Author: Xevinaly

“Since you’re not willing to complete my other request, let’s make this a straightforward ransom.” Cheng Yang crooned. “You said there were tens of thousands of soldiers in your territory, and I’m going to assume that means around fifty thousand. If we take fifty Experience Fragments from each that comes out to two point five million Experience Fragments. Since you’re being difficult, I’ll round it up to three million. That should be reasonable.”

“That’s far too much!” Yuan Zhao blurted out in barely disguised anger.

Cheng Yang’s smile dropped. “Should I kill all of the prisoners then? You’ve already rejected my first offer, and I don’t give people more than three chances.”

“It’s just that your estimates are off by a bit.” Yuan Jianzhe calmed himself down. “There are far less than fifty thousand soldiers in the city, and most have less than ten Experience Fragments.”

Cheng Yang sneered at Yuan Jianzhe with contempt written all over his face. “How unfortunate, you can’t even pay that tiny amount. How about two million paid in installments? There aren’t fifty thousand soldiers, but you must have at least thirty thousand, right? We’ll do three hundred thousand points a day for seven days and consider the extra hundred thousand as interest.”

Yuan Jianzhe grimaced and carefully explained: “Two million is still a bit high. I’m the commander of the army, but I won’t be able to force the soldiers to hand over everything they have. That’s why half a million is the highest I can go, and the installments need to be much smaller.”

Cheng Yang knew from his past life that Yuan Jianzhe was telling the truth. Although he was the grand commander in name, unless the militia commanders supported his decisions, he didn’t have any power over most of the safe zone’s forces.

“Half a million? That’s embarrassingly small commander, and you call yourself a man. IF that’s all you can muster, I suppose I’ll have to accept it.” Cheng Yang did his best to humiliate Yuan Jianzhe during the negotiations. As for the money? Cheng Yang didn’t care in the first place since that wasn’t his real goal. “However, since you can’t pay, you’ll have to give me something else.”

Yuan Jianzhe wanted to be relieved that he talked Cheng Yang down but couldn’t help but fear what ridiculous demand Cheng Yang would make next.

“I have two new conditions. The first is that I’ll be free to walk around the safe zone and recruit civilians.” Cheng Yang said confidently.

Yuan Jianzhe initially hesitated. Although he couldn’t see what the catch was, he knew there had to be one. But, no matter how hard he looked, it seemed like a standard amnesty clause. The only thing he learned from the demand was that Cheng Yang had a way to perform class change ceremonies without the states in the safe zone.

In the end, Yuan Jianzhe agreed.

“My second demand is that we split Cloud City down the middle. My forces will take the Eastside, and yours will occupy the Westside. You can decide on the three other spaces. Either one of us owns the safe zone, and the other owns the North and South bridges, or we share all three locations. Of course, I’ll still be allowed into the safe zone either way, but I won’t use any of the facilities if you own it.”

This time, Yuan Jianzhe’s internal conflict was even stronger. As far as he knew, the only difference between the East and West was the instance dungeon, but since he had already ceded that, why would Cheng Yang impose a rule like that?

After some time, Yuan Jianzhe accepted that condition as well and chose to have sole control over the safe zone. His main reasoning was that he couldn’t bear to share the resources in the city with another force. The other was to gauge Cheng Yang’s reaction. Since he brought up the bridges, there must have been something he needed to protect on the other side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been happy with such a lopsided agreement.

“Then it’s decided.” Cheng Yang said with a genuine smile on his face. “From now on, we own our respective areas, and any trespassers we catch will be given the death penalty.”

Yuan Jianzhe nodded after hearing that and added: “Since I’ve agreed to your terms, can you promise to not attack my forced until tomorrow so I can spread these new rules?”

“I can grant you that.” Cheng Yang said quietly, “But keep in mind the consequences of breaking our promise.”

“Of course. Although there are no laws in this world, you can believe in my character. I will not break this promise.” Yuan Jianzhe lied.

“As for me, if I were going to break the promise, I would just kill you now. Isn’t that neat.” Cheng Yang taunted, “Of course, if you want, we can write a contract and sign it.”

Yuan Jianzhe agreed to the proposal, and the two quickly wrote their verbal agreement down on two sheets of paper. Both sides then signed their names and kept one each.

“Alright, now that we’ve settled the matter, I’ll release these prisoners to you and leave.” Cheng Yang said once they were done. “Take those corpses with you. Even if we’re enemies, they deserve a proper burial.”

“Shouldn’t you wait for the people I sent after your companion to return?” Yuan Jianzhe asked while his subordinates helped their captured comrades.

“I don’t think they’ll be coming back, commander.” Cheng Yang said with a smile. “If Liu Wei weren’t able to protect herself, I wouldn’t have wasted time chatting with you.”

As if on cue, Liu Wei appeared from behind some rubble and walked over. However, the twenty people that had chased after her were nowhere to be seen.

“I see, so it was a trap.” Yuan Jianzhe said with a heavy heart.

“A trap?”Cheng Yang asked with a smile wide enough to fit a pie. “Hardly. It’s not my fault you mistook a wolf for a rabbit.”

Yuan Jianzhe fell into deep contemplation once he realized Cheng Yang’s companions were strong in their own right.

Seeing that Yuan Jianzhe wasn’t going to respond, Cheng Yang said: “All right, get out of here. By the way, I’ll visit the safe zone tomorrow to collect my first payment.”

Yuan Jianzhe nodded silently and led his soldiers away. After giving Cheng Yang a deep and pensive look, he came to terms with his first major loss in this lifetime.

He had set out from the safe zone in high spirits but was returning in utter defeat. Not only had he lost the city’s instance dungeon, but he had also lost over a hundred soldiers in the process. Although it wasn’t that many compared to the total number of soldiers under his control, the blow his prestige and authority took was going to be hard to recover from. Additionally, the twenty soldiers Liu Wei had killed were the closest to leveling up, and all had several pieces of equipment.

The worst part was that a single man had caused this whole ordeal.

Once Cheng Yang was sufficiently out of sight, Lao Wu walked up to Yuan Jianzhe’s side and whispered: “Commander, are we going to cede the Eastside of Cloud City to that bastard?”

“Lao Wu, do you think this piece of paper has any value in this world?” Yuan Jianzhe’s voice was filled with bitterness.

“I suppose it doesn’t,” Lao Wu answered.

“That’s right!” Yuan Jianzhe said before decisively shredding the contract. “Cheng Yang taught me a fundamental lesson today: The only thing that matters in this world in strength. Without it, you’ll just struggle in vain. However, think about Cheng Yang’s actions. If he had the strength to, he would have crushed us already. That means there’s still a chance to reverse the situation.”

Lao Wu frowned. “But commander, with his strength, Cheng Yang could still stop any resistance we mount.”

“Why do you think Cheng Yang wanted to control the North and South bridges? Why did he give up on the facilities in the safe zone?” Yuan Jianzhe asked. “It’s simple. There’s something he needs to protect on the other side, and its the source of his strength. If we crush that we can defeat him.”

“What’s your plan, commander?”

“The first order of business will be to redirect our efforts. Cheng Yang demonstrated that having a small group of elites is better than a large group. We’ll focus all of our resources on the soldiers with the highest grade Innate Abilities.”

“What about the money we promised Cheng Yang?”

“We’ll pay him.” Yuan Jianzhe gnashed his teeth. “And in the future, take it back a hundred-fold!”

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Yuan Jianzhe was in a terrible mood.

Initially, he’d assumed that Cheng Yang was at most a High-Grade mage, but that was not the case. He had underestimated his opponent, and now his soldiers were paying the ultimate price. Yuan Jianzhe cursed himself for not being more on guard when he discovered Cheng Yang was alone.

If Cheng Yang’s killing ability were the only thing outside Yuan Jianzhe’s calculations, he would have been prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to destroy Cheng Yang. However, his defense was even stronger than his attack! It was as if he was immune to damage entirely.

As such, Yuan Jianzhe was in a dilemma. Should he call off the attack or not? If he did, would Cheng Yang let them go or hunt them down? His best option was to take Liu Wei as a hostage, but she was already a few hundred meters away.

“Commander, that girl with Cheng Yang looked like she was a civilian. She didn’t have any weapons even though she was covered in equipment.” Lao Wu, who was standing next to Yuan Jianzhe, said. “If you’ll let me, I’ll send out an elite team to capture her. She may have some items to boost her speed, but so do we.”

“Damn it.” Yuan Jianzhe swore. “Do it.”

Mere seconds later, a group of twenty soldiers split from the rest of the group and chased after Liu Wei.

Cheng Yang chuckled when he saw that. After holding a brief moment of silence in his heart for Yuan Jianzhe’s elite soldiers, Cheng Yang focused on the battle.

Although he was winning, the battle was currently in an odd equilibrium. The ranged attackers in the back were regularly cycling through who was in range, creating a constant barrage of projectiles. Additionally, the army had discovered that if they drank a potion right when Cheng Yang attacked, it was possible to survive his Petal Blizzard. Of course, that didn’t work for the ranged attackers, and most soldiers only had one or two potions. So, in the end, it only slowed Cheng Yang down.

As for the soldiers Cheng Yang had captured earlier. They had pressed themselves flat against the ground and started praying. Now and then, an arrow or Magic Missile would fly off course and hit one of them. It was a terrifyingly stressful situation.

---

As the casualties continued to increase, Yuan Jianzhe’s heart wept. Maybe he shouldn’t have attacked Cheng Yang?

How was he going to defeat this human that was more monstrous than any monster?

He’d already seen that a human wave tactic was useless, and he still didn’t know where Cheng Yang’s limit was? He knew a little bit about the leveling system of the gods from the forum, but he had no real way of knowing how much Mana Cheng Yang had. Even if he did, since his soldiers had potions, so would Cheng Yang.

There was also the possibility that Cheng Yang had an item that made his jaw drop: a Spacial Ring. Yuan Jianzhe wasn’t entirely sure if Cheng Yang had one, but Cheng Yang was wearing three rings right now, and Yuan Jianzhe doubted the extra one was decorative.

If he did, then, unless Yuan Jianzhe was willing to sacrifice everyone he brought with him, there was no chance of defeating Cheng Yang.

Should he just throw in the towel? If he did, either Cheng Yang would hunt them down until they reached the safe zone, or he’d have to agree to some very unreasonable conditions. Yuan Jianzhe was unwilling to let either of those things happen.

Even worse than that, his authority and prestige in the safe zone would plummet. Although Yuan Jianzhe wasn’t particularly concerned with his image, there were plenty of rabid dogs that would try and take his place if he gave them an opening.

However, if he didn’t order a retreat soon, his soldiers might desert him. He could already tell that the endless sacrifices with nothing to show for it was wearing his soldiers down.

Even worse was Cheng Yang’s attitude. With his strength, he could have easily walked over and killed Yuan Jianzhe. Instead, he stood in place as if he were waiting for them to surrender.

Yuan Jianzhe’s guess was actually spot on. Cheng Yang considered him more useful alive than dead. If Yuan Jianzhe were to die, he would be able to finish this battle quickly, but the safe zone would descend into chaos as different factions tried to fill the power vacuum. Cheng Yang much preferred Cloud City to hold a single docile tiger instead of a pack of rabid wolves.

One of those wolves was Lu Chenguang, the commander of the second militia. She was a businesswoman, and right now, she was like a shark that smelled blood.

Since her subordinates had discovered the instance dungeon, Lu Chenguang was allowed to join Yuan Jianzhe in clearing it. But, when she arrived, she saw that an enemy had captured those same subordinates. This put her in a tricky situation since the loss of a hundred soldiers would allow the other militia commanders to surpass her.

Now, however, the heavens were smiling down on her and turning her disasters into fortunes. It wasn’t hard to see the dilemma Yuan Jianzhe was in, and only she, Lu Chenguang, could help him resolve it.

“Commander Yuan, do you think you could listen to my humble request. If this battle drags on much longer, all of my captured subordinates will be killed by their allies. Since we cannot easily defeat Cheng Yang right now, I beg you to call for a cease-fire and negotiate for the release of my comrades!” Lu Chenguang pleaded. If Yuan Jianzhe accepted her request, she would be able to secure her militia members’ safety, and it would seem like her opinion was highly valued by the current leader of the safe zone.

It was a shrewd play, and even though Yuan Jianzhe saw right through it, there was no way he could refuse! At least this way, it wouldn’t seem like he was a coward but rather someone who listened to his advisors.

“Cease fire! All soldiers stand down.” Now that he was given an out, Yuan Jianzhe didn’t hesitate to take it.

To the soldiers fighting Cheng Yang, Yuan Jianzhe’s words were the sweetest music. They immediately retreated, and when they did, Cheng Yang didn’t pursue them. He just looked calmly into Yuan Jianzhe’s eyes.

“Cheng Yang, you’ve won this fight. I concede this instance dungeon to you on one condition: you must release the prisoners you captured. Otherwise, I will bring back the tens of thousands of soldiers in the safe zone and utterly annihilate you.” Yuan Jianzhe reluctantly called out.

In response, Cheng Yang just laughed. “The result won’t change whether it’s two thousand or twenty-thousand soldiers. I’ll win, and if I don’t, I can always retreat. In that case, I’ll harass your soldiers from afar and whittle your numbers down until they’re manageable. I wonder, after a few days of that, would your tens of thousands of soldiers even dare to leave the comfort of the safe zone?”

Yuan Jianzhe cursed Cheng Yang in his heart. There was nothing he could do about that bastard until his soldiers leveled up.

“What are your conditions?” Yuan Jianzhe asked through gritted teeth.

“Its very simple, you might become a threat in the future, so immediately kill yourself and disband your army. Then, I’ll release the prisoners.

“That’s not something I can do!” Yuan Jianzhe was barely able to maintain a straight face. If he did that, what would happen to all the civilians in the safe zone? He wasn’t the most charitable person, but he had read some horror stories on the forums and didn’t trust his militia commanders to act appropriately in his absence.

“It seems your not a sincere man Commander Yuan. First, you try to take away my instance dungeon, and then you try and kill me, do you really think you have the right to bargain with me?”

Then Cheng Yang pointed his stave at one of the prisoners and executed him with an Icicle Blast.

“You…” Yuan Jianzhe knew this was the worst day of his life. If Cheng Yang was deadset on the dissolution of the army, there was nothing he could do to stop him from killing all of the prisoners. If that happened, his authority would fall even further than it already had.

Cheng Yang, of course, had no intention to make Yuan Jianzhe accept his unreasonable demand. This was just a way to force the commander to his limits. That way, Cheng Yang could take everything he wanted from him.

“Are we clear now, Commander Yuan?” Cheng Yang asked.

“I simply can not accept that demand. If the army is disbanded, the hundred of thousands of civilians relying on me will be reduced to monster food.” Yuan Jianzhe said carefully. “Please, if possible, name any other condition for their release.”

Cheng Yang grinned. This was precisely what he was waiting for!

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“Commander Yuan, we meet again.” Cheng Yang taunted.

“And you are?” Yuan Jianzhe recognized Cheng Yang but was unwilling to accept that he had lost the initiative.

“Commander Yuan, who knew such a great man had such a bad memory. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already forgotten me.” Cheng Yang wore a mocking smile.

“I should have realized what you represented when I first saw you.” Yuan Jianzhe gave up trying to pretend he didn’t know Cheng Yang, “Who knew you would become such a thorn in my side. So, tell me, are you a human or an NPC?”

“Naturally, I’m a native of Earth, but feel free to think that’s a lie.”

“In that case, there’s something I can’t understand. Do you think you could help me?”

“Of course, commander.” Cheng Yang replied sweetly.

“What relationship do you have with the manager of the Alchemy Tower? Why was he so polite with you?”

“Money.” Cheng Yang replied. “He may not associate with poor bastards like you, but for someone with my wealth, he would lick my feet if I asked.”

“Is that why-“

“Enough bullshit, don’t you think it’s time we deal with the matter at hand?”

Despite Cheng Yang’s provocation, Yuan Jianzhe’s face remained inscrutable. Even so, Yuan Jianzhe couldn’t help but reevaluate Cheng Yang’s threat level when he saw the tied up soldiers.

“In that case, how should I refer to you?”

“My name is Cheng Yang. My subordinates refer to me as their Lord, but you may use my name.” Cheng Yang declared arrogantly.

“Then, Cheng Yang, did you attack my soldiers because you were attracted to that veil of light over there?”

“Why are you being so cryptic, commander?” Cheng Yang asked. “Everyone knows that’s an instance dungeon, so there’s no need to beat around the bush.”

Yuan Jianzhe inwardly sighed. It seems there wouldn’t be an easy way out of this predicament. “Since you already know, lets cut to the chase. My soldiers discovered the instance dungeon and left some people to stand guard while the rest alerted me. While they were gone, your people attacked my guards. Do you have any explanation for your actions?”

Cheng Yang smiled indifferently. He had seen Yuan Jianzhe send out scouts, and since he hadn’t attacked yet, that meant he was still on guard. In that case, Cheng Yang didn’t mind playing around for a while.

“Commander Yuan, are you implying that the instance dungeon belongs to the group that discovered it first?”

“Of course not. What I am saying is that this instance dungeon is unowned land, and thus as representatives of the state, it belongs to us.” Yuan Jianzhe replied. He wasn’t a fool and knew that regardless of the truth, Cheng Yang would insist that he found it first, but he needed to stall until his scouts discovered the position of Cheng Yang’s forces. ” However, I understand that some people no longer consider the power of the state. In such a case, it would belong to the person that found it first.”

“In that case, you should know all about the instance dungeon, right?” Cheng Yang snickered. “Tell me, what is the instance dungeon’s name? What monsters are found inside? How many are there? What appears in the loot tables?”

The barrage of questions gave Yuan Jianzhe an ominous premonition. Was it possible that Cheng Yang found the instance dungeon a long time ago? Was that how he had access to so many pieces of equipment?

“We haven’t explored it yet.” Yuan Jianzhe replied coldly, “But if you are serious about having found it first, why don’t you answer those questions yourself?”

“I could tell you since I’ve beaten it before, but talk is cheap. How would you know if what I was saying is true?” Cheng Yang asked. “I propose that you send a few people inside to check. While they’re in the instance dungeon, I’ll tell you what is inside and when they come out, they’ll confirm my story. How about it?”

Even though Cheng Yang hadn’t given away any vital information, Yuan Jianzhe was able to confirm that Cheng Yang found the instance dungeon a long time ago.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. An instance dungeon is a dangerous place, and I don’t feel like sacrificing weak soldiers. I’m also not a big enough fool to send in my elite forces with an enemy right in front of me.” Yuan Jianzhe said politely.

At the same time, Yuan Jianzhe’s scouts returned, and an aide whispered something into his ear. Seeing this, Cheng Yang knew that their pleasant chat had ended. It didn’t matter. He had planned to settle this with force from the start.

“Since it’s going to be like that Commander Yuan, I assume you’re going to decline any offer I make you. In that case, why don’t you suggest something?” Cheng Yang said with blatant hostility.

“Do you think I must make an offer still? You’re alone, Cheng Yang. Even if you’re strong, you cannot stand against an army of thousands.” Yuan Jianzhe made his way to the back of his subordinates.

“What of your army?” Cheng Yang said with a sneer. “Can two thousand eggs smash a boulder? Since you want to fight, don’t cry why I massacre your soldiers.”

“Don’t throw your life away, Cheng Yang.” Yuan Jianzhe said. “It’s impossible to resist us, and I could use a subordinate like you.”

“Even if you had a few thousand more soldiers, I wouldn’t feel challenged.” Cheng Yang said with a cheeky grin.

Yuan Jianzhe sighed and gave out his orders. “Place Cheng Yang and his companion into custody. If they resist, kill them.”

As soon as he spoke, hundreds of soldiers formed close ranks. Rangers and Mages were in the back with the Summoners in the middle and Warriors at the vanguard.

“My Lord, will you be okay?” Liu Wei asked. Although she had seen Cheng Yang defeat large groups before, the pressure given off by Yuan Jianzhe’s soldiers was enormous.

“Don’t worry. These people don’t pose a threat to me. Stay out of range while I deal with this.” Cheng Yang replied confidently before whispering. “Follow my plan, and we’ll subdue them in no time.”

Liu Wei’s words only bolstered Yuan Jianzhe’s convictions. He was determined to put an end to Cheng Yang’s antics today. As long as Cheng Yang was alive, he would be a thorn in Yuan Jianzhe’s side, so if he couldn’t control him, Cheng Yang had to die.

“Aim!” Once the army reached firing range, a loud voice rang out. Then, the sound of taunt bowstrings mixed with the chants of magic and the growls of summoned wolves.

“Fire!” A shower of attacks rained down on Cheng Yang like an endless torrent. At the same time, hundreds of wolves charged towards him.

Cheng Yang smirked. Was this how Yuan Jianzhe planned to capture him alive? What a joke. Since the army wasn’t going to pull any punches, why should he?

Just like before, Cheng Yang ignored everything and cast Petal Blizzard. This time, the close ranks made his attack even more effective. The razor-sharp petals around the Warrior’s shield as if they were mere decoration before shredding nearly a dozen people.

At this point, Liu Wei knew it was time to complete her portion of Cheng Yang’s plan. She quickly cast Healing Light and ran away. There was no helping it. If she stayed, she’d either die or become Cheng Yang’s Achilles heel.

Even so, she felt horrible, leaving Cheng Yang by himself. Even if this was his plan, it was because she was too weak to be useful in any other way. She silently vowed to get stronger as soon as possible so she would never be a liability again.

Cheng Yang, on the other hand, was having a wonderful time. There were hundreds of opponents, but how many could attack him at any given time? Only a handful of wolves could reach him, and most of the ranged attack missed. Even when he was hit, his absurd Physical Defense meant only one in every few dozen hits dealt any damage.

All that Yuan Jianzhe’s army had accomplished was making its Summoner’s useless by killing their wolves with friendly fire.

At the same time, Cheng Yang was using Petal Blizzard to harvest lives at a terrifying rate.

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“Liu Wei… Ms. Liu. What are you doing here?” Zhao Xun asked while tripping over his tongue.

“It would seem you’ve learned how to address someone respectfully since we last met, Captain Zhou.” Liu Wei coldly replied.

On the surface, Zhao Xun didn’t react, but internally, he was furious. “How dare she talk to me like that just because she’s latched onto some man! That horse-faced bitch!”

“Ms. Liu, there’s no need to exaggerate like that. I may have been slightly disrespectful, but that was just the stress of rescuing you and the other civilians from the jaws of monsters.” Zhao Xun replied, careful not to aggravate Cheng Yang and die pointlessly.

Liu Wei snorted and was about to reply when Cheng Yang cut her off. “Don’t bother arguing with someone like him. Hey, you’re the Zhao Xun she was talking about, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct, sir. You should know-” Zhao Xun shivered in anger but forced it down. When had he, a senior executive of the Lu Gaofeng company, had to grovel in front of an arrogant punk? Even if the company was dead, everyone should still treat him with basic respect! Maintaining a calm facial expression, Zhao Xun soothed his anger. Otherwise, he was confident Cheng Yang would kill him. “What is it you want, sir?”

Cheng Yang pulled a bundle of rope he picked up early out of his ring and threw it to Zhao Xun’s feet. “Tie yourself up. Right now.”

Zhao Xun’s friendly face cracked. “Sir… This, why are you going so far?”

Cheng Yang’s eyes shone with cold anger. “Why can’t I do what I want? I’m warning you; if you wait too long, I’m going to do it, and if I do, I can’t guarantee your safety. You can rest assured that I won’t kill you. After all, I need you alive for what I want to do.”

By now, whispers about Cheng Yang’s identity had reached the rest of the army. At first, the soldiers were curious why their captain would act so cowardly, but when they learned about Cheng Yang’s power, it seemed reasonable. Once they knew, they considered Zho Xun’s behavior as the model of flexibility.

At the same time, a cold sweat covered Zhao Xun. If he didn’t obey Cheng Yang, he would die, and a worse fate would follow if he did obey. Even if Yuan Jianzhe rescued him, he would lose his position as captain. And that was assuming Yuan Jianzhe cared enough to feud with Cheng Yang just for him!

“Last chance. I won’t ask again.” Cheng Yang broke the awkward silence.

Forced to the brink, Zhao Xun threw caution to the wind. “Sir, we’ve never had any problems between us, have we? So why are you pushing me this far?”

Cheng Yang smirked. “Does it hurt to have other leverage their power over you? How ironic. As for a reason, seeing your face pisses me off.”

“Your strong, but what does that matter! There are over a hundred soldiers here, so think about your position carefully.” Zhao Xun snapped. “You might survive, but what about that bitch next to you?”

Cheng Yang’s mouth stretched into a hollow and sinister smile. “Can I interpret that as a threat?”

“Maybe it was, but you could also see it as advice from your betters.” Zhao Xun screamed.

“In that case, I won’t hold back.” Cheng Yang shot forwards like a loosed arrow. The few dozen meters between the few parties seemed more like a few steps to Cheng Yang, who reached Zhao Xun in an instant. Then, Cheng Yang kicked Zhao Xun’s knee, shattering it.

Even though he was a Mage, Cheng Yang’s simple kick hit with more force than a sniper rifle. Against monsters, this didn’t mean much, but against humans like those in Cloud City, Cheng Yang was a god of war.

As soon as Zhao Xun crumpled to the floor, Cheng Yang crushed his windpipe and lifted him into the air with a single hand. Although Zhao Xun couldn’t suffocate to death, that didn’t stop him from experiencing it.

As he choked on his own blood, Zhao Xun came to the terrifying realization that Cheng Yang was a Pinnacle-Grade Apprentice. Each attack dealt three damage so, by subtracting his Physical Defense and accounting for the penalty for unarmed attacks, Zhao Xun was able to calculate that Cheng Yang had eight Physical Attack. And that was as a Mage! Zhao Xun didn’t even dare to estimate how much damage Cheng Yang would do if he used his skills.

Zhao Xun’s subordinates weren’t a part of the army for show. Even though Cheng Yang showed absolute strength, dozens of attacks had already been prepared. Then, the army peppered Cheng Yang with light and arrows.

Cheng Yang just stood there, watching them with cold eyes. At the same time, Cheng Yang pointed his stave at the Warriors charging towards him.

Then, a bloody bouquet bloomed as Cheng Yang’s Petal Blizzard skill tore eight of them to ribbons.

Previously, even though the army knew Cheng Yang was strong, they thought numbers could overwhelm him. Now, all they fear was fear.

“Surrender.” Cheng Yang stared down the rest of the army as he spoke. “Lie down with your face on the ground. If you try to run, I’ll kill you.”

Although they were hesitant, one by one, the soldiers put down their weapons and laid on the ground.

Cheng Yang pulled even more rope out of his ring and threw it at one of the Warriors. “You know what to do. Don’t blame me for punishing you if you’re not fast enough. My patience is wearing thin, and I don’t need all of you alive.”

A few minutes later, all of the soldiers were tied to each other with their hands bound. As for Zhao Xun, Cheng Yang hung him from a piece of rebar with a noose. Despite the pain he was in, Zhao Xun couldn’t even scream.

“My Lord, why did you spare them?” Liu Wei asked.

“They’ll be more useful alive when Yuan Jianzhe comes to bargain with me.” Cheng Yang replied with a slight smile. He was happy that Liu Wei was adapting her mindset towards one that suited the current world.

“Are you going to threaten Yuan Jianzhe with their lives?”

“Their lives?” Cheng Yang laughed, “Yuan Jianzhe won’t care that much about them. They’re just a way to get my foot in the door.”

Liu Wei nodded in understanding.

Less than half an hour later, Yuan Jianzhe arrived with an army of two thousand. Of course, this army was composed of civilian militia members as well as former soldiers.

When he first heard that the instance dungeon had been found, Yuan Jianzhe was ecstatic. However, he wasn’t a fool. If he had found it, the other force hiding in Cloud City most certainly had as well. As such, before leaving, he assembled as many of the Professionals in Cloud City as he could.

Once Yuan Jianzhe saw his soldiers tied up, he knew he had made the right choice. Since there were only two people present, he sent a few people to search the ruins for the enemy’s reinforcement and then walked over to meet Cheng Yang.

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Of course, other than the officially published ways to gain contribution points, they could be earned by performing an exceptional service for the territory.

For example, when Yu Kai helped Cheng Yang annihilate the Spined Eagle and retrieve the Nirvana Feather. Since it was outside of his official duties, both he and the soldier that initially spotted the Nirvana Feather were awarded contribution points.

For exceptions such as that, a special panel was assembled to decide the exact number of contribution points awarded.

There were two points to consider when assigning individuals to the panel. The first was a potential conflict of interest, and the second was the possibility that the member would be swamped with work and unable to leave the territory.

As a solution, Cheng Yang only assigned members of the Imperial Guard and civilians to the panel. Civilians with everything to lose made a good choice since their very life was tied to the village. As for the Imperial Guard, although they were absolutely loyal, they weren’t machines. They were just as smart and dedicated as any human and were perfectly suited to a task like this.

The panel was named The Glory Institute and had eleven initial members. Five civilians and five members of the Imperial Guard with an additional Imperial Gaurd member named Aleix Lukianov as the head.

The next order of business was a discussion about the future development of Phoenix Village and its affiliated territories. Since Cheng Yang was the only one that knew what the future held, it devolved into him lecturing the rest of the group.

After dismissing the rest of the group, Cheng Yang pulled Liu Hau into a side room to ask him a few questions. As Cheng Yang had hoped, his friend had found the instance dungeon near Joyous River Village.

According to Liu Hau, it was well hidden. Three trees had grown in a ring around it, which blocked it from view.

This time, Cheng Yang intended to let someone else complete the first clear. After all, since Liu Hau was a High-Grade Warrior, if he couldn’t clear it with the help of his Standard-Grade subordinates, there was no point in him surviving the instance.

As for the first clear of the Hard Difficulty, Cheng Yang was going to do it tomorrow. After that, he would also get the first clear for the Sky God Island Hard Difficulty.

After Liu Hau left to complete his orders, Cheng Yang and Liu Wei left the village. It was already past nine in the evening, so he needed to quickly hunt some monsters and collect the necessary materials for practicing alchemy.

There were quite a few alchemists in Phoenix Village, but very few of them had the tools necessary to brew potions. As such, it wouldn’t be difficult for Cheng Yang to hire a few of them to gather the herbs he needed. But, that would cause his skills to develop disproportionally. If he later found a high-level material, he might be able to brew a potion to cure regret but wouldn’t be ready to harvest the ingredients for one.

Besides, it wasn’t a time-consuming task. This was because Cheng Yang only needed to harvest a hundred herbs to have the growth of his Harvesting skill equal to that of his other ones.

After sweeping through the surrounding areas, Liu Wei and Cheng Yang returned to Phoenix Village. Now that Cheng Yang needed to spend six hours each day training, he spent nearly the whole night in the village.

Just that one night of practice cost Cheng Yang nearly three thousand Experience Fragments. IT was a price no one else in the world could afford to pay. Even people like Yuan Jianzhe that monopolized a safe zone would be shocked to hear how much Cheng Yang spent.

Once he was finished training, Cheng Yang brewed as many potions as he was able. Then, he sold them to the manager of the Alchemy Tower. When he received over a thousand Experience Fragments, Cheng Yang couldn’t help but thank the gods for giving him such a profitable trade deal.

One by one, Cheng Yang completed his daily tasks. Next, he cleared the Blood-Soaked Cathedral. Then he paid to start new research for each class change statue. Finally, he began to address specific plans, such as clearing the instance dungeon near Joyous River Village.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yang’s day would not go as planned. As soon as he exited the village, a woman blocked his path.

“Fan Wukong? Why are you here?” Cheng Yang’s mood fell as he saw the woman he sent to watch The Forgotten Grave. Although he knew there was only one reason she would be here, he was hoping it wasn’t the case.

“The army found The Forgotten Grave half an hour ago. There are around two hundred individuals, and all of them appear to be Professionals. I left before they discovered the portal’s location, but they were close enough that it was only a matter of time.” Fan Wukong succinctly reported.

“You made the right choice. By the time I get there, they will probably have found it. Alright, reunite your battalion. They’re officially registering at the barracks today. You shouldn’t miss it.”

“What about The Forgotten Grave?”

“Don’t worry, thrashing the army is within my limits. Still, inform the generals that after they’re finished, they should join me.”

“As you command, my Lord.” Fan Wukong bowed before leaving.

“My Lord,” Liu Wei asked, “Are we changing our plans?”

Cheng Yang nodded. “We need to deal with Yuan Jianzhe before doing anything else.”

Once he said that the two set off for Cloud City’s Southern bridge.

By the time the duo arrived at the entrance to The Forgotten Grave, there was a large crowd. No doubt, it was Yuan Jianzhe’s army.

“Halt! Identify yourselves!” A voice cried out as Cheng Yang boldly approached the instance dungeon.

Cheng Yang chuckled. “Someone like you doesn’t qualify to know who I am much less stop me from going somewhere.”

The man blocking Cheng Yang’s path had leather armor on, but the standard-issue uniform pants he was wearing identified him as part of the army. Although Yuan Jianzhe was frantically buying equipment for his subordinates, it would be months before everyone had a set. Right now, only half of the army had even a single piece of equipment.

“Liu Wei? What are you doing with that guy?” Before the pissed off soldier could counter Cheng Yang, a voice called out from the crowd.

“Do you know that guy?” Cheng Yang whispered to Liu Wei.

“I do.” Liu Wei said with a complicated expression. She owed the man her life but hated him at the same time. “He’s Zhao Xun, a captain in the second militia. He saved me from the ruins but afterward tried to make me his sex slave. If you hadn’t taken me from the safe zone, I probably would have been forced into that position.”

Zhao Xun anxiously watched Liu Wei explain their history. Since Liu Wei was here, he knew that the man beside her was a monster wearing a human’s skin.

When he first discovered that Liu Wei had escaped his clutches, he had vowed to find the man that took her and make him pay. After learning who that man was, Zhao Xun had prayed that he would never see Liu Wei again.

Last Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

Of the several upgrade conditions for Phoenix Village, the hardest to complete was the army requirement.

Finding three Low-Grade Scholars was going to be difficult. Even Cheng Yang still wasn’t at that level, not to mention anyone else.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yang couldn’t use the members of the Imperial Guard. Otherwise, the requirement would be a piece of cake.

On the bright side, the other two conditions were much easier to complete. Of the buildings, only the High-Grade wall remained, and that was just a matter of time. As for upgrading the stores, Cheng Yang had enough supplies to finish that today.

Of course, there was one small problem with the High-Grade wall.

Technically, he could build it whenever he wanted to since it just had to be bigger than the second ring. However, since he could make it as expansive as he was able, Cheng Yang was hesitant to build it hastily.

The most massive third ring built in his previous life had a radius of around six thousand meters. The Phoenix Village of his past life had a third ring with a radius of about three thousand eight hundred meters.

In other words, if Cheng Yang wanted to build a wall to match the one Phoenix Village had in his previous life, he would need to pay for nearly 24,000 meters of fencing.

At a rate of four units of wood per meter, it would take nearly 100,000 units to build. Even if the number of loggers in Phoenix Village doubled, it would take almost a month to harvest that much wood.

Not to mention, it would cost nine thousand Experience Fragments a day to buy the wood from the loggers. That wasn’t an expense the territory could bear at the moment.

Cheng Yang wanted to make full use of the High-Grade fence, so he only planned to build it once all the other requirements were met.

Thankfully, the last condition was the easiest. Putting together a hundred thousand Experience Fragments would only take a few weeks if they solely relied on the surplus from the territory’s daily expenditure. If Cheng Yang counted donations from both himself and his soldiers, he could reach that amount in a matter of hours.

During his contemplation, Cheng Yang used most of the village’s resources to upgrade all of the stores. Once he did, they looked much more spectacular. They were garnished with expensive materials and had grown significantly. Most importantly, their list of available wares had expanded.

Cheng Yang didn’t have time to examine the changes to the stores thoroughly since he had called for a meeting among his top military leaders. This included not just the generals but all of their commanders and captains as well.

As such, thirty people were waiting for Cheng Yang in the pavilion of his Mediation Hall.

“Thank you for taking the time out of your day for this meeting.” Cheng Yang said as he entered the pavilion, “I need to discuss a matter of vital importance to the development of our territory. So, with that in mind, don’t hold back your thoughts. If you have an idea, bring it up.”

Cheng Yang paused to see if there were any questions. After a few moments of silence, resumed talking.

“The generals already know this, but leveling up the village made it possible to create a contribution system using the gods’ rules. However, it has been several days, and we’ve yet to institute one. Let’s settle this matter tonight.”

At this point, several people tried to interject only for Cheng Yang to motion for silence.

“The basis of the contribution system is simple. Any contribution to the territory is quantized and then recorded. Some of you might think that serving in the military on its own is enough to warrant contribution points, but that won’t be the case. In fact, our military isn’t operating correctly right now. In the future, eighty percent of the Experience Fragments soldiers own will go to the territory, and the rest will become funds for the military.”

“Since all of their Experience Fragments will be taken away, why would people still want to be in the military?” Liu Hau hadn’t heard of this policy before and was upset.

“That’s because the military does more than just fight monsters. As long as you’re a soldier, you’ll receive Experience Fragments as a payment even if you did nothing but sit around that day. The exact wages will be determined by rank, and I’ll let you decide the specifics. By tomorrow, I want all of you to convert your battalion to official military personnel using the Barracks.”

Although Liu Hau still had some doubts, he simply shook his head and stayed silent.

“As I was saying,” Cheng Yang continued, “serving in the military will not award someone with contribution points. Any exceptional feats among the soldiers during active duty will be rewarded internally. What we need to decide is what actions outside of military service will earn contribution points and what privileges people with high contributions scores will receive.”

Yu Kai immediately stood up and shouted with passion: “My Lord, I humbly request that you make use of the Nirvana Feather a special reward!”

Everyone else in the room gave Yu Kai a curious glance. After which, he excitedly explained the benefits one could receive from using the Nirvana Feather.

“Well, each general has two slots they can fill however they want, and I also have two. I suppose the remaining eight can go to the people with the highest contribution scores.”

Most of the people present were okay with that setup. Even if they weren’t selected by one of the generals, they could still compete for the remaining slots.

“My Lord, I disagree with this setup.” Zhao Chuan voiced unexpected disapproval. “As it is now, the people with the highest contribution scores will always have an advantage since using the Nirvana Feather will make it easier to gain more contribution points. The slots should be auctioned in exchange for contribution points every few days instead.”

Several people present murmured agreements. After a little more discussion, Cheng Yang settled on a slight modification of Zhao Chuan’s suggestion.

“My Lord, I think the right to learn new skills should be restricted as well.” Old Lee suggested. “We want to limit the number of adventurers in the territory so we should charge them exorbitantly if they try to learn new skills from the class change statues. Then, as an incentive, we will allow soldiers to learn new skills for free and even subsidize the Experience Fragment cost.”

Cheng Yang clapped his hands. “That’s a great suggestion, but we shouldn’t limit access to every skill. If we do, the territory will have a hard time attracting immigrants. However, we can still limit access to any special skills we have as well as the highest level ones unlocked.”

As the discussion progressed, several other opinions were evaluated. Over time, the exact list of privileges and rewards was drawn up. They ranged from combat benefits to domestic ones, including the ability to buy a plot of land or move an individual to the top of the list for new class change ceremonies.

After that, the group discussed how to earn contribution points. The easiest was donating Experience Fragments to the territory at a ten to one cumulative ratio.

Other ways to earn contribution points we donating materials or doing government work. Even civilians could earn contribution points but taking up administrative positions or by volunteering to do chores around the territory such as cleaning out human waste, drawing water, or cooking.

Last Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

It was a little past four in the afternoon when Cheng Yang returned to Silkworm Mountain.

Cheng Yang allowed Yu Kai to give his Vice Governor some instruction before the group set off for Phoenix Village.

At that time, Silkworm Mountain had reached the High Grade. However, this was a bottleneck for the satellite village. Phoenix Village didn’t have enough stone to share, and Silkworm Mountain didn’t have its own supply. As such, it would be quite some time before it leveled up again.

While passing through Cloud City, Cheng Yang deliberately avoided moving too far into the city. Now that Yuan Jianzhe was searching for the Forgotten Grave, it was only a matter of time before they came into conflict. However, Silkworm Mountain would be vulnerable if it were to be cut off from Phoenix Village. So, at the very least, Cheng Yang hoped to keep the location of the village a secret.

As long as Yuan Jianzhe didn’t threaten his interests, Cheng Yang was content to keep the peace. After all, it would be harder to develop in a time of war.

Along the way, Cheng Yang rescued a few refugees. There weren’t many left in Cloud City. Those that remained were either extremely lucky or had the tenacity of a cockroach.

At this point, of the million or so people that inhabited the city before the apocalypse, there were a few tens of thousands still in the ruins, the upwards of ten thousand in Phoenix Village and around three hundred thousand in the safe zone.

Overall, about forty percent of humanity should still be alive. However, over the next week or so, another ten percent of the previous population would die as food reserves ran out. Anyone unable to reach a safe zone would perish.

---

Yuan Jianzhe frowned at the ceiling of his attic.

He was currently relaxing in his high-class condo. It was expensive to rent, but his progress left others in the dust. In fact, after tonight, he would become a Standard-Grade Warrior.

Yuan Jianzhe, however, wasn’t happy. As nice as it was to grow, it wouldn’t matter if Cloud City remained weak.

His subordinates had searched the ruins for two entire days but had yet to find an instance dungeon. At this rate, Cloud City would fall behind the rest of the world.

He was beginning to think Cloud City didn’t have an instance dungeon. Still, since other cities had them, he refused to give up!

Although that was frustrating, it wasn’t the real reason Yuan Jianzhe was upset. Earlier today, he put together various intelligence reports and uncovered a terrifying truth: there was another group of people in Cloud City, and they were far stronger than the military.

Their true strength was unknown but significantly higher than theirs, and their speed was beyond comprehension. At first, it just was scattered rumors of super-powerful individuals, but recently a whole army was discovered.

Whoever they were, they had tried hard to conceal their existence, but one thing was certain: they had been here since nearly the beginning of the apocalypse.

Two other points scared Yuan Jianzhe. The first was that several people had seen these people recruiting civilians from the ruins. Secondly, the description of that group’s leader matched that of the NPC that visited the safe zone.

As such, Yuan Jianzhe couldn’t even confirm that the other group was composed of humans. If the person from before was to be believed, they might be a group of NPCs.

A knock on the door interrupted Yuan Jianzhe’s thoughts.

“Come in, Lao Wu. What’s happened?” At the commander’s admission, a brisk man with solemn eyes entered the attic.

“Are you still worried about those mysterious people, commander?”

“How could I not be? We don’t know if they’re hostile or not. Hell, we don’t even know where they came from. I asked all of the nearby cities if they sent forces here, but they’ve all denied it. They’re probably telling the truth too. The nearest one is thirty kilometers away.”

“Is it possible they’re from here? Maybe they beat us to the safe zone and performed class change ceremonies before leaving.”

“Unlikely.” Yuan Jianzhe said immediately. “You saw what it was like when we arrived. There was no way a civilian could have made it past those monsters. Even if they started in the safe zone, they wouldn’t have been able to escape. Besides, there are too many of them for that.”

“That’s true…” Lao Wu sighed.

“Anyways, why did you come to see me?” Yuan Jianzhe asked.

“I’ll get straight to the point. We’re going to run out of potable water soon. It was manageable when there weren’t that many civilians, but right now, we only have enough water left for three days.”

Yuan Jianzhe’s hearts skipped a beat. If someone had to go a day without food, it would be hard but tolerable. However, if the civilians weren’t even given water, they were sure to riot.

“I remember there used to be a river right outside the city. Can we use that?”

“Perhaps, but it will be difficult. According to people from the outskirts of the ruins, the city has been nearly isolated from the surrounding area by massive canyons. There are only a few stone bridges across, and the other side has become a dense forest. As for the river itself, the path has changed impossibly. It comes out of the ground in the northwest and disappears back into the ground in the southeast. It’s a weird river that flows from nowhere to nowhere. I’, not sure if it’s safe to drink.” Lao Wu reported.

Yuan Jianzhe frowned. “Despite that, once we run out of water, that river will be our only source.”

Lao Wu smiled sadly. “I know, commander. Someone will have to be our guinea pig. What are your orders.”

Yaun Jianzhe stared back at his subordinate with deadened eyes. “Find some civilians to do it. If we offer a hot meal, there will be no shortage of volunteers.”

“Understood commander. I’ll make sure it is done promptly.”

“By the way,” Yuan Jianzhe stopped Lao Wu from leaving, “Have we had any luck negotiating with nearby cities?”

“We’ve recently been in contact with Northern Cang City, and they seem receptive. However, the municipal government is in control there, not the military. Two days after the earthquake, they were able to rely on the police force to open up the safe zone. However, even though they’re friendly, they’ve already betrayed the country. They have no intention of asking the military for help or following orders from the national government. It seems like they want to establish themselves as a new country.”

“Fucking politicians! Of course, they’d pull shit like this as soon as an opportunity arrived.” Yuan Jianzhe said mercilessly.

Lao Wu hesitated for a moment. “Forgive me for asking, commander, but how do you plan to respond to Beijing’s summons?”

Yuan Jianzhe hesitated before replying. “Tell them everything they ask for and let them know we plan to remain loyal. We have nothing to hide.”

Lao Wu nodded before leaving.

After his subordinate left, Yuan Jianzhe stood up and walked over to the window and watched the sun set over the ruins.

---

After Cheng Yang returned to Phoenix village, he immediately constructed a new High-Grade Meditation Hall.

The manual workers in Phoenix Village worked hard today, so there were plenty of materials lying around to build with.

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For a monster to deal that much damage to Cheng Yang was horrifying. He had an abnormal number of defensive buffs, but even so, the flurry of attacks tore him apart.

Cheng Yang was used to pain, however. So, even with talons digging into his flesh, he sent an icicle flying through the bird’s eye. At the same time, Yu Kai fired into the bird’s chest.

Cheng Yang didn’t know whos attack finally killed the leader, but, after their combined effort, the monster was dead.

Glancing towards the corpse, Cheng Yang found that the Spined Eagles weren’t so scary anymore. That one was at least a Pinnacle-Grade monster since it dealt so much damage, but even so, Cheng Yang had bested it easily.

It wasn’t as if Cheng Yang hadn’t killed Pinnacle-Grade monsters before, but this was the first time he really felt it. Understood just how powerful he had become. Other than him, which person had such a perverted collection of skills?

Honestly, it wasn’t that big of an achievement to kill a monster at the same level. The stats of humans and monsters grew at the same rate when they were in the first stage of evolution. So, with the help of equipment and other items, humans could beat a monster of the same rank with ease.

However, that wouldn’t always be the case. Once they reached maturity, the rate at which a monster’s stats grew increased exponentially. Fighting against them, the only way to win was teamwork, skill, and exceptional items.

Some people tried to argue that humanities skills were better, but most Standard-Grade Mature monsters had even more perverted skills than Cheng Yang. Some were even better than Liu Wei’s!

In other words, although this was the apocalypse, it wasn’t yet the end of the world. The current era could be considered a tutorial before the real apocalypse — something designed to allow humanity to adapt to their new world before truly throwing them into hell.

Moreover, once a monster reached maturity, they became smarter. Not as smart as monsters like Orcs but enough that they couldn’t be tricked. They learned how to hunt and to be patient. They became far more dangerous.

When Cheng Yang died in the past, all it had taken was a single strike. Remembering that was enough to sober him up. If he had been fighting the Spined Eagle from back then, perhaps he would be the one bleeding out on the ground right now.

Thinking about the battles to come, Cheng Yang refocused himself. Fighting spirit wouldn’t help here. His only strengths would be cunning and determination.

Then, Cheng Yang brought himself back to reality. The leader was dead, but hundreds of Spined Eagles remained.

Even with just three people, with the leader dead and the cover provided by the shallow cave, they were unbeatable. Every one of them was able to kill a Standard-Grade monster instantly.

Cheng Yang also had the Physical Defense necessary to act as a tank. Although the leader was able to deal massive damage to him, monsters under High-Grade were utterly useless in front of him.

Even if he took damage, his cheat-like skills regarding potions allowed him to stay in peak condition.

A few minutes later, Cheng Yang’s fear of spined Eagles was cured. Hundreds of bodies were strewn across the hillside while blood and feathers decorated the trees like some demonic holiday festival. To Cheng Yang, the scene held a certain beauty to it. It was an illustration of the strength he had built up from nothing. A promise that in this life, he would not suffer the fate of helplessly dying to a random mob.

“Hah, these fuckers weren’t so strong!” Yu Kai chuckled while kicking his way through corpses.

Cheng Yang was speechless. “Have you already forgotten about almost dying?”

“That incident?” Yu Kai asked with a grin, “Total fluke, if I hadn’t been distracted by someone sprinting past me, it wouldn’t have happened. Anyways, we have treasure to find!”

Cheng Yang nodded. Although there might be a few Spined Eagles left somewhere, the primary threat had been eliminated. As such, it was time for them to collect their rewards.

Once they reached the summit, Yu Kai pointed towards the leader’s tree. “The treasure I saw was up there, my Lord.”

“Stay here. I’ll go up and take a look.” Cheng Yang replied.

Although the tree was enormous, the gaps between the bark were large and sturdy, making it easy to climb.

A few minutes later, Cheng Yang pulled himself over the edge of the nest and finally saw the treasure Yu Kai told him about.

It glowed red like the evening sun, everlasting and unreachable. It regally floated above the refuse and clutter of the nest, giving the impression that it resented having to exist in such an impure world.

Cheng Yang had seen a lot of treasure across his lives but nothing at this level. Not only was it outside of a chest, but it was floating! There was no way this was an everyday item.

Once Cheng Yang got closer, he recognized the item as a feather seemingly made from flame. Then, with a strong leap, he grabbed the feather from its lofty heights.

---

Nirvana Feather (Low-Grade)
Every time a phoenix dies, it leaves behind a single feather. Placing it in a position of honor within a house will allow the inhabitants to strengthen their bodies.

Effect: Increases training time by two hours
Upgrade Condition: 1 drop of phoenix blood
Upgrade Condition: 1,000,000 Experience Fragments

---

Once Cheng Yang read the items system pane, his brain stopped functioning.

Never between his two lives had he heard of such a heaven-defying item. The ability to increase the amount of time someone could train just was just that unnatural. It broke the most fundamental rule that the gods imposed on humanity.

Of course, Cheng Yang would need to spend more Experience Fragments each night and have less time to gather them. However, it was well worth it since he could level up thirty percent faster.

Moreover, the Nirvana Feather wouldn’t just help him, but everyone that used his Meditation Hall. That meant twenty people could reap the benefits of the Nirvana Feather every day!

The only downside was that the upgrade conditions it mentioned were impossible to fulfill. At least in Cheng Yang’s eyes. Nevermind phoenix blood, even getting a million Experience Fragments was enough to stop him from ever upgrading it.

However, since he was a Lord, there was no way he would let people use his Meditation Hall for this. As such, he planned to construct a new High-Grade Mediation Hall once he returned to Phoenix Village.

Cheng Yang put the feather into his ring and then climbed down.

“My Lord, what was up there?” Yu Kai asked with an expectant smile.

In response, Cheng Yang tossed the feather to Yu Kai.

“Holy shit! No way am I going to stay and train at Silkworm Mountain! I’m going to come back every night so that I can train with this.”

“Do as you please.” Cheng Yang smirked. “I’ll make sure you have one of the twenty training slots.”

“Twenty? That’s not a lot.” Yu Kai said nervously. “You’ll take one, another will go towards Liu Wei for sure, and the generals will get one. What are you planning to do about the other thirteen slots? Do you think you could give my battalion some special treatment? After all, we found the Nirvana Feather.”

Cheng Yang was helpless in front of his friends, pleading. “We’ll talk about it when we get back, but I promise the Fox Hunting Battalion will be properly compensated.”

Last Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

“My Lord, what’s your plan?” Yu Kai asked, “If we don’t kill those monsters, we won’t be able to retrieve the treasure.”

“The treasure is secondary right now.” Cheng Yang replied, “We need to make sure every single one of these feathered bastards dies here today.”

“My Lord. Look over there.” Liu Wei tapped on Cheng Yang’s shoulder before guiding his gaze towards the tree on the peak of the hill.

Just like Yu Kai said, there was a nest there which was larger than all the others and, the owner had just landed.

Cheng Yang grinned. “That’s the leader! Great job Liu Wei!”

However, only moments later, Cheng Yang’s expression fell. There were a few hundred nests in between them and the leader. Not to mention, with the sparser foliage, there was no chance that they could sneak to the peak.

“My Lord, why don’t you just forcibly attack? With your Physical Defense, there shouldn’t be much danger.” Yu Kai suggested.

Cheng Yang shuddered at the thought of being ripped apart by Spined Eagles on all sides. “I’d rather not. Even if I can survive, what if they notice you two? You might survive, but Liu Wei would definitely die!”

Seeing that Yu Kai had accepted his last-minute rebuttal, Cheng Yang offered a new solution.

“Look over there. Do you see that cave? It’s a decent place to fight from so. I think we should bunker down there and then aggravate the monsters. That way, we won’t get surrounded.”

Cheng Yang called it a cave, but that was a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like a shallow dent in a side of the hill. It might have been effective against normal monsters, but it didn’t provide much protection against aerial attacks.

Since he didn’t have a better plan, Yu Kai reluctantly accepted Cheng Yang’s proposal.

“Let’s go.” Cheng Yang ordered. Once he did, his companions scrambled forwards, groping their way up the steep, rocky hill.

They were faster than before since there weren’t many thorn bushes, but they weren’t fast enough. After traveling less than twenty feet, a Spined Eagled dove at them with a shrill cry.

Giving up on stealth, the group started running towards the shallow cave. When they did, Cheng Yang looked up into the sky.

The monster above him was terrifying. It moved like a storm of black clouds as its wingspan covered the ground with shadows. It was massive, three or four times bigger than the Spined Eagles that had attacked them earlier.

“Liu Wei, look out!” Cheng Yang shouted when he noticed who the bird’s target was. At the same time, a dozen more monsters flew over.

“Fuck!” Cheng Yang forced himself to fire an icicle at the big bird despite his fear. Unfortunately, his shaking hands let him down. His aim was slightly off, allowing his target to dodge out of the way.

As a small mercy, one of the other ones got hit and fell to the ground alongside two others. Although Cheng Yang was struggling to keep calm, his companions had acted as soon as they noticed the monsters attack.

Now, it was time for the counter-attack. The few remaining monsters stretched out their talons and, instead of diving, swooped towards their targets.

“Don’t let them catch you!” Cheng Yang shouted when he realized what they were trying to do.

When the Spined Eagles attack Phoenix Village in Cheng Yang’s previous life, the worst possible way to die was being dropped out of the sky. If the monsters decided you were to difficult to kill directly, they would pick you up, fly into the air, and then drop you a few hundred meters.

The god’s system measured fall damage numerically, but as far as anyone knew, a fall from that high up was an instant death even for Pinnacle-Grade Apprentices.

Once Cheng Yang warned them, Liu Wei and Yu Kai focused more on dodging the monster’s grapples. Although it didn’t stop them from attacking, they avoided the worst fate.

The monster’s corpses barely hit the ground before another pair tried to carry off Cheng Yang’s teammates.

Moving quickly, Cheng Yang shot the Spined Eagle heading for Liu Wei, opening himself up to an attack in the process. The cooldown on her skill was far too long to withstand a continuous assault.

Then, with a crisp sound, Cheng Yang’s arm was torn to shreds by the claws of a Spined Eagle. But, he had saved Liu Wei.

Ignoring both his wounds and his fear, Cheng Yang dashed forwards like a madman, like a bullet train, hurtling forward. An unstoppable calamity. He reached Liu Wei in an instant, and when he did, he forcibly stopped himself before gingerly placing his arms around her waist. Once he did, he sprinted towards the cave.

“Lie down, as long as I’m here they won’t be able to reach you.” Liu Wei suddenly found herself on the ground, underneath Cheng Yang’s protective form. Despite the danger she was in, a small blush had crept onto her cheeks. Luckily, Cheng Yang had already turned his attention towards the much slower Yu Kai.

Just when he did, Cheng Yang was greeted by the sight of Yu Kai being lifted off the ground.

Without hesitation, Cheng Yang raised his stave and knocked the Spined Eagle out of the sky.

Even though Cheng Yang acted as soon as he could, Yu Kai still fell nearly a dozen meters after being dropped.

As such, when he hit the ground, Yu Kai was stunned and unable to stabilize himself.

At this point, the leader of the Spined Eagles sprung into action. It dove towards the ground, intending to finish the job its subordinate failed to complete.

Cheng Yang’s instinctively began to cast Icicle Blast before coming to a realization. Even if he hit the leader, unless it died, Yu Kai would be carried to high for Cheng Yang to make a second attack.

Forcibly canceling the spell, Cheng Yang cast Hibernation Chill instead, freezing the Spined Eagle’s movement.

With a sickening crunch, the leader’s wings snapped as it hit the ground. Then, an Icicle and an arrow embedded themselves in the leader’s skull.

By now, Yu Kai had reunited with the rest of the group in the cave. It wasn’t an ideal position, but at least now, the monsters couldn’t attack Liu Wei, and there wasn’t the possibility of a sneak attack from behind.

Flexing its shattering wings, the leader of the Spined Eagles broke out of its icy prison. At the same time, it let out an earsplitting screech and, like a whirlwind, released the hundreds of spikes the covered its wings.

While shielding Liu Wei with his body, Cheng Yang released another Icicle Blast. No matter what level the monster was, Cheng Yang wasn’t scared that an AOE attack could kill him in one shot.

Shockingly, the bird didn’t even try to avoid Cheng Yang’s attack, and despite having been hit by several already, it charged directly at him.

“Oh shit!” Cheng Yang panicked as the birds claw grew menacingly big in his eyes.

A moment later, the bid grabbed him, ripping apart his abdomen before yanking Cheng Yang up to its beak and ripping out his throat.

Every one of his defensive items lost nearly five durability at once, and Cheng Yang took sixty-seven damage.

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During combat, Spined Eagles were only somewhat difficult to deal with. They had an AOE attack but using it prevented them from flying for a few weeks, and it was weaker than their regular attacks.

The real threat they posed was the ability to reproduce quickly. No one knew if Spined Eagles laid eggs or not, but their numbers could triple in a few short weeks.

Cheng Yang died in his previous life because his Lord had been unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to clear out a flock of Spined Eagles. He decided to wait until the village was stronger, but by then, there were dozens of times more monsters which led, presumably, to the village’s destruction.

Without Warriors to protect them, the lives of ranged Professionals were harvested like wheat. Once the soldiers were dead, the birds flew right past the walls and slaughtered the remaining civilians.

Those who could retreat into buildings, but those could only hold out for so long. Cheng Yang was one of the few that was able to make it to safety in the Tavern, where survivors sent the world a warning: whatever the cost, destroy any colonies of Spined Eagles as soon as they appear.

Shortly after, the building was destroyed, and everyone inside was killed.

That’s why, even if he was scared, Cheng Yang was prepared to face his fears. If he let this flock grow, it would only lead to a repeat of the tragedy in his previous life.

Forcing himself to push forwards, Cheng Yang led his group up the steep side of the hill. As the trees became sparse, bushes dominated the landscape, slowing down their climb.

At certain points, they were forced to use thorny branches to pull themselves up. Even with Cheng Yang’s Physical Defense, the thorns tore up his hands. To Cheng Yang’s admiration, Liu Wei, the person with the worse Physical Defense, pressed on without complaint.

“My Lord, above you.” Yu Kai suddenly hissed into Cheng Yang’s ear.

Cheng Yang looked up in shock. Sharps claws glinted in the sun like metal blades as a Spined Eagle dove towards Cheng Yang with the sheer momentum of a meteor.

Cheng Yang’s hand twitched, but his body refused to move.

“Perish.”

Cheng Yang watched the originally furious eyes of the Spined Eagle gloss over as its dive turned into a fall. With a muffled thump, it hit the ground to Cheng Yang’s left.

When it hit the ground, Yu Kai nearly gasped. Cheng Yang hadn’t moved, so how did the monster die? He heard Liu Wei say something, but how could it have been her?

Since when were Priests able to do that? Especially ones that performed their class change ceremony less than a week ago!

“My Lord was that… did she…” Yu Kai struggled to express himself and settled for just pointing at Liu Wei and then at the bird’s corpse.

Since there wasn’t a way to hide Liu Wei’s abilities anymore, Cheng Yang briefly shared everything with Yu Kai. From the beginning, Cheng Yang hadn’t intended to hide the truth from his generals. There just hadn’t been a good time to bring it up before.

Since the truth was already exposed, Cheng Yang decided to let Liu Wei handle any other monsters that got close to them. Although it was an accident the first time, it was also the right decision. If either Cheng Yang or Yu Kai had attacked, they would have drawn the attention of the rest of the flock.

As they continued climbing, Yu Kai struggled to come to terms with being next to someone so dangerous. The sense of superiority he felt after having leveled up twice vanished. Even though it looked like the person next to him was a normal girl, she was capable of killing him with a single thought.

“Ms. Liu, when you first arrived in Phoenix Village, I was going to offer to help you if you ever got into trouble, but it seems that won’t be necessary. Rather, I’m the one who should be asking you for help.” Yu Kai said with a nervous laugh, trying to ease his tension.

“Governor Yu, there’s no need for flattery. My skills are impressive, but limited. Your power as a High-Grade Ranger is more impressive.” Liu Wei responded with a polite, but cold, tone.

Yu Kai smiled. “Perhaps you’d be willing to join me in Silkworm Mountain then? You can help me develop my hapless soldiers by providing a strong frontliner.”

Liu Wei smiled but stayed silent. A foolish question like that didn’t deserve an answer from her.

“Stop chattering Yu Kai. If you alert those monsters, we’ll really be in a bad position.” Cheng Yang snapped, his anxiety having been driven to the limit by Yu Kai flirting with Liu Wei in a situation like this.

Yu Kai sobered up immediately, and the three continued their climb in silence.

After being surprised once, Cheng Yang was meticulous in choosing a path without the chance of being attacked. Even so, a Spined Eagle would occasionally spot them. Luckily, they were solitary creatures, and Liu Wei was able to silence any that came close.

They only ran into a few Spined Eagles, but just that sampling was enough to demonstrate how quickly the Spined Eagles level up. More than a third of the monsters were already at the Standard-Grade level.

Without Liu Wei assassinating every monster that came close, their group would have had a much harder time climbing the mountain if the average level was so high.

Once they got within two hundred meters of the peak, the group was greeted with a magnificent sight. A bird’s nest the size of a house perched on a tree that reached up towards the heavens.

It made sense since the Spined Eagles were so large, but even large birds from the old world didn’t make nests like that! The biggest like ostriches would make nests on the ground, not high up in trees.

“That’s so much bigger than it seemed from afar.” Yu Kai marveled.

“Quiet.” Cheng Yang hissed while looking around nervously. “If there’s a nest-like that, the leader of this flock should be somewhere around here. We have to kill that one first! Liu Wei can’t kill it, but it probably can kill her.”

Yu Kai nodded then started to survey the mountain. Every tree on the way to the peak was decorated with at least one bird’s nest, but most were empty and unguarded. Even so, about a hundred Spined Eagles were hovering overhead.

“You said there was treasure here, right?” Cheng Yang asked Yu Kai. “Where was it?”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. It’s in the nest on the tree at the very top of the hill.”

“What! How did you manage to spot that?”

“With a telescope.” Yu Kai said sheepishly. “While I was running from the military yesterday, I found a set of binoculars, one of them dropped.”

“Tch, what a lucky bastard.”

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