549: Knowing friends by guns? People are a bit abstract! (69k)

When Lin Yang saw the words Three Watches Rain, he paused, somewhat suspecting he had misread them.

But... "It really is Three Watches Rain..."

"The Three Watches Rain from the Ten Thousand Universes..."

Lin Yang was very shocked.

Because, among the intelligence about Three Watches Rain, there was a sentence: Three Watches Rain is spread across multiple temporal and spatial dimensions in Endless Spacetime and within some Universe Zones. No one knows its true headquarters or who created it. It is best not to provoke it easily. Of course, apart from assassinations, the people of Three Watches Rain never actively show themselves, and it is rare to have interactions or enmity with them.

"So powerful?"

Lin Yang exclaimed.

Spread across multiple temporal and spatial dimensions, and also present in some Universe Zones—its strength is indeed unimaginably terrifying.

However, enmity?

"From the previous assassination attempts by Three Watches Rain, even if a killer fails an assassination, or is even counter-killed on the spot, Three Watches Rain will not retaliate against the assassin for the death of their killer, unless someone continuously offers payment to continue the assassination."

Lin Yang muttered.

Three Watches Rain is very mysterious, and its style of action is unique. It almost never forms enmity with anyone... those killers, if they die, they die.

Therefore, although Three Watches Rain is strong, it is subconsciously excluded by almost everyone.

Unlike other major powers, it doesn't exert a great sense of oppression.

"No wonder, when in the Universe Zone, Three Watches Rain claimed there was no one they couldn't assassinate, as long as the price was right!"

"It seems that if the price is sufficient, they even have a way to bring powerful individuals from Endless Spacetime into the Universe Zone for assassinations."

At this moment, Lin Yang somewhat understood why Three Watches Rain dared to make such a boastful claim.

It indeed has the capital and strength to be so arrogant.

"At the time, he was still a bit puzzled as to where they found so many powerful individuals, even accepting assassinations of Old Ancestor powerhouses. It turns out they were brought in from Endless Spacetime!"

Lin Yang sighed, and some things he couldn't figure out before now all made sense.

And this also means that some powerful existences within Endless Spacetime can indeed allow beings beyond the Old Ancestor level to enter the Universe Zone.

"In the Spirit Realm, Old Ancestor were an unconquerable heaven. In the Old Ancestor Realm, I learned that there could be no powerful existences above Old Ancestor within the Universe Zone."

"Now it seems that anything deemed impossible at any stage is still because one is not powerful enough!"

"In this world, perhaps there is truly nothing that is genuinely impossible to achieve."

"If there is, it's probably because I'm not strong enough yet!"

Some thoughts emerged in Lin Yang's mind.

This news was good news for him.

It confirmed his conjecture that Boundary Realm could be brought into the Universe Zone!

He had previously harbored doubts about the strength of the Silver-haired woman and Feng.

There was also the mysterious black mist man who helped him at the last moment at the entrance of Source Star.

That guy could instantly kill an Old Ancestor, so he must have been an existence above Old Ancestor.

Adding to that, the barrier in the deepest part of the Unknown Space and the power of that mysterious Stone Statue, and so on.

All these had made him suspect before that there might be a way for those above Old Ancestor to enter the Universe Zone, but he wasn't certain.

Now, he could be certain of this point.

This also means that as long as one is strong enough, many things previously thought impossible might be easily accomplished.

"I need to work even harder."

Lin Yang was full of fighting spirit.

Immediately, he continued to review the intelligence.

In addition to these, there were some underground forces that required attention.

For example, "Bone Bloom" and "Ghost Ruins."

There are many underground forces in Yun Que City.

But these two are the strongest.

These underground forces are deeply entrenched in Yun Que City. On the surface, the City Lord Yun Que is the strongest in the entire Yun Que City, and the official guard team is the strongest.

However, the leaders of the underground forces are actually no weaker than City Lord Yun Que.

Moreover, underground forces do not want weaklings.

To become a member of an underground force, one must at least be in the Boundary Realm, and not just an ordinary one; they must possess some special and powerful means to be qualified.

The members of underground forces may not be many, but their strength is genuinely formidable.

Their way of survival in the city is, on one hand, to operate some grey areas, engaging in transactions and businesses that cannot be conducted openly.

On the other hand, it is robbery.

Yes.

Robbery.

They rob teams that go out of the city to hunt fierce beasts, or anyone they dislike.

Anyway, there's no particular reason.

Sometimes, one might go for a stroll outside the city, do nothing, and still be targeted. Without paying some price, one cannot escape.

The residents within the city are the most closely watched by these underground forces.

Because those who can live in the city usually have some money, and these are the people they love to rob the most.

Of course, not leaving the city is relatively safe.

Unless there's a huge temptation, under normal circumstances, the city is safe.

And even if there's a huge temptation to act, it must not be done openly.

If anyone dares to act recklessly in the city openly, it will lead to a terrifying purge.

After all, one of the reasons why life in the city is so expensive, yet still appealing, is because of its safety.

Therefore, safety is a relative bottom line.

Of course, the main reason is that all that money must be handed over.

It must be given to the adults of the Returning Origin Realm.

So, the people of the underground forces do not dare to easily break this bottom line.

They dare not cut off the financial resources of the Returning Origin Realm adults.

However, it is also not very realistic to not leave the city for a long time.

The cost of living in the city is so expensive; one always has to earn money.

And the fastest way to earn money is to hunt various fierce beasts in the wilderness.

The meager amount of money earned from working legitimately in the city simply cannot keep up with the expenses.

So, as long as one goes out, they will be targeted and robbed by people from the underground forces.

However, they don't take all the wealth in one go.

These underground forces also understand sustainable development.

They only rob a portion each time.

This way, they can both prevent the robbed from fighting desperately and ensure their long-term plunder.

Moreover, the same person will not be robbed repeatedly within a certain period.

It is based on these principles and rules that people silently endure, considering it as paying protection fees for a while.

This has already become an unspoken rule.

Not just Yun Que City, it can be said that the entire Mirror Ruins Realm is in this situation.

As for why these underground forces are not completely eradicated.

"Some underground forces are deeply entangled, specifically doing things for some important figures that cannot be brought to light."

"For example, providing a massive number of experimental subjects..."

"..."

Lin Yang felt a burst of helplessness as he read.

Indeed, wherever there are people, these things are unavoidable.

Where there is light, there will be places that turn their backs to the sun.

Unavoidable.

"It seems my luck was still good; I didn't encounter any robbery before."

Lin Yang muttered again.

The intelligence He Linchuan gave him was basically this.

As for information such as the current strength level of the truly top powerhouses in the city, there was none.

To get that, one needed to purchase it from the Star Divination Tower.

The intelligence of the Mirror Ruins Realm is also very special; some truly valuable intelligence cannot be copied and can only be viewed personally.

After viewing it, one is also not allowed to disseminate it.

Because during viewing, there will be special "rules" that bind one.

Therefore, authentic intelligence is expensive.

And these simplified ones can be considered the Star Divination Tower's act of kindness, giving those at the bottom an opportunity to earn money.

However, the Star Divination Tower does this more because some people, after reading the brief intelligence, naturally become more curious or in greater need of the complete intelligence, and thus will buy another copy.

This is also a way to indirectly increase its sales.

But for Lin Yang, these brief pieces of intelligence were currently enough for him to understand the general situation of Yun Que City.

Besides the basic intelligence within the city, there was one more point to note.

Wars are also frequent between the various countries of the Mirror Ruins Realm.

Great nations invade Little Countries.

Strong nations invade weak nations.

Territory, resources, population, and so on, are all targets of contention.

Except for a few transcendent nations, the remaining nations cannot completely avoid war.

Especially border cities will face invasions from neighboring countries.

Precisely because of this, those who have the ability will try their best to go to large nations and large cities, which are safer and more stable.

However, this situation is generally not too common and does not erupt frequently.

Because whether it's an invasion or being invaded, once an offense or defense fails, the losses will be significant.

So unless they are very confident, large-scale invasion wars generally do not break out; at most, there are some minor skirmishes.

Just like Kunyu Country and the neighboring Jin Shi Kingdom, such wars occasionally break out.

But large-scale invasion situations are still very rare. Although Jin Shi is somewhat stronger than Kunyu Country, its strength is limited.

Moreover, these two nations can be considered prominent in the Mirror Ruins Realm, unlike some truly Little Countries, which are constantly in a state of flux.

"The Kunyu Country Lord and Jin Shi Country Lord are both Returning Origin Realm powerhouses..."

Lin Yang's eyes flashed.

The Returning Origin Realm can control a nation, which made him realize even more the power and status of the Returning Origin Realm.

The third-level Boundary Realm limit is common in any city.

But in the Returning Origin Realm, there might only be a few in an entire nation.

"If I become a Returning Origin Realm, even if I've just become one, and cannot control a medium-sized nation like the Kunyu Country Lord, it would still be enough to attract a large number of Boundary Realm powerhouses willing to follow me..."

Lin Yang's heart burned with fervor.

At this moment, he truly saw hope for the Ten Thousand Universes to resist the Dark Invasion.

As long as he could become a Returning Origin Realm!

"I'll go out and check the situation before continuing my seclusion."

Then, Lin Yang stood up.

He had originally planned to cultivate for another ten years after breaking through to the Boundary Realm.

However, he had changed his mind now.

Although his money was still enough to pay for another ten years of management fees, simply increasing his power no longer held much significance for him.

After the power of the "world" increased, he could already fight against third-level Boundary Realm powerhouses.

Even if he improved further, he would not be able to defeat those Old Monsters who had comprehended the Dao or rule power.

He now needed to try to comprehend the existence of Dao and rules.

At the same time, although he could pay for another ten years at once, he wouldn't have much money left in his hands then.

He needed to save some for emergencies, and to buy a suitable weapon!

Previously, he had always used illusory weapons condensed from spiritual power.

There were no suitable weapons in the Universe Zone either.

Those ordinary weapons were not as good as the illusory weapons condensed from his spiritual power.

But it was different here.

The Mirror Ruins Realm has some refiners who specialize in forging various weapons.

Weapons crafted by some high-level refiners are very useful for Boundary Realm and even Returning Origin Realm.

With special materials and special refining methods, good weapons can fully withstand the integration of spiritual power.

A good weapon can increase combat power by at least 30%!

This is a huge bonus!

Because, this is "at least"!

Some precious weapons can increase individual combat power even more astonishingly!

Therefore, after learning this information, Lin Yang also prepared to choose a suitable weapon for himself.

But... "My strongest attack method right now is the Spatial Spirit Rope. If I use a whip-rope..."

Lin Yang had a bit of a headache.

As a man, using a long whip as a weapon felt a bit too effeminate.

"I still have to choose between a spear and a sword."

"But, should I prioritize the spear or the sword..."

Lin Yang was also somewhat conflicted.

The spear of the Silver Armor Heroic Soul Warrior senior was truly too stunning and profound; some of its mysteries he still hadn't fully grasped.

But the sword in the mural was equally profound.

He suddenly had a bit of a choice paralysis.

"Forget it, I'll go to the store and see what's available first. If spears here are better than swords, I'll use a spear first. If swords are better than spears, I'll use a sword first."

However, he didn't hesitate for long, and Lin Yang made a decision.

What he ultimately used would still depend on what was more suitable for him here.

"Although there are various shops in the city, in terms of quality and reputation, the Star Divination Tower is still more suitable for me at the moment."

After deciding on a weapon, Lin Yang considered his shop options for two seconds before walking towards the Star Divination Tower.

He was new here and completely unfamiliar with the prices.

Going to an individual shop could easily lead to being scammed, but that would never happen at the Star Divination Tower.

This was the reputation the Star Divination Tower had built over countless years.

Fair to all, with consistent and reasonable prices.

Of course, the trade-off was that buying things at the Star Divination Tower would be slightly more expensive than at other shops.

And when selling, they would offer a slightly lower price than other shops.

However, despite this price difference, more people were still willing to choose the Star Divination Tower.

At least, the quality was guaranteed!

Those individual shops were more suitable for seasoned veterans.

Soon.

Lin Yang arrived at the Star Divination Tower's branch in Yun Que City.

It was located in the city center.

An ancient, towering building stood tall, reaching into the clouds.

"Hello, esteemed guest, I am Ah Ling, the attendant on duty today at the Star Divination Tower. You may call me Ah Ling. It's a pleasure to serve you. May I ask what your needs are? Are you looking to purchase or sell resources?"

As soon as Lin Yang entered, a female attendant in a light purple palace gown with a smiling face greeted him.

Lin Yang casually glanced over; this female attendant was in the Spirit Realm.

This surprised Lin Yang a little.

He had observed earlier that most service staff in Yun Que City were Old Ancestor, with only small shops employing those in the Spirit Realm.

But he hadn't expected the Star Divination Tower's attendants to also be in the Spirit Realm.

"Hello, esteemed guest, we have all sorts of customers who come to the Star Divination Tower for transactions. To ensure that no distinguished guest feels pressured by our service, we are all in the Spirit Realm. Only for significant transactions will the adults of the Tower personally provide service."

The female attendant Ah Ling seemed to have read Lin Yang's thoughts, or perhaps she had seen this situation too many times, and immediately explained with a smile.

"Oh… that's thoughtful."

Lin Yang instantly understood the Star Divination Tower's intention in doing so.

Among those who come to trade, there might be individuals below Old Ancestor, or ordinary Old Ancestor. If the service staff's strength is too high, it can easily create invisible pressure on customers.

By choosing Spirit Realm as attendants for ordinary customers, this situation can be avoided.

This point alone was enough to show that although the Star Divination Tower was the largest merchant guild, it still strived for excellence in service.

Afterward, Lin Yang took another look at the attendant.

In terms of beauty and temperament, this female attendant was a hundred times superior to any female celebrity on Blue Star.

However, Lin Yang merely glanced at her.

In the advanced spacetime, beauties rivaling immortals were countless.

"I need to buy a weapon, either a spear or a sword will do."

Lin Yang said.

The first floor only contained ordinary goods, and no weapons.

"Alright, weapons are on the third floor. Do you have any special requirements for the weapon, esteemed guest? If so, we can search for it, transfer it, or customize it for you!"

The female attendant Ah Ling said.

"Not at the moment, I'll go take a look first," Lin Yang shook his head and walked towards the third floor.

"Alright," the female attendant responded.

Upon reaching the third floor, various weapons came into view.

Many buyers were in front of most weapon display stands.

"Esteemed guest, all our weapons can be tried out on site. If you see one you like, you can tell me directly, and I will retrieve it for you!" the female attendant proactively said.

Lin Yang nodded and walked directly to the sword display stand closest to him.

There were seven or eight people in the sword weapon display area, but the display area was very large. It seemed to have used a special spatial technique to greatly expand the entire third floor's space.

Therefore, unless one deliberately got close, they wouldn't bump into each other.

Lin Yang's gaze fell directly on the swords within the display stand.

There were sixteen swords in total.

Each one different.

But Lin Yang scanned them and couldn't help but shake his head.

None of them were suitable.

Either they differed somewhat from what he had in mind.

Or they were too expensive, and he simply couldn't afford them.

"Let's go look at the spears."

Lin Yang walked over.

In the long spear weapon display area, he was the only one.

Clearly, not many people used long spear-type weapons.

There were only eight long spears on display.

Half as many as the swords!

However, despite the smaller number, Lin Yang's eyes lit up as he looked at one of the long spears:

"Take out the sixth long spear for me to try!"

The weapons here had no names, only numbers, clearly waiting for buyers to name them.

He instantly liked this sixth long spear; it was somewhat similar to the silver long spear of the Silver Armor Heroic Soul Warrior senior!

Most importantly, the price was right!

"Sixteen million!"

"This is it!"

After the attendant retrieved it, Lin Yang tried it a couple of times and decided to buy it.

"Esteemed guest, this long spear can withstand the fusion of Boundary Realm power, but it cannot withstand the power of Dao or rules. This means it can only be used up to the third level limit of the Boundary Realm. Please keep that in mind."

The female attendant reminded him.

"I know," Lin Yang nodded, then prepared to swipe his card to pay.

He was still far from comprehending Dao or rules.

It was sufficient for now!

However, at this moment, a deep voice suddenly came:

"Does Your Excellency also use a long spear as a weapon?"

Lin Yang couldn't help but turn his head and saw a red-faced strong man looking at him.

The strong man's entire skin was flushed red.

But it didn't look like an injury or illness; it seemed to be natural.

"Your Excellency is...?" Lin Yang asked, puzzled.

He could tell that the red-faced strong man was speaking to him.

But he didn't know this person.

"Haha, my name is Yue Duanjiang, Your Excellency can call me whatever you like."

The red-faced strong man stated his name, and then, without waiting for Lin Yang to speak, he continued:

"Please forgive my presumption, Your Excellency. I just saw you casually perform two spear techniques. To be honest, I also use a long spear as my destined weapon, but my spear technique has reached a limit I currently cannot surpass, and it has not improved for a long time."

"And there are few people who use spears in Yun Que City, and even if there are some, their strength is too weak. I cannot find a suitable person to spar and discuss with."

"But just now, seeing Your Excellency's spear technique, I felt some inspiration. Therefore, I would like to request to spar with Your Excellency in spear skills!"

"Of course, I will not let Your Excellency give without receiving. If Your Excellency is willing to impart your wisdom, then I will pay for Your Excellency's spear as a token of my gratitude. How does that sound?"

"...This..." Lin Yang was momentarily stunned.

Spar spear skills with him?

If he was willing, he would pay for him?

He was speechless for a moment.

The red-faced strong man Yue Duanjiang then directly said:

"It's fine if Your Excellency is unwilling now; I will still pay for this spear. It's rare to meet a powerful individual who also uses a spear as a weapon. Meeting today can be considered fate!"

Saying that, he took out a card and directly swiped it to pay!

His actions were so fast that Lin Yang didn't even have time to stop him.

Then, Yue Duanjiang turned to look at Lin Yang, grinning: "Your Excellency, I am happy to make you my friend!"

"..." Lin Yang remained speechless.

Just because he also used a spear, he gave him a weapon and wanted to make friends?

This... wasn't it overly generous?

"Your Excellency, we are strangers, and you want to be friends. Aren't you afraid...?"

Lin Yang kept talking but didn't know how to finish his sentence.

This guy was also in the Boundary Realm.

Someone capable of becoming a Boundary Realm existence shouldn't be a purely naive person, right?

"Haha, what's there to be afraid of? I, Yue, trust my intuition!"

Yue Duanjiang still laughed loudly:

"Besides, those who use spears are rarely petty people!"

"Making friends through spears, it can't be wrong!"

"...Although there aren't many people who use spears in the world, there are definitely not few. Isn't Your Excellency's statement a bit too arbitrary?" Lin Yang's eyes flickered.

"Hahaha, no, no, no, that's just one aspect. The main thing is that Your Excellency gives me a very good feeling. I trust my intuition!"

Yue Duanjiang emphasized again:

"Sometimes, whether someone is a friend or an enemy can be judged the moment you meet them!"

"Even if you've never met before!"

"My feeling towards Your Excellency is like meeting an old friend at first sight!"

"..." Lin Yang was utterly speechless.

He felt this guy was a bit... abstract!

Yes, abstract.

However, even though he found Yue Duanjiang a bit abstract, since the other person had given such a big gift, Lin Yang thought for a moment and still said:

"Then let's spar. But this place isn't suitable, let's find another location."

Sparring spear skills would also be beneficial to him.

Furthermore, he also wanted to use Yue Duanjiang to verify his current strength.

Although this person's behavior was somewhat abstract, he was indeed straightforward.

At least for now, Lin Yang had no negative feelings towards him.

Hmm... it's hard to have any negative feelings when someone gives you a weapon worth sixteen million the moment you meet...

"Hahaha, good, good, good, thank you, Your Excellency, for agreeing! Then let's find another place!"

Yue Duanjiang became even happier upon hearing this, his laughter growing louder, and he turned to go downstairs.

Lin Yang followed suit.

"Esteemed guest, these displayed weapons are all conventional weapons. Special weapons are not displayed to the public. If you have any future needs, you can directly go to the sixth floor, where senior attendants will receive you."

The female attendant, seeing Lin Yang about to leave, respectfully and quickly added.

"Okay, I understand."

Lin Yang didn't say much. This was similar to the various consumption memberships on Blue Star; after his purchase, he was qualified to view higher-grade items.

However, even without a purchase, if one wished to directly buy high-grade goods, an application could be made, but he didn't have that much money, which was why he only came here to buy conventional items first.

Subsequently, Lin Yang quickly went downstairs.

"Your Excellency, shall we go to your place or mine?"

Yue Duanjiang eagerly inquired.

"Let's go to... Eh? He Linchuan?"

Lin Yang was about to say 'whatever' but then glimpsed He Linchuan also walking out of the Star Divination Tower.

However, judging by the direction he was coming from, he should have been at the resource recycling area.

Moreover, at this moment, He Linchuan had various injuries, big and small, on his body.

This made Lin Yang's eyes narrow, and he couldn't help but call out loudly to him: "He Linchuan, come over!"

He was quite fond of this young man, He Linchuan.

Although he was regarded as an outcast by his family and his talent was ordinary, his courage was commendable. He dared to venture into the wilderness with Spirit Realm strength just to take care of his adopted sister.

Furthermore, in such circumstances, He Linchuan still maintained an optimistic mindset and didn't become psychologically twisted or dark.

This was very rare.

Another reason was that after Lin Yang came out of seclusion, he learned during his journey that He Linchuan had not revealed his true information for the past twenty years.

Just as he had reminded him that day not to easily expose himself, He Linchuan had kept his secret.

He and Lin Yang were not closely acquainted.

This young man could have easily sold his information for a good price.

Now, in Yun Que City, there were too many people who wanted to know his detailed information.

But He Linchuan didn't do that.

Even though this young man himself was very short on money, he didn't betray his information.

This made Lin Yang appreciate He Linchuan even more.

Now, seeing him injured, Lin Yang didn't think much and was ready to call him over to treat him.

Yue Duanjiang, who was beside him, was stunned, watching Lin Yang's actions. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately didn't speak.

He Linchuan had just walked out of the Star Divination Tower when he heard someone call him. After following the sound and seeing Lin Yang waving at him.

He was also stunned for a moment.