“So, it's confirmed that this year's subterranean riot will take place in a month?”
After listening to Lumu's explanation, Chen Jiu gently pushed the glass filled with a transparent liquid forward, gesturing for her to help herself.
“It seems I need to make some preparations. The anomalies in the dungeon over the past three years have already attracted the attention of the neighboring kingdoms. They will probably take this year's subterranean riot extremely seriously.”
The so-called subterranean riot was the day of the year when the dungeon's seal was at its weakest. On this day, all the monsters trapped inside could break through the seal and pour out in droves.
The dungeon where Chen Jiu resided was originally the most unremarkable one among the many dungeons in the surrounding kingdoms.
However, his original physical body had unfortunately been teleported right into the eye of the sealing formation. Judging by the increasingly dense mana in the dungeon, his body's condition was extremely poor. It had likely lost consciousness long ago, unable to control the diffusion of the spiritual energy within.
Strangely enough, the mana of this world seemed to share the same source as spiritual energy.
As a result, after absorbing the spiritual energy from Chen Jiu's original body, the dungeon's monsters grew unprecedentedly powerful, quietly turning this place into the most terrifying existence among the neighboring dungeons.
“So hot... What did you give me to drink...”
Lumu clutched her chest, her face flushed red as her breathing grew increasingly rapid.
“Hot water.”
Chen Jiu looked at her expressionlessly, calculating his future plans.
One month.
He needed to assemble a team within a month that could fight their way into the eye of the formation during the subterranean riot.
He also had to deal with a bunch of monsters fattened up on his body's spiritual energy, along with Imperial adventurers of unknown strength. Finally, he had to retrieve his physical body, which had likely lost consciousness and was leaking spiritual energy like crazy.
And then there were the potential hidden factions that might exist.
Why did he always feel like he owed this body?
His over one thousand years of experience told him—
Maybe he should just pack up and run.
“My Lord, don't look at me like that.”
Lumu placed the empty glass back on the table and extended her scarlet tongue to lick her lips. “Although the situation with your physical body isn't very optimistic, it's not entirely without benefits.”
“Benefits?”
“Indeed. Since the monsters in the dungeon absorbed your spiritual energy, their strength has skyrocketed. Now, the surrounding kingdoms can't sit still and are recruiting adventurers everywhere to investigate. When the subterranean riot happens, there will definitely be a massive crowd rushing in to act as cannon fodder... cough, I mean, vanguards.”
Chen Jiu glanced up at her. “You want to muddy the waters?”
“No, your humble servant wants to say, 'someone will pave the way for us.'”
Chen Jiu closed his eyes, and his Nascent Soul-level divine sense spread outward, instantly enveloping nearly half of the dungeon. However, as he tried to probe deeper, he triggered his physical body's subconscious defense mechanism, blocking his divine sense from advancing any further.
Three years. The physical body of a Soul Transformation Stage powerhouse was being used as a magic source for a dungeon. If the cultivation world ever found out about this, they would probably laugh their heads off.
But it didn't matter. Over the past three years, his Nascent Soul had gradually restored itself to its peak state by absorbing spiritual energy from his physical body.
In a month, whether it was the Demon King, goblins, or those adventurers who came sniffing around, no one would stand between him and his physical body.
“Compile a report on the changes that have occurred in various areas of the dungeon over the past three years and give it to me tonight.”
“I've already prepared it.”
Lumu pulled another scroll of parchment from the valley of her cleavage and placed it on the table with a grin. “By the way, should we ask for the opinions of those Demon King candidates deep underground? If My Lord agrees to take them out, this operation should go very smoothly.”
Take them out? To burden himself with endless karma for no reason?
Chen Jiu rejected the proposal without a second thought.
Cultivators feared karma the most.
If he let these monsters go, he would be plagued by karma. Every single human they ate out there would be chalked up to Chen Jiu's tab.
He knew the Heavenly Dao all too well. It usually played dead, but when it came to keeping score, it was more diligent than anyone.
Seeing that Chen Jiu remained silent, Lumu didn't press the matter further to avoid making a fool of herself. Just as she was about to change the subject, a series of complaints echoed from the entrance.
“What kind of godforsaken place is this? How is it that any random monster here is at least mid-tier?
“Holy shit, sending me to this place is a total scam, isn't it? I've already been spawn-camped and killed eight times by that demonized pigman in the starting village. If I run into some Demon King and get a dead end save, I'm done for.”
“But... Succubus Tavern? I guess it's some kind of safe zone in the dungeon. Sounds like a place that might offer special services.”
Spawn-camped? Dead end save?
Chen Jiu keenly caught several key phrases.
This familiar feeling... Could it be a fellow earthling?
After transmigrating across two different worlds and living for over one thousand three hundred and eighty years, had he finally met one?
No.
Although there was a saying, “When fellow townsmen meet, tears fill their eyes.”
But what if the reality was “When fellow townsmen meet, they shoot each other in the back”?
Besides, after struggling in the cultivation world for so many years, the first survival rule Chen Jiu had learned was:
The more human-like they looked, the less human they were; the more cheerfully they spoke, the more ruthlessly they would stab you in the back.
Back then, a smiling Soul Transformation Stage old monster who called him “Daoist brother” had turned around and squatted outside his cave dwelling for three months, waiting for him to undergo tribulation. In the end, the old bastard didn't even spare the underpants drying in his courtyard.
Though looking back, maybe that guy just had some weird fetish.
Chen Jiu suppressed the thoughts surging in his mind, his face remaining completely still. Instead of rushing to stand up, he quietly extended his divine sense outward.
A single person.
To be precise, it was a young man dressed as an adventurer, looking every bit like an unlucky bastard who had just left the starting village.
He didn't seem to be faking it.
Then again, that Soul Transformation Stage old monster hadn't seemed like he was faking it either.
“My Lord?”
Observing his expression and seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Lumu spoke up tentatively, “It seems an interesting little fellow has arrived at the door. Should I go send him—”
“Leave him be.”
Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.
A young man with mismatched, cobbled-together equipment stumbled in. Half a broken arrow was still lodged in his back, making him look like he had just crawled out of a mass grave.
With one hand propped against the doorframe, he gestured wildly in the air with the other, muttering to himself:
“System, System, scan this stronghold and see if there are any high-risk—”
His gaze locked onto Lumu.
To be precise, it locked onto Lumu, who was holding an empty glass and sticking out her scarlet tongue to lick her lips.
At this moment, Lumu leaned lazily against the table, her long, thin tail swaying gently from time to time. Her ample chest rose and fell slightly from the lingering warmth of the “hot water” she had just drunk, and her entire body radiated a pink aura potent enough to make any male creature's brain short-circuit.
The young man's pupils dilated instantly.
His gaze froze on Lumu for a full three seconds, then slowly drifted downward, before finally landing above her head—where there was absolutely nothing.
Yet, the young man had clearly seen something, as his face turned from pale to ash-gray and then to a sickly green within a fraction of a second.
【Warning! Overlord-tier monster detected】
【Name: Succubus Lumu】
【Level: ■■■ (Exceeds detection range)】
【Danger Level: Lethal】
【Suggestion: Retreat immediately】
【Suggestion: Retreat immediately】
【Suggestion: Retreat immediately】
The cold system notifications exploded in his mind in a rapid-fire sequence. The young man opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but no sound came out.
In truth, he didn't even need the system's warning. With creatures like succubi, the higher their level, the stronger their charm—or rather, their beauty. With just one look at this succubus, his lower half had almost taken complete control, and he knew right then and there that he had run into a truly dangerous character.
Rate on N.U.
