Chapter 68

Chapter 68: NaïvetéAfter the successful defeat of the five bosses, along with the elimination of numerous smaller monsters by various guilds, the World Purification Level had risen to 60%.

At the heart of the Shattered Heaven dungeon lay the ancient empire’s royal city. Although the city was now in ruins, one could still glimpse its former grandeur.

In front of the royal city, countless teams had gathered, awaiting the awakening of Empress Angelina. Once she was defeated, the final boss, Void Warlord Kaa, would emerge. The last two critical battles would take place within the city walls.

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In front of the royal city, Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back. 

Behind him, guild leaders and team captains looked at him with respect and admiration. Despite having only been together for three days, they had already been completely won over by the young man’s leadership and presence.

There was something about Ye Xuan—an air of natural authority that made them instinctively want to follow him.

“Qin Xian…” Ye Xuan muttered as he glanced at the leaderboard, where his own name stood proudly in first place, with seven Void Crystals to his credit. A confident smile played on his lips.

The five bosses had dropped a total of fifty Void Crystals. Ye Xuan held ten of them, tying him with Chu Junzhuo, the eldest daughter of the Chu family, for the top spot.

Ye Xuan hadn’t taken the top spot just to gain the support of the guilds and smaller factions—there was another, more important reason: he was targeting Qin Xian.

From the very first boss, Qin Xian had not appeared. He had missed out on all five boss fights and therefore had no Void Crystals. Without them, he would be unable to enter the Ancient Temple to receive the Blessing of the Ancient Gods.

Ye Xuan didn’t believe for a second that Qin Xian didn’t want the gods’ blessings. There was only one possible explanation: Qin Xian planned to steal the Void Crystals from other teams.

That explained his absence—he was waiting until the last moment to strike, aiming to seize the Crystals from others and head to the temple for the blessing.

Normally, these guilds and teams would fight amongst themselves, perhaps even sabotaging each other during boss fights. This would leave them vulnerable to Qin Xian’s forces, who could easily pick them off one by one.

But now, under Ye Xuan’s leadership, the guilds had united. Though Qin Xian had a team of elite level 39 professionals, Ye Xuan didn’t believe even the Qin family could take on dozens, if not hundreds, of teams working together.

The thought of Qin Xian’s inevitable frustration when he realized that he couldn’t simply snatch the Void Crystals filled Ye Xuan with anticipation. 

Even if Qin Xian managed to defeat the final two bosses, his Void Crystals would be too few, and he would only receive the lowest-level blessing from the gods.

—

Suddenly, a shout echoed through the crowd: “The Qin family has arrived!”

Everyone turned to see Qin Xian leading his team of Qin family elites toward the royal city’s plaza.

As soon as Qin Xian appeared, several young nobles and students from the Imperial Capital Academy hurried forward to greet him.

“Young Master Qin!”

Ye Xuan watched, silently clenching his fists in anticipation. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Qin Xian’s face when he realized that all the guilds and teams had united against him, denying him the opportunity to steal their Void Crystals.

Even if Qin Xian participated in the final two boss fights, the number of Crystals he obtained would be limited, resulting in only the most basic blessing from the gods.

Qin Xian, his expression unreadable, glanced around at the gathered guilds and teams, who were now standing as a united front. He also saw Ye Xuan, standing confidently among them.

The two young men locked eyes from a distance.  In many ways, they were similar—both were surrounded by admirers, hailed as leaders. But in other ways, they were completely different.

Ye Xuan was supported by small guilds and commoners, while Qin Xian was backed by the noble families and powerful factions. They were the embodiment of two opposing worlds.

Qin Xian’s expression didn’t change as he looked over the guild leaders standing together. He had to admit he was a bit surprised. In just three days, this young man named Ye Xuan had managed to unite so many guilds and teams. 

It would indeed be more difficult to steal the Void Crystals from them now.

Qin Xian’s gaze returned to Ye Xuan, who still wore that confident smile, as if everything was under his control. Qin Xian smirked, a hint of mockery in his expression.

This Ye Xuan was naïve.

Things in this world were rarely as simple as they seemed. Just like how everything in this dungeon was ultimately tied to the real world outside.

Did these guild leaders really dare to defy the will of the Qin family’s heir?

Qin Xian turned to the guild leaders standing near Ye Xuan and smiled. “Each of you may keep one Void Crystal.”

Ye Xuan scoffed at Qin Xian’s arrogance. His confidence bordered on stupidity. Did Qin Xian really think the Qin family’s influence extended to this dungeon?

But then, one of the guild leaders beside Ye Xuan, his expression conflicted, hesitated before stepping forward. Gritting his teeth, he respectfully handed over two Void Crystals to Qin Xian.

Moments later, more guild leaders followed suit, quietly stepping forward to offer their Void Crystals to Qin Xian without protest.

Within a minute, the leaderboard updated.

First Place: Qin Xian, 21 Void Crystals.