A moment later, inside the underground cavern.
Jiang Yan stood in the vast space, his consciousness sinking into his mind.
"Negative emotions full. Summon?"
'Summon!' Jiang Yan willed it and summoned at once.
Hum! A ripple appeared before him, a purple-black cloud manifesting out of thin air.
This time the cloud stopped expanding at just over twenty centimeters.
'So small?' Surprised, Jiang Yan eyed the cloud—smaller even than when he'd summoned the Weaver of Illusions.
Rumble! A roar echoed from within the cloud.
Jiang Yan waited nearly fifteen minutes before the cloud finally dispersed.
As it faded, a thirteen-centimeter stone slab appeared in his hand.
The slab was pure black, its center raised in the shape of a heart.
Dense runes surrounded the heart; their purpose unknown.
Jiang Yan studied the object, and its information surfaced in his mind.
yang-fallen evil seal: a singular masterpiece from hell, able to absorb ten days of sunlight to materialize fictional beings! (This is a copy of the yang-fallen evil seal!)
Materialization: any mythological figure, demon, spirit, or legendary creature that once existed in fiction can be brought into reality through the seal.
Unique: the seal can be used only once; the more widely known the fictional being, the stronger it becomes when materialized! (Copy version cannot awaken beings possessing time, space, fate, causality, or soul abilities!)
'A copy, but still useful.' Jiang Yan's eyes glinted as he studied the seal.
'The copy can't affect soul-type characters—what if I find the original?' Many thoughts flickered through his mind.
He put the seal away, opened the soul crystal chest, and handed four transparent skulls to Tyrant, Ghost Buddha, and the other two monsters.
"Absorb them," Jiang Yan ordered.
"Roar!" With a low growl Tyrant crammed a soul crystal into his mouth, crunched, and swallowed.
Ghost Buddha lightly touched a skull; the soul crystal melted into green light and merged into his body.
Weaver of Illusions and Cloud Ray lowered their heads, licking the soul crystals off the ground.
Jiang Yan watched quietly. The King of the Deep Sea would return soon; letting him watch over their evolution would free Jiang Yan to leave.
'Didn't expect to have so many monsters under me already.' He felt a twinge of pride.
Ghost Buddha, Tyrant, Weaver of Illusions, King of the Deep Sea, Cloud Ray, skeleton tree (dead), Mirror Demon, Flesh Bodhisattva, Blood Master, yang-fallen evil seal.
These creatures had caused the Monster Association's power to skyrocket.
As the soul crystals were absorbed, the four monsters slipped into slumber.
Jiang Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, watching them.
Time moved to the day after Jiang Yan's return—Tizi Country, Roset City.
Soldiers poured into the city for rescue. Long Zhengqing stood at the entrance they had first used.
"So many days and not one useful thing found—total waste of time," Jiang Ao muttered, irritation plain on his face.
Zi Wen fanned his face with a hand, eyeing the blazing sun with a coquettish lilt: "This sun is dreadful; it's tanning me. When I get back, those pretty boys might spurn me."
Long Zhengqing automatically tuned out the nauseating remark and looked around. "Let's head back—this lousy place has nothing good."
"Yay! Finally going home. Had I known it'd be this hot, I'd never have come." Zi Wen hopped in delight.
The other two ignored him.
Jiang Ao, face dark, grabbed a nearby Caucasian soldier. "Send a hundred unconscious people to Nanwu Country—we need them for research."
The soldier blinked, but these three were people he couldn't offend. "I'll report it up the chain."
As the mist lifted, some townsfolk awoke, yet most remained comatose.
Mental-type probes confirmed their spirits had been devoured—brain death.
"Let's go. Staying is pointless now." Long Zhengqing led the two outward.
Not far away, Kṣitigarbha Duanxin watched until the Xuanjian Division people left.
He turned to the middle-aged man from the Zhenyuan Alliance beside him. "Alliance Head Wen, since there's nothing here, this monk will also take his leave."
Alliance Head Wen nodded to Duanxin. "Farewell, Master Duan."
Duanxin gave a slight nod and strode toward the camp, each step covering dozens of meters.
'A trip where I did nothing and still net eight billion—nice work if you can get it.' Satisfaction glimmered in his eyes.
Kṣitigarbha was wealthy, but free money was free money; had real fighting broken out, he'd have slacked off or simply run.
At the camp he boarded a helicopter bound for Lovisa City airport.
As a Level Five come to assist, Tizi Country had arranged a private jet.
Once aboard, Duanxin eyed the stewardess beside him and patted her rear.
A faint smile curved his lips. "Kind benefactress, this monk is hungry. Please bring some marbled beef and red wine—and a few roast chicken rumps."
The stewardess gave a professional smile. "Master, please wait. The chicken rumps our superiors prepared specially are being finished and will be out shortly."
Duanxin chuckled. "Your leaders know how to treat a guest, arranging things in advance."
Hum! The plane shuddered, entering take-off.
In a secluded room outside the airport, Blood Master stood watching the tarmac.
He followed a lifting aircraft with gleaming eyes. "Didn't expect the weakest old monk to leave first—his head will do for my report."
Among these Level Fives, the monk's aura felt a notch lower than the rest.
Once the plane was distant, he left the hut, wings beating.
Bang! He shot skyward, chasing the aircraft.
An hour later the plane left Tizi airspace, cruising at ten thousand meters above endless ocean.
Inside, Duanxin alternated bites of chicken rump and marbled beef, sipping red wine.
He forked a steaming rump, popped it whole into his mouth, grease smearing his lips. "Fine rumps—still a whiff of chicken-dung; this monk is delighted."
The stewardess watched silently, eyes flickering despite her blank expression.
Just then the sky outside the windows flared blood-red.
Mid-chew, Duanxin froze, his face changing as he stared outward. "What's happening!"