288: Chapter 288 Facing the Imperial Canopy

On a mountain near Deer Island, Tang Long opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

It was true that whether during his time as a thief in his past life or during the Doomsday Era, he had been quite casual about relationships between men and women.

If he was in the mood, changing partners daily was common.

If conditions did not permit, going two or three years without touching anyone was no big deal either.

To reach the top of any industry, restraining one's desires was a compulsory course.

Coming to this world, he held the same mindset toward Shang Yuqing.

Everyone played openly and was casual about it, with no burdens.

Of course, Shang Yuqing was quite useful, and her significance now was different.

But for young girls like Miao Manman and Jiang Xiaolan, it was clearly not that kind of mindset.

Women in this period were often single-minded, unable to see through the affairs between men and women, and had too many unrealistic fantasies.

He could not help but think of Vivian from back then.

The daughter of Flood Dragon King Mai Zhenxiong, whose real name was Mai Dong.

That silly girl was a romantic fool bound by emotions, to the point where she turned against her own father because of him.

If the environment were relaxed, that might have been fine.

Especially when he sensed crises approaching and the future was unpredictable, he had to remain focused and absolutely could not be distracted by such petty romance.

That was why he had left Vivian without hesitation back then, just as he refused Miao Manman today, and politely declined Elder Jiang's proposal of an arranged marriage.

"Player {Qingyun. Xiaozhuo Sheng Xinhun} has submitted the {BOSS Exploration} quest you posted!"

"Obtained basic reward: 20,000 blue sea coins"

"Please decide whether or not to give an additional reward!"

Tang Long had set up this faction quest to monitor the movements around Deer Island, including the Divine Ruins, so he required players to get close to all BOSSes and be killed by them, only submitting the screenshot of being killed by the BOSS to receive the reward.

The player's name made him feel quite emotional, so he could not help but take a few extra looks.

When he saw the player's death screenshot, his pupils could not help but shrink instantly.

On the screenshot, a face that was half black and half white was clearly displayed, with a tall figure draped in a beast-skin robe.

He could not help but recall what he had seen in the illusion of the Banquet of Gods; amidst the shadows of the Alien God, such black and white monsters had also appeared, just like those prehistoric game entities!

Unexpectedly, he could encounter one nearby.

Was it a coincidence?

Tang Long carefully looked at the kill information: "You were killed by Otherworld Commander. Xu Mingyang".

Xu Mingyang? A person with the surname Xu?

At this moment, that player also immediately cheered loudly, attracting the attention of the few players around.

"Wow! Big Boss Candle Dragon is mighty, he directly gave a 300,000 additional reward!"

"300,000! Really?"

"Drunkard, what BOSS did your team encounter?"

"When I first logged on, I did not have a team, so I drilled into Demon Roar Mountain by myself. I ran into a humanoid big BOSS. I was insta-killed before I could see what was going on, but the screenshot when I came back was quite clear. Look, it's this thing!"

"Where is it? Take me there quickly!"

"I am going too! Maybe I can turn in a high reward when I get back!"

"Count me in, brother!"

"I can take you guys, but I do not guarantee I can find it again, and you have to pay a fee first. 10,000 each!"

"Damn, you are too ruthless!"

"Drunkard, what you are doing is not kind. We are all in the same guild, and we are all Dragon Speakers, do not just talk about money."

"Exactly, you have already earned a huge sum, and now you want to fleece us?"

"If you think it is expensive, I think it is tiring! It is dozens of kilometers to run from here, I would have to prepare half a stack of stamina potions just for that."

"Can you give a discount!"

"Damn! Big Boss Candle Dragon has left!"

While the few players were still bickering, Tang Long was not planning to wait. He immediately set off, rushing toward the player's death coordinates.

Moreover, he sent a message to Xie Jin while on his way.

"Old Xie, have you heard the name Xu Mingyang?"

Before he had run a few miles, Xie Jin replied.

"Your Excellency, do you really not know, or are you making fun of me? Xu Mingyang is Xu Chaoyang's father, the one I killed."

Tang Long chuckled and asked again, "Did you see him die with your own eyes back then? Or, is it possible he was not completely dead at the time?"

Xie Jin seemed a bit unhappy, "I used lightning to shatter his internal organs and personally checked his corpse. Your Excellency, asking this suddenly, do you have doubts about me?"

Tang Long quickly explained, "Do not overthink it. I just received news that the person might still be alive."

"That is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible. Old Xie, I told you before that I felt there was very likely a Huagai Realm-level combat power behind Xu Chaoyang. If his father did not die at all, this Huagai Realm-level combat power might very well be him!"

"Your Excellency, is your source of information reliable?"

"It was scouted through Chaos Walkers. I am rushing over now, preparing to verify it personally."

"Do not be impulsive! If that person is really alive and possesses Huagai Realm-level combat power, it is too dangerous for you to go!"

Tang Long smiled and replied, "It does not matter! As long as I can verify it effectively, it does not matter if I die once. I have just happened to be tired of living recently."

"Your Excellency, do not make such jokes!"

Smiling as he looked at Xie Jin's reply, Tang Long suddenly accelerated!

His words just now were not a joke.

The Blasphemers were dragging their feet on making a decision, so he could not get the Power of the Sun. Without the Power of the Sun, he could not enter the Divine Ruins to comprehend the Sun God's Law powers.

Once it dragged on until Xu Chaoyang's group broke in, it was hard to say what the outcome would be.

He had already decided to enter the Gate of Heavens Legacy again to get a Sun-type Cultivation Method to practice first.

So he had to die once first.

If he could confirm such important intelligence with this death, it was still quite worthwhile.

Of course, it would be best if he did not have to die.

But facing a Huagai Realm powerhouse, that possibility was slim.

Upon approaching the Demon Roar Mountain area, Tang Long opened his sight to the maximum, including his newly awakened Mind Eye and Clear Mirror.

After all, it was very likely a Huagai Realm, and he did not want to be insta-killed like the previous player without seeing clearly.

The coverage of Mind Eye was actually wider than his normal Fire Eye vision.

Based on his initial tests and estimations, it was indiscriminate within eight kilometers, effective in the eight to ten-kilometer range, but the clarity was significantly worse. But ten kilometers was the limit; beyond that, it would not work.

The spiritual energy veins of the Demon Roar Mountain range were abnormally chaotic, and there were traces of battles in many places near that 'sitting gourd'.

Destroyed mountains and fragments of large exotic beast corpses.

This was enough to prove that a super-strong combat entity truly existed here. Looking at the battle remnants, Tang Long felt the opponent was even more 'perverted' than himself.

However, Tang Long searched a large area but could not find the target.

Until he arrived in front of the last beast corpse, and it felt as if all clues were suddenly cut off here. A bad feeling immediately rose in his heart.

Sure enough, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Kid, are you looking for me?"

Tang Long turned around abruptly and came face to face with a freak draped in beast-skin clothes, and at the same time, he gasped.

It was indeed the same as in the screenshot, half the face pitch-black, half the face deathly pale.

Was this really Xu Chaoyang's dad?

He did not look too much and immediately blurted out some nonsense.

"I am ordered by Governor Xu to deliver an urgent message to Your Excellency."

The freak asked in a hoarse voice, "What message?"

"Governor Xu asked me to tell Your Excellency that University Scholar Zong Liangchen is in Song City and asked if it is convenient for you to make a move tomorrow."

The freak's face twisted, appearing somewhat puzzled, "Make a move in Song City? Did he not say he wanted to lure the person to the Divine Ruins?"

Tang Long sighed lightly and immediately continued to make things up, following his lead.

"Of course not in Song City. But University Scholar Zong Liangchen has been scared by the Pope, and he does not dare go to the Divine Ruins, so the plan must change."

"How is it changing?"

"Governor Xu plans to invite him to go to Sang City together tomorrow and make a move on the road."

The freak stared straight at him for a long while before asking, "Who are you?"

"My name is Wei Jian, and Governor Xu is my brother-in-Law."

The freak's expression became even stranger, "You... are Wei Mingzhu's younger brother, the sixth of the Wei Family?"

Tang Long nodded and asked back, "Your Excellency knows me?"

The freak let out a neurotic, strange laugh, "More than just recognize. When you were little, I even held you. Look carefully again, and see if you recognize me."

Only then did Tang Long pretend to look carefully, but after looking for a long time, he still shook his head.

He knew the freak was already suspicious and was testing him.

After all, if he was Xu Chaoyang's dad, he had been 'dead' for forty years. Wei Jian was not even thirty yet, so it was impossible for them to have any intersection.

"Sorry, I really cannot remember."

The freak chuckled again, "It is normal not to remember, after all, it has been more than twenty years. But I do remember you have a birthmark behind your neck. Come over and let me see if that birthmark is still there."

Tang Long cursed internally.

He was confident he had not shown any flaws, and Xu Chaoyang should not have mentioned Wei Jian to his father, but this freak clearly did not want to let him go.

Regardless of whether he was Wei Jian or not.

He immediately sneered, "I do not have any birthmark on my body. Did Your Excellency remember wrong?"

Sure enough, the freak laughed loudly.

"It does not matter if I remembered wrong! There are too many people in your Wei Family, it is better if a few die early, otherwise it will be detrimental to my son in the future."

Speaking of this, the freak had already reached out violently. Tang Long's body was immediately sucked towards him uncontrollably, and his throat was firmly grasped.

The freak's expression changed abruptly because he discovered that his powerful strength could not penetrate Tang Long's body.

"What is this... How can you have the power of a Alien God!"

Tang Long had of course already directly activated Invincibility, and taking advantage of his momentary distraction, a red light appeared in his hand, and the Torch Spirit Blood Spear directly pierced into his chest.

"Torch Spirit Blood Spear!"

The freak yelled and threw Tang Long away, slamming him heavily into the mountain wall, and a lot of earth and stone immediately buried Tang Long.

However, as several rays of light flashed, four black-and-white exotic beasts rushed out from the dust and smoke, pouncing straight at the freak.

The freak roared loudly, and with a wave of his hand, he imprisoned the four Iron-Eating Beasts. After several black shadows flashed, the four beasts' HP was cleared to zero.

The single eye on his white face flashed with cold light, and he shouted again: "You are definitely not Wei Jian! Who the hell are you!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand again and grabbed at the collapsed, buried earth and stone.

The earth and stone within dozens of meters were scooped up as if by an invisible giant shovel, and then the earth and stone scattered. Tang Long's body was again uncontrollably sucked over.

But just at this moment, Tang Long's body suddenly turned into a streak of white light and flew up, disappearing in an instant.