Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse

This was a departure from his usual demeanor. If it had been before, Du Guyun would have displayed utter indifference, adopting an aloof attitude. But now, things were different.

It wasn’t the death of Mozi Moyuan that concerned him; rather, it was the drop in his cultivation level that bothered him.

This worry over his cultivation, coupled with the failure to devour Qin Ershi’s origin, made him desperately want to devour it.

However, the idea of killing Qin Ershi was out of reach for him. He simply didn’t possess the capability. Only Du Guxiong had the means to accomplish such a feat.

“Let’s discuss this later,” Du Guxiong said, visibly irritable.

The death of Mozi Moyuan had completely blindsided him. In his plans, Mozi Moyuan was at least supposed to set foot in the trial space.

It wouldn’t have mattered if he couldn’t reach the hundredth layer in the end; at least an attempt would have been made. Now, with Mozi Moyuan being killed before even starting in the trial space, they were left in the dark about his potential limits.

If Mozi Moyuan could have reached the goal, their loss would be significant without that thing from inside. Now, with Du Guyun suggesting he make a move on Qin Ershi, Du Guxiong was running out of patience.

If not for Du Guyun’s usefulness, he might have killed him on the spot for his ineffectiveness and pretentious demeanor.

Despite Du Guyun being his son, Du Guxiong wouldn’t give him special treatment. To Du Guxiong, there were no so-called relatives or friends, only those who were beneficial to him.

Those who were useful were considered family; those who weren’t were deemed worthless and not worth a second glance.

It was peculiar how both father and son, cold by nature, never truly saw each other as family but merely used each other for their ends.

Observing Du Guxiong’s mood, Du Guyun initially wanted to press further but decided against it, considering it was not the best time to disturb his already troubled mind.

“The Primordial Holy Son has reached the fiftieth layer!” someone announced.

“Such speed! Huang Qingtian is still on the thirty-fifth layer! Bai Chen and Qin Ershi are also not far behind, having reached the thirtieth layer!”

“But Yan Ruyu is somewhat unexpected, managing to reach the thirty-second layer and still not being overtaken by Bai Chen and the others!”

“Was Yan Ruyu always this formidable? To be ahead of Bai Chen and Qin Ershi is indeed strange!”

“Perhaps it’s because Yan Ruyu entered ahead of them?”

“Even so, it’s odd. If it were the Yan Ruyu of the past, with Bai Chen and Qin Ershi’s capabilities, she would have been surpassed long ago!”

“Yan Ruyu is not much different from these unparalleled geniuses!”

“This generation’s Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land really is full of surprises, with so many talents emerging, not just the Primordial Holy Son but also Yan Ruyu!” Many powerful beings expressed their astonishment.

Yan Ruyu, who was still leading Qin Ershi and the others surprised them so much. Even if Yan Ruyu had entered early, her position was still a shocking feat.

The higher the layer, the greater the pressure, testing all aspects: physique, cultivation, talent, and Dao heart. If not exceptional enough, it would be easy to be surpassed.

Normally, geniuses would struggle after reaching the thirtieth layer, easily overtaken by prodigies like Qin Ershi.

Yet, Yan Ruyu had not been surpassed was enough to astonish everyone. It indicated that Yan Ruyu was not much inferior to the rest in all aspects, perhaps only slightly in strength.

“Old fellow, your Primordial Holy Son is really stealing the spotlight!” Zhiyang Zhenren commented sarcastically as he watched the screen unfold before him.

Jiang Chen was one thing, but the emergence of Yan Ruyu was another matter entirely. The most infuriating part was that Yan Ruyu wasn’t even cultivated by the Primordial Holy Land. Instead, she was a follower subdued by the Primordial Holy Son.

“Not at all, your Pure Yang Holy Son isn’t doing badly either, quickly closing in on Yan Ruyu!” the Grand Elder said with a laugh.

Zhiyang Zhenren’s eyelids twitched. There were still several layers between them. Is this what you call ‘quickly closing in’? Damn it.

Zhiyang Zhenren knew that continuing this conversation would only give the Grand Elder more chances to boast, so he chose to remain silent.

In the trial space, stepping onto the fiftieth layer, the pressure intensified once again. However, for Jiang Chen, it was still manageable.

At the same time, a beam of energy descended from the sky, infusing into Jiang Chen’s body.

“Energy?” Feeling the energy entering his body, Jiang Chen immediately activated a secret technique, fully converting it.

The rewards here were bizarre, including a variety of things. Many people received cultivation level rewards, causing their cultivation to soar.

However, for Jiang Chen, such energy was just a drop in the bucket. It didn’t significantly enhance his cultivation. Yet, he was getting closer to the quasi-Saint realm.

“Still no pressure!” Jiang Chen mused internally. The pressure of the fiftieth layer was still too minimal, barely making him feel any strain.

“This guy is still so fast!” Huang Qingtian, trailing behind, could only see Jiang Chen’s back.

No matter how he sped up, Jiang Chen maintained a steady pace, always keeping him at bay. Instead, the gap in layers between them didn’t shrink; it widened even more.

“All freaks!” Holy Son of Pure Yang and Jin Changhe were dumbfounded. It seemed they had been completely left behind. While others had already reached the thirtieth layer, they were still loitering around the twentieth.

“At least I have this guy for company!” As if by telepathy, they looked at each other at the same time. However, upon seeing each other, their expressions immediately darkened.

“Jin Changhe, didn’t you say you’d surpass them?” Pure Yang Holy Son said sarcastically. “Why aren’t you hurrying up to catch them!”

“What about you? Are you content being left behind?” Jin Changhe had learned to be smart and didn’t fall for it. As long as he wasn’t overtaken by Pure Yang Holy Son, that was enough. Catching up to those ahead would have to wait.

“I never said I’d surpass them!” He stated flatly.

“Lack of ambition!” Jin Changhe scoffed, “Since you’re so unambitious, then I’ll take my leave first!” With those words, Jin Changhe suddenly accelerated, leaving him behind.

“Damn, isn’t this guy saving any strength?” Seeing Jin Changhe speed up, he got anxious. Losing to others was one thing, but he couldn’t lose to Jin Changhe.

If he lost to Jin Changhe, how would he ever tease him again? At the sixtieth layer, a divine light descended before Jiang Chen. It transformed into a large bell, its body black and bearing an ancient and time-worn appearance, radiating an indescribable hue.

This was a Dao weapon, extremely valuable even in the outside world. Jiang Chen glanced at it and without much attention, stored it away.

Almost simultaneously, a light column fell in front of him, morphing into a bizarre creature. It took the form of a cyan-white dragon, its serpentine body coiling in front of him, its overwhelming pressure enveloping the entire space, spreading a powerful aura of the Saint realm. This was a quasi-Saint being.

“A quasi-Saint?” Jiang Chen wasn’t too surprised.

The original story had detailed descriptions. After stepping onto the sixtieth layer, a being one realm higher would appear based on the cultivator’s realm. Only by defeating this being could one advance to higher levels.

Jiang Chen, being at the Great Master Realm, naturally faced a quasi-Saint as his challenger.

“Meteor Fist!” Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate for a moment, throwing out a punch immediately. The silver fist imprint was like a falling star.

With a bang, the cyan-white dragon exploded on impact, as if made of paper, like a toy, bursting upon contact. It couldn’t block Jiang Chen for even a moment.

“Casually slaying a quasi-Saint?” The saint beings of the Golden Crow clan twitched their eyelids, revealing a trace of astonishment.