After the two finished dinner, Qi Xiaokui was also ready and signaled the two of them.
Xin Meng watched as the red light spot disappeared into You Yi’s palm, stunned for a moment, and asked him, “This kind of unscientific magic, can it also be brought into the next game?”
You Yi looked at him with a half-smile, gently shaking his head.
Sure enough, even if a golden finger appeared, it wouldn’t really be that miraculous; it was just unclear what kind of ability could truly be taken away.
When Qi Xiaokui entered the Greedy Demon Lord’s treasury, the owner of the treasury was not inside. A huge mountain of gold was piled in the center, surrounded by scattered small piles of coins like stars surrounding the moon, the peak even touching the ceiling. If the Greedy Demon Lord could be likened to a sloth, then this mountain of gold would be the eucalyptus tree; he had to hug this mountain to feel at ease whether he was eating, sleeping, or daydreaming. The only reason that could temporarily make him leave was to scavenge for more treasures.
At that time, the Greedy Demon Lord was feeling down due to the loss of his beloved bow and had resolved to find even more treasures to make up for that loss, preferably turning the other small piles of coins into mountains as well. So he had just gone out again, and Qi Xiaokui quickly found an opportunity to act.
Picking up the fist-sized gold ingot that Xin Meng had given her, she threw two into the largest mountain of gold, placed one in each of the other small piles, then stepped back a few paces, waiting for the next change.
One second, two seconds… one minute, two minutes…
Ten minutes passed, and nothing happened.
Xin Meng, like Qi Xiaokui, was puzzled, “What’s going on?”
[Wait.]
Wait? Wait for what?
Until the Greedy Demon Lord returned, Qi Xiaokui still did not see the expected scene and couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, but it was not good to stay inside any longer, so she bowed and exited the treasury.
The Greedy Demon Lord was holding a gold cup and various gemstones that he had scavenged from who knows where, pouring them chaotically onto one of the small piles of coins, looking extremely excited, “Indulgence! You have no idea I raided your lair! You forgot to close the treasury door, serves you right! As the saying goes, those who see it share in the spoils, so don’t blame me for taking it all!”
What? Xin Meng turned to look at You Yi, affirming, “You did that on purpose!”
“On purpose” forgetting to close the treasury door, then “on purpose” letting the soldiers of the Greedy Legion see, “on purpose” pretending not to notice and allowing them to inform him, indeed luring the Greedy Demon Lord and creating time for Qi Xiaokui to cause mischief.
But what was the use of what Qi Xiaokui put in? He still couldn’t understand.
Seeing his troubled expression, You Yi picked up the empty bowl he had used for his meal, cradled it in his hands, and waited for Xin Meng’s attention to shift. Suddenly, the bowl disappeared.
Xin Meng’s eyes lit up, just about to speak, when an angry roar came from the other side of the screen!
“My treasure! My riches! How did they suddenly disappear!!”
He was startled, turned his head to look, and saw that the piles of gold, whether large or small, even the gemstones that had just been stolen from You Yi, had all vanished!
Just like the bowl in You Yi’s hand!
The Greedy Demon Lord was almost driven mad, like an agitated spider, dashing around the empty treasury, his thin arms and legs clinging to the walls, truly crawling up to the ceiling like a spider. He violently rummaged through every brick in the room but could no longer find his beloved treasures!
The burning candles silently emitted their fragrance, and the Greedy Demon Lord gasped for breath, unable to think calmly, his urgent emotions swelling to the point of making his mind blank. He instinctively jumped down from the top and rushed out through the open treasury door!
Then he froze, the Greedy Demon Lord widened his eyes, looking down at his feet. Starting from the front door, a gold coin appeared at intervals, and looking far ahead, they formed a golden line that disappeared into the distant horizon.
The Jealous Demon Lord took off running, picking up every scattered gold coin as he went, just like a bird chasing after breadcrumbs, completely forgetting everything else.
“Where did you put the stuff?” Xin Meng asked curiously.
[In the Evil Marsh Forest, at the bottom of the swamp.]
Xin Meng didn’t know where that was, but he knew what a swamp was. He speculated about You Yi’s thoughts, “Could it be that he wants to drown him? That seems unlikely…”
You Yi took out a small bottle from somewhere, and when Xin Meng took a look, the corner of his mouth twitched.
The bottle was labeled with two big words: Poison!
Below it was a line of small print: Highly toxic, instant death upon contact, soluble in any medium.
Xin Meng returned the bottle to him, speechless, “I wanted to ask earlier, where did you get all these strange things? There’s the transformation pill, the weight-gaining herb, and now there’s even poison? Did you find all this in this game?”
Thinking about it, with demons and magic appearing, what other strange things couldn’t be found?
But to his surprise, You Yi actually denied it!
[In the next game, you’ll know.] You Yi said.
Xin Meng blinked, understanding that he was restricted by the game, just like Qi Xiaokui at that time, needing to clear the level before he could tell him the specifics, so he didn’t pursue it further.
You Yi looked at him deeply, but when he turned to look, he averted his gaze.
The Greedy Demon Lord had not returned, and You Yi did not show him the scene of the Evil Marsh Forest, but went to bring Qi Xiaokui over. The room, filled with a sweet sense of shame, returned to normal, transforming into an ordinary European style… with sofas and tables and chairs!
Otherwise, Xin Meng really couldn’t imagine the scene of him and Qi Xiaokui talking while sitting on the bed at the same time, or having to sit on the floor alone (definitely him)!
The image was too beautiful to look at!
Xin Meng covered his face, shook his head, trying to shake off the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He realized that since entering this game, apart from the initial “rape crisis” and the time he almost got killed by Dong Xiu, he had been too comfortable, probably the most leisurely time since entering the game, which was why he had the time to think about this and that…
He even thought, if only they could clear the levels so smoothly in the future.
However, what he didn’t know was that this was merely the game’s “balance.”
In the same game, half of the six-member team had completely perished, quietly triggering a certain protective program.
The Furious Demon Lord emerged from the basement, receiving the news of the deaths of the other three demon lords.
“Indulgence! How dare he!” He was filled with shock and anger, never having thought that the Indulgence Demon Lord could single-handedly take down three demon lords of similar strength. How could that be possible!
He was furious, unable to think calmly, like an angry bull, storming off to find You Yi, not planning to wait another three days; he wanted to fight right now!
You Yi was waiting for him in the square.
The Furious Demon Lord rushed over, his hair standing on end with rage, looking quite ridiculous, but You Yi remained expressionless, looking at him as if he were just a stone by the roadside, without any fluctuation.
“Indulgence! How dare you do this!” The Furious Demon Lord slammed his thorny whip onto the ground, the solid concrete immediately showing a dent. He glared angrily and shouted, “You despicable little man, have you forgotten the contents of the agreement? No matter how the demon lords fight, they cannot harm each other’s lives! You actually dare to openly violate the agreement!”
You Yi replied indifferently, “The three of them formed an alliance to kill me; the agreement has long since become invalid.”
“…” The Furious Demon Lord was taken aback; he truly didn’t know about this, but he still refused to back down, “In that case, let’s not waste any more words. Now there are only the two of us left as candidates for the Demon King. No need to wait three days; let’s settle this in a life-and-death battle right now!”
After saying that, without giving You Yi time to react, he swung his whip and struck! You Yi, with a strong sense of combat awareness, immediately reversed his grip on the dagger to counter.
The whip swung, tearing the originally smooth ground into scars, the dust kicked up was enough to blind a person. During their battle, as long as the distance slightly widened, the whip would become the softest yet hardest weapon, able to bend or straighten, with unstoppable momentum. According to the Furious Demon Lord’s thinking, he should have the advantage, pressing down on You Yi, who only had a dagger.
However, although You Yi held a short weapon, he was exceptionally cunning. The dagger, during the battle, was particularly lewd, all due to the magic stone embedded in it.
In Xin Meng’s view, the magic stone’s effect was somewhat akin to a paralysis spell; for ordinary enemies, it could play a crucial role, instantly determining the outcome of the battle. However, the Furious Demon Lord was not an ordinary person, and his reaction to the magic stone was not that sensitive, but it could still hinder him for a moment.
Thus, in the Furious Demon Lord’s eyes, the opponent transformed from an ant that could be crushed underfoot to an annoying fly. Every time he swung his whip, just as he was about to hit the opponent, that damned stone would always cause his hand to pause for a second or two, resulting in the opponent naturally dodging, wearing a look of ease that infuriated him to the point of twisting his mouth!
In his anger, his movements revealed flaws, and You Yi seized the opportunity, kicking him to the ground, the dagger almost stabbing into his thigh, but fortunately, he dodged just in time.
In close combat, there was no advantage; the Furious Demon Lord’s whip glowed with a bright red light.
The real contest had just begun.
The unrestrained and swelling magic generated a massive magnetic storm, and the light screen in front of Xin Meng and Qi Xiaokui crackled a few times before disappearing, making it impossible to see the situation on the field anymore.
The two were very worried; Xin Meng feared for You Yi’s safety, while Qi Xiaokui was even more anxious. The current situation was simply a gamble; if You Yi won, everything would be fine, but if he lost, they would all die!
Qi Xiaokui only had one life left; originally, she didn’t care much about it and had never had a great fear of death. However, the events that had occurred earlier had left an indelible mark on her… Li Yougen was dead, Dong Xiu was dead, and Xiong Jiabao was also dead. Their deaths were too tragic, too quiet, without the cries of family and friends, and not even a proper funeral could be held.
No matter what kind of people they were in life, or what bad things they had done, death came so suddenly, and they died so quietly. Apart from the few others in the team, no one would remember that they had been there, struggled, and ultimately sunk into the quagmire of failure.
Qi Xiaokui finally felt fear.
Death posed no threat to those who had already died, but for the living, it was an everlasting fear that was hard to shake off.
Xin Meng sensitively noticed Qi Xiaokui’s emotions. Seeing her restless, he smiled and said, “Knowing fear is actually a good thing; it makes you more cautious, increasing your chances of survival.”
Qi Xiaokui was taken aback; this statement calmed her more than any hollow comfort like “don’t be afraid.” Her heart softened a bit, and she sincerely said to Xin Meng, “Thank you.”
At that moment, the screen’s image returned once again, showing the Indulgence Demon Lord stepping on the unconscious Furious Demon Lord.
You Yi won!
“Awesome!” Qi Xiaokui almost cheered, and Xin Meng, seeing that You Yi was fine, also breathed a sigh of relief and high-fived Qi Xiaokui.
This way… they could clear the level, right?
But no one noticed that You Yi’s gaze suddenly pierced through the light screen, landing on Xin Meng, his eyes dark and inscrutable.
