148: Chapter 148 A complete mess

Director Li Guoan's question was devoid of any emotion.

"Should we top up a 'few' hundred million more?"

Chen You looked into Director Li Guoan's eyes and understood that the Director was still worried.

During the previous guild territory defense battle, they had suffered greatly due to the information gap.

If not for the immortals throne's miraculous effect at the end, it would have been hard to say if the guild could have even been established.

The Source Realm was, after all, not a program box with transparent parameters.

The unknown was the greatest enemy.

Director Li Guoan's voice was low and raspy.

"No one knows what tricks the system will pull for this world boss."

"The newbie protection period is your shield, but we can't pin all our hopes on this one rule."

He walked up to Chen You, a rare hint of exhaustion showing in his sharp eyes.

"Besides money, we... can't help you much more."

These words made all the experts present lower their heads.

They were giants in their respective fields, capable of calculating heavenly secrets and planning the future.

Yet, they could not face the wrath of an otherworldly deity on behalf of that young man.

Chen You was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Director Li, don't worry, it's enough for now." He raised an eyebrow.

"I still have over sixty thousand gold coins in my backpack."

Director Li Guoan shook his head decisively.

"Not enough."

"I'll immediately arrange to transfer another 100 billion to you as a backup."

He added.

"Money is your ammunition."

"It's also... the only way we can help you right now."

Inside the hall, one could hear a pin drop.

Chen You looked at the old man's resolute profile, unsure of how to dispel the worry in his heart.

Finally, he took a deep breath, stood at attention, and gave a solemn salute.

"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Chen You took out the twenty-odd ordinary qi gathering pills he had refined, along with various equipment and materials he had recently acquired but didn't need, and dumped them all out.

He regularly organized and brought things out, so there wasn't a huge amount.

Having done all this, he didn't pause for a second, turned back to his room, and reconnected to the Source Realm.

With the familiar welcome prompt, Chen You's figure reappeared in the White Jade Capital of the Source Realm.

He didn't delay for a moment and immediately sprang into action.

First, he went to find Siel for the gacha.

Unsurprisingly, he received a Mystic-grade piece of equipment.

Chen You felt no ripples in his heart, treating it as simply consuming his "bad luck."

Then, he went straight to the dungeon entrance of the Tomb of Thousand Lights.

[Tomb of Thousand Lights (Destruction Mode)]

Three minutes later.

[You have obtained "Broken Tomb of Thousand Lights Core" * 1!]

Chen You picked up the core fragment; this was the third one.

His heart remained calm as he teleported back to the city.

Farming materials was just that simple and unadorned.

Finally, with a practiced "Open a room," his figure flashed and appeared inside the familiar Supreme Training Room.

Chen You sat cross-legged, surrounded by silence.

He slowly opened his palm.

A pill, entirely purple-gold in color with a surface that seemed to have galaxies flowing through it and a natural Daoist charm, lay quietly in his palm.

[Immortal-grade · qi gathering pill]

600% efficiency!

Chen You's gaze was more focused than ever before.

Without the slightest hesitation, he put this priceless pill into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly. Instead of the expected surge of medicinal power, it felt like a cool spring sliding down his throat and into his stomach.

The next second!

Boom—!

An indescribably terrifying suction force suddenly erupted, centered on Chen You's body!

The spiritual energy in the Supreme Training Room, so dense it was almost liquefied, seemed to find an outlet, forming a visible white vortex that crashed frantically into Chen You's body!

The Nine Revolutions Primordial Chaos Art inside him began to circulate with unprecedented madness, even without his active guidance!

The speed was several times faster than when he usually practiced with all his might!

A purple-gold Daoist light emanated from his body, transforming him into a glazed divine statue.

Chen You kept his mind steady, guiding this majestic energy to wash through his limbs and bones, striking at the realm barrier of the fifth level of Qi Refining.

All the noise of the outside world seemed to be cut off from him.

Meanwhile, the Source Realm had already reached a boiling point.

There were only a dozen or so hours left before the world boss "Shadow Monarch" would descend.

Thousand Light City, which was originally just a main city on a low-level map, now had a population density exceeding that of any Royal City.

Countless Adventurers flocked from all over the world, crowding the teleportation arrays to a standstill.

"Stop pushing! Stop pushing! If you keep pushing, I'm going to disconnect!"

"Move it up front! Can you shift a bit? My equipment is about to be crushed!"

"Damn, who stepped on my foot? My size 40-something foot!"

And further north than Thousand Light City, in the region covered by snow and wind all year round—

The Wind and Snow Divine Mountain was witnessing a scene of magical realism.

From the plains at the foot of the mountain to halfway up, it was densely packed with human figures.

Looking out, the vast black mass resembled a migrating ant colony, staining the white snowfield with mottled colors.

Curses in various languages, bargaining, and guild recruitment shouts mixed with the biting cold wind to form a chaotic symphony.

"Brother, have you seen the map? This damn mountain has no path. How do we get up?"

A newly arrived Orc Warrior looked at the nearly vertical ice wall in front of him, completely bewildered.

Beside him, an archer blew on his hands while answering weakly.

"Climb, how else? Didn't you see those guilds over there selling climbing ropes and ice axes?"

"Heartless merchants. Stuff that usually costs 2 copper coins is now selling for 1 silver!"

"Holy crap! That's robbery!" the Orc Warrior said indignantly. "So what do we do?"

"What do we do? We deal with it! I've been in line here for three hours, and there are still over ten thousand people ahead of me."

"I feel like I won't even reach the summit by the time the BOSS spawns." The archer rolled his eyes.

"I seriously suspect this BOSS isn't meant to be fought. It's just the system's way of relieving server pressure. By the time we climb up, the opportunity will be long gone."

Their conversation drew a wave of sympathetic sighs from those around them.

Further ahead in the crowd, the atmosphere at the outposts of some top guilds was completely different.

Titan Temple, Moon Gods Radiance, Shadow of Roman...

These server-dominating guilds had already cleared the most advantageous spots at the foot of the mountain, setting up cordons with countless elite members standing ready.

Their goal was clear: not to join the fun, but to snatch the kill!

"Has the Guild Leader arrived yet? Salos from Titan Temple has already led his team up!"

An Elf Mage anxiously reported to the temporary person-in-charge.

"The Guild Leader is having a final pre-war consultation with Oro from Shadow of Roman. He'll be here soon!"

The person-in-charge barked, "Everyone, stay sharp! For this world boss, Moon Gods Radiance is determined to get the reward for the highest damage contribution!"

Everyone's gaze frequently turned toward the mountain peak, which was shrouded in clouds and towered into the sky.

That was the true eye of the storm.