LWGP - Chapter 268
Chapter 268: Make a Vow
After hearing what Wang Shu said, Wang Jiu was silent for a moment before saying, "If you see the Old Lady, start making arrangements for Jiong Jiong immediately, and contact me."
Wang Shu understood in a second. If it really came to that, it meant the Old Lady had judged the situation to be irreversible.
But he also thought, "Master, if the Old Lady really is going to make arrangements for Jiong Jiong, I think she'll contact you first. After all, there's no one she trusts more than you."
Wang Jiu: "I know."
You know, and yet?
Right, it must be a habitual Plan B.
Wang Shu was a little puzzled. He felt that it wasn't that Wang Jiu couldn't have thought of this point. It was just that since her return from hell, she had always been a bit more cautious, as if she were wary of something. After all, even after the matters of the Ghost World and Jiong Jiong were perfectly resolved, the even more irresistible Eternal Night Race still loomed over their heads, and one's state of mind was the most difficult thing to fathom.
While Wang Shu was worrying, the System rolled its eyes. "Fatty, I don't quite understand why someone with an IQ under a hundred is worrying about two geniuses."
Wang Shu was embarrassed and muttered, "What the hell do you know."
The smarter a person was, the more conflicted they became when facing issues of the mind.
"Regarding the Primordial Spirit Race, has that Grandmaster of Ten Thousand Arts returned?"
"Who? I don't know. Should I go ask Qing He and the Old Lady?"
"Go ahead."
After ending the call, Wang Jiu took a moment to calm her mind. She knew the situation on the Old Lady's side was unstable, but she also knew that returning now would do no good. It would easily expose the fact that she had killed Qin Guang, which would in turn trigger a war.
She needed time to digest the Spirit Core and the soul.
Undergo the tribulation first!?
Wang Jiu digested the last cluster of soul. In that instant, she sensed the point of her tribulation…
Long Aotian: "Quick, quick, quick, quickly digest the remaining power of the Spirit Core and replenish your energy. Then you can undergo the tribulation. Once you do, with your Ghost Dao, not even the Poison King will be your match. You might even be able to test your strength against Qin Fu."
He was anxious. Wang Jiu was holding the Spirit Core, about to absorb it, when a thought suddenly occurred to her, and she hesitated.
Long Aotian: "Master?"
Wang Jiu: "Quiet."
Long Aotian didn't dare to speak again. Wang Jiu was on the verge of her tribulation, yet she didn't absorb the Spirit Core.
What was she thinking?
Wang Jiu was thinking whether the timeline for the tribulation could be shifted.
She asked the System: "I know there are two paths to the tribulation node. 1, undergoing tribulation upon the perfection of one's Dao. 2, undergoing tribulation upon the perfection of one's soul and body. Right now, for point 1, I don't qualify. My Ghost Dao is incomplete and still nascent. But I can satisfy point 2."
System: "That's right, you can undergo the tribulation."
Wang Jiu: "Undergoing the tribulation will enhance my soul and body, right? Elevating me to a true Emperor level. Overall, it's about changing my genetic tier?"
System: "More or less."
Wang Jiu: "Undergoing tribulation for both 1 and 2 will bring corresponding changes. 1 is for the recognition and enhancement of the Dao, 2 is for the recognition and enhancement of genetics."
System: "Yes."
Wang Jiu: "What if I do them at the same time?"
System: "??? I think I understand what you're trying to do. Lao Wang, we've known each other for so long, I need to remind you. If you want to push both tribulations to happen simultaneously, first, for point 2, you'll need extreme willpower to suppress the soul's impulse for tribulation and to suppress the craving for energy. This is very difficult. Of course, I think you can do it. The hardest part is that even if you accomplish it for point 2 and meet the conditions for a simultaneous tribulation, you'll have a very hard time surviving two tribulations. You should know its scale from when you devoured Yin Lao… No, you do know. Are you confident?"
After all, having known her for so long, the System knew that Wang Jiu was someone who only took risks when she was confident. If the initial probability was only 50%, she would have a backup plan in case of failure.
Wang Jiu didn't say anything, but she did one thing—she split herself.
A single finger.
The System watched calmly, instantly understanding why Wang Jiu had chosen this path.
It was difficult to stay at the threshold of tribulation. She could easily manage it by continuously splitting her body and using ghost possession to disperse the energy, allowing her to stay at the boundary of tribulation. Moreover, she could continuously build her foundation before the tribulation. It was like cultivation; the more solid the foundation before ascension, the more powerful the rank after ascension.
Because of the Eternal Night Race, and also because of the Primordial Spirit Race, Wang Jiu, facing them both, knew that following the normal path of power progression would be completely insufficient to resolve the perilous situation ahead. She had to find another way.
And if she underwent both tribulations together, it could facilitate the integration of her Dao and her genetics.
The reason Wang Jiu had this idea was also because she possessed Yin Lao's memories of the Witch Dao. She had studied them for a long time, analyzing the differences in how the great experts of the Primordial Spirit Race in ancient times achieved their Dao and underwent tribulation.
Cultivation paths each had their own merits. Like the college entrance exams, the tribulation was where one's true abilities were revealed in an instant.
Wang Jiu had only been suspicious at first, until she obtained some information about that Primordial Spirit Founder from Yin Lao's memories.
It was actually very strange. Bai Chi was not in Yin Lao's memories, which was why Wang Jiu was so surprised that Yin Lao had been married. It was probably because the love and hate were too intense, so she refused to remember him, resulting in a memory gap. However, Yin Lao's memory of the Primordial Spirit Race's Founder was still profound.
It was the memory of the final battle.
Long Aotian said that after the final flash of light, the bodies of almost everyone in their Primordial Spirit Race were destroyed. Before their souls could be annihilated, the Founder hastily protected and sealed them thirty thousand meters underground.
Long Aotian's level was not as high as Yin Lao's, who was ranked third. He had only seen a flash of light, but Yin Lao had been able to see the phantom of the Eternal Night Empress descending, as well as the moment their Founder launched his attack.
What she saw was what Wang Jiu saw.
The origin of spirit, the unity of Dao and body.
Wang Jiu saw the key to how this Founder surpassed all other Primordial Spirits.
Even if ordinary people had the power of the Dao, like Bai Chi or Yin Lao, they controlled the elemental forces of heaven and earth through their souls, which were then manifested through their bodies. This involved three key components: 1, the soul; 2, the elemental energy in the environment; 3, the body.
But the Founder didn't need to. His attacks involved only his soul and body; he didn't mobilize the elements of heaven and earth at all.
Why was that?
Because his soul and body were self-contained, forming an independent world.
A truly supreme expert did not need to rely on the power of any environment. A single soul and a single body could control the entire world.
This was the kind of power Wang Jiu wanted, so she had to control the conditions of her tribulation.
System: "But don't forget, you have to deal with those people from the Primordial Spirit Race now. Even if you can beat Wu Geng and the others, and perhaps be on par with the Poison King, you are definitely no match for Qin Fu."
Logically, given Wang Jiu's protective attitude towards the Old Lady, she wouldn't ignore the current danger even while planning for the future.
"If I can't beat them now, then I won't fight now. I'll fight later."
With that, she flew off. The System pondered to itself: So she thinks Qin Fu won't start a war now?
Is it that he won't, or that he can't?
The System was quite the contrarian. "What if Qin Fu insists on fighting?"
With a hum, Wang Jiu sealed the energy contained in her severed finger using a Ghost Dao secret art, controlling it to enter the earth and devour energy stones to develop on its own. Then she stood up, dusted off her sleeves, and said lightly, "Then we'll fight."
As for who would be fighting him, that was another story.
Three days had passed. The attitude of the Primordial Spirit Race was not friendly. Even though Xing Yao and Mo Ran were their descendants, for these great experts who pursued power and freedom as the true meaning of life, kinship held no special bond. What they wanted remained unchanged.
However, due to the unfriendly attitude of the Primordial Spirit Race, the forces of the three spacetimes had proactively banded together. Even the First Spacetime, which had a delicate relationship with the Third and Fourth, had arranged its territory encampments nearby.
Three days was enough time for the forces of the three spacetimes to arrange their respective territories and personnel, but it was not enough to quell the turmoil. In fact, it was very chaotic.
Liu Wuren displayed the compiled list on the light brain screen for everyone to see. "These are the people who left their territories to join the Mt. Buzhou Sect, a total of twenty million. Some also went to the Fourth Spacetime."
Qin Feikong: "And this is just the players who have left from our side. If we include the other regions, the number is probably much higher."
Roy and Swan were now the leaders of the European and American regions. Swan, being more talkative, immediately said, "Why did only twenty million leave from your side! More than seventy million left from mine! Roy, what about you?"
Roy replied coldly, "Five million."
Swan was extremely shocked, and Liu Wuren, Qin Feikong, and the others were also very surprised.
The number of people on her side was small, mainly because the total population couldn't compare to the Asian region, but it couldn't possibly be only five million. The proportion was much lower than theirs.
Swan clamored, insisting on an explanation.
He got what he asked for.
"Your authority in your city is utterly useless," Roy mocked coldly.
Swan, angry and annoyed, noticed the calm expressions of the people from Gobi and couldn't help but ask, "How many from your Gobi jumped ship?"
The Old Lady was absent, having gone to the research lab. Qing He and Xie Lu were in charge. Neither of them spoke, but Wang Shu piped up, "Two or three thousand, I guess."
Everyone: "???"
So few!
Wang Shu sighed, "It's not that few. What's the difference compared to your millions? Just a unit of measurement, right? Besides, for these turncoats, any number that leaves is a loss cut. Nothing to feel bad about. Although, from this perspective, you can see the authority of our respective leaders… is vastly different, oh!"
What a humble-bragging fatty.
Liu Wuren secretly rolled his eyes. Just then, Shen Wan, who was in charge of diplomacy, shared a piece of news. "A Primordial Spirit Race soul just came to deliver a message. They said the Grandmaster of Ten Thousand Arts, Qin Fu, is requesting a meeting to negotiate whether to go to war."
It was called a negotiation, but it was actually extortion.
But if a war really broke out, they were no match for the other side.
They could only attend the meeting first.
"It seems they must have notified the First and Fourth Spacetimes as well."
Although they were allies with the Fourth Spacetime, their relationship was only decent with the Xingyao Empire, and they lacked channels for communication, as the other party had been interested in Wang Jiu from the start. As for the Heiyan Empire, they hadn't contacted Gobi from beginning to end.
In this way…
Wang Shu lamented, "When my master is here, they're good friends. The moment my master is gone, they ignore us. Such a double standard."
This wasn't wrong, but someone muttered, "Speaking of ignoring people, no one is more professional than your master."
Heh!
That was true.
Qiao Xuejing and the others, who had barely seen Wang Jiu since the Old Lady was found, deeply agreed and didn't refute it. They also prepared to attend the meeting.
News in the morning, meeting in the afternoon.
The meeting room was rented from the System. Fighting was allowed, but spirit power and soul power were forbidden. If not for this, how could the people from the three spacetimes attend in person, given the huge power disparity? They couldn't possibly trust the verbal promises of the Primordial Spirit Race experts not to harm them.
So, all the attendees present were currently restricted.
The Old Lady, the top leader, Qing He, Liu Wuren, and other key figures from Huaxia, as well as some core members from Gobi, were present. Japan, South Korea, and other Asian regions each sent a few representatives, totaling a hundred people.
The European and American regions were led by Roy, Swan, and others.
All in all, the Third Spacetime had about three hundred people, all with an average attribute over fifty thousand.
The Fourth and First Spacetimes had a similar number of attendees, but the former's average attribute was over two hundred thousand, and the latter's was over five hundred thousand.
The gap in average attributes was huge, and the gap in peak power was also significant. After all, the Third Spacetime only had Wang Jiu with a million-point combat power, the Fourth had two, and the First had at least six.
As the natives, the Third Spacetime was the weakest and should have had little say.
In fact, at this meeting, Qing He and the others were indeed very quiet and well-behaved, letting the people from the First and Fourth Spacetimes do all the talking.
However, in this kind of dialogue, Wu Geng, as a creature of the earth, might have had a biased stance from the very beginning.
In their small group chat, Wang Shu's tone was vicious: "Did I hear that right? He actually agreed to give those old things bodies?"
Mei Qinghe was also furious: "Bro, you heard right. That asshole Wu Geng really agreed!"
They were small fries with no say, so they could only complain in their group chat. Qing He, who had been silent during the meeting, was about to speak when he heard the Old Lady ask, "If my understanding is correct, the bodies required by the souls of the Primordial Spirit Race are not ordinary. Even if they are not as good as your original bodies, they must at least be compatible and able to withstand the strength of your souls. In that case, the bodies must either be exceptionally talented with a special constitution, or they must be players with an average attribute over two hundred thousand to have cultivated such a physique. So, the three hundred bodies mentioned in the conditions that Your Excellency Wu Geng just agreed to—are you going to hunt down players from your First Spacetime to satisfy their appetite? With all due respect, the apocalypse is upon us. While it's understandable to be unscrupulous for survival, killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is not the best strategy. At the very least, we in the Third Spacetime are unwilling to do so."
More than half of the attendees from the First Spacetime glanced at the Old Lady. They all met this condition.
But would their leader, Wu Geng, choose to hunt his own subordinates?
Of course not. The people from the Miezhou Demon Sect immediately became agitated, adding fuel to the fire, mocking whether the other side wanted to hunt them, or perhaps target people from the Third or Fourth Spacetime.
Xing Yao glanced at Wu Geng and said lightly, "Although we knew you people from the First Spacetime would definitely do this, to agree to such a deal to our faces shows you look down on our Third Spacetime even more than I imagined. Or perhaps…"
The pause was well-timed. Xing Yao's next sentence was: "Or perhaps your two mountains have actually joined forces and are confident you can annihilate our entire Fourth Spacetime?"
Mo Ran said coldly, "So powerful? Then wouldn't we be beaten to death?"
The people from the First Spacetime: "…"
When it involved the Fourth Spacetime, Mo Ran didn't mind cooperating with Xing Yao. Besides, this time it wasn't entirely about cooperating with him; she was cooperating with the Old Lady.
Wang Jiu was skilled at using cold, extreme methods to shape her own rules. The Old Lady, on the other hand, was skilled at using the rules of the human world to shape her own methods. For example, with Wu Geng being the strongest in the three spacetimes, it wouldn't have been a big deal for him to agree to this deal; it could have appeased the Primordial Spirit Race. People don't feel the pain until the fire is at their own feet. But the Old Lady knew the truth and pointed it out directly.
If it were about killing a few ordinary players, most of the powerful ones wouldn't say anything unless they had strong moral principles, especially since the Mt. Buzhou Sect was too strong. But not many could meet the condition of 300,000 average attributes. Across all spacetimes, the number was only in the four digits. Now, 300 people were to be killed. If it's not your people dying, it's mine. Who wouldn't be worried?
The Old Lady's purpose was to make it clear, to eliminate any wishful thinking, and to promote the formation of a new camp.
The Mt. Buzhou Sect was powerful, and at the current meeting, it was tacitly acknowledged as the leader. But if the Miezhou Demon Sect, the Fourth Spacetime, and the Third Spacetime united, they could suppress the Mt. Buzhou Sect.
Since the arrogant Wu Geng had left such an opening, the Old Lady didn't mind using it. The effect might not be great, but it was a start. As for whether the others would see the truth of Wu Geng's biased stance and choose a side early, that was up to fate.
Fortunately, the result was good.
Wu Geng's expression was cold, but he quickly exchanged a look with Qin Fu, who was representing the Primordial Spirits at this meeting.
"I have no such intention. It is some people who are deliberately misinterpreting my words to sow discord among us living players. Their intentions are malicious. My Mt. Buzhou Sect will not tolerate such destabilizing individuals…"
With that, Wu Geng suddenly struck out at the Old Lady with his palm. There was no spirit power or soul power, but the martial dao's Astral Force was still present. His speed and power were simply irresistible to others. After all, in terms of combat skills, the First Spacetime was the strongest.
Unless Qin Fu and the others intervened, but the current Qin Fu was just smiling, watching Wu Geng's attack with cold eyes.
Xing Yao and the others were perceptive enough to notice Wu Geng's move, but they couldn't stop him.
The Old Lady wasn't worried. She just sat there; she couldn't dodge anyway.
As for whether she would be hit…
The door opened. A person walked in, grabbed a nearby chair, and threw it.
Bang!!
The chair was shattered by Wu Geng's palm, sending fragments flying. Wu Geng tapped his foot, and even under the restrictions, his speed was terrifying. He instantly flashed in front of Wang Jiu and delivered a fierce palm strike, whistling through the air with the force of his martial dao, creating a sonic boom.
Amidst the explosive sound, Wang Jiu was not his match in a direct fight; she would definitely be at a disadvantage. But then again, Lao Wang had killed more than one of his "brothers." Liu Jin was Wu Geng's brother, and he was a genius of the First Spacetime. Add Hao Tian to that, and the martial dao memories of those two were enough for Wang Jiu to make a comeback. Besides, she was exceptionally intelligent and had the Weapon Mastery buff back then.
Right, her Weapon Mastery was now at grand completion. As Wu Geng's palm wind arrived, Wang Jiu's hand hooked lightly, drawing her blade. The blade's edge spun, and Wu Geng retreated. The sharp edge passed his throat. He actually tried to catch the blade with his bare hands. The martial dao's Astral Force condensed on his fingers. Even with his spirit power sealed, he had his own abilities. With immense strength, he actually restrained the blade and tried to pierce Wang Jiu's throat with the fingers of his other hand.
Just then, Wang Jiu twisted her wrist, and the blade spun on its own. Homing Bird Sword Art?
Not quite, but similar. The blade spun like a frisbee. Wu Geng was shocked and quickly took a step back. At that moment, the blade was back in her hand. Wang Jiu held the blade with one hand and swept it horizontally…
Clang! The Astral Barrier condensed on Wu Geng's body was struck, trembling slightly and showing a mark, but it didn't break.
She was just so-so. Wu Geng was about to counterattack when he was suddenly horrified, because Wang Jiu had drawn another blade with her left hand. This was the real Gilded Abyss. The martial dao's Astral Force was attached to it, but it wasn't a glittering gold light; it was a deep black light. With one slash, Wu Geng's head flew off.
Plop. After the head hit the ground, everyone was stunned. Even Qin Fu and the others were surprised, probably not expecting someone from the Third Spacetime to be able to condense martial dao's Astral Force.
And she had counter-killed Wu Geng!
After all, he was a peerless expert. Although his head was cut off, he couldn't actually be killed. Since spirit power and skills were sealed, Bloodthirst couldn't be used, so he couldn't be killed.
That headless Wu Geng could still speak.
"If you hadn't killed my younger brother, how could you possess the martial dao attainments of my First Spacetime now?"
Wang Jiu had attacked the moment she entered and hadn't looked at anyone else. Seeing the group from the First Spacetime approaching with murderous intent, she glanced at them but paid them no mind. She sheathed her blade and, in front of everyone, picked up Wu Geng's head. Her slender fingers held it, letting the blood flow between them. She looked at Wu Geng and said, "I don't like what you said. Did I kill him for his martial dao attainments? Can't it be that I simply wanted to kill him? But this head of yours… is quite well-formed."
Wu Geng himself was not handsome, rather rugged. But he never would have imagined that Wang Jiu would turn his head upside down, casually grab a plant from a pot, and stick it into his neck.
A very artistic scene: a human head bonsai. Bloody and romantic.
Amidst such romance, Wang Jiu glanced sideways at the people from the First Spacetime who were itching to attack and said, "Is this a place for fighting? We're here for a meeting. If you must fight, it's fine if you win, but it would be too embarrassing if you lose."
She leaned back in her chair, lowered her head to wipe the blood on her hands with Xie Lu's sleeve, and said, "Losing face is not a big deal, but letting the seniors of the Primordial Spirit Race see your true strength and switch their cooperation partner would be an even greater loss. Don't you agree?"
The people from the First Spacetime were already a bit shocked after Wang Jiu took down Wu Geng. But Wang Jiu was right. It was one thing for Wu Geng to act alone, but if their entire Mt. Buzhou Sect attacked, then the other spacetimes and forces would definitely band together to counterattack.
There was really no benefit. The only winner would be the Primordial Spirit Race.
After some hesitation, they didn't fight and backed down.
Qin Fu smiled faintly. "I always thought that the First Spacetime, having developed for many years, should be the leader of all spacetimes. I didn't expect a little girl from the Third Spacetime to come from behind. Truly admirable."
Old bastard, you just calmed things down, and now you're stirring up trouble again.
Wang Shu and the others were annoyed and about to retort when Wang Jiu calmly replied, "I always thought that older people were very steady, but it seems that's not the case. You two got friendly so quickly, anyone who didn't know better would think you were rushing to a funeral."
The Poison King and others let their killing intent leak out. Qin Fu raised a hand to stop them and smiled at Wang Jiu. "It's mainly because we don't know you well. Otherwise, we would have chosen you from the beginning."
Wang Jiu smiled. "Usually, people who have been in contact with me for a long time have many who want to choose me, but I might not necessarily choose them."
Qin Fu smiled. "The little girl is very confident."
Wang Jiu continued to smile. "No, it's mainly because I have a conscience and a sense of shame."
Qin Fu: "Oh?"
I really don't believe that. Look at your own people behind you, see if they believe it. Their expressions say it all.
Even the Old Lady pursed her lips.
Wang Jiu: "No, really. I killed your brother. I can't just pretend nothing happened like you. When it comes to moral high ground, I'm no match for you, old sir."
The Primordial Spirit Race members were furious, but Qin Fu still held them back. He narrowed his eyes, still smiling elegantly. "You flatter me, I don't deserve it. If I'm being patient, it's only for the greater good of fighting the Eternal Night Race. I hope you can understand my intentions."
Wang Jiu looked serious and continued to smile. "I don't believe you. Unless you make a vow."
Qin Fu: "…"
The two of them were playing a game—"Let's all talk nonsense and see who laughs first."
Qin Fu and the people of the Primordial Spirit Race looked at the smile on Wang Jiu's face and collectively took a deep breath.
What the fuck!!
This is unbearable!
Comments
Post a Comment