Confessing to someone who thinks I'm a fat otaku, and then crying when monsters descend?

Chen Nian snapped out of his daze.

In that memory, the woman who named the arrow was clearly the legendary "Star-Picking" knight.

And that man, the one whom this legendary wandering knight followed, and even among his other followers, seemed to be powerful figures like Sun Wukong and Yang Jian...

Named after the man's martial arts technique, Biluo... wouldn't that be "Nine Heavens Azure Sky"?

Therefore, we can deduce this from the above.

The man was a fifth-level guardian, and the Star Chaser had followed him before becoming a Realm Ranger.

Now, the Star Chaser kneels before me and presents me with the "Stars" bow.

Am I the guardian of the fifth level?

After Chen Nian came to this conclusion, he was dumbfounded and stood there for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.

If that's the case, it makes sense that Sun Wukong would give him his remaining power, since he was one of his former subordinate generals.

If I were the fifth one, what would be the conditions for awakening a god?

With my powerful status, why would I need to hide in a place like this, unable to even go home?

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Before Ye Yuan awakened, she was a ragged little girl, and before Jun Yi awakened, he was a chess fanatic who knew nothing. Compared to them, I seem to be doing relatively well.

When Chen Nian's consciousness returned to reality, he found that a large number of people had gathered around him, and almost all the other contestants had also arrived.

"What's going on...? Why are so many people surrounding him?"

"He not only tied for first place with Ashu, but also received the legacy of the Star-Picking Ranger!"

"Holy crap, what kind of incredible luck is this?"

Everyone was filled with envy.

An elderly man walked shakily to Chen Nian and asked in a hoarse voice, "Young man, who exactly are you? Could it be that you have some connection with the Star-Picking Wanderer?"

"I'm not quite sure either..."

Another elderly man with gray hair said in a trembling voice, "According to the records of the wandering knights, two of them once followed two more powerful figures, who were the guardians of the world's hierarchy! Feixue followed the guardian of the third hierarchy, while Zhaixing followed the guardian of the fifth hierarchy."

"To command such respect from a legendary wandering knight, could you possibly be...?"

Upon hearing the old man's conjecture, everyone gasped in shock.

Chen Nian said helplessly, "If I were really some big shot, would I have been saved from the brink of death by Ashu? Don't overthink it."

That makes sense.

"Stop looking, everyone disperse. You three, we're having a celebration banquet by the river tonight!"

at night.

The wandering knights lit a bonfire, held a grand banquet by the river, and drank and made merry.

Chen Nian couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. It was indeed nice to live a carefree and leisurely life here, but it was a pity that he couldn't stay for long.

"By the way, Lao Xiao, I don't know if you remember what we said when we were drinking yesterday."

"What did I say?" Xiao Wangchen scratched his head.

"Haha, you said your daughter would definitely be the first to step into the snow today, and whoever wins first place, you'll marry your daughter to them!"

Click!

At the next table, Ta Xue crushed the wine glass in her hand.

Xiao Wangchen felt a chill run down his spine. He turned his head slightly and saw a cold look in his daughter's eyes.

That look seemed to say: You're asking for it, you old geezer.

"Drunken ramblings don't count!" Xiao Wangchen retorted loudly.

"You're not getting any younger, how can you still break your promise? Or do you think Chen Nian isn't good enough for your Ta Xue?"

"That's someone who inherited the Star-Picking Ranger's legacy, a rare talent! Quite a few girls are interested in him, if you don't make your move first, you'll miss out!"

"If all else fails, I'll wait until my Qiqi grows up and let her talk to Chen Nian, haha!"

Old Miao laughed heartily, which made his daughter Qiqi blush and quickly run away.

"Actually, Chen Nian is indeed a good young man! His talent and strength are both top-notch, and I even feel a sense of familiarity and warmth towards him."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and talk some sense into Taxue."

"But my gut feeling tells me I absolutely can't let this kid get away with this!"

However, Chen Nian had no interest in dating other girls at the moment; his heart was set on Lan Xing, so the topic was dropped.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Nian was called to the table with his elders.

"Young man, you're now a member of our Realm Rangers, and you've even received the Star-Picking Inheritance. You're destined to be a legendary figure in history. Tell us about what happened before you came here, so we can learn more about you."

"OK."

Chen Nian then began to recount what had happened before.

Starting from Earth, then venturing into various worlds, entering the World Tree Academy, and finally heading to save each world.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Yes, if that's the case, then haven't we already killed a lot of primordial demon gods?"

Everyone was skeptical of Chen Nian's story, except for Uesugi Naoki, who believed it wholeheartedly.

"He has such abilities that in our world he would be a world-renowned hero."

Hearing the usually stern and serious Ashu give Chen Nian such high praise, everyone had no choice but to believe it.

"Chen Nian, what are your plans for the future?"

"After recuperating, I'll find an opportunity to go back. I'm sorry, I can't stay here for too long."

What followed was a collective silence, so quiet it was almost eerie!

Because many of those present felt genuinely ashamed.

In their respective worlds, they are all among the most capable people, but none of them have ever shouldered the responsibility that Chen Nian had, nor have they shown the courage that he did.

A wandering knight sees and desires, yearning for freedom between heaven and earth.

That's nice to hear.

To put it bluntly, they dare not confront the calamity head-on, so they wander to every corner of the world, living a carefree life detached from worldly affairs.

Some people have already had their world completely invaded, but they can only pretend that it never happened and secretly go about their lives.

Some people want to stay here for the rest of their lives, at least without any worries.

But Chen Nian wanted to go back, back to the world that had been ravaged by calamity...

"Good lad, that's brave! I'll toast you."

Xiao Wangchen raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

He came from the third class, a place that had not yet been invaded by calamity, but where various forces were constantly fighting for resources and territory.

As it turns out, human beings can also cause internal strife due to greed, and it is impossible for them to be peaceful forever.

He was fed up with that kind of world and longed for the life of a wandering knight, unwilling to get involved in conflict. His wife despised him for being a coward, possessing great skills but lacking the courage to fight, and resolutely abandoned him.

Later, Xiao Wangchen fled here with his young daughter and became a wandering knight.

After downing the wine, he was already quite drunk.

"Chen Nian, if you don't mind my daughter's fierceness, you two can talk!"

Xiao Wangchen lay on the table and said, "Although I feel like I've gotten off easy, kid, the thought of you calling me 'Dad' makes it all worthwhile, hahaha... Ouch!"

Before he could finish speaking, his ear was grabbed hard by a hand; it was Ta Xue.

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute. Go home!"

"Let go...let go! In front of everyone, you're really disrespecting your father."

"The labor and management count to three."

"Daughter, give your father some face..."

"1, 3!"

Ta Xue suddenly increased the force with which she twisted Xiao Wangchen's ear, and Xiao Wangchen was dragged home just like that.

.......

The fifth tier.

Many days have passed since the core world was occupied, and the Tree of Calamity has grown into a towering tree.

A large force has been assembled and is ready to launch an attack on the fourth level.

Suddenly, the sky split open!

A chess piece, like a falling comet, crashed onto the earth, crushing countless calamity beasts into a bloody pulp.

"Is this the fourth brother's doing? Is he provoking us?" Jinglong said angrily.

Jianyang remained unfazed: "No, this is a challenge."

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the white chess piece, soaring straight into the sky, like some kind of guiding beacon.

"The fourth brother wants to lure us over there. What does he want to do?"

"The chess piece points to the core world of the fourth level. He doesn't want us to go on a killing spree, so he's revealing his hand and sending us there directly," Jianyang said calmly.

"Could it be some kind of conspiracy?"

"Let's go, let me see what kind of game he's set up."

This time, the army of calamities did not launch a large-scale attack on the fourth-tier world, but instead headed directly towards the world coordinates indicated by the chess piece.

World D-15.

This world is extremely sparsely populated due to constant battles over territory and resources.

Moreover, the land is covered with Huangshan Mountain and desert, and the once lush greenery has long since disappeared.

On the steep, desolate cliff top stood a man dressed in white, looking like a refined scholar, with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky.

A gust of wind blew up a cloud of yellow sand, but it didn't stain his clothes with a speck of dust.

Jun Yi.

He has entrusted his wife to Mu Yun and Mu Qingxuan for care and has issued a challenge to his elder brother.

He knew the other party would definitely come, because this was the core world of the fourth level, a place of fierce competition for the calamities!

Junyi held a piece of jade between the two fingers of his right hand.

This piece of jade was given to him by his second sister, Mo Ning, before she left.

My second sister's words are still vivid in my mind.

"Better to be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile."

"When you realize you are in dire straits, you can crush this jade. The divine power of the World Tree within you will be completely detonated, devouring the entire world."

Even the eldest brother couldn't escape unscathed.

Junyi gave a bitter smile, put the jade away, and thought to himself that his second sister was really heartless.

But this is good too. If sacrificing myself can thwart my brother's plan, then if I don't go to hell, who will?

They are coming.

Countless calamity beasts began to invade this plane, and the entire sky became dark and oppressive.

When the locals saw this scene from afar, they shouted desperately that the end of the world had come, and then hid in fear under the ruins left by the war.

Soon, a leading primordial demon god spotted Jun Yi and rushed over excitedly.

"It's a human! I'll go and kill him, and use him as a sacrifice for our army!"

Junyi raised his hand, a black chess piece between his fingertips.

Whoosh!

He flicked the chess piece away.

The head of the primordial demon god turned into an exploding watermelon and perished on the spot.

"Then let's begin."

Junyi raised two fingers high, as if he wanted to touch the clouds in the sky with his fingertips.

"The chessboard of heaven and earth is at my disposal."

"All living beings are merely pawns in a game."

"combine!"

Countless horizontal and vertical lines fell from the sky.

Countless horizontal and vertical lines rise from the earth.

When the two are combined, the horizontal and vertical lines form a complete chessboard.

And those calamity beasts in the middle, any that touched the lines were instantly cut to pieces.

In an instant, hundreds of thousands of calamity beasts were torn apart, unleashing a violent rain of blood and flesh that turned the earth black and red.

Those who survived by sheer luck were all terrified out of their wits.

"Who...who is that person...? This is terrifying!"

Junyi stood on the cliff, watching this scene filled with death and bloodshed, unmoved.

At this time.

A beam of light fell like a meteorite, landing precisely on a mountain peak not far in front of him.

The two stood on the peaks, gazing at each other across the distance.

The newcomer was Jian Yang, clad in jet-black dragon-patterned armor, his cloak fluttering in the rolling yellow sand.

It was as if he was born to be a king, simply by standing there!

"Big brother, you've arrived."

"These are the ones I sent for you to kill."

Jianyang said calmly, "If you've killed enough, then make way."

"If I hadn't woken up, that would be one thing, but now that I'm awake, I'm a guardian. How can I stand idly by?"

Jianyang said, "You should take a good look at this world. War has ravaged what was once a beautiful place, and the cause is human greed!"

"The world has become like this, and it needs the power of the World Tree to nourish and correct it."

"The upper class is like a baby in a rich family, crying for milk, while the lower class receives very little, and most of them have to fight for survival."

"Fourth brother, do you think these rules are reasonable?"

Junyi thought for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile: "Brother, perhaps you have a point, but that's not a reason for you to destroy the whole world and rebuild it."

"Long ago, in the Ninth Level where starvation was rampant, I also had someone I loved dearly."

Jianyang's eyes glazed over slightly, as if he had returned to the time before he regained his senses. Although the world was cruel, the girl he met was kind and optimistic.

In the ninth level, even growing vegetables is a luxury, because the lower levels receive very little nourishment, and the air and rainwater are extremely poor.

The two worked hard to cultivate their small plot of land, caring for it like a child. Although life was tough, they supported each other through it all.

"Then one day, I returned home from scavenging and saw a group of bandits making a campfire, eating meat and laughing heartily."

"On that grill, there was a charred human skeleton. Yes, those bandits first raped my wife, and then brutally murdered her to fill their stomachs."

"Fourth brother, have you ever witnessed such a scene while you were on the fourth level?"

Although he was recounting painful memories, Jianyang's expression remained unchanged, cold and composed. His angular face was like a sculpted fossil, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Brother, I understand you. But there's no reason to justify evil deeds. Those bandits may be beasts, but you've also ravaged countless worlds, causing countless deaths and injuries. Isn't that evil too?"

"Once a new order and rules are established, such things will no longer happen!"

Jianyang was unwilling to waste any more words: "My intention was not to kill you. If you don't block my way, you won't have to die."

"Brother, you can only use half your strength now, yet you're so confident you can defeat me?"

"You're welcome to give it a try."

......

P.S.: Happy National Day everyone!