Is this NPC even playable if it's not nerfed?

Chapter 192 The Demonic Yin Sect Reappears, Divine Weapons Compete for Favor
"Tree God Island, that place is too eerie. It is said that before the New Year, it was a deserted island without even a name, but after the New Year, it changed completely."

"It's really evil."

A player crouched at the bow of the ship, gazing at the island ahead, and muttered something.

"Nonsense, isn't it normal for the surrounding environment to change drastically after the resurgence of spirits and monsters?"

"Also, keep your mouth shut. Don't go around talking badly about the Tree God after you get to the island. It can hear you, and if it does, you'll be in big trouble."

The leader of the players warned.

"Okay, I'll turn off my voice function later. I'll send you a message if I need anything."

"Is the fish ready?"

"It must be the freshest sea fish, cooked."

The leader of the players carefully checked it over.

"Don't worry, brother. I made a special trip to the dock this morning. I guarantee the fish will be fresh today. But there's one thing I don't understand. Isn't the Tree God a spirit? Do spirits eat cooked food?"

The player in charge of preparing the sacrificial offerings to the fish was somewhat curious.

"How would I know? Tastes vary from person to person. Anyway, the villagers said the tree god likes cooked fish, so we'll just prepare cooked fish."

"Alright, let's get ready to go to the island."

The boat docked, and the lead player and a few others walked ahead to clear the way. Because of the tree god, they did not dare to use knives to clear the way, but instead used wooden sticks to clear away the vines and flowers on the road, and did not dare to disturb the small animals around them.

The people behind carried a wooden frame, which was filled with cooked sea fish.

They also spent a lot of money to ensure the treasure hunt could proceed smoothly.

The Tree God Temple is located in the central area of ​​the island, just below the Tree God itself, and is constructed from countless vines and a few stones.

The plaque was commissioned by the villagers through collective fundraising.

"Tree God above, we brothers have only come to this auspicious place to seek wealth. Please forgive us and do not be offended if we are wrong."

"These offerings are a token of our brotherly sincerity; please accept them."

The players were very straightforward and stated their purpose: they came here for treasure, which consisted of some valuables and some secret manuals.

These things are useless to spirits, and they are not afraid that the tree god will become greedy.

"Treasure? What treasure? What is treasure?"

Suddenly, a clear, childlike voice rang out beside them, startling the players so much that they almost drew their swords.

The leading player forced himself to calm down.

When he arrived, he heard from the surrounding villagers that the tree god was a deity who sounded very young and had a strong curiosity about the things around him.

Moreover, he is approachable and often appears among the villagers.

"The treasures of the King of the South Sea, the gold and silver jewels collected by the King of the South Sea."

"Are those glittering stones the gold and silver jewels? Who is the King of the South Sea?"

The tree god's curiosity was overflowing; it seemed to have seen these gold and silver jewels before.

"Correct."

"The King of the South Sea was a pirate leader who wreaked havoc in the South China Sea hundreds of years ago."

"That's what the player replied."

"Hundreds of years ago, they must have died."

Do you need any help?

"You gave me a lot of fish, I can help you."

The tree god's thoughts were very simple.

Perhaps influenced by the surrounding villagers, they are very simple and honest; if you give me fish to eat, I will help you.

The tree god never eats dry food.

"No need, we brothers would never dare to trouble the tree god."

"Alright, do as you please, just don't harm the creatures on the island."

After the tree myth was told, they saw vines suddenly appear all around them. These vines, as if they were alive, pulled away the cooked fish on the wooden frame. Soon, all the cooked fish they had brought disappeared.

Seeing this, the group picked up their tools and headed towards the beach.

The treasure of the King of the South Sea is not on the island, but beneath it.

To access the treasure of the South Sea King, one must dive underwater and enter through an underwater cave.

They didn't know the exact location of the cave, so they could only dive down and swim around the island in search of the cave entrance.

What they didn't know was that the tree spirit had been watching them all along.

In fact, the tree god knew the location of the cave. Its root system was extensive, extending throughout the entire island, and it knew everything inside the island. It even knew what was in the pirate king's treasure.

The tree god just asked them if they needed help. They only needed to ask, and the tree god could tell them the exact location. In fact, if they had enough offerings, the tree god wouldn't mind helping them transport the treasure out.

Unfortunately, these players were too cautious.

They failed to grasp the tree spirit's hint.

……

A few hours later.

"Phew, I can't hold my breath any longer, I'm going upstairs to catch my breath."

One player floated to the surface.

"I can't hold on any longer, I need to rest for a while."

"Cowboy, give me some chocolate, I'm out of energy."

"Stamina my ass! You're a player, do you need to eat to replenish stamina? If you're craving something, just say so. You can't even come up with an excuse."

The player known as the cowboy took a piece of chocolate out of his pocket and threw it over.

"Me too, me too, I want some too!"

"Get lost, I don't have that many. I'm not in the wholesale business. If you want to eat, buy it yourself."

"Cheapskate."

"Where's the boss? Is he still down there?"

"Don't worry, boss. He knows how to hold his breath. He can stay underwater for days and nights without any problems."

"Oh, that's alright then. Let him keep looking. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

Being submerged in water for a long time is very uncomfortable. Even if players can reduce their sensory system, they still can't stand being in the sea for too long.

When the wind blows, there's that sticky feeling.

It's incredibly uncomfortable.

……

"Found it, hahaha, found it."

After an unknown amount of time, a figure emerged from the distant sea; it was their leader.

"found it?"

Is it true or false?

“Found it. The entrance to the treasure is right below me. You guys, grab your tools and follow me.”

"Good good."

"You'll get rich!"

Just as they were digging up the treasure, a fishy, ​​foul smell wafted from the distant sea.

The players who were on the lookout quickly spotted a ship on the distant sea.

A large ship.

Several heads hung from the bow of the large ship, and rotting corpses were being sewn together to serve as sails.

An indescribable sense of eeriness washed over me.

The smell of blood mixed with the salty, fishy smell of the sea breeze made it even stranger.

"Holy crap, what is that thing? It's so weird!"

The players who were watching were shocked.

Hearing their teammates' shouts, the others surfaced and looked at the strange ship, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Damn, what is this? Why does this game have horror elements? Luckily it's not nighttime, or it would scare people to death."

"What to do?"

"Hey, there are people on that boat."

"There really are people here, quite a few."

"Are they watching us?"

"They're up to no good, brothers."

"What's there to be afraid of? Our level isn't low."

The leader of the players surfaced, his face full of disdain.

They're all level 60 on average, so if it really comes down to a fight, they're not afraid at all.

"Never mind them, let's get ashore first, go back to the boat and put on our gear. If they dare to make a move, we'll take them down."

The person opposite is acting strangely; they seem like someone you shouldn't mess with.

But do you think players are easy to mess with just because they're not weird?

When it comes to head-on confrontations, who have these players ever been afraid of?
Aside from Lu Yuan, who was a numerical monster, they weren't really afraid of any of the other NPCs.

"Let's go, let's get the equipment."

The group quietly climbed ashore, retrieved their equipment, and distributed it to their teammates.

"An extraordinary person?" "His cultivation level is quite high."

The people on the large ship looked down at the players on the island below, their eyes shining.

They licked their lips, eager to make their move.

"Kill them."

"Our location cannot be revealed."

Inside the cabin, Elder Baida directed his disciples to silence the witnesses.

As a member of the Demon Yin Sect, his whereabouts must not be exposed.

Once exposed, they will surely die.

The sect has abandoned them; if something really happens, they won't even have the ability to ask for help.

Therefore, their whereabouts must be kept secret.

"As you command, Master."

"Fellow disciples, charge!"

Dozens of disciples from the Demon Yin Sect quietly jumped off the ship, transforming into bloody shadows as they attacked the players on the island.

[Ding! You have been attacked by the NPC Demon Yin Sect disciple. Your HP is -999, -999, Ding! You have died and are resurrecting.]

A streak of blood flashed by, and a player's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at his own head falling away.

boom……

The head fell off, and the player instantly vanished in golden light.

"Holy crap, the other side is the Demon Yin Sect."

"Counterattack! Counterattack!"

"Damn it, how did those bastards from the Demon Yin Sect get here?"

"Take this Italian cannonball."

A bomb was detonated.

The sea was churning, and a disciple of the Demon Yin Sect was blasted dozens of meters away, coughing up blood.

He didn't die, but he was seriously injured.

"Kill."

……

Wangyou County.

A convoy slowly drove up.

Before they even reached the city gate, a flurry of petals fell, and the Peach Blossom Fairy gently landed on the carriage at the very front of the caravan.

"Lu Yuan, you're back."

“You’ve been on this trip for quite a while, it’s been more than half a year.”

"Lu Yuan, you're really something else. You wiped out the Kong family in one trip."

"It's said that even the phantom of Confucius wouldn't dare to do anything to you. You're really awesome."

The Peach Blossom Fairy chattered on and on.

"Hey, little peach blossom, you only care about Lu Yuan, what about me?"

With a light leap, Hu San Niang landed between Lu Yuan and Peach Blossom Fairy, separating the two.

"Sanniang."

"you……"

Have you gained weight?

"I feel like you've gotten bigger."

The Peach Blossom Fairy bent down and picked up Hu San Niang's true form. This was not an illusion; Hu San Niang had indeed grown considerably larger.

It's gotten a whole size bigger.

"Get fat?"

"Your family is fat from eating your grandpa's food."

"The Yin family's bloodline has been revived."

Hu San Niang disgustedly broke free from Peach Blossom Fairy's hands, and after landing, she transformed back into human form.

"what?"

"so fast?"

The Peach Blossom Fairy knew what bloodline revival meant.

Mythical beasts are descendants of divine beasts, but strictly speaking, they can also be considered divine beasts. However, they were born in an era when mythology declined, and the bloodline of divine beasts in their bodies became mixed due to the influence of heaven and earth. They could not reach the level of divine beasts and could not ascend, so they could only stay in the mortal world.

Bloodline revival is a way for mythical beasts to advance. By staying by the side of the chosen one, the mythical beast can purify and activate its own divine beast bloodline through the baptism of destiny, thus achieving the effect of revival.

The recovery is slow, but with each recovery, the beast's strength increases dramatically until it is fully recovered, becoming a divine beast of the world and ascending to the celestial realm.

"Fast?"

"Emm, it is indeed a bit fast."

"However, this might be because Lu Yuan has too much luck on him."

More than half of the world's fortune resides in Lu Yuan, which shows how terrifying his fortune is.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get into town, I need to eat!"

Lu Yuan offered a reminder.

"Let's go."

"Go home and have dinner."

The convoy slowly drove into the city.

……

into the night.

Lu Yuan lay back in the chair, enjoying himself leisurely.

A small incense burner sat on a stone table beside him, from which wisps of smoke rose, repelling the surrounding mosquitoes.

The Divine Fire Furnace is a heavenly-grade divine weapon that automatically refines pills and is naturally obedient.

Although in the hands of the remnants of the Demon Yin Sect, it is a demonic weapon that can refine people into pills while they are still alive.

It's very menacing.

However, in Lu Yuan's hands, the stove was very well-behaved.

At least in Lu Yuan's view, the Divine Fire Furnace was naturally quite obedient and controllable; it would do whatever he asked it to do.

Very obedient.

Unlike the Blood Blade, which is irritable and prone to shouting for battle, so far, no one except Lu Yuan has been able to get close to it.

Even after being tamed, Blood Emperor remains inherently violent and difficult to control.

……

"Alchemy, Divine Fire Furnace, can you really refine anything?"

Lu Yuan suddenly remembered that he had something that he could give to the Divine Fire Furnace to refine.

"Reporting to Master, the Divine Fire Furnace has the ability to refine all things. Whether they are inanimate or living, the Divine Fire Furnace can refine them into precious pills that enhance cultivation, or extract certain functions from them."

"If the master has a pill-making formula, the master only needs to provide the materials for making the pills, and the Divine Fire Furnace can also make them."

Upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, the lid of the Divine Fire Furnace trembled, and it shakily revealed its power.

The Divine Furnace is almost an all-around divine weapon; it can fight, provide support, engage in group battles, and even fight one-on-one.

In terms of function, it is much more useful than that Blood Radiance.

"Master, don't believe it, it's just bragging."

"It's lying to you."

The sword at Lu Yuan's waist trembled slightly. Xue Huang sensed a threat from the Divine Fire Furnace, which might steal its master's favor.

That makes it unhappy.

What is this broken stove trying to do?
Competing for favor?
Damn furnace.

Don't talk about martial ethics.

So what if you can refine pills? Let's have a one-on-one fight, and I'll cleave you in two with one strike.

The divine furnace hummed, but it remained silent.

"Can this be refined?"

Lu Yuan scratched his head, then suddenly stood up and walked into the house. A moment later, he came out with something in his hand.

Red grime, the secretions left behind during his metamorphosis.

According to the data panel analysis, these red stains contain a massive amount of energy and unknown components. These components have a certain life-extending effect, but there is also a risk of self-destruction if ingested.

Since the Divine Fire Furnace has the ability to refine all things and can refine certain effects independently, does this mean that the Divine Fire Furnace can refine the effect of red stains prolonging life separately?
That's something we can give a try.

What if it happens?
"This is?"

"What a terrifying energy source."

The divine furnace extended its fiery tentacles, but the moment they touched the red grime, they were so frightened that they instantly retracted.

……

(End of this chapter)