62: Chapter 62 A Bumper Harvest of Gems, Giving Donghai City a Small Shock to the Undead

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the ruins of the Bronze Hall a tragic, vivid blood-red.

Qin Ji stood amidst the scattered mess, casually waving away the dust in front of him. The twenty Headless Knights that had just finished being converted stood behind him like the most loyal statues, silently exuding a suffocating chill from the abyss.

"So these are the rewards for the first kill? They're a bit more generous than I imagined."

Qin Ji bent down to pick up the loot dropped by the Silver Commander (Puppet). Aside from those few pieces of equipment shimmering with silver light, what caught his eye the most was a pile of colorful gems scattered on the ground.

[Ding! You have obtained Level 5 Strength Ruby ×12.]

[Ding! You have obtained Level 5 Spirit Sapphire ×18.]

[Ding! You have obtained...]

"A total of 40 Level 5 gems, and spirit-attribute ones actually account for half of them."

Qin Ji weighed the gem circulating with a deep blue light in his hand, his lips curling into a satisfied arc. In the setting of God Domain, equipment of Gold Rank and above all have socket positions, and legendary rank even has three. If he filled this entire black god set with Level 5 gems, his attributes would likely take flight directly.

"Just right, I'll go to the nearest main city to have these gems socketed."

Qin Ji snapped his fingers, and the space behind him rippled.

"Big guy, come out and be my ride."

Roar—!

Along with a deep Dragon roar, the massive Bone Dragon Turtle—or perhaps it should be called Abyss · War Fortress now—crashed onto the ground. Qin Ji tapped his toes and his figure landed lightly on the Dragon Turtle's broad, plaza-like carapace.

"Target: Donghai City."

Massive bone wings unfurled, kicking up a gale as they carried Qin Ji into the sky.

However, just as Qin Ji flew out of the mountains and was about to check his map navigation, an extremely sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the clouds below and to his side.

"Hmm?"

Qin Ji's brows twitched slightly; he didn't even turn his head, merely shifting his thoughts.

Buzz!

A layer of pale black Void Realm Shield instantly formed by his side.

Boom!!

A silver-white spear, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, slammed into the shield, stirring up a visible ring of energy ripples. Although the shield didn't break, this massive impact still caused Qin Ji to take half a step back on the Dragon Turtle's back.

"Good reaction. No wonder you could kill that waste of a Gold Commander."

A cold voice rang out.

The sea of clouds below exploded as a knight wearing silver streamlined battle armor stepped on the Void Realm, holding a still-vibrating spear, staring at Qin Ji with the eyes of a predator.

[Silver Arbiter · Kyle (LV.55 · Elite Boss)]

[Faction: Holy Empire · Bounty Hunter]

[Description: An Imperial dog specialized in hunting down red-named players, possessing extremely high mobility and single-target burst power.]

"Another of the Empire's pests?"

Qin Ji brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeve, his gaze playful. "That Gold Commander just now said the same thing. Right now, his head is still buried in the ruins over there. Do you want to go catch up with him?"

"Arrogant!"

A flicker of rage flashed in Kyle's eyes. "Don't compare me to that waste who relied on his Family to get promoted! Remember, the one who kills you is the 'Silver Moon Spear God'!"

Before his voice had even faded, Kyle's figure suddenly sank. His whole body became like a fully drawn bow, and the spear in his hand erupted with a blinding silver light.

"Silver Moon: Explosive Dragon Heart Piercer!"

Whoosh!

He turned into a silver streak of light, crossing hundreds of meters in an instant, the tip of his spear pointing directly at Qin Ji's heart. The speed of this strike was extreme, even leaving afterimages on the retina.

Qin Ji stood his ground, merely tilting his body slightly.

It wasn't that he was being overconfident, but rather he was testing the ultimate defense of this black god set.

Bang!!

The spear accurately struck Qin Ji's chestplate.

Along with the explosive clang of metal, a series of intense ripples like water patterns appeared on the surface of the black god chestplate.

-156,695!!

A massive damage number popped up above Qin Ji's head.

"Interesting."

Qin Ji glanced at his health bar, which had only dropped by a small fraction, and his lips curled slightly. A Level 50 Elite Boss's ultimate move actually managed to break through his defense; it seemed this so-called "Bounty Hunter" really did have some skill.

"Fire Spear Nine-Hit Combo!"

Having landed a hit, Kyle pressed his advantage. The spear in his hand turned into countless afterimages, frantically stabbing at Qin Ji. He wanted to use this moment of stagger to kill this arrogant mage in one go.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The dense sounds of impact were like rain hitting banana leaves.

-51,982.

-52,350.

-51,956.

...

A string of damage numbers over 50,000 flickered frantically.

The light on the black god set on Qin Ji's body began to dim, especially on the chestplate area, where a tiny crack even appeared.

"Die!!"

A bloodthirsty light flashed in Kyle's eyes as his final spear, wreathed in flames, stabbed fiercely toward Qin Ji's throat.

However, just as the tip of the spear was about to touch his skin...

A slender and fair palm abruptly reached out and firmly grasped the spear shaft.

Sizzle—

The high-speed rotating spear shaft ground against his palm, creating blinding sparks, yet it could no longer advance a single inch.

"Are you done hitting me?"

Qin Ji raised his head, and those originally pitch-black eyes had now turned an eerie grey-white.

"What?!"

Kyle's pupils shrank violently. He felt as if his spear were welded into a massive mountain; no matter how much strength he exerted, it wouldn't budge at all.

"Since you're done, then it's my turn."

Qin Ji's left hand suddenly clenched.

Crack!

That epic rank Silver Moon Spear actually had fingerprints squeezed into it by his bare hand!

In the next second, five pitch-black Void Realm Orbs appeared behind Qin Ji, like five miniature black holes, emitting heart-palpitating fluctuations.

"Go."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The five orbs traced eerie arcs in the air, like homing missiles with their own consciousness, sealing off all of Kyle's paths of retreat.

"Damn it! Super Armor!"

Kyle roared, his entire body lighting up with a golden-red glow as he tried to tank the hit.

Boom boom boom!!

The orbs exploded on his body, and the black Void Realm energy instantly swallowed his protective battle Qi.

-85,925!

-85,699!

...

"How can it be this high?!"

Kyle watched as a third of his health bar evaporated instantly, his scalp tingling. Was this really the normal attack damage of a mage?

He wanted to pull away, but Qin Ji gave him no chance.

"Trying to run?"

Qin Ji made a grasping motion toward the Void Realm, and Abyss Grasp was activated.

A massive black ghostly hand reached out from the Void Realm, grabbed Kyle's ankle, and slammed him fiercely onto the Dragon Turtle's hard carapace like a ragdoll.

Bang!

Bone fragments flew everywhere.

Kyle was slammed so hard he was dazed. Just as he tried to crawl up, he saw Qin Ji unhurriedly pulling a red potion from his bag and gulping it down.

Gulp.

+200,000.

The small amount of health he had just lost was instantly refilled.

"You..."

Kyle felt a deep sense of despair. This abnormal defense, terrifying damage, and this unreasonable recovery ability—how was he supposed to fight?

"Silver Moon: Blazing Cloud-Piercing Strike!"

In his desperate situation, Kyle erupted with his final desire to survive. He burned his health points, turning himself into a dazzling fireball in an attempt to make a final, desperate struggle.

"Boring."

Qin Ji shook his head, not even bothering to lift a finger.

The Bone Dragon Turtle beneath his feet suddenly opened its abyssal maw.

Roar!!!

A grey-white Death Breath surged out, instantly swallowing the fireball.

There was no suspense.

The flames were extinguished, and the silver armor shattered.

Kyle's body stiffened in mid-air, then crumbled inch by inch like weathered rock, turning into flying ash.

[Ding! You have killed Silver Arbiter · Kyle, gaining 150,000 Experience Points.]

[Ding! Triggered Greedy Grasp, plundered attribute: Agility +300.]

"Only 300 points of Agility? What a pauper."

Qin Ji curled his lip, not even bothering to pick up the treasure chest dropped by the boss.

After this little interlude, Qin Ji was no longer in the mood to continue testing his equipment. He sat cross-legged on the Dragon's head, opened the map of Donghai City, and re-planned his route.

"I hope I can get the gems socketed before dark."

...

Half an hour later.

A magnificent, giant city appeared on the horizon.

Donghai City, as one of the ten Grade-1 main cities in God Domain, was far larger in scale than a Newbie Village. Its hundred-meter-high walls were built from obsidian, inscribed with complex defensive magic arrays, and in the sky, there were even patrols of Griffon Knights.

Qin Ji rode the Bone Dragon Turtle, flying grandly toward the city gates.

However, just as he was about to enter the city's airspace...

"Stop!"

In the distance, a squad of Griffons flew over at high speed. The leading captain, wearing a set of fine standard armor, shouted sternly from afar and made a "stop" gesture.

"Don't you know that private flying is prohibited in Donghai City?"

Qin Ji frowned and signaled the Dragon Turtle to stop.

"There's such a rule?"

He glanced at the squad captain.

[Donghai City Guard Captain (LV. ???)]

All question marks.

It seemed the foundation of Donghai City was indeed deep; even the gatekeepers were Advanced NPCs.

The squad captain rode his Griffon up to Qin Ji, but just as he was about to scold him, the Griffon beneath him suddenly let out a whimper. As if it had encountered a natural enemy, it began to tremble violently, not even daring to look up at the Bone Dragon Turtle beneath Qin Ji's feet.

This was the absolute Bloodline suppression from a high-ranking undead creature.

"This... what kind of mount is this?!"

The squad captain's expression changed, and only then did he notice the colossal creature beneath Qin Ji's feet, which was exuding terrifying Death Qi.

But thinking of his duty, he still steeled himself and handed Qin Ji a ticket.

"No matter who you are, considering this is your first offense, you'll only be fined 100 gold coins. If you want to fly in Donghai City, you must hold a Flight Permit issued by the City Lord's Manor."

Perhaps wary of the Bone Dragon Turtle's pressure, the squad captain's tone softened quite a bit, but his attitude remained firm.

"100 gold coins?"

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow. It wasn't about the money; the main issue was that his current identity was an "Imperial Wanted Criminal." If he paid the fine and left a record, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

His eyes darted around, and he didn't take the ticket. Instead, he looked at the squad captain with a faint smile.

"May I ask where City Lord Situ Ji is right now?"

Hearing this name, the squad captain's pupils shrank violently.

Situ Ji!

That was the City Lord of Donghai City, a legendary demigod rank expert! This young man actually dared to call the City Lord by his name?

The squad captain sized Qin Ji up with uncertainty.

This look was significant; he was shocked to find that this young man's Rank had actually reached Level 20!

One must know that the Descendants had only just arrived in this world yesterday. Reaching Level 20 in a single day? This was simply inconceivable! Combined with this terrifying undead behemoth...

Could he be the City Lord's illegitimate son? Or perhaps the Young Lord of some Hidden Family?

Countless thoughts flashed through the squad captain's mind.

As a sly fox who had been in official circles for many years, he made a judgment in an instant.

Swish.

The ticket was inconspicuously tucked away, and the squad captain's face was instantly covered with a warm smile, his change of expression so fast it was staggering.

"Oh, so you're the City Lord's honored guest! My apologies, I didn't recognize one of our own!"

"Little brother, are you looking for the City Lord for something?"

"Mhm."

Qin Ji nodded calmly and made up a story on the spot. "The City Lord entrusted me with a task. Now that it's done, I've naturally come to report back."

As he spoke, he also intentionally or unintentionally flicked his finger, and a Level 5 Ruby emitting terrifying fluctuations flashed and vanished at his fingertips.

The squad captain's eyelids twitched wildly.

A Level 5 gem! That was a rare item even he had never seen before!

Now it was confirmed—this was definitely a big shot!

"Understood, understood!"

The squad captain's expression turned solemn, and he quickly stepped aside to make way. "Since it's a special case, there's no need to follow those rigid rules. Little brother, please follow me, I'll take you to the City Lord's Manor right now!"

After speaking, he fiercely slapped the still-shaking Griffon beneath him. "You beast, what are you shaking for! You useless thing!"

The Griffon gave a wronged whimper before finally managing to flap its wings and take flight.

Qin Ji's lips curled slightly as he withdrew his Evil Qi and followed closely on the Dragon Turtle.

The two of them, one after the other, quickly crossed the bustling urban area and arrived at the Floating Island in the center of the city—the City Lord's Manor.

"Little brother, here is..."

Before the squad captain could finish his sentence, a vast, sea-like pressure suddenly erupted from deep within the City Lord's Manor.

Buzz!

Space distorted.

An old man wearing a Purple-Gold Robe and holding a scepter appeared out of thin air. He had hair and a beard that were completely white, but his eyes were sharp and spirited, and his whole being exuded an Aura of majesty without needing to be angry.

It was the Donghai City Lord, Situ Ji.

"Why is it you?"

The moment he saw Qin Ji, a flicker of astonishment clearly crossed Situ Ji's face.

He had sensed an extremely pure and evil undead Aura approaching the City Lord's Manor and had originally thought an Abyss monster was invading, which was why he had come out personally to check.

He hadn't expected it to be this Descendant kid he had just met yesterday.

But quickly, his gaze was drawn to the Bone Dragon Turtle beneath Qin Ji's feet.

"Abyss-Corrupted... Bone War Fortress?!"

Situ Ji's voice even changed pitch slightly.

As a well-traveled demigod rank expert, he recognized the origin of this thing at a glance. This was a top-tier war weapon that only appeared in the deepest parts of the Abyss battlefield; how could it be ridden by a Level 20 little fellow?!

"Dragon... Dragon King rank?!"

The squad captain on the side heard the City Lord's words and was so scared he almost fell off his Griffon's back, his eyes bulging.

Situ Ji took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and waved his hand to the squad captain, saying, "Alright, there's nothing more for you here, you may leave."

"Yes... yes!"

The squad captain left as if he had been granted a great reprieve, riding his Griffon away in a hurry. He knew very well that the following conversation was not something a small figure of his level could hear.

Once the others had left, Situ Ji re-examined Qin Ji, his gaze becoming exceptionally complex.

"Little fellow, your growth speed simply makes this old man feel fear."

"The City Lord overpraises me."

Qin Ji smiled faintly, leapt down from the Dragon Turtle's back, and landed lightly in front of Situ Ji. "I was just lucky and picked up a few pieces of equipment, that's all."

"Picked up?"

Situ Ji's lips twitched.

"Why don't you go pick up an Abyss · War Fortress for me and see?"

Forget it, everyone has their own secrets.

Situ Ji shook his head and lightly tapped the Void Realm with his scepter.

Buzz!

A blue teleportation gate opened in front of the two of them.

"Follow me inside; this isn't the place to talk."

As he spoke, he glanced at the massive Bone Dragon Turtle, his eyes twitching as he added, "Remember to put that thing away. Although this old man's reception hall is spacious, it can't handle that thing's tossing around."

Qin Ji shrugged, waved his hand, and the massive Dragon Turtle instantly turned into a streak of light and entered his glabella.

As the sun set, the last ray of light fell on Qin Ji's back. He tidied his slightly messy collar, his lips wearing that signature sly smile as he stepped into the teleportation gate that represented the highest power in Donghai City.

The gate slowly closed, isolating all the noise and prying eyes.