Chapter 168: Strategic Deployment Complete

Now only one problem remained.

The three major planets plus Zhang Cheng had four Keys of Epoch in hand, and opening the door only required two.

"No need to worry about that."

"Four Keys of Epoch — I'll simply double the rewards I give you," the Mysterious Judge said flatly.

The meaning was clear.

The rewards the four of them could obtain from the treasury could afterward all be claimed at double the amount!

This was far more worthwhile than opening the treasury twice.

"It seems you all plan to enter the Epoch Treasury together."

"Since that is so, I declare that the next round of attacks is changed to a Treasure Contest!"

The Mysterious Judge's voice rang out loud and clear; everyone heard it distinctly.

"The four contestants will enter the Epoch Treasury simultaneously. At that time, you will not represent any side — you will fight only for your own interests."

"Of course, you may choose to develop peacefully and gather treasures to your heart's content. You may also use force to snatch treasures from others' hands."

"Such are the rules."

"In three days, the Treasure Contest officially begins. I look forward to your performance!"

Having spoken, the Mysterious Judge was enveloped by circles of black mist and vanished from the world with a whoosh.

"Let's go too!"

"Go back and rest and regroup."

Vice President Doomsday and the other two persons in charge returned to the mothership and departed from here.

"Three days... seventy-two hours."

"I wonder who will have the last laugh in this Treasure Contest."

Yi hao frowned, unable to resist calculating in his heart.

Er hao beside him sighed: "Sigh, even though I've seen Dragon Nation's strength, I still don't think they'll win."

"They've never been to the Epoch Treasury — they might be defeated by the defensive mechanisms."

"But the three major planets are different. Not only have they been there, they've also done professional analysis of the defensive mechanisms inside."

"No matter how you think about it, Dragon Nation's odds of winning aren't great."

Er hao said earnestly, munching on an apple.

Yi hao turned to her. "Want to make a bet?"

"Sure, how much?"

"Five hundred Order Coins!"

Er hao gasped. "That's almost half a month's salary for me."

"But as long as I can win, it'll all be worth it!"

Meanwhile,

Because the terrifying entities of the three major planets had been eliminated, Earth's path to recovery had drawn one step closer!

【Spiritual Terror — Completeness: 100%】

【Flesh and Blood Terror — Completeness: 100%】

【Rules Terror — Completeness: 22%】

【Faith Terror — Completeness: 17%】

【Evolution Terror — Completeness: 13%】

As for who would enter the Epoch Treasury...

Zhang Cheng was about to think it over.

Suddenly, two voices echoed in his mind:

"Young friend Zhang Cheng, after waiting this long, the Night Roaming God should make his appearance too!"

The speaker was powerfully built, with a solemn expression.

"It saves both time and effort!"

Just snatch them by force!

Sounded quite reliable.

That scene would be truly too dramatic.

"Therefore, the most brilliant strategy is none other than a division of labor and cooperation."

"I'll be responsible for gathering treasures, while the Night Roaming God will be in charge of seizing them."

The Day Roaming God seemed struck by a thought and added:

"Naturally, there's no need to worry about me being robbed, because they simply cannot succeed."

Soon,

After a brief discussion,

The final plan was set.

The Day Roaming God was responsible for finding treasures, the Night Roaming God specialized in seizing treasures, and Zhang Cheng reaped the fisherman's gain.

Each person's tasks were arranged to the brim.

Zhang Cheng said with satisfaction: "Mm, not bad. Life should be this flavorful and interesting."

Deep in the boundless expanse of the universe,

The meeting place of the three major planets.

"The Epoch Treasury is about to open. Our originally planned combat tier will likely need some adjustment."

"I propose that the Horror sent this time be at least Destruction tier!"

"Of course, if we can have a Fallen tier, then use a Fallen tier!"

The vice president of the Doomsday Association spoke with unprecedented solemnity.

The Epoch Treasury—

that was a place capable of creating miracles!

The treasures hidden in just the first and second floors alone were already incomparably precious.

One must know that the founder of their Doomsday Foundation was originally only at Fallen tier; it was precisely because of obtaining some indescribable treasure within the Epoch Treasury that they advanced to Star-Shattering tier!

"Fallen tier?"

"Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"The Dragon Nation does have some strength, but at most they're at the Destruction tier level. As for Fallen tier..."

"Even our Desire Church has only three Fallen tier, so it's impossible for the Dragon Nation to have any!"

the Patriarch of Desire waved his hand in objection.

It was not blind arrogance;

Fallen tier was simply far too powerful.

A Fallen tier existence, situated below Star-Shattering tier, could casually destroy several super-large cities, unleash a hurricane with a single full-force breath, and stomp the ground hard enough to trigger an earthquake of magnitude nine or above.

A Fallen tier Horror was already capable of inflicting a certain degree of damage upon a planet.

It was an exceedingly powerful existence.

"I agree with the Patriarch of Desire's view."

"Moreover, mobilizing a Fallen tier requires applying to a superior—I don't have that authority."

the Xenomorph deputy leader spread his hands. It was unwilling to do the sort of thing that involved requesting instructions from above.

Not to mention, its superior—the Xenomorph Mother—had a savage nature and liked to eat her own kind. Once she set her sights on you, your life was forfeit.

The Xenomorph deputy leader wished it could go the rest of its life without ever seeing the Xenomorph Mother again.

Therefore, unless it was a critical moment, it would never voluntarily go to report to the Xenomorph Mother.

The Patriarch of Desire and the Doomsday vice president both sighed.

They faced the same dilemma.

"It seems we can only deploy Destruction tier."

Destruction tier Horrors, while not numerous across the three major planets, did at least exist in some number.

"Let's set aside the specific candidates for now and discuss strategy first."

"This treasure contest is no longer a simple contest of force—the key lies in the treasures."

"If we can obtain the organs of the Star-Shattering Demon, perhaps we could even nurture another Star-Shattering tier!"

The Doomsday vice president's eyes were full of longing.

The organs of the Star-Shattering Demon—

Legend had it that in ancient times, there was a powerful demon that could control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

It already possessed Star-Shattering tier strength, and combined with various special abilities, destroying a planet was effortless.

After this demon died, its organs became priceless treasures; consuming them could help a Horror break through to Star-Shattering tier.

"There may be many good things, but whether we can obtain them is another matter entirely."

The Patriarch of Desire's expression darkened. "Do you remember last time? The three of us joined forces, but ended up fighting each other over the treasures, and ultimately no one gained an advantage."

"So this time we must form a united front—our common enemy is the Dragon Nation!"

"We absolutely must not repeat the same mistake; infighting will only let the Dragon Nation reap the benefits."

Although the treasures within the Epoch Treasury were numerous and precious,

obtaining them smoothly would be far from easy.

Deep within the heart of every creature lurked a desire for gain;

in the face of absolute profit, no one dared to guarantee they wouldn't do something foolish.

The Xenomorph deputy leader nodded: "Deal with the Dragon Nation first. Once we kick them out, everything else becomes easy."

"Of course, while dealing with the Dragon Nation, we can't forget to collect treasures. Heaven knows what good things they might find—if they find nothing but junk, wouldn't we lose out by going to rob them?"

"Therefore, we must cooperate, and there must be no betrayal."

The other two leaders voiced their agreement one after another.

That made sense!

"Heh."

"The naive Dragon Nation—this time, under the combined forces of our three major planets, they will surely end in crushing defeat!"

"I want Zhang Cheng to understand and regret that refusing to sell the Epoch Key to us was the most foolish decision!"

A sinister, cunning smile curled the corners of the Doomsday vice president's mouth.

It could hardly wait to see the Dragon Nation jumping with anxiety over their stolen treasures.

The more it imagined, the more it anticipated.

It wished it could immediately launch the great treasure war.

With the strategic deployment settled,

all that remained was to determine the Horror candidates for battle.

……

Meanwhile,

The Night Patrol God in distant Dragon Country suddenly sneezed.

"Ahchoo!"

"What's going on?"

The Night Patrol God rubbed his nose, muttering doubtfully to himself:

"How strange, why did I sneeze for no reason? I'm not sick..."

"Could it be that someone is badmouthing me behind my back?"

"Hmm, it must be those scheming Three Major Planets again, up to some nefarious plot behind the scenes!"

Dragon Country.

Only 70 hours remain until the outbreak of the Treasure Contention Grand War.

At this moment, Zhang Cheng is urgently discussing countermeasures with the Day-and-Night Patrol Guardian God.

"According to the rules as said by Little Friend Zhang Cheng,"

"So-called Treasure Contention isn't about finding treasure, but about seizing it."

"Without sufficient strength, even if you find the treasure, you'll ultimately have it snatched away by the Three Major Planets."

The speaker was tall and muscular, with a solemn expression.

He wore a loose official robe, donned an official cap, one hand gripping a Soul-Hooking Chain, the other holding a dark lantern inscribed with the character for 'day'.

This is the Guardian of Daytime—the Day Patrol God.

As one of the Ten Great Generals of the Netherworld,

He roams the mortal realm by day; any demon or ghost's mischief cannot escape his heavenly eye, easily subdued, ensuring peace in the human world during daylight.

"In that case, we might as well give up searching for those so-called treasures."

"Go in, find a safe spot to rest and recuperate, then once the Three Major Planets have gathered all the treasures, we'll swoop in and seize them."

"It saves both time and effort!"

The Night Patrol God also put forward a suggestion at this time.

It looks almost identical to the Day Patrol God, the only difference being that the lantern in its hand is engraved with the character for 'night'.

"Just seize it outright!"

"Sounds pretty reliable."

Zhang Cheng nodded in approval, gave a thumbs-up, and said: "This plan, I think it'll work!"

"But there's a precondition: if the Three Major Planets are thinking the same thing, wouldn't we be screwed?"

By then, everyone will be staring at each other, each waiting to rob the other of what they hold.

That scene would be utterly dramatic.