Seized by the System

“Buddha, the most compassionate…” Witnessing the scene unfold, Zhi Nan started to chant a Buddhist scripture. A ray of white light shone, concealing Black Robe.

Black Robe regained his composure after a full-bodied tremor. He glanced at the Bronze-masked Man calmly and retreated to the back. He did not speak throughout.

“Master Zhi Nan, your intentions?” the Golden-masked Man suddenly asked.

“Almsgiver Gold, forgive me, I do not understand your words.” Zhi Nan shook his head slightly.

“Oh, my third brother’s words were only half correct. That is, please impart to us the methods of vitality conversion. As for the matter of seizing the planet, we wouldn’t dare to covet it for ourselves. Naturally, we’ll look for another location and create a planet for spirits there.” Golden-masked Man said earnestly.

“I see. This is an important matter. Could you possibly allow me to consider it?” Zhi Nan said carefully.

“Of course. We would not dare to press you.” Delight flickered in Golden-masked Man’s eyes.

“If that’s so, the three of you please do stay in the guest suites nearby. A day or two later, I will naturally give you an answer. Black Robe, lead the way for these three wise men…” Monk Zhi Nan instructed.

Black Robe led the three of them out of the door silently.

Worry flittered on Zhi Nan’s face. When he was an incarnation of the Devil Saint, he had already heard of the three devious fellows. They were masters of wisdom, in charge of completing unspeakable deeds on behalf of the gods.

If he was the devil he once was, he might be able to fend them off. As a monk, he found it difficult, mainly because the former did not need to preserve his dignity while it was a necessity for the latter.

If he did not agree, the other side would definitely go all out to oppose him. If he did, there would be dire consequences.

Both paths were hard to walk on.

“How can I benefit both sides, so that I do not need to be unfaithful to the Buddha and to everyone in the world…” A silhouette, clad in white clothing, flashed before Monk Zhi Nan’s eyes. He froze.

After a while, he sighed and walked towards the back of the stone cottage, where a light gate was shining.

…

Outer space.

Vigilante A and Zhi Nan met there.

“What? The people behind the Spirit World showed their faces? Who gave them the courage? I have just recently killed the strongest spirit general of theirs,” Vigilante A said coldly.

“Maybe it is because they brought a certain incarnation of a Spirit Lord…” Zhi Nan relayed Bronze-masked Man’s threats to him.

“Mm. I understand. Previously, Master had banished two gods from the world. It’s understandable that your energy was dented after the incident, and thus cannot do anything in regards to them. Rest assured, I’ll handle this.” Vigilante A took up the responsibility.

“Uh, exactly. We can’t curry the favor of time and space, or else it would cause dire consequences.” Zhi Nan shook his head.

Fang Ning asked Sir System covertly, “I had to do menial jobs for a month just for you to kill off a spirit general. How much do you plan to sacrifice for a spirit lord?”

“Uh, I was only issuing a raincheck on that so that the monk won’t succumb to the pressure. We’ll stall for however long we can. The longer the time we have, the stronger we are,” Sir System said cheerfully.

“Very good. You’ve learned my style,” Fang Ning said appreciatively.

After Vigilante A’s agreement, the worry on Zhi Nan’s face subsided by a lot.

He nodded. “If that is so, I have the confidence to deal with the three of them. I bid you goodbye.”

“Uh, can you divulge your plans, Master?” Vigilante A asked curiously.

“Haha. It’s nothing if I say it out loud. You will understand when you see it,” Zhi Nan said secretively.

“This is why I detest monks the most,” Sir System said angrily. “They like to put on an enigmatic front.”

“Yes,” Fang Ning agreed deeply. “They’re like you, who always don’t finish their sentences and keep their actions a secret from me.”

“…”

…

Two days later, on the Devil Planet, Zhi Nan met the three masked men again.

“I have already considered your proposal,” Zhi Nan said mildly. “If you want the methods of vitality conversion, it’s not impossible, but you have to fulfill a condition of mine.”

The three masked men looked at one another with bewilderment. The man had called himself “Saint” again (TN: In the previous sentence, Zhi Nan calls himself 本聖, which is literally “I, a saint”), and that gave them some degree of pressure.

After all, they had heard of the strength of the Devil Saint Zhi Nan. His wisdom was not beneath theirs, but stronger even as his cultivation base was at a higher level than theirs.

When the other man showed up as a monk, they were relieved, to be honest.

Now that the other man showed signs of transforming, they felt a sense of foreboding.

“Please elaborate, Great Saint,” the Golden-masked Man said respectfully.

The other man was equal with the Spirit Lords after all, and they were only their officials. They were beneath him in terms of status.

“Humans experience birth, old age, illness, and death. The heavens prosper, wane and weaken. This is natural. If you are willing to give up on patching up the Spirit World and move the spirits into this world, combining both into one, like what I have done in the past, then I will not stop you from following in my footsteps,” Zhi Nan said regally.

“Uh…” The Golden-masked Man exchanged looks with his brothers.

“Hmph, just as I said earlier, don’t bother talking about unrelated matters with this man,” Bronze-masked Man said coldly. “You’re nothing but useless now, and yet you dare to speak of this. You’re sullying the title of Devil Saint!”

Silver-masked Man extended his arm, stopping Bronze-masked Man from speaking further.

Zhi Nan was not angered. In the past, the God of Plagues was more arrogant than him, and he had perished with a mere flick of his previous identity, the Devil Saint. The other did not know the extent of his strength at all.

He only shook his head in response.

“Before you threaten other people, see if you yourself are useless!”

A regal voice suddenly traveled from afar, and a person appeared in the stone cottage.

Vigilante A appeared.

He was slender and his looks exquisite, as if he were a divine being.

It had to be said that a person’s appearance added extra points during a first impression.

These three masked men, at least, had instinctively thought that Vigilante A was the protagonist of the scene when they saw him for the first time through their telescoping artifacts.

Now that they saw him in person, their impression of him was enhanced.

The Golden-masked Man thought of the book The Boss’ Tragic Death, and his expression changed rapidly.

He knew of the true face of this man, of course; Fang Ning was only a plain, common man.

However, the man had changed completely. His transformation was definitely not borne from nothing, or merely due to simple arrogance. A powerhouse of this level would have shed themselves of such lowly pleasures; there would not be any fear of a lack of female partners as long as you had power.

The other man had persevered in doing so. There was only one reason that could explain his motives — the other man was spontaneously adapting to the criteria that a protagonist of the Heavenly Axiom needed to fulfill.

Moreover, there was a law regarding the protagonist, as the book had stated, “No matter how the boss transforms, no matter how much it does, it always dies in the protagonist’s hands.”

How would this sentence become reality?

In the mysterious side, it would be if the man’s path was paved by Heavenly Destiny, and he would come out unscathed in the face of adversity. He had witnessed countless incidents of this manner throughout the Upper Realm’s history.

He made a gesture towards Bronze-masked Man, who was on the verge of exploding, telling him not to speak.

Then, he clasped his hands in a show of respect. “You would be the famous Venerable Dragon Lord. You demonstrate draconic grandeur, and that commands my respect. We were only in the middle of a verbal disagreement. We, naturally, would not dare to inconvenience the Devil Saint, but we have no choice but to do so. Although we do not want to fix the planet, it is not our decision.”

Inspired by The Boss’ Tragic Death, he assumed a meek and subservient demeanor. Before their demise, every boss would taunt the protagonist and aggravate him even further. The more pissed the protagonist was, the more terrible the boss’s death was.

On the contrary, if he spoke meekly and relayed his troubles, the protagonist would either spare him or not kill him that brutally. At least he would not be blasted until he was disintegrated into pieces.

Bronze-masked Man was somewhat disdaining, but he had to contain his outburst as the Silver-masked Man gestured for him to do so.

Vigilante A nodded upon hearing his words. “It seems like you’re only tools. Can you tell me what the Spirit Lord is planning?”

“This…” Golden-masked Man hesitated for a moment, and then he continued, “Speaking of, this is actually quite simple. The Five Spirit Lords had assumed their places as leaders of the World only after millions of years of war. How would they be willing to start from scratch? If they descend to this world, they may be forced to descend from their positions. They don’t have the mental fortitude of the Devil Saint, who started over from the beginning. So, the world would need to be patched up.”

“Oh, if that’s so, then the Saints in the Upper World would definitely have the same thought, as sainthood is more difficult to attain,” Vigilante A said lightly.

“Sigh, the Venerable One really is wise!” Golden-masked Man was surprised. The man’s wisdom was really not to be underestimated, being able to determine this point. Many gods in the Upper Realm did not understand that.

“The saints have planned extensively. The true reason why Earth could recover its vitality is due to the saints’ ploy!” Golden-masked Man revealed this important secret blun