Chapter 119: Belated Justice

Unlike the previous fleeting glimpse, this time Mu Yi saw the full figure of the girl before him.

Her simple clothing nonetheless exuded elegance everywhere; her silver hair and red eyes perfectly struck Mu Yi's XP, and the girl's gaze toward him now held a hint of surprise and curiosity.

"Jiuzhou! Are you really from that Jiuzhou?" The girl's eyes burst with great enthusiasm, and she was intensely curious about Mu Yi's identity.

"Yes, I come from Jiuzhou, Jiuzhou Military Strategist, Mu Yi!" Mu Yi nodded slightly, giving a brief self‑introduction.

"Military Strategist…" The girl reached out and pulled a magic book from the void, its pages flipping quickly and naturally.

"Found it! Jiuzhou Military Strategist… oversees war, slaughter, primary killing, holds deep grudges, repays every feud, extremely high risk??!"

The girl stared at the text in the magic book, her expression surprised; no matter how she looked at Mu Yi before her, he seemed not to match those descriptions.

"Hehe…" Seeing the surprise and doubt in the girl's eyes, Mu Yi gave a helpless smile.

"I am merely self‑taught, and have not yet had the chance to formally apprentice under any senior's system of study."

"My apologies!" A trace of guilt flickered in the girl's eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself: I am the Princess of the Silver Moon Empire, Lilyanna Brenda."

The girl bowed and saluted, following a special Silver Moon Empire protocol—elegant and gracious yet still gentle.

Mu Yi inclined his head slightly, quietly watching the young woman.

Princess Liliana Brenda—he had encountered many of her names along the way; it seemed she had used almost an entire Treasure Mountain, borrowing items from the treasure trove with great frequency, though most were returned after a period.

"Since you have already obtained the treasure you desired, may I keep you for a while? This is my first time meeting a Jiuzhou person, and I would like to ask you some questions!"

Lilyanna's gaze burned hot, as if a Dragon had spotted a Treasure Mountain; her thirst for knowledge was so intense that even Mu Yi could feel the fervor.

Of course, what Mu Yi felt was a needle‑like sting; the moment Lilyanna extended the invitation, a previously vague malice concretely settled upon him.

It seemed that should he dare to act rashly toward Princess Liliana Brenda, his body would be torn asunder in an instant.

"It is my great honor!" Mu Yi bowed again, displaying his good manners; indeed, he also had some questions he wished to ask Princess Liliana Brenda.

"Zongwang Prompt: Having received Princess Liliana Brenda's invitation, you gain temporary access to the large open‑world Peter Panlo—Silver Moon Empire. After the month's timer expires, you will remain in that world until you choose to leave or are expelled."

"Mr. Parde, I trouble you!" Princess Liliana Brenda called into the void.

Immediately after, a portal appeared before the two of them.

"Please follow me!"

Princess Liliana Brenda led Mu Yi through the portal, arriving at a courtyard that resembled a garden.

Hmm… Mu Yi felt the sense of surveillance grow heavier, with faint glances that even surpassed Transcendent levels falling upon him.

This made Mu Yi once again marvel at the empire's might; indeed, the Transcendent Empire truly lets one feel its power most directly.

Sometimes, overly keen perception is not a blessing.

"Please, help yourself!" A head maid dressed in black and white served tea to the two, then stood quietly behind Lilyanna.

Mu Yi lifted the teacup and took a light sip.

"Zongwang Prompt: You drink Silver Moon Red Tea, gaining a slight life‑recovery bonus; your Qi and blood are mildly strengthened."

Mu Yi's eyes brightened; as expected of a great empire, the tea served to guests was distinctly exceptional.

Not only the special effect, but the taste was also delicately smooth, with a wonderful fragrance.

Lilyanna was unhurried, savoring the red tea at her own pace without urging, as if it were an afternoon tea among friends—relaxed and leisurely.

"Thank you for the princess's hospitality!"

Mu Yi set his teacup down and fixed his gaze on Lilyanna.

"Then let us begin!" Lilyanna smiled and once again retrieved a magic book from the void.

"I have inherited the 'Buddha Says Strongman Moves Mountains Sutra' and have read works such as the 'Dao De Jing' and the 'Medicine Master Lapis Light Tathagata Original Vow Merit Sutra', so I have a great interest in Jiuzhou and many questions. I have long struggled to find a knowledgeable person to answer them; Mu Yi, I hope you will kindly enlighten me!"

"I will do my utmost to answer your questions!"

Mu Yi felt his pressure multiply; he hadn't even fully read these works himself—could he truly answer Lilyanna's questions?

"First question: what exactly is merit?" Lilyanna asked, puzzled.

Mu Yi exhaled a sigh of relief at hearing that; at least he could answer the first question. Failing to answer even one would be overly embarrassing.

"'Gong' is good deeds, 'De' is a good heart; when mind and action unite, it is called merit. By striving to do good and accumulating virtue through good deeds, one attains merit."

"You mean that being a good person yields merit?" Lilyanna said, even more confused.

"By analogy to Zongwang, merit is like the reward after clearing a Dungeon, and doing good deeds is the process and method of clearing the Dungeon," Mu Yi thought, giving an example.

Lilyanna seemed thoughtful, waved her hand lightly, and a feather pen began to record on the magic book, then she posed the next question.

Lilyanna had many questions, none particularly tricky, many of which were common knowledge in Jiuzhou—such as what merit is, what 'Six Directions' means, what cultivation is, what demons and monsters are, what Heavenly Gods and Earth Deities are…

For these questions, Mu Yi could still give explanations and cite some concrete examples.

But there were also many things Mu Yi did not know.

For instance, what exactly the Heavenly Court is as an organization.

Mu Yi wanted to answer, but when pressed to speak, he didn't know where to begin, so he could only give Lilyanna a vague reply.

The Heavenly Court is a divine system and also a Court; it can be seen as a deity‑level empire, or as a divine system with clearly defined divisions of labor.

What exactly the Heavenly Court is? Mu Yi does not know.

What Mu Yi can be sure of is that the Heavenly Court referenced by Zongwang is not the one he previously understood; it is far more vast and mysterious.

The Q&A continued until very late, until the head maid brought a night snack, and Lilyanna finally closed the magic book.

"Sorry, once we start talking it never ends!" Lilyanna showed an apologetic expression.

"It's fine, I haven't relaxed like this in a long time either!"

Mu Yi shook his head; this friend‑like, relaxed conversation was something he hadn't experienced in a long while.

Thanks to a guardian that had been dispersed at an unknown time, his exchange with Lilyanna became relaxed, lacking the tension of a looming threat.

In the primary world, it seemed that only Chu Yi remained to accompany him now.

Since an unknown time, a thick, lamentable barrier has existed between Transcendent and the mundane.

"I also have some questions I'd like to ask Her Highness the Princess!" Mu Yi didn't forget the purpose of his visit, but before he could finish, Lilyanna interrupted him.

"Yi, you can just call me Lilyanna! We're friends, aren't we?"

Lilyanna blinked, a sliver of moonlight fell on her silver hair, revealing a bright and gentle radiance, as if she were an elf bathed in moonlight.

The two had already added each other as Zongwang Panel friends; as Lilyanna said, they truly could be considered friends.

"Lilyanna!" Mu Yi went along willingly.

"Does the Wealth Church still exist in this world?"

"Of course it does. They are now in the western part of the Silver Moon Empire, having built a massive commercial empire; it is the place most merchants and adventurers in the world want to go to!"

When the Wealth Church was mentioned, Lilyanna couldn't help but show a hint of worry; the relationship between the Silver Moon Empire and the Wealth Church was not particularly good, since their fundamental beliefs differed, leading to many clashes. Although a temporary peace existed, the covert rivalry had never vanished.

Although she was not officially a politician, she would overhear many things, and those fragments of information were enough for her to piece together the whole event.

The Wealth Church could be considered a major internal threat to the Silver Moon Empire, but unfortunately both sides have deities as patrons, so they can only keep each other restrained.

"What a terrible piece of news!" Mu Yi rubbed his head.

The former parasite has grown into a towering tree; who knows how many innocent corpses were buried in the process.

"Yi, what are you thinking?" Lilyanna noticed the turbulence in Mu Yi's expression and asked, a little puzzled.

"I'm thinking how we can wipe out the Wealth Church in one fell swoop!" Mu Yi replied half‑heartedly.

"Do you have a grudge against the Wealth Church? You must be visiting our world for the first time, right?" Lilyanna said, a bit confused.

"I only witnessed the Darkness of the Wealth Church in a special Dungeon!" Mu Yi said lightly, but the excited look in his eyes revealed his inner unrest!

"I now believe you're a Jiuzhou Military Strategist! It's exactly as described!"

Thinking of the book's description of the Jiuzhou Military Strategist, Lilyanna said with a smile.

Mu Yi forced a wry smile and said little more; now, before the Wealth Church, he was like a bug—without even the Wealth Goddess acting, a single Transcendent squad would be enough to press him to death.

In the face of absolute power, the lofty ambitions of "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" seemed so overconfident.

Yet, the saying remains: "I am not yet strong; once I become strong, change will come."

"Then I wish you success!" Lilyanna, seeing the bitterness on Mu Yi's face, solemnly blessed him.

The Zongwang Panel is not lacking in the birth of miracles; if there is a place where god‑slayers are born most abundantly, it is undoubtedly the Zongwang Panel.

Since its birth on the Zongwang Panel, countless deities are said to have fallen, not only native gods of various worlds but also some renowned deities.

Placing this in any single world would be unimaginable, but in the Multiverse, it does not seem impossible.

After saying farewell to Lilyanna, Mu Yi returned to his home world.

When Mu Yi's consciousness recovered from the dizziness, he had already arrived in his home world.

Seeing that Chu Yi was still asleep, Mu Yi did not disturb Chu Yi, opened the Zongwang Panel, and claimed the other rewards after clearing the Dungeon.

"You have obtained the Endless Golden Bag (Fake)."

"You have obtained the Delayed Justice."

Endless Golden Bag (Fake)

Item Level: 5

Quality: Purple

Type: Artifact

Effect:

Endless Gold (Fake): The golden bag continuously absorbs free gold particles from the material realm, condensing them into pure gold resources, producing 10–50 g of resources per natural day.

PS: The Wealth Church continuously requisitions such artifacts; handing them over to the Wealth Church yields generous rewards.

PS: Who can tell me why the gold displayed in the shop keeps dwindling! — the angrily roaring gold shop owner.

Tossing the items into the inventory, gold serves as currency and also a decent casting material for mages, but for Mu Yi it seems to have no value at all.

Perhaps when I later go to that normal world, I can use this thing to recruit soldiers and buy horses?

Delayed Justice

Item Level: Level 10

Quality: Purple

Type: Bow Weapon

Effect:

Delayed Justice:

After the weapon hits an enemy, it applies a Justice Mark; every 5 seconds the enemy undergoes a check (based on the target's perception, constitution, and sin).

If the check fails, the enemy takes 1 point of holy damage; after accumulating 10 failed checks, the Justice Mark detonates, dealing holy retribution equal to the total damage the enemy suffered during that period.

PS: Justice may be delayed, but justice never fails to appear; justice will eventually cleanse sin — Holy Avenger Alonsi Ge Erdao.

A fine epic‑level war bow, which fills a shortcoming for Mu Yi; in terms of ranged attacks, it has always been something Mu Yi lacked.

Even if he trained a specialty in archery, without a suitable bow, Mu Yi rarely used arrows; but with this, he can now work on his shooting.

Free up some sword‑training time to practice archery?

That is also a decent arrangement; his swordsmanship seems to have hit a bottleneck that can't be improved overnight, whereas practicing archery could boost his overall combat ability.

However, compared to daily training, he has a quicker way to enhance his own strength.

Having almost perfectly mastered his current abilities, it's time for him to continue raising his profession level, boosting it in one go to Level 9.

His opponents are becoming increasingly tough, and he is a bit drained; not every Dungeon offers the chance for massive slayings with stacked attributes.

His opponents might one day turn into monsters like the dragon‑slayer La Ge Na!

La Ge Na is not a unique case; at least the Princess Liliana Brenda that Mu Yi recently met is probably comparable to La Ge Na. Though she is only a Level 9 scholar, the impression she gives Mu Yi may be even stronger than La Ge Na.

A towering building rises from flat ground; when life is not threatened, the more abundant the accumulation during the apprentice stage, the safer the future will be.

A Transcendent Dungeon is far less gentle than an Apprentice Dungeon; the methods targeting the soul become varied, the chance of encountering the Transcendent rises sharply, and the more shortfalls one has, the more likely accidents occur.

Not every Zongwang Player's living environment is as stable as that of Mu Yi and them; the weakness of the soul after death could become an opportunity for them to meet their demise in the Yellow Springs.