NABC Chapter 82 The Sun on the River of Destiny
Chapter 82 The Sun on the River of Destiny
Chapter 82 The Sun on the River of Destiny (7500 words, please subscribe)
If I didn't have the perspective of a mist crow, I would have really been fooled by you.
Indeed, the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie.
But don't even think about fooling me, the most innocent person in the world of beast taming.
Lu Yu thought to himself, then turned to look at the girl who had enveloped her right hand in a soft embrace, enjoying the snow-covered Cangshan Mountain.
But that's not the point. What he was curious about was why Yu Xiyan and "Ten-Crown King" Qi Wei would also come to explore the Desolate Ant Tomb Secret Realm.
He was unaware that both of them had been in the black market earlier; he was simply shocked by the images transmitted by Fog Raven.
These two aren't even Silver Beastmasters, yet they dared to venture deep into the wilderness, confront the Limb-Splitting Demon head-on without running away, and even actively provoked it. Is this what they mean by "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger"?
However, since he was already planning to hunt down the limb-splitting demon, and considering they were classmates, he intended to act quietly and discreetly, keeping his achievements hidden. But Yu Xiyan's performance surprised him greatly.
This shy girl is remarkably calm and composed in battle.
Without even summoning any pets, he manipulated all the limb-splitting demons with just a bow and arrow, and it was only a matter of time before he shot them all down.
It's not because this golden shortbow is some kind of top-tier divine artifact.
Lu Yu had seen this item at the Dark Moon Merchant Guild. It was a standard secret artifact called the [Elemental Bow]. It could condense elite-level elemental arrows by consuming one's own spiritual energy, and its price was around 1.5 million.
It has decent power, allowing a Bronze-ranked character to possess the combat strength of a mid-Silver-ranked character, but using it effectively is not so simple.
It requires powerful psionic abilities, a calm mind, exceptional archery talent, and precise calculation skills.
Otherwise, the stronger the treasure, the greater the consumption. If you shoot randomly, you'll collapse from exhaustion before you can even kill your opponent.
Yu Xiyan's combat performance was near perfect. She grasped all external factors and even calculated the fall of the beehive, almost as if she could foresee the future.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that there are no summoned pets."
Lu Yu realized that he had almost fallen into a cognitive trap and made an empiricist error.
After all, in this spiritually-driven world of beast taming, not all beasts are physical entities. Some beasts can possess or fuse with the beast tamer's body organs, allowing the beast tamer to wield extraordinary power and fight personally.
The most famous are some spell-type pets that can merge with the body. For example, a rare spell-type pet, the [Eye Sword Spell Spirit], can enter the eyes of the beast tamer and transform into an eye sword spell, killing the opponent by looking into their eyes.
That's literally staring someone to death!
There is also a type of beast called "Super Strength Arm," which has no physical form but can expand the tamer's hands into giant arms, like a child driving a large vehicle, gaining unparalleled strength, easily lifting objects far exceeding their own size, and throwing them at will, causing violent tremors.
However, since the Eye of Truth requires seeing to be triggered, otherwise only a human label can be seen, Lu Yu can only speculate that Yu Xiyan's pet or beast tamer talent is related to abilities such as divination, wisdom, and super vision.
However, this calm and composed girl in battle actually appeared weak and pitiful in front of him.
Thinking back to that letter from when we first met, is it really love that makes people naive...?
Just as Lu Yu was pondering, Qi Wei also saw this "lifelong enemy," and was first taken aback, then stopped in his tracks.
"Whoosh!"
The bronze-armored baboon saw Qi Wei suddenly stop, turn its head to look at the several limb-splitting demons approaching, and became anxious, urging its master to run quickly, or it would be chopped into mincemeat!
However, Qi Wei remained unmoved, his expression suddenly becoming calm and composed. He turned to look at the several limb-splitting demons, stood with his hands behind his back, and said to Lu Yu:
"Lu Yu, you've come at the right time. Let's get my cousin out of here first. These ugly things, let me and the bronze-armored baboons who've finished warming up take care of them. It's been a long time since I've experienced such an exhilarating battle..."
The bronze-armored baboon next to him looked utterly bewildered.
"???"
Who's finished warming up? Aren't we running for our lives?
And take care of a few more...
If he couldn't even beat one of them and was slapped away, what would happen if he faced several limb-splitting demons at once? Wouldn't he be torn to pieces?
The thought of that possibility made the bronze-armored baboon shudder. It was still a child, hadn't married the female baboon from its hometown, and didn't want to die young.
"Huff huff..."
Should we ask my cousin for help?
It looked at its master and saw the latter winking and pleading at it. Then it saw Lu Yu in the distance and instantly understood.
This is because they don't want to lose face in front of their arch-rivals...
Are we really going to sacrifice it to face these fat and strong monsters?
It felt like a victim forcing his childhood sweetheart, a beautiful girl, into the room of three fat, blond-haired guys who had always bullied him...
It really will break!
"Don't panic, I have a brilliant plan!"
Qi Wei wasn't out of his mind and didn't value his own life. He just thought that with his strength, even if he couldn't win, it shouldn't be difficult to buy some time.
We'll slip away after Lu Yu and the others leave.
They saved face while also preserving substance.
We've won so much!
Although the plan sounded alright, the bronze-armored baboon felt something was off. After hesitating for a while, it finally couldn't resist its master's pleading gaze and turned away.
It looked at the several ferocious limb-splitting demons and a helpless yet carefree smile appeared on its lips.
If I can go back this time, I'll confess my love to the three female baboons on the next mountain and tell them that they are all my wings.
Click click click!
The copper armor on the copper-armored baboon began to melt and boil at a visible speed, flowing into its limbs and bones, constantly strengthening its power. A burning sensation spread throughout its body, and its crimson eyes were already boiling with fighting spirit!
The racial skill of the Copper-Armored Baboon clan is called [Copper Devour].
They live alongside mineral veins, gaining powerful and extraordinary spirituality by devouring metals. They forge armor to protect themselves, and can also devour them in critical moments to gain powerful combat strength for a short time.
After evolving, it will transform into [Silver Bite] and [Golden Bite], further increasing its power and possessing extremely high potential.
If properly nurtured, it even has a sliver of hope of becoming a dominant pet beast.
"Roar roar roar!"
However, it went all out. The limb-splitting demons on the other side were not afraid at all. Instead, they roared and charged forward. After Yu Xiyan ran away, they realized that the other party had let them go.
The only possibility is that the opponent's special ability has reached its limit!
Yu Xiyan must have used some kind of secret technique to kill them before, but now that the duration has ended, she's about to escape.
As for wanting a man?
Impossible, absolutely impossible. Why can't we kill them first? Who would be in such a hurry?
So the limb-splitting demons prepared to take revenge for all the previous humiliation and pain, and chop the woman and the new guy into mincemeat.
Let's kill this lackey she brought with us first.
As an appetizer!
"roar!"
The bronze-armored baboon charged forward, its fist wreathed in golden light, transforming into a Vajra Fist that blasted towards the enemy.
Like a fierce Vajra, wielding immense power, it shatters demons!
First, take down one of the limb-snatching demons, then use kiting tactics to fight the other two. This way, you can maneuver for a while and retreat smoothly.
The plan was wonderful, but the reality was...
Boom!
The Sheep Hoof Limb-Changing Demon crossed his hooves in front of him and collided with the Vajra Fist. It only produced a muffled thud, and his body swayed slightly before being easily blocked.
This left the bronze-armored baboon completely dumbfounded.
His all-out attack had absolutely no effect!
The goat-hoofed limb-splitting demon saw its shock and grinned maliciously:
"Your strength is too low!"
"How is that possible!?"
Qi Wei was also questioning his life. When he watched his cousin kill indiscriminately, it seemed so easy. Why did he feel like he was facing the final boss when he was facing the limb-splitting demons?
Little did he know that in the same game, the difference between a newbie and a pro player can be vast, let alone in the real world of online games.
The gap between a genius and an ordinary person is greater than the gap between a person and a dog.
"Copper-armored Baboon, use the Vajra Roar!"
However, Qi Wei was still the second-best in tactics class, so he had basic reaction skills. He didn't just stand there dumbfounded and chose to injure his opponent with close-range sonic shockwaves.
Unfortunately……
They have no sense of martial ethics!
Snapped!
The goat-hoofed limb-splitting demon swung its hoof and slapped the bronze-armored baboon across the face several times, stunning it before kicking it to the ground.
Another mishap happened in the blink of an eye!
"Why did this silly child only choose to kill this goat hoof limb-splitting demon? Does he really judge strength based on appearance? If it were someone else, it wouldn't have been this tragic..." Lu Yu couldn't help but put his hand to his forehead when he saw this scene, he could hardly bear to watch anymore.
Normally, the Copper-Armored Baboon's combat power surges after using [Copper Devour], making it able to barely contend with early-stage elites, and even potentially turn the tables on them once.
But it was facing a limb-splitting demon with the four hooves of a Thick-Fat Ridge Sheep spliced together. This extraordinary demon lived on the edge of the cliff, loved to eat meat, and stored a lot of fat on its legs. Therefore, it was best at dissipating brute force and then taking the opportunity to counterattack, hence its nickname "Fighter Killer".
It is the nemesis of other strength-type pets of the same level.
However, its weakness is also obvious: it has extremely low resistance to elemental or mental attacks. Since the limb-attacking demon pieced together its body, it naturally retained this weakness.
Although Qi Wei has a good grasp of tactical theory, he is still far from being able to apply what he has learned immediately, and he needs a lot of time to accumulate life experience.
Some might say that it's not entirely his fault, since most people can't identify a pet just by its hooves.
However, Lu Yu was one of the few who, even without the Eye of Truth, had already thoroughly mastered this knowledge.
If it were up to him, he would choose to use the Vajra Roar from the very beginning to intimidate his opponents while attacking the Giant Axe-Jointed Demon, either by force or by seizing its Giant Axe Insect head, and then use the weapon bonus to go on a rampage.
Of course, if the Copper Armored Baboon had mastered skills like the Fiery Fist, it wouldn't need to go through all that trouble; a single blow would be enough to severely injure the Goat Hoof Limb-Setting Demon.
But life doesn't offer so many "what ifs"...
To lose a battle means death.
What a stupid little brother!
Thinking of this, Lu Yu glanced at Qi Wei's cousin, the renowned Yu Xiyan, and asked curiously:
"Are you sure you don't want to do anything about him?"
"With you here, these little monsters can be easily swept away!" Yu Xiyan's eyes were practically bulging with desire, and the next step would be to be drenched in soup. She didn't care at all whether Qi Wei lived or died.
However, Lu Yu wasn't the kind of hot-blooded youth who would get carried away by a few words of praise. He glanced at her and said in a calm tone:
"Who said I would make a move? After all, he and I are practically enemies. It's only natural for me to sit idly by, right?"
In fact, Qi Wei wisely refrained from causing further trouble and didn't harbor any hatred. If it weren't for this encounter, Lu Yu would have almost forgotten about this person.
He's not taking action now simply because he sees five elite, low-level limb-splitting demons and is too lazy to bother, so he'd rather let Yu Xiyan do it herself.
He just played the sixth man, harvesting some material.
However, Yu Xiyan remained silent for a long time. Lu Yu, watching Qi Wei being chased and leaping about, asked in confusion, "It's normal that I didn't save him, but aren't you relatives?"
"That's right, but..." Yu Xiyan raised her head and said weakly, "If you say he's an enemy, then I won't do anything. I'll wait until he's dead before collecting his body. Then I'll tell my uncle that I was the one who stood by and watched him die."
Although her expression was weak, her light blue eyes looked at Lu Yu with an indescribable persistence.
Lu Yu gave her a deep look, and even though several limb-splitting demons had already approached Qi Wei, she showed no intention of picking up a weapon.
In other words...
She's serious!
Just because she called Qi Wei an enemy, she didn't even go to save him? And she's prepared to bear the consequences alone.
This woman is like a girl blinded by love. Once she falls for someone, she will stand by his side regardless of everything, even if it means betraying everything and going against the world.
If you're looking for a romantic relationship, this kind of woman would be quite nice.
On the other hand, this kind of obsessive thinking could be considered a form of yandere.
If Qi Wei dies, he'll definitely be entangled with a yandere...
I can accept a yandere in anime, but a yandere in real life would actually kill you, the kind who would stuff you in the refrigerator.
Lu Yu felt a chill run down his spine and quickly withdrew his hand. Suddenly, he found Qi Wei much more agreeable. This kid was clearly destined for a long life!
"roar!"
On the other side, the Giant Axe-Split Demon finally regained his confidence in tormenting the weak. Looking down at Qi Wei and the Bronze-Armored Baboon on the ground, he brandished his giant axe and laughed wildly:
"Go to hell!"
"don't want!"
Qi Wei screamed in terror, as if he saw Death raising its scythe, announcing the arrival of death!
At this distance, even my cousin's arrows wouldn't be able to reach us in time.
Perhaps only Lu Yu's Spider Girl could transcend space and descend.
But he was only a Bronze-rank Beastmaster. His own Bronze-Armored Baboon was no match for such an elite monster. Only a few days had passed, so he probably wouldn't have changed much.
"Am I really going to die...?"
Qi Wei felt somewhat sad, realizing that many of his dreams hadn't come true. He hadn't surpassed his former idol, Lu Yu, nor had he successfully met his current idol, "The Collector." And he hadn't even finished writing his new version of that little essay yet…
Just as he was lost in thought, waiting for death to come, he found that he hadn't felt the axe fall for a long time. He looked at the bronze-armored baboon beside him in confusion and found it lying on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the sky in shock.
"This scene looks so familiar..."
A bad premonition rose in Qi Wei's heart. He subconsciously looked up and saw a scene that was both familiar and shocking. Countless thoughts intertwined, and all his emotions merged into one sentence:
"Oh no, he's tricked me again..."
A huge rift tore open in the sky, and the little spider stood in the sky once more.
Compared to before, even though there were no six Void Eyes accompanying it, it brought an even more terrifying sense of oppression!
Countless spider silks surged from behind it, cascading down like a waterfall, dividing into three parts, and like giant pythons, tightly wrapped around the three limb-splitting demons, tightening them again and again. Blood and flesh spurted out from them, dripping onto the ground, staining it with crimson flowers.
"Waaaaah..."
The three limb-splitting demons screamed in terror and struggled incessantly, but they could not tear through the strong spider silk. They could only watch helplessly as they were bound by the spider silk, and finally their heads were covered by the spider silk as well. They were suspended in the air like three mummies waiting to be dried, and then they opened the Void Treasure Chest.
That place has temporarily become a life bubble factory, and the tireless blood-eating worms are its best employees!
However, because the three limb-splitting demons were too big and the Void Treasure Chest was not very large, the process was a bit difficult. They had to squeeze it in with force, and in the end, because it was full, they even had to cut off a section and then stuff it in again.
The art style is bizarre, resembling a void demon standing outside the world, its enormous maw spanning endless space, devouring the creatures in the sheepfold.
Even when they were full, they still forced themselves to eat more.
Powerful and brutal!
"Eek!"
The little spider glanced at it, yawned boredly, then turned and walked into the void rift, returning to Lu Yu's pocket.
What are powerful monsters to them are nothing more than easy snacks to the little spiders.
Now I've lost much of my interest in even eating it.
The mouse was very excited, holding the notebook filled with shadows, and recording it in its own mouse-like words.
I've learned this trick.
From now on, it will be just as handsome!
As for Qi Wei, he had begun to doubt his life, his mind went blank, and he couldn't understand why Lu Yu's strength had changed so drastically in just a few days.
In previous battles, although he had completely dominated the opponent, according to his post-battle analysis, if the Bronze Armored Baboon had been prepared, it could have withstood two or three of his attacks.
But now... even low-level elite monsters can be easily crushed in his hands!
This leveling speed is faster than even taking drugs, right?
Can I really surpass this monster, just as my father said?
The bronze-armored baboon was also trembling. The resentment and discontent left over from the previous battle had completely dissipated. If its own beast tamer wanted it to challenge this guy again in the future, it would definitely turn on it.
The kind that can't be coaxed!
"Has the future really changed again...?"
Upon seeing this scene, Yu Xiyan narrowed her eyes, her azure pupils filled with a morbid infatuation, and a slight upturn of her lips revealed a joyful smile.
Yes, that's right, it's that kind of unpredictable power.
Previously, she was able to deduce Lu Yu's future and feel an insurmountable sense of pressure.
However, since a few days ago, she has been unable to even perform calculations, as if Lu Yu has completely disappeared from this world, and everything about him has become nothingness.
The appearance of the little spider made her realize that Lu Yu had definitely embarked on a faster path to becoming stronger, a path completely different from any of the countless deductions.
A path leading to greatness!
This change both fascinated her and made her eager to know what had happened.
That's why she came to the Desolate Ant Tomb Secret Realm. Originally, she wanted to bring her pet cousin to pick up some opportunities to become a powerful beast tamer, so that he could become stronger and continue to challenge Lu Yu.
You've been buffed, hurry up and deliver the gift!
This can be used to test Lu Yu's current strength. After the battle, you can use the excuse of asking for advice to get closer to Lu Yu, or even become partners. Being close to him will give you an advantage.
But to everyone's surprise, Lu Yu actually arrived at the Desolate Ant Tomb Secret Realm, another unprecedented future, and things once again spiraled out of control.
Therefore, Yu Xiyan deliberately acted a bit yandere, so Lu Yu, who dislikes trouble, would definitely take action to prevent her from getting attached to him.
The result did not disappoint her.
"As expected of someone who is always right..."
As Yu Xiyan watched Lu Yu's retreating figure, she felt as if she were seeing Lu Yu again during those countless times when she was contemplating the future and mired in despair.
Knowing the future is not a good thing. For example, knowing that you will die or that the world will end, and being powerless to change it even after countless simulations, will only leave you with despair until you break down and choose to end your own life.
However, Lu Yu's first appearance was when she was on the verge of a complete breakdown, like a ray of light that soothed her spirit.
The eternally hopeless future was a joke to him; the path he walked was the truth, and terrifying and bizarre figures appeared behind him, radiating across billions of dimensions, easily crushing everything that stood in his way.
Once, twice...
Countless rays of light converge, shining like the sun upon the long river of destiny.
Even knowing that getting close might result in being burned to ashes, I still want to touch it, to make it my own, forever...
Unfortunately, after this test, Lu Yu will become more alert and it will be even harder for him to get close.
Just as she was lost in thought, Lu Yu suddenly turned his head and asked:
"Could you do me a favor?"
"Speak."
Yu Xiyan raised her head. A gentle breeze blew by, causing a few strands of her black hair to flutter. A gentle smile graced her lips, like a fresh camellia, its fragrance delicate yet refreshing.
I didn't ask what it was about because...
She wouldn't refuse Lu Yu's request!
Lu Yu gave a general account of the Demon Thieves' sacrificial ritual plan, omitting information related to the Eye of Truth and the Thousand-Faced Demon, only saying that he had overheard and speculated about it, and wanted Yu Xiyan to help disrupt several ritual nodes.
Regardless of the type of ceremony, it is necessary to set up rituals and key points. Disrupting these can greatly reduce the success rate of the ceremony.
Originally, this was something Lu Yu was supposed to do himself, but considering that his joining had already triggered a butterfly effect, causing the [Wings of Flesh and Blood] bandit group to know that someone was hunting them, they returned to the altar with the previous offerings.
Lu Yu wasn't worried that the other party would abandon the ritual, because after this failure, once the news spread, the [Flesh and Blood Wings Demon Thieves] would face a thunderous attack from all sides, making it extremely difficult to collect offerings again.
Given the ruthless nature of the leader of the Demon Thieves, he would likely take a desperate gamble, forcibly ambush and kill the adventure team entering the Desolate Ant Tomb Secret Realm to collect offerings, or even hold the ritual in advance!
To prevent this, Lu Yu would be better off entering the Desolate Ant Tomb Secret Realm beforehand.
However, destroying nodes would waste a lot of time and lead to unforeseen changes. Yu Xiyan has good strength and combat awareness, possesses a wise pet with divination or enhanced calculation abilities, and with Qi Wei by her side, she is strong enough to join the plan.
"If the plan succeeds, we will split the reward equally."
Lu Yu said that this was not just empty promises. Even if they couldn't kill the leader of the Demon Thieves, as long as they could disrupt its sacrificial ritual, they could receive a generous reward after obtaining proof from the Special Department.
Although splitting the money was painful for Lu Yu, he knew what was important and what was secondary; the material for the Thousand-Faced Demon was of paramount importance.
Get it,
The mouse's evolutionary secret food is perfect, achieving a perfect trinity.
While destroying nodes isn't particularly difficult, it carries a risk of encountering the limb-splitting demons guarding them. Therefore, Yu Xiyan must carefully consider whether she wants to join the plan, as she cannot back out halfway once it begins.
"Sacrificial ceremony..."
A look of shock flashed in Yu Xiyan's beautiful eyes, but not because of the ceremony, but because the real Lu Yu was much smarter than the one in the simulation.
She was unaware of the existence of the Eye of Truth, only seeing that Lu Yu had analyzed most of the Demon Thieves' plans based on fragmented information.
They even want to devour an elephant like a snake, treating a top-tier demon that has undergone spiritual transformation as prey—that's really...
Pleasant!
Yu Xiyan narrowed her eyes and nodded, saying, "We really can't let this guy succeed, otherwise it will be dangerous in the future. I agree."
Lu Yu breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that she agreed. He then told her the locations of several nodes he had predicted using the Eye of Truth. She actually knew all of this, but still pretended to be diligently taking notes, simply wanting to spend more time with him…
After the exchange, Lu Yu, true to form, didn't forget to take the remaining corpses of the limb-splitting demons with him.
Mosquitoes are meat no matter how small they are.
Yu Xiyan watched his departing figure quietly, then withdrew her deep gaze. This plan was a good opportunity to get closer to him, and she would do her best.
Although Qi Wei is no longer of much use, he will still be needed to assist in this sabotage of the ritual.
She approached Qi Wei, who was still in a daze, and called out in a gentle voice:
"Cousin, were you scared?"
"I'm not scared at all!" Qi Wei retorted loudly, regaining his senses. He couldn't help but say, "I just wanted to experience the terror of facing death to temper my will, but Lu Yu interrupted me. Oh well, I won't hold it against him. This guy truly lives up to his reputation as my nemesis; he's definitely a little bit stronger than me..."
As he spoke, he made a peacock dance gesture. As a result, the bronze-armored baboon behind him, in order to retaliate against its master who was all talk and no action, silently made the same gesture, only the opening and closing of the gesture was almost as big as Qi Wei's head.
Seriously, just a tiny bit!
Yu Xiyan said with a smile:
"It's good that you're not scared. We'll be facing even more limb-splitting monsters soon, so we're counting on you."
"What!?"
........................
As dawn breaks, in the secret realm of the Desolate Ant Mound.
Compared to the outside world, the vegetation here has suddenly decreased, replaced by cacti, a resilient plant, scattered everywhere, creating a scene of tenacious life that is completely different from the vibrant life outside.
The earth was carved by the flowing water, and everywhere there were barren wastelands covered with dry, bare rocks, which contrasted with the vast desert covered with coarse sand and gravel, presenting a distinct layer of brownish-red.
Deeper still, on the Gobi Desert covered in blood-red sand, stand rows of stone pillars engraved with mysterious runes, forming a huge and eerie magic circle that covers a vast area.
Within the magic circle, a giant ring entwined with tentacles was drawn with blood. Inside the ring were nine smaller rings, layered and intertwined to form eye patterns.
Numerous bizarre limb-splitting demons placed hearts imbued with spiritual power within them.
Click!
The heart melted instantly, mixing with the extracted red and white brain matter, and was absorbed by the eye pattern below.
then……
They're alive!
Countless eyes on the ground turned, opened, and closed, as if the earth itself were in that moment...
Resurrected!
The scope of the rituals continues to expand outwards.
At the center of these stone pillars stands a massive black and red altar, crafted from an unknown metal, its shape resembling countless outstretched arms, or a lotus flower taken from a sea of blood and hell.
And atop the altar, ancient songs began to drift across the desert as the ritual markers were lit one by one:
"...The awakened god...breaks free from his cage..."
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(End of this chapter)