Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 210

“Do it again! This round doesn’t count! It doesn’t count!” Jie Ying Xing Hun clenched his fists and shouted. In the blink of an eye, before he even had the chance to make a move or display his overwhelming power and continuous sword intent, he had already suffered a crushing defeat due to the opponent’s calculations. How could he possibly accept this?

Murong Qiu Shui pursed his lips, clearly speechless.

“Why doesn’t it count?” Ye Tian Xie walked over with a cold expression and asked indifferently.

“He ambushed me…And if I hadn’t been so unlucky to get knocked down, I would have defeated him! This time, I’m not convinced! Let’s do it again!” Jie Ying Xing Hun gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows as he spoke.

Ye Tian Xie raised an eyebrow and said coldly, “A loss is a loss. Never make excuses for your failures, and never try to rationalize someone else’s strength. If you can’t even grasp this, you’ll never be able to defeat Murong Qiu Shui. In a real battle, only the victor has the right to smile. There’s no such thing as ambushes or luck.”

“I…” Jie Ying Xing Hun was left speechless by Ye Tian Xie’s words.

“The Heavenly Soul Mercenary Group only recruits the strongest elites. Come find me again when you’ve truly become powerful enough. For now, you’re not weak, but you’re too immature… Farewell!”

After briefly instructing Zuo Po Jun and Murong Qiu Shui, Ye Tian Xie swiftly departed with Su Fei Fei back to the city. Jie Ying Xing Hun stood there, staring blankly at the spot where Ye Tian Xie had just stood, unable to speak for a long time.

Although not weak, too immature…

In his mind, the words that Ling Yun  had once said to him with a calm gaze echoed repeatedly: 『You’re too immature』.

His fists clenched unconsciously. Suddenly, he turned around and said to Murong Qiu Shui, “Let’s spar again.”

“I refuse” Murong Qiu Shui replied, turning his back with a carefree tone. “I only fought you just now because it was my second brother’s request. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother fighting a self-important kid… Losers have no right to make demands. Come back in two or three years when you’ve matured a bit. Oh, one last piece of advice from your big brother Qiu Shui: While levels are important, high levels don’t necessarily mean high strength. If you’re truly strong enough, even at level zero, my second brother would still be willing to let you join the Heavenly Soul Mercenary Group.”

Jie Ying Xing Hun’s expression flickered as he suddenly asked, “Xie Tian is your second brother?”

“Ah! You’ve discovered such an earth-shattering secret! Well, remember to keep it to yourself, or else… Oh ho ho ho ho…”

Jie Ying Xing Hun shivered violently all over.

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Tianchen City 

Ye Tian Xie hurried to the City Lord’s Mansion at top speed. He walked in unimpeded and saw the City Lord of Tianchen pacing anxiously with his hands behind his back. Upon seeing Ye Tian Xie, the City Lord quickly approached him and said without preamble, “Xie Tian, you’ve finally come… There’s an extremely important matter. After much thought, I feel only you can handle it.”

“What’s the matter?” Ye Tian Xie asked directly.

The City Lord pulled out a tightly sealed letter from his chest pocket and handed it to Ye Tian Xie. “This is truly a matter of utmost importance. Three years ago, after the 【Destiny’s Hour】 that sealed the Tower of Destiny suddenly disappeared, the eight Demon Kings who were trapped inside joined forces and escaped overnight. However, after being sealed for so many years by the power of Destiny’s Hour, their strength must have been severely diminished, far weaker than their prime states. Hence, for the past three years, the eight Demon Kings have remained hidden, recovering their power instead of causing chaos. To eliminate this terrible threat, the Imperial City and the five major cities have been relentlessly searching for them all these years.”

The City Lord of Tianchen took a deep breath and continued, “Just now, an urgent message came from the Lost City via a thousand-mile communication talisman. The city’s greatest psychic seer detected faint demonic energy from the south and pinpointed the location of one of the Demon Kings… the Dark Nether Ghost King. What’s more, his hiding place is less than five kilometers north of the southern major city, Tianri City.”

Ye Tian Xie: “…”

The City Lord continued, “What’s troubling is that if our assumptions are correct, that location should be the ruins of the once-glorious Illusory Beast Clan. It is also one of the forbidden zones of the southern Lost Continent. According to legends, although the Illusory Beast Clan perished, their remnants are sealed within terrifying barriers, and no one has ever been able to enter. It’s no wonder the Dark Nether Ghost King could hide so close to Tianri City without being discovered. Furthermore, there’s an even more frightening legend about the Illusory Beast Clan. Despite their extinction, they went to great lengths to protect their final resting place because it is said to nurture their most terrifying and final hope—the Sacred Mark.”

“Sacred Mark? What’s that? A powerful weapon?” Ye Tian Xie frowned and asked.

“I don’t know. But based on the vague records about the Illusory Beast Clan, if the Sacred Mark is reborn, it could bring hope for the clan’s resurrection, even after total annihilation. The Dark Nether Ghost King is clearly hiding there to obtain the Sacred Mark. No matter what it is, if it’s as powerful as the legends suggest, we cannot let it fall into his hands. The consequences would be unimaginable” the City Lord said gravely.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Ye Tian Xie asked, holding the letter in his hand.

“I hope you can deliver this letter to the City Lord of Tianri City within ten days. Tianri City is thousands of miles away, and the journey is fraught with countless ferocious beasts and magical creatures. Reaching it within ten days will be exceedingly difficult, even if the path is completely unimpeded. I can only entrust this arduous task to you.”

Delivering a letter? Ye Tian Xie hesitated and asked, “City Lord, if the people of Lost City possess the ability to communicate over a thousand miles, why not directly send the message to Tianri City instead of relaying it to Tianchen City and having someone deliver it manually?”

“It’s unavoidable. The thousand-mile talisman relies on rare and precious talisman paper, which must be paired—one talisman at each end connected by divine power. The talisman linking Tianri City and Lost City was lost two years ago. Thinking back, it’s likely that the Dark Nether Ghost King stole it. Additionally, even if Tianri City’s talisman was intact, the energy fluctuations from transmitting the message could alert the Dark Nether Ghost King. Thus, we must rely on manual delivery. Xie Tian, will you help me with this?”

【Ding…The City Lord of Tianchen has entrusted you with the task: 『Deliver the Emergency Letter』 to the City Lord of Tianri City in the southern Lost Continent. Task attributes: Unique. Task reward: Unknown. Task time limit: Ten days. For each day delayed beyond the deadline, the reward decreases by 50% compared to the previous day. Task penalty: None. Accept the task?】

Ye Tian Xie had studied the map of the Lost Continent carefully. Although it was just a simple map provided to players, the locations of the Imperial City and the five major cities were marked clearly. Recalling this, he quickly calculated the distance between Tianchen City and Tianri City in his mind.

In this world, there were no trains or planes, only galloping horses. Crossing such a vast distance in ten days, even without any hindrance, would indeed be challenging.

“Very well, rest assured, I will deliver it as soon as possible” Ye Tian Xie said, placing the letter into his backpack and nodding firmly.

“That’s wonderful! I couldn’t trust anyone else to do this. Since that’s the case, it’s best you depart immediately. This concerns the safety of Tianri City and the stability of the entire Lost Continent. The letter must be delivered in the shortest time possible.”