Chapter 55: I Now Have a Sword Named Xiao Chuan

“Minister, all civilians around Yin Yuan Mountain have been evacuated.”

“The source of malicious energy is confirmed to be related to the former Huangcun Chronicles incident.”

“The cause of the outbreak has been identified.”

The Ancheng Division of the Supernatural Affairs Bureau has been continuously reporting information upward.

According to calculations, if the source of this malicious energy is allowed to erupt, the direct impact zone will span several surrounding counties, while the indirect impact zone will cover nearly half the province.

This level of malice.

Everyone had become extremely cautious.

The minister of the Ancheng Division’s provincial branch had personally taken charge.

They had sealed off the entire Yin Yuan Mountain using a powerful artifact.

Should any accident occur, the impact would be confined to the vicinity of Yin Yuan Mountain.

At least there would be time to wait for reinforcements from other senior players of the Supernatural Affairs Bureau.

“The accident was caused by five Level 25 players who learned of the old Huangcun Chronicles case through some channel, believing hidden resources remained undiscovered here, so they formed a team to explore.”

“They actually found an anomaly we had failed to detect during months of investigation—they tried excavating it, and luckily, these idiots happened to possess a Legendary item capable of breaking seals.” The investigator nearly fainted from rage as he spoke.

Now it’s done.

No resources found.

A great treasure has been dug up.

The Supernatural Affairs Bureau’s investigators deeply despise civilian explorers.

Because occasionally, dungeons of Difficulty level or higher become entangled with the real world.

Though rare, they do exist.

This has led to the real world containing certain places resembling the “Paradises” in novels.

That is, the original locations corresponding to the real world after high-difficulty dungeons end.

The Supernatural Affairs Bureau named these phenomena—Disaster Holes.

Most Disaster Holes contain leftover high-grade items, equipment dropped by players who cleared the dungeon, or items that existed within the dungeon but were never discovered.

But it’s not just equipment—they also harbor disasters left behind by the dungeons themselves.

The Supernatural Affairs Bureau carefully assesses and consolidates information when exploring Disaster Holes.

First, they determine the level of danger.

If the danger is too high, they would rather abandon any chance of acquiring equipment than open the Disaster Hole.

Instead, they attempt to seal it to prevent accidental casualties.

But civilian explorers who risk their lives for wealth are different.

These people chase fortune through danger!

And those who know of Disaster Holes are almost all Level 20 or higher.

Keep in mind the current known level cap in the Spirit Catastrophe Game is only 30.

Rumors say the level cap will be lifted after public release.

But that won’t happen for another 47 days.

At this stage, Level 25 players already surpass 95% of all players in strength.

And they completely ignore whether the Dungeon they’re exploring might endanger nearby towns.

All they want is to loot its equipment!

Put bluntly—they’re powerful toxins!

“Bro, who could’ve thought such a powerful seal was just to lock up a pig-headed demon?” A man with soot-streaked skin, dark complexion, and a strange golden rope tied around his hand sighed helplessly beside the on-site investigator.

He was one of the idiots who dug into Yin Yuan Village.

He was also the one who leaked the earlier information.

As for lying, there was no need to worry—the Supernatural Affairs Bureau had lie-detection methods.

“I’ve used my [Tian Yuan Drill] on so many Disaster Holes—almost any seal or restriction cracks open with one drill.” The man explained: “But this seal at Yin Yuan Village nearly blew the drill apart on first contact—I thought there was a [Legendary] item underneath, got excited, and...”

Watching the investigator’s face grow darker,

he dared not continue.

He was bleeding inside too.

To break that seal, his [Tian Yuan Drill] was completely destroyed, along with one Legendary consumable item and ten [Fine] items.

These were his life savings, accumulated over years of exploration!

And all he dug up was a pig-headed demon.

And the moment it appeared, it devoured his other four teammates of equal level.

If the Supernatural Affairs Bureau hadn’t arrived in time,

he’d probably be pig food now.

“Alright, take this man back to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau and detain him. His charges will be judged after this incident concludes.” The Ancheng Minister issued his order calmly.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted first toward the depths of Yin Yuan Mountain.

Then toward the distant highway.

As if waiting for someone’s arrival.

“Minister, can’t you handle this yourself? Must you wait for reinforcements from Mingyang City?” A colleague beside him asked, puzzled.

In his view, his boss was fully capable of handling this alone!

But the Ancheng Minister shook his head: “I’m not suited to handle it.”

“Earlier, I went in and made contact—I discovered this pig-headed demon is essentially a non-corporeal spiritual entity. I’m ineffective against such things.” He offered a faint, relieved smile: “But the Mingyang City Minister specializes in dealing with spiritual entities—he’s better suited.”

He and the other minister were old acquaintances.

Perhaps he could learn from the spirit which player cleared the [Huangcun Chronicles].

If not for the previous server-wide announcement,

he’d never have guessed.

The old Yin Yuan Village incident was a Nightmare-tier dungeon!

If they could trace back and find out which big shot cleared a solo Nightmare-tier dungeon,

they must find a way to build a good relationship with him.

Public release is imminent.

Nations and organizations are all stirring with hidden currents.

A sense of impending storm has been pressing down on him.

Forming a connection with such a big shot now would be a huge advantage—for both the Supernatural Affairs Bureau and himself personally!

I really look forward to becoming friends with a big shot!

————

“The train will soon arrive at Ancheng.”

“Passengers disembarking, please collect your belongings and prepare to exit.”

Wu Wang stretched and stepped out.

In his left hand he gripped a black pen; his right hand was wrapped in thick bandages.

He looked as if he’d been in a cast—pathetic.

Gek gek gek—

Feeling the pen’s tremors, he grew impatient and waved it in front of a trash bin.

He threatened: “Move again, and I’ll throw you in the trash, wash you with garbage, then find some pervert in Nantong to use you as an anal plug for days.”

The moment he finished speaking, the pen fell silent.

Wu Wang had figured out on the train why the Spirit Pen had used physical means to stab him instead of casting a curse.

Because of the Yuan God Mark.

With it on his body, curses had zero effect.

In fury, the Spirit Pen had directly used its physical body to stab him hard.

But its corporeal manifestation gave Wu Wang the chance to catch it.

After seven hours of uneasy coexistence,

the man and the ghost had reached a strange equilibrium.

But that’s beside the point.

The real problem now was what was on his right hand.

Wu Wang obviously hadn’t been injured or needed a cast.

He was using the bandages to conceal a broken sword beneath.

The equipment he’d brought to confront Yin Yuan God.

【Xiao Chuan Broken Sword (Current Rank—Legendary, Repairable): Equipping this sword allows sensing spiritual entities. Against defenseless spiritual entities, it can devour them to form a Sword Spirit, increasing damage and granting the sword an attack effect.】

【The stronger the devoured Sword Spirit, the greater the damage increase; the attack effect changes according to the Sword Spirit’s nature.】

【Equipment Requirement: User must possess a biological hand structure and possess basic sword skills.】

【Note: With a laugh, one sword crosses the River of Forgetting.】

When the Yuan God pulled this out of storage, Wu Wang’s mouth nearly twisted into a grin.

Defenseless spiritual entities.

Isn’t there one right here?

The sealed Yin Yuan Great God!

The opponent’s strength goes without saying; becoming a Sword Spirit should fully compensate for his damage deficiencies.

Wu Wang has slide shoes and Sky-Striding Step for mobility; Immortality for defense and survival; the Abyss God Mark to resist corruption.

The only thing lacking is direct combat capability.

As long as he handles the Yin Yuan Great God this time.

He’ll be a perfect six-stat warrior!

“What the hell, how can there be gear you can’t put in your backpack? Are you like Pikachu, refusing to live in a Poké Ball?” Wu Wang sighed.

He had originally been glad players had backpacks.

It let him travel without carrying luggage and made it easy to sneak into places barehanded with the [Fake Smile Mask].

Who knew that as soon as he entered Ancheng’s territory,

the [Smile River Broken Sword] inside his backpack suddenly popped out.

It kept guiding him toward some place with a powerful spiritual entity.

It was starving and desperate!

And once out, it couldn’t be put back.

That’s why Wu Wang had disguised the broken sword’s presence by wrapping it in bandages.

But this was way too conspicuous!

Bad news—carrying it made stealth difficult.

Good news—he really had a sword called Smile River.

Now he planned to use it for mischief…