Hao Gongming felt terrible!
Upon arriving in this world, she sensed that her cultivation had been completely surpassed, and she had become a mere mortal. However, she still possessed an extraordinary physique.
Even in this world, her skills and physical strength remained unaffected. The only thing she lost was her cultivation level, now at the peak of the 2nd step.
"Where am I? This world seems vastly different from the ones I've encountered before. In previous worlds, there was always a dominant cosmic rule. But here, that cosmic rule is absent! Even a powerful being from the root level would lose all their abilities upon arrival. They might even lose their physical strength as well! Fortunately, I haven't lost any of my physical, magical, or soul attributes thanks to the system. Others aren't so fortunate."
Hao Gongming surveyed her surroundings and noticed snow falling. She was in the middle of a mountain.
Although she couldn't fly to gain a broader view, she could use her exceptional jumping ability.
The ground cracked beneath her as she leaped high, and with her keen eyesight and remarkable memory, she created a detailed mental map of the area.
Landing back on the ground, she started running in a specific direction.
Soon, she heard the sounds of clashing swords. It was a luxurious carriage under attack by what appeared to be bandits.
Hao Gongming assessed both sides of the conflict.
On one side were guards with peculiar powers, protecting a young and beautiful lady who anxiously peered out from a window.
On the other side were also individuals exhibiting strange abilities, led by a tall and strong young man with eagle-like eyes.
Hao Gongming observed the ongoing battle for a while when suddenly, a loud noise erupted, and a man with a long red beard wielding a peculiar staff that resembled a 2 meter tall bone appeared.
He bellowed, "How dare you, Snow Rock Mountain bandits, attack a young lady from the Robert's family? I will personally make you pay!"
In the next moment, an astonishing aura, comparable to the level of Soul Transformation, emanated from him.
The handsome boy who led the attackers was taken aback and quickly ordered his comrades to flee. But the man with the staff, known as Staff Master Redbone, scoffed, "Want to run? Haha, in your dreams."
Waving his peculiar staff, long chains materialized. Anyone struck by these chains would instantly scream and turn into a skeleton.
The noble lady blushed and expressed her gratitude to Staff Master Redbone.
Red Bone sent another chain towards the handsome boy, aiming to capture him alive. The boy felt a sense of impending doom, but suddenly, a mysterious woman appeared and swiftly grabbed the chain.
Hao Gongming remarked, "Interesting chain," and proceeded to pull on it.
Staff Master Redbone attempted to resist, but no matter how hard he struggled, he was being inexorably pulled towards Hao Gongming.
He couldn't abandon the staff, as it was an extension of his body. He couldn't help but wonder, "Who is this woman? I can't resist her at all! Even against Staff Kings, I can put up a little resistance. Is she a Staff Emperor?"
As this thought crossed his mind, he regretted waiting for the bandits to attack before intervening to save the lady.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he pleaded, "Emperor, please have mercy. I am willing to become your slave..."
When Staff Master Redbone reached Hao Gongming, she casually threw a punch.
The Staff Master Redbone exploded into a bloody paste, shocking the guards who were witnessing the scene.
Hao Gongming turned to the handsome boy, who had fallen to the ground, and asked, "Why were you attacking them?"
The boy caught his breath and replied blankly, "For ransom."
"Okay, what's your name?" Hao Gongming inquired.
"I'm Eagle Eye, a staff disciple," he responded.
"I like the name. Now, let's go," she said.
Immediately, she summoned a few clones who shared her stats, and the carriage guards were swiftly captured.
Hao Gongming assisted Eagle Eye in catching his breath and then embraced him before guiding him into the carriage.
Simultaneously, one of her clones forcefully ejected the beautiful noble lady and her maid from the carriage as they screamed.
Carrying Eagle Eye inside, Hao Gongming asked gently, "Are you injured?"
Eagle Eye shook his head, still in shock from the recent events.
Smiling, Hao Gongming turned to one of the guards and directed, "Continue on to Roberts family mansion."
The guard arrogantly retorted, claiming that he would never betray the Roberts family.
Sensing the defiance, Hao Gongming signaled one of her clones to throw a punch, causing the noble lady's maid to turn into a mist of blood.
She then calmly stated, "Lead the way, please," and smiled.
This time, all the guards obediently complied and started leading the way.
...
The road started off rough and bumpy, but eventually became smooth and well-paved.
In the distance, a colossal city with towering walls came into view.
The guards led the way to the noble entrance section of the city, well aware of the additional privileges afforded to the nobles.
After all, it was beneath them to wait in line along with the dirty commoners.
Now that they had entered Sky Bone City, the guards hurriedly guided them towards the Roberts family mansion.
The strength of the Roberts family was not without reason. Its founder, Theodore Roberts, was a living legend and had reached the realm of Staff King.
Those in the Staff King realm were granted entire kingdoms to rule by the "Lord of Bones," making them absolute rulers within their territories.
Realms progress from low to high:
Staff Keeper
Staff Disciple
Staff Master
Staff King
Staff Emperor And more.
There is a significant bottleneck between each realm, and a Staff Master is far weaker than a Staff King.
The differences between realms are much greater than in the cultivation world. The ultimate aspiration of every practitioner is to become closer to the Lord of Bones, who is worshipped as a god.
As they arrived at the mansion, a man with a massive three-meter bone staff tightly gripped in his hand emerged. He had a long black beard, hair, and wore black clothes that were quite unconventional. His dark skin added to his imposing presence.
Theodore Roberts, the man who appeared, glanced at the guards and Hao Gongming's clones, and his heart trembled.
He could sense that even one of those individuals was more than capable of easily killing him. Therefore, his demeanor immediately changed, and he put on a smile.
He dismissed all the guards, keeping only a few advisors by his side, and approached as if meeting an old friend.
"Father, please help me! They killed my..." the daughter pleaded.
Theodore slapped his daughter's cheek forcefully, causing one of her cheekbones to break.
Although it pained him to do so, he had to do it! Theodore truly loved his daughter, whom he had adopted as an orphan.
However, he couldn't protect her if she angered these people. So, he decided to "punish" her in order to ensure her safety.
He began scolding loudly, "You idiot! How dare you be disrespectful to noble guests? Take her and throw her in the dungeon!"
One of the advisors acted quickly and whisked the sobbing girl away.
Then Theodore stepped forward and said, "I truly apologize for my daughter's rudeness! Please accept my invitation to make up for it with a feast in the mansion tonight."
Hao Gongming emerged from the carriage and smiled, saying, "Of course, no big deal. But one of your people injured my dear Eagle Eye, so you have to make it up to him."
Theodore looked and saw a young man who appeared handsome and uninjured.
Secretly gritting his teeth, he forced a smile and replied, "Of course, I'll call the doctors right away and prepare the best rooms. As for compensation, I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
Hao Gongming smiled even deeper and nodded. Then she snapped her fingers, and her clones disappeared while the guards were set free.
Theodore was once again shaken by this display of power. Every single one of those things that vanished with a snap of her hand could have single-handedly destroyed the entire kingdom.
"She might be in the realm of the Divine Staff Keeper! Why is my luck so bad?" Theodore thought to himself.
A Divine Staff Keeper was a realm beyond Staff Emperor and controlled an entire continent. It was so rare that Theodore himself had never seen one.
Internally, he was filled with fear to the point of wanting to pee himself, but externally he maintained a smile and acted calmly. He personally escorted Hao Gongming and Eagle Eye to their rooms.
Hao Gongming's lips twitched as she questioned, "You put us in different rooms?"
Cold sweat began to ooze from Theodore's forehead, but he quickly responded, "Of course not! The other room is for the servants to reside and attend to your every wish!"
Hao Gongming smiled again and patted Eagle Eye on the shoulder. Eagle Eye remained blank and silent, as if it were all a strange dream.
Hao Gongming said, "Let's go, Eagle Eye. Let's have some fun," and then she entered the room with Eagle Eye.
…
After seeing them leave, Theodore moved away, distancing himself, and finally nearly collapsed under the immense pressure. One wrong action could have led to the destruction of the entire kingdom.
The Lord of Bones was a two-personality entity.
One was a lawful personality, and the other was a chaotic personality.
As everyone's ultimate aim is to get closer to the Lord of Bones, they have a choice between the chaotic personality or the lawful personality.
However, there is a catch: the more people in the lawful camp, the harder it is to progress, while the fewer people in the chaotic camp, the easier it is to progress.
This has created a balance of numbers between the lawful and chaotic bone followers.
Normally, the lawful personality side prevails due to good organization, but there are many powerful chaotic bone followers who possess great strength.
They often occupy a plot of land and remain stationary, but when they do move, it can lead to disaster.
Despite this, there is no widespread suppression of the chaotic side, as both chaotic and lawful bone followers are two sides of the same coin.
While one-on-one combat is acceptable, higher-ups never allow for an organized crusade against the chaotic side.
"This woman is definitely an extremely powerful bone follower on the chaotic side. May the Lord of Bones help me navigate this impending disaster!"
Theodore thought, feeling the weight of the situation.