89: Chapter 89 Only liars make empty promises; true gods give cash.

The darkness beneath the deep well was not a bottomless pit, but a twisted corridor leading to a deeper dimension.

Qin Ji did not hesitate in the slightest; his figure, like a falling meteorite, smashed directly through the invisible barrier that isolated all Aura.

As the depth of his descent increased, the surrounding chill, which was enough to freeze a Soul, began to recede strangely, replaced by air that was dry, ancient, and even carried the scent of dust-covered, decaying wood.

"Thud."

The sound of his combat boots stepping on solid ground was dull and heavy.

Qin Ji straightened his body, his purple-gold pupils slightly contracting as he adapted to the sudden change in light before him.

The monster lair he had expected did not appear; what met his eyes was a dilapidated palace hanging alone in the Void Realm.

It did not resemble the towering, spire-topped castles in Western mythology; instead, it exuded a rich, ancient Great Xia style, with flying eaves and bracket sets, magnificent and grand, yet marked everywhere with the mottled scars of time.

Qin Ji carried his greatsword and stepped forward.

As he approached, that "Divine Might" which had been lingering in the dungeon, vaguely suppressing the players' attributes, completely dissipated at this moment.

This was not because the 【God Slayer Mark】 on his body had taken effect, but because this Divine Might had been forcefully pushed outside the palace by another, more overbearing and purer power.

Qin Ji stopped in front of the main gate of the palace, his gaze moving upward to rest on the plaque filled with cracks.

Two vigorous and powerful traditional characters, coiled like a Dragon and snake, exuded an unyielding arrogance: "Fan Hall!"

"Interesting."

A playful arc curled at the corner of Qin Ji's mouth.

Daring to call it "Fan Hall" in a dungeon filled with gods was like a Titan beast disguised in sheep's clothing mixing into a pack of wolves.

He pushed open the heavy bronze gate.

"Creak—"

The teeth-grating sound of friction echoed within the empty hall.

The hall was empty, with only a statue that was not particularly tall standing in the center.

It was an ancient general clad in tattered armor; his face was blurred, but his posture of holding his head high toward the sky was depicted vividly.

He was leaning on a longsword that was absurdly wide; rather than a sword, it was more like a door panel that had been sharpened.

On both sides of the general's statue, two blood-red lines of large characters were carved onto the mottled stone pillars, the strokes sharp as knives, with Killing Intent piercing to the bone: "Gods have no Dao, Immortals have no virtue, Mortals suffer. Fight against the heavens, kill gods to live, forge immortality."

Qin Ji reached out to touch the cold carvings on the stone pillar, a faint tingling sensation coming from his fingertips.

"Looks like a grumpy old Senior."

He chuckled and did not linger too long in the hall.

Every inch of space here was shrouded in that "Mortal" Aura, without any Aura of monsters; it was clearly just a scene used for narrative or transition.

Passing through the back door of the Fan Hall, the style changed abruptly.

One second it was an ancient and solemn hall, and the next, a scorching wave of heat rushed toward him, instantly singeing a few strands of hair on Qin Ji's forehead.

It was magma. A boundless sea of magma, churning with dark red bubbles.

"Ice and fire in one world?"

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, looking at this spectacular scene before him.

Behind him was the freezing palace of ice and snow, and before him was the boiling lava purgatory; this extreme visual contrast was truly epic.

In the center of the magma sea, a narrow path paved with obsidian wound forward. The pitch-black stone surface was covered with dark red blood patterns, as if they were the marks left by the dried blood of countless living beings.

Qin Ji stepped onto the path, his boot soles making a "sizzling" sound as they made contact with the scorching stone surface.

"The Ice Snow Giant from before had 400 million HP. Since the map has changed here, the monster's strength should be even higher."

He habitually opened his attribute panel, looking at the attack power value that had overflowed the display box, his anticipation reaching its peak.

However, ten minutes passed. Apart from the bubbling sound of the magma, he didn't even see the shadow of a fire elemental around.

"Empty Fort Strategy?"

Qin Ji stopped, somewhat impatiently tapping the magma beside him with his greatsword, splashing up a wave of fiery red.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. An extremely incongruous chill suddenly swept over from the depths of this boiling magma sea.

The surface of the previously churning magma instantly formed a layer of eerie white Frost, and immediately after, a slender figure slowly floated out from the magma.

It was a woman.

She was dressed in a shimmering ice-blue gown, her bare feet stepping on the scorching magma as if it were flat ground.

A visible magnetic field of cold air surrounded her body, colliding violently with the surrounding fire elements, emitting crackling explosions.

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes, the 【True Sight Eye】 instantly activated.

【???】

【HP: ???】

【Attack Power: ???】

【Status: Sealed / Ethereal Form】

Everything was question marks.

But this did not prevent Qin Ji from reacting.

"Bang!"

The greatsword in his hand instantly switched to the pitch-black 【Greedy Longbow】, and an arrow wreathed in purple-gold electric arcs left the string within a thousandth of a second, pointing straight at the woman's glabella.

It doesn't matter who you are; if you show a health bar, you're a monster, and if you're a monster, you must die.

The woman's beautiful eyes slightly contracted; she clearly hadn't expected this human to start attacking without even saying a word of pleasantry upon meeting. She raised her slender hand, her fingertips lightly tapping in the Void Realm.

"Snap."

The arrow, capable of piercing Dragon scales, instantly froze into a lump of ice three inches from her glabella, then fell powerlessly into the magma, turning into a wisp of blue smoke.

"Oh? You have some tricks."

Qin Ji lowered his longbow, but his right hand had already quietly reached for the 【God Slayer Dagger】 at his waist. Since ranged attacks were ineffective, he would just get up close and hack her to death.

"Adventurer, put away your Killing Intent."

The woman spoke, her voice ethereal as if it came from above the Nine Heavens, carrying an unquestionable nobility. "There is no need for us to become enemies."

"Are you the Goddess of Ice and Snow?"

Qin Ji looked her up and down, his gaze scanning her perfect ethereal curves without restraint, as if evaluating the value of a commodity.

The woman nodded slightly, her expression arrogant: "Correct, I am the Lord of Ice and Snow, of the Northern Territory..."

"I have no interest in listening to your titles."

Qin Ji directly interrupted her casting pre-animation, playing with the dagger in his hand, his tone lazy. "You said there's no need to be enemies, which means you want to be friends with me? Since we are friends, where is the greeting gift?"

The expression of the Goddess of Ice and Snow froze for a moment.

She had stayed in this place of Seal for thousands of years and had seen countless Mortals who had stumbled into this place; some knelt in awe, some fled in terror, but she had never seen this kind of... scoundrel who demanded benefits the moment he opened his mouth.

"As long as you help me escape," the Goddess of Ice and Snow took a deep breath, suppressing the displeasure in her heart, and threw out the bargaining chip that would drive any Mortal crazy. "I can bestow upon you a kingdom."

"The Star Kingdom, the richest land in the Northern Territory. As long as I regain my divine power, that kingdom will be yours."

Her voice was full of temptation, combined with that holy and inviolable temperament, it was simply the highest level of pyramid scheme scene.

If it were an ordinary player, hearing "gift a kingdom," they would probably have knelt down in excitement long ago. After all, in "God Domain," territory is a cash cow, let alone a complete kingdom.

But who was Qin Ji? He was a ruthless person who would even slap a dog on the side of the road to farm "Block Value."

After hearing this, not only was he not excited, but he also showed an expression as if looking at a fool.

"Big sister, even the scammers in Northern Myanmar don't use these lines anymore."

Qin Ji sneered, the dagger in his hand performing a beautiful knife trick. "Who doesn't know how to draw a big pie? I could even say that when I become a God King, I'll gift the entire Universe to you. Do you believe it?"

"Presumptuous!"

The Goddess of Ice and Snow was slightly angry, the surrounding magma instantly exploding into several pillars of fire. "I am a god, and gods never speak falsely!"

"Cut the crap."

Qin Ji stepped forward, his Aura not in the slightest bit inferior to this god. "You being a god only proves that you were once very good at fighting; it doesn't prove your character. Moreover, you are now just a remnant Soul that is sealed; you play the 'empty-handed wolf' game quite well."

He extended one hand, palm upward, and rubbed his fingers, making a gesture common throughout the entire Universe.

"Give me something practical. Tens of thousands of free attribute points, or a few Divine Artifacts, or at the very least, a Divine-Grade skill book would do. As long as the money is right, let alone saving you, I'd even scatter the ashes of your enemy."

The Goddess of Ice and Snow looked at the rubbing fingers, an unprecedented look of astonishment appearing on her beautiful face, which then turned into deep gloom.

Tens of thousands of free attribute points? A few Divine Artifacts? Is this human crazy?

Does he really think these things fall from the sky? Even in her prime, if she wanted to condense tens of thousands of points of pure Origin attributes, she would have to suffer serious damage!

"Mortal, your greed exceeds your status."

The Goddess of Ice and Snow said coldly, "I am currently in a state of Seal and cannot give you these. At most, I can only bestow upon you a 【Blessing of the Gods】 right now; this is my bottom line."

"Tch, poor thing."

Qin Ji curled his lips, the disdain in his eyes undisguised.

But he knew in his heart that squeezing also requires timing. This goddess was clearly a down-and-out Phoenix; if he really pushed her too hard and she self-destructed, while he wouldn't be afraid, the benefits would be gone.

"Fine, mosquito legs are still meat."

Qin Ji put away his dagger, looking reluctant. "Give the blessing first, let me verify the goods. If the effect is not good, I will catch your ethereal form and take it back to raise as a pet; my guild just happens to be missing a mascot."

The chest of the Goddess of Ice and Snow heaved violently a few times; she was clearly very angry.

She, a dignified god, had actually fallen to the point of being extorted and humiliated by a Mortal like this.

"You will pay the price for your arrogance."

She gritted her teeth and raised her hand, a brilliant ice-blue radiance condensing from her fingertips, then turning into a stream of light that went straight into Qin Ji's glabella.

【Ding! You have obtained the "Temporary Blessing of the Goddess of Ice and Snow"!】

【All Attributes +500!】

【Obtain Passive: Frost Affinity (Ice-type resistance increased by 80%, recover 2% HP per second in ice and snow environments).】

【Duration: 24 hours.】

Qin Ji glanced at the panel, his brows slightly furrowed.

Only +500 to all attributes? If this were killing monsters, it would just be a matter of a few hundred elite monsters. This so-called goddess was indeed a cheapskate.

"Alright, the goods don't match the description, but it'll do."

Qin Ji moved his neck, making a cracking sound. Those purple-gold pupils locked onto the goddess hovering above the magma again, his eyes filled with a heart-palpitating aggressiveness.

"Speak, who do you want me to take care of for you? Or... do you want me to dig something out from down here?"

As he spoke, he took out the 【epoch cauldron fragment】 that had just performed a great service from his backpack. The heavy bronze fragment tossed up and down in his hand, and every time it fell back into his palm, it caused the surrounding space to emit an unbearable hum.

The Goddess of Ice and Snow watched that fragment, her eyelids twitching wildly. This human... what kind of contraband is he carrying with him?!

"Pass through this magma sea," she pointed to the end of the pitch-black path ahead, her voice filled with a hint of undisguised fear. "There is a door there. My divine spark fragment is in the hands of the guardian behind the door."

"But I must warn you, that guardian..."

"No need to introduce."

Qin Ji directly interrupted her, shouldering the 【epoch cauldron fragment】, and strode toward the depths of the path.

His back was stretched extremely long against the backdrop of the churning magma, like a Demon God about to go to the battlefield.

"As long as there is a health bar, I will kill even a god for you to see."

Qin Ji's voice came from afar, carrying a casual arrogance. "Remember to prepare your kingdom; if you dare to default on the debt... I will let you know what a creditor crueler than a demon is."

The magma surged, and the heat waves were overwhelming.

Qin Ji's figure gradually disappeared into the red mist, leaving only the Goddess of Ice and Snow hovering alone in mid-air, watching the figure gradually moving away, her originally cold expression gradually becoming complex.

She subconsciously clenched her somewhat transparent palm; in the center of that palm, a trace of imperceptible black Aura was quietly spreading, just like some ancient curse about to lose control, grinning silently in the shadows.