“You’ve already occupied two-thirds of the human territories, My Lord,” the steward led him towards the dining hall, “The Archangel has sent an envoy, probably to request your mercy again. After all, those beings with white wings have also been squeezed into the same corner as the humans by your army.”
The steward’s words carried the disdain of a superior and a cheap pity, “Poor angels.”
Li ZouXing felt a sense of subtlety.
It seemed like he was handed a script for a major antagonist, and up until now, the AI assistant hadn’t sent him any information. It was as if he was being treated as a simple NPC. The virtual world of the military and the elf AI controlling the garden was completely different.
He just wondered what kind of script was given to Gu WenCheng and the others.
“Envoy?” he inquired, lowering the Dark Lord’s voice a notch from his usual tone, “Who is the envoy?”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivial matters,” the steward replied, exuding the air of a dutiful servant, “Regardless of who it is, they will ultimately end up in the castle’s prison by your hand.”
Li ZouXing’s expression contorted slightly for a moment, “The castle’s prison must be housing quite a few people, right?”
“Please don’t worry,” the steward dutifully responded, “Your Tenth Prison is currently under construction. You can use it with confidence.”
“…” Li ZouXing paused, “I will make good use of it.”
As he walked, the silver patterns on his black robe swayed, adding an even greater level of elegance to his already graceful gait.
Along the way, many servants were bowing their heads to clean. As he passed by, they bent at the waist, sending him off. The castle’s corridor was dimly lit. By the time he reached the dining hall, someone was already waiting there.
The steward pulled out a chair for Li ZouXing. The person standing by the window turned his head and walked over with light steps, “Your Dark Lordship.”
He had long silver-white hair, and his pristine wings were folded behind his shoulders. Li ZouXing looked at him, guessing what he wanted to say.
“Please cease driving the Angelic forces away,” the angel before him said, his eyes glistening with tears as he uttered the first word. “Our revered Heavenly Lord, we are now forced to share a chaotic and filthy region with humans.”
Li ZouXing put on a deeply inscrutable expression.
The angels despised his actions, but they couldn’t deny that the Dark Lord had a visage that even angels found appealing. Every strand of his hair was tainted with the impurity of evil darkness, creating a stark contrast between his countenance and the angels’, an extreme that sent shivers down one’s soul.
“As an exchange,” the angel, revered by humans, continued, “Your Majesty, the Dark Lord, humans have dispatched a team of heroes. They will arrive at your castle in one day and attempt to assassinate you using the beauty scheme of a human princess.”
After delivering the message, the angel was escorted away by the steward.
Li ZouXing felt that, barring any surprises, the hero team was likely to be his own teammates.
A team’s task is divided into two factions, good and evil. This military simulator was probably the same system as the Sky Garden’s AI, both with a taste for the macabre.
In order to repay the system’s twisted sense of humor, Li ZouXing reluctantly cooperated. He would act like a simple NPC and host his teammates properly.
…
The group of five, with Gu WenCheng dressed as a hero, was navigating through the forest.
They trudged through mountains and waded through waters, vanquishing the beasts and cunning thieves in the forest. They didn’t pause for a moment, heading straight for the Dark Lord’s castle.
Obstacles emerged one after another on their journey, and as time passed, they grew adept at dealing with the perils of the forest.
“The princess will arrive at the castle after us,” Gu WenCheng stood on a boulder, gazing into the distance at the castle. “Without any surprises, Li ZouXing is likely imprisoned there.”
“Poor thing,” Xi Nan chimed in with a touch of schadenfreude, “I heard the Dark Lord’s prison cells hold six people each. Our dear little Xing Xing doesn’t even have a place to sleep.”
Ji Yu and the others burst into laughter.
Though they spoke ruthlessly, once they entered the virtual world and started moving, hours had passed without a break. Particularly after hearing of the Dark Lord’s brutal reputation, they quickened their pace. That’s how they managed to reach the vicinity of the Dark Lord’s castle in such a short time.
After crossing a stream harboring crocodiles, they came upon five branching paths.
The distant castle was massive, and the different paths represented distinct choices. Each of them was meant to choose a path.
Gu WenCheng chose the leftmost path and told his teammates, “If you sense anything amiss, retreat.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll move quickly,” Ji Yu started to feel concerned, “The Dark Lord is so ruthless. I’m worried about how intense Li ZouXing’s life might be right now.”
With those words, they sprang into action, setting foot on different paths and staying alert for dangers ahead.
Dark Lord’s castle, garden.
Li ZouXing was soaking in the stolen source of life obtained from the elves.
Half of his black hair was wet, spread out over the milky white surface of the water. There was a slight rustle from the bushes behind him, and His Dark Majesty asked in a low voice, “Who’s there?”
Gu WenCheng gathered his mental energy, but at the next moment, he was surprised to see a message pop up from the system: [You have entered the domain of the Dark Lord. Defeat the Dark Lord using methods available to humans.]
“…” Gu WenCheng muttered under his breath. How was this not a method available to humans?
However, humans in the virtual world only possessed physical strength and had no concept of mental energy. They relied on melee weapons and the blessings of the celestial beings.
Gu WenCheng could only stay put.
But the next moment, a gust of wind suddenly swept up around his feet, and he was unexpectedly tumbled into the Dark Lord’s bathing pool.
Wow, Gu WenCheng had arrived.
Li ZouXing narrowed his eyes. “Human?”
He stood up from the water, pulling out the human who couldn’t float in the source of life. The fully-equipped heroic figure, Gu WenCheng, was soaked through, struggling to wipe away the heavy droplets as if they were iron.
“…Li ZouXing?” Gu WenCheng’s pupils contracted.
Li ZouXing lowered his head, his eyes cold and indifferent. His long curls fell to Gu WenCheng’s side, and he embraced him, guiding him to the shore.
As he moved, a pair of colossal black wings emerged behind him, blocking out the sky. Feathers fell from the wings, transforming into his splendid robe.
Gu WenCheng was immobilized by a single glance from him and found himself unable to move.
It must be the effect of the pool water, but his current concern was why Li ZouXing was the Dark Lord and why he seemed unfamiliar.
The steward was waiting nearby and looked up when he saw Gu WenCheng. “Who’s this?”
Li ZouXing replied nonchalantly, “The warrior who fell for the princess’s scheme.”
He glanced casually at Gu WenCheng and added, “I’m waiting for your princess to arrive.”
Gu WenCheng chuckled inwardly.
He understood what Li ZouXing meant—waiting for the princess’s scheme.
Heh, heh.
“Dark Lord,” a servant approached discreetly, “the castle’s guarding forces have detected the assailants.”
Li ZouXing replied, “Bring them here.”
Setting Gu WenCheng aside, he instructed the steward to administer a counteraction medicine for the effects of the life source resistance. Once Gu WenCheng regained mobility, he fixed his gaze on Li ZouXing.
Seated at the elevated position, Li ZouXing’s face was no longer adorned with a sunny smile, but an aura of superiority.
Still, he’s really handsome… Gu WenCheng discreetly commanded the neural interface to take a snapshot.
As expected, the ones brought in were the four members of the Dream team.
They all looked rather disheveled, evidence of a fierce struggle. However, compared to the Dark Lord’s army, their power was still insufficient.
At the sight of the Dark Lord, their eyes widened in shock, and they exclaimed, “ZouXing?!”
However, they quickly realized their excitement was premature. They noticed that Li ZouXing seemed to be the Dark Lord they needed to defeat.
Dream Team: (￣ー￣)
The steward inquired, “Dark Lord, should we incarcerate them now?”
The members of the Dream Team looked at Li ZouXing pitifully, their eyes pleading to eat, sleep, and play together.
Li ZouXing really felt for his teammates, but there was no need to think twice – the Dark Lord wouldn’t have such a good temper toward the heroes. He was about to give up his act, and just then, the soldiers from outside brought in the human princess.
The hem of the human princess’s gown was soiled with dirt, and tears adorned her delicate fair cheeks. “Dark Lord, Lord of Darkness…”
A few members of the Dream Team gathered around Gu WenCheng, chattering as they evaluated the princess’s acting skills. “Her crying doesn’t seem very natural; her eye circles are too exaggerated.”
“After all, she harbors ill intentions towards our ZouXing. Right, she’s the one who wants to assassinate him!”
“What was her plan again? Starting with the beauty scheme?”
“So, here’s the question: Should we still defeat the Dark Lord?”
…
Whispering one sentence after another, the members of the Dream Team wondered, while Gu WenCheng absentmindedly watched the princess display her most beautiful side, shedding pearlescent tears towards the Dark Lord.
Li ZouXing rose from his throne, step by step, and curved his lips, extending his hand toward the princess.
The princess, her gaze fixed on his countenance, shyly held his hand. Li ZouXing pulled her into his embrace, and lifted her chin, as if the next second would bring a kiss.
However, just before their lips could meet, a forceful pull yanked the princess out of his embrace. Li ZouXing lowered his hand and frowned, looking at Gu WenCheng.
The protagonist had a cold expression, sparks gleaming in his eyes. “Your Majesty, Dark Lord, I need to discuss something with you privately. Could we have a word in private?”
As he uttered the last few words, they were squeezed out from between his teeth with a menacing force, his expression resembling that of someone catching a cheater red-handed.
The princess, who had been ruthlessly knocked to the ground by him, froze for a moment before bursting into loud sobs.
Li ZouXing’s brow furrowed even deeper.
The steward took a step forward. “Please rest assured, I’ll have them sent to the prison immediately.”
Xi Nan, who was enjoying desserts at the table, pouted playfully. “Don’t, please!”
Li ZouXing’s eye twitched as he looked at this group of audacious and carefree individuals who were acting so arrogantly on his territory. He bypassed Gu WenCheng and continued walking toward the princess.
However, the next moment, he felt another pair of arms wrap around his waist. Gu WenCheng tightened his grip, suppressing his own hostility, and rested his head against Li ZouXing’s back. Using his most gentle tone, he attempted to coax the touch-craving Li ZouXing, “Dark Lord, how do I look to you?”
“Pay no attention to the princess. Could she possibly be prettier than me?”
The princess’s incredulous sobbing came to an abrupt halt.
