Chapter 441: Clearing the Game and Ranking Dungeon (Two-in-One)

Yan Jing did not explain why he claimed to have once been as "cowardly" as Jian Yi.

He looked calmly at the blood-soaked man and said softly, "If you have any other abilities left, Mr. Jian, you had better use them now."

"Otherwise, by the time you regret it, it will be too late."

"—"

Jian Yi stood frozen in place, trembling all over.

It was not out of fear, but anger.

The words sounded like they were offering him a final way out, but all he heard was condescending indifference.

Someone who had met their match would not say such things to their enemy.

"Are you pitying me?"

"You think you have the right to pity me?!"

He looked up, a fierce glint in his bleeding eyes. Like a crippled wolf on its last breath, he bared his fangs at Yan Jing one final time.

"I didn't mean it like that." Yan Jing's expression remained calm. "But if you have no other methods left, I am going to make my move."

"Just as you said, it seems only one of us will make it out alive."

"Heh." Jian Yi looked at Yan Jing and suddenly sneered. "In some ways, you really are a bit like that guy."

"More accurately, you and the rest of us are the same kind of people."

"Shen Youran never learns. She let us use her and kick her aside back then, so naturally, she will be kicked aside a second time now."

Yan Jing smiled. "To be honest, I don't have the time to listen to your past history."

"Oh? You think you're different from us?" Jian Yi mocked. "Then why didn't you make a move against the Mu Family when you passed through the Third Ring Domain?"

"If you can beat me, do you really think you can't beat Mu Yi?"

A playful expression appeared on Yan Jing's face. "Are you implying that you can beat Mu Yi?"

Jian Yi burst into laughter. "What utter absurdity!"

"It wouldn't even take me half a quarter-hour to kill him."

"Then why didn't you do it?" Yan Jing looked at him.

"I asked you that question first, didn't I?" Jian Yi's gaze turned teasing.

The two stared at each other, both seemingly finding the answer in the other's eyes.

"I am interested in that question," Yan Jing smiled.

"If you're willing to answer, Mr. Jian, I can spare your life."

"What a joke," Jian Yi said with a faint smile. "Kill me or torture me, do whatever you want."

Despite his words, the bulging veins on the back of his hands from gripping so tightly betrayed him.

He truly was unwilling to accept it.

Unwilling to let himself perish just like this.

But Yan Jing ignored all that. He nodded and stepped forward, a spear wreathed in Thorns materializing in his grip.

In this situation, he had no reason to accept any threats.

The half-black, half-white spear was coiled in threads of Chaos aura and Thorns. In Jian Yi's eyes, the sharp glint of the spear tip stung as though it had already pierced his brow.

Finally, as the aura of death rushed his face alongside the wind and the spear tip reached mere inches from his eyes, his resolve broke. "No one can touch Mu Yi," he blurted out.

"This is Yueyin."

"Mu Yi is the candidate personally chosen by that person."

As he finished speaking, the winding veins on the back of his hands grew even more pronounced. Blood dripped from his fingertips, and his face was twisted with reluctance.

He truly was a coward.

He could not accept death so easily and calmly.

Looking past the spear into Yan Jing's eyes, his gaze turned icy. "If we were still young back then, we could have easily assumed the Shen Family's decline was solely due to Mu Yi's arbitrary actions."

"But if you really still think that now, you are far too naive."

"The Shen Family's status back then was higher than the current Three Major Families in the Third Ring Domain."

"Yet Mu Yi eventually succeeded, and without even facing any suppression."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Shen Youran's father had a severe ideological divergence with that person, so he was abandoned."

"That is the truth."

"Don't tell me you haven't realized this."

Yan Jing smiled and nodded. "It's quite obvious."

Of course he had realized it, which was exactly why he had made so many preparations in advance.

"But that isn't the reason I spared the Mu Family."

Yan Jing lowered his eyes, a natural smile on his lips. "If Teacher Shen isn't present when the Mu Family disappears, then the whole matter holds no meaning for me."

"That is the reason."

Incredulity spilled from Jian Yi's eyes as he stared at Yan Jing, his face turning ugly. "Are you acting out some sort of tragic melodrama for me?"

He had guessed Yan Jing might offer a ridiculous excuse, but he never expected it to be this absurd.

"That is the reason."

Yan Jing didn't argue. He simply nodded before countless threads poured from his pupils, plunging into Jian Yi's body. They shredded all the meridians that weren't critical to his survival, instantly destroying the vital nodes where his weird energy circulated.

Jian Yi was reduced to a half-cripple.

A Seventh Rank cultivator, a genius at the Seventh Rank, crippled in a single day.

This was the price of survival.

"If you find this unacceptable, you can end your own life."

Yan Jing spoke softly, "But if you want to live, you'll have the perfect opportunity to see whether what I said was true."

"Heh, hehe—"

Blood seeped from the corners of Jian Yi's mouth from his ruptured internal organs. A dense, irresolvable hatred filled his eyes. "All talk is useless. Prove it to me, if you have the ability."

"Prove to me that you are different from us."

"I'll be waiting for the day that person rips off your head."

He gritted his teeth, lacking even the strength to yell. But Yan Jing did not spare him another glance and turned to walk away.

A few hundred meters from the final building on the street in Chaotic City, Sheng Xia's figure darted out from the side, blocking Yan Jing's path.

"You cannot go any further, Mr. Yan."

Sitting on "Jian Yi's" shoulder, Sheng Xia spoke softly, her eyes holding a coldness entirely unlike before.

"I haven't cleared the game yet, Miss Sheng."

Yan Jing smiled. "Are you part of this trial too?"

Sheng Xia spoke coldly, "If you anger the mayor of Chaotic City, even that person might not be able to protect you."

"That person is planning something important, and the mayor of Chaotic City is considered one of the three candidates most likely to reach the Summit."

"I know you want to take that treasure from Chaotic City, but not right now, Mr. Yan."

"My mission is to bring you safely back to the First Ring Domain. I hope you won't make things difficult for me."

Yan Jing offered a faint smile. "As you said, Miss Sheng, that is your mission."

"It has nothing to do with me."

The instant his words fell, two different streams of weird energy—one black, one white—surged from the center of the road and violently collided.

The terrifying shockwave instantly obliterated all the trees and streetlamps within a radius of dozens of meters.

"Stop this madness, Mr. Yan."

From within the dazzling radiance of weird energy, Sheng Xia looked at Yan Jing and warned, "Given that person's temperament, acting like this will only make them hate you more."

Yan Jing looked back at her and laughed. "First, I never expected that person to like me."

"Second, you probably haven't even seen what I look like when I truly go mad, Miss Sheng."

At his words, Sheng Xia's pupils trembled.

A madness she had never witnessed flashed through the eyes of the man across from her. It was entirely different from the "do-or-die" desperation she had seen in the eyes of past enemies. It carried an indescribable bestiality, as though he could cast aside absolutely everything just to destroy whatever stood in his way.

The next second, she seemed to hear the sound of the ocean.

Like a sea breeze sweeping across the water, kicking up churning waves.

Moreover—

The waves were climbing higher and higher.

Something was wrong.

Sheng Xia's face subconsciously paled. Surging weird energy poured from her palms, immediately transforming into a blinding light as she sought to stop Yan Jing's advance.

But it seemed to be too late.

The roaring sound grew deafening. Before her eyes, she envisioned a sky-blotting tidal wave obscuring all sunlight. It was the weird energy erupting from Yan Jing, now morphing into an earth-shattering phenomenon. A vast, boundless Ocean gathered in the space directly above his head.

But just as a terrifying giant tree was about to break through the soil, fueled by the nourishment provided by this "ocean"...

Suddenly, a figure tore through the sky from the distant horizon, blinking to their side.

Looking at the phenomenon before him, the newcomer seemed somewhat startled, a grave look flashing through his eyes. Finally, he tossed a box to Yan Jing. "This is what you want."

"Guaranteed genuine."

The box disintegrated in midair, spilling out a handful of soil.

It was by no means ordinary soil. Even caught in the crossfire of two powerful streams of weird energy, not a single grain broke apart. Instead, it glimmered with a dark light, clumping tightly together.

Yan Jing stared at the handful of dirt. After carefully scanning it with his weird energy, he summoned it into his hand. [Item Name: Earth Soil (Infected by Mutation)]

[Quality: Red]

[Tier Requirement: Sixth Tier]

[Effect: If you choose to swallow the grains of soil, each grain will increase your comprehension of the earth. If you choose to replace your own flesh and blood with this soil, you may be able to achieve "immortality" to some extent, provided that &*%

￥#%— (Already Infected)]

[Description: Soil that could only be birthed by a region that has known true glory. It is inherently a symbol of peace and stability. The profound weight of the earth meant that this Pathway once nurtured a Deity as well. Of course, the Deity at the end of this Pathway is far too ancient now, so the Pathway itself has gradually trended toward mediocrity, to the point of losing its own name. It seems to have been called—Earth?]

Yan Jing put away the soil and withdrew his weird energy. He then gave a polite nod to the figure who had appeared. "Thank you for the gift."

It was a scruffy, bearded man wearing a cloak.

Receiving Yan Jing's "gratitude," his expression looked rather unpleasant. He merely gave a nod before turning and leaving.

Seeing this unfold, Sheng Xia silently withdrew her weird energy as well.

There was no longer any need for it.

She never expected the mayor to proactively hand the item over just to avoid a conflict.

Such a compromising attitude was highly intriguing.

But regardless, it was a good thing for her.

At the very least, it guaranteed she could escort Yan Jing to the First Ring Domain.

Chaotic City was the final stop on this journey.

Just as Yan Jing said, he had cleared this city.

The strongest city in Yueyin outside of the First Ring Domain.

Thinking of this, a wave of relief washed over her, mingled with a bit of complexity.

One day, Yan Jing would stand against the six of them.

When that time came, could she really win?

That ocean-like fluctuation of weird energy just now...

More importantly, she had a premonition that this day was no longer far off.

"Miss Sheng, shall we head back together?"

Opposite her, Yan Jing acted as if nothing had happened.

Sheng Xia's gaze was complicated as she sighed. "Let's go, Mr. Yan."

The shadow of "Jian Yi" beneath her shattered. Neither of them used any other abilities; they simply walked back slowly side by side.

It was shortly after they had set off.

Suddenly, both of them stopped in their tracks.

At that exact moment, every seed player across the entire Yueyin Domain stopped walking.

Because the exact same system prompt had appeared before all their eyes.

[Your next Dungeon has been decided/updated] [Mission Location: God Storage Land]

[Main Mission 1: Ranking Battle]

[Mission Description:

You will compete in the Ranking Dungeon as squads of six. Specific placements will be determined by your survival time in the Dungeon. Please form your squads freely before entering the Dungeon and submit your roster to the system. Once submitted, it cannot be altered. Note: Death is exempted in this Dungeon; those who die in the Dungeon will only suffer the penalty of a damaged consciousness, and they may leave the Dungeon on their own. Note: This Dungeon targets all seed players of Yueyin. If a seed player changes before the Dungeon begins, the Dungeon participants will change accordingly.] [Main Mission 2: God Storage]

[Mission Description:

Please uncover the secrets of God Storage. The individual with the highest exploration progress will receive additional rewards. If anyone reaches 100% exploration progress, the Dungeon will end early.] [Side Mission 3: Divine Soul]

[Mission Description:

Please collect the Divine Souls scattered across God Storage Land. A complete Divine Soul will assist you in completing the first two missions.] [The next Dungeon will officially begin in two weeks.] Yan Jing and Sheng Xia finished reading the missions at almost the exact same time, then exchanged a look.

"I look forward to seeing you in the Dungeon in two weeks, Mr. Yan."

Sheng Xia spoke, her gaze piercing.

"Likewise."

Yan Jing smiled.

For the remainder of the journey back, neither of them spoke again, both typing on their own phones.

Yan Jing informed Shen Youran of the specific situation, and she quickly began gathering information on all suitable teammates for the squad.

After returning to the hotel, Yan Jing brought up the Ghoulish Life Role-playing Game.

He set the location to God Storage Land and began drawing.

However, for the very first time, an anomaly occurred.

[No suitable role-playing targets at the selected location.]

"Are there no inner world residents in that place...?"

Yan Jing blinked, then switched his consciousness into the Inner World.

Right now, he was locked in a prison.

Of course, they called it imprisonment.

But it was actually fine.

The conditions weren't too good, but they weren't too bad either.

Basic toiletries and a shower were provided, along with a small TV.

The meals were regular food as well: two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and soup.

"This is the standard treatment for people slated to be sent to the Great Prison. There's no need to worry about causing external dissatisfaction."

Those were the words Crocodile had told him when he came to visit.

Crocodile's election victory was already a foregone conclusion. Almost no one opposed the proposals he put forward in the council.

In just a single day, he had already floated quite a few tentative proposals.

At that moment, Zeng Qing happened to come visit the prison.

"Mao Si, how are you holding up in there?"

Zeng Qing pressed her silk-scarf-covered head against the glass, holding the receiver in her hand.

Yan Jing chuckled and pointed at his ear to indicate he could hear her, then turned up the volume between them.

"I'm doing fine. It's only been a day; I don't have many thoughts about it. How's being chairman treating you? Hmm? Chairman Zeng."

"Just you wait. Uncle Crocodile and I will figure out a way to get you out."

Zeng Qing ignored Yan Jing's teasing, her tone laced with anxiety.

"Don't do that."

Yan Jing laughed. "If you make a mistake, you get punished. It's the same for everyone; isn't that what Uncle Crocodile just said in the council?"

"Mao Si—"

Zeng Qing rubbed the silk scarf on her face, actually wiping away the tears beneath it.

"I'll wait for you to come out. I'll be waiting."

"What are you doing?" Yan Jing feigned surprise. "Zeng Qing, I didn't expect that while I treated you like a bro, you've been treating me like your girl."

"Let me tell you, I, Mao Si, sell my skills, not my body."