Chapter 188: Dungeon Complete, and Blood More Suited for a Class Change

Amid three resplendent beams of light, the Earthly Kingdom ritual on the ground fully took shape.

On the fourth deck of the Star Leap, three additional figures appeared.

A one-meter-tall vertical pupil that looked listless and drained; a pure-white horn, seventy or eighty centimeters long, inlaid with a golden rim.

And a maiden over four meters tall, with a pair of golden wings on her back and a golden halo floating above her head.

What was even more outrageous was that the moment Aileen appeared, she also received the home-field boost of Wu Chang's domain, and her stature surged once more, exceeding five meters.

Lehmann's vertical pupil and the True God of Revelation both looked toward Aileen. Though neither had a face, through the emotional shifts of the two deities, Wu Chang seemed to see question marks floating above their heads.

Even the gods couldn't make sense of the situation before them, so as mortals, the Ritualist and Ma Jia were utterly dumbfounded.

Wait, why does the third god who came out have such a different style from the first two?

The other gods could only squeeze in an organ, squeeze in a magical artifact to enter the Wasteland Realm—how did you squeeze your entire self through?

And setting that aside, why is it that the projections condensed by the first two gods are only one meter tall, or even less than one meter, while you alone are over five meters tall, and have condensed a pair of golden wings with a wingspan exceeding seven meters?

The answer was simple: Aileen had absorbed all the nutrients accumulated within the Earthly Kingdom.

Just as when a mother carries multiple babies, if one sibling is innately strong and absorbs too much nourishment, the others will be born malnourished.

Lehmann and the True God of Revelation were those two malnourished siblings.

Wu Chang looked up at the towering five-meter-tall Aileen. Before Aileen condensed her projection, she had only told him that the other two wouldn't absorb energy as fast as she did—he hadn't expected her to be this fast.

With the appearance of the three gods, the atmosphere on the deck, where a great battle had been on the verge of breaking out, suddenly fell eerily silent.

Fight?

What's there to fight!

Can't you see the gap in size? In a brawl like this, we wouldn't last half a move.

Pfft.

A laugh rang out in the air, and its source was not Wu Chang, who had been tense all along, but the True God of Revelation.

The white horn trembled ceaselessly, and from the trembling came a textbook-perfect mature-onee-san laugh.

"Lehmann, you've been outmaneuvered by this little fellow again."

The horn could recognize Wu Chang's aura, and Lehmann, who had been elbowed before, naturally recognized him too.

He first glanced at Aileen—this fellow who had popped up out of nowhere—then turned his head to glare fiercely at the horn and cursed:

"Christine, you lunatic, why do you keep ruining my plans!"

The True God of Revelation, called Christine, replied in a matter-of-fact tone: "Because your existence makes the world very boring."

Though Lehmann had no mouth, one could tell he was so angry he was taking deep breaths. After a pause, as if he had found an angle to attack, he said:

"You say I was outmaneuvered by this kid, but what about you? You tried to steal my Earthly Kingdom, didn't you also get schemed against by him and the fellow he called over?"

Who would have thought Christine didn't care in the slightest, and said:

"Yes, I got schemed against too. So what? They're too big, I don't dare fight them. I'll just play with you instead."

Having said that, the horn flashed past and poked Lehmann's vertical pupil.

"I'll slaughter you, lunatic!"

Lehmann broke down—both physically and mentally. The vertical pupil emitted a black-purple pillar of light, shooting toward the horn that had struck and retreated in one motion. The light looked utterly unremarkable; one could sense no unusual light or heat, nor any powerful energy.

But it was precisely this kind of light that made the Ritualist and Ma Jia dodge far away as if they'd seen a ghost.

Two of the surrounding players who came to watch the spectacle didn't dodge in time. They weren't directly hit by the pillar of light—only grazed by the halo at its edge—and the grazed areas collapsed, transforming into wriggling flesh-worms.

These flesh-worms, now possessed of their own life, frantically devoured the flesh-and-blood essence of their original bodies. Within a few breaths, they reduced level-thirty top-tier players to withered husks resembling eighty- or ninety-year-old dried-up old men.

One of them decisively swung his blade and severed his left hand, which had been grazed by the halo. The hand hit the ground and turned into a giant worm that chased after the player.

The other was less fortunate—the light grazed his lower abdomen. From chest muscles to knees, everything turned into collapsing grotesque flesh-worms. If he wanted to amputate like the first player, he'd have to cut off everything below the chest.

Fortunately, the question of how to save himself didn't trouble him for long, because he was soon drained into a dry corpse. The monster that had absorbed his nutrients as an avatar began launching attacks against the living players nearby.

Only now did these players understand what it meant that only gods could fight gods, and mortals were like ants before deities.

Lehmann's projection in the Wasteland Realm was still a malnourished eye, yet the mere aftershock of a casual attack could kill max-level players without any resistance.

This gap was no longer merely a numerical difference, but a difference in the fundamental nature of existence.

Just seeing them act was enough to make one despair at the gap between them, let alone fighting back against them.

Just as the atmosphere of fear began to spread, two pillars of light descended from the sky, landing on the two monsters. The monsters instantly ceased moving and were purified into ashes beneath the light.

The one who had dealt with the two monsters was none other than Aileen.

After Aileen descended with the Earthly Kingdom as her projection, she had been maintaining communication with Wu Chang in the spiritual world.

Wu Chang was very envious seeing Lehmann's and Christine's methods. If Aileen could also do as they did—making all below gods into ants—then he wouldn't need to hide his identity in the real world.

"Aileen, can you do what They do?"

Aileen shook her head in the spiritual world: "What They're using isn't ordinary ability, but a Authority unique to higher gods. The current me cannot use it, nor can I dispel it. I need to ascend one more time before I can begin attempting to comprehend Authority."

Wu Chang was a little worried after hearing this. "Then can you handle Them? If not, we can cooperate with that Christine and take out Lehmann first."

Aileen gave Wu Chang a reassuring smile and said:

"Authority only achieves absolute effect when used against targets without divinity. Though I'm below Them in godhood rank, the power I now possess is enough to flatten this gap. I won't let Them affect you."

Simply put, Aileen's current state was brute-force overwhelming—pure numerical dominance.

Wu Chang was relieved after hearing this. They say a married couple grows more alike over time. Aileen, like him, was also walking the path of a numerical monster. Could this be what they call a married couple's resemblance?

"Then let's send them off now."

On the deck, Aileen, who had not made any move until now, finally stirred.

The moment Aileen moved, she instantly drew Lehmann's gaze. Lehmann wanted to stop and defend against Aileen's action, but Christine showed no sign of stopping, which infuriated Lehmann into breaking down once more.

It was unclear whether Aileen had gotten addicted to using hammers, but she was seen condensing a giant war hammer out of light. The hammerhead alone had a striking face over ten meters in diameter, and she held it in her hand as if carrying a small mountain.

The players and Star Leap passengers who witnessed this scene all felt the aesthetic beauty of overwhelming numbers.

Then she swung the war hammer, bringing it down on Lehmann and Christine like a game of whack-a-mole.

Leiman's cursing and Christine's mocking cut off abruptly.

By the time the war hammer was raised, the Star Leap's deck was intact, yet Leiman and Christine's projections had already dissipated.

Wu Chang walked over in disbelief, as though he had lost something precious, and stared intently at the ground, searching.

Eileen asked, puzzled, "What are you looking for?"

"The blood — where's Their blood?" Wu Chang asked.

Eileen: "They're just energy projections. How could they have blood?"

"Huh?" Wu Chang froze for a moment, then caught on — that did seem to be the case.

But without a transcendent being's fresh blood, how could he complete the final ring of his class-change quest?

He had a sudden idea, took out the Eye of Leiman he had obtained from Cui Chengze, and asked Eileen: "If I smash it, can I get blood out of it?" Eileen examined the Eye of Leiman and said: "It's possible, but a bit wasteful. Compared to smashing it for blood, that necklace of yours is better suited to handle this Divine Eye."

Wu Chang sighed after hearing this, but soon he thought of another way to get Divine Blood and was full of energy again.

He'd been so busy asking Eileen about Authorities that, after dealing with Leiman and Christine, Wu Chang turned around and found the Ritualist and Ma Jia had long since vanished.

He couldn't be bothered to chase them. With the Tranquil Order and the Book of Revelation both out of the picture, and the Earthly Kingdom of God present, this place had completely become his home turf.

Finishing the instance first was the real business.

According to the original plan, Wu Chang had Li Yubin use the Unlimited Portable Livestream Room to break through the blockade of the End Sea, contact her friends, and start the stream.

Wu Chang also used the TV station controlled by the Star Sky Group to broadcast Li Yubin's livestream simultaneously to all of Gao Mu.

The stream's content was simple. As a member of the Star Leap, Li Yubin first reported safety to the viewers, gave a rundown of the current situation, then used the camera to record the intact Star Leap hull and the passengers aboard, claiming the Star Leap and all its passengers were safe.

After reporting safety, she suddenly cried out in surprise, and along with a few players acting as a hype crew, pointed into the distance, saying she saw warships and that the Navy had come to rescue them.

The camera panned, and the shot cut to the Landao that Wu Chang had filmed earlier.

After that, Li Yubin cut the stream on the grounds of signal interference.

!

But that was already enough.

Once the news that the Star Leap had survived was sent out, and a scene of military rescue was staged, if the Gao Mu Navy still wanted to make a move on the passengers, they'd have to think twice.

Even if the upper echelons were all in collusion, it would be hard to make it look reasonable that the Star Leap's entire ship was taken out under the Landao's protection.

Perhaps, this is where the Silent Route instance got its name.

The vanished, sacrificed ships didn't just sink in the Shipwreck Belt and the End Sea — they also stayed silent right up until they vanished, which is why the outside world never noticed.

Only by breaking the blockade and sending the voices aboard out into the world, using public opinion to hold the Gao Mu leadership hostage, could the passengers have even a slim chance of survival.

Once in the spotlight, staying silent becomes difficult, and anyone wanting to move against the survivors would have to think twice.

Originally, in the instance, protecting the survivors could only be done by breaking the silence, but with Wu Chang's involvement, there was an extra layer of security.

Even if the Gao Mu Navy went mad and insisted on silencing them, they'd still have to consider the gap in strength between them.

Even the Landao was taken out by the people on the Star Leap — what ship could they possibly send to silence the Star Leap?

After using the livestream to announce the Star Leap's safety, the time to leave the Shipwreck Belt arrived. The scene flashed before everyone's eyes, the atmosphere around them grew gloomy again, and the Star Leap returned to the Shipwreck Belt.

Cui Chengze had once told Wu Chang that if a ship didn't leave the End Sea for a period of time, it would be pulled back into the Shipwreck Belt, and a second return to the Shipwreck Belt meant forever.

But Wu Chang wasn't worried in the slightest — he had done this on purpose.

With Eileen present, he could tear through the Shipwreck Belt and leave this space whenever he wanted, but he couldn't do that now. He had to choose another way out.

He found Cui Chengze and asked: "What method did you use back then to lure the Sea King?"

Cui Chengze was stunned for a moment, then said: "Just cast a line every morning. If I was lucky, I'd catch one."

Wu Chang confirmed: "Every morning, like now?"

Cui Chengze nodded.

"Catching the Sea King doesn't need any special method, just good luck?"

Cui Chengze said: "I told you before, it's all luck. If you want to try, you can have the people on the ship help you fish. Oh right, I just remembered — before I caught the Sea King, to make sure I'd get a bite, I used to silently recite a prayer for the Sea God General to show himself every time I cast."

Wu Chang nodded, had his secretary bring a fishing rod, baited the hook, then, while no one else was looking, took out the Goddess of Fortune's Dice, activated the Loaded Dice, and rolled three ones.

Then he recited the prayer for the Sea God General to show himself and cast the line.

Once the bait hit the water, there was no movement. Ten minutes passed, and not a single ordinary fish, let alone the Sea King, took the hook.

Just as Wu Chang was wondering if the "Goddess of Fortune's Dice" had malfunctioned, a massive golden figure — several times, even dozens of times, larger than the Star Leap — appeared beneath the ship.

Just one glance at that enormous shadow was enough to give anyone thalassophobia.

Cui Chengze had said earlier that the Sea King he caught had scales three meters across. Wu Chang had assumed it was the hallucination of a fisherman who'd gone too long without a bite — a one-meter scale would already make for a colossal beast.

Seeing the Sea King with his own eyes now, he began to wonder if what Cui Chengze had caught was the Sea King's son.

The next moment, a massive golden dragon head emerged from the water and let out a dragon's cry.

Amid the dragon's cry, the fishing line in his hand turned into a golden chain that bound the Sea King.

After its cry, the Sea King plunged back into the sea, towing the entire Star Leap out of the Shipwreck Belt.

Wu Chang handed the fishing rod to Jian Xing, said "Hold on tight!", then jumped off the ship with Eileen.

Watching the Star Leap disappear at the edge of his vision, Wu Chang turned to Cui Chengze, who had jumped ship with him, and asked:

"Why did you come down too?"

Cui Chengze asked back: "Wasn't it you who waved for me to follow?"

Wu Chang smiled and asked: "So should I call you Cui Chengze, or the Sea God General?"

Cui Chengze smiled as well. "A name is just a code. Like when people call you Li Zaishi — even though it's not your name, you still know they're talking to you."

As they spoke, a string of prompts popped up before Wu Chang.

"Player has completed Main Quest 1: Obtain a Star Leap ticket, spend the entire route aboard, and reach the endpoint."

"Player has completed Main Quest 2: Discover the truth of the Silent Route."

"Player has completed Main Quest 3: Choose a faction to join and help that faction become the final victor."

"Player has completed the hidden side quest: Help Cui Chengze sabotage the Yuzhoujiao Sect's conspiracy, and rescue at least half of the passengers on the ship."

A prompt popped up before his eyes. The passengers on the Star Leap had already been escorted back to normal waters by the Long Wang, the Sea God's avatar, and the higher-ups of Gao Mu Nation, because of Li Yubin's livestream, did not further force a cover-up.

Since the side quest was done, it was time for him to claim his reward.

He glanced at Cui Chengze and said, "I fulfilled your earlier request. Now, shouldn't we talk about the reward?"

Cui Chengze asked, "What do you want? Before the Xinyuzhou Sect discovered this place, ships would often wander in here by mistake and sink. Buried in these waters are countless treasures—no matter what kind of treasure you want, I can try my best to help you find it."

Wu Chang swallowed, resisting Cui Chengze's temptation, and said, "I want a little of your blood. Not too much—just enough for me to complete the final ritual. Look at how big your build is, losing a little blood won't have any effect."

When he had previously helped Wu Chang complete the baptism ritual, Cui Chengze had already calculated Wu Chang's next step in his class advancement, so at this moment he was not surprised by Wu Chang's request.

He said, "If you want my blood, I can naturally give it to you. However, my station is too low. In these waters, there is actually a fellow far more suited to providing you with fresh blood."

Wu Chang asked, "Who?"

Cui Chengze: "The fellow down in the deep sea, the one who calls out to you at night."

A burst update of eleven thousand words—successfully finished the dungeon today. Good bros, don't hoard the book, following along is really extremely heavy important for a newbie qaq

(End of this chapter)