Chapter 257: Chapter 256: Heading to the Big Dragon Pit!
Translator: 549690339
“Boom!”
Underwater, two water monsters had just come face to face when a powerful attack hit them. Unable to resist at all, they were immediately reduced to essences.
Picking up the ten dropped essences, Du Gang didn’t look for a place to hide but started absorbing them right away.
After a while, the ten essences in his hand reduced to nine and he also stopped his cultivation.
“Indeed, I can’t absorb any more?!”
Du Gang exclaimed. After practicing for a while, he had killed countless Level Two wild beasts and absorbed countless Second Level essences. Now, he had reached the absorption limit.
The limit of two thousand Naer divine power; even his divine power skill had reached a hundred Naer. This meant that his Supreme Technique had advanced one percent.
“Next, should I return to my own forest to kill Level One wild beasts or should I go to the Big Dragon pit to fight Level Three wild beasts?”
Du Gang hesitated for two seconds and laughed, “Level One wild beasts, let’s deal with them when they come. For now, let’s go and brush up with the Level Three wild beasts!”
His current strength had turned upside down. Even if the divine power skill was at a hundred Naer, he could now use it twenty times. This was merely the case when he hadn’t used the Jie-character secret technique.
If he used the Jie-Character Secret, he was confident that no one in the first layer of the Abyss would be a match for him, not even the gods of the Second or Third Tribulation!
“Big Dragon, I am coming!”
Du Gang was somewhat excited. From the time he entered the first layer of the Abyss, he had heard of Big Dragon being the strongest wild beast. Each essence dropped could increase one Naer divine power!
In the Abyss, the upper and lower forests were actually symmetrical. There was also a huge Dragon Pit in the lower half of the forest, but its location was on the side of the human forest.
In the upper half of the forest, the Big Dragon Pit was on the demon clan’s side, at the blend of the demon clan’s land and river, and it carved out a separate region.
This was an almost circular deep pit, clearly deeper than the water in the river. Normally, the river water would flow into the Big Dragon Pit when it reached it.
But in reality, the river water couldn’t flow into the Big Dragon Pit, as if there was an invisible boundary. All the river water flowed around the outer perimeter of the Big Dragon Pit.
Following the river route, Du Gang finally arrived near the Big Dragon Pit.
The entrance to the Big Dragon Pit was huge, too big to be blocked by anyone. So, he didn’t encounter anyone when he entered the Big Dragon Pit.
However, as he continued to move forward, he finally met some people, or rather, he was approaching the standoff area of both sides in the Big Dragon Pit.
The Big Dragon refreshed every day. Each time it refreshed, it would be swiftly killed by both sides. Following this, the essences dropped by the Big Dragon upon its death would spark an intense competition between the two sides.
At this moment, the Big Dragon hadn’t refreshed yet. Both sides were still restrained and showed no signs of impulsiveness.
As a matter of fact, after such a long time of battle, both sides had reached a tacit understand – not to start a war before the Big Dragon’s refresh.
Because in the past, they had fought before the Big Dragon refreshed. The only outcome was mutual injury, with more than half of the controllers dying and needing a day to revive, while weaker ones flocked to pick up the remaining spoils.
There were many people wanting to scavenge like this, and at this moment there were quite a few people gathered outside the two sides.
Du Gang didn’t rush to negotiate with the humans here but first surveyed the situation.
In the center of the standoff, there was a patch of Red Earth different from the rest of the area. It wasn’t small, with a length of several hundred meters.
“That should be where the Big Dragon refreshes!”
Du Gang was smart and identified it instantly.
Surrounding the Red Earth were crowds of people. The circle was divided into two halves, with about three to four hundred people on the human side, all controllers. Even without showing off, you could see their powerful aura.
Opposite them were about the same number of demons, also controllers. The two sides stood in a circle along the edge of the Red Earth.
At a distance of about four to five hundred meters from these people stood even more people, not only from the human side but also from the demon side.
These people on the outskirts were here to scavenge. All of them were not strong enough to compete in the core area and came to see if they could get lucky. These people’s cultivation levels were high and low, as Du Gang noticed after a brief scan.
“Hey, why are you standing here?”
Du Gang eventually couldn’t hold back and walked towards a friendly looking chubby man to ask.
The Chubby Man gave him a glance and laughed, “Is this your first time here?!”
Seeing Du Gang nod, he continued, “You’re in luck, the Big Dragon is about to refresh. We’re waiting for the Big Dragon…”
“The moment the Big Dragon refreshes, these big shots will kill the Big Dragon, and we will collect some of the essences!”
Du Gang was curious, “Will they let you pick them up?”
After all, there were almost seven to eight hundred controllers in the field. Although there were more than two thousand manipulators around them, they were still inferior compared to those controllers.
The chubby man laughed, “Of course, once the essences drop, the place will be chaotic. Whoever picks up the essence will own it…”
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? If you die, you just need two hundred divine crystals to rebuild a body. But if you pick up an essence, it’s equivalent to spending ten thousand divine crystals to increase your divine power…”
The chubby man comfortably continued to smile, “See the Red Earth ahead? That’s where the Big Dragon is going to refresh. As soon as it refreshes, these big shots will join forces to attack. Once the Big Dragon dies, the essences will drop onto the Red Earth, and that’s our chance…”
Du Gang nodded and asked, “So those people up ahead, they’re all controllers? Which means, controllers can go there?”
The chubby man laughed, “Exactly, that place is only accessible for controllers… Hey, where are you going?”
While he was explaining, he suddenly realized that Du Gang was moving away from the crowd, heading towards the front.
As Du Gang walked, he turned his head to look at the chubby man, smiled and said, “I’m a controller. Thanks for the explanation. Here are nine essences for you!”
After saying that, he casually tossed the nine essences he had left from hunting the Level Two wild beasts.
The chubby man saw it and immediately happily accepted it.
For a common team like theirs, it usually took five of them to hunt down a wild monster, and then they would slowly distribute the nine essences, which were the result of days of hard work.
He never thought that just by saying a few simple words, they could get such a reward, but…
He looked up worriedly to Du Gang, “Can he handle it alone?”
At this point, his four teammates were shaking their heads in disagreement.
“Do you know the guy we just saw, Xiao Fatty?”
They were somewhat curious, knowing that only Controllers would dare to move forward under these circumstances. From Du Gang’s previous inquiry, it was clear that he was a newly emerged Controller.
Xiao Fatty shook his head, “I don’t know him. He probably hasn’t been here for long. But I don’t know why he’s alone…”
Indeed, no matter how many people were present, they all came in teams of five. It was rare to see someone like Du Gang here alone.
“Maybe the rest of his team has been killed, and since the Big Dragon will soon respawn here, he comes to take a look and wait before heading back!”
“However, it’s easy for the Demon Clan to see him as an easy target since he’s alone…”
Meanwhile, many people who saw Du Gang’s movements expressed their concerns.
“Being alone, he might not be able to protect his essences. The Demon Clan teams will certainly give him priority…”
“Yes, indeed. Not only the Controller Demon Clan teams but even the Manipulator Demon Clan teams will probably target him!”
“He arrived a bit late. If he had come earlier and blended in with the other Controllers, he might have been safe…”
“His presence now makes him the target of public criticism, doesn’t it?”
At this point, the Controllers who were confronting the Demon Clan next to the Red Earth also noticed the commotion behind them. They turned around and noticed Du Gang approaching them.
“Recognize this guy?”
“No, I’ve never seen him before…”
Then, a team that seemed rather arrogant and domineering stepped forward, “Kid, this place is for Controllers only, go back where you came from!”
Obviously, this team had just broken through to become Controllers not long ago and were strict about maintaining the boundaries between positions.
It was as if a person had leaped from a lower class to an upper class, and then couldn’t help but defend the interests of his new class.
Seeing this, Du Gang didn’t hesitate and directly released his pressure.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a powerful aura radiated in all directions.
A kind of energy that only Controllers could release was transmitted out.
Everyone present couldn’t help but marvel at the fluctuation of this energy.
“He’s really a Controller…”
“But how come it seems like I’ve never seen him before?”
Previously, the Manipulators were curious yet skeptical about Du Gang’s actions, questioning whether he was genuinely a Controller.
But now, after showcasing his skills and revealing his Controller strength, it naturally incited people’s curiosity.
“Who is this guy?”
“Does anyone recognize him?”
The number of Manipulator teams was limited, amounting to several hundreds to a thousand at most. After leading a team for a few years, they would have encountered and become familiar with everyone.
But Du Gang’s face was utterly unfamiliar to these people.
Among the couple of thousand people standing on the periphery, none of them recognized him as they exchanged glances.
“Du Gang?!”
At this point, someone within the Controller teams exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing this voice, Du Gang quickly turned his head toward the source of the sound.
He was a dashing young man in purple, whom Du Gang didn’t recognize!
Though Du Gang didn’t recognize him, this man clearly knew Du Gang, and being outside the Ancient City, he suspected that this man’s team was likely in the service of the Demon Realm.
In an instant, Du Gang made the connection and stared hard at the man, memorizing the faces of the other members in his team.
Not only that, but Du Gang also turned his gaze towards the Controller teams.
At this moment, about half of the Controllers turned their heads to look at him.
They can’t all have been bought, can they?!
Du Gang was silently startled, while also thinking that some of them were probably just curious.
However, judging from their reactions, Du Gang believed that those who were under the employ of the Demon Realm were likely not few in number.
It doesn’t matter; whoever dares to attack will be utterly obliterated!
After days of cultivation, Du Gang was already much more confident. He no longer had to hide or evade, at the very least, he could swagger about in the first layer of the Abyss!
These people also seemed to realize something. After taking a curious glance at Du Gang, they quickly looked away, not showing any obvious intentions.
Thus, Du Gang was unable to distinguish who among them harbored malicious intentions and who were just curious. But it didn’t matter; he was ready for battle.
Here, upon discovering that Du Gang possessed the power of a Controller, the group of people who had previously stepped forward cease their chatter and reintegrate themselves into the troop.
Du Gang, on the other hand, slowly walked towards the Red Earth. Surprisingly, he decided to situate himself at the central position.
The Big Dragon Pit wasn’t square, but round-shaped, meaning that the confronting factions each had a central position of their own.
The centre of the human settlement was obviously occupied by some of the most powerful groups.
Because, obviously, the central position was the best one, able to capture more essence!
At this moment, Blue Robed Eagle King, who was situated at the marginal position, had almost popped his eyes out of his sockets.
“Du Gang, why did he go there?”
Thinking of this, he yelled, “Du Gang, over here!” while gesturing towards him.
The central position was not even a place they dared to approach. The strong men over there could each release nearly two hundred Divine Power skills at a time.
Just as Du Gang turned around to look at the Blue Robed Eagle King, another group at the central position suddenly expressed goodwill towards him.
“You can stay here!”
A group of men vacated a spot, suggesting for Du Gang to come over and join them.
Du Gang sneered at this group of people.
He didn’t know these people, it wasn’t like they were familiar to him from any of the families, moreover, this group was among those who had retreated previously.
Most likely, this group intended to plot something against him.
With a light smile, Du Gang asked, “Do we know each other?”
The leader of this small team chuckled and said, “Ancient God Du Gang, I’ve long admired you. Even if we didn’t know each other before, we do now, don’t we?”
Introducing himself with a smile, he said, “My name is Yin Deyu, a member of the Yin Family. We’re from the Ancient City, aren’t we supposed to help each other?”
At this moment, the other few teams who were initially positioned in the center turned their heads towards Yin Deyu out of curiosity when they heard this.
Du Gang noticed that among these people, members of the Yin Family, Dragon Family, and Sun Family were prominent.
However, their reactions seemed to be normal, only turning their curious gazes towards them after hearing what Yin Deyu had said.
But they did not speak further, they only looked curiously at him for a moment, then turned their heads back to face the Demon Clan on the opposite side of the Red Earth.
All of these people were strong figures from generations before, and their knowledge of the title of Ancient God was limited to hearsay; some of them hadn’t even heard of it.
After all, many people no longer return to Penglai, preferring to stay here year-round. They were naturally cut off from outside news and had lost interest in the affairs of the universe.
Du Gang chuckled, revealing an innocent side of him, and said, “Well, thank you then, Brother Yin!”
With a loud laugh, Yin Deyu stepped forward, laid his arm around Du Gang’s shoulder and ushered him over, “Not a problem, not a problem!”
Unprovoked kindness is more than likely hiding sinister intentions!
Du Gang sneered in his heart. If it was just a suspicion before, now, there was no doubt.
This guy was definitely up to something. He was most likely bought over by the Demon Realm and was looking for a chance to kill him.
But after Yin Deyu had escorted Du Gang to the front row, he didn’t introduce him to the rest of his team. Instead, he started to casually talk about the affairs in front of them.
“Is this your first time here?!”
With a cheerful expression, Yin Deyu asked, “From the looks of it, your comrades must have returned to the city to resurrect, right?!”
“Perfect, we also have to return for a rest after a while. Let’s go back together after the battle ends!”
As though he worried Du Gang would turn down the offers, he continued, “Don’t stand on ceremony, we’re all on the same side and we’re going the same way…”
“When the big battle starts, just follow us closely…”
Du Gang didn’t show any dissatisfaction with these words, on the contrary, he displayed a thankful expression.
Want to scheme against me?
Just wait!
However, while waiting, he looked a bit confused, “Brother Yin, won’t this slow your team down? After all, I’m just one person, while you guys are a whole squadron. What if we get targeted by the Demon Clan?”
Yin Deyu chuckled, “Oh, no worries…”
He seemed to realize that he had been overly enthusiastic, which was a bit abnormal, so he added, “Perhaps you don’t know. When I was young, I grew up listening to the stories of Pangu the Supreme. Later on, I also heard a lot about the feats of the Ancient Gods…”
“Sigh, Pangu the Supreme sacrificed his life for us humans, which led to a downfall of his own clan. Now, you’re the only one remaining…”
He sighed, “The Ancient Gods have sacrificed too much for our human race. It would be worth it for me to do something for you…”
Upon hearing these words, the other teams seemed somewhat baffled.
Such words… If they were spoken by a young man, they might have believed him, but coming from Yin Deyu, they didn’t believe him in the slightest.
This guy, is he trying to curry favor with the Ancient God?
At this moment, everyone around was thinking the same thing.
They didn’t think much about it, not to mention Yin Deyu and his people wanting to harm the Ancient God, after all, there was no direct interest involved between the two sides.
Upon hearing this, Du Gang nearly shed tears, “Yes, Brother Yin, our Ancient God clan has suffered a lot. We have made so many sacrifices for the sake of the humans, to the point where in my generation, we don’t even have a decent weapon left…”
He lamented, “You have no idea how much hardship I went through to cultivate myself…”
Upon hearing this, Yin Deyu quickly said, “Brother, rest assured, Yin will have your back in the future…”
Du Gang coughed lightly, saying, “Brother Yin, my weapon was damaged earlier, do you happen to have any…”
A weapon?
Yin Deyu was taken aback. How could this man be so shameless?
He had merely said it as a courtesy, but Du Gang had directly asked for one.
However, having said that, he couldn’t deny now and so he continued to put on his warm-hearted facade.
“Yes!”
Yin Deyu was smiling kindly, “I happen to have a divine artifact that I don’t use anymore, you can have it…”
As he said this, he took out a Ninth-Rank divine artifact and handed it to Du Gang.
“Huh?”
Du Gang took it and frowned, “Brother Yin, this artifact… is a bit brittle, isn’t it?”
Seemingly feeling his words were inappropriate, his voice lowered as he muttered, “This artifact, compared to the one I used before, is miles apart…”
Everyone present was stunned by Du Gang’s words.
Refusing something given for free?!
What kind of immortal is this?!
A figure with dragon horns looked at Du Gang contemptuously, sneering in his heart.
If he were Yin Deyu, he would undoubtedly slap Du Gang now, teaching him the price of being greedy.
However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Yin Deyu didn’t show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he said:
“That was indeed careless of me. Here, I have a Third-Rank True God artifact worth twenty thousand divine crystals, you can use it first…”
After finishing his words, he actually took out a True God artifact and handed it to Du Gang.
Du Gang, seeing this, didn’t hesitate to take it and gratefully said, “Thank you so much, Brother Yin, I thank you on behalf of my eighteen generations of ancestors…”
Yin Deyu responded with a smile, “What weapon do you specialize in?”
Without hesitation, Du Gang replied, “I specialize in axes, but I’ve never found a suitable one…”
Upon hearing this, Yin Deyu laughed, “What a coincidence, my family happens to have a Ninth-Rank True God artifact that’s an axe…”
At this point, someone couldn’t stand it any longer and mocked, “This is truly remarkable, someone is actually acknowledging a father right here!”
It was the young man with dragon horns. He couldn’t take it anymore.
Both parties were simply insulting his common sense, making him question his own cognition.
It was as though they were in collusion with each other, doing things that baffled everyone else.
Hearing this, the others also began to mock.
Not for anything else, but to ridicule Yin Deyu for giving away a True God artifact for free.
“If you’re so rich, why don’t you give me a True God artifact too?”
“Exactly, Brother Yin. I also happen to need a True God artifact, are you going to give me one too…”
Hearing these words, Yin Deyu was instantly filled with regret. He had been too eager, and appeared too enthusiastic, which didn’t fit the situation.
His eyes rolled, quickly devising a plan, and he retorted, “What do you know?”
“The reason I’m doing this is because our family ancestor once received help from an Ancient God…”
Yin Deyu said lightly, “My Yin family has always been grateful for the kindness we’ve received. Although the Ancient God had passed away, as Du Gang is now the only heir, his is naturally the recipient of my family’s gratitude…”
Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Was this the truth?
The Yin family was enormous, with countless people in each branch, so they didn’t know if what Yin Deyu was saying was true.
Furthermore, there were indeed powerful ancestors in Yin Deyu’s lineage who had received the grace of an Ancient God, and thereby passed down this sense of gratitude.
Despite finding it hard to believe, everyone reluctantly accepted his explanation.
Yin Deyu seized this opportunity and said, “Du Gang, our lineage really received the kindness of your Ancient God. Our ancestors have always wanted to repay this favor… This time, you should come with me. You can have whatever you want then…”
Upon hearing this, Du Gang naturally didn’t refute and nodded happily, “In that case, Brother Yin, could you get me some essences later?”
“No problem!”
Yin Deyu didn’t mind Du Gang’s words at this point. All he needed was to keep this man by his side. When it was time to separate from everyone else, he would take action. Therefore, he agreed without hesitation.
You’d better wait, boy. Whatever you’ve consumed now, you’re going to spit it all out later…
Yin Deyu had an extremely brilliant smile.
So did Du Gang.
Both of them laughed as though they were close relatives who had been separated for many years. They got along perfectly!