Chapter 675: Tricked and death
Translated by: La0o9
Edited by: Dr.Lock
Proofreader: Arya
The s.p.a.ce vortex.
A giant invisible ‘something’ was avoiding the large amounts of monsters that roamed everywhere by moving along on the shortest, most secluded path.
Since this path didn’t lead to any of the seven Holy Churches, nor did it lead to any highly-populated trade ports or any of the few Super Dimensional worlds in the Strife Zones, during this particular time, no monster or transits could be seen here.
“Boss, the path ahead is clear”
“Boss, both sides of the route are clear”
“A void monster appeared at the back, but it was only pa.s.sing through. It has already left”
A few consecutive reports came from inside the s.h.i.+p.
A few moments later, a thick, loud voice called out: “How long until we reach Greyhan Black Market?”
“We’ve entered Greyhan Black Market’s secret route, it will only be one more hour until we arrive” someone answered.
The thick, loud voice ordered: “From this point onwards, keep yourselves on alert——- this d.a.m.n black market has always been more dangerous than any others”
Following this order, the s.h.i.+p’s atmosphere became tense.
The loud voice continued: “Furthermore, we towed back 5 wrecks, get the boys to search to see if any of them have anything valuable”
“Yes, Boss”
The order was quickly carried out.
Five squads were already picked out beforehand, waiting for the captain’s orders. They quickly went to the back and searched through the 5 wrecked s.h.i.+ps to find anything of value.
In the technological s.p.a.ce shuttle that Gu Qing Shan was hiding in, two men and one woman came in.
They began their search.
—-it was what they were already used to, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Gu Qing Shan also felt that there wouldn’t be any problems.
Long before this, he had already used his inner sight to carefully investigate everything on the s.h.i.+p and their personnel.
Currently, this wrecked shuttle seemed to have been found by professional scavengers in the s.p.a.ce vortex.
To be doing this sort of dangerous and unceremonious work, these people were probably the bottom feeders of the Strife Zones.
Their strength also showed it well.
Besides the captain with the loud voice, which Gu Qing Shan had instinctively not used his inner sight to probe, he already probed through everyone here.
These people were about the same level of strength as Gu Qing Shan.
Once he was done probing, Gu Qing Shan was a.s.sured.
——–Gu Qing Shan wasn’t afraid of anyone at the same power level.
As long as he was careful of the captain, there shouldn’t be any trouble.
So for now, he remained as an ant egg that hid deep inside the wrecked shuttle.
There were two reasons why he had chosen to remain still like this.
The first was that Gu Qing Shan had only just entered the Strife Zones, he didn’t even know the most basic way to traverse from one world to another, so he might as well go along with these people.
The second was that since he made it through the first of his karmic adversities, his cultivation increased by a huge leap.
During Tribulation realm, he would have to face a total of three karmic adversities.
After making it through the first adversity, Gu Qing Shan’s cultivation would increase to Tribulation realm middle-stage.
After the second adversity, Gu Qing Shan will become a Tribulation realm late-stage cultivator.
And after the third and final adversity, he won’t even have to go through a Tribulation, he would directly enter Virtualized realm.
But the final adversity was a truly dangerous one, as its duration wasn’t fixed, sometimes, you might even sense that it has already pa.s.sed, but it actually hasn’t.
There has been more than one example when a cultivator’s adversity came back to kill them right after becoming a Virtualized realm cultivator.
After looking through countless records of the Suspended world, as well as his s.h.i.+fu’s own cultivation notes, in hindsight, Qi Yan’s death might have been related to his final adversity.
Perhaps, at the time, Qi Yan’s karmic adversity hadn’t actually pa.s.sed yet.
He shouldn’t have gone directly to Shen Wu world after he broke through.
And so, even after he supposedly survived his first karmic adversity, Gu Qing Shan didn’t intend to do anything.
He was prepared to keep hiding here.
He intended to stay until the s.h.i.+p landed to fully settle his realm and find an opportunity to sneak off the s.h.i.+p.
Only then would he try to get to know the worlds of the Strife Zones, learn its common sense and its ways of survival.
This was Gu Qing Shan’s plan.
—–but the way things went, or should one say, everyone’s fate, doesn’t always go how they hoped.
Inside the shuttle’s wreck.
“Honey, come take a look” the female scavenger called out.
The fatter one of the two men stood out and asked: “What is it? This kind of s.h.i.+p usually wouldn’t have any treasures”
“Of course there aren’t any treasures, I just can’t open this box so I called you to help” the woman pulled his hand and acted spoiled.
The man glanced through the box and its structure, quickly determining something.
He grinned: “Well well, we’re in luck, whatever is in this box must be quite valuable”
“Why do you think so?” the woman asked.
“Because this box has a self-destruct function. If you tried to break it open without knowing the pa.s.sword, the thing inside will be directly destroyed with a mini-bomb” the man slowly explained.
“I’m guessing you have a solution?” the woman smiled at him.
“Of course, I’m a Devil Summoner, with my unique summoning technique, I can directly bypa.s.s the limit of s.p.a.ce and summon the item from this box” the man proudly boasted.
The woman looked at him in awe: “Your summoning technique is so rare, looks like you’ll be bringing home the bacon for both of us, honey”
“Don’t worry, honey, when I earn enough money, I’ll definitely get you a ticket on the best transit possible to travel to the Church of Life and light your Tree of Divinity”
Saying so, the man crouched down in front of the box.
Putting his hand on the box, he silently activated his unique summoning technique.
Several faint black shadows appeared from his hand, wiggling like tentacles of an octopus as they went through the box and reached inside.
This was the power to summon a devil, so using it to go through a thin box wasn’t that hard.
The man scowled as he carefully checked the item inside, when suddenly——–
His mouth was m.u.f.fled as a dagger pierced all the way through his chest.
The man opened his eyes wide and struggled.
The dagger was then pulled back.
Replaced by a hand that reached into his chest and crushed his heart.
The man’s body froze, stopped struggling before going limp.
Thanks to his power as a Devil Summoner, he wouldn’t die right away—– but it won’t be long before he did.
“w.a.n.g Cheng, you’re finally dead”
A male voice came from behind him.
The man on the ground struggled to turn his eyes back, only to see something that caused his eyes to almost pop out from their sockets.
His wife was leaning on another man’s chest, currently helping him wipe the blood off of his dagger.
The man looked down on him from above and grinned: “Only true love makes a family, brother w.a.n.g, you can rest now”
The man who was called w.a.n.g Cheng spat out some blood as he weakly spoke: “Boss won’t——-”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already told the first mate about this, and bribed him enough money to cover this up for us”
w.a.n.g Cheng was crying tears of blood as he stared at the woman without saying a word.
The woman pursed her lips and spoke: “Old w.a.n.g, don’t blame me, it’s just that you make me so vexed, after being with you for so long, you couldn’t even get me enough money to travel to a Holy Church”
The man hugged her and grinned: “Brother w.a.n.g, rest a.s.sured, your money, as well as our combined savings, are enough for the both of us to travel to the Church of Life, you can close your eyes now”
w.a.n.g Cheng looked at the man, then at the woman, and coughed bitterly.
Even as a summoner that regularly dealt with devils and fiends, he could feel his life quickly slipping away.
He will soon have to die.
But he was unwilling to accept it!
—-at some point, perhaps when he was beginning to speak, w.a.n.g Cheng had already drawn an illegible pattern with his blood on the ground.
Using the final bits of power that was keeping him alive, he activated his most powerful summoning technique.
But the man and woman that stood across from him only stared at this indifferently without moving.
The man hugged the woman closer before shaking his head: “Before we got here, I’ve already asked the second mate to erect a holy barrier around this wrecked s.h.i.+p, your summoning won’t be able to reach anything outside”
The woman’s expression was a bit complicated as she told him: “w.a.n.g Cheng, after so many years together, we understand you well”
w.a.n.g Cheng also noticed what they were saying was true.
His summoning was being confined inside this s.h.i.+p by the holy power.
He felt nothing but sorrow and unwillingness.
Even if I have to die, I will give up everything I have before I die!
w.a.n.g Cheng stopped his tears from coming out and screamed his summoning incantation:
“I don’t care which devil from which world you are, as long as you can avenge me, I will offer all of my experience, knowledge, ability, and wealth to you!”
“I sacrifice my soul to the darkest abyss and eternal d.a.m.nation to turn into the purest form of Soul Points and offer it all to you!”
“Please, appear before me, avenge me!”
Boom!
A giant grey shadow erupted from his body.
The man and woman couldn’t help but take a step back.
But the man shook his head and casually spoke: “It’s useless, your magic won’t do anything, your death will never be known”
While he spoke, the grey shadow had once again condensed, gathered on w.a.n.g Cheng’s body, and slowly converged into the palm of his hand.
This was the sign of a successful summoning.
“That’s impossible! Why can his magic still activate!” the woman was screaming in fear.
The man next to her also couldn’t keep his calm anymore and lunged forward to swing his dagger.
A cold gleam.
w.a.n.g Cheng’s arm was severed.
The man was still uneasy and continued to chop off w.a.n.g Cheng’s other arm as well as both his legs.
“Hoh—– there, let see if you can still do anything against me” the man breathed heavily.
But w.a.n.g Cheng ignored him completely.
Because he was already at the very end of his rope, the last thing holding him together was his grudge.
His grudge that maintained the last of his consciousness, to wait——-
——wait for the response of the Laws of summoning to tell him about the summoned devil or fiend.
Finally.
Finally, w.a.n.g Cheng spoke with the last of his strength.
He struggled to speak: “Huang Quan… Devil…King… I beg yo….”
His plea was cut short.
He died with bloodshot eyes.
Fortunately, his summoning did not get interrupted.
The grey shadow that was formed from him sacrificing everything, turned into a mystical rune that exploded.
Boom——-
From the dust, a single figure appeared.