Chapter 175: Damn it, this organization of yours, why are they all beautiful girls?

Night like water, silver moon high, the Half-Demons in black long robes merged with the darkness, their figures indistinct, only the Spiritual Power swirling around them spoke of their existence.

"Seventh Rank, Seventh Rank, Eighth Rank... Damn it, Big Boss, these people are so strong!" Lilith shouted: "Compared to them, Mu He who only puts Underwear on enemies' heads and Karenina who only uses Entrapment are just trash!"

"Don't underestimate them, Mu becomes stronger than his father later in the plot, and Karenina was originally a Small Boss of the Abyss, her potential is also amazing." Big Boss's expression remained normal: "But now... these Born Twins are indeed two pieces of trash."

"Li Cheng Brother."

As the two were speaking, the Full Moon Queen had already pushed open the door and snapped her fingers.

Mist spread from beneath their feet, gorgeous and blurry light and shadow rippled, and the surrounding scenery gradually changed.

When the ribbon-like radiance stopped trembling, Big Boss raised his head and only then discovered he was inside a magnificent palace.

The decoration style of this palace was quite... strange.

Indeed, using the word "strange" to describe the palace's decoration was not quite appropriate, but Big Boss could not find a more fitting term at this moment.

Inside the entire palace, there were both metal sculptures like those of the Victorian era and ancient Eastern bronze ritual vessels, as well as various Magic Beast furs symbolizing primitive worship and lifelike clay sculptures.

The styles were quite inconsistent, but they had a unique beauty.

Big Boss of course knew where that beauty came from—

Gold Coins, this was the beauty of Gold Coins.

Everything here, if placed outside, would be worth a fortune.

And in the eyes of Big Boss, an Artisan, piling so many things messily in the palace spoke of wealth while also being too much of a Waste.

"These are all treasures collected by the Half-Demon Race over ten thousand years, Li Cheng Brother." The Full Moon Queen walked to Big Boss's side, speaking softly: "Of course, they all belong to you now."

She wore a black corseted dress today, the hem like a princess's skirt, with Gold Thread embroidery at the neckline, skirt hem, and cuffs, making her appear especially noble and dignified.

And her blue-gold heterochromatic eyes, along with cheeks covered in Hong Yun, added a touch of playfulness to that dignity.

The Full Moon Queen stood by Big Boss's side, biting her lips, her gaze evasive, the back of her hand swaying beside Big Boss's hand, occasionally rubbing against it, then immediately dodging as if shocked by electricity.

Big Boss frowned, grabbed her, and raised an eyebrow.

"If you want to hold hands later, just hold them directly, no need to probe."

"Okay, okay..." Vivian's face turned even redder, while Anna mocked in her mind: "Hah, foolish Love Brain, you should hand over control of your body to me, I'll know how to tease Li Cheng Brother better than you."

"You shut up, you bad woman, I'm on the pure love route!"

Vivian argued with Anna in her mind for a moment, then took a deep breath, gathered her courage, grabbed Big Boss's hand, and walked toward the depths of the palace.

The Half-Demons who had just been in the night also revealed their forms inside the palace, standing on both sides of Big Boss, kneeling on one knee in groups as he walked.

Their expressions were extremely devout, their movements neat and uniform, as if carefully rehearsed.

Inside an old phonograph, a stirring symphony played, like a welcome march for the King's awakening.

And on the faces of those Half-Demons, lowered, were excitement and exhilaration.

A few bolder ones were secretly raising their heads, curiously observing Big Boss.

But when Big Boss's gaze swept over, they hurriedly lowered their heads, extremely respectful.

"Quite a show of force."

"Of course, for this day, they, like me, have waited ten thousand years." Vivian smiled happily.

"Are they also Returners?"

"No, they are descendants of that batch of Half-Demons back then." Vivian explained: "After you left back then, I made up my mind to find you, so I left the City of Deception."

"Those Half-Demons who also gained Regeneration Magic Power did not go with me."

"To put it in my friend's words—"

"We received the Adult's grace and entered the Strong One's realm, but when the Adult and the Regeneration Witch dueled, we could only be Wall Observers; this powerlessness, we have endured enough."

"If the Adult returns, we do not want to be like now, only able to be protected behind him."

"Vivian, since you are responsible for finding Mister Buxi, then we... will be responsible for becoming his Sword."

"This is their oath, the oath binding the entire Half-Demon Race."

"Thus, the Sword of the Unknown was born."

"Thus, over these ten thousand years, as sun, moon, wind, and clouds changed, dynasties rose and fell, old eras perished and new eras rose, they witnessed the ebb and flow of civilization, and awaited your return."

"The Sword of the Unknown..." Big Boss exhaled, feeling an inexplicable excitement.

In the original PC Version, the organization Sword of the Unknown also existed.

The members of this organization were elites among elites; according to the "Tianming Scholars," intelligence inferred from fragmented information indicated this organization spanned both Shi Jie and the Abyss, a powerful Force even the Tianming Divine Court was unwilling to provoke.

But this organization had never intervened in the plot, and no "Tianming Scholar" could produce reasonable evidence to explain what they actually wanted to do.

Although powerful, they were like an iceberg hidden beneath the ocean, profound and never revealing their true form.

But unexpectedly, in this version, an answer was given.

They were sheathed sharp blades,

Waiting for the day Big Boss would draw his sword.

"They have spanned ten thousand years, sunk in the deepest part of time, just to meet you once more."

Vivian brought Big Boss to the deepest part of the palace, then stopped, looking up at the stairs.

On the stairs paved with black-bottom Gold Thread long carpets was the Throne symbolizing power.

"The King has returned, but the King's shadow is not yet seen on the Throne." Vivian smiled, loosened Big Boss's hand, elegantly stepped back, and made way for the road to the Throne: "Li Cheng Brother, this last stretch of road, Vivian will witness here."

Unexpectedly, Big Boss just glanced at her, then forcefully pulled her over, lifting her into a princess carry in his arms.

"Ah? Li Cheng Brother..."

Vivian never expected Big Boss to be so forceful; her face turned red instantly, and steam rose from her forehead.

"You waited for me ten thousand years, how could I only let you witness?" Big Boss smiled gently, his Innate Zi Ran Sheng Ti taking effect: "From now on, my life will be walked with you, flowers blooming and falling, tides rising and receding, we will witness together."

He just held Vivian like this, step by step ascending the Throne that had been empty for ten thousand years.

Vivian buried her head in his embrace, no longer having her usual cold appearance.

Who could have imagined that the cold, ruthless Queen actually had such a gentle, clinging side? Meanwhile Lilith floated to one side, biting her own clothes, her eyes bloodshot, nearly bulging out of her head.

"Dead scumbag, what 'flowers bloom and fall, tides rise and fall'... Aaaaaah! She tricked another one, she tricked another one!"

"Hateful, hateful!"

"But... I also really want to hear you whisper sweet words to me, wuwuwuwu!"

As Li Cheng sat upon the throne, a golden magic array also spread directly from beneath his feet across the entire palace.

He looked closely; the style of this magic array resembled that Land Transmutation Array, but its shape was inverted, and the prayer texts encircling it differed greatly.

【You have heard the resonance of the Ritual Array: Sword of the Unknown.】

【The Ritual Array: Sword of the Unknown has been triggered.】

【From this moment on, you will form a contract with all life within the Ritual Array.】

【Through the Power of Regeneration, they will become your servants who never betray.】

【You can enhance your servants through the Power of Regeneration.】

【Spanning ten thousand years, the dust-sealed sword has finally awaited its masters. And is this ultimately the outcome of a beautiful dream, or the prologue of a legend?】

【Please bear witness!】

Light flickered within the palace; the half-demons kneeling on one knee looked in amazement at their own bodies — some at the backs of their hands, some at their necks, some at their palms.

There, a mark linking them to Li Cheng manifested conspicuously.

From now on, they had become Li Cheng's servants, unable to do anything that would harm Li Cheng.

If Li Cheng needed them to carry out tasks, he only had to use the Power of Regeneration to issue compulsory commands.

Yet these girls could impose no restraint whatsoever on Li Cheng. It was a thoroughly unfair pact, but strangely, not a trace of displeasure showed on the half-demon girls' faces.

There was only happiness and wishes fulfilled.

For the Half-Demon Race, the reason they had survived until now, enduring countless tribal extermination calamities, was the Power of Regeneration Li Cheng had bestowed upon them back then.

To them, Li Cheng was like a god.

"So this is... Mister Buxi's mark..."

"Ancestors above, our Half-Demon Race's ten thousand years of perseverance has finally borne value..."

"To become Mister Buxi's tools is our bounden duty!"

"Mister Buxi's mark, smells so good..."

Chirping whispers exploded among the half-demons.

For this solemn, dignified scene, it seemed rather ill-timed.

But Li Cheng did not think to stop them.

On one hand, Li Cheng was never the kind of leader who cared about face-saving projects; to him, being able to do things and having value mattered far more than face.

On the other hand, all his attention right now was focused on Vivian.

Ever since the bestowal-of-seal ritual just now, this ten-thousand-year-old Queen had been restless in her mouth, squirming nonstop in Li Cheng's arms like a water snake.

This left Li Cheng quite puzzled.

"What's wrong, Vivian?"

"No, nothing..." Vivian's face reddened further: "Really, really nothing, Li Cheng Brother, stop asking."

"Hmm? Alright." Li Cheng wasn't one to bore himself; he nodded and changed the subject: "By the way, where's your mark — palm or back of hand? Let me see."

Unexpectedly, the moment he finished speaking, Vivian's face turned eight degrees redder than before.

Her voice turned halting and incoherent: "My mark is, of course, where a mark should be... just that kind of place where a mark should be, that kind of place, right... present whether it's present or not, present whether it should be present or not, ah, yes..."

"What thing are you talking about?" Li Cheng frowned.

"Anyway, anyway, don't ask!" Vivian was so embarrassed her head nearly smoked.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Li Cheng where her mark was; it was simply unspeakable.

Could she say her mark was below her lower abdomen? And, for some unknown reason, two small wings had actually grown there...

Most absurd of all, everyone else's marks were gold — why was hers interwoven pink and purple!

"Right, Vivian, I still haven't asked — why are all the members in this organization women?" Li Cheng thought a moment, then voiced his doubt: "Can the Half-Demon Race reproduce by parthenogenesis?"

"Er... actually no. The Sword of the Unknown is merely the elite of the Half-Demon Race." Vivian explained: "Li Cheng Brother, you should have noticed — the number of Sword of the Unknown members is exactly the same as the number of half-demons left in the City of Deception at the end."

"Mm." Li Cheng nodded, putting on a 'just as I thought' expression.

In fact, he had never counted how many half-demons remained at the end.

If it hadn't been for Vivian's hidden quest at the time, he wouldn't have kept those half-demons at all — he would have refined them all together.

"Those clanswomen who obtained the Power of Regeneration from you, relying on the power you bestowed, rescued many clanspeople and, in the cracks between the Abyss and the Shi Jie, established a country of our own."

Vivian continued narrating:

"But they didn't, like me, stand one step from entering the Demigod realm, and naturally lacked the ability to reincarnate and become Returners."

"Time flows on; life's years must end. Using the Power of Regeneration merely to prolong lifespan would be too great a waste."

"So before death, they would extract the Power of Regeneration, deposit it in the clan grounds, then select a suitable successor from among the clanspeople to absorb the Power of Regeneration."

"At the same time, they also fused their own cultivated power and souls into the Power of Regeneration, passing it down bit by bit."

"Though life died, the soul flowed on together with the Power of Regeneration for ten thousand years."

Good grief, what Asura and Indra, what Seven Giants...

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow, looking down at the half-demons kneeling on one knee, finally understanding why they had zero resistance toward him.

For ten thousand years, every generation of Sword of the Unknown members inherited the previous generation's longing and reverence for him, then conveyed that feeling to the next generation.

If they could resist him, that would be the real miracle.

"Cough cough." Vivian continued explaining: "And those souls... because they were female from the start, and absorbed so many females... they're extremely repelled by males..."

"By this thousand-year mark, only maidens with pure, unblemished hearts who have never known a man can pass the trial and inherit this glorious power."

"I see." Li Cheng rested his chin on his hand, thinking to himself that this was truly quantum technology — they had actually prepared such a rigorous background story.

In short, from now on, this Half-Demon organization — "Ominous Blade" — whose members all had at minimum Seventh Stage strength, had become Li Cheng's subordinates.

"Also, during these ten thousand years, they haven't been idle either." Vivian pulled out a small booklet from her bosom: "This is the Regenerative Power Usage Manual developed by the Half-Demon Race."

Li Cheng took it, and after flipping it open, his eyebrows couldn't help but rise.

"They have less regenerative power in their bodies, so they can't waste it and can only use it on the blade's edge — this actually makes them better at utilizing abilities than me."

"Mm, indeed."

Li Cheng nodded; this booklet contained both methods for using regenerative power to enhance one's own physical quality, and runes for converting regenerative power into elemental magic.

There were also methods for using regenerative power to make minor facial adjustments, and methods for using regenerative power to increase the size of certain body parts... all kinds, everything imaginable, strange and bizarre.

"Although for you, Li Cheng Brother, the things recorded in this booklet have no use, it's still our clan's sincerity, so please accept it." Vivian said again.

And the Half-Demons half-kneeling below all lifted their heads, staring tightly at Li Cheng, their faces nervous beyond measure.

"Hmm..." Li Cheng found it amusing and said softly: "This thing is very useful to me, thank you for your hard work."

His voice was very light, but enough for the Half-Demons below to hear.

Thus, these "Swords of the Unknown" who all had at minimum Seventh Stage strength and could dominate any region of the Continental, laughed like children.

"Hehe, glad to be of help to Mister Buxi!"

"That's right! The Body Refinement Method mentioned earlier was thought up by my family's ancestor!"

"And my family's ancestor, she invented the method of wrapping the body with regenerative power so you don't need the Nagging Term Art!"

"And my family's ancestor, she invented the Mimicry Technique that can use regenerative power to make oppai two cup sizes larger!"

"Hah, your family's ancestor is no match for mine!"

"Nonsense! My family's ancestor can... can eat shit, can yours?"

"Hah, my family's ancestor can eat two bowls!"

"..."

Before long, they started clamoring noisily again.

"Alright, silence!"

Vivian saw the scene was about to turn into a vegetable market and hurriedly stopped it, then looked apologetically at Li Cheng and said quietly: "Honestly, Li Cheng Brother, sorry about this — you're so considerate of their feelings, and they start claiming credit. I know, for you this stuff actually isn't very useful."

In Vivian's eyes, Li Cheng's whole body was regenerative power, so there was fundamentally no need to use this kind of cost-reducing, efficiency-increasing technique.

Saying those words was all to keep the Half-Demons from feeling embarrassed that they'd done nothing for ten thousand years.

Li Cheng raised his eyebrows; he actually felt that among these Term Arts, there was still a portion that was useful.

Picking from them could increase his ways of using regenerative power.

"Li Cheng Brother, then, the contract matter ends here, and now it should also..."

Vivian got off Li Cheng, walked before him, knelt on one knee, incomparably devout: "My Lord Li Cheng, please issue commands to us!"

Li Cheng also revealed a sunny and warm smile:

"Then, Topple Fire Enslavement and Body Modification Combat, begin now."

(Chapter Complete)