Chapter 186: Young Master Le

Unite the people sent into the Ruins by the major corporations?

Chu Zhongyue and the others were stunned by Li Ye’s grand plan.

But soon, they realized that what seemed like a wild fantasy to them was actually feasible for Li Ye.

No one could refuse the growth that came from sharing Divine Abilities!

…

“Um… Leader.” Chu Zhongyue hesitated for a moment before finding a suitable form of address. “Is there no limit to the number of people you can share with?”

“You can call me Mr. Mu.” Li Ye smiled at him and explained, “Theoretically, there is no upper limit. However, it has to happen during combat, and I need to personally facilitate it. That should count as a restriction. But we don’t need to empower too many people. We just need to level up a select group, and that group will be enough to manage the rest. As for the rest, whoever performs well can be recommended by their leader to receive priority for an upgrade…”

HUFF!

Chu Zhongyue let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He didn’t know why he felt that sense of relief, but he soon realized a terrifying fact: Mr. Mu’s sharing had no limit on numbers!

‘Doesn’t that mean Mr. Mu can raise a powerful team whenever he wants?’

‘Then what was the point of all their hard work Introducing Star Force into the Body and lighting their Life Stars?’

Chu Zhongyue secretly glanced at the Erhu in Li Ye’s hand, only to see several pairs of eyes looking back in the same direction. At that moment, he suddenly felt a bit fortunate that he had been captured by Mr. Mu.

‘Proximity to power had its advantages.’

As the first group to receive Mr. Mu’s “sharing,” they would become his inner circle, even if they had been captured.

After all.

They held no real grudge against him. Closeness and communication were the primary ways to build a bond.

The appearance of the frying pan, the Erhu, and even the Divine Demon Ruins made Chu Zhongyue realize that the Federation’s entire power structure was about to be upended. The traditional cultivation method of Introducing Star Force into the Body would inevitably be replaced by a new paradigm, and the key to advancement was in Mr. Mu’s hands.

What Chu Zhongyue could figure out, Nan Shuyun and the others naturally could as well. Their positions meant they were destined to have a greater strategic vision than ordinary people.

And so, their mindset naturally began to shift.

Pang Baisheng asked, “Mr. Mu, what if Xue Yang doesn’t take the bait?”

“He’ll definitely take the bait,” Li Ye said. “If he doesn’t come, we’ll lead our people into the Divine Demon Ruins to find more Divine Artifacts. If one Erhu can’t beat him, what about adding a bowl and chopsticks? What about a Kitchen Knife on top of that? You think he won’t be scared then?”

Everyone gasped.

Just as they’d thought, Mr. Mu had another layer to his plan.

‘That’s right!’

‘The Divine Demon Ruins are right here in the main Ruins. Once everyone gets stronger, they can completely change their objective, go on the offensive within the Ruins, and bolster their own strength…’

‘This was a blatant, overt plot.’

‘The Divine Demon Ruins!’

‘What if they could get their hands on an Ancient Divine Artifact?’

They all exchanged a look, their hearts pounding. Suddenly, they were filled with anticipation for the future.

“Mr. Mu, are all the Divine Artifacts in the Divine Demon Ruins everyday items?” Nan Shuyun asked curiously.

“The outer perimeter is mostly things like that, and even those are guarded by powerful Mutant Beasts. The Ancient Era was just too powerful. I suppose everything was sentient back then!”

Li Ye shook his head. “There must be more powerful Divine Artifacts deeper inside the Divine Demon Ruins. Otherwise, Xue Yang wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of trying to switch bodies.”

He looked at Nan Shuyun. “Don’t get ahead of yourselves. With your current strength, you couldn’t even get past the thirteenth floor. Reaching the Divine Demon Ruins now would just be suicide. For now, focus on Xue Yang. Once we take care of Xue Yang, you’ll have all the time in the world to grow and go treasure hunting in the Divine Demon Ruins. There’s strength in numbers. I’m not like Xue Yang. When I decide to explore the Divine Demon Ruins, I’ll do it by joining forces with more people…”

…

「Over the next few days.」

Li Ye led Chu Zhongyue and the others on a sweep through the Ruins, fighting any person or Mutant Beast they encountered.

In just a few days, their numbers snowballed into the thousands. Most were experts sent out by the various corporations to search for the base.

There were also some guilds who had come to the Ruins to hunt Mutant Beasts.

Later, they were joined by people who had been sent to find Chu Zhongyue and the others.

Within days, the corporations had found some clues. They learned their people had been taken into the Ruins and determined that the incident was likely unrelated to the Ruins Base.

The lack of a connection was the biggest problem, as it meant the real agents from the base were still hidden within the corporations…

…

Thanks to Li Ye’s machinations, the entire Federation was in an uproar.

「Inside and outside the Ruins.」

Two different narratives unfolded in parallel, without interfering with one another.

Inside the Federation, the major corporations were busy hunting for moles from the Ruins Base, searching the black market for leaked Genetic Transformation Liquid, and investigating which corporation was the mastermind behind the base’s laboratory. A state of paranoia set in, and everything descended into chaos…

Meanwhile, in the Ruins, it was a one-way trip. Anyone who entered was recruited by Mr. Mu, and they all existed in a state of cheerful camaraderie and dynamic growth.

Their own story had advanced to the chapter on the Divine Demon Ruins.

The numerous corporate leaders who had reaped the benefits were now firm believers in the Divine Demon Ruins. They were even more in awe of Mr. Mu’s incredible power and his ability to single-handedly throw the entire Federation into disarray…

But no one was happier than Chu Zhongyue and his group.

With every battle, their physical constitution and Star Power would increase significantly.

Nan Shuyun and the others were still only Rank Seven or Rank Eight, but their combat prowess had long since surpassed Rank Nine. They were stronger than those who had lit their Life Stars, without having lit their own—something that should have been utterly impossible.

Now, Nan Shuyun and the others believed that as soon as they left the Ruins and lit their Life Stars, they would instantly become Rank Nine masters.

No.

To be precise, they would be Rank Ten masters, a level beyond Rank Nine.

Now, Chu Zhongyue and the others were brimming with confidence, dead set on following Mr. Mu’s lead.

…

Several thousand people were taking a temporary rest in the Ruins.

They now had a new name: the Ruins Alliance.

Everyone recruited by Li Ye had the privilege of experiencing the power-up that came from “beating up my teammates.”

Every person in the alliance who had gotten a taste of this benefit now dreamed of how they could distinguish themselves and once again receive the Alliance Leader’s blessing.

Their most frequent topics of discussion were Xue Yang’s alleged luck-stealing and the Divine Demon Ruins hidden on the eighteenth floor of the Ruins.

They looked forward to the day they could enter the Divine Demon Ruins and claim an Ancient Divine Artifact of their own.

Within the Ruins Alliance, Xue Yang’s reputation was in the gutter. The frying pans that had once been treated as good-luck charms had long since been thrown away.

No one wanted their luck to be “borrowed” by Xue Yang.

In private, Li Ye had also acquired a few new nicknames: “Young Master Le,” “the God of Sharing,” “the Erhu Celestial King”…

…

“Not bad. My Demon Qi is growing quickly.” The Erhu had been very excited the past few days. Thanks to the amplification from several thousand people, its Demon Qi was growing rapidly, and the range of its music was expanding.

‘What a pathetic fellow!’

Li Ye scoffed internally. ‘You call the influence of a few thousand people fast growth?’

‘Compared to your predecessors, you’re not even a speck of dust…’

Li Ye just smiled. “Hu, this is nothing. In a few days, your name will be known throughout the entire Federation. Then you’ll know what real growth is. The demonic artifacts in our alliance are all destined to dominate the world.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for that day,” the Erhu said. “Just be careful not to overplay your hand. The idea of the frying pan is already deeply ingrained in people’s minds. The moment I come face-to-face with him, I might be instantly suppressed.”

“I won’t face him until I’m certain of the outcome,” Li Ye said, shaking his head. “Hu, you just need to play along with me.”

“Mm,” the Erhu replied.

“By the way, Hu, have you recovered any of your memories?” Li Ye asked.

“I’ve recovered some,” the Erhu said.

“What were you in your past life?” Li Ye asked.

After a moment of silence, the Erhu said, “…You guessed right. I am the Jade Pipa of the King of Chiguo.”

‘Bullshit!’

‘A complete lie!’

Li Ye could hear the lack of conviction in the Erhu’s voice and sighed inwardly, but he didn’t call its bluff. Instead, he asked, “Hu, legend says the four strings of the King of Chiguo’s Jade Pipa represent the four elements: earth, fire, water, and wind. When the strings are played, wind and fire are unleashed. How is that possible?”

At this point, Li Ye’s forces already numbered in the thousands.

After several days of battle, both his Star Power and his Body Attributes had once again hit their cap. Continuing to beat up his teammates would only grant them upgrades, not him.

To improve further, he would probably have to wait until he could absorb Sun Star Power.

But right now, Li Ye was more interested in developing Derived Skills.

The Erhu’s ability to influence emotions through music wasn’t quite enough.

Over the past few days, Li Ye had already experimented. Even when he played pieces heavy with killing intent on the Erhu, like “Ambush from All Sides” or “Qin King’s Battle Music,” he couldn’t produce any actual damaging effects. It wasn’t even as good as the Six-Fingered Piano Demon.

What’s more, simply playing music on the Erhu hadn’t awakened any Derived Skills for him either.

That was why he had to set his sights on the Erhu’s memories. When the King of Chiguo played the Jade Pipa, he could directly injure his enemies.

After another stretch of silence, the Erhu said, “When the King of Chiguo played, he infused the strings with Immortal Power…”

‘Hah!’

‘If you’re going to lie, at least don’t hesitate!’

‘You know perfectly well this world is suppressed by the Daoist Law, yet you’re telling me the King of Chiguo added Immortal Power when he played?’

‘Lord Ling was so much more honest!’

Li Ye sighed to himself. “I see. I’ll figure something out.”

…

Currently, Li Ye knew nothing about Xue Yang’s skills.

Derived Skills had a much higher priority than Body Attributes.

Besides, since Xue Yang’s frying pan could help people break through bottlenecks, it probably had its own Derived Skills for enhancing physical strength.

The Skeleton Monarch from the previous world had surpassed his physical strength after absorbing the Undead Mist. Li Ye had only managed to defeat it by repeatedly making it pregnant to drain its Life Energy.

Moreover, without the toilet paper’s help, Li Ye wasn’t sure he could restrain Xue Yang with ordinary rope. He needed ranged skills, and he also needed to figure out what Xue Yang’s abilities were.

But Xue Yang was too cautious. He hadn’t shown his face even once in five years, which made him truly difficult to handle.

The most critical point was that Li Ye couldn’t determine when Xue Yang would leave the Federation and enter the Ruins. This was the trickiest part of the plan; he couldn’t just stay in the Ruins baiting the hook forever.

His current foundation of several thousand people would collapse the moment Xue Yang found them.

…

“Old Chu, you guys, come over here,” Li Ye called out to Chu Zhongyue.

“Young Master Mu.” Chu Zhongyue and the others came over, all greeting Li Ye.

“Have someone make some replica Erhus. You’ll each lead a team and spread out across the Ruins. Try to gather everyone you come across—don’t let a single person slip by,” Li Ye instructed. “I’ll find you periodically to help you increase your Skill Level.”

‘If we gather in one place, we’ll be discovered. It’s better to split the teams and wage a guerilla campaign. That will also make things more difficult for Xue Yang.’

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Also, arrange for some people to return to the Federation. Spread the news that the Ruins Base has been found to lure more people in.” Li Ye thought for a moment, then added, “Say the Ruins Base was breached and that its experimental data and a large amount of Genetic Transformation Liquid have been leaked. While you’re at it, exaggerate the effects of the liquid…”

“Shouldn’t we mention Xue Yang stealing people’s luck?” Nan Shuyun asked.

“If we say it now, no one will believe us,” Li Ye said with a shake of his head. “We need to draw more people into the Ruins, then hold them here. We’ll take it slow, one step at a time…”