Chapter 825: Strategy for “Hanging”

The newly posted thread quickly received replies. “I’ll laugh defiantly at the heavens” still occupied the first reply steadily: “Oh my, the thread starter is tricking people to reply again! The two ‘Great Gods’ named ‘Dog, Don’t Be a Wimp’ have been arguing all night!”

“Thread starter, thread starter, where’s that hidden BOSS emerging from the game? How can you still surf the internet so peacefully?” “Ning Caichen is so cute” followed closely behind.

“A hidden BOSS emerging from the game?” Meng Qi deliberately glanced at Nan Gong Chong, whose face immediately turned pale. He stuttered and stammered, unable to explain anything coherent.

Meng Qi turned back and solemnly replied in the thread: “This old man am the hidden BOSS emerging from the game; the original thread starter has been replaced by me.”

“Hahaha, I just said it earlier, I like most when you speak so seriously and yet talk nonsense.” “Favorite Nie Xiaoqian” joined in the fun.

“Feng Can Lu Su” posted an emoji showing someone covering their forehead: “Brother, now I get it—you’re really just trying to trick people into replying to boost your level. I even kindly thought of ways to help you pass Lanruo Temple. Oh right, to eliminate this hidden BOSS emerging from the game, naturally you should call the game company and have them send programmers to fix the bug. As for how to fix it—that’s their problem!”

As he continued, he suddenly became cheerful. Nan Gong Chong’s earlier post had triggered a wave of jokes and pranks. Posts like “Nie Xiaoqian crawled out of the mirror wanting to be intimate with me—should I accept? Waiting online!” and “The Heavenly Master appeared in my dream wanting to pass down the Shangqing Sect teachings—should I first get up, wash up, and tidy myself before continuing the dream?” created a playful atmosphere, and “Feng Can Lu Su” was soon immersed in it too.

“Eliminate the hidden BOSS emerging from the game?” Meng Qi softly read aloud, glancing again at Nan Gong Chong.

Nan Gong Chong’s legs gave way and he slumped onto the nearby bed: “S-senior, I was wrong…”

Meng Qi ignored him and continued reading the thread.

“Old Wang from Next Door” wrote: “This hidden BOSS emerging from the game—is it the previous leader of the Cangtian Sect mentioned by the thread starter? Quick, call Heishan Laoyao to help fight!”

“Exactly, it’s this old man.” Meng Qi smiled slightly, finding this experience nostalgic. “Why would this old man call Heishan Laoyao to fight himself?”

“…Respectfully defeated. The thread starter must be an up-and-coming star in cosplay.” More posts kept flooding in, everyone twisting the topic and joking wildly.

Meng Qi glanced at the sky and replied again: “Alright, alright, the Venerable Monk emerged from the simulation pod and dragged the previous leader of the Cangtian Sect back. Let’s talk about the Qi Sha Tablet now.”

Watching the mysterious and terrifying BOSS emerging from the game skillfully browsing the forum and enthusiastically replying to posts, Nan Gong Chong felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity, as if he were caught in an extremely ridiculous dream. Or perhaps the BOSS was the real master here, while he was just a spectator…

He fell into deep confusion, doubting his own existence.

“Haha, the thread starter, if you don’t pursue a career in fiction writing, it would truly be a loss for humanity.” “Ning Caichen is so cute” was clearly amused.

“Exactly. Who seriously asks about a completely fictional Qi Sha Tablet?” Feng Can Lu Su felt utterly defeated.

Guided by Meng Qi, they continued chatting about the Qi Sha Tablet. Some claimed they had nearly become Grand Masters, while others bragged about maintaining good relations with various factions, all insisting they had never heard of the Qi Sha Tablet.

Just then, “Old Wang from Next Door” posted: “I seem to have heard of it once from Lao Lao…”

Meng Qi immediately perked up, waiting eagerly for him to continue.

“I’ve played through this section more than ten times, torturing Lao Lao in every possible way. How come I’ve never heard of it?” “Ning Caichen is so cute” expressed doubt.

It took a while before “Old Wang from Next Door” replied: “I once seduced Lao Lao at Lanruo Temple. When she was moved by passion, she told me that Heishan Laoyao was seeking a treasure called the Qi Sha Tablet, which seems not to belong to this world.”

“Seduced Lao Lao…” “Ning Caichen is so cute” used six ellipses to express his feelings.

Imagining what Lao Lao might look like, Meng Qi couldn’t help but admire silently in his heart: “What a talent…”

“San Sheng Wan Wu,” “Favorite Nie Xiaoqian,” and others rushed in, worshiping “Old Wang from Next Door” and calling him a Grand Master in this particular field, admiring his unique tastes.

“Not belonging to this world…” Meng Qi slightly nodded, continuing to watch for further updates while opening a new window to browse the forum’s guide threads, mainly looking for information about the Venerable Monk and Heishan Laoyao.

As the final boss, Heishan Laoyao had remained undefeated for ten years. So far, even the strongest players had barely reached the Grand Master level, slightly inferior to established figures like the Taoist Patriarch and the Empress. Thus, the hidden Heishan Laoyao had yet to be triggered.

However, many players had encountered Heishan Laoyao, often resulting in a game over. He was hailed as the ultimate final boss.

Regarding guides related to the Venerable Monk, there was indeed a guide on how to obtain the “Dizang Crossing Soul Sutra”: After countless attempts by many players over ten years, someone recently succeeded. He joined the Dizang Temple as a monk, spending eight years outside the game diligently cultivating. He became the top expert under the Venerable Monk. When a place was overwhelmed by vengeful spirits and the Venerable Monk was preoccupied mediating between the Taoist Patriarch and the Empress, he was entrusted with the “Dizang Crossing Soul Sutra” to perform the exorcism.

For Meng Qi, it wasn’t necessary to possess the “Dizang Crossing Soul Sutra” entirely. Just copying part of it as a reference should suffice to improve the “Mahavairocana Subduing Demon Fist,” potentially helping his master achieve the Dharmakaya. However, the method described above was completely impractical for him—how could he possibly spend so much time becoming the second-in-command at Dizang Temple?

Continuing to read, Meng Qi focused on the Venerable Monk’s preferences and desires. He found that the monk was a pure, noble figure who had transcended vulgar interests, dedicating himself entirely to liberating the souls of the wronged and alleviating suffering.

“According to the guides and his preferences, is there a way to design a scenario where the Venerable Monk is trapped somewhere and unable to act, while another location is plagued by spirits that cannot be normally exorcised? Then I could conveniently step in, offering a secret method requiring only a copy of the ‘Dizang Crossing Soul Sutra’ as an auxiliary, without needing the original treasure itself, in exchange for an item?” Meng Qi felt cheerful. Playing the ‘game’ with such strategies was truly unbeatable!

What a great cheat! Meng Qi couldn’t help but mutter.

—Because of the Venerable Monk’s compassionate and upright nature, Meng Qi, with his own temperament, couldn’t possibly resort to “heroic” methods against him. Thus, he had to seek alternative approaches.

Nan Gong Chong watched anxiously as Meng Qi played on the computer all night, his heart in turmoil, sometimes feeling as if he were dreaming, sometimes painfully aware as if trapped in a hellish nightmare.

Suddenly, he saw Meng Qi stand up, walk to the wall, and casually open the built-in refrigerator, taking out two instant noodles cups. Glancing at Nan Gong Chong, he asked: “It’s morning. Want breakfast?”

Nan Gong Chong blankly shook his head, then watched in disbelief as “the hidden BOSS from the game” skillfully prepared and ate the noodles with no apparent awkwardness.

His mouth slowly opened wider, his mind going completely blank at that moment.

Smelling the noodles and eating them, Meng Qi realized it didn’t really matter—his physical body was still far from being reassembled. His current form was merely an energy body made of electrical currents, lacking a brain, stomach, blood vessels, or meridians. His Yuan Shen could only survive outside a real body for three days, so he was simply reminiscing about his old life.

Ding!

The phone rang. Nan Gong Chong instinctively looked over, catching sight of his uncle’s figure.

Sensing Meng Qi’s gaze, he hurriedly answered the call.

“Chong’er, did you need something last night?” Nan Gong Chong’s uncle was a thin middle-aged man with stubble and slightly swollen eyelids, looking rather tired. He somewhat resembled Nan Gong Chong, but overall seemed in decent condition, likely due to advanced medical care.

Nan Gong Chong suppressed the urge to cry from grievance and fear, striving to remain calm: “Uncle, I’ve encountered a very bad situation. I’d prefer to tell you in person.”

His uncle yawned: “Come to my company then. I’ll take a nap first. I’ll have the receptionist wake me when you arrive.”

The call ended. Nan Gong Chong saw Meng Qi already standing with his hands behind his back, ready to leave. He lowered his head and led this terrifying figure, whose origin was beyond belief, into the elevator, down to the underground garage, and started his “Flying Seven.”

The tireless “white car” glided out of the garage along the tracks, then activated satellite navigation and autonomous driving. It smoothly turned among the densely packed skyscrapers like a forest, soon leaving the city and heading toward the suburbs.

Nan Gong Chong didn’t bother introducing these futuristic gadgets, noticing that Meng Qi remained extremely calm and composed, showing no signs of being impressed or shaken. This made him feel a bit disappointed and gloomy.

The Cangqiong Game Company, which developed the “Heishan Laoyao” game, was located in the suburban Hot Spring Valley. They had built a thirty-three-story skyscraper there, its sleek lines subtly twisted, entirely covered in black tiles, giving it a mysterious and solemn appearance, like the heavy night sky during cloudy weather.

Every time Nan Gong Chong saw this building, he felt a chill in his heart. Today, as he glanced sideways at Meng Qi, he suddenly sensed something. Meng Qi was staring at the black tower, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere was rapidly forming around him.

“It’s just like when he and the Venerable Monk’s energies clashed…” Nan Gong Chong thought, a ridiculous idea suddenly occurring to him: “Could the hidden BOSS from the game have emerged into reality specifically to attack the game company?”

As they approached the black tower, Nan Gong Chong suddenly heard the “Grand Master” beside him ask: “When you learned martial arts in the ‘game,’ could you see the contents of the manuals?”

“No, the manuals transformed directly into golden light, entering my body and granting me skills and experience.” Nan Gong Chong answered without understanding the reason.

Meng Qi nodded slightly: “Therefore, in the game you possess martial arts at the external scene level, but not in reality. If you handle this matter well, this old man might consider teaching you the basics.”

“Really? Can I actually cultivate martial arts?” Nan Gong Chong, who had played a martial artist for years, had always been deeply fascinated by martial arts!

“Drawing on the power of heaven and earth will likely be difficult, but opening the nine orifices should be manageable.” Meng Qi had already noticed the different laws of this world. Unless he could directly modify them like Master Lu, he could only rely on accumulated electrical energy to display combat power. However, since the physical structure was somewhat similar, martial arts below the external scene level should still be applicable.

Thinking of the young man in the blue robe effortlessly melting an alloy sword the previous night, Nan Gong Chong’s heart suddenly raced. He blurted out: “S-senior, is there a martial art that can quickly open the nine orifices?”

Meng Qi looked ahead calmly: “Yes, but it’ll be a bit painful at first. Just endure it.”

“What martial art is it?” Nan Gong Chong asked eagerly.

“The Sunflower Manual. To cultivate supreme skills, one must first castrate oneself.” The flying car came to a stop, and Meng Qi stepped out nonchalantly.

Nan Gong Chong froze instantly, like a wooden statue.

Soon, the two arrived in front of the black tower. They saw people in bizarre costumes coming and going—some in monk robes, some fully covered in black cloaks, others with eyes turned blood-red, as if they had instantly returned to the world of Heishan Laoyao.

Meng Qi slightly frowned, while Nan Gong Chong couldn’t help but laugh: “COSPLAYing Heishan Laoyao to work? Cangqiong Game Company is really getting into it. It wasn’t like this the last time I came!”

At that moment, he heard the mysterious young man in the blue robe casually say: “What’s so strange? Isn’t there someone ‘COSPLAYing’ the leader of the Cangtian Sect right beside you?”

Nan Gong Chong abruptly returned to “reality,” his face paling again.