308: Puzzled

Ye Chun wore a Heshui Prefecture robe, white with a hint of light blue, its patterns and fabric integrated, exuding an overall sense of nobility.

He himself was an extremely important Legacy holder of the Heshui Prefecture, very likely to become the new Sect Head, and his combat power and authority were both astonishing.

Furthermore, Ye Chun was a former professional player, always composed and rarely losing his composure in games, only using the calmest mind to calculate gains and losses, and weigh the pros and cons.

But now, he had lost his composure.

He was uncharacteristically angry, pressing his hands heavily on Tian Chi Ling's shoulders.

For a fleeting moment, the Golden Core-level pressure could have completely crushed Tian Chi Ling, but fortunately, Ye Chun still held back, controlling his strength.

But then, he abruptly pulled back his fist and smashed it fiercely to the side.

Boom!

The distant mountain instantly turned to dust, the Golden Core's fist continued to spread, and the roaring sound lingered for a long time.

Tian Chi Ling merely stood there blankly; under the Mind Control Technique, she had no self-awareness, completely reduced to a Puppet that only answered questions.

She could no longer lie.

"How is that possible?"

Ye Chun's lips trembled, his fists shook, and the long spear in his other hand had long since fallen to the ground; he was almost shaking so much that he would collapse to his knees.

"How is that possible?"

Ye Chun repeated, his face full of disbelief, as if his worldview was about to crumble.

He asked again: "Does the Tian Family truly possess a Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power?"

Tian Chi Ling opened her mouth blankly and said: "The Tian Family has never had a Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power."

A definitive answer under the Mind Control Technique, with no possibility of deception.

Ye Chun was not a reckless man; after learning the Mind Control Technique, he had experimented with others. As long as they were natives, even powerful Immortal Foundation-level natives, once hit, they would lose self-awareness and reveal all their secrets.

However, he was unwilling to believe it.

He couldn't help but continue to ask: "Then is there anything else? A Fifth-Grade Cultivation Technique? A Fifth-Grade Magic Treasure? A Fifth-Grade Medicinal Pill? Anything of Fifth-Grade will do."

Tian Chi Ling said blankly: "No, the Tian Family has no Fifth-Grade treasures. Not now, and not before."

Ye Chun stood stiffly for a long time before finally saying: "Then... what about Sixth-Grade? A Sixth-Grade Natal Divine Power? Or other Sixth-Grade treasures, surely there's something?"

Tian Chi Ling said: "No, the Tian Family has no Sixth-Grade treasures. Not now, and not before."

Ye Chun suddenly felt a bit dizzy, truly feeling like he might fall to the ground.

He even felt something constantly rising in his throat; he knew it was his own blood.

He forcibly endured it and asked: "Does the Tian Family have a foundation? What grade is its foundation?"

This time, Tian Chi Ling gave a different answer:

"The Tian Family's foundation is a Seventh-Grade Magical Artifact, which was brought to Great River City when they left the Southern Mountains."

Ye Chun suddenly burst into laughter, a wild and yet pathetic laugh.

The Tian Family of Great River City was already gone; that mere Seventh-Grade Magical Artifact couldn't possibly withstand the might of a Golden Core, it must have long since disappeared.

All that struggle, only for this result?

Ye Chun laughed wildly, his laughter echoing far and wide. Each laugh was like a sonic attack, constantly shattering the surrounding mountains and rivers.

When he stopped, the surroundings had already become a ruin, and the ground beneath his feet had collapsed into a giant pit, leaving only a suspended rock where he and Tian Chi Ling stood.

The strength of a Golden Core Cultivator was indeed formidable, every action beyond the imagination of Mortals.

But Ye Chun, this Golden Core Cultivator, felt a certain sadness today.

He was silent for a long time, then finally asked: "Then, what about the traces of a Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power that were shown to me before?"

Ye Chun was not foolish; on the contrary, he was very intelligent.

He never believed that the Xuanhuan World was like other games, where a quest always guaranteed a reward.

In the Xuanhuan World, deceit was common, and native Cultivators who issued quests could easily trick players with false rewards.

Initially, many players fell for it, but as such incidents became more frequent, players grew smarter. They either demanded a deposit or judged whether the native Cultivator had the ability to provide the reward, and if possible, they would even personally take their reward.

Ye Chun was a very confident player. He was unwavering in his Dao, and he clearly knew he was playing a next-generation game where many things needed to be learned from scratch, and he was confident he learned quickly.

Not only did his Cultivation level increase extremely fast, but his relationships with the natives were also handled exceptionally well; he even had a chance to take over as the Sect Head of Heshui Prefecture.

This was very rare among the player community.

When he saw the traces of a Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power from Tian Chi Ling, he also made a judgment.

Firstly, the traces were real, not fake; they couldn't deceive a Golden Core like him.

Secondly, he specifically went to the Southern Mountains to investigate and confirmed that the Tian Family had once been prominent, and there were indeed legends of Nascent Soul-level Cultivators there.

Lastly, other professional teams with more intelligence sources were also eyeing the Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power, which undoubtedly made the matter even more credible.

So Ye Chun had never thought that Tian Chi Ling was deceiving him. Everything he prepared was to deal with the plundering of other Golden Core Cultivators.

In the end, he won, successfully hiding with Tian Chi Ling, and could easily take the Fourth-Grade Natal Divine Power.

He would step into another glory.

But... why?

Why was it fake?

Ye Chun had countless unanswered questions in his heart.

Tian Chi Ling looked at him, her eyes vacant, still under the influence of the Mind Control Technique.

But soon, Tian Chi Ling's expression changed; her eyes were still vacant, but her lips curled up, forming an arc of mockery.

This eerie expression made Ye Chun momentarily stunned.

"That's because, of course, there was a Nascent Soul expert, surpassing your Golden Core, making a move, which led you all into the trap."

Tian Chi Ling's voice startled Ye Chun, making him abruptly look up at the sky.

He already had an answer in his heart.

But it was still full of confusion.

"But... why?

"I also considered it, considered you making a move against me.

"But you, a Nascent Soul-level expert, if you truly wanted to act against me, I would have no power to resist.

"You could have openly crushed me, just as you crushed the Golden Core Cultivators near the Great Jiang Treasure Vault.

"But why did you set up a scheme? Just to lure us Golden Core Cultivators into fighting each other?

"But what benefit would that bring you?"

Tian Chi Ling still maintained her vacant gaze, as if she were still under the influence of the Mind Control Technique, but Ye Chun knew that a more powerful force had taken over this body.

Tian Chi Ling's lips curled up, and she said in a playful voice:

"Killing you? That would be meaningless.

"Ye Chun, have you forgotten? You are players, players who can undergo Rebirth endlessly.

"What meaning is there in killing you?"