Chapter 86: Returning to the Displeased Heavens

The sky was clear and the air fresh, with faint clouds drifting.

All beasts were silent; no insects or birds sang.

On the desolate wilderness of the Thirty-Three Displeased Heavens, a crack of light suddenly appeared.

Wu Xian, his face bruised and swollen, multiple bones broken, pulled the black dog’s paw and crawled out through the crack.

As soon as he entered the Displeased Heavens,

the black dog’s ears perked up, broke free from Wu Xian’s grip, and dashed off, sprinting joyfully across the small circular clearing—completely unlike its state in the Blessing Land.

Wu Xian crouched down, smiling as he watched the black dog.

Wu Xian froze in surprise.

【Congratulations, Favored One Wu Xian. You have completed the Blessing Land “Infinite Pursuit of the Killer.” Reward: thirty days of rest.】

This pure energy flowed into his body, repairing his damaged frame—ribs, arm bones, bruises, contusions—all healed in just seconds; the injuries from his fall were nearly gone.

Then Wu Xian turned to look at his statue.

Wu Xian couldn’t help but complain.

The pure energy dissipated; Wu Xian reached out to hold onto it, but caught nothing.

At the mention of blood,

【Your performance in this Blessing Land has been rated “One in a Hundred” by the Immortals and Gods. Reward: one Dao Line, three Storage Boxes of Spirit-Infused Items, two precious incense burners, five years of lifespan.】

Precisely because of this,

“If I could bring this thing into the real world, I’d certainly keep it—but I won’t feed it for free. How do I extract its value?”

As soon as he entered the Displeased Heavens, a cool breeze swept over him.

Judging from the five extra years of lifespan, “One in a Hundred” must be a better rating than “Outstanding.”

First, in the real world, using the ordination as a medium, he could activate the divine artifacts stored in the Spirit-Infused Storage Boxes—one item per Dao Line. Even in the real world, the Favored One could now wield a degree of divine power.

But even so, Wu Xian was delighted—having Dao Line was better than having none!

The second line of information was the main event.

“No, artifacts can’t be brought into the real world. This black dog might not be able to either. Best to squeeze its value now.”

Perhaps…

Wu Xian muttered softly.

“Dao Line +1…”

Therefore, unless faced with special circumstances, he wouldn’t wait until the last moment to enter the Blessing Land—that would be too passive.

This ordination finally gave him detailed information on Dao Line—he now understood its true nature.

If only the brain returned, could it still be healed?

“Huh? It’s already stopped?”

If possible, using the Reattach Severed Head technique to cut off his head and toss it through the Displeased Heavens gate might be an efficient escape method.

Could missing limbs be restored?

Could he regrow his genitals after castration?

Or…

“Besides… the difficulty of this solo Blessing Land is absurdly high. If not for me… no, even if it were me, if I’d been just a little unlucky, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Wu Xian was already considering buying blood-replenishing pills.

“Woof!”

Dao Line had many effects.

“At least its blood certainly…”

“Such difficulty must come with good rewards.”

“You helped me—how could I possibly draw your blood? Don’t worry…”

“Brother Dog, can you check what’s out there?”

Wu Xian still had over ten days left from his last safety period; now with this one, he had over forty days total.

“Pfft, ‘One in a Hundred’—is that better or worse than ‘Outstanding’? Can’t they just use ‘Good, Average, Bad’—something simple?”

“Sigh, no lab rats—don’t know the upper limit of this pure energy’s healing.”

He began reviewing his Blessing Land journey.

Wu Xian eagerly opened his ordination.

Wu Xian read it and couldn’t help but complain.

Unfortunately, this healing effect wasn’t strong enough—it only mended wounds and stopped, offering no relief to Wu Xian’s physical or mental exhaustion.

“I suspected all along that Dao Line wasn’t some miraculous cultivation boost for the Blessing Land.”

These two were the main effects; the rest were minor: improved health, slightly better skin, slightly enhanced senses, slightly heightened awareness of malevolent spirits—all inconsequential.

Then he realized the Immortals and Gods were still evaluating his performance—perhaps even arguing loudly in council—so he had to wait a while longer for his rewards.

This indicated the grass held terrifying dangers—even the black dog, which roamed freely in the soul-stealing demons’ nest, dared not enter. Wu Xian remembered the crimson eyes he’d seen on his first night.

“That’s understandable. I didn’t uncover any key information. Xu Ming and the Jia man’s stories were half-truths… maybe all lies. The only thing I’m certain of about that world is that all the living have been possessed.”

It seemed each return from the Blessing Land granted one healing opportunity.

He didn’t care much for this reward.

Wu Xian shook his head slightly in disappointment.

Second, Dao Line slightly enhances the base effects of talismans, divine arts, and artifacts—each item affected differently. A Dao Line +1 boosts effects by one-tenth, in reasonable ways—for example, if Wu Xian obtained the Coin Sword again, it might now have eleven blades.

Hidden within this ordinary-looking grass were countless malevolent spirits!

Wu Xian abandoned the idea of exploring the grass. After waiting a while longer, the Immortals’ evaluation was complete. He opened his Favored One Ordination—the five reward details appeared.

Wu Xian put away his wild thoughts.

Last time, when his injuries were lighter, he hadn’t noticed this pure energy’s effect.

But in fact,

The black dog immediately bristled, barking furiously at Wu Xian.

Wu Xian didn’t understand the words, but he could guess the dog was cursing violently—he quickly soothed it.

On his single remaining arm, the Ten-Soul Banner was gone. It seemed only the position was fixed—not the items placed upon it. Next time, he’d have to choose again.

Speaking of which, in a world overrun by demons, how could a dog still be so plump and healthy? That itself was absurd.

But its refusal to enter was itself valuable information.

Finally, Wu Xian turned his gaze to the dog, still frolicking.

The black dog began barking again—more fiercely than when he mentioned “blood.” No matter how Wu Xian pleaded, it refused to step beyond the edge of the clearing into the grass.

“No disaster rewind this time…”

One item on the table was two small silver incense burners, resembling the statue’s design.

After absorbing the effects of Dao Line, Wu Xian turned to the table before his statue. As he looked, colorful mist dispersed, revealing two objects in his vision.

What was this black dog’s origin?

Those demons couldn’t even approach the gate, yet this dog could rest right against it—and could be brought into the Displeased Heavens like a divine artifact…

Wu Xian picked up the incense burner.

A thread of information flooded his mind.

Incense Burner: Forged from unknown material. Placed before any statue, it allows one additional offering to that statue!

(End of Chapter)