TLDR: Ex Nihilo mod unlocked
~~~~
"The scenery of Longhu Mountain is… just so-so!"
Yang Tao, dressed in the same white clothes as Zhang Lingyu, stood at the entrance of Tianshi Mansion, looking at the surrounding scenery and feeling that the 260 yuan ticket was indeed a bit of a rip-off.
The main reason was that Longhu Mountain had too much of a man-made feel; tourists were bustling about, with no sense of peace.
Even in the square at the entrance of Tianshi Mansion, there were vendors selling souvenirs. Uh… the 'master' who deceived Feng Baobao in the original story was also there.
"The Taoists of Tianshi Mansion really have good tempers. These monks are doing business right at their doorstep, and they can still tolerate it. If it were me, I would have dragged them into the small forest and given them a beating. Don't you agree, Sia He?"
Sia He, who had been trained for a month, was brought out by Yang Tao from Level 14 'Dyed Blood Forest'. Her appearance hadn't changed, but her personality had changed a lot, giving her a somewhat detached feeling.
The alluring Qi that originally permeated her body had now disappeared.
Yang Tao didn't know what Sia He had suffered at Crimson Moon's hands, nor did he want to know, but he quite liked Sia He's current appearance.
As for whether Sia He liked it?
That was not his concern.
"Aren't you also here for the Grand Luotian Ritual?"
Sia He's voice was a bit cold, and there was no expression on her face. Yang Tao understood her meaning.
This fake monk coming to Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion to sell things was a provocation, and his coming to the Grand Luotian Ritual was naturally also a provocation to the forces of the Outlaw World.
Especially since Yang Tao had said before not to let him see Wang Ai and Lu Ci…
"Hmm, you're right."
[World Exploration Value increased by 28.55%]
Yang Tao looked around and quickly saw a familiar figure: Zhuge Qing and Zhuge Bai beside him.
As the saying goes, those with squinted eyes are monsters, but those like Zhuge Qing, who squint in the early stages and open their eyes in the later stages, are rare.
Zhuge Qing's appearance was like the blowing of a horn for the explosion of exploration value; the exploration value began to rise continuously, and some familiar and unfamiliar outlaws began to appear.
Yang Tao looked at the exploration value, which had already exceeded 30 in the blink of an eye, and felt that coming to this Grand Luotian Ritual was truly worth it.
"Let's go too. The back mountain should be livelier."
Sia He didn't speak but followed behind Yang Tao, her gaze looking into Tianshi Mansion.
Between the front and back mountains of Longhu Mountain, there was a wide cliff, with some wooden stakes driven into both sides of the cliff, and several hemp ropes tied to them connecting the two banks.
The strong winds in the mountains howled, and the hemp ropes swayed with the wind.
A young Taoist stood at the edge of the cliff. Seeing Yang Tao and Sia He, he bowed and said with a smile, "If you two wish to go to the back mountain, there is only this path behind me. If you have no other means, then please pass through over there."
The 'over there' the young Taoist referred to was those swaying hemp ropes.
Yang Tao chuckled and leaned forward, asking, "Excuse me, where do I sign up for the competition?"
"If you two wish to participate in the competition, you will naturally know once you reach the back mountain."
"Thank you then."
With that, Yang Tao took a running start and leaped towards the back mountain. A twenty-meter span was just a double jump for Yang Tao; he didn't even need a butt bottle.
He landed gracefully and was about to turn back to see how Sia He would cross, only to find that Sia He was already standing beside him.
"..."
Walking towards the back mountain competition grounds, they soon arrived at an arena-like place, where many outlaws were gathered in small groups, chatting in the open space outside the arena entrance.
[World Exploration Value 33.42%]
'It looks like I'll get the second mod once everyone is here…'
Aside from Zhuge Qing and Zhuge Bai, most of the outlaws he encountered now were just minor characters in the plot.
However, Yang Tao felt that this lively scene was quite interesting.
He led Sia He to the edge of the forest, took out some wool carpets from his backpack, spread them on the ground, and sat on them, waiting for Zhang Chulan and his group to arrive.
"Feng Xingtong, Feng Shayan, Deng Youfu, Deng Youcai brothers…"
"Cang Long…"
Cang Long was famously gluttonous and delicate, unable to endure hardship. However, he was quite skilled in intelligence gathering, and he really liked Lu Linglong, the great-granddaughter of Lu Kane, one of the Ten Elders.
He muttered the names of the people he knew.
In a short time, Yang Tao's exploration value reached 40%.
"I wonder what the next mod will be. I'm not picky; an Acceleration Torch would be fine…"
The time bottle was useful, but it didn't feel that laid-back.
Just as Yang Tao was considering whether to call the fatty over to place a bet, he saw a red-haired, indifferent-looking guy fly over.
That's right, he flew over.
"Jia Zhengliang…"
Jia Zhengliang was from Jiajia Village in the west, and he was Jia Zhengyu's younger brother. His ability was object manipulation, and his strength far surpassed his brother Jia Zhengyu.
He claimed that the reason for participating in the Grand Luotian Ritual was to avenge his brother Jia Zhengyu, but in reality, it was because he didn't want to be in a relationship with the Village chief's daughter, Zhaodi.
He was a low-key person who liked pretty girls from the city. Despite his handsome and aloof appearance, he was actually a very obedient "mama's boy."
'Jia Zhengliang is here, so Zhang Chulan should be right behind…'
Yang Tao took out a cup of Seer Tea coffee from his backpack. This Seer Tea powder had a unique flavor when brewed with hot coffee.
Chewing carefully on the wriggling sensation of the 'little cutie' in his mouth, Yang Tao instantly felt refreshed.
Looking at Wang Ye slowly approaching in the distance, he said, "Sia He, you may go."
"Whether you go find Daoist Lingyu or return to Quan Xing, it's fine, but if you stand against me, then be prepared to die."
Suddenly hearing Yang Tao say this, Sia He was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Since you let me go so easily, why did you capture me in the first place?"
Yang Tao took a sip of the coffee in his hand and said, "Because I liked it."
"Before, I quite enjoyed the love-hate entanglement between you and Lingyu, so I spared your life. Don't overthink it; there really aren't that many 'whys'."
Sia He nodded gently. Her experiences over the past month made her clearly understand that her dignity, strength, abilities, and even her life and cognition were merely playthings to an existence like the Blood Moon.
"Thank you…"
Yang Tao said without looking back, "No need to thank me. Just pay in cash. It's 880,000. Cash or transfer are both fine."
"I'll go raise the money…"
Sia He got up and walked into the forest, leaving directly.
"Heh heh."
Just then, Old Celestial Master walked over with a few of the Ten Elders, and Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao also arrived at the open space outside the arena.
Suddenly, a large number of prompts popped up in front of Yang Tao.
[World Exploration Value 42.35%]
[World Exploration Value 45.22%]
…
[World Exploration Value 50.32%]
[Ex Nihilo mod Activated…]
"Ex… Ex Nihilo?"
Players who have played Skyblock have basically encountered this mod.
Ex Nihilo can be said to be a mod that can create a world as long as there is [water], [magma], [saplings], and [dirt blocks].
Through some operations, various resources can be produced infinitely.
Yang Tao felt that he had completely turned his fortunes around this time and no longer had to worry about giving emeralds to the Villagers.