At 18:48, at the entrance to map number 36, the last map, a young man in green, with eyebrows like paintings and serene eyes, walked in slowly. A jade flute, green as if it could drip water, was quietly hung at his waist. Hidden in the noise of nearly twenty thousand people, he quietly watched them gossip, curse, and flirt, mocking their foolishness.
The Lord of the East, how could mere mortals contend with him? The divine artifact was bestowed by heaven, and he was that heaven. Today, he came to reclaim his divine artifact.
At the entrance of Map 28, a female ranger named “One Smile of Joy” appeared. Gu Chaoyan, however, was not waiting at his own map entrance to open the door; instead, he wandered east and west. His sharp eyes caught sight of “A Laugh in the Vast Sea” at the entrance of Map 22. Gu Chaoyan was well aware of Canghai’s reputation, but now seeing Canghai’s confident demeanor, he was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he opened his private message window and started typing.
[Private Message] “One Smile of Joy”: The giant sword “Wrath of Xingtian” I mentioned last time has been successfully refined. Do you want it now?
[Private Message] “A Laugh in the Vast Sea”: Hahaha, it’s you. I thought you took the money and ran. Turns out you’re not a scammer. Keep the sword as a gift from me; I really don’t need it anymore, hahaha.
[Private Message] “One Smile of Joy”: You’re quite confident, aren’t you?
[Private Message] “A Laugh in the Vast Sea”: Of course, your brother here now has the genuine “Wandering Dragon”. Hahaha, who in this world could be my match!!
[Private Message] “One Smile of Joy”: What’s the Wandering Dragon? I don’t understand. Why do you men always like fighting?
[Private Message] “A Laugh in the Vast Sea”: Hahaha, that’s because we are men! What do you like, little sister?
[Private Message] “One Smile of Joy”: Me? I like reading books, taking photos, and stuff like that. Would you like to see my photos?
Ji Canghai, seeing that it wasn’t time yet, happily added the young girl on QQ. He never missed a chance to appreciate beauty and enjoy their admiration. Gu Chaoyan smirked coldly and sent a JPG photo embedded with a virus. Ji Canghai, unsuspecting, opened the photo and marveled at her beauty, unaware that his computer had already become Gu Chaoyan’s puppet. Gu Chaoyan noticed the Wandering Dragon hack on Ji Canghai’s desktop, downloaded it to his hard drive, and smiled with delight.
18:51. A Cao stood at the entrance of Map 11, while his band of thieves squatted outside Maps 12 to 19. Their target wasn’t the divine artifact; in their hearts, the artifact belonged to Sister Yao. The remaining two divine sets and thirty-three top-tier sets were what they aimed to monopolize.
“Brothers! The time has come to prove your love!” A Cao motivated his team in the group channel. “Let Sister Yao see that we are the strongest thieves! We won’t let her down, not now, not ever!”
The little thieves cheered, as if the top-tier equipment was already waving at them.
Thief Ding interjected, “Boss, I don’t want any divine set or top-tier equipment, I just want you.”
A Cao: “Get lost.”
Thief Ding: “I won’t. My love isn’t for Sister Yao to see; it’s just for you to witness!”
A Cao: “…” He collapsed, convulsing.
18:52. “Overwhelming South Wave,” the hegemon of Great Yan, stood at the entrance of Map 1. His mercenary group surrounded him, and the seven high priests of the Myth of Dawn Church each occupied Maps 2 to 8. Today, he was in a foul mood because his beloved strategist wouldn’t listen.
Luo Zishang had given up the spot they secured for him at Map 9 to go to Map 15. South Wave was irritated by this disobedient strategist, who disrupted their perfect formation, making it impossible to capture the moment in a photo. Not only would his experts from the Myth of Dawn Church monopolize the divine sets and top-tier equipment, but he himself would obtain the divine artifact! Yes, he stood behind the computer while a young man operated his account. South Wave was overjoyed, believing this young man’s skills far surpassed those of his lackadaisical strategist.
Luo Zishang’s loss to Hongyao Hall had always been a disgrace, but today South Wave didn’t mind because his strategist had voluntarily given up the artifact and even the divine set, choosing a map just to settle scores in the finals. South Wave watched the WCG champion operate with fluid, seamless movements, something he could only aspire to. As he watched and admired, it seemed as if the divine artifact was beckoning him.
19:00. Boom!
Amidst the stirring battle music, the thirty-six gates opened simultaneously, and amidst the radiant light, 720,000 players surged forward. Tonight, there would be no sleep in the human world.
Once upon a time, there was a great mountain, and in the mountain lived a great demon king. The mountain was called Joyful Mountain, and the demon king was named Su Yao. Legend has it that this demon king was originally a lioness who cultivated into a demon. During the journey to the West by Tang Sanzang and his disciples, they passed by Joyful Mountain. Displeased with his three disciples who preferred to frolic in the mountains rather than beg for alms, Tang Sanzang left in a huff, only to get lost in Joyful Mountain. While relieving himself, a lioness, long coveting the beauty of the monk, lunged from her hiding spot in the forest and bit into the tender flesh of Tang Sanzang’s buttocks. A bite of Tang Sanzang’s flesh was worth a thousand years of cultivation.
Thus, the lioness became enlightened and turned into a demon.
A century passed, and the story of Journey to the West had become legend, but the lioness in Joyful Mountain grew increasingly depraved through her daily cultivation. Her demonic arts required the continuous absorption of men’s vitality to enhance her power. Within a hundred miles, any man with even a hint of beauty had been captured by her. The area around Joyful Mountain became a place where people changed color at the mention of the Lion Demon.
Su Yao’s appetite grew by the day, and seeing no more suitable men within the hundred miles, she decided to extend her reach to the capital city. One day, she transformed into an enchanting beauty, veiled in light gauze, and made her way to the city. The city was indeed prosperous. Even the random men on the street were dressed richly and looked handsome. Counting on her fingers how many she could enjoy tonight, she unknowingly arrived at a large stage.
A banner with “Martial Arts Conference” hung above the stage. Listening to the gossip from the dense crowd below, Su Yao learned that she had stumbled upon the annual Martial Arts Conference, where heroes from all walks of life gathered to compete for the title of Martial Alliance Leader.
The winner would not only gain the command token but also the supreme treasure bestowed by Buddha himself.
Su Yao had no interest in the token or the treasure; her eyes were fixed on the heroic figures on stage. Disciples from various sects stepped up: from the Burning Phoenix Palace, the chief disciple of the Qingyi Sect, the leader of the Huashan Sect, and even the Songshan Sect. But then, in the next moment, all these heroes fell one by one.
They were defeated by a man in a black cloak.