Start by conquering the world with unlimited job opportunities.

Chapter 290 This generation's Goddess of the Luo River raised a fool!?
The wind and snow were like knives.

It brushed against the dark blue combat uniforms of Fang Qingyu and the others.

They had just stepped out of that eternal night, a realm isolated from all light and sound.

Behind.

It was a vast, empty ice field, once again shrouded in raging winds and blizzards.

It was as if the bloody revenge that had just taken place had never happened.

Chu Kuanglan rubbed his large, stiff hands, chuckled softly, his voice muffled behind his mask: "Hehe, Qingzi, what do you think of those three unlucky guys now?"

He paused, a mixture of relief and a hint of unbearable pain on his face: "We didn't let those dozen or so bastards get away with it."

"As you said, we didn't kill them outright. We slowly chipped away at their flesh, dismembering their arms and legs, making sure they were too weak to even bite their tongues before handing them over to Lin Yu and the others."

"That scene was quite satisfying."

Fang Qingyu did not stop walking.

He gazed calmly at the horizon blurred by the wind and snow, and softly hummed in agreement.

He could certainly imagine it.

The ultimate humiliation needs to be washed away with the ultimate bloodshed.

Leaving Ji Wuhen and the other two to Dawn was a way to offer Lin Yu and the others salvation.

Let them personally end the creation of that nightmare.

The tail has been cut off, but the roots are still buried deep underground.

Wei Banmeng walked beside Fang Qingyu, her cool voice coming through the radio with a hint of barely perceptible worry: "Qingzi, Ji Wuying and the others have been killed, but the Luo family and that Ghost King Seed that needs a fresh second-tier seed are still lurking in the shadows. Next, what do we..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Fang Qingyu's calm profile, and continued, "Does Dawn's group need to be disbanded? They've at least personally avenged part of their grudges."

“If you continue to investigate with us, it will get too deep and the risks are too great.”

Fang Qingyu was about to nod.

"buzz"

The cell phone in my pocket vibrated clearly through the thick combat uniform.

It stands out starkly against the vast and desolate ice field.

Fang Qingyu paused slightly and took out his phone.

On the screen, the icon for the "Dawn" group chat was flashing.

Latest news from Lin Yu:
"Captain Fang, we have something we'd like to discuss with you when you return from your mission."

Fang Qingyu looked at the line of text.

My fingertip hovered over the cold screen for a moment.

He frowned slightly, then addressed Wei Banmeng and the other team members in the channel, replying calmly, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

Wei Banmeng paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

The wind and snow intensified, as if trying to bury all traces completely.

The team's figures disappeared into the vast white expanse.

……

three days later.

Deep within the cratered ice ridge.

Beneath a rugged, steep ice cliff sculpted by fierce winds.

Chu Kuanglan abruptly ripped off his windproof mask, which was almost completely covered in snow, spat out a mouthful of spittle mixed with ice shards, looked up at the gray, snow-swept sky, and cursed, "Holy crap! These bastards can fly?! Are those good-for-nothings in the intelligence department filled with snow?! How could they miss this?!"

Just now, after three days of tracking.

They finally managed to corner the slippery Shadow Fang Beasts at the end of this relatively narrow ice valley.

Just as the encirclement and annihilation were imminent, an unexpected change occurred.

A dozen or so agile, shadowy snow leopard-like ice-toothed beasts suddenly had their seemingly decorative, pale white bone spurs on their backs elongate and deform, instantly transforming into pairs of bony wing membranes covered with thin ice crystals!
They kicked off the ice rocks with all four legs, and with the help of the violent updrafts, they shot into the sky like arrows released from a bow.

They forcefully tore a gap open above their carefully laid encirclement.

They disappeared into the leaden-gray snow and clouds.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard!
Wei Banmeng, Jiang Wei, and Lu Jiuyuan quickly shrank back, leaning against a piece of ice rock eroded by the wind.

Blood and qi surged rapidly within the body, resisting the biting cold and wind pressure.

"Qingzi?"

Wei Banmeng's voice rang out on the channel, carrying a hint of annoyance and urgency.

"I'll chase him!"

Fang Qingyu's voice was resolute and without the slightest hesitation.

Before he finished speaking, the dazzling dark golden divine light erupted and enveloped his entire body!
Crackling arcs of electricity tore through the wind and snow, and violent energy fluctuations caused the surrounding snow to swirl back.

"You all wait for me where you are!"

As the final command was given, Fang Qingyu's figure transformed into a golden bolt of lightning that tore through the night sky. With a speed far exceeding that of the Ice Fang Beast, he charged into the raging snow clouds and shot off in the direction where the Fate Ghost had fled, instantly disappearing from everyone's sight.

Below the icy cliff, only the howling wind and snow and the four people remained.

Wei Banmeng and his companions were not worried about this at all.

As instructed, he sat down in a sheltered, icy depression, silently circulating his qi and blood or energy to conserve his strength, while maintaining contact via radio.

"Pah! What a damn bad luck!"

Chu Kuanglan was still indignant, tapping his frozen boots with the hilt of his knife. "Three days of work for nothing, and we almost let those winged rats get away!"

Lu Jiuyuan leaned back on the ice rock, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and said calmly upon hearing this, "Unexpected, yet reasonable."

"The evolution of the Fate Ghost is inherently unpredictable, and information delays are the norm."

"With Qingzi's help, they won't be able to escape."

After a brief silence, Chu Kuanglan seemed to suddenly remember something. He lowered his voice in the channel and asked with a hint of probing and disbelief, "Hey, you guys think that Luo family that Ji Lang mentioned... could it be... that Luo family?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "that".

Without a second thought, Wei Banmeng's cold voice rang out, carrying an unequivocal denial: "Impossible."

"How revered is the Luoshen lineage? Mi Fei transformed into a deity, protecting the Luo River and benefiting all living beings. Her bloodline descendants wield the 'Luo River Mysterious Chapter' and guard the 'Azure Sea' war zone, making them one of the Federation's pillars on the Arctic front. It is no secret that there are beings of the fourth rank or above in the family."

"Why would a family like this need to sell its own kind to curry favor with the devil? What's the point?"

Her analysis was calm and insightful.

After all, the Luo family's lineage is rooted in the goddess Luo.

It's a huge difference that it's not some divine being or a double-dealer.

Chu Kuanglan himself felt that the idea was too absurd, and scratched his head awkwardly: "Yeah, I was just guessing."

"If it really is the Luo family, then this is going to be a huge mess."

"But then again, besides the illustrious Luo family, which other Luo family on the Arctic front has such power to partner with the Ji family in such a daring act? And keep it so well hidden?"

Silence fell once again beneath the ice and rock.

Only the howling of the wind and snow.

Yes, the mysterious Luo family is like a ghost hidden in the deepest part of the icy plains, with no clues except for a surname.

High in the sky, the wind and snow were even fiercer.

Fang Qingyu, enveloped in the Divine Firmament, was like a god who commanded thunder.

Its speed far exceeded that of the Shadow Erosion Ice Fang Beast flapping its bone wings below.

Their shadows, lurking in the face of the absolute speed difference and the majestic power of the Divine Firmament, were utterly ineffective.

"die!"

The cold words dissipated in the wind and snow.

Each flash of lightning was accompanied by the mournful shriek of an Ice Fang Beast and the charred corpse falling from the sky.

Clean, efficient, and neat.

Just moments later, the last Ice Fang Beast in sight attempted to squeeze into a gap in the clouds.

His head was pierced by a lightning spear that struck with pinpoint accuracy.

It plummeted downwards into the boundless ice field, billowing black smoke.

Fang Qingyu hovered high in the sky, his molten gold vertical pupils scanning the surroundings, his powerful senses sweeping over the raging wind, snow, and clouds.

It has been confirmed that no one has escaped the net.

mission completed.

Then, changing direction, Shenxiao propelled them back rapidly towards the ice cliff where Wei Banmeng and the others were waiting.

Extremely fast.

The continuous ice ridges below swept backward like blurry gray-white ribbons.

Soon, that familiar, steep ice cliff, like the fangs of a giant beast piercing the sky, came into view.

Fang Qingyu's body sank, preparing to land.

Just as his feet were about to touch the edge of the ice cliff, the ice surface was smoothed by the wind.
hum! ! !
An invisible wave descended without warning.

Like a transparent dome, it instantly enveloped the entire ice cliff, along with Fang Qingyu, who had just landed, and Wei Banmeng and the other three who were waiting there.

Time seemed to be stretched.

The blizzard that was howling and lashing at our masks just a moment ago suddenly disappeared.

It's not a decrease, but a complete and utter stillness.

Even the movement of the air seemed to freeze.

A suffocating, heavy pressure, like real mercury, squeezed in from all directions, acting on everyone's body.

"Aoko!"

"Fang Shen!"

The exclamations of Wei Banmeng and the other three rang out almost simultaneously.

With barely concealed astonishment.

They sprang to their feet instantly, weapons unsheathed, their blood and energy erupting instinctively. They formed a defensive formation back to back, scanning the suddenly clean yet eerily silent space around them with extreme vigilance.

Everyone's heart sank to the bottom.

It can activate a force field on them without their knowledge or warning.

This is enough to demonstrate the strength of the person who came.
Fang Qingyu also frowned slightly.

The divine power that had just subsided around him suddenly erupted once more.

Dark golden lightning danced wildly, making him appear as if Thor had descended to earth.

When Fang Qingyu looked ahead again, his gaze was fixed on the empty air in front of him.

In his field of vision.

A scarlet, glaring title, like thick ink dropped into clear water, slowly emerges and solidifies.

[The Divine Descendant]!
As the title became clear, a figure emerged silently from the water, appearing on the ice cliff, no more than ten steps away from Fang Qingyu's team.

The newcomer was completely shrouded in a large black robe of unknown material.

His face was covered by a pure white mask without any patterns, revealing only two deep eyes.

Although not tall, it gives people a sense of profound depth and unfathomable mystery.

Just standing there, there was an invisible pressure that originated from the very essence of life.

This made it difficult for Wei Banmeng and the other three to breathe, and their internal energy circulation became somewhat sluggish.

Fourth tier!

It's definitely a fourth-tier being!
"People from the Ji family?"

Chu Kuanglan withstood the pressure and roared in a deep, muffled voice.

Wei Banmeng's expression turned extremely serious, the twin Xuanchi swords in her hands humming slightly, her cold voice filled with extreme vigilance: "Not necessarily. It could also be... someone from the Luo family!"

Fang Qingyu stepped forward, subtly shielding his teammates behind him.

His divine power surged even more violently, and his molten gold vertical pupils pierced through the mask, staring directly into the other's unfathomable eyes. His voice was calm and utterly undisturbed:
"Is something wrong?"

As he spoke, Fang Qingyu subconsciously glanced at the sky above his head.

Didn't Old Man Hong say that it was impossible for a fourth-tier being to appear beside him?
How come I contradicted myself so soon after saying it?

9. Are you being held back?

The masked man in black robes seemed to have caught Fang Qingyu's subtle shift in gaze.

A flat, emotionless voice, emanating from behind a mask, slowly broke the absolute silence of the space:
"Stop looking. Jiu isn't here."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingyu frowned slightly.

really
The other party knew of Jiu's existence and used some means to keep her occupied.

But Fang Qingyu's face remained completely expressionless.

The Divine Firmament surged across his body, and he quietly tightened his grip on the hilt of the Dragon Sparrow Slaying Calamity Blade.

"so?"

Fang Qingyu's voice remained steady, carrying a hint of cold, questioning.

The masked man in black robes didn't seem to care about Fang Qingyu's wary posture.

He slowly raised a hand encased in a black glove and casually waved it towards the open space in front of Fang Qingyu and the others.

The space seemed to ripple like water.

The next second—

Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!
Three enormous boxes, each half a person's height and cast entirely from some dark metal, appeared out of thin air and crashed heavily onto the smooth ice surface of the cliff. The metal boxes collided with the solid ice, producing a dull thud that echoed in the deathly silent space.

Immediately afterwards, the lid of the box popped open silently.

Wow——!
In an instant, an incredibly dense and pure surge of blood and qi energy, mixed with a surging spiritual aura, erupted from the box like a volcanic eruption.

The blinding light even briefly dispelled the surrounding snow.

The first box contained neatly stacked, perfectly cut, deep red crystals the size of a baby's fist.

Second-tier Qi and Blood Crystal!
The sheer number of them filled the entire box, resembling a small, crimson crystal mountain.

The pure energy of Qi and blood almost formed a visible red mist.

The second box contained beads the size of pigeon eggs, varying in color but each containing immense energy.

They're all second-tier life beads! And of extremely high quality!

The third box contained a crystal-clear, exotic flower, as if sculpted from ice crystals.

Second-tier top-level meditation flower.

It has immeasurable benefits for believers in their spiritual practice.

Qi and Blood Crystals, Life Beads, and Meditation Flowers are counted in units of "boxes".

Even though Fang Qingyu's team was never short of resources, they were still stunned when they saw this scene.

After all, this is quite an astonishing amount of money.

The man in the black robe and mask seemed quite satisfied with the effect of this "visual impact".

His flat, emotionless voice rang out again, as if he were stating a trivial matter:

"Stop with the population check."

"These are all yours."

"how?"

Cold, impersonal terms of the transaction.

Along with resources that would drive any superhuman mad, they were laid bare before Fang Qingyu.

Fang Qingyu's gaze swept over the resource boxes that radiated an alluring glow, a very faint ripple passing through the depths of his eyes before quickly returning to its usual calm.

He raised his head, looked at the pure white mask, and spoke calmly, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry:
"Are you from the Luo family?"

The man in the black robe and mask did not answer.

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were like two deep pools, silently watching Fang Qingyu, as if trying to pierce through his soul.

After a few seconds of silence, the calm voice rang out again, repeating the previous conditions with an unquestionable tone:

"Stop with the population check."

"These are all yours."

"how?"

"I"

Chu Kuanglan's temper flared instantly. Such blatant bribery and such a casual hush money made him feel greatly insulted, and he was about to utter a curse.

However, he only uttered three words.
"Well!"

A hand covered in dark gold divine light swiftly covered his mouth, silencing his words.

It is Fang Qingyu.

Chu Kuanglan stared wide-eyed in astonishment at his captain.

A bright, even sunny smile slowly spread across Fang Qingyu's face.

It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders, or like seeing an old friend I hadn't seen for many years.

He nodded very decisively and loudly at the man in the black robe and mask:

"it is good!"

The answer to that single word was given so readily, so easily, so illogically!

Not only was Chu Kuanglan stunned, but Wei Banmeng, Lu Jiuyuan, and Jiang Wei were also dumbfounded.

Even the black-robed masked man, who had always been calm and composed, seemed to show a brief moment of surprise.

His gaze, hidden beneath the mask, lingered on Fang Qingyu's face for a full two seconds, as if trying to discern the truth from the radiant smile.

Ultimately, he seemed to choose to believe, or perhaps he simply didn't want to waste any more words.

"Transaction successful."

The masked man's voice remained calm, but carried a subtle hint of ease.

"I hope you won't go back on your word."

He paused, his deep, pool-like eyes looking at Fang Qingyu through the mask once more.

This glance was no longer ordinary.

A terrifying pressure, heavy as an ancient mountain and cold as a deep abyss, descended like an invisible tsunami!

Pfft!
Chu Kuanglan and the others groaned, almost collapsing to their knees, their foreheads instantly covered in cold sweat.

This is a complete crushing defeat on a matter of life level.

"otherwise."

The masked man uttered the last three words, which were like ice picks piercing his very bones.

"The consequences are beyond what you few can bear."

The echoes of the warning seemed to still reverberate in the frozen space.

The figure of the black-robed, masked man faded and disappeared without warning, just as it had appeared.

Like an ink droplet dissolving in water, it completely disappears.

The heavy pressure and boundless silence that enveloped the ice cliff also receded like the tide.

Woo——!
The howling of the blizzard and the crackling of snowflakes hitting the ice and rocks instantly filled everyone's ears again.

The biting cold wind enveloped my entire body once again.

It was as if the brief and bizarre transaction just now was merely an illusion.

Only the three large metal crates lying quietly on the ice cliff, their lids open and gleaming with an alluring light, served as a cold and stark reminder of what had just happened.

On the cliff, only the howling of wind and snow remained for a moment.

Chu Kuanglan shook his still somewhat dazed head vigorously, ripped off his mask, and gasped for the cold air, his face filled with an expression of disbelief and absurdity:
"He just left like that?!"

Lu Jiuyuan steadied himself by supporting Bingyan beside him, took a few deep breaths to calm his churning blood, and nodded upon hearing this, his voice carrying a strange certainty: "Yes. Let's go."

Wei Banmeng and Jiang Wei exchanged a glance, both seeing deep astonishment and a hint of amusement in each other's eyes.

Because they know Fang Qingyu too well.

When Fang Qingyu smiled and agreed to the matter.

It's impossible that they genuinely agreed; they just went along with it but would never actually do it.
And this mysterious and powerful fourth-tier apostle actually believed it?!
They just leave behind a lukewarm warning with no real binding force, then wave their sleeves and walk away with a sense of satisfaction at the successful transaction.

This style of behavior is just like that of a naive, overly protected rich young master.

"A fourth-tier idiot?"

A rare hint of confusion flashed in Jiang Wei's clear red eyes.

He repeated Chu Kuanglan's words in a low voice.

Fang Qingyu's smile had long since vanished, replaced by his usual calm.

He walked up to the three large boxes, bent down, and deftly closed the heavy lids one by one.

The "click" of the metal fasteners was particularly clear in the wind and snow.

"Go back first."

Fang Qingyu's voice was calm and even, revealing no emotion, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

He bent down first, easily picked up a metal box full of Qi and Blood Crystals, and carried it on his shoulder.

Chu Kuanglan and the others seemed to wake from a dream, and quickly stepped forward, each carrying one of the remaining two boxes.

It felt incredibly heavy, containing a massive amount of real, enviable resources.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions quite fascinating.

What was initially thought to be a life-or-death crisis, one that might even lead to certain death, was now a deadly predicament.
As a result, they encountered a powerful but seemingly dim-witted fourth-tier "great philanthropist".

Not only did they not fight, but they also gave away three boxes of top-tier resources for free?

This turn of events is simply too absurd.

"Hehe, he may be a fool, but he's adorably foolish!"

Chu Kuanglan weighed the box full of life beads in his arms, grinned, and his previous tension and anger had long since vanished.

Fang Qingyu carried the box and stepped into the wind and snow.

"gone."

The team of four, each carrying a huge metal box, quickly disappeared into the vast snowstorm.

But his steps, no matter how you looked at them, exuded a light and quick feeling.

And above their heads.

A figure followed closely behind their steps.

At the same time, he recalled the scene with a strange expression, muttering to himself.
"This generation's Goddess of the Luo River has raised an idiot!?"

……

at the same time.

One of dozens of vast cities, like stars, dotting the back of the Great Wall of Steel on the Arctic front.

Bibo City, City Lord's Mansion.

This is the lineage of Xuanzhang of Luoshui.

The core stronghold of the descendants of Luo Shen Mi Fei on the Arctic front.

Deep within the mansion, there is a quiet room bathed in a soft, aquamarine light, shielding it from all prying eyes.

In the center of the quiet room was a jade pool shrouded in mist and exuding a cool, spiritual aura.

The pool water had a deep, clear blue color, like a condensed ocean.

A figure hovered silently about a foot above the water.

Enveloped in a faint, flowing aquamarine light, its exact appearance was obscured, with only a vague outline discernible.

The space ripples slightly.

A figure in black robes wearing a pure white mask quietly appeared and landed by the Cold Jade Pool.

He bowed respectfully to the hazy figure in the pool, the arrogance of a fourth-tier apostle completely vanished, replaced by a voice carrying a hint of relief and self-satisfaction after completing his mission.
"Ancestor, the matter is settled. Fang Qingyu and the others have agreed not to investigate the population issue any further."

The light and shadow on the pool water seemed to ripple slightly.

A soft, ethereal female voice, as if emanating from the depths of water, gently rang out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible surprise: "Oh? You agreed? How did it go?"

The masked man maintained his bowed posture and recounted the process in detail at a steady pace.

How to precisely intercept, how to exert pressure within the ice cliff's release area, how to unleash four boxes of resources as a deterrent—how Fang Qingyu was initially astonished, then decisively stopped his companion from cursing, and finally revealed a relieved smile, readily agreeing.
The text particularly emphasizes Fang Qingyu's smile when the final deal was made.

"Finally, as the ancestor instructed, I gave him a stern warning."

"Judging from their expressions, Fang Qingyu and his team members were all intimidated and looked fearful. Xiao Liu thought that there would be no future troubles in this matter."

After the masked man finished speaking, he straightened up slightly, and a slight smile seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth beneath the mask, awaiting the expected praise.

An eerie silence fell over the quiet room.

Only the azure water in the Jade Pool flows silently, radiating a cool, clear luster.

After a while.

The ethereal female voice rang out again, its tone carrying an extremely complex and indescribable meaning, as if containing helplessness and a hint of doting affection that was both funny and exasperating.
"No blame."

She softly called the masked man's name.

“Over the years, I have indeed been too harsh on you.”

The masked man, Ji Wujiu, was slightly taken aback, then a warm feeling of gratitude welled up in his heart, and he quickly said, "Ancestor, you flatter me! Without your careful cultivation and strict supervision, how could I have achieved what I have today? To have stepped into the fourth rank and become an apostle, I will never forget this kindness and virtue! I am filled with gratitude!"

The light and shadow on the Cold Jade Pool fell silent once more.

More time passed.

The ethereal voice then drifted out, carrying an indescribable sigh, as if resigned to fate, yet seemingly mixed with a barely perceptible hint of amusement:

"Good. You did a great job."

"Go down and rest first."

"I'm a little tired."

"Yes! Wujiu takes his leave, not wanting to disturb the Ancestor's peaceful cultivation."

Ji Wujiu felt relieved, bowed respectfully again, and slowly retreated, disappearing into the quiet room as if merging into the water.

Absolute tranquility was restored to the quiet room.

On the Cold Jade Pool, the figure shrouded in a hazy, aquamarine light seemed to sway slightly.

A faint murmur, almost a soliloquy, drifted away in the rising mist, carrying a helpless smile:
"Transfer Fang Qingyu and the others to the City of Injustice."

"Give them a little punishment on the way."

"Consider it the consequence of them taking the money and not doing the job, and even playing tricks on Xiao Liu."

The voice fell
A faint "yes" came from the water curtain beside them.

(End of this chapter)