As a groundbreaking masterpiece, forums of this kind were always crowded with users. Within ten seconds after a poster named “Nangong Chong” submitted his topic, the thread was refreshed and already had three replies.
“I Laugh Defiantly Toward Heaven”: “First blood!”
“Love Nie Xiaoqian” replied on the second floor: “Trying to bait replies, confirmed.”
“Ning Caichen Is Cute” occupied the third floor: “To gain experience, you’re really pushing it. I’ve played this level countless times, tried every posture, where’s the hidden boss?”
Nangong Chong replied instantly: “He’s real, extremely powerful, capable of matching Wuseng evenly without falling behind. He seems to be the Sect Leader of Cangtian Sect? Has anyone else encountered him? Seeking strategies and advice, I’ve been stuck here for a long time!”
“You’ve got to be kidding! I’ve already defeated the leader of Cangtian Sect’s headquarters. Their leader used to be the Left Minister, not even reaching the seventh heavenly realm of external scenery. I took him down easily. Where’s this hidden boss?” someone named “Fahai” scoffed.
“Love Nie Xiaoqian” chimed in: “Exactly. How rare and terrifying are Great Grandmasters? When I was at Lanruo Temple, I thought Wuseng was nothing special, but watching the battle between the Empress and the Taoist Master, I realized Wuseng was showing mercy, focused on redemption. How dare a minor leader of Cangtian Sect be compared to him? Amitabha, Layman, either you’re trying to bait replies and boost your forum rank, or you’re having hallucinations and should see a psychiatrist.”
“Seriously! He wears a dark green robe, looks slightly weathered but young in appearance. According to Master Wuseng, he has advanced the Cangtian Cultivation Technique to an unprecedented level, known as ‘Huangtian Shall Rise.'” Nangong Chong’s temple throbbed as he desperately restrained the urge to curse, so as not to be muted by the administrator.
Fahai said: “Haha, you don’t know that the last level of Cangtian Cultivation Technique was merely the founder’s fantasy, right? How could anyone ever reach it? At least show some professionalism when trying to bait replies!”
Before Nangong Chong could reply, a user with numerous honor badges joined the discussion, named “Shenmo Luanwu” (Chaos of Gods and Devils): “Actually, it’s not impossible. I once completed a hidden quest and found out that the former leader of Cangtian Sect once challenged Heishan Laoyao, narrowly lost, and then disappeared. Maybe it’s him!”
“How is that possible? Someone online has already finished this questline and discovered that the former leader died in seclusion long ago!” Another user named “Sword Slays Gods and Devils” replied on this thread.
“Don’t you realize this game has incorporated the ‘Butterfly Effect’ mechanic? Even the tiniest action can set off enormous consequences. Perhaps the poster did something that enabled the former leader of the Cangtian Sect, who was supposed to have died, to successfully achieve a breakthrough! The forum is full of high-quality threads discussing similar cases. Clearly, you’re just some elementary school kid from a rival forum!” “Shenmo Luanwu” seemed to hold a grudge against “Jian Zhan Shenmo” and immediately began taunting him.
Jian Zhan Shenmo retorted instantly: “So what if I’m a primary school student? There are plenty of primary school students who are much better at gaming than you!”
“Say one more word and try? Have the guts to enter the battle net? I swear I’ll kill you!” “Shenmo Luanwu” shouted.
Heishan Laoyao is a groundbreaking game that supports both single-player and online play.
Jian Zhan Shenmo replied: “Have the guts not to be a coward! I’m at the eighth heavenly realm of external scenery and practice the “Dragon and Tiger True Manual.”
“Only dogs are cowards!” Shenmo Luanwu responded just as fiercely.
The two continued their verbal battle, arguing for hundreds of floors, leaving Nangong Chong watching in stunned disbelief. He weakly replied: “You two, please stop arguing. Let’s discuss whether there’s a hidden boss or not.”
“Don’t be a coward!” Jian Zhan Shenmo completely ignored Nangong Chong.
Shenmo Luanwu also said: “The coward is the dog!”
“Haha, laughing at the poster being overshadowed, the two brothers on the ninth floor are amazing.” A reply from “Yingning Is My Wife” appeared on the floor below Nangong Chong.
“Ning Caichen Is Cute” sent a sweating emoji and wrote: “I’ve never seen two more boring people.”
Soon, many onlookers gathered. Finally, someone noticed the poster’s question. A user named “Feng Can Lu Su” (Eating in the Wind and Sleeping in the Dew) said: “No picture, no truth. No, no video, no truth. Do you have a video recording of this segment?”
Nangong Chong was moved to tears, almost ready to call him a relative: “For some reason, since this hidden boss appeared, I’ve been unable to record any video.”
“Is that even possible… I don’t read much, don’t lie to me… Where did you save your game? Maybe just bypass him without engaging him?” Feng Can Lu Su felt Nangong Chong’s attitude was acceptable, although he suspected him of lying to bait replies, he still offered advice.
Nangong Chong replied bitterly: “I was stupid and saved it at Lankuo Temple, right next to him. I can’t possibly start all over again, can I? I’ve worked so hard for so long.”
“Haha, what do you mean by a groundbreaking masterpiece? For the sake of realism, there can only be one save file. I once got stuck in a dead end and had to start over from the beginning,” Feng Can Lu Su expressed empathy. “But this hidden boss has never been encountered by anyone before. What exactly did you do?”
Nangong Chong replied with grievance: “I just followed the guides from the experts, accepted the quest from Huang’s Village, and didn’t do anything unusual. Oh, perhaps it’s because I used the trial version of the ‘Ten-Year Anniversary Edition,’ which added a new hidden boss. My uncle works on the core team at Cangqiong Games, and he let me test it and give feedback.”
“Oh, so you’re an ‘uncle party’…” Feng Can Lu Su replied.
Love Nie Xiaoqian said: “Kneeling to the ‘uncle party,’ now I understand, Master, you’re not here to bait replies, you’re here to show off!”
“Does the poster have a girlfriend or boyfriend?” a reply from “Yinyang Sanren” appeared.
“Poster, please share the walkthrough for the Ten-Year Anniversary Edition experience!” “Yingning Is My Wife” posted a picture of himself prostrating.
After another round of off-topic replies, Feng Can Lu Su finally said: “Are you and that hidden boss in an adversarial state?”
“Not really,” Nangong Chong thought for a moment and decided to ignore those experience-grinders.
“There you go,” Feng Can Lu Su sent a sighing emoji. “Just serve him respectfully, don’t try anything sneaky. Following such a big boss through the Lanruo Temple storyline, even if he’s hiding malice, he’ll probably wait until the crucial moment to kill you. By then, Master Wuseng will have arrived, and being compassionate, he’ll definitely protect you.”
“Don’t think about any extra gains. Pass this stage, level up, and then come back for revenge.”
Nangong Chong glanced and suddenly slapped his thigh: “Right, I was just too greedy, almost causing a game over!”
“Thank you, Master. I’ll give it a try. If it works, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime!” Nangong Chong quickly returned to the metal pod.
…
In the main hall of Lanruo Temple, Nangong Chong was turning thoughts in his mind, his smile growing wider. Seeing Meng Qi still half-closing his eyes, he dared not provoke him and obediently stayed nearby, chatting casually with Du Qingqing.
Meng Qi was recalling that strange connection. Nangong Chong’s aura or soul must have reappeared through it, and only then did the physical body manifest. If he applied the rudiments of the “Dao Yi Seal” and the ability of “Attracting Karma” in reverse, he might discover the secret of Nangong Chong’s “time reversal.”
He made up his mind and once again watched coldly. The subsequent events unfolded exactly as before: Left Minister Sun Junlin suggested directly capturing the evil spirit; a cold wind blew, and Yan Chixia lost his connection with Ning Caichen; Ning Caichen encountered Nie Xiaoqian, who was crying softly, learned that the ashes were hidden under a white poplar tree marked as the Crow’s Nest, and then pulled her back to the main hall. Though a weak scholar, his radiant sense of righteousness moved Nie Xiaoqian, who revealed her origins, her self-loathing for having harmed others previously, and the terror of the Granny, vaguely mentioning that Heishan Laoyao was plotting something significant.
The only difference this time was that Nangong Chong wasn’t tempted by beauty. He timely activated his secret treasure and used his martial arts skills with Du Qingqing to slay many evil spirits, allowing events to continue. At a critical moment when Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian were being chased by evil spirits and night demons, Yan Chixia finally rescued them back to the main hall.
The night demons and evil spirits of Lanruo Temple seemed endless. The hall was surrounded by howling cold winds, shadows flickering, causing a layer of pitch-black frost to condense on the walls and doors, swaying and appearing ready to collapse.
Among them were many whose strength was only slightly inferior to Yan Chixia’s. Relying on their overwhelming numbers, they forced Yan Chixia to activate his pre-prepared forbidden techniques earlier than planned.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi still leaned against the pillar, eyes half-closed, seemingly gaining a deeper grasp of that mysterious connection, forming many new hypotheses that required verification.
Just then, the inauspicious hour approached, and outside the window, tendrils of branches and roots appeared.
In the pitch-black night, all kinds of monsters danced wildly, creating a particularly terrifying atmosphere, putting Yan Chixia and others in a precarious situation.
Nangong Chong, however, relaxed, because although the arrival time of Wuseng was uncertain, he would definitely appear no later than the inauspicious hour, meaning he was about to come. If he just stayed put, he could escape danger.
Suddenly, he noticed the slightly weathered man in green robes slowly standing up, and his heart immediately stirred: Was this guy planning to kill Granny? He hadn’t even found the crack in the Nine Nether yet!
Just as he was about to warn him, his vision blurred, and he saw Meng Qi standing in front of him, right hand raised high. In front of his palm, darkness and light mingled, as if containing a shattered world.
His fingers were white, slender, and powerful, flipping the sky and covering the earth.
Pah!
Nangong Chong’s head exploded, blood and brains flying everywhere, his resentment soaring to the heavens:
“Psycho!”
Meng Qi narrowed his eyes; this was the opportunity!
His physical body stood still while his soul spirit rushed out with the wind, activating the Dao Yi Seal and cultivating the “Attracting Karma” technique!
Nangong Chong’s “soul spirit” could “descend” through that mysterious connection, reassembling his physical body. Meng Qi could also attempt the reverse!
The metal pod opened, Nangong Chong threw off his helmet, stormed to his computer, and posted again furiously:
“I swear I’ve had it with this game, that boss specifically targeted me!”
Just after sending it, his screen darkened, and his computer automatically shut down, and the lights in the room went out.
“Damn it! A power outage now!” Nangong Chong’s anger was hard to contain. Looking out the window, he saw the city brightly lit, never sleeping, so he frowned, “Did my house trip the circuit breaker?”
He stood up, about to check, when suddenly he heard a buzzing sound of electricity. Instinctively turning his head, he saw the helmet inside the metal pod and many silver-gray wires emitting streams of silver-white electric currents. They converged together, forming a ball.
Zzz! Zzz! Zzz! The electric current grew brighter, the ball larger, illuminating the room, almost like silver snakes dancing wildly.
Nangong Chong looked out the window and saw building after building across the way losing their lights. Within his sight, everything turned pitch black, a widespread regional power outage!
The ball, like condensed thunder, stretched and elongated, gradually forming a human figure. His entire body was bare, with streaks of lightning across his skin. His features were handsome, his demeanor scholarly, slightly weathered—clearly the hidden boss.
Nangong Chong’s mouth, which had been closed, slowly opened wider and wider until it formed an ‘O’.
Is this for real? He stood there, stunned, his eyes reflecting only the flickering silver snakes.
Meng Qi looked around. A flash of electricity formed into a green robe draped over him, and then he saw a big box labeled “The Groundbreaking Masterpiece: Heishan Laoyao.”
The black shadow covered the cover, blood-red eyes glaring hideously, but faintly concealing a hint of mockery and indifference.
The body temporarily formed from electric currents could not sustain Meng Qi’s soul spirit for long. Sensing his original body, he felt time slowing, almost freezing.
He turned back to Nangong Chong, a faint smile curling his lips, as if muttering to himself: “Interesting…”
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