213: Chapter 213: Even with all the cards up their sleeve, they still got instantly killed.

In the bamboo forest, even the wind seemed to have stopped.

An atmosphere named 'awkwardness' permeated the air.

Nie Renwang's bell-like eyes were fixed on Chen You, his chest heaving violently, clearly undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

A ride? What ride?

This guy wasn't humiliating him.

He genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, found him too slow!

This was more unacceptable than any insult!

"You go too far!"

Nie Renwang squeezed out four words through gritted teeth, each one seeming to take all the strength from his entire body.

He felt his dignity being pressed onto the ground by the other party and rubbed repeatedly in a way he couldn't comprehend.

"You..." He pointed at Chen You, his fingers trembling.

"Do you think having a bit of dirty money makes you great? That it can buy everything?"

Chen You looked at him, his gaze as pure and sincere as ever.

He nodded.

"..."

Nie Renwang's lungs were about to explode from anger.

He had never met such a shameless person!

Yet, the other party's eyes were as clear as a child's, as if stating the simplest truth in the world.

This pent-up anger lodged in Nie Renwang's chest, unable to go up or down.

He needed an outlet!

An outlet that could both preserve his last shred of dignity and speed up this damned process!

Finally, on the verge of his composure collapsing, he found a perfect logical loop.

Nie Renwang suddenly straightened his back, and his face, flushed red with anger, now carried a trace of tragic resolution.

He extended his sand-pot-sized palm, palm facing up, toward Chen You.

In a tone bordering on a roar, he uttered the line most inconsistent with his persona in his entire life:

"Fine! Since you are so eager to die!"

"Then pay up!"

"One thousand gold coins!"

"I, Nie Renwang! Will grant your wish today!"

He roared with a spirit that could swallow mountains and rivers, as if he wasn't demanding money, but bestowing upon the other party the supreme honor of a fair fight against him.

Yan Yan, standing nearby, her delicate, pretty face was completely stunned.

She looked at the hand Nie Renwang had righteously extended, then looked at Chen You.

Could the plot... still proceed this way?

However, Chen You acted as if he had foreseen this long ago, even showing a hint of 'the child is teachable' relief on his face.

"Wouldn't it have been simpler if you had said so earlier?"

As soon as his voice fell.

[Ding!]

A crisp system notification sounded by Chen You's ear.

A semi-transparent golden payment window popped up in front of him.

[System detects that Player 'Chen You' has reached a special agreement with the Special Plot BOSS 'Fire Lin King · Nie Renwang'.]

[Do you wish to spend 1000 Gold Coins to activate the 'Rapid Return' service for the BOSS?]

[Service Contents:]

[1. Immediately skip the waiting time for the 'Retrieving Weapon' plot (originally scheduled for 72 hours).]

[2. The weapon 'Blood Drinker Mad Saber' will undergo hyperspace jump and automatically seek its master.]

[3. The BOSS status will instantly recover to 100% full strength.]

[Yes / No]

Chen You: "..."

Good heavens, there really is an official channel.

This service is too practiced.

He chose [Yes] without hesitation.

One thousand gold coins.

Just to make an NPC revive at full health and then beat him up?

This experience was too novel!

"Voom—!"

The moment Chen You confirmed payment, the entire bamboo forest suddenly darkened.

An indescribable sense of oppression descended from above.

Nie Renwang and Yan Yan looked up simultaneously.

They saw that in the azure sky, a blood-red crack tore open without warning, like a wound in the heavens.

Immediately following, a blinding crimson light shot out from the crack.

Like a falling meteor, dragging a long trail of flames, it hurtled down toward Nie Renwang's position at a terrifying speed that tore through the atmosphere!

"Boom!"

The streak of blood-colored light abruptly halted three inches above Nie Renwang's head.

The light dispersed, revealing a monstrously shaped greatblade, entirely crimson, its edge seemingly flowing with lava.

A scorching and violent aura swept across the entire bamboo forest, centered on the greatblade!

Nie Renwang felt that familiar power, and unprecedented fervor erupted in his eyes.

He reached out and firmly grasped the hilt.

"Voom—!"

The greatblade emitted an excited hum upon being held.

Simultaneously, the listless aura caused by the injury from the Divine Firmament Heavenly Thunder began to climb madly at a visible speed!

His health bar, which was only at 20%, instantly filled up!

Then it changed from green to red.

A blood-red aura, far fiercer and more tyrannical than before, erupted from within him, enveloping his entire body.

"My power... it's back!"

Nie Renwang roared with satisfaction as he felt the surging power within him.

He slowly raised his head, his crimson eyes locked onto Chen You, a cruel curve spreading across his lips.

"Now, there are no more excuses between you and me!"

"Today, here, will be your burial ground!"

He held the blade with both hands, raising it high above his head, the blade's edge blazing with blood-red light.

The temperature of the entire bamboo forest rose sharply under this power.

"Are you ready to die?!"

Facing this world-destroying strike, Chen You merely watched him calmly, even having the leisure to comment:

"Good lines, very imposing."

He paused, his tone becoming slightly urging.

"Hurry up, I'm pressed for time."

"You—are—courting—death—!"

Nie Renwang's rage was completely ignited by those light words.

He stopped wasting breath, pouring all his anger, humiliation, and fighting intent into the Blood Saber in his hands!

"Furious Qilin Slash!"

With a roar, the greatblade, carrying the illusory shadow of a Qilin, cleaved downward!

Before the blade even arrived, the scorching blade energy had already plowed a deep, scorched gully in the ground, rushing straight toward Chen You's feet!

This strike seemed intent on splitting heaven and earth in half!

Yan Yan was so frightened her face lost all color, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

However, just as the violent blade edge was about to touch Chen You's head.

Chen You moved.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, nor any dazzling, flashy moves.

He simply raised his right hand, fingers extended like a sword, and lightly waved it toward the incoming blood-colored blade light.

Three faint white lights appeared before him without warning.

That wasn't light.

It was swords.

Three identical spirit swords, carved as if from warm jade, emitting the profound rhythm of the Innate Dao.

They appeared so abruptly, as if they had been there from the beginning, or perhaps they had traversed time and space to arrive directly here.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Three light sounds, almost inaudible.

Nie Renwang's offensive instantly halted, his tall, sturdy body shuddered violently, and he slowly lowered his head.

Three bloody holes had appeared on his body at some unknown time.

The scarlet health bar above his head instantly dropped from its full value of 100% to a mere 1%.

Instant kill.

If the system hadn't set a lock-blood mechanism for Plot BOSSes, he wouldn't have even 1% left.

[Ding!]

Just then, the crisp system notification sounded by Chen You's ear.

[Congratulations, you have successfully passed the Monarch's Trial.]

[Because you forcibly altered the plot direction through 'Money Power' during the trial, and crushed the BOSS in its enraged state with absolute strength, the comprehensive evaluation is: SSS+ (Godlike)]

[You have obtained the Special Ability — Luck Harvest!]

[Luck Harvest: As the Monarch, the luck of all things can be used by you. When you see the Day of Luck, that is the time for harvest.]

[Hint: Luck is a profound power; it may manifest as 'good fortune,' 'faith,' 'destiny,'... Players are encouraged to explore for themselves.]