Chapter 729 - 454: Heaven-Seizing Technique

The instant Hu Qi received the mission notification, the two people on the other two islands also received the same mandatory mission.

Their reactions varied.

But one thing was the same.

As readers who had clawed their way up from the bottom to the position of Manager, their reactions—aside from a certain amount of luck—were far beyond those of ordinary readers.

In just an instant, they understood the implications.

A Ten-Star Novel World.

Putting aside the inherent dangers, the very idea of sending all four Managers into one world together was unprecedented.

Under normal circumstances, even if a novel world required two Managers, they could use the authority of their position to refuse.

But this time was different.

It was a mandatory mission, with no option to decline.

And the Book Spirit had specifically stated that all four of them were required.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the outcome.

If they were to encounter one another in the mission’s novel world, a fight to the death would be inevitable.

As for the possibility of being assigned to a temporary team, that was highly unlikely, unless the Book Spirit demanded it.

Even if they were on the same team, for people who held the power of a Manager, it wouldn’t be difficult to make a move against each other.

...

At this moment, on one of the other islands.

A blood-red setting sun stained the Celestial Vault, and demonic energy, thick as a physical substance, roiled ceaselessly in the air.

The island floated silently, a forest of countless white bones piercing the sky.

Their roots grew bizarrely toward the sky, while their bone-white branches drooped downward like the arms of the dying.

Here, the laws of gravity had been completely twisted.

In the center of the island, a throne of white bone, built from thousands of skeletons, stood majestically.

Ghostly blue flames flickered in their empty eye sockets, and their jawbones opened and closed in silent wails.

A woman with two pairs of black, bat-like wings on her back was leaning languidly against the throne.

The demon-like wings on her back slowly unfurled, each membrane coursing with dark red, lava-like patterns that cast a chilling, bizarre shadow under the light of the setting sun.

’A Ten-Star Novel World...’

Su Ta’s eyes were profound as she recalled the mission notification, her fingers lightly tapping on a skeletal skull armrest, making a soft sound.

As a Manager, she had been in this Reincarnation Bookstore for several thousand years.

She had experienced countless novel worlds in that time.

However, the highest she had ever been to was a Nine-Star World.

Even so, the level of danger there was enough to get her killed if she was the slightest bit careless.

As for the legendary Ten-Star Novel World, she had only ever heard of it, never experienced one.

For one to suddenly appear, and as a mandatory mission no less, was unexpected.

This couldn’t help but make her wonder if there was some hidden meaning behind it.

Just then, she seemed to sense something.

With a flip of her palm, a smooth, light-green Jade Token appeared in it.

In an instant, the Jade Token began to glow with a clear, shimmering light.

Light and shadow flowed in midair, and a vivid image slowly unfolded.

In the image, white cranes danced, spreading their wings to soar through the clouds. Tiers of palaces and pavilions were veiled in ethereal mist—a truly celestial scene.

The view zoomed in, focusing on a pavilion with flying eaves that stood on the edge of a cliff.

A man in green robes was sitting cross-legged, a glow circulating around his body, apparently in the middle of his Cultivation.

As he breathed, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy transformed into wisps of pure light, flowing endlessly into and out of his mouth and nose.

"Han Yun, you certainly seem to be keeping your cool!"

Seeing this, Su Ta let out a soft laugh.

At her words, the young man—Han Yun—opened his eyes, a sharp glint of sword light flashing within them.

His expression was calm, as if he hadn’t detected the mockery in Su Ta’s tone.

"I’ve contacted you to discuss the matter of going to the Ten-Star Novel World," Han Yun said faintly.

"What is there to discuss?" Su Ta sneered.

"None of us know what a Ten-Star Novel World is actually like."

Han Yun shook his head and reached out to gently stroke the feather of a white crane that had landed beside him. The snowy plumage shimmered faintly in the light.

"That’s precisely why we need to plan ahead."

He looked up, meeting Su Ta’s gaze directly.

"That newcomer is nothing to worry about, but if we run into the Deceit Puppet Master..."

He paused for a moment.

"Only by joining forces will we have a fighting chance."

SWOOSH!

The white crane flapped its wings, stirring a gentle breeze as it soared straight up into the high heavens.

Han Yun’s gaze deepened, and his voice continued.

"The Deceit Puppet Master has been in the Reincarnation Bookstore for who knows how many years. They might know secrets that we don’t, like information about this mysterious Ten-Star Novel World!"

Hearing this, the smile on Su Ta’s face faded.

In the Reincarnation Bookstore, there were no such things as friends, only alliances of convenience.

The pact she’d made with Han Yun was a choice forced upon them by the very existence of the Deceit Puppet Master.

If they didn’t form an alliance, it was highly likely that both of them would die at the Deceit Puppet Master’s hands.

However, as someone who had clawed her way up from the bottom to this position, she had experienced an unknown number of novel worlds.

What kind of scheme or plot hadn’t she seen?

’People like us can never truly trust anyone but ourselves.’

She believed that, given the chance, she and Han Yun would turn on each other and go for the kill without hesitation.

But for now, as long as the Deceit Puppet Master was still around, their alliance was unlikely to fall apart.

Because if one of them were to die...