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Chapter 277 Black Duke, Jiang Wei is Growing Up!
Fang Qingyu almost choked on his own saliva, his eyes widening in surprise.

Looking incredulously at the old man's face, which was full of mockery, he said, "You're saying that shadow is the drought demon's lapdog??"

Hong Qitian slowly refilled his cup of tea. The amber-colored tea swayed gently in the cup. He sipped it, then nodded amidst the rising aroma, his tone carrying a worldly-wise sarcasm: "Hmm, that shadow is called 'Black Duke,' a Calamity-level Fate Ghost, a genuine fourth-tier existence."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu nodded thoughtfully, finally resolving a part of his doubts.

Someone who could step forward as a peacemaker in that situation and get Jiang Ying and the old man to temporarily back down with just a few words must be a top-tier expert on the same level.

As for why I didn't see the other person's title at the time...
Fang Qingyu guessed that either the other party had special abilities, or that thing wasn't a living being at all.

"This thing probably appeared about thirty years ago."

Hong Qitian put down his teacup, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of the sofa, and recalled, "So far, there's only one clearly recorded instance of me making a move."

Fang Qingyu pricked up his ears: "Just once?"

“Hmm.” Hong Qitian raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, and stared directly at Fang Qingyu. “That time, he killed a Martial Venerable.”

hiss!
Fang Qingyu looked solemn.

The higher the level, the less easy it is to kill someone of the same level.

After all, everyone has a lot of tricks up their sleeve.

The fact that he could kill a Martial Venerable means that the opponent's strength is far beyond that of someone of the same level.

No wonder the fourth-tier military uniform man didn't make a move when Black Duke appeared.

Its threat level is definitely ranked second only to the drought demon.

A brief silence fell over the room.

The only sound was a slight hum from the teapot on the induction cooker.

Hong Qitian suddenly changed the subject, leaning forward slightly, his weathered old eyes fixed on Fang Qingyu's face with a half-smile: "Alright, tell me about you, kid. You've been hiding it well, haven't you?"

Fang Qingyu was taken aback, and subconsciously pointed to himself, feigning ignorance: "Me? What did I hide?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Fang Qingyu met the old man's gaze and instantly understood.

玖！
Jiu has always been with him.

Jiu probably witnessed the entire process of how she was struck by heavenly lightning and nearly died in the core space of the Gluttonous Stomach, and finally unlocked the Divine Firmament Envoy profession.

It was no secret to Jiu that he possessed abilities from both the martial arts and the divine cult, and since Jiu knew this, the old man naturally knew it too.

Having figured this out, Fang Qingyu gave an awkward smile and coughed twice to cover it up.

Seeing this, Hong Qitian rolled his eyes in annoyance, his tone tinged with disdain: "Alright, stop pretending. Don't worry, no one's going to grab you and dissect you for research."

The old man paused, his eyes becoming more serious. "The Federation isn't so despicable as to not tolerate a genius. As long as you don't betray your race or go astray, the stronger you become, the better it will be for the Federation and for humanity."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu immediately adopted a righteous and indignant expression: "I never thought of it that way."

"Ah."

Hong Qitian chuckled; he knew this kid's cunning all too well.

"but."

The old man changed the subject again, his tone becoming serious, "You did the right thing by not showing your face when you were using the theistic system before."

Fang Qingyu was slightly taken aback, then realized what the old man was referring to.

Inside the stomach of the gluttonous beast, when he transformed into a thunderous figure, his body was surrounded by lightning, his face blurred, and outsiders could not see his true appearance at all.

Hong Qitian said in a deep voice: "In the future, use them separately as much as possible. In particular, you must not expose your martial arts abilities and the God Cult system at the same time in front of the Fate Ghost."

Fang Qingyu's mind raced, and he instantly understood the old man's deeper meaning.

On the human side, with the old man keeping things under control and his demonstrated strength, the dual systems might cause some shock and covetousness, but they are unlikely to lead to a devastating blow.

But things are completely different for the Fate Ghost.

A human who can simultaneously comprehend and master two completely different power systems would likely pose an unimaginable threat to them.

One may very well transform from a viable enemy into a unique entity that must be captured or destroyed at all costs.

Thinking of this, Fang Qingyu was extremely grateful that he had decisively killed Jiang Taixuan.

He completely eliminated the only living person who might reveal his secret.

After a brief chat about the aftermath of the Glazed City incident and Jiang Ying's decisiveness, Fang Qingyu got up to take his leave.

Throughout the entire process, Hong Qitian never mentioned which god Fang Qingyu worshipped, seemingly unconcerned about it, or perhaps having absolute trust in him.

After Fang Qingyu left, the office fell silent again.

Hong Qitian slowly walked to the huge alloy desk, opened an inconspicuous drawer, and took out a thick booklet wrapped in an unknown animal hide, exuding an ancient aura.

Rough fingers rubbed the cover for a moment, then turned to one of the pages with remarkable precision.

On the yellowed pages, the ink marks are ancient and vigorous.

At the very top are several large, bold, ancient seal characters.

The nine heavens respond to the sound of thunder and transform the Heavenly Lord!

Hong Qitian stared at the line of words with his cloudy old eyes, his gaze deep, and remained silent for a long time.

The elevator descended smoothly, and a slight feeling of weightlessness came over me.

Following the address given by the staff, Fang Qingyu wandered through the Great Wall, which resembled a steel maze, and finally arrived at a relatively quiet corridor.

The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant; this was a recuperation area specially designated for the border guards.

The members of Shi Kong and Liu Hanyan's teams, along with Wei Banmeng and Chu Kuanglan, are temporarily staying here.

Feng Shui turns.

In the past, Fang Qingyu was the only one hospitalized.

This time it was their turn to lie in the hospital room.

Fang Qingyu pushed open the door to the first ward.

There was only Shi Kong inside.

His signature thick, stiff wig had long been removed, revealing a bald head. The sallow complexion he used to disguise his skin had also been washed away, revealing a somewhat handsome face.

He was sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing. Hearing the door open, he slowly opened his eyes.

When Shi Kong recognized Fang Qingyu, a fleeting hint of genuine joy flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an extremely complex emotion.
Shock, awe, and a touch of indescribable loss.

After being rescued, they immediately asked Qin Wu, the martial arts master who rescued them, about Fang Qingyu's whereabouts.

The answer they received left them all dumbfounded.

That golden figure that tore apart the Taotie's stomach like a thunder god descending to earth was Fang Qingyu!

This news was like two bombshells, exploding in their minds one after the other.

The first bombshell was that Fang Qingyu actually possessed abilities from both a martial artist and a religious cultist.

This was unheard of, shattering their established beliefs.

The second bombshell was that Fang Qingyu's cult of gods had actually reached the third tier.

A person of the same age as them, who was also the captain of a special team, not only far surpassed them in martial arts skills, but also reached a level that they could only look up to in the second path.

This gap is beyond what effort can bridge; it's an absolute chasm.

"Captain Fang."

Shi Kong spoke, his voice a little hoarse, forcing a smile that couldn't hide the bitterness in his eyes, "Are you alright?"

He was referring to the matter of Jiang Taixuan.

Fang Qingyu smiled and casually sat down on the chair next to him: "Jiang Taixuan has been executed, your credit is secured. How are you? Are you badly injured?"

Shi Kong shook his head: "It's just a superficial injury, plus overexertion. A few days of rest will do the trick. Junior Sister Liu is in about the same condition."

He paused, looking at Fang Qingyu with a complex expression, and finally couldn't help but sigh, "This time... we really owe it all to you. If it weren't for you, all of us probably would have..."

He didn't say anything else, but the meaning was self-evident.

If Fang Qingyu hadn't revealed the terrifying strength of the third-tier Divine Cult and ultimately killed Jiang Taixuan, their mission would have been a complete failure. Forget about merit; even surviving would have been a pipe dream.

Fang Qingyu waved his hand, a hint of teasing on his face: "Don't say that. When we recruited you, didn't we say it was to gain credit? Now that Jiang Taixuan is dead, and Patriarch Jiang Ying of Liuli Guangcheng has also acted swiftly and decisively, this enormous credit is a sure thing."

His tone was light, attempting to ease the tension.

Upon hearing this, Shi Kong could only offer a wry smile.

Credit?

Indeed there is.

But almost 99% of the credit goes to Fang Qingyu alone.

At best, they cheered and shouted slogans, but they didn't help much at the last minute.

This realization left the proud and arrogant Shi Kong and Liu Hanyan with mixed feelings.

However, in any case, the fact that Jiang Taixuan, this corrupt and evil god, was brought to justice and that the cancer of Liuli Guangcheng was eradicated was enough to give them a sense of relief and comfort.

The goal has been achieved.

Next, Fang Qingyu went to the next ward to check on Liu Hanyan's team. The atmosphere there was similar to that on Shi Kong's side.

The look in Liu Hanyan's eyes when she looked at Fang Qingyu was filled with gratitude, but also with a hint of awe.

Fang Qingyu understood, knowing that this invisible barrier caused by the difference in strength would be difficult to eliminate in a short time. He didn't say much, offered a few words of comfort, and then left.

Then, he went to Wei Banmeng's room.

I pushed open the door, and there was no one inside.

Fang Qingyu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned to the ward next door.

Jiang Wei's hospital room.

Sure enough, the door was ajar.

Wei Banmeng sat quietly on a chair by the hospital bed, her profile facing the door. Her cold face was expressionless, and her gaze was fixed on the small, unconscious figure on the bed. She seemed to be in a daze, or perhaps lost in thought.

Hearing the door open, she turned her head sharply. When she saw that it was Fang Qingyu, her eyes, which were always as sharp as ice picks, instantly burst with undisguised surprise. But beneath this surprise was a deep, unyielding sense of guilt.

Fang Qingyu's heart sank slightly, and he quickly walked to the bedside.

Jiang Wei's eyes remained closed, her face pale, her breathing weak and steady, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, as if she were simply asleep.

He looked at Wei Banmeng and asked softly, "What's wrong? You look so worried."

Try to keep your tone calm.

Wei Banmeng did not answer immediately, but gestured towards the door with her eyes, her lips pursed and turning slightly pale.

Fang Qingyu understood and followed her out of the ward, gently closing the door behind them.

The corridor was softly lit and quiet.

Wei Banmeng leaned against the cold metal wall, her head down, her long black hair falling down and covering half of her face.

After a few seconds of silence, she spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly: "I'm sorry."

Fang Qingyu was stunned, completely bewildered: "Sorry? No, what happened? Isn't Xiao Jiang perfectly fine? Didn't the doctor say it was just overexertion?"

He thought Wei Banmeng was blaming herself for Jiang Wei's coma.

"That's not it."

Wei Banmeng suddenly raised her head, her eyes slightly red—an expression Fang Qingyu rarely saw on her face. "It's the Drought Demon! That deity in the red dress!"

Her voice became urgent, "Shortly after Commander Qin Wu and his men rescued us, she suddenly appeared! It was as if time had frozen; none of us could move!"

Wei Banmeng quickly described the scene. A deity in a red dress and red hair descended out of thin air, freezing time and space, ignoring everyone, and walked straight to Jiang Wei's bedside.

She bent down, extended her flawless hand, gently lifted Jiang Wei's chin, gazed at her for a moment, then a cryptic smile appeared on her lips. Before leaving, she casually tapped Jiang Wei's forehead with a single finger.

"Right here!"

Wei Banmeng pointed to her forehead, her voice filled with self-blame and anxiety, "She just touched it lightly! Then she disappeared, and the time freeze was lifted. But ever since then, Xiao Jiang hasn't woken up! Her breathing is steady, but she just won't wake up! I... I don't know what the drought demon did! I wonder if it will have any negative impact on Xiao Jiang. It's all my fault! I was right there, but I couldn't do anything! I couldn't even move a finger! I didn't protect Xiao Jiang."

By the end, her voice had choked with emotion.

His cold face was filled with helplessness and deep self-blame.

Fang Qingyu's brows furrowed instantly, and his eyes became extremely serious.

Did the drought demon deliberately tap Jiang Wei's forehead before leaving?!

This could absolutely not be a meaningless act.

The thought that the drought demon knew he had taken care of Jiang Wei for a while made Fang Qingyu's heart leap into his throat.

What exactly does the drought demon want to do?
Is it a gift? A mark? Or some kind of unknown manipulation?
A chill mixed with anger surged into my heart.

But seeing Wei Banmeng, who was blaming herself so much that she was almost crying, Fang Qingyu forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Wei Banmeng's slightly trembling shoulder, and said softly, "Alright, Banmeng, look at me."

Wei Banmeng raised her reddened eyes and looked at him with confusion and guilt.

"Listen, this isn't your fault."

Fang Qingyu's tone was resolute, his eyes extremely serious, "Facing a true god, let alone you, even if I were there at the time, the outcome wouldn't have been any different! It might even have been worse! That level of existence is beyond our current capabilities. You've already done very well."

He paused, noticing that the heavy gloom in Wei Banmeng's eyes seemed to have dissipated a little, and continued, "Moreover, currently, Xiao Jiang's vital signs are very stable, with no signs of deterioration."

"So, don't overthink it, and don't blame yourself. Go back to your room and rest well to recover. I'll keep an eye on Xiao Jiang."

Fang Qingyu's tone was gentle, without a trace of feigned comfort.

Wei Banmeng's tense nerves finally relaxed little by little under his words and gaze, and the self-blame that was almost crushing her also eased slightly.

She looked at Fang Qingyu, her lips moved, but in the end she only gave a soft "hmm" and obediently let Fang Qingyu gently push her back to her own ward.

After seeing Wei Banmeng off, Fang Qingyu went to the next ward to take another look at Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan.

The two shared a room. According to the nurse at the door, it was Chu Kuanglan's insistence that they stay together because Lao Lu was seriously injured and he had to keep an eye on him.

At this moment, both of them were fast asleep. Chu Kuanglan was snoring loudly, while Lu Jiuyuan had a slight frown and his face was still somewhat pale.

Fang Qingyu didn't go in to disturb them, but just looked through the small window in the door.

Let's bring them the news of Jiang Taixuan's execution once they wake up.

Finally, Fang Qingyu returned to Jiang Wei's hospital room.

The door was closed gently, shutting out the light from the hallway.

He sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed, looked at Jiang Wei who was unconscious, and reached out to carefully tuck the blanket around her.

My fingertips accidentally touched her small hand; it was icy cold.

Fang Qingyu closed his eyes, seemingly to rest, but in reality, his thoughts sank into the depths of his mind in the profound darkness before him.

The ancient and weighty diagrams floated silently.

The pages of the book turned rapidly with a rustling sound, even though there was no wind.

The mission to hunt down Jiang Taixuan was extremely dangerous, and they were on the verge of death several times, but the final reward was more than they could have imagined.

This gain did not come from Jiang Taixuan himself.

The old dog had nothing on it, and its stomach was destroyed by Fang Qingyu after a trace of the Taotie's essence left.

The real reward came from the massive army of ghosts that surged in like a tidal wave.

First, there's a huge leap forward in the career panel.

【Divine Envoy (★★★★)】

This is the biggest and irreplaceable gain from this trip.

A divine profession with a four-star rating.

However, the activation of this profession depends entirely on Fang Qingyu's own willpower in desperate situations, as well as the fragments of the Thunder God's Origin Authority he obtained in the early stages.

This is a qualitative change.

The power level brought by the Divine Firmament Authority and the absolute control over thunder completely transformed Fang Qingyu.

The terrifying cost of deducing core skills and ultimate moves on the chart, as well as the enormous amount of experience points required to upgrade authority levels, all indicate the boundless potential of this profession in the future.

Secondly, there is a massive amount of skill points.

This is precisely why Fang Qingyu caught up with Jiang Taixuan a little later than expected.

When that condensed divine lightning bolt struck the area with the highest concentration of life ghosts like a spear of divine punishment, the prompts from the diagram flooded the screen like a waterfall.

[Defeat the Tier 2 'Bone-Eating Hound' to gain +4 skill points]

[Defeat the Tier 2 'Frostbone Giant' to gain +4 skill points]

[Defeat a Tier 2 'Shadow Claw Bat' to gain +4 skill points].
[Defeat the Tier 2 'Ice Shard Hunter' to gain +5 skill points].
The dense list of prompts instantly overwhelmed his vision.

It felt like falling into an ocean of skill points.

Fang Qingyu plowed the ghost tide several times before transforming into lightning and catching up with Jiang Taixuan.

It was this seemingly greedy move that gave him the ability to instantly kill Jiang Taixuan within the "five-second" window of opportunity provided by Jiu.

Ultimate Technique: Divine Firmament - Dragon Transformation!

This terrifying killing move, devised in a split second at the critical moment of life and death, directly consumed a full 100 skill points of his.

Combining the majestic power of the Divine Firmament authority, he delivered that earth-shattering blow in the instant before Han Jieming Tuo and Jiang Taixuan could react!
Furthermore, after deducing the ultimate move [Divine Firmament - Dragon Transformation].

The skill points haven't been used up yet.

There are currently 83 skill points remaining.

Whether to continue hoarding them and wait until you have enough points to deduce the core skill of the Divine Firmament Envoy.

It's better to allocate a portion first and invest it in the martial artist system or the world patrollers.

In any case, the Divine Firmament Envoy class can easily drive the Warrior and Border Patrol systems now.

Although this time he was struck by nine divine lightning bolts of heavenly punishment, he was in a state of near death.

Even though my bones were broken several times, it was still quite a good deal to get a four-star divine class and 83 skill points in return.

Just as Fang Qingyu was pondering the blueprint for enhancing his strength and weighing the allocation of resources.

A very soft whimper, like that of a kitten, interrupted his thoughts.

"Well"

Fang Qingyu suddenly opened his eyes, instantly returning from the world of the diagrams to reality.

On the hospital bed, Jiang Wei's long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings before she slowly opened her eyes.

Woke up!

Fang Qingyu was overjoyed and immediately went to the bedside, smiling as he softly asked, "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

However, Jiang Wei's reaction instantly froze Fang Qingyu's smile on his face.

Those clear red eyes were open, but unfocused.

She just stared blankly at the pale ceiling of the ward, her eyes empty, as if she had lost all her spirit, and showed no reaction whatsoever to Fang Qingyu, who was standing right next to her with a face full of concern.

It's like an empty shell that has lost its soul.

"Little Jiang?"

Fang Qingyu's heart tightened, and he waved his hand in front of her eyes, "Can you hear me?"

No response.

Those ruby-like eyes still stared blankly upwards, as if piercing through the roof and looking towards some distant, unattainable place.

An ominous premonition instantly gripped Fang Qingyu's heart.

There really was something wrong with that part about the drought demon?!

Just as Fang Qingyu's heart sank to the bottom and he was about to call a doctor immediately...
hum! ! !
A scorching and violent force, seemingly originating from the deepest lava in the earth's core, suddenly erupted from Jiang Wei's small body without warning.

A blinding crimson light instantly filled the entire ward.

A visible dark red shockwave, like the shockwave of an explosion, suddenly spread outwards from Jiang Wei's center.

"Um?!"

Caught off guard, Fang Qingyu was violently pushed away by the incredibly powerful shockwave, his back slamming heavily against the sturdy alloy wall of the ward with a dull thud.

However, Fang Qingyu reacted extremely quickly. With a thought, dark golden divine lightning instantly burst forth from his body and swirled around him.

Braving the violent air currents and blinding red light.

Fang Qingyu squinted and looked at the center of the hospital bed.

Upon seeing this, his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

Only at the very center of the intense red light could one see.
The hospital gown that Jiang Wei was wearing, which was originally a little too big, was being stretched open at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Fang Qingyu's mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly understood something, his expression turning extremely strange.

Without thinking, he turned around abruptly, rushed to the ward door, pulled it open, and then, like a guardian deity, blocked the doorway with his own body.

At the same time, the divine lightning unconsciously became even brighter, almost forming a curtain of light.

Almost the very next second after he blocked the doorway.
The sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps echoed down the corridor!

"What's wrong?!"

"What happened?!"

"Such a strong energy fluctuation! It's Xiao Jiangwei's hospital room!"

Shi Kong, sporting a bald head, and Liu Hanyan, carrying a golden sword that was not yet fully sheathed, were the first to rush out, their faces still bearing traces of tears and anxiety. Several members of Shi Kong's team and Liu Hanyan's team, including Liu Qingyan, followed closely behind.

Everyone was alarmed by the sudden, violent energy fluctuation and rushed to Jiang Wei's ward immediately.

Then they saw a wall blocking the doorway.

Fang Qingyu was surrounded by lightning and had an unusually strange expression.

"Fang Qingyu?!"

"Captain Fang?!"

"What happened inside? What happened to Xiao Jiang?!"

Everyone chimed in, their voices filled with tension and worry.

Wei Banmeng was even more anxious and wanted to rush in: "Has the method left behind by the drought demon been activated? Let me in!"

"Wait! Don't rush in! Don't go in!"

Fang Qingyu spread his arms wide, blocking the doorway, his expression a mixture of embarrassment, shock, and an indescribable sense of absurdity.

Looking at the anxious faces in front of him, especially Wei Banmeng's eyes which were almost about to cry.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and finally, in an almost tooth-ache-like tone, he squeezed out a few words:
"Uh, she's currently..."

Fang Qingyu paused, seemingly searching for the right words, and then added with difficulty:
"...It seems like it's growing up?"

(End of this chapter)