The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 481 The Number One Player in the Desolate Realm
Dang dang dang.

Wu Chang knocked on the city gate, silently counting in his mind.

If he knocks on the door ten times and the guy inside still doesn't open it, then after he breaks down the door, he'll probably elbow him.

One, two, eight, nine...

Perhaps the new Fire Demon King sensed his thoughts, for before he could count to ten, the heavy city gate opened a crack.

Wu Chang pushed open the city gate and waved to An Rong behind him, signaling An Rong to enter the city together.

The scene in Xinwu City was quite different from what he had imagined.

Upon entering the city, he did not see the people being kept by monsters and constantly exploited out of fear.

At a glance, one can see people moving about everywhere in the city, trying their best to restore the way life was before the Demon Realm.

However, judging from their emaciated bodies and the lingering fear in their eyes, it was clear that they had not been free for long and had not yet adapted to their new lives.

But one thing is certain: the new Fire Demon King should treat them well.

As Wu Chang and An Rong entered the city, they could clearly sense a faint hostility in the gazes directed at them from all around.

It seems they were afraid of what the new Fire Demon King might do to them, causing them to return to their previous lives.

A man dressed in a large Xuan official robe stood behind the city gate. The XXXL-sized robe looked somewhat comical on his thin body.

The man's right arm was severed at the root, his left eye socket was empty, and his face had large areas of burn marks. However, when facing the two men, his expression was unusually calm, neither humble nor arrogant, and it was clear that the official robe should indeed belong to him.

Seeing the two enter the city, he said:
"I am the magistrate of this city. Please follow me. Lord Lu invites you."

An Rong frowned slightly after hearing this and asked:

"Lord Lu, are you referring to the demon that is entrenched here?"

The magistrate's tone remained unchanged after hearing this, and he said:

"I am blind and cannot distinguish between humans and demons. I can only recognize who can protect the peace of Xinwu City."

An Rong wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

The magistrate before him was in such a miserable state that he had clearly suffered greatly at the hands of Zhu Yinhai. Looking around, among the people of the newly established Wucheng, none looked more wretched than him.

If he had served the demon in order to protect himself, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

The fact that he was willing to call that monster Lord Lu was not because he was forced, but because he genuinely believed that the monster could protect the peace of Xinwu City.

If demons can protect Xinwu City, then can't the Great Xuan Dynasty and the Human Alliance protect it too?
An Rong remembered something, sighed, and realized that things really couldn't be guaranteed.

The three remained silent on the way, and under the magistrate's guidance, Wu Chang and An Rong arrived at the Huomu Temple in the city.

From a great distance, they could see a huge bronze sycamore tree growing out of the temple.

Upon arriving at the temple gate, the magistrate opened the door for the two and said:

"Lord Lu is inside."

The two entered the Huomu Temple and followed the road to the bronze parasol tree. There, facing the parasol tree, was a long table with a sheet of drawing paper spread out on it. A man was holding a brush and drawing something on the paper.

Wu Chang recognized the man's face; he was Lu Langfeng, the former owner of the Emotional Gallery in Wanghai City.

In the Abyss game, he also has another identity: a painter.

Unlike Wu Chang, An Rong didn't know the painter, but his expression was more complicated than Wu Chang's, and he spoke first:

"Are you human?"

The painter put down his brush, stretched out his hand, and the paper doll girl waiting by the table immediately brought him a handkerchief.

The painter wiped his hands clean, placed the towel back in the girl's hands, turned to look at the two of them, and said with a smile:

"Let me introduce myself. According to your Humanitarian Alliance, they call me the Second Human."

“I have known He Ping for a long time, but we have had little contact. In fact, today is the first time we have met in person.”

An Rong's expression turned extremely surprised after hearing the painter's self-introduction.

He initially thought the painter was a talented hermit cultivator from the countryside, like Chi Yuan, who had gone astray and fallen into the demonic path.

But to their surprise, the other party turned out to be a celestial being.

The celestial beings returned to the Great Mystery to deal with the demonic calamity, so why have they turned into demons instead?

Moreover, judging from his tone, his relationship with He Ping is quite special.

An Rong turned to look at Wu Chang, who said in a calm tone:

"I had already guessed that the Fire Demon King was you."

The painter asked:

"From the sycamore grove outside the city?"

Wu Chang shook his head and said, "The second place that has never been overtaken."

Upon hearing this, the painter's smile vanished instantly.

Previously, Wu Chang only had suspicions, but the moment he confirmed that the new Fire Demon King was the Painter, all the previous information matched up.

The memories contained in the Kaiyang Immortal Fate reveal that all demons are born from the Demon Realm. As long as the Demon Realm remains intact, the number of demons will be virtually endless. Apart from the Demon King, any number of demon generals and demon guards can be created.

Therefore, unless you kill the Demon King, simply hunting demons will not increase your contribution points.

The reason why hunting monsters in Twin Lakes City can increase the player's contribution points is not because of the hunting itself, but because of the city's defense.

If it were just a simple hunt, even a player of the Super Core level wouldn't listen to the dictates of the cultivators in Twin Lakes City.

The painter plunged headlong into the demon realm and disappeared without a trace, yet he consistently ranked second on the contribution value list, something Wu Chang couldn't understand.

But if players can choose to join a faction that includes not only humans but also demons, then everything makes sense.

Unlike the human race, the demon race will not reduce its rewards to the celestial beings because of the decree of the immortals.

At the same time, the demon race values ​​strength above all else. As long as one can obtain the Demon King's inheritance, the demon race contribution points will be plentiful without any effort required.

This also explains why the girl with tiger teeth suffered a defeat and was seriously injured by the demon race.

Looking across the entire desolate realm, besides Wu Chang, only the painter who stole the divine stone tablet from the Light Society could defeat a lower-level god.

Seeing that Wu Chang and the painter did not have a harmonious relationship and that the two did not intend to join forces against him, An Rong was temporarily relieved.

He gripped his halberd tightly. Having experienced the four fires of Yin, Yang, Illusion, and Reality, he already knew that the new Fire Demon King before him was no ordinary being. Now, discovering that the other party had once been a Celestial Being, he was even more wary of him.

Even a demon with weak intelligence can easily overpower an earth immortal once it inherits the legacy of a demon king, let alone a celestial being with an extraordinary background.

Judging from the dialogue between the other party and peace, it seems that peace is the head of all beings, while the other party has always been in second place. Even if there is a gap between the second and the first, the difference is not too great.

The sound of Peace's punch that shattered his inner demons still echoed in his mind. Regardless of what method Peace used or whether he possessed divine sense magic, the fact that he could achieve that level of skill was enough to be terrifying.

Given this peace, the people of the next era will certainly not be weak.

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, within the Seven Star Immortal Mansion, the ownership of the Jade Balance Immortal Mansion belonged to the Second Heavenly Being.

Jade Balance Immortal Abode is one of the immortal abodes he favors, as it may contain a true immortal destiny.

If the other party uses their status as the master of the immortal mansion to shake the Ziwei Exorcising Array, will this demon-slaying attempt fail?
If the situation worsens, the opponent possesses both immortal destiny and the legacy of a demon king...

Just thinking about this made An Rong break out in a cold sweat.

No, we absolutely cannot let this person grow stronger. If we give him more time, even if the four Earth Immortals joined forces and relied on the Ziwei Exorcising Array, they might not be able to defeat him.

Sensing An Rong's murderous aura, the painter glanced at An Rong and said:

"There's no need to be so nervous. I let you two in with goodwill, wanting to meet with you and discuss some cooperation."

An Rong snorted coldly and said:

"Cooperate with us?"

"You falsely claimed to be a celestial being to swindle the inheritance of the immortal abode, yet you turned around and allied yourself with demons. How could we possibly cooperate with you for such behavior?"

The painter tilted his head slightly, looked at An Rong, and asked:

"An Earth Immortal from the Human Alliance?"

An Rong pointed his halberd directly at the painter and said;
"Humanity Alliance, Fierce Thunder Grand Duke, Anrong." Seeing this, Wu couldn't help but clap his hands.

"it is good!"

An Ronggang's momentum was completely dissipated by Wu Chang's shout. He looked at Wu Chang helplessly, wondering why this celestial being wasn't nervous at all.

If it weren't for the fact that He Ping was strongly recommended by Sect Leader Tang, he would have suspected that these two celestial beings were in cahoots.

Feeling An Rong's angry gaze, Wu Chang innocently shrugged.

No, this appearance is really cool, everyone.

The title "Fierce Thunder Grand Duke" carries weight, and paired with the Fangtian Halberd, he presents himself as a standard protagonist.

In the martial arts world, a good reputation is extremely important. If he were to come in his true form, he could only shout, "Iron Hands and Red Heart of the Humanity Alliance, Tang Wuchang," empty-handed.

If someone unfamiliar with the situation came here, they would think they had encountered some kind of roadside monster. Compared to An Rong's opening remarks, the difference is immediately apparent.

Not only was An Rong's rhythm disrupted by Wu Chang's commotion, but even the painters were affected.

He had already prepared his explanation, intending to smoothly follow up on An Rong's questioning about why he had obtained the inheritance of an immortal and why he was associating with demons.

But being interrupted like this, and lacking An Rong's previous groundwork, when he spoke again, it sounded like he was talking to himself.

If he finishes his long-winded explanation and then suddenly interrupts with "Who asked you?", he'll be on edge.

He paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Wu Chang with an unfriendly expression.

Wu Chang: ?
What do you mean? It's one thing for An Rong to be angry, but why does this have to do with you?

The painter waved his hand, putting away the wooden table where he had been painting, and said:

"Peace, last time we met at Wanghai, I was careless and didn't dodge, allowing you to hit me by chance."

"But now that I am on guard against you and I know your strength, it would be wishful thinking to try to catch you off guard like last time."

"Although having the two of you to help me saves me a lot of trouble, I don't have the habit of working with useless people."

“You cheated by bringing the god out of the abyss out of the room. I’d like to see if you are qualified to cooperate with me without her protection.”

Wu Chang pursed his lips, secretly hoping that the painter's health bar was long enough so that he wouldn't die instantly from a single blow.

Although he disliked the painter, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the painter could cause trouble for the Light Society, so there was no need to get rid of him for the time being.

He said, "I was a bit heavy-handed."

The painter smiled dismissively, offering no response. Having laid enough groundwork, he looked at An Rong and said:
"Didn't you ask me why, after receiving the inheritance of immortals, I still choose to associate with demons?"

As he spoke, a massive amount of fire-attribute demonic energy surged from the painter's body. Under the weaving of the demonic energy, his body began to grow taller, and in the blink of an eye, he was as tall as the bronze sycamore tree in the courtyard.

As he grew taller, his body twisted and contorted, and small cuts appeared on the back of his hands and cheeks, revealing his eyes, mouth, ears, and other organs.

Those organs express emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness in their own way.

These sounds combined to impact the spirits of Wu Chang and An Rong. An Rong, having already experienced the baptism of emotional yin deficiency fire, could barely withstand this impact. He looked at Wu Chang, only to find that Wu Chang was completely unaffected, and simply said something with a disdainful expression.

"nausea."

Perhaps it was this word that aroused the painter, for starlight began to shimmer on his body. Wu Chang and An Rong could both tell that it was the aura of a celestial being.

The fifth star of the Big Dipper, Yuheng, also known as Lianzhen, is a star of murderous intent and imprisonment.

At the same time, in folk beliefs, Lian Zhen is often seen as having an evil aura, being overly confident, and even going to extremes. He is a character who is a mixture of good and evil, and whose righteousness and wickedness are difficult to distinguish.

At this moment, the painter's Lianzhen Immortal Fate was activated, forcefully binding back the demonic energy overflowing from his body, allowing his ego to take the lead and completely control the demonic energy.

Lian Zhen's ambiguous nature allows him to accept the existence of demonic energy, while his ruthless and law-abiding attributes can perfectly suppress it.

Amidst the shimmering light of divine favor, the painter maintained his twenty-meter-tall body, but his body, which had been out of control due to demonic energy, fully returned to normal, reverting to human form.

Demonic energy and celestial energy each occupy half of his body, achieving a perfect balance.

This allowed the painter, without condensing divinity, to surpass the aura of an ordinary low-ranking god simply by relying on his two abilities.

The artist's confidence stems from his masterful blend of celestial and demonic powers.

With a wave of his hand, the bronze parasol tree, guided by him, transformed into a golden barrier, enclosing the Huomu Temple within.

The golden barrier, imbued with the imprisoning nature of Lian Zhen, prevented Wu Chang and An Rong from escaping.

Seeing the change in the painter, An Rong's solemn expression turned into disbelief.

He thought that the painter being able to grasp the immortal destiny and the demon king's inheritance was already the worst possible outcome, but he never expected that reality would tell him that things could get even worse.

The painter's immortal destiny and the demon king's inheritance were perfectly integrated, complementing each other. The degree of integration was so high that he suspected that when the master of the Jade Balance Immortal Mansion left behind the immortal destiny, it was so that the inheritor would become a demon.

The painter, now a twenty-meter-tall glass figure, closed his eyes and felt the surging power within him. He slowly opened his eyes, and seven-colored flames overflowed from his pupils.

An Rong let out a muffled groan as soon as he saw the flames, recalling the emotions that had been stirred up before.

The painter looked down at Wu Chang and said:
"Peace, you don't actually think that defeating some half-finished lower-level gods of the Light Society will make you the number one in the Desolate Realm, do you?"

"The waters of the abyss are far deeper than you think. Only if you can withstand this blow will you have the right to stand before me. Otherwise, kneel down."

The painter parted his lips slightly and exhaled a stream of seven-colored glass fire.

Under the guidance of Lianzhen Immortal's influence, this fire is not a single, simple fire, but a combination of the four fires of Yin, Yang, and Emptiness that previously appeared in the Wutong Forest.

This single flame alone represents a height that the former Fire Demon King, Zhu Yinhai, could never reach in his entire life.

The fact that this fire was lit also indicates that the painter did not intend to kill the players in the Wutong Forest, but only wanted to make them feel the gap in skill and give up.

Faced with the surging seven-colored glazed fire, An Rong felt the threat of death. He dared not be careless and channeled all his spiritual energy into the halberd, causing it to transform into a physical bolt of lightning.

The thunder was interspersed with starlight, and the starlight caused the entire city of Xinwu to tremble. The ground shook violently, and even the bronze parasol tree shield containing the Lianzhen Imprisonment Immortal Technique could not withstand it, and cracks appeared.

Before the Ziwei Exorcising Array was formed, An Rong's strength was such that he would avoid Zhu Yinhai. After the Ziwei Exorcising Array was formed, An Rong, who had obtained the complete immortal inheritance, was able to fight on par with the painter with this attack, and was not inferior at all.

This dramatic change made Wu Chang, who was standing to the side, shake his head in disbelief.

This isn't about merging with immortal destiny; it's clearly about the chosen one of the plane dropping the pretense and openly activating his powers.

If it weren't for the painter overseeing the demon realm, none of the four demon kings could have withstood this electric shock.

An Rong was well prepared, but unfortunately, the painter didn't even notice him.

The seven-colored glazed fire rushed towards him, but before it could collide with the lightning, it suddenly veered off course and charged towards Wu Chang.

While it may seem like the fire was aimed at both of them at the same time, in reality, from the very beginning, the painter's target was only Wu Chang.

Seeing this, An Rong panicked. He brandished his halberd and charged straight at the painter, trying to relieve the siege by attacking Wei and forcing the painter to retreat and abandon the attack.

But the painter seemed oblivious to his attack, his eyes fixed only on Wu Chang.

With the paper figure, taking a hit from An Rong would only result in a minor injury, but it would be enough to overpower He Ping, avenge the attack on Wanghai City, and get revenge, letting He Ping know that he is either the fastest at clearing dungeons or the number one person in the Wilderness.

In the sycamore forest, he saw Wu Chang use spatial abilities, so wherever the Seven-Colored Glazed Fire passed, it scorched and distorted the space.

The Seven-Colored Glazed Fire reached the level of a god, rendering Wu Chang's Space Lord unable to activate it and preventing his escape.

A mocking look appeared on his face. Peace, how are you going to block this now?
Faced with the overwhelming seven-colored glass fire, Wu Chang remained relaxed, slipped his hand into his sleeve, and took out three dice.

These three dice are the "favor of the goddess of fortune" that Su Wangyou has recast.

"Skill Description: When you roll an odd number, you have a 50% chance to dodge all upcoming area-of-effect skills;
When you roll an even number, all your probability-based judgment skills will be judged twice. If both judgments are successful, the skill will be activated twice.

Trigger count: Number of throws / 10; Cooldown: 1 day.

Wu Chang threw out three 24-sided dice from his sleeve. After a brief spin, the dice landed back in Wu Chang's hand.

Twenty, eleven, and eighteen, odd numbers, totaling forty-nine points. The number of triggers is rounded to five.

He sighed, feeling a little regretful. If it were multiple, he could have used his shield to withstand the Seven-Colored Glazed Fire, and then the Elbow Painter would have been hit twice.

He looked up at the painter and said:

"Do you know that I am the number one in the Desolate Realm? It's because my ranking is only number one, and I can't go any higher."

"The reason you're second is because I'm here; you can only be second."

"If you continue to be so disappointing, you'll only be ranked third when you get to the Realm of Reason."

(End of this chapter)