The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 457 The Protagonist's Plan Ended Before It Even Began

Thirty miles outside Zhenyue City, Ma Jia emerged from the light.

He looked at the dungeon entry prompt in front of him, interlaced his fingers and stretched them backward. With the rapid trembling of his flesh and fascia, his body continued to lengthen, and the sounds of joint friction and muscle fiber pulsation emanated from within him.

With a sigh, his elongated body returned to normal.

After warming up his body, he was full of energy and ready to get things done.

He took out an invitation from his personal storage space. The invitation had a number written on it: 19.

He was very satisfied with this ranking. He admitted that peace played a part in achieving this result in the Steampunk dimension, well, actually a lot of the credit.

But this doesn't affect his confidence in his ability to conquer dungeons. Even without peace, he is confident that he can enter the top 100 with his efforts alone.

His confidence stemmed from his hidden class change—Flesh Invader.

With the Flesh Invader, he can take over the bodies of the dungeon's natives, or temporarily take over the bodies of other players.

With this job change, he can easily hide his true form, stay behind the scenes, and easily accomplish what other players cannot do, namely, integrate into the dungeon dimension.

To ordinary players, possessing the body of a native in an ordinary dungeon is nothing special. Only truly powerful players know just how powerful this ability is.

This is a powerful ability that combines concealment, infiltration, intelligence gathering, assassination, and instigation.

If he disguises himself well enough, he can even perfectly impersonate a native of the plane and inherit their social relationships.

The Flesh Invader was practically born to conquer dungeons; he believed that even ranked players might not be able to surpass him in dungeon raiding.

It was precisely because of this ability that he was highly valued by the true god and became the first person to break the deadlock in the Book of Revelation. Only the most important dungeons for the true god would ask him to take action.

After completing the Steam Phantom dungeon, he further comprehended the power of flesh and blood origin, making his direct combat strength enough to rival ranked players.

Simply put, he will have a huge stage in this world dungeon, and it's not impossible for him to become the protagonist of the world dungeon.

Ma Jia continued along the road and soon saw an inn by the roadside where she could rest.

He walked in, his gaze sweeping around, and immediately locked onto a cultivator with vigorous blood energy.

He took out the silver he had exchanged with the rotten silver coins, bought two jars of the best wine in the inn, and sat down opposite the cultivator with the wine jars in hand.

The cultivator looked up, his expression somewhat displeased. Before the other could speak, Ma Jia placed the wine on the table and said:

"I come from outside Tianlan Province to join the Demon-Slaying Army. I am unfamiliar with this place and it is difficult for me to move around. I would like to ask you some questions. I apologize for disturbing your peace and quiet. This drink is on me today."

Upon hearing that Ma Jia had come to join the Demon-Slaying Army, the cultivator's expression immediately changed, and he greeted him warmly:
"Since we've all come to join the Demon-Slaying Army, we're kindred spirits. There's no need to talk about disturbing each other. I've just joined the Demon-Slaying Army and completed my trial assessment. I'm about to return to Zhenyue City."

Without making a sound, Ma Jia ladled a bowl of wine and handed it to the monk. As he did so, a small piece of meat fell from his fingertips into the wine.

"I wonder what this trial and assessment is?"

The cultivator was merely a second-rate expert and had no resistance to Ma Jia's methods. Unknowingly, he was influenced by the bits of flesh and revealed everything he knew.

This includes details of the trial missions, information about the seven immortal abodes, and how natives of the plane can apply for entry into the immortal abodes.

After Ma Jia found out what he wanted to know, he snapped his fingers, and the flesh fragments that had entered the cultivator's brain exerted their power, causing the cultivator to immediately fall into a drunken stupor.

He took the trial token from the cultivator, got up and left the inn, went to the stables and found the cultivator's mount.

It was a chestnut-colored horse that was nearly two meters tall at the shoulder. Chestnut horses have the blood of exotic beasts and can only be ridden by their masters. When it saw him approaching, it immediately went into a state of alert.

But this didn't stop him. He stepped forward and, before the horse could make a sound, poked his hand into its mouth.

The flesh and blood, like minced meat, were poured into the chestnut horse's body. After a moment, the chestnut horse calmed down and nuzzled him affectionately with its head.

Ma Jia mounted his horse and galloped towards Zhenyue City.

As he sped along, a smug look crept onto his lips. This was the advantage of a flesh-and-blood invader; other players would never have grasped the rules of the dungeon world as quickly as he had.

Based on what the monk said, he had roughly figured out the strategy for conquering the dungeon.

According to the main quest, activating the Ziwei Exorcising Array is the primary objective in the early stages of the dungeon. What players need to do is pass the Demon Exorcising Army Trial and successfully explore the Immortal Abode.

Immortal Abodes are extremely difficult to conquer. The natives of the dungeon plane spent a whole year trying to conquer even one Immortal Abode, which means that Immortal Abodes must contain high rewards.

The "Immortal Abode Blessing" in the main quest is presumably obtained from this.

Ma Jia estimated the time; he was ranked nineteenth in the qualification instance, not much different from the players ahead of him.

If he skips the Demon-Slaying Army trial and finds a way to directly obtain the qualification to conquer the Immortal Abode, he might be able to catch up with the players who entered before him.

By using the flesh-and-blood invaders, he could quickly extract the experience of conquering the natives of the Immortal Abode. Then, based on this experience, he would control the bodies of the natives to enter the Immortal Abode to test and make mistakes. Before long, he would be able to conquer the Immortal Abode.

In this way, he might not only catch up with the progress, but also overtake it!

Thinking of this, his heart burned with excitement, and he shouted, "Giddy up!"

The blood and flesh he injected into the chestnut horse exerted their power, causing the horse to gallop wildly towards Zhenyue City as if it had been given a stimulant.

Outside Zhenyue City, Ma Jia used his ability to manipulate flesh and blood to adjust his height and facial features, making himself exactly like a cultivator.

Zhenyue City could only prevent infiltration, but it couldn't see through his ability to directly adjust his flesh and blood to change his appearance. He showed the city guards the token of the Demon-Slaying Army trial and entered the city without any hindrance.

The rest of the process went very smoothly. His disguise was not seen through, and he successfully handed over the token, completed the trial, and became a formal member of the Demon-Slaying Army as a cultivator.

The person registered on the Demon-Slaying Army's roster was a cultivator, not Ma Jia, but he didn't care.

Obtaining the identity of the Demon-Slaying Army was very easy for him. He could simply get on the train first and buy the ticket later, pass through the Immortal Mansion first, and then go back to accept the trial.

Holding the Demon-Slaying Army's token, he sped off to the Lidi Temple to claim his qualification to explore the Immortal Abode.

He had already planned everything out, regardless of the focus of the immortal abode or the difficulty of the strategy, he only chose the one with fewer people.

As long as he can conquer a celestial abode, he can gain a foothold in the dungeon world.

But when he rushed into the Lidi Temple and arrived at the hall where he applied for the qualification to explore the Immortal Abode, he was dumbfounded by what he saw.

What's going on? Why are six of the application desks corresponding to the seven array eyes in the hall empty, except for the one with the name "Tianxuan," where a cultivator is waiting behind the table?

Is it time to get off work?

He left the hall, glanced at the sun in the sky, and thought, "Wait a minute, it's still early."

A sense of foreboding washed over him. He strode towards the Tianxuan application office, bowed to the middle-aged cultivator in charge of registering applications and issuing qualifications for entry into the Immortal Abode, and asked:

"Senior, I went out a few days ago to complete the Demon-Slaying Army trial and just returned to Zhenyue City. May I ask what's going on? Why can't I apply to enter the other immortal abodes?"

Mentioning this matter, the middle-aged cultivator in charge of registration sighed deeply and said:

"You're unlucky, you missed out on something big."

Ma Jia asked, "What important matter?"

The middle-aged cultivator pointed to the sky and said excitedly:

“The celestial beings who once traveled to the overseas immortal mountains, upon learning of the demonic calamity that has plagued the world, have begun to return to Da Xuan one after another starting yesterday.”

When Ma Jia heard this, her heart skipped a beat.

"Celestial beings? What celestial beings?"

The middle-aged cultivator waved his hand, too lazy to explain to the unknown young man in front of him, and said:
"All you need to know is that he is a great figure from outside the Great Xuan."

"Rumor has it that they reside on an overseas immortal mountain, where their cultivation tradition has never been interrupted, and each of them possesses profound cultivation. In just one day, they breached six of the seven immortal abodes!"

"With the array cores of the six immortal mansions activated, it's only a matter of time before the last immortal mansion is breached."

The middle-aged cultivator exclaimed excitedly:

"With the appearance of the Demon Realm and rampant demonic energy, I thought a great calamity was about to befall the world, but I never expected that everything could still turn around."

“When the celestial beings arrive, the Great Xuan will be at peace.”

After hearing this, Ma Jia felt his head buzzing. No, what does this mean? How could six of the seven immortal mansions be breached in just one day?
He was initially quite satisfied with his ranking of nineteen, but now he's suddenly not so satisfied.

With only one in seven remaining, it's equivalent to all the native inhabitants of the world, along with players entering the world instance, crowding into the Tianxuan Immortal Mansion. The competition is fierce. He tentatively asked, "Senior, now that the array core within the Immortal Mansion has been activated, can we still enter to explore and obtain the Immortal Mansion's blessings?"

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head and said, "Of course not. Once the array eye is activated, the Immortal Mansion will be merged into the Ziwei Exorcising Array. Apart from those recognized by the Immortal Mansion, no one else can enter the Immortal Mansion."

After hearing the middle-aged cultivator's answer, Ma Jia's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, died completely. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

That's outrageous! These seven immortal abodes were clearly prepared for the 10,000 players who entered the world instance, so that they could obtain blessings. How can you take advantage of being the first to enter the instance and hoard the benefits for yourselves?
Is there no morality left? Is there no fairness left? Are there any remaining immortal abodes?

He didn't have time to berate the other players who rushed into the world instance. Now that things had come to this, he had to make the most of the remaining Tianxuan Immortal Mansion.

"Senior, I would like to take this last chance to see the legendary Immortal Abode. Please help me register for entry into the Tianxuan Immortal Abode."

The middle-aged cultivator took Ma Jia's Demon-Slaying Army identity token, leisurely picked up the roster, and began grinding ink on the spot. He said:
"Then you'd better hurry. If your mount is fast enough, you might be able to make it to the first test."

Ma Jia's blood pressure was soaring. You know I'm anxious, yet you still leisurely make sarcastic remarks. If there weren't so many people here, he would have punched this guy a couple of times.

He suppressed his anger and said, "Senior, I have long admired the Immortal Abode. Please hurry."

The middle-aged cultivator shook his head slightly and said, "Young people are too impatient. At this rate, they won't even be able to enter the first level of the Immortal Mansion."

Before the middle-aged cultivator could finish grinding the ink, a red paper crane flew into the hall and landed on the table.

The middle-aged cultivator was taken aback, then looked up at Ma Jia and said with a smile:

"Kid, you're in luck."

Ma Jia was puzzled, but seeing the middle-aged cultivator's expression, it seemed that something good was about to happen, so he asked, "Please enlighten me, senior."

The middle-aged cultivator said, "The final test of the Heavenly Pivot Immortal Mansion has been passed. Fortunately, I spent a little extra time grinding the ink, so you didn't have to work for nothing."

After saying that, he excitedly stood up and rang the small bell beside him.

Dang Dang Dang!
"The Celestial Abode of Heavenly Pivot has been unveiled! The seventh array eye has been activated!"

Ma Jia became incredibly famous after hearing this. You call this a good thing?

He felt a surge of murderous intent rising within him, wanting to deliver a powerful punch to the middle-aged cultivator and share in his good fortune.

He took several deep breaths, trying to control the demons within him.
After all, he is now controlling the main body, not the puppet parasitized by his flesh and blood, so it would be difficult to get away if he caused trouble.

He snorted coldly and turned to leave the hall.

As he walked out of the temple, he felt that the sun in the sky was particularly dazzling.

The originally clear dungeon walkthrough suddenly became blurry.

All seven immortal abodes were conquered, and the positions of the Immortal Abodes and the Demon-Slaying Army were completely lost.

Even with his current appearance, he cannot enjoy the treatment of a celestial being. He must leave the city, restore his original appearance, and then re-enter the city to take the Demon-Slaying Army trial.

If it were just his plan that failed, that would be a minor mistake. What he found hard to accept was that seven players were already ahead of him by a Celestial Mansion at the start of the game.

Before entering the world instance, he had hoped to become the focus of the world instance. However, with such a bad start and no other important resources, it would be difficult for him to catch up with the progress of those ahead of him.

Just thinking about it made him feel frustrated.

However, no matter what, Ma Jia was the first person to break the deadlock in the Apocalypse. He quickly emerged from the trough, regained his spirits, and prepared to find another prey to control, looking for the next opportunity to turn things around.

His experience told him that opportunities are everywhere, and as long as you calm down and work hard to dig out information, the chance to turn your life around may be right beside you.

He looked around and suddenly froze in place; opportunity was indeed right beside him.

Not far from the entrance of Lidi Temple, there was a table set up by the roadside, with a wooden sign next to it that read:

"Explore the Demon Realm Recruitment Office".

The signboard was very simple and looked illegitimate, like a suicide mission spontaneously undertaken by some cultivators.

This is not uncommon in Zhenyue City. The Demon-Slaying Army is going to invade the Demon Realm, and second-rate experts are the minimum requirement for the Demon-Slaying Army.

Many cultivators who come to Zhenyue City with high aspirations are unwilling to be eliminated because of insufficient cultivation. They organize themselves to explore the demon realm, attempting to prove themselves through their actions so that they can join the Demon-Slaying Army.

However, most of these reckless young men never return.

Many monks enter and leave the temple, but they often only glance at the photo and then ignore it.

If you only look at the signboard and the specifications, Ma Jia wouldn't care. But the problem is that the person standing behind the table looks very familiar to him. He is clearly the Peacekeeper, Cold Mountain and Sword Star, who have cooperated with the Steampunk dungeon.

The combination of these three indicates that this is no ordinary recruitment; it's definitely a major operation.

He approached the recruitment area nervously, wondering how to identify himself and get their approval to join. But before he could speak, he heard Jianxing ask Wu Chang:
How did you know this person would come?

Ma Jia was taken aback. Was Jian Xing referring to him?

Wu Chang shrugged and said:
Why do you think I set up the recruitment office here?

"I saw him run in with a face full of excitement. He couldn't go to the Immortal Abode, so his hopes were dashed. Of course, he could only come to the Demon Realm with us."

Ma Jia's eye twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "You can recognize me?"

Wu Chang said, "Of course, I told you from the Steam Phantom Plane that I can recognize you even if you change your identity. You don't actually think that you can escape my sight just because you have mastered the power of the source, do you?"

Similar to the Steam Phantom dimension, when Ma Jia kills people with flesh and blood invaders, it's hard not to make the targets resentful. As long as Ma Jia has resentment attached to him, no matter how well he hides, he can't escape his sight.

Now that he had been exposed, Ma Jia asked directly:
"Can I join your demon realm exploration team?"

Wu Chang asked, "Aren't you going to ask what we're going to do first?"

Ma Jia shook her head and said, "There's no need for that."

With the tacit understanding from the Steampunk Phantom dimension, he knew that when it came to conquering dungeons, following Peace was always the right choice.

"I don't need to ask how you plan to explore the Demon Realm, but there's one thing I want to know: are you among the celestial beings who conquer those seven immortal abodes?"

Wu Chang, Leng Shan, and Jian Xing nodded in unison and said, "Yes."

Ma Jia looked up at the sky helplessly. Of the four people traveling together, he was the only one without a celestial abode, and now there was no way to turn things around.

Wu Chang corrected, "In fact, only six of those who conquered the Immortal Abode were players, and one of them was a native of the plane."

Ma Jia looked surprised. The information he had received said that Da Xuan had been trying to conquer the dungeon for a whole year without any progress. How could he have successfully conquered the Immortal Mansion as soon as the world dungeon started?
Ma Jia asked, "What should we do next?"

Wu Chang glanced at the sky and said, "No rush, let's wait a bit longer."

The Steampunk dungeon is of a very high level, which corresponds to a very high correction factor for players during the final ranking.

Many of the members of the Arcane Knights were previously ranked in the top 100. If we wait a little longer, we can set off together.

They waited for another two hours around the Ritsu Temple and successfully encountered the God Tongue, the Killing Intent Wave, and the Shadow.

At first, Ma Jia was still upset about the plan falling through. But after Wu Chang pointed out three acquaintances who, just like him, excitedly ran into the temple and then came out dejected, he instantly felt much better.

At the same time as receiving the Shadow, the Negotiator, the Puppet, and the White Horse had already received the message left by Leng Shan through the Bureau's internal code and rushed to Lidi Temple to meet up with everyone.

Behind them followed Booker and Veronica.

According to the negotiation master, Booker and Veronica entered the instance from similar locations. They met first using a pre-arranged code, and then Booker drove his motorcycle to the Lidi Temple as soon as possible.

The two of them can be considered to be among the first three batches of players to enter Zhenyue City.

The two entered Zhenyue City and did nothing but squat at the city gate, checking cultivators with the guards. Then they spotted a tall, slender negotiation master with black and white hair in the crowd and followed her all the way here.

Such a purposeful action suggests that the two must have planned ahead before entering the instance.

At this point, the entire Mystic Knights were assembled. Wu Chang glanced at them and noticed that each of them had made considerable progress after the Steam Phantom dungeon. Once they had explored the Demon Realm, they could be released to activate the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Wu Chang led everyone into the Lidi Temple and arrived at the hall where his true form, Eileen, and An Rong were already waiting.

Wu Changzhen whispered to Ma Jia, "Did you see that? The Earth Immortal who led the team to explore the Demon Realm this time is the same native who successfully conquered the Immortal Abode."

(End of this chapter)