Chapter 37 I Saw God

Under the dim moonlight, beside an unfinished construction site, the Bull Terrier stood on the muddy road with gauze wrapped around his head, casting a cautious glance behind him.

He was certainly no good person. Even among players of the chaotic alignment, he had offended quite a few, which was why he usually lived in very remote and somewhat concealed places.

"Who?!"

The Bull Terrier possessed the crafty qualities expected of a criminal. Though he seemed thick-skinned and carefree on the surface, he was extremely cautious. He stood his ground without moving, and an obvious wave of astral source fluctuated from his body.

The night was dark and the wind was high. To the left of the road was an endless expanse of muddy wasteland where a cool breeze rustled the weeds.

To the right stood a row of low corrugated iron walls. The wall extended forward for about seven or eight meters before reaching a road corner, and the Bull Terrier had already sensed that someone was moving around over there.

"Tap, tap!"

Soft footsteps sounded as a small head with cascading long hair slowly poked out from behind the wall, politely inviting, "Boss, fifty for one, want to play?"

The Bull Terrier frowned and looked over, realizing to his surprise that the person was a classically beautiful woman. He was stunned at first, and then goosebumps broke out all over his body.

He truly possessed the personality of an old lecher, but his cunning mind completely contradicted his rugged appearance. In the middle of the night in a place like this, how could a woman running such a business suddenly pop up?

Even though there was no astral source fluctuation coming from her, this was definitely not normal...

"Swish!"

The Bull Terrier abruptly raised his arm, and a faint, dusk-yellow glow washed over his entire body.

At the corner of the wall, Ren Ye—having activated the Charm skill in advance and transformed once again into a cross-dressing beauty—suddenly emitted an enchanting purple light from his eyes while shouting, "Stop right there!"

"Hold...!"

In an instant, the Bull Terrier froze in his tracks. His eyes became noticeably glazed, and his facial expression stiffened.

"Damn it!"

Ren Ye let out a long breath, stepped out from behind the corner of the iron wall, and walked straight toward the Bull Terrier.

The other party's caution far exceeded Ren Ye's expectations. Before tailing the Bull Terrier, to avoid exposing himself, he had activated the Charm skill beforehand because he discovered that at his current stage, he only emitted astral source fluctuations when using items. Therefore, if he "changed costumes" in advance, he would be indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

This was probably related to the fact that he had not yet obtained his professional legacy, but even so, he had still been detected.

The distance between the two rapidly closed. Ren Ye shouted at him, "Kneel down and call me master."

On the muddy road, the Bull Terrier stood rigidly upright, a complex series of emotions flashing through his eyes: confusion, lust, filled with desire... but he simply refused to call him master.

Oh no!

Seeing this, Ren Ye's body suddenly stiffened. He immediately sensed that the subtle connection between himself and the Bull Terrier was very weak and seemed about to snap at any moment...

His willpower is too strong! Charm has a hard time controlling him. Is his consciousness struggling?!

With this hypothesis in mind, Ren Ye stared into the other's eyes again and spoke at a rapid pace, "Lift your head up and look into my eyes..."

"Swish!"

At that very moment, the Bull Terrier abruptly raised his head, a smirk suddenly curling at the corner of his mouth: "Your divine ability is quite interesting... able to be both man and woman?! Heh, what a pity you're too weak. Your astral source power is not enough to unleash its maximum potential."

"Whoosh!"

The Nation-镇国 Sword flashed with light and suddenly appeared in Ren Ye's right hand, slashing directly toward the Bull Terrier's neck.

"Such a sharp sword." With just a single glance, the Bull Terrier retreated backward while a brilliant dusk-yellow radiance erupted from his entire body, chanting softly, "Earth Perception—Wither!"

"Hum!"

The light burst forth from the Bull Terrier's body and rapidly spread outward.

Wherever the dusk-yellow light passed, not a single blade of grass grew.

In just an instant, within a ten-meter radius around him, weeds, greenery, and even semi-mature wild saplings all turned withered and yellowish. When a cold blast of wind blew over, they directly crumbled into flying powder.

The damp soil instantly dried up, cracking into spiderweb-like fissures and kicking up billowing yellow sand.

"Did you think I was like those idiots Old Yin and the others, a brainless fool? I am a fallen player, and back in the day, I was also a highly sought-after newcomer in the free alignment." The Bull Terrier raised his arm, his palm aimed directly at Ren Ye, a sinister sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth: "I've caught your scent. You're the punk who cut off my ear. Heh, a lot of people are looking for you."

"Devouring Sandstorm!!!"

The opponent was simply too fast. Before Ren Ye could even react, a hurricane suddenly whipped up beneath his feet, spinning frantically like an hourglass.

"Whoosh!"

His body was blown directly into the air like a kite, suspended and hovering in the center of the churning sandstorm.

The hurricane was mixed with micro-sand and gravel sharper than knives. In just an instant, countless tiny cuts were slashed across Ren Ye's entire body.

Spinning, intense dizziness, consciousness fading...

Ren Ye felt that every single inch of his skin—including his cheeks, lips, and eyelids—was bleeding warm blood.

His entire body felt like a stone being polished and buffed inside a sandblasting machine...

Excruciating pain, a soul-shaking agony, jolted Ren Ye slightly awake from his state of impending unconsciousness. He narrowed his eyes and glanced outward, vaguely seeing the Bull Terrier walking toward him.

There's only one chance left. Endure... endure it, wait until he gets close.

He recognized me. I'm this important to him... he won't be able to help himself.

The Bull Terrier suddenly took two steps forward, his raised arm abruptly clenching into a fist: "Gather Sand into a Prison!"

"Hum...!"

The crazily spinning sandstorm suddenly began to slow down. At the same time, countless grains of sand and rocks swept through the air again, hurtling straight toward Ren Ye's body as if intending to bury him alive.

"Swish!"

Right at that moment, a blinding radiance suddenly flared up in the distant wilderness.

The Bull Terrier abruptly turned his head to look across the fields.

He actually saw a sliver of starlight slowly unfold, eventually evolving into a distorted and irregular door.

That door rapidly swelled and expanded, growing within just a few breaths to match the height of heaven and earth, blocking the view of the entire southern horizon.

The door shone like the sun, appearing so abruptly right before the Bull Terrier's eyes.

"...Could this be... the Door of Astral Marks? How could there be such a massive star gate in this world?!" The Bull Terrier stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at the stationary "sun." After thinking for a long time, he said excitedly, "No... no, this is a divine gate! I've seen the legendary gate of the gods!"

"Swish!"

As his voice fell, a phantom emerged from within the Door of Astral Marks—looking somewhat human yet not quite, vague and indistinct, standing tall between heaven and earth in profile facing the Bull Terrier.

No deity had ever appeared in the world. In the minds of all players, they were vague and indistinct, mere symbols.

Looking at that phantom, the Bull Terrier trembled with excitement, instantly forgetting everything in the world, and asked in a daze, "Are you... are you a god?!"

"Do you want to become a god?"

An ethereal response came from within the gate, sounding faint yet as if it resonated across the entire earth.

"I do! Of course I do!!" the Bull Terrier roared excitedly. "I killed five players from the order alignment just for a precious item and a sizable amount of astral source, affecting over forty ordinary people... that's why I became a fallen player."

"Who doesn't want to become a god? Who doesn't want to escape the shackles of those damn rules and do whatever they want?! I risk my life, I work hard, and I spare no cost to help the Cripple, all just to make myself stronger!"

"Can you bestow upon me the divine legacy? I am willing to do anything for you!" The obsession in the Bull Terrier's heart was hooked. His whole state became unhinged, and he walked straight toward the vast wilderness.

Silence. After a brief silence, He asked, "Really willing to do anything? Then can you help me kill the Cripple? He is your boss after all, and he treated you with the grace of discovery."

"I am willing," the Bull Terrier replied without the slightest hesitation, then prudently added, "but I can't beat him."

"I will bestow an item upon you. Go and kill him."

"Alright, I'm willing!"

"Then are you willing to help me kill Mr. He?" He asked again.

"I am willing! Just tell me how to kill him!"

"Mr. He is adept at hiding. Can you find him?" The god was very logical.

"...I can't find him, but I know two of his underlings who are secretly tailing a web novelist author named Li Feng," the Bull Terrier blurted out.

Hearing this, the god was dumbfounded: "Why would they tail a web novel author named Li Feng?"

Silence.

A look of confusion surfaced on the Bull Terrier's face as he muttered incessantly, "Why would a deity ask this? Why...?"

"Answer me!" An enraged shout drifted over.

The Bull Terrier started, his face turning pale as he instinctively replied, "Because they said Li Feng can find Ren Daguo."

"...!" The god was startled for a moment: "Come forward, and I shall grant you the Sword of God."

"Okay, okay!" The Bull Terrier nodded excitedly, took several steps forward, and stood before the star gate that matched the height of heaven and earth.

"Kneel and worship the Sword of God."

Obeying the summons, the Bull Terrier bent his knees to kneel while continuously shaking his head, his gaze complex: "...A familiar scent, so familiar... Why ask me these questions, why...‽"

"Swish!"

A cold flash swept out from the star gate, and the Bull Terrier abruptly raised his head: "The... the Sword of God?"

"Your father's sword!"

"Splrit!"

The sharp blade swept past, and a massive head flew into the air, scalding hot blood spraying half a meter high.

On the muddy path, Ren Ye held the Scroll of Spring Breeze and Prosperity in his left hand while maintaining the posture of swinging his sword with his right. Meanwhile, the Bull Terrier kneeling before him was now headless, his severed neck gushing blood continuously.

A counter-kill at sliver health was a matter of luck, but also of calculation!

Back in the Meditation Hall, he had only glanced at the Scroll of Spring Breeze and Prosperity before plunging into the illusion of obsession. This item could hook out the deepest hidden obsessions in a human heart, and the stronger the obsession, the easier it was to get lost in the illusion.

As for the Dao talisman personally bestowed by the princess—who possessed formidable Yin-Yang arts—it had successfully rescued Er Leng from the charmed state, but inside the illusion, it shattered into powder after just a single use...

On the ground, Ren Ye breathed heavily, looking utterly battered...

Blood and tears flowed from his right eye. His clothes were torn all over, and his exposed skin was a bloody mess. He looked precisely like a skinned rat... in a truly wretched state.

"...I must successfully clear the Qingliang Mansion! I must!!"

Ren Ye propped his trembling body up with the tip of his sword, staring with his single eye at the Bull Terrier's corpse as he viciously made a vow.

"Swish!"

Following that, he bent down and quickly searched the Bull Terrier's body.

A minute later, he fished out a pouch from the other's person containing fifteen white crystals.

Over the past few days, Ren Ye had already learned the importance of these things from Xu Peng.

These were Astral Source Stones, a currency circulated among players. The higher the tier, the more useful they were.

Secondly, he also ripped a pendant shaped like a "nine-story Buddhist pagoda" from the other's neck. Sensing it slightly with his mind, the small tower instantly vanished.

This item was a prop; he would check it out later.

Searching him from head to toe, apart from four thousand yuan in cash, the Bull Terrier only had these two items on him.

Stashing everything into his own pockets, Ren Ye laboriously dragged the Bull Terrier's corpse, hauled it over to an abandoned well, and tossed him straight inside.

"Thump, thump...!"

Using the Nation-Town Sword to collapse the wellhead and roughly burying the corpse, Ren Ye quickly departed.

Burying him wasn't to destroy the evidence and evade criminal prosecution; he simply didn't want the news of the Bull Terrier's death to reach the ears of the Roadside Dog organization, which would sever the clue he had just acquired...

Scumbags like this—leaving them alive for even one extra day was an irresponsibility toward society!

Under the moonlight, the disheveled Prince Huai of Da Qian walked alone, limping along the road to rescue his father.

...

In Shanghai, at a certain hideout.

Mr. He looked blankly out the window, held it in for a long time, and suddenly broke into opera singing: "Why does this matter~ reveal strangeness everywhere? It's like a tangled ball of hemp...!"

"I say, sir, stop singing. It's really giving me constipation listening to you!" A sturdy player sat on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with a hint of profound wisdom in his eyes: "We were just going after Ren Ye, who isn't even a newbie yet. Why did the hunters of the Fraud Chamber go completely insane? Is it because we touched her prey?!"

Hearing this, Mr. He's body stiffened abruptly.

He instantly imagined the hunter's modus operandi, then turned around with glowing eyes and sang out, "You are indeed~ brilliantly perceptive!"