Chapter 987 World of Death
"How many do you have?" Basir licked his lips and tried to hide the excitement on his face.
"How many do you want?" w.a.n.g Zhong laughed coldly. "One for one."
"Heh heh…" Basir laughed and rolled his eyes. "Young one, I remember that you are a slave of that large black cow, right? You must have stolen it from the large black cow"s shop! You are a thief!"
w.a.n.g Zhong calmly watched him put on an act.
"Stealing is not good. Stealing is a severe offense! Do you know how the Star Alliance deals with thieves? They are put to death!" Wolf goblin Basir smiled and said, "Luckily, you have encountered Lord Basir. I have a good heart. How about this? Since you are eager to save a life, and this is probably your first offense, I will give you a chance to turn over a new leaf and will not report you. Put this flower down here. After all, it is not safe for you to bring something like this around. If the large black cow sees you, it will be hard to protect your life!
"You are really good at exaggerating. Firstly, I am not a slave. I am simply an employee at the Secret Flower Garden and an official citizen of the Star Alliance. Furthermore, do you think that Boss Cow has this kind of lantern fire wick? I have been there for over one month, but I have not seen any."
w.a.n.g Zhong coldly said, "Let me remind you while we"re here. If you insist on making a false charge against me, and you succeed, so what? No matter how the Star Alliance deals with me, I don"t care about what punishments I have to take. However, this situation will definitely go back to Boss Cow. What do you stand to gain?"
The wolf goblin was slightly dumbfounded. It looked like the method he usually used to scare lower civilizations did not work on this fellow.
"…" His expression sank. Then, he stretched out his hand without any hesitation. "Hand that over!"
What nonsense was there to talk about with trash from a lower civilization? He would simply s.n.a.t.c.h it! In any case, it was in the dead of the night. What else could this fellow do?
However, before he could grab anything, the human in front of him seemed to have predicted his movements. w.a.n.g Zhong"s body leaned slightly towards the left. He moved very slowly, but Basir grasped nothing in the end.
Which slave vendor was open to persuasion? They dared to capture people from lower-cla.s.s civilizations and viewed lives as insignificant. However, since w.a.n.g Zhong had dared to come, he was fully prepared to deal with anything!
His body was very weak here, but this did not mean that his vision and combat prediction ability had dropped as a result. Furthermore, battle consciousness had seeped deep into w.a.n.g Zhong"s bones and soul. He could not forget about them even if he wanted to.
A wisp of Soul Power had revolved around w.a.n.g Zhong"s body. Although it was very weak, he still had the strength of a Heavenly Soul. A faint golden light that was extremely eye-catching in the night shone on his body.
His strength was not enough to threaten Basir. Although the wolf goblin had not formed his Void Core, he had lived in the divine territory for many years and was used to the high gravity environment here. His body was also extremely strong, and he was above w.a.n.g Zhong, no matter whether it was in terms of power, speed, or other aspects. Furthermore, w.a.n.g Zhong was unable to activate the power of the heaven and the earth. Thus, he was unable to display any of his killing techniques, such as Sword One and Sword Two.
Fighting? That was not possible! Although w.a.n.g Zhong had avoided his attack, he felt his entire arm in intense pain from the wind from the attack, as if he had been slashed by a knife. Compared to what he had expected, and taking into consideration his instinctual battle instinct, he predicted that he would only be able to withstand Basir for only a while longer.
w.a.n.g Zhong"s volume increased slightly, and he spoke quickly and anxiously. "Why did you think that I talked to you while standing at the door? Do you think you can kill me with a few hits? How many people in this residential area will you awaken while killing me? Are you very close to the people here? If they see you kill someone and steal a treasure, will no one be jealous? Will no one report you? Will no one take this chance to cause trouble for you?"
Basir stopped attacking.
Although he had been rather careless with his first attack, based on w.a.n.g Zhong"s predictive abilities, he was definitely not a weakling who could be killed in seconds. If Basir were actually to attack, he would not be able to take w.a.n.g Zhong down. Furthermore, as long as w.a.n.g Zhong was willing to, he could easily wake the surrounding residences in that one or two minutes.
If he killed this fellow in public and stole his things, no one would step up for this human, but what about his enemies? A majority of those who lived nearby were also slave vendors. Although they typically called one another brothers, they stole business, suppressed prices, and fought for resources behind one another"s backs. Thus, it was not uncommon for them to attack because of jealousy. Furthermore, he did not know how many people wanted him dead in this area. If he killed a free being in public, would those who witnessed it report this?
After all, this was Catanlyke District in the divine territory. It was restricted by the Star Alliance law. Killing a free being in public could be a small matter, but it could also blow up.
"Bah!" The wolf goblin"s killing intent had weakened, but his aura was still strong. "This area…"
However, before wolf goblin Basir could finish talking, w.a.n.g Zhong unleashed his second attack. "Then what about Boss Cow? Do you think that he will cause trouble for you if you kill me?"
Basir was slightly dumbfounded. He had his misgivings about this.
Everyone along Heavenly Treasures Street more or less had an idea of what kind of person the large black cow was. He had a good heart. After all, when he knocked w.a.n.g Zhong unconscious and brought him away back then, it meant that the large black cow still cared about this employee. Furthermore, the large black cow was not weak. He still had the support of the great goblin race behind him. Most importantly, Old Cow had relations with the Ninth Wilderness Path. Did someone who could establish a shop in Heavenly Treasures Street have an ordinary background? Basir was no more than a slave vendor in the star territory and had to be amiable in order to strike it rich in his business.
"Ha ha!" Basir rolled his eyes several times. He opened his mouth and licked his shark-like teeth. He had already broken out into a smile. "Brother, you are very interesting. I am just joking. Shall we talk business?"
w.a.n.g Zhong remained in his defensive stance and did not change his position. "Then we have a deal."
"But your price is too low." Basir immediately switched from a killer to a sordid merchant. "You called for a thousand in the day…"
"Does it look like I have anything else valuable on me?"
Basir was rendered speechless. Indeed, he was wearing tight-fitting scale clothes that lower-cla.s.s civilizations had produced to reduce material costs. He could not even hide a dime on his body. Basir hesitated, but when he thought about what had happened when he fixed a price on Carolyn, he eventually made his decision.
The flower could be sold at the auction house for between 350 and 400 Star Coins. If he met a suitable buyer and asked for a higher price, it would not be impossible to fetch a price of 500 Star Coins. Speaking of which, he would still profit. This was much better than his original plan of selling her at a lower price tomorrow. As for where this fellow had obtained this flower, he simply did not care. No matter whether he had stolen it or picked it up, what mattered was that Basir would make a profit!
"Sure! Wait here!"
Basir returned to his house. Less than a minute later, he brought Carolyn out. She was still wearing the shockingly thin robe, but the electric rope around her neck had been removed. Carolyn"s expression was somewhat muddled and helpless. However, when she saw w.a.n.g Zhong outside the door, it was as if her muddled expression had reached a port to stop at. Her expression was frozen, and her face was filled with disbelief. To be honest, she had completely given up.
However, the person she had turned up her nose at and considered inferior to her had overturned her understanding once again.
"She"s yours," Basir cheerily said. "You"re welcome to come back again. From now on, you will know that Basir is a great business partner!"
…
In the dim light of the night, Carolyn had changed clothes. Although she was wearing w.a.n.g Zhong"s clothes, they were much more pleasing than the slave robe she had been wearing. When she looked at w.a.n.g Zhong, who had his back facing her while waiting for her to change, her feelings were complicated.
"I"m… done."
w.a.n.g Zhong turned around. Although it was a crude piece of clothing, she finally looked like a proper person again.
"Why did you save me?" When Carolyn looked at him, she had thousands and thousands of words to say, but she did not know where to start from. If they had met in reversed circ.u.mstances, she might have been sad, but she would not necessarily save w.a.n.g Zhong.
However, w.a.n.g Zhong simply smiled. "Don"t pay too much attention to it. The past is in the past. If it had been someone else, I would have also saved them."
Carolyn also smiled, but her smile was somewhat pained. She had seen what w.a.n.g Zhong had handed over for his deal with Basir. Although she did not know what it was, it was evident that it was extremely valuable and would be worth at least several hundred Star Coins. Furthermore, several hundred Star Coins meant a stable start in the divine territory. One could have a legal status, focus on getting used to the gravity here, and even cultivate. They could have many things.
What would other people do? Would they exchange something that was worth several hundred Star Coins for someone else"s freedom? After spending two years in the divine territory, she was very clear that others would not do this.
"What plans do you have from now on?" w.a.n.g Zhong asked.
Carolyn was slightly dumbfounded. Was he planning to split up with her? That moment, she even thought that seeing her in a weak state had sparked a different kind of pity in w.a.n.g Zhong that awakened his past feelings. To other races, she might have just been a toy, but she would not underestimate her own charm.
Furthermore, w.a.n.g Zhong already had Scarlet. But this was the divine territory, which was hundreds of millions of kilometers away from the Holy City and the Earth. He was a lonely man who had left his hometown. If he wanted her… Carolyn felt that she would agree. This was the only thing she had left.
However, when she heard w.a.n.g Zhong"s question, Carolyn knew that she was suffering from unrequited love. She remained silent for a while before looking up. There was an emptiness in her eyes.
"I am going to Area 101. Divian and the rest should be there, so I"m going to look for them." She felt that she was becoming more and more distant from w.a.n.g Zhong, no matter whether it was in terms of strength or status. However, she adjusted her feelings very quickly, and her voice was no longer as weak. If w.a.n.g Zhong did not intend to bring her along, she would have to depend on herself…
"Is everyone else still fine?"
Carolyn nodded her head. "I heard that many bosses of small shops are rather decent. They are bottom cla.s.s people from lower civilizations and know how difficult it is to be at the bottom. They were lucky to have encountered these kinds of bosses. As long as they acted fast, they would be able to secure odd jobs… Before I was captured by the slave owner, I contacted Divian once. She has a footing there."
"Oh, then that"s good."
"w.a.n.g Zhong, thank you again for saving me." Carolyn had turned to leave, but she stopped after two steps. She bit her lip and turned around to look at w.a.n.g Zhong. "…The next time… pretend as if you didn"t see anything."
Carolyn"s eyes were red, and she turned before her tears fell. At this moment, she understood that she had missed out on a good man. Furthermore, she might not be able to meet him again in the future.
w.a.n.g Zhong did not speak. He was just slightly sentimental as he knew that this sentence was Carolyn"s last bit of self-respect.
…
Mu Zi looked into the distance. Blood-red clouds churned in the sky, while dim lightning appeared from within them, causing a momentary flash in the surroundings. At the same time, it illuminated a pitch-black mountain valley in the distance.
The mountain was standing loftily on the horizon. Even though this was the case, he could still feel its imposing presence. The surging waves of power resembled the beating of his heart. Every time he breathed, the ground trembled as if it was spasming. Mu Zi could sense that the land was tolerating the pain that came from the black mountain in the distance.
It was this dream again.
Mu Zi immediately understood.
This scene was not real. Ever since he came to the divine territory, he started seeing this dream. He saw the pitch-black mountains, the blood-red clouds, and the barren land taking on all this.
Ga!
The cry of a ma.s.sive bird that looked like a crow jolted Mu Zi awake from his dream, and he struggled to sit up. His bare skin was covered in sweat, and extreme thirst instantly rushed into his consciousness from his lips, his throat, his stomach, and every corner of his body.
Mu Zi turned over and got up. The dim light in the room adjusted according to his actions and eventually lit up to a comfortable brightness. This was a small room with only a single bed, a table, two chairs, and the Life and Death Coffin that was put on the side.
There were food and water on the table. Mu Zi did not touch the Life and Death Coffin as he walked to the table and sat down. Then, he enjoyed the food and water at just the right pace. The food consisted of meat jam and a fried meat-patty that was mixed with various underground vegetables. They were full of energy but were tasteless in his mouth.
Mu Zi only stood up once his body had returned to normal. He changed into the clothes of the Netherworld Faction before putting on the Life and Death Coffin. However, unlike how he and the Life and Death Coffin were connected on Earth, the Coffin was now ice-cold and decaying.
Everyone had some attachment to the past. To Mu Zi, the Life and Death Coffin was equivalent to his existence. He would not give up on it regardless of whether it was useless or not. After coming to the divine territory, the Life and Death Coffin had lost all its uses. He had tried many methods, but they were all in vain.
When Mu Zi had just stepped into the divine territory, he had sacrificed and given up on many things. After asking around, he eventually realized that everything was futile. For example, diamond was the hardest material on Earth, but in the divine territory, it was as hard as gla.s.s. The density in the divine territory was far too high. Furthermore, the Life and Death Coffin was unable to support this level of spiritual energy. Even Mu Zi had trouble adjusting to the environment here, let alone a weapon.
However, Mu Zi could not abandon the Life and Death Coffin. They had been inseparable for so many years, spending every day, every moment, every minute, and every second together. Without the company of the Life and Death Coffin, Mu Zi would no longer be Mu Zi.
As for the difficulties that humans faced, Mu Zi was probably the only one who did not experience them. There were more people of his type here than on Earth. Furthermore, he was not considered a strange species here.
He walked out to a clean and neat training ground. The ground was made out of green bone stones. He could see with the naked eye that unconscious ghosts continued to struggle out from the green bone stones. However, once they broke away from the stones, they lost their foundation and turned into negative energy.
Mu Zi took a deep breath. The training ground filled with negative energy often threatened people, but he felt extremely comfortable. To many living beings in the divine territory, the ghost world where he cultivated was dangerous and vile, but to him, it was not bad. The power that he breathed in seemed to be replenis.h.i.+ng his body to perfection.
In the sky, countless netherworld crows were flying around. Their ma.s.sive shadows occasionally swept past the training ground. This was the external fighting ground of the Netherworld Faction and the underground world of the Land in the divine territory.
The eternal Heavenly River nourished the entire divine territory. Although it was said that this eternal energy came from the Hyperdimension, the rules in the Fifth Dimension were still balanced. There were positive and negative. Material objects were set against shadows, while substances were set against nothingness. The Heavenly River flowed through the Heaven and the Land, forming the Netherworld River in the underground world.
The opposite energy from the Netherworld River produced negative energy in an endless stream, bringing about prosperity in the underground world. Many races and civilizations that were born in the darkness loved the negative world that the Netherworld River had formed.
Mu Zi did not stay at the training ground for long. As a disciple who had just acc.u.mulated achievements, pa.s.sed the test, and advanced to become a disciple of the Netherworld Faction from an external odd-job man, he still had a large number of missions to complete. However, compared to the odd jobs he had done as an odd-job man, his missions were now more dangerous, but naturally, the rewards had changed from ordinary Star Coins into silver star stones that everyone was jealous of. Most importantly, he had obtained some techniques from the Netherworld Faction. Even though they were beginner-leveled ones for external disciples, they far surpa.s.sed the treasured cultivation techniques from level-4 civilizations. If he could only see his rules and path through a window in the past, he had now opened the door to actually apply them. The rules that seemed illusory and hard to reach were neatly stretched out in front of him. Once he mastered the techniques, he could consolidate his rules.
Of course, the rules and path that he could achieve from beginner-level Netherworld techniques were superficial. The Netherworld rules were the most important.
The emerald-green Netherworld River flowed rapidly and never slowed down. Occasionally, the negative energy would flow in the opposite direction towards Heaven. Mu Zi could not understand this energy form and how it circulated. In general, the celestial people did not like the Netherworld River, but it was necessary, to preserve the Heavenly River. Of course, the energy from the Netherworld River was fatal to living beings.
Mu Zi had seen a goblin who had lost in a fight being pushed into the Netherworld River by his opponent. In an instant, his bones and flesh were corroded by the negative energy and became part of the negative energy in the Netherworld River. His bones had dissolved within seconds and became part of the green substances found in the Netherworld River. His soul continued to accompany his skeleton and experienced seemingly endless torture. His bones would eventually sink to the bottom of the river, gradually forming green bone stones like countless bones there.
It was said that if one died in the Netherworld River, one"s soul would be tortured for eternity. The sad and shrill sounds were the mournful wails of these dead souls.
Mu Zi"s current mission was to take out these green bone stones from the water. This task was very difficult, and many living beings went crazy from the mournful wails. They would then dive into the Netherworld River and become one of the green bone stones, forming a cycle.
He walked out of the training ground. Although it was still very early, there were already many external disciples like him waiting at the a.s.signed venue. When they saw Mu Zi arrive, many pairs of ice-cold eyes stared at Mu Zi like arrows of ice.