342: Chapter 342 Stop talking, let's get awkward.

Chen You picked up the plastic megaphone and examined it.

[Underworld Roarer]

[Type: Special Quest Item]

[Effect: Performs a one-time server-wide voice broadcast that ignores all blocks, forces a pop-up window, and includes surround sound effects.]

[Remark: The volume is very high; please bear with it.]

Chen You raised an eyebrow.

This piece of junk was actually a super megaphone for the world channel.

However, it was a single-use consumable; once used, it would be gone.

"Alright, I'll take it from here. We're done," Chen You said as he stuffed the megaphone into his backpack and turned to look at his two temporary teammates.

The old Dragon King Ao Guang was shivering, wrapped in a tattered towel, the goji berry water in his thermos already at the bottom.

"Young man, the humidity in this Underworld is too heavy; my gout is acting up. Next time there's a job in the water, remember to pay more."

After saying that, Ao Guang vanished into a streak of golden light.

Zhang Shun, on the other hand, hadn't had enough, striking a bodybuilding pose by the poolside with his shirt off.

"Brother, my title as the White Streak in the Waves has finally made a name for itself! If there's another race in the future, I'll give you a twenty percent discount!"

Chen You waved his hand.

"Quack." The Big Yellow Duck shook off the water droplets, waddled over to Chen You's feet with splayed steps, and pecked at his pant leg with its flat beak.

"Let's go back and call some people over," Chen You said, scooping up the Big Yellow Duck.

Referee Aguda knelt on the ground, his face full of smiles. "Take care, Master! I wish you a speedy collection of the Huangquan Essence and a successful Foundation Establishment!"

...

The man and the duck passed through the Underworld Vortex once more, returning to the bottom of the dried-up moat outside the west gate of Cangxing City.

Chen You leaped out of the riverbed. A cold wind blew, and the surroundings were silent.

The Formation Map was activated, and '0/50,000' appeared in the upper right corner.

It required fifty thousand living people willing to release their aura.

If he just asked people to bleed or have their Yang Energy drained, the players definitely wouldn't agree; they might even think they'd encountered some evil sacrificial event.

He needed a plausible excuse.

Chen You looked around, his gaze landing on a pile of boulders that had collapsed from the city wall.

He walked over and moved several stone slabs weighing hundreds of pounds, stacking them into a semi-enclosed pile by the moat.

Then, he sat inside and leaned the final slab against himself, exposing only his upper body and one arm.

Next, he grabbed a handful of mud mixed with snow-water and smeared it haphazardly on his clothes and face, creating a tragic 'battle-damaged' effect.

"Others cultivate immortality and face tribulations by tanking heavenly lightning, but I have to build my own Five Finger Mountain to play the victim," Chen You couldn't help but complain internally.

He took a deep breath, raised the plastic megaphone, and pressed the switch.

"Cough, mic check."

The harsh sound of static instantly exploded in the ears of every player in the Source Realm. Whether they were in a dungeon, doing a quest, or setting up a stall in the main city, everyone's movements froze at that moment.

Immediately after, Chen You's low, calm, yet unfathomable voice echoed throughout the server.

"Outside the west gate of Cangxing City, by the moat. Limit fifty thousand, first come, first served."

There was no context, no quest description, not even a single extra word.

The entire server was silent for three full seconds.

The next second, the world channel exploded.

"Holy crap! That's God You's voice!"

"God You sent a server-wide broadcast? Has some epic world quest been triggered?"

"Outside the west gate of Cangxing City! Limit fifty thousand! Charge, brothers!"

"First come, first served! There must be peerless divine gear or hidden rewards!"

The players of the entire Source Realm went completely wild.

Cangxing City's teleportation array was instantly overloaded. White light flashed continuously as countless red-eyed players rushed out, pouncing toward the west gate like zombies escaping a cage.

Rushing at the very front was a Berserker over two meters tall, with the ID "Super Meng".

He was originally full of excitement, waving his twin axes in preparation for an epic quest.

But when he saw the scene by the moat, he froze in his tracks.

In that pile of rubble, the legendary man of the server—God You—was half-buried in the ruins.

He was covered in mud, his clothes in tatters, and the yuhuang sword that usually cleaved mountains and rivers was thrust into the ground beside him, its luster faded.

In the wind and snow, Chen You's eyes were closed, his brows tightly furrowed, as if enduring some unspeakable, terrifying backlash.

"God You..." The axe in Super Meng's hand hit the ground with a clang.

The players arriving afterward also screeched to a halt, and the once noisy riverbed fell into an instant silence.

Tens of thousands of eyes stared at that tragic figure, their minds automatically piecing together a million-word tragic epic:

God You, in order to protect Cangxing City, had fought a bloody battle alone against an unspeakable ancient evil god, finally using his last breath to preserve the peace of all the players on the server!

"Wuwuwu..." Someone in the crowd was the first to sniffle.

Super Meng's eyes instantly reddened. The two-meter-tall man wiped away a tear, strode to the pile of rocks, and knelt on one knee with a thud.

"God You! You've suffered!" Super Meng's voice was choked with emotion.

"I knew it! There's no such thing as peaceful times in this game; it's all because you're carrying the burden for us!"

"Tell us, what do you need us to do? Who do we fight? My life is yours today!"

Chen You opened his eyes slightly, his mouth twitching as he looked at the orc crying like a two-hundred-pound child.

He had only intended to fake being battle-damaged; wasn't the reaction of this crowd a bit too intense?

"Cough..." Chen You coughed weakly, exhaling a puff of white mist. "No need to fight. I just need to borrow something from you."

"Borrow what? Just say the word!" Super Meng slapped his chest, the sound booming.

"I need some... Yang Energy," Chen You said in a deep voice.

The air suddenly went silent for a second.

Super Meng was stunned, a hint of struggle flashing across his rugged face.

Then he gritted his teeth and suddenly grabbed the waistband of his hide trousers with both hands.

"Yang Energy, right? Don't worry, God You, I've got plenty of fire in me! Do I need to take off my pants? I'll do it right—"

"Stop!" Chen You was startled. His originally weak gaze instantly became incredibly sharp, and he almost jumped out of the rock pile.

"No need to take off your pants!" Chen You took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to draw his sword and hack the man. "Just stay where you are."

The surrounding players let out a long sigh of relief. A few female players silently lowered their fingers from their eyes, a trace of imperceptible regret flashing through their gazes.

At this moment, the counter in the upper right corner of Chen You's vision finally jumped to '50,000/50,000'.

[Ding! The Yellow Springs Yin-Gathering Formation has been activated.]

[Detected fifty thousand fresh living beings within the formation range; Yang Energy threshold met.]

[Please guide the living beings within the Formation Core to release Yang Energy to extract the Huangquan Essence.]

Chen You was delighted; he could finally begin his Foundation Establishment.

He calmly pulled up the formation's operation interface, preparing for a 'one-click extraction'.

However, the next system prompt made his vision go dark.

[Yang Energy Extraction Method: Sonic Resonance and Emotional Ignition.]

[Currently Designated Track: "song of the heroes".]

[Requirement: Guide fifty thousand living beings to complete a full chorus of the song; emotional synchronization must reach 100%.]

Chen You was stunned.

"song of the heroes"?

You're a high-magic, high-martial arts cultivation and Western fantasy MMO, and the method to extract source energy is actually to make fifty thousand players sing "song of the heroes" together?!

Is this even reasonable?!

"God You?" Seeing Chen You's face turning green and white, Super Meng asked with concern, "Is the curse acting up again? How about I just take off my—"

"Shut up," Chen You interrupted coldly.

He took a deep breath, knowing he had no way out now.

He had to reach Foundation Establishment!

Isn't it just social death?

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the ones embarrassed will be these fifty thousand players.