Chapter 120: THREE KINGS INHERITANCE (24)
The battlefield was just like when the ironmouse's new song was released.
"KILL!!!"
"CHARGE!!!"
"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DOGS?!"
Screams, howls, barking, and the sound of accounts getting deleted merged into one chaotic noise that shook the virtual sky.
Five minutes in, and blood had already formed rivers. Corpses were stacking like failed speedrun attempts.
Bai Ning Bing, hidden somewhere with the Land Spirit's wallhacks, was mashing buttons like her life depended on it—because it did. Lightning dogs, akita dogs, and other common breeds were getting absolutely farmed, but they were just the early-game mobs. The real trouble started when the Gu Masters hit the five great mountain dog formation.
Heavy tai, green hua, smoke song, light heng, star heng. These five dog types were the endgame raid bosses of this dungeon. Their circular formation was like a DDoS attack on the player wave, blocking them like a firewall.
Both factions were taking heavy Ls.
Somewhere in the chaos, two assassins were having a regret moment.
"Big brother, hold on!" Meng Tu grabbed Jiao Huang, who was leaking HP like a broken pipeline.
Jiao Huang could barely stand. "We took the Shang clan quest to get Fang Zheng's head. Then we saw 'Immortal Treasure' and our brains turned off. Now we're here, getting skill-issued by dogs."
They were a famous demonic assassin duo, had even taken out a rank four before. Now they were just two more bodies waiting to happen.
In this battle, only rank fives could move like main characters. Rank four peak stages could fight. Rank four upper stages had to stay with the group. Rank one and twos were cannon fodder speedruns to the respawn screen.
But still, they charged. The Immortal Treasure had them acting like NFT investors—completely irrational, chasing a dream that would probably just leave them broke and dead.
Tie Ruo Nan slowed down, genuinely shook by the scene.
"The way these people are throwing themselves into death... it's like they're being mind-controlled."
One of the Tie clan elders whispered, "That Mo Wu Tian. Soul path main. He's probably buffing their stupidity."
Far ahead, Mo Wu Tian was leading the charge, laughing like a Twitch streamer who just hit affiliate, his purple eyes flashing with that main character glow.
"Demonic path should all be reported," Tie Ruo Nan muttered, her kill intent spiking.
"Focus, young master. Our target is Fang Zheng."
She nodded, her gaze hardening like steel.
Mo Wu Tian was vibing. "The enslavement main hiding in the fog is washed. They're panicking."
He was right. Bai Ning Bing, for all her power, was a newbie with an overpowered account. Fang Yuan's formations had given her a playbook, but now the game had patched, and she was running on laggy wifi.
Mo Wu Tian was multitasking like a professional streamer: attacking dogs, mind-controlling the crowd, and scanning for the real threat.
Every build has a weakness. Enslavement path's weakness: the player themselves. Find the summoner, win the game.
"Found you."
His eyes locked onto Bai Ning Bing's hiding spot.
"Time to log off, girl." He transformed into purple demonic fog and zoomed toward her.
Bai Ning Bing's heart did the "oh no" dance. Rank five vs. her rank four, while she was already multitasking? This was unwinnable matchmaking.
But she had trump cards.
"Ba Huang. BITE."
A hill-sized dog emperor YEETED itself at Mo Wu Tian.
WOOF.
The bark silenced the entire battlefield. The dog beasts' morale skyrocketed. The Gu Masters' casualty rate spiked.
Dog emperor. Full body yellow fur. Lion head with a mane like the sun. This wasn't a pet; this was a raid boss with a wild Gu equipped, capable of contending with rank fives.
"Tch." Mo Wu Tian was now busy.
Bai Ning Bing exhaled. But then—
A dazzling silver light blitzed through the battlefield and materialized in front of her.
"Demonic junior. Look at me."
Xiao Mang. Rank five righteous path. Him.
"Ying Ming!" Bai Ning Bing deployed her second dog emperor—smaller, snowy white with cherry blossom patterns, capable of flight.
Xiao Mang's contempt lasted about three seconds before he realized this dog was built different.
Now both rank fives were stuck in boss fights. Temporary relief.
But Bai Ning Bing knew: humans > beasts. Sooner or later, Mo Wu Tian and Xiao Mang would figure out the dog emperors' movesets and counter-pick them.
She glanced at the bronze hall.
"Not much time left..."
Inside the hall, Fang Yuan was gasping for air like a speedrunner who just beat a frame-perfect level. Feng Tian Yu was unconscious on the floor, his character model looked super outdated.
Blood was leaking from Fang Yuan's seven orifices, but his eyes were locked on the sight in front of him.
A Gu floated in the air, emitting brilliant light. Sometimes it was a colorful cloud. Sometimes a whirlpool of light. It was glitching between forms.
"Success!" Fang Yuan's joy was immaculate.
He'd refined the Divine Travel Gu. One more step. ONE MORE STEP.
The Land Spirit materialized beside him, looking like a WiFi signal with one bar. "You... you actually did it, wtf bro. A future Gu Immortal indeed. The hardest step is done. Next is just third watch Gu. Smooth sailing from here."
Its voice was full of emotion. "Thousands of years... the recipe works... I'm so happy..."
It faded. Disappeared.
Dead.
The immortal essence in the cauldron was basically empty. The blessed land was crashing.
But Fang Yuan wasn't worried. The final step could use primeval stones. He had those.
"The difficulty of this craft was higher than Spring Autumn Cicada (or the Spring Autumn Rizz)," he muttered. "If that explosion had interrupted us... if I'd failed... I'd be deleted without even time to rizz up people."
He looked at Feng Tian Yu's unconscious form. "Good thing I brought a refinement slave. Worth every primeval stone."
Outside, the sounds of battle grew louder.
"Fang Yuan!" Bai Ning Bing's voice, panicked. "Someone broke through! Rank four phantom path, heading for you!"
Fang Yuan's expression darkened.
The Land Spirit was dead. No more wallhacks. But Fang Yuan had past life memories, so he already knew.
"Only two rank fives outside: Xiao Mang and Mo Wu Tian. The dog emperors will stall them. The only rank four who could slip through is Yan Jun. Phantom path. Invisible. Annoying."
He kicked Feng Tian Yu awake. "Get up."
Feng Tian Yu looked like a discord mod after a 72-hour stream—bloodshot eyes, scraggly hair, pale, swaying.
"Go outside. Block the phantom path main. Even if you die."
"Yes... master..." Feng Tian Yu stumbled out, knowing he was walking to his permadeath.
Fang Yuan didn't care. Refinement path grandmasters were replaceable. Second Aperture Gu was not.
He sat down, looking at the gorgeous light in the air. The Gu was now flickering between real and unreal, form and formless. It had a six-hour despawn timer.
"No turning back now."
He glanced at his abdomen. The Spring Autumn Cicada, accelerated by the blessed land's 3x time speed, was putting massive pressure on his aperture. Tiny cracks were forming.
Next, he'd use two third watch Gus. Time would flow 9x faster. Could his aperture survive?
He'd calculated the odds. The gamble was worth it.
"Third watch Gu. GO."
The light ball began changing rapidly, rays dazzling, aura mystical.
"Divine travel Gu for space, third watch Gu for time... this is the OG immemorial refinement method..."
The first third watch Gu's effect neared its end. The light ball was solidifying, taking final shape.
Outside, the shouts grew louder. But no one had breached the hall yet.
"Good. Second third watch Gu, and—"
"FANG YUAN! " Bai Ning Bing's voice, urgent. "Tie Ruo Nan broke through! She's coming for you!"
Fang Yuan's face fell.
He was locked in. Couldn't move. Feng Tian Yu was already dead meat outside. No defense left.
"BAI NING BING! GET IN HERE AND GUARD ME! If I die, the poison vow kills you too!" He was pressing the panic button.
If Bai Ning Bing left the dog formation, it would collapse. The army of heroes would flood in. But Fang Yuan didn't care anymore. He was a fish on a cutting board. If someone didn't protect him now, Tie Ruo Nan would file his deletion papers.
"Just a little more time," he prayed. "Finish the Gu, then I can dash out with my movement Gus. Bai Ning Bing can be the sacrificial pawn."
BAM.
The hall doors exploded open.
Tie Ruo Nan stood there, eyes widening at the scene, then narrowing with pure hatred.
"Little beast king. Today. Your head. Mine."
Golden needles flew.
"BAI NING BING! "
WHOOSH.
Ice spread. A wall blocked the needles.
Bai Ning Bing appeared at the entrance—but she looked absolutely cooked. Covered in blood. A gash from shoulder to sacrum down her back, bones visible. Burnt hair. Purple arm from poison. She was running on 1% HP and fumes.
"Block her!" Fang Yuan screamed. "Just a little time!"
"Shut up and refine! I'm trying!!!!" Bai Ning Bing cursed, engaging Tie Ruo Nan.
The fight was one-sided. Bai Ning Bing, heavily injured, was getting folded. Several moves in, she was on the ground.
"I'll kill you first!" Tie Ruo Nan's forehead mark flashed, turning into a golden flying dagger.
WHOOSH.
Missed by a hair. Bai Ning Bing rolled, barely alive.
"How long?!" she shouted.
"Just a little! HOLD ON EVEN IF YOU DIE!"
"If I die, you die too—" Bai Ning Bing was cut off by another attack.
She was dodging for her life, getting pushed back step by step.
A few more moves. She was gasping. "I... I can't continue. Fang Yuan, I'm going to self-detonate."
"WHAT THE FUCK!!! YOUR APTITUDE'S BACK TO 100%?!" Fang Yuan was shook.
"What do you think?!"
This was bad. Bai Ning Bing's ten extreme physique self-destruct would wreck everything. Even rank fives would have to run.
"Hold on! Unless you can't control it, DON'T—"
"Bro its too late."
The temperature plummeted.
Ice spread everywhere. The hall became a winter wonderland on steroids.
Tie Ruo Nan's shocked voice: "What Gu is this?!"
Fang Yuan turned, struggling to see.
Bai Ning Bing was floating in the air, turning into ice crystal—just like at Qing Mao mountain. The cold wind blustered. Glaciers rose. Tie Ruo Nan was getting sealed.
"The northern dark ice soul physique..." Tie Ruo Nan whispered, before being encased in ice like a museum exhibit.
But the ice kept spreading. Toward Fang Yuan.
"Bai Ning Bing? BAI NING BING! " No response. Her face was fading, eyes dim.
Damn it.
The ice reached him. He had one move.
Yang Gu.
It flew out, landed on Bai Ning Bing. Yang aura met icy coldness. A vortex formed. The scene from Qing Mao mountain, replayed.
The ice stopped.
But the distraction almost bricked the Gu refinement. Fang Yuan's heart lurched. He forced himself to focus, pouring everything into the final step.
The light clouds condensed.
Second Aperture Gu.
"Immortal Gu... I finally succeeded!!!"
Joy exploded in his chest. All the risks. All the plans. All the kills. WORTH IT.
PEW.
A sharp ice blade pierced through his heart.
From behind.
Out through his chest.
Fang Yuan's pupils shrank to needles. He turned, struggling, desperately.
"Bai... Ning Bing...? YOU—"
She stood there. Ice crystal body. Dim eyes.
But behind her—
Tie Ruo Nan stepped forward.
The ice around her was shattered. Her forehead mark glowed with triumph.
"Fang Yuan," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "To think there would be a day where you fall into a trap."
TWITCH CHAT REACTIONS
💀 xX_DarkSoulsXx: WAIT WHAT
🐍 fangyuan_stan: NOOOOO MY GOAT
🔥 sigma_grindset69: BRO GOT BACKSTABBED BY HIS OWN TEAMMATE
💀 twitch_mod_99: BANNED FOR TEAM KILLING
🍿 blessed_land_explorer: SHE BROKE THE ICE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING
🐍 demonic_path_dad: MY GOAT GOT COUNTERED BY A SIDE CHARACTER
🔥 righteous_path_karen: YOU SUCK LOL LITTLE BEAST KING
🍿 cliffhanger_victim: I CAN'T BREATHE
🐍 fangyuan_defense_squad: NO NO NO NO NO
🔥 refinement_path_nerd: 120 CHAPTERS OF GRIND WIPED IN ONE SECOND
💀 time_path_enjoyer: WHERE'S THE SPRING AUTUMN CICADA RESET WHEN YOU NEED IT
🍿 tieclan_soldier: THAT'S FOR MY CLANSMEN YOU DEMONIC SCUM
🐍 plot_twist_hunter: I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING
🐅 tiger_lily_99: WAIT IS HE ACTUALLY DEAD DEAD OR FAKE DEAD
🍑 peach_tea_sip: THE WAY MY JAW DROPPED
💀 rage_quit_artist: I'M UNINSTALLING
🍿 spill_the_tea_sis: THE AUDACITY
🐍 fangyuan_or_die: HE BETTER HAVE A RESURRECTION PASSIVE
💀 first_time_viewer: I JUST STARTED READING YESTERDAY BRO IS THIS ALREADY OVER
💀 rank1_hater: DESERVED
🍿 emotional_damage_inc: I'M NOT OKAY
🐍 silence: ...
🔥 chat_explosion: CHAT HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY PAUSED DUE TO HEAVENLY EMOTIONAL DAMAGE