Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Qianying stated her plan plainly. “We can disguise ourselves as members of a faction within the Dragon Domain, then use those identities to approach the Dwarves.”
“Wouldn’t concealing our true identities from god-tier powerhouses be extremely difficult?” Zhou Ming asked in surprise.
Having the Dwarves forge a divine weapon without alerting anyone would certainly avoid provoking a conflict. But if they encountered a god-tier powerhouse, keeping that person from seeing through their Panels would be no easy task.
Qianying explained, “If we use an SS-Rank item to create a perfect disguise, it will be enough to deceive everyone for a short time!”
The SS-Rank item, [Perfect Disguise]!
Zhou Ming understood. He smiled and nodded. “All right. We’ll follow your plan this time, Qianying. We’ll disguise ourselves, infiltrate the Dragon Domain, and commission the Dwarves to forge the divine weapon. If an opportunity comes up, we’ll get some Flame Dragon essence blood too!”
For anyone else, forcibly locating a specific item would have been exceedingly difficult. Zhou Ming, however, was different.
He might have failed to hold Juyan City, but he had successfully survived the crisis. The Sword Saint had still been generous enough to give him the Universe Compass under the pretext of another quest.
As a result, finding either people or objects would be much easier for him in the future.
“Flame Dragon essence blood?” Yun Wuyou was startled. “Why did this suddenly get even harder?”
“Is it difficult to obtain?”
“There’s something you don’t understand…” Yun Wuyou explained. “Essence blood isn’t ordinary blood. It’s blood from a dragon’s heart. Spending it without good reason can even cause the dragon’s strength to fall drastically!”
“I see…”
Zhou Ming considered it. “Then we’ll decide based on the circumstances. Our most important task is still forging the divine weapon!”
In truth, those two goals were far from his only reasons for visiting the Dragon Domain.
As the name suggested, the Dragon Domain was where the Dragon race lived.
He would have been lying if he claimed he did not want to obtain a dragon as his mount.
After that, Zhou Ming discussed the details with the others while dealing with the densely packed Evil Flying Insects.
Golden light rose around him every so often.
He was fighting across a gap of more than forty Levels, and his targets were four-star elite monsters. The EXP they provided was extremely generous.
“Ding!”
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully killed [Evil Flying Insect] (Elite, 4 Stars). Current-Level EXP +13.77%!]
“Ding!”
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully killed [Evil Flying Insect] (Elite, 4 Stars). Current-Level EXP +13.68%!]
“Ding!”
[System Notification: You have leveled up!]
…
His EXP bar leaped forward again and again, both the frequency and size of each jump visible to the naked eye.
At around 5:30 p.m., Zhou Ming reached Level 73, only a short distance from his peak at Level 80.
There were two reasons. First, Heavenrend’s power and range far surpassed Dawnbringer’s, making it a divine skill for farming monsters. Second, although Zhou Ming’s Level had not increased while he was trapped inside Juyan City, his combat power had risen enormously.
Now his accumulated foundation was simply being released. The speed was perfectly reasonable.
“Growl!”
His stomach rumbled at an inconvenient moment.
“I’ll go eat first. Then we’ll head to the duel site and wait. No matter what, we’re recruiting Cangxuan this time.” Zhou Ming attached tremendous importance to tonight’s operation.
“All right!”
…
In reality…
After removing his gaming helmet, Zhou Ming hurried to a nearby restaurant and ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup. While he waited, he browsed the official forums.
[Zhouyou Shijie Creates Another Miracle on the Breezewind Plains!]
[From Zero to the Level Rankings Again in Just Three Days. Isn’t This a Little Ridiculous?]
[Submit and Perish: When I Emerge from Seclusion, I Will Wash Away Today’s Humiliation!]
…
Zhou Ming rarely paid attention to news about himself. Whenever he opened one of those threads, it was usually just another group of trolls stirring up trouble.
Instead, the thread posted by Submit and Perish himself caught Zhou Ming’s attention.
Submit and Perish: Today, on the Breezewind Plains, I witnessed Zhouyou Shijie’s true strength and personally felt the pressure and disparity between us. I will now enter seclusion in the Dragon Domain. Once I complete my third class advancement, I will challenge Zhouyou Shijie again!
Reply #1 (Watch Your WiFi): The Supreme Guild rocks!
Reply #2 (My Trade School Can’t Compare to Your University): Now that’s rare. The usually arrogant Submit and Perish actually admitted he was outmatched!
Reply #3 (Get Rich Through Laziness): Once he finishes his third class advancement, Submit and Perish will probably learn a bunch of new skills and convert them all into forbidden spells. His combat power is definitely going to skyrocket!
…
“Huh!”
Zhou Ming could not help feeling surprised.
It was not that Submit and Perish’s post contained any shocking revelation. Rather, he had attached a screenshot from the game.
In the image, numerous Dragon Knights and Dragon Warriors stood behind him while dragons flew overhead. A line of text could be faintly seen.
Dragon Knight Trial Tournament!
“What are they testing?” Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes slightly. “Could it have something to do with riding dragons?”
Everyone knew the mount system unlocked after the third class advancement. Submit and Perish was about to undergo that advancement and gain the ability to ride a dragon…
How could Zhou Ming not make the connection?
If the tournament truly involved riding dragons, then Qianying’s plan to infiltrate in disguise could not have come at a more perfect time!
After all, he could disguise himself as a Dragon Knight and register for the event!
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Zhou Ming grew restless with anticipation.
…
Night fell, bringing a slight chill.
After eating his fill, Zhou Ming reentered the game and traveled with four god-tier powerhouses to the agreed duel site.
Apart from Ye Zhibei, everyone hid in the distance without revealing themselves.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
“Why hasn’t the second Demon God arrived yet?” Renee asked uncertainly. “Could he have sensed a trap and decided not to accept the duel?”
“Impossible!” Zhou Ming shook his head with certainty. “They’re both Sword Saints. Cangxuan knows Ye Zhibei would never resort to anything so despicable.”
“Whoosh!”
At a certain moment, the distant void shattered. A burly man wreathed in black mist shot out. Frightening red light shone from his eyes, and his battle intent surged. “It seems that the desperate battle you barely survived three days ago improved your strength considerably. You would actually choose to challenge me yourself!”
“I was fortunate enough to gain a little!” Ye Zhibei did not deny it.
In the past, he had served the emperor of the Eastern Region from the shadows and been unable to realize his ambitions. It had been an exceedingly stifling existence.
The fierce, life-or-death battle at the Icebound Ruins was precisely what he had longed for.
Then there was the sight of the Light Faction and Dark Faction colluding with each other…
Accepting the invitation to join the Hope Faction and overturning such a world alongside Zhouyou Shijie was, in his opinion, the best decision he had ever made.
“Excellent!”
A sharp gleam flashed through Cangxuan’s eyes. He drew the broad greatsword from his back, his body radiating chilling sword intent and killing aura. “A battle at our peaks. Come!”
“Come, then! Let’s fight to our hearts’ content!”
Ye Zhibei gripped his exclusive weapon, the Zhibei Sword, and brought out his true strength as well.
As fellow Sword Saints, the two bore no grudge against each other. But each unquestionably wanted to prove himself superior.
“CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!”
The two fought in midair, sword intent sweeping in every direction. Bursts of power occasionally lit the sky as bright as day.
Even from far away, Zhou Ming could feel the sharp sword intent prickling painfully against his skin.
“Sword Saints really do live up to their reputation!” Longing rose in Zhou Ming’s heart.
Ye Zhibei and Cangxuan’s battle was still not something he could observe from close range. Even an incidental shockwave could place his life in danger.
Qianying heard the implication in his words. “Your second class… Could it be that you want…”
…