An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 238 Mysterious Glazed Armor

"Plundering civilization!"

Chu Xiu was slightly startled.

He then revealed a thoughtful expression.

No wonder those Heavenly Kings are so keen on training their disciples to become ambassadors of civilization.
Ya Zi continued, "The Conqueror King among the Eight Heavenly Kings is famous for this. He started by seizing the world of his disciple, and then plundered all the way. Now he has conquered at least fifty civilizations. He is currently the most aggressive Heavenly King in our human race in expanding our territory in the Abyss World. The word 'Conqueror' comes from this."

"However, civilizations after war will see a significant decrease in both population and development index, and integrating different civilizations is extremely difficult. Without proper management methods, the development of civilizations will also stagnate."

"Therefore, although the Conqueror King conquered so many civilizations, the total scale of civilizations he conquered was far less than that of the Immortal King."

"The other four Heavenly Kings who possess worlds all cultivate civilization envoys for the purpose of 'linking'. Although this alliance method cannot directly increase the scale of civilization, it can continuously benefit from long-term development."

After Ya Zi finished speaking, Chu Xiu finally understood his situation.

But there are still three Heavenly Kings who don't have a world yet.
"I feel like Tang Sanzang right now," Chu Xiu said with a wry smile.

In front of the Heavenly King, he was indeed not much different from ordinary people.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. You have the protection of the three Heavenly Kings of China,” Ya Zi’s voice rang out again. “Besides, it’s not so easy to plunder a world. You have to kill the World Lord within the territory of the World Lord’s civilization.”

"Oh?"

Chu Xiu's heart stirred. If that were the case, his safety would be greatly enhanced, and even if the Heavenly King wanted to kill him, it wouldn't be so easy.

"In short, your information is now a top secret of our Bureau of Investigation. We will use all means to prevent information about you from being leaked. Even if it is leaked in the end, we will use all our resources to protect you."

After a pause, Ya Zi added, "This was an order personally issued by the King of Slaughter."

The only civilization envoy to have successfully completed the solo trial since the Abyss invasion, he became the ruler of the world after just one trial.

Such a genius deserves to be treated this way by the government!

Ya Zi's words also made Chu Xiu breathe a sigh of relief. Having a Heavenly King protecting him could bring him a great sense of security.

However, he soon realized a problem.

"How are you going to protect me?" he asked cautiously.

Ya Zi nodded: "That's right, this is the last thing I want to tell you today."

"That is, I want to ask you to trust us completely and tell us your true identity."

"To tell you the truth, my master, the King of Slaughter, arrived in Jiangcheng yesterday. If you agree, he will immediately protect you and personally guard you afterward, while also providing you with the highest level of training!"

Ya Zi's words shocked even Chu Xiu, who stared wide-eyed in disbelief!
The King of Slaughter has arrived in Jiangcheng! And he will personally protect you!
He never expected that he would have so much influence!

Chu Xiu took a deep breath, his expression immediately becoming unpredictable.

With a Heavenly King protecting you, you naturally won't have to worry about safety anymore.

But there is a crucial question here.

Is the King of Killing Worship trustworthy?

How can we determine whether the other party's purpose is to protect rather than to plunder?

After pondering for a long time, Chu Xiu finally let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, senior, but I still want to take responsibility for my own life."

Upon hearing his answer, Ya Zi and Qin Xiang both sighed softly.

However, they didn't show much surprise, as if they had already expected Chu Xiu's answer.

"In that case, we won't force you."

"The subsequent transactions will proceed as before, within the world of the Shiki, where you will choose the person to trade with."

Did you obtain an [Anchor Point] during this trial?

Chu Xiu nodded and said, "To be honest, senior, I did obtain the [Anchor Point], but given the current situation, I must apologize that I am unable to hand it over."

Ya Zi said helplessly, "I really don't know what to say to you, but if you don't give us [anchor points], how will your civilization be protected?"

"If I remember correctly, that [Calamity] is still wandering outside, and it should become a [Heroic Spirit] in two or three months at most."

"Even without mentioning the [Calamity], you should be aware of the changes in the Corpse Demon World. In just the past few days, Qin Xiang has discovered several powerful King-level creatures near the base, and their strength is constantly increasing."

"Although these creatures were eliminated immediately, what happens afterward? Can you guarantee that [Heroic Spirits] won't appear?"

"And I can assure you that the [Anchor Point] will be used by only me. My purpose is very simple: to protect these hard-won 20,000 sparks of civilization. I will never interfere in your affairs. Is that alright?"

Ya Zi's voice was very sincere. As a powerful [Heroic Spirit] with such a high position and authority, he could probably only ask for favors in a handful of times. This was already considered giving Chu Xiu enough face.

But Chu Xiu still shook his head and refused.

He couldn't tell how much of what these old monsters said was true and how much was false. His ability to see through people's hearts was only somewhat useful to naive high school students.

All he can do now is consider the worst-case scenario!

As soon as he uttered his refusal, Ya Zi's face darkened, and the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

However, after a while, he smiled again, shook his head with a helpless expression, but a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes once more.

“Although you’ve really annoyed me, I have to admit there’s nothing wrong with your decision,” Ya Zi waved his hand. “In that case, do as you please. I’m happy to have some peace and quiet.”

"The transaction will take place in fourteen days, so let us know if you need anything."

"And here are the [Legendary] equipment I promised you before, pick one."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ya Zi raised his hand and sent a long list of data into Chu Xiu's mind.

Chu Xiu chuckled and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, senior."

Ya Zi simply waved his hand speechlessly: "Hurry up and choose."

Chu Xiu didn't stand on ceremony and quickly started browsing.

After advancing to the rank of general, the defensive power of the [Legendary] armor type has surpassed that of Chu Xiu's physical body, greatly enhancing his physical safety.

Therefore, even for Chu Xiu, a piece of legendary armor of the general rank was very tempting.

All the data was processed quickly, and the list provided by Ya Zi contained hundreds of [Legendary] items!
He was also picky, directly targeting only those of the King rank and above [Legendary], instantly reducing the number to only twelve.

Unfortunately, after advancing to a higher rank, people usually exchange one of their lower-ranking [Legendary] items for another to maximize their profits. As a result, many [Legendary] items of the Fierce Rank and General Rank become available. However, King Rank Legendary items are extremely rare, and there are simply too many people stuck at the King Rank, so there are very few left.

And the rest are mostly "legendary" items with rather useless or unusable attributes.

I'd like to exchange for a piece of armor of the [Legendary] type, but the probability is very low.

After all, armor has a low drop rate and is one of the equipment types that provides the greatest boost to strength, so it has always been highly sought after.

Chu Xiu got five legendary items and one mythical item this time, but none of them were armor, which shows just how difficult it is to get a good piece of armor.

Therefore, Chu Xiu didn't have high expectations to begin with, and planned to just pick a general-level defensive equipment to make do if all else failed.

But suddenly, he saw something, and his eyes lit up immediately!
[Mysterious Fiery Glazed Armor (King-Rank Legendary): Defense +2080, Constitution +360, imbued with Mysterious Fiery energy, extremely sturdy, and also possesses a glazed radiance, significantly reducing the power of magical attacks (General-Rank attribute).] There was actually a piece of armor left! And it was the pure defensive type of armor that Chu Xiu needed most right now!
"It's about 1.8 times my current bone defense."

This is already an extremely rare figure. Normally, legendary armor of the general rank has a defense of around 1500. For example, the Great Sun Guardian Shield has a defense of 1560 after being upgraded to the [general rank].

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xiu pointed and said, "Senior Ya Zi, this junior chooses this one."

Ya Zi glanced at it, a knowing smile on his face, and nodded, saying, "I knew you would choose this one. My master specially put it in yesterday. He guessed that you probably wouldn't reveal your secrets so easily, so he simply gave you a piece of protective gear."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu couldn't help but show a knowing look. He had no idea how such an effective heavy armor could not have been stolen.

"Thank you for your kindness, seniors. I will always remember this favor," Chu Xiu said, bowing again.

However, Ya Zi didn't seem to appreciate these polite words.

Next, Chu Xiu and Qin Xiang finalized the items to be traded.

Naturally, he exchanged all those miscellaneous items that Chu Xiu didn't need, such as ordinary equipment, directional deep-diving scrolls, the Hand of Deprivation, and low-quality Old Shadows, for Causal Points.

Having done all this, he prepared to take his leave.

Just as Chu Xiu was about to leave, Ya Zi suddenly said, "Oh, right, one last thing."

"We have made some preliminary results regarding the [Soul-Gathering Treasure Box] that you mentioned to us before."

"The person who attacked you is the Zhang family, one of the four major families. We are still investigating who exactly is involved, but they have done it very cleanly, and we may never find out the truth."

"But to have such power, that person must hold a very high position in the Zhang family. Once the Soul-Gathering Treasure Box is selected, it cannot be changed. The other party probably won't let this go easily. You need to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu turned around and said, "Thank you for the reminder, senior."

Without further hesitation, his figure disappeared into Yuan City.

Ya Zi was also preparing to leave.

But at that moment, Qin Xiang suddenly called out, "My lord."

Ya Zi paused in his steps: "What is it?"

Qin Xiang's face showed a conflicted expression, but after hesitating for a long time, he still said, "My lord, if I remember correctly, Senior Killing King doesn't seem to have his own world yet, right?"

"Ok?"

Ya Zi's gaze shifted, and his icy eyes fell on Qin Xiang.

At this moment, he had lost all the kind and caring demeanor he had shown to Chu Xiu in front of him. Instead, he resembled a bloody and sharp instrument of torture, and just being stared at by him would make one feel involuntarily terrified.

Those who are vengeful and hold grudges are known as the most feared name in the Investigation Bureau by anyone with even a little bit of background.

"So what do you want to say?"

In Yuancheng, theoretically speaking, there are no such ethereal things as aura or oppressive force; everything is just data.

But for some reason, Ya Zi's gaze made Qin Xiang almost unable to breathe.

But after a long while, he still mustered up the courage to ask, "My lord, I want to ask Senior Killing King, is he truly acting in Chen Ce's best interest?"

Dead silence.

Just as Qin Xiang was already covered in cold sweat, Ya Zi's voice slowly rang out: "Xiang, I have high hopes for you, but sometimes you are too reckless."

"Just because I personally promoted you, do you think you're one of my confidants and can speak out of turn in front of me?"

"Gulp," Qin Xiang subconsciously swallowed, and quickly lowered his head, saying, "This humble one dares not."

He instinctively felt that Ya Zi's gaze was like a sharp sword, making him completely afraid to raise his head.

However, just as Qin Xiang was regretting his loose tongue, he heard Ya Zi's calm voice: "Although I am the teacher's closest disciple, the gap between us is as huge as an insurmountable chasm. How could I possibly know the teacher's thoughts?"

"However, I might as well tell you some of my guesses."

"I don't think the teacher will lay a hand on Chen Ce."

"Oh?" Qin Xiang looked up in surprise.

Ya Zi turned around and said to himself, "Although the teacher has killed many people, he is not like the 'Conqueror King' who did it all for himself. Otherwise, he would not have taken on that sinecure and led the army to guard the front line on Mars for so long."

"Chen Ce is very talented. If he grows up, he may become another superstar for China. The teacher will not have the heart to ruin such a genius."

Ya Zi's words made Qin Xiang's eyes widen.

"Another Heavenly King? Is Chen Ce's talent that terrifying?"

While soloing the game is indeed unprecedented, the Heavenly King's long-term monopoly on resources has created a huge gap between him and other awakened individuals. Qin Xiang simply doesn't believe that talent alone can overcome that gap!
Even if a genius is a thousand times more talented than an ordinary person, the resources that a superstar can obtain are a million times, even ten million times greater!
Moreover, the Heavenly King himself is a genius among geniuses!

Ya Zi asked, "Have you read his report on this trial?"

"I've looked at the general process."

"The easiest way to pass this trial is to quietly gather intelligence and information. Once you understand the conflict between the eight classes, just wait for the war between the gods and the asuras to happen. As long as you protect a small group of people, you can reap the benefits and successfully pass the trial."

"The downside is that it will inevitably result in the deaths and injuries of countless civilians, leading to a very low rating for passing the test."

“A better approach would be to reach an agreement with either the Asura or the Celestials to help one side defeat the other, but there is a possibility of betrayal afterward, and the cooperation itself is quite difficult to achieve.”

"However, Chen Ce achieved a perfect clear by defeating both Asura and Celestial!"

Ya Zi's expression turned serious for the first time: "The difficulty of a perfect clear is several times higher than that of a normal clear!"

"However, judging from the descriptions of those survivors, Chu Xiu's strength is only equivalent to a high-level King-rank Awakener."

"How can something this difficult be called a solo trial of the ancients?"

"So those survivors, most likely under that kid's orders, concealed something from us! And greatly exaggerated the enemy's strength!"

"Chen Ce probably has other trump cards up his sleeve! And his talent is far greater than what he has shown!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Xiang froze on the spot.

Does Chen Ce still have a trump card up his sleeve?
They're already that strong, yet they still have a trump card? And they can even get stronger?

He suddenly realized that he was probably witnessing the rise of an unprecedented genius who could change the world order!

"I must spare no effort to protect this promising talent for my China!"

Qin Xiang made up his mind in an instant.

The question is, does Chen Ce still need his protection now? And what can he do?
After much thought, Qin Xiang felt that all he could do was help Chen Ce protect his civilization.

However, the [Calamity] has already escaped, and the Corpse Demon World is in full recovery. The combat power of the King rank is simply not enough!
"My lord, I'm planning to ask for a few days off." Qin Xiang slowly raised his head.

Ya Zi looked at him and said, "What are you doing?"

"Trial of Heroes".

Qin Xiang slowly but firmly uttered four words.

(End of this chapter)