Start by conquering the world with unlimited job opportunities.

Chapter 204 I'll take this job, but you'll have to pay extra! (2 words, update 15)

Old Hong was taken aback when he heard this.

His fingers, which were holding the bait, paused slightly. His cloudy eyes finally moved away from the motionless float, and he slowly turned his head to look at Fang Qingyu, who was sitting on the low stool.

The old face, etched with the wrinkles of time, paused slightly for a moment, then the corners of his mouth involuntarily stretched to both sides, revealing a smile that was both funny and sad.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, seemingly trying to suppress his laughter, but his voice still carried a clear hint of amusement. "Then there's no need to kill them all."

The old man slowly lifted the fishing hook from the murky river water, then slowly baited it with new bait, his movements revealing an almost obsessive focus.

“The gods themselves are not important.” Old Hong’s voice returned to its calm tone, as if he were stating an ancient common sense. “What is important is the ‘authority’ they carry.”

The fishing line, with a soft whooshing sound, disappeared into the water once more.

"Otherwise, even if you kill this batch, the rules of heaven and earth will continue to change, and sooner or later new gods will be born in their rightful places."

He paused for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the water's surface, as if talking to the fish at the bottom.

"The best way is..." Old Hong slowly uttered a few words, with a touch of shrewdness like an old fox, "Pull in a batch, beat up a batch, and kill a batch."

After saying that, Hong Qitian finally turned his head and looked Fang Qingyu up and down.

He let out a few short, hoarse chuckles.

"Cough cough. You little rascal."

He shook his head, his withered fingers fidgeting with the fishing rod, his murky eyes still fixed on the motionless float on the water.

"He's broken through to the Martial Realm, but his temper hasn't changed at all."

As Fang Qingyu listened, his gaze shifted from the murky river to Hong Qitian's weathered profile.

A river breeze blew by, carrying the fishy smell of water and the faint sounds of distant city life.

"You want me to change?" Fang Qingyu's voice was very soft, as if he were asking an old man, or as if he were asking himself.

Hong Qitian's hand holding the fishing rod remained motionless.

The cloudy eyes reflected the murky water.

He neither nodded nor shook his head, nor did he speak.

Fang Qingyu's question seemed to be like that fishing float, just an insignificant ripple on the water's surface.

Silence flowed along the riverbank, with only the faint sound of the turbid water slowly lapping against the stone shore.

After a while.

Just when Fang Qingyu thought the old man wouldn't answer, or had simply forgotten the question he had just asked, he was about to give up.

Hong Qitian's aged voice rang out again, calm and indifferent, as if he were casually chatting about the weather.

"How was it like going into the 'Abyss'?"

Fang Qingyu turned his gaze back to the bottomless, murky river.

The violent lightning of the thunderstorm clouds, the absolute silence of the eternally still pool, the desperate flight of ants like a tide, the desolate cries of the Abyss-level Death Ghosts as they fall, the bloody battles in the ruins passages, the flashing swords during the core battles, and the backs of those at the bottom of the stronghold who resolutely stepped into the dead for a glimmer of hope.
Countless fragments of images flashed rapidly through my mind.

Ultimately, it settled into a chaotic background.

Fang Qingyu pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, uttering four words:
"It's a bit chaotic."

This is his most genuine and concise feeling after living in that bizarre and dangerous world for a month.

“In reality,” Fang Qingyu said calmly, as if stating an objective fact, “although the ghosts of fate are causing a lot of trouble, at least ordinary people’s lives still have order, the law still exists, and life can still go on.”

"Inside the abyss"

Fang Qingyu paused, seemingly searching for a more fitting description.

"It's like a refugee camp with a few makeshift shacks after the wasteland. The so-called strongholds and order are just rules set by those with the strongest fists and the fastest knives. Murder and robbery, the survival of the fittest, backstabbing are commonplace there, and in reality, going to jail or losing your head are everyday occurrences."

"To live is the greatest order. Everything else is bullshit."

After Fang Qingyu finished speaking, he said nothing more.

The murky river water continued to flow slowly, reflecting the gray sky.

at this time.

The fishing rod in Hong Qitian's hand, which had been motionless, suddenly sank downwards at the tip of the thin float!
The movement was extremely sudden and the force was so great that the seemingly ordinary old bamboo fishing rod in Hong Qitian's hand instantly bent into a breathtaking full bow arc!

The rod groaned under the strain!
"Took the bait!"

A glint of light suddenly appeared in Hong Qitian's cloudy eyes.

The muscles in his thin arms instantly bulged, becoming as steady as a rock.

With a sudden flick of the wrist, a supple yet irresistible force traveled down the fishing line.

He then began to skillfully and steadily reel in the line, his movements carrying a peculiar rhythm.

The fishing line was taut, violently thrashing left and right underwater, creating rapid white waves.

Clearly, it wasn't a small fish that took the bait.

Fang Qingyu's gaze was also drawn to it.

Hong Qitian held his breath and focused his mind, his arms steadily wrestling against the forces underwater.

The veins on the back of his thin, bony hand bulged out like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

That strength was something no ordinary old man could possess.

Finally, the strength to struggle underwater seemed to have been exhausted.

Hong Qitian suddenly lifted the fishing rod!

Wow——!
Splashes of water!

A silvery shadow broke through the water, tracing a brief arc in the dim light.

Fang Qingyu stared intently.

The fishhook emerges from the water.

The space above was empty.

Only a single, murky drop of water slowly dripped down the curved hook tip, striking the riverbank stone and splashing out a small, deeper wet patch.

Hong Qitian kept his fishing rod in motion, staring at the empty hook.

In his cloudy eyes, the glimmer of light faded quickly, like a candle flame that had burned out, and he returned to silence.

No disappointment, no frustration.

He simply reeled in the fishing rod extremely slowly, his movements becoming sluggish and hunched over once again.

It was as if the power that had just erupted was just an illusion.

The old man sat back down on the small stool and carefully put away the empty hook.

It was as if the thrilling battle had never happened.

Then, he picked up the open bait box next to the fishing rod, which smelled of a mixture of fishy sweetness and plant powder.

The withered fingers slowly pried open the blood-red earthworm segments, the grayish-white powder, the sticky honey-like substance, and the tiny, luminous crystals inside.

It seems they are thinking about what formula to use next time.

Just when Fang Qingyu thought the old man was so engrossed in the world of bait that he had forgotten their conversation,

Hong Qitian's aged, hoarse voice rang out again without warning.

This time, he didn't look up.

His gaze was fixed intently on a small pinch of grayish-white powder that he had picked up with his fingertips, as if he were weighing some rare treasure.

His tone was so calm, as if he were asking Fang Qingyu if he wanted to try his newly prepared bait.

"That"

"If I were to put an end to all this chaos..."

He paused, then gently sprinkled the powder into the mixed bait.

"Are you willing?"

Fang Qingyu was taken aback.

The body, which was sitting cross-legged on the cold stone stool, instantly stiffened.

He turned his head abruptly and looked incredulously at the old man beside him, who was hunched over and intently kneading the fishy-smelling bait.

He pointed to his nose.

The face that had withstood the might of heaven amidst thunderstorms and clouds, and remained unmoved even when cleaving the chosen one in front of the core of the ruins, was now filled with utter astonishment and bewilderment.

"I!?"

Are you kidding me? !

Fang Qingyu was self-aware.

Although through various means and opportunities, the martial arts system alone can now withstand the lowest-level Domain Realm Grandmaster or Chosen One.

But above that are the Myriad Manifestations Realm and the Void Breaking Realm.

The third-tier beings entrenched deep within the "Abyss" are like towering mountains!

Not to mention the "living god" that Jiang Wei mentioned!
End the chaos? Restore order?
What will I use to end this?

What are you going to do about it?!

Hong Qitian looked at Fang Qingyu's "Are you kidding me?" expression, but the smile on his lips deepened.

The old man offered no explanation, nor did he attempt to persuade the man.

He slowly, almost like a magician, pulled a thin, old booklet with frayed edges from his faded old jacket.

The booklet's cover was made of some kind of dark brown animal hide, without any writing, and exuded a smell of old dust and a faint stench of blood.

"Take it."

With a casual toss, the ancient book seemed to possess a spirit, landing steadily in Fang Qingyu's arms.

It feels slightly heavy and cool to the touch.

"More than ten years ago," Old Hong's voice rang out again, carrying a calm reminiscence of the past, but his gaze once again fell on the turbid river.

“Something has happened inside the abyss.” “A reincarnation of a god has secretly slipped in.”

Fang Qingyu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately gripped the ancient book in his hand tightly.

A god reincarnated?!

Someone like Jiang Wei!?
"That guy," Old Hong paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "was codenamed 'Erosion.' In ancient times, his true form wielded the power of 'decay' and 'emptiness,' and he was no good."

"His reincarnation possesses even more bizarre abilities."

Old Hong's voice took on a solemn tone.

"He can disrupt the rules of space."

"It was him who stirred up trouble in the Abyss. I don't know what method he used, but he managed to mess up the spatial rules of the Abyss and make it extremely fragile."

"The consequence is..." Old Hong turned his head and looked into Fang Qingyu's eyes, "Now, beings above the third rank, Martial Saints, and Apostles simply cannot enter the Abyss! Forcing their way in will only trigger spatial turbulence, and everyone will be doomed."

"So now," Old Hong shrugged, "Yuan can only maintain that most basic order, like a mess that no one cares about."

"And this 'Nether Erosion'..." Old Hong's eyes became somewhat playful, "is extremely slippery. It only hunts those it can defeat, and if it encounters someone it can't defeat, even if it only senses the slightest danger, it runs faster than a rabbit! Its spatial teleportation ability is so great that even a Martial Saint personally couldn't touch the hem of its clothes."

Fang Qingyu frowned as he listened.

A reincarnated god who can disrupt the rules of space, is slippery and ruthless, and only picks on the weak?

This sounds a bit like another time traveler taking the path of survival.
And they actually succeeded.

He turned the abyss into his own hunting ground, not allowing high-level enemies to enter.

"so."

Fang Qingyu weighed the ancient book in his hand. "You want me to go find him after I break through to the second tier?"

"Hmm." Hong Qitian nodded, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes. "He's currently at the mid-stage of the second tier, a Chosen One of the Heavenly Revelation. With your strength, even if you break through to the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, you still can't defeat him!?"

Fang Qingyu listened thoughtfully.

"The issue is"

"You said even a Martial Saint couldn't catch him, how can I, who has just entered the second stage, stop him from running away?"

Old Hong listened without changing his expression, and slowly took something else out of his pocket.

"rest assured."

It was a small, irregularly shaped stone, only the size of a thumb, completely black, as if it could absorb all light.

The surface of the stone is covered with extremely fine, naturally formed silver veins, which faintly form an extremely complex and mysterious pattern.

"Here, bring this with you when you come."

Old Hong also tossed a small black stone to Fang Qingyu.

“This is called a ‘Fixed Image Stone’. It was made by using the residual aura and broken divinity of ‘Nether Eclipse’ during the siege of him, along with some special materials.”

"As long as you can touch him," Old Hong stretched out his withered finger and gently tapped the air, "even if it's just a scratch, touching him with this stone will temporarily freeze the spatial fluctuations around him and seal off his escape techniques!"

"However," Old Hong changed his tone, his eyes becoming extremely serious, "this thing only has one chance! And it must be activated instantly upon contact with his body to be effective!"

"As for whether you can beat him," Old Hong looked at Fang Qingyu, his cloudy eyes seeming to sparkle with starlight, "that's your own business."

"He's very cautious and won't make a move unless he's absolutely certain. So, what you should worry about isn't whether he runs away, but whether you're good enough bait for him to take the initiative to deal with you."

Fang Qingyu listened silently, his fingers tracing the old booklet and the icy cold fixing stone.

Old Hong's meaning is very clear.

This was a "hunting" mission tailor-made for him.

The target is the reincarnation of a deity, "You Shi".

The goal is to eliminate him, allowing the third-tier powerhouse to re-enter the "Abyss" and thoroughly restore order.

Key item: Fixing Stone.

The prerequisite is that you break through to the second tier and possess something that "Nether Eclipse" finds appealing enough to provoke the other party to take the initiative.

Risk: Extremely high. The opponent is a second-tier god reincarnated with bizarre abilities.

Fang Qingyu was about to ask for more details about "Nether Erosion" when...

Old Hong seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, or rather, he seemed to have finally shed some kind of disguise, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible heaviness.

“Actually.” He tilted his head slightly, looking at the cloudless sky.

"According to our original plan, the old folks..."

“This 'abyss',”

Hong Qitian's voice lowered, each word seemingly carrying immense weight.

"Although no one knows if that day will ever come."

But what if?

Old Hong's voice carried a coldness, as if it were prophetic.

"What if one day..."

"The Ghost of Fate has descended in full force."

“We will deploy ‘Abyss’ as the first and last line of defense against those demonic armies.”

Fang Qingyu's heart tightened suddenly.

The demons of fate have descended in full force?!
Turn the "Abyss" into a defensive line against the demons of fate?!
Fang Qingyu felt a chill rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

His lips twitched violently, and almost reflexively he waved his hands repeatedly, his tone somewhat hurried:

"Stop! Stop! Old man!"

"Please don't take this to such an extreme!"

Fang Qingyu pointed to the ancient book and the fixing stone in his arms.

"Isn't this just a simple 'clean house' task?"

"At best, it's a high-difficulty request!"

"It has nothing to do with any defense lines or anything like that!"

Hong Qitian was slightly taken aback when he heard Fang Qingyu's "defense" that was so eager to distance himself from the situation.

Immediately, he seemed amused by Fang Qingyu's reaction, or perhaps he had finally broken free from some heavy thoughts.

The seriousness on his wrinkled face quickly faded, replaced by an undisguised, slightly self-deprecating smile.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

Hong Qitian suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the quiet alley and startling a few sparrows on the opposite bank of the river.

He laughed as he suddenly bent down and roughly rolled up his trouser leg, revealing his thin, age-spot-covered calves.

That demeanor instantly changed from that of the mysterious old man who had just uttered such startling words.

He transformed back into the old martial arts school owner that Fang Qingyu was familiar with, with a touch of street smarts.

"Damn it! I've been attending too many high-level meetings lately!" Old Hong laughed and cursed, his tone carefree, almost spitting out words. "I've been infected by those old geezers who're always worrying about the country and its people! All they talk about is the future and humanity! It's so annoying!"

He slapped his thigh hard, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"Yes! You're right!"

Old Hong pointed at Fang Qingyu, a cunning glint in his cloudy eyes.

"This is just a routine task! Clean up a troublemaker hiding in the 'Abyss,' stirring up trouble and breaking the rules! It's that simple!"

"How's it going?"

Old Hong leaned forward slightly, and asked in a somewhat mercenary tone, as if he were haggling at a market:
"Are you in or not, kid?"

Fang Qingyu did not answer immediately.

Instead, he lowered his head and opened the old leather book in his hand.

The first page of the booklet was blank.

There is only one image of a monster, drawn with extremely delicate dark red lines!

That was not a ferocious ghost.

It was a humanoid creature!
His body proportions were extremely bizarre, with excessively long limbs and joints that were twisted at unnatural angles.

The skin was a lifeless, deathly gray, like dried tree bark.

What's most unsettling is his face!
No facial features!

There was only a smooth, flat surface, like cheap ceramic!
At the very center of this "face" is a deeply engraved symbol that appears to be flowing with filthy pus and blood, twisted and constantly changing shape!

A mere portrait exudes a malice that makes one feel the soul decay and become empty!
Below the portrait, in ancient, tadpole-like script, are two startling characters:
【Eclipse】!
Fang Qingyu's gaze was fixed on the face without features and the constantly changing filthy symbol.

A cold, decaying fighting spirit quietly ignited deep within his eyes.

Fang Qingyu slowly closed the booklet.

She looked up at Hong Qitian, who was rolling up his trouser legs.

A slow, gentle curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Old man."

Fang Qingyu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness.

"I'll take this job."

“However,” he paused, his eyes serious, “it will cost extra.”

　Just a heads-up!
　　Although the daily output is said to be 20,000 words, in reality it starts at 23,000 words per day, and sometimes even reaches 27,000 words.
　　Then it's five chapters a day.

　　This is why my average subscriptions have been unable to increase.

　　Once the book is on the shelves, average daily subscriptions are a key metric for making recommendations.
　　So the current problem is how to maintain such a large volume of updates.

　　It seems I need to come to the conclusion.

　　Therefore, starting July 1st, I will be posting three chapters a day, each chapter containing 8,000 words.

　　I hope you can all understand.
　　Finally, I'd like to ask for your monthly votes! ~Hehe!~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)