Chapter 129
Chapter 129
When the rules teleported Zhou Ming’s body and soul away, the gods’ expressions turned exceptionally ugly.
Zhouyou Shijie had undoubtedly profited handsomely from this sudden battle. Even after being killed all the way back to square one, he still retained the foundation needed to rise again.
“Damn it! Damn it!” Long Kun raged. “We were only two days short!”
If they could have delayed everything until the battle at Juyan City, the outcome would have been completely different.
Not only would Zhouyou Shijie have died without question, but the god-tier powerhouses helping him would also have been trapped on the battlefield by the rules and forced to die alongside him.
At the thought, Long Kun turned toward the Demon Gods. “And here I thought you were supposed to be powerful. Yet the eighth Demon God was defeated by an insect at the War Soul grade. What an utter disgrace…”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Balen could not help cutting him off. He said coldly, “I could take that from anyone else, but you’re the last person here qualified to say it!”
“You!”
“Enough!” Eric said in a low voice. “Our Dark Faction was indeed caught completely off guard in this battle. Still, forcing Zhouyou Shijie to start over is good news in its own right!”
“How so?” A god-tier powerhouse had yet to catch on.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” Soulfire burned beneath Eric’s cloak. “Natives cannot interfere in battles between adventurers!”
Natives could not interfere in battles between adventurers…
The gods understood at once.
Adventurers had been powerless against a Level 80 Zhouyou Shijie. But now that he had fallen to Level 1, killing him would be as easy as reaching into a bag and taking something out.
The two factions were not allies, after all. Following a brief exchange, each side went its separate way.
Both sides wished they could wipe the other out in one stroke, but in a battle in the wilderness, it was extremely difficult to hunt a god-tier powerhouse to the death if they were determined to leave.
That was precisely why the two sides laid siege to each other’s cities and seized territory, advancing gradually instead.
…
Meanwhile, in a desolate stretch of wilderness…
“Whoosh!”
White light flashed, and a young man dressed in novice cloth armor was randomly teleported into the area.
“Ding!”
[System Notification: Your Level is too low to fulfill the duties of lord of a primary city. Juyan City has become an [Unclaimed City]!]
“It’s finally over!”
The young man looked calm. There was not the slightest anger in his eyes, only relief.
It was no great problem!
Once he retrieved the items he had entrusted to Qianying, raising his Level again would take no time at all.
He composed himself and accepted his current circumstances. After checking his inventory and confirming that it was completely empty, he turned to the system’s information log.
“Ding!”
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully killed [Flame Giant King · Rod]. Based on the Life-and-Death Pact, you may select any three things he possessed!]
This was probably the greatest reward from the entire battle!
As a god-tier powerhouse, Flame Giant King was certain to possess treasures that would not disappoint him!
“You worked hard this time.”
A clear, melodious voice sounded beside Zhou Ming.
Ripples spread through the void, and Qianying, Ye Zhibei, and Renee stepped out.
“We’re brothers and sisters who’ve shared both fortune and hardship. There’s no need to be so formal with me.”
Zhou Ming laughed. He was not surprised that they had found him so quickly.
After all, the items he had entrusted to Qianying included the rare SS-Rank item, the Heavenly Secrets Compass.
“We’re finally out of that trap!” Renee exclaimed, practically glowing with delight. “Now we don’t have to defend Juyan City and sit around waiting to die.”
“That’s not all!” Zhou Ming added with a grin. “The Dark Faction even prepared a massive stockpile of construction resources for us!”
To promote Juyan City into a primary city, the Dark Faction had continuously poured resources into it. They had already moved a portion of those resources to a concealed location, ready to retrieve them later.
“That’s not all!”
Qianying pursed her lips, dimples appearing with her smile. “I was close by when Flame Giant King died, so I took the opportunity to swipe a few nice things for you.”
“Oh?”
Zhou Ming was overjoyed. Qianying took a large pile of items from her inventory and returned them to him, including a fiery-red stone.
[Flame Essence] (God Tier)
Description: After Flame Giant King was killed, Rod’s consciousness was completely erased. However, his true body was formed from a meteorite beyond the heavens. It contained violent yet pure fire-element power and was extraordinarily hard, making it extremely difficult to destroy. It was therefore preserved.
…
“!!”
Zhou Ming’s breath caught, and wild joy surged through him.
He had lost a Demigod-Tier Heavenly Profundity Ore, only to obtain a God-Tier Flame Essence!
This… this…
He had struck it rich!
“Qianying, Qianying, I don’t even know what to say to you!” Zhou Ming’s grin nearly split his face from ear to ear.
He now possessed two pieces of God-Tier ore. Moreover, his Gale Boots had belonged to Su Feng, the previous owner of the God-Demon Orb, so the materials used to forge them were also extraordinary.
Qianying had warned him of that long ago.
For that reason, he had kept his wits about him and deliberately changed out of them before the battle.
In other words, he had three pieces…
Wait!
Zhou Ming suddenly thought of something and glanced at Renee.
“Why are you looking at me?” Renee wrinkled her delicate nose, finding his gaze rather strange.
Zhou Ming shook his head. “It’s nothing. We’re all brothers and sisters here. What wicked thoughts could I possibly have about you?”
“With the Stone of Divine Condemnation and Flame Essence as the core materials, then having the Dwarves forge the weapon, I’m afraid Brother Zhou might obtain a Peerless Divine Weapon!” Ye Zhibei marveled.
In truth, Zhouyou Shijie’s wealth was enough to make even god-tier powerhouses burn with envy.
“Where can I find the Dwarves?” Zhou Ming asked curiously.
“The Dragon Domain!” Ye Zhibei answered. “Every part of a dragon is a treasure. As they grow, bumps, scrapes, injuries, and bleeding are unavoidable, and everything shed in the process is an extraordinarily valuable resource. The Dwarves excel at forging, so their industries complement those of the Dragon Domain. The two have long since become inseparable.”
“The Dragon Domain?” Zhou Ming murmured thoughtfully.
Players probably would not gain access to maps connected to the Dragon race until the middle or later stages of the game.
“Once your strength recovers somewhat, we can take the initiative and visit them. I’m sure the forge-loving Dwarves won’t refuse such a tempting commission.”
“All right!”
Zhou Ming nodded.
After reorganizing everything and sorting out his items, he opened the system information log again and carefully examined what Flame Giant King could offer him.
[Flame Giant King · Rod]
Class: [God of Flame] (Unique Hidden Class)
Skills: [Forbidden · God of Blazing Flames], [Forbidden · Reverse-Flame Dragon], [Forbidden · Flames Descend Upon the World], [Flame Giant], [Severing Peak], [Peakbreaker], [Azureflame Sword Qi]…
Items: [Mysterious Blueprint], [Bone of the Abyss], [Edgeless Dust]…
Equipment: [Divine Bedrock Armor], [Sunscorch Greatsword], [Doomsday Bracers]…
…
Zhou Ming’s heart surged with excitement.
There were too many good things. The sheer variety was dazzling, making it nearly impossible to choose!
“Help me take a look. What do you think I should choose?” Zhou Ming naturally had no intention of deciding alone. Everyone beside him was a knowledgeable top-tier expert. Their judgment could not possibly be poor.
At that, all three turned to the information he had made public.
“Good heavens!” Renee nearly drooled. “The Bone of the Abyss and Edgeless Dust are both wonderful things. I bet they taste incredible!”
“Hmm…” Zhou Ming pondered for a moment. “The first things we eliminate are the Bone of the Abyss and Edgeless Dust!”
Renee: “…”
…