Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 486
byAn off-road vehicle sped across the wilderness.
“How much longer?”
Shen Ye asked.
“Look back – once you can’t see the city anymore, that’s when you’ll truly enter the unknown territory,” Zhang Xiaoyi replied.
He held the steering wheel, sitting in the driver’s seat.
Nangong Sirui sat in the passenger seat.
In the back were Shen Ye and the long-haired girl named Susu.
—That is, the Parasitic Empress.
Nangong Sirui didn’t know her identity.
Neither did Zhang Xiaoyi.
Both were listening to music, looking relaxed.
After all, they hadn’t entered the dangerous zone yet, and along the way, they could see many adventurers camping and resting by the roadside.
The vehicle jostled.
Shen Ye looked at the wilderness scenery, a little lost in thought.
This wilderness…
It looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Where exactly?
A hazy thought swirled in his mind, on the verge of breaking through, but something always felt missing.
He sighed, pushing the thought aside, and began to ponder his situation.
Should he alert the two?
After much thought, he decided not to rashly tell them the truth.
—In the current situation, if Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi knew a monster was nearby, they might involuntarily show signs of nervousness.
Wouldn’t that immediately reveal the truth to the Parasitic Empress?
Shen Ye glanced at the girl.
The girl, Susu, was curled up in her seat, her head resting against the window, seemingly asleep.
She looked like a normal human girl.
But what girl would look exactly like the Parasitic Empress?
Shen Ye averted his gaze, observing the wilderness outside the window, secretly contemplating his next move.
The BOSS was by his side—
This meant he couldn’t use the power of Truth here.
And the wilderness was so dangerous.
…He needed to find a way to save his life.
First.
He was accustomed to fighting with terms.
Excluding the Truth terms, the remaining ones were:
Battle Dance Diva, Dangerous Man, Meet Under the Moonlit Jade Terrace, Creator, Top Idol Max.
Among them, “Meet Under the Moonlit Jade Terrace” was unusable.
Firstly, because it was related to three techniques, it could easily expose his secrets.
Secondly, his Dharma Idol was still evolving and deducing, unable to even descend.
“Creator” was also unusable.
—Transporting creations of Truth would also expose his identity.
That left “Battle Dance Diva,” “Dangerous Man,” and “Top Idol Max.”
He could only use these three terms.
Oh, right, and a newly generated term, “Blood Worker.”
Its description was: “Diligent and dedicated to one’s post.”
—No need to worry about that for now.
Swordplay…
Eternal Regret was a top-tier sword technique.
Term, sword technique.
Calculating this way, he didn’t have many usable things.
Shen Ye re-examined the three usable terms.
—He must make good use of these three terms!
Besides, there was another way—
Split up.
As long as the Parasitic Empress wasn’t by his side, he could fight however he wanted!
The vehicle suddenly began to slow down.
Shen Ye withdrew his thoughts and looked forward.
“What is that?”
He asked.
A horde of vacant-faced humans slowly walked across the barren, rocky ground.
Their numbers were as many as tens of thousands.
As far as the eye could see, there was almost no end to them.
“Living corpses on the move—trouble. How did we run into them right now?”
Nangong Sirui frowned.
“What a nuisance. We’ll have to kill our way through to pass,” Zhang Xiaoyi said.
“There are too many. The scent of blood will attract monsters, and we probably won’t reach the safe house before dark,” Nangong Sirui added.
The vehicle slowed further.
Large groups of living corpses, attracted by the engine noise, slowly moved towards them.
Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi began to retrieve their weapons.
A tense atmosphere of battle silently spread.
Shen Ye remained silent for a breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
No—
If he was already conspicuous enough to attract the Parasitic Empress’s attention, then acting too ordinary would actually be the real flaw.
What kind of fighting style leaves no flaws?
Authenticity.
Only authenticity can withstand scrutiny.
Respond as you would naturally.
That’s how to be flawless!
“Wait,”
Shen Ye said.
The two in front turned to look at him.
“Do we need to divide the work?” Nangong Sirui asked.
“I’ll handle the left and right, Nangong you take the front, and you cover the rear?” Zhang Xiaoyi suggested.
“No, I’ll discuss it with them and see if they can clear a path for us,” Shen Ye said.
Negotiate with living corpses?
Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi exchanged glances.
—Is he serious?
—You ask me, who should I ask?
Shen Ye had already made up his mind.
Petty tricks were useless.
The Parasitic Empress’s visit surely held a deeper meaning.
Then he would face it head-on.
Shen Ye rolled down the window, took a deep breath, and shouted:
“Can you please clear the way? We’re on a tight schedule, heading to a concert!”
The term “Top Idol Max” activated!
The living corpses stopped in their tracks, but didn’t move aside, standing there as if hesitant.
Shen Ye whistled.
“Battle Dance Diva” activated!
A line of faint glowing text immediately appeared in null:
“Top Idol Max temporarily increases by 1 rank, upgrading to Supreme Superstar.”
Shen Ye pouted, beckoning to the living corpses:
“Yo, friends over there, how about clearing a path for me!”
“Thank you for your support!”
“I love you all!”
The next moment.
The living corpses all let out excited shouts.
They stared at Shen Ye, waving their hands, as if Shen Ye were a beloved relative from a past life.
The road.
It cleared.
“Does this even make sense?”
Zhang Xiaoyi cried out in surprise.
“Hurry up,” Nangong Sirui urged.
The off-road vehicle roared, quickly darting through the path cleared by the living corpses.
Shen Ye jumped onto the roof, making a fist and holding it to his mouth like a microphone, waving to the surroundings.
“Friends over there, thank you!”
“Today I’ve specially prepared ‘Farewell Song’.”
“Beyond the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass reaches the sky—”
“Everybody sing along!”
A line of faint glowing text also popped up:
“You are a ‘Explosive Drummer’, a holder of ‘Costume BGM’, the chief songstress, and a top-tier superstar.”
“A联动 has occurred.”
“The temporary term ‘Artist’ has been born.”
“All enemies are immersed in your performance, cheering for you, going crazy for you!”
“—Whatever you say the opponent is, the opponent will believe themselves to be (limited time: three hours).”
Shen Ye’s eyes flickered. He stopped singing, merely dancing continuously on the car roof.
Just dancing.
So, tens of thousands of living corpses started dancing together.
The electronic music in the air made one involuntarily sway their head.
The music was thunderous!
The off-road vehicle sped up, and soon, it drove out of the area occupied by the living corpses.
The path ahead opened up.
The off-road vehicle galloped across the barren wilderness.
Not until they were completely away from the living corpses did Shen Ye turn off the music, flipping back into the rear seat of the off-road vehicle.
“Brother Ye, was that the power of terms?”
Zhang Xiaoyi asked.
“Yes,” Shen Ye said.
“When can I have a truly powerful term?” Zhang Xiaoyi asked enviously.
The off-road vehicle drove over a small bump, suddenly lifting into the air.
*Clang!*
When the car landed, the girl Susu stumbled and fell into Shen Ye’s arms.
Shen Ye quickly steadied her.
Susu opened her eyes and said, “Ah, sorry, I fell asleep just now.”
“We almost got into a fight back there… you’d better not sleep, so you can handle various unexpected situations,” Zhang Xiaoyi said without looking back.
“Yes! I’ll be careful from now on!” Susu quickly said.
She sat up straight obediently, and began to check her weapons and armor.
Zhang Xiaoyi averted his gaze from the rearview mirror.
—This girl listens to advice.
Not bad!
However, lines of faint glowing text appeared before Shen Ye’s eyes:
“The Parasitic Empress has personally contacted you.”
“She has changed your term.”
“The current ‘Blood’ type term ‘Blood Worker’ has been upgraded to ‘Blood Supervisor’.”
“Description: Supervise the work of others, point out their mistakes, and order them to correct them, and you can gain an increase in strength.”
“—From a worker to a manager.”
Shen Ye’s mouth twitched slightly.
Just now, a touch from her had changed his term.
—Is this the consequence of helping people indiscriminately?
But this was also within his expectations.
After all, he couldn’t avoid it anymore.
Showing his “affinity”-based fighting style early could effectively conceal his true strength.
As long as he didn’t become a blood spawn, everything would be fine.
“Almost there.”
Zhang Xiaoyi said.
“While we still have time, we should divide our tasks,” Nangong Sirui said.
“How do we divide?” Susu asked.
“You two newcomers, what are your respective strengths?” Nangong Sirui asked.
The two exchanged glances.
“Brother Shen Ye, you joined before me, you go first,” Susu said with a smile.
“I’m skilled in saber techniques, have high affinity, and can improve teammates’ skill levels,” Shen Ye stated.
“Understood, and you?” Nangong Sirui looked at Susu.
“Elemental spell attacks,” Susu said concisely.
“Are you good at exploration?” Nangong Sirui asked.
“Yes,” Susu replied.
“Is Shen Ye good at exploration?” Nangong Sirui asked again.
“Not really,” Shen Ye said.
Nangong Sirui’s eyes flickered, and she had a plan.
Shen Ye—
Seemed wary of this girl.
Since he was wary, there must be a reason.
But she didn’t know why yet.
“Liu Jing and Susu will go scout ahead, while Shen Ye and I will prepare to meet them.”
Nangong Sirui issued the order.
Susu pouted, looking unhappy.
But the team leader was Nangong Sirui, and as a new recruit, she had no room to disobey orders.
The off-road vehicle slowly came to a stop.
The four got out of the car.
Zhang Xiaoyi pressed a button on the side of the car.
The off-road vehicle gradually closed up, looking like a giant rock.
Ahead.
A massive building lay tilted on the ground, half buried in the earth, half jutting high into the air.
—The building looked as if it had fallen from the sky.
Shen Ye stared at the building, countless memories flooding his mind. He instantly recalled the building’s origin.
Twilight Star!
This was Twilight Star!
It hung above the Star of Termination; one could only stay for a short while after paying.
As for the wilderness that had looked familiar at first glance, wasn’t it the sight of the Star of Termination as seen from Twilight Star?
This was Twilight Star and the Star of Termination!
No wonder it was so dangerous!
Some areas of the Star of Termination were places where no one had ever come out alive!
—But how did Twilight Star fall?
Shen Ye thought silently.
“Go scout it out.”
Nangong Sirui commanded again.
Zhang Xiaoyi didn’t hesitate, quickly running down the slope.
Susu followed closely behind.
Once the two left, only Shen Ye and Nangong Sirui remained.
Nangong Sirui jumped onto a rock, observed the surroundings for a while, and then said:
“No one around here right now.”
“I have something to ask you.”
“Ask,” Shen Ye said.
“You don’t think much of this girl? I originally planned for you to go with her.”
Nangong Sirui asked.
Shen Ye smiled, “That’s not it. It’s just that the terms are too strong and add to my charm—I’m afraid this girl will take a fancy to me.”
“Afraid of being too popular?”
“Yes,” Shen Ye said with some annoyance, “While the terms are useful, they’ve pushed my affinity to its peak, which has an unfortunate effect on the opposite sex.”
“I see,” Nangong Sirui breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, “That doesn’t matter, and it’s even beneficial for combat.”
“Letting a girl stand in front of me when it’s dangerous? No, I can’t bring myself to do that,” Shen Ye said.
“That’s true,” Nangong Sirui nodded in agreement.
“So I’m not really willing to work with her,” Shen Ye said.
—He couldn’t tell the truth.
Not a single flaw could be revealed.
The more authentic Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi acted, the safer their situation would be.
“I see, I understand now.”
Nangong Sirui’s mind was at ease.
“Won’t it be dangerous to just let them two explore?” Shen Ye asked.
“Don’t worry, the first half of the Dwarf Demon Temple is safe. They’re just going to see if there are any other adventurers inside—Zhang Xiaoyi won’t be reckless, he knows what he’s doing.”
Nangong Sirui said.
The two chatted casually.
But they couldn’t see that Susu was standing behind them.
After hearing their conversation, Susu’s expression remained blank. She quickly ducked back, disappearing suddenly.
Ahead.
Inside Twilight Star.
At the corner of a path.
She suddenly appeared, quickly apologizing to Zhang Xiaoyi:
“Sorry, I got held up in the restroom.”
“No problem, let’s go,” Zhang Xiaoyi said.
After some exploration, the two found no other adventurers, so they took out their ID cards and contacted Nangong Sirui and Shen Ye outside.
“No one in the safe zone.”
Zhang Xiaoyi’s voice came from the card.
“Then you two wait in place, we’ll be there soon, and then explore the dangerous area together,” Nangong Sirui said.
“Okay, we’ll wait for you.”
Before the words finished, a muffled sound suddenly came from the card.
Susu screamed.
“Go!”
The two put away their cards and immediately rushed into Twilight Star.
Everything here was familiar.
Shen Ye even ran ahead of Nangong Sirui.
Before long.
The two arrived at a large hall.
Zhang Xiaoyi was hanging by an iron chain.
Susu was engulfed in burning flames, keeping all enemies at bay.
There were five or six short, gray humanoid creatures standing in the hall.
They came up to Shen Ye’s waist, holding sharp small knives, brandishing them with bared teeth.
In an instant.
Shen Ye and Nangong Sirui were both immobilized.
Truth suppression!
“Damn it, what spell did they use? I can’t move!”
Nangong Sirui said.
Shen Ye glanced at the gray dwarves, but something felt off.
Faint light appeared as two lines of prompts:
“You are suppressed by a Truth-tier force field.”
“Source: Susu.”
—It was the Parasitic Empress suppressing everyone!
Why?
Shen Ye’s thoughts raced, only to see a gray dwarf rushing towards him—
The monster, however, was not affected by the Truth suppression!
Was she trying to kill them using the monsters’ hands?
In a flash.
Shen Ye suddenly sang in a clear voice:
“Come! Come! You are a pineapple!”
—Temporary term: Artist!
The murderous intent on the gray dwarf’s face receded. It dropped its knife, rolled to the ground, shook a few times, and remained still.
Another dwarf next to it kicked it and shouted:
“What are you doing!”
The dwarf quickly shushed, “Quiet, I’m a pineapple.”
Shen Ye sang again:
“Everyone come along, let’s all be pineapples!”
The gray dwarves all squatted together, obediently, without moving.
—No one attacked!
So, did the suppressive force spontaneously generate?
It made absolutely no sense!
In an instant.
Susu had no choice but to release the Truth suppression.
Nangong Sirui moved instantly to save Zhang Xiaoyi, while Shen Ye drew his saber and walked towards the dwarves.
“I got this.”
Susu pulled him, waving her other hand.
Boundless flames fell from the sky.
The pineapples were roasted.
“That was really dangerous just now, good thing you saved me,” Susu said, looking at Shen Ye with an unreadable expression.
Shen Ye became twelve times more vigilant.
He glanced at the ‘Artist’ term; only half an hour remained.
—With this term guarding him, at least this half hour was safe!
Wait—
Suddenly, lines of faint glowing text appeared:
“The Parasitic Empress has made contact with you again.”
“The current ‘Blood’ category term ‘Blood Supervisor’ has disappeared, and a new term has not yet been generated.”
“—She is making a decision.”
The girl Susu turned around, affectionately took Shen Ye’s hand, and said:
“Brother Shen Ye, after we go back, would you be willing to help me with something?”
“I generally don’t just help anyone,” Shen Ye said with a frown.
Faint glowing text quickly appeared:
“Your new term is about to appear, and it is ‘Blood Spawn’.”
Shen Ye clutched the girl’s hand, stared into her eyes, and said in a calm, gentle voice:
“But you are our teammate, and I will help you.”
“Really?” the innocent girl asked.
“It’s just a small matter. Contact me then,” Shen Ye said gallantly.
“Great!”
The girl jumped up with joy.
Two more lines of faint glowing text quietly appeared before Shen Ye’s eyes:
“The other party has changed her mind.”
“Your new term has changed from ‘Blood Spawn’ to ‘Blood Emperor’.”
Shen Ye didn’t have time to wipe the cold sweat that had appeared on his back. He turned and walked towards Zhang Xiaoyi and Nangong Sirui.
“How did he get caught?” he asked.
“I couldn’t move at all just now—I thought I could conquer these dwarf demons, but it was almost there,” Zhang Xiaoyi sighed.
“Yeah,” Shen Ye said, empathizing, and also sighed.
Conquer or be conquered?
That was the question.
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