Chapter 647: Return (Two in One)

Yan Jing slowly opened his eyes to find that everything before him seemed to have changed.

The ceiling, the bed in the corner, the drawn curtains, and even the threadlike morning light spilling through the fabric—these ordinary things now took on an entirely different appearance.

A glossy liquid flowed through the objects. Within it drifted tiny, almost invisible particles, like dust motes in a river. They glowed faintly, looking incredibly surreal.

According to his knowledge regarding Deities, this luster was the "essence" of these items.

If its color leaned soft, the essence was benign. If it leaned dark, it was harmful.

Yan Jing blinked. The glowing luster faded, and the world returned to normal.

He was sitting at a desk. Standing, he gave a light stretch.

Immediately after, an immense sense of emptiness swelled in his chest.

This was caused by the absence of a Divine Throne.

He had advanced to become a Divine Envoy, but he was not yet the Divine Envoy of any Deity.

He had advanced to the Demigod Realm, yet he was not a Demigod of any Pathway.

Such a situation had perhaps never occurred before.

Yan Jing had no idea what to do now.

Under normal circumstances, he would first need to find a Deity and gain their recognition to become a Divine Envoy.

But that was pointless, because he could immediately claim a Divine Throne and ascend to the Demigod Realm.

As for Divine Thrones, he already had two on hand.

[Physique] and [Folly]

If he wished, he could instantly become a Demigod of either Pathway right here and now.

While others exhausted every scheme trying to seize a place in the Demigod Realm during Advent Day, Yan Jing could achieve it ahead of time with a single thought.

However... Yan Jing was in no rush.

This was a major event that required careful consideration.

"Let's check the rewards."

Yan Jing pulled up his reward panel.

Two glass vials, roughly the size of index fingers, materialized in his palm.

They contained two different liquids: one pitch-black, the other crystal-clear.

Ultimate Physique Enhancement Potion 1 (Bound Item, Unique Item), Ultimate Spirit Enhancement Potion 1 (Bound Item, Unique Item).

These were the first two rewards he had received this time.

What caught his interest was the "Unique Item" tag appended to them.

This was the first time he had seen such a tag.

The implication was obvious. Only one of each existed. Even if someone else completed a task of the exact same grade, they would receive something else instead.

{Item Name: Ultimate Physique Enhancement Potion (Bound Item, Unique Item)}

{Usable Tier: Usable at all Tiers (Cannot be used as a Ritual)}

{Item Effect: Massively enhances your physique}

{Item Description: This is one of the ultimate rewards from this system, given only to those who have earned extreme recognition. The strength you displayed makes me willing to bet on you. I hope you can accomplish what I wish for. PS: This item is no longer within the control of this system and comes with no after-sales guarantee.}

{Item Name: Ultimate Spirit Enhancement Potion (Bound Item, Unique Item)}

{Usable Tier: Usable at all Tiers (Cannot be used as a Ritual)}

{Item Effect: Massively enhances your spirit}

{Item Description: This is one of the ultimate rewards from this system, given only to those who have earned extreme recognition. The strength you displayed makes me willing to bet on you. I hope you can accomplish what I wish for. PS: This item is no longer within the control of this system and comes with no after-sales guarantee.}

The descriptions for both items were almost identical.

But both contained a specific phrase.

This system.

This was the first time Yan Jing had seen the Inner World System refer to itself this way.

It was hard not to suspect an underlying catch.

He looked at the two potions, his gaze shifting slightly as that flowing luster appeared once more.

The luster in both vials was dense to an indescribable degree.

The moment they appeared, the essence of every other object in the room paled in comparison.

Yan Jing carefully examined every glowing particle within.

Tens of millions, or perhaps over a hundred million—he couldn't tell. He didn't open the black vial of the Ultimate Physique Enhancement Potion until he had inspected every last particle and confirmed there was no harmful essence. Only then did he down it in one gulp.

The black liquid wasn't as hard to swallow as he had imagined. Instead, it carried the distinct sweet and sour tang of berries, much like concentrated raspberry juice.

The moment it entered his mouth, the icy liquid slid down his throat and instantly vanished.

And then...

He felt nothing.

His body didn't heat up, he didn't expel any impurities, and he didn't feel the slightest tearing sensation in his muscles.

But when Yan Jing raised his hand...

The entire pocket of space beside his palm instantly shattered.

Fragments of space scattered in the air like pieces of a broken mirror before being sucked into a Space Rift.

Yan Jing stared at the massive pitch-black hole in the air and blinked.

His physical strength had increased so drastically that he had failed to control his output.

Mainly because... he truly hadn't detected any change in his power, so he had lifted his hand with his usual amount of force.

Well, he needed to adapt.

After dealing with that, he swallowed the contents of the second vial.

And then... he began the gradual process of adjustment and adaptation.

It was a very long process.

But what Yan Jing didn't expect was that the outside world was already in complete turmoil just from him raising his hand.

...

Swoosh—

Wang Yu's figure materialized in midair, appearing right outside the room where Yan Jing was in seclusion.

Seeing Rabbit and Long Quezhou already at the scene, she slowly let out a breath.

"Did Lord Yan come out?"

"Probably."

Long Quezhou spoke slowly, his tone carrying a sense of relief.

"I just don't know what happened in there to tear space apart like that."

Rabbit appeared much calmer by comparison. It took a sip of the iced tea in its paws.

"The kid got stronger again."

"He probably just lost control of his strength for a moment."

Hearing this, the two exchanged a look of dismay.

Lost control of his strength...

Just what level of power was required to shatter the void with a stray movement?

Seeming to notice their shock, Rabbit took another sip of tea and drawled, "Right now, this kid could probably slaughter the vast majority of Divine Envoys without breaking a sweat."

...

The two of them couldn't help but gasp.

Slaughtering most Divine Envoys effortlessly—what kind of concept was that? Didn't that mean Yan Jing was already standing at the absolute forefront of all Divine Envoys?

Those were Divine Envoys!

How many Divine Envoys were there in the entire Surface World? Probably no more than three hundred, right?

No, they suspected the actual number was even lower.

Didn't that mean Yan Jing had already reached such staggering heights?!

"Alright, just wait. This was the kid's final Dungeon. After this, he'll be facing a true war. He's definitely going to be short on manpower, so if you two don't perform well, careful he doesn't replace you both,"

Rabbit said faintly.

It was just casually trying to scare them, but to the two listeners, it was a completely different story.

Wang Yu and Long Quezhou both looked nervous, terrified that Rabbit's words might actually come true.

The three waited quietly.

An unknown amount of time passed before Rabbit looked up and stared into the distance.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou sensed something as well. They raised their heads, looking in the same direction.

A majestic shockwave was sweeping toward them, carrying a heavy, resonant sound.

Dong— Dong— Dong—

The deep, booming toll of a bell echoed as if ringing from the ancient past. Carrying an indescribably wild aura, it swept across from thousands of miles away and washed over the sky above them.

"What is that..."

Rabbit muttered. It wasn't a native of the Surface World, after all, so it didn't fully understand the phenomenon.

Beside it, however, Wang Yu and Long Quezhou's expressions simultaneously changed.

"The Human Emperor Bell has rung!"

The two immediately exchanged a glance, each seeing the absolute shock in the other's eyes.

"A new king has ascended!"

Rabbit looked at them in confusion, finally prompting an explanation.

Rumor had it that when the Surface World's Human Emperor Bell rang, it meant a new top player had emerged.

And being the top player here meant being number one across the entire Surface World.

While it didn't guarantee they had the strongest combat power, it at least proved they possessed the potential to be the absolute strongest!

"Who could it be?"

Their hearts were pounding wildly.

Not because of this newly ascended "king."

But because a ridiculously bold guess had formed in all their minds.

A few seconds later, another wave of sound rolled in.

"The new Summit of the rankings—"

"Yi."

Upon hearing that name, the three felt their hearts stop for a beat.

Because that title was far from unfamiliar to them.

In fact...

They were intimately familiar with it.

"You're here."

The door had opened at some point. Yan Jing stood in the doorway, looking at them with a smile.

"D-Domain... Domain Lord Yan..."

Wang Yu felt as if her tongue was tied in knots, completely unable to form the words clearly.

Beside her, Long Quezhou's reaction was even more exaggerated.

He was never good with words to begin with, but right now, he couldn't squeeze out a single syllable. His entire face had turned beet red.

In the end, Rabbit was the one who jumped out.

With a single hop, it landed right in front of Yan Jing.

"I remember your title being 'Yi'."

Rabbit stared intently at him.

Yan Jing smiled.

"I believe so."

"You're the absolute number one in the Surface World now?"

"Number one on the rankings, not in combat strength."

"That's still number one!"

Rabbit couldn't hold back anymore. It pumped its paws in excitement, shedding its usual calm, calculating demeanor as it clenched its fists.

"We're taking off, taking off, taking off! To think this old man would have such luck in his twilight years."

After muttering to itself for a moment, it turned back to Yan Jing, its face contorting into an unprecedented, comically intense expression.

"I recall you asking me to be your state preceptor, right?"

"Pretty much." Yan Jing blinked.

Managing a faction was indeed roughly the same as being a state preceptor.

"Then I get to command the people under you, right?"

Rabbit's ruby-like eyes were practically glowing.

"..." Yan Jing blinked again.

"Sure."

"Excellent!" Rabbit punched the air.

"Kid, I actually have a dream."

Yan Jing blinked yet again.

"Let's hear it."

Rabbit coughed lightly, then clasped its paws behind its back. "Back when this old man was young, arrogant, and ignorant, I always had this one idea. And that was—"

"Conquering the Surface World."

"What?" Yan Jing thought he had misheard.

"Conquering the Surface World!" Rabbit kept its paws behind its back, looking incredibly smug.

"Kid, don't let my old and steady demeanor fool you. Back in my youth, I was also—"

"Hold on, hold on..." Yan Jing held out his hands to cut Rabbit off.

"When you say 'conquering the Surface World,' you mean doing it from the perspective of the Inner World, right?"

"But you're on the Surface World's side now."

"I never said I wanted to conquer the Surface World on behalf of the Inner World!" Rabbit immediately denied. "Anyway, I just want to conquer the Surface World. It doesn't matter which side I'm on! Those old fogeys dared to look down on me. Hahaha, now they're completely doomed, and I'll have bragging rights when I go back down!"

Rabbit was grinning from ear to ear.

Yan Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I advanced to a Divine Envoy, not a Deity. You're getting a bit ahead of yourself."

"It's only a matter of time."

Rabbit waved a paw dismissively.

I once heard some juniors in the Land Before the Curtain mention that when a human ranked first enters the Land Before the Curtain, they use the rewards earned from that rank as a Ritual to ascend through the final Rite, completing a qualitative transformation."

"Almost the exact moment they finished containing the Ritual, they advanced to the Demigod Realm."

"And that goes double for you, kid, since you already possess a Divine Throne."

"Is that so?"

Yan Jing blinked. This was the first time he'd ever heard of such a method.

A new idea sparked in his mind.

...

...

Whoosh—

A figure wearing silver-red robes floated in the air. After the bell tolled, he slowly opened his eyes.

To think a new number one had actually appeared in the Surface World.

This surprised him a bit.

Back during his own final Dungeon, he had also tried to challenge for that position.

But in the end, it had remained out of reach.

He didn't know which faction's monster had just emerged to seize such a throne.

Right now, however, that number one position wasn't his primary concern.

It was what he had just sensed.

The person who had once injured him had reappeared.

The man had sharp, swordlike eyebrows, bright eyes, and thin lips, with his long red hair tied high. As he stood up, his silver-red robes fluttered wildly in the wind.

Beside him, a woman dressed as a handmaid spoke softly.

"My lord, let us go back. Lord Feng has been waiting for a long time. He said he needs to summon you back to go over the final arrangements before the start of Advent Day."

Yin Tianhuang frowned.

"Tell Lord Feng to give me two more days."

Unexpectedly, the woman shook her head.

"I cannot, my lord. The deadline was actually yesterday. I've already extended it for you as much as I could."

"Now that a new number one has appeared, the Central Region is in complete chaos. And you know Lord Feng's temper..."

The woman didn't finish her sentence, but Yin Tianhuang's frown deepened.

It wasn't that he was too afraid to defy that person's decree. Mostly, it was because keeping that person alive was still useful. Otherwise, he would have killed him long ago.

Staring into the distance, toward the direction where he sensed that figure's aura, he still felt a sliver of indignation.

To his surprise, the woman softly offered a compromise.

"How about this, my lord? I will go and bring that person back for you. I guarantee I'll bring them back alive."

As her voice fell, weird energy surged around her body, and an aura of divinity permeated the air.

Incredibly, despite her appearance as a lowly handmaid, the woman was a bona fide Divine Envoy.

Hearing her say this, Yin Tianhuang finally gave a nod.

"We'll do that."

"Also, on your trip this time, aside from bringing that person back, help me find someone else."