Chapter 307

Bad! We've been tricked!

After enduring a brutal barrage of strikes from over a dozen hundred-zhang giant hens, the Snake Spirit instantly realized it had fallen into a trap within a trap and desperately tried to withdraw.

Yet even though its reaction was swift, it was still too slow to outpace the eager mother hens hungry for a meal.

Seeing the delicious "black-and-white earthworm" trying to retreat, three or four enormous chicken feet pierced through the barrier between dream and reality almost simultaneously, thudding down and crushing half the Snake Spirit's body into the ground.

Immediately after, over a dozen mother hens crowded in, clucking loudly, and unleashed a storm of vicious pecks upon the Snake Spirit, whose eyes were filled with terror.

Wait!

Cluck-cluck-daa!

Damn beast! Get off!

Daa-daa-daa!

Wait! Let's talk! I can give you… ah!

Daa-daa-cluck-daa!

Spare… spare me! Please spare me!

…

Is that it?

Watching the Snake Spirit, bloodied and battered from the dozen hens' pecks, begging for mercy with no dignity left, Li Ang couldn't help but click his tongue, his chest full of unspoken complaints he didn't know where to begin voicing.

Just moments ago in the Dream Realm, he had seen the Snake Spirit's true form.

That colossal serpent, even curled up, stood nearly a hundred meters tall—like a mountain ridge coiled in place—had been reduced to a mangled mess by a flock of brooding hens after falling into Tang Mu's ritual, and now looked ready to collapse.

The degree of weakening was truly… absurdly unreasonable, almost cheating.

Don't even think about negotiating with it.

Noticing Li Ang's complex expression and misinterpreting his thoughts, the lazy youth quickly warned:

"Right now, I can control it partly because we caught it off-guard, and partly because it was overconfident—didn't even bother to look back before trying to flee through the gap between dream and reality.

The dazzling, colorful Dream Realm may be a thousand times easier to escape than reality, but it's also a thousand times more fragile and brittle in comparison.

As long as we can drag it into the suppression ritual the instant it slips into the gap, we're using the power of the real world to crush the false, fleeting dream—then it's nothing but an earthworm that can be pecked to death by chickens.

But if we let it cross that threshold, it'll be the same colossal serpent you saw, capable of shattering a small hill with raw physical strength alone—and then it'll be us who have to run."

Ah, I understand.

Coming back to himself, Li Ang nodded, showing he wasn't foolish enough to listen to an enemy's plea for mercy, then replied seriously:

"Senior Emma said that only when an enemy has completely lost the ability to resist is it time to negotiate. I'm not trying to negotiate with it—just… well… it feels like this ended too quickly."

Is it that I prepared too fast, or that it lost too fast?

Both, a bit…

Looking at the chaotic chicken coop before him, Li Ang couldn't help scratching the back of his head, his face filled with disbelief:

"I thought that even if you could defeat this Snake Spirit, you'd at least fight it to a standstill, trading blows for a few rounds.

But you just broke off a piece from its statue, crushed the snake eggs used to build the secret shrine, and with those materials, casually built a chicken coop—and that's how you subdued it? It's just… too fast."

Heh, you're not just saying fast—you mean sloppy, right?

Yeah, a bit… but even if it's sloppy, the result is undeniable. A Saint Spirit nearly on par with a True God couldn't even lift a finger against you—this is truly incredible!

…

Good eye, this kid… cough, this future True God… is actually quite pleasant to be around.

Watching the awe on Li Ang's face, the lazy youth, pleasantly tickled, couldn't help but let a faint smile curl his lips.

Though this man might become annoying in the future—forcing his way across timelines to demand help—right now he's still a sincere newcomer: quick-witted, steady-handed, obedient, highly efficient, and even pleasant to talk to. No wonder the Director likes him so much.

Though this man may become annoying in the future, forcing me to intervene across timelines, right now he's still a straightforward rookie—sharp-minded, steady in execution, does whatever he's told, highly efficient, and even speaks pleasantly; no wonder the director likes him so much.

After slightly revising his opinion of the "future annoying" Li Ang, the lazy youth cleared his throat and waved his hand:

"The kind of back-and-forth battle you described—that's how Emma and the Director fight. They're arm-wrestling: whoever has greater strength or better technique wins, but if the loser isn't far behind, they usually don't get seriously hurt.

But I? I'm the one who trips people up. I can't guarantee where to set the tripwire, and I need to prepare in advance—but once it works, the target falls straight into the trap and loses all resistance. That's why the difference seems so vast, but honestly, anyone else could do the same."

As for me, I'm like tripping someone up—though I can't guarantee I'll find the right spot to trip them, and I need to set it up in advance, once it succeeds, the target falls straight into the trap and loses all resistance, so the gap seems large, but anyone else would be the same.

Looking at the Snake Spirit in the coop—barely breathing, half-dead from the hens' pecks—Li Ang shook his head, sincerely remarking:

"Setting a tripwire might not be hard—but knowing where to set it, what kind of tripwire to use, and how to trip up a Saint Spirit? That's not something anyone can do. Only you could pull this off."

"Tripping someone up might not be hard, but how to trip them, where to trip them, and what kind of trip can bring down a Saint Spirit—these aren't things just anyone can do; only you, Senior, can accomplish them."

His slightly dimmed right eye blinked faintly as he used some method to scan Li Ang—and found the praise was entirely sincere. The lazy youth's grin nearly burst past his control, his whole body glowing with pleasure as he chuckled:

"You know what? I think you've got real potential in this area. How about I teach you sometime?

Even without the corresponding anomaly's enhancement, the effect might be weaker—but it's still a useful survival skill… wait, hold on. I need to fish out that snake first. Don't want it actually pecked to death."

Though lacking the enhancement of the corresponding anomaly object, the effect may be significantly weaker, but it's still a survival skill… hmm… wait a moment, I need to rescue that snake before the chicken actually pecks it to death."

After finishing his pleasant chat with the thoughtful junior, the lazy youth rubbed his shoe against the ground, dismantling the ritual site he'd just built, then rescued the nearly lifeless Snake Spirit from the hens' beaks.

After finishing the pleasant conversation with the thoughtful junior, the lazy youth rubbed his shoe against the ground, destroying the ritual circle he'd just set up, then rescued the dying Snake Spirit from the chicken's beak.

Pinching the black-and-white earthworm between two fingers, he gave it a little shake and grinned:

"Come on, hand over the person.

You know our Clearance Bureau's methods. Better to give up the person now than cling to delusions and get torn apart piece by piece. Don't you agree?"

You know how our Cleanup Bureau operates—better to give up the person outright than cling to unrealistic hopes and fight until you're torn apart. Don't you agree?"

The black-and-white snake lifted its head weakly and glared at him with hatred.

Don't glare at me—I'm doing this for your own good.

Speaking lines straight out of some underground spy interrogation, the lazy youth dipped sulfur powder on his fingertip, lit it, then squeezed the Snake Spirit's neck while speaking earnestly:

"If you cooperate and hand over the person, maybe your master will pay the price to retrieve you. And honestly, I quite like your Scale Gold Sect's ***—after all, it's free… cough.

In any case, we might meet again someday. If you refuse to cooperate and force me to use harsh interrogation, our next meeting will be awkward… you're not the kind of Saint Spirit who enjoys awkwardness, right?"

In any case, we might meet again in the future. If you refuse to cooperate and force me to resort to brutal interrogation, our next meeting will be awkward… You're not the kind of Saint Spirit who enjoys awkwardness, are you?"

Right?

No! Don't squeeze! Aaah!

Hearing the faint crackle of burning sulfur, feeling the crushing pressure on his neck and the searing pain as his Saint Spirit body was corrupted by hellish sulfur, the Snake Spirit writhed and finally screamed, then vomited out a emerald-green pearl.

Listening to the faint crackling of burning sulfur, feeling the growing pressure on his neck and the escalating agony as his Saint Spirit body was corrupted by hellish sulfur—burning, searing—he writhed twice, then couldn't hold back and screamed, spitting out a emerald-green pearl.

Okay, okay, I'm taking it off.

Again dipping sulfur powder on his nail, he pressed a burning mark onto the Snake Spirit's head, completely sealing its resistance. Then he rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a dirty transparent glass bottle, shoved the feeble Snake Spirit inside, and tossed it carelessly to Li Ang.

You… don't celebrate too soon…

After catching his breath, like every classic defeated villain, the Snake Spirit was limp all over—but still defiant in speech. It struggled to lift itself in the glass bottle, staring at the emerald pearl in the lazy youth's hand, its eyes filled with fury and twisted satisfaction:

"That woman of your Bureau? She's locked inside the Emerald Dream granted by Our God! She's died there over three hundred times—her soul is already irrevocably tainted!"

Hearing the Snake Spirit's words, Li Ang's heart lurched. He looked down at the bottle and asked:

"What do you mean? What happened to Senior Emma?"

"I mean, even if you bring her back, it's useless."

The Snake Spirit curled at the bottom of the bottle and sneered:

"The Emerald Dream was forged from the shattered Eden of the God of Agriculture and Livestock—it's essentially its own world. After dying hundreds of times there, her soul is too entangled with the Emerald Dream to ever separate again.

The only way for her to escape is to sincerely believe in Our God and become a faithful follower—or for the slain God of Agriculture and Livestock to revive. Otherwise, she'll wander alone forever in that emerald forest!"

Watching Li Ang's furrowed brow and catching the anger in his eyes, the Snake Spirit in the bottle chuckled, then added:

"Even better—she has an immortal body that regenerates endlessly. That means she can't even kill herself. She'll remain a ghost, trapped in the Emerald Dream, wandering forever until her soul is worn away by time!"

After glancing at Li Ang's furrowed brow through the bottle and catching the anger in his eyes, the Snake Spirit at the bottom chuckled, then added:

The lazy youth flicked his hand, igniting the sulfur mark on the Snake Spirit's head, causing it to shriek in agony, then turned to Li Ang and warned:

"It's trying to provoke you into killing it outright.

We haven't left the Scale Gold Sect's *** yet. If we kill it here, even without its True God's intervention, its own accumulated power could buy its life back from the Realm of the Dead. Don't fall for its trap."

"It says this to provoke you, to make you kill it outright."

So… is what it said true? Is Senior Emma truly trapped?

From the lazy youth's reaction, Li Ang indirectly got his answer. Thinking of Senior Emma's kindness toward him, he sighed, then asked with one last hope:

"Senior Tang Mu, your two dice can raise the success rate of any task to sixty percent, right? Can you…?"

Having indirectly gleaned the answer from the lazy youth's reaction, remembering how Senior Emma had treated him, Li Ang sighed and asked, clinging to his last hope:

The lazy youth shook his head:

"My ability only boosts the success rate of things that are *possible* to about sixty percent—and it only works below the True God level. Above that, my own rank is too low, and I face massive interference.

This situation is nearly impossible, involves more than one True God, and falls exactly into the category I'm worst at handling. I can't help."

"My ability forcibly raises the success rate of 'things that could possibly be accomplished' to about sixty percent—but it only works below Divine Rank. Above that, my own rank is insufficient, and I face overwhelming interference."

Li Ang fell silent for a moment, then asked:

"Senior Tang Mu, I can perceive anomaly information through touch. Could you… temporarily let me hold the Emerald Dream?"

After hearing this, Li Ang fell silent for a moment, then asked:

Before Li Ang could finish, the lazy youth tossed the Emerald Dream to him and added:

"Don't lose heart. Right now I can't help—but if I ever surpass the human-god boundary and reach the Director's level, maybe I'll roll a successful result.

Besides, the Director might have a way. The Central Bureau has many effects…"

Don't lose heart too much—right now I can't help, but if in the future I surpass the limit between human and deity and reach the Director's level, maybe I'll be able to roll out a result.

Besides, the Director might have a way too—the General Bureau has many effects.

A special anomaly—maybe one of them could save Emma. If all else fails, I could try briefly reviving the God of Pastoralism or something—maybe it would just… hmm?

Seeing Li Ang's tense expression instantly ease after he stroked the Dream of Verdant Green, the lazy youth blinked in surprise, then his expression shifted—he quickly asked:

"What's wrong? Did you find something?"

"Hmm, I got a little result."

After glancing at the name of the Dream of Verdant Green and noticing its trait marker reading "Sacred," then at the Proxy's Badge that allowed unconditional use of "Sacred" anomalies, Li Ang smiled and replied:

"I just realized this thing is actually… Senior? What's wrong?"

Seeing Tang Mu suddenly turn deep purple, clutching his throat in agony, gasping helplessly, Li Ang was stunned—he immediately pulled out the Infected Blood Bandage, wanting to treat him, but…

"Pop"

With a sound like a bursting bubble, the bloodstained bandage in Li Ang's hand vanished instantly, transforming into a coin shimmering with strange radiance. A soft, gentle voice came from behind Li Ang.

"Don't worry—he isn't hurt. He doesn't need your healing."

After discarding the filthy bandage, a beautiful woman stepped slowly out of the Dream Realm and smiled gently at Li Ang, who stood tense and blocking Tang Mu's front.

"As for why he's like this—it's because I bought all the air inside him at once, even the air still uncombined with his blood… Also, I paid for it."

"Money."

"Whoa!!!"

No sooner had the mysterious woman finished speaking than the lazy youth, protected behind Li Ang, collapsed to his knees with a thud. Hundreds of tiny circular coins burst grotesquely from his nose and mouth, mixed with thick streams of crimson blood, gushing out through his limp fingers.

Instantly, Tang Mu's chest clothing shattered. Dozens of silver rhomboid coins, their edges unnaturally sharp, erupted densely from his skin, spewing forth like nail guns—puff, puff, puff, puff—blasting a dazzling silver mist of blood before Li Ang's eyes.