Ping-pang, clang~
The Water-Claw Alien dumped every single treasure he had on his person into a pile.
At a glance, this alien was a walking treasury. The sheer variety of shiny gadgets and mystical items almost blinded Ren's "titanium-alloy" eyes. However, Ren was now a wealthy man who had discarded Level 2 Civilization armor; he quickly regained his composure. Among the loot, he picked up a golden shield.
The shield was solid gold in color, featuring a goofy, blunt face on the front reminiscent of Thomas the Tank Engine. Aside from being ugly, it was perfect. This was one of the highest-level defensive items in the H-World: the body of the Overlord-class powerhouse, Metal Tyrant, who grew stronger by devouring metal. Its hardness was such that even Satan, another cosmic overlord, couldn't scratch it.
With this shield strapped to his arm and Ren's current physical density, even a Super-God level strike would struggle to harm him. He picked out a few high-potency grenades before waving the Water-Claw Alien away.
"You're not going to kill him?" the Corpse King asked.
"Too weak. No point in killing him."
Guided by the two Pig-Men, the trio arrived at a structure resembling ancient Yanhuang architecture. Upon entering, they were greeted by shimmering gold and opulence. Golden pillars and floors momentarily dazzled everyone.
On the main throne sat a male Pig-Man. Aside from him, the facility was populated entirely by female Pig-Men. It didn't take a genius to realize this was the "harem" of the King on the throne.
The Pig-King, Pigsy, stood up and offered a gentlemanly smile. "Welcome, travelers. If I'm not mistaken, you must be from Yanhuang?"
"You know about Yanhuang?" Bai Xiaofei asked, surprised.
Pigsy nodded. "In fact, I have an old senior from Yanhuang staying with me. I've learned much of your culture from him. Though it is but a fraction, it has left me enchanted!" At this, Pigsy sighed and looked at the shocked Xiaofei. "Regrettably, that senior was heavily injured in a great war long ago. Now, he is muddled and incoherent most of the time. Otherwise, I would have learned much more."
Hearing this, Xiaofei instinctively believed him, mostly because Pigsy was speaking fluent Yanhuang dialect instead of relying on the Gate's translation system.
Before Xiaofei could respond, Ren interjected: "Can you take us to see this senior? we'll exchange 'Modern Yanhuang Culture' for the privilege."
"Oh? Modern Yanhuang Culture?" Pigsy's eyes lit up with genuine interest. If Ren hadn't seen the original story, he might have believed the Pig-King actually cared about poetry. In reality, Pigsy was obsessed with finding a legendary martial arts manual.
"Indeed."
Ren pulled a book from his backpack. On the cover, the large characters for "Language & Literature" were printed. Below that, in smaller text: Grade 7, Volume 1.
Pigsy took the book, read a few essays, and immediately looked as if he had found a sacred treasure! He recognized some of the poems! When Senior Wuyou used to rampage through Hell, he would recite verses from this book. Pigsy concluded that this was clearly a peerless manual of ultimate techniques.
Carefully tucking the textbook into his clothes, Pigsy beamed. "You wish to see the senior? Right this way!"
At this point, Pigsy just wanted to get rid of them so he could study the "manual" in peace. He led them to a dilapidated prison cell where they saw a man in ancient Yanhuang robes. He was bound by massive, specialized chains that made every movement a struggle.
"This is Senior Wuyou," Pigsy introduced. "His mind was damaged in a war a thousand years ago. He drifts between clarity and madness. To prevent him from wandering out and being killed, I keep him locked here. His strength is immense; only these special materials can hold him."
Pigsy's explanation made it sound like he was protecting a senile relative rather than imprisoning a hero. At that moment, a tattered Wuyou looked at the Pig-King, eyes brightening. "Pig ears! Cold-braised pig ears!" He actually drooled, seemingly savoring the thought.
Pigsy's face darkened. "I'll leave you to chat with the senior. I'm off!" He hurried away with his harem.
Once they were gone, Ren looked toward a nearby shadow and smiled. "Come out. It's safe."
Rustle, rustle~~
A dark figure emerged from the rock. Seeing Ren, he burst into tears. "Brother Ren! You finally came!"
Ren caught the lunging Mu Tiancai with one hand. "I didn't expect you to drop right next to Senior Wuyou. That's some luck!"
Tiancai shook his head like a rattle. "No way, Brother! You have no idea what a nightmare I've had!"
Tiancai explained that he had actually dropped in the territory of the Mechanical Devil. As per Ren's instructions, he started scavenging alien tech. But before he could build a lab, the Mechanical Devil found him and tried to dismantle him. If he hadn't reached the God-level, he'd be dead. After his tech was mostly devoured, he fled with his gene-extraction device and ended up here, finding a messy old man asking if he wanted to learn a "peerless technique."
"I see," Ren nodded. He turned his gaze to Senior Wuyou.
The old man's eyes were no longer cloudy; they sparkled with sharp clarity. He spoke: "To think this generation of Yanhuang would send three God-levels into the Gate... it seems the country has flourished."
"May I ask which era you are from, Senior?"
"Era?" Wuyou frowned, looking confused. "I can't quite remember. Just think of me as an ancient." He reached into his robes, pulled out a manual, and tossed it to Ren. "Young man, this is the Poem Immortal Sword manual. Take it out of here with you."
Knowing his time was short, his only wish was to ensure the legacy didn't die in Hell.
Ren caught the manual and bowed deeply. "Thank you for the gift, Senior! Don't worry, with Tiancai and me here, you won't die. Please, do not resist!"
Ren fired a beam of white light—the Gourmet's healing energy—into Wuyou. Trusting his fellow countrymen, Wuyou didn't block it. As the light entered his body, his ancient wounds healed at a visible speed. His mind cleared completely.
When the light faded, a middle-aged, vibrant version of Senior Wuyou stood before them.
"My injuries...?" Wuyou stared at his hands in disbelief. In a heartbeat, the damage of a thousand years had vanished!
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