Chapter 121
Chapter 121
“I came this time because I want to read your fate again.”
Amid the smoke and bustle of the barbecue stall, Ning Wushen decided to get straight to the point.
Read my fate again?
Zhou Ming was slightly taken aback. “Brother Ning, what exactly do you mean by this?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean?”
“If you don’t want me to die, you could resolve my predicament simply by intervening. Why go through all this trouble?” Zhou Ming asked. “Or is the danger I’m facing this time beyond even your ability to resolve?”
Zhou Ming could not estimate Ning Wushen’s strength. But the man could break through the barrier between dimensions and cross directly from the Destiny Continent into reality, which most likely meant he had already surpassed the god tier.
With Ning Wushen standing guard, how could the gods and demons possibly dare attack Juyan City?
“Two reasons,” Ning Wushen replied succinctly. “First, once I’ve divined the events you may experience in the future, I can’t casually intervene. I control part of the Law of Time, but I am not the God of Time.”
Seeing the future and changing it were two entirely different things!
Changing it meant defying heaven. Even Ning Wushen would suffer divine condemnation. Making a wager with Zhou Ming and telling him the outcome was already the limit of what he could do.
“Second, I owe the Eastern Region’s emperor a favor. We established three rules between us, including one that prevents me from interfering with his actions.” Ning Wushen picked up a skewer of cauliflower and began eating.
“…”
Zhou Ming said nothing as he rapidly digested the information. Then he took a deep breath and asked solemnly, “You told me before that my death was approaching, and now you want to examine my future again. Do you want to know whether everything that has happened since then has changed it?”
“Yes!” Ning Wushen admitted readily. “In truth, the moment someone learns of a future event, their life has already gained countless new possibilities.”
“…I appreciate the thought, but I don’t want to know the future this time.” Zhou Ming stood and took out his phone to pay the bill.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want the future to change again!” Confidence showed between Zhou Ming’s brows. “That Forbidden Spell is mine!”
“You’ve got courage!”
Ning Wushen voiced his approval.
Knowing disaster was imminent and still choosing not to learn the answer in advance when given the opportunity was not something everyone could do.
“Is there anything else, Brother Ning?”
“One final warning!”
Ning Wushen’s tone was meaningful. “Destiny may be a game to everyone else, but to you, it is part of your life. I have never been concerned about whether you live or die inside the game.”
“!!”
Zhou Ming’s heart clenched. “Are you saying that if a quest’s penalty is death, I’ll truly die?”
Unlike the previous stages of the Trial of the Seven Sins, the penalty for failing the Sin of Sloth was death.
In truth, Zhou Ming had suspected as much for some time.
If the penalty were merely losing a level, it would be far too light. Combined with the fact that the God-Demon Orb could travel between reality and the game, he had no choice but to consider the possibility.
“If you’d like me to read your fate now, there’s still time.” Ning Wushen’s implication indirectly confirmed Zhou Ming’s suspicion.
“There’s still no need.”
Zhou Ming shook his head and declined, then reproached him. “If anything, Brother Ning, you shouldn’t have said that. Sometimes, knowing too much only creates needless worries.”
“You’re right. I truly did say too much.”
After some thought, Ning Wushen realized Zhou Ming had a point. He flipped his hand, took out a sealed jar of fine wine, and filled his own cup. “I deserve punishment!”
“You certainly do!”
Zhou Ming placed the beer beside Ning Wushen, then picked up the other man’s wine cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced the entire drink down in one gulp. “Amazing!!”
Ning Wushen: “…”
Zhou Ming returned the empty cup without leaving a single drop behind. “Can I get a refill?”
“Hahaha… Now that’s greedy!” Ning Wushen burst out laughing and immediately filled the cup again. “But if a young man isn’t greedy, can he still be called young?”
After the troubling barbecue dinner, Zhou Ming returned home with his head spinning and his entire body burning hot, as if all five of his organs were on fire.
Ning Wushen’s wine had been exceptionally potent this time!
Zhou Ming entered the bathroom, took a cold shower, and lay down on his bed. Before he knew it, he had lost consciousness.
…
Meanwhile, on the Destiny Continent.
The gods held their second meeting in the Eastern Region. Experts packed the gathering, including nearly every god-tier powerhouse in the Light Faction across the entire continent.
Their goals were almost identical!
Capture the Divine Ember Queen, utterly destroy Zhouyou Shijie, and seize the God-Demon Orb!
Apart from those prizes, the strange stone that had withstood the attacks of two Demon Gods for several hours was itself a treasure seen perhaps once in a century. Many desired it just as fervently.
“I never expected us to be driven this far!” Spear of Thunder · Alva, one of the Merri Region emperor’s most trusted lieutenants, said gravely.
At this point, they had decided to break the restrictions imposed by the rules.
Even if they could do so for only a brief moment, it would be more than enough.
“The price may be great, but we can’t simply watch the Demon Gods take all the treasures in Zhouyou Shijie’s possession. During Pinnacle Showdown, I personally watched him obtain a top-tier piece of God-Tier ore…”
Shui Zhanqiu’s meaning was clear. He was urging everyone to take the plan one step further.
The others remained silent for a long time before voicing their agreement.
“Good!”
Alva finalized the plan. “Then it’s settled. We’ll share the cost of breaking the agreement and completely strip Zhouyou Shijie of his ability to resist. He’ll never recover from this!”
…
Elsewhere.
Several Demon Gods hovered above a castle wreathed in black mist within the Abyss. Their terrifying pressure made the entire Abyss tremble.
Abyssal Sword Demon · Cangxuan, Undead Archmage · Eric, Windwalker · Balen, Flame Giant King · Rod…
Every one of them was a mighty expert whose name could shake the world. Yet they remained deeply wary of Zhouyou Shijie, afraid he would somehow escape certain death yet again.
“Balen, I must trouble you to visit the Sea of Perdition and bring Walter here as well!” Eric’s voice was hoarse, but his tone brooked no refusal. “I will tolerate no uncertainty. Zhouyou Shijie must die!”
“Do we truly need to take things this far?”
Cangxuan could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. He spoke with dissatisfaction. “The Dark Faction’s goal is to overthrow the Light Faction’s rule and establish a new order. How have we fallen so low that we’re now devoting ourselves to exterminating a single adventurer? Our vision has become far too narrow!”
All of them were god-tier experts, but the three highest-ranked Demon Gods stood in a class of their own, superior to the rest in combat power. As the second-ranked Demon God, Cangxuan naturally had the right to question Eric to his face.
“You devote all your attention to swordsmanship, so perhaps you don’t understand how great a threat Zhouyou Shijie represents,” Eric explained. “If I gave you two months, could you start from nothing, reach Zhouyou Shijie’s current level, then recruit three god-tier experts to your side?”
“…”
Cangxuan had no answer.
Such an accomplishment was beyond Cangxuan. Even Wu Xing, the first-ranked Demon God, would struggle to achieve it.
“You can’t, and neither can I!” Eric said in a low voice. “If we don’t strangle him before he matures, the Destiny Continent may cease to be divided between two powers and become a contest among three!”
“Enough talk!” Flame Giant King · Rod rumbled. “Zhouyou Shijie will die without question this time. Cover me while I take everything he owns!”
“I want that strange stone beside him!” Amy interjected. “Something that hard is more than sufficient for forging a divine weapon.”
Cangxuan’s expression became complicated as he listened to them argue over their prizes.
Zhouyou Shijie.
Perhaps you were right. For a human, joining the Dark Faction truly is no path worth taking.
Unfortunately, life offers no road back…
…