Chapter 215 (I): Monster

The warm desk lamp lit up Zhu Rong's ravishing face. Her lashes were long, catching the light, and her eyes, half-hidden in shadow, glittered with a sick sort of thrill, a twisted excitement.

A few meters from the single armchair, a tall figure stood in the dark past the lamp's reach.

"Why not demand the blood before the ultimate showdown?" the figure said in a low voice. "Why let him steal the whole spotlight? If you controlled him before the match started, he would never win."

There was a thread of resentment in the words, almost like a sulk.

The corner of Zhu Rong's mouth curled upward, and she laughed with sultry charm. "I wanted him to take the title. The better he is, the more it excites me. The more dazzling, the more brilliant, the stronger my desire to sully him, break him, drag him into a pit of ruin he can never climb out of."

As she spoke, color rose in her cheeks. She looked like a woman in heat.

What a sick woman, the man thought.

He reached up and snatched a length of green vine out of empty air. It looked as though it had been freshly broken off a tree, still dotted with tender young leaves. Three of the leaves were red, and clear as rubies. He plucked the three leaves off, pinched them between his fingers, and stepped into the light before the armchair.

"This is all of it. I only managed to strike him with one whip. A vine can only draw so much blood."

The warm glow of the lamp lit up his face. He had fine, soft features, and there was a sunny air about him, a warm and gentle demeanor.

It was Green Pine.

Zhu Rong's eyes lit up and she reached for them greedily, but Green Pine's fingers snapped shut over the leaves. He fixed a hot stare on the ripe, full-figured beauty in front of him.

"Don't forget what you promised me," he said.

Zhu Rong flashed him a bewitching smile. Her long, slender fingers grazed teasingly over the back of his hand.

"Once I've got Yuanshi Tianzun handled, you can do whatever you want to me."

There was a certain pull to the women of the Musician class that got under a man's skin. Even a woman with the same figure and looks would seem dull next to a Musician. In that sense, they were somewhat like the Love and Desire class, but whereas the desire evoked by that class was blunt and overbearing, appealing directly to the body's base needs, a Musician made a man ache with something more akin to the desire for love.

Green Pine's throat bobbed. He let his fingers open.

Zhu Rong took the clear red leaves with a smile. She was confident he couldn't deny his desire for her because he was a Wood Demon, and Wood Demons ran hot with the urge to breed. All it had taken was a little asking around. The man kept several steady girlfriends and exercised his breeding faculties daily. A man like that stood no chance against her looks.

"That's not what you said the last time." Green Pine's intense stare burned into her eyes as he tipped Zhu Rong's beautifully curved chin up, desire flaring in his eyes. "I want you now. Right here."

Zhu Rong flicked his hand away with a bent finger, and her smile narrowed her eyes. "I don't mind bedding a fine young man, but only when I'm in the mood. And right now the only one I want to sleep with is Yuanshi Tianzun."

She clapped softly, and two pretty girls in sexy lingerie pushed open the bedroom door and stood just inside, sweet and coy.

"They're a gift from me. Enjoy yourself."

Zhu Rong patted Green Pine on the shoulder and left the room, her full hips swaying.

***

At the braised chicken shop, Zhang Yuanqing shoveled down mouthfuls of tender, silky chicken, ladling thick, sticky broth over the plump, glistening grains of rice. The savory, salty taste blended together with the fragrance of the rice and spread across his tongue.

Head down, he wolfed down the food, and he hit the bottom of the bowl before he noticed.

The owner hurried over with a second portion. Thirty percent full, and with the sharp edge of his hunger now blunted, Zhang Yuanqing slowed down and started scrolling through the official forum.

The official side had put up a post and pinned it in red at the most prominent spot on the forum.

【#Congratulations to Yuanshi Tianzun on the Championship#】

The staffer who wrote it had a deep well of literary talent. The whole thing was one unending exhortation of praise, yet it somehow never came off as gushing or fake. For example, it described the first round in this manner:

【Yuanshi Tianzun started the round in a hopeless corner, yet young as he is, he kept his calm, finding a way to navigate an apparently dead end, demonstrating wisdom to extract himself from a cage. He walked out of the sealed room and cleared his name, one against seven, and averted a catastrophe. Brilliant!】

When it came to the Great Reporting Era, the post continued singing his praises.

【Yuanshi Tianzun wrung the reporting mechanic dry. He did not have any favorable circumstances, so he worked the rules to his favor. He had no allies at hand, so he went out and found them, all while laying his plans in the dark, like a snake making a trail through the grass, and crushed the Taiyi Sect's scheme. Brilliant!!】

And when describing the final arena bout, its language grew even more flowery.

【However fierce and formidable Zhao Chenghuang was, Yuanshi had a counter to every move, like a breakwater resolutely meeting every wave resolutely. He was awe-inspiring, robed in his spell garb and blade in hand. He let loose a single roar, and with his Origin Overdrive activated, a thousand foes fell. It was a blood-boiling slaughter, and the proudest son of the Taiyi Sect was finally vanquished. Brilliant!!】

I'd better take notes. Fu Qingyang's due some ass-kissing later, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

He scrolled further down to read the comments.

? Cephalosporin and Liquor, the More You Drink the More You Have: The Houtu Boots remain within our Five Elements Alliance. Just yesterday, while drinking with my old boss, he said the Alliance's young ones weren't up to it and that his beloved item was probably about to become Taiyi Sect property. Never in a million years would I have guessed Yuanshi Tianzun would actually beat Zhao Chenghuang. What a crazy outcome.

? Call Me Queen: Long live Yuanshi Tianzun!! I'm going to Songhai in the latter half of the year no matter what. I've already filed my transfer request.

? Wang Fei: I wouldn't dare dismiss Yuanshi Tianzun anymore. No, I will never slander His Venerable One. This humble servant can only gaze at his divine figure from afar now.

? Green Vine: He was a clueless rookie when he first started, yet after just three months, I'm forced to look at his back as he strides forward. It feels like a lifetime ago.

? White Dragon: Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, get your ass out here, I swear I'll beat you to death! Didn't you say Yuanshi Tianzun's gear was junk and his experience was too low, so there was no way he would beat Zhao Chenghuang? You cost me a hundred grand!

? Creamy Yukiko: That guy's playing dead.

After a good long stretch of scrolling through the praises, Zhang Yuanqing finished the second portion of braised chicken. Satisfied, he closed the official post and scrolled down further to read the rest of the posts.

【#Why Yuanshi Tianzun Can Activate Origin Overdrive#】

The title caught his eye, and he opened the post to read it. The poster was Long Road Ahead, another familiar face.

【I just went through the Taiyi Sect forum. Over there, it's mostly people arguing about how Yuanshi Tianzun can use the Origin Overdrive ability. I dug into it, and it turns out that technique isn't something your average Nocturnal Specter can pull off. Yuanshi Tianzun being able to activate Origin Overdrive is even more absurd than we thought...

【From what I gather, only two kinds of people can use Origin Overdrive. One is someone like Zhao Chenghuang, who's spent ages accumulating the Power of the Dark Moon and mastering their control over it to perfection. The other is someone with a special innate gift, like Jiang Jingwei, a Fire Sage with a rare bloodline who can unlock her potential at the Transcendent stage and erupt with power on par with a Berserker. Yuanshi Tianzun has to be the latter.】

? Days Gone By: Holy shit, so you're saying Yuanshi Tianzun was simply born to be a Nocturnal Specter? His dungeon-clearing talent is already this monstrous, yet he also has an innate mastery over his class?

? Passionate Jenny: Ooh, now I want to do what that shameless minx the Queen is doing: transfer to Songhai and put the moves on Yuanshi Tianzun.

? Call Me Queen: Who are you calling a shameless minx? Yuanshi Tianzun and I share a bond forged through a mutual life-and-death experience. I'm going to Songhai to help him do his job better.

? Guan Ya: Heh. I agree with the Queen. Heh~

? Betel Nut and Cigarettes, Infinite Power: Hold on, if Yuanshi Tianzun—no, if His Venerable Self—is an innately talented Nocturnal Specter then... then... wouldn't Elder Sun just get dogpiled online by that Taiyi Sect crowd all over again?

The comments below were screenshots Long Road Ahead had grabbed, a solid wall of "Elder Sun's a fool" memes, some clipped from the forum, others from group chats.

Other Five Elements Alliance members piled on the likes, chiming in.

? Days Gone By: Elder Sun really got it bad. A Sovereign, turned into a meme.

Having read this far, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly thought of Yuan Ting. That guy had dropped off the map after the dungeon round. His phone was apparently dead, leaving texts unanswered. He hadn't been silenced for good, had he?

With that on his mind, he sent a private message to Fu Qingyang.

Zhang Yuanqing: Centurion, I can't reach Yuan Ting. What's the deal with him?

Fu Qingyang: Oh. Are you planning to make good on your promise?

Zhang Yuanqing didn't miss a beat and sent a kowtowing sticker.

Zhang Yuanqing: That was all bait to deceive the enemy. I would never breathe a word of your Theory of Trash to Yuan Ting, Centurion. It's such a great philosophy. I'll keep it engraved on my heart, never to be passed on.

Fu Qingyang didn't respond. Only after Zhang Yuanqing had finished his third and final portion of braised chicken did the reply come.

Fu Qingyang: Yuan Ting got dumped into the training camp by Elder Sun.

Ah, poor Yuan Ting. If anything, Zhang Yuanqing felt lighter, because that meant he could delay the fulfillment of his promise. After all, he didn't actually know why Elder Gou had possessed a dog. It was just something he'd made up to string Yuan Ting along.

Fu Qingyang: Regarding rewards for the Transcendent arena bout. Come to Fu Family Bay at nine in the morning tomorrow to collect your items, and retrieve your yin corpse while you're at it.

The rewards are being given out tomorrow? Zhang Yuanqing perked up, and couldn't help starting to look forward to the day.

The Yin Yang Spell Robe, paired with the Houtu Boots... There was no telling whether they would activate any set effects. It was well worth looking forward to.

He paid for the meal and went home. Remembering he still owed Earth God two hundred grand, he opened the official database, found Earth God's contact info, and messaged him to ask for his bank account number. Earth God hadn't once brought the money up in two days, but a promise made was a promise to keep.

After transferring the two hundred grand across, Earth God messaged him.

Earth God: You're a man of your word, kid! Congrats on the win.

Yuanshi Tianzun: Earth God, will you be joining the mid-year slaughter dungeon?

He had his eye on the Earth God's peerless defense. If the old man joined too, they could form an alliance, which would give him one more unbreakable shield.

Earth God: No. Odds are I'll stay at the Transcendent tier for good.

Yuanshi Tianzun: Why?

Given Earth God's ability, advancing to the Saint tier would be no trouble at all.

Earth God: It's like this. Don't let my defense fool you. At the Saint tier, this bit of defense isn't worth much. Solo Spirit Realm instances are all death-type, no exceptions. I'm getting old. Promotions and gaining levels don't tempt me anymore. Isn't living out my days in peace and dying of old age the better deal?

Well... Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stumped. He thought it over for a bit and found an angle.

Zhang Yuanqing: But you can gain an extended lifespan at the Saint tier. Don't you want a longer life?

Earth God: True enough. But how many Saints ever live to die of old age? Most of them either die in the Spirit Realm or get assassinated by an evil-class Walker. I'm untouchable at the Transcendent tier. Why wade into the muck?

Yuanshi Tianzun: Well... You've really got life figured out!