Chapter 328: Taking Desperate Risks

"The boss truly is formidable!"

In a secluded, narrow alleyway, a long-faced cultivator with gauze wrapped over his visage spoke, followed closely by two youthful cultivators whose faces were bruised and swollen. The cultivation bases of these three were not particularly high.

Standing before them was a burly cultivator clad in a black cloak, his physique as imposing as an iron tower. His entire being emanated a dense, sinister, and malevolent aura. In his hand, he held a large bag made of human skin, which was clearly a rather decent spiritual treasure.

"That little wench not only ruined our business but actually dared to strike us?" the cultivator with the gauze face sneered coldly. "Thank goodness you were here, Boss!"

"Heheh..." The others behind him also rubbed their hands together, joining in the cold laughter. "Boss's Soul-Binding Sack is truly remarkable. That little wench fell into the trap before she could even react!"

"Exactly, it covered her up in an instant!" the gauze-faced cultivator added. "The girl didn't even have time to cry out, hahahaha!"

The black-cloaked cultivator moved his fingers slightly, and the human skin sack opened on its own, quickly revealing a young lady dressed in red attire. Most conspicuous of all was the blade-shaped badge upon her chest.

The large man in the black cloak seemed to recognize it, and his countenance instantly became peculiar. "This is... the Defying the Heavens Online Gaming Guild?!"

"The Defying the Heavens Online Gaming Guild?" The few cultivators behind him scoffed. "Boss, what kind of nonsense is that?"

One of them suddenly shuddered as a thought struck him. "I think I heard earlier that Qin Honglin and his bunch got into trouble precisely because they crossed some Defying the Heavens Guild or another. Could it be this one?!"

A sudden chill ran down their spines. "Boss, what should we do now? Should we let her go back?"

"Let her go back?" The black-cloaked cultivator laughed, his eyes fixed intently on Ruan Ning as if to confirm something. After a moment, as though he had verified his suspicion, he said, "Do you know how valuable this woman is? Do you know how much this woman earned at the Heaven-Concealing Pavilion auction a few days ago?!"

"How much?"

"Three hundred and sixty thousand spirit crystals!"

The men instantly widened their eyes, staring at the woman before them as if gazing upon a mountain of endless treasure!

"Are we not about to strike it rich?!" Three hundred and sixty thousand spirit crystals was an astronomical sum they could not hope to see in several lifetimes!

The men trembled with intense excitement almost instantly.

"But..." one of them inquired, "with that much money, no one would be foolish enough to carry it all on their person."

"Regarding that, I naturally have my ways! I shall make her obediently hand the money over to me!" the cloaked cultivator stated disdainfully. "The City of Half-Realms is a vast sea of people. Who could possibly know that I did it?"

"The boss is brilliant!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone's breathing turned ragged. At this moment, their minds held nothing but "three hundred and sixty thousand spirit crystals." It was as if a mountain of spirit crystals was piled right before their eyes, and all they had to do was reach out to claim it!

...

Owner Fang was currently hosting the award ceremony. The three divine weapons were placed respectively inside exquisite presentation boxes crafted from ebony wood, alongside a Wooma Horn.

Everyone was immersed in an ocean of cheers.

The cultivators of the Morning Star Sea who had obtained the three divine weapons vied to pass them around for inspection. The heavy, solid Judgment Staff, the sacred and exquisite Dragon Texture Sword, and the highly legendary Bone Jade Scepter caused all the cultivators present to look on with burning envy.

Owner Fang had finally accomplished yet another major event since opening the shop, yet he constantly felt as though something was missing.

At that moment, Ruan Ning was seen walking into the shop from outside. She appeared slightly more reserved than usual, politely greeting people and offering her congratulations to the Morning Star Sea cultivators who had taken Sabuk Wall.

"Apologies, I had some matters and arrived a bit late..."

Xi Yue felt that something was rather strange, yet she could not put her finger on what it was. Judging by the aura, it was absolutely Ruan Ning without a doubt. As sisters who had spent so much time together, it would naturally be impossible for her not to notice if someone were masquerading as her.

Consequently, at this juncture, quite a few familiar faces turned their gazes over.

Zou Mo also found it somewhat strange, to the point that he involuntarily opened his eyes wide to look closer.

An intense radiance flowed along his pupils and entered his eyes. Ever since his cultivation base had grown higher, he rarely dared to open his eyes wide to look at the world again; those lights felt as though they could pierce and blind a person's eyes.

"Hmm?" Ning Bi seemed to notice the situation here. Within Zou Mo's eyes, a strange light appeared to be swirling.

"Ow..." Zou Mo seemed about to call out to the owner, but at this moment, Ruan Ning had already walked over. Upon her seemingly composed countenance, a faint bead of sweat emerged at her temple. If one did not look closely, it would likely be very difficult to discover.

At this time, Fang Qi had only just finished presenting the awards.

Suddenly, his communication jade flashed. "Owner, Sister Ruan Ning... is very strange. It seems as though she is missing one soul and one spirit."

It was a message sent by Zou Mo.

"!!??" Fang Qi's originally jovial countenance suddenly turned solemn.

"How did you find out?" Fang Qi replied using the communication jade.

Zou Mo: "I don't quite understand either... Just now, the light seemed very piercing to my eyes, and then I saw it..."

Fang Qi: "Understood. Do not act rashly. Try your best to satisfy whatever requests she has."

"Ningning is so strange today..." Xi Yue muttered softly to herself, intending to step forward, but she was pulled back by Fang Qi almost instantly, who then shook his head at her.

"What is it...?"

Meanwhile, Ruan Ning was seen withdrawing the thirty-odd ten thousand spirit crystals she had deposited here. She did not get onto a computer, nor did she purchase any snacks, walking out the door as if nothing were amiss.

"Has something happened?" Mo Tianxing, who was old and shrewd, naturally discerned a bit of a clue as well and hastily sent over a communication message.

At this very moment, in a residence more than ten streets away, several cultivators were congratulating one another. "Hahaha, the boss truly is formidable. That herd of swine clearly has not noticed a thing yet!"

The black-cloaked cultivator's entire aura became increasingly gloomy, as if it originated from the netherworld, and a cold smirk played across the corners of his lips.

"Encountered trouble?" Another communication message was sent over. "Is there anything big sister can help you with?"

Fang Qi raised his head to look over, only to see Ning Bi's alluring face, which carried a hint of the seductive, wearing a charming smile. "That little fellow's eyes are rather special, you know. Did he see through something?"

"Do you have any research into the realm of souls?" The message Fang Qi sent through the communication jade was concise and to the point.

"Involving the soul level? This could be rather troublesome."

Fang Qi's face darkened. "Name a price."

"Big sister also wants to buy a computer, you know. The one called 'Alienware' in 'My Space' is quite nice." She narrowed her eyes slightly with a smile, looking precisely like a vixen capable of charming all living realms.

Fang Qi's face twitched violently. It seemed that all the vegetables he had stolen for so long were going down the drain. "Buy, buy, buy!"

"There is also King of Fighters 97 and the arcade joystick peripheral!"

"...Buy, buy, buy! Buy them all."

"In that case, can Orochi's techniques actually be learned?" It seemed this was the crucial point.

Owner Fang sat before the computer, and within "My Space," the joystick was violently rattled. After selecting all the Heavenly Kings and the hidden riot characters, the selection box rested upon Chris of the Flame of Destiny. Pressing several buttons heavily, the character suddenly transformed into a dark shadow!

It was precisely the dark silhouette of the character when Orochi appeared!

"What do you think?"

Her snow-white, slender finger pointed toward Zou Mo and said, "That little fellow should be able to lead me to find that young girl's soul, though it is inconvenient for me to make a move, you know. I can only help you protect her soul for a period of time; the rest depends on you, Little Owner."

Fang Qi let out a heavy breath. "That is enough."

Fang Qi patted the head of Zou Mo, who was still somewhat dazed. "Can you find it?"

"I..." Zou Mo was clearly still somewhat timid and hesitant.

"Xiao Mo, how do you think your Sister Ruan Ning treats you?" Fang Qi inquired.

"Just like a biological elder sister!" Zou Mo gritted his teeth and said loudly, "I understand, Owner! I will do my best!"

Fang Qi patted his shoulder, nodded, and said, "You lead this big sister over. We shall follow shortly after."

...

Once Zou Mo was taken away by Ning Bi, Fang Qi's eyes swept across the surroundings. "It seems that the popularity of our Defying the Heavens Online Gaming Guild is still somewhat lacking... Why is it that someone is always hatching designs against us? This Guild Leader intends to go out and stir up some trouble. Is anyone coming along?"

Mo Tianxing naturally understood what Fang Qi meant. "We old fellows are all going!"

"Making trouble?" Several factions like the Yuanheng Pavilion and the Panjiao Mansion, fresh off their grand victory and clutching artifact weapons like Bone Jade and Dragon Pattern in their hands, had long been itching for action. "Boss, can you bring us along?"

"Count me in too!" The Crimson Wing Daoist had been playing Legend for a while, and it was clear he felt that a solo player's life was a hard grind, yet he refused to live under someone else's roof. He had simply settled into the Defying Heavens Gaming Guild, a relatively neutral faction. At the very least, joining a guild in the game had earned him quite a few runs for hunting treasures and leveling up, and at this moment, he felt a bit embarrassed to just sit back and watch.

"So many people?" Fang Qi was also a bit dazed. He had only intended to call upon the members of his own guild to go.

Tang Yuan, holding the Bone Jade tightly in his grip and refusing to let go, let out a booming laugh. "Hahaha, let this old man test the might of the Bone Jade first!"

"What kind of trouble is the Boss looking to cause? It happens to be the perfect time to sacrifice a few souls to my Dragon Pattern sword! If the Boss won't take us, we'll just tail along ourselves!"

Fang Qi's face twitched: were there really people who would stubbornly force their way into trouble?

.