Chapter 529: It Has Returned!

Chapter 529: He... Has Returned!

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

The Thornblood staff member typed out this message.

At this moment, he was at ease, waiting to see the shock on Caidao and Ji Wuyun’s faces.

As a Voidwalker from the Void Paradise, his descent into this world was akin to a player entering a game.

A player feeling superior to the natives—perfectly normal, right?

“I! Don’t! Understand!” Ji Wuyun seemed to grasp something, her mind growing hazy.

Seeing this, the Thornblood staff member’s smugness deepened: “Brother Caidao, what do you think?”

He was even more eager to see Brother Caidao’s shock and disbelief.

After all, in their past exchanges, Caidao had always remained unflappable, always holding the upper hand.

This time, he was confident he could shock Caidao.

After all, telling a native that the world they lived in had long since had its future written, everything following a predetermined path—

Some who thought themselves exceptional might find it unbearable.

“So, could you let me take a look at the *Green Mountain Book*? I want to see the game guide.”

“…” The Thornblood staff member fell silent.

This Caidao was far too calm, wasn’t he?

Not the reaction of a normal person.

“Your fate is already sealed… Aren’t you curious?”

“Sealed how? Haven’t I already changed a special event and boosted my destiny?” Qi Yuan said casually.

He accepted this easily.

Wasn’t it just like playing a normal game?

“Come on, tell me—what special event did I change?” Qi Yuan asked curiously.

The Thornblood staff member was quiet again.

This Caidao’s heart was way too big, wasn’t it?

If someone told him that everything he had experienced was predetermined, he would find it hard to accept.

“Where are you now?” the Thornblood staff member asked.

“Dingbo Prefecture.”

“According to the *Green Mountain Book*, there are two recent special events in Dingbo Prefecture.

Both are at their inception, not yet truly begun.

Though revealing the *Green Mountain Book* is like divulging the secrets of heaven, this is the Divine Wood Token—no matter what I say, nothing will happen.

Oh, and don’t repeat what I say here, or… you’ll incur heavenly punishment,” the Thornblood staff member said warmly.

He had come to this world to complete a mission; he bore no real malice toward Caidao or the other woman.

Ji Wuyun, hearing this, grew tense.

“First, there’s the Daliang Mutiny, happening about three months from now.

Blood Hand’s four chief eunuchs—the adopted son of Chief Eunuch Liu, Liu Wen—suppresses General Li Zhao of Wind and Thunder, eventually forcing Li Zhao to rebel.”

“Second, it’s called the Anze Uprising. The laborer Wang Keng, humiliated by a wealthy merchant’s steward, kills in rage, drawing the attention of the authorities. The authorities, long accustomed to arrogance, not only execute Wang Keng but also massacre the docks. This enrages the common folk. Chi Changle rallies laborers from all over, surrounding the government office to demand justice, alarming the prefect.”

The Thornblood staff member stopped there abruptly.

“What happened in the end with the Anze Uprising?” Ji Wuyun asked.

She cared more about the popular uprising than the mutiny.

She felt the fault lay with those petty officials; if the court punished them, it would be a fine chance to win people’s hearts.

If she were the prefect, she would seize this opportunity to gain the people’s loyalty.

“The result? Naturally, the ringleaders of the uprising were beheaded as a warning, while the petty officials who massacred the docks remained unscathed,” the Thornblood staff member said with a light laugh.

“How can that be?” Ji Wuyun was baffled. “The common people were clearly in the right!”

This was plainly a golden chance to win popular support.

“If we yield to these lowly people today, wouldn’t it encourage their ‘defying superiors’ mindset, using it to blackmail officials?

Punish a petty official today, a county magistrate tomorrow, a prefect the day after, and the day after that… wouldn’t we have to punish the emperor?” The Thornblood staff member’s eyes held a mocking glint.

He had visited many worlds to complete missions and knew those who wore the black gauze cap all too well.

“So, by doing some things and changing these special events, I boosted my destiny?” Qi Yuan said.

It seemed that his covert act of drowning the wealthy merchant’s steward had been written off as an accident.

The authorities hadn’t sent anyone to trouble Wang Keng, so there was no dock massacre, and no Anze Uprising.

“This world has many special events. If you’re already fated with destiny and alter the course of these events, your destiny grows thicker,” the Thornblood staff member warned.

More destiny wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“So… our fates are predetermined… moving along an established path? Even if I bite myself now, or even kill myself, it’s all fated?” Ji Wuyun felt on the verge of collapse.

It was as if a giant hand manipulated her fate from behind, making her a puppet on strings.

Even her current reaction might be predetermined.

“Is there any mention of me in the *Green Mountain Book*?” She was desperate now, wanting to open it.

She was determined not to follow what the *Green Mountain Book* said.

“Everything is already fated. Except for a few with special destinies who can slightly alter the established situation, the rest… are no different from puppets.

Oh, and the *Green Mountain Book* doesn’t record just any Tom, Dick, or Harry. Probably… you’re not worthy of being in it… haha…” The Thornblood staff member couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

Ji Wuyun fell silent.

“If you want to leave a trace of your existence… why not come to the Divine Wood Abyss? I can’t put your name in the *Green Mountain Book*, but in another book, I’m confident I can add your names,” the Thornblood staff member urged.

Ji Wuyun remained silent.

“What’s the use of being recorded in a book? Hey, if you give me a hundred thousand taels, I’ll remember you for the rest of my life,” Qi Yuan said then. “That’s far more useful than being written in a book.”

The Thornblood staff member laughed: “Even after countless ages and epochs, the *Green Mountain Book* will still exist. Brother Caidao, even if you’re a kitchen knife, you’ll have long rusted and decayed.”

Ji Wuyun also thought Qi Yuan was talking nonsense.

What use was being remembered by one person?

…

“So… the background setting of this game, even the ending, has already been written?”

Leaving the Divine Wood Token, Qi Yuan’s thoughts were tangled.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

“The Six Heavens of the Immortal Realm have no future—severed by a single sword stroke.

Then… what if the Immortal Realm’s future had not been cut off?”

A terrifying thought and conjecture suddenly surged in Qi Yuan’s heart.

A future that can be seen at a glance… is it still the future?

“Stop thinking—any more and I’ll grow another brain.”

“Nine-tenths of the world’s troubles come from overthinking.”

“I’m just playing a game.”

“This is merely a game.”

Having reasoned this out, Qi Yuan ceased his wild thoughts.

He sat in his recliner, earnestly studying the forging techniques left behind by that divine-level Weapon Master.

Before he went blind, he had to quickly raise his Artificer rank.

Once blind, progress would be hard.

After an unknown stretch of time, Qi Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of delight deep in his gaze: “The Blood Cloud Bandits’… headquarters… I finally know the exact location.”

Not only that, his drones had also scouted out the positions of the other strongholds.

“Looks like I’ll have to take a trip.”

…

An hour later, within the Judgment Stronghold.

Liu Chudong’s expression was anxious: “Where’s Brother Qi?”

Chen Kangbao lowered his head, eating a steamed bun: “The young master said he went out on a personal matter—back in a day at soonest, three at latest.”

“He left?” Liu Chudong was disappointed to hear this. “Why did he leave now?”

“Something urgent?” Chen Kangbao asked curiously.

“An elder of the Arbitration Council passed through here, and I wanted to take him to see the world—what a pity…” Liu Chudong said, disappointment in her voice.

It wasn’t just about seeing the world; the elder had brought the latest news.

About Divine Descent!

According to the elder, though Divine Descent was dead, fragments remained.

In distant Ning Country, Divine Descent had left behind a miracle.

Brother Qi came from Ning Country—perhaps he knew something. She had planned to bring Qi Yuan to meet the Arbitration Council elder.

“Can you contact him?” Liu Chudong asked hopefully.

That Arbitration Council elder would likely only stay here half a day—probably leave by morning.

Chen Kangbao shook his head: “No.”

The disappointment in Liu Chudong’s eyes deepened: “If Brother Qi returns, tell him to come find me quickly.”

With that, Liu Chudong left, disappointed.

Night fell, the mountains pitch-black; looking into the distance, all was a dark curtain, save for the scattered twinkling stars in the sky that grudgingly shed a little starlight.

Yet even so, the entire mountain remained so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Outside the Blood Cloud Stockade, torches blazed, thick smoke rolling.

The torches were tied with various plants, burning with a strong smoky stench and black fumes that drove away mosquitoes—but even so, the insects here were far too numerous.

Inside the stockade, sounds of drinking, loud laughter, and women’s weeping drifted out, especially eerie.

The bandits guarding the gate listened to those seductive sounds, their eyes greedy.

“Damn it, a new batch of two-legged sheep came in today, and we’re stuck on watch,” one bandit couldn’t help spitting.

“Heh, this batch is no good—heard they’re army whores, all used up by those grunts. Boring,” another bandit said.

“Haha, I like the ones everyone’s ridden—they’ve got life… wait…” Suddenly the cross-eyed bandit squinted, pricking his ears. “You hear something?”

“You’re just crazy for women, aren’t you?” another bandit mocked.

“No!” The cross-eyed bandit’s heart raced.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

The sound grew closer, like the footsteps of a giant.

The bandits at the gate all felt the ground tremble, as if the earth were shaking.

Suddenly, the cross-eyed bandit looked sharply up at the sky.

“Ah!”

Terrified, he fell flat on his backside.

“Ghost!”

“Monster!”

He scrambled back in panic, struggling.

The other bandits also looked up at the sky, their faces turning pale.

“Monster!”

Every bandit who looked at the sky was stricken with fear.

There, in the sky, faint starlight revealed the silhouette of a colossal being.

Blood-red armor, scales of crimson crystal layered in rows, radiating a dangerous light.

Barbed crystal spikes, sharp and gleaming, refracting bits of starlight.

The whole body was tightly encased in red armor, hiding everything—the only exposed part, a pair of eyes, was so cold, so bloody.

That chill was not human eyes!

It was a dragon, a god.

Then, the terrifying giant looked toward the Blood Cloud Stockade.

Every bandit caught by those eyes felt their spirit shatter.

“Monster!”

“Monster!”

These bandits dared not resist; wailing and crying, they fled deep into the stockade.

The hundred-meter-tall horror stood quietly outside the stockade, silent, watching everything.

Outside the stockade, chaos erupted, spreading inward; torches fell to the ground, setting some thatched huts ablaze.

After about a dozen breaths, a stream of curses came from deep within the stockade.

"Trash!"

"What monster is attacking?"

"Even a Heaven-grade spirit must die here!"

At that moment, three Heaven-grade Weapon Masters appeared, wielding broadswords or spears.

The leader, carrying a cleaver on his shoulder, stood two meters tall, his muscles piled like a small mountain; he was like a wall where he stood, unshakable by a thousand troops.

"Silence!"

The burly man swung his blade, cleaving a fleeing bandit in two.

The other bandits scrambling backward finally calmed a little.

"Chief..."

This burly man was none other than the chief of the Blood Cloud Bandits, a Heaven-grade Weapon Master.

A Heaven-grade Weapon Master could be enfeoffed as a count in the Raksha Kingdom.

Yet in Blood Cloud Stronghold, there were three such masters!

"Hmph!" The chief snorted coldly, his cleaver on his shoulder, exuding overbearing dominance. "A mere enemy has you all so terrified?"

His expression was displeased.

Bandits were bandits—crude and worthless.

Had it not been for the prince's grand scheme, why would he have become a bandit leader?

"Where is the enemy?"

The chief scanned the area but saw no one.

The other two Heaven-grade Weapon Masters also wore contemptuous looks.

Bandits were bandits.

"It... in the sky!" A bandit swallowed hard, not daring to look up, not daring to meet those eyes.

"In the sky? Flying? Earth-grade?" The chief sneered, lifting his head. "Watch me take him down with one slash..."

His smile froze, and his body tensed in that instant.

The expressions of the other two Heaven-grade Weapon Masters also froze.

A giant... a hundred meters... tall?

Heaven-grade Weapon Masters could harness the power of heaven and earth, but only within a radius of a few dozen meters.

One slash could cleave a building dozens of meters high.

But that was a building—a lifeless object.

Before them, this was... a terrifying creature!

Above the firmament, that colossal figure stood motionless, like a death god emerging from hell.

Anyone who glanced at it would have trembling legs.

Then, that terrifying figure moved.

A cold, merciless voice resounded through heaven and earth at that moment.

"Ten-Kill Overlord Fist!"

The hellish death god suddenly threw a punch.

In that instant, a violent shockwave surged across the sky.

This power was not the power of heaven and earth, yet it surpassed it!

This power swept all before it, unstoppable by any!

"No!"

The three Heaven-grade Weapon Masters let out terrified screams.

But their screams were useless—merely the final proof of their existence in this world.

Boom!

Boom!

Crash!

Under the divine, all beings are equal.

This punch did not touch anyone, yet its force pierced through every body.

Thudding sounds rang out, then instantly fell silent.

In the vast Blood Cloud Stronghold, a third of its living beings died under that fist.

The terrifying hellish demon's gaze remained cold.

It watched the remaining bandits.

"One-Kill Overlord Fist!"

Another punch was thrown.

Heaven and earth fell silent, only the sound like drumbeats could be heard.

Over nine-tenths of the Blood Cloud Bandits' living beings perished.

The Ten-Kill Overlord Fist was a boxing technique created by Qi Yuan while arching the stars, used to annihilate the Dou Shen Sect.

In recent days, he had used his eyes to adapt this technique to this world.

Even just now, he had adapted it into the One-Kill Overlord Fist.

All who cruelly slaughter ordinary mortals would find no place to exist under this fist.

With two punches, thousands of bandits fell, leaving only some abducted commoners and the military prostitutes alive.

At that moment, those commoners lay prostrate on the ground, trembling, their hearts both relieved and terrified.

For that colossal being in the sky was too much like a death god from hell, as if it could reap everything in the world.

They had no idea whether this terrifying giant was a spirit, a demon god, or something else.

Just then, the lips of that majestic figure in the sky moved, and a divine voice resounded across heaven and earth.

"The world has no light, but see the divine descend!"

"Holding light, drive away the night!"

"If there is injustice, call upon my divine presence!"

Some of the prostrate commoners looked bewildered, others still had buzzing heads.

They did not understand what this meant.

Then, an old man over eighty suddenly looked up, gazing at that majestic figure in the sky, his body trembling: "He... has returned!"

And at that moment, more and more commoners seemed to recall something, their faces lighting up with overwhelming joy.

"He... has returned!"

(End of this chapter)