his expression changed abruptly, and he raised his gun to look around. After so many days of fleeing, his senses had become sharper. Just now, Big Nose suddenly sensed danger, which forced him to be on high alert and look around. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there an enemy?¡± Seeing Big Nose¡¯s actions, the others also quickly picked up their weapons and looked around the jungle from the edge of the cliff. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, just at that moment, a metal sphere was thrown out from within the jungle and hurled toward them! ¡°Damn it, get down!!¡± Seeing the metal sphere flying toward them, Big Nose was also shocked. He had not anticipated that the Ironblood Warriors would use such a weapon in battle, as they always seemed to go after them with Shoulder Cannons and Blade Arms. ¡°Boom!!¡± But at this moment, Big Nose no longer had time to find an answer, because just as he had ducked down, the flying metal sphere exploded, immediately followed by a pungent gas rapidly spreading and enveloping them all. Oh no! It¡¯s poison gas! Realizing this, Big Nose quickly tried to get up and leave, but to his surprise, after inhaling the strange gas, he found he couldn¡¯t move his limbs at all, as if he were paralyzed. All he could do was watch helplessly as several Ironblood Warriors became visible from their stealth and surrounded them. What the hell do these bastards want? Big Nose never got an answer, for as one of the Ironblood Warriors reached for him, his vision went dark, and he fell into an endless unconsciousness. Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 3) Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The Zerg vs. Ironblood Warrior (Part 3) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Having no idea how long he had been unconscious, Big Nose slowly came to. He opened his eyes and then shivered, trying to jump up. But it was at this moment that Big Nose realized he didn¡¯t know when he had been chained to a stone pillar. Then, close by, he heard Braids¡¯ voice. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Upon hearing this voice, Big Nose finally relaxed. He turned his head to look at Braids beside him. She, too, was bound tightly to a stone pillar with chains, just like him. Not only them, but others around them were in the same situation. ¡°Yes, it seems we¡¯ve still been caught by those bastards.¡± ¡°No.¡± Confronting Big Nose¡¯s complaint, Braids shook her head with a peculiar expression. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not just us who were caught.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­¡± Hearing Braids¡¯ response, Big Nose immediately turned his head around to look. Then, he widened his eyes in surprise¡ª¡ªaround them, everywhere, were people bound with chains just like them; most were humans, and some were humanoid creatures. Regardless of who they were, now, all these people were bound here. Some had already awoken from unconsciousness, shouting excitedly, while others were still out, seemingly unaware of what had happened. ¡°What the hell is going on? What do these Ironblood bastards want with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but it doesn¡¯t look like anything good.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï This was all too obvious, wasn¡¯t it? There were several hundred people tied up here, and that was just in their immediate area. Actually, by the faint and distant yelling, Big Nose could be sure that it wasn¡¯t just their group of people here. It¡¯s possible those Ironblood bastards had captured everyone on the whole planet! ¡°Anyway, we need to escape immediately!¡± Although he didn¡¯t know what those guys planned to do, Big Nose was certain it wasn¡¯t anything good, so he also began to forcefully try to break free from the chains. But before Big Nose could move, suddenly, the entire room darkened, the bright lights gone, replaced by a dark red glow. Simultaneously, a rapid alarm sounded. ¡°Beep¡­ Beep¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Hearing this, Big Nose also began to get nervous. He kept turning his head, looking around, but couldn¡¯t see anything. Then, as the alarm continued, the floor in front of Big Nose and the others suddenly split open, and several small pillars rose slowly from it. On these pillars were placed large objects that looked like eggs. Then, these ¡°eggs¡± began to tremble, and soon, the tops slowly cracked open. Accompanied by the sound of ¡°cackle cackle cackle,¡± pale, palm-sized creatures crawled out. ¡°¡­¡­I think I know why those bastards brought us here.¡± Watching this scene unfold, Big Nose quietly spoke. The next moment, he saw the white creature in front of him leap up from the egg, its tentacles sprang open like fingers and clung tightly to Big Nose¡¯s face. Suddenly, all he could see was darkness. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what had happened to Big Nose and the others. In fact, he was standing on a hillside, looking sternly at the battle below. There, the Swarm was relentlessly trying to break through the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ defense line to breach the grand gate. Fang Zheng had just learned from Nymph that this was the largest Ironblood base on this planet. Under the threat of the Zerg, all the remaining Ironblood had gathered here. Moreover, Nymph had discovered from the Ironblood network that they were even attempting to use a Core Bomb to destroy the entire planet to completely eradicate the Swarm! What a fierce fighting race! When Fang Zheng received the news from Nymph, he was hugely startled. Although he had suspected the mission wouldn¡¯t be easy, this was beyond his expectations. If the Ironblood really blew up the planet, his mission would be utterly thwarted! Although Nymph had timely cut off the control system of the Core Bomb and sealed the entire underground level, these Ironblood Warriors seemed not to give up so easily. According to the intelligence gathered by Nymph, these Ironblood Warriors even planned to manually restart the Core Bomb! This plot really feels like a Hollywood movie villain¡¯s scenario! Fang Zheng felt as if he was playing the role of a movie villain, while the Ironblood Warriors had become the heroes of the film. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t allow these Ironblood Warriors to successfully doom themselves. Therefore, Fang Zheng immediately ordered the Swarm forces to attack the Ironblood base. Initially, it went smoothly. After Nymph seized control of the base¡¯s Defensive Tower, the Swarm advanced vigorously, but Ironblood was not fools; they forcibly disconnected and manually regained control of the Defensive Tower. This effectively thwarted the Swarm¡¯s infiltration. Nymph didn¡¯t have a great solution, although she could have regained control of the tower if she had personally touched it. Considering Little Angel¡¯s distressingly weak combat capability, Fang Zheng decided to keep her by his side. After all, Ironblood was merely struggling in their death throes. ¡°Boom!!¡± Under the impact of the Thunder Beast, the last Defensive Tower collapsed with a crash. An Ironblood Warrior operating the Particle Cannon barely leapt from the ruins before being torn into pieces by the surging Jumping Bugs. The Thunder Beast, standing fifteen meters tall, charged forward and rammed into the solid metal gate of the base. With a fierce swing of its head, its sharp fangs tore through the thick steel plate like it was just paper, creating a massive hole. The waiting Jumping Bugs rushed in immediately. ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± Seeing that the outer defenses of the Ironblood Base were entirely overtaken, Fang Zheng patted Nymph¡¯s little head and started walking down the hillside. He was most relieved that he had Nymph lock down all the self-detonation systems in the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ gear early on; otherwise, the planet would be blooming with mushroom clouds by now. Now, what Fang Zheng needed to do was find that Core Bomb and completely dismantle it¡­ otherwise, it would always be a threat. There were too many movie plots where newcomers used relics left by predecessors to defeat the boss; Fang Zheng had no intention of adding another seat beside those fallen predecessors. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, as he entered the Ironblood Base, the scene before him made Fang Zheng frown. The entire base was dim, illuminated only by dim red emergency lights flickering around. The resistance at the gate had been entirely broken, and the Swarm was penetrating deeper inside. Unexpectedly, Fang Zheng learned through the Swarm Network that those Jumping Bugs invading the base had encountered almost no resistance. Other than a brief defiance by the Ironblood at the door, who then heroically sacrificed themselves, the rest of the path was unusually calm; not even a single enemy was in sight. What were those Ironblood up to? Given Fang Zheng¡¯s understanding of Ironblood, these guys wouldn¡¯t retreat until the very end. Why were the Ironblood here so cunning, even resorting to luring the enemy deep inside? Although puzzled, Fang Zheng¡¯s steps did not halt. This wasn¡¯t a movie shoot, and of course, he didn¡¯t have the foolish idea of leading a small elite team into a deathtrap. He waved his hand broadly, and hundreds of Jumping Bugs scouted ahead while the Hydralisks and Infectious Bugs followed, occupying and spreading the Fungal Carpet. Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t believe that the Ironblood could pull off any tricks in the face of the sheer numbers of the Swarm. Indeed, as Fang Zheng advanced steadily and confidently, the enemies finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. When the Jumping Bugs reached the second level of the base, Fang Zheng immediately knew that the Swarm ahead had been attacked. But¡­ the attackers weren¡¯t Ironblood. Chapter 150 - Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Zerg vs. Alien? Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Zerg vs. Alien? Did I walk onto the wrong set? Looking at the pitch-black corpse dragged over by a Jumping Bug, Fang Zheng was entirely Sparta-ed. He was all too familiar with this creature. Isn¡¯t this an Alien? But how could an Alien appear at the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s base? Fang Zheng had, of course, seen ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior,¡± the movie, and frankly, it was quite good. But he never mixed these two species together because horror movies often pair up unrelated characters, like ¡°Jason vs. Freddy¡± or ¡°Sadako vs. Kayako,¡± but those things can¡¯t be real, right? If that¡¯s the case, then there were also ¡°Alien vs. Avatar¡± and ¡°Alien vs. Galactic Hunter¡±¡­ Is there a Pandora in this world too? As for ¡°Invincible Shark vs. Attack on Titan,¡± ¡°Zombies vs. Vampires¡±¡­ That¡¯s completely off Granny¡¯s rocker. Alright, let¡¯s not get sidetracked by such farfetched matters for now, if there are Aliens in this world, does that mean there might be Prometheuses too? Okay¡­ that¡­ might be a bit of a stretch too. Let¡¯s deal with the matter at hand for now. As the Swarm delved deeper, the number of Aliens increased as well. Fang Zheng had to admit, these Aliens were somewhat troublesome. The Jumping Bugs were numerous, but they couldn¡¯t crawl on walls or squeeze through ventilation ducts like Aliens could. This made the harassment tactics of the Aliens somewhat successful, but after Fang Zheng dispatched the Hydralisks, the Aliens were at a loss. They couldn¡¯t beat the Swarm in numbers, and when it came to surprise attacks¡ªthe Hydralisks were not to be underestimated. After a few rounds, the Swarm got smarter. The normal passages were guarded by Jumping Bugs, and the Hydralisks watched the ventilation ducts. As soon as an Alien showed up, it was either torn to shreds by a swarm of Jumping Bugs or turned into a sieve by the Hydralisks. As for the corrosive nature of Alien blood¡­ it takes a while to corrode steel plates, let alone these bugs¡¯ shells which are much harder than steel plates. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï On the contrary, their tail strikes were quite threatening. Fang Zheng lost dozens of Jumping Bugs, all of which were unexpectedly pierced through the head and killed by the tails of those Aliens. Hmm, but it¡¯s just a few dozen anyhow. Fang Zheng lost fewer than fifty Jumping Bugs, but in return, the Aliens were completely wiped out. Not one was left alive. These guys weren¡¯t dumb; they even tried to outflank and attack from behind. Unfortunately, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t give the horror film director any chance; wherever he went, he basically laid down a Fungal Carpet and released Infectious Bugs in one go, coupled with the rear Swarm¡¯s main forces, the Aliens trying to go around to ambush died even more miserably than those upfront. After the Swarm paid the price of losing fewer than fifty Jumping Bugs, nearly seven hundred Aliens on the other side were all annihilated. ¡°How strange, where did all these Aliens come from?¡± Looking at the trail of Alien corpses, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows. He didn¡¯t think these Aliens were bred here by the Ironblood Warriors, the number of Aliens was just too great, almost like after an outbreak of infection. If Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t come in with a large force of the Swarm, it might have been quite troublesome. But to say that these Aliens appeared after infecting the Ironblood, they didn¡¯t look different. Fang Zheng had seen the movie and knew that the Aliens parasitic in Ironblood looked different from normal Aliens; their mouths and bodies more closely resembled Ironblood. However, the corpses of these Aliens looked quite normal and didn¡¯t seem like those mutated monsters parasitized through Ironblood. But soon, Fang Zheng¡¯s questions were answered. ¡°These Ironblood Warriors are really something¡­¡± Looking at the bodies mangled and tied to stone pillars, even Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but frown. He had thought that the human experiments on their own kind in the Alien movies were mad enough. Now he saw that when compared with Ironblood Warriors, they were just amateurs; they daringly hatched seven hundred Alien eggs at once¡­ That boldness is something ordinary people can¡¯t manage. Clearly, the Ironblood Warriors weren¡¯t fools. Perhaps realizing that they couldn¡¯t withstand the Swarm¡¯s assault, they took a desperate gamble and released the Aliens to hinder the advance of the Swarm. Unfortunately, to the Swarm, the Aliens were still too weak. ¡°Continue advancing, exterminate all those bastards!¡± Without the obstruction of the Aliens, the Swarm¡¯s pace naturally picked up again, and before long, they were engaged in fierce battle with the remaining Ironblood Warriors. As the ruler of the Zerg, Fang Zheng originally only needed to stay in the back and wait for the outcome, but upon seeing the hundreds of bodies used by the Ironblood Warriors to cultivate Alien, he changed his mind. After all, he was a Paladin, and sometimes¡­ he still needed to fight for justice! When Fang Zheng entered the frontline battlefield, the Ironblood Warriors immediately faced a one-sided death harvest. In this world, the Ironblood Warriors might stand at the upper levels of the food chain based on their own strength, but their power was at best entry-level among Professionals in the Main World. Faced with such weaklings, Fang Zheng felt no pressure. With Time Stop activated, one could see Fang Zheng, along with his sword, turn into a streak of silver light flashing by the Ironblood Warriors. In the next moment, those warriors, who were previously swinging their sharp blades and fighting against the Swarm, were instantly beheaded. Their heads flew into the sky while their headless bodies collapsed to the ground, spraying blood. ¡°Roar¡­!!¡± At this moment, the other Ironblood Warriors also realized Fang Zheng¡¯s prowess. A few of them turned around, with shoulder cannons quickly rotating to aim at Fang Zheng. But before they could fire, Fang Zheng suddenly raised his right hand and grasped at the void. Immediately, invisible psionic energy turned into giant hands, tightly choking the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ necks and lifting them into the air. With a casual wave of his hand, Fang Zheng flung the warriors into the Swarm behind them, and then¡­ there was no then. ¡°Master, those Ironblood Warriors are about to reach the Core Bomb¡¯s location!¡± At this moment, Nymph also hurried over, immediately noticing several Ironblood Warriors in the rear rushing towards the end of the corridor at high speed. Although the Aliens had not been able to hold up Fang Zheng for too long, their goal had been achieved. They had already opened the final gate that Nymph had previously sealed. As long as they entered the control room inside, they could manually detonate the Core Bomb, and at that point, everything would be over! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nymph,¡± However, opposite to the anxious Little Angel, Fang Zheng appeared quite calm. He just glanced at the few Ironblood Warriors and then reached out to stroke Little Angel¡¯s head. As a Prophet Mage with the ability of Future Sight, Fang Zheng had already foreseen the fate of those Ironblood Warriors. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to enter the control room.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Nymph paused for a moment, but before she could ask further, the ground suddenly began to shake. Then they saw the wall next to those Ironblood Warriors collapse, and a giant Tunneling Worm poked its head out, opening its jaws wide and swallowing the Ironblood Warriors in one gulp! In the blink of an eye, the remaining Ironblood Warriors disappeared into the maws of the Tunneling Worm. Looking at those sharp and densely packed teeth¡­ well, those unlucky ones were probably fortunate if even a pile of skeletons remained intact. After all, not everyone has the ¡°privilege¡± of using Tunneling Worms for Teleportation. After completely annihilating the Ironblood Warriors, what remained was much simpler. Fang Zheng ordered the Swarm to pack up and take away the Core Bomb, while the Infectious Bugs successfully assimilated the entire Ironblood Base, beginning to create Mutants. Out of curiosity, Fang Zheng also took a close look at the process of the Swarm creating Mutants. In the game, the Swarm simply uses Infectious Bugs to infect enemy buildings, then automatically starts producing Mutants. Of course, the reality of creating Mutants isn¡¯t the same as in the game¡­ The tentacles that took control of the entire base first swallowed the corpses of the Ironblood and humans killed in battle, like Man-Eating Plants, into their tendrils. Then these corpses were ¡°transported¡± through the tendrils into a semi-transparent, egg-like object. Following this, the Swarm would attach Mutants to these corpses, letting them control the bodies and ¡°resurrect¡± them. In other words, those Mutants walking out from the base again were not merely infected, they resembled low-level parasitic creatures even more. Having successfully neutralized the threat of the Ironblood, Fang Zheng found himself momentarily without tasks to attend to, but seeing the Alien in the Ironblood¡¯s base gave him a bold idea. The Swarm could absorb a variety of species into their fold, so, could it also integrate the Alien? In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, the Swarm had many advantages but lacked a kind of stealth scouting unit. Although many of the Swarm¡¯s units could burrow, this action could only be carried out on the ground. If they were in structures like the Ironblood Base or a Space Station, it would be very difficult. Although the Swarm had Amoeba that could change shape to infiltrate other forces, the Amoeba itself lacked combat strength and could only carry out simple scouting tasks, which was somewhat insufficient. In contrast, the Alien was perfectly suited for such missions. They excelled in lurking, surprise attacks, and assassinations. Especially within large building complexes where launching secret attacks without raising alarms is desired, Aliens were much more useful than most units of the Swarm. Plus, with their undetectable parasitic and reproductive abilities, if used properly, they could also become powerful warriors within the Swarm. For this reason, Fang Zheng hoped Mirune could combine the characteristics of both Aliens and the Swarm to create a new kind of Swarm unit to fill this gap. Mirune agreed with Fang Zheng¡¯s idea. However, after carefully examining the bodies of the Aliens, she had to inform Fang Zheng that if they wanted to integrate the Alien into the Swarm system, it would be best to capture an Alien Empress. If they could capture an Alien Empress alive and modify it, they could successfully incorporate the Alien into the Swarm¡¯s units. Only¡­ where to find an Alien Empress? Chapter 151 - Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Both the Fish and the Bears Paw are Mine! Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Both the Fish and the Bear¡¯s Paw are Mine! ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to return to Earth this way.¡± Gazing at the icy landscape before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help feeling sentimental. He wasn¡¯t on the hunting planet of Ironblood that he had been to before, but had instead returned to Earth. Of course, this Earth wasn¡¯t the one Fang Zheng had known before his rebirth, but the Earth within the Ironblood World. By the way, for convenience¡¯s sake, Fang Zheng had given Ironblood¡¯s hunting planet a new name¡ªChar. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it became the homeworld of the Zerg in this world. The reason Fang Zheng had come to this world¡¯s Earth was certainly not to reminisce about the past. The fact was, after Nymph did some digging into the Ironblood Base¡¯s files, she discovered that all the Alien Eggs originated from the same Alien Empress, who happened to be on Earth. So Fang Zheng immediately knew where his adversary was. Earth, Antarctica. To be precise, it was the pyramid beneath Antarctica. To be even more precise¡­ ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior¡± was about to begin! The plot of this movie is actually quite simple. The Ironblood Warriors came to Earth to take a test, deliberately activating the pyramid to lure humans. Sure enough, some fell for the bait¡ªled by the CEO of Verland Industries, a team ventured deep into Antarctica to explore the ancient ruins. Then¡­ they became hosts for the Aliens. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? Of course, like many Hollywood films, the Ironblood Warriors messed up in the end. They didn¡¯t expect the humans to take their weapons, leaving them to fight the Aliens unarmed, which resulted in heavy casualties. Only one of the three Ironblood Warriors survived, and even he was killed by the Alien Queen in the end. Before his death, he managed to nuke the pyramid, contributing his own bit to the Hollywood movie industry. To be fair, Fang Zheng thought that ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior¡± was among the best in the ¡°XX vs. XX¡± series he had seen. Although some were dissatisfied with the second installment, Fang Zheng felt it was also quite good. Not only did it bridge the plot of ¡°Alien,¡± but the entire scene also looked very science fiction, without a hint of shoddy craftsmanship. Of course, the drawback of the second film was that the scenes were too dark, making the eyes tired after watching for a while¡­ Okay, that¡¯s not the point. ¡°So, I¡¯ll go check it out, you stay on the spaceship. Notify me immediately if you detect a signal from the Ironblood guys.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Upon receiving Fang Zheng¡¯s order, Nymph nodded. The little one could now be considered Fang Zheng¡¯s all-around tech. Without her, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t have been able to drive the Ironblood spaceship all the way to Earth. Considering the situation inside the pyramid, Fang Zheng had no intention of taking Nymph on this risky venture. After all, the Ironblood network itself was monitoring the pyramid, and with Nymph already having hacked into the Ironblood network, having her stay on the spaceship to oversee everything was more advantageous for Fang Zheng. As for contact, Fang Zheng had lost the ability to communicate with Nymph through the chain after it was cut. But this didn¡¯t bother Fang Zheng. Within the Prophecy System of spells, there was a spell called ¡°Soul Connection,¡± which could be permanently attached to any willing creature, allowing both sides to communicate and exchange thoughts regardless of distance. This meant that even if Nymph stayed on Char, she could stay in touch with Fang Zheng on Earth. To establish this spell permanently, one needed to master Level Five Prophecy spells, so Fang Zheng had placed a permanent ¡°Soul Connection¡± on Nymph. In fact, there is an advanced version of this spell, and if Fang Zheng mastered Level Six Prophecy spells, then he could learn ¡°Otherworldly Mind Link.¡± By then, not only could they communicate across distances, but they could also talk freely across different realms. This goes to show that an Archmage really can do whatever he wants. Besides this, another reason why Fang Zheng left Nymph on the spaceship was that he remembered at the end of the first movie, a massive Ironblood Mother Ship would come to Earth to pick up the victor. This gave Fang Zheng a new idea. He wanted the Alien Queen, and he had no intention of letting go of this Ironblood Mother Ship¡ªhadn¡¯t Kerrigan once dealt with a Star Spirit Warship using a parasite? Surely he couldn¡¯t be worse than Kerrigan. But before that¡­ he still needed to deal with the Alien Queen first! ¡°Are you ready, Lulana?¡± ¡°Of course, Master.¡± As Fang Zheng spoke, an Insect Matriarch emerged from behind him, similar in appearance to Mirune but with several more tentacles trailing behind her. This was Mirune¡¯s subordinate specializing in gene modification, whom Fang Zheng had named Lulana; she played a role in Fang Zheng¡¯s Swarm similar to Abathur¡¯s. However, unlike Abathur, Lunala was even more adept at optimizing and modifying the Swarm¡¯s genes. If Abathur was a mad scientist who liked to integrate the strengths of various biological genes into one and then recombine them, then Lulana was more like an elegant artist. She preferred to ¡°perfectly¡± showcase the characteristics and charm of the materials, rather than completely assimilating them. To put it simply, it was the difference between an all-around development and specialized focus. Of course, if one were to talk about the top gene modifier in Fang Zheng¡¯s Swarm, it would still be Mirune. However, unfortunately, Mirune was responsible for Char Planet and had no time for tourism on Earth; thus, she recommended her assistant Lulana. For Fang Zheng, it wasn¡¯t necessary to be as meticulous as during the Time Gene modification when it came to only modifying and recombining the Alien Queen. ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡± With the help of Psionic power, Fang Zheng ¡°saw¡± that the human exploration team lured here by the Ironblood had entered the Pyramid. This meant that the storyline of ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior¡± was about to begin. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the scene in front of Fang Zheng flashed, and the next moment, the icy wasteland was replaced by a pitch-black and dim hall, with the swirling blizzard nowhere in sight. This was the Teleportation Spell that Fang Zheng had learned after studying Spellcraft System up to Level Five. Unlike the pseudo-time pause Teleportation from before, this Teleportation Spell was truly unrestricted by space, capable of transporting Fang Zheng and any creatures he brought along to any location within eight hundred kilometers, as long as he was familiar with the destination. Using Psionic power, it was natural for Fang Zheng to have a clear understanding of this place. Indeed, your Archmage can do whatever he wants, JGP. ¡°This is the place.¡± Looking at the spacious hall in front of him and the Ironblood Warrior statues placed on both sides, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. At this moment, the massive Alien Queen had been awakened and under the Pyramid¡¯s ¡°electrocution,¡± began laying eggs. Alien Eggs appeared one after another from the ovipositor and were then transported by a conveyor belt into the tunnel at the end of the hall. It was four to five meters long, with a massive ovipositor on its abdomen. From a distance, it somewhat resembled a Queen Ant in an ant nest. The Alien Queen at this moment was in great pain and anger, but no matter how much it struggled, it couldn¡¯t escape the restraints imposed by the Ironbloods. However, for Fang Zheng, this was a good thing. ¡°I leave it to you, Lulana.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Lulana stepped forward slowly, approaching the Alien Queen. Then she straightened up as several tentacles spread out from behind her like the framework of wings, and with a ¡°pffft¡± sound, those tentacles plunged deep into the body of the Alien Queen. This also marked the official moment when the Alien joined the Swarm. Chapter 152 - Chapter 152: Chapter 151 On the Ways to Utilize Aliens Chapter 152: Chapter 151 On the Ways to Utilize Aliens Regarding the transformation of the Aliens, before departing for Earth, Fang Zheng had already discussed the matter with Mirune and had a rough strategy in mind. In the ¡°Alien¡± series, the Aliens themselves have a system: the Alien Empress is responsible for laying eggs, which produce Facehuggers; these Facehuggers then attack hosts, and from them, new Aliens are born, which in turn increase the number of their kind. However, in Mirune¡¯s opinion, this ecological cycle of the Aliens was both primitive and inefficient. Although Aliens could absorb superior genes from their hosts and improve themselves, this process was entirely different from that of the Zerg. The Zerg actively collected and absorbed superior genes, while the absorption by the Aliens was passive, akin to relying on luck. Whatever the host was like, the resulting Alien would be similar. And although the Aliens had a high reproductive rate, the passing down of genes was not guaranteed. Such a method might be effective for spreading risk at the inception of a species, using the consumption of superior host genes to find the best path of evolution, but if these excellent genes could not be integrated, it was meaningless. It was like a computer that finally had a bunch of software optimized, but when you got a new computer, you had to start the installation all over again. Mirune couldn¡¯t even bear to look at such ineffective Gene Devouring efficiency. So ultimately, Fang Zheng and Mirune decided to optimize the original species¡¯ genes of the Aliens, do away with the useless things like the Facehugger and the Alien Empress, and only keep the regular form of Aliens. What Fang Zheng required of the Aliens was infiltration, assassination, and then a burst of activity¡ªjust like a virus that initially lies dormant in an ordinary person without any symptoms, then silently spreads and proliferates before violently erupting into a deadly pandemic, annihilating everything. Thus, the Aliens, as adjusted by Mirune and Lulana, would undergo significant changes. First, the form of the Aliens was fixed as the warrior Aliens, which were the mature, pitch-black figures from ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior¡±; they would no longer change due to the host, a sign of the full integration of the Aliens into the Swarm. Secondly, the four dorsal tubes on the back of the Aliens were transformed into spike-like structures similar to those of the Hydralisks. This enabled the Aliens to not only hunt at close range but also to launch stealth attacks from a distance like the Hydralisks. The most fearsome aspect of the Aliens was their reproductive ability, and Mirune took it even further. Originally, the Aliens reproduced by combining their eggs with the host¡¯s genes and optimizing them, but the Swarm-modified Aliens lost this ability, and so the original Facehuggers also lost their purpose. Instead, the Swarm-modified Aliens had a more terrifying reproductive capability¡ªthey would inject a Gene Virus into the enemy¡¯s body during an attack. Anyone scratched, bitten, or wounded by an Alien would be infected by this virus. Afterward, these Swarm-modified Alien viruses would begin to voraciously consume the host¡¯s body nutrients, regardless of life or death. This meant that once injured by an Alien, alive or dead, the individual would become a host for the production of new Aliens. Honestly, Fang Zheng felt a chill run through him when he first heard Mirune¡¯s concept. If the Aliens had this ability all along, why bother making a movie series? Wouldn¡¯t humanity and the Ironblood have been annihilated long ago? This showed why the Zerg could become the overlords of the universe, while the Aliens could only jump around as extras in movies¡­ It was all destiny. ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï Just as Fang Zheng was idly letting his mind wander, suddenly, the previously dim hall started to brighten. Streams of electricity emerged from the chains, striking the body of the Alien Empress. Seeing this, Fang Zheng immediately focused his attention forward. ¡°Roar¡­¡­!!¡± At this moment, the Alien Empress was roaring wildly, her genes having been completely transformed by Lulana. Now devoid of her original power, her massive body undulated incessantly under the stimulation of the electric currents, and a new life form began to form within her body. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Sensing the power within her body fading away, the Alien Empress began to violently shake in an attempt to break free of the bonds. However, the chains used by the Ironblood to bind her were not something that could be easily broken free from. Soon, accompanied by a pitiful wail, the Alien Empress in front of Fang Zheng fiercely struggled for a moment before collapsing weakly, lifeless. Then, a ¡°pop¡± sound was heard as her massive, egg-laying abdomen burst open. Following this, Fang Zheng saw several larvae joyously jumping out, tumbling around in front of the corpse of the Alien Empress. ¡°Only three?¡± Frowning at the larvae before him, Fang Zheng then looked toward Lulana at his side. ¡°This test subject¡¯s own strength was too weak to nurture more larvae.¡± That made sense. The Alien Empress hadn¡¯t fed for over a hundred years, frozen here all this while, and had just been forced to give birth. Her belly was probably long empty. ¡°Begin the hatching process.¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t say much else, but just shrugged his shoulders. With the power of psionics, he could see that three Ironblood Warriors had left the mothership and arrived on this icy plain. And if everything went as expected, these Ironblood Warriors would soon be engaging in a fierce battle. It was the perfect opportunity to test the might of the Swarm Aliens against the Ironblood Warriors. People are brave because they are ignorant. While Fang Zheng was hatching the larvae, the exploration team sponsored by Verland Industries that had come to unearth the ¡°mysteries of human history¡± had also reached the interior of the Pyramid. If they knew that beneath the Pyramid terrifying creatures were planning to strike at them, or that invisible Aliens were behind them, eager to collect their heads as spoils of war, they might feel a bit more tension. Unfortunately, they knew nothing about it. ¡°Nymph, seal the Stone Gate.¡± Watching the adventurers heading toward the hall, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows and immediately gave Nymph the order. In the movie, people triggered the entire trial after entering the hall and obtaining the weapons of the Ironblood Warriors. However, Fang Zheng wanted to test the difference in strength between his own Swarm Aliens and the Ironblood Warriors. An unarmed Ironblood Warrior was not a suitable test subject, so he certainly wasn¡¯t going to let this group of would-be martyrs take the Ironblood¡¯s weapons. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph who was waiting in the spaceship immediately stretched out her hand and lightly tapped on the keyboard in front of her. ¡°Boom¡­!¡± ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡± Feeling the sudden shaking and noise, the explorers were also taken aback, and then they saw the stone gate in the hall in front of them dropping down rapidly! ¡°Not good, let¡¯s hurry inside!¡± The leading woman hurried toward the descending stone gate, trying to rush into the hall before it completely closed. Unfortunately, her speed was no match for the closing speed of the stone gate, and by the time she reached it, the entire gate had already slammed shut with a ¡°bang.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Staring at the sealed stone gate before her, the woman slammed her fist against the wall. The group of scientists by her side, who were still shaken, now regained their senses, nervously looking around. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What exactly happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for today.¡± Ignoring everyone¡¯s panic, the woman leading the group shouted, then pointed at her watch. ¡°We must get back to the camp immediately, it¡¯s clearly not safe here; if we get trapped, it will be troublesome!¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Hearing the woman¡¯s words, the crowd showed expressions of hesitation, then turned their heads to look at an elderly man in the middle of the group. In the movies, it was in this hall that they found the weapons of the Ironblood Warriors and began their journey to doom. But now, these people didn¡¯t know what was inside, so they weren¡¯t as resistant to the woman¡¯s command. ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s head back¡­¡± Facing the inquisitive gazes of the crowd, the old man pondered for a moment before nodding his head. Clearly, he too felt it wasn¡¯t safe. After hearing the old man¡¯s response, the woman let out a sigh of relief, then took out the walkie-talkie and started calling the people in another room. ¡°This is Team A, we¡¯re planning to head back to camp. How are you guys doing? Please respond?¡± ¡°This is Team B! We¡¯re trapped in here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone was shocked by the response that came through the radio. ¡°Is anyone injured?¡± ¡°No, but this damn place¡­ hurry up and figure out a way to get us out! Wait, there seems to be something¡­ damn it, what¡¯s this? Be careful!¡± ¡°Bang bang!!¡± ¡°Team B? Team B?!!¡± Hearing the screams and gunshots over the radio, everyone was startled. They hurried to the sacrificial tomb chamber only to find that it too had been sealed by heavy stone gates, completely unopenable. Having no other choice, they decided to head back to camp first, planning to retrieve explosives to blast the stone gates open. After making their decision, the group left the pyramid in a frantic hurry, completely unaware that they had just brushed past three invisible figures. Indeed, this was the case. Seeing this scene through his psionic vision, Fang Zheng nodded. It seemed that for the three Ironblood Warriors, completing the trial was currently more important. In the movies, these Ironblood Warriors did not kill an old man like Verland when their weapons were taken, so now, since they hadn¡¯t taken the weapons, the Ironblood Warriors would not trouble them. Soon, under Fang Zheng¡¯s watchful gaze, the Ironblood Warriors moved through the passages to the hall, where they easily opened the sealed gate, then activated the stone coffins, taking out their own weapons. And at that moment, the trial officially began. Chapter 153 - Chapter 153: Chapter 152: The Uninvited Third Party Chapter 153: Chapter 152: The Uninvited Third Party What exactly happened here? While the Ironblood Warriors were hunting inside the Pyramid, the expedition members who had finally left the Pyramid were stunned by the scene before them. They had planned to return to the camp to get explosives to blow open the sealed Stone Gate and rescue the members of Team B. However, when they returned to the camp, they were horrified to find that all of their team members who had stayed at the camp had been killed! And they were even hung upside down in the camp! What the hell is going on? ¡°We must leave immediately!¡± Looking at the corpses swaying in the cold wind, the Captain¡¯s face turned pale. She had been to Antarctica before, but she had never encountered such a situation. She couldn¡¯t even be sure whether it was humans or something else that killed the team members, but she was certain that this was beyond what their small exploration party could handle! ¡°No, we can¡¯t leave!¡± What the female Captain didn¡¯t expect was that as soon as her words fell, several previously silent men in the team suddenly flung away their hands, then discarded their suitcases that were used for disguise, and pulled out several guns. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know who that was, I can be sure those bastards are dead meat. They dared to pry into Verland Company¡¯s property, they should be prepared to die!¡± Clearly, in their eyes, a group of people had followed them here and even killed their members in the camp, all in the name of murder and robbery! Clearly, they too had come for the Pyramid! But these people were even more brutal and terrifying, they killed at the drop of a hat! ¡°We still have enough security personnel on the ship, we need to call them all to fight!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Old Weyland in the team had also recovered his composure by now, looking at his killed subordinates, he too was shaking with rage. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Immediately notify the follow-up teams that we are facing a battle, have them ready their weapons and prepare for combat!¡± When Verland Company sent people here, of course, they brought more than just an exploration team. This team arrived early mainly to locate the Pyramid as soon as possible and start the excavation. The follow-up teams, because of the large number of people, needed time to prepare and thus did not accompany the vanguard to the ruins right away. And now, they were already on their way¡­ Fang Zheng had no idea that at this very moment, the group of humans who had barely escaped with their lives above him were actually seeking their doom. At that moment, he was contently watching the new Alien hatch from the three larvae. The Alien, modified by the Swarm, looked a size smaller than the Hydralisk, and its appearance had not changed much. Sharp claws and a long tail remained the Alien¡¯s deadliest weapons and features. However, compared to previous iterations, the Swarm Aliens had thicker bone armor on their heads, no longer the long arc shape but fanned out to the back like the Alien Empress to protect their bodies. Blacks, sharp bone spikes unfolded from their arms and back, ready to launch an attack on the enemy at any time. At least from the outside, this terrifying Creature appeared even more fearsome after the Swarm¡¯s modification. The only thing that dissatisfied Fang Zheng was that the Swarm possessed no genes for invisibility that could be used to breed, otherwise an invisible Alien¡­ would be invincible. After all, burrowing couldn¡¯t rule the world, could it? ¡°The growth rate isn¡¯t bad either.¡± Looking at the pocket watch in his hand, Fang Zheng nodded with satisfaction. Real-life Swarm reproduction certainly wasn¡¯t as overpowered as in the games, but as far as biological rates go, it was astoundingly fast. The Aliens¡¯ hatching speed was comparable to that of the Jumping Bugs, which was more than adequate for a Swarm unit meant for sneaky, burst assassinations in a short timeframe. What comes next is¡­ a live combat test. ¡°Go, eliminate your enemies!¡± ¡°¡­Hiss¡­!!¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s command, three Aliens bowed their heads respectfully, emitting a submissive hissing sound. They then leapt forward violently, like cheetahs turning into bolts of lightning, sprinting out of the hall and disappearing into the dark shadows in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, inside the Pyramid, the trio of Ironblood Warriors, having successfully secured their weapons, were also engaged in a life-and-death battle with the Aliens. ¡°Boom!!¡± An Alien was slammed heavily to the ground. It struggled desperately to stand, but the Ironblood Warrior pressing down on it didn¡¯t budge. He raised his hand and firmly pinned the Alien¡¯s head to the ground. Then, his Shoulder Cannon began to rotate and he took aim at the Alien on the ground, firing a shot. Accompanied by the ripple of the Energy Cannon, the next moment saw the Alien¡¯s head burst apart, and after a brief struggle, its body slowly slumped to the ground, motionless. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± Upon seeing the body of the Alien, the Ironblood roared in anger. He then reached out, drew a dagger from his waist, and cut into the body of the Alien in front of him. But just then, he suddenly turned his head towards the adjacent corridor. At the same time, the Shoulder Cannon on his shoulder swiftly changed direction and fired! ¡°Bang!!¡± With the discharge of the Energy Cannon, a Shadow silently passed by from the other side of the corridor and then disappeared without a trace. Meanwhile, the Ironblood Warrior also stood up, extending the Blade Arms on his arm again while looking towards the corridor ahead. His form shuddered and he once again turned invisible, vanishing into thin air. For a moment, the entire room was engulfed in deathly silence. ¡°Click-clack, click-clack¡­¡± The now-invisible Ironblood Warrior cautiously advanced into the depths of the corridor, but no matter how he searched, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. As the Ironblood Warrior turned his head, suddenly, a screeching wind sound emerged within the corridor right in front of him! ¡°Whiz, whiz, whiz!!¡± Several sharp bone spikes flew towards the Ironblood Warrior like arrows. Realizing that something was wrong, the Ironblood Warrior roared and raised his hands to protect his face. At the same time, his Shoulder Cannon fired again, aiming at the oncoming spikes. ¡°Boom, boom, boom!!¡± A series of Energy Cannon shots exploded in the air, blasting the incoming bone spikes to pieces. But before the smoke cleared, a Pitch Black tail shot out from the dust like a lance, aiming once again at the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s head! ¡°Clang!!¡± Clearly, the Ironblood Warrior was not an easy opponent. Facing this opportunistic strike, he roared, his right hand swinging fiercely with the Blade Arm to strike the protruding tail, sending it flying away. Immediately after, the Ironblood Warrior lunged forward, trying to grab the flickering Shadow ahead; but as he stepped forward, a burst of blood suddenly exploded from his throat. ¡°Pfft!!¡± The sharp and lethal tail pierced the Ironblood Warrior¡¯s neck like a dagger, and with a tremble of his body, he didn¡¯t even have time to react before collapsing to the ground, another body. Meanwhile, the tail that had hung from the ceiling swiftly retracted with a ¡°whoosh¡± sound and then vanished into the shadows again. It wasn¡¯t until the Ironblood Warrior in front fell that another Alien let out a low cry and again darted deeper into the corridor. Soon, the entire Pyramid was once again enveloped in deathly silence, empty but for the body on the ground. Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Chapter 153 How much money did the director give you? Chapter 154: Chapter 153 How much money did the director give you? ¡°Very well.¡± Viewing the scene before him through psionic sight, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. After the Aliens were genetically recombined by Lulana, their method of combat inevitably changed. Although the Aliens¡¯ previous combat style was also based on stealth assassination, it was somewhat haphazard, as if they fought wherever they ended up. Without a leader among the Aliens, they essentially fought independently with maybe a bit of cooperation in small scales. But now, the Aliens integrated into the Swarm had gained the Swarm¡¯s combat experience, becoming even more cold-blooded, cruel, and merciless. Their coordination had become much more tacit. In the past, it seemed these Aliens wouldn¡¯t know their own names unless they roared several times while fighting the Ironblood Warriors. But now, they were more like professional assassins and soldiers, with completing the mission being the primary objective, and all else abandoned. Indeed, the Insect Hive¡¯s mental enhancement greatly improved the Aliens, which made the notion of the Aliens¡¯ own evolution seem laughable. No wonder after so many years they could not form a civilized race and were merely used as prey by the Ironblood¡­ It¡¯s truly due to their own lack of effort. After confirming the combat ability of the Aliens, Fang Zheng was very pleased and intended to withdraw his attention. But at that moment, his psionic senses suddenly detected dozens of lifeforms breaking into the Pyramid. What¡¯s going on? Upon sensing these lifeforms, Fang Zheng curiously shifted his focus towards them, and upon seeing the newcomers clearly, he was utterly astonished. Outside the Pyramid, fully armed soldiers were teeming with murderous intent and making preparations. By their demeanor, it looked like they intended to storm in! My goodness, how much money did the director give you to act so enthusiastically? Watching those soldiers charge into the Pyramid with weapons in hand left Fang Zheng momentarily at a loss for words. He had thought that they would retreat in fear, but who would have imagined they would call for reinforcements and come back to fight? Isn¡¯t living good? Why are you so eager to receive a boxed lunch? You should know that in this Pyramid, apart from the three Swarm Aliens released by Fang Zheng, there are still eight or nine regular Aliens and two Ironblood Warriors running amok. You ordinary people, armed with guns, dare to run inside to meet your deaths. Are you tired of living? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? As for these people who charged into the Pyramid again, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. Heaven offered a path which you did not take, but to Hell¡¯s gate, you come uninvited. Since you¡¯re so confident, then be prepared to receive your boxed lunch. He had already stopped this group from getting killed once before, but now they took the initiative to come back in¡­ Fang Zheng could do nothing about it. ¡°First Squad to the Sacrifice Chamber, Second Squad to seal off the passages, Third Squad for reconnaissance and search. We must find all those damn maniacs!¡± It¡¯s a pity that these private armed soldiers from Verland Industries couldn¡¯t hear Fang Zheng¡¯s lament. In fact, until now, the explorers also did not know exactly what had killed their comrades, and what made them even more anxious was that Squad B, which had stayed in the Sacrifice Chamber, had yet to make a sound. They had only heard screams when they last made contact, and since then had lost communication with Squad B. This left the explorers extremely worried, so they followed Verland¡¯s private armed forces back to the Pyramid, confronting the sealed Sacrifice Chamber once again. ¡°We cannot open this Stone Gate from the outside, so we must blow it up!¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing the captain¡¯s words, one of the archaeologists in the exploration team immediately became upset. ¡°Do you realize what you¡¯re saying? This is a great archaeological discovery¡­ Damn¡­ Alright, but you can only blow up one side!¡± Although the archaeologist was displeased, considering the paramount importance of human life, he eventually compromised. The soldiers quickly set up the small explosives and with a ¡°boom¡± blasted open the Stone Gate. ¡°Everyone, be on alert!!¡± As the Stone Gate was blown open, the soldiers of the First Squad immediately raised their weapons, aiming at the dusty breach. After ensuring no anomalies, they cautiously entered the Sacrifice Chamber. What they saw next left them utterly shocked. ¡°My God¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? What on earth happened to these people¡­¡± Looking at the tragic scene within the tomb, both soldiers and explorers widened their eyes in horror, their faces turning deathly pale. The members of Squad B, who had been trapped here, had all turned into corpses. But that wasn¡¯t all; their expressions were frozen in terror, as if they had suffered some unspeakable agony. Moreover, their chests had been blown completely open, revealing gaping, bloodied holes! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Upon witnessing this spectacle, someone quickly couldn¡¯t help but turn away to vomit, and even Verland¡¯s own complexion turned quite ugly. He had lived a long time and seen many things, but he had never seen such a grisly manner of death. However, it wasn¡¯t long before the archaeologist noticed something else. ¡°Their chests have all been blown open¡­ just like those other corpses!¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing the archaeologist¡¯s words, everyone was shocked. They hurriedly looked toward the platform in the sacrificial chamber and found that these corpses had indeed suffered the same fate as the mummies¡ªtheir chests were burst open, revealing huge hollows. Damn it, what on earth happened here? Even the slowest among them realized that things were clearly not as simple as they had thought. Before, they had believed that someone else came here competing for business, but now it seemed that the situation was much worse than they had imagined. There appeared to be something inside this pyramid! ¡°This is Squad Two, we¡¯ve been attacked by the enemy!¡± Just as the group was gripped by terror, the radio suddenly crackled with another squad¡¯s report. Their voices were very urgent, even trembling. ¡°What the hell is this thing? It¡¯s not human! We can¡¯t locate them at all¡­ My squad is down to three people now! I request immediate evacuation, immediately¡ªAaahhhhhhh¡­!!¡± Before they could finish speaking, the radio turned into a series of screams, and then there was silence. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing the static from the radio, everyone¡¯s face turned pale. They now realized that returning to this pyramid might have been a mistake. What on earth happened here? The protagonists didn¡¯t know the situation here, but Fang Zheng, who had the ¡°god perspective,¡± of course knew what had transpired throughout the pyramid. The area had become a battlefield. The private armed soldiers who entered the pyramid had split into three squads. Aside from the one following the protagonist, which was safe and sound, the other two squads had been ambushed by the Alien and the Ironblood Warrior. The unluckiest was Squad Two; the soldiers covering the rear were killed by the Alien, then the Alien was killed by the Ironblood Warrior who was tracking it. And when the two sides fought, it alarmed the other soldiers of Squad Two, leading to more than half of them getting caught in the fight between the Ironblood and the Alien, with the remaining three unable to escape before they too were disposed of by the Ironblood Warrior after he finished off the Alien. As for Squad Three, they weren¡¯t faring any better. They had already become the target for another Ironblood Warrior¡¯s hunt and were now running for their lives in sheer panic. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­¡± As he watched the carnage unfold, Fang Zheng could only shake his head speechlessly. This was far more thrilling than the original movie. He wondered how much the director paid these poor bastards to come here as extras; now it seemed that their boxed lunches couldn¡¯t be more lavish, probably stuffed with plenty of chicken legs. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Watching humans get bloodily butchered, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly, then he commanded his Swarm Aliens to start by cleaning up their distant cousins. At least¡­ to give these humans a chance to live. Chapter 155 - Chapter 155: Chapter 154: Eliminating You in the Name of Masayuki! Chapter 155: Chapter 154: Eliminating You in the Name of Masayuki! Fang Zheng had thought that these people would leave immediately after realizing the heavy losses, but he underestimated the stupidity of humans. Under the siege by Aliens and Iron Blood, these people finally came together and even killed an Alien. Fang Zheng thought they would choose to leave, but after a discussion, they actually continued to move deeper into the Pyramid! What was this behavior about? Fang Zheng was utterly dumbfounded. He had initially believed that the reckless protagonists in movies who knowingly walk into danger did so because the plot required it, but¡­ this wasn¡¯t a real film shoot. Who were they trying to impress by being so reckless? The current situation in the Pyramid was this: The exploratory team had sixteen people left, the original Aliens had four left, Iron Blood had two, and Fang Zheng¡¯s Swarm Aliens had killed one Iron Blood and three Aliens. These corpses, under the infection of Zerg genes, had evolved again and now four new Aliens had hatched, making a total of seven with the previous three. In terms of numbers, humans were the most numerous, but that was of little use. Just now, four of these people were attacked by Facehuggers, and two others were hit by a spike strike from Fang Zheng¡¯s Swarm Aliens, piercing through their shoulders and arms. It was only a matter of time before they turned into nutrition for the Aliens. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just leave this place?¡± Walking through the dim corridors, the woman leading the team also looked disapprovingly at the old man beside her. In fact, she had already asked several times for everyone to leave first, but those people seemed to be constantly contradicting her, always making decisions contrary to her suggestions. Initially, when they had left the Pyramid, the woman had suggested that they return to the ship. But after reinforcements arrived, they chose to go deeper. And now, having been attacked and killing a creature, anyone would know there was something wrong here, yet they were still heading further inside? ¡°We can¡¯t leave now, miss.¡± Unlike the leader¡¯s pale complexion, Verland was quite excited at this moment, his aged face even flushed with a hint of red. Just now, the archaeologist among the exploratory team had deciphered the records in the Pyramid, thus learning about the relationship between Iron Blood, Aliens, and humans. The exploratory team now knew that those invisible hunters probably had something to do with the origins of human civilization. How could he not be thrilled? Although these beings didn¡¯t look like human creators, they had provided the spark of civilization to humanity, and now, these ¡°beings¡± were actually appearing here in person! ¡°If we could establish contact with those messengers, maybe we could communicate with them!¡± Verland grew more excited as he spoke. At his age, material needs meant little to him, so he was engrossed in researching human origins and history, longing to discover something that could immortalize his name. And now, he had not only found a pyramid related to the origins of human civilization but had also encountered these extraterrestrial messengers! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï ¡°But they don¡¯t seem like they¡¯d communicate with us,¡± The female leader clearly didn¡¯t believe the old man¡¯s words. They had just witnessed an invisible creature brutally kill two soldiers in front of them; who knew if they¡¯d decide to kill them as well? ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what the professor said? They respect brave and strong warriors, and right now, this place is crawling with those terrifying black creatures. Just the two extraterrestrial messengers can¡¯t possibly kill them all. If we can help them completely eliminate these creatures, maybe they will recognize us and communicate with us! This is a rare discovery in human history!¡± Of course, if it was just for this, the soldiers wouldn¡¯t be willing to risk their lives in this dark Pyramid. Most importantly, Verland had promised them a large sum of money, meaning that if they could make it out alive, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything for the rest of their lives! As for the female leader and a few others, they were reluctant to continue venturing further into death, but they were few and had little strength. Without those fully armed soldiers, they definitely couldn¡¯t make it out on their own. Out of no choice, they had to continue moving forward. However, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t currently have time to attend to these suicidal explorers, as he had just received a message from Nymph¡ª¡ªthat the Ironblood Mother Ship had just landed outside the Pyramid, evidently waiting for the winner to emerge. Here it was, the Ironblood Mother Ship! Hearing Nymph¡¯s report, Fang Zheng¡¯s heart stirred. He had long coveted this Ironblood Mother Ship. In that Hunting Planet, Fang Zheng had only managed to get a few small Ironblood warships, the rest had mostly been detonated by Nymph. So Fang Zheng had always wanted to acquire a real Ironblood Warship. He remembered in ¡°Alien vs. Iron Blood Warrior,¡± this mother ship had fired a shot that pierced through thick ice layers and reached the Pyramid just in time, indicating that Ironblood technology was extremely advanced. If he could take it back for research, it could at least give the Swarm a means of defense. And there¡¯s one other thing¡­ giant ships and huge cannons have always been a man¡¯s romance! Not only that, Fang Zheng had another idea. After completing the ¡°Homeland¡± mission, this plane would become part of the Free World. He had once brought out a Black Cat from the ¡°Cicada¡¯s Song¡± world, so could he also take out the warships here? Oh, if he could really take them out, that would indeed be a beautiful sight¡­ At this thought, Fang Zheng had already begun fantasizing about the wonderful scene of deploying an Ironblood Mother Ship in the Main World. If he could really get his hands on it, then he wouldn¡¯t have to care about the continents of the Main World anymore, whether it be the Kingdom of the Holy Church or anything else, he would just head to the Interstellar for a journey without prior planning¡­ He just didn¡¯t know what the universe in the Main World was like; was there also an endless expanse of stars? Forget it, he would think about that later. Putting aside the delightful fantasies in his mind, Fang Zheng came back to his senses and his lips slightly curled up. These Ironbloods treat Earth as their hunting ground; perhaps in the movies, they eventually show fairness and justice in front of humans, claiming that Ironbloods worship the strong and don¡¯t interfere with the trials¡ªbullshit! You, an Earthling, are unarmed, while the Ironblood is fully armed even with an energy cannon, what kind of fairness and justice is that? If you¡¯re so able, why don¡¯t you take off your battle armor, drop the invisibility, and fight barehanded for three hundred rounds? As a Templar, I, Fang Zheng, will act on behalf of heaven today, to uphold justice and righteousness. I¡¯ll capture all you fierce criminals in one fell swoop. Of course, to prevent further evil, I¡¯ll be detaining this warship equipped with weapons of mass destruction indefinitely. At that thought, Fang Zheng closed his eyes, and soon, psionic energy began to spread out. Then, in Fang Zheng¡¯s mind, the scene of the Ironblood Mother Ship gradually surfaced. Soon, Fang Zheng locked onto a suitable landing site and quickly issued an order. ¡°Lulana, order all Swarm Aliens to return. Let those idiots fight to the death among themselves here; we have more important things to do!¡± ¡°Yes, master!¡± At the call of the Insect Matriarch, the Swarm Aliens, which had been ravaging inside the Pyramid, quickly regrouped and came to Fang Zheng¡¯s side. After confirming that his troops were in place, Fang Zheng immediately gave Nymph another order. ¡°Nymph, prepare to lock down the Ironblood Mother Ship¡¯s propulsion and weapon systems, shut down the communication network¡­¡± ¡°Done!¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Upon receiving Nymph¡¯s response, Fang Zheng nodded and then drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword from his waist, looking around at the aliens and the Insect Matriarch, and then suddenly, he swung! ¡°Swoosh!!¡± In an instant, the scene before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes rapidly changed. A flash of light passed, and the next moment he, along with his aliens and the Insect Matriarch, appeared in a spacious hall filled with a metallic texture. This place seemed to be a control room, and the Ironblood warriors responsible for operating the warship were surprised, turning their heads to look at this group of uninvited guests. Clearly, they did not know how Fang Zheng and his party had quietly boarded the spaceship and come to their side. But Fang Zheng saw no need to explain to them. ¡°Attack!¡± With a command shouted, Fang Zheng raised his Sky-Cleaving Sword and slashed at the Ironblood warriors before him. Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: 155 Chapter Become a 6-sided BOSS Chapter 156: 155 Chapter Become a 6-sided BOSS Time had stopped at that moment. Before the Ironblood Warriors could even draw their weapons, Fang Zheng¡¯s Sky-Cleaving Sword had already slashed through their throats and pierced their hearts. This was the limit of the mechanical civilization. Perhaps the Ironblood Mother Ship could destroy a planet, but their physical quality determined that they could never be opponents for Fang Zheng. In fact, when Fang Zheng lifted the time stop, several Ironbloods standing at the control station had already fallen into a pool of blood, turning into corpses. ¡°Roar¡ª!!¡± At this moment, other Ironblood Warriors reacted, swiftly rotating their shoulder cannons, aiming at the Alien Insects rushing towards them from all directions. But this time, the weapons the Ironblood Warriors trusted did not fire the Energy Cannons as they wished. After a few rotations, they just dropped their heads as if broken, and never moved again. The second weakness of the mechanical civilization: when facing a civilization far beyond their own, they would be thoroughly suppressed. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know exactly how much higher the Synapsus civilization was compared to the Ironblood, but Little Angel could freely invade any terminal of the Ironblood network without being detected, and could even rewrite all the terminal interfaces of the Ironblood and forcibly seize control, which already explained a lot. Fang Zheng had once asked Nymph about this. Little Angel had disdainfully told him that if human technology in this world was in the Stone Age, then at best, Ironblood was only in the age of the steam engine, while Synapsus¡­had already abandoned nuclear fusion. In fact, from the start of the battle, Nymph had already seized control of the whole Ironblood Mother Ship through the terminal network, and had shut down all the technological weapons of the Ironblood Warriors, meaning that they had been forcibly disarmed and had no choice but to fight with melee weapons. Although Fang Zheng did not know whether Nymph¡¯s skill could only be used on a minor scale or could destroy the entire network of Ironblood Warriors, it was enough for now. The overall system failure was clearly beyond the expectation of the Ironblood Warriors; not only could they not use their shoulder cannons to fight, but even their cloaking ability was blocked. This sudden strike obviously caught the Ironblood Warriors off guard. However, being a warrior race meant they didn¡¯t just give up; realizing their shoulder cannons were useless, they immediately picked up their weapons and tried to counterattack, but it was¡­too late. The Alien Insects modified by Fang Zheng were not the weak ones of the past. Facing the Ironblood, they first launched a barrage of needle piercings, followed by a tail swipe for a piercing, and if they were still alive, they would directly pounce and extend their claws, opening their mouths for a flurry of bites. Long, mid, and close range attacks covered every distance, far more formidable than the original Alien Insects. Not to mention, Fang Zheng was also taking advantage of the chaos in the back lines. While the Alien Insects were launching attacks on the remaining Ironblood Warriors, Fang Zheng sheathed his sword and then extended his right hand towards the Ironblood Warriors before him. Moments later, dozens of Light Bullets burst from his fingertips, transforming into a howling storm that shot towards his foes. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.?¦Ï Magic Missile Storm! In the Main World, this was something that any Level Three Mage could become immune to with a Magic Shield. But facing these Ironblood Warriors who had no way to cloak themselves or use any shield skills, it became a deadly weapon. The roaring Magic Missiles traced arcs in the air, bypassing the battling Alien Insects, and struck hard on the bodies of the Ironblood Warriors. Though the Magic Missiles themselves appeared to be only about the size of hand grenades and exploded with roughly the power of grenades, when a dozen Magic Missiles hit a target simultaneously, the cumulative force of their explosions was not to be underestimated. The sky seemed to scream with the passing of meteor-like missiles, followed by a series of explosions and flashes; those hit Ironblood Warriors were blown back, crashing against the walls and collapsing. Before they could stand and counterattack, they were finished off by the leaping Alien Insects drawing first blood. So thrilling! Watching this scene, Fang Zheng clenched his fists tightly. Compared to a Templar, a Mage combat was a different kind of fascinating violence. It was like using a barrage of rocket launchers to level a building or using superior firepower to flatten an entire bunker. The irrational joy of destroying everything was truly the most wonderful pleasure in the world. Additionally, with Fang Zheng¡¯s Time Control and his mastery of casting skills, it could be said that at that moment, he simultaneously released ¡°Minor Missile Storm,¡± ¡°Enhanced Lesser Missile Storm,¡± ¡°Missile Storm,¡± and ¡°Enhanced Missile Storm,¡± four Seventh-Level Evocation Spells. All together, those Magic Missiles numbered in the hundreds, passing through the air like a celestial maiden scattering flowers with all kinds of special effects, making Fang Zheng feel as if he had transformed into a bullet hell game¡¯s final boss, exhilaratingly overpowering newbies. It truly left him indescribable. By the time Fang Zheng had mastered the Seventh-Level Evocation Spell, learned the Advanced Missile Storm and Ultimate Spellcasting¡­ mmm¡­ oh, the anticipation was real. After imagining his future prowess, Fang Zheng came back to his senses and looked towards the hall, where the entire control room was now a mess. The Ironblood Warriors, in collaboration with Alien Insects, had been utterly defeated by Fang Zheng. At this moment, their bodies were twitching and then slowly swelling. Indeed, under Fang Zheng¡¯s watchful eye, the already massive bodies of the Ironblood began inflating like air-filled balloons and soon, a deep yellow viscous fluid started seeping out from their skin. As the fluid appeared, the skin of the Ironblood Warriors became much more translucent, as if the liquid had drained the pigment from their bodies. A few minutes later, accompanied by a soft ¡°plop,¡± Fang Zheng saw a small Alien being less than a meter long emerge from an Ironblood Warrior¡¯s body¡­ specifically, from between its legs. ¡°Lulana, is there really no other place?¡± If an Alien were to emerge from between the legs of a beautiful woman, there¡¯d at least be a semblance of an alien insect play¡¯s aesthetics. But the sight of one emerging from between the thick thighs of an Ironblood¡­ well, it was anything but elegant. ¡°Considering the stealth requirements you had for this Zerg unit, I believe this is the best solution,¡± Lulana responded, showing no objections to this method. It seemed the artist¡¯s aesthetic sense was indeed different from ordinary people. But then again, an artist¡¯s aesthetic vision is generally worlds apart from that of common folk. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Fang Zheng admitted. Hearing Lulana¡¯s response and watching the Swarm Alien emerging from the Ironblood¡¯s body grow rapidly, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. In order to give the Swarm Alien combat abilities in the shortest time possible, Lulana had adjusted their genetics. This caused any newly born Swarm Alien to crazily absorb all the nutrients from the host¡¯s body, leaving it hollow, like the Ironblood corpse used as a ¡°seedbed.¡± From the outside, it might appear normal, but a simple touch would shatter the thin paper-like skin and brittle, chocolate-bar-like bones¡ªbecause the force that was supposed to sustain them had now become nutrients for the Swarm Alien. As Lulana said, Fang Zheng¡¯s primary requirement for the Alien was stealth, which made this method of ¡°production¡± the most beneficial one. Otherwise, producing an egg openly like the Zerg¡­ well, if it went unnoticed, it would mean the enemies were definitely blind. ¡°Master, the enemies are moving towards the control center, they seem to have realized something is wrong,¡± the Little Angel reported. The Little Angel could cut off communications, but she couldn¡¯t fake them. The Ironblood were not fools; realizing that their calls were unanswered, they immediately grew suspicious. According to the Little Angel, currently, all the Ironblood Warriors aboard the Ironblood Mother Ship were converging on the control center, and the only thing unclear to them now was the exact situation inside. ¡°Good timing, saves me the effort of searching!¡± Hearing Nymph¡¯s warning, Fang Zheng also raised his eyebrows and flexed his hands. After the recent battle, Fang Zheng suddenly discovered how refreshingly satisfying it was to dispatch his enemies with magic rather than chopping them down one-by-one with his sword. Previously, he had only dueled other mages in the Sky Arena; this was his first time using magic for large-scale area-of-effect attacks, and it seemed¡­ the results were good! With that in mind, Fang Zheng immediately perked up and looked towards the metal door in front of him. Let these alien natives taste the power of magical civilization! Chapter 157 - Chapter 157: Chapter 156 How Can It Be Called Robbery When It Concerns the Templar? Chapter 157: Chapter 156 How Can It Be Called Robbery When It Concerns the Templar? Although Fang Zheng had been mentally prepared, it wasn¡¯t until he truly fought with the Ironblood Warriors that he realized mages could indeed be unmatched. This was also why he was currently standing at the entrance of the corridor, taking on thousands by himself. After Nymph disabled all the long-range weapons, the Ironblood Warriors could only resort to using melee weapons. Fang Zheng went even further; he had even put away his Sky-Cleaving Sword and stood there bare-handed, smiling as he watched his enemies in front of him. The corridor of the Ironblood Mother Ship was very spacious, enough to accommodate four Ironblood Warriors fighting side by side, but here, Fang Zheng stood alone at the doorway, enough to stop them in their tracks. ¡°Huh!!¡± An Ironblood Elite thrust his spear towards Fang Zheng with all his might. Facing the spear, which flickered with a cold light, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even dodge. He just quietly stood there, watching as the spear aimed for his chest, and then¡­ accompanied by a series of sparks, the sharp spear heavily struck the invisible force field in front of Fang Zheng, and then rebounded. This scene surprised the Ironblood warrior, causing him to lift his head, endlessly switching his scanning mode, trying to find out what was blocking his way. However, Fang Zheng clearly was not inclined to kindly explain as he simply snapped his fingers. Soon, a mass of dark green clouds quietly emerged in front of Fang Zheng, forming a thick layer that blocked the entire passage. The Ironblood Warriors caught in the cloud had no time to react before turning pale and collapsing into cold corpses on the ground. Only a few physically robust Ironblood Warriors could resist the cloud filled with extreme lethal power, but even so, they were stiff and could no longer move freely as before. The death of their comrades didn¡¯t stop the Ironblood Warriors. They still charged fearlessly into the deadly green cloud towards Fang Zheng, although some collapsed halfway there without any further reaction. Still, relying on the wild and fearless strength of the Ironblood, most of them broke through the Death Cloud Technique and continued to rush towards Fang Zheng. Watching these Ironblood Warriors charge at him again, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even lift his eyelids but simply pointed his finger lightly. Accompanied by a flash of light, leaping electric arcs immediately struck the first warrior who rushed up and rapidly spread backwards, knocking down half of the encroaching enemies. It seemed that no matter what material the Ironblood Warriors¡¯ armor was made of, at least it wasn¡¯t insulated. ¡°Shoo, shoo, shoo!!¡± No sooner had the electricity subsided than Fang Zheng saw several spears, different from the earlier ones and wrapped with a special energy, cutting through the air towards him. Under their impact, the force wall in front of him flickered several times before shattering and disappearing after reaching its impact limit. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï The Ironblood Warriors seemed to have seized this opportunity keenly. Just as the few spears broke through the force wall, several spinning sharp discs cut through the cloud and flew towards Fang Zheng. But even so, Fang Zheng remained motionless, just standing there, watching as the sharp circular discs drew closer and closer, and then¡­ suddenly, a series of bright glows flashed beside Fang Zheng. The discs violently trembled and, as if rewound, swiftly returned the way they had come. Soon, Fang Zheng heard several screams from the other side of the cloud, followed by silence. Archmages really do as they please! Fang Zheng finally understood why those spellcasters always looked so arrogant, as if they were the best in the world. Truly, the feeling of bullying the ordinary was exhilarating. In fact, Fang Zheng stood there and barely had to do anything; he just needed to lift his hand to take down over a hundred Ironblood Warriors. He only used four spells along with his ¡°Future Sight¡±. The Force Wall was used to fend off the physical attacks of the Ironblood Warriors. The Death Cloud Technique was used to block the way and perform a wave attack. Then, the Lightning Spell added elemental damage. Lastly, the Reversal Arrows sent the enemies¡¯ long-distance attacks back exactly the way they had come. Just two Fifth-Level Spells combined with two Third-Level Spells were enough to make a group of fully armed Ironblood Warriors lose their helmets and armor and break their ranks. Of course, this also included the support of Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Future Sight.¡± It was because of this ability that Fang Zheng could confirm in advance whether his spells were capable of blocking the enemies¡¯ attacks or if they would be destroyed after exceeding the limit. This was also why he stood there so serenely, not moving at all. In front of a Prophecy Mage, secrets do not exist; everything you do is already confirmed as the past. ¡°Indeed, drawing Little Angel initially was truly fortunate.¡± At that moment, Fang Zheng appreciated Nymph even more, having lacked a clear understanding of mages before he became one. It was only after he had become a mage that Fang Zheng finally realized how he had managed to defeat that idiot, all thanks to Nymph. If the little one hadn¡¯t invaded the opponent¡¯s spells and canceled them, he probably would have ended up only being able to flee in a sorry state. And now, in this world, thanks again to Nymph, he was able to move freely within the Ironblood Mother Ship as if he was lounging at home. This made Fang Zheng realize even more the importance of Nymph. Initially, he thought a Silver Rank Summoning Stone wasn¡¯t much use, but now it seemed Nymph might become one of his regular aids. ¡°Operating system rewrite complete, Master.¡± Just then, Little Angel¡¯s voice came from behind him, and he turned his head to see Nymph staring at him with wide eyes. ¡°Can we start the operation now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start the operation¡­ I¡¯ll have Lulana call back the Swarm.¡± Upon hearing Nymph¡¯s report, Fang Zheng smiled and stretched out his hand to pat Little Angel¡¯s head. ¡°Thanks, Nymph.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Master. It¡¯s my duty.¡± Having received Fang Zheng¡¯s praise, Nymph also showed a happy smile. Since Fang Zheng had established a constant soul connection with her, the little one¡¯s previously somewhat depressed mood had also dissipated quite a bit, though she still occasionally stared blankly at her broken chains, no longer as downcast as before. ¡°But¡­ Master, is it really okay for us to steal their things like this?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t stealing, Nymph. I am a Templar, and the matters of a Templar cannot be called stealing. To say so is to make me out to be some common bandit¡­ Remember, they are our enemies. This is a war, and this warship will become the spoils of war that I, as a knight, will take possession of. Understand?¡± ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Nymph giggled and blinked, speaking while gently stroking the small cat in her lap. Now that Fang Zheng had entrusted Nymph with all the rear support work, aside from assisting him, she mostly spent her time petting the cat. Indeed, with humans and cats together, work doesn¡¯t feel tiresome. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start the operation.¡± Fang Zheng turned his head and looked behind at the corridor, which was now only filled with corpses. Of course, through the mental link with the Insect Hive and Nymph¡¯s report, he also knew that many Ironblood Warriors were still attempting to counterattack on this mother ship. Fang Zheng had no intention of annihilating each one because Nymph had provided him with a better plan. ¡°Bang!¡± After the last Swarm Alien returned to the command center, the thick metal doors instantly sealed shut. Fang Zheng then glanced forward¡ªthere lay the boundless universe and an azure Earth. At this moment, under Nymph¡¯s control, the Ironblood Mother Ship had left Earth and entered space. By the way, no telling how those protagonists and the remaining Ironblood Warriors in the Pyramid are doing now¡­ With this thought circling in his mind, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders, then issued an order. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Chapter 158 - Chapter 158: Chapter 157: How Can System Matters Be Considered Taking? Chapter 158: Chapter 157: How Can System Matters Be Considered Taking? This was an Ironblood Mother Ship, so naturally, there were no shortage of Ironblood Warriors on board, totaling around seven to eight hundred people. Fang Zheng could have killed them all if he chose to, but firstly, it would be a waste of time. Secondly, the risk was too high. Moreover, Fang Zheng had to worry whether they would manually self-detonate as they did on the Hunting Planet¡­ Despite the size of a cosmic warship, just blowing up the engine or other vital systems would be enough to disintegrate a warship completely. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t want to turn this expedition into a movie trilogy, so after he brought Nymph onto the mother ship and had her rewrite the operating system, he adopted a different approach. He sealed the entire control center and then ¡ª vented the atmosphere. It was that simple. He vented all the air in the spaceship except for that in the control center, creating a vacuum, and Fang Zheng didn¡¯t have to do anything. He just hummed a tune while watching the life signals displayed in front of him disappear one by one ¡ª yes, life detection is such an unscrupulous spell, the Prophecy System allows for anything you wish, do you accept that? Although Ironblood Warriors embody cosmic technology, they still need to breathe. Their masks allow them to adapt to environments, but they cannot conjure air out of nothing. After an entire hour, once he was sure there were no signs of life on the ship except in the control center, Fang Zheng ordered Nymph to secure the ship again. He then sent the aliens to search for Ironblood corpses to hatch more aliens, and after that, he headed home. Oh, of course, before that, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t forget to check on the fate of the people inside the Pyramid on Earth. Well¡­ to be honest, it wasn¡¯t great. The old man¡¯s plan was well thought out, but it was futile as neither Ironblood nor alien creatures would follow his script. The exploration team was parasitized by facehuggers, producing numerous aliens. The remaining two Ironblood Warriors, overwhelmed, activated their self-destruct skill in their dying moments, burying the entire underground space, and the main characters, having had no chance to escape¡­ naturally perished with them. Since it was a wipeout, Fang Zheng decided not to fire the Ironblood main cannon at Earth. So, after confirming that all the aliens were thoroughly annihilated by the Ironblood self-detonation, he dusted off his hands and headed home. Job well done! Sitting comfortably in the command center of the Ironblood Mother Ship, looking out at the endless Star Sea, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help feeling triumphant and almost wished to recite a poem to express his inner emotions. Oh well, speaking of which, can he take this mother ship back to the Main World? If he really could bring it back, then once back in the Main World, he might as well go interstellar exploring. With the Zerg at his side, and accompanied by an Ironblood Warship, what place in the vast universe couldn¡¯t he go to, instead of mingling in that tiny haunted spot of the Main World. Hmm¡­ Speaking of which, he wondered if the starry sky in the Main World was the same as in his understanding, but it probably was! Anyway, no matter what, let¡¯s start by reciting a poem, just a bit of ¡°If¡±¡­ ¡°Ding.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 Before Fang Zheng could recite the poem, a system notification sounded in his ear, and a line of information appeared before his eyes. [Extra Mission: Grand Opening] [Our journey is the stars and the sea, our steps traverse every world, any Dimensional Mage possesses opulent, elegant, luxurious means of transport. Please note, luxury cars and beautiful women are the pursuits of life, posh cars are only fit for the powerful, only cowards sit crying in scraped up tins ¡ª Sell the vehicle you own, enable ¡°Vehicles¡± category in the Dimensional Shop, and receive a ¡°Vehicle¡± gift pack (Note: Whether this task is completed will affect the completion percentage of the conquest mission.)] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Fang Zheng stared at the system prompt in silence. This damn thing, are you addicted to ripping people off? Let¡¯s not mention your malicious mission briefing, just look at that last (Note)¡­ aren¡¯t you forcing me to surrender to the authorities? Is there even such an operation? Looking at the mission in front of him, Fang Zheng was utterly speechless. Was it easy for him? He had traveled all the way from Char to Earth, had struggled for so long in the icy Antarctica, and finally got his hands on the Ironblood Mother Ship, and now this crappy system pops up seeking attention¡­ Why don¡¯t I remember being this cheerful when I coded it? And it even threatens me to deduct my completion percentage if I don¡¯t comply. Don¡¯t bother explaining, I won¡¯t listen, I won¡¯t listen, I don¡¯t want to hear, I just know you meant this, don¡¯t explain to me, I don¡¯t want to listen! While mentally cursing, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. What could he do? He was also desperate, could he really not comply? Was that even possible? Anyway, for now, he just hoped to draw some good stuff¡­ But before that¡­ I¡¯ve got to make use of this junk first! He silently accepted the task, and Fang Zheng did not choose to comply immediately. Remember, the system, though it can exploit loopholes like Confucius, don¡¯t forget I created it. Trying to find relevance in front of your own dad, you¡¯re still a hundred centuries early! Yes, using waste is also necessary. With a belly full of resentment, Fang Zheng returned to Char. This trip wasn¡¯t exactly a loss, but it wasn¡¯t a sure win either. It would take a bit of time for the Alien to be integrated into the Swarm unit, and as for the Ironblood Mother Ship¡­ Fang Zheng first tested the firepower of the Ironblood Warship. Immediately after, Mirune had a clear understanding of its capability. ¡°At best, it¡¯s only half as powerful as a Void Warship, nothing to fear.¡± Considering that the Ironblood Mother Ship didn¡¯t even have a Psionic Shield, relying purely on its armor, its threat level to the Zerg was only one fifth that of a Void Warship, something that could be handled with a wave of Self-Destructing Bats, hardly worth mentioning. But how things would actually play out, you¡¯d only know after a battle. Indeed, Fang Zheng planned to use this mother ship as bait to lure the Ironblood, and then hit them hard! Now, over eighty percent of Char Planet had been occupied by the Zerg. Completing the mission was just a matter of time. In fact, the Zerg had long been eager, unable to wait to mark their presence in this world. According to Mirune, the Leviathan, Corruptor, and Suicide Bats had already been ready in outer space, always prepared for a head-on confrontation with the Ironblood Fleet. Since the Zerg were battle-ready, Fang Zheng wasted no more time. He had Nymph send an emergency distress signal from the Ironblood Mother Ship to their home planet, and then he started waiting for his prey. As expected, it wasn¡¯t long before Nymph brought Fang Zheng some good news. ¡°Master, the Ironblood Fleet is undergoing a massive mobilization, they plan to dispatch a fleet to Char to investigate, I have recorded their coordinates.¡± ¡°Leave it to Mirune to handle it.¡± Indeed, the thrill of technological suppression is refreshing. Fang Zheng finally understood what it felt like for the American forces during World War II to decode and exploit the Japanese codes. Everything was under control, this round was stable! But¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡­¡­¡± Looking at the huge Ironblood Mother Ship in front of him, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. The mother ship had completed its mission, and what Fang Zheng needed to do next was to hand it over to complete the task. ¡°[Detection of salable valuable items, would you like to sell?]¡± ¡°Sell.¡± Looking at the system prompt in front of him, Fang Zheng helplessly waved his hand, and then in front of him, the huge Ironblood Mother Ship instantly flashed a white light, and then completely disappeared without a trace. ¡°Sigh¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°[Mission ¡®Grand Opening¡¯ completed. User has sold ¡®Ironblood Mother Ship¡¯ obtaining ¡®Vehicle Gift Pack¡¯ one portion, and earned 2330 Dimensional Currency from the sale, ¡®Homeland¡¯ mission rating increased]¡± MMP! Looking at the ¡°Dimensional Currency¡± mentioned above, Fang Zheng¡¯s face darkened. Dimensional Currency, unlike Dimensional Points and Crystal Energy, is like the furniture coins frequently seen in mobile games, meaning that these Dimensional Currency could only be used to purchase vehicle-type items in the Dimensional Store, and not for buying other things¡­¡­.. This round was a real loss! Who came up with such a wicked system, huh! Oh¡­¡­. It seems like it was me¡­¡­. MMP!! He sighed helplessly, Fang Zheng stretched out his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still opened the ¡°Vehicle Gift Pack¡± in front of him. Now, he just hoped that his luck would be a bit better and he¡¯d snag something good. Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Chapter 158 This Move……Really a Heavy Loss Chapter 159: Chapter 158 This Move¡­¡­Really a Heavy Loss The ¡°vehicle gift pack¡± in front of Fang Zheng was as simplistic as it could get¡ªa white cardboard box tied with a ribbon. Well, there was no helping it, considering it was a test version, so a random texture to signify its purpose would suffice¡­ While resignedly mocking, Fang Zheng reached out and gave the package a light tap. Instantly, the package burst open with a ¡°pop,¡± and three square stones appeared before him. They each bore symbols representing land, sea, and air¡­ well, nothing else to say, but at least the range was comprehensive. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­..¡± Looking at the stones before him, Fang Zheng nodded. Most items in the ¡°Dimensional Codex¡± existed in forms similar to the Soulstone. Aside from some equipment and jewelry, most items generally took the form of Summoning Stones, and all Fang Zheng had to do was take them out and then¡­ ¡°Come forth, Pikachu!¡± ¡°Bang.¡± Fang Zheng first took out the stone for the ground vehicle and threw it, followed by a soft sound. Then, a sci-fi inspired, totally white, strange vehicle appeared before him. It looked more like a four-wheel-drive car, with a long body and an overall streamlined design like a sports car. It was six-wheel drive, and on either side of the body were two peculiar cylindrical air intakes. Simultaneously, information about this vehicle also appeared before Fang Zheng. [Wanderer-class Landing Vehicle (Multi-purpose)] [Available slots: 7] ¡°Why is it this thing?¡± Looking at the vehicle before him, Fang Zheng was taken aback. He obviously knew the origins of this vehicle; it was the planetary landing explorer from ¡°Mass Effect,¡± and yes, it was indeed quite functional. It could adapt to almost any harsh environment and could even climb forty-five-degree slopes, but¡­ wasn¡¯t this thing a bit too sci-fi? How was he supposed to drive this to the Main World? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Wait, could it be because the system detected that I¡¯m currently in a Sci-Fi World, so all the vehicles it gave me are sci-fi ones? Damn it! At this realization, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression soured. He retracted the Wanderer-class, glanced at the other two stones in his hand, then Fang Zheng once again took out the air vehicle stone and threw it forward! ¡°Bang!!¡± The next moment, a nearly 120 meters long, fully white warship appeared before Fang Zheng. Its front was cone-shaped, and on each side of the body were three hexagonal, armor-like structures. Honestly, this thing did look pretty cool, but¡­ this is what you¡¯re giving me? Thinking back to that several-hundred-meter-long Ironblood Mother Ship, and then looking at this ¡°elegant,¡± ¡°luxurious¡± yet severely downscaled thing before him, Fang Zheng was speechless. This was like losing the watermelon for the sake of a sesame seed. This was just speechless! [Purification-Class Stealth Bomber (Dimensional Exclusive)] [High Energy Slot: 5, Medium Energy Tank: 3, Low Energy Slot: 3, Small Modification Slots: 2] Wait, what exactly are these slots about? Looking at the slot information displayed in the system, Fang Zheng curiously reached out and tapped it, and then his face suddenly went pale! ¡°Damn it, this crap system, you scam my ride, and now I have to pay for add-ons myself?!!¡± If possible, Fang Zheng really wanted to throw the Dimensional Codex into the water to let it sober up a bit. God, I sold you a fully furnished luxury villa, and in turn, you gave me two base model homes? And I have to decorate and furnish them myself? Do you have no shame? Huh? Do you have no shame?! Ah, how ungrateful¡­ It¡¯s really a sign of the times when people hanker after the past. I remember the days I spent writing plans, setting up, and coding non-stop, raising this system with much difficulty, and the moment it turned around, it didn¡¯t recognize me anymore. Looking back, it scams me so proficiently¡ªwhere did it learn that? You¡¯re so great, but how come your dad didn¡¯t know about it?! ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Helplessly, Fang Zheng put away the warship. Right now, this warship was utterly empty, not even a ghost aboard. If Fang Zheng wanted to outfit it, he would have to install weapons and various performance slots¡­ Oh, right, and he had to pay for all these himself. Absolutely sickening! Muttering curses under his breath, Fang Zheng took out the last stone and then opened it¡­ ¡°Bang!¡± But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, what appeared was not the vehicle he had imagined but a¡­ card? [Dimensional Event Exclusive Invitation Card] [Can activate a specified world, the event starts upon activation] There¡¯s actually something like this? Looking at this invitation card, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then quickly realized. This was actually an event card! All mobile games have various events, and Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Dimensional Codex¡± was no exception. However, unlike other games that just open an event with a preview, Fang Zheng had been a bit ¡°artsy¡± when designing this system. The player would first receive an invitation card, then learn about the event¡¯s contents through the card, after which they could choose whether to use this invitation card¡ªof course, you could also choose not to use it and keep the card for later. After all, some people might not have time for certain events, like Valentine¡¯s Day activities. Some folks have to spend time with their girlfriends, right? Fang Zheng felt his idea was quite thoughtful. What? You¡¯re afraid no one will participate? Hahaha, that¡¯s not going to happen. The initial planning document stated that the maximum reward for each event would be determined by the total number of invitation cards used. If players used many invitation cards, then the event rewards would be especially generous, and the reward amount would also double. But if the number of invitation cards used by players was only one, then the event rewards would be guaranteed minimal. Well¡­ Fang Zheng had even considered whether invitation cards should require top-ups¡­ After all, for the wealthy players, they wouldn¡¯t mind spending a little bit of money, right? But now, he obviously didn¡¯t need to consider this issue. So, this meant that his first event in this world was a vehicle event? Did it really have to be this annoying¡­ But then, who knows, what kind of vehicles would there be, Transformers? If it¡¯s Transformers, it might be quite acceptable¡­ While thinking, Fang Zheng put away the invitation card. He wouldn¡¯t need this event invitation card for now; he would have to wait until his departure from the dimensional world and then wait for the time travel cooldown before he could use it. This whole situation was totally a loss! Fang Zheng was really frustrated now. Such a massive Ironblood Mother Ship, and all he got were these three things, and what a welcome offer¡­ Hell, an armored vehicle couldn¡¯t just be driven around in the Main World, and the Purification-Class Stealth Bomber was specifically for the Dimensional World, outright denying him the chance to take it to the Main World¡ªOkay, fine. But the fact that it didn¡¯t even have any weapons installed, and he had to buy plugins from the mall with his own money! Meaning, the Dimensional Currency he had earned from selling that Ironblood Mother Ship would probably go right back to the system before it even had time to cool down. Truly infuriating! ¡°Master?¡± Just then, Fang Zheng heard Nymph¡¯s voice in his ear. He turned his head, only to see Nymph looking at him. ¡°The Ironblood Fleet is about to arrive, we¡­.¡± ¡°Order Mirune to get ready; we¡¯re going to wipe out these bastards and take back all their warships!¡± The frustration I suffered from the system, I¡¯m determined to fully reclaim it from the Ironbloods! Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Chapter 159 How Does Flying Dragon Lose When Riding on the Face? Chapter 160: Chapter 159 How Does Flying Dragon Lose When Riding on the Face? When the menacing Ironblood Fleet arrived here and saw the planet that was almost entirely dyed red, they were all stunned. The Ironblood was a bellicose race that revered martial valor and combat. It was for this reason that the Ironblood rarely met opponents in this universe. That¡¯s also why they would, out of boredom, capture humans or aliens and throw them onto foreign planets or into pyramids¡ªif the Ironbloods had powerful enough enemies to fight to the death, they wouldn¡¯t have been so idle. They were like supreme masters, lonely at the top, standing at the Peak of the Purple Forbidden City, only to lament their emptiness, loneliness, and coldness¡­ Then¡­ the fully armed Ultimate Beings appeared before them. Originally, when they received the distress signal from the mothership, the Ironbloods were also shocked; they couldn¡¯t imagine why an unknown force had suddenly launched an attack on their backyard. But none of that mattered. For the Ironblood race, battle was life; since there were enemy forces invading, there was no choice but to meet them in combat! However, when they arrived at their destination, what met the Ironblood was not the battle they had imagined but a massacre. The first thing that greeted the newcomers was a dazzling flash of light. The Leviathan spread its tentacles, and a radiant brilliance emerged, followed by a massive light beam that shot straight towards the flagship of the Ironblood Fleet. That dazzling brilliance pierced through the entire Ironblood Fleet and then struck the flagship at the back. Immediately after, bursts of sparks erupted in the once pitch-black, empty space, and then a gargantuan warship, like prey trapped by a hunter¡¯s snare, emerged from its cloaking state covered in wounds. Its once beautifully metallic body was now torn open with a massive gash; flames mixed with fragments of its shattered hull flew in all directions, looking like a mess of wreckage. This sudden ambush clearly caught the Ironblood off guard; they couldn¡¯t understand why they were hit by these strange enemies even though they hadn¡¯t left stealth mode. Most importantly, both the massive being in front of them and those that emerged from the nearby asteroid belt were not part of the mechanical civilization that the Ironblood had imagined; instead, they were creatures of a biological civilization that appeared in space with pure flesh and blood! How could such a force exist? Seeing the Zerg charging at them, the Ironblood were taken aback. They weren¡¯t strangers to biological civilizations¡ªstrictly speaking, if given the time to develop, the Aliens could evolve into a powerful biological civilization too, but the Ironblood never gave them the chance¡­ But now, the entirely new species that appeared before them was a completely different existence! Accompanied by the Leviathan¡¯s attacks, the full-scale assault of the Zerg began. Self-Destructing Bats excitedly flapped their wings, rushing towards the Ironblood Warship in front of them. And behind them, tens of thousands of Lurkers and Flying Dragons also swooped towards their targets. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.?¦Ï The battle thus commenced. No formations were necessary, and tactics were even less needed; for the Zerg, to charge blindly was to win, attrition was to be ignored, and casualties always expected. As for losses¡­ what was a battle without losses for the Zerg? In some ways, the Zerg and the Ironblood were very similar: both were equally cruel, bloodthirsty, and relentless. For the sake of battle, both sides were willing to sacrifice everything. If you were to compare willpower, the Zerg and the Ironblood might not be so different, but when it came to the tangible conditions beyond will¡­ the two were worlds apart. ¡°So that¡¯s all there is to it¡­¡± Fang Zheng watched the battlefield before him and couldn¡¯t help but smirk. To be honest, the Ironblood¡¯s cosmic combat strength was indeed strong, or at least it seemed strong. Although they didn¡¯t have Shields like the Star Spirits, the exteriors of these Ironblood Warships were quite sturdy. After all, surviving a hit from the Leviathan¡¯s particle spray without completely disintegrating was telling enough. And under Mirune¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng also gained a clearer understanding of the current Ironblood. A low-end version of the Human Race. Their mothership and the Human Race Battle Cruisers from the Interstellar World weren¡¯t much different, and other units were also similar. Perhaps because the Ironblood were physically larger than humans, their Warships also appeared somewhat larger than those of the Human Race on average. Their attacks mainly consisted of Ion Cannons and Light Beams, and defense relied heavily on armor resistance and stealth¡­ But Fang Zheng¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t there. ¡°If we released a large EMP, we¡¯d be all set,¡± he sighed while watching the Ironblood Fleet battle the Swarm. Honestly, EMPs are the perfect match for the Zerg. Generally, most races rarely use EMP tactics, a ¡®Seven Wounds Fist¡¯ that kills a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own. But the Zerg are different; they are a biological civilization, completely unfazed by EMP¡­ wait a second! At that thought, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up. If he remembered correctly, in one version of the Godzilla movies, Godzilla had the ability to unleash large-scale EMP attacks, eradicating cities with a mere stomp. If the Zerg absorbed Godzilla¡¯s gene, thereby acquiring the EMP skill¡­ holy moly! What on earth could then stand against the Zerg? One EMP, and they¡¯d paralyze their enemy, leaving them to be easily dealt with afterward. In a word, who else could? Too bad¡­ who knows where that world is. Fang Zheng¡¯s excitement lasted less than five seconds before he faced reality: every entry into a world is random. Who knows which world he might enter. Even if the Godzilla world exists, it would probably take luck to get there¡­ But whatever, even without an EMP, he had something that could compete with it. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough, Nymph, make your move,¡± he directed. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s command, the blue-haired Little Angel beside him nodded, then reached out and gently touched one of the Ironblood BB boys. Just a touch. In an instant, the previously triumphant Ironblood Warships on the battlefield suddenly froze. The barrels that had been firing ion cannons and light beams went dark, and if one looked closely, they might even see faint sparks of electricity flicker over them. That¡¯s right, there was no EMP here, but there was something far more frightening. With just a single gesture, the Little Angel overloaded all the Ironblood Warships on the battlefield, turning them into piles of scrap metal. The Synapsus high technology was indeed as feared as reputed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wrap this up and head home for dinner,¡± he said. With those words from Fang Zheng, the war came to a decisive end. Facing the Zerg¡¯s renewed and ferocious attack, Fang Zheng could only say one thing ¡ª how could a Flying Dragon lose when riding on your face? When Fang Zheng returned to Char Planet, the mission prompt finally appeared before his eyes ¡ª Mission Completed. Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Chapter 160 The Unexpected Joy of the Heart of the Swarm Chapter 161: Chapter 160 The Unexpected Joy of the Heart of the Swarm ¡°Finally back.¡± Fang Zheng stretched a long lazy stretch as he returned to the snow-covered cabin in the forest. Nymph, too, yawned beside him, emanating a vibe of someone who had finally come home for the holidays after a long journey. ¡°This place does feel more comfortable, Master.¡± ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡± Fang Zheng had nothing against the Zerg, but those damned obsessive-compulsives who couldn¡¯t live without their fungal carpets nearly covered the entire planet with it. To be honest, it might be interesting to look at once or twice, but gazing at the same scene day in, day out, that would be torture. Now, Char Planet, under the ¡°diligent cultivation¡± of the Zerg, had completely lost its blue skies and white clouds and was bathed in a sea of crimson. Aside from a few trees and rivers that were spared, everywhere else was covered with fungal carpets and Zerg constructions¡­ Truth be told, Fang Zheng felt like he was living out a scene from ¡°Song of Saya¡±; staying in such a place for too long could drive someone insane. Indeed, even though his body had been modified, his sense of aesthetics was still that of a regular human and didn¡¯t stoop to the level of the Zerg. Nymph clearly felt the same way. For the little one, she preferred cute animals and blue skies and clouds, and she wasn¡¯t fond of the Zerg¡¯s mass ecological disaster-style expansion. But anyway, that was the problem for that world. ¡°In any case, let¡¯s rest for now.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers. Very quickly, the air in front of him began to warp, and then an Invisible Servant appeared, promptly starting to diligently clean the chairs and bedding¡ªalthough they had been away from this world for a couple of weeks, perhaps due to the heavy snow sealing off the mountains, the place wasn¡¯t too dirty, and a simple cleaning would suffice. As for Nymph, she went off to the side to continue playing with the cute kitten while Fang Zheng flopped down in a chair and opened his Dimensional Codex to start inspecting the booty from his latest mission. First, the different scenes. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? After Fang Zheng opened the Dimensional Codex, the thick tome automatically flipped open, and immediately, a bright red planet emerged as a hologram, rotating similar to a 3D projection. This was Char Planet from the ¡°Ironblood Warrior¡± universe, which, after becoming a Free World, had left the category of ¡°instance¡± and appeared in this special form in front of Fang Zheng. This meant that Fang Zheng could enter and leave this world at will, much like the ¡°Mind-Skill-Body¡± free instances. However, just like the free instances, no matter how long Fang Zheng stayed in the Ironblood World now, the time when he returned to this world would not exceed five minutes. But that was not without its advantages. At the very least, Fang Zheng could now wander around the Earth of the Ironblood World and even buy some simple convenience food for use when in the wilderness. Of course, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t forgotten to remind the Zerg to steer clear of the Solar System. After all, given the development pace of humans in that world, they wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the Solar System in fifty years. After that¡­ it would depend on their luck, or whether the Zerg would leave them a way out. Fang Zheng was actually quite curious to see what humans of that world would feel like if, after a desperate struggle to leave the Solar System, they found out they had been corralled by the Zerg. But that was probably a matter for much later. After completing the ¡°Homeland¡± mission, Fang Zheng received two rewards. One was the promised fixation of the ¡°Heart of the Swarm,¡± and the other was an inherent skill called ¡°Dimensional Passage.¡± ¡°Dimensional Passage¡± was a special summoning ability, and could even be said to be tailored for use with ¡°Free World.¡± Fang Zheng needed only to cast ¡°Dimensional Passage,¡± and then he could summon his servants from the Free World. The advantage of this skill was that it did not occupy positions for Soulstones or Summoning Stones, but the downside was¡­ there was a limit. That¡¯s right, Fang Zheng¡¯s current rank of ¡°Dimensional Passage¡± was E, with a limit of a hundred points. He didn¡¯t know how this number was derived, but after some trial, he had an understanding. For instance, creatures like Aliens and Jumping Bugs generally cost one point per summon, while Hydralisks and Roaches were ten points, Flying Dragons, as well as Lurkers, were thirty points, Thunder Beasts were fifty points, and Leviathans¡­ couldn¡¯t be summoned at all. In other words, aided by ¡°Dimensional Passage,¡± Fang Zheng could now summon at most a hundred Jumping Bugs or Aliens, or ten Hydralisk and Roach, or three Flying Dragons, two Thunder Beasts¡­ All in all, it didn¡¯t seem very useful at the moment. After all, the Main World was not like the Ironblood World. There were plenty of beings here who could tear Thunder Beasts apart with their bare hands, and if the Swarm didn¡¯t number in the hundreds of thousands, they might as well not even dream of dominating the Main World. It¡¯s a good thing the Ironblood World was a scientific one, very scientific indeed, without the situation seen in the Main World. Otherwise¡­ who knows what it would have become. On the other hand, the ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± turned out to be an unexpected boon for Fang Zheng. When the ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± was on Kerrigan¡¯s Soulstone, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t feel that the skill was particularly powerful. At best, it allowed him to command the Swarm and communicate with them. ¡°` But when the Dimensional Codex solidified this skill onto Fang Zheng, he finally felt the power of the ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡±. Or rather, it was at the moment Fang Zheng obtained the inherent skill ¡°Heart of the Swarm¡± that he truly understood why Kerrigan kept repeating, ¡°I am the Swarm¡±. Because I am the Swarm. Even now, it¡¯s the same¡ªa very subtle feeling. Fang Zheng could sense that, deep within his soul, there were countless Zergs as if they were his subjects, his subordinates, and his actors. Yet, they were different too. It felt as if when Fang Zheng looked somewhere, the Zerg would shift their gaze and pay attention along with him. To use an inappropriate analogy, it was as if Fang Zheng were a conductor, waving a baton towards a place, and then thousands of Zerg would look there along with him. It was a magical feeling, because in this process, the Zerg weren¡¯t puppets as Fang Zheng thought; on the contrary, they had their own thoughts, which whispered behind him like a crowd murmuring. For example, if Fang Zheng looked at a rabbit, the Zergs would stare at it too, and all kinds of thought exchanges would arise. Like how the rabbit seemed tasty, or the rabbit looked weak, and how hunting it could be more efficient¡­ Of course, this didn¡¯t affect Fang Zheng¡¯s own judgment. In fact, he would only hear the Zerg¡¯s thought exchange when he was willing to listen. It was as if one had to concentrate extremely hard to hear the usually inaudible faint sounds, so it wouldn¡¯t impact his daily life. But that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was¡­ Fang Zheng¡¯s spirit was now tightly connected to the Swarm. One is all, and all are one. Of course, this ability didn¡¯t seem to have any special effects, but Fang Zheng was very clear that this might solve a problem he had been worried about for a long time. That is, the Enchantment School¡¯s mental manipulation! After learning magic, Fang Zheng also figured out the casting principles of the Enchantment School and the School of Illusions. The power of the Enchantment School worked on the mental level of a person, interfering through magic. While it¡¯s said that those with a strong mind can resist these spells, the premise of having a strong mind is vague in itself, and no one is certain they can withstand a psychic attack. Since everyone¡¯s spirit is independent, apart from a memory kill or being suddenly encouraged by a previously dead being, they basically have no way to rely on themselves to break free from mental influence. But Fang Zheng is different. Now, if an enchanter planned to mess with him, they would have to influence not just Fang Zheng¡¯s own spirit but also the spirits of the millions of Zerg connected to him! And this is only for now, as the number of Zerg linked to the Heart of the Swarm would continue to expand¡­ Perhaps billions would be an understatement in the future. Even if the enchanter succeeded, the sheer number alone might be enough to exhaust the enchanter to death. In a way, might this also be considered an alternative buff for immunity against mental manipulation? But what should he do next? At this thought, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but glance at Nymph, who was playing with a kitten. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to sever ties with the Sanctuary, but it wasn¡¯t practical to keep hiding in this godforsaken place. He still needed strength, money, and territory. Becoming a bandit or a mountain thief was the least promising; claiming a mountain as king would only attract more trouble. Importantly, to avoid the Sanctuary¡¯s search, Fang Zheng has a lot of Soulstones he couldn¡¯t use. No need to mention Kerrigan; that definitely wasn¡¯t an option. Malthael was also out of the question. The Sanctuary was frantically searching for him, and likely they had studied Malthael¡¯s descent exhaustively. Since he had no plans to open a new expansion pack or to create a living hell by massacring towns, he naturally couldn¡¯t use Malthael. By the same logic, Arthas would have to be sealed away. As for magic¡­ Fang Zheng could certainly participate in adventures as a mage or join a mercenary group and play a pig to eat a tiger, but after some thought, he decided against it. Fina had warned him that the spells released by a mage have their own unique aura, and if someone traced that back to him, the trouble would be immense. Alright, if his trump cards couldn¡¯t be used, and the time for a Cash Summon hadn¡¯t arrived, then what remained was¡­ Looking at the Soulstone in his hand, Fang Zheng thought for a moment, then came up with a good idea. It seems there¡¯s only one thing to do. ¡°` Chapter 162 - Chapter 162: Chapter 161: The Grim Reapers Invitation Chapter 162: Chapter 161: The Grim Reaper¡¯s Invitation Where there is light, there is darkness. The Kingdom of the Holy Church is a vast and beautiful realm, yet this does not mean it is Heaven. Wherever humans gather, darkness and evil will always breed, and the Kingdom of the Holy Church is no exception. City of Korhal. This is a city on the frontier that, on the surface, does not share the solemnity and seriousness typically associated with border towns. Instead, its bustling and elegant architecture coupled with the rolling hills of villas gives it more the appearance of a holiday resort. Green mountains and waters, clean and tidy streets, and tall, orderly city walls make everything look incredibly opulent and splendid. But at this moment, the murderous soldiers shattered all of that tranquillity. ¡°They¡¯re here again.¡± Seated in the tavern, a man dressed in black watched the fully armed soldiers march down the street and laughed softly as he spoke. He lifted his mug of ale and took a sip, then followed with a sneer. ¡°Look at them, don¡¯t they resemble a pack of stray dogs chased off by their master?¡± ¡°What can you do? After all, I heard it was the wastrel son of the City Lord who died this time.¡± The woman seated beside him shook her head, her voice conveying resignation, yet a smile also played upon her lips. ¡°How did he die this time?¡± ¡°I heard he accidentally fell off the balcony and down to his death.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï At this, the woman made a pointed nod as if to insinuate something deeper. ¡°Many witnessed it with their own eyes.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Upon hearing the woman¡¯s reply, the man in black sneered again. ¡°Accidents¡­ they¡¯re everywhere. Our Mr. Grim Reaper really is something.¡± ¡°Keep your voice down, idiot.¡± The woman mercilessly stepped on the man¡¯s foot, altering his bizarre expression. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what keeping a low profile means? That rumor, although just a rumor, is not merely a rumor! Be careful, or you might be the next one to ¡®accidentally¡¯ suffer.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s face immediately turned serious, and he dared not speak any further. All of this began with the ¡°Death Exchange¡± half a month ago. In the City of Korhal, there exists the so-called ¡°Death Exchange¡±¡ªof course, this is not a gathering place for Necromancers, nor is it associated with Hell. In reality, it¡¯s a dark haven for assassins. Assassins from various powers, or those unaffiliated, take on contracts within the Death Exchange to kill their targets. Naturally, all of this is kept secret; the contracts are placed on specially treated plaques that only the assassins are permitted to take. Of course, the Death Exchange has its strict restrictions and ranking system; assassins who complete their tasks get promoted and are then qualified to undertake more dangerous missions. And half a month ago, something happened at the Death Exchange. An anonymous assassin took a contract to kill the captain of the city guard force. This wasn¡¯t considered a big deal, so the assassins paid it no mind. However, within just a day, the Death Exchange confirmed the death of the guard captain. Not that he was murdered on his way home, nor that he vanished in some dark corner, instead, he was drunk, slipped from the city gate, and smacked head-first onto the ground in plain view. And then¡­ there was no after. No one made much of it. A minor city guard captain who was known to be a drunkard¡ªit was common enough that stumbling over a loose brick due to intoxication, then falling to his death was considered normal. But to everyone¡¯s surprise, shortly after the death of the guard captain, the contract reappeared at the Death Exchange, indicating a request for confirmation. Does this mean that the guard captain¡¯s death wasn¡¯t an accident but rather a murder by an assassin? The Death Exchange, known as a notorious underground haven for assassins, certainly has its capabilities. They summoned their strongest Prophet Mage to prophecy and investigate the death of the guard captain, concluding¡­ the guard captain indeed died accidentally. With solid factual evidence, it was natural not to let any opportunist thief succeed, so the Death Exchange naturally cancelled the contract. They also failed to find the assassin who took the contract, assuming at the time that this petty crook was likely trying to muddle through for a payout, hence why he remained elusive. Especially after the Death Exchange withdrew the contract, the absence of the assassin¡¯s explanation made the Exchange more convinced that it could have been sheer luck that the target of the contract died accidentally shortly after it was taken, and therefore he attempted to claim a reward. Then, after that, strange things started to occur. At the Death Exchange, it happened that contracts were taken and the assassination targets all died due to various accidents. These contracts also returned to the Exchange for confirmation after the deaths of the targets, but each time the Exchange¡¯s Prophets investigated, the conclusion was¡­ accidental death. ¡°` An accident once or twice might be seen as a coincidence, but when such ¡°accidents¡± occur en masse in a short period, they¡¯re no longer coincidental. The people in charge of the Death Exchange were no fools; their prognosticating Advanced Mage was of Legendary Rank, yet even they couldn¡¯t detect any sign of what was happening¡­ How was that possible? Assassins in this world were formidable, but, in the end, they were still assassins, lethal beings lurking in the shadows. Patience and ubiquitous assassination attempts were the greatest advantages of these assassins. They could wait for more than half a year for a target, constantly seeking vulnerabilities for a surefire kill. They could also use weapons imbued with curses or magical power to break through defenses, but even so, they needed to do the deed themselves. For this reason, assassins typically employed special methods to conceal themselves, and they wouldn¡¯t casually reveal their Star Pattern. In other words, in this world of assassination, while everyone knew an assassination had taken place, they merely didn¡¯t know who the assassin was. However¡­ this assassin¡¯s ¡°assassination¡± was no longer mere assassination. It was more akin to a proclamation from the Grim Reaper. Initially, the Death Exchange didn¡¯t pay much attention to this ¡°assassin¡± since the individuals murdered, although of significant status, were all weak in strength. If the victims had been far more powerful, being brutally killed would not have been impossible, perhaps just a matter of wicked taste. Yet, when an Advanced Mage from a certain family fell victim to assassination, the situation took a serious turn. According to the investigators at the time, the Mage died suddenly when a spell they were casting spiraled out of control and backlashed. From beginning to end, there were no signs the Mage had been under mental control, and the Sanctum¡¯s Clerics confirmed after examining the body that there was no poisoning or consumption of any spirit-altering substances. In any other place, this might have been dismissed as an Advanced Mage¡¯s mistake, not meriting any particular concern. But the Death Exchange didn¡¯t see it that way. Because right before the death of that Advanced Mage, their assassination contract had been taken by that ¡°Grim Reaper.¡± After the death of the Advanced Mage, that ¡°contract¡± was returned. For a while, the entire high echelon of the Death Exchange was in shock. Although assassins are generally seen to have an advantage over Mages, the truth is, the last thing an assassin wants is to confront a Mage, especially a High-Tier Mage. Mages who reached the Intermediate Level would employ a myriad of methods to store Defensive Magic for emergencies, making it impossible for stealth killings, poisonings, or even for controlled attendants to use a moment of unguardedness to strike. Once a Mage was prepared, the one who would be unlucky was most certainly the assassin. Thus, for powerful assassins, killing a Mage was even more challenging than killing High-Tier Warriors, swordsmanship masters, or even Druids. With these professions, they at least stood a chance, but against Mages, it was mostly a gamble, betting on whether the Mage was foolish enough to be killed by an assassin. Naturally, when an assassin has a run of bad luck¡­ well, the outcome is self-explanatory. But now, there was an assassin who subtly and effortlessly murdered an Advanced Mage, and more importantly, without anyone discovering how! This immediately drew the Death Exchange¡¯s attention, and even the three Legendary Powerhouses within the organization mobilized, staying at the contract board specifically to find this assassin. But then a horrific scene unfolded. Another contract silently disappeared, and following another ¡°accidental death,¡± that contract reappeared at the Death Exchange. The problem was, during the entire process, none of the formidable powers had discovered anything! This meant that the target had evaded a powerful Prophet Mage, a Legendary Assassin, and a Legendary Rogue, entering and exiting the Death Exchange as if it were uninhabited, without being detected by anyone! Was this still human action? As the matter fermented and the concept of an ¡°Unseen Grim Reaper¡± within the Death Exchange began to circulate widely, many heard rumors and were terrified. Some even bribed an assassin in an attempt to learn the target of this ¡°Unseen Grim Reaper¡± for investigation and defense. But¡­ It was all to no avail. ¡°¡­An ¡®Unseen Grim Reaper¡¯?¡± The armored Sheriff lifted his head, looking at his pale-faced subordinate. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that just a very normal accident? You were with me, and we both witnessed it, right?¡± ¡°Of course, Lord Conan¡­¡± On hearing the Sheriff¡¯s question, his attending Knight also broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°As you said, we were invited to the party, and both you and I saw his¡­ ridiculous behavior¡­¡± The attending Knight¡¯s expression revealed disapproval as he spoke. The City Lord¡¯s worthless son who died had a nature of debauchery, taking pleasure in mistreating women. In fact, when they attended the City Lord¡¯s feast, they had seen firsthand how detestable the scoundrel was. He died after being rejected by a Maid and attempted to carry her off forcibly. During this, he suddenly lost balance stepping on the slick floor, crashed into the balcony railing on the second floor, and, possibly due to the railing¡¯s decay and breakage, fell to his death in front of everybody. Knight Conan had seen it all, even considering intervening to prevent the fool¡¯s ridiculous actions. Although now retired, being a former Templar, he couldn¡¯t remain indifferent to such behavior. Not to mention, the idiot son had such a terrible reputation in the city that almost everyone was celebrating his death; if it weren¡¯t for consideration of the City Lord, the celebrations would likely have already spilled into the streets. But now, the City Lord had come to him, seeking an investigation into a ¡°Grim Reaper¡±? What in the world was going on? Chapter 163 - Chapter 163: Chapter 162: The Grim Reapers Pursuit Chapter 163: Chapter 162: The Grim Reaper¡¯s Pursuit To Knight Conan, this might have seemed merely a hasty decision made by the lord due to the pain of losing his son, but when he was invited to the Lord¡¯s Manor, Knight Conan no longer thought so. ¡°What is this?¡± Staring at the letter in front of him, Knight Conan was clearly surprised. He raised his head to look at the old man in front of him, then lowered his gaze again to reread the letter. ¡°This was found in the pocket of my poor child¡¯s clothes.¡± The old man¡¯s face was quite wan, as if he had aged a decade overnight, and Knight Conan, following the old man¡¯s gesture, reached out to take the letter and began to read it. However, soon his expression turned strange and even angry. Despite this, he forced himself to suppress the anger in his heart, and after finishing the letter, he looked at the old man again. ¡°May I ask, is what this letter says¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­should all be true.¡± The old man now deeply bowed his head, showing a look of repentance. Knight Conan¡¯s face turned red and then pale, uncertain of what to say. The letter recorded nothing other than a series of atrocities committed by the deceased son of the lord, including but not limited to assaulting women, beating and injuring civilians, and even raping a farm girl because of his lust, finding her boring afterward, fearing she would cause trouble, and then ordering his men to kill her entire family, disguising it as an accidental fire. Honestly, Knight Conan had just taken up the position of sheriff here two days ago, but he was aware of several incidents, though since he was new here, he hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to investigate. Looking at it now¡­ it seemed that someone had already dealt with everything for him. That bastard got off easy dying in a fall! If the Sanctuary had caught him, it would have been a public execution at the very least! ¡°What is the meaning of this letter?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? Suppressing the anger in his heart, Knight Conan looked at the old man. He didn¡¯t believe that the lord had summoned him here to confess to his son¡¯s crimes. ¡°Let me explain.¡± At this moment, a man dressed as a butler, standing behind the old man, took over the conversation. ¡°This is ¡®Death¡¯s Judgment¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean.¡± ¡°Knight Conan, having just arrived here, you might not be aware.¡± The butler slightly bowed to Knight Conan before he continued. ¡°In fact, for some time now, a mysterious assassin known as ¡®The Grim Reaper¡¯ has been operating in this region. Nobody knows who they are or if they truly exist; we only know that whenever they accept a commission, the target dies ¡®accidentally¡¯ within a few days, and a letter recording their crimes is left by their side. It¡¯s as if they are judging their sins¡­ So, we also call it ¡®Death¡¯s Judgment¡¯.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me this is really an assassination?¡± Knight Conan was utterly incredulous. ¡°Is it some kind of magic effect? Or perhaps we could consult a Prophet Mage¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use, we¡¯ve consulted Prophet Mages, even performed Retrospection, but we can¡¯t find any clues¡­ this is expected, after all, we don¡¯t even know if the person is human or a ghost.¡± The butler revealed a self-mocking smile as he spoke. ¡°Not magic, and they didn¡¯t do it themselves?¡± Knight Conan found it even more incredible. ¡°Can you even call that an assassination?¡± ¡°But in fact, every time, they accept a commission, and after the target ¡®accidentally¡¯ dies, the commission sheet appears as completed. That is to say, this really is ¡®an assassination¡¯.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡­¡± ¡°I hope Knight Conan can request the Sanctuary to intervene, to find that assassin.¡± The old man raised his head, staring intently at Knight Conan. ¡°I know, my son committed unforgivable acts and if he had been caught by the Sanctuary, even beheaded, I would have accepted. However, I cannot accept that my child was killed by a despicable and shameless assassin! I hope the Sanctuary can help me find the murderer and punish them!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Looking at the angry old man before him, Knight Conan was at a loss for words. For some reason, looking at the old man, he suddenly thought of Knight Commander Brand¡­ perhaps this was a parent¡¯s pampering love for their child? Knight Conan wasn¡¯t married, much less had children, so he couldn¡¯t understand it. In fact, when he had seen Knight Commander Brand draw his sword in defiance for the sake of his daughter at the Sanctuary, Knight Conan had already found it hard to comprehend his feelings. And now¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord, I am retired now. As for this matter you speak of, I will convey it to the Sanctuary, but I cannot say for sure how the Sanctuary will respond.¡± ¡°Thank you, Knight Conan, but I will not let go of the murderer who killed my child.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing the old City Lord¡¯s response, Knight Conan didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment and could only silently stand up, bow to the elder before him, and then leave. ¡°¡­ Master, are we really going to report this matter to the Sanctuary?¡± After leaving the Lord¡¯s Manor, Conan¡¯s attendant hurried to his side and asked in a low voice. Faced with his attendant¡¯s query, Knight Conan remained silent for a long time before suddenly turning his head to look at his attendant. ¡°Bart, I remember¡­ you¡¯re married, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Master,¡± Startled by Knight Conan¡¯s seemingly random question, the attendant paused momentarily, then hurriedly nodded in agreement. ¡°Do you have any children?¡± ¡°One¡­ mischievous and always thinking of going on adventures instead of learning swordsmanship; I truly don¡¯t know what to do with him¡­ ah¡­¡± ¡°So, what do you think about the actions of the Lord Master, right or wrong?¡± ¡°That¡­.¡± At this point, the attendant paused for a while before finally replying with a complicated expression. ¡°To be honest, Master, the City Lord¡¯s son was indeed no good; frankly, I felt a sense of relief when I heard of his demise. But¡­ I can¡¯t wholly fail to understand the City Lord¡ªhe was his only son after all¡­ ¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Knight Conan fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°Proceed with the standard reporting procedure; after all, it is our duty.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± While the City of Korhal was bustling with noise, the original instigator had already left the troubled area far behind. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a challenge, but at least the pay wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± Counting the platinum coins in his moneybag, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, the supposed ¡°Grim Reaper murders¡± that had been the talk of the area these days were all his doing. The method Fang Zheng had used was one of the two Bronze Soulstones he had drawn earlier, ¡°Assassin 47.¡± In fact, Fang Zheng had always believed that compared to Assassin¡¯s Creed, Assassin 47 was the true killer. Although many enjoyed sensationalizing things like ¡°Where in life do you have so much time for infiltration? If you want to assassinate, just Wushuang.¡± Such tactics were only usable in the world of Assassin¡¯s Creed; in the Main World, Assassin¡¯s Creed was utterly meaningless. Wushuang? Noble estates here are filled with magic traps and alarms. You Wushuang one, and thirty seconds later you¡¯re surrounded. And even if you Wushuang and kill someone, what then? Mages have ways to track you down; it would only be a matter of time before they pursued you from all directions, unless you have some item or Divine Artifact to hide your identity. Killing through assassination isn¡¯t as easy as you might think. Series of murders are only marketable in detective novels. In reality, get a DNA test comparison and see if anyone cares about your excuses. Choosing Assassin 47 was naturally because of his two enhancement skills: [Thousand Forms] and [Use All Things Wisely]. [Thousand Forms] allows Fang Zheng to perfectly imitate anyone, just as Assassin 47 can assume various identities by changing his clothes in the games; [Thousand Forms] allows Fang Zheng to perfectly disguise himself and then initiate covert operations. [Use All Things Wisely] represents Assassin 47¡¯s unique assassination style. With this skill, Fang Zheng can rapidly analyze all items and equipment at the assassination site upon arrival, utilizing them to set traps and lure the target. For example, the assassination of the City Lord¡¯s son was not an act he committed directly; he simply disguised himself as a janitor, cleaned the area a bit, and while nobody was looking, quietly removed a support pole from the railing. Did he kill anyone? No. He just used Future Sight to verify where the City Lord¡¯s son would go next, so he cleaned there¡ªis cleaning the floor illegal? For the High-Tier Mage, it was even easier for Fang Zheng¡ªSmall Angel Nymph could manipulate all spells. So, he didn¡¯t need to do anything but find the location, then let Small Angel Nymph invade during the opponent¡¯s casting and seize control, causing the spell to run amok. With these two abilities, along with Future Sight and Small Angel Nymph¡¯s magical assistance, Fang Zheng could effortlessly assassinate anyone as if he were invisible. The reason was simple: he needed money. While Fang Zheng still had the 5,000 gold coins the Sanctuary had awarded him, it was far from enough. Of course, if he was content with a lavish lazy life, the money he had would have been more than enough. However, living such a life was clearly not the purpose of his existence. Most importantly, the money couldn¡¯t be used to recharge the system. That was the crux of the matter. No matter how much money Fang Zheng got in the Ironblood World or the Main World, it was meaningless if it couldn¡¯t be spent within the system. Thus, he needed to convert his money into something rechargeable, namely Spirit Crystals. But that was not an easy task. Just like in the world where Fang Zheng lived, although Spirit Crystals weren¡¯t classified as a ¡°strategic resource,¡± they weren¡¯t something the average person could just buy, especially not in large quantities. Official department scrutiny and filings were required for large purchases, which would not typically concern Fang Zheng given his status. However, now, not wanting to draw the Sanctuary¡¯s attention yet desiring to acquire large quantities of Spirit Crystals, he had to find another way. According to the laws of the Kingdom of the Holy Church, only licensed spellcasters, alchemists, and legal organizations and individuals who produce armor or weapons are eligible to purchase Spirit Crystals. Although Fang Zheng had mastered the Fifth Ring spell, since Rex hadn¡¯t filed for him, he couldn¡¯t even be considered an apprentice at the moment. And naturally, he couldn¡¯t use his Templar identity anymore¡ªif the Sanctuary were to discover this, it would only bring trouble. That left him a single option¡ªusing a shell corporation. Chapter 164 - Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Nanalis Alchemy Workshop Chapter 164: Chapter 163: Nanali¡¯s Alchemy Workshop ¡°Is this the place?¡± Fang Zheng raised his head, looking at the building ahead, and muttered to himself. It was a two-story building located at the southern end of the town that, from the outside, resembled the sort of establishment one might mistake for a tavern. However, its dilapidated exterior and the sign covered in cobwebs clearly disclosed its true identity. This was an Alchemy Workshop. More precisely, a nearly bankrupt Alchemy Workshop. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The Little Angel standing beside Fang Zheng nodded as well. ¡°According to what I¡¯ve learned, this Alchemy Workshop has completely lost its income. No one in the vicinity patronizes it anymore¡­ They say that the previous owner went missing during an adventure, leaving only his daughter to manage it alone¡­¡± And this was the result, huh? After glancing at the somewhat shattered glass, Fang Zheng shook his head and then pushed open the door to enter. The entire workshop was eerily spacious, but surprisingly clean. Everything from the reception desk near the door to the furniture around the room seemed to have been meticulously cleaned, even the stone-paved floor was spotless. Yet the workshop was utterly deserted, looking as if it had been abandoned. However, it was clear that the place was not truly uninhabited. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã0 ¡°Ding ding ding!!¡± Fang Zheng reached out and pressed the bell on the reception desk a few times, and soon an anxious voice came from inside. ¡°Ah, please wait! I¡¯m a bit busy right now¡­ Just a moment, please¡­!!¡± Accompanied by the flustered voice, Fang Zheng and Nymph watched as a door on the other side of the hall, which had been tightly shut, suddenly opened. A young girl with brown, long hair rushed out, panting. She was dressed in a somewhat worn robe, and her hair was fluffy and curly due to just waking up. After hastily grooming herself, she then turned towards Fang Zheng and Nymph with an awkward smile. ¡°Welcome to Nanali¡¯s Alchemy Workshop¡­ Dear guests, may I help you with anything?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Young lady, that name of yours is quite inauspicious. Are you destined to become a blind girl in a wheelchair? ¡°Ahem¡­ Hello, Miss Nanali.¡± Fang Zheng coughed, and then with a smile, addressed the girl. ¡°My name is Ezio, I am a merchant¡­ You see, I have a business proposal I would like to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Business?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Nanali tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Yes.¡± Fang Zheng nodded, then went straight to the point. ¡°It might not be pleasant to hear this, but¡­ I would like to acquire this Alchemy Workshop.¡± ¡°Acquire¡­ Acquire¡­ Eh? Eh!!?¡± Initially confused by Fang Zheng¡¯s response, it took a while for Nanali to realize what he meant, and she couldn¡¯t help but let out a shriek. ¡°Sir, do you mean, you want to purchase this Alchemy Workshop?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But, but¡­ I, I don¡¯t plan to sell, this is my home¡­¡± Perhaps Nanali had never imagined that someone would come knocking to discuss the purchase of her workshop, leaving her unable to form an effective response. ¡°However, the financial situation of this Alchemy Workshop isn¡¯t very good, is it?¡± Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t press her too hard but mentioned it casually. ¡°I¡¯ve inquired about it, and if you can¡¯t pay the sufficient fees this month, the qualification for this Alchemy Workshop will be revoked, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Wu¡­ that¡­ that¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Nanali¡¯s face grew even more distressed. According to the law, every Alchemy Workshop must pay a fee to the Alchemists¡¯ Association each year to maintain its qualification. These fees are not high, but they are not meaningless either. Firstly, paying the fee indicates that the Alchemy Workshop is self-sustaining with the ability to make a profit. Secondly, after paying the fee, the validity period for the Alchemy Workshop¡¯s qualification can be extended. And only with a valid qualification can alchemists legally purchase various types of raw materials, as the Kingdom of the Holy Church has strict control over resources. Without a legitimate ¡°business license,¡± you can¡¯t even buy a cart of iron ore. But looking at the state of this Alchemy Workshop, it was clear that the girl could not afford the ¡°property fee.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Miss Nanali, I have a proposal.¡± Seeing the girl becoming more embarrassed, Fang Zheng hurriedly continued to explain. If he waited any longer, the business deal might fall through. ¡°I can invest and buy this Alchemy Workshop, but I¡¯m not seeking to change the owner, which means you can continue to live here, and I also don¡¯t intend to change your alchemist qualification.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Relieved, the girl caught her breath; she had initially feared she might be forced to wander the world, but the situation didn¡¯t seem to have reached that point yet, but¡­ ¡°Sir, what¡¯s in it for you to do this?¡± Nanali was no fool. Fang Zheng had explained so clearly that she quickly understood his intention. But that¡¯s why she was puzzled. It was like a company on the verge of bankruptcy being approached by someone willing to pay off its debt but with no intention of buying the company or taking over the chairman position. Strange, indeed; of course, if Fang Zheng had come alone, the girl might have been more worried about her own safety. However¡­ Glancing at the harmless Little Angel beside Fang Zheng, the girl felt that possibility didn¡¯t seem very likely. ¡°That¡¯s the situation.¡± Fang Zheng had no intention of hiding the truth from the girl, because what he planned to do next couldn¡¯t be kept secret anyway. ¡°I want to buy some Spirit Crystals, but due to official regulations, I can¡¯t possibly purchase them on my own. Though I¡¯ve studied magic and alchemy a bit, I don¡¯t have a qualification. Currently, it would take a long time and be troublesome to obtain these documents. That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking to buy this Alchemy Workshop to achieve my goal.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it¡­¡± Listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, Nanali sighed with relief. Spirit Crystals were somewhat like diamonds and gold to an alchemist¡ªvaluable indeed, undoubtedly useful, but not dangerous. But indeed, these items are hard to purchase without legal qualifications. ¡°So, Miss Nanali, what do you think?¡± ¡°Wu¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the girl hesitated for a moment. Truth be told, she wasn¡¯t keen on agreeing. However, Nanali was well aware that if she couldn¡¯t raise the funds, her mother¡¯s Alchemy Workshop would be completely repossessed. By then, her own dreams would no longer be achievable. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡± With that thought, the girl resolved herself and nodded at Fang Zheng. ¡°I am willing to make this transaction with you, Mr. Ezio.¡± Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: Chapter 164: It seems that I can only start by farming Chapter 165: Chapter 164: It seems that I can only start by farming Fang Zheng originally thought that as long as he settled this deal and let Nanali buy those Spirit Crystals, he could happily sit at home and top-up. But then¡­ ¡°Is that all?¡± Seeing fewer than ten Spirit Crystals in front of him, Fang Zheng¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡­¡± Seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, Nanali hurriedly apologized to him. ¡°I only found out when I went to the Alchemists¡¯ Association that the purchase of Spirit Crystals is subject to quota restrictions, and as a Novice Alchemist, I can only get this many each month¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± What use are these few crappy Spirit Crystals? Fang Zheng thought he could probably find more by sweeping through the Snowy Forest of Linhai for Demon Beasts. Moreover, the quality of these Spirit Crystals wasn¡¯t great; a rough calculation showed they might only add a few dozen points of Crystal Energy¡­ ¡°Even money doesn¡¯t work?¡± Fang Zheng had never seen a situation where money couldn¡¯t solve the problem, but judging by Nanali¡¯s expression, it seemed it really wouldn¡¯t work this time. ¡°Well then¡­¡­¡± Fang Zheng could only helplessly accept the result. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°So, how can we get a large number of Spirit Crystals?¡± ¡°This¡­ I at least need to upgrade to a Level Five Alchemist or higher¡­¡± From Nanali¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng finally understood the ranking system of the Alchemists¡¯ Association. There were two ways to upgrade in the Association; one was purely through production, crafting a specified standard and quantity of potions in the Alchemy Workshop over a year, which the Association would then buy. Afterwards, you accumulate points, and once you reach a certain amount, you can increase your rank. The other method was through invention. An alchemist¡¯s fundamental job was to research and invent, and if an alchemist could invent something completely new with significant market and practical value, they could also be promoted after the Alchemists¡¯ Association¡¯s evaluation. Moreover, if their invention was widely used and produced by other alchemists, their points would further increase. ¡°This could be troublesome¡­¡­¡± After hearing Nanali¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was momentarily speechless. He originally thought that having the credentials would allow him to do as he pleased with money, but it seemed the other side had already experienced similar situations and had tightly sealed all loopholes. Relying purely on buying and selling was no longer possible, so what to do? Might as well farm and upgrade. Merely taking on commissions from the Alchemists¡¯ Association definitely wouldn¡¯t work, not to mention that this Alchemy Workshop was poorly equipped, and even if it weren¡¯t, Fang Zheng gave it serious thought. Having Nanali, a girl, toil away here, it might take a year or two just to hope for a rank upgrade. What remained then was to create a new invention, and then send it for evaluation at the Alchemists¡¯ Association to quickly move up the ranks. But¡­¡­ that wouldn¡¯t be easy either. ¡°Ancestral secret recipe?¡± Watching Fang Zheng, a hint of surprise definitely crossed Nanali¡¯s face. ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t have any ancestral secret recipes; my mother was just a regular alchemist¡­¡± That made sense; if this lady had some ancestral secret recipe, she wouldn¡¯t be in such a pitiable state. Fang Zheng initially thought she might have some protagonist¡¯s fate, but now it seemed she was just a passersby female lead. ¡°So, we must create our own inventions? This definitely won¡¯t be easy¡­¡­¡± While flipping through the Alchemists¡¯ Association¡¯s catalog in front of him, Fang Zheng also frowned. These alchemists were madly inventive, covering everything from potions, weapons, to transportation and power furnaces; in Fang Zheng¡¯s world¡¯s terms, as far as the eye could see, there were patent barriers everywhere, making it impossible to even think about creating a knock-off reverse engineered product¡­ Hmm? Wait a minute! After flipping through the ¡°Patent Encyclopedia¡±, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly opened the book again and flipped through it a second time, and then Fang Zheng discovered something. On the surface, it seemed like the alchemists¡¯ inventions covered everything under the sun, but there was one area they had almost not touched! Agriculture! In the entire alchemists¡¯ catalog, Fang Zheng found only two agricultural inventions, one was similar to the effect of fertilizers, and the other was similar to the effect of pesticides. What surprised him was that when he asked Nanali about these, she proudly informed him that both were her mother¡¯s inventions! No way! Hearing Nanali¡¯s response, Fang Zheng was greatly surprised; these were pesticides and fertilizers, and they were unique in this world. He didn¡¯t believe it if you weren¡¯t the world¡¯s richest person having developed these! How could you still be struggling? You must be joking, right? And seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s expression, Nanali was obviously a bit embarrassed, then she explained a bit, and only then did Fang Zheng understand the reason. This world, although similar to Earth¡¯s environment, had much better conditions, with exceptionally fertile soil such that crops planted in it grew exceedingly well without the need for fertilizers. As for pests¡­ the Main World had a type of Little Monster that specifically devoured pests; every farmer had one, just as essential as having cattle, and as a result, the market for pesticides was also small. And more importantly, Nanali¡¯s mother¡¯s two inventions, although effective, were very expensive! Perhaps Nanali¡¯s mother was obsessive, so she perfected both inventions, using very high-quality materials to make fertilizers and pesticides that, while beneficial and pollution-free, were terribly expensive! If farmers bought them, they wouldn¡¯t even earn enough in a year to cover the costs, essentially losing money! ¡°Sigh¡­¡± After listening to Nanali¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows, unsure of what to do next. Though he had access to a plethora of high-tech products from Ironblood World, Fang Zheng was well aware that the Main World was not like many fantasy worlds of medieval cultural level depicted in novels. He had also gained substantial insights into the ¡°intellectuals¡± of this world during his time in the Sky Arena¡ªit would be harder to fool them than to fool natives of the Middle Ages. If a completely new system of products, different from the existing one, was introduced, it would be surprising if no one suspected anything. According to Nanali, the flashy pesticides and fertilizers favored by transmigrators had no market in this world. It seemed that to break through the ¡°patent barriers¡± created by alchemists, he had to work on the hardware side¡ª but agricultural hardware wasn¡¯t easy to handle¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Fang Zheng sighed again, feeling that farming here was less appealing than fighting demon beasts on the frontier; it was just a waste of time, and he had to bring a tent because of the cold weather¡­ Huh? At that moment, an idea suddenly struck Fang Zheng. Right, how could he have forgotten this! Common agricultural machinery might be challenging to handle, but wouldn¡¯t greenhouses be an excellent direction? ¡°Nanali.¡± ¡°Yes, Master Ezio, what do you need?¡± At the sound of Fang Zheng¡¯s voice, Nanali quickly straightened up and respectfully asked what he wanted. She wasn¡¯t foolish; from Fang Zheng¡¯s earlier questions, she knew he was aiming to elevate his rank as an alchemist to secure a larger Spirit Crystal allocation. Currently, Nanali was very nervous because their arrangement was just a gentleman¡¯s agreement. She truly feared he might deem her not worth the effort and leave¡ª if that happened, she would utterly fail to afford the fees due to the Alchemists¡¯ Association, and then her mother¡¯s workshop would be¡­ ¡°What do the farmers here do during the winter?¡± ¡°The winter?¡± Nanali hadn¡¯t expected such an odd question from Fang Zheng, but after thinking, she answered. ¡°In winter¡­ there¡¯s not much to do. Some people go hunting in groups, while most stay at home waiting for spring to arrive¡­¡± ¡°If they could farm during the winter, would they be willing to do so?¡± ¡°Farm during the winter?¡± Upon hearing this, Nanali¡¯s mouth fell open in surprise. After a moment, she nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course, as everyone really has nothing else to do in the winter. Hunting in the mountains is dangerous, and many people aren¡¯t willing to do it. They go only because there¡¯s nothing else to do and¡­ they need to have some harvest.¡± No matter the world, the farming class always had the hardest life. Compared to the serfs of the Middle Ages, the farmers in the Main World were much better off; the world¡¯s fertile soil made growing crops more effective than using fertilizers, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about reduced production or disasters. Nonetheless, the incomes of farmers in the Main World were still very low. According to Nanali, many took the risky hunting trips in the mountains during the winter to gather more mountain goods to sell and earn some money. If there really were something that could enable farming in winter, the farmers would undoubtedly crave it! But¡­ ¡°Can we create such a thing?¡± Nanali clearly lacked confidence; changing the climate was something even Legendary Mages found challenging, and she was but an alchemist! ¡°Of course, and it¡¯s quite simple.¡± In response to Nanali¡¯s doubts, Fang Zheng was completely unphased. Greenhouses ¨C such a simple concept. Ironblood World¡¯s Earth had plenty of data; he just had to copy that, and then use alchemy to create an Otherworld version. What could be difficult about that? However¡­ Looking at the young girl in front of him, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. Everyone else starting in another world was tackling high technology, but here he was beginning with actual farming? For someone who controlled a million Zerg and was currently engaged in interstellar warfare, might this be too low-key? Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: Chapter 165 Unexpected Development Direction Chapter 166: Chapter 165 Unexpected Development Direction Wanting to construct a greenhouse actually wasn¡¯t difficult using alchemy from Another World, but the problem was finding something to substitute for plastic film. Initially, Fang Zheng had placed his hopes on Nanali, but soon he realized he had made a mistake. ¡°Deep Sea Giant Monster¡­ Dragon Wings¡­ Underground Spider Queen¡­¡± Looking at the list before him, Fang Zheng was speechless. ¡°Miss Nanali, I thought I made my requirements very clear. We need a transparent film that can keep in warmth and moisture, and provide insulation against the cold¡­ What is this¡­ Are you planning to create some kind of Divine Artifact?¡± Even Fang Zheng knew that most of the items on the list were Legendary creatures. Not to mention whether they could obtain them or not, even if they did¡­ What use would they be? ¡°But, but, based on what you said sir, I thought these were the best!¡± ¡°But they are not enough!¡± Helplessly, Fang Zheng put down the list in his hand and gestured towards the brunette girl in front of him. ¡°Take Dragon Wings for example. Even if we successfully slay a dragon, how much area can one Dragon Wing turned into a film cover? More importantly, we¡¯re not just making a one-time deal here! This is supposed to be a sustainable business! We might need to sell thousands or even more eventually. Where will we find another dragon then? Not to mention the cost of these things¡­ I¡¯m not even talking about how much time and money it would take to hunt a dragon, but even once brought back, Dragonhide isn¡¯t something you can just craft willy-nilly, right?¡± Fang Zheng originally thought the girl¡¯s business was not thriving just due to bad luck, but after starting to actually work, he realized that Nanali and her mother suffered from the same issue. No matter what invention or creation it was, their immediate thought went to the best materials, completely ignoring other issues¡­ But the problem was, those precious materials simply couldn¡¯t be mass-produced! Besides, I¡¯m just making a greenhouse. Why does your list make it seem like we¡¯re trying to colonize Mars? ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Nanali finally understood where her problem lay and dejectedly took back the list. Fang Zheng sighed and then turned to the Little Angel beside him. ¡°Nymph, do you have any good suggestions?¡± ¡°How about this, Master?¡± Nymph, who was perusing the Encyclopedia of Magic, blinked at Fang Zheng¡¯s question and then flipped the book she was holding. Both Fang Zheng and Nanali were stunned by the information they saw. ¡°¡­Slime?¡± ¡°Can such a low-Ranked Demon Creature actually be useful?¡± Nanali¡¯s first reaction was skepticism, simply because Slimes were considered very low-Ranked in the Main World¡¯s food chain. They generally resided in the dim corners of forests and caves. These Slimes weren¡¯t very strong and posed limited threats. Moreover, since they weren¡¯t useful for much, even mercenaries weren¡¯t interested in hunting them. But for Fang Zheng, this was no issue. ¡°Surviving by consuming moss and decaying matter, their outer skin is soft and elastic¡­ Ordinary blades can hardly hurt them¡­ Only found in areas with dense vegetation¡­¡± Reading the description of Slimes from the encyclopedia, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment. ¡°In any case, let¡¯s go have a look.¡± Locating Slimes was easy. In fact, they could be seen in the caves around the town. There were many Slimes, but they were not very dangerous. Their attacks were weak, and they moved slowly, so ordinary villagers were not particularly driven to bother them. As such, without much effort, Fang Zheng and his group found the ¡°legendary¡± Slimes. ¡°So it¡¯s these things, huh.¡± Looking at the Slimes in front of him, Fang Zheng slightly furrowed his brows. The Slimes of the Main World looked very different from the cute little creatures he remembered from the game. They looked more like a lump of wriggling mud. These Slimes ate pretty much anything, but their slow movement made hunting animals and humans practically out of the question. Thus, Slimes mostly fed on plants and decaying corpses, and since they were not animals, they lacked fur and were covered in slimy mud, which made their appearance even less appealing. However, this does not mean that slimes are as harmless as little bunnies, because these slimes release a venom to paralyze their opponent¡¯s nerves when attacked, leaving them in a paralyzed state before slowly digesting them. The process is somewhat similar to how pythons or spiders feed, only the venom of the slimes is not very potent, effective mostly on small creatures like rabbits. For Fang Zheng, this was, of course, no trouble at all; in fact, even the weak fighting Little Angel could easily handle it, only an alchemist like Nanali who had no strength could not manage it. ¡°Splash!¡± With a casual wave of his hand, Fang Zheng quickly conjured a water sphere out of thin air, then smashed it onto the slime, washing away all the muck on its body thoroughly. After washing off the muck that covered the slime¡¯s body, Fang Zheng could finally see their true form¡ªthese slimes looked a bit like translucent jellyfish, but without tentacles, appearing more like a wiggling water balloon. The slimes did not have eyes or other such organs, and the Encyclopedia of Magic did not mention how these creatures sensed their surroundings. However, Fang Zheng did not care, he went forward and stabbed the slime¡¯s body, then saw the slime¡¯s originally swollen body suddenly tremble and immediately became paralyzed. The life core of the slime was a small orb inside their body; as long as that was punctured, the slime would be killed instantly. ¡°Nymph, come and see what use these things might have.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Nymph also knelt down, extended her hand, and placed it on the corpse of the slime, her eyes then began to emit a bright radiance. ¡°¡­ Scanning biological surface¡­ Analyzing core¡­ Performing reanalysis¡­¡± After a moment, Nymph blinked her eyes, stood up, and looked back at Fang Zheng with a joyful smile. ¡°Master, it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°It looks like the results are good?¡± Seeing the Little Angel¡¯s exhilarated demeanor, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. Nymph was always respectful in front of him, and the things she handled on a day-to-day basis¡ªif not almost certain¡ªwould not be shown so obviously. ¡°Yes.¡± Indeed, hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s inquiry, the Little Angel nodded happily. ¡°According to the analysis, these slimes perfectly meet your requirements, Master. Their outer skin is very suitable to replace plastic films; furthermore, I have found that the liquid inside these slimes has high nutritional value and can be used as fertilizer.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng immediately became interested. He really hadn¡¯t expected to receive such an unexpected bonus! Fertilizer is indeed a good thing, no one would complain about having too much food, and the fact that Nanali¡¯s mother¡¯s chemical fertilizers passed the Alchemists¡¯ Association¡¯s assessment speaks volumes. However, Nanali¡¯s mother committed the biggest mistake of researchers; she didn¡¯t care about the cost¡­ If the costs can¡¯t be lowered, then naturally there¡¯s nothing to be said. But slimes are different! These creatures are easily killed and are numerous; moreover, they are easy to breed¡­ Yes, after learning about the slimes¡¯ utility from Nymph, Fang Zheng had decided to set up a slime farm when he returned. But before that, he still had one very important thing to do. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you next, Miss Nanali.¡± Fang Zheng needed to raise Nanali¡¯s alchemist level; if he just handed over the utility of these slimes to the Alchemists¡¯ Association, it would only be a matter of supplying raw materials, and these items would only truly be alchemy products after they had undergone an alchemic process. Although Fang Zheng was somewhat interested in alchemy, neither he nor Nymph knew much about it, so for now¡­ he had to rely on Nanali. Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Chapter 166: Alchemy Technology in the Main World Chapter 167: Chapter 166: Alchemy Technology in the Main World ¡°Damn it!¡± Watching the potion explode beside him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but curse, then he sighed helplessly and casually threw the fragments on the table into the trash can next to him. During this period, for Fang Zheng, doing nothing was just as boring. Nanali was processing the slime¡¯s skin and bodily fluids according to his orders, and Fang Zheng, with nothing better to do, wanted to learn some alchemy skills, so he started studying in that area. But¡­ the progress wasn¡¯t going as smoothly as learning magic. If for Fang Zheng, learning magic was like a programmer typing out code, then alchemy was more like a combination of material physics and chemistry. The essence of an alchemist¡¯s skills lies in focusing on the material essence of objects and enhancing, modifying, and transforming them. Through enchantment, forging, strengthening, and other means, they stabilize the objects to make them functional. Typing out code was Fang Zheng¡¯s forte, but dealing with physical materials and chemistry had nothing to do with him; currently, he was pretty much starting from scratch¡­ What? You ask what happened to the physics and chemistry he studied during his school days? He returned it to his teachers after graduating! ¡°It seems I really don¡¯t have the talent to be a research junkie, better to stick to being a programmer,¡± Fang Zheng mused. Looking at the broken potion bottle in front of him, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. This was still his attempt at following the ¡°patent formula¡± provided by the Alchemists¡¯ Association, Every step was followed exactly as written, but it had still exploded. As for where the problem was, Fang Zheng had no clue. It was only in the aspect of alchemy¡¯s enchantment that Fang Zheng had some talent. He had also worked on some game hardware design in the past, so he had some insights into engraving magic circles and connecting energy. Although Fang Zheng¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t fast, his accuracy rate was a hundred percent¡­ The reason, of course, was quite simple. After all, his Future Sight could help him skip most of the mistake-making process. But as for the nymph¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?0 ¡°It¡¯s done, Master!¡± ¡°Good job, have some cake.¡± Looking at the nymph giggling while holding up the potion bottle, presenting it to him like a treasure, Fang Zheng reached out to pat her little head. Then he took out a piece of cake, and seeing the cake in Fang Zheng¡¯s hands, the Little Angel cheered, then took a bite of the cream-coated cake, squinting her eyes and showing a blissful expression. Unlike Fang Zheng, Nanali seemed to pick up the highly precise discipline with ease. Considering this, Fang Zheng thought that though the little one couldn¡¯t use magic, if she could learn alchemy, she could to some extent ensure her own safety. Because alchemists in this world can fight too. They can mimic spell effects with various potions and even create all sorts of enchanted equipment to protect themselves and eliminate enemies. The Little Angel had no problems with support, but when it came to combat power, she was terribly weak, only slightly better than the Entry Level Professionals from the Main World. If she could compensate for this shortcoming through alchemy, then that would be a good thing. Nanali herself was well aware of this, so she practiced alchemy tirelessly every day. Although Fang Zheng knew artificial angels didn¡¯t need to eat or sleep, it pained him to see the Little Angel studying like this every day. The only thing he could do for her was to provide her with her favorite sweets as a reward. ¡°How¡¯s the progress?¡± While sipping on some tea, Fang Zheng casually asked, and Nanali, eating her cake, nodded her head. ¡°Progress is rapid, Master. Miss Nanali has already mastered the technique of alchemically processing the slime¡¯s skin. Now all we need to do is to achieve the data effects of the Ironblood World with the alchemy of this world, and it would be perfect. As for the research in fertilizer, I¡¯ve found a component for a strengthening potion blend. Just need to run some tests to confirm there are no issues and it can be submitted. The current problem is¡­¡± ¡°Not enough output?¡± Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow. Slimes were creatures one could either easily find or not find at all, essentially wild monsters in nature, not much different from wild boars in terms of unpredictability. For Fang Zheng, he¡¯d rather set up something akin to a modern pig farm, perhaps a slime breeding farm. ¡°Leave this matter to me.¡± Since Fang Zheng seemed to have no talent for alchemy, he could take care of other matters. Of course, it would require a lot of money, but for Fang Zheng, money wasn¡¯t an issue. After all, he had taken on so many commissions at the Death Exchange, and the bounty for each was quite generous. It would be a pity not to spend it. What to do if he runs out of money? Just go out and kill again. With so many evil people in the world awaiting the justice of punishment, how could Fang Zheng, as a Templar, turn a blind eye to them? There were still so many people suffering in the world. Could he really enjoy himself alone and still live with his conscience? All of this was for the sake of democratic freedom and justice! Thinking this way, Fang Zheng left the workshop and walked down to the hillside. As he looked out, he saw a huge semi-circular, translucent tent erected there. When Fang Zheng entered the tent, the first thing he saw was a plowed field and a few farmers chatting while holding farming tools. Seeing Fang Zheng approach, the leading man immediately turned around with a smile and greeted him. ¡°Hey, lad, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to check on things, Uncle Hank,¡± Fang Zheng replied with a smile, nodding at the man before him. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Really great! Hey, where did you get this stuff called fertilizer? I¡¯ve been farming all my life, Hank has, and it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen anything grow this fast¡­ You know, I never thought that with a big tent like this, people could actually farm in winter!¡± After harvesting the ¡°materials¡± from slimes, Fang Zheng had Nana and Nymph create a similar structure to the greenhouses from Earth in the Ironblood World. He then specially found a plot of land and hired people to try farming it. Having grown up in the city in his previous life, Fang Zheng was unfamiliar with farming, so of course, it was better to leave it to the professionals. At first, the villagers didn¡¯t take Fang Zheng¡¯s request seriously, but as it goes, money talks. Once Fang Zheng threw a few gold coins their way, they immediately took on the task. As Nanali said, in the winter when heavy snow seals the mountains, farmers have nothing to do. Those willing to take risks go hunting in the mountains; those who are not, just idle about. Given the chance to earn money and do farm work, which they were skilled at, of course they wouldn¡¯t refuse. In the beginning, these farmers weren¡¯t particularly impressed by Nanali¡¯s ¡°greenhouse.¡± That wasn¡¯t surprising since, according to Uncle Hank, ever since Nanali took over the workshop, it was prone to explosions every now and then. Also, occasionally people came asking her to repair farm tools, only to find them completely transformed into something else and didn¡¯t know how to use them upon their return. Because of this, after a few incidents, nobody sought out Nanali for commissions anymore. They only went to her to buy a potion or something when they were sick or injured. This was also why the business at Nanali¡¯s workshop was so bleak. This time they also initially thought the strange big tent was one of Nanali¡¯s odd inventions. But then¡­ ¡°It¡¯s amazing, lad! Do you sell these things? I want one too! And that thing called fertilizer, I want that as well!¡± It wasn¡¯t just Uncle Hank; even the few people around him were eager. If at first they thought it was just one of Nanali¡¯s peculiar inventions, now they were completely sold on the idea! The device could actually make crops grow in winter and keep them from freezing to death! What¡¯s more, the green substance called fertilizer also amazed the farmers. Although the soil here was fertile, it wasn¡¯t this exaggerated. The seeds had only been in the ground for a few days, and the shoots were already as tall as a palm! At this rate, it seemed they might be able to harvest once a month! Not only that, being farmers, they immediately noticed the advantages of the strange tent¡ªit was impervious to wind, rain, and frost. Who wouldn¡¯t be tempted by that? ¡°Right now, all this is still in the experimental stage. If it turns out to be successful, we will consider selling it to the Alchemists¡¯ Association,¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t immediately agree. This was just a prototype, and the reason the crops were growing so fast was because of the fertilizer. Although Nymph confirmed that the fertilizer extracted from the slimes didn¡¯t seem harmful, they would still have to wait for the experiment to be finished to be sure. But for now¡­ it seemed like there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Chapter 167: That Man Probably Has Bad Intentions! Chapter 168: Chapter 167: That Man Probably Has Bad Intentions! When Nanali visited the Alchemists¡¯ Association again, the sight of that familiar gate made her nervous. She took a deep breath, clutching the scroll and coin purse tightly in her hand, then placed it in front of her chest and took another deep breath, nodding to herself as if to bolster her courage. Just as she was about to step forward, suddenly, a small hand reached out from behind her and gently tapped Nanali¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ahh!¡± The sudden appearance of the hand startled Nanali, and she quickly turned around to look behind her, only to see a girl with black shoulder-length hair and a deep red cloak smiling mischievously at her. ¡°Hahaha, Nanali, it¡¯s been such a long time!¡± ¡°Kuliya, you really scared me¡­¡± Seeing the grinning girl in front of her, Nanali placed a hand over her heart and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It really has been a long time¡­ Speaking of which, it¡¯s the end of the year again, huh? Are you still the same as always?¡± While speaking, the black-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows and looked Nanali up and down. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not in trouble, are you? I remember you¡¯ll lose your workshop¡¯s license if you¡¯re behind with the fees again this year¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no trouble at all!!¡± Hearing her friend¡¯s words, Nanali hurriedly exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, and then she fumbled to take out her coin purse in front of the black-haired girl. ¡°I have money now, this time I can pay the fees¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í?0.?¦Ï ¡°Idiot, what are you doing?!¡± Seeing Nanali suddenly pull out her coin purse in front of everyone, Kuliya too was shocked. She quickly grabbed Nanali¡¯s hand and glanced around swiftly before hastily leading Nanali into the Alchemists¡¯ Association. It wasn¡¯t until they reached the counter that Kuliya let go of her hand, then stood with her hands on her hips, looking at her friend helplessly. ¡°Are you a fool? Taking out your coin purse in public, what if it caught a thief¡¯s eye? And, you actually¡­ no way, where did you get all this money from?¡± After glancing at the open coin purse, Kuliya was astonished, and she looked up with disbelief at the girl in front of her. Being Nanali¡¯s best friend, she certainly knew her financial situation was never good, even to the point where she had to resort to picking wild grass to eat when she was at her poorest. But now, a purse brimming with gold coins¡­ where on earth did it come from? ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t take on some dubious job, did you?¡± At this thought, Kuliya¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. She placed a hand on Nanali¡¯s shoulder, looking at her friend with concern. ¡°I know the alchemy workshop your mother left you is important, but you can¡¯t do anything silly, okay? If it¡¯s about money, I can lend you some! You really shouldn¡¯t do anything foolish!¡± ¡°What, what are you talking about, how could I accept a dangerous job¡­¡± Already nervous, Nanali became even more so upon hearing Kuliya¡¯s words. She knew the sale of her alchemy workshop to Mr. Ezio was just a private verbal agreement between the two of them, and they had even agreed to keep it a secret from others. With such a secret weighing on her mind, she felt even more under pressure when pressed by her friend. However, Nanali hadn¡¯t expected that her reaction would actually deepen Kuliya¡¯s suspicions. ¡°Wait, why are you turning your head away? What exactly have you done? You haven¡¯t done anything bad, have you¡­¡± ¡°No, really, I didn¡¯t do anything¡­ That¡¯s it! I have two new inventions! I want to register them with the association!!¡± ¡°New inventions?¡± Even though she knew Nanali was trying to change the subject, and seeing that pleading ¡°please don¡¯t ask¡± look in her friend¡¯s eyes, Kuliya couldn¡¯t bring herself to press further. She took the scroll from Nanali¡¯s hand and unrolled it. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t come up with some weird thing again, like that dragon tooth kitchen knife from last time¡­ No one would bother slaying a dragon just to cast a kitchen knife for you¡­ Hmm? This is¡­ a greenhouse¡­¡± As she looked at the blueprints and descriptions on the scroll, Kuliya was momentarily taken aback, then she instantly began reading the content earnestly. Kuliya wasn¡¯t just Nanali¡¯s friend; she was also an employee of the Alchemists¡¯ Association. But she hadn¡¯t used her position to grant Nanali any favors¡­ in truth, because Nanali¡¯s situation was already beyond the help of mere connections. ¡°This¡­ did you come up with this?¡± It took only a few minutes for Kuliya to recognize the potential of the ¡°greenhouse¡± and ¡°fertilizer¡± detailed in the scroll. She was astonished not by the appearance of these two alchemy tools but by their materials. As Nanali¡¯s best friend, Kuliya was all too aware of Nanali¡¯s almost obsessive-compulsive perfectionism, akin to madness. She was the type who would insist even her comb must be made from the bone of a Northern Sea Whalefish; of course, such a thing might be valuable, but it certainly wouldn¡¯t have a market. The problem was that the materials for these items came from¡­ slimes? ¡°` If the scroll Nanali holds contains the truth, then this can be described as a cost-effective and significant alchemical invention!! This is far more impressive than those impractical inventions Nanali produced before! ¡°No, no, no, this isn¡¯t actually¡­ something I came up with, someone else thought of it¡­¡­¡± At her core, Nanali is still a good child. Although Fang Zheng has already told her that she can have the ¡°patent¡± all to herself, Nanali clearly doesn¡¯t see it that way. ¡°It¡¯s from a relative of mine!¡± ¡°A relative?¡± At this point, Kuliya became even more puzzled. ¡°How come I never knew you had relatives?¡± ¡°A distant¡­ cousin. He came to see me, and now he lives at my place. The design for this, I drew it under his guidance¡­ Ah, of course, all the technology in it was developed by me!¡± ¡°¡­So, he provided an idea, and you completed it?¡± After listening to Nanali¡¯s somewhat flustered explanation, Kuliya finally understood the sequence of events and let out a sigh of relief. If that¡¯s the case, then there seems to be no issue with the ownership of the invention ¡°patent.¡± ¡°So, was that money given to you by your relative as well?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Ezio is a kind man, he helped me a lot.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kuliya frowned, her eyes glinting with suspicion as she blinked. Her instinct as a girl told her something was off, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly was wrong at the moment. However, the two alchemical inventions that Nanali brought indeed held significant meaning, and Kuliya could confirm that they had never been recorded in the Alchemists¡¯ Association before. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not worry about that for now. How do you plan to register it? As public or to keep it reserved?¡± ¡°For now, keep it reserved¡­¡± Just as patents have a period of protection, the Alchemists¡¯ Association has a similar system to prevent the theft of alchemical invention ¡°patents.¡± Alchemists generally file a document with the Association to affirm their ¡°status¡± as inventors right after making a discovery. Of course, this is just the initial stage of the invention; there may be side effects, potential hazards, or deficiencies, so alchemists typically choose to keep their inventions to themselves. The rest will wait until all experiments are concluded, and the invention can enter mass production and actual use before the invention is modified and then publicly sold. As for the possibility of someone stealthily stealing patents from the Association for their own¡­ heh, this isn¡¯t the Earth where one says one thing, and another says another. Whether it¡¯s a mage or a cleric, there are a hundred and one ways to confirm the truth. Anyone too idle and itching to experience the power of magic and divine arts is welcome to try their luck. Thus, in handling legal disputes, the Main World is much faster than Fang Zheng¡¯s world. ¡°All set.¡± As a staff member of the Association, Kuliya handled these affairs effortlessly. It didn¡¯t take much time to process both of Nanali¡¯s inventions, and Nanali cleared her debts, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief ¡ª no matter what, her mother¡¯s workshop was no longer at risk of being repossessed. ¡°Next, according to the process, all inventions must be verified by a staff member¡­ It seems you didn¡¯t bring them, so I¡¯ll go back with you to take a look.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that okay?¡± Upon hearing Kuliya¡¯s words, Nanali was taken aback. ¡°But Kuliya, don¡¯t you have a lot of work to do?¡± ¡°This is also part of my job. Besides, you were foolishly showing your money pouch outside just earlier; who knows if any thieves are watching you. Having me beside you would be safer, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± While saying this, Kuliya patted her waist. ¡°I am an elite warrior, after all. Don¡¯t worry! I will definitely protect you well.¡± Of course, Kuliya didn¡¯t tell Nanali the whole truth. Although ensuring Nanali¡¯s safe return to town and verifying her ¡°greenhouse¡± invention were indeed part of her job, what Kuliya was most concerned about was the newly appeared ¡°relative¡± of Nanali. Given that Nanali had referred to him with a male pronoun, it indicated that the person was a man. Hmm¡­ A man claiming to be Nanali¡¯s distant relative, coming here, giving her a substantial amount of money¡­ At this point, Kuliya already had an idea. That man probably harbors ill intentions towards Nanali! ¡°` Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Appearance is Masayuki! Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Appearance is Masayuki! Days like these aren¡¯t too bad either. Sitting leisurely in a chair, gazing at the scenery outside while contentedly petting the kitten in his lap, Fang Zheng closed his eyes and yawned with satisfaction. Peace, peace was truly the best thing, without having to care about the deadly fight between order and chaos, nor having to think about any tedious matters. Just idly being a salted fish in a border town, even getting to pet cats with Little Angel all day without a thought in the world, such leisurely days needed to be thoroughly enjoyed. Toward that end, Fang Zheng opened the Dimensional Codex. The Cash Summon cooldown had ended, but Fang Zheng did not start it immediately because this Cash Summon clearly stated a condition¡ª¡±World Instance Attribute Summon UP.¡± That meant, similar to the angel class summon he had restricted previously when completing a mission, this Cash Summon was restricted by instance attributes. This implied that if Fang Zheng entered a science fiction world, this Cash Summon¡¯s ten consecutive pulls would all be science fiction entities, and if it were a magic world, they would be Magic. Precisely because of this, Fang Zheng decided not to perform the Cash Summon immediately, but to wait until the next instance world opened. He now hoped to acquire a Magic Soulstone, at least¡­ one ought to let a person live smoothly. Currently, Malthael and Arthas were temporarily unavailable, and Kerrigan was also not good to release; it was necessary to find a new major move. As for Ezio and 47¡­ 47 was still somewhat useful, but Ezio? Fang Zheng might be stronger than him now! Summoning had no damn use! ¡°Master, look, I did it!¡± Hearing Little Angel¡¯s voice, Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked toward Nymph next to him. She was holding a small silver ring, her face alight with an excited smile. ¡°You did? Try it out!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0 ¡°Alright.¡± While saying this, Nymph extended her hand to gently tap the ring. Soon, a transparent barrier formed around the little one, protecting her. Seeing this barrier, Fang Zheng also raised his right hand, and immediately several Magic Missiles shot out, striking in front of Nymph. Under the impact of the Magic Missiles, the barrier in front of Nymph flashed a few times before returning to its original form. ¡°The strength isn¡¯t bad.¡± Looking at the Magic Barrier in front of him, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. If this world were a novel, then Nymph could clearly be labeled as a protagonist with an ¡°Alchemy Specialization.¡± The little one¡¯s combat strength was terribly weak, but she was frighteningly strong in precision work. Alchemy, a discipline that demands high precision, made Nymph thrive after mastering the basics, storming through as if a primary school student had finished middle, high school, and the first year of college in half a month, waiting to directly start a combined master¡¯s and PhD program. Even those who write novels wouldn¡¯t dare to write it this way. But Nymph just managed to do it. Of course, considering that she was an angel, this wasn¡¯t too surprising. According to Fang Zheng¡¯s observation, in Alchemy, precision is the highest standard required. Just like industrial science in his world, the higher the precision in Alchemy, the greater the power. Just like the Magic Shield Nymph had just released, it was a Magic Shield cast by a Third-Tier Mage Apprentice, but Nymph made it with the strength of a Level Five standard, which was Alchemy¡¯s boost. A good alchemy tool can enhance the power of the magic released. Mages can also achieve this, and even more conveniently. But considering Alchemy and Magic are two different systems, it¡¯s quite rare. This would also be another reason Fang Zheng supported Nymph¡¯s study of Alchemy. Mages have limitations in their spell slots, and Alchemy has similar limitations, but mages combined with Alchemy could cast more spells and enhance their power. If Nymph could learn Advanced Alchemy, then it would naturally be all benefits and no drawbacks for Fang Zheng. ¡°However, protection class spells are best made triggerable. You should clearly understand, for mages, often the enemy acts with intent against the unprepared, and won¡¯t give you any chance to cast spells. Even for alchemists, it¡¯s somewhat more convenient compared to mages. First, protect against physical attacks, then quickly create distance; I think a Fixed-point Teleportation Spell would be a great choice.¡± ¡°I understand, Master.¡± Nymph was also very serious about listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s advice. After the battle at the Sanctuary, she understood that she must make up for this shortcoming. If at that time Nymph had been able to defend against Connie¡¯s attack, perhaps the situation would have been different. Of course, her master didn¡¯t put this matter too much to heart. But for Nymph, she absolutely would not allow such an incident to happen again. ¡°But¡­ this requires a lot of expensive Alchemy Materials¡­¡± ¡°Leave it to me, money is no object.¡± Fang Zheng waved his hand grandly, completely unconcerned with Nymph¡¯s worries. They were now connected with the Alchemists¡¯ Association, and Fang Zheng could also covertly obtain some valuable resources through the Death Exchange. Of course, the quantity couldn¡¯t be too much to avoid arousing the suspicions of assassins from the shadows, but if it was just for Nymph¡¯s use, it would be enough. Actually, Fang Zheng had also considered obtaining Soul Crystals through the Death Exchange. Low-grade Soul Crystals are easy to come by but don¡¯t fetch a high recharge amount. If he could get those high-quality Soul Crystals, then the recharge for a High-Tier Soul Crystal would probably be worth hundreds of Low-grade Soul Crystals. Although according to the rules of the Death Exchange, Fang Zheng could also propose his own compensation requests, he couldn¡¯t do that. Because currently in the Death Exchange, he was playing the part of a ¡°Grim Reaper without a trace.¡± At least on the surface, he did not kill for compensation; receiving compensation seemed more like an incidental act. This was also a mystique deliberately laid out by Fang Zheng. Maintaining a sense of mystery was very important. Once he had a request, it would be detected by others, and once the other party knew what he needed, things would get complicated. So, Fang Zheng would occasionally visit the Death Exchange, quietly watching those commissions, hoping to find some that paid in High-Tier Soul Crystals. Unfortunately, his luck was not great, and he hadn¡¯t encountered any ¡­ Nanali had once suggested that Miss Nymph apply for Alchemist certification, but Fang Zheng disagreed. It wasn¡¯t that he was reluctant to let go of the Little Angel, but Miss Nymph¡¯s origins were too unique and her performance so remarkable that she was bound to attract attention once discovered. After all, they were here to keep a low profile, treating any extra attention with disdain. Although becoming an alchemist would grant access to more resources and guidance from the Association, Miss Nymph did not need such things. The Little Angel¡¯s scientific capabilities were unprecedented. She could simply scan the structure and materials of any alchemy tools and immediately deduce their principles and processes, using them to enhance her own Alchemy. In this case, Miss Nymph saw no need to undergo what she referred to as ¡°re-education for the poor countryside.¡± At least in Miss Nymph¡¯s eyes, the civilization of the Main World was of this standard. The Little Angel had complained to Fang Zheng more than once that if she could only get back in touch with Synapsus, the mere Kingdom of the Holy Church ¡­ how it would have been. ¡°Mr. Ezio, I am back!¡± Just then, Nanali¡¯s voice came from outside the door, and hearing her shout, Fang Zheng also stood up and played with the kitten in his hands. ¡°It seems like it went well.¡± Previously, when Nanali went alone, she was as nervous as if she was heading to the gallows, but now, by the sound of her voice, it was clear that things had progressed smoothly, or else the girl wouldn¡¯t be so happy. Then, Fang Zheng saw the door open, and shortly after, Nanali came in with a cheerful smile. ¡°Mr. Ezio! Miss Nymph! I¡¯m back, and everything went smoothly!¡± ¡°Good to hear it went well.¡± Truth be told, when Nanali went alone, Fang Zheng was somewhat worried. Based on the plot of the novels he had read, he feared that someone in the Alchemists¡¯ Association might covet Nanali¡¯s invention and attempt to take it forcefully, or perhaps even threaten her¡­ Now, it seemed he had read too many novels. Hearing Nanali¡¯s response, Fang Zheng smiled slightly, then he stood up and looked at the girl next to Nanali. ¡°This is ¡­¡± ¡°Ah, she¡¯s my good friend, named Kuliya ¡­ Kuliya?¡± ¡°Ah?!¡± Since entering the workshop, Kuliya had been staring at Fang Zheng, seeming dazed. Seeing her friend¡¯s expression, Nanali was puzzled and gently tugged at her, but at that moment, Kuliya seemed to come to her senses and hurriedly showed a nervous smile to Fang Zheng. ¡°Ah, hello, my name is Kuliya. von. Granz.¡± ¡°I am Ezio. Auditore, nice to meet you, Miss Kuliya.¡± Fang Zheng shamelessly plagiarized someone else¡¯s name, using it merely as a cover. ¡°Kuliya is my good friend and also a staff member of the Alchemists¡¯ Association. She came with me this time mainly to check on the greenhouse conditions.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Nanali¡¯s response, Fang Zheng nodded, then stood up. ¡°It just so happens, I was planning to check on that myself. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡± Listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Kuliya bowed respectfully, while Fang Zheng didn¡¯t say much, just smiled and went back to his room to get his clothes. Until Fang Zheng left, Nanali curiously looked at her friend. ¡°Why so honest all of a sudden?¡± Truth be told, Nanali was quite worried just now because on the way here, Kuliya was nonstop chattering, almost believing that the other party was a fraud. She had solemnly assured Nanali that if she just went there, the man¡¯s true colors would come to light. But now her demeanor¡­ why did she seem even more obedient than Mr. Auditore¡¯s kitten? ¡°I, how am I not being honest? Don¡¯t talk nonsense ¡­ But that gentleman ¡­ really seems like a good person, so graceful and composed, and also so handsome¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you emphatically tell me that Mr. Auditore was definitely not a good person before?¡± Seeing her friend looking starstruck, Nanali was utterly baffled. Upon hearing Nanali¡¯s question, Kuliya gave her a stare. ¡°What are you saying, Nanali? He¡¯s so handsome, how could he be a bad guy?¡± Chapter 170 - Chapter 170: Chapter 169: Its Simply a Waste of Talent! Chapter 170: Chapter 169: It¡¯s Simply a Waste of Talent! Although Nanali had long known that her friend had an offbeat side, she had to admit that she was stunned when she heard Kuliya answer so confidently. Is that even an option? ¡°You just don¡¯t understand this, do you?¡± Seeing her friend¡¯s expression, Kuliya had to take her hand and explain it carefully. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think that judging by appearances is unreliable because, in our line of work, it¡¯s fundamental.¡± Kuliya¡¯s words were not false. As an employee of the Alchemists¡¯ Association, her main job was exactly this¡ªidentifying who came to genuinely collaborate and who came to freeload. Given the nature of the Alchemists¡¯ Association¡¯s work, you have to discern what is pseudoscience, what is advanced science, and what is layman¡¯s science. Otherwise, you might end up reporting some trifling alchemy innovation like turning water into oil, and that would be truly embarrassing. But after all, employees are just employees. Although Kuliya was not an alchemist herself, and despite the saying that ¡°even if you haven¡¯t seen a pig run, you¡¯ve eaten pork¡±, these employees had to evaluate alchemy inventions from all over, of all sorts¡ªflying in the sky, running underground, swimming in the water¡ªa mixture of everything. You can¡¯t expect these employees to know everything from astronomy to geography. If that were the case, why work at the reception desk? They might as well be librarians. In comparison, judging people was much easier. At the least, you can discern some traits from a person¡¯s speech, behavior, and demeanor. If someone likes to boast, then you have to be skeptical about their inventions. And if someone is honest and simple, then there might be some aspects of their invention that they haven¡¯t explained clearly¡­ All in all, Kuliya believed she might misjudge inventions, but she would never misjudge people! At first, she indeed had her doubts about Nanali¡¯s so-called ¡°relative¡±, especially since Nanali¡¯s evasive attitude only deepened Kuliya¡¯s suspicions. Having grown up together with Nanali, Kuliya knew her friend¡¯s nature too well and could tell from her demeanor that she was definitely hiding something. That was why Kuliya decided to come and see for herself. The reason Kuliya had been badmouthing Ezio all along was to see Nanali¡¯s reaction. If Nanali truly disliked that man, she would inadvertently agree with Kuliya¡¯s opinions. But if Nanali were charmed by the man, she would at least retort a few times. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï However, Kuliya was puzzled that, upon hearing her own ¡°trash talk,¡± Nanali did not react as she had expected. She didn¡¯t seem to find a confidante, nor did she act like a woman in love who would defend her oppa. Instead, she seemed troubled, as if more respectful¡ªor perhaps coerced or enchanted¡ªthan smitten or deceived. But when she saw Fang Zheng in person, Kuliya immediately noticed his extraordinary aura. This young man was barely in his twenties, but his attire and behavior exuded a noble and graceful demeanor. Moreover, his gaze was calm, whether he was looking at her or Nanali, and it didn¡¯t reveal any sinister intent. More importantly, when Fang Zheng looked at her, Kuliya even felt a strong pressure¡ªit was as if a ruler who commanded the world was watching her, almost making her tremble! But more crucially, the young man in front of her was extremely handsome! Unlike Nanali, who always stayed at home as a science nerd, Kuliya had seen many young talents. The alchemy field was filled with emerging talents, and although this place was not the headquarters of the association, over the years, there had also been some ¡°prodigies¡± and ¡°geniuses¡± such as a blond dwarf who dreamed of obtaining the Philosopher¡¯s Stone, or a large man who wanted to perform human transmutations¡­ Being an alchemist was both a costly and profitable profession, so Kuliya had seen many nobles and affluent young men. Among them, some had good looks, others had demeanor, and some had both. Yet none were at Fang Zheng¡¯s level! Although Fang Zheng¡¯s appearance had not changed much from before his rebirth¡ªhe was not unpleasant-looking before either¡ªhis body had been fine-tuned during the reconfiguration process, allowing his charisma to reach a C++ level. Now, Fang Zheng had both the appearance and demeanor, plus the commanding presence conferred by the Heart of the Swarm, which was unmatched by ordinary people. For that reason, Kuliya¡¯s attitude toward Fang Zheng could naturally not be too harsh. With such an elegant and refined long-legged oppa, how could Kuliya not like him? It would be considered self-control if she hadn¡¯t already hugged his leg, shouting ¡°Oppa, I love you, autograph, please!¡± But when Kuliya followed Fang Zheng and the others to the greenhouse, she was immediately captivated by the unimaginably beautiful scenes before her! ¡°It¡¯s truly unimaginable¡­¡± Looking at the greenery inside the greenhouse, Kuliya stood there dumbfounded, completely at a loss for words. Since this was only an experiment, Fang Zheng did not choose crops like wheat that have a long growth period and the effects of which are not as directly observable. For instance, to use wheat, you must mill it into flour and then bake it into bread¡­ That process is just too long. Therefore, they chose to plant a type of fruit called Tachibana Fruit in this world, which resembles strawberries. After all, this fruit has a short growth cycle, can be eaten directly, has a decent taste, and is easier to experiment with. And now, after days of cultivation, these Tachibana Fruits were almost ripe. The sight of those bright red, tender fruits under the verdant leaves, along with the intoxicating fruity fragrance, made Kuliya almost drool. What¡¯s more, this is winter! Winter!! Tachibana Fruit is a very popular fruit because it¡¯s delicious and everyone loves to eat it. It has a market both among the upper class and the common people. Unfortunately, Tachibana Fruit has high environmental requirements, so they only bear fruit in the summer. Although this fruit is very popular, so many people cultivate it, the fruits can only last until autumn, although they can also be preserved until winter using low-temperature magic. But low-temperature magic is quite expensive, and the taste after low-temperature preservation¡­is not that great. Take Kuliya for example; she loves Tachibana Fruit, so every summer when Tachibana Fruits hit the market, she nearly kills herself eating them until she feels like vomiting. Because she knew that once this season was over, the fruit would be gone for the year. Kuliya had thought more than once about what a delight it would be to eat a tart, sweet, crunchy yet soft, and refreshingly cold Tachibana Fruit next to a burning stove in winter. But at that time, she only imagined it, and now, seeing these large patches of plump fruits¡­ If there weren¡¯t so many people around, she probably would have pounced on them and gorged herself! Fortunately, her rationality stopped the young woman from making such an impolite gesture in front of everyone. But even so, looking at the fresh and tasty fruits, Kuliya couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva. ¡°This is simply magical!¡± Subconsciously wiping the corner of her mouth, Kuliya then turned to Fang Zheng with an excited expression. ¡°Sir, may I try one?¡± In Kuliya¡¯s view, her request was reasonable. To her surprise, Fang Zheng shook his head, refusing her proposal. ¡°They are not ripe yet, and even when they are, I still don¡¯t plan to let people eat them immediately.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Kuliya was taken aback, completely not understanding why he said that. Knowing these Tachibana Fruits were sweet and fragrant, and even visually bigger and brighter than those sold in the market from her memory, it was baffling why he wouldn¡¯t have people taste them now to prove how great their innovation was. No, in Kuliya¡¯s view, being able to cultivate Tachibana Fruit in deep winter was already amazing! ¡°Because these Tachibana Fruits are not ripe yet, and their safety is also not certain.¡± Fang Zheng seemed quite calm; he was not a scientific researcher, but he knew experiments should not be messed with. Honestly, the effect of this ¡°fertilizer¡± was beyond Fang Zheng¡¯s expectations as well; the ¡°fertilizer¡± that Nymph and Nana had concocted with the Slime¡¯s bodily fluids made the Tachibana Fruits grow faster than if they were on hormones, which gave Fang Zheng some trepidation. You know, in reality fertilizers and hormones do not make things grow this fast. If this were in a horror science fiction movie, it might be some genetically mutated species¡­ What if eating it caused some sort of mishap? Even if it¡¯s fine now, what if something goes wrong after eating it¡­who would be responsible? ¡°Then, then who are you growing these Tachibana Fruits for?¡± Kuliya obviously didn¡¯t know what was going on in Fang Zheng¡¯s mind, but at this moment she was completely bewildered. Such good fruit, and he¡¯s not eating it? What is he planning to do with it once it ripens? ¡°Anyway, I plan to start with animal experiments¡­ maybe feed the dogs.¡± ¡°What?!!¡± Upon hearing this, Nana didn¡¯t react much, but Kuliya exploded in an instant. He wanted to feed such good fruit to dogs?! This was simply a waste of heavenly resources!!! Chapter 171 - Chapter 171: Chapter 170: The Focus of the Grand Alchemist Chapter 171: Chapter 170: The Focus of the Grand Alchemist Upon hearing Fang Zheng say it was for feeding dogs, Nanali was quite calm. Initially, she was just like Kuliya, unable to understand at all, but after Fang Zheng shared his concerns with Nanali, she too shuddered. Clearly, she also did not want people to eat the fruits grown with ¡°Slime Fertilizer¡± and then undergo bodily mutations or give birth to deformed children. It¡¯s known that in the Main World, slimes are classified as one of the harmless Demon Beasts. Still, they are Demon Beasts, grouped under the slime species in the taxonomy! Of course, being a Demon Beast does not mean it cannot be consumed, as many Demon Beasts can be killed for their meat. Unless they are too highly contaminated by Chaos, having undergone secondary mutations, people could still try them. But the problem is¡­ slimes are not among them. You could say killing an ice wolf or something and treating it as stewed dog meat is one thing, but slimes look like oversized jellyfish without eyes and shells, which makes anyone¡¯s first impression be¡­ can this be eaten? Although ¡°Slime Fertilizer¡± is just a refined extraction from the bodily fluids of slimes, and exactly for this reason, Nanali hadn¡¯t thought much about it initially. But after hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reminder, Nanali also realized. So, she supported Fang Zheng¡¯s statement, Especially since she had been monitoring the rapid growth of the Tachibana Fruits, which were inflating like balloons, changing everyday. Sometimes, even the farmers they hired felt that the fruits were growing too fast to be normal¡­ Under such circumstances, of course people should not consume them randomly. Even though Nymph had proven through scanning that these Tachibana Fruits were just slightly larger due to external stimuli and were harmless to the human body, Fang Zheng still saw it prudent to err on the side of caution. With transgenic organisms nearly becoming synonymous with the Black Plague back in his own world, he certainly did not want to make such a mistake here. Fang Zheng¡¯s plan was to first introduce greenhouses and Slime Fertilizer, and as long as he confirmed the fertilizer was safe, he could proceed with soil-less cultivation. Once these three were handled, Nanali¡¯s rank as an Alchemist would surely increase, and then he could delightfully count Spirit Crystals behind the scenes. After all, in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, these three items were enough to change the agricultural landscape of the Main World, and he was not interested in tinkering with anything else for now. As for Nanali, Fang Zheng was not worried. He had interacted with her for some time, finding that aside from the slightly skewed thinking influenced by her mother, her fundamentals were solid. This alchemical work also brought significant benefits to Nanali, who was no longer fixated on unattainable high goals as before but was more down-to-earth. However, Kuliya clearly could not accept this explanation like Nanali. She had gone crazy over the Tachibana Fruits, and right now, in the snow and ice, such juicy fruits were right in front of her, yet she could only look and not eat. Was this not killing her?! Is it just the fear of poison? Today, even if I, Kuliya, have to die here, I am determined to taste a Tachibana Fruit before I do! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?¦Ï ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going back to find my grandfather. You guys wait here!¡± Upon saying this, Kuliya turned and hurriedly left. Now, her mind was filled only with thoughts of Tachibana Fruits. Although she was afraid of poisoning, they were just checking for poison, after all, something trivial for the Alchemists¡¯ Association! ¡°What is she doing?¡± Watching Kuliya dash off without another word, Fang Zheng was startled, and then he turned towards Nanali. He had actually planned to have Nanali discuss her further thoughts, but the young girl just stared at the Tachibana Fruits for a while before leaving these words and running off? Confronted with Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nanali too just shook her head in bewilderment. She couldn¡¯t understand what folly her friend was committing. They had agreed to check out her invention, and no sooner had they walked in, a few minutes had barely passed, and without even giving Nanali a chance to explain, she had turned and run. What the reason was¡­ Nanali had no idea! In fact, at that moment, Kuliya had already pushed aside what she had promised Nanali and had only one thought in her mind: to quickly ascertain whether the Tachibana Fruit was poisonous. If it wasn¡¯t, she was determined to take a bite!! This had been her heartfelt desire for over ten years! With that thought, Kuliya nearly tapped into her full strength as a Swordsman, rushing home at top speed. ¡°Grandfather! Are you there? Grandfather!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Kuliya?¡± Hearing Kuliya¡¯s shouts, an elderly man dressed in an Alchemist¡¯s robe with graying hair came out of the room. Seeing his granddaughter panting heavily, the old man was also taken aback. ¡°What happened? Did someone bully you?¡± ¡°No, no, no one bullied me¡­¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s question, Kuliya raised her hand and waved it a bit, then hurriedly looked at the old man. ¡°Oh right, Grandpa, do you still have that water bird?¡± ¡°Of course, what do you want to do with it?¡± ¡°I need to take it for testing!¡± Upon hearing the old man¡¯s answer, Kuliya immediately grew excited. ¡°You know Nanali, right, Grandpa? Nanali has really come up with an incredible invention this time!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Seeing his excited granddaughter, the old man was slightly taken aback. ¡°Are you talking about the little girl from the Tilda family? What has she tinkered with this time?¡± At this point, his face also showed a keen interest. Having seen his granddaughter grow up playing with Nanali, he naturally knew a thing or two about Nanali¡¯s ¡°skills.¡± In fact, Kuliya had often mentioned Nanali¡¯s ¡°great inventions¡± before him, though those mentions were mostly tinged with helplessness and teasing. But seeing her now¡­ Had she really come up with something extraordinary? ¡°She created something called a greenhouse, which allows people to grow crops in winter, and she also made a type of fertilizer that can accelerate crop growth!¡± ¡°Oh?!¡± Upon hearing Kuliya¡¯s response, the old man¡¯s expression changed instantly. Perhaps Kuliya was just thinking about finding time to go and bite into one of those Tachibana fruits, but as a Grand Alchemist, the old man immediately realized the potential value of this invention the moment he heard Kuliya¡¯s answer. ¡°Did that little girl really come up with something like this? Do you have the blueprints?¡± ¡°Of course, right here.¡± Kuliya immediately took out the blueprints and handed them over, and the old man took them, opening them and looking over them carefully. ¡°Hmm¡­? I see, it¡¯s by covering the crops with a structure, is that it¡­ Hmm? Using Slime¡¯s skin combined with tempered fine wood? I see, this indeed takes into account the cost of materials and setup time, just like a huge oval tent¡­ Oh? And this fertilizer¡­¡± Although there wasn¡¯t much written on Nanali¡¯s blueprints, just seeing the materials and effects was enough to make the old man¡¯s eyes sparkle. ¡°Kuliya, have you confirmed all of this already?¡± ¡°Of course, Grandpa. That greenhouse is particularly awesome, it looks light and flimsy, but it¡¯s actually quite warm inside. And that fertilizer is amazing too, they say that with this fertilizer, it only took a little over half a month for the Tachibana fruits to mature!¡± ¡°That fast?¡± The old man was also greatly surprised at this time. Under normal circumstances, it would take three months for Tachibana fruits to mature, but with this fertilizer, it took less than a month? ¡°Is this why you came to me for the water bird?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to check if those Tachibana fruits are poisonous at all. They always worry that the fruits¡¯ rapid growth might lead to adverse effects¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ good, a qualified alchemist should have this kind of cautious temperament.¡± Looking at his granddaughter, the old man nodded his head. ¡°All right, then I¡¯ll go with you to see what good thing your good friend has really come up with.¡± Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Smooth Start Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Smooth Start Fang Zheng and Miss Nanali naturally did not know what Kuliya was up to; they simply watched as the young girl hurried off and then just as hurriedly returned with an old man. Seeing the elder before them, Nanali instantly became nervous. ¡°Master President!¡± ¡°President?¡± Hearing Nanali speak, Fang Zheng could not help but take a closer look at the elder before him. Indeed, the old man seemed dignified from his appearance, but he himself did not possess much powerful strength, looking neither like a warrior nor a mage. However, Fang Zheng had only glanced at the man when he felt as if his eyes were about to go blind. Simply put, the magic aura bursting forth from the old man was too dazzling. How many high-tier magic artifacts was he wearing? A true magnate was indeed blinding to look upon. If Fang Zheng were to cast a magic detection spell on the elder right now, he might well turn into a second sun. ¡°Hello, Nanali, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Like all those in high positions, the elder greeted Nanali with a warm smile and without a hint of pretense; then, he began to closely inspect everything around him. He walked from one end of the greenhouse to the other, carefully examining the crops before him. He even reached out to pinch the Tachibana Fruit¡¯s fruit and leaves, and grabbed a handful of soil to study closely. After a good while, the elder finally stood up, nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Quite an impressive idea. Yes, many people think that alchemists seek the ultimate in mysteries, but in fact, we want to change the world, and sometimes we don¡¯t need such powerful spells¡­ You¡¯ve done very well, Nanali.¡± Upon saying this, the elder looked at Nanali again and smiled. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? ¡°I know about some of your matters, and I am glad to see the change in you. Don¡¯t think that inventions made from materials like Slime are insignificant; in fact, the more ordinary the material, the more it tests an alchemist¡¯s strength. Anyone can use dragon blood to create a brute force potion, which isn¡¯t remarkable. But if you could make it with strong mushrooms, that would be real skill. At least from what I can see now, I think your inventions are mature and very useful.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master President!¡± Hearing the elder¡¯s praise, Nanali¡¯s face flushed with excitement; she was very aware of the elder¡¯s status, and honestly, Nanali had never imagined receiving such high praise from him. ¡°So, can you tell me how you came up with these ideas?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Upon hearing the elder¡¯s inquiry, Nanali looked somewhat conflicted, but after hesitating, she decided to tell the truth. ¡°Actually, Master President¡­ it was Mr. Ezio and Miss Nymph who suggested these to me; I was just responsible for carrying out these tasks. In fact, at first, I didn¡¯t expect such good results¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Surprised by Nanali¡¯s response, the elder looked up at Fang Zheng and the blue-haired Little Angel by his side. ¡°Are these two also alchemists?¡± ¡°We are not alchemists.¡± In response to the elder¡¯s question, Fang Zheng shook his head. ¡°Actually, we should say we are both relatives and employers of Miss Nanali¡­ Well, we hope to engage in some business and sales here, and since we have some minor acquaintance with Miss Nanali, we decided to invest here, wanting to depend on Miss Nanali¡¯s alchemy to carry out some alchemy-related trade.¡± When it came to making up stories, Fang Zheng¡¯s skills were at least LV5. At least he could say so with straight face, whether others believed him or not was not his problem. ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reply, the elder nodded with understanding and did not say much more. Just like in Fang Zheng¡¯s world, where many companies would invest in laboratories, in this world, businessmen investing in alchemists was nothing new. In fact, many inventions within the Alchemists¡¯ Association stemmed from similar investment-driven research. However, despite this, the elder still looked meaningfully at Fang Zheng for a while; generally, businessmen did not have such capabilities. They might come up with many ideas, but turning those ideas into reality was not so simple. According to what Nanali had said, this young man not only provided novel ideas but even suggested the materials, whereas all Nanali did was process them using alchemy skills. If that was the case, then the core of these inventions lay not with Nanali but with the young man before him. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Ezio, Ezio Auditore.¡± ¡°Mr. Ezio, your ingenious ideas are indeed interesting¡­ Well, from what I see now, I think they are of great value¡­ May I ask what you plan to do next?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Since it was a matter of business, Fang Zheng was not about to waste the opportunity. ¡°Actually, the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer are just the first step; once the timing is right, I plan to research soilless cultivation techniques¡­¡± ¡°Hydroponics?¡± Upon hearing this, the old man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. The concept was easy to understand, which was exactly why he couldn¡¯t believe his own ears. ¡°You mean you want to research a technology that grows crops without soil? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Of course it is possible, but as for the specifics¡­ please allow me to keep some suspense.¡± Fang Zheng had only thought of this after confirming that slime fertilizer could accelerate crop growth. Although hydroponics itself is a precise skill, with Miss Nymph and Miss Nanali around, plus the slime fertilizer, creating a nutrient solution for hydroponics wasn¡¯t difficult. But this was based on one condition: that there was nothing wrong with the slime fertilizer itself. Otherwise, Fang Zheng¡¯s plan would totally fall through. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Seeing her grandfather chatting here with someone else, Kuliya, who had been impatiently waiting on the side, quickly called out. Hearing his granddaughter¡¯s voice, the old man chuckled. ¡°Alright, alright, I know¡­ okay, leave it to me.¡± While saying this, the old man took out a small box from his pocket, which made Fang Zheng frown as he saw it. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe, to my embarrassment, I came here mainly because my adorable granddaughter asked me to check the composition of these fruits¡­ Well, although in my mind there¡¯s nothing wrong with these Tachibana fruits, it is still necessary to check them anyway.¡± As he spoke, the old man opened the box, and right away, Fang Zheng and the others saw a sphere of pure water emerge and then transform into a bird-like creature, landing on the old man¡¯s shoulder. Elemental Creature. Seeing this, Fang Zheng slightly squinted his eyes. As a mage specializing in spellcraft, he certainly knew the prowess of elemental creatures, especially those that could shape themselves, which must be high-tier elemental creatures. What surprised Fang Zheng was, unlike mages who summoned through the Elemental Plane, someone could actually possess such a high-tier elemental creature? It seemed alchemists were indeed not an easy opponent to deal with. ¡°What is this?¡± And looking at the water bird, Nanali asked curiously. Hearing her friend¡¯s query, Kuliya puffed out her chest, which was almost non-existent. ¡°This is Grandpa¡¯s most powerful companion, don¡¯t underestimate it. It can break down the elements of any food and determine their value. If there is anything dangerous or harmful about these Tachibana fruits, it can detect that too?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes brightened. The reason he was cautious about experimenting was because he knew that even if he said everything was fine, others wouldn¡¯t believe him. After all, if you don¡¯t obtain real and reliable data through repeated experiments, people won¡¯t be reassured. But now, with the endorsement of the president of the Alchemists¡¯ Association, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about safety issues. The old man smiled at Nanali and Fang Zheng, then reached out and whispered something to the water bird on his shoulder. Suddenly, the bird, only the size of a sparrow, spread its wings and flew to a Tachibana fruit tree. Then¡­ it suddenly opened its mouth like a snake, swallowing the entire Tachibana tree along with its roots. ¡°¡­¡± Is that even possible? Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes widened in amazement. Although the Tachibana tree wasn¡¯t as tall as a typical tree, more like a shrub about half a meter high, the water bird was only the size of a sparrow¡­ Could it really do that? After swallowing the Tachibana tree, the water bird¡¯s body seemed to balloon like a balloon, and Fang Zheng and the others could even clearly see the Tachibana tree it had swallowed. The tree seemed to be immersed in some kind of liquid, then gradually began to decompose into a light green substance, which the bird absorbed. As the tree was completely broken down, the water bird¡¯s body turned even more emerald green. Seeing this, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth¡ªthis unexpectedly reminded him of a certain green-skinned muscle man¡­ and it was glow-in-the-dark? Upon thinking again, it seemed that slimes were green too¡­ Did something go wrong? ¡°I never expected¡­¡± At that moment, the old man too widened his eyes in surprise, looking at the emerald green water bird in front of him. He then suddenly turned his head to look at Fang Zheng and Nanali. ¡°Mr. Ezio, Miss Nanali, your invention is truly amazing!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Meow meow meow??? Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: Chapter 172 A good start is half the success Chapter 173: Chapter 172 A good start is half the success ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­.¡± Afterwards, under the explanation of the old chairman, Fang Zheng and Miss Nanali finally understood his meaning. Water birds are elemental creatures from the realm of the Water Element. They can consume all life and then transform it into the most primitive Life Element. Through these Life Elements, one can determine whether the consumed material is good or bad. If the Life Element is abundant, then naturally, it is a health supplement that strengthens the body. Conversely, if the Life Element is extremely low, it may contain dangerous toxins. However, the Tachibana fruit tree that the water bird had just consumed contained very abundant Life Elements, even exceeding the usual levels. Of course, this was definitely the effect of the ¡°fertilizer¡± made from slime fluids. Although Fang Zheng did not understand most of what the old man said, he did understand the conclusion. In short, fruits cultivated with this type of fertilizer are not only harmless but also more nutritious and tastier than before ¡ª one could tell just by looking at Kuliya¡¯s ravenous demeanor across from them. ¡°This is a groundbreaking alchemical invention, whether it¡¯s the greenhouses or the Slime Fertilizer¡­ Mr. Ezio, Miss Nanali, what you have done really exceeds my expectations.¡± Sitting at the table, the old man openly expressed his excitement, which caused Miss Nanali to feel somewhat uneasy. She had never imagined that she would discuss matters on equal terms with a president of the Alchemists¡¯ Association. ¡°You are exaggerating, Master President, we¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no, Miss Nanali,¡± the old man waved the hand, interrupting Nanali¡¯s protest. ¡°We have known about slimes for hundreds, thousands, or even longer years. Among the tens of thousands of alchemists who came before us, only you have discovered these uses for slimes and transformed it from theory to reality¡­¡± ¡°But, but it wasn¡¯t just my effort alone¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï As she spoke, Nanali looked toward the quiet Nymph standing behind Fang Zheng. In fact, it was the Little Angel who first discovered it, but both Fang Zheng and the Nymph seemed uninterested in such empty fame. ¡°In fact, we just proposed a wild idea. Without Miss Nanali¡¯s help, it wouldn¡¯t have become a reality.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ your ideas are also quite distinctive, Mr. Ezio. I wonder if you are interested in studying alchemy? I think you might have a talent for it,¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the old man nodded and then invited him without hesitation. It wasn¡¯t just out of politeness to Fang Zheng; rather, everything Fang Zheng had done impressed him greatly. Wild imagination is the essence of any alchemist, but there is a difference between mere dreaming and actual improvement based on existing foundations. Not to mention that Fang Zheng¡¯s ideas were practical and universal, potentially influencing the whole world. In the old man¡¯s view, if he could study alchemy, his future would undoubtedly be bright. ¡°Thank you for the invitation, but I really have no talent in alchemy.¡± Although Fang Zheng would have liked to accept, he knew himself well; he simply had no knack for it. He produced more explosions than Nanali, and while Nanali¡¯s experiments only exploded when working on new products, even following existing procedures led him to fail, showing that some things just cannot be changed, no matter how hard one tries. ¡°What a pity.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the old man didn¡¯t say anything more, since everyone has their own aspirations. ¡°Then, let¡¯s return to the original question¡­ about the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer, do you plan to make them public? If you are planning to do so, we can issue a statement¡­,¡± The profit model of an alchemist is conducted through the Alchemists¡¯ Association. An alchemist invents a patent and submits it to the association, which then displays these patents. Take potions as an example; if an alchemist creates a new Healing Potion, he sells the formula to the association. The association then publishes the formula to see if alchemist shops and workshops in various places are willing to ¡°buy¡± it. If they are willing, they will spend a sum of money to obtain the ¡°patent right to use¡± for this potion formula and then commence sales. And for every Healing Potion sold, the inventor extracts a certain commission. Of course, one might only gain a few copper coins per bottle. But if the potion is sold nationwide or even globally, the small amounts could accumulate to thousands or tens of thousands of Gold Coins a day. As for the possibility of falsified sales reports, the Alchemists¡¯ Association is not worried at all because all alchemical creations must be sold only in the ¡°official stores¡± designated by the association, so there are detailed records of how many alchemical creations were manufactured and sold. Of course, you can also secretly open an illegal store, but once discovered¡­ imprisonment and fines are inevitable. Generally speaking, the Alchemists¡¯ Association does not engage in ¡°advertising campaigns¡± for all ¡°inventions¡±; they only compile inventions monthly into a catalog and send it to large alchemical stores since the basic applications of alchemy are still at the commercial level, and alchemists only manufacture when there is a demand from merchants. As for military supplies, that¡¯s a matter at another level. What the old man mentioned was akin to a ¡°national quality certification recommendation,¡± which, obviously, would be great to boost the initial reputation. However¡­ Fang Zheng had other plans. ¡°Thank you very much for your appreciation, Master Chairman, but we have our own plans¡­ In fact, I think that even if you publicize these formulas now, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense. Because if they don¡¯t know how to use it, they would just be wasting time configuring it,¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s true¡­,¡± Hearing this, the old man furrowed his brows and nodded. He was well aware that these alchemical products are not like potions that show effects upon ingestion. Many ideas for alchemical equipment are good, but ordinary people don¡¯t know how to use them, or they may misunderstand how to use them, resulting in subpar reviews. The Alchemists¡¯ Association isn¡¯t new to such situations. ¡°So, you already have some ideas?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Fang Zheng was full of confidence. He wasn¡¯t good at causing chemical explosions, but planning and marketing were his strengths. After all, to attract top-ups, the first thing to do was to present the idea enticingly. As for the method, Fang Zheng had already figured it out. Since the Chairman had already confirmed that these Tachibana Fruits were fine, and seeing Kuliya enjoying them, he would start from there. Coincidentally, the experimental field was about to be harvested soon, and selling it in the City of Korhal will certainly cause a sensation. By then, Fang Zheng would seize the opportunity to buy a few acres of land and establish a specialized greenhouse and experimental base. This would not only increase production but also let others witness the benefits of the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer firsthand. By doing so, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t believe anyone could remain indifferent. Considering the City of Korhal is located in the north of the Kingdom of the Holy Church, where winters are exceptionally long, and with two more months until spring, following the previous trends, it would be at least another half-year before Tachibana Fruits would be available. These fresh and delicious Tachibana Fruits appearing in the snowy winter cityscape of Korhal would present an intriguing scene. Thinking of this made Fang Zheng incredibly excited. Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Chapter 173: The Entire City Trembles Chapter 174: Chapter 173: The Entire City Trembles Another day dawned. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Stepping out the door, Billy stomped his feet, the oncoming cold making him shiver involuntarily. He breathed on his hands and then headed outside. As a servant of nobility, Billy had grown accustomed to the monotonous work and life he led each day. To others, working for the nobility meant a higher status, dressing in bright and fancy clothes, speaking with an air of arrogance. But Billy knew that this job was far from as leisurely as it looked. As the kitchen manager, Billy felt tremendous pressure of late. No, it was every winter that he felt this mountain of stress. Recently, his master had been complaining about how the meals were always the same, lacking in novelty. But there was nothing Billy could do; the range of vegetables available during the winter was limited, and it was impossible for him to conjure up a flower out of thin air. The only thing Billy could do was to go to the morning market early every day, to see if any of the hunters from the mountains had managed to capture any rare delicacies or catch some big fish. If that were the case, he might be able to change up the menu in the kitchen. Otherwise, sooner or later his master was bound to grumble that he was growing tired of eating the same things and that if Billy wasn¡¯t up to the task, he would find a new kitchen manager. Although his master said this every year, who knew if this year he might be serious? ¡°Sigh¡­¡± With these thoughts in mind, Billy sighed again and quickened his pace toward the morning market. Dawn was just breaking and the city gates had just opened. If he wanted to snag some good buys, he needed to be early¡­ After all, there was more than one house of nobility in the City of Korhal, and likewise, more than one kitchen manager threatened with dismissal by their masters. Billy clearly remembered, just a few days ago, how a hunter had barely managed to bring a wild boar to market when it was promptly snapped up. Fortunately, thanks to his quick thinking, he had managed to grab one of its hind legs. But there were some fools who got nothing. Like the unfortunate neighbor, who, after his master had been invited over for lunch by Billy¡¯s master, was beaten, his legs broken, and then thrown out. All because the poor fool hadn¡¯t managed to secure a piece of wild boar meat. Thinking of that scene made Billy shudder, and once again, he quickened his pace¡ªthe market was now in sight. At this moment, the sun had not fully risen above the horizon, and the market was still enveloped in the city wall¡¯s shadow, with only a few faint lights burning. By now, the merchants entering the city had started to set up their stalls. City of Korhal¡¯s regulations allowed external merchants to enter the city an hour early to prepare their businesses. By the time residents like Billy woke up, the morning market would already be open for business. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 Only¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anything good¡­¡± Looking at the fresh vegetables on either side, Billy momentarily lost interest. It looked as if there wasn¡¯t a lucky break today, so after a quick scan, he turned to leave. But just then, Billy¡¯s keen nose caught a whiff of an unusual aroma. It was a scent Billy found very familiar, but he couldn¡¯t immediately recall where he had smelled it before. Nevertheless, Billy immediately turned around and looked in the direction from which the scent was emanating. He was very confident in his nose; what had kept him from being sacked as a kitchen manager all these years was his nose. So, Billy was certain that what he had just smelled was not perfume, nor any other sort of aroma, but the scent of food, the fragrance of fruit! But where exactly was it!? At that moment, Billy scanned the surroundings like a guard searching for a suspect, his eyes wide with focus. If he were wearing armor, he would appear even more dutiful than the guards. Soon, Billy spotted an unusual stall It was located at the very end of the morning market and, from this spot, it looked like the stall had only recently joined. An old man stood behind the stall, his eyes half-closed. What set this stall apart from others was the absence of food ingredients or meat products for sale. Instead, on the cart were only boxes made of paper, seemingly larger than those used for cakes but completely hiding the contents within. Could it be that the pastry chefs had concocted some new novelty? With that thought in mind, Billy approached the stall, took one look at the old man before him, and soon noticed a sign hanging next to the cart that read, ¡°One per person, one gold coin per box.¡± This is crazy, one gold coin? Are you kidding me? Looking at the paper box, the size of a cake box in front of him, Billy felt as if a herd of llamas had stampeded through his heart. What on earth was inside? Worth a gold coin? ¡°Old man, what¡¯s inside this?¡± Unable to suppress his curiosity, Billy asked. The old man then opened his eyes, glanced at him, and replied. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you buy it.¡± You¡¯ll know once you buy it¡­ Hearing this response, Billy nearly choked. Was this really how business was done? No wonder the stall had no customers. Its location was already so out of the way, and this sales attitude seemed completely disinterested! But¡­ Should he buy it? Looking at the paper box before him, Billy felt genuinely hesitant. As a kitchen manager, he could afford a gold coin. And he was also sure that if he hadn¡¯t misheard earlier, the scent must be coming from this stall. After all, he had looked around, and there was nothing else for sale nearby. But what if¡­ No, let¡¯s take a gamble! Remembering the unlucky fellow with broken legs, Billy grit his teeth, took out a gold coin, and handed it over. ¡°Give me a box.¡± ¡°No problem, pick one and take it.¡± The old man reached out for the gold coin, then gestured to the boxes with a nod of his head. Seeing his attitude, Billy sighed helplessly, randomly picked a box, and then looked back at the stall owner. ¡°So, can I open it now?¡± ¡°Of course, once you¡¯ve bought it, it¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Good, I want to see what exactly is inside that¡¯s made you so secretive.¡± Glaring fiercely at the old man, Billy went straight to opening the box, and immediately after, he was dumbstruck. The first thing that hit him was a fragrant scent of fruit. Mixed with the cold air, it even gave Billy a refreshing feeling. But quickly, his focus was drawn to the five bright red fruits inside the paper box. Their smooth, reddened appearance, still adorned with a few dewdrops, looked like they had just been picked, and most importantly, these were¡­ Tachibana Fruits!! Billy¡¯s eyes widened, and for a moment, he almost cried out in surprise. But quickly, reason urged Billy to shut his mouth tight. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes and even reached out a hand to touch the fruits inside the box¡ªYes, these were Tachibana Fruits. But why were there Tachibana Fruits here? And why such fresh ones? Wasn¡¯t it winter now? Previously, Billy thought that one Gold Coin per box was too expensive, but now, he felt it was too cheap! He knew his master loved Tachibana Fruits more than anything! Not to mention how fresh these fruits were, they obviously had been picked recently. If possible, he would buy them even if they were a hundred Gold Coins per box, not just one! ¡°I¡¯ll take them all!!¡± Forcing down the excitement and tension, Billy said in a lowered voice, unaware of where these Tachibana Fruits had come from, but to see such fresh fruits in the dead of winter¡­ such things could only happen in dreams! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s clearly marked here, limited to one box per person.¡± However, the old man was unmoved, just giving him a bland look before responding. Upon hearing the old man¡¯s words, Billy could no longer keep his composure. One box per person? How would that be enough? ¡°Do you know who I am? I am¡­¡± ¡°My god, Tachibana Fruits!!¡± But before Billy could finish his sentence, a scream rang out beside his ear. Hearing this, a sudden dread filled him, and as he turned around, he saw a man standing beside him, staring dumbfounded at the Tachibana Fruits in the box in his hands. Damn it, he had been so focused on talking to the old man that he¡¯d forgotten to conceal the Tachibana Fruits in his hands! Realizing this, Billy quickly tried to cover up the box, but the man suddenly stepped forward and barged in, glancing at the sign next to them before waving his hand grandly. ¡°I¡¯ll take all of these, have them sent to the Tax Officer Master¡¯s residence immediately!¡± ¡°Wait, I was here first!¡± Before Billy could burst into anger upon hearing the other person daring to snatch his deal, he rushed forward, insistent that he was first, whether in asking or buying¡­ ¡°I want these sent to the Law Enforcer¡¯s Office! Double the price!!¡± Meanwhile, others had crowded around, many of whom had seen the Tachibana Fruits in Billy¡¯s hands, and were incredibly surprised. The moment they heard these two people were planning to buy the entire stock, they couldn¡¯t contain themselves! ¡°I¡¯ll pay triple! Send these to the City Lord¡¯s Manor!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay five times the price, the Babarov Trading Company is willing to buy them all!!¡± For a moment, the scene descended into chaos, while the old man stood there calmly until everyone else fell silent. Then he coughed. ¡°The rule is there, one box per person, first come, first served.¡± ¡°Wait, you old man, do you know who we are?¡± Upon hearing the old man¡¯s words, the customers became irate. They were the subordinates of various members of the nobility and officials. You, an old geezer, dare to show us such attitude? ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but what I must clarify is, these are the property of the Alchemists¡¯ Association.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Upon hearing this, those who were about to forcibly take away the stall hastily backed away. Only then did they notice the mark of the Alchemists¡¯ Association on the stall! If this were just a regular person, they might have been bold enough to take action, but the Alchemists¡¯ Association was different. Their influence on the whole world was immense, even greater than that of Mages. After all, Mages needed innate talent, while the Alchemists¡¯ Association influenced every aspect of peoples¡¯ lives¡ªyou couldn¡¯t just expect those without magical talent to cast a Frost spell to cool themselves off during summer. These were just lackeys after all. Should they provoke the Alchemists¡¯ Association, they would be the ones to suffer. Nevertheless, they weren¡¯t going to let this opportunity slip by. They exchanged glances, then once again charged forward without hesitation. ¡°I want a box!¡± ¡°Me too!!¡± ¡°This one¡¯s mine, no one else is allowed to take it!¡± Amidst the commotion, Billy, clutching his purchased Tachibana Fruits, promptly turned and left swiftly. Now all he could think about was getting back and sending more of his attendants to buy. After all, the old man had declared a limit of one box per person, not one per household, right? He was confident that once his master saw these fresh fruits, he would be highly pleased with him! More and more people flocked to the news, and soon, the entire market was packed to the point of bursting. Before long, the cart of Tachibana Fruits was sold out. Those who came later could only gaze longingly at the empty cart and sigh, powerless to change their situations. Meanwhile, those who had been as fortunate as Billy had already returned to their masters with their Tachibana Fruits. And when those fresh and sweet Tachibana Fruits appeared before the officials and nobility, the entire City of Korhal was shaken! Chapter 175 - Chapter 175: Chapter 174 Someone Knocks on the Door Chapter 175: Chapter 174 Someone Knocks on the Door As the old saying goes, money isn¡¯t everything, but without it, you¡¯re truly helpless. But money indeed isn¡¯t omnipotent. For the City of Korhal located in the Northlands, getting hold of Tachibana Fruit was not an easy task. Although they also cultivated it themselves, just as ¡°Oranges born in the south are sweet, but are bitter in the north,¡± the Tachibana Fruit grown in the Northlands were inferior in both taste and shape to those from the south. And even in the south, they were only available for one season each year. So even these high officials and nobility could only eagerly wait every summer for the caravans to bring in the Tachibana Fruit and other fresh fruits from the south. Only then could they enjoy a delicious meal. And now, in the depths of winter, there were fresh Tachibana Fruit that had just been picked? What¡¯s more, these fruits¡¯ taste far exceeded that of ordinary Tachibana Fruit, even better than those for which the nobility paid a hefty sum to have transported from the south! During the cold winter, to bite into a sour-sweet, refreshingly pleasant Tachibana Fruit was an unparalleled delight. This was something money couldn¡¯t buy because the Tachibana Fruit grew only once a year, just as a baby takes ten months to be born¡ªan immutable law of nature beyond the reach of wealth. And now, this law of nature seemed to have been altered? Before, when none had them, these nobles could still remain calm, but now that there were some available, naturally, they wouldn¡¯t let the opportunity slip. Not to mention, since the number of Tachibana Fruit was limited, those who couldn¡¯t grab any outnumbered those who did. Watching the noble lady next door sipping her afternoon tea while savoring the crunchy and tasty Tachibana Fruit, while they could only salivate behind the hedge ¡­ Ah, how infuriating! Can anyone be more ostentatious with their wealth? They must find out the origin of these Tachibana Fruits! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Since these Tachibana Fruits were distributed by the Alchemists¡¯ Guild, naturally, everyone first approached the Alchemists¡¯ Association. The response from the alchemists was that these Tachibana Fruits were the product of some alchemical tool, which is why they were being consigned for sale by the association. However, the fruits were limited in quantity, and they only had these left; there would be no more available anytime soon. This answer was a severe blow for those full of enthusiasm who had come to inquire. If even the Alchemists¡¯ Association clearly stated they had no more stock, then there was nothing they could do. In people¡¯s minds, it might have been possible that an alchemist had cultivated a new, cold-resistant variety of Tachibana Fruit trees, or perhaps they had accidentally produced such fruits in the course of some inventive experiment. And now, with no more fruits available, they could only leave in disappointment. Yet, there were others who astutely sensed a business opportunity. ¡°So, you¡¯re seeking a partnership?¡± Fang Zheng put down his teacup, smiling as he looked at the man before him. The man sitting across from him was middle-aged, his entire figure round and plump; he was currently wiping sweat from his brow, all the while looking towards Fang Zheng with a somewhat awkward smile. ¡°Yes, Mr. Ezio, our Northern Trading Company is very interested in the greenhouse innovation and the Slime Fertilizer you¡¯ve invented. If possible, we hope to cooperate with the workshop and secure the exclusive rights from you.¡± ¡°I understand that ¡­ but Mr. Fress, the terms you propose are far from satisfactory to me.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but look up at the man named Fress before him. It had only been two days since they started selling the Tachibana Fruit, and he wasn¡¯t the first to seek out the Alchemy Workshop for business negotiations. However, unlike the others, Fress wanted more. He hoped to reach a comprehensive agreement with Nanali¡¯s Alchemy Workshop, allowing the Northern Trading Company he represented to manufacture and sell the ¡°greenhouse innovation¡± and ¡°Slime Fertilizer¡± exclusively. For Fang Zheng, this was, of course, a favorable proposition. The only issue was that there were still many points of contention between him and Fress. The biggest problem was that Fress wished to pay a large sum of money to ¡°buy out¡± these two inventions, whereas Fang Zheng insisted on signing a ¡°revenue-sharing¡± contract. However, Fress was clearly not inclined to do so. ¡°Mr. Ezio, I can understand your position. Although the greenhouse innovation and Slime Fertilizer both have a very bright future, it is precisely because of their promising prospects that these technologies will face certain obstacles during the promotion process¡­ you understand what I¡¯m saying.¡± After a brief chat earlier, Fress had already realized that the young man sitting before him wasn¡¯t the sort of nerd only capable of inventing and creating¡ªhe seemed even more astute than himself. Hence, he abandoned his previous thoughts and began to fight for his interests. ¡°If you, Mr. Ezio, are willing to establish a trading company and promote these yourselves, the Northern Trading Company would be quite willing to become your partner. But as it stands, it seems you don¡¯t wish to do so, and thus the Northern Trading Company must bear greater risks. I hope you¡¯ll consider this. We are very sincere. If you are willing to sell these two alchemical technologies to us, we¡¯re prepared to offer a reasonable price to buy them out completely.¡± Not bad, you¡¯ve got some brains. Looking at the rotund Fress in front of him, Fang Zheng also raised an eyebrow. Indeed, as Fress had said, both the greenhouse technology and the Slime Fertilizer were very useful, and what was rare was how affordable they were, with readily available materials. Slimes were creatures that one couldn¡¯t exterminate no matter how much one tried, posing no risks or hazards in their breeding. It could be said that once these two technologies were introduced, they would form a highly visible monopoly in the industry. To exaggerate a bit, if these could be rolled out, then practically everyone in the Northlands, and even the entire Main World, would have a need for these two items. Not to mention if Nymph and Nanali could overcome the limitations of the nutrient solutions for soilless cultivation, then the profits would be even higher. Soilless cultivation¡­ Without saying anything further, Fang Zheng knew that the Kingdom of the Holy Church would absolutely not let such technology slip by. It had been mentioned before that the Kingdom of the Holy Church needed to guard the Twilight Border, therefore they had ¡°exclaves¡± like the Order Fortress all over the world, and most of their material supplies depended on coordination by the Sanctuaries of the Holy Church in various countries. Food was always of utmost importance because the Twilight Border was contaminated by Chaos Magic, with a climate so harsh it was utterly unsuitable for cultivating crops. But if technology for soilless cultivation could be developed successfully, combined with greenhouses, the Order Fortress would have the capability to produce food independently. Even if they couldn¡¯t completely solve the problem, even resolving half of it would be enough for the Archbishops of the Sanctuary to burn incense in celebration. And if the food issue could be completely resolved, then maybe they could use each Order Fortress as a breakthrough point to weaken the power of the Twilight Border and take back the territories that originally belonged to Order¡ªin plain terms, this technology might even have the potential to affect the entire dynamic of the Order World! In such a scenario, who could remain indifferent to such technology? It wasn¡¯t just economic benefits at stake here; if handled well, there were political benefits to be had as well. Without an umbrella for protection, such a thing would be devoured by ravenous wolves coming from all directions. In other words, if Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t protect his interests, facing a situation where everyone was against him, the Sanctuary would probably have to settle for an even distribution. After all, there was strength in numbers. Although the Alchemists¡¯ Association was a stakeholder, the issue with the association was that it was an ¡°official agency,¡± and when it came to matters of ¡°national strategy,¡± official agencies naturally had to cooperate unconditionally. Fang Zheng certainly could turn hostile, but all for this¡­ to turn against the Kingdom of the Holy Church? And let someone like Malthael loose? Even thinking about it made Fang Zheng think he was crazy. Now, there were two paths Fang Zheng could take, either act like the protagonist of an urban novel, start his own company, then develop it into a group enterprise, and once the business was strong enough, naturally have the strength to protect his proprietary technology, Or choose to behave like the real world and sell the patents to powerful multinational companies, so that whoever was capable should go trouble those multinationals, while he could just peacefully conduct his experiments and take his commission. The former path might look glamorous, but Fang Zheng was not willing to tread it. In contrast, making money easily and comfortably through selling patents and cooperation was what he hoped for. Lying at home and counting money sounded good, why bother with the hassle of business affairs, possibly face assassination, espionage, tracking¡­ all troubles. Fang Zheng nowadays did not like trouble. He had looked into the background of the Northern Trading Company. It was a bit inferior compared to earth-shattering multinational conglomerates, but it was still second-tier at least. The words ¡°Northlands¡± were not just for show, as they had a commercial network throughout the entire region. This also indicated, from another angle, that the trading company had considerable power and, being located in the chilly northern region, had a more pressing demand for greenhouse technology and Slime Fertilizer. But this was good. If it were a behemoth like Microsoft dominating the industry, then it would have been much more difficult for Fang Zheng to fight for his interests. After all, with their monopoly, you couldn¡¯t escape their grasp whether you wanted to sell or not. As a second-tier player, the Northern Trading Company naturally had ambitions to rise further and also the capability to compete with other large powers, ensuring that Fang Zheng did not have to turn this into an urban novel plot. Therefore, Fang Zheng directly stated his demands. ¡°We want a forty percent share of the profits, the rest you can distribute amongst yourselves,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!!¡± Upon hearing this, Fress¡¯s plump body suddenly sprang from his chair like a bouncy ball. Although he had anticipated that the other party would make an exorbitant demand, Fress had not expected this young man to have such a big appetite. It was practically robbery! Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: Chapter 175: Business Negotiations Unfold in the Otherworld Chapter 176: Chapter 175: Business Negotiations Unfold in the Otherworld Faced with Fress who suddenly jumped up, Nanali couldn¡¯t help but get startled. On the other hand, Fang Zheng and Nymph remained very calm, the former having been involved in countless similar business negotiations and the latter simply indifferent to such trifles¡ªshe believed that her master would certainly handle it. ¡°Mr. Ezio, we can¡¯t accept this. You should understand, if we purchase these two invention blueprints, then we have to organize staff to conduct experiments and then proceed to manufacturing, all of which will require a waste of a significant amount of money and time.¡± What Fress stated was actually a common issue on both Earth and Otherworld¡ªthat is the industrialization of technology. The processes in laboratories and factories are completely different. Similarly, for technology emerging from an Alchemy Workshop, if you want to achieve mass production, naturally it can¡¯t be done by an Alchemist alone, no matter how hard they work. Although various forces do employ some freelance Alchemists who don¡¯t own workshops, it¡¯s clear that these people can¡¯t be used for mass production work. Just like you can¡¯t expect a group of designers to produce cars in a factory. A car production line would be more like it. ¡°I already have a complete manufacturing process on hand; once we sign the agreement, I will give it to you.¡± Fress had his own reasons, but that did not mean Fang Zheng would listen to him. The greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer processings were both simple. Referencing the manufacturing processes of Earth, developing a set was not difficult. Of course, due to the different development of civilizations, Fang Zheng also had to put some thought into it. ¡°Forty percent is still too high.¡± Upon hearing that the other party had a comprehensive ¡°after-sales service,¡± Fress too breathed a sigh of relief. Many Alchemists just make sure they produce the item and often don¡¯t even care about how to manufacture these things faster. Thus, those trading companies frequently spend lots of time and money on this. Of course, if you¡¯re lucky enough to achieve mass production, that¡¯s the best. But if you spend a great deal of effort and find out it can¡¯t be mass-produced or the costs are too high, then¡­ heh. ¡°You know, if we sign the agreement, the Northern Trading Company will face attacks from many factions, and might even suffer certain losses as a result¡­ ¡± ¡°That¡¯s your own business.¡± Nanali, who had never been involved in business negotiations, felt a bit sorry for Fress looking so pitiful, unfortunately, Fang Zheng, who had been through countless negotiations, clearly would not be swayed by crocodile tears. In business negotiations, whoever has the technology or the creativity in hand is boss, and the boss is meant to do as they please. It¡¯s not just about claiming forty percent; if I want you to dance naked in front of everyone, you¡¯d have to bear with it. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï Moreover, there is no honest merchant, to believe half of a merchant¡¯s words is to consider them honest. Contrarily, the mere fact that the other party didn¡¯t walk away immediately upon hearing the demand for forty percent spoke volumes about their attitude. Fress spoke with Fang Zheng for a while longer, but to no avail, and left with no choice but to bid farewell. And as Fress¡¯s figure, bouncing like a ball, disappeared, Nanali, who had been sitting beside Fang Zheng the whole time, finally spoke up with unease. ¡°Mr. Ezio, aren¡¯t you being a bit too harsh? I think Mr. Fress seemed pretty nice¡­ Your demand for forty percent¡­ Seems a bit too excessive.¡± Although Nanali was a pure Alchemist with little knowledge of economics, as she listened to the discussion between Fang Zheng and Fress, she understood the meaning behind their words: Fang Zheng demanded that his Alchemy Workshop receive forty percent of the Northern Trading Company¡¯s annual revenue from selling greenhouses and Slime Fertilizer. This was a significant amount. In the Main World, the relationship between trading companies and the Alchemists¡¯ Association was somewhat like branches to a trunk, with the Alchemists¡¯ Association also akin to a platform organization like X Bao. And trading companies naturally were like X Bao store owners on the platform. Of course, some were personal, others belonged to groups and size varied accordingly. For instance, Nanali¡¯s own workshop counted as a personal shop on X Bao, whereas one like the Northern Trading Company represented a large group or franchise. When Fress complained to Fang Zheng, he also roughly estimated the total, and that forty percent might amount to millions, or even tens of millions of Gold Coins. Upon hearing this number, Nanali was completely dumbfounded. She could never imagine that by casually processing the Slime¡¯s outer skin and body fluids, adding a fine wooden frame and such, she could make so much money; it was almost like a dream. To be honest, if it was not for Fang Zheng having previously agreed to take the lead, Nanali might have accepted the offer, feeling that so much money was too insecure. Forget several million¡ªno, even a few hundred thousand would be unnecessary, a few thousand Gold Coins would suffice. Slimes are worthless, how could they exchange for so much money?! Therefore, when Fress left, as Nanali looked at Fang Zheng, her heart was very conflicted; she felt that Fang Zheng was simply robbing¡­ ¡°¡®Forty-one percent is not at all excessive. Don¡¯t be fooled by his show of poverty; it¡¯s just basic skills for a businessman. In fact, if he really thought it was too much, he would have turned on his heel and left. But he sat down, guess why?''¡± ¡°This¡­ um¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nanali was stunned for quite a while before responding. ¡°Because he can make a profit?¡± ¡°Of course, if he couldn¡¯t make a profit, he wouldn¡¯t be discussing this with me. Clearly, both sides understand that I won¡¯t actually get forty-one percent, and he won¡¯t actually give forty-one percent, but by making this demand, I¡¯ve given him room to negotiate while also signaling that my expectations aren¡¯t low. For both of us, it isn¡¯t a matter of losing money but rather how much we each stand to gain.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng looked at Nanali with a smile. ¡°You might think this stuff isn¡¯t worth much, but you should understand what it can bring to farmers. These are valuable goods, very valuable indeed. Remember, we¡¯re not selling raw materials, but something that can truly change the world¡­ Say, if you created a Divine Artifact, how much would you sell it for?¡± ¡°Well, that would certainly be very valuable¡­¡± Nanali was na?ve, not a fool. Alchemists had also achieved the creation of Divine Artifacts in the past, which is why they could hold their ground against Mages. The Divine Artifacts produced by Alchemists were indeed priceless. But¡­ are there Divine Artifacts made from Slime skins? ¡°Divine Artifacts are made for use, not for worship. You must realize, these items can not only improve the lives of countless people but can also enable those who can¡¯t afford food to have meals¡­ something even Divine Artifacts cannot accomplish.¡± ¡°I see, now I understand.¡± With Fang Zheng¡¯s guidance, Nanali nodded in agreement, compliantly, though she was still somewhat confused, but at least she recognized that her previous thoughts were utterly wrong. Watching Nanali¡¯s reaction, Fang Zheng sighed inwardly. To keep his identity secret, he hadn¡¯t signed any agreements with Nanali, because contracts in the Main World required Star Pattern authentication, and once authenticated, his cover would be blown. So for now, the Alchemy Workshop still belonged to Nanali, meaning she had the final say in any contracts. Initially, Fang Zheng thought Nanali had potential worth developing. However, it now seemed that she was more suited as a dedicated researcher, not skilled in external communications and negotiations. Had Fang Zheng not been here, and had Nanali come up with the greenhouse alone, she might have been conned by Fress for a mere five hundred Gold Coins, willing to work happily for someone else. Fang Zheng was considering finding someone specifically for negotiations. The girl named Kuliya gave him a good impression, poised and confident with a respectable family background. The only issue was that Kuliya was currently working at the Alchemists¡¯ Association, and Fang Zheng had no idea if he could lure her away¡­ but it was worth trying. Surprisingly, Kuliya¡¯s response exceeded Fang Zheng¡¯s expectations. When he offered her an invitation, Kuliya accepted readily. She was well aware of Nanali¡¯s personality, and after hearing from Fang Zheng how her good friend almost got bamboozled into selling the greenhouse and Slime Fertilizer Technology for a few thousand Gold Coins, she broke out in a cold sweat and struggled to compose herself. As a member of the Alchemists¡¯ Association, she understood the value of an alchemy invention better than anyone else. If Nanali had indeed sold these for just a few thousand Gold Coins, it would have been better off handled internally by their association. For this reason, Kuliya chose to join without hesitation. She might not think Fang Zheng was a bad person, but she always worried her friend might be taken advantage of. Now with the opportunity to keep a close eye on things, Kuliya wouldn¡¯t let it slip by. Most importantly, she could work alongside Fang Zheng. Just the thought of seeing a handsome man every day was enough to compensate Kuliya for her small loss. During this time, Fang Zheng, along with Kuliya, received representatives from various trading companies who came to the Workshop to do business. Fress was shrewd, and the others were not fools. Fang Zheng had no intention of expanding production; it was obvious that he was using these products to prove their technological effectiveness. Hence, acquiring these two pieces of Alchemical Technology was naturally of great importance to them. As Fang Zheng anticipated, the more powerful first-tier trading companies showed little interest in his proposal and even tried to use their influence to pressure him into lowering his prices. The second-tier companies, like the one Fress belonged to, were willing to take a risk. However, they either feared they couldn¡¯t withstand the oppression from the ¡°multinational companies¡± of the first tier, or they felt Fang Zheng¡¯s demands were too steep, hoping for further negotiation. Regardless, the number of people eager to obtain these two pieces of Alchemical Technology kept growing. At last, Fress couldn¡¯t contain himself and came knocking again. Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Chapter 176 Cooperating Party Chapter 177: Chapter 176 Cooperating Party ¡°Forty percent is simply too high, Mr. Ezio, we really can¡¯t bear it¡­¡± Fress¡¯s expression of anxiety was half genuine, half feigned. The Northern Trading Company may not have had a first-rate intelligence network in the Northlands, but it was still a local power. During this period, several merchants¡¯ associations had sent representatives to make contact with ¡°Nanali¡¯s Alchemy Workshop,¡± putting Fress somewhat on edge. Although he was the undisputed leader of the Northern Trading Company, there were many things¡­ that were not solely up to him. ¡°At most, we can only bear twenty percent¡­¡± ¡°The Red River Merchants are willing to discuss up to forty-five percent, Mr. Fress.¡± Fang Zheng unapologetically interrupted him, and Fress just pursed his lips. ¡°I find it hard to believe that you, Mr. Ezio, are unaware of the current state of the Red River Merchants. Their president is almost bankrupt. Say forty-five percent, even ninety, and he would nod and agree! But the question is, even if he agrees, can he fulfill the contract?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but that¡¯s not important. Because no matter whether he goes bankrupt or not, the contract has to be fulfilled.¡± Fang Zheng made a light comment, and Fress¡¯s face fell immediately. Indeed, as Fress had said, before, nobody would care whether the Red River Merchants lived or died. But if the Red River Merchants really signed a contract with Fang Zheng, that would be different. Even if the Red River Merchants ultimately collapsed, went bankrupt, or were acquired, the contracts they had signed would remain valid unless the other party was willing to relent. Otherwise, the contract would still need to be honored after the acquisition. It was like someone had bought a cursed piece of equipment and then died in battle, leaving their cursed gear to be taken as spoils of war. The outcome would be either the new owner continuing to use the cursed equipment or finding a place to seal it away. And with technologies such as greenhouse farms and Slime Fertilizer, it was obviously impossible not to use them. But to tear up a contract was even more impossible. The Alchemists¡¯ Association was not the Tower of Heaven, but it was not to be trifled with either. After all, it served both as the ¡°National Patent Office¡± and the ¡°Quality Supervision Bureau.¡± If they get unhappy and cancel all your sales qualifications, your entire chain store could turn into an unauthorized operation, or you could be fined so heavily that you bleed money. Who could withstand that? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 And the last option would be to just toss the cursed equipment aside and ignore it. But who could bear to do that? Standing behind Fang Zheng, Kuliya was also wearing a smug smile, watching the scene unfold. Nymph was currently studying nutrient solutions with Nanali, so Kuliya naturally became Fang Zheng¡¯s secretary by default, accompanying him in the negotiations. For Kuliya, the experiences of recent times were a rare treasure. Not only could she work for free with Fang Zheng, a very handsome man, but she could also watch all sorts of reactions from representatives and heads of various merchants¡¯ associations. And after working with Fang Zheng for a few days, Kuliya¡¯s admiration for him had grown. To obtain these two technologies, representatives of the merchants¡¯ associations had come up with all kinds of clever schemes. There were those who bullied by leveraging power, others who pleaded and fawned, and even those who made a huge fuss. To be honest, upon self-reflection, Kuliya felt that if she were the one facing these people and the big shots behind them, she would likely have to think long and hard. But this ¡°Mr. Ezio¡± remained remarkably composed. No matter what moves the opposition made, he could block them without hesitation, and he could pinpoint the loopholes and weaknesses in the opposition¡¯s statements with just one word. This impressed Kuliya greatly. ¡°We really can¡¯t bear the pressure of forty-five percent. Thirty percent, perhaps¡­¡± Fress gave in; he couldn¡¯t persist any further. Recently, Fang Zheng was not just selling the Tachibana Fruit on the market; on the contrary, he had been continuously growing various out-of-season vegetables with the greenhouse technology plus Slime Fertilizer. These products sold out as soon as they hit the market, but Fang Zheng had no intention of increasing production. It was clear to any observant person that Fang Zheng was doing this to show them that these two alchemical inventions weren¡¯t just for Tachibana Fruits; rather, they were applicable to almost all crops. This also pushed the value of these two inventions higher, compelling Fress to concede due to this realization. But asking a merchant to give up profits is harder than killing his whole family. ¡°Thirty-eight percent.¡± Fang Zheng was not buying Fress¡¯s bluffs. Any concession made by a merchant was an illusion; the discounts they proposed were mostly bluff. It¡¯s just like that bespectacled fat man who always has sales and supposedly loses two billion! People still buy, buy, buy. ¡°Thirty-two percent¡­ Mr. Fang Zheng, please consider the situation of our Northern Trading Company. We need to build factories and raise slimes¡­ To tell you the truth, nobody knows how to raise these slimes. If you could also provide us with this, we would accept forty percent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng shrugged helplessly. They were into alchemy, not Animal Planet, and the problem of how to raise slimes was indeed challenging for them. On Earth, this would equate to a brand new wildlife domestication project, and Fang Zheng had no such expertise. He had wanted to try previously, but Nymph had no interest in those squishy jellies, and Nanali was too busy to care about that. According to Fress, they could solve the problem by hunting slimes in the short term, but if they wanted to do long-term business, they would need to farm them. Since Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t provide this technology, they would have to spend their own money to research it slowly. I hope we can achieve results before slimes become extinct. ¡°Thirty-five percent, I can¡¯t go any lower.¡± Fang Zheng finally gave the price he deemed suitable from his heart, while he also stated his additional conditions. ¡°Half of it, I request to be settled in spirit crystals, the higher the quality, the better.¡± After all, this was the main reason Fang Zheng came here to farm, not to develop some Otherworld urban black technology group. ¡°Spirit crystals?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s condition, Fress couldn¡¯t help but be startled. ¡°¡­That¡¯s no problem, but how do we settle it?¡± Spirit crystals, aside from being produced from demon beasts, can only be found in certain natural crystal mines, and like gold or oil and other bulk commodities, their price fluctuates. Maybe the price goes up this month and falls the next. Fang Zheng certainly wouldn¡¯t put all his eggs in one basket; he would not pass up the Alchemists¡¯ Association, and he also wanted to get his hands on the Northern Trading Company. ¡°Once a month, purchase and settle at the market price of that month, high quality, unlimited quantity,¡± Fang Zheng paused at this point, then added a sentence. ¡°The higher, the better.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care about money; in the Main World, no matter how much money he had, it was just a number to him. Only by converting it into spirit crystals to recharge the system did the money have significance. Otherwise, it was as if the money had no meaning at all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Listening to this, Fress frowned, but after thinking it over, he nodded in agreement quite readily. If Fang Zheng had insisted that all profit sharing be settled in cash, then the Northern Trading Company might have indeed had to think it over. After all, liquid assets are extremely limited, and a thirty-five percent share of profits is highly coveted. But spirit crystals are different; the Northern Trading Company has its own spirit crystal acquisition channels and even controls several spirit crystal mines. Currently, there are no wars among the nations, nor are there any large-scale technical revolutions, so the demand for spirit crystals is very stable, without much fluctuation. Allocating some from the market price is not difficult. At least it¡¯s easier to accept than cash. ¡°I agree to your request, Mr. Ezio.¡± ¡°Pleasure doing business.¡± Fang Zheng revealed a smile on his face when he heard Fress¡¯s agreement; he didn¡¯t want to spend too much time either. As the value of the greenhouse and slime fertilizer became increasingly apparent, some forces had stopped being cautious, and some even became aggressive. Fang Zheng, of course, didn¡¯t care about their military threats, but if he could avoid disclosing his identity, it would be ideal. With this in mind, and in light of Fress¡¯s prompt agreement, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind offering him a little extra concession. ¡°Since Mr. Fress is so generous, we will not be stingy¡­ How about this, when we sign the contract, we can add an extra preferential purchase clause, allowing the Northern Trading Company to obtain the option to make an advance purchase offer when the next invention from our Alchemy Workshop is completed.¡± ¡°A preferential purchase clause?¡± Stunned by this, Fress paused and then asked curiously. ¡°May I ask, Mr. Ezio, what is your workshop¡¯s next alchemical invention¡­?¡± ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you at the moment.¡± With a slight smile, Fang Zheng responded to Fress¡¯s inquiry. ¡°That¡¯s a trade secret.¡± Chapter 178 - Chapter 178: Chapter 177: A Beautiful Life Chapter 178: Chapter 177: A Beautiful Life For Nanali, recent life felt like a dream. Especially after she had signed a contract with the Northern Trading Company, those heaps of gold coins made Nanali¡¯s heart flutter. She even doubted more than once if she was dreaming. As a poor Alchemist, Nanali¡¯s greatest dream was to be able to conduct any research on Alchemy without restrictions. Instead of considering what was cheap and what was readily available every time she ran experiments, she had even thought about using wild herbs as substitutes in her alchemical recipes, simply because they didn¡¯t cost anything¡­ Of course, those attempts all ended in explosions. But that was to be expected; if wild herbs could replace alchemical materials, Alchemists wouldn¡¯t be so expensive to begin with. But now, Nanali didn¡¯t have to worry about these issues anymore. Her Alchemy Workshop had signed a contract with the Northern Trading Company. The technology for the greenhouse and the Slime Fertilizer was exclusively licensed to the Northern Trading Company. Moreover, due to the value of these two technologies, Nanali had been promoted two levels, becoming a Level Three Alchemist. She could not only obtain the alchemical supplies she wanted from the Alchemists¡¯ Association but could also get some rare and precious alchemical materials from the Northern Trading Company. Furthermore, Mr. Fress of the Northern Trading Company had promised that these materials would be sold at cost price. For Nanali, this was naturally a big surprise. It could be said that Nanali was now living the wonderful life she had always hoped for, peacefully conducting her research and experiments in Alchemy every day without worrying about starving or becoming homeless¡­ Of course, she had not forgotten who had brought all this to her. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Upon hearing the knock, Nanali gently swirled the potion bottle in her hand, and after ensuring that the solution inside had calmed down, she then spoke. As she responded, the previously closed door opened, and Fang Zheng walked in. ¡°How are things, Miss Nanali?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã? ¡°Ah, Mr. Ezio!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng enter, Nanali¡¯s face broke into a happy smile, but soon after, she sighed wearily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there hasn¡¯t been much progress¡­¡± ¡°Is it difficult to yield the materials?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Mainly, there are some raw materials for which I can¡¯t find good substitutes, and the ones I have managed to prepare always have various problems.¡± While saying this, Nanali looked toward the nearby wooden rectangular container that resembled a planter box. It held a solution that appeared to be fresh water, covered with a perforated wooden board, on which some crops were planted. However, these vegetables were not doing well. They were either listless, wilted, or already dried up. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot more time.¡± Nanali said this helplessly; Fang Zheng nodded in understanding. In truth, he had thought things too simply. Initially, Fang Zheng thought that with Slime Fertilizer, concocting a nutrient solution for hydroponic cultivation wouldn¡¯t be difficult. However, only when it came to experimentation did he realize it was not so simple. Indeed, Slime Fertilizer could be compared to Golden Fertilizer; it could accelerate the maturing period of crops and make them grow better. However, it was ultimately just an auxiliary product. It¡¯s like a health supplement; it might make you stronger and prolong your life, but it can¡¯t replace staple foods like rice, noodles, and steamed buns. If you need to eat, you still need to eat¡ªfood and drink water. Slime Fertilizer might replace a part of the soil, but it couldn¡¯t completely take its place. Although Nymph had provided a list based on her analysis of the nutrients solution from Earth in the Ironblood World, how to blend all elements on this list well was a challenge for Nanali. Not to mention, agricultural research consumes a lot of time. Developing a nutrient solution isn¡¯t something you can judge by just tasting; you need to grow crops, wait for them to mature, and bear fruit. Only after ensuring everything is fine could you move on to the next step. Luckily, Slime Fertilizer significantly shortened the growth cycle of crops; otherwise, Nanali would have wasted much more time. Now, Nanali had developed more than a dozen nutrient solutions, but it seemed none were usable. ¡°Is configuring the nutrient solution harder than expected?¡± Fang Zheng casually remarked as he reached for the experiment record book next to him and began to flip through it. Nanali nodded reluctantly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve tried refining many combinations of herbs, but the results have been unsatisfactory. Some look promising, but the raw materials are quite expensive¡­¡± Ever since Nanali had refined fertilizer from slimes and created the greenhouse, she had abandoned her former ¡°only the best¡± approach and instead began favoring ¡°only the cheapest¡± method. Her alchemy skills and knowledge were solid; however, Fang Zheng now realized that this girl could get really stuck on certain issues¡­ ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about the costs for now,¡± Fang Zheng sighed in resignation as he looked at the girl in front of him. Previously, when money was tight, she never considered costs, but now that they had more money than they could spend, she had started to think about costs. ¡°The price of the nutrient solution will definitely be higher than the Slime Fertilizer, so don¡¯t think about lowering costs for the time being. In short, use all the materials you have on hand to make the nutrient solution that meets the needs, and then consider how to reduce costs. Initially, we never planned to sell our nutrient solutions to farmers, as most probably couldn¡¯t afford it anyway.¡± ¡°Not selling to farmers?¡± Upon hearing this, Nanali paused. ¡°Then who are we selling to?¡± ¡°The Kingdom of the Holy Church is a very good partner.¡± Fang Zheng was confident. After all, as a Templar, he understood the Kingdom of the Holy Church¡¯s ideology and their methods quite well. Even if the nutrient solution were produced, it was unlikely that the initial costs would be substantially reduced. But if the Kingdom of the Holy Church were to purchase it, money was never a concern for them. And if it were used to maintain order and combat Chaos, it would be even less of a concern. Like the mercenaries who followed Fang Zheng to the Dark Capital, although their losses were heavy, the Sanctuary didn¡¯t skimp on rewards and compensation when they returned. According to Shi Dong, the mercenary group had received enough compensation to equip half of a fully-armed elite cavalry unit. The Sanctuary is wealthy and generous when it comes to spending in this area¡ªthere is no waste. After getting money, Fang Zheng also had the Alchemy Workshop repaired and renovated. Now, this Alchemy Workshop didn¡¯t look as run-down as before; in fact, it looked much better. By now, Nanali¡¯s Alchemy Workshop was no longer doubling as a ¡°shop,¡± but had been transformed into a professional research institute. She no longer needed to take on commissions to make and sell things for money, but simply consider how to spend her funds on Alchemy research. As for those greenhouses, Fang Zheng still kept them. After all, Nanali¡¯s research was in the field of agriculture, and they would still be needed for large-scale experiments. The crops they planted, once they flowered and bore fruit, didn¡¯t need to be sold anymore. They were previously sold to build a reputation for their product, but now that the Northern Trading Company had taken over, what remained naturally became gifts for the greenhouse farmers and welfare for the employees sent by the Alchemy Trading Company. As for whether they ate them themselves or sold them, that was none of Fang Zheng¡¯s business. Importantly, after the Northern Trading Company obtained the exclusive authorization for the greenhouses and the ¡°patent¡± for the Slime Fertilizer, the troubles that previously lurked around had disappeared. Now that the Northern Trading Company had the exclusive rights, other forces wanting to acquire this technology had to deal with them. As a researcher, Nanali was naturally excluded. Of course, the Northern Trading Company had returned the favor by sending a team to guard the Alchemy Workshop. From this perspective, Fress was quite insightful, and he knew how to protect his ¡°research assets.¡± Others might have been a bit dissatisfied, but Nanali herself was a home-body, preferring not to go out if she could help it, so she didn¡¯t really mind. However, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t come to see Nanali just to discuss the nutrient solution issue. ¡°In a few days, I¡¯ll be leaving for a period. If anything arises in my absence, I¡¯ll leave it in your hands to manage,¡± he said. ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng speak, Nanali couldn¡¯t help but pause. ¡°Mr. Ezio, are you leaving?¡± ¡°I have some private matters to attend to.¡± Dealing with these matters had taken Fang Zheng almost a month, neither particularly long nor short. He had lived quite leisurely during this month, but it was leisure spent with a purpose. The Cash Summon was just for a month, and once this month passed, the next would bring a different card pool UP. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what the card pool UP would be next month; after all, this wasn¡¯t a game. So, he intended to use the remaining time of this month to visit the Dimensional World¡ªpreferably the Magic World¡ªto try his luck at acquiring a magic department¡¯s Soulstone. For Fang Zheng, this would be more than ideal. ¡°But, but¡­¡± Hearing that Fang Zheng was leaving, Nanali was visibly reluctant. She was already living a solitary life, and the arrival of Fang Zheng and Nymph had given her a taste of the long-missed family atmosphere. Although Fang Zheng¡¯s intentions were mysterious, Nanali didn¡¯t think he was a bad person. And he had helped her with so many things¡­ This had made her quite dependent on Fang Zheng, albeit imperceptibly. But now, he mentioned he would be leaving temporarily¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing Nanali¡¯s anxious expression, Fang Zheng gave a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯m just going on a trip. It won¡¯t take too long.¡± Chapter 179 - Chapter 179: Chapter 178 Nymphs Decision Chapter 179: Chapter 178 Nymph¡¯s Decision [Executor: Fang Zheng] [Dimensional Count: 400] [Crystal Energy: 36] [Equipped Soulstone: Arthas] [Activation Count: 3] [Acquired Buff: Undead King (Sensory boost of 50% against Undead Creatures, 50% increase in damage against Undead Creatures, and 50% increase in protection against Undead Creatures)] [Title Worn: Holy Protector] [Strength: D++ (Punching a bear to death is basic)] [Agility: C+ (Your enemies can only see your afterimage)] [Physical Quality: B+ (As long as your head isn¡¯t blown off, you have no fear of death)] [Perception: C+ (Wherever you look, nothing can hide)] [Charm: C++ (You have the capital and power to seduce hearts)] Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? [Inherent Skill: Heart of the Swarm (EX), Dimensional Passage (D)] [Equipped Skill: Royal Cross Swordsmanship (A)] [Skill Expertise: Weapon Mastery] [Gifted Ability ¡ª Perfect Body (D)] [Gifted Ability ¡ª Gene Absorption (D)] [Gifted Ability ¡ª Time Manipulation (E)] It doesn¡¯t feel like anything¡¯s changed. Looking at the character template in front of him, Fang Zheng sighed silently. Although the saying goes that one cannot have too many skills, it¡¯s also a problem if you have too many skills but can¡¯t upgrade them. Luckily, the first batch of Spirit Crystals would be arriving next month, and by then Fang Zheng would have enough Dimensional Points to upgrade his skills. However¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve really decided? Nymph? You want to stay in the Main World?¡± Fang Zheng withdrew his gaze and looked at the Little Angel standing in front of him. He had originally planned to take Nymph with him to the next world, but to his surprise, this time she had asked to stay in the Main World of her own accord. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nymph nodded vigorously. ¡°Master¡¯s business is just starting in the Main World. Someone needs to watch over things here, and I don¡¯t feel at ease just leaving it to Miss Kuliya and Miss Nanali¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng also fell into deep thought. Frankly, not only did Nymph feel uneasy, but he himself was not at ease either. Kuliya, despite her abilities, was still too young, and Nanali¡­ it goes without saying. In the past, Fang Zheng, with no fixed abode, could come and go as he pleased. But now he couldn¡¯t do that, as Spirit Crystals were extremely necessary for him. Although for the time being, with Kuliya there and the support from the Alchemists¡¯ Association, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems, he worried about the unexpected. If any troubles arose, things would look very different by the time they returned. Therefore, for the sake of safety, leaving Nymph behind was a good choice. Of course, Fang Zheng also began to consider whether he should get a few more Summoning Stones. If they could be as helpful as Nymph, at least the Little Angel would not have to work so hard alone. But still¡­ ¡°Will you really be okay here by yourself?¡± Even though Fang Zheng had a lot of trust in Nymph¡¯s abilities, he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Please rest assured, Master.¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nymph puffed out her chest and nodded at him. ¡°My Alchemy has reached the point where I can create Third-Level Magic Equipment. Just give me a little more time, and with the current alchemical materials, I should be able to achieve the combat effectiveness of a Level Four Mage, at least self-preservation won¡¯t be a problem. And don¡¯t forget, Master, my radar search is always on. If someone intends to do us harm, I will detect it immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Fang Zheng nodded in response to Nymph¡¯s answer. As Nymph had said, the Little Angel¡¯s radar search system was exceptionally powerful. In fact, even at that moment, her radar continued to monitor the entire town and the surrounding area including the City of Korhal, 24 hours a day. Fang Zheng¡¯s successful assassination of targets previously was largely due to the help of Nymph, the Little Angel¡¯s radar scanning and detection. Plus, since the Little Angel didn¡¯t need to sleep, catching her off-guard would be difficult¡ªunless it was done blatantly in public like Connie had, otherwise any sneaky plots under the cover of darkness would not escape Nymph¡¯s detection. ¡°I¡¯ll leave some Magic Scrolls for you. Pay attention to safety and remember, if the enemy is too strong, retreat first. Do not engage in a tough fight, safety comes first and we can seek payback after I return.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng took out several Magic Scrolls and handed them over to Nymph, most of which were of the Protection Class, along with Spellcraft System and Elemental System Scrolls. These were all crafted by Fang Zheng during his spare time¡ªas a Mage, creating scrolls was one of the essential skills to learn, though most of the time there was no need for him to use them, more as a precaution. But now, handing them to Nymph was just the same. ¡°Please take care of things here then.¡± Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t worried that Kuliya and Nanali would harm him or Nymph, but he was concerned that someone might exploit the two, especially since the Alchemy Workshop was still registered under Nanali¡¯s name on paper. Although Kuliya was watching over matters, there was no guarantee that no mistakes would be made. And now, with Nymph added as an extra layer of insurance, Fang Zheng naturally felt more at ease. ¡°Rest assured, Master, I definitely won¡¯t have a problem. And I have it here with me for company.¡± While speaking, Nymph lifted her hand, and at the right moment, the little black cat climbed out from her embrace, stretched out its tiny paw to wave at Fang Zheng, letting out a few light calls as if it were greeting him. Seeing the cute little cat, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t resist squatting down to stroke its little head, and even pinched the soft, adorable paw pads. The kitten too stretched out its paw, lightly batting at Fang Zheng¡¯s fingers and licking his palm with its tongue¡­ Ah, why must cats be such adorable creatures? With such a cute little buddy, why bother with the world instances? He might as well just stay here and adore cats for a lifetime! ¡°Then, I¡¯m counting on you to look after Nymph.¡± ¡°Meow¡­¡± Perhaps it was Fang Zheng¡¯s imagination, but after he finished speaking, the little cat blinked at him as if it truly understood what he was saying. Fang Zheng smiled slightly, reluctantly standing up and letting go of the little cat, then turned back to Nymph. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Take care on your journey, Master.¡± As Fang Zheng spoke, Nymph offered a gentle smile. Fang Zheng gave the Little Angel in front of him another glance, then opened the Dimensional Codex. Soon, Photon Particles appeared around his body, and the next moment, these particles condensed to form a Teleportation Passage, enveloping Fang Zheng within. Accompanied by a flash of radiance, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure vanished completely from the earth. Chapter 180 - Chapter 180: Chapter 179 Look at this Radiant Rainbow Light—!! Chapter 180: Chapter 179 Look at this Radiant Rainbow Light¡ª!! The bustling noise spread all around. Fang Zheng looked up, whistled at the bustling street in front of him, and the crowds that surrounded him. ¡°Back in the city, huh¡­¡± He muttered to himself, looking around at the high-rise buildings, streets, traffic lights, and people with their smartphones in their hands¡ªyep, modern, Japan, urban setting; at least these three keywords were certain. Then, this must be from some anime or game. With that thought, Fang Zheng patted his pocket; like before, when he was teleported to this world, he obtained a new identity. But that was all. No main quests, no hints; unless Fang Zheng figured out which world he was in, it seemed the Dimensional Codex wouldn¡¯t actively issue him any tasks. ¡°What world is this, exactly?¡± Fang Zheng furrowed his brows and looked carefully around, but he couldn¡¯t find any answers. If it¡¯s a modern Japanese urban style, it could range from romance to fantasy or even Yuri. Of course, there¡¯s no shortage of modern fantasy anime, but whether or not he had seen any of them, he didn¡¯t hold out much hope. After all these years of working, he could only catch new episodes if he had the time, otherwise, he¡¯d just skim the news. Unless it were something as distinctive as ¡°Higurashi¡± that you can¡¯t forget at a glance, then¡­ it was really hard to say. But¡­ it didn¡¯t matter. The early Fang Zheng, arriving in an unfamiliar, unknown world might have been nervous and uneasy. But now, after the ordeal in the world of ¡°Higurashi,¡± Fang Zheng had come to terms with his situation. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, no matter what world it was or whether he had seen it or not; with the power he now possessed, there was nowhere in the vast world he couldn¡¯t go. Even in the face of danger, he could still protect himself. Forget it, in any case, let¡¯s do a draw first! Yes, Fang Zheng remembered that this month his top-up card pool featured the ¡°instance UP.¡± It didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t know which world he was in, wouldn¡¯t a draw from the UP card pool reveal it? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í??.§ã¦Ï With that thought, Fang Zheng no longer hesitated and quickened his pace to leave. After a short while, Fang Zheng arrived at a secluded park with sparse foot traffic, as dusk and the setting sun painted the sky. Most people were on their way home from work or school, making the park rather empty. After ensuring there was nothing out of the ordinary around him, Fang Zheng waved his right hand and then opened the Dimensional Codex. Then, looking at the hovering giant book in front of him, he took a deep breath, and¡­ ¡°I should take a bath first.¡± Recalling the scene when he summoned Malthael, Fang Zheng decisively chickened out. One should be devout in their beliefs. Praying to the gods and buddhas required cleansing oneself with a bath, changing into fresh clothes, and burning incense. He was about to do a ten-consecutive draw; he had to prepare properly. With that thought, Fang Zheng decisively changed his plans and headed to his ¡°home¡± in this world. In this world, Fang Zheng¡¯s dwelling was an ordinary one-bedroom studio¡ªneither luxurious nor bare, just an everyday apartment for a worker. And the identity Fang Zheng had in this world was similar to his one in the ¡°Higurashi¡± world, a high school teacher¡ªgood thing Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t returned all his knowledge along with his physics and chemistry, otherwise he would surely be in trouble now. ¡°Click.¡± Turning on the lights and looking at the room bathed in its glow, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. It was as if he had returned to his original world, coming home to rest after a long day¡¯s work. Turning on the TV to watch the news, having a little drink, then making a call for fast food delivery¡­ Of course, the most important thing was, he was always solo. If only Nymph could come along as well. This thought flashed through Fang Zheng¡¯s mind, but it was quickly set aside. He shook his head, closed the door, entered the bathroom, and began¡­ to bathe and cleanse himself. ¡°Divine spirits of heaven and earth, Full Sky of Gods and Buddhas, please let me draw something good this time!¡± After bathing and changing, the deep night had already set in. Now clean and in fresh clothes, Fang Zheng stood solemnly in the living room, looking at the floating Dimensional Codex in front of him. He put his hands together in prayer, took a deep breath, then opened his eyes to look at the Codex before him. Next, he reached out¡­ and pressed Summon. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Following Fang Zheng¡¯s action, ten light orbs instantly appeared, then started to spin rapidly¡ªthis was the radiance of a ten-consecutive draw!! ¡°Bang!¡± Reinforcement Stone, next one! ¡°Bang!!¡± Still a Reinforcement Stone, next one! ¡°Bang!!!¡± Energy Stone¡­¡­Keep going! ¡°Bang bang bang!!!¡± One after another, Light Orbs burst open, but they were nothing but Energy Stones or Reinforcement Stones, and when Fang Zheng lowered his hand, only one Light Orb remained before him. Is my luck really this bad today? Staring at the last Light Orb before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s face turned dark. He had even made a special trip to buy new shower gel and soap on his way home, and you¡¯re telling me this is the result? This sucks worse than Malthael, at least back then, I got a Little Angel out of it. But this time¡­ you¡¯ve got to be kidding me, right? Sigh¡­¡­If all else fails, I¡¯ll just do another ten-draw. With a helpless sigh, Fang Zheng reached out and touched the last Light Orb. ¡°Bang!!¡± Quickly, under Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, the last Light Orb began to spin, expand, and then¡ª¡ª¡ªit emitted a rainbow Radiance. ¡°What, what is this!?¡± Seeing the rainbow light before him, Fang Zheng was also surprised, his eyes wide open. He certainly knew what this signified. But¡­ no way, could it be that his luck had actually turned?! As Fang Zheng was lost in his wild thoughts, the Light Orb in front of him ¡°bang¡± burst open, and then a Soulstone shimmering with rainbow light simply appeared in front of Fang Zheng! ¡°Hahaha, Fantasy, the strongest Fantasy!! I finally pulled a Fantasy Tier Soulstone, hahaha!!¡± Looking at the Soulstone before him that sparkled with rainbow light, Fang Zheng excitedly raised his hands and shouted. It hadn¡¯t been easy, oh, it really hadn¡¯t been easy! After such a long time and so much effort, he finally pulled the strongest Fantasy Tier Soulstone from the Dimensional Codex, and it had truly not been easy. Based on previous summoning patterns in the Codex, this Soulstone had to be Divine Level! With this, he finally had what it took to confront the True Gods of the Main World! Although he hadn¡¯t originally planned to fight them¡­ being prepared never hurt. Well then, let¡¯s see what kind of Soulstone this is. With that thought, Fang Zheng eagerly reached out for the Soulstone. ¡°Ding.¡± But to Fang Zheng¡¯s surprise, just as his fingertips touched the Soulstone, a system prompt sounded in his ear, followed by a line of information that quickly floated up before his eyes. [Awakening Quest Triggered: The Slumbering Soul] [A powerful and terrifying soul is trapped in a dark slumber, and only by finding the key elements that will awaken it will it rise again from its boundless sleep, becoming a great power that belongs to you¡ª¡ª¡ªSearch for the key elements to awaken the Soulstone in this world, and upon completion, the Soulstone will awaken, breaking the Seal. Awakening Elements 0/3] ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Looking at the mission prompt before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s smile froze. Are you freaking kidding me? Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: 180 Chapter 181: 180 ¡°Why, why has it turned out this way?¡± Until the next morning, Fang Zheng still had a look of wanting to cry without tears. He stared at the Awakening task in front of him, feeling utterly overwhelmed. Arriving in a new world and getting a Fantasy Grade Soulstone for the first time had brought him even more joy with the convergence of two happy events. What should have been a dream-like period of happiness turned unexpected. But why, why did it turn out like this? ¡°Ah¡­ No choice but to accept it.¡± Fang Zheng sighed deeply and then pushed the depressing matter out of his mind. For him, as a Prophet Mage, this wasn¡¯t really a difficult task because Fang Zheng could use prophecies to gain some insights and clues, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about aimlessly wandering the world like a headless fly finding nothing. And now speaking of which¡­ It was time to go to work. After glancing at his phone, Fang Zheng turned around and walked out of his room, heading for his ¡°workplace¡± ¡ª Goki High School. This was quite an ordinary high school, similar to those seen in many games and anime. Students in uniforms and sailor suits, and a wide, tidy campus. Honestly, just walking around the campus and seeing the lively and cheerful students brought back memories of Fang Zheng¡¯s own school days. Though not altogether great, yet not too bad either, youth¡­ Sometimes it flew away like a bird, never to return. However, it was quite a blessing to be able to experience this campus atmosphere anew. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?? Back when he was still a student, he always longed to graduate early and start working, thinking of escaping classes and homework, dreaming of earning lots of money, and managing his time freely to buy whatever he wanted. But once he actually started working, he realized that repetitive labor was exhausting, requiring him to work late into the night. Money couldn¡¯t be spent carelessly and he had to consider car loans and mortgages. There were also far more complex social interactions than in school, where communications were not as innocent and often colored by hidden agendas. Only under the crushing pressure of real life did he yearn for that simple, linear campus life, which seemed such a wonderful time. Unfortunately, time does not turn back; no matter how much he yearned, he could only continue living as a member of society. That carefree school time could no longer be found, existing only as an illusion in memory. Fang Zheng was responsible for teaching mathematics and was also the advisor for Class 2 of the first year. Teaching was not difficult for Fang Zheng, as lessons were planned and he had gotten used to teaching back in the Higurashi world. Even if he was not accustomed, it didn¡¯t matter much because his assumed role was that of a novice teacher, so a little inexperience wouldn¡¯t draw complaints. What¡¯s more, Fang Zheng was handsome. In a world where appearances mattered, good looks were certainly an advantageous resource, right? ¡°Well, that¡¯s all for today. Be careful on your way home and make sure to return early,¡± As he said this, Fang Zheng looked at the class of students who couldn¡¯t wait to leave, shrugged his shoulders, and gave the response they loved the most. ¡°YEAH¡ª¡ª!¡± As expected, upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, the students excitedly raised their hands and jumped out of their chairs, then hurriedly packed their bags and dashed towards the door. ¡°¡­Indeed, students are the same in every world.¡± Watching this scene, Fang Zheng smiled serenely, appearing quite calm. He originally thought that schools here would be different from those in his own world, but after taking over, he realized they were pretty much the same. As a class advisor, aside from teaching his subject, his job was to check the morning self-study session, and then communicate any school notices before dismissal in the afternoon. It felt¡­ not much different from his own school days. If there was anything different¡­ ¡°Bye, teacher.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Watching the smiling girl in the sailor uniform bidding him farewell, Fang Zheng nodded his head and inadvertently glanced at their super short skirts¡­ Well, compared to the sportswear from his side, these uniforms were definitely more pleasing to the eye. Although revisiting the feelings of his student days was nice, Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t found the ¡°main character¡± he was looking for at this school. Using his teacher¡¯s privileges, he had checked the entire school¡¯s student roster but hadn¡¯t found a single familiar name. Moreover, he had not recognized any familiar ¡°characters¡± in the class he was responsible for. There were two possibilities, one was that his ¡°identity¡± was too far from the main character, or the main character could be right in front of him, but since he had not seen this particular show, he couldn¡¯t recognize them. But¡­ whatever, it didn¡¯t matter too much to him. When Fang Zheng left the school, it was already nearing dusk. The brilliant red sunset shone on the streets, crowded with people and vehicles. Fang Zheng walked listlessly along, viewing such scenes. ¡°Let¡¯s go find a place to have dinner first, I wonder how the ramen tastes here. I actually prefer beef noodles, but unfortunately, they don¡¯t have those in the Main World¡­ huh?¡± While muttering to himself and looking around, Fang Zheng suddenly paused, then stopped walking and turned his head towards a nearby shopping district. Just a moment ago, his prophetic talent had once again brought him a hint¡ªto head in that direction, where Fang Zheng could find what he wanted. ¡°That way?¡± Looking at the seemingly unchanged street, Fang Zheng hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked towards the direction of the shopping district. And just as he stepped into the shopping district, a sudden change occurred. ¡°Swoosh¡ª¡ª!¡± In Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, a silver-white object resembling an array suddenly appeared out of nowhere and quickly expanded in all directions. However, the people walking around seemed completely oblivious to this, moving forward as usual. Then, in the next moment, the world in front of Fang Zheng suddenly changed. The sky turned into a dark red, the sunlight disappeared without a trace, and everything was bathed in a vivid red. Wherever this red reached, all the people stopped moving. They just stood there, motionless, as if they had turned into stone statues. Even their bodies themselves seemed covered with a layer of dust, no longer distinct. ¡°What is this?¡± Faced with this abrupt change, Fang Zheng immediately became more alert. From the surroundings, it seemed to be a Time Stop barrier. But Fang Zheng felt nothing. However, this didn¡¯t mean he could lower his guard, because the current abnormal situation clearly indicated¡­ something was wrong! ¡°Boom!!¡± Just then, not far in front of Fang Zheng, a shop suddenly exploded, debris flying in all directions. Immediately following this, Fang Zheng saw a person completely engulfed in flames flying out from the explosion, crashing down not far in front of him. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡± The moment he hit the ground, the person began screaming as the rhythmic pale white flames instantly devoured his body. Soon after, Fang Zheng saw the man¡¯s body swell up like a balloon, and then with a ¡°bang,¡± it burst open like fireworks, and he disappeared without a trace. But Fang Zheng was not just focused on this, because as the figure exploded, he keenly noticed a small, silver-white glowing point emerge from inside the man¡¯s body. Upon seeing this light point, Fang Zheng¡¯s mind suddenly flashed with a ¡°premonition¡±! That¡¯s it, that is one of the key points to unlocking his Soulstone! Hand of the Mage! Fang Zheng reached out without hesitation, magic power quivering in his hand, forming into a transparent hand that grasped the floating light point, quickly bringing it before his eyes. But after clearly seeing the light orb, Fang Zheng was stunned. ¡°What is this?¡± In front of Fang Zheng was a bizarre contraption made up of several gears. In its center was a white light orb, around which gears and bearings continuously rotated. Fang Zheng was sure he had never seen such a thing before, but¡­ whatever it was, it was definitely his mission item! Thinking this, Fang Zheng hurriedly opened the Dimensional Codex, and soon saw swathes of light emerge from it, wrapping around the strange object like chains. Just then¡­ ¡°Ugh ah!!¡± With a scream, the next moment Fang Zheng saw a blond man¡¯s apparition suddenly fly out from the strange object; he screamed as he fell to the ground, looking utterly disgraced as if he had been kicked hard. ¡°This, this is¡­¡± The blond man turned his head in surprise at Fang Zheng, then glanced at the peculiar item now bound by the Dimensional Codex. His expression shifted slightly, wanting to say something, but in the end, the blond man said nothing and vanished like a shooting star into the sky. ¡°¡­??? What the heck?¡± Watching the blond man suddenly disappear, Fang Zheng was also stunned; he had no idea what was going on. At least for now, he was clueless about everything that had happened. But¡­ whatever, at least he got his essential item! ¡°Snap!¡± With the odd item retracted, Fang Zheng once again closed the Dimensional Codex. Simultaneously, a system prompt appeared before him again. [Obtained Awakening Key Item X1, Progress 1/3] This really is simple. Looking at the system prompt before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but remark. He had worried whether he would have to search all over the streets, but now it seemed so effortless, just casually walking and finding it. So next¡­ ¡°Bang!!¡± But before Fang Zheng could finish his thought, a massive white creature descended from the sky, landing not far in front of him. It looked like a giant toy baby, with a rather ugly face. The creature glanced around briefly, then showed a puzzled expression. ¡°Strange, where did Mistis go? I was planning to eat him!¡± ¡°Forget about that Mistis, he¡¯s disappeared!¡± Just then, not far behind the giant baby, a spherical object looking like a fusion of numerous model figures suddenly appeared. It rotated its eyes, staring intently at Fang Zheng. ¡°I can feel a treasure¡¯s presence on this man; he must have taken the treasure from inside Mistis!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing the spherical object speak, the giant baby turned its head, curiously looking at Fang Zheng. ¡°It¡¯s a human, how strange. Why can a human move within the Sealing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the little things, kill him and take back the treasure!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Watching the two ready-to-attack creatures before him, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly, then casually pulled out the Sky-Cleaving Sword from the void. As expected, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Chapter 181: The Fiery Eye Crusader Chapter 182: Chapter 181: The Fiery Eye Crusader ¡°Hahaha, watch me eat you!¡± The giant baby in front of him seemed as intellectually challenged as it appeared. Watching Fang Zheng standing motionless, it laughed loudly as it reached out its hand to grab him, aiming to swallow him whole. Yet, facing the giant baby¡¯s outstretched right hand, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t dodge or flinch; he just stood there quietly, watching the hand draw closer and closer. Then¡­ the flash of a sword. No one could see what exactly happened, because it was all over in an instant, accompanied by a dazzling sword light. The giant baby creature¡¯s right hand that had reached for Fang Zheng was cleanly severed, and with a ¡°bang,¡± the huge plump palm fell to the ground. Only at this moment did the baby seem to finally realize there was a problem. ¡°Aaaaahhh!! It hurts, it hurts ahhhh!!¡± The intense pain caused the giant baby to stand up and start violently shaking its arm. Through the cut, Fang Zheng could clearly see there was nothing inside the limb of the baby creature¡ªno muscles, no blood vessels, not even bones. It was like those hollow plastic dolls sold in the market, just a pitch-black void. Around the edges, a substance that sparkled with white radiance and seemed both liquid and smokey flowed out before disappearing into the air. Could this be the creature¡¯s blood?! Such a thought crossed his mind, yet Fang Zheng¡¯s actions didn¡¯t pause. Though this giant baby creature was quite large, he had battled similar creatures more than once in the world of Dark Soul and naturally did not experience any fear or hesitation. As the baby lifted its head in pain, Fang Zheng¡¯s figure flashed. His Sky-Cleaving Sword suddenly burst forth with blinding brilliance, effortlessly severing the giant baby¡¯s legs with a silver streak, as if slicing through cream. Accompanied by a piercing scream, the baby, now legless and unable to stand, fell backward. ¡°No¡­ it hurts, it hurts ahhh¡­!!¡± The baby flailed desperately, trying to grasp at something. Its eyes wide with struggle, it tried to escape. But before its cries could hit the ground, the next moment the baby¡¯s head silently split apart, then exploded into a bright fireball with a loud bang. At the same time, its massive body went ¡°bang¡± and burst open, disappearing without a trace along with its huge head. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± Looking at the few sparks left of the wreckage, Fang Zheng snorted lightly. He previously thought the giant baby¡¯s large size might indicate formidable strength, but it turned out to be as weak as the giant slaves from the Black Soul World¡ªlooking fierce yet frail as a chicken¡­ Oh, right, what about that meatball? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°You bastard!!¡± Just as Cao Cao arrives when spoken of, the moment the thought passed through Fang Zheng¡¯s mind, he saw a ball-shaped creature, formed from the fusion of countless human models, breaking through the flames and charging towards him like a missile. Seeing this, Fang Zheng extended his hand and pointed forward. In the next instant, a barrage of Magic Missiles erupted, heavily striking the meatball and sending it flying. Along with the wails, the ball of flesh exploded instantly, just like the previous giant baby, turning into wisps of pale blue flame that vanished into the air. ¡°This thing really is awfully weak.¡± Looking at the scene before him, Fang Zheng frowned. The battle with these two peculiar foes had not lasted overly long but had still caused a fair amount of damage to the shopping district. Not only that, Fang Zheng also discovered that the people who seemed to be frozen in time were also hit by the residual effects of the battle, with many of them now lying on the ground. Yet, even so, they still maintained their previous gestures, appearing like unconscious mannequins. ¡°Hm? Trying to run?¡± As Fang Zheng surveyed the shopping district, he suddenly sneered, then snapped his fingers. Accompanying his action, several metallic ribbons suddenly materialized and tightly bound the air not far from Fang Zheng. Shortly after, a figure slowly emerged from within. ¡°You didn¡¯t think you could escape from the palm of my hand with that level of invisibility, did you.¡± Looking at the blonde woman in a dress before him, Fang Zheng smiled coldly. The one thing Prophet Mages weren¡¯t afraid of was invisibility. In fact, he had already detected this woman hiding on the side; Fang Zheng just wasn¡¯t sure whether she was friend or foe. But seeing how she decisively ran away after he eliminated the two creatures, Fang Zheng guessed she probably belonged to the same group as the monsters. But this is also good¡­¡­ ¡°Who are you? Why have you come here? Why attack humans? Please explain yourself properly to me,¡± Fang Zheng said with a trace of a triumphant smile as he leisurely walked towards the struggling woman who was trying to break free from her restraints. Seeing Fang Zheng approach, the woman¡¯s face suddenly twisted into an expression of terror. ¡°What, what do you want to do? Do you know who my master is?¡± she demanded. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if you could introduce us, that would be great.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­¡± The blonde woman clenched her teeth and glared at Fang Zheng with venom as he smiled and walked towards her. But Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care; for a Prophecy Mage, whether you speak or not doesn¡¯t matter ¡ª all it takes is a ¡°Thought Detection¡±¡­¡­ ¡°Boom!!¡± However, before Fang Zheng could cast his spell, an explosion sounded not far away. Soon after, a figure emerged from the blast. She held her blade high and, without hesitation, swung it down at the bound woman! ¡°Ahhhh!!!¡± Being ensnared in Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Iron Binding,¡± the woman had no chance to escape the sudden attack and was cleaved in half. But in the next moment, Fang Zheng saw a doll-like creature swiftly burrow out of the split in the woman¡¯s body and fly away into the sky without looking back. Just as he was about to act, the cut-in-half woman¡¯s body suddenly exploded with a ¡°bang.¡± The sparkling firelight and shockwave washed over, engulfing both Fang Zheng and the previous attacker. When the flames cleared, the odd doll had already vanished without a trace. ¡°It got away,¡± murmured the attacker as she watched the remnants of the destroyed shell before her. She was a young girl, appearing to be around eleven or twelve years old, wearing a pitch-black coat and holding a long sword. Her hair undulated with the vibrant red of flames, and sparks fell from it¡ªGirl, you have some serious dandruff; need a recommendation for shampoo? ¡°I thought it was just a Phosphorus at first, but now it seems there might be an unexpected Master behind it,¡± said an elderly male voice that rose from an amulet hanging around the girl¡¯s neck, sounding unusually calm. ¡°This time, we might end up going to annihilate the Demon King.¡± ¡°Mhm, but speaking of which¡­¡± As she spoke, the girl turned her head to look at Fang Zheng. Her face clearly showed her surprise and astonishment. ¡°Aralastor, what¡¯s with this human?¡± she asked. Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Witness the Power of the Fire Mist Warrior! Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Witness the Power of the Fire Mist Warrior! ¡°` ¡°¡­ So, the creatures I just battled are called Phosphors, and they are subordinates to the ¡®Demon King of the Crimson Realm.¡¯ The ¡®Demon King of the Crimson Realm¡¯ is a powerful entity from another world. To maintain their form in this world, they have to devour the Power of Existence, preferably that of humans¡­ So they are man-eating monsters, is that correct?¡± Sitting in the fast-food restaurant, Fang Zheng shook his milk tea while staring at the girl sitting opposite him. She was still wearing a black coat, but her hair, which had seemed to burn like fire before, had now turned pitch black. ¡°And when this Power of Existence is devoured by these creatures, the balance of the world gets weakened, and it may even lead to catastrophes. Hence, warriors like you, the Fire Mist Warriors, appear to prevent the situation from worsening¡­ Is my understanding correct?¡± ¡°Of course, it is.¡± The girl nodded, bit into her pineapple bun, and carefully scrutinized Fang Zheng with a furrowed brow. ¡°This is really interesting¡­¡± Smiling slightly at her response, Fang Zheng turned his gaze back outside the window¡ªwhere the buildings that should have collapsed during the previous battle had already been restored to their original state, and those who had been affected were now seemingly back to normal. But according to what this girl had said, they were now nothing but empty shells, for their souls¡­ or rather, their Power of Existence, had been taken away by the Phosphors. And having lost their Power of Existence, these people would cease to exist, not just in the sense of their physical disappearance, but also meaning that all traces of their past, any residual images, even their presence within the memories of others, would be completely erased¡ªas if they had never existed at all. One or two people disappearing might be overlooked, but if tens of thousands were erased at the same time, the world would suffer irreparable gaps, which is only natural. A class may be able to adapt if it¡¯s missing one or two students, but it would be difficult for the world to adjust if there were only one or two students left in a class. In a way, it is similar to programming; extensive missing code would naturally lead to software crashing. And for this reason, just a moment ago, this girl, wielding the Power of Existence, demonstrated a world repair for Fang Zheng¡­ Hmm, what an interesting world¡­ Fang Zheng was certain that he had never seen this animation before. After all, if he had heard of such an intriguing concept, he definitely would have remembered it. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t told me about yourself yet.¡± As Fang Zheng pondered, the girl in front of him slammed the table and glared at him fiercely. ¡°You¡¯re not a Fire Mist Warrior, and you¡¯re not a Follower of the Crimson Realm. How were you able to move within the Sealing? And you could actually kill two Phosphors? Who on earth are you?¡± ¡°My name is Fang Zheng. I¡¯m currently a teacher at Goki High School.¡± Fang Zheng put down his milk tea and looked back at the girl, then answered her question. Hearing this, the girl¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°I don¡¯t believe an ordinary teacher can move within the Sealing and kill Phosphors.¡± ¡°Well, I am also a Mage and a Templar.¡± Fang Zheng always was quite frank with beautiful girls. ¡°A Mage? A Templar?¡± Sure enough, the girl looked puzzled at this. ¡°What is that? Aralastor, do you know?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Following the girl¡¯s query, the strange pendant on her chest began to glow again. ¡°I have never heard of such beings¡­¡± ¡°I just learned today that there is such a job as a Fire Mist Warrior in this world.¡± Fang Zheng was unfazed; with the girl¡¯s help, he had managed to learn more about the world he was in, and that was enough for him. ¡°Thanks for the introduction. Now that it¡¯s getting late, I should take my leave¡­¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng stood up, preparing to leave. But at that moment, the girl suddenly looked toward him and said. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Is there something else?¡± ¡°` Hearing the girl¡¯s words, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow and looked at her, while the girl stared back at Fang Zheng without the slightest hesitation, and then extended her hand. ¡°Did you just obtain a Noble Phantasm from a Mistis? Hand it over to me!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng smiled slightly. ¡°Interesting, a Noble Phantasm? Is it yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I own, but Noble Phantasms are extremely dangerous. You¡¯re not a Fire Mist Warrior, and you don¡¯t understand the risks involved¡­¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± But before the girl could finish her speech, Fang Zheng raised his hand to cut off her lengthy discourse. ¡°I may not be a Fire Mist Warrior, but since I¡¯ve gotten my hands on that thing, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m handing it over to you. That¡¯s how it is¡­ As for what use it has for me, that¡¯s a trade secret.¡± As if, he thought, why would anyone give away something they¡¯ve obtained? Although Fang Zheng did not know what exactly the Noble Phantasm he had acquired was, since it was required to unlock the Soulstone, it must be something of great importance in this world. Given the significance of the item, there was no way he¡¯d foolishly hand it over to someone else. ¡°You¡­!!¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the girl¡¯s face changed color instantly. ¡°In that case, I have no choice but to take it by force!¡± ¡°You want to have a fight?¡± Looking at the girl in front of him, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, could she be one of the protagonists of this world? Regardless, since she seemed interested, he was ready to oblige. It was a good opportunity to find out just how powerful these so-called Fire Mist Warriors of this world were. ¡°There are too many people here; let¡¯s change locations.¡± No matter how many times he saw it, that skill seemed pretty handy. Standing on the riverbank, surrounded by the crimson space, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but marvel. He had learned from the girl that this space was formed by a type of Barrier Magic called ¡°Sealing.¡± But contrary to what Fang Zheng had imagined, ¡°Time Stop,¡± the entire ¡°Sealing¡± process involved the temporary separation of a section of space from the ¡°causality¡± of the world, forming an isolated space. It was as though a piece had been temporarily removed from a conveyor belt to scribble and paint on as one pleased, but ultimately, the piece had to be put back on the conveyor for further assembly and processing. If that piece went missing, the entire ¡°world¡¯s¡± assembly system could grind to a halt or even malfunction. But no matter how you put it, this magic was incredibly convenient. If he could use this magic in the Main World, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t have to worry about battle traces being left behind; a simple fix with the Power of Existence would do the job. But now¡­ With that thought in mind, Fang Zheng looked up at the girl in front of him. ¡°Are you ready?¡± At this moment, the girl had already reverted to that flaky flame form, with dandruff scattering about. Hmm¡­ Fang Zheng thought it might be a good idea to introduce her to a good shampoo brand, like Head & Shoulders or something¡­ ¡°Come on, sister.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng casually drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword from the void. ¡°Let¡¯s see the strength of you Fire Mist Warriors.¡± ¡°You really dare to say that¡­¡± Listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s nonchalant tone, the girl furrowed her brows, her face expressing unmistakable coldness and annoyance. ¡°Then, let me show you the power of a Fire Mist Warrior!¡± Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Chapter 183: Its Just That Your Opponent Is Too Weak Chapter 184: Chapter 183: It¡¯s Just That Your Opponent Is Too Weak The howling Fire of the Red Lotus collided with the sparkling Holy White Light, bringing about gusts of wind. ¡°Fight!!¡± The girl roared as she raised the longsword in her hands high and slashed down mightily at Fang Zheng, the whistling wind even causing the river to tremble. Hot flames appeared on the blade, condensed, and then burst forth. Strength, speed, and agility far surpass that of an average person. Watching the girl before him, Fang Zheng pondered while simultaneously moving his feet to dodge the slashing blade. Then he counterattacked with a sword thrust at the girl¡¯s body, but she, taking advantage of the situation, rolled away from Fang Zheng¡¯s diagonal stab, and her longsword scraped the ground, igniting a trail of firelight as she charged at Fang Zheng again. The attack comes with a fire attribute bonus¡­ Hm, is that all? Watching the girl before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but frown. Indeed, from their few exchanges, it was evident that the girl¡¯s power, speed, and reflexes far exceeded those of a normal human being, but her combat skills were quite rough. Apart from solid fundamentals, the rest was essentially brute force. Is this how Fire Mist Warriors fight? How has she survived until now without being killed by someone? Or is it that this world¡¯s way of fighting is messed up talent trees? While thinking this, Fang Zheng casually defended against the attacks before him, completely oblivious to the fact that the girl¡¯s face across from him was almost as black as the bottom of a pot. Damn it, damn it, damn it!! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? At this moment, the girl gripped the longsword in her hands, feeling incomparably frustrated. At first, she had planned to teach this ignorant human a lesson, but soon she realized she was entirely unable to. Not only was this man faster, stronger, and more reactive than her, but his way of fighting also caused the girl to complain endlessly. She had been trying to force Fang Zheng into confusion and expose his flaws with a relentless series of fierce attacks, so she could deliver a fatal blow. However, what frustrated the girl was that every move she made seemed to be anticipated by her opponent, so often that almost as soon as she swung her longsword, his sword blade was already intersecting her trajectory of attack. This made the girl incredibly uncomfortable as she had never been in such a helpless and suppressed situation since she started fighting. Her pride in her combat experience seemed nonexistent in front of this human. ¡°Fightttttt!¡± With that thought, the girl¡¯s inner rage intensified, and she roared as she raised her longsword once more, slashing furiously at Fang Zheng. But just as her longsword slashed down, Fang Zheng, as if knowing beforehand, shifted to the side, avoiding the girl¡¯s attack path. Then his longsword, like a sudden striking serpent, leaped forward, stabbing toward the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Damn it!!¡± Seeing this sword thrust, the girl clenched her teeth hard. With her current strike, she had no chance to dodge and could only watch as Fang Zheng¡¯s sword blade stabbed towards her. Was she really about to lose¡­ to a human?! ¡°No!!¡± With this thought, a surge of unwilling rage spontaneously erupted from the girl¡¯s heart. She let out a shout, and in the next moment, a searing burst of fiery red flames instantly erupted from the center of the girl¡¯s being, spreading in all directions. Caught off guard, Fang Zheng was directly engulfed by the oncoming flames. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Seeing this scene, the pendant around the girl¡¯s neck was shocked and quickly tried to intervene. ¡°This is not a fight to the death! Stop now!¡± ¡°Ah!!¡± Upon hearing Aralastor¡¯s scolding, the girl was taken aback, but before she could retract the flames bursting from her body, a rift was suddenly torn open before her. In the blink of an eye, the girl only sensed a flash of cold light, and the next moment, a cold sensation pressed against her neck, halting her actions. ¡°I see, power increased, but still reliant on the fire attribute attack method, huh?¡± With these words spoken, an unharmed Fang Zheng stepped out from the flames, smiling at the girl before him, and then said, ¡°It seems, I¡¯ve won.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Looking at Fang Zheng in front of her, the girl was silent for a long time before finally putting down the longsword in her hand and speaking softly. ¡°I lost.¡± As the girl spoke, the Sealing that covered the riverbank began to retract, and soon everything was restored to its original state. ¡°Is it that time already?¡± After glancing at the time on his phone, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders and then looked toward the girl in front of him. ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, I shall take my leave¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± ¡°Why are you so strong?¡± The girl raised her head, staring intently at Fang Zheng. ¡°As a human, why can you be so powerful? To become a Fire Mist Warrior, I underwent strict training and learning, and after becoming a Fire Mist Warrior, I have slain many Followers of the Crimson Realm. But why, why could you defeat me so easily?¡± ¡°This¡­ If you want me to say¡­¡± Looking at the girl¡¯s serious and determined expression, Fang Zheng fell silent for a moment but eventually spoke. ¡°¡­It¡¯s because your opponents have been too weak.¡± ¡°My opponents¡­ have been too weak?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, the girl stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. ¡°Yeah, I could tell from our battle just now. You rarely use strategies and tactics, preferring a head-on approach instead. Perhaps it¡¯s because you¡¯ve always encountered weaklings, so as long as you get a little serious, or muster up some spirit, you can easily eliminate your opponents. But such opponents, even if you defeat a thousand of them, won¡¯t bring you any improvement. In my hometown, there¡¯s an old saying, ¡®Playing chess with a duffer only makes your game worse.¡¯ It¡¯s roughly the same idea¡­¡± Having said that, Fang Zheng turned away and waved his hand at the girl. ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. The day is getting late, so be careful on your way home. I shall take my leave.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± This time, the girl didn¡¯t say anything. She just silently gripped her longsword, watching Fang Zheng¡¯s receding figure. It wasn¡¯t until he completely disappeared from the girl¡¯s sight that she suddenly spoke. ¡°Aralastor¡­ Do you think what that human said makes sense?¡± Upon hearing the girl¡¯s question, the pendant on her chest was silent for a long while before finally speaking softly. ¡°Since leaving the Heavenly Dao Palace, you have indeed made some progress in tracking and investigating the Followers of the Crimson Realm, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been facing opponents that are too weak, right.¡± The girl lowered her head without waiting for Aralastor to finish. She knew better than anyone what she had faced in every battle. Indeed, as Fang Zheng had said, some of the Followers of the Crimson Realm she encountered did pose a threat to her, but they meant nothing as long as the girl got serious. However¡­ that didn¡¯t mean the girl had become stronger. Realizing this, the girl clenched her fists and then spoke as if she had made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯ve decided, Aralastor, I¡¯m going to stay here.¡± Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Chapter 184: The Following Little Tail Chapter 185: Chapter 184: The Following Little Tail For Fang Zheng, the battle with that girl was not entirely without gains. At least for now, the power employed in this world could also be resisted and rendered ineffective by magic immunity. And that sword¡­¡­ ¡°It comes with a Demon-Slaying attribute, huh? No wonder she likes to hack away with it.¡± In the battle with the girl, Fang Zheng had thought more than once about settling the matter with magic. However, whenever he attempted to use magic, Future Sight would tell him that the magic he released would be sliced in two by a single stroke of her sword¡ªunderstandably, with such a weapon, it¡¯s no wonder the girl¡¯s approach to combat was always to charge in headfirst. Unfortunately, charging in was never the best method of combat. Forget it, it¡¯s her own business. With this thought, Fang Zheng shook his head and cast the matter aside. He wasn¡¯t some urban grandfather who, upon seeing a girl with an unusual skeleton, would go off to sell her a copy of the Nine Swords of Dugu to protect world peace. But regardless, finding one of the three critical elements to unlocking the Soulstone on his second day here was clearly a good thing for Fang Zheng. But¡­¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ a person is missing.¡± Looking at the student roster in front of him, Fang Zheng frowned. If he had previously had no clear impression of that girl¡¯s remarks, now Fang Zheng understood quite well. In his class register, the name ¡°Yuji Sakai¡± had quietly disappeared, yet no one seemed to feel anything was amiss. In fact, if Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t memorized the names of everyone in his class, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything odd at all. Not only that, but the students in the class also completely forgot this person, as if he had never existed at all. Even his family didn¡¯t remember having such a person. All traces of Yuji Sakai¡¯s existence had been erased by the power of the world¡ªtruly, he was an unlucky child. ¡°Click.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? While lamenting the impermanence of the world, Fang Zheng walked into the classroom. As he entered, the previously noisy and boisterous classroom instantly quieted down. ¡°Very good.¡± Pleased with the students sitting quietly in their chairs, Fang Zheng nodded and then walked up to the podium, casually glancing around¡ªYuji Sakai¡¯s spot was still empty, but there was no reaction from anyone. It was as if, in their collective memory, that spot had always been vacant. Beyond that, everything seemed unchanged¡­¡­ huh? Just then, a girl caught Fang Zheng¡¯s eye. She was wearing a Goki High School sailor uniform, and her face, expressionless, was staring at him. Given her height and physique, she seemed more like a middle school student than a high schooler¡­¡­ what was she doing here? ¡°Now, let¡¯s start the roll call.¡± Fang Zheng flipped open the attendance book. ¡°Sato.¡± ¡°Present.¡± ¡°Muxu.¡± ¡°Present.¡± The daily morning roll call was always the same, yet Fang Zheng found it endlessly enjoyable. Back when he was a student, he had often fantasized about how he would treat his own students if he ever became a teacher¡­¡­ well, in a way, this was like fulfilling one of his dreams? ¡°Hirai.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± When Fang Zheng called this name, a petite girl with long black hair shot him a cold glare, but said nothing. Fang Zheng, clearly not content to let it go, arched an eyebrow and then reached out to lightly tap on the attendance book. ¡°Hirai? Hirai Enishi?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Present.¡± Under Fang Zheng¡¯s scrutiny, the black-haired girl finally murmured a reluctant acknowledgment. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind; he just nodded and continued with the roll call. He didn¡¯t know how the girl had managed to enter the school under the identity of Hirai Enishi, but¡­¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t surprising, considering both the Enchantment School and School of Illusions had their methods. Perhaps this girl had a similar ability? And Fang Zheng¡¯s suspicion was soon confirmed. ¡°I merely implanted the existence of that torch remnant known as Hirai Enishi, which is why I am here.¡± Standing on the rooftop, the girl looked at the scenery in front of her, and without turning back, she replied. ¡°In yesterday¡¯s battle, that girl named Hirai Enishi was also devoured by a Follower of the Crimson Realm, leaving only a torch, so I temporarily borrowed her identity¡­¡­ It¡¯s a common occurrence for Fire Mist Warriors.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame, the kid was really cute¡­¡± Upon hearing the girl¡¯s response, Fang Zheng sighed. He had a bit of a memory of the girl named Hirai Enishi, even though her grades were mediocre, she was a lively and cheerful girl. Unfortunately¡­ what¡¯s past is past, and from the girl, he had learned that yesterday, many were devoured by Phosphorus, but he hadn¡¯t expected one of his own students to be among the victims. ¡°I see¡­ So, what¡¯s your name then?¡± ¡°Hirai Enishi, that¡¯s my name now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that; I mean your own name.¡± Fang Zheng waved his hand and then walked over to the girl. ¡°Hirai Enishi is my student¡¯s name, and she¡¯s different from you, a well-behaved good child, so I think you should have a name that suits your solitary nature.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, the girl twitched her mouth corner, wanting to say something but ultimately just snorted coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t have a name.¡± ¡°¡­you don¡¯t?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I am a Fire Mist Warrior, a weapon to combat the Followers of the Crimson Realm, and weapons do not need names.¡± ¡°Who says weapons don¡¯t need names?¡± Fang Zheng expressed his disagreement. ¡°Even weapons have the right to be named; for instance, my sword is called the Sky-Cleaving Sword. Your big sword must have a name too, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Zhidian Zhena, that¡¯s the name of that sword.¡± What an ugly name¡­ Although Fang Zheng did think so, after glancing at the girl in front of him, he thought better of saying his thoughts aloud, as it might just end up in a fight. ¡°Then let¡¯s go with a homophone; how about I call you Shana¡­ Since you don¡¯t have a name yourself, you won¡¯t mind me picking one for you, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng speak, the girl frowned but remained silent. ¡°That settles it then.¡± Since the girl didn¡¯t speak, Fang Zheng took her silence as agreement. Then he turned around and walked towards the staircase. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know why you are here, please behave yourself, especially since this place is not a battlefield.¡± Although Fang Zheng said this, it was clear the girl did not plan to do as he said, and the reason for that¡­ ¡°Fang Zheng, teacher! What on earth is going on with your student Hirai Enishi!¡± Ah¡­ not this again. Looking at the pale-faced English teacher in front of him, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. Ever since the first class, almost all the teachers who taught Year 11 Class 2 had come to complain to him, and it was always the same complaint. That was, Hirai Enishi¡­ or rather, Shana, showed no respect towards teaching authority, not only did she not open her textbooks during class, but she even talked back when scolded by the teacher. What¡¯s more, her rebuttals made sense, leaving the distressed teachers with nothing to say, with some feeling so inadequate they ended up jumping off the building in shame. Good thing it was only the first floor. ¡°I understand.¡± Looking at the excited group of teachers, Fang Zheng smiled and spoke soothingly. ¡°I will figure out a way to handle it, please rest assured.¡± It seems necessary to let that little girl know who¡¯s in charge here. Chapter 186 - Chapter 186: Chapter 185: The Sudden Attacker Chapter 186: Chapter 185: The Sudden Attacker ¡°So, from this diagram, we can determine that launching the ball at a speed of 40m/s at a 30-degree angle to the ground will result in a parabolic flight path. If we disregard air resistance, the relationship between the ball¡¯s flight height H and the flight time T will be¡­¡­¡± The classroom was silent, filled only with Fang Zheng¡¯s voice and the ¡°tapping¡± of chalk. However, the students below were not attentively listening. Instead, they exchanged uneasy glances, occasionally looking at Fang Zheng at the podium and then at the girl sitting in the chair. Although they didn¡¯t speak, their glances exchanged enough information. ¡°Enishi might still be the same as before¡­¡± ¡°Who knows, after all, she almost made the teachers of the previous classes cry.¡± ¡°But Fang Zheng¡¯s classes are easy to understand, Enishi shouldn¡¯t have any objections¡­¡± Thinking about the previous classes, everyone grew nervous. They didn¡¯t know why Enishi was suddenly behaving so aggressively today. But honestly, the current atmosphere was more nerve-wracking and unsettling than an exam. They were worried that Fang Zheng might question the girl like the previous teachers did. They were also concerned that the girl would confront the teacher again. After all, unlike the previous teachers, Fang Zheng was the class mentor, and he was gentle and handsome, which made him very trusted and popular among the students. The previous teachers were either too rigid or unpopular. But now¡­ they didn¡¯t want to see Fang Zheng get into an argument with Enishi, especially since he was the mentor. If he got angry, it would be bad for everyone. ¡°So, please turn your textbooks to page 23.¡± Having finished writing on the blackboard, Fang Zheng turned his head, looked at the students, and then frowned slightly, looking at the girl who sat still with her arms crossed. ¡°Enishi, why haven¡¯t you opened your textbook?¡± Here it comes! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï Hearing this, the others perked up, anxiously watching the scene unfold. Sure enough, upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the girl snorted. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how you became a teacher. You could use a much simpler formula to solve the issue, but you choose to stick rigidly to the textbook. Moreover, isn¡¯t this just a waste of time? Teaching students this way, you¡¯re just being lazy!¡± Woah¡­ Hearing the girl¡¯s relentless scolding, everyone gasped in shock. The short-haired girl sitting not far from her looked uneasy, wanting to say something. But then¡­ ¡°So?¡± To everyone¡¯s surprise, Fang Zheng on the podium didn¡¯t become infuriated like the previous teachers; instead, he smiled, appearing very calm. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken about something, Enishi. A teacher¡¯s first duty is to teach the knowledge clearly to the students. People need to learn to walk before they can run. This is school, and my responsibility is to teach all the students in the class, not just you. Everyone has different levels of understanding. For me, the priority is to make sure every student grasps the knowledge before we move on to other things.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng reached out and tapped the blackboard. ¡°Please remember, the exam consists of content right out of the textbook. A strict mastery might be boring, but ¡­ life isn¡¯t always smooth sailing.¡± At this, the girl¡¯s expression became even more unfriendly. ¡°Are you saying, as long as you can pass the exams, anything goes?¡± ¡°As things stand, indeed so. Only by passing exams can you earn high scores that allow you to enter college and determine your future¡­ Scores decide your future, and that¡¯s all we can do. These are the rules, every circle has its own, and while they may seem impersonal or even cruel, ¡­ these are the rules. Either adapt to them or change them; it¡¯s that simple.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng looked at the girl in front of him. ¡°You should understand what I mean, Enishi. Perhaps these courses are too simple for you, but unfortunately, I am not your private tutor, and there¡¯s no need to follow your pace in teaching. Also, whatever you want to do, please open your textbook; it¡¯s the basic respect for the teacher.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, the girl fell silent, while the rest of the class watched her anxiously. After a moment, the girl huffed and quietly opened the textbook in front of her. ¡°Good.¡± Seeing this, Fang Zheng nodded inwardly. Just a second-grade girl, are you scared I can¡¯t handle you? Don¡¯t you see whose turf this is? Looking for attention here? Better go home and sleep. ¡°So, everyone, turn to page 23 of your textbooks.¡± Whether Fang Zheng had convinced Shana or not, at least she ceased causing trouble from then on, just silently staring at her textbook. It was unclear whether she was daydreaming or lost in thought, but regardless, the tense atmosphere in the classroom had finally begun to relax. Meanwhile, the other students in the class became increasingly admiring of Fang Zheng. Amid such an atmosphere, the day¡¯s lessons soon passed, and with the bell ringing for dismissal, the eager students cheered and rushed out of the classroom. Shana, too, without a word, picked up her backpack and left amidst the crowd. That¡¯s right, obedient kids are cute. Watching Shana¡¯s departing figure, Fang Zheng smiled slightly, and just as he was tidying up the materials on the podium, preparing to leave, suddenly, a voice rang in Fang Zheng¡¯s ear. ¡°Um, that¡­ Teacher Fang Zheng¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing this voice, Fang Zheng turned his head to look and saw a girl with short brown hair standing not far from him, nervously watching him. ¡°Is there something you need, Yoshida?¡± The one who appeared before Fang Zheng was his student, Yoshida Kazumi. She was also one of the class¡¯s beauties and just like many characters in Japanese animations¡ªbeautiful, gentle, kind, and very popular¡­ Oh well, it¡¯s all the same pattern. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ um¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng, Yoshida Kazumi was clearly apprehensive as she lowered her head and hesitated for a moment before she finally spoke. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry with Hirai Enishi. I think she didn¡¯t mean it; she was just upset about something¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± Fang Zheng waved his hand, and then he also remembered that Yoshida Kazumi seemed to be friends with Hirai Enishi¡­ Well, forget it, although it¡¯s a bit cruel, some things are indeed better not known. ¡°It was just a little accident, nothing to worry about. Rather, Yoshida, you should be leaving the school now. It¡¯s getting late; be careful on your way home.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I understand¡­!¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Yoshida Kazumi¡¯s face lit up with a relieved smile. She bowed respectfully to Fang Zheng and then prepared to leave the classroom. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then, teacher see you¡­¡± But the girl¡¯s words were not complete. For at that moment, the crimson realm descended once again, freezing everything. Sealing! Looking at the world around him that seemed as if time had stopped, Fang Zheng¡¯s complexion immediately darkened, and just then, behind him, a deck of cards appeared from nowhere, shooting towards Fang Zheng like arrows! ¡°Whizz whizz whizz!!¡± Just as these cards were about to hit Fang Zheng, several beams of magic radiance appeared one after another, followed by loud explosions and bursts of fire, which were then instantly blocked by a magic barrier radiating azure radiance. ¡°Compared to the Fire Mist Warrior, the Followers of the Crimson Realm seem even more brutal.¡± Glancing at the white flames blocked by the magic barrier, Fang Zheng snorted coldly, and then, with a reverse grip, he drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword and swung it fiercely! The violent Sword Qi, like a scimitar, swept through the classroom, chopping at the hovering cards. Sensing the imminent danger, the cards suddenly formed a circle as if protectively dispersing. Then, in the next moment, the roaring Sword Qi collided heavily with the spinning cards. ¡°Boom boom boom!!¡± The hot flames scattered in all directions, turning the neatly arranged classroom into complete disarray, with desks and chairs caught up in the storm, twisted, ripped apart, reduced to broken fragments. ¡°Ahhhh¡ª!!¡± Accompanied by a scream, the fluttering cards scattered, and then a battered doll burst out of the smoke, quickly rushing towards a gap by the wall. Still trying to escape? Watching the fleeing figure, Fang Zheng snorted coldly, then stretched out his hand and pointed forward. Dozens of dazzling Magic Missiles burst from Fang Zheng¡¯s fingertips, howling as they flew towards the tattered figure. ¡°No¡­ Master!!¡± Just as the Magic Missiles were about to blast the doll into pieces, suddenly a white figure emerged from nowhere, standing in front of the doll. With a slight wave of the figure¡¯s right hand, the incoming Magic Missiles exploded in midair and disappeared without a trace. Then, a voice rang out. ¡°So you¡¯re the human who seized the Noble Phantasm¡­ I didn¡¯t see that coming; you do have some skill indeed.¡± Accompanied by this voice, a man dressed in a white suit appeared before Fang Zheng. Chapter 187 - Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Did You Ask Me? Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Did You Ask Me? ¡°So, you¡¯re the master of Phosphorus.¡± Fang Zheng gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, examining the man before him¡­ Well, at least on the surface, he didn¡¯t seem too different from a human. However, the aura emanating from him was enough to tell that this man was not a human, but rather some sort of peculiar entity. ¡°Indeed, to tell you the truth, at first I thought it was a Fire Mist Warrior deliberately luring me out, but I never expected¡­¡± As he spoke, the man gazed at Fang Zheng with a look of surprise, and a flash of complex emotion passed through his eyes. ¡°That there really would be a human being capable of moving within the Sealing. I¡¯m very curious how you managed to do that?¡± ¡°Do you think I would tell you the answer?¡± To the man¡¯s question, Fang Zheng sneered. The man was the enemy, and he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to reveal everything to the enemy, not to mention that the man looked quite handsome¡­ Indeed, like repels like, the natural law of survival dictates that when two handsome men meet, only one can survive. Don¡¯t blame me, blame this dog-eat-dog world if you must! With this thought, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes grew slightly colder, then he tightened his grip on the Sky-Cleaving Sword and swung it forward vigorously. As the blade sliced through the air, the dazzling white Holy Light emerged once more, transforming into sharp Sword Qi that slashed towards the man. The man, dressed in a white suit, faced the oncoming attack with a serious expression, cradling a tattered doll in one arm and extending the other hand forward. With the man¡¯s gesture, the deck of cards in his hand began to spin again, subsequently forming into a Long Whip that lashed towards the Sword Qi. The collision of Sword Qi and Noble Phantasm erupted into another loud boom, and the man took the opportunity to retreat, attempting to distance himself from Fang Zheng. But Fang Zheng clearly wasn¡¯t about to let him get away so easily: the moment he swung out the Sword Qi, Fang Zheng vanished from the ground and instantly appeared behind the man. ¡°Hmph, courting death!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 Sensing Fang Zheng¡¯s presence behind him, the man quickly turned around, but there was no trace of panic on his face. Instead, the man¡¯s lips curled into a smug smile as he looked at Fang Zheng, almost like a spider watching prey that had walked into its web. At the same time, the white coat the man was wearing began to emit a faint glow¡­ But at that moment, Fang Zheng suddenly raised his left hand and pointed at the man. ¡°Dispel!¡± With Fang Zheng¡¯s shout, an invisible force of Magic Power surged like a wave, and the next moment, the man was shocked to find that the glow on his white coat had dimmed instantly. ¡°How is this possible? You¡¯ve actually dispelled the effects of my Noble Phantasm?!¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him. He could feel that in that instant, the Noble Phantasm he was supposed to activate had been completely suppressed by a strange force and could not be released at all! How did he do it?! But Fang Zheng obviously wasn¡¯t going to answer the man¡¯s question. After a spell of ¡°Magic Dispel¡± temporarily suppressed the effects of the Noble Phantasm on the man, the Sky-Cleaving Sword held in Fang Zheng¡¯s right hand also swung down towards the target with the might of thunder! The Templar¡¯s Judgment! ¡°Ahahaha!!¡± The sacred white sword light transformed into a massive hammer that struck the man hard, the sheer force sending him flying. He burst through the classroom wall like a cannonball, trailing a plume of dust and rolling along the ground like a bowling ball before coming to a halt. ¡°Cough, cough cough¡­¡± The man climbed up, covered in dust; his once pristine white suit and coat were now dirty and tattered. The suave and dashing appearance he¡¯d previously had was gone, and he now looked like a homeless man who had been beaten up and thrown into a gutter. However, to Fang Zheng, he looked quite a bit more palatable this way. But this didn¡¯t mean he would show mercy to his enemy. Before the man could fully stand, a storm of Holy Light, fierce as a dragon crossing a river, tore through the dust and roared towards him. Facing the brilliant onrush, the man¡¯s expression darkened, and then he gripped his hands tightly. ¡°Crack!¡± The next moment, dozens of oddly shaped dolls appeared in front of the man. Loyal like soldiers, they spread their arms wide, forming a wall in front of the man. The next moment, the Divine Storm roared through the barrier like a rampaging flood, mercilessly devouring the puppet before it and continuing to surge forward. But for the man, even this split second was enough. ¡°I never realized you could move so fast,¡± Fang Zheng, carrying the Sky-Cleaving Sword, walked out from the large hole in the wall and looked at the disheveled man in the suit not far away. The man in the suit was now completely lacking his previous composure, looking utterly disheveled. The smile that was once on his face had now turned to a shade of iron blue as he clutched the tattered puppet in his arms and glared at Fang Zheng venomously. ¡°Found you!¡± At that moment, a figure engulfed in flames also appeared. Shana, holding her long sword, stared seriously at the man before her, her expression grave. ¡°Aralastor, is he the King of the Crimson Realm?¡± ¡°Yes, Shana.¡± As Shana asked the question, the pendant around her neck eagerly responded. ¡°Be careful, he¡¯s ¡®Hunter¡¯ Faliagni, skilled in collecting and using a variety of Noble Phantasms and specialized in hunting Fire Mist Warriors. He¡¯s tough to handle¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was clear that witnessing the wretched state of the King of the Crimson Realm before them, Aralastor struggled to continue. Faliagni¡¯s image was just too pathetic. Not only was his white suit torn and full of holes, but even his hair was a mess due to the earlier explosion and the fight, making him look like a beggar who had just been beaten up on the street. Under these circumstances, it¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s that formidable¡­ if people would even believe it. ¡°Catastrophic Fire ¡®Aralastor,¡¯ huh?¡± Faliagni, struggling to his feet, also managed an awkward smile. ¡°I never imagined we would meet under these circumstances, quite ironic¡­ Surely this human isn¡¯t a trap you prepared just for me, right?¡± ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect this either,¡± Aralastor¡¯s tone was filled with surprise and a hint of conflict. Indeed, while Shana¡¯s Contractor had long sensed Fang Zheng¡¯s power, he hadn¡¯t thought the man would be so strong. But now, seeing the ¡°Hunter¡± in such a sorry state, Aralastor realized he had severely underestimated this human. After all, even among the Kings of the Crimson Realm, Faliagni was considered a formidable entity; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be known for ¡°hunting Fire Mist Warriors.¡± Each ¡°Fire Mist Warrior¡± had contracted with a King of the Crimson Realm and possessed great power. And someone who took these ¡°Fire Mist Warriors¡± as prey was certainly no weakling. But now¡­ looking at him in this state, he just seemed like a punk kid who refused to pay for his stolen goods, his face bruised with shades of blue and purple! ¡°Hmph¡­ I was careless this time,¡± Using the puppets as cover, Faliagni stepped backward, clutching the worn doll in his arms and glaring coldly at Fang Zheng and Shana. ¡°But next time¡­ you won¡¯t be so lucky, human, Fire Mist Warrior!¡± As he spoke, an azure-blue flame suddenly appeared, enveloping Faliagni within it. ¡°No good, he¡¯s trying to escape!¡± Seeing this, Shana was taken aback. She quickly lifted her long sword and rushed towards Faliagni, but she was intercepted by dolls that appeared beside her. Meanwhile, Faliagni, seemingly regaining some confidence, let out a sneer while his figure began to blur¡­ But things didn¡¯t go as smoothly as he had planned. Just as Faliagni attempted to Teleport away, suddenly, a faint Magic Aura emerged from nowhere, spreading out and surrounding Faliagni. Then, the unfortunate Hunter was shocked to find that instead of returning to his warm and comfortable lair as he had expected, he was still stuck here! ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t my Teleportation working?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re stupid!¡± As the words fell, Fang Zheng reappeared before Faliagni, his sword slashing down. The moment the man tried to flee, Fang Zheng had secretly set a Dimensional Anchor. This was one of the tricks he had learned in the Main World¡ªa Dimensional Anchor sealed space, and then he could fight as he pleased¡­ Thinking of running off after putting on an act, did you ask for my opinion? Chapter 188 - Chapter 188: Chapter 187: The Fierce Battle at Dusk Chapter 188: Chapter 187: The Fierce Battle at Dusk The icy blade of the sword came slashing towards him. Faliagni stared blankly at the sword edge before him, and for a moment was utterly unable to react. He had never imagined that a human could sever space itself, preventing his escape. And by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. Could it really end like this for me? To die by the hand of a human? Is this how it ends? ¡°Master!!¡± Just as Fang Zheng¡¯s sword was about to cleave into Faliagni¡¯s body, the tattered rag doll that Faliagni was embracing suddenly let out a scream, and then it leapt out of Faliagni¡¯s arms, using itself as a shield against Fang Zheng¡¯s sword edge! ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡ªMarianne!!¡± As he witnessed this scene, Faliagni immediately screamed, his hand desperately reaching out to prevent the self-destruction of the rag doll. But it was too late¡ªthe Sky-Cleaving Sword carried a streak of silver light as it slashed down, cutting the doll right in half. Master¡­¡­may you be safe¡­¡­ ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± As soon as the rag doll was split open, an immense burst of pale blue flames suddenly erupted, wildly spreading in all directions. Confronted with this sudden attack, Fang Zheng quickly retracted his sword and retreated. The explosion of flames surged around in a whirlwind and then vanished. By the time the explosion had faded, Faliagni still stood there, as if he had lost his soul, staring blankly into the void. ¡°Marianne¡­¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï He mumbled her name in a daze, then suddenly clenched his fists. ¡°Marianne!!¡± Faliagni clenched his fists tightly; his eyes were bloodshot, and his face contorted with fury as he turned his head around, glaring fiercely at Fang Zheng and Shana. At this moment, his eyes blazed with undisguised murderous intent. ¡°You, you actually killed my dear Marianne¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, killed her I have, and if you¡¯re not happy with it, then bring it on,¡± Fang Zheng snorted lightly, his grip tightening once again on the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand. ¡°Marianne¡­¡­my dear Marianne¡­¡­you bastard, you actually dared to kill her¡­¡­my most precious lover¡­¡­¡± ¡°So what now?¡± Even Shana felt a chill run down her spine in response to Faliagni¡¯s curse-like whisper, but Fang Zheng remained unmoved. On the contrary, he lifted his chin and looked at the opponent with thinly veiled contempt. ¡°Just a worthless rag doll, dead is dead¡­¡­ Speaking of which, you¡¯ve killed quite a few humans yourself. I didn¡¯t see you taking their feelings into consideration, but now, I¡¯ve just taken down a phosphorus, consider it vengeance. Those you have killed can never come back, so let me directly take their place and let you taste what real despair and pain is like.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression gradually turned gloomy. He couldn¡¯t help but think of Hirai Enishi and Yuji Sakai, hmm¡­¡­ To tell the truth, his relationship with them as teacher and student was only a week old. Their emotional bonds hadn¡¯t been strong enough to cry bitterly over each other¡¯s death. However, the fact remained that they had died, inexplicably. This was not the Main World, where there was constant war and chaos; they weren¡¯t like the residents of a fantasy world familiar with the constant struggle between powerful warriors, nor accustomed to wars marked by iron and fire. Like Fang Zheng¡¯s own world, they were just ordinary people, yet they died without reason. No, if it were merely death, then at least their families could cry and mourn for them. But they vanished from the world completely; aside from himself, no one else knew they had ever existed. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m here peacefully working, sipping tea, and you come when you please, attacking as you wish¡­¡­ did you ever consider asking me? In this day and age, the one with the bigger fists is the boss; I¡¯d like to see if your fists as big as a casserole dish can withstand this! If you¡¯re not afraid to die, then bring it on! ¡°I will kill you both!!¡± ¡°As if I would let you off the hook!¡± In the face of the crazed Faliagni, Fang Zheng pointed forward once again and, accompanied by a flurry of Magic Missiles, his figure flashed, and in the next moment, he appeared beside Faliagni, his sword blade unhesitatingly stabbing towards his opponent¡¯s heart. ¡°Hmph!¡± However, this time Faliagni seemed to have made up his mind not to run away anymore. He let out a roar, and the playing cards in his hand detonated instantly, rushing to meet the Magic Missiles released by Fang Zheng. Immediately after, Faliagni flicked his right hand towards Fang Zheng, and a Gold Coin was propelled from his fingertips, spinning and stretching into a golden chain that flew towards Fang Zheng. ¡°Ding-a-ling!!¡± With the flick of Faliagni¡¯s hand, the golden chain chimed crisply, and as if controlled by the sound, the mannequins wielding blades immediately swarmed and launched an attack on Fang Zheng. ¡°Haah!!¡± But Fang Zheng was not the only one present. Once again, the flames of the Red Lotus burst forth, and the small girl holding a large sword ablaze with fire leaped from the other side, joining forces with Fang Zheng to attack Faliagni. ¡°Damn it, you¡ªyou won¡¯t get in my way!¡± Faliagni, unable to leave due to the Dimensional Anchor sealing the space, thrashed his bells vigorously, commanding his Phosphorus minions to counterattack against Fang Zheng and Shana. But to them, such attacks were utterly trivial. Although the Phosphorus tried to hinder their progress with self-detonation, against Fang Zheng, who was protected by the Shield of Elemental Immunity, and Shana, the Fire Mist Warrior who controlled fire, these attacks posed no threat at all. ¡°Damn, damn it!! You all go die!¡± Faliagni now appeared to be at the end of his rope, shaking the bells with a frenzy akin to madness, but the number of Phosphorus heeding his commands was dwindling. Now is the time! Watching Faliagni raise his left hand high in a frenzy, Shana¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled. She then fiercely hacked through the mannequin in front of her and leapt into the air before the explosion. ¡°Boom!!¡± As the mannequin exploded, Shana had already leaped forward, pushed by the blast of the explosion, darting toward Faliagni like an arrow released from its bow. ¡°What!?¡± At this sight, Faliagni showed a look of surprise. He instinctively raised his left hand to shield his face, as if by reflex to deflect the descending blade. ¡°Swoosh!!¡± In the next moment, the blade, ablaze with flames, cleaved through Faliagni¡¯s left hand and then plunged deeply into his body. Hit! Shana was also incredibly excited by the successful strike. If this had been an ordinary battle, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have been so thrilled. However, this battle was different¡ªtheir opponent was a King of the Crimson Realm, and more importantly, it was her first time fighting in front of Fang Zheng! With the honor of the Fire Mist Warrior at stake, she absolutely could not let that guy look down on her! But at that moment, Shana¡¯s ears suddenly picked up Fang Zheng¡¯s voice. ¡°Dodge, you idiot!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing his voice, Shana froze for a moment, only to realize that Faliagni¡ªfar from showing the painful expression typical of the Followers of the Crimson Realm she had slain¡ªwas instead sporting a confident and calm smirk, as if the previous madness, like that of a lunatic, had nothing to do with the man before her. At the same time, Shana noticed his right hand was holding a revolver aimed at her. What is that!? As she stared into the dark muzzle of the gun, Shana felt a chill run down her spine. Ordinary weapons were incapable of causing her harm. But now, she sensed an ominous threat from this peculiar revolver, which meant it was not a mere weapon, but¡­ a Noble Phantasm! No, this is a trap! Realizing this, Shana didn¡¯t hesitate to attempt a retreat, retracting her sword, but she was a step too slow. At this moment, Faliagni had already raised the revolver and pulled the trigger at Shana. ¡°Bang!!¡± Chapter 189 - Chapter 189: Chapter 188: The Activated Secret Technique Chapter 189: Chapter 188: The Activated Secret Technique In some ways, the Followers of the Crimson Realm and Fire Mist Warriors were not significantly different. If there was any difference, it was that the Followers of the Crimson Realm needed a vast amount of Power of Existence to ensure their continued existence in this world. In contrast, Fire Mist Warriors formed a pact with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm. The Fire Mist Warriors would dedicate everything they owned from their ¡°past, present, and future¡± to the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, who, in response, would imbue them with their mighty power, enabling them to wield the formidable strength originally belonging to the Demon King. From a certain perspective, the relationship between the Fire Mist Warriors and the Demon King of the Crimson Realm was somewhat similar to that between the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beasts in Naruto, except that instead of a forced Seal, the Demon King voluntarily sealed itself and slumbered within the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ bodies. Their power was so overwhelming that if it were ever fully unleashed, the Fire Mist Warriors, unable to withstand this power, would instantly be reduced to ash. And the gun in Faliagni¡¯s hand was the Noble Phantasm used to break the Seal and forcibly awaken the Demon King. He was certain that if he could hit the Fire Mist Warrior before him, then the mighty Demon King of the Crimson Realm¡ªAralastor¡ªwould appear in this world. And the girl before him would perish, unable to withstand that enormous power. Afterwards, to prevent his appearance from affecting the current world, Aralastor would also leave. And all he needed was to seize this momentary gap to set his plan in motion and then bring Marianne back to life!! But¡­ ¡°Clang!!¡± The bullet that was fired did not hit Shana as Faliagni had been sure it would. Instead, just as the bullet was about to strike the girl, a transparent barrier, resembling an eggshell, suddenly appeared and enveloped her. The bullet from the Noble Phantasm hit the barrier and then ricocheted off, completely shattering Faliagni¡¯s last hope. ¡°Phew¡­ I finally made it.¡± At this moment, behind Shana, Fang Zheng also lowered his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He didn¡¯t know what that gun was, but Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Future Sight¡± saw it very clearly. In three seconds, Shana would be hit by that gun, followed by a huge explosion¡ªalthough he didn¡¯t know what it was, he was certain it wasn¡¯t anything good. Luckily, as a Paladin, Fang Zheng always had a good habit of keeping an invincible grip in hand. Seeing that things were going south, he naturally hurried to intervene, and fortunately, he arrived just in time¡­ Once he gathered enough Dimensional Points, he definitely needed to upgrade his Royal Cross Swordsmanship into a fixed Skill. Not to mention anything else, being invincible was really handy¡­ at least it was a safety net. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã? ¡°I¡¯m not going to give up just like that!¡± At that moment, Faliagni roared, then with his remaining right hand, he threw away the revolver he was holding and picked up the bell that had fallen to the ground, giving it a fierce swing. ¡°Clang!!¡± At that moment, a series of bell sounds rang out, spreading around like sonic waves, and Fang Zheng and Shana both involuntarily changed their expressions and stopped in their tracks. For just a moment ago, they felt the atmosphere change abruptly around them! It was a very strange feeling, indescribable, but very oppressive. It was like the forewarning of an earthquake, volcanic eruption, or tsunami; people might not notice anything peculiar, but they could instinctively sense an imminent crisis. And now, that was the sensation Fang Zheng and Shana were experiencing. ¡°Boom!!!¡± Suddenly, centered on Faliagni, the pale blue flames erupted once again, forming a massive tornado that shot straight up into the sky. The powerful air currents coming head-on made it impossible even for Fang Zheng and Shana to stand their ground, forcing them to retreat in an embarrassed fashion. Meanwhile, everything else on the playground, including humans, had been swept up into the air and then mercilessly torn apart and blown away. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Faliagni is absorbing a huge amount of the Power of Existence!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible; he¡¯s absorbing it too quickly! Even the Demon King of the Crimson Realm couldn¡¯t absorb the Power of Existence this fast!¡± Upon hearing Aralastor¡¯s response, Shana instantly widened her eyes in shock and screamed out loud. Followers of the Crimson Realm need to devour the Power of Existence, but this power also needs to be digested. It¡¯s like taking a piece of ingredient, cooking and processing it before it can be eaten and digested. That¡¯s why the Demon King of the Crimson Realm sends out Phosphorus to collect the Power of Existence for them; Phosphorus are like chefs, needing to absorb humans¡¯ Power of Existence, then process it, so that they can take it back and the Demon King can absorb this power effectively. But¡­ there has to be a limit! Even the Demon King of the Crimson Realm couldn¡¯t possibly absorb the Power of Existence at such a speed! However, it wasn¡¯t long before Aralastor provided the answer. ¡°He¡¯s not drawing the Power of Existence from humans; he¡¯s drawing it from the Torches!!¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing this, Shana was shocked. If it was indeed the Torches, then the fast absorption of the Power of Existence was understandable. After all, Torches are just parts left over from humans who have been drained of their Power of Existence by followers of the Crimson Realm to prevent Fire Mist Warriors from detecting their presence and to avoid causing too much distortion in the real world, they are essentially like willess zombies. If it involved the Torches, then the Demon King of the Crimson Realm could easily absorb them at any time. But the problem was¡­ ¡°How many Torches has he created? What does he want to do?!¡± Sensing the huge Power of Existence converging around Faliagni, Shana clenched her teeth. The magnitude far exceeded a Demon King of the Crimson Realm¡¯s ¡°normal¡± consumption rate, meaning that the number of humans turned into ¡°Torches¡± was probably in the thousands, if not more! ¡°This number¡­ could it be that he¡¯s planning to devour the city?!¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Upon hearing Aralastor speak, Fang Zheng curiously turned his head to look at Shana. He had originally wanted to pull that bastard out of the tornado and kill him. But Fang Zheng soon helplessly realized that this storm, made up of the Power of Existence, was like a vortex in the ocean, entirely impervious. It was a barrier composed purely of power, and even using a spell like ¡°Dispel Magic¡± was futile. Moreover, the power disrupted space, preventing Fang Zheng from using Teleportation¡­ Now, they could only wait and see if the official Fire Mist Warrior had any good ideas. ¡°It¡¯s a very evil Secret Technique!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Aralastor also hurriedly began to explain it to him. ¡°You should know that after being consumed by the Follower of the Crimson Realm, reality will become distorted. That¡¯s why the Followers of the Crimson Realm set up ¡®torches¡¯ to offset and alleviate these distortions, so the world has time to repair these ¡®loopholes¡¯. But if the distortion at a certain place becomes too immense to the extent that the world cannot repair it, that area will be completely destroyed, transformed into pure Power of Existence. This means powerful strength for the Followers of the Crimson Realm¡­¡± Basically, it¡¯s just like too many bugs that can¡¯t be fixed so we need to format and reinstall the system, right?¡± ¡°I understand, what do we do now?¡± ¡°Faliagni is initiating the consumption of the city, we must interrupt his initiation, but now, the vast Power of Existence has already enveloped him, and we simply can¡¯t attack him. Moreover, even if we could attack him, unless we make him leave this world, we can¡¯t cut off the Secret Technique¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment, then his eyes brightened. ¡°Aralastor, just to confirm again, whether it¡¯s you or that Faliagni, you both come from that world called ¡®Crimson Realm¡¯, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Though Aralastor didn¡¯t know why Fang Zheng was asking this question at such a critical moment, he still gave a positive response. ¡°So, this means, for this world, you are beings from another dimension, alien to this realm. Can I understand it this way? ¡°¡­Of course, you can.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Upon hearing Aralastor¡¯s answer, Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°I have a plan that might be able to fix this issue, but before that, I need your help. Cut open this damn barrier formed by the ¡®Power of Existence,¡¯ I need a little bit of time.¡± ¡°Cut open¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shana clenched the long sword in her hand, staring intensely at the tornado in front of her. ¡°¡­ Can you do it?¡± ¡°The flames you unleashed during our first battle, I think they were almost as powerful as this force.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Remembering that battle made Shana¡¯s face change color. Fang Zheng, however, was unconcerned, merely gripping the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, vigilantly watching in front of him. ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you, Shana. Let me see the power of the Fire Mist Warrior.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me, I was going to do it anyway!¡± Shana knew this wasn¡¯t the time to argue with Fang Zheng, so she just responded coldly and immediately charged forward, raising her long sword and forcefully slashing at the tornado in front of her! ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The long sword collided with the spinning Flame Tornado, forcefully creating a gap, but before Shana could advance further, a huge impact came her way, pushing her back. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are you up to this or not? We don¡¯t have time for your warm-up!¡± ¡°So annoying, you don¡¯t need to say it!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s complaint, Shana responded without looking back, then once again tightened her grip on the long sword, staring at the tornado in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she again raised her blade and forcefully swung forward! ¡°Swish!!¡± As Shana¡¯s sword swung down, the spinning tornado was momentarily cleaved open by a gap, but before Fang Zheng could act, the gap closed up again. Meanwhile, the aura of the powerful Power of Existence also grew denser, giving off a feeling that a storm was about to break. ¡°Look, if you can¡¯t do it, let me try, though there might be a little short on time¡­¡± ¡°Aaaahhhhhhh!!¡± At this, Shana also shouted out in anger. ¡°Annoying, annoying, annoying!! When I say it¡¯s no problem, it¡¯s no problem!!¡± And with Shana¡¯s furious roar, this time, her raised blade suddenly erupted in a hot, vivid flame. The flame quickly elongated and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a nearly thirty feet long great sword. Then, Shana raised this Flame Blade and forcefully swung it downward! Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: Chapter 189: Fatal Strike Chapter 190: Chapter 189: Fatal Strike The dazzling red flames emitted a brilliant radiance, illuminating even this dim space at that moment. Then, the Flame Blade swung forward, colliding with the tornado. ¡°Boom, boom, boom¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± This time, the barrier formed by the massive Power of Existence finally could not withstand the assault of the flames, and was forcibly cleaved open. Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up, and he immediately dashed through the opening. Upon entering the tornado, Fang Zheng was shocked by the scene before him. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± At the center of the tornado, Faliagni no longer bore the appearance of the dapper man in a suit from before. Perhaps due to absorbing too much Power of Existence, his body had started mutating. Other than his head, which still somewhat resembled a human, the rest of him looked like a T-virus infected creature, complete with eight arms¡­ Could this be his true form? ¡°Human, you sought your own death¡­ So, let me be the first to kill you then!¡± Accompanied by Faliagni¡¯s roar, several mannequin models appeared beside him, immediately charging at Fang Zheng with blades in hand. ¡°Clang!!¡± Damn it, this is trouble! After blocking the mannequins¡¯ attacks, Fang Zheng felt a sinking feeling. He had not expected that these models would also have their strength enhanced by the Power of Existence. If these figures were once weaklings that Fang Zheng could easily dispatch, they now required much more effort on his part. Though they were still not his match, under the current circumstances, even a mere delay was dangerous for Fang Zheng! At that moment, perhaps due to sufficient Power of Existence, Faliagni was frantically creating more mannequins, trying to block Fang Zheng¡¯s path and delay him there. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 No choice, time to risk it all! Seeing the fissure created by the Flame Blade about to close, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, then coldly stared ahead. Suddenly, he flipped the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, plunging it into the ground. Instantly, the ground around Fang Zheng cracked open, and gushing Holy White Fire erupted like a volcanic explosion, pushing back the approaching mannequins. Now is the moment! Seeing the once tight formation begin to loosen, Fang Zheng quickly tightened his focus. He swiftly drew his longsword and lunged into the midst of the mannequins, swinging his sword and cleaving the Phosphorus before him in two. ¡°Struggle in vain, your resistance is utterly meaningless!!¡± Faliagni¡¯s motions did not cease, and it was unclear if he possessed some kind of Noble Phantasm that could create warriors, as his eight arms waved rapidly, weaving movements in the air. Soon, one puppet after another was born from the radiance of the Power of Existence, joining the battle before him. But for Fang Zheng, this was sufficient. He raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword again, and as he did so, the Holy Light on the sword grew increasingly brilliant, as if resonating with him. Blades formed from condensed light appeared out of nowhere, awaiting their commands like soldiers ready to follow their general, ready to charge forward fearlessly and tear through any barrier in their way. Divine Storm!! ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Fang Zheng thrust his longsword forward, and countless Blades of Light roared and surged forth, spinning as they went. Like a ruthless meat grinder, they swept up all the mannequins in their path, tearing them into fragments. Then, this nearly unstoppable deluge reached Faliagni, and seeing the roaring Sword Qi before him, Faliagni¡¯s face grew stern. He raised his arms, and quickly, the Power of Existence again condensed, forming a wall in the inevitable path of the Divine Storm. Along with the dull impact, the barrier in front of Faliagni began to tremble, and one after another, the Blades of Light, like violent storms, furiously surged forward, shattering upon striking the barrier. Under this fierce assault, the originally smooth barrier in front of Faliagni also began to crack, finally shattering with a loud ¡°bang.¡± However, at the same time, the power of the Divine Storm had also reached its end, and the berserk Giant Dragon quietly vanished, leaving only a deep fissure in the earth as a sign of its previous existence. ¡°Hoo¡­¡­¡± Faliagni then breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn¡¯t expected this human to be so formidable, breaking through his defenses with a single strike. But that was all there was to it. As long as he regrouped, there would be no more chance for him¡­ Thinking this, Faliagni raised his head to look forward, then, surprised, his eyes widened. The human still stood there, watching himself through the crack. However, what terrified Faliagni was the fact that the human¡¯s face did not show despair or unwillingness; instead, there was a slight smirk with a hint of triumph. It was at this moment that Faliagni noticed a nearly invisible, dim light being emitted from the fingertips of the human, heading straight towards him. Not good!! Faliagni did not know what it was, but the only thing he could do was instinctively raise his hand to block in front of him, trying to fend off this sudden attack. Then, as Faliagni watched, the dim light silently entered his body¡ª¡ªbut it did not cause him any significant harm or impact as Faliagni had imagined, instead, the beam seemed as harmless as a small white rabbit¡­¡­ ¡°Ooh!!¡± But the next moment, Faliagni¡¯s face drastically changed. Because, as the beam entered his body, Faliagni felt as if he were suddenly aboard a ship tossing in the waves, his existence ruthlessly stripped away, as if a giant hand had fiercely seized his essence and torn it out of his body and flung it aside. How could this be possible? Facing this abrupt change, Faliagni¡¯s face turned ashen. He certainly knew what was happening; indeed, every Follower of the Crimson Realm was clear, what this meant. Followers of the Crimson Realm were ultimately from the Crimson Realm; if they wanted to exist in this world, they had to devour the Power of Existence to stabilize their forms in this world. Once they were killed in this world¡ª¡ªor rather, if the Power of Existence was completely depleted, then the Followers of the Crimson Realm would be forcibly expelled by this world and sent back to the Crimson Realm. This was also why the Followers of the Crimson Realm needed to continuously devour the Power of Existence because without it, they could not survive here. Conversely, even the Fire Mist Warriors needed to kill the Followers of the Crimson Realm, because only at the moment of death do the Followers lose control over the Power of Existence in this world and are forcibly sent back to the Crimson Realm. But this man, he could actually ignore this and forcibly expel himself from this world!? ¡°No¡­!!¡± Faliagni started to struggle desperately. He used all his strength trying to regain control and return to this world, but the moment Fang Zheng had banished him, the entity known as ¡°Faliagni¡± had already developed a void, and without its core, ¡°Devouring City¡± naturally could not continue to sustain itself. The immense Power of Existence began to disintegrate. With that, Faliagni¡¯s body, mutated from devouring too much of the Power of Existence, also dissipated. When Faliagni once again broke free from his restraints, what he saw were only the pure white particles dancing in the air, like snow. ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± He desperately stretched out his hands, trying to grasp the dissipating Power of Existence, but in the next instant, the Sky-Cleaving Sword pierced his chest, ending Faliagni¡¯s life. ¡°Finally settled¡­¡­¡± Looking at the body of Faliagni lying on the ground, now starting to burn, Fang Zheng also breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he glanced at his hand. ¡°Indeed, the Fifth-Level Spell is still lacking a bit against a Follower of the Crimson Realm.¡± The reason Fang Zheng had been able to forcibly banish Faliagni in that instant was because he relied on the Protection Class¡¯s Fifth-Level Spell¡ª¡ªBanishment Spell, a type of spell designed to forcibly send extraplanar beings back to their original planes, specifically against summoned creatures. Of course, creatures summoned by the Dimensional Codex were not included in this. This was also why Fang Zheng had asked Aralastor earlier if Followers of the Crimson Realm, being from another realm, should be expellable. It turned out to be true. However, a Fifth-Level Banishment Spell seemed insufficient against the Demon King of the Crimson Realm; if it were a Seventh-Level Banishment Spell, perhaps, it could have killed him instantly. Looks like I will need to practice and study more spells once I get back. With that thought, Fang Zheng once again looked up at the sky. The battle had finally ended. Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Chapter 190 The Formidable Natural Enemy Chapter 191: Chapter 190 The Formidable Natural Enemy ¡°No matter how many times I see it, it always feels magical.¡± Gazing at the scene before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but remark. The battle with Faliagni had ended, but there was still a mess to deal with. The entire school had been damaged in the conflict between the two parties, and there were not a few people injured as a result. The only silver lining was that they hadn¡¯t had their Power of Existence drained by Faliagni; otherwise, these people might have only had death awaiting them. Now, according to Shana¡¯s explanation, as long as they used the Power of Existence to repair everything, they could be brought back to life. Luckily, the Power of Existence that Faliagni had drawn while devouring the city was plentiful, so it could still be used for repairs. Otherwise, the situation could have become even more troublesome. How wonderful, I really want to learn¡­ However, watching everything being restored as if a movie was being rewound, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel wistfully lost in thought. Sealing wasn¡¯t a Domain, so there was no need to fear resistance. Moreover, inside a Sealing, even if it became chaotic as heaven and earth turned dark, it would not affect the Main World at all; it could even be used as a tool for escape when necessary¡ªThe biggest flaw of Sealing, in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, was that it enveloped everything. If Sealing could be selective, at least excluding those ordinary people who had no power, then the battles would be even more convenient. Just as Fang Zheng drifted off in thought, suddenly, Aralastor¡¯s voice sounded in his ear. ¡°What Power are you using?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng turned his head and glanced at the pendant on the young girl¡¯s chest¡ªIt was indeed the Noble Phantasm where the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, Aralastor, resided. In this world, he could only continue to exist in this form. ¡°I could feel it, just at that moment, Faliagni¡¯s existence was forcibly banished from this world.¡± Aralastor¡¯s voice was heavy with solemnity. In fact, he was as surprised as Faliagni and, unlike Faliagni, as one of the three great Demon Gods of the Crimson Realm, felt an even more profound sense of dreadful pressure. Most importantly, it wasn¡¯t Fang Zheng, by his own power, who had banished Faliagni from this world¡ªinstead, it was the entire world that was banishing Faliagni! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Faced with the rejection of an entire world, even a powerful Demon King of the Crimson Realm could not withstand such force. Aralastor was certain, in his long existence, he had never seen any Demon King or Fire Mist Warrior possess such formidable power, let alone the fact that Fang Zheng before him wasn¡¯t a Follower of the Crimson Realm and had not made any contract with any Demon King¡ªhe was merely a simple human! How exactly could a human accomplish this? ¡°How did you manage to do it?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± In response to Aralastor¡¯s query, Fang Zheng merely smiled. Yet, even so, the Demon King had already received his answer. That was, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you.¡± ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve defeated the Boss, it¡¯s time to collect the spoils of war.¡± Watching everything being restored, Fang Zheng stretched lazily, then he looked back at Aralastor again. ¡°Right, you mentioned earlier, that fellow called Faliagni, he was very adept at using Noble Phantasms?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Although Aralastor didn¡¯t know why Fang Zheng was asking this, he quickly provided an answer. ¡°Each Demon King of the Crimson Realm has their own ¡®nature,¡¯ and Faliagni¡¯s ¡®nature¡¯ is the ability to instantly see through all attributes and uses of any Noble Phantasm. Therefore, he could perfectly use any Noble Phantasm in battle. It was only because of a surprise attack today that he was defeated. Given enough time to prepare¡­¡± As Aralastor explained, as one of the most well-known Demon Kings among the Followers of the Crimson Realm, Faliagni¡¯s fame as ¡°Hunter of the Fire Mist Warriors¡± on its own proved his exceptional strength. In fact, if Fang Zheng hadn¡¯t disrupted his teleportation with the Dimensional Anchor, Faliagni, who fled and regrouped, undoubtedly would have become even more difficult to handle. But unfortunately, it was his own fault for not preparing a counter to the Dimensional Anchor spell; how was that Fang Zheng¡¯s problem? However, Aralastor did not realize that, hearing him speak, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes were growing brighter. Faliagni¡¯s abilities might be quite ordinary, but the ¡°Magic Artifacts¡± he used were rather good. According to Aralastor, this ¡°Hunter¡± was famous for using Noble Phantasms. Thus, it was evident that he certainly carried not just a few Noble Phantasms. Now that the unfortunate one was done for, who knew if there could be any treasures to be found in his lair¡­ The ¡°Magic Artifacts¡± of this world seemed pretty useful; perhaps he could find some nice things to bring back as gifts for Nymph. That fellow¡¯s lair¡­ Thinking this, Fang Zheng silently cast a ¡°Prophetic Sight,¡± then he turned his head and looked toward the nearby shopping district. It¡¯s over there, huh. ¡°¡­Hey, where are you going?¡± Watching Fang Zheng leave the school, Shana, who had just finished repairing everything, was taken aback, then she looked at Fang Zheng and called out loudly. Hearing Shana¡¯s question, Fang Zheng, without turning his head, answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to check out that guy¡¯s lair for any treasures. It would be too disappointing to win a battle without any spoils of war. You can join me if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Who, who would want to go with you! I¡¯m not interested at all!¡± Hearing this, Shana¡¯s face turned red, then she shouted loudly. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng showed no reaction, simply waved his hand, and continued walking down the street toward the shopping district. The girl stood there dumbfounded, watching as Fang Zheng¡¯s figure disappeared. After a moment, Aralastor¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°Is this okay?¡± ¡°Of course, I have no interest in those Noble Phantasms, as you know, Aralastor¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Facing the girl¡¯s rebuttal, Aralastor didn¡¯t say much, only acknowledged her, then shifted the topic. ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what do we do¡¯?¡± ¡°You came to this city to hunt down the Followers of the Crimson Realm, right? Now that Faliagni has been vanquished, should we set out and leave here to continue hunting the next prey?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Aralastor¡¯s question, the girl was stunned. Ordinarily, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her. Ever since leaving the Heavenly Dao Palace, her life had been just like this, but this time, the girl unusually felt hesitant. ¡°¡­Aralastor.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­am I really that weak?¡± In the past, Shana would never have such doubts. She always worked hard and earnestly eliminated every Follower of the Crimson Realm that appeared before her, and she had always emerged victorious. This had filled Shana with confidence in her own power, but now, in Goki City, she had seen obstacles standing in her way for the first time. Whether it was that strange human called Fang Zheng or Faliagni, they were unprecedentedly formidable enemies. Especially Fang Zheng¡­ Thinking of this, Shana clenched her fists tightly. She still vividly remembered the feeling of helplessness in the fight against him, as if she was completely being toyed with, the pain of being powerless. Not to mention Faliagni, the dread King of the Crimson Realm who even she had almost fallen victim to, was casually disposed of by him. No, one could say that this battle, actually, didn¡¯t matter whether she was there or not. For him, she was merely an assistant, more was more convenient, less would only be a bit troublesome. From the beginning, in his eyes, Faliagni was no threat. What Shana didn¡¯t know was that Fang Zheng was so composed because he had the Soulstone as a backup. In fact, Fang Zheng had already decided that if he couldn¡¯t win the fight by himself, he would simply use his full power to summon Malthael to send his opponent back to his homeworld. So, for Fang Zheng, it was merely a choice between ¡°defeating the enemy with normal attacks¡± or ¡°using up NP to execute a big move.¡± This made Shana feel unwilling. She was a Fire Mist Warrior, and not just any, but one who had made a contract with the Punishment Deity¡¯s Catastrophic Fire. How could she allow herself to leave at this moment, wouldn¡¯t that be admitting she was inferior to him, and thus fleeing? What a joke! ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t think you are weak, but it¡¯s also a fact that there are many strong beings in this world. Especially that man, I advise you best not to make an enemy of him.¡± ¡°Aralastor?¡± Hearing her Contractor¡¯s warning, Shana was also taken aback. ¡°Is Fang Zheng such a dangerous existence?¡± ¡°Indeed, you¡¯ve seen it, right? In the recent battle, he could banish his opponent from this world without killing the Follower of the Crimson Realm¡­¡­You know what this means, right?¡± ¡°Wait, you mean¡­¡­¡± Hearing this, Shana¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°Indeed, whether it¡¯s the Followers of the Crimson Realm or Fire Mist Warriors, our essence that allows us to remain in this world is the same. But that man, he can forcibly banish us from this world without killing us. Even if it¡¯s just for an instant, once we are banished, then¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­the Contractor who has formed a contract with us will be deemed nonexistent, and then¡­¡­the contract will be annulled¡­¡­¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Aralastor¡¯s voice deepened even more. ¡°This man is a natural enemy for both the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warriors.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided! Aralastor.¡± Hearing this, Shana raised her head and looked toward the sky. ¡°I will stay in this city for now!¡± ¡°Is that a good idea?¡± ¡°I must become stronger. Just like Fang Zheng said, I am too weak now, nearly falling into a trap set by a King of the Crimson Realm. I have always been fighting Followers of the Crimson Realm weaker than myself, but this can¡¯t continue. I want to get stronger, much stronger. I must make Fang Zheng understand, I am not just a stumbling block, I am a Fire Mist Warrior, a Fire Mist Warrior who hunts down the Followers of the Crimson Realm! And, and¡­¡­¡± As she spoke, Shana¡¯s face turned slightly red. ¡°He also saved my life at one point, and as a Fire Mist Warrior, I cannot be ungrateful.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Shana¡¯s response, Aralastor was silent for a moment, then he sighed softly. ¡°If you think it¡¯s fine that way, then let it be¡­¡­Shana.¡± Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Chapter 191 After Defeating the BOSS, Its Time to Collect the Loot Chapter 192: Chapter 191 After Defeating the BOSS, It¡¯s Time to Collect the Loot As Shana and Aralastor were engaged in conversation, Fang Zheng had already arrived at the residence of ¡°Hunter¡± Faliagni, located atop the dilapidated department store building. However¡­ ¡°This guy dresses so smartly, so why is the place he lives in so shabby?¡± Frowning, Fang Zheng clearly showed a look of displeasure on his face as he observed his surroundings. Before him in the abandoned department store hall, there was an assortment of garbage piled everywhere. Tattered tents, rusty rails, decaying pushcarts, and all sorts of junk were heaped up like mountains. One would think it was a recycling station if they didn¡¯t know any better! ¡°I never would have guessed that the Follower of the Crimson Realm was also an environmentalist.¡± The only silver lining was that the trash here consisted mostly of industrial products, with no rotting, decaying matter. Otherwise, Fang Zheng might not even want to set foot inside. Even so, he was not keen on rummaging through piles of junk for spoils of war. ¡°Arcane Sight!¡± As Fang Zheng¡¯s voice fell, his eyes suddenly began to change, covered with a faint layer of magic radiance. This was a third-level spell from the Prophecy System, ¡°Arcane Sight.¡± With this spell, Fang Zheng could effortlessly identify all the ¡°Magic Artifacts¡± that were in the area. Furthermore, he could discern the worth of these items by the strength of their magic aura. The moment ¡°Arcane Sight¡± took effect, the scene before Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes started to change. Unwanted miscellaneous items were shielded as clusters of shadows, while items emanating magic auras in the darkness had their shapes outlined¡­ ¡°Only three? That¡¯s a bit few¡­ but it¡¯ll do¡­¡± Observing the magic auras reflected in his eyes, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows and then raised his right hand. In no time, the piles of discarded junk around him started to part to the sides, revealing the true forms of the hidden Noble Phantasms. The first item that appeared before Fang Zheng resembled something out of a science fiction movie¡ªa holographic 3D projection map. On it, one could clearly see the projection of the entire Goki City, with every house, street, and even rivers vividly visible. Naturally, humans were also included. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã0 ¡°This thing is kind of interesting.¡± Looking at the Noble Phantasm before him, Fang Zheng reached into his chest and pulled out a pair of rimless monocular glasses to wear. This was one of the items from the ¡°Wealthy Three-Piece Set¡± he had previously exchanged for in the ¡°Dimensional Shop¡±¡ªthe ¡°Eye of Insight.¡± Through these glasses, Fang Zheng could assess the value and function of the item before him, and it might even trigger a quest¡­ Well, too bad it can¡¯t detect combat power. As soon as Fang Zheng put on the glasses, the information about the Noble Phantasm quickly displayed before his eyes. [Noble Phantasm: Glass Jar] [Rank: A] [Effect: Can designate an area for observation, detection, and search] This one¡¯s good. Looking at the displayed effects, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. He indeed needed a system that could perform surveillance and search functions, as this artifact seemed to be much more convenient and faster than a satellite. At least, there¡¯s no need to launch a satellite into space or adjust its orbit¡­ It¡¯s just not yet clear if this thing has any limitations. However¡­ at least for now, this Noble Phantasm alone made the trip worthwhile for Fang Zheng. ¡°Retrieve.¡± As Fang Zheng¡¯s voice echoed, in the next moment, the holographic map before him began to rapidly disassemble, transforming into numerous small blue transparent cubes that reassembled before turning into an elliptical bronze mirror that landed in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand. Alright, the first spoil of war secured. Pleased with the bronze mirror in his hand, Fang Zheng casually stored it back into the space. He then looked forward again, and soon, the second item appeared before him. It was an ancient-looking ring, and in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, its effects were as simple as its appearance. [Noble Phantasm: Azure] [Rank: B] [Effect: Grants the wearer immunity to all fire attribute damage] ¡°Immune to fire attribute damage, huh¡­ Well, this thing is of no use to me, I¡¯ll take it back and give it to Nymph as a gift.¡± After staring at the ring in his hand for a few moments, Fang Zheng thought for a bit before stowing it away. The ¡°Elemental Immunity to Fire¡± effect was nice, but for Fang Zheng, who had the Protection Class Elemental Immunity Spell, it was a superfluous addition. However, it would be a nice supplement for Nymph. Fire attacks were among the most destructive and commonly used in the Main World. Having an immunity to fire would always be a good safety measure. ¡°Now for the last item¡­.. Wow, I like this!¡± What made Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes shine with admiration was a giant sword. It had no guard, and the blade was plain, made up of a massive and thick blade with a golden hilt. To Fang Zheng, however, there was a particular appeal to this giant sword. In fact, Fang Zheng had always wished to wield a giant sword. Perhaps it was because his initial training took place in the world of Dark Soul that he was most accustomed to the dance-like style of a giant sword and a dagger. But the Sky-Cleaving Sword was just a regular one-handed sword, and even for Fang Zheng, it was not possible to perform the swordsmanship of a giant sword with it. This had always been a regret for him. Now, it seemed he might finally be able to switch weapons. Not to mention that signing up with the Sanctuary made switching weapons an obviously safer option. With this in mind, Fang Zheng turned his gaze to the giant sword before him. [Noble Phantasm: Vampire] [Rank: A] [Effect: ??? (Sealed)] ¡°¡­What the hell?¡± Fang Zheng was taken aback by the question marks before him. Sealed? This sword is sealed? It felt similar to his own Soulstone¡­ It couldn¡¯t be that this thing was also a key element for his Soulstone, could it? With that thought, Fang Zheng reached out and grasped the giant sword. And at that moment, accompanied by the familiar ¡°ding¡± of the system notification, more system information unsurprisingly appeared before Fang Zheng. [Side mission: Sealing Release] [This is a weapon associated with blood and destruction, sealed here due to the obsession of Grudge Spirits. Release the seal, and you will gain all it possesses (infuse with the Power of Existence, release Noble Phantasm seal. Current progress 0/10000, successful completion will unseal the Noble Phantasm effect, with a random reward +1)] ¡°So, it needs the infusion of the Power of Existence?¡± Looking at the mission description before him, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow. Frankly, the task was neither particularly difficult nor simple for Fang Zheng. It was not difficult because the condition for release was much more straightforward than that of the still-clueless Soulstone, and it was very direct. The reason it wasn¡¯t simple was¡­ Fang Zheng truly had no idea about this Power of Existence. Was this a power he also possessed, or was it something only people of this world had? He should ask Shana when there¡¯s time. There was also the matter of Sealing, if he remembered correctly, she could also Release it¡ªYes, perhaps he could ask her to teach him? Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Chapter 192: Teaching and Trading Chapter 193: Chapter 192: Teaching and Trading ¡°Do you want to learn to use and master the Power of Existence?¡± Standing on the rooftop, Shana furrowed her brows and looked at Fang Zheng before her. ¡°Exactly, you see, you possess the Power of Existence, and humans also possess the Power of Existence¡­ In fact, aren¡¯t the Followers of the Crimson Realm gaining strength by devouring the Power of Existence from humans? So I was wondering if I could use this power.¡± ¡°What do you intend to do with this power?¡± This time, it was Aralastor who spoke, and Fang Zheng promptly gave an answer. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s to make fighting easier after breaking the seal.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Faced with this unexpected answer, both Shana and Aralastor fell silent. It had to be said, that reason was indeed good, very powerful. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Aralastor.¡± Clearly, Shana was intending to let Aralastor decide, and upon hearing Shana¡¯s voice, Aralastor hesitated for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ generally speaking, it¡¯s impossible. Although what you said is correct, each human¡¯s Power of Existence is limited. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to function inside the seal. If not, the Followers of the Crimson Realm wouldn¡¯t need to prey on so many humans. This is also why humans need to make a pact with us to become Fire Mist Warriors, but¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï Speaking till this point, Aralastor didn¡¯t know what else to say, because Fang Zheng was obviously an anomaly among humans. Not only could he move and fight easily within the seal, his combat strength was even stronger than ordinary Fire Mist Warriors. Not to mention the current Shana, perhaps even the contractor of the Catastrophic Fire from the previous generation couldn¡¯t compare to him. ¡°¡­.. you as a human¡­ it¡¯s hard to say, but remember, the Power of Existence that humans possess is limited. Once exhausted, it¡¯s difficult to replenish¡­ ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I have a solution. That Noble Phantasm I had before worked well, I think it¡¯s a good substitute.¡± Fang Zheng, of course, had his own confidence, derived from the Noble Phantasm he had acquired when he first met Shana. [Noble Phantasm: Zero Hour Resurgence] [Rank: S] [Effect: Can restore a day¡¯s consumed Power of Existence at midnight] Honestly, Fang Zheng had been shocked by this Noble Phantasm¡¯s effect when he first saw it; it was practically an eternally powered perpetual machine. ¡°Noble Phantasm?¡± Sure enough, Fang Zheng¡¯s words had caught Shana and Aralastor¡¯s attention. ¡°Did you find something good at the ¡®Hunter¡¯s¡¯ base?¡± ¡°Not that, it was when we first met¡­ I accidentally acquired a Noble Phantasm back then.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about that time¡­ Indeed, I remember Phosphorus saying something similar, about a Noble Phantasm obtained from Mistis¡­ What exactly is it?¡± ¡°Zero Hour Resurgence.¡± As soon as Fang Zheng¡¯s words were out, Shana¡¯s expression changed instantly. ¡°Is it really that one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly unexpected¡­¡± Aralastor¡¯s voice was also filled with astonishment. ¡°The legendary Noble Phantasm, Zero Hour Resurgence, is actually in your hands¡­ no, it¡¯s better that it¡¯s in your hands. If it were stolen by the ¡®Hunter,¡¯ it would probably be even more dangerous.¡± ¡°But¡­ if I recall correctly, the effect of the Zero Hour Resurgence is simply to replenish the Power of Existence that has been consumed, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I already have an idea.¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s idea was quite simple; he would construct an array around the Zero Hour Resurgence to absorb and store the Power of Existence, a technique he had learned from the Mage. As a spellcaster, unless absolutely necessary, one should never endanger oneself. That¡¯s why they prepare their spells in advance each day and store them. As soon as they detect that their ¡°ammunition¡± is about to run out, they immediately make an escape to save their lives. The method Fang Zheng adopted was similar. If the Fire Mist Warrior carries a mini-reactor into battle, then Fang Zheng was essentially storing energy from the mini-reactor in batteries and fighting with those batteries on his back. For a normal person, this might be a disadvantage, but not for Fang Zheng. He seldom used the Power of Existence in actual combat. For him, the only real value of the Power of Existence was for performing Sealing. At other times, he could rely on his own strength to fight. Moreover, this also mitigated risks. If Fire Mist Warriors failed, they would die, because they had made a contract with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm and were linked together. In that sense, they were more like robots with built-in power sources, destined to self-destruct if either their energy core was damaged or their bodies were harmed. But Fang Zheng was different; he carried an ¡°external power source,¡± so if there was any problem, he simply needed to discard it. As for the batteries¡­ they could always be remade later. ¡°What an ingenious concept.¡± After listening to Fang Zheng¡¯s plan, Shana and Aralastor were both dumbfounded, and after a moment, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm finally exclaimed. ¡°Although I¡¯ve always known humans have ingenious ideas, this¡­ this truly is a domain we had never considered.¡± ¡°Because needs differ, the points in our talent trees are also different. Besides, ordinary Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm wouldn¡¯t easily let me extract the Power of Existence like this.¡± As Fang Zheng said, the Zero Hour Resurgence was just a Noble Phantasm, so it didn¡¯t matter how he tinkered with it. But it was different for the Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm; although their Power of Existence could also regenerate, it did so slowly. Just because they inherently possessed a vast amount of the Power of Existence didn¡¯t mean they were willing to become nuclear reactors to provide power to humans. ¡°What do you think? What is your decision?¡± ¡°I have no objections.¡± Aralastor quickly gave his answer, while Shana frowned and thought for a moment before looking at Fang Zheng again. ¡°I have a condition.¡± ¡°Oh? What condition?¡± Upon hearing Shana speak, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows and smiled at the young girl. ¡°I want to grow stronger, much stronger¡­ and so, I hope you can help me¡­¡± Shana said, her face slightly blushing and although she had not finished her sentence, Fang Zheng understood her meaning. ¡°So you mean to say, I should train you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right! If you agree, then as a trade, we can teach you how to harness and utilize the Power of Existence!¡± Perhaps feeling that her logic was faultless, Shana then lifted her head proudly as she spoke. ¡°Alright then, if that¡¯s the case, I have no objections.¡± Watching the young girl before him carry an air of satisfaction, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t say much, simply nodding in agreement¡­ Heh, acting all high and mighty in front of me, just wait until the training begins, I¡¯ll make you doubt your life, you troublesome girl. It¡¯s always cuter when the little ones are a bit more obedient, this kind of aloof arrogance¡­ Thinking this, Fang Zheng flexed his fingers. You need a lesson, child. Chapter 194 - Chapter 194: Chapter 193: The Daily Life of a Fire Mist Warrior Chapter 194: Chapter 193: The Daily Life of a Fire Mist Warrior For the girl, she originally loved the morning. Watching the sun rise from the other side of the horizon, its dazzling radiance tore through the night, enveloping the land once more. It made her feel as if the world was reborn and filled her with joy. But now, Shana was not in such a mood at all. No, it should be said that no one would be in a good mood if they were thrown into a cold mud pit early in the morning. ¡°Stand up, look at me.¡± Looking at Shana lying on the ground, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression remained unchanged. ¡°Remember, combat and slaughter are different, you need to calculate and make choices between them, and this does not refer to the combat itself. Rather, these are the problems that need to be considered before the battle, thereby deciding your course of action. It¡¯s wrong to exert full force even when a lion fights a rabbit because if you truly did so, who knows, you might exhaust yourself and step on a venomous snake lurking in the grass. Remember, the goal of the battle, the purpose, and then choose the means!¡± This was the combat experience Fang Zheng had learned in the Main World from Shi Dong and Rex, and now, he was teaching it all to the girl before him. ¡°Whether they are enemies that need to be struck or defeated, are they targets that need to be eliminated at all costs, or can they be spared for the time being to be dealt with later? You need to judge the strength of both sides through combat and then make a decision.¡± Shana was strong, but in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, her strength was limited to within the fight. Even though the girl liked to demonstrate her dominance through relentless continuous attacks during combat, this was meaningless for Fang Zheng as a mage. If you were to make a comparison, then Shana was like Luu Bu, fearless and unmatched, capable of charging in and out of enemy ranks seven times alone. But what of it? Overall, she was still failing, and this kind of failure was beyond human recovery. At this moment, Shana was just such. She focused on finding advantages in the combat itself, neglecting the broader situation, and thus was completely manipulated by Fang Zheng. ¡°Uhh¡­!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Hearing Fang Zheng speak, Shana flipped over and stood up, then gripped the blade in her hand once more, staring at Fang Zheng. ¡°Combat and war are the same, you need to know what the enemy¡¯s purpose is, then prevent the enemy from achieving that purpose, thus achieving your own purpose. For example¡­¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng once again raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand. ¡°You can guess whether the next strike I make will use magic or if I¡¯ll directly charge to slash you. I give you three seconds to choose.¡± It was an attack! As soon as Fang Zheng¡¯s words ended, Shana immediately took up a defensive posture. She trusted the blade in her hands exceptionally, as just moments ago, with the help of this sharp edge, Shana had successfully broken Fang Zheng¡¯s released Magic Missile. This made Shana confident at this moment too, sure that the opponent¡¯s strange spells would also be destroyed by the blade in her hands. Thus, her opponent¡¯s actions became very clear. However, what Shana did not expect was that the first thing that caught her eye was a dazzling white light. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Faced with the sudden blinding brilliance, Shana instinctively closed her eyes, and at that moment, she suddenly sensed something was very wrong. No good!! *Clang!!* But before Shana could react, a strong shock came from the blade in her hand, and under the attack of this powerful force, the longsword suddenly slipped from her hand, and she herself was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground hard. Right after, the girl felt the cold blade pressed against her neck. ¡°Wrong answer, I not only released a Flash Spell, but also gave you a slash.¡± ¡°You, you didn¡¯t say that just now!¡± Shana defiantly reopened her eyes, and at this moment her vision was still blurry, only glimpsing a figure vaguely. ¡°Right, I indeed didn¡¯t say that just now, but¡­ why didn¡¯t you think about it?¡± Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng sheathed his longsword and shrugged. ¡°Remember, I am your enemy now, and then I gave you a choice, so think carefully, why must you do what your enemy says? If the enemy only allows you to go east or west, won¡¯t you think about looking north and south? I give you a choice and you choose, such obedient enemies, I could easily defeat them by the dozen.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shana bit her lower lip, at a loss for words. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll stop here for today.¡± Looking at the girl whose head and face were covered in mud, Fang Zheng grinned slightly, then put away the Sky-Cleaving Sword. ¡°Go take a bath, and then come for breakfast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to bother, just by using the Fire of Purification to cleanse¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± But before Shana could finish, Fang Zheng cut her off. ¡°This is a request from the victor, you as the loser have only to comply, now go, wash up properly. Reflect on how you lost while bathing, thinking more won¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± And hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shana blushed and huffed softly, then stood up and walked toward the apartment building without looking back. Slapping then offering a sweet date, this tactic truly never fails. After the transaction was completed, Shana, under the identity of ¡°Hirai Enishi,¡± lived in the room next to Fang Zheng¡¯s apartment. Since the family of Hirai Enishi had already been devoured by the Followers of the Crimson Realm, no one minded. To outsiders, perhaps Hirai Enishi had always lived there, with no change at all. Originally, Fang Zheng had proposed training after school, but whether it was for revenge or to tease Fang Zheng, Shana chose to disturb his sleep at dawn, proclaiming the righteousness of ¡°early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy.¡± So, don¡¯t blame Fang Zheng for being ruthless. After all, waking up grumpy is serious business. ¡°Whoosh¡­¡± Warm water cascaded down, washing away the mud sticking to her body, feeling this refreshing sensation, Shana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Impressive. Although at first, she indeed harbored the idea of playing tricks on him, after these days of teaching, Shana had to admit that Fang Zheng was far more formidable than she had imagined. During her time at the Heavenly Dao Palace, she had undergone countless rigorous trainings, but at that time, to Shana, fighting was just fighting, nothing more. As long as she concentrated on the battle, she could win. But with Fang Zheng, she discovered a whole new world. Fighting was not just about the clash of weapons, but also a duel of minds. And just now, she experienced this personally once again. ¡°Aralastor.¡± ¡°What is it, Shana?¡± Upon hearing Shana¡¯s call, the pendant outside the shower asked. ¡°How do you find Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Very impressive.¡± In response to the inquiry, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm gave a positive answer. ¡°If previously I thought his power was merely strong, I now retract that view. It¡¯s not just his power; that man is strong in every respect.¡± ¡°How about compared to Wilhelmina?¡± Unconsciously, the girl compared the man to the existence that had raised her, acting as both a teacher and a mother. Although she vaguely had an answer in her heart, she was not sure. ¡°¡­¡± Aralastor was silent for a while before finally giving an answer. ¡°As a nurturer, she tried hard.¡± This time, Shana said nothing. The following period was as usual; Shana and Fang Zheng went to school together. Perhaps due to Fang Zheng¡¯s influence, Shana was no longer as rude to the other teachers as she had initially been, but whenever there was something amiss, she would immediately speak up to correct it. Gradually, the teachers¡¯ reaction to Shana also began to change. Initially regarded as just a troublesome student, they soon started seeking advice from her. After all, teachers are ordinary people, and facing the opportunity to improve themselves, they naturally wouldn¡¯t let it slip away. Because of this, the atmosphere in Fang Zheng¡¯s class had become much more harmonious. After school¡­ the two returned to the riverside clearing in front of the apartment. However, this time the roles were reversed, Fang Zheng, as a student, began learning to manipulate and use Sealing, while Shana became the teacher. But¡­ ¡°Can¡¯t you explain it a bit clearer?¡± Fang Zheng, helplessly putting down his hand, looked at the girl standing not far beside him. ¡°What do you mean ¡®close your eyes, feel the flow, and then just release it with a bang¡¯¡­ Do you think this is a bomb?¡± ¡°So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!!¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s complaint, Shana¡¯s face turned red, and she stomped her feet as she shouted. ¡°It¡¯s your own comprehension that¡¯s poor, it¡¯s not my fault!¡± ¡°¡­Mr. Aralastor?¡± ¡°¡­uh¡­ cough cough¡­¡± Perhaps not expecting his Contractor to be so incompetent, the Demon God of the Crimson Realm also seemed a bit embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, for us ¡®Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm,¡¯ manipulating the Power of Existence is an innate talent. Even if you ask me to explain it, I wouldn¡¯t know how to describe it right away. Moreover, the ¡®nature¡¯ of the Power of Existence varies from person to person. Everyone¡¯s Power of Existence is different in nature and manifests in different ways¡­¡± So it¡¯s pretty much like the Power of the Star Spirits. Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but recall that the powers in the Main World were also like this, according to Shi Dong. Each person has different characteristics, so the ways they use the Power of the Star Spirits vary too. Could they be the same thing, just called differently? Why not give it a try? Thinking this, Fang Zheng was suddenly eager. In the Main World, he only used the Power of the Star Spirits when releasing magic; other skills depended mainly on the power of the Soulstone. He didn¡¯t understand it very well, but now¡­ Anyway, trying wouldn¡¯t hurt, would it? ¡°Forget it¡­ I¡¯ll have a look first.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng closed his eyes. As Shana described, first feel the flow of power¡­ This was not difficult, Fang Zheng could feel his power coursing through his body, like a serene river. This was his Power of the Star Spirits, representing the true essence of Fang Zheng¡¯s stardom. Then, feel the power resonate with the vibrations of this world. ¡°Thump thump¡­ thump thump¡­¡± Somewhat vaguely, Fang Zheng indeed felt a presence, as if his own heartbeat was about to align with a larger heartbeat, stabilize, and form the same wave. Then¡­ Now is the time! Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked ahead. ¡°Sealing.¡± The next moment, the world changed. Chapter 195 - Chapter 195: Chapter 194: Encounter with a Follower of the Crimson Realm Chapter 195: Chapter 194: Encounter with a Follower of the Crimson Realm It was just a moment, but the entire world turned into a stretch of stark white and bitter cold, with ice and snow shrouding everything. This world seemed to be frozen, appearing before the eyes of all. ¡°What is this?!¡± ¡°Is this a Sealing?¡± Witnessing this scene, both Aralastor and Shana couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. They could definitely feel that this world was indeed isolated from the rest of existence, much like a Sealing, but¡­ they had never seen this kind of Sealing before! If in the world Sealed by Shana, all things seemed as if they had been petrified. Then in Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing, everything had been thoroughly frozen. It was as if it had been encased by miles of ice, with all encompassed by the icy cold and snow, and apart from the vast expanse of whiteness, there was nothing else between heaven and earth. ¡°Dispel the Sealing!¡± ¡°Ah, alright.¡± Facing Aralastor¡¯s command, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then he quickly concentrated his spirit, and soon, that world that seemed like eternal ice vanished, replaced by the original world. Accompanied by the dazzling sunlight reappearing, the ice and snow that had covered the ground disappeared without a trace, and the pedestrians who seemed to have been frozen in place were now moving forward, talking and laughing as if nothing had happened. ¡°¡­Everything seems normal, it doesn¡¯t look like there are any problems.¡± It wasn¡¯t until then that Aralastor let out a long breath, and Shana sighed in relief as well. Just moments before, they truly worried that something had gone wrong with Fang Zheng¡¯s power. And it was no wonder, as for most Fire Mist Warriors, apart from perhaps a slight difference in coloration, there were no changes in other aspects of the Sealing. But Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing seemed more like some sort of large-scale surprise attack, with the instantaneous freezing of everything being utterly chilling to the heart. ¡°Aralastor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really strange, I have never seen this type of Sealing before.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Confronted with Shana¡¯s inquiry, Aralastor was also full of doubts. ¡°A Sealing in itself is not a difficult skill, and just now¡­ apart from the form of expression, from other aspects, it was nearly indistinguishable from a Sealing. But why would it take on that form¡­¡± ¡°¡­Could it be because he¡¯s human? After all, there¡¯s never been a case of a human using Sealing before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but¡­¡± Facing Shana¡¯s response, Aralastor was visibly hesitant, but Fang Zheng also understood why Aralastor would say that. Because according to him, a Sealing simply temporarily extracts a portion of the world, and during this process, the world within the Sealing remains ¡°untouched.¡± But the Sealing released by Fang Zheng made the segmented world undeniably present itself in a completely different state, one of being frozen. It was for this very reason that Aralastor had immediately called a halt and asked Fang Zheng to dispel the Sealing, fearing that ¡°the world inside the Sealing¡± might affect the whole world. However, looking at it now, apart from the ice that seemed like special effects, there seemed to be no change here. Although Aralastor and Shana had their doubts, Fang Zheng was not completely clueless. Following Aralastor¡¯s explanation, the ¡°Power of Existence¡± displayed the essence of one¡¯s soul. Currently having the Soulstone of the Lich King, ¡°Arthas¡± inside him, perhaps that was why his Sealing took on the appearance of a land encased in ice. Then, it was conceivable that if different Soulstones were used, the Sealing that unfolded could be different? Though Fang Zheng wanted to try it out, it obviously wasn¡¯t a good opportunity right now. He wasn¡¯t willing to let Shana and Aralastor discover too many of his secrets. Furthermore, verifying this wouldn¡¯t be difficult; at least when the two weren¡¯t paying attention, he could find a distant place to experiment with the Sealing. In the following trials, Fang Zheng repeatedly tested the Sealing several times, and ultimately Shana and Aralastor confirmed that, apart from the form of expression being different from that of the Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, all other functions had no issues. Whether it was repairing the world or initiating a blockade, it was the same as an ordinary Sealing. ¡°After all, humans are the product of this world, not outsiders like us. Perhaps that¡¯s why the Sealing he released is different.¡± In the end, Aralastor could only offer such a plausible conclusion. But what Aralastor didn¡¯t know was that Fang Zheng was. just like them, not an existence of this world. Due to this sudden accident, Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°Power of Existence¡± lessons were temporarily concluded. Of course, the reasons included not only the time wasted in verifying the Sealing but more importantly because¡­ ¡°My Contractor herself has not yet mastered the Power of Catastrophic Fire, so there¡¯s no extra information available for the time being.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Aralastor¡¯s forthright confession, Fang Zheng looked toward Shana with a smile that was not quite a smile, a face that said, ¡°So you¡¯re also a half-baked amateur.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really got some nerve to be negotiating terms with me.¡± ¡°Ugh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± ¡°No need to be so flustered; it¡¯s not bad for us to learn from each other and improve together¡­¡± ¡°So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!!!¡± After hurling those words as if in a huff, Shana turned around with a flushed face and dashed into the apartment like the wind, as if trying to hide her own embarrassment. She¡¯s still such a child after all. Watching Shana¡¯s flustered departure, Fang Zheng chuckled and shook his head. He didn¡¯t mind that she had played a trick on him; Fang Zheng had never pinned his hopes on Shana. From her behavior, it was clear that this Fire Mist Warrior was still very immature, with little experience to speak of. Hence, her control and mastery over the Power of Existence couldn¡¯t be all that formidable. If she insisted on forcibly teaching him, it would have actually been a bother to Fang Zheng. After all, compared to the young Fire Mist Warrior, Aralastor was clearly the better choice. Well then, time to prepare to buy ingredients for dinner. For Fang Zheng, it really shouldn¡¯t have been so much trouble. But Japanese convenience stores just didn¡¯t sit well with him; the pre-packaged meals they sold were so small you could finish them in one bite, and even their cup noodles were only about the size of a medium coke. The Japanese took stinginess to the next level when it came to food. When dining out, ordering a bunch of dishes only resulted in a mountain of plates with barely a bite of food on each, leaving you half-full after clearing over a dozen plates without saving any money. It was better to just go home, cook a large pot of rice, and whip up a few dishes to enjoy. Although Fang Zheng¡¯s cooking skills were nothing spectacular, as someone who had been single for a while, he could manage to cook a few dishes just fine. Definitely better than a certain Fire Mist Warrior who could even manage to fry an egg into a piece of charcoal. With that thought in mind, Fang Zheng arrived at the store and then purchased the ingredients for tonight¡¯s dinner¡­ To be honest, when he didn¡¯t know what to eat, he¡¯d just go for potato beef stew; it was simple, convenient, filling, and tasty, and paired with rice, it was quite appetizing too. By the way, after failing at cooking, a certain Fire Mist Warrior had almost been coming over for meals every day, claiming it was to avoid wasting food¡­ Like she could resist eating it. ¡°That should be about it.¡± Carrying the purchased ingredients, Fang Zheng yawned and left the store listlessly. Just now, he had tested again, and, as expected, the nature of his Sealed Space was determined by the Soulstone. When Fang Zheng switched his Soulstone to ¡°Malthael,¡± his Sealed Space was enveloped in darkness, feeling like a grim graveyard. So, what about Kerrigan¡¯s? Thinking this, Fang Zheng walked up to a crossroads, and while waiting for the traffic light, he switched his Soulstone. Then he glanced to the side and quickly saw a man dressed in a white shirt, looking like an office worker, walking past like a zombie from the other side. His eyes were lifeless, and he seemed to be moving like a puppet being controlled. Yet, the people around him completely ignored him, as if they couldn¡¯t even see the man. Here we go again. As he looked at the man before him, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows. Faliagni was dead, but the nuisances he left behind in the city hadn¡¯t been completely eradicated. That guy had left a massive number of ¡°Torches¡± in the city, originally planning to use them to trigger a ¡°City Devouring¡± all at once, but due to his own death, these Torches naturally lost their function. They continued to wander like lost souls, according to their original ¡°settings,¡± until they completely vanished. By the looks of the Magical Aura emanating from this man, his complete dissolution was just a matter of time. Fang Zheng could not help but sigh at this; he had seen several Torches during this period, including students and teachers from schools, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. According to what Shana said, these people were already dead, and what remained were only their residues. ¡°Hmm?¡± But just then, Fang Zheng suddenly noticed that the man had vanished. He didn¡¯t disappear slowly like a Torch going out, but rather, he was gone in an instant without a trace. What was this¡­!? He shifted his gaze, looking around, and soon enough spotted an old man dressed in vintage attire amidst the crowd. He seemed entirely harmless, but Fang Zheng still saw it¡ªthe flames of Power of Existence flickering in his palm. Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression instantly turned grim. ¡°Seal.¡± Then, the world came to a halt. Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Encounter with an Urban Grandfather Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Encounter with an Urban Grandfather The endless stars stretched across everything. In just the blink of an eye, this area had been completely isolated from the world, the sky vanished, replaced by a glittering galaxy and stars that emitted a mysterious radiance. The sun¡¯s brightness shone directly downward, forming sharp contrasts of white and black, the heavy shadows distinctive on the ground. Looking around, the entire city seemed like the frozen ruins on the surface of some planet, filled with an unusually bizarre sensation. ¡°This is¡­.¡± Even the old man in the suit was drawn to this strange change and stared in surprise. At the same time, a voice emerged before him. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see a Follower of the Crimson Realm so soon, are you here hunting as well?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing this sudden voice, the old man quickly turned his head, only to see Fang Zheng in front of him, holding a plastic bag and raising his left hand toward him. ¡°To be honest, I am quite surprised myself. I didn¡¯t expect to encounter a Follower of the Crimson Realm here¡­.¡± ¡°A human?¡± The old man¡¯s face clearly showed his astonishment as he looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°I never thought a human could act within the Sealing¡­.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï However, the old man soon raised his hands. ¡°Please don¡¯t attack, young man, I mean no harm.¡± ¡°So I didn¡¯t send you back home to get married right away; tell me, who are you? What brings you to Goki City?¡± ¡°Please allow me to introduce myself.¡± Answering Fang Zheng¡¯s query, the old man gave a slight smile, then he took off his top hat and bowed to Fang Zheng. ¡°My name is ¡®Corpse Collector¡¯ Lamy; as you said, I am a Follower of the Crimson Realm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fang Zheng, as you can see, a human.¡± Since the other did not immediately show hostility, Fang Zheng of course wouldn¡¯t just strike him. ¡°To be honest, I still can¡¯t believe that a human can really act within the Sealing¡­. Wait, this Sealing must be your doing, right? No wonder, I was wondering why the fluctuations felt different from those of the Fire Mist Warrior and the Followers of the Crimson Realm. So it¡¯s like that. It turns out this world really does have humans who can do such things¡­. And, you must have a Fire Mist Warrior with you, seems I can feel their presence.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s reflection, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows, but he didn¡¯t say much and continued to quietly look at the old man. ¡°That¡¯s right, sir, I hope you can understand and convey to that Fire Mist Warrior as well that I am harmless¡­. Although I know this may be hard to believe, I truly have no ill intentions toward this city.¡± ¡°Harmless?¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng became even more interested. ¡°Go on, tell me more. From what I¡¯ve seen, Followers of the Crimson Realm are often madmen willing to do anything for themselves, although I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a common issue among all Followers. But least for now, I feel Followers of the Crimson Realm aren¡¯t exactly the type you¡¯d easily get along with. Maybe you can change my mind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s great that you understand.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s remarks, the old man named Lamy visibly relaxed and smiled a relieved smile. ¡°Indeed, as you¡¯ve mentioned, most Followers of the Crimson Realm pose a threat to humans, but what I can assure you is that I don¡¯t eat people.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat people?¡± Fang Zheng curiously looked over the Bone Collector before him. ¡°Then how do you sustain your existence? Logic dictates that if Followers of the Crimson Realm do not consume the Power of Existence, they cannot exist in this world.¡± ¡°Just like this.¡± Lamy opened his hands and displayed the previously mentioned Power of Existence in front of Fang Zheng. ¡°I don¡¯t consume people. In fact, I only absorb the power from torches that are very weak and about to be extinguished. Even my body is such that, unlike ordinary Angel Envoys, I merely exist borrowing the body of a torch, hardly consuming any Power of Existence¡­¡± ¡°I see, no wonder you¡¯re called ¡®Corpse Collector,¡¯ specializing in picking up dead bodies after others.¡± It was at this moment that Fang Zheng finally understood. To be honest, if the old man hadn¡¯t personally absorbed the Power of Existence from that torch just now, he wouldn¡¯t have realized that this old man was a Follower of the Crimson Realm. However, Fang Zheng quickly developed a new question. ¡°Why do you do this?¡± ¡°Because I need a tremendous amount of Power of Existence.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­???¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± Noticing Fang Zheng¡¯s confusion, the old man smiled and explained. ¡°Long ago, a human friend made a gift for me, but before I could accept it, it was destroyed, beyond repair. What I wish now is to see what gift he had prepared for me. To do this, I need to write a Free Style, to bring what had vanished back into this world. This requires a tremendous amount of Power of Existence, but¡­¡± ¡°If you absorb directly, you will attract the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s barrage, right? I understand,¡± said Fang Zheng, nodding his head as he grasped the old man¡¯s intention. By analogy, it was as if the old man had spotted a treasure he wanted to buy. But to buy it required an astronomical sum of money, whilst he had none. To achieve his goal, he could either risk robbing a bank or simply beg on the streets or pick up loose change others dropped. The former was high gain, but risky; the latter was almost risk-free¡­of course, it required an immeasurable amount of time. ¡°Exactly. Although I do not know what happened here before, you may have also realized that for me, Goki City, with so many torches, is like a treasure mountain. Here I can collect a large amount of residual Power of Existence from torches without affecting the world or harming others¡­ Oh, and if possible, I want to ask who the Contractor is for the Fire Mist Warrior in this city?¡± ¡°Catastrophic Fire.¡± ¡°Oh? It¡¯s him?¡± Upon receiving Fang Zheng¡¯s answer, the old man¡¯s face lit up with unmistakable joy. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect he would be here; so the Fire Mist Warrior is ¡®the Fiery-Eyed Assassin¡¯? That is wonderful! It¡¯s under his protection after all¡­¡± Assassin, my foot, that girl probably couldn¡¯t even kill a chicken. ¡°You know them?¡± Seeing the old man¡¯s reaction, Fang Zheng was intensely curious. He initially thought the relationship between the Fire Mist Warriors and the Followers of the Crimson Realm was like that of cats and mice, but it seemed not entirely so. ¡°I guess you could say we¡¯re acquainted. Now I can rest easy. I hope you can convey this message, letting them know I¡¯ll be staying in this city temporarily¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem at all.¡± Since this Follower of the Crimson Realm named Lamy spoke so confidently, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind temporarily letting him be. After all, he said he knew Aralastel, and Fang Zheng could just go back and ask Shana to find out if it was true. But before that¡­ ¡°Sir, do you understand Free Method well?¡± Looking at the old man, Fang Zheng curiously asked. Hearing his question, the old man just smiled. ¡°Hehe, I have a little understanding of Free Method.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Upon this response, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then, I wonder if you have some time to talk about it with me? We could sit at the caf¨¦ over there¡­ of course, my treat.¡± With such an iconic line said, Fang Zheng was certain that the person before him was indeed the legendary urban grandpa! Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: Chapter 196: The Free Method Belonging to Fang Zheng Chapter 197: Chapter 196: The Free Method Belonging to Fang Zheng ¡°` Based on Fang Zheng¡¯s experience, those who claim they ¡°know a little bit about XX¡± or ¡°have a slight understanding of XX¡± are usually incredibly capable individuals¡­ Indeed, experience had proved that this belief was quite reasonable. ¡°I see¡­¡± Setting down his coffee cup, the old man squinted his eyes and looked at Fang Zheng. ¡°You want to understand the principle of the Free Method, huh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, to be honest, I wasn¡¯t able to get any help from the Contractor of the Catastrophic Fire¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s complaint, the old man merely smiled faintly. ¡°That¡¯s to be expected, young man. I think you may still be unaware of the history of the Free Method.¡± ¡°I would like to hear more about it.¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t mind the other¡¯s manner of speaking at all; after all, he had asked him to come to enlighten him. ¡°You might think that the Free Method and the Power of Existence are one and the same, but that¡¯s a misunderstanding. In fact, a long, long time ago, so long that time itself cannot record it, the conflict between Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm had already begun. But back then, they didn¡¯t pay any attention to the application of the Free Method. To these Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, it was enough to focus on developing their own power¡­ until later, when a Follower of the Crimson Realm, after conducting research, developed a usable Free Style¡­ and thus theorized it¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.?¦Ï ¡°I see.¡± Having heard this, Fang Zheng nodded in understanding. In other words, the use of the Power of Existence in battle by Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm had started a very long time ago, but at that time both parties acted without understanding the principles behind it, like ancient bowmen¡ªyou only need to know that the arrows could kill the enemy when shot, perhaps considering distance and wind factors. That was about it. As for why the arrows flew and landed, or why they were affected by the wind, these principles were not of their concern and were naturally ignored. It wasn¡¯t until later that a Follower of the Crimson Realm, who had an apple fall on their head like Newton, discovered gravity and managed to theorize the rules of the Power of Existence, creating a universal Free Style¡­ ¡°If I were to make an analogy, then the Free Style is the musical score, the Free Method is the song, and the Power of Existence is the sound. ¡®Sealing,¡¯ a Free Method that everyone can use, is like a world-renowned tune that everyone knows a few lines of. But other than that, everyone prefers to sing their own songs, as Fire Mist Warriors are more focused on combat and revenge, and Followers of the Crimson Realm are creatures of whim¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± After listening to Lamy¡¯s explanation, Fang Zheng finally understood why the way these people fought seemed so crude¡ªit was for this reason. Although on the surface, the Power of Existence seemed similar to the Power of the Star Spirits, the application was vastly different. In the Main World, the Power of the Star Spirits was a systematic foundational discipline, whether for Knights, Clerics, or Mages, each would develop their own techniques based on this foundational science. Like those spells, each one was the result of years of meticulous research and gradual refinement by White Tower Mages. Thus various spells counteracted each other while also being highly targeted. But in this world, there was no foundational discipline at all; many Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm acted without understanding the principles¡ªwhatever worked was fine, and the rest didn¡¯t matter. Those few who liked research were lone wolves, and it was unlikely they would achieve anything significant. As for the Fire Mist Warriors? Well, the ¡®Sealing¡¯ they were using now was actually the research result of Followers of the Crimson Realm¡­ The level of their technical prowess was remarkably low, provoking indignation. No wonder he had felt their combat looked quaint but particularly rough¡ªit was for this reason¡­ No wonder Shana hadn¡¯t been killed yet. It turned out her opponents were all fools¡ªa bunch of clueless people flailing about. ¡°That¡¯s right, old sir.¡± After learning about the causes and consequences of the Free Method, Fang Zheng finally made his request. ¡°I want to create a completely new Sealing¡­ How should I put it? To me, the current Sealing is somewhat too wasteful; I hope to set up a Sealing that only encompasses Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm but can isolate humans. I¡¯m not sure if you could help me with this.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s request, the old man showed a hint of surprise. ¡°Your idea is quite good, young man. But¡­ um, it is rather difficult, and you need to consider one thing. Indeed, the current Sealing has various shortcomings, but including humans in it can ensure that there is enough Power of Existence to consume and potentially prevent the world from being damaged due to battles. It may seem cruel, but you must understand, neither Fire Mist Warriors nor Followers of the Crimson Realm would deplete their power for such a task.¡± ¡°I understand, but I am neither a Fire Mist Warrior nor a Follower of the Crimson Realm; I am just a human. Moreover, I have enough Power of Existence to solve this problem.¡± ¡°In that case, I have only one suggestion.¡± ¡°Please, go on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple¡­¡± Having said this, the old man smiled faintly. ¡°You just have to imagine the Free Style as something you are most proficient in.¡± ¡°` Hearing this answer, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. ¡°What does¡­ what does this mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, the Power of Existence is ultimately your own power, a manifestation of ¡®nature,¡¯ and every person¡¯s ¡®nature¡¯ is different. Therefore, from what I see, the Free Style woven from the Power of Existence may be a musical score to some, but to others, it might be a weapon or a novel; everyone¡¯s understanding of the essence is different, and so are the ways they use the Power of Existence. If you want to change and create a Free Method, you must first imagine the Power of Existence you possess as something you excel at¡ªby doing so, it will transform and produce effects according to your imagination¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ imagine it as something I¡¯m good at?¡± Fang Zheng knitted his brows and pondered carefully, then his eyes lit up. Lamy¡¯s words might sound a bit flimsy, but for Fang Zheng, this was the crack that allowed him to break through. Something he excelled at, so¡­ does this mean he could adapt the Sealing Free Method as a program? That¡¯s right, just like when designing game instances, where only players of a certain rank are permitted to enter, and those below that rank get excluded. In the realm of programming, this can be determined by the range of values. Of course, if he were to stick to the previous method, it might be difficult. This method would require collecting enough ¡°values¡± from Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, but currently, there weren¡¯t enough Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm here to meet his requirements. Moreover, this would require repeated, large-scale experiments to determine the data range. But what if he set the range to be human? That would be simple, just ¡°read¡± the fixed values of humans, incorporate them into the program, then isolate only the values within that range, without altering other data. By doing this, couldn¡¯t he achieve the effect of unfolding Sealing while shielding humans? Wait, there¡¯s more¡­ The production of Sealing was based on one¡¯s own Soulstone. So, did this mean in unfolding Sealing, he could overlay the values within the Soulstone over the original world¡¯s values, creating an entirely new microcosm? If the Sealing of Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm was akin to extracting a segment from a video stream, tweaking it, and then restoring it to its original place, then could he, using the power of the Soulstone, cut this segment of the video stream and with the Soulstone¡¯s stream create a new layer, completely overwriting it? Just like photo editing in Photoshop, you can create a new layer over the main layer. By doing this, no matter how the image before you is painted or altered, the main layer below remains unaffected. Once finished, the new layer could be deleted directly, without damaging the main layer. In this way, not only can you achieve Sealing¡¯s effect of isolating the world from destruction and interference, but you can also create a homefield advantage for yourself! If it really can be done this way¡­ At this thought, Fang Zheng was so excited that he could hardly contain himself; if Lamy weren¡¯t in front of him, he¡¯d have been tempted to start experimenting right away. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, old man.¡± ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t mention it, I am also glad to meet someone who is so interested in the Free Method.¡± While speaking, the elder stood up. ¡°Then, I shall take my leave for now¡­ Oh, there¡¯s a small favor I hope you can help me with.¡± ¡°Please tell me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this, on my way here I was accidentally discovered by a Fire Mist Warrior, and they should be following my trail to this place by now. If possible, I hope you can persuade that Fire Mist Warrior not to trouble me any longer.¡± ¡°Is it easy to talk with a Fire Mist Warrior?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± As he said this, the old man laughed again. ¡°Fire Mist Warriors also have conflicts and opposition based on their stance and goals, and fighting is a common occurrence for them. But at least it¡¯s better than slashing at a Follower of the Crimson Realm on sight¡­ after all, the one pursuing me is a violent thug, and if possible, I do not wish to engage in battle here.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want any more trouble to arise here.¡± Fang Zheng nodded, then seemed to think of something. ¡°Right¡­ since you said that Fire Mist Warrior is vicious, he must also be very strong, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Good, I already have a plan.¡± With that thought, the corner of Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. Actual combat, that¡¯s the best way to level up, and it¡¯s time to find a sparring partner for the young girl. Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: Chapter 197: The Pursuers Who Followed Chapter 198: Chapter 197: The Pursuers Who Followed For Fang Zheng, the conversation with Lamy had been immensely enlightening, and if it all proved useful, his own power would surely increase further. It was for this reason that after saying goodbye to Lamy, he went back to find Aralastor and brought up the matter of the Follower of the Crimson Realm with him. However, Aralastor¡¯s reaction was even more intense than Fang Zheng had anticipated. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, Lamy has actually come to this city¡­ No, we must stop that Fire Mist Warrior, we absolutely can¡¯t let Lamy be killed by him.¡± ¡°Who would have thought that the Fire Mist Warrior and a Follower of the Crimson Realm could actually get along so well?¡± Fang Zheng was quite surprised by Aralastor¡¯s reaction, to which Aralastor promptly gave an answer. ¡°I admit, Lamy is a harmless Follower of the Crimson Realm, and generally, he doesn¡¯t pose a threat to the world¡¯s balance. But that¡¯s not the issue here. You should already know from Lamy that he only collects the remnants of the Torch, right?¡± ¡°Of course I¡­ Oh my god, you¡¯ve got to be kidding!¡± Upon hearing Aralastor¡¯s question, Fang Zheng casually replied, then instantly realized something. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± ¡°Exactly, Lamy has been using his unique Free Method to gather the power of those remnant Torches for several hundred years. You can imagine how immense the Power of Existence he has collected is, and if Lamy were to be killed, all that collected power would spiral out of control and then¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this, he¡¯s practically a walking bomb.¡± Hearing this, Fang Zheng sighed and shook his head. To tell the truth, he hadn¡¯t sensed any danger from that old man at all. But on second thought, it made sense. All by himself, the man had been collecting Torches for hundreds of years; constant dripping wears away a stone, little by little becomes a lot. If you picked up just one coin from the ground every day, after so many years the amount would be enough to crush someone, let alone the Power of Existence¡­ uh? What a coincidence? Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Just at that moment, Fang Zheng and Shana both turned their heads and looked out the window. Despite the pitch blackness, they could both feel that a strange presence had arrived in the city. ¡°Talk about speaking of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears, that was quick¡­ Well then, I¡¯ll leave it to you guys.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hearing what Fang Zheng said, Shana paused, then she turned her head, looked at Fang Zheng who was lounging lazily on the sofa, and carelessly switched on the TV to watch the evening news. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem as Fire Mist Warriors, isn¡¯t it? A human like me shouldn¡¯t interfere. Or are you saying you¡¯re afraid you can¡¯t beat them and that you have to rely on me? Kids are just kids¡­¡± Hearing this, Shana exploded with anger. ¡°So annoying, so annoying, SO annoying! I was just asking, it¡¯s none of my business whether you come or not, let¡¯s go Aralastor!¡± ¡°Ah, oh¡­¡± Before the words fell, Shana flung open the balcony¡¯s glass door, and with one leap, she jumped out and vanished into the night. It was only after her figure had disappeared that Fang Zheng yawned, stretched out his hand, and snapped his fingers lightly; swiftly, the glass door flung open by Shana closed with a ¡°snap¡±. ¡°Can¡¯t that brat use the door?¡± Of course, Shana didn¡¯t know that Fang Zheng had categorized her as a ¡°brat¡±. Had she known, she might have turned around to fight Fang Zheng for three hundred rounds and then go after the Fire Mist Warrior. But that didn¡¯t mean Shana was in any good mood now, comparable to a Saintess. ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn that infuriating man!¡± Clenching her fists tightly, Shana bit her lip, looking aggrieved. For some reason, seeing Fang Zheng¡¯s lazy demeanor made her blood boil. If possible, she really wanted to beat him up. But¡­ she couldn¡¯t beat him, and it was so frustrating!! Since that was the case, she would let that Fire Mist Warrior, oblivious of time, bear the brunt of her fury! ¡°Huh!!¡± That¡¯s when, suddenly, Shana came to an abrupt halt. She could feel the air beginning to vibrate, and soon after, invisible forces of Power of Existence were rapidly spreading out from ahead of her. ¡°It¡¯s a large-scale Free Method search, they must be targeting Lamy. Under no circumstances can we let them succeed, Shana!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it, Aralastor!¡± Before the words were fully spoken, a pitch-black trench coat enveloped the girl¡¯s body. Shana reached forward, drawing her beloved sword from within the coat as vivid flames sprang up around her. Clutching her weapon tightly, she then shot forward like a bullet. Over there! In just a few moments, Shana reached the rooftop of what appeared to be an abandoned department store. Her opponent had clearly already detected her presence as a Fire Mist Warrior and was leisurely waiting for her. It was a golden-haired European beauty with a fiery figure, a stark contrast to the petite Shana, who looked no different from a primary school student. The woman was dressed in an urban OL uniform, exuding a mature femininity. She had a large book slung over her shoulder and stood there with an air of composure. However, upon seeing Shana¡¯s arrival, surprise showed on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°I never imagined it would be the Fiery-Eyed Assassin,¡± ¡°Is it you?¡± Seeing the Fire Mist Warrior before him, Aralastor, residing within the necklace, was also shocked. ¡°¡®Machias, the Trampler¡¯s Claw¡¯ and ¡®Marjorine Doe, the Eulogy Reciter¡¯¡­ I didn¡¯t expect it to be you two.¡± ¡°Ahahahaha, long time no see, ¡®Catastrophic Fire¡¯.¡± As Aralastor spoke, the large book slung over the woman¡¯s shoulder also emitted blue flames in greeting. ¡°So it¡¯s you who are chasing the ¡®Corpse Collector,¡¯ Lamy?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Upon hearing Aralastor¡¯s query, the woman named Marjorine nodded. ¡°That guy always pretends to be harmless, but who knew he was collecting so much Power of Existence behind our backs! I finally caught wind of his trail, and this time, I¡¯m going to tear that vulture to pieces!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t let you do that!¡± With an angry roar, Shana raised her longsword pointed at Marjorine. ¡°Leave this city immediately, or else¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Or else what, Young Lady?¡± Confronted with Shana¡¯s threat, the large book began to mock without restraint. ¡°As the Contractor of a cowardly Demon God, you dare to confront us with blades drawn. That¡¯s very brave. A Fire Mist Warrior sheltering a Follower of the Crimson Realm? What do you really want?¡± ¡°Enough with you two battle maniacs! Lamy is just a harmless Follower of the Crimson Realm!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s harmful or not!¡± No sooner had Aralastel¡¯s words left his mouth than they were ruthlessly interrupted by Marjorine, who took a step forward and glared coldly at Shana. ¡°All Followers of the Crimson Realm are enemies, they must die. My existence is to exterminate every single one of them, no exceptions! No exceptions!!¡± ¡°It seems there¡¯s no talking to you!¡± Facing the woman in a rage, Shana also sneered and gripped her longsword tighter. ¡°Then let¡¯s settle this with a fight!¡± ¡°Exactly as I desired, little girl. Let¡¯s see just how formidable the Contractor of ¡®Catastrophic Fire¡¯ is!¡± With a loud roar, the battle between the two Fire Mist Warriors began. Chapter 199 - Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Moving Forward for the Goal Chapter 199: Chapter 198: Moving Forward for the Goal Shana¡¯s situation didn¡¯t matter to Fang Zheng at the moment, because there was something even more important for him to do right now. Taking advantage of the moment Shana and Aralastor had left, Fang Zheng began to experiment, inspired by the conversation he had previously with Lamy. As Lamy had said, Fang Zheng treated the Power of Existence like his familiar programming tools and started modifying the internals of the Sealing Free Method with it. Just like this¡­ Fang Zheng closed his eyes and began to feel the fluctuations of the Soulstone with his power. Soon, an image gradually became clearer in his mind¡ªan endless ice plain, a city sealed in ice, and the Ice Throne¡­ It was the place where a king once sat, it was his King¡¯s City, and it was also his prison. Just like this¡­ Fang Zheng furrowed his brows, daring not to take even a deep breath. Using his ¡°Power of the Star Spirits,¡± he slowly infiltrated the scene, and then it was as if something like transparent sludge began to cover everything. Soon, Fang Zheng felt his power being fixed into shape within this landscape. Then he moved slightly again, slowly shifting the scene manifested from the Soulstone into the constantly rotating Free Style made of blue light streams. Set a value, then copy this section of ¡°code¡± into it, then¡­ ¡°Sealing!¡± With Fang Zheng¡¯s shout, the scene before his eyes instantly changed. The originally minimalist-styled living room, the sofa, the TV, the coffee table, and everything else vanished without trace, replaced by a platform covered with an ice layer. Behind Fang Zheng was no longer the soft and comfortable sofa but the chilly throne. ¡°Hmm¡­ just as I thought.¡± Sitting back on the cold and hard Ice Throne, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t suppress a smile. As he had thought, Sealing already carried with it the effect of ¡°isolating a part of this world¡±; what Fang Zheng needed to do was to add another ¡°layer¡± inside it and then ¡°copy¡± the scenes from the Soulstone onto this new layer. This way, the newly created layer would cover the original layer, shielding it from view. ¡°Swoosh!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? Fang Zheng drew the Sky-Cleaving Sword from his hand and swung it fiercely forward. A chilling Sword Qi howled past, leaving a mark on the platform. Accompanied by the Sword Qi that shot through, he could clearly see the scattering ice chips, and the cold wind blew in his face, making one shiver involuntarily. Wait, I remember Aralastel mentioned that Phosphorus could move within the Sealing, and that ¡°Hunter¡± before used Phosphorus to hunt, so¡­ With this thought, Fang Zheng once again concentrated, feeling his own Soulstone. He then opened his right hand toward the front. Not long after, he saw the ground suddenly rise and then burst open. Subsequently, a ghoul with iron-blue skin jumped out from it, glanced around with a ¡°clatter clatter¡± sound, then crawled forward on all fours before kneeling in front of Fang Zheng. ¡°Hahaha! Just as I thought! I knew it would work!!¡± Fang Zheng didn¡¯t understand the structure and formation of Phosphorus very well. He had just had a spontaneous idea¡ªsince he could project scenes from the Soulstone into reality, could he also project the creatures controlled within the Soulstone into Sealing? Now it seemed his idea was successful; the Power of Existence had not only projected the scene from the Soulstone into the Sealing, but even the creatures themselves were also projected over! With that in mind, Fang Zheng did not hesitate to raise his longsword again, slashing it down at the ghoul. Accompanied by a scream, the ghoul was sent flying and then vanished into the void in white flames¡ªindeed, just like the Phosphorus he had killed before inside the Sealing. With this in mind¡­ Watching the body of the disappearing ghoul, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help clenching his fists. Wait, if all of this can really hold up, then Sealing for Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t just be Sealing¡ªit could be fashioned into his own private world! Imagine fighting an enemy and Fang Zheng just opens up the Sealing, dragging the enemy into the Ice Castle. In that world, he could use the Power of Existence to create all the bosses and creatures inside the Ice Castle and control them to fight the enemy. Hmm, this way he would not affect the real world, and he could perfectly eliminate the enemy without a trace, while increasing his fighting power on his own turf¡­ Ah, thinking about it, it¡¯s just too great! If there is a flaw to mention, it would be¡­ ¡°The energy consumption is just too high.¡± Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm only need Sealing, so they don¡¯t consume too much power. However, Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing requires not only isolation but also the projection of an entirely new world. The Power of Existence consumed naturally is much greater than that of a normal Sealing. According to Fang Zheng¡¯s requirements, and adding the creature Legion Phosphorus, the consumption will probably be astronomical. That¡¯s really troublesome. Thinking of this, Fang Zheng waved his hand, quickly dissolving the Sealing. Although his own power was sufficient, it was not enough to create a vast Sealing. A substantial consumption of the Power of Existence was necessary, so Fang Zheng still needed to create a big enough ¡°battery¡± to accommodate the Power of Existence. If the trait of the Zero Hour Resurgence were ¡°uninterrupted output of the Power of Existence,¡± that would be fine, but its trait is ¡°restoration of the Power of Existence,¡± which means the ¡°battery¡± needs to have a high capacity. Regrettably, Fang Zheng could currently only make batteries that could contain a value of ¡°1000¡± Power of Existence. Even to unseal the ¡°Vampire¡± would take ten days; if he wanted to reach his goal, he estimated the battery¡¯s capacity would need to increase by about 100 times. Even by using them in series, it would have to increase by 10 times to be of any use. As of now, the ¡°battery¡± Fang Zheng created was just a power bank, which could be used to recharge the ¡°Vampire.¡± But it was impossible to drive cars or planes with it. Even if you linked ten power banks together, you couldn¡¯t make an electric car run a hundred kilometers. I¡¯ll have to talk to Lamy again when I get the chance, maybe I can find a way to increase the capacity. But before that¡­ ¡°Thud.¡± Upon hearing the heavy collision from the balcony, Fang Zheng stood up, then opened the glass door. There, on the balcony, he saw a young girl kneeling, her head bowed as she gasped for breath nonstop. ¡°You¡¯ve been defeated pretty badly, it seems. You must have encountered a formidable opponent, not bad, not bad.¡± Looking at Shana before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but whistle. The young girl was in such a disheveled state, her hair was in complete disarray, her face was smeared with black soot, and her clothes were tattered and torn everywhere. She was squatting on the ground, curled up into a small ball, appearing almost like a beaten dog. Upon hearing Fang Zheng speak, Shana immediately raised her head and glared at him fiercely. ¡°Shut up! What does it matter to you how I am!¡± ¡°So you really lost the fight?¡± Faced with the girl¡¯s fierce momentum, an ordinary person would probably have run away in fright. But Fang Zheng just grinned and pulled over a chair, sitting down next to Shana. ¡°Just how did you lose? Come on, share what¡¯s bothering you so I can get a kick out of it.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­.¡± Hearing this, Shana clenched her fists even tighter. In that moment, she truly wanted to punch this annoying man. But then, Fang Zheng¡¯s voice reached her ears, causing Shana to stop in her tracks. ¡°So what exactly are you upset about? The opponent was strong, so it¡¯s only natural that you lost, right? Or do you believe you were certain to win? Where did that confidence come from?¡± ¡°I¡­¡­.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s questioning, Shana¡¯s raging anger suddenly vanished, and she became lost and confused. Indeed, as Fang Zheng said, she was indignant about her defeat, but why¡­? Was it simply because she had been defeated? That surely was a reason for indignation, but was there anything else¡­? ¡°Alright, so you lost, just take it. Win it back next time.¡± Fang Zheng patted the little girl¡¯s head and then stood up. ¡°Remember, there¡¯s nothing frightening about failure; everyone fails at some point. The important thing is to learn from your failures and try again. Go take a bath, get some good sleep, and have a good cry under the blankets, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to cry under the blankets!¡± Shana slapped Fang Zheng¡¯s hand away with a ¡°smack¡± and stared at him angrily. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ slightly upset, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m upset!¡± ¡°Understandable. I get pretty mad myself every time I get killed, but after dying a bunch of times, you get used to it. Life¡¯s like that, isn¡¯t it? You have to fail a few times. So you need to be calm. You should know that failure is the mother of success¡­ Rushing things like passing on the torch won¡¯t get you anywhere¡­ And besides, you should also be glad that you failed.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a simple concept.¡± Facing Shana¡¯s question, Fang Zheng patted her head again. ¡°You see, before, you two didn¡¯t know each other, so you were both careful and wary about the other¡¯s fighting style due to your lack of understanding. But now, the opponent thinks they know your style, and during the next fight, even if they don¡¯t want to, they¡¯ll instinctively rely on their experience from the last fight to predict your moves. If you improve quickly enough, won¡¯t you be able to surprise her next time? Alright, don¡¯t think too much about it. Go take a bath; you¡¯re as dirty as a stray kitten¡­¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shana glared at him fiercely, then walked straight into the living room. ¡°Hold on, your home is next door.¡± ¡°I want to wash up here today!¡± Making a face at Fang Zheng, then with a ¡°bang,¡± the girl slammed the bathroom door shut. And watching the closed door before him, Fang Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then, with a helpless shake of his head, he said, ¡°Kids will be kids¡­¡± Chapter 200 - Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Fang Zhengs After-school Tutoring Chapter 200: Chapter 199: Fang Zheng¡¯s After-school Tutoring ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Closing her eyes, feeling the warm water flow, Shana felt her originally anxious heart begin to calm down. Perhaps this had become her habit. Recalling how she was beaten by Fang Zheng during their morning training each day, she would end up crawling on the ground. Then, taking a hot bath to cleanse her body, and during this time, she would carefully think about the mistakes she had made that day, why she had failed, how to change her shortcomings, and then¡­ she would beat Fang Zheng down! At first, it was out of frustration, but later it gradually became a habit. Because of this, Shana now found herself no longer resisting what she once considered a waste of time, bathing. Previously, she would only use the Fire of Purification to eliminate dirt on her body and restore her spirit and strength, as she had always thought bathing was a useless and time-consuming act. But now, she no longer saw it that way. As the water ran over her body, Shana could feel the inner restlessness and the frustration and trouble brought by failure seemed to wash away with the water, replaced by a refreshing feeling as if reborn. It was incredible, why would she feel this way? ¡°You did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± While Shana was immersed in thought, Aralastel in the living room also asked Fang Zheng. As a Contractor, he could certainly feel the changes in Shana¡¯s emotions, which surprised Aralastel. He knew that his Contractor was not a weak person, but the fact that she could gather her feelings and recover her spirit in such a short time had exceeded Aralastel¡¯s expectations. Of course, having lived for centuries, Aralastel wasn¡¯t completely unable to see through Fang Zheng¡¯s thoughts. Initially, when Fang Zheng forcibly asked Shana to bathe, Aralastel thought he was merely teasing the child. But now, it seemed that this had been cultivated into one of Shana¡¯s habits without realizing it. ¡°Exactly.¡± While fiddling with a box in his hands, Fang Zheng looked toward the pendant thrown onto the table by Shana. ¡°Humans need something to relax, the little girl is just too tense, winding herself up like a spring all the time, which isn¡¯t good for physical or mental health. There should be a balance of work and rest, and living normally involves eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping in moderation.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.?? ¡°But, that child is a Fire Mist Warrior.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see any difference from humans.¡± When Aralastel countered, Fang Zheng just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If you say so, then does Shana not cry? Not laugh? Not get angry? Not get nervous? Even a robot, if left alone for a long time, will start to think about ¡®who am I¡¯ in a death logic loop. Even heroes who save the world need to dance with a princess, relaxing a bit won¡¯t destroy the world.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s counterarguments, Aralastel did not know what to say for a moment. ¡°A human is a human, I remember according to your terms, Fire Mist Warriors are just humans who have contracted with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, but in the end, they are still human, right? They get angry, annoyed, and sad, and having great power doesn¡¯t turn a person into a stone impervious to all poisons¡­ Are you like that, Aralastel?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time Aralastel truly had nothing to say. As a Demon God, and one of the three most powerful beings among the Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm, he also had his own emotions. However, the long years had made him accustomed to containing his emotions, but even so, Aralastel couldn¡¯t assert that he was an emotionless stone. But¡­ If Fang Zheng were just an ordinary human, then Aralastel would certainly have a hundred arguments to counter him. But Fang Zheng was not, being as powerful as even the strongest Fire Mist Warriors changed everything. Could it be that we were wrong? Thinking this, Aralastel couldn¡¯t help but recall the days he spent raising the girl at Heavenly Dao Palace. Back then, their ideas seemed correct, but now, Aralastel wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Although somewhat different, Fang Zheng was educating Shana in a completely different way than they had expected, and more importantly, with remarkable results. She was becoming more and more like a strong and courageous warrior, increasingly matching Aralastel and the others¡¯ expectations. However, unlike before, she had not become an emotionless machine; on the contrary, during this period, the girl had shown far more emotional response than she ever had while wandering elsewhere. She would sulk, get angry, and complain¡ªthings Aralastel once thought would hinder the girl¡¯s progress toward her goals¡ªbut now, under Fang Zheng¡¯s guidance, these seemed to become her sources of motivation. ¡°Click.¡± As Aralastel was deep in thought, the bathroom door opened again, and the freshly bathed girl walked out. ¡°Aralastel¡­ Fang Zheng, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Discussing some philosophy of life.¡± Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng smiled and then held up the box in his hands. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯ve finished bathing, come here, young lady. Do you want to play a round of Gwent with me?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s invitation, Shana tilted her head, showing a puzzled expression. ¡°Does this have any meaning?¡± ¡°Everything in the world has meaning, playing cards is the same. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s just ordinary entertainment; if used well, you can also gain battle experience from it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sure enough, hearing this, Shana immediately perked up and sat down opposite Fang Zheng. ¡°Well, I want to try!¡± ¡°Come on, just don¡¯t cry if you lose.¡± Looking at the smiling young girl in front of him, Aralastel remained silent. Although he thought Fang Zheng was just blurting out nonsense, he soon discovered that what the other party was saying was not an excuse. ¡°Playing cards is like battle.¡± Fang Zheng, waving the cards in his hand, looked at the pondering girl with a proud smile. ¡°Like this, before the battle begins, we don¡¯t know what cards the other holds or how they will play, so¡­ the first thing we need to do is to test.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng played a card. ¡°Going to follow?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Shana glared at Fang Zheng and immediately followed suit without hesitation. ¡°This is the process of both sides clashing and the beginning of testing each other, just like a battle. I made a move, and you have to choose to defend or to follow¡­ so let¡¯s go again¡­¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng drew and played another card. Shana bit her lip and followed with another card. Fang Zheng continued to play cards, and Shana kept up with him. ¡°Just like this, the intensity of the battle increases.¡± Fang Zheng played another card and smiled proudly. ¡°So, are you going to follow again?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, Shana fell silent, frowning deeply as she stared at the cards in her hand. After a moment, she couldn¡¯t help but pout. ¡°PASS.¡± ¡°Okay, then I win.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng spread out the cards in his hand, and upon seeing his cards, Shana¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Wait, how come the cards you have left are so weak?¡± ¡°I never said they were strong cards.¡± Face to face with the girl¡¯s frustrated questioning, Fang Zheng¡¯s smile remained unchanged. ¡°If you had continued to follow, then I would have lost, but you chose to give up. Why? Think about it. It¡¯s because I scared you. You thought my cards were endlessly strong and would keep overpowering you, so you chose to surrender¡­ Isn¡¯t battle the same? Perceiving your own strength as less than the enemy¡¯s, you chose to retreat. So, how can you be sure whether the opponent really is at ease, or just bluffing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At this point, not only was Shana stunned, even Aralastel was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t speak. They originally didn¡¯t think they could gain any insights from mere entertainment, but now, having listened to Fang Zheng¡¯s explanation, they realized that even a leisure activity could contain such deep knowledge of battle. ¡°As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. Getting stronger isn¡¯t just about fighting. Entertainment, cooking, even painting contain similar experiences. The key is whether you can apply these experiences creatively, rather than just memorizing and mimicking them rigidly. Battle is not just a clash of strength but also a collision of wits. Having strength without brains is no good.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng started packing up the cards on the table and waved his hand. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough of today¡¯s tutorial, you should head home and sleep. When you have time, go out and play with your classmates. Even though they might seem so weak you could defeat them with one finger, if it¡¯s a game with specific rules, they might just beat you senseless. ¡®Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles.¡¯ The best way to improve yourself is to interact with others; that¡¯s how you truly gain something.¡± ¡°The same for you, Fang Zheng?¡± Upon hearing this, Shana frowned and looked at the man in front of her. ¡°Of course, I have a lot to learn¡­ just like the other teachers in the school. To you, they seem quite poor, but to the average student, they are quite formidable, aren¡¯t they? There¡¯s always a higher mountain. Admitting someone is better than you is not shameful; it¡¯s a motivation to become stronger.¡± ¡°Of course I know that.¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shana blushed, then stood up and pushed open the glass door to the balcony. ¡°I¡¯m going back!¡± Having said that, Shana turned away, not looking back as she left with Aralastel, leaving Fang Zheng alone on the living room sofa, enjoying the cold evening breeze coming his way¡­ ¡°When will this kid learn to use the door.¡± Chapter 201 - Chapter 201: Chapter 200 The Released Seal Chapter 201: Chapter 200 The Released Seal In the following days, Shana indeed started to force herself to integrate into the classroom, just as Fang Zheng had suggested. Naturally, Fang Zheng was pleased to see this, very well aware that Shana¡¯s intention was not to make friends or to avoid being ostracized, but rather¡ªas he had said¡ªto engage with more people, gaining more experience and wisdom through communication and ¡°battle.¡± Of course, her ultimate goal was to become stronger. However, for Fang Zheng, seeing his own persuasion bear such fruit was certainly something to be proud of, and besides¡­ he indeed hadn¡¯t lied. Whether or not one could perceive such things depended on their perception. Fortunately, Shana¡¯s process of fitting in with the class met little resistance, mainly due to the presence of Yoshida Kazumi, ¡°Hirai Enishi¡¯s good friend,¡± and the fact that although Shana previously seemed unapproachable, she had gained the girls¡¯ affection and trust. Perhaps influenced by the Power of Existence, they unanimously seemed to forget what the original ¡°Hirai Enishi¡± was like, subconsciously regarding the haughty young miss as their classmate and friend all along. Compared to Shana¡¯s previous distant demeanor, her willingness to approach them now gave her classmates the sensation of being pleasantly surprised by favor. As such, Shana¡¯s integration went smoothly, even remarkably so. Of course, at first Shana would complain to Fang Zheng about the girls taking her to boring places after class to do boring things, far from gaining any experience. But soon, after Fang Zheng told her ¡°Wisdom is hidden in all things; you can¡¯t find it because you are too foolish,¡± the irritated Shana immediately changed her tactics, seeming truly determined to discover some truth in those leisurely after-school activities. Although playing claw machines indeed seemed to lack any point¡­ Of course, this is subjective. During the time Shana ¡°enjoyed¡± her typical high school life, Fang Zheng had his own matters to attend to. On one hand, he was drawing the Power of Existence from the Zero Hour Resurgence to unlock the Vampire¡¯s seal. On the other hand, he was planning to find Lamy to discuss the issue of ¡°batteries.¡± However, Lamy¡¯s Secret Technique for hiding his presence was quite special, and even Fang Zheng found it difficult to track him down. But Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t in a rush because, as Shana said, the Fire Mist Warrior who had battled with him was also tracking Lamy; once they encountered each other, their locations would be confirmed. Therefore, Fang Zheng temporarily put this matter aside and focused wholeheartedly on unsealing the Vampire. His efforts eventually paid off. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s finally about to be completed.¡± Looking at the Greatsword in front of him with the inscription [Progress: 9120/10000], Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. After expending so much effort and only managing to create a ¡°battery¡± with a capacity of 1000, he had no choice but to resort to the tedious method of injecting Power of Existence daily to gradually unlock the seal. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï And today was the last day. The seal would be released, and finally, the true power of this Noble Phantasm would be clear. So, let¡¯s perform a ceremony befitting this occasion. With such a lighthearted thought in mind, Fang Zheng looked at the Greatsword before him. He extended his right hand, and quickly, an orb bound by the ribbons of the Free Method¡¯s light appeared in his hand. ¡°O key that contains the power of darkness, reveal your true might before me! Now, by the command of your master, Fang Zheng¡ªI order you to release the Seal!¡± Humming spell text from an animation he watched as a child, Fang Zheng placed the Light Orb on the Greatsword. Swiftly, blood-red Runes and patterns emerged on the Noble Phantasm, and simultaneously, the numbers on the progress bar in front of Fang Zheng shot up, finally reaching¡­ [Progress: 10000/10000] [Side Quest ¡°Seal Release¡± Completed] [Noble Phantasm Information Updated] [Noble Phantasm: Vampire] [Rank: A] [Effect: Can cause damage to any enemy it touches (Absolute Destiny)] ¡°¡­???¡± Staring at the description of the effects, Fang Zheng was perplexed. The explanation was too vague, and he couldn¡¯t immediately understand what it meant. It¡¯s a sword, of course it hurts if you get cut by it, right? Does that need a special mention? Hm? Wait a minute¡­ could it be¡­ With that thought, Fang Zheng reexamined the effect description and quickly spotted an issue. The effect described in the text wasn¡¯t ¡°inflict damage upon attacking,¡± but ¡°cause damage upon contact.¡± Although they seemed similar, upon closer examination, they were vastly different. Using gaming terminology, which Fang Zheng was most familiar with, ¡°inflict damage upon attacking¡± would be a very common effect. The player character swings the sword, strikes the enemy, and upon making contact, the enemy would display an HP reduction¡ªthat¡¯s ¡°inflict damage upon attacking.¡± But if the enemy could block or dodge, that would result in attack deflection or a MISS message. However, ¡°cause damage upon contact¡± meant that no matter whether the enemy blocked or not, as long as the player¡¯s attack touched any part of the enemy, it could cause damage¡­ Holy smokes, is it that powerful!? Dang, if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s going to be insanely awesome!! Looking at the Greatsword before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes glimmered with excitement. If this were true, this sword would be a Divine Artifact for him! As long as the enemy couldn¡¯t dodge and was hit, damage would be inflicted, tsk tsk tsk, such an amazing Divine Artifact, it¡¯s just incredible!! Although from the outside, this Greatsword didn¡¯t look as appealing as the Sky-Cleaving Sword, based solely on its effect, it threw the Sky-Cleaving Sword lightyears behind!! One could say, since his rebirth, this was the most powerful weapon Fang Zheng had ever possessed!! Hahahaha, after decades of hardship, I¡¯m finally going to be the master! With this thought, Fang Zheng even leaped up in a jump, and began to dance around, humming songs and leaping about joyfully. Us common folks, today, we¡¯re truly overjoyed! Us commoners, ho ho, today we ought to be happy! Hey! After dancing and singing boisterously for quite a while, Fang Zheng finally calmed down and sat back on the sofa, turning his attention to the greatsword in front of him. Then he stretched out his hand and gently pressed it against the body of the sword. ¡°Dong dong!¡± At that moment, Fang Zheng suddenly felt a strong pulse from the greatsword, as if a heartbeat emerged from within. Immediately after, the greatsword began to emanate a dazzling, golden radiance. But just as Fang Zheng was about to closely examine what was wrong with the sword, a line of system notification suddenly appeared in front of him. [Task Completed] [User Obtains Random Reward¡ª¡ªSummoning Stone+1] Summoning Stone? Looking at the system notification before him, Fang Zheng had not yet reacted when suddenly, an anomaly occurred. ¡°Elder Brother¡­¡± Accompanied by a sweet voice, a petite figure materialized from within the dazzling golden light of the greatsword. She was a girl with wavy golden hair and a doll-like delicate face, incredibly sweet and lovely. Her azure eyes, filled with tenderness and affection, were intently fixed on Fang Zheng. Then, the girl extended her hand, wrapped it around Fang Zheng¡¯s neck, and slightly parted her cherry lips. ¡°Elder Brother¡­ I have finally¡­ met you¡­¡± ??? Miss, who are you? I don¡¯t have foreign relatives, you know. Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but be stunned for a moment, but the girl paid no heed to his reaction. Instead, Fang Zheng watched her wrap her arms around his neck, draw closer to him, and then¡­ The next moment, Fang Zheng felt the girl¡¯s sweet and fiery kiss. ¡°Ah¡­ Elder Brother¡­¡± Closing her eyes, the girl let out a soft call. ¡­What the hell is this? My first kiss for the month, just like that, gone? ¡°Mmm¡­ Um¡­¡± But unlike the bewildered Fang Zheng, the girl was incredibly greedy, eagerly entangling herself with him as if she wanted to merge their beings into one. Forget it, it¡¯s a disgrace for a man to have a meal in front of him and not eat it! Unable to figure out what was happening at that moment, but since the girl had already taken the initiative, Fang Zheng of course wouldn¡¯t back down either. Thus, he immediately extended his hand, wrapped it around the girl¡¯s slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Ha¡­¡± After a good while, the two finally slowly parted. The girl looked at Fang Zheng with flushed cheeks and a dazed expression, then extended her tongue and licked her lips. ¡°Elder Brother¡­¡± ¡°Look¡­¡± Now that he had enjoyed himself, Fang Zheng naturally intended to get some explanations from the girl. Although he had guessed that this girl must be the reward from the Summoning Stone he had received, but¡­ this summon seemed to be exceptionally bold, far more than the Little Angel was, right? However, before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, someone suddenly kicked his room door open with a bang. ¡°Fang Zheng, what on earth happened? I sensed the presence of a Follower of the Crimson Realm¡­!¡± Shouting, Shana stormed into the room, but the next moment, when she saw the scene before her, she was shocked and her eyes widened. ¡°What are you¡­ doing?¡± Chapter 202 - Chapter 202: Chapter 201: A Sister Falls from the Sky Chapter 202: Chapter 201: A Sister Falls from the Sky ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± For a moment, the entire room fell into deathly silence. Shana raised the greatsword in her hand, her eyes widened in shock and uncertainty as she stared at the two, her small face completely unable to show an appropriate expression, as if it had stiffened. No wonder she had such a reaction, the scene before her was too bizarre to comprehend. Fang Zheng was leaning back on the couch, and in front of him, a girl dressed in a fancy Western dress was straddling him. Their faces were so close that it had far exceeded what could be considered a normal relationship, even Shana could understand that much. However, most importantly¡­ this girl was not human, but a Follower of the Crimson Realm. Could it be that Fang Zheng was captured by a Follower of the Crimson Realm? Seeing this scene, Shana¡¯s first reaction was just that, but she quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought. Fang Zheng was much stronger than herself; there was no way he could be captured by such a Follower. Even though the Follower¡¯s aura was potent, it was far weaker compared to the previous ¡°Hunter,¡± and could not possibly be a match for Fang Zheng. ¡°Alright, get off now,¡± As an adult, Fang Zheng certainly wouldn¡¯t act like the naive boys in animations, afraid of being misunderstood and behaving as if caught in an affair. He just furrowed his brow, then looked at the girl in front of him and spoke. Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s command, the girl smiled lightly, then left his side and elegantly sat beside him. ¡°Fang Zheng, what in the world is going on?¡± Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was not good, Aralastor coughed once, and then broke the silence with his inquiry. Facing Aralastor¡¯s question, Fang Zheng simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not very clear myself, here¡¯s what happened¡­¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï As he spoke, Fang Zheng related the events up until now to Shana and Aralastor. It was quite a straightforward process; he found a greatsword while searching for the Hunter¡¯s spoils of war and on examining it, he realized it was sealed. Therefore, he took some time to remove the seal. After the seal was removed, this girl suddenly appeared out of the sword¡­ The process was that simple, without any complications, but¡­ ¡°Why does she call you ¡®Elder Brother¡¯?¡± ¡°How would I know? It¡¯s probably written as master but read as brother,¡± That was the only explanation Fang Zheng could think of. Since she appeared in the form of a Summoning Stone, it naturally indicated that she was his subordinate. Maybe this was part of her ¡°setting,¡± just like Nymph Little Angel? Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s explanation, Shana and Aralastor were both stunned for a moment before they finally grasped the meaning he was trying to convey. ¡°So, what do you plan to do? She is a Follower of the Crimson Realm!¡± ¡°What to do¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing Shana¡¯s inquiry, Fang Zheng glanced at the girl beside him. ¡°What else can I do? She¡¯s already calling me brother; I guess I¡¯ll have to keep her,¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Hearing this, Shana immediately furrowed her brows, displaying a displeased expression. ¡°She is a Follower of the Crimson Realm!¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m no Fire Mist Warrior and besides, this kid just jumped out of this sword, she hasn¡¯t harmed anyone, right?¡± ¡°But she still needs the Power of Existence, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°We have Zero Hour Resurgence, we¡¯re not lacking that bit¡­ otherwise, what do you suggest? Killing her with one strike?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­¡± Faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Shana was at a loss for words. Indeed, as Fang Zheng had said, if this Follower of the Crimson Realm had just emerged from the sword, then she was merely a newborn Follower without any precedence of harming anyone. With that being the case, she would not go after her. However, for some reason, seeing the girl clinging so tightly to Fang Zheng stirred a nameless rage in Shana¡¯s heart. It was supposed to be me first¡­¡­ ¡°Speaking of which, who is this guy!?¡± ¡°My name is Tilia¡­ ¡®Aizenta¡¯ Tilia. I wonder which Demon King¡¯s Contractor you are?¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± Upon hearing the girl¡¯s question, Shana was completely stunned, and even Aralastor inside the necklace was so surprised that he didn¡¯t know what to say. No wonder, although Shana herself was not yet a seasoned Fire Mist Warrior, she still maintained the state of the Fiery Eye. Logically, any reasonably experienced Follower of the Crimson Realm would recognize her true identity immediately upon seeing this flame, which was as distinctive as a signature. Just like the ¡°Hunter¡± Faliagni and ¡°Corpse Collector¡± Lamy, who could identify that she was a contractor of the Catastrophic Fire at first sight or even without having met her, based on this characteristic. However, the fact that this girl saw this form and remained unmoved was enough to indicate a problem. Thinking this, Shana frowned and suddenly waved her blade as if declaring war while staring at her. ¡°I¡¯m ¡®Catastrophic Fire¡¯ Aralastor¡¯s Fire Mist Warrior, ¡®Fiery Eye Assassin¡¯ Shana!¡± ¡°¡®Catastrophic Fire¡¯¡­ what an ancient name.¡± Indeed, this was a very young Follower of the Crimson Realm. Seeing the girl¡¯s indifferent demeanor, both Shana and Aralastor confirmed this point. Considering that Aralastor had left this world only a few hundred years ago, if she had been an envoy from before then, she would have had some impression of him. But the way this girl acted as if she had heard of a great figure only in history books was enough to show that she was merely a novice in the Crimson Realm. ¡°Could you please put away your blade?¡± Looking at Shana before her, Tilia huffed lightly. ¡°Although I don¡¯t like Fire Mist Warriors, if it¡¯s Elder Brother¡¯s command, then I won¡¯t fight you. Because Elder Brother is my everything¡­ whatever he wants me to do, I¡¯m willing¡­¡± Just like the Little Angel¡­ Hearing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s face darkened, wondering whether it was the Dimensional Codex¡¯s twisted sense of humor or something else, but it seemed that almost every summoned entity from the Summoning Stone was ready to say ¡°I¡¯ll do anything¡±¡­ However, the Little Angel¡¯s attitude appeared more like facing a Monarch, while this girl in front of him seemed to be brainwashed by love¡­ ¡°Hmph, how shameless!¡± Hearing Tilia¡¯s words, Shana snorted coldly, but she still sheathed her weapon. However, she continued to glare intensely at Tilia, then looked towards Fang Zheng as if remembering something. ¡°Right, Fang Zheng, it¡¯s time for our training.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time indeed.¡± Hearing Shana¡¯s words, Fang Zheng also glanced at his watch then stood up. ¡°So, Tilia, you rest in the room for a while. I need to go out with Shana¡­¡± ¡°I understand, Elder Brother, please be careful.¡± ¡°Ah, oh¡­¡± Looking at the reverent Tilia before him, Fang Zheng was a bit startled. Considering her clingy demeanor just moments before, he had thought she would insist on joining them no matter what, but unexpectedly, Tilia was so easily persuaded. However, before he could say anything else, Shana had already stepped forward and grabbed his hand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t be late!¡± What are we even late for downstairs! Seeing Shana¡¯s disgruntled expression, Fang Zheng helplessly rolled his eyes but gathered up the Vampire and left the room with Shana. I won! The moment they stepped out of the room, Shana clenched her fist tightly; although she did not know exactly what she had won, she felt like she had indeed won! Chapter 203 - Chapter 203: Chapter 202: The War Without Gunpowder Chapter 203: Chapter 202: The War Without Gunpowder Fang Zheng had been in a good mood throughout the training after confirming his ¡°victory,¡± until the training ended and he followed Shana back home. It was only then that Shana realized what she had achieved was merely a ¡°temporary victory.¡± ¡°Welcome back, Elder Brother,¡± Just as Fang Zheng opened the door, he saw Tilia coming up to greet him with a smile. ¡°Dinner is ready, Elder Brother. Please prepare to eat,¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Surprised by Tilia¡¯s words, Fang Zheng peeked into the living room and indeed found a table full of delicious dishes. Although they weren¡¯t his favorite Chinese cuisine, just the sight of these colorful, steaming dishes was enough to whet his appetite. ¡°Really nice, thank you, Tilia.¡± Looking at the dinner spread on the table, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but marvel. He finally drew a reliable Summoning Stone this time. Although Nymph was good at delicate tasks, her cooking was unexpectedly rugged, almost as if it belonged in the caveman era. And although Fang Zheng could cook a few signature dishes himself, they were merely average. Now, the second Summoning Stone he obtained came with a cooking talent, which was enough for Fang Zheng to feel he had made his investment back. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to receive such praise from you, Elder Brother. Please, Elder Brother, today¡¯s dinner includes wild mushroom risotto, beef slices, and roasted lamb chops¡­¡± As she spoke, Tilia smiled and looked towards Shana, who was next to Fang Zheng. ¡°Is this Fire Mist Warrior also joining us for dinner? There¡¯s plenty more, so if you don¡¯t mind, would you join us?¡± What the¡­ Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï Seeing the smiling gothic girl before her, Shana felt a sudden surge of nameless anger. The pride and joy of her previous victories vanished. Shana didn¡¯t know about the Dimensional Codex and the Soulstone, so she didn¡¯t understand why Fang Zheng trusted this Follower of the Crimson Realm so much. She just thought the Follower of the Crimson Realm was really thick-skinned, having just arrived here less than half a day earlier and already acting like the hostess of the house¡­ Hmph, those unaware would think she was Fang Zheng¡¯s sister! Damn it, I was here first! ¡°I¡­¡± For a moment, Shana actually wanted to make an excuse that she wasn¡¯t hungry and leave, but she changed her mind instantly. If she left, wouldn¡¯t that leave Fang Zheng and this Follower of the Crimson Realm alone here? That wouldn¡¯t do! Although it seemed like she had no intention of harming Fang Zheng, Followers of the Crimson Realm were very dangerous. Yes! She had to stay and keep a close watch on this Follower of the Crimson Realm, to prevent any potential harm¡ªyes, that¡¯s right. This would also serve as a repayment for Fang Zheng¡¯s earlier life-saving help during the ¡°Hunter¡± episode. Thinking this, Shana felt her logic was impeccable. Then, she also gave Tilia a look and nodded. ¡°Of course I¡¯m staying; after all, I dine with Fang Zheng every night,¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Hearing Shana¡¯s response, Tilia just gave a slight smile, causing Shana to feel somewhat disheartened. She had hoped that the girl would react to her statement, but the other merely responded as if it were expected, which frustrated Shana significantly. The dinner was rather calm, and Shana had to admit, Tilia¡¯s cooking skills were indeed impressive. Fang Zheng never thought that a Follower of the Crimson Realm could be so skilled in cooking. Shana, meanwhile, was silently devouring the food in front of her, but the way she gritted her teeth made it look less like she was eating and more like she was chewing someone out. This is interesting. Fang Zheng¡¯s EQ was not so low as to be oblivious, and just by looking at the smiling, composed Tilia and Shana, who looked as if the whole world owed her money, he could guess that these two were far from harmonious on the surface. While Tilia didn¡¯t make a sound and sat like a well-behaved girl next to him, she was effectively using this demeanor to tell Shana that she was the ¡°kin¡± who belonged with Fang Zheng, whereas Shana was merely an ¡°outsider.¡± It was like when a guest comes to the home, as a sister, one naturally helps the brother to entertain the guest, so there was no need for any extra actions to prove that. But as an ¡°outsider,¡± Shana had to make some demonstrations to that effect. And Shana was angry precisely because she didn¡¯t know how to do so. But¡­ Since it¡¯s so entertaining, let¡¯s just watch from the sidelines. Holding this thought, Fang Zheng said nothing more, instead carefully observing Tilia and Shana while enjoying his dinner. ¡°Clang.¡± Finally, Shana was the first to put down her utensils. She stood up hesitantly and then, as if she had thought of something, began to tidy up her own bowl and chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯ll do the dishes.¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need, just leave them there; I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± At Tilia¡¯s words, Shana immediately refused. ¡°This is my bowl; I always wash it myself!¡± After saying that, Shana turned and left with her dishes, not looking back. Watching her go, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes. Always washing your own dishes? You sure dare to say it; weren¡¯t you the one who left your dishes for me to wash until just yesterday? Who was it that finished eating, threw down her utensils, and ran off? Don¡¯t tell me your memory lasts only seven seconds. But¡­ This little one is indeed a bit troublesome this time. Thinking this, Fang Zheng glanced at Tilia. Little Angels are naturally reticent and not easily involved in conflicts. But Tilia seemed quite aggressive, although her aggression was not directed at him. ¡°Is there something, Elder Brother?¡± Noticing Fang Zheng¡¯s gaze, Tilia blinked and asked with a smile. Fang Zheng just shrugged his shoulders and then picked up the tea cup beside him. ¡°No, nothing, just continue and have fun,¡± It¡¯s quite entertaining anyway, so just keep it like this for now. For Fang Zheng, his life hadn¡¯t seen any changes. But for Shana, she felt as if her life had undergone a drastic transformation. Although the daily activities remained more or less the same, and Fang Zheng still made time to train her in combat, his attitude towards her hadn¡¯t changed at all. Yet for some reason, just the addition of one person had made Shana feel quite agitated. If her previous tranquil life was like some sort of joyful serenade, then now the arrival of ¡°someone¡± was like noise in the music that made it distinctly uncomfortable. Every morning during their workout, Tilia would obediently pass Fang Zheng hot water and a towel, as well as prepare breakfast and clean up. Even at school, every noon, she would bring him lunch with a smile, and when the two returned home after evening training, what awaited them was dinner prepared by Tilia and steaming bath water. To be honest, Tilia did not interfere in the relationship between Shana and Fang Zheng, she seemed more like a quietly contributing backstage worker. But for some reason, the more Tilia did this, the angrier Shana became. She didn¡¯t even know why she was angry¡ªif Tilia had intentionally disturbed her and Fang Zheng¡¯s life or obstructed their training, Shana would have had a reason to be furious. But instead, Tilia did nothing, yet everything she did was perfect to a fault, leaving the young girl entirely unsure of how to respond. I just can¡¯t stand her, yes, that must be it! She¡¯s a Follower of the Crimson Realm, a creature driven by desires. If it weren¡¯t for Fang Zheng protecting her, I would have killed her with a single sword strike! ¡°Do you really not plan to do anything?¡± Finally, Aralastor couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°What should I do?¡± Upon hearing this question from the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, Fang Zheng leisurely sipped his tea. It was a rare moment of leisure for him. Tilia had gone out to buy groceries, and after finishing her training, Shana had rushed into the bathroom to take a shower¡ªspeaking of which, Shana usually only occasionally came to Fang Zheng¡¯s place for a bath. But ever since Tilia arrived, Shana had almost religiously taken her baths here each day. It was almost like a little animal marking its territory. ¡°You must have noticed the girl¡¯s thoughts.¡± ¡°Of course, but such things are not good for me to address, right? Moreover, it¡¯s a necessary station on her path of growth. Life is an endless bus ride, with its smooth and bumpy times. For the young lady, this is not a bad lesson,¡± Fang Zheng said as he looked out the window. ¡°Though the rival¡¯s strength might be a bit too much.¡± ¡°You mean that Follower of the Crimson Realm?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Aralastor sounded somewhat surprised. ¡°But her power isn¡¯t strong¡­¡± ¡°Being strong isn¡¯t just about intelligence, but also about emotional intelligence¡­ After all, isn¡¯t that what human relationships are all about?¡± At that, Fang Zheng seemed to notice something and turned his gaze towards the direction of the shopping district. ¡°Right¡­ Now might be a good opportunity. Wanna see how many points your adorable Contractor can score?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Upon hearing this, Aralastor was momentarily stunned, then seemed to catch on. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°This is a pop quiz, and you can¡¯t help her cheat, okay?¡± After saying this, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and his figure instantly disappeared into the air. Shopping district. Dressed in gothic attire, a blonde young girl strolled leisurely down the street, utterly ignoring the astonished looks from people around. She was focused solely on the groceries she was purchasing, joyfully planning the dinner menu. Shall I cook Chinese cuisine for Elder Brother today? For Tilia, her specialty was Western cuisine, but it seemed her Elder Brother preferred Chinese dishes. Therefore, Tilia had been taking the time to learn about this cuisine lately, not sure if she should surprise Elder Brother today. Still, perhaps¡­ ¡°Swoosh!¡± But before Tilia could decide on the menu, suddenly, the world around her stopped moving. Azurite Radiance enveloped everything, isolating this place from the world. Sealing. Seeing this, Tilia¡¯s expression subtly changed. Just then, a voice came from not far above her. ¡°I never expected to see a Follower of the Crimson Realm strutting around the streets like this.¡± ¡°Really taking us Fire Mist Warriors lightly, huh.¡± ¡°Though I am not the ¡®Corpse Collector¡¯ Lamy, consider this an appetizer. Let¡¯s enjoy it well, shall we?¡± Tilia looked up toward where the voice was coming from, and saw there, a blonde woman in office attire standing on a large book, looking down at her with a smug smile. ¡°So, are you ready, Follower of the Crimson Realm? Die!!¡± Chapter 204 - Chapter 204: Chapter 203: A Confused Heart Chapter 204: Chapter 203: A Confused Heart ¡°Huff ah¡­¡± After her bath and changing into fresh clothes, Shana walked out of the bathroom with a satisfied expression and glanced around. ¡°Eh? Aralastor, where¡¯s Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Um¡­ he said he had to go out for a bit¡­¡± ¡°Is that so, really, where could he be going at this late hour¡­ Hm?¡± Suddenly, at that moment, Shana sharply turned to look outside the window, because just now, she sensed an intense aura. ¡°This is¡­ the ¡®Eulogy Reciter¡¯! Who is she fighting with, could she have found Lamy?¡± With that in mind, Shana also hurriedly and unhesitatingly shifted into the Fire Mist Warrior form and dashed toward the direction of the ¡®Sealing¡¯. But when Shana entered the Sealing, she was surprised to find that the one fighting with the ¡®Eulogy Reciter¡¯ was not the ¡®Corpse Collector¡¯ Lamy as she had imagined. Instead, it was a girl towards whom she had complicated feelings lately. Tilia. ¡°Hahaha, what¡¯s wrong, what¡¯s wrong? As a Follower of the Crimson Realm, is running away all you can do?¡± The blue giant bear dancing in the sky roared and swung its arms. With its movements, streaks of blue fireballs erupted from its hands and shot forward. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï ¡°Hmph!¡± Confronted with the oncoming fireballs, Tilia merely snorted. The giant petals at her feet quickly unfolded, and the roots hidden in the ground burst forth, forming a barrier in front of Tilia. The continuous explosions and flames blew the barrier to shreds. ¡°You really are a weak Follower of the Crimson Realm, to think you dare to wander around here with just that bit of skill. And you even deliberately lured me to such a place¡­ Are you so confident you can defeat me?¡± Watching Tilia looking somewhat bedraggled, Marjorine couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit tempted. This Follower of the Crimson Realm seemed so strange to her, with such a pitiful amount of Power of Existence within her and not much skill to speak of. Moreover, when she launched her attack, the first thing the other party thought of was not to fight but to lure her to a deserted place. Even so, Tilia¡¯s fighting was mostly defensive, rarely taking the offensive. ¡°Hmph¡­ Barbaric,¡± Tilia muttered after wiping the dust off her cheek. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter to face you by myself, but Elder Brother commanded that I must not kill needlessly nor consume the Power of Existence of humans, so I have no choice but to flee¡­¡± ¡°Elder Brother? Is there another Follower of the Crimson Realm?¡± Hearing this, Marjorine suddenly became vigilant, looking around, but found nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken, Elder Brother is not a Follower of the Crimson Realm. And compared to you crude and vulgar Fire Mist Warriors, Elder Brother is thousands of times better!¡± ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯d like to see what other tricks you have! A Follower of the Crimson Realm that doesn¡¯t consume humans? Do you think I¡¯d believe that? All Followers of the Crimson Realm are the same! Even if you don¡¯t consume now, when you¡¯re about to die, you will eat just the same!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing this, Shana suddenly stopped in her tracks. Just now, when she realized that Marjorine was pursuing Tilia, Shana¡¯s first thought was to stop her. But after hearing Marjorine¡¯s words, Shana suddenly hesitated. That¡¯s right, just as Marjorine said, although Followers of the Crimson Realm could indeed refrain from consuming humans, they still needed the Power of Existence to survive. And in a critical moment, those Followers of the Crimson Realm would probably reveal their true nature, after all, they are beings that are faithful to their desires¡­ But for Shana, that was not the point. The point was¡­ upon hearing Marjorine¡¯s words, a thought suddenly occurred to Shana. If Tilia consumed humans, then I would have a reason to combat her! Why would I have such a thought? Realizing this thought, Shana¡¯s first reaction was of great surprise, but she quickly fell into deep confusion. Yes, she was a Fire Mist Warrior, and the other was a Follower of the Crimson Realm; they could not possibly coexist peacefully. The reason she hadn¡¯t made a move on Tilia was that Tilia had not consumed humans. As a Fire Mist Warrior responsible for maintaining the balance of the world, as long as Tilia didn¡¯t consume humans, she would not make a move, just like with the ¡°Corpse Collector¡± Lamy. However, unlike the ¡°Corpse Collector¡± Lamy, Tilia was a newly born Follower of the Crimson Realm, and Shana knew nothing about her true nature. The reputation of Corpse Collectors was built up over hundreds of years. As for what this newly born Follower of the Crimson Realm might do, nobody knew. Perhaps she was just talking big, but in secrecy continuing to consume humans? ¡°¡­¡­¡± No, it was not just that. Shana bit her lip tightly, because at that very moment, she realized she was harboring the thought ¡°It would be better if the other party really did eat humans¡±. Although this thought was fleeting, it still shocked Shana greatly. Is this a thought I should be having? As a Fire Mist Warrior, I am actually hoping for a Follower of the Crimson Realm to eat humans? What in the world is happening to me? ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom!!¡± Irrelevant to the turmoil in Shana¡¯s mind, the battle on the ground continued unabated. Tilia kept summoning vines to defend against the attacks from Marjorine, but she was almost reaching her limit. The Power of Existence she was using was being drained increasingly, and even her body was beginning to fade. ¡°How boring.¡± Watching the desperately struggling Follower of the Crimson Realm, Marjorine also felt listless. Completely different from other Followers of the Crimson Realm, this girl seemed fully non-violent and uncooperative. She did not run for her life like the others, nor did she engage in a fight to the death with red eyes. This left Marjorine, who had anticipated a great battle, feeling only boredom and ennui, particularly as the Power of Existence of her opponent was nearly exhausted. Even if she had any schemes, they were now completely unfeasible. ¡°Why don¡¯t you absorb the Power of Existence?¡± Looking down at Tilia, who was gasping for breath, Marjorine couldn¡¯t help being curious as she posed the question. Normally, Followers of the Crimson Realm would choose to consume the Power of Existence to recuperate or to enhance their power during a battle with a Fire Mist Warrior. But this Follower of the Crimson Realm had only been evading since the battle began, and even her resistance was the barest minimum of defense. Moreover¡­ she completely ignored the humans around her, as though the burning Power of Existence didn¡¯t exist to her at all. ¡°Because Elder Brother told me not to consume humans¡­ Since Elder Brother has said so, then I shall do as instructed, isn¡¯t it a very simple matter?¡± ¡°What a joke.¡± And to Tilia¡¯s response, Marjorine simply snorted dismissively. ¡°But now, you are about to die.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s indifferent response, not only Marjorine but also Shana were taken aback, rooted to the spot. Tilia then lifted her head, showing a smile as if she was boasting about something. ¡°I love Elder Brother. From the moment Elder Brother¡¯s power filled my body and awakened me, I decided to follow in Elder Brother¡¯s footsteps forever. Everything I am belongs to Elder Brother. As long as it¡¯s for Elder Brother, I don¡¯t care even if it means death. This is love¡­¡± As she spoke, Tilia looked up coldly towards the Fire Mist Warrior hovering in the sky. ¡°How could you, a Fire Mist Warrior and a mere tool for extermination, possibly understand such feelings?¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Hearing this, Marjorine¡¯s expression finally darkened. ¡°Hmph, I really don¡¯t want to hear about love from a brat who isn¡¯t even fully grown. Since this is your wish, then I shall grant it!¡± As she spoke, the blue giant bear floating in the sky opened its huge maw and then suddenly lunged forward. Accompanying its movement, a huge fireball shot out from the bear¡¯s mouth, racing towards Tilia. And facing the approaching fireball, Tilia stood there without a hint of fear as if waiting for her end to arrive. Just then, a brilliant red light emerged. The shining flames transformed into a straight line descending from the heavens and struck the blue giant fireball unerringly. Chapter 205 - Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Results Without an Answer Chapter 205: Chapter 204: Results Without an Answer The flames dissipated. Shana clenched the blade in her hand, staring intently at the blue bear before her. ¡°You again? Brat?¡± Seeing Shana appear before her, Marjorine¡¯s tone also turned sour once more. ¡°Last time you stopped me from finding Lamy, and now you¡¯re hindering me from destroying this Follower of the Crimson Realm? Are you really a Fire Mist Warrior or not?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Faced with Marjorine¡¯s questioning, Shana didn¡¯t know how to respond for a moment. As the other had said, she was a Crusader with the Fiery Eye, and protecting a Follower of the Crimson Realm was surprising enough, but now, she was actually defending another one¡­ Yet, she didn¡¯t know why, but just moments ago, seeing Tilia facing Marjorine¡¯s attack without changing her expression, Shana couldn¡¯t help but take action. She felt as if by standing by and watching, she would lose something important, something that wasn¡¯t about others, but about herself. But what exactly it was, Shana couldn¡¯t find the answer at that moment. ¡°I dislike her too, but you can¡¯t kill her here. The mission of a Fire Mist Warrior is to maintain the balance of the world, not to kill the innocent!¡± ¡°Wrong, the mission of a Fire Mist Warrior is to eliminate all the Followers of the Crimson Realm!¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã0 Hearing Marjorine¡¯s response, Shana gripped her blade tighter once again. ¡°I will just have to beat you into submission!!¡± The battle started once more. But this time, it was between two Fire Mist Warriors. ¡°Haah¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Before the massive blue bear, the young girl roared and swung her flame-engulfed Longsword, slicing it in two. However, the bear split by the girl quickly dissolved into streaks of fire and vanished into the air. Soon after, the air began to twist, and several figures of the same blue bear appeared again, surrounding the girl. It was that move again! Gripping the blade, watching the illusory bears around her, Shana frowned. She had learned from Aralastor that Marjorine was a very exceptional Free Master. During their first battle, it was because she rashly attacked Marjorine¡¯s Illusions that she was caught in a trap and ultimately defeated. But now¡­¡­ ¡°Really, you brat, you think you can use the same move against me again?¡± The spinning bear clones mocked, and Shana, frowning, scrutinized her enemy. In that moment, she suddenly recalled what Fang Zheng had told her after her defeat. ¡°You see, before, you didn¡¯t know each other, so you were cautious and wary because you were unfamiliar with each other¡¯s fighting styles. But now, the enemy thinks she knows your style and will instinctively rely on her experience from the last fight to predict your moves. If you improve quickly enough, won¡¯t you be able to surprise her then?¡± Right, she had been progressing during this time! If this woman still judged her by her last performance, then she was sorely mistaken! ¡°Ha!¡± With that thought, Shana gripped her weapon again, took a quick step forward, and swung down at the bear. Her blade effortlessly sliced through the creature, dispelling one of the illusions. Immediately, she moved again towards the second illusion. But simultaneously, the circling bear clones began to spin again, opening their mouths to shoot fireballs at Shana. ¡°Hahaha, futile, futile, little girl, is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± Indeed, just as Fang Zheng had said! Dodging a fireball with a roll, Shana couldn¡¯t help but smirk. This whole scene was a mere replay of their last battle, perhaps that woman thought it would be enough to finish her off. But¡­¡­ people change! Dodging another fireball with a roll, Shana quickly scanned the bear clones before her and clenched her blade tightly. Right, it¡¯s like playing cards, there¡¯s a time to play the trump card, and now¡­¡­ this is the chance! ¡°Go¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± As the fireball was sprayed at the girl once more, Shana let out a roar and raised the longsword in her hand high above her head. In the next moment, raging flames erupted from the blade, instantly forming a flame great blade over ten meters in length. ¡°What?!!¡± Marjorine was shocked at this scene; she had never expected the little girl she toyed with so casually to suddenly unleash such immense power. And before she could react, Shana, with a furious cry, swung down the flame great blade with all her might! ¡°Boom!!¡± The howling Fire of the Red Lotus exploded upon hitting the ground like a flood, engulfing Marjorine¡¯s giant bear incarnation entirely within it. The roaring flames scattered in every direction, as if turning everything into merciless ash. And immediately after, within the fiery waves, an area suddenly swelled, ballooned, and then with a ¡°bang¡± of an explosion, a charred and sorry-looking blue giant bear flew out from the flames, rapidly retreating backwards. ¡°What¡¯s with this kid? Why has she become so strong?¡± Marjorine¡¯s eyes widened in terror as she stared with lingering fear at the burning flames before her. Shana showed no display of strength during their last battle and was easily defeated by her. That was why Marjorine didn¡¯t take Shana seriously this time, seeing the young girl as nothing but stubbornly unyielding. However, what Marjorine hadn¡¯t expected was that, in just a few days, the girl¡¯s strength had increased to such an extent! At the same time, Marjorine heard her partner¡¯s voice near her ear. ¡°Be careful, Marjorine!¡± ¡°What?¡± Before she could finish speaking, Marjorine saw the flames in front of her suddenly burst open, and Shana¡¯s petite body shot out like a bullet. The red flames condensed into a pair of dazzling wings behind her, propelling the girl forward at high speed. This is bad! Seeing this, Marjorine¡¯s heart leapt into her throat, and she quickly raised her hands, trying to use the Free Method to block this sword strike. But with a flash of the blade, the blue giant bear¡¯s paws were immediately severed, and right after that, the flamming longsword thrust straight into the creature¡¯s massive body. ¡°Aaaaaaah!!!¡± With flames and screams soaring into the sky, the battle also finally came to a close. ¡°Well done.¡± Looking at the distant column of fire, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then turned his head towards Tilia beside him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tilia, for putting you at risk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Elder Brother.¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Tilia revealed a gentle smile. ¡°As long as it¡¯s for you, Elder Brother, I¡¯m willing to do anything¡­ and now¡­ Elder Brother¡­¡± While speaking, Tilia threw herself into Fang Zheng¡¯s embrace, pressing closely to him, and lifted her head, gazing at him like a puppy begging for treats from its master. ¡°I know, the Power of Existence is running out, right?¡± As he caressed Tilia¡¯s head, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. Tilia¡¯s emotional intelligence was so much higher than Shana¡¯s, it was off the chart¡ªjust look at the way she¡¯s acting now, making it impossible for him to refuse. But¡­ it somehow felt a little criminal. Looking at Tilia with her eyes half-closed, begging for a kiss, Fang Zheng felt his heart pounding. Carefully considered, Tilia was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, perhaps a bit more mature than Shana. But compared to the high school students he taught, she was still a child¡­ Yet she took the initiative in this manner¡­ *cough cough*, it was a good thing she was a Follower of the Crimson Realm, not a human, otherwise a three-year sentence might be inevitable¡­ Anyway, better to deal with it quickly, and it did feel rather good. Glancing at the flames not far away, Fang Zheng bent down and kissed the girl¡¯s cherry lips. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Feeling that fiery power penetrate deep within her, Tilia let out a soft moan and then wrapped her arms tightly around Fang Zheng. But Fang Zheng failed to notice that at the same time, at the edge of his vision, a line appeared that said ¡°Achievement Progress 2/5¡±. And then it quietly disappeared. Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Chapter 205: The End of the Trial Chapter 206: Chapter 205: The End of the Trial ¡°Oh my, this has really turned into quite a ruckus, hasn¡¯t it?¡± After Fang Zheng had replenished Tilia with Power of Existence, Shana also came before him, accompanied by an old man. ¡°Hello, Mr. Lamy, I truly didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± Fang Zheng looked towards Lamy and greeted him. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s greeting, Lamy gave a gentle smile. ¡°I came to check on things because I felt the presence of the Eulogy Reciter; indeed, it¡¯s no wonder he is the Crusader of the Fiery Eye. Now, I can rest assured.¡± ¡°Have you settled things over there?¡± Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng glanced at Shana, who nodded in response. ¡°Yes, the Eulogy Reciter has agreed not to pursue Lamy and Tilia any longer, but¡­ she will probably stay here for a while.¡± ¡°Let her be.¡± Fang Zheng had no desire to deal with that woman who acted like a lunatic. He had already observed her fight from a distance, and frankly speaking, he needed that woman to act as a boss for Shana to gain experience and upgrade. Otherwise, with her daring to chase his beloved Tilia everywhere, Fang Zheng would have sorted her out ruthlessly. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã¦Ï ¡°Mr. Lamy, I have some questions about the Free Style and would like to consult you. Do you have time?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s invitation, the old man was surprised, then smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem. Since the Eulogy Reciter is no longer pursuing me, I don¡¯t need to continue hiding. If you have any questions, I¡¯m more than happy to answer them.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Fang Zheng!¡± However, before Fang Zheng and Lamy could continue their conversation, Shana suddenly opened her mouth, interrupting their talk. She looked at Fang Zheng with a complex expression, then glanced at Tilia, and seemed to hesitate before she finally lowered her head and spoke to Tilia. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± After saying this, Shana turned and left without looking back. Although the area still needed repair, she didn¡¯t seem intent on staying. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to follow her?¡± Watching Shana¡¯s departing figure, Lamy suddenly turned to Fang Zheng and asked. In response to his question, Fang Zheng simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°This is homework I¡¯ve assigned to the young girl. Whether she completes it is up to her; I¡¯m just here to grade it.¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll get it wrong due to being too young?¡± ¡°A teacher¡¯s job is to correct mistakes, but first, she must realize where she went wrong, right?¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng glanced at Tilia, who sensed Fang Zheng¡¯s intentions and smiled at him gently. ¡°Then, Elder Brother, I¡¯ll go home and prepare dinner first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on Shana; she¡¯s still a child.¡± ¡°Please rest assured, Elder Brother, I won¡¯t make her cry.¡± After saying this, Tilia also smiled faintly, then turned and left. It was only after her figure had disappeared that Fang Zheng looked toward Lamy. ¡°So, Mr. Lamy, let¡¯s find a place to have a good chat.¡± It turned out that Lamy was indeed very knowledgeable in Free Method. In just a few words, he had solved the ¡°capacity¡± issue Fang Zheng was worried about. Not only that, Lamy was quite interested in the ¡°integration¡± method that Fang Zheng proposed. Lamy had always been collecting torches as Aralastor pointed out. However, he had collected too many torches, and having them all in one place could easily lead to accidents. By dividing them into several parts to store them separately, the loss could be minimized even in situations where one has to use Power of Existence in a fight or other unavoidable circumstances. Unfortunately, regarding the issue Fang Zheng posed about the continuous extraction of Zero Hour Resurgence power, Lamy admitted he had no good solution. ¡°To achieve this, the Free Method alone is utterly insufficient; it would require a Noble Phantasm or a Demon King with special properties. If you could find a Follower of the Crimson Realm capable of devouring infinite Power of Existence or a similar Noble Phantasm, then it could form a basis for the absorption and Transformation of Power of Existence. Another method is to seek out Inquiry Seeking researcher Dantalian. He is a zealous researcher, and I think he would certainly be interested in anything related to Zero Hour Resurgence. However, I can¡¯t guarantee your safety in that case.¡± It turned out he was a mad scientist. Fang Zheng expressed that he would rather keep his distance from such people. ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Lamy.¡± Standing at the entrance of the caf¨¦, Fang Zheng sincerely thanked the elderly man in front of him. The essence of the Free Method was somewhat different from magic, and exploring it on his own would have taken a lot of time. It was thanks to Lamy¡¯s help that Fang Zheng was able to swiftly grasp the principles of his own Free Method. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, I also gained quite a bit of inspiration from you.¡± In the face of Fang Zheng¡¯s thanks, the old man chuckled and then lifted his head, quietly gazing at Fang Zheng. ¡°However¡­ what do you plan to do next, young man?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You have entered this world, and you also possess great power, and now¡­ you even have a sister who is a Follower of the Crimson Realm¡­¡± At this point, Lamy¡¯s tone seemed a bit strange. ¡°What¡¯s your view on this? Fire Mist Warrior, human, and Follower of the Crimson Realm?¡± Fang Zheng provided an answer without hesitation. ¡°I am a human, so of course, I will stand on the side of humanity.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so? That¡¯s a very fitting answer for you. But based on your choices, you might become an enemy of the world, you know?¡± ¡°If humans didn¡¯t oppose the world, they wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve what they have today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ ¡± Face to face with this response, Lamy was silent for a moment before he once again smiled and nodded at Fang Zheng. ¡°Then, until we meet again, young man, at the crossroads of cause and effect.¡± After saying this, Lamy turned around and slowly disappeared into the crowd. The Sealing had disappeared. Watching the distant sunset, Shana stood silently on the roof, her brows tightly furrowed. Why had she done that? The other party was a Follower of the Crimson Realm, an intruder who had suddenly intruded into her and Fang Zheng¡¯s peaceful life. For Shana, there was no need to show mercy to such a person. She didn¡¯t have powers that could cause the world to distort like Lamy. If it had been the old her, she might not have pursued them, but she also wouldn¡¯t have stepped forward like she did today. Honestly, Shana herself hadn¡¯t expected that, without any mission or command, she would take the initiative to protect a Follower of the Crimson Realm. ¡°¡­ Aralastor, did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­ The mission of a Fire Mist Warrior is to protect the world from being distorted and devoured.¡± This time, the response the Demon King of the Crimson Realm gave sounded completely irrelevant. But hearing this response, the girl revealed a slight smile of relief. ¡°Then, it seems I did nothing wrong, which is really good.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡± Watching the girl whose relief was evident from her deepest being, Aralastor couldn¡¯t help but fall silent. At this moment, he remembered the conversation he had had with Fang Zheng. ¡°Purity is the least reliable thing. True strength isn¡¯t nurtured but is gained through trials and tribulations. For Shana, the girl is like a flower in a greenhouse, completely inexperienced in this regard.¡± ¡°But the girl is already very strong.¡± ¡°Isolating oneself is strong? That¡¯s not strength, that¡¯s escapism. Always avoiding contact with anyone, bearing loneliness alone¡ªis that strength? Without experiencing the various emotions that come with human interactions, one cannot gain experience. Isn¡¯t this the same as in battle? In my eyes, the current Shana is like someone practicing alone. She could continue to train like this for ten, twenty years, and as long as she enjoys it, I have nothing much to say. You can only pray that the little girl doesn¡¯t encounter an enemy she never contemplated and meet defeat after stepping out.¡± That was why Aralastor said nothing and acquiesced to Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°test¡± for Shana this time. As the Demon King of the Crimson Realm who had fought alongside countless Contractors, he understood human emotions well. Originally, Aralastor thought Fang Zheng was being alarmist, but when he saw Shana hesitating upon realizing that Tilia was being attacked, only then did Aralastor realize that his Contractor had grown faster than he had imagined. Indeed, compared to me, that man is more suited to be a mentor. Watching the girl¡¯s smile under the setting sun, Aralastor couldn¡¯t help but feel sentimental. Chapter 207 - Chapter 207: Chapter 206: The Completed Free Method Chapter 207: Chapter 206: The Completed Free Method The cold wind howled. Flakes of snow, mixed with the bone-chilling cold wind, blew across the icy plains before them. Countless Undead groaned lowly as they advanced at a slow pace. And behind them stood a colossal, pitch black citadel. Towering spires, like the fangs of a fierce beast, stretched upwards from both sides of the walls piercing the cloudy skies, as if all things in the world were enveloped and frozen by it. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª!¡± A Skeleton Dragon spread its massive wings, soaring through the sky before ¡®thump¡¯ landing on a nearby cliff. Opening its mouth, it let out a deafening roar, seemingly shaking the very air and causing even the surrounding ice mountains to collapse thunderously. ¡°Phew¡­ success at last.¡± Fang Zheng lowered his hand, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, then lifted his head, looking satisfied at the scene before him. Obviously, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t in a twenty-five-person raid in some game. In fact, this was his ¡°Sealing.¡± Using the hidden information within the Soulstone and the power of the Power of Existence, Fang Zheng had successfully extracted the information from the Soulstone of the Lich King Arthas and applied it to his own Sealing, ultimately creating such a powerful battlefield. For Fang Zheng, this wasn¡¯t a particularly difficult task. It was like in a game, where making a model look strong was meaningless because a model was just that, a 3D model. If you want it to have various attributes or attack damage, you must add command modules or write code. And that was exactly Fang Zheng¡¯s job. Luckily, Arthas¡¯s Soulstone stored the ¡°code¡± for all the units of the Scourge Legion. Fang Zheng¡¯s task was to use the Power of Existence to create these Scourge Legion ¡°3D models¡± and then input the information from the Soulstone into them. Since the nature of the Power of Existence is to ¡°exist,¡± as soon as Fang Zheng input the information, the Power of Existence would automatically ¡°run the data¡± and produce effects. Now, the last battle unit in Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing, Sindagosa, had been dealt with as well. As for the Lich King himself, Fang Zheng had no plans to bring him forth because after a thorough analysis of the Soulstone through the Power of Existence, he discovered that the Lich King Arthas was the core of the Soulstone. The ¡°information text¡± it contained was also vast, which meant that if Fang Zheng tried to extract it, the consumption of the Power of Existence would be too great. Moreover, it was the core of the Soulstone. It was fine to dabble with something like the Scourge Legion as a side dish; if anything went wrong, it was easy to fix. But if something went wrong with the core of the Soulstone, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t even know how to repair it and could end up destroying a Soulstone outright, which would be a significant loss for him. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã? What¡¯s more, most importantly, through the Sealing, Fang Zheng discovered a ¡°shortcut¡± for using Soulstones! When equipping a Soulstone, Fang Zheng could only obtain the inherent special effects of the Soulstone, and if he wanted to use other effects, he had to activate the Soulstone. This meant that, for Fang Zheng, the essence of a Soulstone was like using an ultimate skill. But often, using an ultimate was too wasteful, besides, the use of Soulstones was limited in the number of times. However, Sealing was different. After some experiments, Fang Zheng found that although the Sealing consumed a Soulstone just like his own design, it would not be consumed in a single use like before. Instead, according to Fang Zheng¡¯s calculations, in his current situation, opening a Sealing would consume about one percent of the power of activating a Soulstone once. This meant that Fang Zheng just needed to charge a little into an Energy Stone to replenish the consumed power without fully activating the entire Soulstone. In this way, not only could Fang Zheng gain the auxiliary enhancement of the Soulstone, but he also avoided using his Soulstone too many times. Furthermore, he could pull the enemy into a small world to fight through the Sealing, which was killing several birds with one stone and couldn¡¯t be better. But beyond that¡­¡­. ¡°The consumption of the Power of Existence is still a bit much.¡± Because unlike other Sealing that merely isolates space, his Sealing created a small world. So the Power of Existence that Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing consumed was not a small figure. More importantly, it wasn¡¯t just a matter of letting it out and being done; maintenance was needed as well. And maintenance also consumed the Power of Existence. Based on Fang Zheng¡¯s calculations, the Power of Existence he possessed was only enough to maintain this Sealing for one hour, which is the time it took for Fang Zheng to summon all the Scourge Legion and the BOSS and attack full on. Of course, if he didn¡¯t use the Power of Existence to create these Phosphorus, the time would be even longer. Not being able to isolate as long as one wants like other Sealing was a flaw, perhaps. But on second thought, if an enemy couldn¡¯t be taken down in an hour, possibly there was no point in continuing? Let¡¯s leave it at that for now¡­ what remains is¡­ the Backup Energy system. Glancing at the Zero Hour Resurgence in his hand, Fang Zheng nodded. At this moment, the Zero Hour Resurgence was wrapped layer upon layer with the Free Method. Surrounding the Zero Hour Resurgence, at its core, were what looked like flower petals of Free Style. This was a combination of Free Style by Fang Zheng and Tilia, where Fang Zheng¡¯s Free Style was responsible for storage, and Tilia¡¯s Free Style handled the transmission. As a Follower of the Crimson Realm, Tilia¡¯s nature was ¡°sacrifice,¡± so her Free Style also had the properties of transmission and sacrifice, able to transmit the Power of Existence to the fullest extent. If one were to make an analogy, if Fang Zheng¡¯s Free Style was like a high-capacity hard drive, then Tilia¡¯s Free Style would be a high-quality data cable, connecting the ¡°Zero Hour Resurgence¡± and the ¡°hard drive.¡± For this reason, the Free Style in Fang Zheng¡¯s hands now resembled a golden lotus with a white core, albeit a lot more pleasant to look at. Fang Zheng¡¯s Free Style in his hand was divided into three layers, the outermost of which was designed specifically for providing and consuming the Power of Existence. The second layer was the Backup Energy system designed by Fang Zheng himself for unforeseen needs. As for the innermost part, it was his final trump card and commandments. With that, one of Fang Zheng¡¯s Seals, ¡°Icecrown Citadel,¡± was now fully complete. The reason it was only one of them was because his next target was Malthael¡ªindeed, employing High-Tier Heaven to show off was quite a good choice. If Fang Zheng could create a High-Tier Heaven within the Seal, then the folks from the Sanctuary wouldn¡¯t have the guts to come bothering him anymore, or so he should hope. Let¡¯s hope for that. But before that¡­ it was necessary to test the combat strength of ¡°Icecrown Citadel.¡± Ah, it¡¯s really a pity that woman was given to Shana before. Withdrawing the Seal, Fang Zheng shook his head. Since that battle, the woman called Marjorine had completely lost her aggressiveness, showing no signs of life, and spending her days drinking sullenly in the home of a host¡ªwhich incidentally was also the home of a student from Fang Zheng¡¯s class¡ªthis left Fang Zheng quite speechless. Could it be that those two who never listen in class are the protagonists of this world? That¡¯s a bit too far-fetched. However, since she was content being a drunkard, Fang Zheng naturally had no interest in knocking on her door, so he simply had to wait for the next enemy who didn¡¯t know any better to show up¡­ Well, according to Aralastor, several Follower of the Crimson Realm and Fire Mist Warriors like ¡°Hunter,¡± ¡°Corpse Collector,¡± and ¡°Eulogy Reciter¡± have appeared here one after another, indicating this place might well have turned into a vortex of struggle. It¡¯s likely that new Followers of the Crimson Realm or Fire Mist Warriors would come here later on. Let¡¯s deal with it when the time comes. After making up his mind, Fang Zheng turned around and headed home. ¡°Welcome back, Elder Brother.¡± When Fang Zheng returned to his room, the first to greet him was Tilia, who, as always, wore a smile. Like a sister who respects her elder brother, or a wife who is gentle and wise, she came to Fang Zheng¡¯s side and reached out to take his coat. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± While nodding to Tilia, Fang Zheng glanced at the entrance and then noticed another pair of shoes. ¡°Shana¡¯s here too?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, a cold snort came from the direction of the living room. Meanwhile, Tilia chuckled lightly, placed Fang Zheng¡¯s coat properly, and turned to walk towards the kitchen. ¡°Then please wait a moment, Elder Brother, dinner will be ready shortly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Looking at the soft yet cunning smile on Tilia¡¯s face, Fang Zheng could only helplessly shrug his shoulders. Since that day, Shana and Tilia hadn¡¯t really clashed, but Tilia was clearly not going to let this Fire Mist Warrior off the hook; practically every day she would fawn and show affection to Fang Zheng indiscriminately, always choosing tasks that Shana simply wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t do due to her pride. Such as welcoming him home, taking his coat, and the like¡­ These were things Shana was unwilling and also unable to do. So, whenever Tilia clung to Fang Zheng, Shana would sit with a dark expression on her face, as if she wanted to pick up a knife and strike. As for Tilia, she seemed to relish in that feeling of ¡°I just love that you can¡¯t stand me but can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± With this in mind, Fang Zheng shook his head helplessly. He certainly didn¡¯t plan to get involved in the squabble between two little girls; it wasn¡¯t a serious matter, just some childish tempers. Thus, he wasn¡¯t concerned and just walked straight into the living room to greet the young girl in front of him. ¡°Yo, Shana.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng walk in, Shana snorted coldly and turned her head away. Looks like the provocation is really quite significant. Chapter 208 - Chapter 208: Chapter 207: The Sudden Attacker Chapter 208: Chapter 207: The Sudden Attacker The roaring flames swept across the riverbank, lifting a series of steam and even splitting the river water as if invisible giant blades had struck it. Shana sheathed her blade and let out a light sigh. ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve made great progress,¡± Fang Zheng said, Mian standing satisfied as he watched the scene before him. ¡°To gather the force of the flame into a single strike and release it creates instantaneous destructive power almost as powerful as when I fully manifest my strength. I never expected you to suggest this,¡± Aralastor said, his voice filled with sighs. ¡°Reading novels and watching anime isn¡¯t harmful at all,¡± Fang Zheng said, glancing at the novel by his side. ¡°Human imagination is limitless. Perhaps you think these entertaining materials are a waste of time, but many of the inspirations and principles inside them are excellent. Well done, girl, you¡¯ve just begun to grasp the Primordial Force,¡± he continued. ¡°Hmm¡­,¡± If it were the old Aralastor, he would have argued against Fang Zheng¡¯s words. But having witnessed everything, he found himself at a loss for words. The outlandish descriptions that seemed far-fetched in novels had proven to be incredibly effective in the hands of the Fire Mist Warrior. This led Aralastor to reconsider his prior assessments of human creations as perhaps too low. ¡°Hmm¡­ not bad,¡± Aralastor muttered. ¡°Next, we still need to focus on swordsmanship training. Your power isn¡¯t just for shooting Getter Rays¡­¡± Fang Zheng reminded. ¡°I understand,¡± Shana replied, her expression turning serious as she gripped her blade tightly, looking ahead again. With a ¡°bang,¡± flames erupted beneath her feet, and like a flash of lightning, she dashed forward. She screamed as she lifted her blade and swung it forward forcefully. In the blink of an eye, three slashes appeared on the ground, and Shana¡¯s blade kept exploding with continuous swings, effortlessly tearing the giant rock in front of her into pieces like a meat grinder. This was another way to use the power of the flames, an auxiliary form. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï Shana began learning this method because of Fang Zheng¡¯s suggestion. Previously, her fascination with using flames in offensive attacks led to her neglect of other applications. Fang Zheng, unable to stand it, had made this proposal. Shana initially dismissed Fang Zheng¡¯s idea; in her view, the best defense was offense, and by continuously increasing the power of her attacks, enemies would be utterly annihilated. Fang Zheng didn¡¯t say much and handed the ring he had obtained from the ¡°Corpse Collector¡± Lamy to Tilia. Then he signaled Shana to attack him. ¡°Go ahead and try to burn me. If you burn even a hair, consider it my loss,¡± Fang Zheng challenged. That day, Shana experienced the fear of being dominated by fire for the first time. Afterward, the girl no longer discussed this aspect and instead began to explore other uses of the power of flame. Up to now, the wings that allowed her to fly freely in the sky and the shield formed from condensed flames were techniques she developed. Although not very elegant, their practicality was quite remarkable, earning even Aralastor¡¯s endless praise. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your Free Method coming along?¡± Fang Zheng asked, having caught his breath. Curious, Shana turned her head to look at Fang Zheng. She hadn¡¯t seen him practicing the Free Method, but he didn¡¯t seem to have given it up. Their previous encounter with the ¡°Corpse Collector¡± Lamy had inadvertently revealed Fang Zheng¡¯s brilliant ideas. From the bits and pieces shared by Lamy, Shana could guess that Fang Zheng wanted to create a very powerful Free Method. She was quite curious about it but since Fang Zheng never demonstrated it in front of her, she was quite puzzled. ¡°I¡¯ve almost completed it, but I still need to test it,¡± Fang Zheng explained. ¡°Then let¡¯s see it,¡± Shana suggested. ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Fang Zheng responded, shaking his head as he declined Shana¡¯s request. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure about the power of this Free Method. It might be very strong or it might be weak. If it¡¯s the latter, that¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s the former¡­ well, I admit I don¡¯t yet have enough confidence to hold back to the extent of sparing you. This Free Method is better saved for facing the enemy,¡± Fang Zheng explained. ¡°I see¡­¡±, Shana responded, her brows furrowed in slight discontent. However, she didn¡¯t say much as she understood this man well; he almost always acted with full assurance, and rarely ventured into uncertain situations. Thus, since he had said so, she simply had to accept it. ¡°All right, let¡¯s call it a day,¡± Fang Zheng proposed. ¡°Huh?¡± Shana was taken aback, glancing involuntarily at the time. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit early?¡± she queried. ¡°I just remembered I have some things to handle. Let¡¯s stop here for today. Go back and watch more movies or anime; who knows, you might find something useful,¡± Fang Zheng suggested. After saying this, Fang Zheng waved his hand and then turned to walk towards the other side of the riverbank. Watching Fang Zheng leave, Shana pouted in dissatisfaction, then she retracted her Sealing, yawned, and turned to walk into the apartment. She walked past the shopping street. Through the crowded throng of people. Up the steps. Across the big bridge by the river. ¡°The view isn¡¯t too bad.¡± Standing on the hillside, Fang Zheng squinted his eyes, looking at the scene before him. In front was a panoramic view of Goki City, and he was standing on a hillside not far from the outskirts, with a dense forest behind him. The river flowed calmly at his feet, but Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care about these trivial matters. He just kept his hands in his pockets, staring ahead, and then spoke without turning his head. ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°Whoosh.¡± Following Fang Zheng¡¯s words, a figure descended from the sky and landed steadily in front of Fang Zheng. It was a woman with pink short hair, dressed in an old-fashioned maid¡¯s outfit. She watched Fang Zheng with an icy expression and said nothing. Fang Zheng also smiled slightly, studying the woman in front of him. For a moment, both fell into silence. After a short while, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Spying and following, and now you don¡¯t even dare to give your own name? Are all Fire Mist Warriors such creepy stalkers?¡± ¡°My name is Wilhelmina Carmel.¡± Perhaps provoked by Fang Zheng¡¯s attitude, the woman responded coldly. Upon hearing this name, Fang Zheng showed a curious expression. ¡°So, it¡¯s you?¡± Fang Zheng had of course heard this woman¡¯s name from Shana and Aralastor. According to Shana, since she was born, this woman had been taking care of her. The two shared a close relationship, which is why Fang Zheng¡¯s anger at being spied on was somewhat diminished. ¡°Are you here to see Shana?¡± The maid¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly at that name coming from Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s partly that, I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time and I wanted to check on her progress. But¡­¡± The maid suddenly changed the tone of her voice. ¡°¡­ after seeing her, I am very disappointed.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Upon hearing the maid¡¯s words, Fang Zheng snorted lightly. The maid, paying him no mind, continued. ¡°When she and I parted ways, she was full of valor. She recognized her mission and grew in the most fitting way as a Fire Mist Warrior, which is the ideal form for us caretakers.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Listening to this, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t speak but just slightly narrowed his eyes, while the maid kept talking. ¡°But now¡­¡± Recalling everything she had just seen, the maid felt an immense rage. The Fire Mist Warrior, in whom so much hope had been placed, was going to school with ordinary humans, heading home with them, and even carelessly showing those expressions that should never have appeared on her¡­ ¡°¡­ she has fallen, not only forgetting her duty but also associating with ordinary people. Our carefully nurtured great vessel, the indisputable sword of destiny, is now gathering dust in such a place¡­¡± The maid¡¯s expression was icy, her fury seeming to freeze even the air around her. But Fang Zheng appeared unbothered, casually reaching to pick at his ear. ¡°Great vessel?¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng blew on his fingertips, then looked back at the maid in front of him. ¡°Oh, you mean¡­ you think your carefully crafted product is damaged.¡± Chapter 209 - Chapter 209: Chapter 208: An Ultimatum from the Outer Domain Chapter 209: Chapter 208: An Ultimatum from the Outer Domain ¡°What¡­¡± Facing the man¡¯s exceedingly disrespectful words, the maid¡¯s eyebrows shot up instantly, and Fang Zheng also disdainfully curled his lips. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Listening to the way you were speaking just now, anyone who didn¡¯t know better would think you were raising pigs¡ªdemanding they must be fattened up, they must reach a certain weight, otherwise they¡¯re defective and need to be disposed of¡­ Heh, it¡¯s my first time seeing someone treat people like products to be toyed with. Since you¡¯re so capable, why bother raising kids? Wouldn¡¯t building a robot be much more convenient?¡± ¡°You¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Utterly disrespectful!¡± With Fang Zheng¡¯s words, a boundless killing intent burst forth from the maid, and the Dream Crown atop her head also angrily issued a challenge. ¡°You have no idea what we are doing this for; it¡¯s a great mission, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Of course I don¡¯t understand, and I don¡¯t intend to understand either.¡± Fang Zheng interrupted the maid¡¯s speech, his gaze turning as cold as ice. ¡°All I know is that the woman whom the little tyke treats like a real mother is actually being raised like a pig by you¡­ Oh, you haven¡¯t even given her a name, which is even worse than a pig¡ªat least pigs get a tag on them.¡± Having said this, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then once again looked towards the maid. ¡°Honestly, hands-off and irresponsible parents are annoying enough, but you¡ªyour kind makes me feel sick¡­ After all is said and done, you¡¯re raising children just for some mission? So, your visit to Goki City this time wasn¡¯t to check on how Shana is doing, but to inspect your meticulously crafted machine for any damage?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?0¦Í??.§ã¦Ï ¡°How insolent!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the maid suddenly extended her hand, several ribbons emerged from behind her with her movement, shooting towards the target in front of her. Watching the ribbons attack him from all directions, Fang Zheng snorted lightly, then raised his hand to push forward. Flames that resembled Dragon Breath surged from his hand, incinerating the ribbons into ash. ¡°Alright, we can talk about your educational policy later. You came to find me, and it can¡¯t just be to complain. Spit it out if you have something to say, let it rip if you have to fart. I don¡¯t have much fondness for you, but out of respect for the years you¡¯ve taken care of Shana, I will still allow you to finish your piece.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, the maid fell silent for a long time, her cold stare fixed on Fang Zheng, emanating an icy killing aura. Fang Zheng, however, appeared completely indifferent, squinting his eyes with a dispassionate smile as he watched the maid, acting as if he could wait forever if she chose not to speak. After what felt like ages, the ribbons atop the maid¡¯s head finally spoke. ¡°A necessary matter.¡± ¡°I know¡­ Tiamat.¡± Hearing the reminder from her contracted Demon King, Wilhelmina finally let out a sigh and looked back at Fang Zheng, speaking without expression, ¡°The following is a decree from the Outer Layer Residence.¡± ¡°Outer Layer Residence?¡± Fang Zheng had heard Shana mention this organization¡ªit was somewhat like a command center and headquarters for the Fire Mist Warriors, but what did it have to do with him? ¡°Please hand over the ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯ to us.¡± ¡°¡­Oh?¡± At this, Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. ¡°And the reason?¡± ¡°According to reliable information, the organization ¡®Masquerade Ball¡¯ of Follower of the Crimson Realm is searching for the whereabouts of Zero Hour Resurgence everywhere. Although it is unclear what schemes they are plotting, we cannot allow the Follower of the Crimson Realm to take possession of such an important Noble Phantasm. Therefore, we hope you will hand over the Zero Hour Resurgence to us.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Do not make a foolish mistake.¡± Seeing the obdurate Fang Zheng in front of her, Wilhelmina¡¯s expression grew colder. ¡°¡®Masquerade Ball¡¯ is the most powerful organization of Follower of the Crimson Realm, and even the Fire Mist Warriors cannot be certain of victory against them. You may have some skills, but in the end, you are merely human. You should hand over Zero Hour Resurgence for your own life¡¯s sake. Otherwise, depending on the situation¡­¡±¡± ¡°Forceful recovery.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier, and we could have ended this?¡± Accompanied by a ¡°clang¡± of a resounding crash, a massive one-handed sword with a trail of cold light materialized, embedding itself heavily into the ground. Fang Zheng held the hilt with one hand, while coldly eyeing the maid before him. ¡°Bottom line, you¡¯re here to steal it too, right? Cut the crap. I won¡¯t hand over Zero Hour Resurgence, and if you disagree, come at me. I¡¯ll show you just how capable the human you speak of really is!¡± As he spoke, a slight smile crept up the corners of Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth as he looked towards the maid. Hearing this, the maid¡¯s face turned a shade darker. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is, then don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡± ¡°You¡¯re seeking your own death!¡± Before the words had even faded, Wilhelmina leapt into action, charging towards Fang Zheng. Seeing this, Fang Zheng¡¯s mouth also curved up slightly. ¡°Perfect, it wouldn¡¯t be right to test this on the young girl, but I have no qualms about using it on you¡­ Are you ready? Old woman?¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng raised the Vampire in his hand, gazing coldly at his opponent and shouted lowly. ¡°Seal!!¡± The next moment, the world changed. The howling blizzard instantly obscured Wilhelmina¡¯s vision, prompting the maid to quickly back away from Fang Zheng in shock. But when she opened her eyes again, the scene before her left Wilhelmina dumbfounded. ¡°This is¡­¡± In front of Wilhelmina were no longer the hills from before but an icy wasteland. On that plain, a pitch-black fortress rose into the sky with blue flames burning like the eyes of souls flickering in and out of sight. The roaring cold wind mixed with snowflakes blew by, bringing an icy chill that penetrated to the bone. Is this Sealing? Wilhelmina could swear that since she became a Fire Mist Warrior, she had never seen such a Sealing! Though there had been Followers of the Crimson Realm that modified Sealing, what was before her eyes now went far beyond mere modification! ¡°Warriors of the Ice Wasteland, rise!¡± Following Fang Zheng¡¯s cry, the icy plain before Wilhelmina suddenly swelled, ¡°whoosh,¡± forming hundreds, if not thousands, of small mounds. The next moment, the maid saw countless undead creatures with Soulfire burning in their eye sockets crawling out of the ice, issuing heart-chilling roars as they raised their weapons and attacked her! ¡°Is this Phosphorus?¡± ¡°A troublesome foe!¡± As Dream Crown spoke, numerous white ribbons solidified instantly, forming a fox mask over Wilhelmina¡¯s face, akin to Shana transforming into Fiery Eye when in battle. This was also Wilhelmina¡¯s combat form. She leaped up, stretched out her arms in front of her. As she did so, ribbons swirled around the fox mask and shot towards the undead creatures, nailing the ones that lunged towards her to the ground. The ribbons, which appeared soft, exhibited the cutting power of sharp blades in Wilhelmina¡¯s hands, cleaving the approaching undead in two. But this was just the beginning. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª!¡± A cold chill rushed forward as the Frost Nest Female Dragon flapped its wings, its maw wide open as it dived at Wilhelmina, who was still in the air. Faced with the massive creature hurtling towards her, Wilhelmina showed no fear. As a battle-hardened Fire Mist Warrior, she had fought countless Followers of the Crimson Realm, facing all manner of strange enemies. So, although surprised by her current predicament, Wilhelmina quickly reacted. Ribbons crisscrossed, flying into the air, and before the Frost Nest Female Dragons could even respond, they were dismembered and vanished into flames in the air. However, before Wilhelmina could relax, accompanied by the sound of Skybreaker, a Bone Spear whistled across the sky towards her. This time, Wilhelmina failed to evade in time, hastily raising her hands as ribbons quickly wove together in front of her to form a white round shield. The moment the shield took shape, the Bone Spear struck it with a ¡°clang¡± and was deflected. Even so, the impact from the Bone Spear was too much, and with a cry, Wilhelmina was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground. ¡°This is¡­¡± As Wilhelmina stood up again, she realized she was surrounded. In front of her stood a huge skeletal Creature wielding a giant axe, shrouded in cold air, its hollow eye sockets flickering with Soulfire. Not far from this skeletal Creature, the Death Whisperer let out a hoarse laugh, the power of ice consolidating in her hands and ready to unleash. Abominations and Flesh Giants blocked Wilhelmina¡¯s way like a wall on either side, and thousands of undead were emerging from the icy ground, slowly creeping towards their prey. Above her head, the Blood Queen flapped her wings, watching the woman below with an evil smile. Gargoyles, resembling bats, hovered around her, forming a solid barrier. And on the cliff to the side, a Frost Dragon proudly lifted its head, disdainfully watching the ¡®little bug¡¯ before it. ¡°Now¡­ welcome to the twenty-five-man Hero Mode!¡± Chapter 210 - Chapter 210: Chapter 209: Wilhelminas Devastating Defeat Chapter 210: Chapter 209: Wilhelmina¡¯s Devastating Defeat ¡°This is the beginning and the end, mortals! No one can enter the Master¡¯s holy land!¡± With a roar, the White Bone Lord raised his Battleaxe, charging at Wilhelmina with a fierce gust of wind. His axe whooshed downward, aiming a chop at the maid. Facing the oncoming strike, Wilhelmina had no choice but to step back. Ribbons in her hands rapidly expanded in every direction, clearing away another wave of the lesser creatures that surged towards her. Yet before Wilhelmina could regain her footing, the Death Whisper hiding behind the White Bone Lord raised a hand and tossed something forward. Wilhelmina then felt a bitterly cold breath swiftly assaulting her. Inevitably cornered, she could only manipulate her ribbons into a shield in front of her. ¡°Bang!!¡± Upon impact, the Ice Arrows shattered against the shield. Wilhelmina immediately felt a bone-chilling cold penetrating through the shield and into her hands, leaving them numb, seemingly beyond her control for a moment! Not good! Realizing something terrible was happening, Wilhelmina felt a surge of alarm. But it was too late; for the White Bone Lord had already closed in on her, his skeletal Battleaxe forcefully chopping down! ¡°Thud!!¡± Wilhelmina, having lost control, could no longer resist the White Bone Lord¡¯s attack and was sent flying like a cannonball. But before she even hit the ground, Ghouls and White Bone Guards were already howling in pursuit, trying to tear their enemy to shreds. ¡°Haah!!¡± Facing the Undead Creatures lunging at her, Wilhelmina once again swung her ribbons, sweeping the lesser creatures around her clear. But as she retracted her ribbons, a metal hook, connected by a chain, suddenly flew in from behind, tightly wrapping around Wilhelmina¡¯s body. An Abomination, raising its right hand, forcefully pulled the hook, dragging Wilhelmina in front of it. Then it grabbed the maid¡¯s head and slammed it into the ground with force. ¡°Boom!!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ??¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï With that strike, the ground around them trembled. The next moment, a white light flashed, and the sharp ribbons burst, slicing the huge Creature into pieces. However, as the ribbons tore through the Abomination¡¯s flesh, its obese, massive body suddenly swelled up and then exploded with a ¡°boom.¡± The stench of decay spread out, blasting everything nearby away. ¡°Aaaaah¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± Amid the screams, Wilhelmina flew out of the mess, now nowhere near as valiant as before, covered in wounds and the foul, sticky substance of the Abomination. I never imagined a human could go this far. Panting, Wilhelmina stood up. She had received Shana¡¯s report from the outside world, which explicitly mentioned this man named Fang Zheng, possessing considerable power and the mysterious ¡°Free Method.¡± However, Wilhelmina initially did not take Fang Zheng as a seriously troublesome enemy, seeing Shana¡¯s report as imprecise, even somewhat ambiguous¡ªthis stemmed from the girl¡¯s pride. As a result, Wilhelmina did not regard Fang Zheng as much of a threat initially. In her view, Fang Zheng might just be a human who, by some fluke, possessed some illusory powers. Perhaps he had some Noble Phantasm, or he might have inadvertently come into contact with some Free Method. But after all, he was still human. This is also the reason why Wilhelmina has no good feelings towards Fang Zheng. Despite not saying much in her report, Wilhelmina, as Shana¡¯s guardian, could still see that Shana placed considerable trust in this man named Fang Zheng. This made her deeply worried that Shana might be deceived by him, for the child was still so innocent and naive. If someone with ill intent approached and used her, it would be disastrous. That¡¯s why she had hurried to Goki City and observed in secret. And the result of her observation only fueled Wilhelmina¡¯s rage. How could her pure and sacred girl associate with an ordinary person from the mundane world? She had forgotten her duty as the Contractor of Catastrophic Fire and was walking a path Wilhelmina did not wish for her. It was all that man¡¯s fault! Especially seeing Fang Zheng giving instructions to Shana by the riverside, Wilhelmina¡¯s anger grew. She never believed that a human had the right to teach that girl. In the Heavenly Dao Palace, they had given everything to raise and carefully cultivate the girl into the ideal form they envisioned. And to suggest that Fang Zheng, so young, could have any experience worth imparting seemed preposterous. He must have used some sweet words to deceive her and keep her here. Such dangers must be eliminated. That was the reason Wilhelmina appeared before Fang Zheng. She wanted to demonstrate with her own strength that the world of the Fire Mist Warriors was not open to ordinary people like him. He had neither the right nor the power. But now, Wilhelmina realized she had been mistaken. How had he managed to do it? Looking at the Scourge Legion that surrounded her from all sides, Wilhelmina frowned deeply. She could sense that these were Phosphorus, but what baffled Wilhelmina was that among them were Phosphorus nearly rivaling the power of a Demon King of the Crimson Realm! Just how much Power of Existence was needed for this? Even an average Demon King of the Crimson Realm rarely created such a number of Phosphorus, let alone those beings with tremendous power. Wilhelmina shuddered at the thought of how much Power of Existence had to be consumed to achieve this. And yet¡­ the opponent was merely a human, so why¡­ ¡°Zero Hour Resurgence.¡± Her partner, as always, was a man of few words, but he immediately resolved Wilhelmina¡¯s confusion. Indeed, it had to be so. If the other party had really consumed so many humans, the girl she raised and the Catastrophic Fire she had contracted with would not turn a blind eye. And if it was the Zero Hour Resurgence, then it could be understood. But¡­ At that thought, Wilhelmina¡¯s anger erupted once more. The reason she had volunteered to come here was partly to discipline the culprit who confused the girl she had raised, and partly to retrieve the Zero Hour Resurgence. For it wasn¡¯t just a Noble Phantasm targeted by the enemy, it was also the testament between her and those two she had a pact with¡­ John, Phyllis¡­ Wilhelmina¡¯s expression became even more determined as she thought of the two names. She lifted her head to look at the distant wall, where that man stood, looking over coldly. I must take back Zero Hour Resurgence at all costs, and I absolutely won¡¯t let Zero Hour Resurgence continue to do evil in the hands of this human! ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡± With that thought, Wilhelmina hesitated no longer. With a furious roar, her ribbons whirled about, instantly flinging away the Scourge Legion around her, and then she burst forward, flying towards Fang Zheng¡¯s location. ¡°Gah Gah!¡± Watching Wilhelmina¡¯s approach, the Alchemical Constructs disguised as gargoyles on the city wall activated once more, taking to the sky in an attempt to halt her progress. ¡°Obstructions!!¡± Faced with the gargoyle blocking her path, Wilhelmina furiously swung her ribbons to shred it. She paid no heed to the enemies around her, charging straight ahead. Charge! And charge again! Finally, Fang Zheng appeared before her. Controlling such a large number of Phosphorus must have exhausted his spirit. That¡¯s why he stayed here. Now, just deliver a fatal blow and then Zero Hour Resurgence can be reclaimed! With this in mind, Wilhelmina extended her hand without hesitation; countless ribbons in her grasp transformed into a huge blade, thrusting straight towards Fang Zheng. ¡°Hmph.¡± Facing the maid¡¯s attack, Fang Zheng let out a cold laugh, then he raised his greatsword and swung it forward. ¡°Clang!!¡± Blade met sword, and Fang Zheng¡¯s figure wavered slightly, while Wilhelmina pressed forward even harder. As she raised her left hand, the ribbons trailing behind her rapidly surged forward, drawing an arc before shooting at Fang Zheng once again. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!¡± Simultaneously, Wilhelmina suddenly noticed the greatsword that had blocked her attack in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand was now marked with a series of vivid red patterns. ¡°That is¡­¡­¡± But her train of thought abruptly ceased. ¡°Puch¡­¡± What exactly happened? Wilhelmina couldn¡¯t comprehend the situation, for in the moment the blood-red pulsation appeared on the greatsword, her body suddenly burst open with numerous fissures, as if invisible blades had bypassed her defenses and mercilessly cut her. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!¡± Neck, shoulder, chest, waist, thigh¡­ one after another, bone-deep lacerations emerged, blood spurting forth, and with such a heavy injury, Wilhelmina could no longer maintain her stance and fell to the ground with a scream. ¡°Bang!!¡± Without knowing when, the white, cold expanse of snow along with the omnipresent Undead Creatures had vanished, leaving Wilhelmina crashing hard onto the ground, her vision reduced to a blur of red. ¡°Stop now!!¡± Just then, with a voice ringing out, the next moment Fang Zheng saw Shana flying in from the sky, landing between the two. She stared with wide eyes, first at Wilhelmina, who lay in a pool of blood, then at Fang Zheng. For a moment, the young girl couldn¡¯t grasp the situation at hand. ¡°Wilhelmina? Fang Zheng? What are you doing¡­¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t see eye to eye, so we started fighting, that¡¯s all.¡± In response to Shana¡¯s question, Fang Zheng curled his lips, then glanced at Wilhelmina who was struggling in the pool of blood, trying to get up. ¡°Considering the years you took care of the young girl, I¡¯ll spare you from being sent back home to get married. Roll back and tell the outside world that Zero Hour Resurgence is now mine and I don¡¯t plan on giving it to anyone. If they¡¯re not afraid of dying, they can send someone to snatch it, but next time, I won¡¯t show any mercy.¡± After saying these words, Fang Zheng turned and left without looking back. Only Shana remained, still staring bewildered at everything before her. The setting sun gradually dipped below the horizon. Night fell. Chapter 211 - Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Fang Zhengs Decision Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Fang Zheng¡¯s Decision ¡°What exactly is going on between you and Wilhelmina?¡± After seeing to the considerably injured Wilhelmina, Shana immediately found Fang Zheng and questioned him with great intensity. In the face of Shana¡¯s questioning, Fang Zheng simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, I dislike her, she dislikes me, and then she even tried to take my things, so I fought with her¡­ Is there anything else?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Confronted with Fang Zheng¡¯s response, Shana was at a loss for words for a moment. In fact, she had already heard the full account of the incident from Wilhelmina; regarding the forcible attempt to take the Zero Hour Resurgence, Shana also found it incomprehensible. But the bigger issue wasn¡¯t this, it was the hostility towards Fang Zheng that Wilhelmina had made clear in Shana¡¯s presence. ¡°That man is a very dangerous entity, you cannot continue to stay by his side, it will hinder your mission as a Fire Mist Warrior as well.¡± Faced with Wilhelmina¡¯s warning, Shana didn¡¯t know how to reply. She wanted to tell Wilhelmina that she stayed not because of anyone¡¯s demands, but because in the previous battle, she had realized she wasn¡¯t as strong as she had thought, and so she remained to enhance her own strength. But Wilhelmina had this to say¡­ ¡°That is not the attitude a Fire Mist Warrior should have. You must unquestionably continue on the path you are meant to follow.¡± But Fang Zheng¡¯s expression was another matter. ¡°Every parent has once had expectations for the path their child would take, but in the end, the path they take still depends on the child themselves, doesn¡¯t it? What¡¯s the point of trying to make a cow drink water by forcing its head down?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hearing this, Aralastor couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï Of course, he knew what kind of determination and sense of mission Wilhelmina had in raising Shana. Aralastor had also once believed that Wilhelmina was correct; she had worked hard to raise Shana, helping her acquire knowledge and power. For Wilhelmina, Shana at that time was the ideal person. But Fang Zheng¡¯s view was completely different; he believed that people change and grow continuously on their journey. Therefore, his educational policy for Shana was nearly the complete opposite of Wilhelmina¡¯s ¨C the former hoped that Shana could learn from various experiences and change accordingly, whereas the latter believed that as long as Shana maintained her initial untainted, pure supreme form, that would be sufficient. Their views were as different as heaven and earth, one of the Antarctic and the other of the Arctic, without the slightest point of intersection. In official terms, this is called ¡°both parties have fully and candidly exchanged their opinions and have reached a consensus on their differences¡±. In simpler terms, it¡¯s ¡°we both know the reasons and motivations of the other side; I can understand why they do this, but I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to accept it.¡± So Aralastor could see too that the unmistakable hatred Fang Zheng showed toward Wilhelmina wasn¡¯t because of her cold demeanor or fiery actions. It was because he knew of the intense sense of mission the maid harbored, which was exactly what sparked his anger. To put it bluntly, even if you¡¯re raising a child for the sake of world peace, you have no right to demand that they turn out exactly as you envisioned, right? Wilhelmina was just as stubborn. Entrusted by an old friend, she had secretly vowed to use everything within her power to cultivate the greatest Fire Mist Warrior worthy of the title ¡°Catastrophic Fire.¡± She absolutely wouldn¡¯t allow the child to have the slightest flaw, as this was her mission, her responsibility, and an inescapable promise to a departed friend. Therefore, the conflict didn¡¯t arise from misunderstanding or miscommunication. On the contrary, it was based on both parties having fully exchanged and understood each other¡¯s reasons and methods. Since neither side could accept the other¡¯s approach, nothing was left but to come to blows. Faced with such a situation, Shana didn¡¯t know what to do. On one hand, she regarded Wilhelmina, who had raised her from childhood, almost as a mother. On the other, she disagreed with Wilhelmina¡¯s view of Fang Zheng. Shana was well aware of how much she had improved after being taught by Fang Zheng, and she wouldn¡¯t deny this because of her feelings for Wilhelmina. Moreover, during the battle against the ¡°Eulogy Reciter,¡± Shana had noticed her own advancement and transformation. Thus, she never agreed with Wilhelmina¡¯s allegations. ¡°When I was little, my mother had hoped I would become a pianist,¡± But what Shana hadn¡¯t expected was for Fang Zheng to suddenly change the subject, talking about something else. ¡°My family situation was a bit complicated back then. I won¡¯t go into details, but in short, she hoped I would become a pianist and then defeat my father¡­ It was probably a banal plot from an eight o¡¯clock TV drama. To be honest, at first, I took it very seriously. After all, it was just the two of us, mother and son. Whatever she asked of me, I¡¯d strive to do. So I practiced piano every day, starting before dawn and continuing until it got dark, practicing until my fingers were blistered¡­ Well, that¡¯s normal for everyone, not really surprising,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± At this point, Shana opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ended up saying nothing. ¡°At the beginning, I was quite successful; I guess you could say I made a name for myself at a young age, having inherited some of my father¡¯s talent. But to be honest, I didn¡¯t really like the piano at that time. I did what I did because it made my mother happy. And it¡¯s true, every time I won a competition, my mother would praise me, and I felt proud and arrogant. To me, the piano wasn¡¯t a hobby; it was a mission. A mission given by my mother to defeat my father.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­And then?¡± This time, Shana couldn¡¯t hold back and spoke up, actually guessing the answer. ¡°I won. I made it to the finals for my mother¡¯s dream, and faced off against my father¡ª¡ªand then I won. But my mother didn¡¯t acknowledge it because I had chosen Classical music, whereas my father played Impressionist music¡­ My mother wanted me to defeat him in the realm of Impressionism, but I still preferred Classical music a bit more.¡± At this, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Just like that, I was kicked out of the house by my mother.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± ¡°` Facing this outcome, Shana couldn¡¯t help but be startled. ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t you win?¡± ¡°Yes, I won.¡± Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°But my mother doesn¡¯t think so. She wanted me to defeat my father with Impressionism, not Classicism. Unfortunately, I¡¯m better at Classical. So when she realized that I couldn¡¯t possibly beat my father in the realm of Impressionism, she gave up on me and went to find another ¡®reliable material¡¯ she deemed suitable.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng snorted coldly. ¡°In the end, what she wanted to see wasn¡¯t my victory, but the victory of ¡®someone who could beat my father in the field of Impressionism.¡¯ So ¡®I¡¯ don¡¯t matter at all, if I can¡¯t meet her expectations, then no matter how well I do, I am worthless to her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing this, both Shana and Aralastor fell silent. They finally understood why Fang Zheng had such disdain for Wilhelmina. Because, just like his own mother, she only permitted actions that aligned with her own expectations. Once deviated, no matter how well Shana performed, to Wilhelmina, it held no value. Because it wasn¡¯t what Wilhelmina expected. That was why Fang Zheng simply resorted to using his fists. ¡°However, it¡¯s a blessing in disguise, for I didn¡¯t have to play the piano anymore after that. Indeed, the feeling of typing on a keyboard is a bit more comfortable¡­ this could be considered a good thing. But, that¡¯s not what I want to talk about now.¡± Having said that, Fang Zheng looked at Shana. ¡°Aralastor, you said earlier that most Fire Mist Warriors joined to seek revenge against the Followers of the Crimson Realm, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Faced with this sudden one-eighty question from Fang Zheng, Aralastor was taken aback and didn¡¯t understand what Fang Zheng was thinking, but still provided an answer. ¡°I¡¯ve come to understand the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ stance toward the Followers of the Crimson Realm. What about their attitude toward humans?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡± For some reason, Aralastor suddenly felt that Fang Zheng¡¯s question seemed to conceal some deeper meaning. ¡°¡­.In fact, there are also many people who assist the Fire Mist Warriors, mostly handling intelligence work on the outside, of course, there are those¡­¡± ¡°Those are people related to the Fire Mist Warriors, right? I¡¯m asking about the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ attitude toward ordinary people.¡± ¡°¡­.It varies from person to person.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After hearing Aralastor¡¯s response, Fang Zheng nodded, then looked out the window and fell silent for a moment before speaking. ¡°I am leaving Goki City.¡± ¡°What?¡± Confronted with this unexpected answer, both Shana and Aralastor were stunned, completely clueless as to how Fang Zheng arrived at this conclusion. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Where are you going?¡± ¡°For the time being, I think I¡¯ll take Tilia around the world.¡± Fang Zheng¡¯s decision wasn¡¯t spontaneous. Shana and Aralastor were unaware that, before Fang Zheng¡¯s battle with Wilhelmina, she had mentioned an organization called ¡°Masquerade Ball.¡± It was then that Fang Zheng¡¯s Prophecy Spell activated once more. Although the omen was still not clear, Fang Zheng was certain that the next part of his journey with the Soulstone was inextricably linked to the Masquerade Ball. So Fang Zheng intended to leave Goki City in search of the whereabouts of the Masquerade Ball. Furthermore, after his fight with Wilhelmina, his suspicions and interest in the world¡¯s state grew. Initially, Fang Zheng thought the Fire Mist Warriors were akin to dark heroes like Spider Hero or Batman, but now it seemed¡­ their relationship with humanity was even more complex. Perhaps similar to that of Mutants? Moreover, Fang Zheng also had this underlying sense that if he could do something, maybe he could gain even more from this world¡­ ¡°` Chapter 212 - Chapter 212: Chapter 211: A Spontaneous Trip Chapter 212: Chapter 211: A Spontaneous Trip ¡°Are you really leaving?¡± Standing in front of the station, Shana still hadn¡¯t quite grasped the reality as she looked at Fang Zheng and Tilia. Although she had heard him mention it before, she hadn¡¯t expected Fang Zheng to act so swiftly; he had only taken a day to submit his resignation at school, and the very next day, he had already bought his train ticket and was ready to depart, which had caught Shana somewhat off guard. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t make that face.¡± Looking at the young girl¡¯s expression, Fang Zheng chuckled and reached out to pat her little head. ¡°It¡¯s not goodbye forever; who knows, we might meet again soon. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the ancient times¡­ You¡¯ve been keeping the mobile phone I gave you, right?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Shana nodded and subconsciously touched the mobile phone in her pocket. This was the gift Fang Zheng had given her before departure¡­ after all, in this information age, having a mobile phone was obviously more convenient than writing letters. If possible, Shana would have liked to leave with Fang Zheng. Aralastor had also suggested this to Shana. But considering Wilhelmina, who was still severely injured and unconscious, Shana had no choice but to stay here to take care of her. In a way, Shana felt conflicted. Had the relationship between Fang Zheng and Wilhelmina not soured to such a degree, perhaps she could have made a decision. But now, the two of them could barely see eye to eye and had reached a point where each wished to eliminate the other quickly. Wilhelmina believed Fang Zheng had misdirected the Contractor of the Catastrophic Fire, leading her down a path of no return. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng thought Wilhelmina completely disregarded Shana¡¯s own thoughts, merely using her as a template to project her own hopes, which was purely unreasonably quarrelsomeness. Both individuals insisted they were acting in Shana¡¯s best interest and were unwilling to concede. Under these circumstances, there was nothing Shana or Aralastor could do to mediate between them. Wilhelmina was stubborn and wouldn¡¯t listen to reason, and Fang Zheng was unlikely to change his opinion either. In fact, Wilhelmina had once regained consciousness. At that time, Aralastor and Shana had tried to persuade her, but ultimately, Wilhelmina unequivocally affirmed her stance. ¡°Even at the cost of my own life, I will not let that man corrupt the will of the Contractor of Catastrophic Fire.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï And in the face of Wilhelmina¡¯s defiant declaration of war, Fang Zheng did not back down either. ¡°Then the next time we meet will be her memorial day. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed; let that old woman remember these words.¡± From this perspective, Fang Zheng choosing to travel was indeed a wise decision; otherwise, Shana and Aralastor had no doubt that once Wilhelmina recovered from her injuries, she would seek out Fang Zheng for a confrontation. And Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t hold back for Shana¡¯s sake. By then, Shana would be caught between a rock and a hard place. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t look so troubled.¡± Seeing Shana¡¯s tormented expression, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but give a wry smile. ¡°The things I needed to teach you, I have almost entirely taught. In our country, there is a saying, ¡®The master leads you to the door; the practice is up to you.¡¯ From now on, how much you can comprehend and learn depends on your own understanding.¡± ¡°So, about the earlier test, how many points do you plan to give her?¡± Just then, Aralastor suddenly interjected. Hearing his question, Fang Zheng lowered his head, glanced at the pendant on Shana¡¯s chest, and then gave an answer. ¡°Eighty-five points.¡± ¡°Not a perfect score?¡± ¡°She got the answer, but she hasn¡¯t fully written out the process yet.¡± While saying this, Fang Zheng looked toward Shana again. At this moment, the young girl was showing a bewildered expression, clearly unsure of what Fang Zheng and Aralastor were talking about. ¡°Once she clearly understands that process, I will give her the remaining points. So¡­¡± ¡°Elder Brother, it¡¯s time.¡± At that moment, Tilia, dressed in a Western outfit, quietly came up from behind, nodded at Shana with a smile, and then spoke to Fang Zheng. ¡°Right, then we should be heading off.¡± After glancing at the timetable, Fang Zheng nodded at Shana. ¡°Well then¡­ goodbye, Shana, Aralastor. In Lamy¡¯s words, let¡¯s meet again at the crossroads of causality.¡± ¡°Safe travels, Fang Zheng.¡± As Fang Zheng bid farewell, Aralastor also offered his blessings. Shana puffed her cheeks and was silent for a moment before finally letting out a huff. ¡°Taking a Follower of the Crimson Realm with you, just don¡¯t get chopped by a Fire Mist Warrior on the road! Not every Fire Mist Warrior is as easy to talk to as us! Really, you¡¯re not at all reassuring¡­ and take this with you!¡± As she spoke, Shana pulled out a paper bag and stuffed it into Fang Zheng¡¯s hand. ¡°These are my treasured pineapple buns! Have them on the road with Tilia, you can¡¯t fight on an empty stomach!¡± ¡°Then I will gladly accept.¡± Seeing the blush on the young girl¡¯s face, Fang Zheng smiled faintly and took the paper bag from her hand. He nodded to them both, then turned and left with Tilia. ¡°¡­¡­¡­ Is this okay, Shana?¡± Not until the two figures had disappeared into the station¡¯s entrance did Aralastor speak up again. ¡°It¡¯s fine for now,¡± Shana watched the station in front of her and shook her head. ¡°If you go back, you should be able to guess what Wilhelmina will say to you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± This time, Shana nodded firmly and then clenched her hands tightly. ¡°But, I¡¯ll also answer in my own way. I¡¯ll fulfill the mission of a Fire Mist Warrior well, but whether it will be in the form Wilhelmina expects, I don¡¯t know. Or rather, I never really considered it until now. But now, I think I can figure out the answer.¡± ¡°But what if, just like Fang Zheng said, Wilhelmina doesn¡¯t recognize your will?¡± ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll try my best to persuade her!¡± Hearing this, Shana¡¯s expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly became resolute again. ¡°Because, now I am both the Contractor of Catastrophic Fire and the Crusader of Fiery Eye. I have the right to make my own choices!¡± Must a fledgling eventually leave the nest? Looking at Shana, spirited and no longer confused, Aralastor also couldn¡¯t help but feel poignant. He, like Wilhelmina, once believed that it might take a long time for Shana to grow. But now it seems, both he and Wilhelmina were mistaken. ¡°I will stand by you, Shana.¡± In the end, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm only said these words to express his stance. But unfortunately, Shana seemed to have a different opinion. ¡°Then please don¡¯t remain silent when Wilhelmina and Tiamat are lecturing me, Aralastor!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­ sorry, I really don¡¯t handle them well¡­¡± It seems that Aralastor still has a long way to go to become a qualified guardian. Chapter 213 - Chapter 213: Chapter 212 Mysterious Voyager Chapter 213: Chapter 212 Mysterious Voyager Outside Inn. As the headquarters of the Fire Mist Warriors, it was as tranquil as ever. However, unlike before, every person or Fire Mist Warrior coming and going wore a grave expression on their face. The Followers of the Crimson Realm had recently intensified their attacks on the outside inns around the world, and from the existing information, it could be inferred that the most powerful organization among them, ¡°Masquerade Ball,¡± was taking action. Although their exact intentions remained unknown, it was evident that these fellows were certainly hiding some sort of conspiracy. For the Fire Mist Warriors, dealing with such matters was part of their daily routine, but now, amid this stream, a different kind of intelligence was causing ripples. ¡°Hey, have you heard? About that thing¡­¡± ¡°Voyager¡­¡± The nun gazing at the intelligence in her hands sank into a deep silence. She was none other than Sophie Sabelishu, known as the ¡°Hand of Trembling Might¡± among the Fire Mist Warriors and also the Commander of the Outside Inn located at the front lines. And now, causing her to furrow her brows was this piece of intelligence that had just been relayed from the rear. It documented the sudden appearance of two mysterious individuals over the past month. One was a Follower of the Crimson Realm, and the other was¡­ a human. Without a doubt, this combination easily reminded people of the long-famous ¡°Convenanted Duo.¡± However, these two were fundamentally different from the ¡°Convenanted Duo.¡± Within the ¡°Convenanted Duo,¡± John was once human but transformed himself into a ¡°Mistis¡± to spend his life with Phyllis, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, and also created the Secret Treasure ¡°Zero Hour Resurgence.¡± It could be said that, at that time, he was no longer purely human. But this man was different from John. According to reports from Fire Mist Warriors who had encountered him, he was still human and had always been human. Moreover, contrary to what people imagined¡ªwhere Followers of the Crimson Realm enslaved humans¡ªthe situation with these two indicated that the Follower of the Crimson Realm seemed more reliant on that human male. If that were all, it would have been nothing more than casual gossip for the Fire Mist Warriors. However, the issue was that the actions of these two people were not as simplistic as everyone thought. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?0 Unlike the ¡°Convenanted Duo,¡± who did not get involved with other Fire Mist Warriors or Followers of the Crimson Realm and just reveled in their own sweet world, these two seemed to be traveling aimlessly, but their actions were quite aggressive. If they saw a Follower of the Crimson Realm that consumed humans and there were no Fire Mist Warriors nearby, they would immediately act to annihilate it. However, if there were Fire Mist Warriors around, they would just stand by and watch. But this did not mean the two were pushovers, for if a Fire Mist Warrior dared to attack them, they would immediately face a ruthless counter-attack. Naturally, anyone encountering such a situation could only blame themselves for their bad luck. Yet the problem was that these two were not just hunting Followers of the Crimson Realm. They would also strike at Fire Mist Warriors. Since their appearance, they had already consecutively eliminated no less than a dozen Followers of the Crimson Realm, as well as four or five Fire Mist Warriors. Sometimes, they would even help Followers of the Crimson Realm escape the pursuit and capture of Fire Mist Warriors. This baffled everyone, as they could not fathom what the two were truly after. And for this reason, they were called ¡°Voyagers¡± by both the Fire Mist Warriors and the Followers of the Crimson Realm. But Sister Sophie thought differently. ¡°Commander, is that the intelligence on the ¡®Voyagers¡¯?¡± Standing in front of the desk, a young man carrying a large pot on his back glanced curiously at the intelligence in Sophie¡¯s hands and then asked. Hearing his question, Sophie nodded. ¡°I had the Outside Inn collect and organize verifiable combat records of the ¡®Voyagers,¡¯ and I discovered some issues, look¡­¡± While speaking, the nun placed the intelligence on the desk and then reached out, pointing to a list within it. ¡°This is a list of the Followers of the Crimson Realm defeated and eradicated by the ¡®Voyagers.¡¯ ¡°¡­ ¡®Gnawing Mob¡¯ Searah, ¡®Wrath of the Wild¡¯ Dunster¡­ these are very dangerous Followers of the Crimson Realm.¡± Looking at the names above, the young man was shocked. He had also heard rumors about the ¡°Voyagers¡± from the Fire Mist Warriors before, but at the time, the Fire Mist Warriors were also focused on the question of ¡°why would a human being wander around with a Follower of the Crimson Realm,¡± and thus they neglected their combat strength. But now, after seeing this list, the young man realized just how terrifying the strength of these two was. The Followers of the Crimson Realm they had eliminated were all infamously vicious in this world, not only brutal and fond of devouring humans but also exceptionally strong in battle. It could even be said that of the Crimson Realm fiends listed, there were a few whom even the Fire Mist Warriors might not be able to easily guarantee victory against. ¡°That¡¯s right, and then, this is the list of Fire Mist Warriors they¡¯ve slain.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡®Blade of Killing Intent¡¯ Chris, ¡®Dawn of a Thousand Armies¡¯ Sena¡­¡­ wait, are these not all¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Looking at the young man before her, who showed a surprised expression, Sophie nodded her head. She, of course, understood why the other party was so astonished. Although it¡¯s said that Fire Mist Warriors are there to protect the world¡¯s balance, after all, most of the Fire Mist Warriors initially joined for vengeance. Therefore, there are many Fire Mist Warriors who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to engage in fierce battles to eliminate Followers of the Crimson Realm, regardless of collateral damage. These individuals could also be considered the ¡°thorns¡± within the ¡°Fire Mist Warriors.¡± And now, a part of them had ended up on the death list before them. ¡°¡­¡­Could it be that¡­¡­¡± Seeing this, the young man¡¯s inner thoughts began to vaguely form some ideas. He continued to look at the list of Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm that the others were protecting¡­ and sure enough, unlike the ¡°death list,¡± most of the Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm on this ¡°protection list¡± were diligent and honest. Either they were dedicated to protecting humans, or they were the kind who hardly caused trouble and didn¡¯t eat people at all. ¡°This is the report from those Fire Mist Warriors who have met them.¡± As she spoke, the nun once again took out a stack of intelligence, helplessly shook her head, and let out a bitter smile. In these reports, the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ opinions on the ¡°Voyagers¡± varied greatly. Some were dutiful and went to stop powerful Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm from eating people, only to be nearly killed in the process and saved by the two. These Fire Mist Warriors had very positive and favorable reviews of the two ¡®Voyagers.¡¯ However, encounters with some hot-tempered Fire Mist Warriors were just the opposite. Most of them, like Marjorine, believed that all Followers of the Crimson Realm should die, so the moment they spotted one, they would charge into battle, whether the foe was good or bad. These Fire Mist Warriors were invariably given a severe lesson by the two ¡®Voyagers,¡¯ beaten until they were nearly crippled. It¡¯s also fortunate that they were Fire Mist Warriors, otherwise they would have probably faced certain death. Not only that¡­¡­ ¡°Are they conducting investigations?¡± After finishing the reports before him, the young man looked confused, and no wonder he had such an expression, because according to these reports from the Fire Mist Warriors, whether the Voyagers were friend or foe, after the battle ended, they would always ask the Fire Mist Warriors to answer their questions. And these questions were almost always about humans. What¡¯s more, the man seemed to possess a unique method that could directly determine whether you were telling the truth or lying¡­ But overall, they seemed more like researchers conducting some sort of study. ¡°Looking at it this way, perhaps they conducted similar investigations on the side of the Crimson Realm followers, those that they killed aside¡­¡­¡± ¡°But what¡­ what¡¯s the significance of all this?¡± Putting down the report in his hand, the man showed a look of questioning and confusion. ¡°What exactly are they trying to do by doing this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Facing this question, the nun slowly shook her head, but then, she added a sentence. ¡°However¡­ according to the information from the external accommodations, they have the ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯ in their hands.¡± ¡°You mean to say¡­¡­¡± Upon hearing the nun¡¯s words, the young man¡¯s complexion changed slightly. ¡°This is a report from the Eastern European division; they seem to plan to snatch the ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯ before Hall of the Star Dawn makes their move. Currently, they are looking for the ¡®Voyager¡¯ rumored to possess the ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯¡­¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know, but the Eastern European division is quite confident, and now all we can do is hope¡­¡­¡± At this point, the nun sighed. ¡°We can only hope¡­ that they don¡¯t start any conflicts.¡± Chapter 214 - Chapter 214: Chapter 213 Ecological Survey of the Follower of the Crimson Realm Chapter 214: Chapter 213 Ecological Survey of the Follower of the Crimson Realm The train threaded through the mountains, and as the scenery flashed by, Fang Zheng pulled his gaze back from the fleeting views outside the window and refocused on the notebook in his hands. A spur-of-the-moment global adventure was indeed soothing to the heart. For Fang Zheng, his past life had not afforded him such a luxury, as just completing tasks each day was enough to exhaust anyone. And during holidays, the first considerations were always various welfare plans and events, plus adjustments to the game itself left no time for travel. In the Main World, because he couldn¡¯t reveal his identity and those Cultists roamed everywhere, disrupting public order, Fang Zheng had no mood to go sightseeing. By contrast, in this world, he had fulfilled the dreams of his former life. Not to mention, he had a beautiful girl accompanying him¡­ Ah, it was simply heaven. Of course, sightseeing was only a sideline. During his travels, Fang Zheng was also conducting investigations, hoping to understand the situation in this world: Followers of the Crimson Realm, Fire Mist Warriors, and humans. Among them, the Followers were naturally the focus of Fang Zheng¡¯s investigation as the root cause of all conflicts. From what he had seen so far, the conflict in this world was actually quite simple. The ¡°Crimson Realm¡± was connected to this world, so those Followers came to this world. Perhaps due to their own nature, they did not choose to conquer or rule this world; instead, each Follower seemed more concerned with their own affairs. They wanted to play and have fun in this world as they pleased, which seemed to be a common issue among them. Otherwise, considering the ancient times when the Followers first came to Earth, they could have easily organized an army, conquered humans, and then raised humans like pigs, cows, and sheep. In that way, the Followers could have obtained the Power of Existence without still maintaining a primitive hunting mode to this day. But because of the nature of the Followers, it was hard or they were unwilling to do so, resulting in those who came here first mostly doing their own thing. Since this world is not the Crimson Realm, the Followers, if they wanted to stay in this world and have a body, had to devour the Power of Existence. Next comes the focal point of the conflict. To maintain their existence and strengthen their powers, Followers had to consume humans to draw out the Power of Existence. However, the mass disappearance of such power could overturn the world¡¯s balance, leading to great disasters. Meanwhile, some Followers, disdainful of their kin¡¯s whimsical misdeeds, sought another method. They formed contracts with those who had been harmed by the Followers and became Fire Mist Warriors to stop it all, trying to force their kin back into the Crimson Realm. This was the genesis of the struggle between Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm. And at the core of it all was the Power of Existence. So, the question arises. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã0 What exactly is the Power of Existence? Is it unique to humans, or do other life forms possess it? Why must the Followers consume humans to obtain the Power of Existence? And after his ¡°investigative visit,¡± Fang Zheng found that this world¡¯s setup was actually quite similar to Immortal Hero novels he had read before. If one were to use Immortal Hero as an analogy, then the Fire Mist Warriors would be the ¡°Prestigious Sect,¡± since they did not need to practice ¡°illicit methods¡± due to having a ¡°legitimate approach¡± in forming contracts with the Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm. The Followers were more akin to enlightened Yokai, needing greater powers to adapt to the survival of the fittest; thus, they absorb humans¡¯ Power of Existence to ¡°refine their powers¡± and become stronger. In fact, the refinement process for the Followers was not unlike that of Yokai. Each Follower possessed their own original form, and their human shape was just a result of using ¡°Human Transformation Arts¡± after gaining power. For instance, Tilia¡¯s original form is a golden cape, which, from the perspective of a fantasy novel, clearly classifies her as a kind of spirit or living artifact. Just as there are good and evil Yokai, where the evil ones thrive on sucking human blood and stealing souls, the good ones prefer to hide in the mountains, absorbing essence of the sun and moon, or gaining power through some Divine Artifact. In this world, most Followers still live by consuming humans, but some have long abandoned this practice, or they selectively consume humans. Among the Followers Fang Zheng encountered on his journey, many of them belonged to the latter group. Most weren¡¯t powerful but posed no real danger. These Followers liked to hide in obscure corners, sustaining themselves on the Power of Existence from schools of fish or even plants. Of course, these sources provided very little Power of Existence, but those Followers themselves did not crave power so much. Others chose to act as ¡°dark heroes,¡± covertly ¡°exorcising demons for the people.¡± Fang Zheng had seen one such Follower who lived in the waters of a lake and was revered as the ¡°Deity of Water.¡± The way they obtained the Power of Existence was by consuming those who polluted or dumped waste into the river¡ª-from a certain perspective, one might consider them dedicated environmentalists. These matters, however, were meaningless to the Fire Mist Warriors. Much like disciples of Prestigious Sects in fantasy novels, who were taught from birth to perform Demon Exorcism, most Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ first instinct upon seeing a Follower was to attack outright. Their reasoning was straightforward and simple: all Followers depend on consuming the Power of Existence to remain in this world, and such consumption implies that the world might become distorted ¨C a distortion that could lead to disaster. And as the source of disasters, the Followers must be eradicated. Thus, the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ catchphrase became¡ª-when there¡¯s trouble, find a Follower. If it wasn¡¯t their doing, then it must be because they didn¡¯t have the time. Put bluntly, the only good Follower of the Crimson Realm is a dead one. However, they all seemed to neglect one fact¡ª-that humans are¡­ ¡°Elder Brother.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± While Fang Zheng was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a soft presence pressing tightly against his body, followed by Tilia¡¯s approach with a smile, gently leaning against Fang Zheng¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯ve sensed the presence of a Fire Mist Warrior.¡± ¡°It must be the next station, they really are impatient.¡± Without Tilia¡¯s reminder, Fang Zheng too had already felt the presence of the Fire Mist Warrior. It was clear that they were coming for him and his companions. This wasn¡¯t surprising; ever since Fang Zheng had started traveling with Tilia, they often encountered Fire Mist Warriors who sought them out for trouble. Naturally, it was due to the aura of the Follower of the Crimson Realm that Tilia emitted, which attracted them. Regarding this, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t too concerned; after all, it was better if they came¡­ in the end, matters would be settled with fists. ¡°Then, let¡¯s prepare to get off.¡± As he said this, Fang Zheng stretched out his hand and gently patted Tilia¡¯s head before standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s see which character dares to trouble us this time.¡± Here they come. The girl clenched her fists tightly, glaring at the steel monster that was speeding towards them from afar. She could feel the aura emanating from that steel monster. Without a doubt, that was the aura of a Follower of the Crimson Realm. Although she hoped the other was merely passing by, the unfortunate truth was that this was the terminal station. This meant that the Follower of the Crimson Realm¡¯s target was here. Does this mean it will prey, hunt, and feed on humans here? I will never let those terrifying monsters have their way! ¡°Sanya, I¡¯m going to begin the Sealing!¡± ¡°Wait, wait a minute!¡± Upon hearing the girl¡¯s declaration, the metal bracelet on her wrist emitted a weak voice. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay? Nanoka, this is your first battle with a Follower of the Crimson Realm since you left your master! How about we take cover and observe cautiously first¡­¡± ¡°No way!¡± However, before the Demon King of the Crimson Realm in the bracelet could finish speaking, the girl interrupted. ¡°The other is a Follower of the Crimson Realm; who knows if they came here to hunt? If we wait for them to make a move, it would be too late! I will protect this city, I will protect everyone in this city. That is my mission and responsibility as a Fire Mist Warrior!¡± ¡°Whoo-whoo-whoo¡­!!¡± The train whistle sounded, and the train gradually slowed down before slowly pulling into the platform. Afterwards, the stream of people began to move, heading out from the station. Seeing this scene, the girl tightened her fists even more, growing increasingly nervous. What should I do, if the other starts the Sealing right at the train station¡­ No, perhaps they have already fed on the train? In any case, I must release my own aura as a Fire Mist Warrior first, to lure the enemy to a less-populated area¡­ Huh? ¡°Sanya, Sanya, it looks like that Follower of the Crimson Realm hasn¡¯t moved?¡± ¡°Yes, Nanoka, it seems like they have been staying inside the train without coming out¡­ Ah! She¡¯s on the move now!¡± By now, the surging crowd had already dispersed, and the entire platform had returned to its usual quiet. Soon enough, Nanoka saw a blond girl in a gothic dress stepping out from the station, accompanied by a young man with black hair. ¡°That¡¯s a human¡­ Why would he be with a Follower of the Crimson Realm?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, maybe just a companion met on the road? Um¡­ Nanoka, are we really going to take action?¡± ¡°Of course, this is a great opportunity. There¡¯s no one else around, so we don¡¯t need to worry about causing accidental harm. I¡¯ll take the chance to move that big brother to somewhere else during the Sealing. So¡­ let¡¯s start!¡± While saying this, the Fire Mist Warrior known as Nanoka suddenly swung her arm. ¡°Sealing!¡± Chapter 215 - Chapter 215: Chapter 214 Atypical Fire Mist Warrior Chapter 215: Chapter 214 Atypical Fire Mist Warrior Here they come! A fiery red Seal enveloped the entire world in an instant, stripping everything before them from reality. Seeing this scene, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow, while Tilia smiled slightly, readying herself for battle. At the same time, suddenly, a voice came from not far above their heads. ¡°You actually dare to show up here, prepare yourself, Follower of the Crimson Realm!¡± Hearing this voice, Fang Zheng and Tilia looked up towards where the voice had originated, and both were taken aback. They saw standing atop the clock at the station not far in front of them, a girl. She appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen with beautiful, waist-length silver-white hair. Her face still bore traces of youthfulness, but what drew the most attention was her attire. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, with a matching short skirt decorated with ribbons and lace on the lower half, and even tights. It was possible to see a large butterfly bow waving as the girl moved. The entire style of her clothing was so exaggeratedly flamboyant, it was almost ridiculous. Furthermore, behind the girl was a large object strapped to her back, resembling a sports backpack¡ªexcept from its reflective sheen, it was clearly made of metal. There the girl stood at the top of the clock, one hand on her hip, lifting her head proudly as she gazed at Tilia. ¡°Disturber of world balance, destroyer of peace and serenity, Follower of the Crimson Realm! Today is the day you surrender! Even if the deities might forgive your actions, I¡ªNanoka Brigitte¡ªwill definitely not forgive. I stand for love and justice¡­¡± As she spoke, the girl turned to the side, her left hand placed on her chest and her right elbow resting on the left arm, miming the act of shooting a gun at her enemy. ¡°¡­and I shall erase you!!¡± ¡°¡­ Elder Brother?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t ask me, I have no idea what to say.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?? Fang Zheng lowered his head, massaging his forehead as he sighed deeply. He felt he had seen many Fire Mist Warriors on his journey, but with the one before him¡­ he just didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°Tilia, you go¡­¡± Faced with an enemy that completely defied his expectations, Fang Zheng was lost for words. What in the world was this? ¡°Yes, Elder Brother.¡± At Fang Zheng¡¯s command, Tilia smiled slightly and stepped forward, looking towards the girl. Soon, as Tilia moved, an umbrella appeared in her hand. ¡°Indeed, you are the enemy I was destined to face.¡± As Tilia approached, the expression of the opposing Fire Mist Warrior darkened slightly. ¡°It seems a battle between the Follower of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warrior is inevitable. This is my destiny, my duty. I must protect the balance of this world from being disrupted, so¡­ are you prepared? Follower of the Crimson Realm! You will¡­ wait, why can that human move within the Seal?¡± ¡°¡­¡± As he watched the girl suddenly turn to look at him, Fang Zheng twitched the corner of his mouth. This Fire Mist Warrior¡­ seemed a bit dazed. ¡°This person is my Elder Brother.¡± Confronted with the dazed-looking Fire Mist Warrior, Tilia replied with a soft smile. ¡°Elder Brother? But¡­ you¡¯re human, and she¡¯s a¡­ Follower of the Crimson Realm, right?¡± The girl looked between Fang Zheng and Tilia, her expression hesitant and uncertain. ¡°The situation is a bit complicated, but she indeed is my adorable sister,¡± Fang Zheng finally said. ¡°Fire Mist Warrior, I can understand your thoughts, but I assure you, Tilia has never consumed any humans since her birth. The Power of Existence she requires has been provided by me. So she is not an enemy of humanity and won¡¯t disrupt the world balance. Could you possibly stand down? Our arrival here wasn¡¯t for the hunt, just for a simple journey.¡± ¡°This, this¡­¡± Hearing this, the girl seemed even more at a loss, but after a moment of silence, she finally stomped her foot. ¡°No! The Follower of the Crimson Realm is the source of destruction in this world, letting her go would be a crime. As a Fire Mist Warrior charged with defending the peace and maintaining balance, I absolutely cannot tolerate evil slipping away before my eyes!¡± As she spoke, the girl raised her right hand. ¡°Come forth, Pitch Black Battle Fang!!¡± With her call, Fang Zheng saw the backpack the girl carried on her back transform into pieces of armor that swiftly unfolded. They then began to reassemble themselves upon the girl¡¯s body, forming a massive, pitch-black mecha. Countless gears turned, emitting white steam, while the thick metal plates were guided by an invisible force to reform, gradually encasing the girl¡¯s entire body. Even behind her, one could see something that resembled circular mechanical wings, and on either side of her thighs, a pair of vector-engine-like exhaust nozzles emerged¡­ Then, all at once, the girl raised her right hand. As she did, the metal on her right started reconfiguring once more, soon forming into a colossal pitch-black machine gun. What the heck is this thing? Upon witnessing this scene, Fang Zheng was completely stupefied. You¡¯re dressed like a Magical Girl, transformed into a RoboCop, and now you¡¯re holding a machine gun, and you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re a Fire Mist Warrior? What on earth is wrong with this world?! ¡°Come, Follower of the Crimson Realm, and let¡¯s have ourselves a showdown¡­¡± ¡°Bang!!¡± Before the Fire Mist Warrior could even raise her weapon and finish her sentence, Tilia had already summoned a vine and sent her flying away. ¡°¡­Tilia, you could have just let her finish transforming.¡± Looking at the Fire Mist Warrior, who was now smashed into a big crater on the ground by the vine, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but complain helplessly. ¡°Sorry, Elder Brother, I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I can understand that¡­¡± Hearing Tilia¡¯s response, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know what to say. Indeed, there is no invincible time in reality. If I were the enemy and saw you transforming, I would have definitely lashed out too¡­ but¡­ watching the entire transformation animation should be a matter of courtesy, right? ¡°Boom!!¡± But before Fang Zheng could even begin to rant, a loud explosion followed, and the ¡°transformed¡± girl in her Battle Armor leapt out of the big pit and soared straight into the sky. ¡°Sure enough, a cunning and evil Follower of the Crimson Realm, taking advantage of my distraction to launch a surprise attack. But don¡¯t think for a moment that you can defeat me like this! Take that!¡± As she spoke, the girl raised the machine gun in her hand and pulled the trigger, aiming it directly at Tilia below. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Accompanied by flashes of gunfire, bullets sped out from the barrel, turning into a storm rushing towards the enemy in front. Tilia, facing the attack of the Fire Mist Warrior, once again raised her hand, and giant petals, three to four meters tall, abruptly rose from the ground, shielding Tilia like a barrier on her side. ¡°Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!¡± A series of flashes sparked on the petals, as the girl clenched the machine gun, relentlessly firing at her target below. ¡°Bang!¡± Soon, a petal reached its limit, unable to withstand the subsequent assault and was torn to shreds by the bullets. The barrage of fire vomited forth from the girl¡¯s barrel, a persistent hail of bullets bearing down with the ferocity to pierce through everything in its path, assaulting Tilia right before her. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!!¡± Quickly, one petal after another exploded under the barrage, shredded to pieces. Tilia seemed to have no chance of counterattacking; she silently summoned new petals to fill the gaps, appearing as if she was utterly worn out and overwhelmed by the enemy¡¯s attack. ¡°Hahaha, as expected, I knew it! Under the radiance of justice, the evil Followers of the Crimson Realm cannot stand their ground! Accept your fate!¡± Watching the unfolding scene before her, the girl grew more elated, almost picturing the wretched Follower of the Crimson Realm having their defenses torn apart and then getting utterly demolished by her. And just at that moment¡­ ¡°Click, click-click.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Looking at the suddenly jammed gun barrel, the girl froze in surprise, while at the same time her bracelet emitted a sound. ¡°You¡¯re out of bullets, Nanoka! Quick, reload!¡± ¡°Ah, right, I remember the spare magazine is in¡­¡± But before the girl could finish reloading, she saw the once sealed petals suddenly disappear, and then Tilia, who was originally protected by the petals, calmly stepped forward. She smiled triumphantly towards the girl in mid-air and then raised her parasol. ¡°No good, get out of there, Nanoka!¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing the warning from her contracted Demon King of the Crimson Realm, Nanoka, who was just replacing the magazine, suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly tried to dodge, but alas¡ªit was too late. The surge of energy erupting from the tip of the parasol blasted out like a tumultuous wave, completely engulfing the Fire Mist Warrior in mid-air. Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Chapter 215 Unexpected Gains Chapter 216: Chapter 215 Unexpected Gains Before she could defend herself, the roaring tide engulfed the girl in an instant. As Tilia made her move, the light beam, condensed from the Power of Existence, resembled a giant hand that firmly grasped the girl and then rubbed her against the ground. When the light beam vanished, the girl lying on the ground was in complete tatters, in a state of ¡°Great Rupture.¡± The Noble Phantasm that Tilia used was another Follower of the Crimson Realm¡¯s treasure called ¡°Gustav,¡± which she and Fang Zheng had confiscated in a previous battle. It was an offensive type of Noble Phantasm. Its nature was to blast out the Power of Existence in the form of rays. The more Power of Existence the holder had, the stronger its power would be. Moreover, this Noble Phantasm could automatically collect the Power of Existence from the Followers of the Crimson Realm that it had killed, and when it was fully charged, it could release a ¡°Doomsday Cannon.¡± In other words, this umbrella was a combination of a ¡°Laser Gun,¡± ¡°Laser Cannon,¡± and ¡°Laser Artillery,¡± making it quite an impressive weapon. This Noble Phantasm belonged to a Follower of the Crimson Realm who once tried to ambush Fang Zheng and Tilia. It must be said, the Follower¡¯s plan had been quite good. He first collected a large amount of the Power of Existence and then stored it. When the two passed by the target location, he sent his assistant, Phosphorus, to deploy a Sealing and trap them within it while he sniped from a distance. Originally, the fully charged ¡°Gustav¡± could have sent Fang Zheng and Tilia to the Western Paradise, but alas¡­ he hadn¡¯t accounted for one thing. As a mage, Fang Zheng always had an Unexpected Chain Technique at his and Tilia¡¯s disposal, and one of them was the ¡°Energy Reflection¡± spell. And unfortunately, the attack from the umbrella was just identified as an ¡°energy attack.¡± So¡­ well, if you always walk by the river, you¡¯re bound to get your shoes wet, right? Fang Zheng was initially very interested in this Noble Phantasm, but its appearance was too girlish for him to use; the pink top matched with white lace epitomized the explosion of a little girl¡¯s heart. Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t sure whether the original holder of this Noble Phantasm was male or female, but he certainly couldn¡¯t use it. Otherwise, before he could even kill the enemy, his own sense of shame would do him in. So, Fang Zheng simply gifted it to Tilia, which suited this cute and beautiful girl looking like a delicate French doll. Moreover, since Tilia lacked offensive means, this Noble Phantasm made for a nice addition to her arsenal. However¡­ this Fire Mist Warrior was a bit too weak. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã¦Ï Looking at the girl who had been struck into a pit and hadn¡¯t climbed out after a long time, Fang Zheng shook his head and then slowly walked over to her. ¡°Meow¡­¡± At this moment, the girl was still dazedly lying in the pit, looking confused and not fully recovered yet. Fortunately, it seemed she hadn¡¯t died or lost consciousness, or else the Sealing would have been lifted by now. For the moment¡­ it looked more like she was stunned. A stunned Fire Mist Warrior? ¡°Uh¡­ this, what is this¡­¡± ¡°Nanoka, get a grip, come to your senses quickly!¡± Seeing Fang Zheng and Tilia approach, the bracelet worn by the girl hurried to remind its Contractor. The Fire Mist Warrior shook her head and seemed to finally become a bit more alert, then she looked fearfully at Fang Zheng and Tilia, who were approaching, and reflexively attempted a back jump to distance herself from them. But how could Tilia let her escape so easily? Just as the girl leaped up, the ground beneath her suddenly cracked open, and numerous vines burst from the soil, tightly winding around the girl¡¯s body and suspending her in the air. ¡°Eh? Eh eh? Why is this happening?¡± Realizing that she was bound, the girl¡¯s expression immediately turned panic-stricken; she widened her eyes, looking anxiously at the two in front of her as if they were fierce beasts. ¡°You, what do you want to do? You¡¯re not thinking of eating me, are you? I¡¯ll have you know! Sanya is very strong; if you dare eat me, she will not let you off!¡± ¡°¡­Hmph, why should I listen to you? Besides, a Demon King bound by its Contractor doesn¡¯t seem very threatening to me.¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s words, Tilia merely snorted and displayed complete disdain. But no wonder, considering that compared to Shana¡¯s Contractor Aralastor, the Demon God of this girl just didn¡¯t seem as formidable. Then, as if thinking of something, Tilia¡¯s face revealed a mischievous smile. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t kill you, but¡­¡± ¡°But what? But what? Hey? Hey hey! What are you doing?!¡± Before she finished speaking, the girl felt the vines originally wrapped around her body begin to twist, and she saw them, like tentacles, gripping her tightly. The vines then cunningly began to tear and strip away the mecha armor from her body. ¡°Wait, wait a minute, you can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I? You¡¯re a Fire Mist Warrior, and I¡¯m a Follower of the Crimson Realm. Now that you¡¯re in my hands, of course, I can do whatever I want.¡± As Tilia spoke, one of the vine tentacles suddenly grabbed the mecha armor on the girl¡¯s chest, then with a ¡°rip,¡± the next moment, the originally durable steel was torn off her body as if it were paper. Moreover, after stripping off the useless armor from the girl¡¯s body, Tilia went further, beginning a complete ¡°disarming.¡± ¡°Ah ah ah, wait, not there, you really can¡¯t do that, I won¡¯t be able to get married oh no no no!! Stop it, stop!!¡± ¡°Cough cough, that¡¯s about enough, Tilia.¡± Seeing this, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but cough helplessly. Although he had to admit the scene of titillating tentacle play before him was quite a feast for the eyes¡­ they weren¡¯t here to play this game. ¡°Alright, Elder Brother.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Tilia also blinked her eyes. Then, the tendrils that had been ripping at the girl¡¯s clothes ceased their movement, and proceeded to bind her instead. And while clearly having been through such an ordeal, the girl¡¯s face unmistakably breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it had been so close just moments ago¡­ ¡°Listen, Fire Mist Warrior.¡± Tilia¡¯s voice rose again, and this time, the girl couldn¡¯t help but tremble slightly upon hearing it. ¡°My Elder Brother has some questions for you. If you answer them honestly, we¡¯ll let you go; but if you dare to lie¡­¡± Tilia didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but as if to verify her threat, the tendrils suddenly twitched, causing the girl to nod her head frantically like a little dog, scared. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, I understand!¡± At this moment, the girl had lost all of her initial bravado and only a pitiable, almost laughable, pleading expression remained on her little face. Her azure eyes were also filled with tears. If a clueless person saw her now, they might think that the girl had been ¡°indescribably¡± mistreated. But perhaps it wasn¡¯t too far from the truth? Forget it, game over. Patting Tilia on the head, Fang Zheng walked forward. He then stretched out his hand, with the radiance of magic soon appearing in his palm. He reached out and pressed his hand against the girl¡¯s forehead. Feeling Fang Zheng¡¯s touch, the girl instinctively wanted to pull away, but being bound by the tendrils, she couldn¡¯t do anything; she could only look at him pitifully. ¡°¡­Hey, you don¡¯t need to look at me like that, miss. I have no intention of hurting you. As long as you answer a few of my questions and promise not to trouble us again, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± Looking at the Fire Mist Warrior before him, Fang Zheng was at a loss for words. On their journey, they had encountered many Fire Mist Warriors, which essentially fell into two categories: those who were quite sensible and those who were defiant to the death. However, like the Fire Mist Warrior before him¡­ frankly speaking, this was a first for Fang Zheng. ¡°So, first off, your name.¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m Nanoka Brigitte.¡± ¡°Age?¡± ¡°¡­16 years old.¡± ¡°Gender?¡± ¡°Female¡­ of course, it¡¯s female. Can¡¯t you tell by looking?¡± ¡°You are a Fire Mist Warrior¡­ right?¡± To be honest, this was undoubtedly true, but Fang Zheng still couldn¡¯t help but use a questioning tone. This girl, in every aspect, didn¡¯t quite seem to match a Fire Mist Warrior at all. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a Fire Mist Warrior!¡± Hearing this, Nanoka retorted in dissatisfaction. ¡°What about me doesn¡¯t look like a Fire Mist Warrior?¡± Apart from being able to perform Sealing, nothing about you resembles one at all. ¡°Then, how did you become a Fire Mist Warrior?¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng was already preparing himself to hear about her tragic past. Along the way, he had realized that so-called Fire Mist Warriors generally belonged to the ¡°move the world¡± annual candidate representatives¡ªeach with histories of either their families ripped apart by Followers of the Crimson Realm or having faced complete ruination and extensive familial punishment¡­ No wonder they harbored such hatred toward the Followers of the Crimson Realm. But Nanoka¡¯s answer was beyond Fang Zheng¡¯s expectations. ¡°I¡­ I passed the Trial half a month ago and became a Fire Mist Warrior.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Chapter 217 - Chapter 217: Chapter 216: The New Generation Fire Mist Warrior Chapter 217: Chapter 216: The New Generation Fire Mist Warrior I must admit, when Fang Zheng heard Nanoka¡¯s response, he was somewhat surprised. After all, on their journey thus far, every Fire Mist Warrior they had encountered bore deep-seated hatred for the Followers of the Crimson Realm. Only some, due to the passing of much time or after having killed enough enemies, no longer acted impulsively, and instead viewed it as a regular ¡°profession.¡± And then, there were others who still doggedly pursued the disasters caused by the Followers of the Crimson Realm, using hatred as a driving force to keep hunting them down. Like Marjorine, who appeared in Goki City before, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know exactly why that woman had become what she was, but judging by her appearance, she probably wasn¡¯t too different. But Nanoka was completely different from them. She seemingly perceived the role of a Fire Mist Warrior simply as a job, a mission¡­ How should I put it? As if becoming a Magical Girl equals saving the world. Yet, from her tone, there wasn¡¯t a hint of any personal vendetta against the Followers of the Crimson Realm. ¡°Why did you want to become a Fire Mist Warrior? Did a Follower of the Crimson Realm eat someone from your family?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± In response to Fang Zheng¡¯s curious inquiry, Nanoka honestly shook her head. ¡°I am an orphan and grew up in an orphanage. Later, a teacher came to the orphanage, said he saw potential in me, and so he took me to an external residence. He was responsible for teaching and training me to become a Fire Mist Warrior¡­ Don¡¯t let my appearance fool you, but I have also worked with my teacher on several occasions! I have personally dealt with quite a few Followers of the Crimson Realm myself!¡± As she said this, as if to make sure she wasn¡¯t looked down upon, Nanoka quickly raised her head. But becoming aware of her own predicament, she couldn¡¯t help but look down dejectedly at the ground again. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s just that this is my first solo battle against a Follower of the Crimson Realm since I left my teacher¡¯s tutelage¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s really interesting¡­¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã¦Ï Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but show a contemplative expression upon hearing what Nanoka had said. ¡°Were you the only one being trained as a Fire Mist Warrior?¡± ¡°No, there were many others, it¡¯s just that I graduated earlier than they did.¡± ¡°Then, did your teacher ever tell you why he chose you to be Fire Mist Warriors?¡± Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng¡¯s interest grew stronger. ¡°To my knowledge, almost all Fire Mist Warriors have personal vendettas against the Followers of the Crimson Realm, and they are willing to sacrifice everything for revenge. That¡¯s easy to understand. But why choose you?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Facing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, this time Nanoka started to furrow her brows in thought, and just then, the bracelet on her wrist began to speak. ¡°It¡¯s due to Sealing.¡± ¡°Sealing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Demon God of the Crimson Realm within the bracelet sounded like a very timid individual as she cautiously explained to Fang Zheng. ¡°In the past, before the Followers of the Crimson Realm mastered Sealing, they would directly feast on and slaughter humans in the human world. Because of this, many humans could see their loved ones being killed before their eyes, leading to hatred and, consequently, the desperate desire for power, which allowed them to form contracts with us. But now¡­ due to the gradual prevalence of Sealing, so¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± With that explanation, Fang Zheng suddenly came to an understanding. So that¡¯s what it was all about. As previously mentioned, Fire Mist Warriors initially appeared because some who were also parts of the Demon King of the Crimson Realm disapproved of their kin wreaking havoc on Earth. Yet they couldn¡¯t consume the Power of Existence like their kind to manifest in this world. Hence, they chose to form contracts with humans of this world, ¡°lending¡± their power to these humans, and with their help, driving their kin back to the Crimson Realm. This approach was initially very effective because without the Sealing, many people could witness the deaths of their loved ones with their own eyes, and even they themselves wandered on the edge of life and death. Faced with such beings, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm only needed to show a willingness to provide power, and then they would accept the contract, becoming a Fire Mist Warrior. But now¡­ because of the advent of Sealing, the situation has changed. The space isolated from causality, while in some ways can be considered a safeguard for human daily life, confines the battles between Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm to shadows unknown to the public. However, every benefit has its drawbacks, and the biggest issue with Sealing is ¡ª it reduces the number of potential Fire Mist Warriors. In the past, recruiting Fire Mist Warriors was quite simple. Just find those who survived the predation of the Followers of the Crimson Realm for various reasons, and then tell them, ¡°Young man, do you know who killed your family? Do you want revenge? Do you desire power?¡± Those who were grief-stricken from losing everything would be willing to pay any price for vengeance. But now¡­ if you go up to someone and say, ¡°Young man, do you know who killed your father?¡± I¡¯m afraid they might directly respond with, ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t even have a father. If you keep spouting nonsense, I¡¯ll call the police!¡± Yes, Sealing cuts off causality, and those devoured disappear, their existence completely erased by the world¡¯s corrective power. This results in fewer people becoming Fire Mist Warriors out of hatred, because many are completely unaware that their family has been devoured by a Follower of the Crimson Realm ¡ª or to put it another way, in their memories, these family members never existed from the start. So a problem arises. Fire Mist Warriors experience attrition in battle, but they hardly receive any reinforcements. On the contrary, although the Followers of the Crimson Realm also suffer losses, there are no customs between the Crimson Realm and Earth. They can come and go as they please, and even if there are some restrictions, it¡¯s definitely more convenient than for the Fire Mist Warriors. Because becoming a Fire Mist Warrior requires Contractors to dedicate their past, present, and future entirely to the Demon God of the Crimson Realm. It means that all traces of you will be wiped from this world. Your life will be unknown to anyone, and your death unacknowledged. Those Fire Mist Warriors who fight for revenge might not care about this, but for ordinary people, it¡¯s clearly impossible to accept abandoning everything to join a dangerously deadly battle. This leads to the increasing scarcity of Fire Mist Warriors, while the number of Followers of the Crimson Realm continues to grow. Thus, to cultivate more Fire Mist Warriors, they had no choice but to make a different decision. And the girl before him was the result of that. It must be said that in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, this was a failed choice. From a certain perspective, the girl in front of him was indeed similar to a low-end version of Shana ¡ª they both had no direct enmity with the Followers of the Crimson Realm, and both became Fire Mist Warriors because of a mission. However, the difference between Shana and Nanoka was that Shana was destined from birth to be a Contractor of the Catastrophic Fire. Whereas Nanoka had to work hard on her own to earn the opportunity to sign a contract with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm. If one were to make a comparison, it was as if Shana was born a princess, with fate decreeing she must ascend to the throne and become an empress, while Nanoka¡­ had just passed the civil service exam, and had only just begun her official job¡­ No one knows how far she could go in the future. Oh, and she botched her first job. How interesting. Looking at the girl before him, Fang Zheng suddenly became interested in her. The previous Fire Mist Warriors were each laden with deep grudges, and each of their stories was enough to write a tear-jerking mainstream novel. But Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t interested in those maniacs. Instead, Nanoka, who was purely fighting as part of her duty, seemed somewhat amusing to Fang Zheng. ¡°Release her, Tilia.¡± Thinking this, Fang Zheng quickly gave the command, and Tilia controlled the vines to loosen and dumped the girl onto the ground. ¡°Ow¡­ Can I go now?¡± Rubbing her sore bottom from the fall, Nanoka looked up at Fang Zheng with a pitiful expression and asked. She hadn¡¯t anticipated that her first independent battle would bring her face-to-face with such a terrifying enemy ¡ª thankfully, the enemy hadn¡¯t intended to harm her, but now, how was she to explain this to her teacher¡­ ¡°No.¡± But to Nanoka¡¯s surprise, Fang Zheng shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to let you go, hmm¡­ I¡¯ve just had a better idea.¡± While speaking, Fang Zheng walked over to the girl with a pale face and watched her with a smile. ¡°From today on, you are our captive.¡± Then he proclaimed. Chapter 218 - Chapter 218: Chapter 217 Unlucky Fire Mist Warrior Chapter 218: Chapter 217 Unlucky Fire Mist Warrior Nanoka felt truly tragic. It had taken so much determination to pass the trial and form a contract with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, becoming a Fire Mist Warrior. Yet, to her dismay, her very first battle had ended in a catastrophic defeat, and to make matters worse, she had become a captive¡­ Well, being a captive was one thing, but this¡­ ¡°Do I really have to dress like this? I feel, I feel so ashamed¡­¡± As Nanoka looked down at the maid outfit she was wearing, her face flushed red, while Tilia gave her a scornful glance upon hearing her words. ¡°You are now a servant to Elder Brother and me, so naturally you must dress the part¡­ Besides, I think this outfit suits you much better than what you wore before, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Nanoka let out a wail. As Tilia had pointed out, Nanoka was indeed dressed in a classic maid outfit that consisted of a black dress and a white apron with lace trim, the skirt extending down to her calf. This could be considered quite conservative compared to the ultra-short skirt Nanoka used to wear, which barely reached her thighs and occasionally revealed a tantalizing glimpse of her ¡°absolute territory.¡± ¡°A servant¡¯s attire reflects the taste and upbringing of the master. Do you really want to wear something shameless that would tarnish the style of Elder Brother and me?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­!!¡± Nanoka by now was beet red and quivering, unable to utter a word in reply to her contract Demon King ¡ª though she might have found her usual attire unproblematic, the sharp criticism from Tilia had struck a nerve. The thought of having walked the streets in such a revealing miniskirt made her cringe with embarrassment¡­ Ah, she felt doomed to be unwed! ¡°Elder Brother, where shall we dine later?¡± ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s a restaurant mentioned in this magazine with lamb that¡¯s supposed to be excellent¡­ I plan to check it out.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.?¦Ï ¡°Very well, Elder Brother¡­ Nanoka.¡± ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°You really have no sense of being a maid at all.¡± Looking at Nanoka who stood beside her, Tilia wore a look of ¡°disappointed yet not surprised.¡± ¡°As a servant, when your master expresses a need, isn¡¯t it your job to do your best to fulfill it? Quickly go and reserve a table at that restaurant. Elder Brother and I will be dining there.¡± ¡°But, but at this time¡­ I fear there won¡¯t be any tables available.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem. If Elder Brother and I arrive at the restaurant and you have not secured a seat¡­¡± While speaking, Tilia narrowed her eyes, her gaze coldly fixated on Nanoka like a snake eyeing its prey. Under the intense scrutiny of Tilia, Nanoka trembled, her face pale and dripping with sweat. ¡°I¡¯ll go right now!!¡± Having said that, Nanoka turned and bolted into the crowd as if fleeing for her life. ¡°Ah¡­ To panic like that, it seems I need to intensify her education.¡± Watching Nanoka¡¯s retreating figure with a sly smile, Tilia was quite pleased to decide the unfortunate Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s fate. ¡°Tilia, you seem to be having quite a bit of fun.¡± Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of the blonde girl beside him looking so elated. Upon hearing his voice, Tilia immediately turned around and clung tightly to Fang Zheng¡¯s arm, looking up at him. ¡°But Elder Brother, it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll ever find another Fire Mist Warrior as entertaining as her, right? If I don¡¯t take this opportunity to have a little fun, I¡¯ll surely regret it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Fang Zheng nodded in agreement with Tilia¡¯s response. The reason Nanoka hadn¡¯t left their side or attempted to escape was not because Fang Zheng and Tilia had cursed her or taken away her weapons. Instead, Fang Zheng had threatened her with Tilia¡¯s menace. If he noticed her running away, then Tilia would resort to feasting on humans. Previous Fire Mist Warriors might have not cared at all, choosing instead to fight Fang Zheng to the death. But Nanoka had agreed with a depressed and helpless nod. This indicated that the newly-minted Fire Mist Warrior was truly different from those who came before her. She seemed to view the role of a Fire Mist Warrior as a ¡°guardian of world peace,¡± similar to that of a Magical Girl. Therefore, for Nanoka, sacrificing her own interests for the greater good was an essential quality of being a Fire Mist Warrior. Hmm? How did Fang Zheng know this? Because he had seen the complete sets of Magical Girl comics and DVDs in her backpack¡­ It was unexpected to find that this Fire Mist Warrior also had otaku attributes. And then there was Shana ¡ª one could only marvel at the stark contrast. Despite appearing weak, Fang Zheng thought this Fire Mist Warrior was not weak at all. The Demon King of the Crimson Realm who had contracted with Nanoka was called ¡°Heart of Myriad Skills¡± Sanya, also the one who bestowed her with power. According to Sanya herself, she chose Nanoka because her power attributes matched well with hers ¡ª incidentally, this was also another reason why it was difficult for Fire Mist Warriors to emerge, because Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm couldn¡¯t just contract with anyone. The human, serving as the ¡°container,¡± had to harmonize with the Demon King¡¯s vibrations. ¡°` Shana was considered a Contractor because only she had the capacity to harbor and fully release the immense power of the ¡°Catastrophic Fire.¡± Just as Shana could manipulate fire, Nanoka had the ability to manipulate machinery¡ªshe could utilize existing metal materials to reassemble and equip devices and weapons according to her will. That was the origin of the previously seen battle armor and the machine gun. In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, this was quite impressive. It should be noted that due to the influence of Sealing, all modern weapons were unusable within the Sealed areas. This was the reason why most Fire Mist Warriors chose to fight with melee weapons or use the Free Method. Of course, occasionally they would utilize modern weapon-shaped Noble Phantasms, but that was because the Noble Phantasms were inherently in that form. But Nanoka¡¯s power meant that she could create various types of disposable ¡°Noble Phantasms¡± to use anytime and anywhere. She could make cannons, airplanes, tanks, machine guns, grenades, and various other weapons, as well as create radars for searching and sealed battle network structures. If possible, she could even produce remotely controlled drones to engage in Legion-scale mode combat. Fang Zheng was certain that given some time, Nanoka would undoubtedly become a powerful Fire Mist Warrior, not inferior to Shana at all. Regrettably, this child was fated for hardship, just like Pang Tong, to die before achieving success¡­ she was directly captured by Fang Zheng at Fallen Phoenix Slope. The reason she appeared so weak was that, in Fang Zheng¡¯s view, Nanoka had not yet formed her own battle style; it was a bit like improvising as the fight went on. Of course, another reason might be watching too many Magical Girl comics¡­ after all, boldly appearing in front of the enemy and declaring oneself, then transforming on the spot¡­ Yup, this kind of scenario only happens in comics. Hmm? At this moment, Fang Zheng suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distance, while Tilia slightly furrowed her brows. ¡°Her luck really is terrible.¡± ¡°Really, as a servant, bringing trouble to the master is not acceptable. What should we do, Elder Brother?¡± ¡°Of course, we should help out. It¡¯s not easy to find a servant; we can¡¯t just let her hang here.¡± If Nanoka could hear Fang Zheng¡¯s words, she would definitely agree wholeheartedly. Because her luck was indeed terrible. Originally, she chose to cut through the alleyways to save time, but what Nanoka didn¡¯t expect was to encounter a Follower of the Crimson Realm ¡°feeding¡± here. It should be mentioned here that Followers of the Crimson Realm don¡¯t necessarily open ¡°Sealings¡± in order to feed. Many times, they prefer not to deploy a Sealing and directly consume humans instead. Deploying a Sealing means they are likely to be discovered by Fire Mist Warriors. In comparison, consuming humans in the real world¡ªif done quietly and in small numbers without causing too much commotion¡ªis somewhat safer. ¡°I never expected to encounter a Fire Mist Warrior here.¡± Standing in front of Nanoka, a man dressed like an unconventional thug sneered as he stared at her. He opened his mouth and casually stuffed the torn lower half of a man beside him into his maw¡ª and in the instant that body entered his mouth, the man¡¯s body started to transform into wisps of Power of Existence¡¯s flames, like being sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, disappearing into the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Seeing this scene, Nanoka¡¯s face turned somewhat pale. Although the scene of a Follower of the Crimson Realm consuming a human wasn¡¯t bloody, even less ¡°intense¡± than some R-rated splatter movies, the sight of a living person being ¡°eaten¡± still sent a shock through her. What should she do? Unlike Shana who could directly summon a Divine Artifact to fight, Nanoka did not have weapons readily available to use. All her weapons and equipment had to be assembled in advance by her own power. And due to a lack of combat experience, Nanoka had never anticipated that she would encounter a Follower of the Crimson Realm on such an unlikely path. What was she to do? Was she supposed to fight with bare hands? As she stared at the Follower of the Crimson Realm before her, Nanoka couldn¡¯t help but clench her teeth. She felt an inexplicable fear as the figure merely observed her, as if a fierce beast was about to snap at her neck with its gaping jaws. Could this be what true Followers of the Crimson Realm were like? Just as Nanoka had previously told Fang Zheng, she was just a novice. Although she had once followed her teacher into battle against Followers of the Crimson Realm, she had only watched from a distance. As for her fight with Fang Zheng and Tilia, since neither of them intended to kill her, Nanoka didn¡¯t feel any murderous intent. To her, it was merely a fight. But now, this was a battle for life and death. ¡°¡­¡± Realizing this, Nanoka suddenly felt an inexplicable fear emerge deep within her heart, and she instinctively stepped back. At that moment, seeing Nanoka¡¯s move, the Follower of the Crimson Realm¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Hahaha, I was wondering why you were so obedient. Turns out you¡¯re just a rookie, huh!¡± The Follower of the Crimson Realm opened his mouth, revealing a ferocious smile, and glared maliciously at Nanoka. ¡°Just perfect, you¡¯ll become food for my ¡®Wild Hunt¡¯ Bafica. Die, Fire Mist Warrior!¡± With a roar, the Follower of the Crimson Realm leaped forward, pouncing towards the girl. And at the same time, a golden blaze suddenly emerged, enveloping the entire space. ¡°` Chapter 219 - Chapter 219: Chapter 218: The Key to Everything Chapter 219: Chapter 218: The Key to Everything Sealing?! As the golden radiance suddenly appeared, both the Follower of the Crimson Realm and Nanoka were shocked. However, before they could react, the ground in front of Nanoka cracked open, and several vines emerged abruptly, entwining the Follower of the Crimson Realm, who had pounced toward Nanoka, like pythons. ¡°Is this¡­ Tilia?¡± Indeed.¡± Accompanied by the sound of her voice, Tilia, holding a Western-style umbrella, walked over from behind Nanoka. ¡°I thought you had encountered some trouble, but it turned out to be just a minor minion¡­ Can¡¯t you even handle this?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hearing Tilia¡¯s words, Nanoka lowered her head, feeling a bit downcast. If it had been before, she would have definitely argued back, but now, she couldn¡¯t utter a word, as Tilia was absolutely right. Even among the Followers of the Crimson Realm, there was a hierarchy. At the very top were the three most powerful Demon Gods of the Crimson Realm. Aralastor, who had contracted with Shana as the Punishment Deity, was one of them, followed by the Enchanted beings subordinate to these three deities, such as the renowned Three Pillars from the ¡°Masquerade Ball¡± under the God of Creation. The next level down was comprised of the powerful Kings of the Crimson Realm, among whom Faliagni and the current Tilia belonged. During her travels with Fang Zheng, Tilia had also absorbed quite a bit of the Power of Existence from the ¡°Zero Hour Resurgence,¡± and her power was now not much inferior to that of the ¡°Hunter¡± Faliagni. Those at the base of the Pyramid were the true ¡°Followers¡± of the Crimson Realm. Their power was not strong. Though stronger than humans, they were incomparable to the beings of the Fire Mist Warriors and Kings of the Crimson Realm. If the hierarchy were divided according to human classes, the three Demon Gods would be akin to deities, their Enchanted beings would be kings ruling over continents, the Kings of the Crimson Realm would be independent lords within a nation, and the Followers of the Crimson Realm would be the commoners within a lord¡¯s domain. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?0.§ã? Both Sanya, who had contracted with Nanoka, and Tilia at Fang Zheng¡¯s side belonged to the level of the Kings of the Crimson Realm and were almost above average. Logically speaking, to deal with such a minor ¡°Follower,¡± either of them could crush him with a single finger, but¡­ ¡°You really are unfortunate, saddled with such an incompetent contractor. Compared to you, that annoying girl Shana at least doesn¡¯t go easy when it¡¯s time to fight.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t speak ill of Nanoka.¡± Facing Tilia¡¯s mockery, Sanya weakly retorted. ¡°Nanoka is working hard; she just¡­ lacks experience¡­¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it your responsibility as a contractor to teach her? I really don¡¯t know what you were thinking when you contracted with her.¡± The two seemed to completely ignore the unfortunate bound Follower, just talking among themselves. Or maybe, it was just Tilia lecturing Nanoka and Sanya. As a Follower of the Crimson Realm, having the opportunity to scold one¡¯s enemies as if they were grandchildren must have been quite enjoyable for Tilia. ¡°Alright, stop quarreling. Experience is something that needs to be nurtured slowly.¡± Accompanied by his voice, Fang Zheng also walked over, gently tapped on Tilia¡¯s head, then looked toward the Follower of the Crimson Realm, furrowing his brows slightly. ¡°Did he eat a human?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng!¡± Hearing this, Nanoka, who had been silent, hurriedly answered. ¡°I¡­ I just encountered him eating a human here¡­ He¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After listening to Nanoka¡¯s account, Fang Zheng nodded, then slowly walked over to the bound Follower of the Crimson Realm, reaching into his chest to pull out a notebook. ¡°Hmm¡­ So, Mr. Follower of the Crimson Realm, you wouldn¡¯t mind me asking you a few questions, would you?¡± ¡°Questions¡­¡± Looking at the man appearing before him, the unfortunate Follower of the Crimson Realm was utterly bewildered. If initially, he could accept Nanoka¡¯s appearance, then everything that happened afterwards completely baffled him. Normally, the Followers of the Crimson Realm each pursued their own agendas, rarely hurting each other. The conflicts were relentless between the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warriors. But what was the deal with these people in front of him? Humans, Followers of the Crimson Realm, Fire Mist Warriors, these existences that should belong to different races were standing together so harmoniously. Not only did the Follower dare to critique the Fire Mist Warrior to her face, but she also could only listen, more importantly, from their behavior, it seemed that this human was actually the core member? Wait! Humans¡­ Followers of the Crimson Realm¡­ Speaking of which, there had indeed been rumors recently¡­ ¡°You¡­ You are ¡®Voyagers¡¯?!¡± Thinking of this, the Follower of the Crimson Realm suddenly turned pale, breaking out in a cold sweat. Hearing his inquiry, Fang Zheng frowned. ¡°¡­ If I find out who gave us this nickname, I promise not to kill him.¡± Honestly, when Fang Zheng first heard this nickname for himself and Tilia, he was speechless. The nickname was really awful. He didn¡¯t expect something as lengthy as ¡°Fiery Eye Crusader,¡± but at least something cooler would suffice. What the hell was ¡°Voyager¡±? I¡¯m not playing soccer in the English Championship¡­ Well, it¡¯s still better than ¡°The Black and White Death¡± or ¡°Heroic Couples¡± anyway. ¡°So, please answer a few questions for me.¡± Fang Zheng casually flipped open the notebook, then picked up a pen. ¡°I would like to ask, what is your view of humans?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Facing Mr. Fang Zheng¡¯s question, the Follower of the Crimson Realm didn¡¯t know how to respond at first, but Fang Zheng seemed to sense something. He just glanced at the other person and then nodded his head. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to say anything; I¡¯ve already gotten my answer. So, what do you think about the Fire Mist Warriors?¡± ¡°Those guys are nothing more than a bunch of tools!¡± As soon as the Fire Mist Warriors were mentioned, the Follower of the Crimson Realm in front of him began to complain incessantly. ¡°They were merely created by our brethren, a blade of betrayal wielded against our own people! I have nothing good to say about these enemies!¡± ¡°What, it was you who first disturbed the world¡¯s balance. If it weren¡¯t for that, we wouldn¡¯t have resorted to these measures!¡± Hearing this, Sanya immediately became agitated. ¡°But this is a matter of this world, what does it have to do with you? We came to the new world to explore and appreciate, and you just hide in the Crimson Realm, obstructing our actions with cowardly and despicable methods¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we are cleaning up your messes. Why do you have to act recklessly in the new world!¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t ask you to do all this! After all, what the humans of this world will become, what does it have to do with you?!¡± The bound Follower of the Crimson Realm and Sanya kept arguing back and forth, while Fang Zheng held his notebook, beginning to record their conversation. ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± Watching the earnestly recording Fang Zheng, Nanoka couldn¡¯t help but peek over curiously, while Fang Zheng simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m studying the relationship between the Followers of the Crimson Realm and humans¡­ Yes, it seems, I¡¯ve almost figured out the thoughts of these Followers of the Crimson Realm.¡± ¡°Thoughts?¡± Hearing this, Nanoka became even more interested. ¡°What thoughts?¡± ¡°Have you watched science fiction movies? We just need to change our way of thinking. For example, let¡¯s say we humans learned interstellar travel and then discovered a new planet teeming with life. There are countless minerals and riches there, and at the same time, that planet also has its own civilized species, but their civilization level is lower than Earth¡¯s, and because of that, the two sides can¡¯t interact equally. To extract resources from that planet, the fleet sent by Earth begins mining the minerals, destroying forests. This causes the native indigenous people to struggle to continue living, and they start to retaliate with spears and bows. But against Earth¡¯s advanced technology, these primitive weapons naturally have no effect.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then looked at Nanoka with a slight smile. ¡°Then, these events are sent back to Earth, sparking opposition from another group of people. They believe that the local indigenous people also have their own human rights, and that Earthlings must respect them. So these people start to protest, they even go to that planet, teaching the indigenous people to use Earth¡¯s advanced technologies to fight the mining villains. And this, this is our current situation.¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡­¡± Nanoka widened her eyes in surprise, staring at Fang Zheng in disbelief, while Fang Zheng nodded. ¡°Yes, in this story, those who came to mine the planet¡¯s resources are the Followers of the Crimson Realm, those stopping them are the Fire Mist Warriors, and we¡­¡­¡± At this point, Fang Zheng pointed at himself and Nanoka. ¡°¡­¡­are the native indigenous of that planet. So now, what do you think?¡± ¡°This, I¡­¡­¡± Faced with Fang Zheng¡¯s question, Nanoka didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. The example was too straightforward and relatable that it almost seemed unreal. The education she received from the outside had always been about the destruction caused by the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the maintenance of balance and such. But to be honest, these were too lofty, so much so that Nanoka had no real sense of them. On the other hand, the example Fang Zheng provided made her instantly understand the root of the problem. ¡°Then, Mr. Fang Zheng, what do you think?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Hearing Nanoka¡¯s counter-question, Fang Zheng smiled slightly. ¡°I am a human.¡± Saying this, Fang Zheng raised his hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°Tilia, take action.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Before Fang Zheng¡¯s words had even finished, the always quiet Tilia who stood by suddenly raised her umbrella and ruthlessly impaled the endlessly bickering Follower of the Crimson Realm¡¯s body. The next moment, the vines wrapped around the Follower of the Crimson Realm spun like blades, tearing it into pieces. In the blink of an eye, the Follower of the Crimson Realm was thus banished from this world, and the Power of Existence remaining was completely absorbed by Tilia¡¯s umbrella, vanishing without a trace. Because this scene was too sudden, even Sanya didn¡¯t react immediately, let alone Nanoka. ¡°In my homeland, there¡¯s an old saying.¡± Fang Zheng withdrew his gaze, looking ahead¡ª¡ª¡ªat this moment, the golden Sealing began to gradually unravel. ¡°Good liquor for friends who come, hunting guns for foes¡­ see, it¡¯s just that simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chapter 220 - Chapter 220: Chapter 219: The Fight of Chuunibyou Chapter 220: Chapter 219: The Fight of Chuunibyou The cold air blew in her face, carrying a flurry of snowflakes that clouded her vision. The next moment, a giant axe suddenly emerged from amidst the snowflakes, chopping towards the young girl in front of it. ¡°Nanoka!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Hearing her companion¡¯s warning, Nanoka forcefully leaped backward, dodging the strike of the giant axe. She raised both hands, and soon, two pitch-black, nearly one-meter-long mechanical constructs, following Nanoka¡¯s movements, began to move swiftly in front of her, intersecting and blocking her front. Then, they started spinning rapidly, and the next moment, countless rounds of ammunition spewed out, fiercely shooting towards the enemy in front of her. ¡°Clang clang clang!!¡± The bullet storm struck the enormous three-meter-tall skeleton in front of them, sparking a series of sparks. Under the barrage of bullets, the movements of the axe-wielding Necromancer also trembled. ¡°Now¡¯s the time!¡± Watching the enemy halt in its tracks, Nanoka clenched the button in her right hand tightly. ¡°Boom!!¡± With her action, a burst of flames suddenly erupted at the spot where the undead creature had stopped, enveloping its massive figure. Seeing this, Nanoka excitedly clasped her hands together and swung them down forcefully. ¡°We did it!¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.§ã¦Ï ¡°Watch out!!¡± Before Sanya¡¯s words had finished, Nanoka saw a dark silhouette suddenly spin towards her from the dancing snowflakes in front of her. This unexpected sight startled the girl, and almost instinctively, she screamed, then covered her head with her hands and awkwardly fell face-first into the snowy ground. The spinning axe whistled past, grazing her scalp. The chill it raised was enough to make her shiver. ¡°Roar!!¡± But this was not the end. Accompanied by a roar, the battered undead creature lunged forward again, having lost the weapon in its hand. Yet even so, the undead creature continued fearlessly moving forward, seemingly intent on tearing its prey into shreds with its bare hands. ¡°Counterattack, quick counterattack, Nanoka!¡± ¡°I know, I know, don¡¯t rush me! I can do this!!¡± While shouting, Nanoka flipped over from the snowy ground and stood up. She reached for her waist, drawing out a rifle. Whether due to nervousness or something else, her fingers trembled incessantly, making it impossible to release the safety, or even to pull the rifle¡¯s bolt, which had become extremely difficult. ¡°Thud, thud, thud!!¡± The Necromancer was getting closer, and Nanoka¡¯s hands seemed to be frozen, mechanically gripping the bolt yet unable to pull it. ¡°Na, Nanoka!¡± ¡°I can do it, I can do it!!¡± The girl gritted her teeth, murmuring as if hypnotizing herself. Then, as if she had used all her strength, she suddenly pulled the rifle bolt and raised the weapon in her hands, aiming at the enemy now close at hand. Then, she forcefully pulled the trigger. ¡°Bang!!¡± The massive undead creature stopped its movements, its body tipping forward. Its hollow eye sockets stared fixedly at the pale-faced Nanoka. Then, the next moment, its skeleton started to shatter and scatter, melting into white flames that disappeared into the air. Only then did Nanoka let out a long breath, and she sat down on the cold snowy ground, gasping for air. ¡°Not too bad.¡± Accompanying this voice, Fang Zheng leisurely walked up, looking at the young girl in front of him. ¡°Yes, Elder Brother, compared to the time when my head got chopped off by the axe, it¡¯s indeed much better.¡± And Tilia, holding an umbrella, clearly wouldn¡¯t miss any chance to strike at the Fire Mist Warrior. ¡°Ugh ¡­¡± Hearing Tilia¡¯s response, Nanoka couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Of course, she hadn¡¯t really had her head chopped off; in fact, if Nanoka hadn¡¯t dodged, the previous attack would have shattered the moment it touched her. But that would have meant the girl¡¯s ¡°death¡± in battle yet again. And what she was facing now was one of Tilia¡¯s peculiar punishments. ¡°However, you still need to improve your attacking moves.¡± Looking at the two dainty drones hovering near Nanoka, Fang Zheng shook his head too. Nanoka¡¯s abilities were not bad, but there was one very prominent issue, which was that she had to ¡°think¡± that this thing should be used in a certain way for it to actually work effectively. Put simply, it was like a gun. Nanoka didn¡¯t need to understand aerodynamics or the specific principles of firearms, but she needed to have a clear concept in her mind that ¡°a gun fires bullets after the trigger is pulled,¡± and then the firearms she created would function as such. There was one occasion, due to being overly panicked, that led to Nanoka creating a weapon where pulling the trigger resulted in a stream of water¡ªwell, after all, most people have vivid memories of playing with water guns as children. Indeed, the biggest problem with Nanoka¡¯s powers lay not only in the requirement for her to imagine wildly but also in needing her to firmly believe in the results of her wild ideas¡ªput simply, she needed to be extremely delusional. For a sensible good child, this was truly difficult. Even with these two drones, it was only after Fang Zheng persuaded and explained to Nanoka to accept the common sense transformation of ¡°drone = remotely operated model airplane = fighter jet¡± that she was able to create them. However¡­ ¡°As for their power, it¡¯s still too weak.¡± ¡°Please, please don¡¯t say so.¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s sighs, Sanya immediately became anxious. ¡°Nanoka has already done very well, this child has been working hard¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she wouldn¡¯t have become like this if not for Elder Brother¡¯s teachings.¡± ¡°Wuuu¡­¡± This time, Sanya couldn¡¯t utter another word. As Tilia pointed out, since that unexpected encounter with the Follower of the Crimson Realm, Fang Zheng had begun training Nanoka on the grounds that she was too weak¡ªhis training method was simple, he directly enacted Sealing, threw Nanoka into the Icecrown Citadel, and then had her fight several elite monsters. Initially, Nanoka¡¯s performance was quite poor, but now¡­ she had finally begun to slowly learn how to control the rhythm in battle. But the problem was¡­ ¡°No, the things you create are not powerful enough.¡± Since she did not have a Noble Phantasm like Shana¡¯s greatsword (Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t remember what it was called), Nanoka had to craft weapons on the spot during every battle. However, the weapons she hurriedly made were always the most common things in ordinary people¡¯s perceptions, such as guns or grenades. Of course, her proudest creation was still the Mecha she wore when she first met Fang Zheng and Tilia. According to Nanoka, that was an inspiration she got after watching a certain animation. Unfortunately, she could never make it again. The reason was simple, when Nanoka made that Mecha, she truly believed it was a very sturdy armor that could protect her from harm. As a result¡­ her fantasy was ruthlessly shattered when Tilia pinned her to the ground and rubbed her face in it. That failure meant for Nanoka much more than just an external failure; it was also a shock to her originally unshakable inner belief. This directly led to the complete collapse of her ¡°impregnable¡± impression, and without a strong will, she naturally couldn¡¯t make similar Battle Armor again. Purely put, it was the story of a delusional young girl losing her power after being taught a lesson¡­ well, it was truly a sad story. ¡°All in all, it appears that what is most crucial now is updating your concepts.¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and quickly, the snowflakes dancing in the sky disappeared without a trace, and the luxurious Presidential Suite reappeared beside the three of them. ¡°It seems we must pull out all the stops.¡± Looking at the young girl in front of him, Fang Zheng sighed, then reached out his hand, and pulled a laptop out of thin air and tossed it to Nanoka. ¡°Mr. Fang Zheng?¡± ¡°Take it, finish the games inside, then come find me.¡± ¡°Games? Video games?¡± ¡°Yes, haven¡¯t you played before?¡± ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t¡­ ¡± ¡°Go try it out; you might discover something.¡± ¡°This¡­ ¡± Hearing this, Nanoka hesitated, looking at Fang Zheng then at the laptop in her hands, and wanted to say something else, but eventually, she obediently nodded her head. ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 221 - Chapter 221: Chapter 220: The Plucked Strings Chapter 221: Chapter 220: The Plucked Strings ¡°Do I really have to play this, Sanya?¡± Gazing at the computer in front of her, Nanoka looked like she was on the verge of tears. She had never been interested in computer games, yet, compared to other Fire Mist Warriors, as a modern girl who grew up in contemporary society, Nanoka was at least not totally unfamiliar with these things. But¡­ this computer looks a bit odd, doesn¡¯t it? Sanya was no stranger to computers, but the laptop Fang Zheng had given her looked different from any model she remembered; its appearance resembled a thin photo album more than the typical laptop. Moreover, when opened, the display didn¡¯t show on the screen but was projected onto a virtual screen in the air. Indeed, this wasn¡¯t an appliance from the World of Shana but a high-tech gadget that Fang Zheng had brought back from the Edge of Tomorrow world. In the high-tech realms of the Edge of Tomorrow, Fang Zheng had gathered quite a trove of entertaining gear, and hadn¡¯t passed up on any of these gadgets. However, considering their unique nature, Fang Zheng found it inappropriate to use them in the Main World, but they were suitable for killing some time in the Dimensional World. Otherwise, how had he endured the long interstellar trips in the Ironblood warrior world? It could be that the properties of the plane gave an advantage to the civilization of that world, so most of the games and films in the Edge of Tomorrow world were of the science fiction genre. Some of them were familiar to Fang Zheng, but there were also many that he hadn¡¯t heard of, unique to that world. But regardless, having new games to play was always something to be excited about, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Wow¡­ so many, Sanya, which one should we play?¡± ¡°How about the one with the circle in the middle?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Heeding her partner¡¯s suggestion, Nanoka nodded, then stretched out her hand and pressed on the virtual screen as instructed. Soon, the scene in front of them changed, and within the boundless universe, a massive steel warship slowly emerged and sailed forward. ¡°Cortana, I just need to know, have we shaken them off yet?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 ¡°I think we both know the answer.¡± Along with the dialogue, a whole new world slowly unfolded before the girls. For single folks, gaming is the best entertainment, but for Fang Zheng, he had an even better way to pass the time. Opening his eyes, the first thing Fang Zheng felt was the warm, petite body of a girl in his arms ¨C Tilia curled up against his chest like a small animal, sinking into deep sleep in his embrace. Through the neon light shining from outside, one could distinctly see the girl¡¯s porcelain-white skin, bare outside her semi-transparent pink nightgown, wrapping her undeveloped, tender body, exuding a fatal allure. Ah¡­ this is indeed hard to resist. Gazing at the angelically cute face of the girl with her eyes closed in sleep, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but lick his lips. Although Tilia had never explicitly told him, Fang Zheng was well aware of why she ran to sleep with him every day. In fact, more than once, Tilia had hinted, ¡°Elder Brother, you can do anything to me,¡± but Fang Zheng had yet to truly pluck this delightful fruit. It wasn¡¯t a case of neither the heart nor strength, nor was it his concern that he could be jailed for three years. To put it precisely¡­ it probably still counted as a sort of premonition. Fang Zheng could faintly sense that Tilia¡¯s demands were not entirely of her own volition but seemed more like desires driven by some force. If put another way, it was as if ¡°My setting is to give everything to Elder Brother, so please accept me,¡± was her situation. Rather than a sister deeply in love with her brother, it was more akin to the professional spirit of someone in a particular occupation ¨C because the client has paid, I must welcome and accept whatever the client does with a smile. This was precisely why Fang Zheng could foresee that if he were to lose control and pounce on her, their relationship might forever be frozen on the level of ¡°master and hired servant,¡± which seemed acceptable but would always carry a certain barrier. Just like the Little Angel Nymph, who initially respected Fang Zheng deeply and seemed willing to die for him, in reality, it was also a kind of ¡°exchange.¡± Therefore, when she lost the chains, the Little Angel appeared quite frightened and uneasy. Only after spending a few days with Fang Zheng in the snow-covered cabin did she truly accept him, and before Fang Zheng left this time, she took the initiative to offer to stay in the Main World to look after Fang Zheng¡¯s ¡°property,¡± which Fang Zheng considered a normal relationship. His situation with Tilia was similar to this. If he could restrain himself for the time being, their feelings for each other might deepen, and when Tilia was truly ready to accept him, it would not be too late to make a move. Truthfully, Fang Zheng was quite expectant of this. After all, in his own world, Fang Zheng had never done anything like this¡­ Otherwise, his only fate would have been detention centers and prison. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Fang Zheng exhaled lightly, shifting his attention from Tilia¡¯s adorable sleeping face to the ceiling. He couldn¡¯t keep looking, as the little temptress was too alluring and made it easy to commit crimes. He needed to distract himself with something else, perhaps¡­ that Soulstone. With that thought, Fang Zheng reached out and reopened the Dimensional Codex, summoning the still-sealed Soulstone. Looking at the Soulstone in front of him, Fang Zheng suddenly had an idea. Why not try putting this Soulstone in? It seemed like a sign, or perhaps a flash of inspiration. In any case, Fang Zheng hesitated only for a moment before unfolding the Codex, reaching out, and guiding the Soulstone slowly into the slot, and with a ¡°click,¡± he replaced the original ¡°Arthas¡± Soulstone. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± The moment he replaced the Soulstone, Fang Zheng once again felt a strange shiver, a pitch-black, icy power flowing through the Soulstone into his body, then quickly disappearing. This was the inevitable reaction when switching Soulstones, but beyond that¡ª¡ªFang Zheng didn¡¯t feel anything else. He didn¡¯t receive the memories of the other, like he did when activating other Soulstones, nor did he feel any usable skills or powers. So without breaking the seal, it really couldn¡¯t be used? Faced with this outcome, Fang Zheng could only shrug helplessly, but as he was about to reach out and remove the Soulstone, suddenly, a voice emerged in Fang Zheng¡¯s ears. The heavy Stone Gate slowly descended. In the infinite, transparent black universe, a luxurious Crystal Palace drifted. At the end of staircases as clear as crystal, formed by columns on a high platform, knelt a girl wearing a loose white robe and a large white hat, her hands tightly clasped in front of her chest, her expression calm and devout as she prayed. She prayed and called towards the infinite depths, towards the rift between the two worlds, towards that supreme existence. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Just then, the girl suddenly opened her eyes, her azure eyes glowing with excitement and joy. Then she closed her eyes again, kneeling tightly on the ground. ¡°Alliance Hierarch¡­ You have finally heard my voice¡­¡± Accompanied by the girl¡¯s praying voice, clear tear drops traced her cheeks, falling to the ground. Chapter 222 - Chapter 222: Chapter 221 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Part 1) Chapter 222: Chapter 221 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Part 1) ¡°Haaa¡­¡­¡± Following behind Fang Zheng and Tilia, Nanoka couldn¡¯t stop yawning, looking utterly exhausted. ¡°Do Fire Mist Warriors also get tired?¡± Amusedly watching Nanoka, who seemed to be sleepwalking, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t as displeased as Tilia. Since this girl had become obsessed with video games, she hadn¡¯t closed her eyes for several days in a row. Apart from running errands for Fang Zheng and Tilia during the day, Nanoka had been spending all her remaining time playing games. ¡°Fire Mist Warriors might not need to eat, but they still need to rest their minds. Lately, Nanoka has been playing way too much¡­¡± King Sanya of the Crimson Realm, attached to Nanoka¡¯s bracelet, couldn¡¯t help but complain, while Nanoka just pouted. ¡°What can I do, the game is just too fun. I really want to know what happens next, like who built that ¡®Aura¡¯ and why there is a Hongmo sealed there, and the Forerunner¡¯s equipment, and¡­ Oh, right, Sanya, from now on can I call you Cortana, please?¡± ¡°I refuse!!¡± Hearing this, Sanya instantly bristled. ¡°I am your Contractor! Nanoka, wake up a bit. That ¡®Cortana¡¯ is just an AI, similar to a ¡®Phosphorus¡¯ presence! And I¡¯m not any less than Cortana! I am the noble King of the Crimson Realm! You really think I¡¯m inferior to an AI?!¡± ¡°Really, you¡¯ve lost all the face of the Followers of the Crimson Realm.¡± As she clung to Fang Zheng¡¯s arm, Tilia also didn¡¯t forget to constantly strike at Sanya, much like that Follower of the Crimson Realm Fang Zheng had eliminated earlier. She believed that those Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm who contracted with Fire Mist Warriors were essentially acting as executioners who helped outsiders slaughter their kin¡­ well, it¡¯s like seeing a translator who, while smiling respectfully next to the enemy, says, ¡®This way please, my lord¡¯. It¡¯s just downright irksome. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í??.§ã0 Therefore, Tilia took every chance to mock Sanya, and Sanya, clearly not as quick-witted as Tilia, could only helplessly endure the sarcasm. ¡°However, speaking of which¡­ Elder Brother, have you noticed? The bugs that have been secretly watching us have increased.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve noticed it too.¡± Upon hearing Tilia¡¯s whisper, Fang Zheng nodded and then discreetly glanced behind them. Ever since they had entered this area, they had been under the covert surveillance of Fire Mist Warriors. At first, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t care too much, thinking these Fire Mist Warriors had simply learned their lesson, given his and Tilia¡¯s burgeoning reputations. Any rational Fire Mist Warrior would think twice before troubling them. But as time passed, the number of Fire Mist Warriors trailing them didn¡¯t decrease but increased instead, which struck Fang Zheng as strange. According to what Shana had said at the time, there is generally only one Fire Mist Warrior in charge of an area. Others would leave if they detected a fellow¡¯s presence. However, according to Tilia and Nanoka, this area was very peaceful, with no Fire Mist Warriors or Followers of the Crimson Realm, so theoretically, it shouldn¡¯t be attracting so many Fire Mist Warriors. And with that, the reason they had gathered together became clear. He bore no hatred towards the Fire Mist Warrior, but that didn¡¯t matter because just yesterday, Shana had called him and revealed something to him. He had the news of the Zero Hour Resurgence, and for some reason, it had already spread; now, most of the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warriors were aware of it. Strictly speaking, this could be traced back to Shana, since it was she who had submitted the report to the outside world. However, at that time, Shana and Fang Zheng were not very familiar with each other, and she was still a ¡°qualified Fire Mist Warrior,¡± obliged to report on anyone possessing the Noble Phantasm of Zero Hour Resurgence. Indeed, it was after reading her report that Wilhelmina came to Goki City. Shana was no fool; after asking Wilhelmina, she knew the reason behind it and felt terribly sorry for Fang Zheng, even foregoing her usual haughtiness to call and apologize to him. Honestly, it was not Shana¡¯s fault, as she did not know at that time that the Followers of the Crimson Realm were also searching for the Zero Hour Resurgence; yet, since she was the one who had spilled the beans, Shana would not just let it slide. According to Shana, the Nordic division of the outer lodge seemed to plan on forcibly taking the Zero Hour Resurgence from him. Well, it seems these folks are just asking for trouble. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡ªjust a series of Gourd Kids, alas, there is no grandfather here for you to rescue. ¡°No worries, we¡¯ll go on our own.¡± Thinking this, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and then spoke. Hearing his reply, Tilia also revealed a sweet smile and tightly embraced Fang Zheng¡¯s arm. ¡°Ok, Elder Brother,¡± Accompanied by Tilia, Fang Zheng continued wandering the streets of this small town. They did not opt for any tourist attractions; for Fang Zheng, instead of going to the bustling tourist spots, he preferred wandering around in these small towns. In his view, traveling was all about experiencing the local culture and customs. And those tourist attractions were mostly for outsiders. Just like how not all African people live on trees or how Egyptians no longer use the Pyramids as tombs today, to feel the true flavor, one must delve into the masses, into the countryside, into the cultural life of the people¡­ahem, I digress. It was still morning in the small town, with few people on the streets. Following the cobblestone road, Fang Zheng and Tilia silently moved forward, admiring the scenery along the way. Nanoka, following them, yawned with her eyes half closed, moving as if sleepwalking. For her, the scenery here was just a part of daily life, something she was long accustomed to, and found nothing special. Next time I have a chance, I should take Nymph out for a stroll too. Watching Tilia alongside him, smiling sweetly, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but remember the Little Angel; of course, he didn¡¯t wish to favor one over the other. Since he didn¡¯t bring the Little Angel along this time, he would have to find time to make it up to her later. He wondered how the Little Angel was doing in the Main World, but fortunately, the Summoning Stone on the Dimensional Codex was intact, which meant the Little Angel should not have encountered any danger. Ah, if it weren¡¯t for that chain¡­ Thinking this, Fang Zheng suddenly felt irritated again. Although that woman¡¯s soul had been collected by Malthael, Fang Zheng still felt incredibly irritated when he thought about it. He wondered what it would cost to repair that chain. Or could he find similar clues in this world? ¡°Elder Brother?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Upon hearing Tilia¡¯s reminder, Fang Zheng¡¯s expression also darkened as he reigned in his drifting thoughts. He had already felt the seven Fire Mist Warriors converging on them from all directions. Clearly, they felt that the encirclement had formed and were ready to make their move. However, Fang Zheng obviously wouldn¡¯t let them act first. In the sealing, it was impossible to release a second seal, which was currently the greatest weakness of Fang Zheng¡¯s ability. If the opponent released their seal before him, then his own seal wouldn¡¯t be able to be deployed. Therefore, Fang Zheng almost never unveiled his seal before others, unless¡­ ¡°Seal.¡± In just the blink of an eye, the small town originally enveloped in green vanished into a vast snowy plain, where the cold wind, mingled with snowflakes, howled across the wilderness, striking those dumbstruck Fire Mist Warriors. ¡°Alright, you stalkers, it must¡¯ve been tiring following me all this way. Now, tell me, what do you want from me?¡± Fang Zheng stood in the midst of the snowy plain, coldly eyeing the Fire Mist Warriors surrounding him. Nanoka seemed still not to have snapped back to reality, just standing there dazed. Meanwhile, Tilia had already moved back a step with a smile, subtly positioning herself next to Nanoka. ¡°We are members of the foreign subsidiary in Eastern Europe.¡± Upon hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s question, one of the tall men in a suit, who was eyeing him darkly, spoke up. Although he had sensed that the seal Fang Zheng released was different from what they had anticipated, the eerie nature of the seal still unnerved him. After all, this seal seemed more suited for combat¡­ Even so, the man in the suit remained unshaken; he was an experienced Fire Mist Warrior, having battled the Followers of the Crimson Realm for centuries and had quite a reputation among the Fire Mist Warriors. What sort of tremendous storms hadn¡¯t he seen? How could he be perturbed by such trickery? ¡°We¡¯ve received intelligence that the Noble Phantasm ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯ is in your possession.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Fang Zheng clasped his hands behind his back, smiling slightly. ¡°I hope you will hand it over.¡± ¡°If you had heard a bit more, you should know¡­ that¡¯s impossible.¡± The smile on Fang Zheng¡¯s face remained unchanged, but the refusal in his tone was clear for all to hear. Upon his response, the man in the suit snorted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t think that having some slight power makes you all-important. This world is much bigger than you think. The ¡®Masquerade Ball¡¯ is searching for ¡®Zero Hour Resurgence¡¯. Although we don¡¯t know why those damn Followers of the Crimson Realm are so keen on this Noble Phantasm, since they are so focused on it, we must not let them succeed. In the worst-case scenario, even destroying this Noble Phantasm would be within reason.¡± ¡°Well said, but unfortunately, this is my property.¡± In response to the man in the suit, Fang Zheng remained unmoved. Looking at the unyielding Fang Zheng, the expressions of the fire mist warriors, led by the man in the suit, grew increasingly unfriendly. ¡°What do you mean by that? Do you think having this Noble Phantasm makes you more important than the world itself? Do you know how many times the Fire Mist Warriors have saved humanity? Without us, do you think you could still be living this life?¡± ¡°Did I ask you to?¡± ¡°¡­ What did you say?¡± Stunned by Fang Zheng¡¯s retort, the man was taken aback while Fang Zheng gave a cold smile. ¡°Did humanity ask you? Did you see any humans kneeling before you, saying ¡®please, save us¡¯? Did they say that? Did you do that? Did you save the world for humanity? I don¡¯t think so. The existence of you Fire Mist Warriors is for maintaining the balance of the world and seeking revenge, right? So do you truly care if humans live or die?¡± As he spoke, Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°¡­ In other words, if the Crimson Realm¡¯s Followers were devouring pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens instead of humans, then you would be fighting for them instead. So why should humanity be grateful for what you do? To you, whether they survive is just a byproduct of your goals. Since you yourself aren¡¯t fighting for humanity, aren¡¯t you now using this as a poor excuse?¡± ¡°¡­ It seems you¡¯ve been with the Crimson Realm¡¯s Followers too long and have lost human values.¡± The expression of the man in the suit had now turned as cold as millennia-old ice. ¡°Then, don¡¯t blame us for being impolite.¡± ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t be polite either.¡± ¡°Boom!!¡± As Fang Zheng¡¯s words fell, the icy plain suddenly trembled; then, right in front of the man in the suit, the surface of the ice, previously smooth as a mirror, suddenly shattered. A massive Skeleton Dragon then emerged, towering its head high and eying its prey. That¡¯s right, Fang Zheng normally wouldn¡¯t release his trump card unless necessary. And once he did deploy his seal in actual combat, there was only one reason. Matters of killing and plundering were always mutual. Chapter 223 - Chapter 223: Chapter 222 Murder and Robbery is a Mutual Interaction (Part 2) Chapter 223: Chapter 222 Murder and Robbery is a Mutual Interaction (Part 2) ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Charge! Attack together!¡± The entrance of the Skeleton Dragon was truly too shocking; when its massive body, entirely composed of white bones, burst through the icy layer and erupted from the ground, the visual effect was so naturally overwhelming it seemingly broke through the heavens. It left those Fire Mist Warriors momentarily spellbound. But they were, after all, seasoned warriors who immediately snapped back to reality, grabbed their weapons, and three of them met Sindagosa head-on, while the remaining four took the opportunity to circle around the Giant Dragon and charged at Fang Zheng, Tilia, and Nanoka. ¡°How¡­ how did we end up fighting?¡± Watching the sudden shift in the situation, Nanoka was still unable to respond. After all, she was just a rookie Fire Mist Warrior, who, though she had some knowledge, had only that¡ªknowledge. In Nanoka¡¯s heart, she probably thought of Fire Mist Warriors as akin to Superheroes or Magical Girls: the ¡°good guys¡± who worked together to save the world. But now, the ¡°good guys¡± had suddenly turned into bandits, leaving Nanoka at a loss. In the heart of a young girl, this shock was no different from seeing Captain America taking off his coat, revealing a tattoo-covered body, cigar in mouth, turning into a loan shark enforcer. How could this happen? This was the biggest difference between Nanoka¡¯s generation of new Fire Mist Warriors and the first generation. They held no direct animosity against the Followers of the Crimson Realm, nor any conflict. They truly became Fire Mist Warriors to fight for humanity, for the world. But it was different for the first generation of Fire Mist Warriors; no matter how loudly they proclaimed their slogans, as Fang Zheng said, they were essentially driven by revenge. For them, vengeance against the Followers of the Crimson Realm was paramount. As for everything else, those were just self-righteous pretexts for their actions. And those who appeared before Fang Zheng were the radicals among the Fire Mist Warriors. To them, anything that could hinder, kill, or destroy any plan of the Followers of the Crimson Realm was worth it, and for that, they would pay any price! Yes, they and the Followers of the Crimson Realm were irreconcilable! ¡°Hmph.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??¦Ï.§ã? As for the four Fire Mist Warriors charging at them, Fang Zheng and Tilia did not move. Fang Zheng merely let out a cold snort, and the next moment, the snowy plains in front of him cracked, and countless Scourge Undead crawled out, rushing towards the enemies. Depending on the enemy, the environment within Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing was different. Previously, when fighting against Wilhelmina, he mainly wanted to test just how powerful the ¡°Icecrown Citadel¡± would be at full strength, hence he brought ¡°the whole family¡± in a massive onslaught. But now, there was no need for such tactics against these Fire Mist Warriors. After all, the ¡°Icecrown Citadel¡± was effective, but the intention was too obvious. It was clear as day that it was a finishing move to send others to the Western Paradise, and anyone with a bit of sense would be cautious upon realizing something was amiss. Instead, the deceptiveness of this seemingly endless icy plain was handy. Since the people of this world had never seen this type of Sealing, they would at most consider it as some kind of mutated form of Sealing. It matched the thinking of the Fire Mist Warriors and the Followers of the Crimson Realm, who maintained sealings with the least Power of Existence to save energy for repairs after battle. Therefore, they had never considered that there might be Sealing specifically designed for offensive purposes. In this world, the only ones who knew the true power of Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing were Tilia, Nanoka, Wilhelmina, and a few others. Even Shana had never witnessed the full might of Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing. Tilia and Nanoka naturally wouldn¡¯t speak carelessly. Wilhelmina had been soundly defeated by Fang Zheng and likely only understood what happened to her. As for the others¡­ When Fang Zheng deployed this Sealing in front of them, it meant he had already decided to eliminate them. After all, only the dead can keep secrets. ¡°Roar¡­!!¡± An intense bone-chilling cold surged forward. As Sindagosa unleashed her power, a faint aura radiated outwards from her, enveloping the Fire Mist Warriors. Sensing the icy chill, their expressions drastically changed. ¡°What is this abomination?!¡± The Fire Mist Warriors who appeared here were all battle-hardened and didn¡¯t panic at the sight of Sindagosa. However, they quickly realized something was wrong. The bone-chilling cold felt as if blades were cutting them, actually beginning to sap their strength! Is this Phosphorus? How can there be such a terrifying Phosphorus? As they observed Sindagosa, the Fire Mist Warriors immediately became cautious. But as fast as their movements were, Sindagosa was faster. Following the burst of her frost aura, she roared angrily and raised her front claws, forcefully swinging down at one of the Fire Mist Warriors! ¡°Ha!!¡± Seeing the colossal claws of the Skeleton Dragon, the leading Fire Mist Warrior also roared and suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbing the massive sword from his back to shield himself. Then Sindagosa¡¯s claw struck the sword heavily, and a penetrating frigid cold blasted towards him, instantly frosting a thin layer of ice on the surface of the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s body. So cold!! The bone-chilling cold made the Fire Mist Warrior shudder uncontrollably before he suddenly burst out with a whirlwind, tearing apart the ice crystals binding his body into fragments. At the same time, another Fire Mist Warrior swiftly moved to the side and, while raising the longbow in hand, drew the bowstring and released an arrow straight at Sindagosa. ¡°Bang!!¡± The arrow, condensed from flame, soared through the air and struck the Bone Dragon¡¯s head. Facing the fierce strike of the Fire Mist Warrior, Sindagosa merely tilted its head slightly, then turned around and swept its soul-flame burning eyes over the attacker. In the next moment, Sindagosa¡¯s body suddenly twisted, and the Fire Mist Warrior holding the bow and arrow felt a gust of wind bearing down on him as a thick, long tail swept across the ice, hurtling sideways toward him! ¡°Help, quick!¡± At that moment, the Fire Mist Warrior, caught midair, was utterly unable to dodge and could only shout for help. But as he was about to be struck squarely by the tail, a figure suddenly materialized out of nowhere and kicked him away. The tail, with its howling wind, swept beneath the two Fire Mist Warriors, raising only a flurry of snowflakes. Yet even though they weren¡¯t hit directly, the two Fire Mist Warriors were still caught in the turbulent airstream, ending up tumbling gracelessly to the ground. ¡°Be careful, this creature is tough to deal with!¡± Watching this scene, the man in the suit¡¯s expression darkened. He could sense that this strange giant dragon¡¯s strength was on par with a powerful King of the Crimson Realm. However, the man in the suit couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening. It didn¡¯t seem like Fang Zheng had made a contract with a Demon King of the Crimson Realm, considering that Fire Mist Warriors and humans were different. But if he was merely a human, how could he possibly possess such power? Meanwhile, at the same time, the three Fire Mist Warriors attempting to surround and attack Fang Zheng and Tilia were in no better situation. The overwhelming Scourge Legion almost completely halted their advance, making it impossible for them to get close to Fang Zheng and Tilia. While the Scourge Soldiers were considered merely troublesome phosphorus to them, their numbers, once they achieved an overwhelming advantage, became quite annoying. Not to mention the way these undead creatures appeared¡­ ¡°Crack!!¡± As a Fire Mist Warrior fought valiantly, the layer of ice at his feet suddenly shattered, and a skeletal arm burst forth, grabbing his ankle. This unexpected attack caused the Fire Mist Warrior, who was in the middle of dodging, to halt abruptly, and at that moment, several Undead Spirits seized the opportunity, raising their weapons and lunging toward him. ¡°Get off!¡± With a roar, numerous flashes of light suddenly materialized around the man, slicing the approaching Undead Spirits and the ground around him into pieces. Clutching a scimitar in hand and glaring icily at the enemy before him, the man abruptly raised his hand. ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± As the man raised his hand, several auras of the Free Method unfurled around him, spinning rapidly and expanding outwards, instantly clearing the nearby creatures. Seizing the moment, the other two Fire Mist Warriors quickly joined him, coming to his side. ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re no match for them this way!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll create an opportunity, and you take the chance to deal with that girl!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way! Let¡¯s move, Roaring Musician!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Upon hearing his companion¡¯s command, another Fire Mist Warrior responded, lifting the guitar in his hands like a rock star and then looking ahead. ¡°Now, listen to this track!!¡± Shouting loudly, the man began to wildly strum his guitar, singing at the top of his lungs. With his singing, the air around him seemed to pulse. The once invisible air began to swell and condense, trembling as if in response to the music. And those undead creatures close to this mass of air also started to quiver madly and then shattered into ash, disappearing into the air. ¡°Go now, our Sword of Thunder!¡± Finally, as the music peaked, the Fire Mist Warrior swiped his guitar strings forcefully, shouting out loud. Accompanying his motion, the air that had been solidifying and expanding along with the music abruptly transformed into a roaring tornado, bursting from the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s body and flying out with a thunderous roar. It swept like an invisible hand dusting off a table, and with a mere brush, the several hundred Undead blocking the warriors¡¯ path shattered and disappeared. The invisible sound wave spread along the snowy plain towards Fang Zheng and Tilia, gradually subsiding and vanishing. Even so, the snowflakes and dust kicked up momentarily obscured the two¡¯s vision. Now¡¯s the chance! Before Fang Zheng and Tilia could act further, suddenly, a figure burst from amidst the dancing snowflakes and, like a bolt of lightning, charged at Nanoka who was standing aside! Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Chapter 223 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Part 3) Chapter 224: Chapter 223 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Part 3) It must be admitted that these Fire Mist Warriors did indeed have a wealth of experience, and their actions also indicated that their ¡°tail¡± of Fang Zheng and others was not without gains. Obviously, they knew that Fang Zheng and Tilia were tough customers, and due to Fang Zheng¡¯s deliberate concealment, almost no one knew his true combat style. In fact, Fang Zheng only released Sealing when he decided he must kill his opponent. Otherwise, it was usually Tilia who released Sealing on his behalf. And if it was just about teaching someone a lesson, Fang Zheng¡¯s own magic was more than enough. The strength of these Fire Mist Warriors was quite limited, and there wasn¡¯t much of a gap compared to Shana; Fang Zheng didn¡¯t even have to use his Vampire powers, relying solely on his Sky-Cleaving Sword was enough to cripple them. But this did not prevent the Fire Mist Warriors from making an assessment of the Voyager¡¯s strength; those who died at their hands were the infamous Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, and these guys were notorious and hadn¡¯t been taken down because of their formidable strength. By this logic, Fang Zheng and Tilia, who could sweep them away as if they were chopping vegetables, were clearly dangerous characters as well. Therefore, these Fire Mist Warriors wisely did not choose Fang Zheng and Tilia as their primary targets and instead opted for Nanoka, who appeared easy to bully and indeed was quite easy to bully. Although it was unknown why this novice Fire Mist Warrior was following Fang Zheng and his group, to others, since Fang Zheng and Tilia were willing to bring this Fire Mist Warrior with them, she must have some merits. As long as they could control her, negotiating with the Voyager afterward would be much easier. In fact, this was their original plan; it might have been more successful if not for Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing. But to the surprise of the Fire Mist Warrior, in the face of his surprise attack, Fang Zheng and Tilia only glanced over, looking as if they couldn¡¯t care less. This made him feel somewhat uneasy inside; he had prepared himself to resist or even endure their counterattack and blocking, but it seemed¡­ they just didn¡¯t care. ¡°Is this really okay, Elder Brother?¡± ¡°Just let him be.¡± Fang Zheng merely glanced over before averting his gaze. Unless Nanoka had been slacking these past days, it was time¡­ to test the results of the training. After all, he didn¡¯t let her play the game just so that Nanoka could earn an all-platinum achievement. He¡¯s done it!! Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í¨À0.§ã¦Ï Although unaware of what Fang Zheng and Tilia were thinking, the Fire Mist Warrior was thrilled at that moment. With the cover of his companions, he had rushed to Nanoka¡¯s front. He could even clearly see the bewildered expression on her face, as if she had not yet realized what was happening. As expected, I knew these trained Fire Mist Warriors were not reliable. Not all Fire Mist Warriors were open to new things. The cultivation of a new generation of Fire Mist Warriors faced opposition from many people. They believed these novices did not understand their duties and responsibilities and that they might misuse their powers. These stubborn warriors thought that only their hatred for the Followers of the Crimson Realm was the fundamental reason for the continuation of Fire Mist Warriors, and now, this girl had once again proved the correctness of this view. As a Fire Mist Warrior, she¡¯s willing to be a lackey for humans and Followers of the Crimson Realm? The man had made up his mind to give this girl a lesson she would never forget. He had reached Nanoka, and the girl was still dazed, seemingly unaware that the man, dressed in black and holding two daggers, had suddenly appeared in front of her and what he intended to do. He¡¯s done it! Looking at the girl in front of him, the man reached out to put a dagger to her neck, which would immobilize her and make her give up resistance completely. In his view, it was of no difficulty at all, he just needed to stretch out his hands forward¡­ ¡°Clang!!¡± Contrary to what the man expected, his dagger did not touch the girl¡¯s neck as he thought it would. Just as the sharp blade was about to reach its target, a transparent, golden shield composed of countless hexagonal lattices suddenly appeared by Nanoka¡¯s side, blocking his attack. What is this? Could it be some Noble Phantasm? The man was taken aback by the sudden turn of events and it was only then, as he heard a light buzzing sound, that he raised his head and followed the direction of the sound, his surprise growing even more. Behind Nanoka, a strange object levitated into existence. It had a peculiar appearance, at the center of which was something resembling steel armor without arms and legs, just a torso about half a meter tall. Flanking the armor were two upright black hoops in place of where the arms should be. The bizarre object floated behind Nanoka, and from within the central hoop, a golden beam shot out, striking the barrier in front of them. It seemed as if it was the object that had erected the barrier to protect Nanoka. ¡°What, what is this!¡± ¡°Nanoka, counterattack, quick, counterattack, they¡¯re targeting you!¡± Sanya urgently cried out a reminder, and at that moment, it seemed Nanoka finally reacted. The man watched her take a step back and then¡­ she vanished into thin air. Vanished? What kind of move is this? Watching the scene unfold before him, the man¡¯s face instantly turned cold. He quickly gripped his dagger in reverse and stepped back while vigilantly looking around. The opponent obviously possessed some kind of Noble Phantasm that allowed invisibility, and he had to be wary of their counterattack. But just then, he heard the conversation between the Fire Mist Warrior and her Contractor again in front of him. ¡°Nanoka, I told you not to use the Star Alliance¡¯s invisibility! You¡¯re a Fire Mist Warrior! Didn¡¯t we agree to create soldiers of Prometheus? That would be more useful than this!¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­ Sanya, I got too scared for a moment¡­¡± ¡°If you want to be an elite, at least make an Energy Sword.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± As the conversation echoed through the air, the man soon saw the air in front of him begin to warp again, and what followed was a surprising sight. In mid-air, pieces of metal clinked out as if being poured from nowhere. They seemed to be drawn by something, swirling and spinning until they gradually formed thighs, a torso, and a head. Shortly thereafter, a black figure resembling a humanoid metal creature appeared before the man. Its palms were equipped with two sharp and lethal daggers, and its broad shoulders fanned out behind like some kind of insect. In contrast, its waist and legs were disproportionally thin¡­ What kind of monstrosity is this? Before the man could react, a jet of flame burst from behind the creature, and it charged towards the man at a tremendous speed, brandishing its sword blades! ¡°Damn it!¡± Seeing this, the man¡¯s brow furrowed, and he raised his hands. As he moved, the daggers in his hands vibrated sharply in midair, releasing waves of force that flew forward. His ferocious assault was enough to shred the enemy before him into pieces. But to his surprise, the moment his attack was unleashed, that invisible Shield appeared again, blocking his attack once more. At the same time, two more creatures that looked like hounds made of metal coalesced and pounced towards the man from his left and right. ¡°That¡¯s it! Nanoka, create another Knight, let¡¯s try using the Warden this time!¡± Sanya was brimming with excitement. ¡°I told you, the Forerunner is definitely better suited for us than the Star Alliance!¡± Chapter 225 03-25 - Chapter 225: Chapter 224 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Conclusion) Chapter 225: Chapter 224 Killing and Robbing are Mutual Actions (Conclusion) This is entirely incorrect. Watching the Fire Mist Warrior being chased by the Prometheus Soldiers, Fang Zheng could only shrug his shoulders, speechless. Nanoka¡¯s power lies in ¡°creating machinery,¡± but unfortunately, the biggest problem with her ability is that she must be certain and affirm the existence of whatever she intends to create. It isn¡¯t as simple as a flight of imagination; Nanoka needs firm conviction that ¡°this thing absolutely exists.¡± Regrettably, the weapons and armor previously created by Nanoka either had the original power from reality, which was insufficient to contend with the Fire Mist Warrior, or they were completely fabricated with no substantial foundation to maintain them. That¡¯s why Fang Zheng recommended her to play computer games¡ªat least that way, she might grasp some concepts that are ¡°assuredly existent yet certainly nonexistent in reality.¡± Now, it seems that Nanoka has succeeded. The only flaw is that everything she controls is built upon existing materials, and since Nanoka knows no spatial spells and can¡¯t casually carry around hundreds of tons of steel¡­ In fact, these Knights and Watchers she now creates are merely for show, albeit with the abilities and defenses Nanoka has seen in the games; but after all, they are just empty shells. If the opponent got serious and went for a head-on collision, destroying this shell would be no issue. However, for now¡­ at least she¡¯s managed to make the enemy turn tail and run, which is progress nonetheless. As for the other side, it should be about time to end. ¡°Roar¡ª!!¡± The draconic roar sounded once more. When Fang Zheng turned to look, he saw that Sindagosa had suddenly flapped its wings, and in the next instant, as if at its center, the chilling winds seemed to form giant hands, firmly binding the four Fire Mist Warriors entangled with it, completely ignoring their will and dragging them towards the Skeleton Dragon. Simultaneously, Sindagosa raised its head high and let out an angry roar. Then, one could see a faint white light appearing above one of the Fire Mist Warriors¡¯ heads. And the next moment, suddenly, the cold wind burst forth, striking the Fire Mist Warrior like a tornado descending from the heavens. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï???.?¦Ï ¡°Bang!!¡± The moment the white cold struck the Fire Mist Warrior, the overflowing mist instantly spread out in all directions ¡ª and the other three Fire Mist Warriors, unable to defend in time, were thus directly engulfed by the white fog. When the mist cleared, the four Fire Mist Warriors were completely encased in blocks of ice. Thinking they could take on a BOSS without even filling a 25-man roster, this is what they get. Looking at the Fire Mist Warriors who were sealed within the ice, their faces filled with shock and terror, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly. His Sealing is not merely ¡°isolating a part of the world from causality,¡± he is reifying the information from the Soulstone with the Power of Existence after the isolation by Sealing. That is to say, Fang Zheng¡¯s Sealing not only ¡°isolates the causality of this world¡± but also transforms it into the ¡°causality of other worlds.¡± This means that in this world, if the Fire Mist Warriors want to eliminate these enemies, they must abide by the rules of this world! Just like the Tomb of Ice that now seals these few Fire Mist Warriors, they can only resort to a few specific methods to break it; otherwise, even if you could punch a hole through the entire Earth, you¡¯d still need to obediently stay sealed inside, waiting for death! And clearly, these few Fire Mist Warriors are lacking such methods. ¡°¡­¡­!!!¡± As time painfully ticked by, the expressions of the frozen Fire Mist Warriors grew more agonized. They endured not only the suffocation from the Tomb of Ice but also the damage from the frost aura. They could feel their strength ebbing away, bit by bit, and even their consciousness was starting to blur¡­ ¡°No good!!¡± Seeing this, the other two Fire Mist Warriors, who had narrowly escaped disaster, also yelled out, decisively breaking away from the entanglement with the Scourge Legion and turning to attempt to rescue their comrades. And it was at that moment that Fang Zheng finally made his move. He looked ahead and then took a step forward with his left foot ¡ª the next moment, his figure appeared in front of the two Fire Mist Warriors, and with a sweep of his right hand, the Vampire Greatsword emerged from the void, slashing towards the two with a ferocious momentum. Facing the suddenly appearing Fang Zheng, the two Fire Mist Warriors were also shocked; then, the one holding the scimitar gritted his teeth and swung the blade in his hand to meet the attack while not forgetting to give orders to his comrade. ¡°I¡¯ll hold him off, you go save¡­ Ahhhhh!!¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the scimitar wielded by the Fire Mist Warrior collided with Fang Zheng¡¯s Vampire Greatsword. A bright red light emanated from the blade, and in the next moment, the Fire Mist Warrior, who had initially blocked Fang Zheng¡¯s strike, burst open from head to toe, blood splashing everywhere. He couldn¡¯t withstand the powerful blow and collapsed backward. But before he could hit the ground, Fang Zheng swung forward, and with a flash of the sword light, the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s head was chopped off and sent flying into the air, then turned into white Flame of Existence and disappeared into the air, leaving no trace behind. This sword is truly a Divine Artifact. Watching this scene, Fang Zheng couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed. The vampire¡¯s trait was to inflict damage corresponding to the Power of Existence infused in it. Although these wounds were random and uncontrollable, for Fang Zheng, it was still quite powerful. Of course, if he could control where the Vampire Greatsword injured the enemy, that would be better, like suddenly feeling a chill at the throat, at the chest, below¡­ Hmm¡­ aren¡¯t all these weak points? With these unspoken thoughts spinning in his head, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t stop moving. After slaying the Fire Mist Warrior with a single strike, he immediately turned and swung the Vampire Greatsword again, aiming for the guy dressed like a fringe rock singer and carrying a guitar! Seeing his comrade so effortlessly slain, the other Fire Mist Warrior was shocked, but he was experienced. Seeing Fang Zheng attacking him again, his expression drastically changed. Then, he fiercely grabbed the guitar and fiercely strummed the strings. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡± As the sound of the music played, the greatsword in Fang Zheng¡¯s hand seemed to hit an invisible gel and couldn¡¯t advance any further. Seeing this, Fang Zheng frowned. The Vampire Greatsword was indeed useful, but if the enemy figured out how it worked and wanted to block it, it wasn¡¯t difficult¡ªlike this, preventing oneself from making contact with the enemy could nullify the Vampire¡¯s effect. However, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t rely solely on swordsmanship to conquer the world. His strike missing, Fang Zheng immediately withdrew his sword and retreated, while at the same time, the Fire Mist Warrior tried to flee. At this moment, he had given up on saving his comrade because this terrifying man¡¯s strength was completely beyond his expectations! I must leave here immediately!! Having made his decision, the Fire Mist Warrior tried to escape the battlefield. But before he could turn around, he saw Fang Zheng raise his hand and point at him. Immediately, a nearly invisible light beam shot out from his fingertip and hit the Fire Mist Warrior. What is that? Before he could react, the next moment, the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s face drastically changed! ¡°You¡­ I¡­!!¡± He stood dumbfounded, even forgetting to run because, at that moment, he felt the connection with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm he had contracted with was completely severed! Losing the contract, the Demon King of the Crimson Realm began to leave this world and return to the Crimson Realm, and at the same time, the power within his body was rapidly vanishing! The Fire Mist Warrior had dedicated everything when forming a contract with the Demon King of the Crimson Realm, which is why they received their power. This is also why the Followers of the Crimson Realm called the Fire Mist Warriors ¡°tools,¡± as their bodies were ¡°tools¡± used by the Demon King of the Crimson Realm to store power. Therefore, the Fire Mist Warriors didn¡¯t need to sleep or eat and had superhuman strength. Conversely, once the contract was broken and the Demon King of the Crimson Realm left, they would lose everything! ¡°I, you actually¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Fang Zheng had no interest in hearing more. He walked up and swung his sword, chopping off the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s head, and the warrior fell to the ground, then vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. ¡°Ding.¡± With the Fire Mist Warrior¡¯s disappearance, a bracelet fell to the ground and rolled a few times before lying still. Seeing the bracelet, Fang Zheng raised his hand, and soon, the bracelet flew up from the ground into his palm. ¡°Indeed a Noble Phantasm¡­ Hm, this haul really isn¡¯t bad at all.¡± Looking at the bracelet in his hand, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, the act of killing for loot brought an exceptionally gratifying sense of accomplishment. Chapter 226 03-25 - Chapter 226: Chapter 225 Neither Side Are Good People Chapter 226: Chapter 225 Neither Side Are Good People When Fang Zheng finished dealing with those Fire Mist Warriors and returned, the battle on the other side had also ended. However, what surprised Fang Zheng was¡­ ¡°What, what should I do, Mr. Fang Zheng? I killed that Fire Mist Warrior¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Looking at Nanoka with a face full of sorrow, Fang Zheng was momentarily stunned. To be honest, he had not expected Nanoka to have such ability. In Fang Zheng¡¯s view, it would have been quite impressive if Nanoka managed to defeat the opponent, let alone kill them, given Nanoka¡¯s skills and state of mind¡­ ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°I, I¡­ I commanded those Knight of the Forerunners to attack the opponent, and then Miss Tilia helped block on the side, and as a result, the Fire Mist Warrior couldn¡¯t withstand Miss Tilia¡¯s attack and was knocked flying, then he crashed into the Knight¡¯s side, and before I could react¡­¡± So that¡¯s what happened. Hearing this, Fang Zheng glanced at Tilia, and the girl gave him a subtle wink. It seemed likely that with Nanoka¡¯s fighting style and mood, she wouldn¡¯t have thought of delivering a fatal blow to the enemy. Fang Zheng was sure that it was Tilia who had manipulated things behind the scenes, because as a Follower of the Crimson Realm, she naturally had a born enmity with the Fire Mist Warriors. Even friendly forces like Shana and Nanoka wouldn¡¯t be spared from her meddling, and for an enemy that presented themselves like a lamb to the slaughter, Tilia would definitely be even less merciful. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to be so downhearted.¡± With that thought, Fang Zheng patted Nanoka¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s normal for Fire Mist Warriors to fight amongst themselves; you just haven¡¯t seen it before. Consider this a wake-up call, just be more careful in the future.¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï??0.§ã¦Ï ¡°Do, do Fire Mist Warriors also fight each other to the death?¡± Hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s reassurance, Nanoka opened her eyes wide in surprise, looking at him in disbelief. Fang Zheng then shrugged his shoulders and answered. ¡°That¡¯s right. You didn¡¯t think Fire Mist Warriors were truly fighting for this world, did you?¡± ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t that the case?¡± ¡°In terms of results, yes. But in terms of motivation, absolutely not.¡± Fang Zheng waved his hand dismissively, and began to explain to Nanoka. ¡°According to your story, you became a Fire Mist Warrior only after receiving education and training. But in reality, warriors like you are very rare. You should know that the original Fire Mist Warriors appeared because they lost friends and family in attacks by the Followers of the Crimson Realm, desiring revenge and wanting to kill those enemies. To do so, they needed power sufficient to battle the Followers of the Crimson Realm, and that¡¯s why they became Fire Mist Warriors.¡± ¡°But¡­ but in the end, don¡¯t they also protect the balance of this world?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, only in terms of the outcome. But this result is not their true desire.¡± At this point, Fang Zheng gestured around him. ¡°Do you see where these Fire Mist Warriors tried to attack us? In the city, in crowded places. And in fact, isn¡¯t that the case with most Fire Mist Warriors? Do you think they¡¯d wait until a Follower of the Crimson Realm isolated themselves in a deserted place before taking action? No, they wouldn¡¯t. They start Sealing and fighting as soon as they spot a Follower of the Crimson Realm, not caring at all about whether there are people around, regardless of how much damage it will cause.¡± ¡°But after the fight, they repair¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, they do repair, but what if they die in battle? Over the years, haven¡¯t there been countless Fire Mist Warriors who perished? Go ask others what became of the battlefields where Fire Mist Warriors died. What about the innocent people who were dragged into the fight because of their vendetta, what fate did they suffer?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, Nanoka fell silent, her brows furrowed, unable to utter a word. ¡°See, this is the difference between you and other Fire Mist Warriors; you might think they killed the Followers of the Crimson Realm, protecting the world¡¯s balance. But in reality, deep inside, they don¡¯t feel the slightest bit about it. They only seek revenge, wanting to eliminate every Follower of the Crimson Realm they see, and they couldn¡¯t care less about anything else.¡± Fang Zheng spread his hands and pursed his lips. This was why he held no good feelings for either Followers of the Crimson Realm or Fire Mist Warriors. Of course, when it came to individuals like Shana, Lamy, Tilia, and Nanoka, he could still have a favorable impression. But towards these two groups, Fang Zheng had not a shred of sympathy. The reason was simple: he was human. From the standpoint of humanity, neither the Followers of the Crimson Realm nor the Fire Mist Warriors were good entities. Indeed, the Followers of the Crimson Realm would start Sealing and consume humans, posing a great threat to humanity. But what about the Fire Mist Warriors? Didn¡¯t they also engage in Sealing and battle the Followers of the Crimson Realm? And what¡¯s more important, even if the Fire Mist Warriors won the battle, they seldom used their own Power of Existence to restore the world damaged in the fight. Instead, they employed the Power of Existence from other humans injured during the battle. So hold on a second, why the hell is this place destroyed? Isn¡¯t it because you fought with the Followers of the Crimson Realm? And if you lose? As the ¡°villains,¡± Followers of the Crimson Realm can just dust off their bottoms and walk away. But when the Sealing collapses, who ends up suffering? Isn¡¯t it the common folk, unwittingly pulled into the conflict? Flesh-eating for power, Followers of the Crimson Realm are no good, but do you Fire Mist Warriors become the good guys after defeating them and then sacrificing humans to fix the world? You avenge yourself and sacrifice humans to clean up the mess you¡¯ve made and you still feel smug about it? It¡¯s like the pot calling the kettle black. Special Forces launching a surprise attack on terrorists in a market place still consider the impact of stray bullets and casualties on civilians. So in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, both Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm are nothing but terrorists, no different from one another. That¡¯s why what disgusts him the most is that facade of Fire Mist Warriors who fight with the claim ¡°for the welfare of the entire world and humankind,¡± when they¡¯re actually just settling personal scores. Posing as if they¡¯re so noble and grand, doesn¡¯t it just sicken you? So why do I want to kill both Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm? Because my love for this world runs deep. For humanity, I am willing to work tirelessly until death. The so-called readiness to die for the slight benefit of humans, well, cough cough, everyone understands¡­ Alright, I shall adopt that saying as my personal motto from now on. After making this decision, Fang Zheng nodded with satisfaction, then summoned several soldiers from the Scourge Legion to collect Noble Phantasms dropped by the enemy. Whether Fire Mist Warriors or Followers of the Crimson Realm, many of the renowned had Noble Phantasms for protection. Now, Fang Zheng was curious to see if any of these guys could ¡°drop¡± any rare equipment. Of course, that¡¯s just by the way; my goal is world peace. ¡°Come in haste, leave in haste, I lament that we cannot meet, love in haste, hate in haste, everything goes with the wind¡­¡± Humming to himself, Fang Zheng turned to leave and check his Spoils of War, while Nanoka stood still, staring at the ground in silence. She was naive, but no fool. That Fire Mist Warrior indeed harbored a strong urge to kill her, as if eagerly wanting her dead, although Nanoka was still a greenhorn. But after all, she was a warrior too. She could tell the difference between a will to fight and a will to kill. Back then, she felt wronged and couldn¡¯t understand why one Fire Mist Warrior would want to kill another. But now, after hearing Fang Zheng¡¯s words, Nanoka finally got it. In fact, she had followed her master or others on outings to witness their battles. Many of them really would start a Sealing in a market area and fight against the Followers of the Crimson Realm. At the time, Nanoka didn¡¯t pay much mind to it, believing all¡¯s well that ends well since the Fire Mist Warriors always won. But now thinking back on it, Nanoka broke out in a cold sweat. What if the Fire Mist Warriors lost? Would they expect the Followers of the Crimson Realm to fix the world like Saints? Of course, to avoid trouble, the Followers of the Crimson Realm would set torches¡­ but then, doesn¡¯t that make them no different from the Fire Mist Warriors? I have to admit, this attack was like a complete refresh of all my principles. Before this, I never doubted the actions of the Fire Mist Warriors, believing they fought for the world, for maintaining balance. But now, recalling the recent battle, I can¡¯t accept it at all. Does fighting for the world justify snatching others¡¯ Noble Phantasms, even killing people? How is that any different from robbery? ¡°Sanya¡­¡± After a moment¡¯s silence, Nanoka finally turned to her partner. ¡°The Fire Mist Warriors really are¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Nanoka. I wanted to tell you¡­ that indeed, most Fire Mist Warriors are like that. That¡¯s why¡­ many Demon Kings don¡¯t want to enter such contracts¡­ They don¡¯t want their powers to be sacrificed for revenge¡­ That¡¯s why I chose you.¡± The tone of Sanya wasn¡¯t great either. In the Crimson Realm, the Demon Kings each had different thinking. Many don¡¯t realize that the Followers of the Crimson Realm and Demon Kings who come to Earth are just a small part of the Crimson Realm. There are powerful Demon Kings who, although disapproving of their kin¡¯s actions on Earth, also refuse to form contracts like the Fire Mist Warriors. Just like Sanya said, they didn¡¯t want to let their powers be misused by those Avengers. And these are the backbone of the Crimson Realm. This means that the battles on Earth between ¡°Followers of the Crimson Realm¡± and ¡°Fire Mist Warriors¡± are just skirmishes between the ¡°radicals¡± and ¡°conservatives.¡± The truly influential and powerful Demon Kings of the Crimson Realm are quietly observing from the sidelines, munching on melon seeds. ¡°But¡­ why did you form a contract with me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This time, facing Nanoka¡¯s question, Sanya was silent for a long while before answering with a reluctant and frustrated voice. ¡°Because I lost a draw¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Sanya, I finally understand why my luck is so bad.¡± Chapter 227 03-25 - Chapter 227: Chapter 226: The Gold Equipment Dropped by the Small Monster Chapter 227: Chapter 226: The Gold Equipment Dropped by the Small Monster When Nanoka finally acknowledged her African heritage, Fang Zheng had already obtained those treasured Noble Phantasms from the Fire Mist Warriors through his dispatched Undead Spirits¡ªby the way, those four guys who were sealed in ice ultimately failed to break free from the Tomb of Ice and were completely ¡°wiped out¡±. Unfortunately, the loot didn¡¯t quite satisfy Fang Zheng. ¡°Seven people came, and only four Noble Phantasms were collected?¡± Not every Fire Mist Warrior has a Noble Phantom, just like not every player in many games has one. Fire Mist Warriors are also divided into warriors and mages, with Shana being a warrior, while those like Marjorine who mainly use Free Method attacks are mages. Generally, warriors have a higher chance of using Noble Phantasms, much like how most powerhouses in the Main World possess some kind of Enchanted weapon, while many mages go barehanded or simply wield a Magic Wand. Among this group, there were several Free Masters who didn¡¯t rely on Noble Phantasms to fight, so Fang Zheng didn¡¯t gain anything from them. ¡°Ah¡­ this isn¡¯t even as good as the Followers of the Crimson Realm. At least they carry some sort of inventory on them.¡± While complaining helplessly, Fang Zheng took out the Eye of Insight and began ¡°appraising¡± the effects of these Noble Phantasms. Indeed, these Noble Phantasms were the main reason Fang Zheng had acted. The Noble Phantasms of the World of Shana seemed somewhat similar to the Enchanted weapons of the Main World, but they were not entirely the same. Besides weapons like the sword that Shana had (Fang Zheng still couldn¡¯t remember its name), or the Vampire Greatsword, there were many with very interesting capabilities. What truly excited Fang Zheng was that many of these Noble Phantasms contained the power of the ¡°Rule System¡±! Like his Vampire abilities that caused damage upon contact, unavoidable and indefensible¡ªsuch treasures were hard to come by in the Main World. If he could get his hands on a few similar Noble Phantasms, that¡¯d be a huge win! The results of the appraisal also made Fang Zheng quite happy. Perhaps because these Fire Mist Warriors knew they were facing a formidable enemy, they had brought their best gear. And now, well¡­ hahaha, naturally, all these great items belonged to Fang Zheng. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ?¦Ï¦Í?¦Ï.§ã¦Ï The most valuable among them was a bracelet dropped by the rock singer Fang Zheng had knocked out before. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary bracelet, but in Fang Zheng¡¯s eyes, it was the most valuable Noble Phantasm. [Noble Phantasm: Resonant Sound] [Rank: A] [Effect: Enhances the rank of all the wearer¡¯s skills by +1] At first, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t quite understand this effect, but after putting on the bracelet, he was thrilled to discover its perverse power. He could clearly see that the moment he put on the bracelet, all the skills on his attribute panel, including his Inherent Skill ¡°Dimensional Passage,¡± Gifted Skills like ¡°Perfect Body,¡± ¡°Gene Absorption,¡± and ¡°Time Manipulation,¡± and even the Equipment Skill ¡°Royal Cross Swordsmanship¡±, all simultaneously increased by one rank! This was amazing!! After realizing this, Fang Zheng was so excited he almost burst into song. Strictly speaking, Fang Zheng wasn¡¯t focused on the amplification effect of ¡°Resonant Sound¡± itself but, rather¡­ with this Noble Phantasm, he could get a preview of what the next level of his skills would be like!! You see, Fang Zheng was developing a mobile game, and the system of a mobile game doesn¡¯t have a ¡°respec¡± feature. However, improving these skills would require a huge number of Dimensional Points. Therefore, Fang Zheng had to be extremely careful not to enhance the wrong skill or to misjudge how the skills would improve with rank, as it could lead to wasted Dimensional Points, leaving no place for him to even cry. But now, with the Noble Phantasm ¡°Resonant Sound,¡± Fang Zheng could get a feel for what the next stage of his skills would look like, and decide which skill to prioritize for upgrading. Moreover, with ¡°Resonant Sound,¡± raising a skill level once was like raising it twice! Not only that, but after experimenting, Fang Zheng was ecstatic to discover that this Noble Phantasm didn¡¯t just enhance the skills on his panel, it even amplified his magic as well! Usually, Fang Zheng had to follow a process to cast ¡°Magic Missile,¡± such as the normal version, the potent version, or the ultimate version; these three versions of ¡°Magic Missile¡± were separate. But now, under the enhancement of ¡°Resonant Sound,¡± all magic Fang Zheng cast defaulted to the potent version. If he went a step further, he could cast the ultimate version of the spells. And if Fang Zheng was willing to exert full effort, he could even use the supremely magical technique¡ªLegendary Casting¡ªonly possible for Legendary Mages! This was the ability to elevate a spell to Legendary rank power! No wonder that Fire Mist Warrior could withstand his full-power strike. Unfortunately, the Fire Mist Warriors in this world didn¡¯t have a system, and ¡°Resonant Sound¡± only amplified a skill by one rank. Without possessing a Noble Phantasm like the ¡°Eye of Insight¡±, it would be impossible to comprehend its true power. Regrettably, however, there¡¯s a trade-off for everything, and the price of raising skill levels with ¡°Resonant Sound¡± was that Fang Zheng¡¯s consumption of these skills doubled. Therefore, this Noble Phantasm couldn¡¯t be used by Fang Zheng at any time; it was better kept in storage to be used as an ace in the hole. Otherwise, the double consumption ¡°DEBUFF¡± would also be a hassle for the current Fang Zheng. ¡°` Aside from that, another Noble Phantasm that Fang Zheng took an interest in was a ring. [Noble Phantasm: Mobius] [Rank: B+] [Effect: Allows the ring wearer to switch positions with each other] The effect description of this Noble Phantasm was a bit strange, but after Fang Zheng experimented, he finally understood the principle¡ªwhen he aimed the ring at someone, the ring would absorb that person¡¯s Power of Existence, then create a duplicate of the ring. Once that person wore the ring, Fang Zheng could instantly switch places with them. That is to say, if both Fang Zheng and Tilia were wearing the ring, with Fang Zheng at point A and Tilia at point B, when Fang Zheng activated the effect of the ring, he would instantly switch to point B and Tilia to point A. It was an instantaneous process, and most importantly, this process was not limited by the Dimensional Anchor! This made Fang Zheng quite curious. Dimensional Anchor spells were supposed to prohibit all manner of teleportation; why Mobius would be an exception, he couldn¡¯t understand. However, these Noble Phantasms inherently didn¡¯t make much sense¡ªjust like he still didn¡¯t understand the restoration principle of Zero Hour Resurgence. At least, Fang Zheng had figured out how to use Mobius. To put it metaphorically, Fang Zheng, who held the Mobius, was like the ¡°main unit,¡± while Tilia and Nanoka, who wore the duplicated rings, were like ¡°sub-units.¡± If Fang Zheng wanted to switch places with one of them, he could do so with a mere thought. But if Tilia wanted to switch places with Nanoka, as the ¡°main unit,¡± Fang Zheng would receive a request. If he consented, the two would switch; if he did not, the process would be canceled. The ring¡¯s duplication seemed unlimited, as did the transmission distance. At least Fang Zheng didn¡¯t see any restrictions on that in the effect description, which made him wonder. Because from the effect, it was clear they were planning a team battle. It¡¯s safe to assume that each one of those people had been equipped with a duplicated Mobius, and admittedly, this ring was a real killer in team battles¡ªyou¡¯re happily fighting your enemy in front, then suddenly the opponent is switched for someone else, and you could easily get caught off guard. Not only that, based on what he knew of the Fire Mist Warriors, they could simply leave the ring with someone in the rear who was not in the Sealing area, then switch places with that person in case of an emergency¡­ Uh, but considering that this would basically be selling out a teammate, most likely those lone wolf Fire Mist Warriors wouldn¡¯t appreciate being betrayed by their own. Furthermore, according to the description of the Scourge Undead, the ring¡¯s holder was frozen by Tomb of Ice right at the beginning of the battle, and anyone frozen by Tomb of Ice would be stunned immediately, unable to react. Therefore, if the main unit crashed, the others would also be at a loss. However, this artifact was a good option for Fang Zheng; at least with this ring, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the safety of others around him. Any trouble could be resolved with a single switch. As for the third Noble Phantasm Fang Zheng obtained, it was a four-cornered crystal that looked like a cell phone charm. [Noble Phantasm: Undead Cage] [Rank: B] [Effect: Imprisons a creature that has lost consciousness within it, effective within five hundred meters, unable to struggle free (Absolute Destiny)] This item was clearly meant for Fang Zheng; it seemed that those people planned to incapacitate him and then imprison him in it, or use Tilia and Nanoka to threaten him. Strictly speaking, Fang Zheng didn¡¯t find it very useful; its range was only five hundred meters, and it required the target to be unconscious. If that was all, Fang Zheng wouldn¡¯t have been too concerned about this thing. But with the addition of ¡°Absolute Destiny,¡± it was different. Fang Zheng¡¯s previous Vampire Greatsword was a Noble Phantasm with the ¡°Absolute Destiny¡± suffix, and its effect was outstanding. Now, although this Noble Phantasm didn¡¯t look extraordinary, the mere fact of ¡°Absolute Destiny¡± was enough for Fang Zheng to take it seriously. It meant that regardless of what creature was imprisoned, however powerful, once locked inside, it would never be able to escape. Unless Fang Zheng allowed it out. So while currently not very useful to Fang Zheng, he didn¡¯t discount its potential future use and decided to keep it after some consideration. After all, it was ¡°Absolute Destiny.¡± You never know when it might come in handy. As for the final Noble Phantasm, it was the dagger in the hands of the Fire Mist Warrior who had attacked Nanoka. When he got his hands on the dagger, Fang Zheng realized that it wasn¡¯t a dagger at all, but rather an artifact capable of freely switching between three forms. This Fire Mist Warrior appeared to follow the path of an assassin, usually disguising this Noble Phantasm as a ring to keep at hand, changing it to other forms during combat. This Noble Phantasm was not that useful to Fang Zheng. Although its rank was B in the system, after some thought, he handed it over to Nanoka. After all, it was the memento of the first enemy she had painstakingly defeated, and since Nanoka was lacking a weapon at the moment, it was a perfect fit for her. For Fang Zheng, this was just an unexpected event on his journey. After collecting the spoils of war with delight, he continued heading north with Tilia and Nanoka. What Fang Zheng didn¡¯t know was that his actions had already caused a huge stir between the Followers of the Crimson Realm and the Fire Mist Warriors!