Chapter 107
Chapter 107
Within Juyan City, the golden pillar soared into the clouds and sent wave after wave of air rolling outward, drawing every eye.
Powerful figures immediately rushed toward it from all directions.
“What is he up to this time?”
“No matter how he struggles, I refuse to believe he can defy heaven!”
“Judging by that pillar, he must have created something extraordinary!”
…
Unease and suspicion filled them.
Zhouyou Shijie’s appointed day of death was close at hand. None of them wanted some new complication to arise and let him cling to life yet again.
“Congratulations, Brother Zhou!” Ye Zhibei was the first to offer his felicitations.
Creating a phenomenon that spread across the Destiny Continent was proof enough that Zhouyou Shijie’s new skill was anything but ordinary!
Generally, only the birth of a transcendent skill, class, or item could produce such a sight.
Standing within the dazzling golden pillar, Zhou Ming watched the wondrous transformation inside his skill list. Delight filled his face, and emotion surged through him.
The Lady Luck he had copied from Xiaoyou possessed a one-month cooldown!
Zhou Ming had kept that fact firmly in mind from beginning to end. Never once had he forgotten it.
He had been saving it for a critical moment exactly like this!
About five minutes later, the golden pillar gradually faded. The enormous collection of skills in Zhou Ming’s skill list had merged into one, completing Dawnbringer’s evolution.
Ding!
[System: Congratulations! Through Return to Ruin, you have mastered and integrated numerous skills to create the special skill [??? (Unnamed)] (Exclusive SSS Rank)!]
Ding!
[System: Congratulations on creating an SSS-Rank skill! As the first adventurer on the server to create an SSS-Rank skill, you receive the following rewards: Free Attribute Points +300, Luck +6, Fame +3,000, and the SS-Rank item [Heavenburn]!]
Ding!
[System: Would you like to publicize the legend you have created on the Destiny Continent? (Note: If publicized, it will be visible to all players on the server.)]
…
Fuck!
Now this was more like it!
Listening to the heavenly chime of system notifications, Zhou Ming could not stop grinning. He eagerly opened his skill list, impatient to see the result of more than twenty days of work.
[??? (Unnamed)] (Exclusive SSS Rank)
Description: One sword rises, and the cosmos is stilled. One sword falls, and heaven and earth are split.
Skill Effect: Condense Blazing Sun Sword Intent and lock onto a target within a 500-by-500-meter area, bringing the sword down to deal damage equal to 1,500% of the user’s Attack. This attack is guaranteed to crit and inflict Suppression, while reducing Movement Speed by 150% for 5 seconds.
Additional Effect 1: With the struck unit at the center, sword intent and flames sweep outward, dealing 200% damage to all units within a 300-by-300-meter area. (Area increases with the user’s strength.) This attack has a high chance to inflict Burn, Launch, and Knockback. (Exact chances depend on the difference in strength between both sides.)
Additional Effect 2: The user may charge the skill. The longer the charge, the greater its power and area. Current maximum damage: 3,000%. Maximum area: 800 by 800 meters.
Additional Effect 3: After activating the skill, the user may unconditionally choose and seal one skill belonging to an enemy unit for 10 minutes. (Stackable. A maximum of 2 skills may be sealed.)
Cooldown: 20 seconds. (The longer the charge, the longer the cooldown.)
(Growth-Type)
—
[Seal]: A skill affected by this status cannot be used.
…
“Hiss!”
The long list of effects made Zhou Ming suck in a sharp breath, his heart bursting with delight.
The other effects had changed little, though their power had risen significantly. More importantly, the SSS-Rank skill he had created now possessed the sealing mechanic he had wanted. Once the skill descended, it was guaranteed to hit and could lock down an opponent’s skill for a full ten minutes.
Even more outrageous, it did not stop at sealing a single skill!
What did that mean?
He could forcibly lock away two of an enemy’s trump cards, preventing them from using either one before they died!
There was no question that this would become Zhou Ming’s ultimate trump card, as well as the key move he needed to break out of his predicament!
“Everyone, if you’ve seen enough, you may leave!” Zhou Ming turned toward the area outside Juyan City.
Without anyone noticing when it had happened, a large number of powerful figures had gathered beyond the city. They were enemies rather than friends, and thus unable to approach.
“The more outstanding you become, the happier I am!” The Flame Giant King’s mountainous body towered in the distance, his voice rolling like muffled thunder. Rather than alarm, his tone held delight.
He had a way to strip Zhouyou Shijie of everything!
The harder Zhouyou Shijie struggled now, the greater the gains he would deliver into Rod’s hands ten days from now!
“Is that so?”
Zhou Ming raised his head to meet the giant’s gaze. Despite how close the Flame Giant King stood, their eyes remained nearly a thousand meters apart. “Then smile while you can. I’m afraid you won’t be able to later!”
“Hahahaha…”
The Flame Giant King laughed even louder at such a feeble threat. He bent toward the city wall, and his burning head alone towered above it, radiating overwhelming pressure.
Disdain and contempt filled his eyes as his figure slowly faded. “Ten days from now, I will personally take your head!”
No matter how impatient he might be, no matter how desperately he wanted to attack now, he knew the time had not yet come.
Seeing this, the others departed as well.
“What do you plan to do ten days from now, Brother Zhou?” After confirming that no one nearby was spying on them, Ye Zhibei asked the question.
“I have a way out!”
Zhou Ming did not hide the truth. “But the plan is extremely risky. I hope all of you will prepare yourselves.”
“!!”
All three stared at him in astonishment.
“We can really escape the gods’ encirclement?” Renee asked urgently.
She had spent this entire period desperately searching for a solution, but could not find one no matter how hard she thought. Worry had gnawed at her every day, though she had not dared show it.
“We can!”
Zhou Ming nodded firmly.
“What exactly is the plan? Stop keeping us in suspense,” Qianying said. She also wanted to know what extraordinary idea he had devised.
Zhou Ming shook his head. “The walls may have ears. I don’t dare say it carelessly.”
It was not that he refused to explain. The Destiny Continent simply possessed too many bizarre items.
Someone might already be spying on them from the shadows with some strange item, hoping to learn his plan.
He could not let them succeed!
“All right.”
The others understood.
The martial world was treacherous. Caution was necessary.
One thing was certain: Zhouyou Shijie would never make empty claims about something this important. He must have been planning it for some time.
Ding!
[System: Attention! The fourth round of [Pinnacle Showdown] has begun. Would you like to enter the venue in advance?]
The system notification suddenly sounded in Zhou Ming’s ears.
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming cast aside every distracting thought. He copied the Sword Saint’s Talent again, allocated all his Free Attribute Points to Attack, and then devoted his full attention to Pinnacle Showdown.
He had coasted through the first three rounds, but the Eastern Region concealed plenty of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. In the fourth round, he was bound to encounter them.
Whoosh!
The scene shifted, and Zhou Ming appeared inside the tournament venue.
The dozens of arenas from before had vanished, replaced by a single complete arena.
Clearly, the later rounds would no longer feature multiple matches at once.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As he arrived, countless gazes converged on him from every direction.
Zhouyou Shijie!
He was Destiny’s first true mega-influencer, an opponent regarded as nothing less than a god.
“Zhouyou Shijie, I’ve heard much about you!”
An archer with the game ID Stop Bothering Me approached from the contestants’ section and extended a hand. “I hope you’ll teach me a thing or two during Pinnacle Showdown!”
“A pleasure to meet you!”
Zhou Ming naturally had no reason to be cold toward a player who bore him no ill will. “Let’s both do our best!”
“Hmph!”
Bawang snorted and said darkly, “I heard you haven’t even been able to leave the city lately. No wonder your level has fallen so far behind!”
Zhouyou Shijie’s level had not changed in ages!
Everyone had finally caught up with him on the Level Rankings, although…
That was only because he had not gained levels for twenty days.
“Fallen behind?”
Zhou Ming hurriedly opened the Level Rankings. Then he sighed in relief and smiled. “You scared me. I haven’t fallen that far behind!”
1. Zhouyou Shijie, Class: Flame Demon Lord, Level 70
2. Rule by Inaction, Class: Eternal Guard, Level 64
3. Submit and Perish, Class: Dragon Soul Mage, Level 63
4. Bawang, Class: Dragon Warrior, Level 62
5. Final Arrangements, Class: Dark Priest, Level 62
6. Stop Bothering Me, Class: Gale Arrow Saint, Level 61
7. Eighteen This Year, Class: Demonic Feather Knight, Level 61
8. Gaibang Laoda, Class: Star Guardian, Level 60
9. Tingfeng Xiyu, Class: Windshadow Rogue, Level 60
10. Die Beneath the Peonies, Class: Bloodthirst Assassin, Level 60
…
The players had clearly been working hard at leveling.
They had almost caught him.
Of course, Zhou Ming did not care!
Giving up one month of leveling in exchange for an SSS-Rank skill and clearing the Sin of Sloth was an absurdly profitable trade!
Besides!
The evolved Dawnbringer was terrifyingly powerful. Once he began leveling again, there was no telling how far behind he would leave every other player.
…