Chapter 218
Chapter 218
Zhouyou Shijie stood alone at the top of the Talent Rankings, occupying both first and second place. This sparked heated discussion among the players, many of whom assumed something had gone wrong with the system.
Who could have known that one person truly could possess two identical Talents?
Ye Zhibei pressed him. “Then the reason Brother Zhou was smiling so happily just now… could it be…?”
“That’s right!”
Zhou Ming nodded and publicly revealed the answer he had just verified. “They stack!”
As he spoke, he displayed the SSSS-Rank Talent.
“I…”
Ye Zhibei hesitated before finally saying with an awkward smile, “That’s a little ridiculous!”
Zhouyou Shijie had surely done it without any ill intent, but Ye Zhibei was certain that anyone whose Talent he copied would have complicated feelings about it.
He had been perfectly satisfied with his own Talent before. Now, all of a sudden, it felt lacking in every possible way!
“Let me try it another way!” Zhou Ming did not stop experimenting. This time, he kept his first Talent unchanged and activated the second.
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: You have used the Talent [Sovereign’s Descent] and successfully copied Abyssal Sword Demon ยท Cangxuan’s Talent [Bloodweeper], raising its rank by one!]
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: Your Talent has transformed into [Bloodweeper] (SSS-Rank)!]
[Bloodweeper] (SSS-Rank): Your skill strength increases by 20%. When you deal damage, recover HP equal to 30% of the damage dealt.
…
“Both of your Talents are excellent!” Zhou Ming beamed with delight.
The SSSS-Rank [Skyshatter], combined with Ask the Heavens’ ability to ignore 35% of Defense, had already gone over the cap.
He therefore decided to use two SSS-Rank Talents instead.
Whenever he needed a change, he could simply adjust them again. The possibilities were endless!
“…”
Ye Zhibei and Cangxuan exchanged a glance, then smiled helplessly.
Sovereign’s Descent!
One was already disgusting enough, let alone two!
After that, everyone settled in to wait for nightfall. Zhou Ming found a secluded spot and took a drop of searing, fiery-red blood from his inventory.
It was the Flame Dragon Essence Blood he had requested from the guardian of the Dragon Domain!
As an exclusive skill awarded by the Trial of the Seven Sins, the Flame Soul Art had always felt slightly inferior to the others. The reason was that he had yet to unlock its complete form.
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: Consume [Flame Dragon Essence Blood] to unlock the additional effect of the [Flame Soul Art]?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming immediately agreed.
Gurgle…
The Flame Dragon Essence Blood instantly transformed into fine threads that streamed into Zhou Ming’s chest. His blood began to boil, and he felt an acupoint somewhere inside his body open.
The entire process was painless. In fact, Zhou Ming found it extraordinarily pleasant.
Before long, the system chime rang out again.
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have unlocked the additional effect of [Flame Soul Art]. The skill has advanced to Exclusive SSS-Rank!]
[Flame Soul Art] (Exclusive SSS-Rank)
Description: By burning his soul, the Flame Demon Emperor may pursue greater power, but must also pay a terrible price.
Skill Effect: All Attributes +150%.
Additional Effect: On top of the original effect, every additional level sacrificed as the price grants another 10% to All Attributes. (Maximum: 100 levels.)
Price: Level -5 and enters a Weakened state for 5 hours.
Duration: Until the end of combat.
Cooldown: 48 hours.
(Note: The price takes effect after combat ends.)
…
“Now this is the kind of power an exclusive skill of the Flame Demon Emperor should have!”
Zhou Ming could not have been more satisfied with the Flame Soul Art’s power. He saw absolutely nothing wrong with its price.
Risk and reward were often proportional!
If he could win, what did a few levels matter?
Even if he really fell back to Level 1, give him a few hours and he would dare climb right back above Level 100.
“Now everything is ready!”
High-spirited, Zhou Ming looked up at the sky, the sunlight dazzling his eyes. “I’ve waited far too long for this day!”
His second Talent was secured, and the Flame Soul Art had been strengthened!
His foundation was growing ever deeper. Challenging the gods was no longer an unrealistic dream!
…
Night fell.
The moonlight was dim, but the stars shone brilliantly.
Even the occasional travelers outside Zijin City were ordinary civilians. An illusion formation casually laid down by the god-tier powerhouses was enough to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Zhou Ming quickly marked out an open area, making sure the system would not reject it, then issued the order. “Let’s get to work!”
At his words, everyone took sufficient construction materials from their inventories and began building a Level 4 village.
Since it was only a village, the actual construction did not require too much effort. The most important part was gaining the system’s recognition of the territory and bringing it under the rules.
Fences, houses, farmland, furniture…
With god-tier powerhouses doing the work, all sorts of structures rapidly took shape, and the village soon began to look the part.
The Hope Faction might not have many members at present, but every last one was exceptional. Their efficiency could hardly be low.
“That should do it!”
In the dead of night, a small village rose from the ground.
“Brother Zhou, the rest is up to you!” Tingfeng Xiyu set the final section of fencing in place, completing the village’s orderly layout.
“Thanks for the hard work!”
Zhou Ming immediately took out the precious item that had been sitting in his inventory for who knew how long.
[City Founding Token] (Rare SSS-Rank)
Description: Establishing a city is equivalent to founding a personal faction. This is by no means easy. If the city is not prosperous enough to attract outsiders, its expenses may exceed its income. The owner should consider carefully before use.
Item Effect: Use in a suitable open area. After obtaining the consent of your faction’s leader, you will gain the authority to establish a city.
Additional Effect: When the city reaches [Level 2 City], it will gain a special [City Skill].
Required Level: 80
Fame Cost: 1,000
…
After Xiaoyou strengthened it, the City Founding Token had gained an additional effect: a City Skill!
Zhou Ming had never encountered anything like it throughout his many previous sieges and city defenses, so it was presumably extremely rare.
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: Consume the [City Founding Token] (Rare SSS-Rank) to establish a city here?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming confirmed.
The next second, the City Founding Token in his hand dispersed, and the Level 4 village gained the system’s recognition.
“Ding!~”
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully established a Level 4 village. Please name the village!]
“Hope Village!”
Zhou Ming gave the territory a name that matched his faction.
This time, he was by no means fooling around. The future goal of the Level 4 Hope Village was to become the center of the Eastern Region.
…
Time flew by.
As night gave way to dawn, a guard in Zijin City hurried in to report. “Your Majesty, terrible news! Terrible news!”
“What could have you so flustered?” Long Kun’s pleasure in the arms of his beauties had been interrupted, leaving him rather displeased.
“Your Majesty, a village has appeared east of the city!” Lei Qianjue rushed over, his expression grave as he supplied the details. “It’s called Hope Village!”
Hope Village?
Long Kun’s expression shifted. The moment he heard the word “hope,” he sensed that something was wrong. He immediately flew to the walls of Zijin City and spotted an inconspicuous little village outside the magnificent city.
The village was small but undeniably real, and only six people lived within it.
One city and one village stood locked in confrontation!
Long Kun’s eye twitched, and he nearly ground his teeth to pieces. “Zhou! You! Shi! Jie!”
…