NABC Chapter 83: The Mastermind Emerges
Chapter 83: The Mastermind Emerges
Yu Chen's gaze met Gu Yue's calm eyes for a fleeting moment before looking away. His thoughts shifted slightly, and he transmitted his thoughts directly to her through their soul connection:
"Is it my target? For that century-old dark gold dinosaur claw bear right palm bone? Although it's only a century-old external soul bone, it's enough to tempt some people to have wicked thoughts. It seems the waters in this Spirit Pagoda are muddier than I imagined."
Just as the two were exchanging glances, a series of slightly hurried but deliberately steady footsteps approached.
A pale-faced man with bloodless lips, dressed in a well-tailored suit, strode closer, a professional smile plastered on his face, but a hint of barely concealed eagerness and scrutiny lurked deep in his eyes.
"Yu Chen, you're awake! That's great!"
The man stopped in front of Yu Chen and introduced himself.
"Let me introduce myself first. I am the supervisor in charge of daily operations and reception for the Spirit Ascension Platform area of the Spirit Tower in Donghai City. My surname is Sun."
The main reason I came here is to congratulate and express my concern for your and Gu Yue's outstanding performance at the Ascension Platform. I also wanted to have a chat with you...
"You're Manager Sun, right?"
Yu Chen directly interrupted his clearly prepared opening remarks, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of aloofness.
"Let's skip the pleasantries. You've gone to all this trouble, specifically sending my teachers and classmates away at this time to create this 'one-on-one' meeting. What's your purpose? Just say it directly."
Manager Sun's smile froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Yu Chen to be so direct and sharp.
He chuckled twice, trying to ease the tension:
"Hehe, Yu Chen is really straightforward. It seems you're not one to beat around the bush. Alright, then I'll get straight to the point."
He puffed out his chest, lowered his voice, but it carried a seductive undertone:
"I, and the 'channel' I represent, greatly admire your talent and abilities. We would like to formally invite you to join us. To demonstrate our sincerity, we can offer the following guarantees:"
First, the "unexpected" high-intensity soul beast attacks you encountered several times when entering the Spirit Ascension Platform will never happen again;
Secondly, we can promise to provide you with all the soul spirits needed for your soul rings, at least until you reach the Soul Saint level; this may include extremely precious ten-thousand-year soul spirits; thirdly…”
His gaze swept meaningfully over Yu Chen's right hand.
"It's the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear right palm bone you just obtained."
You should understand the value of an external soul bone that can continuously grow better than anyone else. We can provide the most professional maintenance and development solutions to ensure it unleashes its full potential in your hands.
After hearing this, Yu Chen's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile.
"Oh? That sounds like a very attractive offer."
His voice turned cold.
"However, Manager Sun, don't you think there's a contradiction? The problem with me entering the Ascension Platform before was probably your doing, right? You save people from dire straits but don't look at how they got into them in the first place."
Manager Sun's expression changed slightly.
Yu Chen continued, "Secondly, regarding the soul, there's no need to worry. I have my own ways to handle that. Finally, that soul bone..."
He raised his right hand, his fingers slightly spread and then closed. "This is the reward I received inside the Spirit Ascension Platform after legally and compliantly killing the guardian using my own strength. The rules of the Spirit Pagoda are clearly stated: after killing a soul beast, the soul bone belongs to the killer. It now belongs to me, which is reasonable, justified, and legal. Do I need any 'maintenance plan' from you?"
At the same time, Yu Chen quickly transmitted his judgment and plan to Gu Yue through the soul link:
"Moon, this guy's got issues. I'll stall him for now, and you find someone who can keep things under control. Be quick! I feel like he's losing patience."
Gu Yue's response immediately echoed in his mind, concise and decisive: "Understood. I'll use the emergency channel the teacher gave me."
While Yu Chen and Manager Sun were distracting her, she turned her body slightly to the side, letting her arms hang naturally. Under her wide sleeves, her fingers had already begun to operate her soul communication device with remarkable dexterity and concealment.
She quickly entered the emergency contact code that Leng Yaozhu had privately given her.
After being questioned repeatedly by Yu Chen, Manager Sun's face began to show signs of embarrassment. His professional smile vanished completely, replaced by a gloomy indifference.
"Yu Chen, your youthful vigor is understandable, but sometimes, being too rigid can lead to failure. The rules of the Spirit Pagoda are also enforced by people. Some opportunities, once missed, will never come again. I advise you to reconsider our proposal; it will be of great benefit to you and your future."
As he spoke, he seemingly casually took a small half-step forward, and an invisible pressure began to permeate the air.
Just as tensions were about to rise, Gu Yue's soul-guided communicator emitted an extremely slight, almost imperceptible vibration—the connection was established.
Gu Yue raised his head, a perfectly timed expression of doubt and pleading on his face, and looked at Manager Sun. At the same time, he slightly raised the soul-guided communicator, directing the miniature speaker towards him.
"Manager Sun, excuse me for interrupting. I just received a call from someone claiming to be a senior deacon from the Spirit Tower headquarters. They want to speak directly with you to confirm some 'special circumstances' regarding our upcoming Spirit Ascension Platform experience."
"Uh..." Although Manager Sun didn't know how Gu Yue had broadcast the soul communication device, since things had come to this point, there was no harm in listening.
"Feed..."
"Who are you? I am Leng Yaozhu. Little Sun, remember this well: these two people in front of you are my disciples. They are not without backing, nor are they from the Tang Dynasty."
"Who told you to trip them up? They can do whatever they want with the Spirit Ascension Platform. They can hunt as many soul beasts as they want. They obtain spiritual power through their own strength. That's their ability. Even the Tower Master can't say anything bad about it to their face. This is nonsense."
The words spoken by the cool, mature female voice coming from the communication device left Manager Sun stunned on the spot.
Leng Yaozhu, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo! Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda! A true powerhouse!
Team Leader Sun's hand holding the communicator trembled violently, his face instantly turned ashen, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
He never expected that these two seemingly ordinary geniuses from Donghai Academy actually had this powerful figure behind them! Leng Yaozhu's warning was like a knife, completely disrupting his plans.
However, just when Yu Chen and Gu Yue thought the crisis was about to be over and that Team Leader Sun would be intimidated by Leng Yaozhu's reputation, another unexpected event occurred!
The terrified expression on Team Leader Sun's face suddenly twisted in a very short time, turning into a strange look that mixed fanaticism, resentment, and determination.
"Heh...hehe..." Team Leader Sun let out a low, hoarse laugh, raising his head. The whites of his eyes, which had been relatively normal before, were now streaked with blood. "Heavenly Phoenix Douluo...Leng Yaozhu...What a prestigious name! Truly a formidable figure!"
His voice became somewhat strange, as if two people were speaking at the same time, filled with a discordant frenzy:
"Lady Dark Phoenix asked me to convey her greetings to you! As for your two 'precious disciples'..."
His gaze, like that of a venomous snake, locked onto Yu Chen and Gu Yue. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to part with them! It's their honor to become vessels for the 'Holy Emperor's' grace! They will be grateful for this 'grace'!"
After saying that, he abruptly pulled the soul-guided communicator away from his ear, and then, to Yu Chen and Gu Yue's astonishment, he forcefully tightened his five fingers—
"Snap!"
He crushed the delicate soul-guided communicator with his bare hands, and fragments fell from between his fingers.
Then, eight spirit rings suddenly rose from beneath Team Leader Sun's feet—two yellow, two purple, and four black! He was actually a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse!
Without any warning, his fifth purple spirit ring suddenly shone brightly!
"Fifth Soul Skill: Blood Binding Mist!"
Thick, scarlet mist, exuding a nauseatingly sweet and ominous aura, surged wildly from his sleeves as if it were alive, moving faster than anyone could imagine, instantly enveloping Yu Chen and Gu Yue, who had just emerged from the Spirit Ascension Platform and were in a state of weakness!
"I know you're geniuses, capable of fighting opponents far stronger than you." Team Leader Sun (or rather, the entity controlling him) smiled coldly, slowly approaching the two people imprisoned by the blood mist, his eyes gleaming with a cruel yet excited light.
"Therefore, I will not give you any chance to resist. Give up struggling, obediently accept the 'Holy Guidance,' and become the most loyal servants of the noble 'Holy Emperor.' This will be the beginning of your new life!"
He raised his hands, and in his palms appeared two strange insects, no bigger than a fingernail, completely black, with dark red, eerie patterns flowing across their surfaces.
The insect trembled slightly, its compound eyes flashing with a greedy red light, staring intently at Yu Chen and Gu Yue's foreheads.
"Go, 'Sacred Guide Insect'! Bring back a superior husk for the great Holy Emperor!"
With a flick of his finger, the two black insects transformed into two streaks of dark light, almost invisible to the naked eye, shooting straight towards Yu Chen and Gu Yue's foreheads!
Its speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to dodge within the confinesing environment of the blood mist!
(Final exams are coming up, so I'll try to be as...)