Chapter 92
Chapter 92
“What method?” Zhou Ming pressed.
Gaibang Laoda hesitated for a long moment before gritting his teeth. “Since you’ve achieved something this extraordinary, I won’t keep hiding it from you. Their method will most likely come from inside the game.”
Inside the game?
Zhou Ming sifted through the possibilities, and his tone changed. “If Destiny’s confidentiality measures have no flaws, then by ‘inside the game,’ could you mean…”
He suddenly remembered the dimensional wall Qianying had once told him about.
As long as her strength surpassed god-tier, she could break through it.
It sounded fantastical, but Zhou Ming did not entirely disbelieve her. He had indeed noticed a few oddities. For instance, even though he stayed up late playing the game and logged in nearly every day, his mental condition was only improving.
Besides, Destiny had appeared from nowhere and somehow earned the support of governments worldwide. The game itself was far too miraculous.
“As long as you understand.” Gaibang Laoda remained deliberately vague, apparently unwilling to discuss it further. “That’s the end of this subject. I’m only following orders, so there’s no need to thank me.”
“I appreciate it.” Zhou Ming nodded.
When they met on the battlefield, they were enemies.
But Gaibang Laoda had come to warn him and probably bore no ill will in doing so. Zhou Ming naturally would not respond coldly.
“Ahem!”
As though recalling another instruction from his father, Gaibang Laoda cleared his throat twice. “Since I’m already here, how about a spar?”
A spar?
Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow. “Are you… serious?”
He had just replaced his equipment and was currently in peak condition. Gaibang Laoda could not have picked a more unfortunate time.
“Scared?” Gaibang Laoda taunted.
“Hahaha!”
Zhou Ming burst out laughing. He raised a fist and lightly thumped Gaibang Laoda on the chest. “I never knew you were such a comedian in private!”
Gaibang Laoda: “…”
“Fine!”
Zhou Ming did not waste any more words. “Send the spar request.”
He was no fool. Gaibang Laoda had suffered a crushing defeat only yesterday, yet still dared to request a spar. There had to be another reason.
“Ding!”
[Star Sentinel · Gaibang Laoda has challenged you to a spar. Accept?]
“Yes!”
Zhou Ming accepted.
Astral Power!
Twin Sun and Moon!
Despite knowing he could not win, Gaibang Laoda treated the match seriously. He immediately activated his skills and charged Zhou Ming.
-1!
An almost negligible damage number floated up.
“You paid a heavy price to summon the projection of a god-tier expert yesterday. Breaking through my Defense now is practically impossible,” Zhou Ming said bluntly.
“If there was a price, there was naturally compensation too!” Gaibang Laoda replied, undeterred by his inability to pierce Zhou Ming’s Defense.
Hearing that, Zhou Ming said nothing more. He lifted one hand and began charging power, completely unconcerned about being interrupted.
Five seconds… Ten seconds…
After slashing him several times and confirming that his attacks were useless, Gaibang Laoda muttered resentfully, “Fine, you’re a monster.”
With Dawnbringer fully charged, Zhou Ming pointed forward. The Blazing Sun Greatsword crashed down, instantly obliterating Gaibang Laoda’s body and soul.
-716,332! (Critical Damage)
The staggering damage number floated into the air.
“!!”
Gaibang Laoda stared blankly.
His entire purpose had been to probe the depths of Zhou Ming’s strength, so he had made his estimates in advance. Even then, he had still underestimated him.
“Ding!”
[The spar has ended. Flame Venerable · Zhouyou Shijie is victorious!]
“Did you get the answer you wanted?” Zhou Ming asked.
Gaibang Laoda hesitated, then decided to get to the bottom of it. “Was that Dawnbringer just now your limit?”
“…No.”
Zhou Ming gave him a direct answer.
His limit?
Even he could not say what that was anymore.
“Thank you for the lesson. I understand now.” Gaibang Laoda cupped his fists. There was no dejection in him despite his defeat. Instead, his fighting spirit burned brighter than ever. “I admit I’m nowhere near your match right now, but one day, I will defeat you!”
With that, he turned and left.
Zhou Ming watched Gaibang Laoda walk out of Juyan City, then withdrew his gaze and sighed. “He’s an interesting guy.”
Putting everything else aside, being instantly killed and unable even to break through Zhou Ming’s Defense had not diminished his tenacity. That alone was rare and commendable.
Whoosh!
Qianying appeared beside Zhou Ming, her expression serious. “God-tier experts cannot break through the dimensional wall, but someone with a special ability might truly be able to bypass its obstruction and find you in your homeland.”
She had been secretly listening to Zhouyou Shijie’s conversation with Gaibang Laoda the entire time.
The information he brought might not be an empty rumor.
“They can’t beat me in the game, so now they want to deal real damage? That’s vicious.” Zhou Ming frowned. This was too serious for him to let down his guard. “Ying’er, is there any way to stop it from happening?”
“…”
Qianying considered the question for a moment, then gently shook her head. “My consciousness cannot forcibly cross the dimensional wall. If they dare attempt this, they’re either relying on an extremely high-grade item or paying an unimaginably heavy price!”
“An item that can locate an adventurer’s true body?” Zhou Ming mused.
“There is no need to worry excessively!”
Ye Zhibei approached from the distance and joined the conversation. “Given your strength, Brother Zhou, I believe you can handle any trouble caused by other adventurers.”
“You may not know this, Brother Ye, but I can’t bring the power I gain on the Destiny Continent back to my homeland.” Zhou Ming gave a bitter smile.
If the power from the game carried over into reality, he would not need to worry at all.
Anyone who came after him would get a taste of a real Dawnbringer!
“Not necessarily!”
Ye Zhibei shook his head. “You possess the God-Demon Orb, so your circumstances differ from those of other adventurers. Perhaps if you suffer intense stimulation in reality, the God-Demon Orb will sense it on its own and help you grasp a portion of your power.”
Ye Zhibei had encountered the dimensional wall before. A god-tier expert truly could not shake it, but the God-Demon Orb surpassed god-tier. It might be the sole exception.
Zhou Ming: “…”
This was getting more fantastical by the minute!
Was the God-Demon Orb supposed to leap straight out of the game and materialize in reality?
“Forget it. There’s no point thinking about it now!” Zhou Ming hefted the Gloomlight Sword and opened his map to search for a new leveling area.
He could not establish a guild until Juyan City had finished its repairs and he had assigned new NPCs. There was no need to rush.
It would likely take another two or three days.
Besides…
“Right!”
Zhou Ming suddenly remembered something. “Now that we’re establishing our own power, we need to make a name for ourselves. Shouldn’t we create a faction too?”
Qianying was the first to agree. “We should.”
“We’re already at the point where we can establish a faction?”
Renee’s interest was immediately piqued, and she hurried over to join them. “Isn’t that a little fast?”
“It is somewhat soon, but being unaffiliated makes us look like a band of aimless drifters,” Ye Zhibei said. “Besides, if we’re building a power, we can’t ask people to leave their factions without giving them a new identity in return. How would they ever feel that they belong?”
“You make an excellent point, Brother Ye!” Zhou Ming wholeheartedly agreed.
At this stage, it was far too late to talk about turning back.
He intended to try all three: establishing a faction, founding a guild, and building a city.
Ye Zhibei asked, “Do you have a name in mind for the faction?”
“The Light Faction and Dark Faction are one light and one dark. Their names make their positions obvious and easy to understand…”
When it came to naming, Zhou Ming naturally stepped up. He declared solemnly, “In that case, I want to represent my position in the same way!”
This was a faction he would establish. Naturally, he should be the one to name it.
If he yielded even on something this important, what kind of faction leader would he be?
“What name?”
“The Hope Faction!” Zhou Ming said gravely. “As for our faction banner, I want its main color to be red.”
“I think Hope Faction sounds good.” Renee looked puzzled. “But why does the banner have to be red?”
She was not alone. Qianying and Ye Zhibei were equally surprised.
Generally speaking, most men favored black, white, gray, or blue.
When asked for his reason, Zhou Ming answered meaningfully, “Because in my eyes, red is the color of fire. It represents a new order and a new civilization!”
…