[CEO Wang Invested 4000N for me.]
{Yang Zicang, take back your weapon fast.}
Warren Wang’s voice boomed thunderously within the mental link; he snarled in frantic rage, nearly splenetic with panic.
{Sell it to me if you must!}
{You have no goddamn clue about the value of a Chronos Weapon—you might not even know that after the Amplifying Chronos gets nullified, it takes two days to recover, while a mere swing of a Chronos Weapon can deliver decades or even centuries of Chronos impact! You absolute moron!}
–Huh? Really? Why didn’t you guys say so earlier? They’re gone now.–
{They haven’t even walked out the door yet—go, damn it!}
–This… not cool, man. I already said it out loud. Wouldn’t that make me lose face, being untrustworthy like that?–
{Go screw yourself.}
That remark nearly made some people’s lungs explode.
{Did you get your head crammed with shit? Are you freaking sick? You…}
Yang Zicang blocked his mental communications.
Who knew being robbed could yield such a perk? Yang Zicang beamed with joy as he sensed this delayed—but welcome—influx of thousands of years of lifespan just invested over to him.
Insults aside, that Warren Wang guy didn’t pull out his investment.
Nice one, this kid. Got quite a lifespan on him—no wonder he’s in the investment game.
Wonder how much Chronos Robin Lo’s taking from Warren Wang for this single deal.
Ahead, the bare-armed Robin Lo had already charged forward with a wild battle cry.
–No one’s taking it—this is our weapon. Yang Zicang is my teammate, and the weapon belongs to us!–
The faint red-gold light clinging to his hand made the seven masked figures’ expressions shift drastically beneath their masks, forcing them to flee as the burly man gave chase.
Though Yu Chen gripped his Lance, a hundred-year Chronos seemed far more deadly than an ordinary steel sword that could end a life in one thrust, and he dared not step forward a single inch.
At that moment, the door their group sought to exit dimmed as though cloaked in shadow.
–Not good—this space has been synchronized with a crystal!–
Yang Zicang glanced at Liang Xi, who was tilting his head and studying his expression.
–What does synchronization even mean?–
–It means someone used a C-rank Phase Synchrony Crystal to anchor this place.–
From a distance, Yan Yi observed the newly arrived masked figures, his perception scanning the unfolding scene.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
They carried a New-Moon grade Phase Synchrony Crystal, sealing the rift the moment they entered.
Without the permission of the one holding the crystal, no one would be able to leave this shattered realm until it stabilized.
–With this thing, we can shut the door and beat the dog, haha!–
–Brothers, charge!–
In the chaos, roaring confusion erupted into battle in an instant, and Yu Chen, holding the Lance, became the primary target.
–Damn, I can’t inject any Chronos into this weapon.–
Bang! Two figures burst forth from the crowd, and one of them smacked Yu Chen’s arm with an iron rod wreathed in blazing golden phantoms.
Yu Chen’s expression shifted—this single blow carried over five thousand years of Chronos enhancement.
No sooner had he managed to protect his arm than another hulking figure dropped beside him, smashing a golden-tinged uppercut straight at his chin.
–Ahhh!–
With hard-won battle instincts, Yu Chen scrambled back to dodge the blow.
He raised Lance and swung it, but his opponent was clearly a far more practiced fighter. With a cold snort, the man kicked his weapon aside and started unloading a rapid flurry of strikes with both hands.
Bam! Bam! After two punishing blows, Yu Chen’s arms erupted in pain, and he reeled backward, collapsing to the ground in agony.
–Got it!–
The man before him was plainly the team’s leader—his voice boomed like adamant stone, deep and formidable.
–Hand over the weapon!–
Robin Lo carved a bloody path through the swarming chaos, his steel sword blazing in hand—then, abruptly, the red brilliance shifted into pure gold. It meant his infused Chronos had dropped below ten thousand years.
–Hm. The Chronos warmaker has been seized.–
The masked leader raised his head to gaze at Yang Zicang, his eyes as cold as ice, as if looking at mere livestock to be toyed with at will.
–Third, stop this guy.– He glanced at Robin Lo and said in a deep voice.
–Yes!–
One of the men in the group quickly retreated. After his Moxel swiftly unfolded, something pitch-black slammed onto Robin Lo’s body with a loud thud.
Robin Lo’s agile figure instantly felt as if pierced by something. The long sword in his hand clattered to the ground, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead before he collapsed.
He clutched his chest, glaring at the masked man.
–Robin Lo, what’s wrong with you?– Yang Zicang asked urgently.
–My… heart… this ability… you are… You’re King Li, the palace master of the Red Owl Palace?–
–So you recognized me. Yes, I am the palace master.–
Robin Lo’s expression shifted: –So it’s you indeed… my heart’s condition… been switched. You bastards must have imprisoned someone elsewhere, swapping our states.–
The people around, including Yu Chen, were slightly shaken.
Recalling how their opponents had suddenly inexplicably been severely injured earlier, they now jolted in realization of the cause.
So they had imprisoned someone, injured them, and at the critical moment, swapped that person’s state with someone else’s.
The tall, masked man tore off his mask, revealing a face that exuded authority without so much as a flicker of anger.
–So what if I did?–
He tossed the silver Chronos weapon aside, and someone nearby caught it without missing a beat.
–Yang Zicang, relinquish control of the Chronos weapon immediately, or I’ll take matters into my own hands and send you to your grave.–
King Li exuded a palpable pressure, stepping onto the stage and heading toward the stairs.
Yang Zicang’s eyes narrowed—looked like giving away this weapon today wasn’t going to be so easy.
He took a deep breath, gazing down at the man who, despite being unarmed, radiated an overwhelming threat.
The white ring on the so-called Palace Master’s chest reappeared, and his fists were immediately cloaked in a golden, mist-like flame.
–Surrender willingly, or have it forcefully taken from you after you fall.–
King Li’s voice boomed across the space.
Yang Zicang extended an arm to the side, his eyes locked on the man below, and whispered to Liang Xi, –Lend me your weapon.–
Feeling the wooden handle under his grip, he let out two heavy snorts of breath.
Raising the steel-polished blade, the number –4,000– within the circle on his chest instantly diminished to zero.
Four thousand years, a fourfold amplification.
Yang Zicang leaped upward; midair, the longsword in both his hands burst into a red mist-like, intangible flame.
–Haah!–
King Li, the lord of the lower arena, immediately revealed a cruel smile on his face, and within the golden phantom of his fists, strands of red threads suddenly emerged.
–Since you dare to come here, how could I not prepare a countermeasure? Come on, let’s have a fight between men!–
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The moment Yang Zicang landed, his steady and swift footsteps carried him forward, his fists swinging so fast they left afterimages, the air exploding with a canyon-shattering force.
King Li’s fist surged like a tsunami crashing against the shore.
–Drink!–
Yang Zicang sidestepped a blow that seemed destined to land, twisting like a blade of grass caught in a surcurrent, evading within the storm of fists.
–How could this be…–
King Li’s punches, each time on the brink of smashing into him, would graze his face, his hair, and the side of his chest difference inan exceptionally margin slight difference.
The spectators held their breath as they watched this battle; Yang Zicang was actually able to contend with such a martial arts master!
The moment he tore off his mask, everyone had already confirmed his identity.
King Li, whose team name sounded like a relic of ancient sword-born Masters schools, was in reality a martial arts boxing master from the real world, once the owner of his own fight club.
In a world where everyone else struggled to find their way, he had instead come to love it here.
This place was the perfect land for a devotee of martial arts like himself, where he could thrive and profit through the language of combat.
Over the past year, he had defeated several individuals who once roamed this region with impunity, amassing a great amount of Chronos and winning over a group of followers who shared his passion for this craft.
Now, proclaiming himself the master of his own sect, he intended to establish a school and had even changed his given name.
–If the Chronos weapons fall into their hands, I’m afraid the headquarters won’t be able to recover them at all.–
–We’ll have to see if he can kill Yang Zicang; if he can, then headquarters will have a reason to punish him!–
–Ha, punishing King Li? That would likely be another Chronos-draining battle—those at headquarters won’t waste their Chronos on that.–
[I have received Yang Qian’s 1000N Invest.]
–Yang Qian? You sly dog!–
Yang Zicang feared that that man surnamed Wang would pull his investment, and if that happened, he would be done for today.
Now, unexpectedly, someone else had given him a thousand-year Invest; with Chronos in hand, he finally felt a bit steadier.
It was just that he never imagined this person would be the very same Yang Qian he had given a sound beating to.
Could it be that I have some hidden talent for salesmanship? He couldn’t help but wonder.
{Yang Zicang, if you are willing to sell me your weapon, I could Invest five thousand years in you, helping you to survive.}
An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up in the Syn-Link.
–Same here, Yang Zicang. If you’re willing to sell me your weapon, I’ll invest in you full-authority Chronos for two thousand years—a full year of your time to squander as you see fit.–
–What do you say, Yang Zicang? I can offer more than them. As soon as you agree, the Chronos will hit your account instantly.–
A cacophony of voices clamored within the Syn-Link, yet not a single one actually paid out any Invest.
–Ha.–
Under the shadow of blows, Yang Zicang dodged and retreated, evading as best he could. Thankfully, it was only this one opponent; if another expert of this caliber joined in, he’d have no room to maneuver in time.
This man was nothing like the brainwashed ones rushing down from the subway.
Even with his ability to alter the trajectory of the man’s punches, the latter caught on in just a few seconds. He now used both fists to seal off Yang Zicang’s range of movement, constantly pressing him into tight corners with his body.
And though Yang Zicang held a weapon, he found no opening to strike.
This was the reality of facing a martial arts master!
Even with his power to redirect some of the opponent’s punch trajectories, against someone who struck with formulaic precision in every move, he had nowhere near a full certainty of landing a decisive hit.
Even amplified by tens of thousands of years of Chronos, he couldn’t afford a single mistake. One misstep, one neutralized blow, and he’d fall into an abyss of no return.
–Damn it.–
At the same time, Yan Yi had already withdrawn from Yang Zicang’s mental link and made contact with his companions on the scene.
–Bro, you holding up?–
[**One hundred percent sure. **]
Tong Wenqi had been cowering behind the group all along.
After the other crew got their hands on the Chronos Battle Tool, they surrounded Robin Lo and used the weapon like a club to beat him.
–You good-for-nothing, so what if this weapon is yours?–
–You say it’s yours? Then tell it not to drain your Chronos!–
A hundred per hit, and even millennia’s worth of Chronos only withstands a few dozen strikes.
Robin Lo’s blue soft cap had long been knocked off, the horrifying wounds looking grim and fierce.
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