Chapter 717: Oxygen Deprivation Makes You Stupid (Part 2)

You finally noticed.

After hearing the Wealth Goddess's threat, Li Ang's brow furrowed slightly, but inside, he exhaled a long breath of relief.

Since Watch Palace blocks all "non-human" entities from entering the world, and since similar appearances gain faith more easily than outsiders, most true gods, upon descending, adapt their physical forms to better align with this world's rules, taking on human shapes and bodies to reduce rejection from Watch Palace.

But fundamentally, true gods are still not purely flesh-and-blood life; they are nearly impossible to kill by such means. If the Wealth Goddess truly "died" from oxygen deprivation, it would merely mean the loss of her host body—once freed from the influence of the human form, her chaotic soul would instantly return to normal.

Moreover, Tang Mu and Emma's conditions were also dire; they would likely suffocate before the Wealth Goddess's body succumbed to oxygen deprivation. The longer this stalemate lasted, the more dangerous it became—they had to get her to leave quickly.

The problem was, when he held the upper hand, he had no need to negotiate with her; abruptly ordering her out would only arouse suspicion, or worse, make her realize he was bluffing—and then everything would be over.

So the only solution now was "encircle three sides, leave one open"—by exposing his own weakness, he would give her a "trump card" to bargain with, letting her find her own "path to survival," then barely escape through that narrow opening.

Yet the sensation of thirty thousand times normal oxygen deprivation seemed to have affected the Wealth Goddess's mind; he had hinted several times already, yet she still failed to notice the escape route he'd left open. If she couldn't even spot the direct eye cue, he'd truly have no choice but to risk driving her out.

…

"You're threatening me?"

Facing the long-awaited resistance, Li Ang, still immersed in his role, squinted with drunken eyes and said coldly:

"Go ahead and kill them—see if I care!"

He moved—his soul stirred!

Seeing Li Ang's soul, though still stable, tremble slightly with the subtle disorder caused by his lie, the Wealth Goddess, finally finding her path to survival, could hardly contain her joy. She immediately seized this lifeline and exclaimed with eager eyes:

"Lies! I saw lies in your soul! You're lying!"

Upon hearing the Wealth Goddess's words, Li Ang, pretending to realize his slip, twitched slightly, his eyes revealing a flicker of regret—deeply hidden, yet unmistakably visible to her.

"Though I don't know what you're after, the effort you've gone to infiltrate the Clearance Bureau means your goal is no simple matter—and absolutely cannot tolerate the slightest error!"

Having caught Li Ang's extremely subtle expression, the Wealth Goddess, certain no one could act so convincingly, finally relaxed completely. Weakly, yet with no small measure of triumph, she spoke:

What truly decides victory or defeat is rarely strength, but wisdom! Man of the Old Land, you don't want the Clearance Bureau to take notice of you and expose your identity, do you?

"…"

Watching the man before him, his expression shifting unpredictably as he weighed whether to kill her, the Wealth Goddess feared pushing him too far might make him choose mutual destruction. She quickly softened her triumphant expression and suggested calmly:

"Man of the Old Land, as I just said, we aren't necessarily enemies.

We've reached this point only because I happened to stumble upon your concealment. In truth, our interests and goals don't conflict—we could even cooperate!"

"…"

Seeing Li Ang remain silent, unmoved by her words, the Wealth Goddess's heart tightened. She hurriedly added:

"Of course, even if you don't want to cooperate, it's fine—if you lift your method and let me go, I swear by my power that I will never reveal today's events. You can continue hiding in the Clearance Bureau. What do you say?"

"…"

"Not enough!" After silently counting twenty in his mind, using this deliberate pause to display his inner "struggle," Li Ang frowned, his eyes filled with reluctance:

"Besides that, you must help me erase all traces of suspicion. At the very least, give a plausible explanation—otherwise, three Clearance Officers who clearly lost resistance yet mysteriously escaped your grasp will still look highly suspicious!"

"This… I can do!"

Hearing Li Ang's demand, the Wealth Goddess bit her lip, then pulled out a broken pink trident and stabbed it hard into her left arm, smearing it with blood. She then swung the trident, slicing off half her serpent tail.

"This is the weapon of the Lord of Desireful Dreams. I infiltrated through the Dream Realm—perfect as an excuse for your survival after encountering me."

After driving the broken trident into the ground, pinning the severed tail, the pale-faced Wealth Goddess spoke weakly:

"When the Clearance Bureau investigates, they'll see this and know he was here. They'll assume I, having repeatedly pierced the Dream Realm, angered the patrolling Lord of Desireful Dreams. After being delayed by you, I was attacked by him and barely escaped wounded."

"Later, when I return to the Dream Realm, I'll even fight him myself. You just pretend to remain unconscious throughout—claim you know nothing. Does this explanation work?"

"…"

6.

Watching the Wealth Goddess cut off her tail without hesitation and even prepare to stage a full performance—returning to fight that Lord of Dreams—Li Ang silently gave her a thumbs-up, then frowned and nodded:

"Acceptable… remember to swear all this into your oath!"

"I will, I will!"

Following Li Ang's demands, she swore by her power to never reveal the truth and to fight the Lord of Desireful Dreams. Seeing Li Ang's expression slightly soften, she cautiously reminded:

"Then… the things on me—will you…?"

"Come here."

"Huh?"

"No more talk—come!"

Appropriately displaying the irritation of forced compromise and the impatience it bred, Li Ang jabbed his finger hard against the Wealth Goddess's forehead, then lightly tapped the cufflink hidden in his mouth with his tongue root.

Immediately, dozens of fractured mirrors in Emerald Valley quietly released vast amounts of oxygen. The sealed 【Dream of Verdant Green】 also opened, flooding the space with oxygen.

Just a poke on the forehead?

Feeling no special energy fluctuation from that single jab, the Wealth Goddess, skeptical, was about to ask again—when her body suddenly felt immeasurably lighter.

After that simple poke, her exhausted body, like a traveler parched for ten days in the desert who finally encounters a downpour, felt unprecedented relief.

So stealthily concealed, yet lethally effective… a terrifying technique…

With a faint shudder of relief, she glanced at Li Ang's right hand. Having walked the edge of death, the Wealth Goddess didn't want to stay a second longer. She forcibly opened the Dream Realm, hurling her twenty thousand selves into it, then turned and fled without hesitation!

What a damn stroke of bad luck!

All I wanted was to capture a Level Three Clearance Officer and interrogate that toad—yet I ended up stumbling onto a giant fish swimming over from the Old Land. Not only did I lose another Holy Spirit, I nearly lost my own life!

This world's waters are too deep—I'm never coming back!

(End of Chapter)