pjbooks Chapter 201 Is Liu Cang acting? Sorry, I'll teleport you directly to the Zhang family!
Chapter 201 Is Liu Cang acting? Sorry, I'll teleport you directly to the Zhang family!
The moment Chen Yifan and his two companions stepped into the vortex.
At the entrance to the valley, Liu Cang's face, once radiant with righteousness and weariness, crumbled like a mask.
All that remained was gloom.
He spoke in a dry voice to the empty valley.
"The price was too high."
The next second, a pure darkness wriggled and rose from his shadow, condensing into that faceless, humanoid black shadow.
Chaotic mental fluctuations scraped through the air, like countless steel brushes scraping against the soul.
"cost?"
The shadowy figure conveyed a twisted and chilling message.
"Compared to the gifts of 'God,' any price is insignificant."
"All offerings have been brought in; the ceremony... is about to conclude."
Liu Cang clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
You'd better remember your promise.
The silhouette of the shadowy figure trembled silently, a silent, utterly mocking laugh.
"rest assured."
"God's promise is far more eternal than your human lives."
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark figure disappeared back into Liu Cang's shadow.
The surroundings returned to deathly silence.
……
Return to the instance.
The massive stone platform resembled a silent execution ground.
The stench of blood was so strong it felt like a wall plastered on my face, and every breath carried the metallic sweetness of rust.
Tens of thousands of floating altars overhead formed an inverted forest of tombstones, silently watching the three uninvited guests.
"Fanzi, are we... really going to be cannon fodder for that old geezer, going in to find people?"
Wang Fugui lowered his voice, his tone tense, and he almost clenched the Tiger Shield in his hand until it left a mark.
Chen Yifan put a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.
His gaze swept over the entrance to the vortex behind him, which had now completely subsided, confirming that there was no way to retreat.
Without pausing for a moment, he pulled the two of them along, lowered his body, and swiftly slipped into the shadows of a jagged rock at the edge of the platform like three ghostly figures.
Looking for someone?
Chen Yifan leaned against the cold rock wall, his voice completely calm.
"Who said we were looking for someone?"
"Huh?" Wang Fugui was full of questions. "Then why did you agree so readily? You even tried to bargain with him..."
"bargain?"
Chen Yifan twitched the corners of his mouth, the curve of which was icy cold.
"Fatty, try to put yourself in his shoes."
"Would an old fox who's managed to become an instructor in the Dragon Kingdom's reserve guardian team be stupid enough to play games like 'requests' and 'trades' with three of us level 20 kids?"
Wang Fugui opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word.
He's not stupid; he just has a mindset stuck in a rudimentary sense of right and wrong.
Liu Cang is an official hero who just saved them, so he naturally carries an aura of trust.
But Chen Yifan's words shattered that layer of tenderness.
Yes.
That's Liu Cang.
A single glance from him could subdue tens of thousands of professionals.
Does he need to "request" them?
"Then...what's his motive?"
Wang Fugui felt a slight pain in his head.
"He put on this whole show, even sacrificing a precious item, just to trick us into going back to this hellhole to die?"
The reason is currently unclear.
Chen Yifan's gaze fell on the dried and blackened bloodstains on the platform, his eyes holding a dark light.
"But I know that his performance was full of flaws."
Lin Xiaoyu, who had been silent all along, spoke in a clear, cold voice.
"That shot."
"Yes, that shot."
Chen Yifan gave her an approving look; this girl's intuition was frighteningly sharp.
"The power of that shot was at most a regular A-level skill. Do you think a monster capable of instantly killing 'Blood Butcher' Zhou Mu would be afraid of that shot?"
Wang Fugui's face turned pale.
He recalled the seemingly overwhelming golden spear light, and then compared it with the terrifying feeling of his soul being crushed by the black shadow.
Indeed... a lot of noise but little action.
"He wasn't attacking; he was acting."
Chen Yifan made his conclusion.
"A truly battle-hardened veteran, when facing a powerful enemy, will first seize the opportunity to attack, rather than shouting a slogan."
"This old bastard, turns out he's a movie star." Wang Fugui muttered under his breath, feeling his worldview had been completely shattered.
"And there's one more crucial point."
Chen Yifan's gaze fell on the completely closed entrance to the vortex.
Why did he save us?
"He could just watch as dozens of elite members of the Blood Axe Mercenary Group were slaughtered, so why did he have to make a dazzling appearance at the very last moment when the three of us were about to be instantly killed?"
This question, like an awl, pierced deeply into Wang Fugui's heart.
Yes, why?
In terms of value, the three of them aren't even worthy of carrying the shoes of the entire Blood Axe Mercenary Group.
"Unless..." Lin Xiaoyu suddenly realized the key point, "We have something that the Blood Axe Mercenary Group doesn't have."
Chen Yifan snapped his fingers.
"Perhaps it's because we escaped alive from the slaughterhouse where that 'heart' was located."
His tone was incredibly certain.
The power of that shadowy figure was far too high; it was simply beyond the capabilities of any professional within the [World Engine] system to contend with.
The fact that they survived is the biggest anomaly in itself!
"We are now like three fish that have just escaped from the hook."
"And Liu Cang is the fish farm owner standing on the shore."
"He didn't save us; he just threw us back into the fishpond. He must have had his reasons."
Wang Fugui felt a chill run down his spine, and recalling Liu Cang's face, which was full of "righteousness," he felt nauseous.
"Damn it, those old guys are all filthy."
He spat.
"What should we do? The exit is blocked, and that old man is definitely guarding outside. If we go out, he'll catch us again."
"No rush, let's wait and see if there's a solution that satisfies both sides."
As Chen Yifan spoke, he put the [Breaking Boundary Star Chart] that Liu Cang had given him into his beginner's backpack.
The moment the item fell into the backpack slot.
Huh?
Chen Yifan stopped moving.
His attention was drawn to a long-forgotten prop in the square next to the [Breaking Boundary Star Chart].
He took it out.
It was an ancient-looking, dark blue metal badge, engraved with complex spatial runes, with a cracked blue gem set in the center.
[Spatial Beacon - Fragment] (Special Item)
Quality: Grade A (Disposable)
Effect: Once activated, it opens a one-way portal, teleporting up to five units to a preset coordinate point.
Description: The relic of an assassin master obsessed with spatial magic. He once intended to use it to create an absolutely safe haven, but unfortunately, his head separated from his body first.
"This is……"
Wang Fugui's eyes widened.
"This little gadget I swiped from some unlucky guy a while ago has been gathering dust and I almost forgot about it."
Chen Yifan suddenly remembered the origin of this thing.
Back when Mu Wanqing was destroying evidence in the wild instance, he took the opportunity to steal Wei Ze's spatial equipment.
To avoid being discovered, he threw everything inside into his newbie backpack and then discarded the spatial equipment.
Unexpectedly, the A-grade teleportation item that Liu Cang sent reminded him that he still had this hidden treasure.
It was truly a miracle that I wasn't meant to die!
"Good heavens! Fanzi, why didn't you tell me sooner that you had this amazing artifact!" Wang Fugui's face flushed red instantly, he was extremely excited.
Lin Xiaoyu was also astonished. She never expected that when everyone thought they had no other choice, Chen Yifan would still have such an incredible trump card up his sleeve.
"Where are the coordinates?" Wang Fugui asked anxiously.
Chen Yifan stroked the cold lines of the badge.
Considering Wei Ze's identity and the fact that he hadn't entered through the official entrance, she thought about it.
This place is most likely...
"Jiangcheng, Black Gold Chamber of Commerce"
Black Gold Merchant Guild!
Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu were momentarily speechless.
Go straight home?
"But... if we teleport there like this, won't we be mistaken for intruders and chopped up?"
Wang Fugui began to worry again.
"It's better than staying here and facing unknown dangers," Chen Yifan said firmly. "Besides, that place isn't some den of dragons or tigers."
Of course, he wouldn't say that Mu Wanqing, the current heir of the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce, had already been completely controlled by him using the Abyss Protocol.
For him, that place would be the safest place in the entire Jiangcheng.
No more hesitation.
Chen Yifan pulled the two of them and quickly slipped behind a huge rock pillar at the very edge of the platform, which was a blind spot for the entire platform.
"Be prepared, the process may not be very stable."
Chen Yifan slowly channeled his spiritual energy into the [Spatial Beacon - Remnant] in his hand.
hum-
The cracked blue gemstone let out a mournful cry, its faint light struggling to seep out from the cracks.
The spatial runes on the badge were lit up one by one, emitting a low hum.
The surrounding air began to distort and thicken.
Visible silver threads extended from the badge, outlining the shape of an illusory door in front of the three people.
The outline of the door flickered, as if it might collapse at any moment.
With a "crack," the gem in Chen Yifan's hand instantly developed cracks that spread across the entire crystal surface, and it looked like it was about to shatter completely!
"Now!"
Chen Yifan gave a low shout without the slightest hesitation.
The three of them stepped through the door.
A brute force tore at the three people's bodies and souls, and the dizzying sensation almost made them faint on the spot.
The door shattered like a bubble the instant their figures disappeared, turning into specks of silver light and vanishing without a trace.
On the platform, there was only deathly silence, as if those three people had never appeared.
……
Meanwhile, outside the instance.
Liu Cang, who had been standing quietly on the rocky cliff, suddenly changed his expression.
"The three little ones... they ran away?!"
His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word filled with surprise.
The dark figure emitted intermittent, furious mental fluctuations.
"The offering to 'God'... has run away."
"Liu Cang! No matter what method you use, you must find me three more sacrifices, or else..."
Liu Cang's eyes were so gloomy they could be wrung out of water.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the eerie black shadow.
After a long while, he was like a deflated balloon.
They disappeared from the spot.