Chapter 140: Secret Plot

A week has passed since the duel between Lingyun and Heathcliff, and the aftermath of this incident has gradually subsided. However, after experiencing this event, Lingyun gained a new title—the Strongest Player.

Regarding this title, Lingyun felt somewhat helpless. After all, if they were at full power, both Busujima Saeko and Luo Yexi would be a notch stronger than Lingyun is now without using Cloud Realm Power; it was just that they had not displayed it in front of ordinary people.

It is worth mentioning that next to Lingyun's garden, another small villa appeared, which belonged to Asuna, Argo, and Lisbeth. Because of the previous incident where Kuradeel had been lurking in front of the house Asuna rented on the 50th floor, Asuna had directly put the matter of building a house next to Lingyun's garden on the agenda.

I don't know if it was because the house Lingyun built was too large, but this place actually became a location that could be reached via Teleport Crystal. However, due to a lack of personal funds, Asuna brought along Argo and Lisbeth, who had been "coveting" the vacant land near Lingyun's garden for a long time, and built a small villa here.

After the three of them moved in, Lingyun's garden became much livelier. On one hand, it was because there were more people here; on the other, it was because Keita and the others would bring Silica to visit at meal times from time to time, calling it visiting friends, but in reality, they were just coming to mooch a meal.

Ever since building a small villa here, Asuna had been teaming up with Kirito and her sister to clear the Labyrinth Area. Of course, sometimes they would also set out with Lingyun's group.

As for Suguha, she had been stimulated during this period. With the increase in the number of floors cleared, the strength of various monsters was becoming more and more powerful. Relying on her meager foundation in swordsmanship and the guidance from Busujima Saeko for a period of time, she was finding it increasingly difficult in battle. This forced Kirito to have to divert some energy to look after her when teaming up to clear floors. Meanwhile, Yuuki, who was even younger than her, was seeing her strength skyrocket. A while ago, she had a sparring match with Yuuki, and although it ended in a draw, Suguha dared to pat her chest and affirm that Yuuki had definitely held back.

Seeing herself getting further and further away from her beloved sister, Suguha could no longer endure it and went directly to Busujima Saeko, hoping she could give her special training. After understanding the ins and outs of the matter, Busujima Saeko agreed to Suguha's idea and had been training Suguha's swordsmanship during this time.

In the room, Lingyun poured himself a cup of tea and took a delightful sip. During this time, because he had taken down Heathcliff, Lingyun would run into so-called fans wherever he went. To avoid these people, he simply acted like a salted fish in his own garden; anyway, with Luo Yexi, Kirito, and their group around, the speed of clearing floors would not drop.

"It's bad, Lingyun, something happened!" Just as Lingyun was pouring himself another cup of tea, an anxious shout came from outside. Lingyun frowned slightly and looked toward the door. Appearing outside the door were the members of the Moonlit Black Cats, and behind them followed Kirito and Asuna.

Looking at them, Lingyun frowned. On one hand, it was because the health bars above the heads of Keita and the others were almost bottomed out; on the other, it was because the eyes of both Kirito and Asuna had lost their luster, as if they had suffered some severe blow.

"What happened?" Lingyun stood up and asked Keita in a deep voice. The aura radiating from him made Keita's breathing hitch involuntarily.

"That, when we were leveling up in the Labyrinth Area, we were attacked by a Red Player Guild. If it weren't for Kirito and Asuna being there, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to come back," Keita said hurriedly. "Because the battle was too dangerous, Kirito and Asuna each killed a Red Player, and we were able to escape. But after fleeing the Labyrinth Area, they became like this."

Upon hearing Keita say that they had killed Red Players, the bodies of Kirito and Asuna trembled involuntarily, and the luster in their eyes dimmed a little more.

Looking at the state of Kirito and Asuna, Lingyun frowned slightly, then said to Keita: "You guys go take a rest first, leave Kirito and the others to me!"

"This..." Keita looked at Kirito and Asuna with some worry, then nodded slightly. "Then I'll leave it to you!"

After Keita and his group left, Lingyun walked toward Kirito and Asuna. Seeing Lingyun approach, the two shrank back, wanting to retreat. But Lingyun's speed was faster than theirs, and he grabbed their hands before they could retreat. The two pulled their hands hard, but they didn't budge, and they could only be pulled by Lingyun to sit obediently on the sofa.

"Are you... afraid?" Lingyun asked softly.

Although Kirito kept her head down, she still nodded slightly.

"If you're afraid, just lean into my arms and cry; no one can see you here," Lingyun comforted. "I know you feel guilty about killing in this game, but don't forget, you were facing Red Players. If you hadn't acted, the ones who would have died were Keita and you; you were just acting in self-defense."

Hearing Lingyun's words, Kirito and Asuna threw themselves into his arms and burst into tears. Lingyun gently patted their shoulders and sighed slightly; after all, they were just young girls in their prime, and things like killing were simply too far away from them.

Outside the room, Tetsuo said to Keita with some worry: "That, Keita, will Kirito and the others be alright?"

"They should be. After all, Lingyun isn't an ordinary person; he should know how to comfort them."

In a dark cave, the members of Laughing Coffin were gathering.

"Leader, you said you had a big plan this time; can you tell us now? What exactly is the plan?" one of them asked.

"Of course there is a plan. Didn't I say before that killing one member of the Clearers isn't satisfying at all? We are going to offer more sacrifices to our Lord God!" A wild smile appeared on PoH's face. "We are going to let those players understand who the true ruler of this world is!"

"Could it be that you are finally preparing to make a move on the Clearers? That really is an exciting thing!" One of the Laughing Coffin players was so excited that his body couldn't stop trembling.

"Of course. I have been planning this from the very beginning, but I was always missing a key piece. But now, that key piece has been gathered by me. Next, it is time to execute our great plan!" PoH was so excited that his body trembled. "You, prepare the materials and hand them to those money-grubbing information brokers; let them know some of our news!"

The person pointed at by PoH was puzzled: "Leader, if we let the Clearers know our news, won't we be in danger?"

"No, no, no. Only by leaking some news will those Clearers take the bait, and only then will we have the chance to catch turtles in a jar!" PoH waved his hand.

"Catch turtles in a jar?" One of the Red Players' eyes lit up. "That is indeed a good method, but how do we know the information about the Clearers?"

"Rest assured, I have a sufficiently reliable channel to obtain first-hand information on the Clearers' movements." A cold glint flashed in PoH's eyes. "Now, what you need to do is adjust your state and welcome the grandest slaughter that is about to come!"

"Yes, Leader!" Everyone present became excited, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light.