Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Shimizu Jin glared viciously at Zhou Ming. “Well, well, Zhouyou Shijie. You barely escaped death at Snowflake City, and now you’ve come looking for trouble with me?”
“Are you saying you didn’t take part?” Zhou Ming shot back.
“…”
The corner of Shimizu Jin’s eye twitched. He was struck speechless and could not refute the accusation.
At the time, he had indeed been one of the gods surrounding Zhou Ming. He had badly wanted to join the attack and seize the Sacred Weapon and God-Demon Orb, but the rules had forced him to stand aside.
Still, he had assumed that even if Zhouyou Shijie retaliated, he would target Shui Zhanqiu, Long Kun, and the others first. Never had he expected retribution to arrive so quickly!
“Hmph!”
Knowing the matter could not end peacefully, Shimizu Jin prepared to fight with everything he had. “Without Ning Wushen protecting you, what would you amount to?!”
This place might be remote, but the Sakura Region was not large. Reinforcements could arrive within minutes. As long as he caused enough commotion, someone would come to help him very soon.
Without Ning Wushen protecting me, what would I amount to?
Zhou Ming frowned, feeling as though he had caught the edge of an important clue.
The man’s words immediately made him think of Wu Xing, who had tried to break through the dimensional barrier and kill him in reality, but that did not seem right.
Wu Xing was the Dark Faction’s First Demon God. He and Shimizu Jin had no connection whatsoever!
Other than that, there was only…
A cold killing intent flashed in Zhou Ming’s eyes. “I was wondering how my identity in reality was exposed. So it was you!”
Destiny protected its players’ real identities extremely well and would never leak them.
The most important reason his parents had been kidnapped in reality was that someone in the game had used a special item to pinpoint his real location.
Although Zhou Ming had long suspected the culprit came from the Sakura Region, he had been unable to identify the exact target.
Now the truth had finally come to light.
“…”
Shimizu Jin did not know how to answer and silently cursed his own loose tongue.
“Wrong!”
A voice suddenly rang out.
In the distance, a short man dressed in black approached with a disciple at his side. He said coldly, “To be precise, it was me!”
[Shadow Assassin · Sato Taka] (God-Tier Boss)
[Hunter · Yamagami Yusai] (Shadow Assassin)
“The fight hasn’t even started. How did they find us already?” Yun Wuyou’s expression darkened.
Zhou Ming said nothing. He stared coldly at the two men, who acted as if nothing were wrong, while murderous intent surged inside him.
He could laugh off grudges from the game.
Hatred born in reality, he carved into his heart!
“Zhou Ming, long time no see!” Yamagami Yusai called him by his real name with a sinister smile.
Zhou Ming!
Everyone present immediately understood.
This was likely Zhouyou Shijie’s true name in the adventurers’ homeland.
“So you’re still alive!” Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes. “It seems I’ll have to pay the Sakura Region a visit!”
“First, you’d need the ability to find my location in reality, as I found yours!” Yamagami Yusai shrugged indifferently, then added pointedly, “I’m in the dark, while you’re in the light. You’d better not expose a weakness, or I’ll make sure you can never recover!”
He applied pressure with his words, a chilling grin on his face.
This was Yamagami Yusai’s favorite tactic!
The thought of an enemy losing sleep under his threats, living with frayed nerves and guarding every day against a crisis that might come at any moment, always filled him with amusement as he watched from the shadows.
“You’re in the dark?”
Zhou Ming enunciated each word. “Remember this: today, you appeared before me of your own accord!”
“What are you trying to say?”
Unease stirred within Yamagami Yusai.
“Tomorrow, I’ll come find you!” Zhou Ming’s voice was calm but forceful.
Why did the man dare show himself so openly?
Because he believed there was nothing to fear. He thought Zhou Ming could never find him in reality. In that case, Zhou Ming would do exactly that and uproot this hidden threat once and for all!
“Whew…”
Across the empty plains, a cold wind blew through utter silence.
Yamagami Yusai’s mentor, Sato Taka, and Emperor Shimizu Jin could both feel the oppressive pressure behind Zhou Ming’s unreadable expression.
“Hahaha! Interesting, very interesting…”
Yamagami Yusai burst out laughing to hide his panic, clearly struggling to remain calm.
Even a professional killer could not be fearless in the face of death.
After all, the man before him was a true human-shaped monster in reality.
“If it’s so interesting, you can keep laughing, or convince yourself that I won’t find you!” Zhou Ming said without expression.
Yamagami Yusai: “…”
“An impressive tactic!” Sato Taka said coldly.
Verbal pressure!
This was verbal pressure even more ruthless than Yamagami Yusai’s!
It was the same tactic, but at an entirely higher level. Zhou Ming had even set the date of his opponent’s death!
Zhou Ming answered without yielding an inch, “He deserves it!”
They had kidnapped his parents and tried to force him into submission!
What Yamagami Yusai and Sato Taka had done had already placed them on his must-kill list.
Zhou Ming then turned toward Shimizu Jin and said concisely, “I’ll give you two choices!”
“Such audacity!”
Shimizu Jin glared at him. “Who do you think you are, a king who has united the entire realm?”
He casually threatened god-tier powerhouses and left no room for negotiation.
Zhouyou Shijie’s arrogance knew no bounds.
Ignoring his protest, Zhou Ming continued, “First, hand over the Yasakani no Magatama and get lost!”
“I don’t believe there’s any need to continue this discussion, is there?” Yamagami Yusai sneered, unwilling to let Zhou Ming get what he wanted. “Your Imperial Majesty, he’s trampling all over your dignity!”
“Let’s see whether I can hold out until reinforcements arrive!” Shimizu Jin showed some backbone and decided to fight head-on.
He was not worried!
They were within the Sakura Region’s borders. Surely everyone’s reinforcements would arrive very…
“Cangxuan, catch!”
Zhou Ming tossed the Sacred Weapon enhanced by Qianying to Cangxuan.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Xiaoyou flew out of the pet space and circled in the air.
“!!!!!”
Shimizu Jin and Sato Taka’s expressions changed drastically.
They had no way to know whether Cangxuan’s ultimate moves had come off cooldown. However, the scene of him routing the gods at Snowflake City and effortlessly obliterating Gu Yuchen’s projection remained vivid in their minds.
“Which do you think will be faster, your reinforcements or your death?” Zhou Ming asked.
Shimizu Jin did not dare answer.
“There’s no need for further discussion!”
Cangxuan, who already knew the plan, deliberately put on an eager expression. “The forbidden arts carry a steep price, but killing two god-tier powerhouses would bring considerable benefits as well!”
“I don’t want Brother Cang to sacrifice too much, but sometimes fate refuses to cooperate!” Zhou Ming said gravely. “Everyone, heed my Command…”
“Wait!”
Shimizu Jin’s heart pounded as he hurriedly stopped him. “Let’s talk this out! Let’s talk this out!”
“Still trying to stall for time?” Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes. “I’ll give you three final seconds to decide. Three!”
“The Yasakani no Magatama… I can give it to you!” Shimizu Jin forced out the words, ultimately unwilling to gamble with his life. “On the condition that you let us leave unharmed!”
Ding!
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully activated the hidden quest [Let’s Talk This Out] (Difficulty: D)!]
[Let’s Talk This Out] (Difficulty: D)
Description: The martial world isn’t all fighting and killing.
Quest Objective: Guarantee that [Emperor of the Sakura Region · Shimizu Jin], [Shadow Assassin · Sato Taka], and the others leave unharmed.
Quest Reward: [Yasakani no Magatama]
Failure Penalty: All Attributes -20,000
…
“…”
Seeing the plan succeed, the Hope Faction’s members involuntarily turned toward Zhou Ming in amazement.
By comparison, Yamagami Yusai’s threats were laughably weak!
This man was a true master of verbal pressure!
…