Chapter 200: Someone Wants to Cause Trouble (1/3)

"An entire faction, collective abstention..." the elder murmured to himself. "This is indeed something unprecedented for thousands of years."

The Wuwei Daoist Alliance was, after all, a rather massive force of cultivators; no war had broken out in the State of Jin, nor had any secret realm appeared that required risking one's life to explore, yet now everyone had vanished at once? How could that be?!

"This matter is of grave consequence. If someone truly is obstructing from the shadows, foolishly plotting to sabotage the cultivation realm's grand grand assembly, we shall never tolerate it!"

"For what matter has Master summoned me?" Just then, a young man clad in white, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, stepped forward.

This young man, like Lu Wu, looked to be in his twenties, yet his words and deeds, every gesture and movement, exuded an inexplicable sense of profound vicissitude.

A white robe was draped casually over his shoulders, and at the center of his brow lay a diamond-shaped imprint the size of a grain of rice.

The young man kept his eyes squinted slightly, as if he had been closing them to rest his spirit all along; only upon seeing the elder before him did he slowly open them, his eyes naturally revealing a daunting, piercing light that resembled the brilliance of the bright sun, a flash so intense that not a single trace of darkness could remain within the entire stone chamber.

Were it someone of weak will, they would likely have lost their fighting spirit under the sheer awe of this divine light alone, left with no choice but to surrender!

"Mm, not bad." The elder nodded. "Take a trip to the State of Jin."

...

"How come we rarely see the old man around lately?" An Cheng and a few others walked into the internet cafe, glancing at the small blackboard. "Act Five is already open?"

Bu Che also complained, "I was still waiting for the old man to open up the wasteland together, how is everyone gone!"

"The boss went to open up the wasteland alone again!" An Cheng spotted Fang Qi’s seat at a single glance. "Let's go, take a look!"

At this moment, Fang Qi was seen retrieving a pale blue large shield from the Barbarian blacksmith.

Opening the equipment column to take a look, several people gasped on the spot, "Boss?! Four sockets?!"

"Isn't the maximum only three sockets?!"

"What is that?! Has the boss gotten good equipment again?!" Hearing An Cheng’s shout, many people nearby suddenly looked over.

"My heavens! Boss, you’ve already fought your way to Act Five?!" Ji Yang hadn't even passed Act Two yet at this time, looking on with a face full of envy.

"Boss, what are you doing with a four-socket shield?" As an old Diablo player, An Cheng knew the moment he saw grey equipment with sockets that it was time to make a Runeword.

"Making a Spirit shield," Fang Qi spoke.

The Ancient's Pledge could no longer meet his requirements now; Fang Qi was seen socketing the runes in sequence.

"Plus two to all skills?!" Seeing the first attribute, An Cheng and the others were already dumbfounded.

"And plus 30% faster cast rate?!"

"250 defense against missile?!"

"And resistance to all attributes?!"

Everyone looked at the screen, no longer knowing what to say.

"Boss, you aren't going to solo Diablo, are you?" Ji Yang clicked his tongue.

"Nonsense, Diablo was slain by the boss long ago!" An Cheng said. "Diablo is in Act Four."

"Why did Diablo go to Act Four again...?" Ji Yang was a bit bewildered. "I don't understand the plot that follows."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand!" An Cheng laughed. "I recommend you go read the official Diablo novel penned by our Eldest Miss Shen! It's already reached the second volume now!"

The plot of Diablo was actually not hard to comprehend; the Dark Wanderer, whose body had been seized by the Lord of Terror, sought to resurrect himself and release the two Great Evils, Mephisto and Baal, while the elites of various professions followed the footsteps of the Dark Wanderer, only to always be one step too late in the end, forced to battle several bosses.

Ultimately, the Soulstones of Mephisto and Diablo were both destroyed at the Hellforge, leaving only Baal to lead his demonic army and capture the core of the world, the Worldstone Keep.

And this segment regarding Baal was newly added subsequent content in the original version.

...

And at this time, within the Wuwei Daoist Alliance, at the residence of the Blue Flame Sect.

"Senior Brother... these past few days, this old man needs to set about researching this Runeword thing, as well as the Blood Refining method in *Zhu Xian*, so... don't bother me, I'll go to that shop myself..."

"Weren't you researching scientific artifact-refining before?!" Lan Mo was utterly speechless; how had he changed trades again now?

"Isn't it all because of that kid Haoran! Saying that Runewords are too profound to research thoroughly, and asking this old man to come help try!" Jun Yangzi said. "As for scientific artifact-refining, that kid has already achieved considerable results; what fun is there for this old man to keep blindly meddling along?"

"Alright, alright! This old man will head over after finishing the research on this... whatever magic equipment attribute forging and enchanting formulas..." Within the artifact-refining room, Jun Yangzi was seen drenched in sweat. "Why is this method of artifact-refining so bizarre!?"

"Oh, looking at this is giving this old man presbyopia!"

"You're not going?"

"I'll go in a bit!" Jun Yangzi said impatiently.

"Then this old man shall go first!" Lan Mo spoke up. "This old man must go research the Taiji Mystic Clear Dao and the Sword Controlling Technique, so I won't wait for you!"

"Go on! Go on!"

"Oh! Off to watch television dramas!" Lan Mo chuckled, his hands behind his back as he strode out of the Wuwei Daoist Alliance.

Within the artifact-refining room, Jun Yangzi intently stared at the changes in the greyish-white dharma sword before him. "Still... compared to scientific artifact-refining, this kind of artifact-refining is closer to this old man's own methods; ah... that periodic table of elements, those reaction equations, and those trigonometric functions, they make this old man's head spin just looking at them!"

...

In a highly exquisite manor on the border of Jiangnan.

At this moment, Ji Wuyou sat up straight and solemn; sitting on his left and right sides, arranged in two rows—if An Huwei or any Jiangnan noble were present right now, they would recognize that the elder sitting on Ji Wuyou’s left, wearing a grey-black star-patterned robe with a short beard on his chin, thick brows and narrow eyes that flashed with a ferocious light, was precisely the head of the second largest family, second only to the Nalan family, Shangguan Yuan!

And sitting beside Shangguan Yuan, looking down the row, were several more experts with extremely powerful auras.

As for Ji Wuyou's right side, that figure who had always remained hidden in the darkness seemed to no longer hide his head and tail for the first time, standing right behind Ji Wuyou.

It was a middle-aged man clad in black robes, his entire body exuding a gloomy aura.

Ji Wuyou spoke, "I have already received word from the Nalan family that Nalan Hongwu has gone out in recent days, and his destination seems to be the northern Heavenly Prison Mountain! This is our ultimate opportunity!"

"Nalan Hongwu and the Nalan family will be unable to attend to both head and tail," Ji Wuyou said. "Everyone, I believe you have also waited a very long time for this day!"

"This is absolutely an opportunity to round up the entire Nalan family in one fell swoop!" Ji Wuyou scanned everyone present. "In the future, you will never have to submit to the tyrannical abuse of power by the Nalan family again; in the future, you will be the masters of this beautiful and fertile land!"

"From now on, the surname Nalan will no longer exist here!"

.