Black Journey to the West: The Imposter Star Lord

Chapter 79 A Way Out (Second update of 10,000 words daily)

"Swish swish——"

Hundreds of golden rays descended from the sky, just like the leopard-faced giant. The golden light pierced through his brow, and in an instant, without even a scream or a thought of resistance, he turned into specks of golden light and disappeared without a trace amidst the shocked expressions of the crowd.

"Snapped!"

The teacup in the tea drinker's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

Everyone stared in shock at the empty entrance, exchanging bewildered glances.

At the same time, a dense barrage of comments popped up in everyone's view.

What happened?

Something terrible has happened!

[They're gone?? Five people, directly... you know... by Tianluo.]

[Confiscation! That's called confiscation. If you see someone having their property confiscated, remember to stay far away, otherwise you'll be charged, and the closer you are, the more you'll be charged.]

【What confiscation? How do you know that?】

【Yeah, what's going on here??】

[Don't ask. The customer was practicing dual cultivation with me when he suddenly turned into golden light and flew away. I didn't even have time to collect the money, and I was fined 3000 taels instead.]

Soon, more and more comments began to flood the screen.

Hundreds of people were suddenly confiscated by Tianlu right under everyone's noses, and no one knows what happened yet.

[It seems to be related to Tianlong Village; it appears that those whose property was confiscated all placed bets on Tianlong Village.]

【Seriously?? Losing a bet is one thing, but why does it have to be confiscated??】

Don't talk nonsense, I'm starting to get a little scared.

"Wait, didn't you guys notice? All the disciples and elders of Tianlong Village have disappeared!"

[Hiss~~~]

As they watched the scrolling comments on the screen, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Just as everyone was discussing it.

A comment popped up in everyone's view.

[Baixi Temple is eliminated in this incense-offering competition!]

Everyone turned their attention to the scene in Tianluo, where the last monk from Baixi Temple, unable to bear it any longer, committed suicide.

What followed was a barrage of cold comments, just like those from the leopard-faced giant.

After what had just happened, everyone immediately realized something was wrong when they saw the comments on the screen and quickly sent their own comments to warn others.

However, their comments failed to be sent.

[Your account is out of credit. Please top up before sending a comment.]

The cold, impersonal comments were like a giant hand that quickly covered up anyone who wanted to report the news to the outside world.

Except for a few people who had time to explain the situation to those around them, most people didn't even have time to struggle before being pierced through the forehead by the falling Heavenly Net.

Those with weaker abilities were confiscated in an instant.

Those with decent strength will not be immediately confiscated by Tianluo. Instead, they will be infused with a large amount of pure cultivation to forcibly raise their cultivation level before being harvested.

All of this happened so suddenly that no one had any chance to react.

In the blink of an eye, five or six hundred people transformed into golden light and merged into the Heavenly Net under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

This caused an uproar throughout the entire Qiongshan Xianghui.

The massive influx of bullet comments caused Tianluo to lag for a time.

The key point is that when the system lags, people find that their operating costs drop at an extremely rapid pace.

Many people were so frightened that they immediately turned off the live chat.

On the streets, in teahouses, restaurants, inns, and even in the dark market, everyone was gripped by terror.

All sorts of news are flying around.

Many people wanted to leave the Qiongshan Incense Gathering as soon as possible. Even the slowest-witted cultivators should realize by now that this Qiongshan Incense Gathering didn't seem to be a good place.

However, whenever someone tries to leave the area covered by the Heavenly Net, they will be blocked by it.

Whether on foot or on the clouds, whether ordinary people, Foundation Establishment cultivators, or even Golden Core cultivators, none of them can pass through the Heavenly Net barrier.

You have one outstanding bill. Please wait until it is settled before leaving.

The gray and white bullet comments filled everyone with despair.

Some were happy while others were sad. At this moment, Qing'e looked at the information about entering the tent through the bronze mirror and nodded slightly, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Star Lord's method is indeed very effective. Now that the little fish has been caught in the net, why don't we let Xin Tianjun and the others hurry up and pull in the net to catch them all in one fell swoop?"

"No!"

Cao Xing raised his hand to stop Qing'e, thinking to himself, "I finally found this fat sheep, Chen Xiang. If I don't fleece him clean, how can I take him back? If I do, how will I get him?"

Faced with Qing'e's questioning gaze, Cao Xing said, "Everything has its rules, and we must follow them. If we close the net now, some big fish may rely on their wealth to survive this ordeal. If we continue to fish them out, like boiling frogs in lukewarm water, we will eventually empty their coffers."

"Does Star Lord mean—will they still invest money?"

Having learned from past mistakes, these people have probably realized their mistake and would never continue to bet.

Faced with Qing'e's doubts, Cao Xing calmly replied, "Yes, in a winner-takes-all game, no one can emerge unscathed. The higher the odds of winning, the more willing one is to commit."

"What if someone cuts their losses in time?"

Cao Xing picked up his wine glass and said, "The bookmaker is never afraid of gamblers winning money. As long as they can win, gamblers will keep gambling, even if they lose everything and their families break apart. They will only believe that they are just unlucky, rather than suspecting that the bookmaker is cheating."

After pondering Cao Xing's words for a while, Qing'e couldn't help but admire him, saying, "The Star Lord's long-term planning has truly broadened my horizons."

After Qing'e finished speaking, her eyes flickered, and she asked again tentatively, "I wonder if you have any free time lately, Star Lord? I have a few good projects in hand. Would you like to give them a try? The remuneration is negotiable."

Cao Xing's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately sensed an opportunity.

The Green Ox Demon of Jindu Mountain has descended to the mortal realm. This is a crucial milestone, signifying the official launch of the Journey to the West project.

In the original story, the Green Ox Demon descended to earth and waited for Tang Sanzang from the moment he left Chang'an. It took seven years for the Green Ox Demon to finally arrive.

Following this logic, the pilgrimage project will arrive in Wuji Kingdom in at most five years.

Subtract three years from the time the lion spirit possessed the body.

This means that the patriarch above only has two years left to live.

One year from now, the pilgrimage team will arrive in Baoxiang Kingdom, and at that time, all eyes will be focused on Baoxiang Kingdom.

What worries Cao Xing is whether the disappearance of the Yellow Robe Monster will trigger a butterfly effect.

If this matter were to be exposed and discovered by the Jade Emperor, and his own messenger were to be killed without a trace, it would immediately be a catastrophe for him.

The thought of this intense sense of crisis made Cao Xing feel anxious.

I need to become stronger as quickly as possible, because the resources available from above are far from enough to support me in achieving self-preservation.

The fastest way is to follow these gods as soon as possible. Even just eating and drinking a sip of soup would be much faster than me honestly cultivating for a hundred years.

But this matter is not so easy. My identity as Kui Mulang is only a bargaining chip on the dark web.

Once I leave the dark web, I'll be back to square one.

I can't possibly hide in the dark web and remotely direct every time I participate, can I? If I can't participate in person, what am I supposed to do? I won't even get a hot meal.

"Star Lord!"

Seeing Cao Xing remain silent, Qing'e softly apologized, "If you are in a difficult position, please consider it a joke. I hope you will not blame me for being abrupt."

"You're overthinking it, fairy. If you need anything from me, just ask. But—" Cao Xing hesitated, then turned his gaze toward the Five Plague Temple.

Fairy Qing'e seemed to see through Cao Xing's thoughts: "Could it be that the Star Lord is concerned about his descendants?"

"Hmph, let's see how he performs. If he's a hopeless case, then there's no need to waste any effort on him."

Cao Xing appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was pounding, and he dared not rashly observe Qing'e's expression.

My dear fairy, I've made myself clear enough, you should understand what I mean.

At this point, the third force to be eliminated emerged.

Surprisingly, the one eliminated this time was Juxian Temple on Jieyang Mountain.

As a major sect of dual cultivation in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, the strength of Juxian Nunnery should not be underestimated. In this betting event, many people specifically bet on Juxian Nunnery because of its performance in the Twelve Beauties Competition.

But who would have thought that Juxian Temple would be the first to be eliminated?

Cao Xing looked over and saw the various causes and effects on the screen. He couldn't help but sigh. The disciples of Juxian Temple in the screen were all tortured beyond recognition, suffering from various diseases that ruined their appearance, which they relied on for survival.

It's not scary to lose the incense.

The real fatal blow is turning them into such ugly forms.

After all, losing one's appearance is equivalent to losing the ability to earn a living.

Even if they were once succubi, top courtesans, and money-making machines, they would instantly lose all their value and become a pile of trash.

Even if they succeed in seizing the incense, what good will it do? When they return to Jieyang Mountain, the best outcome will be that, in recognition of their merits, they will be given a secluded place in the mountains to fend for themselves.

If the sect feels it's not worthwhile, it's not impossible that they could simply refine it into magical artifacts such as Yin or Yang weapons.

In other words, the fact that they have persevered to this point already demonstrates their unwavering resolve.

However, unlike the others, even though they were eliminated this time, their property was not confiscated.

The cost of 30,000 per person, while a significant blow to the disciples of Juxian Temple, was not enough to drive them to despair.

The previous Twelve Beauties Challenge allowed each of these Jieyang Mountain disciples to earn a large sum of money.

With this money as a safety net, except for a couple of unlucky souls who squandered it all.

This time, the disciples of Jieyang Mountain escaped unscathed. After leaving the Five Plague Temple, not only did their ailments disappear, but their cultivation levels also subtly improved.

This can be seen as a concrete manifestation of Cao Xing leaving everyone a glimmer of hope.

They survived, but those who bet on Jieyang Mountain were unlucky.

At this moment, the entire Qiongshan Mountain seemed to be showered with golden rain, with thousands of golden threads falling down in unison, beginning a new round of harvest.