227: Chapter 227 The Lord of the Dark Tower

"Sister A Hong, that's not fair!" Mu Cheng complained.

A Hong: "Do you know how expensive blank Talisman Array scrolls are? You ask for ten billion just like that? Who else should I hit if not you?"

The scrolls used for Talisman Arrays, while not exactly cheap, have a very high production cost.

Don't even mention the Qingqiu Kingdom; looking across the entire second layer of the Battlefield, all of them combined don't exceed one billion.

"Huh? A country as big as Qingqiu can't come up with ten billion?" Mu Cheng asked, quite puzzled.

A Hong explained, "Of course not. The entire second layer of the Battlefield combined doesn't have over one billion."

"Forget it, forget it. I'd better contact Sister Ninger and ask her to leave me a hundred trillion star-glow crystals for this mission!" Mu Cheng operated his high-tech bracelet, sending a message to Lan Ninger.

A Hong readily agreed. "If you wanted star-glow crystals, you should have said so earlier. Take these mere hundred trillion!"

"Don't forget the mission." After completing the transaction, A Hong left directly.

"Sister Ninger, I want to get tens of millions of Talisman Arrays. Can the nebula copy them?"

"That's no problem. Send me what you need." Lan Ninger replied quickly.

Mu Cheng: "Alright! As for the blank Talisman Array scrolls, could you trouble yourself to help me get some? The minimum quantity shouldn't be less than ten million."

Lan Ninger: "It takes quite a while to transmit to the Battlefield once, roughly about ten days. Just wait."

"Alright. It's not very urgent right now anyway." Mu Cheng replied.

At that very moment, Tao Mumu, Tao Shuishui, and Gu Na also emerged from the lower levels of the laboratory.

"Brother Cheng, a new mission again?" Gu Na asked, seeing Mu Cheng studying intently.

Mu Cheng: "Mhm, this mission might be a bit tricky. It's about discovering creatures similar to Devouring Tentacles."

No wonder A Hong gave the mission to him. For an ordinary person... it definitely wouldn't work.

"One of the three undying, unkillable creatures, the Devouring Tentacles? Shouldn't those guys be in the fourth layer of the Battlefield?" Tao Shuishui asked, puzzled.

But the fact that she could recognize it showed she had put in the effort.

Gu Na: "Devouring Tentacles are hard to deal with. You need enough lightning-attribute attacks to force them back."

"What are you all thinking? I said they're *similar*, not necessarily Devouring Tentacles. Otherwise, why send us?" Mu Cheng said, quite exasperated.

The matter itself wasn't confirmed, but since there were plenty of lightning-attribute Talisman Arrays anyway, there was no need to prepare specifically.

"Alright then! Let's head out." Gu Na didn't waste words, using qianji to shoot into the sky.

Mu Cheng, Tao Mumu, and Tao Shuishui followed closely behind.

Three hours later.

"It's right ahead in the rocky area. Be careful!" Mu Cheng landed on the ground, taking out his black hole heavy sword and becoming very cautious.

Gu Na, Tao Mumu, and Tao Shuishui also followed closely, all being very careful...

Going deeper and deeper, they discovered a strange ancient mountain ahead, making it impossible to see clearly what lay before them.

Just then, a hidden hint appeared before Mu Cheng's eyes.

[Warning! Warning! Warning! Devouring Tentacles detected ahead. Quantity unknown. Level unknown.]

"They're here, everyone be careful!" Tao Mumu had already sensed a terrifying aura appearing ahead.

"They really are Devouring Tentacles? They shouldn't appear here, right?" Mu Cheng also expressed great confusion.

But the next moment, what was supposed to happen, ultimately happened.

Dense masses of Devouring Tentacles, large ones over a hundred meters, small ones three or four meters, pierced through the ground ahead and advanced towards the four of them.

"They really are Devouring Tentacles. How is this possible..." Gu Na was also incredulous, clearly finding it hard to believe.

Mu Cheng: "Luckily, there aren't many. Let's finish them off quickly."

After saying that, he sent a message to A Hong. "Sister A Hong, it's confirmed. They are Devouring Tentacles."

"Don't move recklessly. I'm coming over personally right now." A Hong replied immediately upon receiving the message.

The next second, she was teleported over.

"They really are Devouring Tentacles. These things... why are they here?" A Hong was also utterly shocked.

Gu Na: "What should we do now?"

"There's probably someone behind this. Since the numbers aren't huge, how about capturing them all?" Tao Mumu offered her opinion.

Mu Cheng also agreed. "Mhm, let's use trapping arrays first! The person behind it might make a move."

"Alright. I don't have Talisman Arrays, so I'll leave it to you." A Hong also agreed.

"I've already divided them equally. Each person gets about ten thousand. Let's split up and act now!" Gu Na finished.

And charged directly towards the group of Devouring Tentacles.

Mu Cheng, Tao Mumu, Tao Shuishui, and A Hong also began to act, frantically throwing out trapping arrays. Fortunately, they could indeed trap the Devouring Tentacles.

"That simple? These guys don't seem very smart." Mu Cheng looked utterly bewildered.

He clearly remembered how formidable Devouring Tentacles were—not only highly intelligent but also knew how to coordinate attacks.

Yet the Devouring Tentacles before them were clearly... much, much weaker.

"Something's definitely off, but we need to continue."

Given the gravity of the situation, A Hong ultimately sent a message out.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid things aren't simple. You'd better come personally."

"Mhm, I'll come personally." The Little Demon Fox Emperor replied quickly.

In no time at all, the four of them had trapped all the Devouring Tentacles.

"Too strange. They're simply pathetically weak." Gu Na had also noticed something was off long ago.

Tao Mumu: "Brother Cheng, what should we do now?"

"Of course, wait patiently. What else can we do?" A Hong suddenly chimed in with an answer.

If there really was someone behind this, waiting patiently would indeed suffice.

Sure enough, as expected, without any surprises, four Men in Black appeared before the group.

"Possessor of the Devouring Bloodline, it's been a year. Seems you've grown quite a bit." One of the Men in Black recognized Mu Cheng at a glance.

Mu Cheng looked utterly bewildered. "You... who are you?"

"It's the Dark Tower, the Four Great Guardians of the Dark Tower—Chai, You, Yan, Mi. Why are they here?" Gu Na recognized them immediately.

Mu Cheng finally remembered. "So it's you."

"Whoever you are, explain why you've invaded our Qingqiu Kingdom?" A Hong asked imperiously.

Although she didn't know the four, no matter who they were, bringing Devouring Tentacles posed a serious threat to the Qingqiu Kingdom.

So she definitely wouldn't let them off easily.

"Ahem, As expected one of the Four Great Guardians. But do you think you have a chance of winning? And is the so-called Qingqiu Kingdom really yours?" Guardian Chai of the Men in Black laughed heartily.

Guardian Mi: "Don't waste words with them. We have important matters to handle. Finish this quickly!"

"Attack together!" Guardian Yan didn't waste words either, immediately releasing divine power upon arrival.

In an instant, the surroundings transformed into a black world, and all the Devouring Tentacles were dealt with.

"Something's wrong. His divine power feels off." Mu Cheng sensed it immediately.

This divine power was abnormal, not his own...

A Hong: "It seems this battle is unavoidable."

A Hong didn't hesitate, releasing her own Purgatory Fire divine power.

"Huh? This is Purgatory Fire divine power? Seems this power isn't yours, right?" Mu Cheng also looked utterly bewildered.

A Hong explained, "It is and isn't my divine power. What I can unleash is only one-tenth of Her Majesty's power."

"So this is divine power? Truly terrifying." Gu Na was clearly struggling greatly.

Not just her; Tao Mumu and Tao Shuishui had long been nearly breathless.

"Sister Ninger, things are a bit complicated. I'll break open the domain later, and you teleport them away." Mu Cheng was ultimately distracted.

Left with no choice, he sent a message out and quickly used Black Vine to tear open a gap.

On the other side, Lan Ninger was also extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, she teleported Gu Na and the other two away.

"Xiao Jiu is already on the way. These four guys are for you to practice on first. There's probably a main course later." Lan Ninger replied.

"The Four Great Guardians of the Dark Tower... So the main course must be the Leader." Mu Cheng thought to himself.

He coughed and said, "Sister A Hong, use your divine power freely! This Purgatory Fire can't hurt me."

"All of you, go to hell!" Hearing this, A Hong immediately threw out an extra-large fireball.

"Explode for me!" Guardian You made a move, blocking the extra-large fireball with just one hand.

And crushed it into nothingness mid-air.

BOOM——!!!

"That's it? And you call it Purgatory Fire?" As Guardian You's voice came, it quickly became clear he was unharmed.

"Four Shackles Realm strength. Seems it really won't be easy to deal with." Mu Cheng also felt quite surprised.

"But I'm even more curious. By entering the Battlefield, do you plan on not going back?"

Such a fierce attack, and he could block it bare-handed...

"At a time like this, you still have time for jokes? Hurry up and finish them together." A Hong instantly grew anxious.

With her strength, she truly couldn't handle it. Now, the only possibility of winning was joining forces with Mu Cheng.

"Heh, you kid are something, trying to trick information out of us? Wishful thinking. Attack together!" Guardian Chai obviously wasn't that foolish.

"Seems I did get some information. But if they can bring Devouring Tentacles here, the Blue-White Star probably won't be safe for long either."

Mu Cheng was ultimately still worried and sent a message to Lan Ninger.

"Sister Ninger, you need to keep a close eye on the Blue-White Star side. I'm afraid this probably isn't simple."

"You're teaching me how to do my job? Hurry up and deal with them." Lan Ninger instantly replied.

Mu Cheng finally relaxed. "Sister A Hong, I know you're still holding back... then leave this guy to me."

"Huh? A mere Ninth Order Peak dares to be so arrogant? Who gave you the courage? Liang Jingru?" Guardian You obviously didn't react.

But Guardian Mi had already noticed something was wrong. "Wait, this kid is a possessor of the Devouring Bloodline. How is it possible he's reached Ninth Order Peak?"

"He really is Ninth Order Peak. How is it possible... absolutely impossible." Guardian Chai also found it hard to believe.

Guardian Mi: "This kid is strange. Let's attack together!"

"You're wrong. I'm not just Ninth Order Peak. I'm also at the Four Shackles Realm." Mu Cheng was confident about this.

Although he couldn't use a divine power domain, back when he was at the sixth order, he could already withstand ninth-order Bloodline Power attacks.

Now, with his current self, what difficulty was there in defense?

"Come on, come on, hit me here. I promise I'll take it head-on." Mu Cheng wasn't foolish enough to attack proactively.

Instead, he released Black Vine... dense Black Vines coiled around him, almost obscuring him from view.

"What exactly is this guy trying to do?" A Hong beside him clearly looked utterly bewildered.

But she ultimately chose to trust Mu Cheng and showed no intention of making a move...

"What? Scared already? Then I'll grant your wish." Seeing the four hesitate, Mu Cheng.

Directly and decisively chose to take the initiative to attack...

But suddenly stopped again. "Black Vine is too troublesome. Let's turn it into a shield then!"

This wasn't difficult for him. Black Vine itself was a form of release for the Devouring Bloodline.

Soon, Mu Cheng was inside a shield. But upon careful thought, he felt unsatisfied and simply materialized fighting spirit.

"That's more like it. Take my sword!" Unhindered by Black Vine, Mu Cheng's speed was naturally fast.

"Good. I want to see what skills you have to challenge me within my domain." Guardian Yan quickly gathered black energy.

In an instant, he surrounded Mu Cheng once more...

"And this is a divine power domain? Seems nothing special." Mu Cheng easily broke through with one sword strike and went straight for Guardian Yan.

"Not good. I underestimated you." Fortunately, Guardian You made a move, catching the blade bare-handed.

Otherwise, Guardian Yan would probably be dead or seriously injured.

"Be careful. There's something strange about this guy." Guardian Yan was also greatly shocked.

He never expected Mu Cheng to break through his divine power domain so easily.

"How about all together? Saves the trouble of taking you on one by one." Mu Cheng launched another fierce attack.

With the Devouring Bloodline releasing a protective shield, and the black hole heavy sword in his hand capable of easily cutting through Bloodline Power attacks.

He alone was enough to suppress all four.

"This guy can cut through divine power. No wonder he's so confident." A Hong finally understood completely.

"Damn it, Guardian You, keep an eye on that woman. The three of us will go all out." Guardian Mi finally couldn't hold back.

Having to be wary of A Hong on one side, they truly couldn't use their full strength.

"Mhm, leave it to this old man." Guardian You also knew this, so he blocked A Hong's path.

A Hong instantly smiled. "What should I say? I didn't want to fight anyway. Do you think those three stand a chance?"

"Not good." Guardian You reacted, but it was already too late.

Although the other three used their full strength, they ultimately couldn't break Mu Cheng's defense and were caught off guard instead.

Even Guardian Yan's divine power domain had already vanished.

"First, I'll finish you off." Mu Cheng seized the opportunity and directly attacked Guardian Yan.

"Not bad. But still far from enough." Another Man in Black made a move, blocking Mu Cheng's attack with a single finger.

"Leader, I was careless for a moment." Guardian Yan stammered.

Clearly, he was somewhat over-exerted.

"You four, escape now!" The Dark Tower Leader suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"Trying to escape? It's already too late." A familiar voice came. It was none other than the Little Demon Fox Emperor.

In an instant, Purgatory Fire spontaneously ignited on the bodies of the four guardians.

"Damn it, I didn't expect you to have taken that step as well." The Dark Tower Leader also hadn't anticipated this.

Ultimately forced into a corner, he had no choice but to gather all the Purgatory Fire onto his own body.

Only then did he manage to save the lives of the Four Great Guardians.