"Oh Sister, why are you so muddle-headed?!" Zhang Tianxu sighed in disappointment. "That master was so powerful. If we asked him for help..."
"And why would he help us?" Zhang Yao curled her lips and asked indifferently.
Zhang Tianxu paused, then muttered to himself, "Because… that master is merciful and compassionate..."
"Brother, if that master really was compassionate, then we would've died many times over by now." Zhang Yao shook her head and said helplessly, "Don't forget our identity."
Only then did Zhang Tianxu's heart sink. 'That's right. We're Yin Pagoda Sect's saint and saintess. In essence, we're still part of the demonic path…'
Zhang Yao had already foreseen her brother's naiveté, so she had no choice but to only speak up right now. 'If Brother actually finished his sentence... That master certainly wouldn't have been merciful anymore.'
"Brother, let's go." Zhang Yao sighed.
"Ah? Where?"
"We'll join the Limitless Demon Sect." Zhang Yao's eyes were filled with resoluteness. "Azure Dragon Hall is still following us. Only the Limitless Demon Sect can save us now."
...
Within Luo City, Gu Nan and the group were heading for the imperial palace.
"The disc is hidden inside of Jin Country's royal treasury. Jing Nan wants to purify it first in order to earn merits and virtues. That's his goal this time around," Tang Xuan briefly explained Jing Nan's mission.
Gu Nan thought for a moment and wondered, "So he'll purify it, but what does that have to do with you all?"
Yue Chenxing next to him answered, "Three powerful demonic spirits are sealed inside it. Jing Nan can simply leave after purifying the treasure, but we're the ones who'd have to deal with the remaining three demonic spirits."
"Oh, so that's why you guys have decided to strike first and gain the upper hand by killing Jing Nan and snatching the disc?"
"That's right."
"Then I want the disc."
"...Fine."
...
"Who dares to trespass my great Jin Dynasty's imperial palace?!"
"Amitabha. There's an item inside your distinguished palace that has a fated bond with the Buddha. Benefactors, please give way."
"Where did this bald donkey come from... Ah!"
...
"Jin Country doesn't have any Prodigious Realm cultivators. The strongest experts inside the palace are only at the peak of Innate Realm. They've probably all died in Jing Nan's hands by now." Yue Chenxing couldn't help frowning slightly as he stared at the tranquil palace.
Jing Nan arrived one step ahead of them. The only possibility was that he had already snuck in quietly.
Tang Xuan's expression looked a little grave. "What should we do then? The imperial palace holds a complex layout. If the four of us have to search everywhere for him, I'm afraid we won't make it in time."
Ye Zhiyu also rejoined the party when it was time to carry out the mission. However, she never spoke a word and acted as though she was invisible, so of course she wouldn't give Gu Nan any face now.
She was originally supposed to command the team, but she could only renege on that.
"What's so hard about this? Can't we simply force him out?" Gu Nan looked at them strangely.
"Ha! Easy for you to say!" Ye Zhiyu finally opened her mouth and sneered, "That Jing Nan monk is all alone in the world, so he doesn't have any attachments. Just how will you force him out?"
Gu Nan shook his head, too lazy to speak. The Four Element Crossbow appeared directly in his hand. He raised it and shot a fiery red arrow, which flew straight towards the depths of the palace.
Although the Four Element Crossbow was only a Tier 2 weapon, the player's level affected the amount of power it carried.
With Gu Nan's current Tier 3 strength, the crossbow's current power wasn't even on the same level as when he used it in the past.
A red line appeared in their sight, followed by a terrifying and forceful wave of energy. An earth-shaking explosion broke out from the depths of the palace.
Blood sprayed through the air, broken limbs flew out, and miserable, furious shouts constantly echoed throughout.
"This..." Tang Xuan looked at this scene, her heart freezing slightly. Now she understood what Gu Nan wanted to do.
Gu Nan didn't even look at the palace. He shot several more arrows, which landed in several different directions. The successive waves of explosions plunged the whole palace into turmoil.
It has to be said that the efficiency of the imperial palace guards was still very high.
Someone immediately noticed the four intruders. "Who exactly are you? This is the court of the great Jin Dynasty. How can you..."
A thin teal line flitted across and directly pierced the person's forehead.
Woosh!
Now that he was Tier 3, the wind arrow was already faster than the speed of sound.
There were only a few experts within the Jin Dynasty's imperial palace. Jing Nan already dealt with them, so no one was there to stop Gu Nan's party anymore.
Gu Nan took a deep breath and shouted firmly, "Jing Nan! If you don't come out, we'll slaughter everyone in the imperial palace!"
Just a moment later, a sigh came from the depths of the palace. "Amitabha. Since Benefactor is only here for this humble monk, why kill wantonly and bring harm to the innocent..."
Jing Nan's figure slowly appeared in the air, holding a small black disc in his hand. The disc constantly emitted black qi, but the Buddhist aura on Jing Nan's body purified it bit by bit.
Jing Nan's mission would be complete once all the black qi was purified, but the three demon spirits sealed inside the treasure would also be released.
An idea immediately formed in Yue Chenxing's mind after he heard Jing Nan's words. He hurriedly suggested to his three party members, "Don't be in a hurry to attack. Since this monk cares about civilians, surely he won't release the demonic spirits... Hey Gu Nan! What are you doing?!"
Yue Chenxing originally wanted to persuade Jing Nan to join their side by mentioning the demon spirits, but who would've thought that Gu Nan... attacked instantly!
Gu Nan was like a shadow that couldn't be caught, stealthily appearing behind Jing Nan. He gripped the shadow sword like it was a dagger and suddenly plunged it down.
"Amitabha!" Jing Nan didn't dodge. He chanted a name, and the golden light all over his body brightened.
Gu Nan's sword was blocked by this golden light.
Clang!
"This is Jing Nan's core innate ability, with the inherent attribute of gold. There's nothing it can't block." Yue Chenxing exhaled heavily and helplessly said, "Let's attack together."
In the blink of an eye, the three Radiant Tower members launched simultaneous attacks. Ye Zhiyu condensed flame rays, Tang Xuan threw out metal blades, and Yue Chenxing created an ice pillar in each hand and smashed them toward Jing Nan.
The three of them each had their own methods, such as high-temperature rays, flying blades, or heavy hammering. They used three different methods to simultaneously attack Jing Nan.
When faced with a "turtle shell" opponent like Jing Nan, one must find and exploit the openings in his defense.
After all, they were all Prodigious Realm masters with good fighting instincts. Their cooperation was very tacit, without the need to discuss anything in advance.
But this was all useless, because Jing Nan still stopped all their attacks with a single "Amitabha." He didn't even open his eyes.
The three refused to give up and continued their fierce onslaught, but Gu Nan lowered his sword and stepped aside with a slight frown.
Most agility-type classes hate this kind of opponent who hides in a turtle shell. Although Jing Nan might not be very strong, Gu Nan's attacks won't break through his defense either.
Against such an enemy, Gu Nan could either break through his defense with brute force or find an opening in his defense.
Gu Nan contemplated for a moment, then took out a strange eyepiece from his pocket and slowly wore it on his left eye.
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Somewhere at the Ruby Fish Star
Current Soul Location: Luo City at the capital of Jin Country, Immortal Demon World
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Infinitesimal Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Eliminate the six demonic factions. - External Source
◈ Status: On Going
-— Evil Event: Bai Luoluo's Blackening. - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: On Going
→ Side Quest Objective:
-— Kill the six demonic factions Innate Realm and above cultivators. - External Source
◈ Status: On Going
Current Evil Points: 350
Overall Evil Points: 2625, Overall Evil Value: 60
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 2 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2..｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Four Element Crossbow. ｢A Tier 2 crossbow weapon that can generate four types of elemental arrows—earth, water, wind, and fire—based on the user's needs and does not need to load arrows.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ None.