Joker Card (Bonus Chapter for 'Nilan Xuanzhen')

The loud explosion could be heard for dozens of miles.

Meanwhile, everyone on the outskirts of the Ashen Forest noticed something strange happening deep within the forest.

"Is there a volcanic eruption in the forest? But wait, why is it spewing black gas?"

"Look, that forest is moving! Holy crap, what the hell is that?"

"It looks like a flower?"

"Have you ever seen a flower as tall as the Alkolon Mountain Range?"

"."

At this moment, both the Kolman and the hunters in the Mechanical City were stunned.

Before they could figure out what was going on with the sudden surge of black energy, the ground suddenly shook violently.

Then, they saw a large area deep in the forest suddenly transform into a giant Man-eating Flower, slowly closing its petals and swallowing everything in the center of the forest.

A huge black and red flower bud suddenly appeared in the forest, so large that it was astonishing!

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, Dahle, the "Ghost Mushroom Elder" who controlled the [Wood Totem] of the Kohlman Clan, was shocked. His face turned pale as he muttered to himself, "The legendary plant that grows in hell, the 'Moroshir King Flower,' how could this thing be in the Central Courtyard Tribe?"

He paused, his eyes suddenly trembled, as if he understood something, and he murmured in despair, "The Black Tide has arrived."

The strange phenomena extend far beyond the "Ashen Forest".

In the forest, the black tide spewing from the "Eye of Hell" acted like a "signal flare," triggering a series of chain reactions.

Almost simultaneously, black plumes of gas erupted across vast stretches of wasteland west of the Alkolon Mountain Range.

The black mist blotted out the sun, making the entire wasteland seem like hell, forever without sunlight.

The moment the black mist enveloped the earth.

Somewhere in the wilderness, in the frozen soil, the ground suddenly swelled and cracked.

In the shallow soil, the highly decomposed corpse of a hunter slowly rose to its feet.

Its eyes had rotted away, and a section of its arm had been bitten off by some unknown animal.

The corpse staggered to its feet, and the black mist in the air seemed to be drawn in by a mysterious force within the corpse, being absorbed into it like a whale swallowing its prey.

A moment later, a black flame, resembling a will-o'-the-wisp, condensed in the eye sockets of the decaying corpse. Upon closer inspection, the black flame was actually condensing into black crystals.

This bizarre scene was happening all over the wasteland.

Even the rotten bones were "resurrected" by the black aura.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions. The quantities are countless.

Not just humans, but also monsters.

This bizarre scene was also unfolding on the battlefield.

The hunters were astonished to find that the enemy they had just killed had slowly stood up again after inhaling the black mist.

The monster that was just killed has also resurrected.

Then, to their even greater horror, they discovered that those resurrected "corpses" were impossible to kill.

Even riddled with bullets, they could still move; even severed in half, they could drag their bloodied entrails and crawl towards living people, tearing them apart with their bare hands. The higher the level of the corpse, the more terrifying its strength, its ferocity, and its complete lack of reason.

Then, after the living person was bitten to death by the corpse, it absorbed the black energy and became a new "living corpse" after a short time, and stood up unsteadily.

More and more Mummified Corpse, rotting corpses, dried corpses, and skeletons crawled out of the soil.

They can't be killed, and they can't be killed all at once.

It was like a scene from hell descending upon the human world.

This is a paradise for the dead.

In the Transcendent world, corpses don't decompose so easily.

However, the less likely a corpse is to decay, the stronger it was in life.

Over countless years, this land has buried one civilization after another, as well as countless powerful beings.

The corpses that had slumbered for countless years were awakened by the Black Tide, and one by one, monsters struggled and slowly crawled out from the depths of the soil.

In the places where the Black Tide erupted most intensely, enormous figures slowly rose up, as if they had just woken from a long sleep and were about to destroy the world.

These "living corpses" seem to be guided by some mysterious aura, ignoring the monsters around them, yet instinctively wanting to tear apart any living humans.

The "City of Radiance," located hundreds of miles away from the Ashen Forest, is the largest human settlement west of the Alkolon Mountain Range.

Before long, countless "living corpses" crawled out of the ground on the wasteland outside the city.

Drawn by the presence of the living, they converged on the City of Radiance without prior arrangement.

At first, the hunters could easily crush the Skeleton Monster that crawled out of the shallow soil. But gradually, from the deeper layers of the soil, more and more troublesome "living corpses" capable of killing High-tier Extraordinary beings appeared.

The hunters then retreated to the Mechanical City, no longer daring to venture into the wilderness.

Within half a day, an ever-growing number of high-level "zombies" had gathered City of Radiance, numbering in the millions. These included Skeleton Monster so weak they could be shattered by muskets, and "Giant's Corpse" hundreds of meters tall, impervious to cannon fire.

In an inn in the City of Radiance.

In a window seat, a young man in a black suit was leisurely drinking coffee.

He gazed at the black column of gas rising into the sky from the distant wasteland, as if he had expected it, and muttered to himself, "The 'Black Tide' has erupted."

This man was none other than Clemens F. Metternich, who had once fought against the landlords with Rein.

The black gas eruption shocked everyone in the city, but he calmly sipped his coffee, his gaze gazing into the distance, growing increasingly profound.

A dense army of "living zombies" began to appear outside the city, and everyone inside the city went on high alert.

City of Radiance shifted its defensive posture, and its cannons and Magic Tower revealed their ferocious fangs.

The city was in a state of urgency and chaos.

Metternich's leisurely pace was incongruous with his busy schedule; he leisurely finished his entire cup of coffee.

Then, he rhythmically tapped the rim of the cup with a sugar spoon, producing a crisp sound.

Clang, clang, clang

After pondering for a long time, he seemed to have made a decision, muttering to himself, "Now, it's time to end that gamble."

After thinking for a moment, he stood up.

A strange aura suddenly emanated from Metternich. He picked up the silver-handled cane from the table and, like a magician, twirled it in the air in a dazzling display.

"Tap!"

As the cane struck the ground heavily, a clear sound rang out, and a plume of smoke shot up from beneath his feet, instantly enveloping his entire body.

As the smoke cleared, I took another look.

His originally impeccably pressed black tuxedo, which looked incredibly gentlemanly, suddenly transformed into a colorful and gaudy outfit, resembling a clown costume from a circus, which was quite eye-catching.

And that once handsome face was suddenly covered in heavy makeup, with an unnervingly thick layer of white foundation, a red nose, comical eyebrows, and exaggerated blue and red eyeshadow, not to mention that messy short, grass-green hair and a red and green sheep horn hat.

He went from being a gentlemanly court advisor to a clown who made a fool of himself.

With the change in his attire, Metternich's demeanor also changed abruptly, and a forced, exaggerated smile appeared on his face.

He glanced at his clown costume, satisfied. "Tsk tsk, I still prefer this outfit."

Without turning around, he flicked a gold coin and left it on the table to pay the bill.

Looking again, the person had already stepped onto the street and was happily walking towards the beautiful glass building in the city that looked like a pyramid.

As he walked, the clown took out a small mirror and admired his reflection.

Sudden,

He stopped, seemingly dissatisfied with his makeup in the mirror, and pouted.

Then, he tilted his head and thought for a moment, then, as if he remembered something, he excitedly snapped his fingers, "Click~".

With a flick of his wrist, he magically produced a throwing knife. Looking at himself in the mirror, he grimaced and, without hesitation, used the sharp knife to cut open the corners of his mouth, creating gaping wounds.

Then, holding a small mirror in one hand and dipping his other hand in blood, he touched up his makeup on his face, applying blush and creating a crescent-shaped smile.

Looking again, in the mirror, there was a bloodthirsty clown grinning menacingly, with a thick, violent smile in his eyes.

"That would be perfect!"

He seemed quite satisfied, casually tossed the mirror aside, and stepped into the library.

The clown walked in and yelled, "Hey, Master Cavo, I'm here to play cards with you!"

The surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and everything in the library became surreal, with books floating everywhere in the air.

Even the clown's own body seemed to lose weight, appearing on a phantom black and white checkerboard.

"Hehe, I was fortunate enough to play a game with Master Cavo; that's something to be proud of!"

The clown was unconcerned about the bizarre and surreal environment, and his smile grew even more arrogant.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped across the chessboard and walked towards the white-bearded old man with glasses who was reading a book not far away.

Cavo seemed completely unsurprised by Metternich's arrival.

He was simply surprised that such a commotion had been caused, so he asked, "Did you cause the commotion outside the city?"

"Yes."

The clown didn't hide anything, tilting his head and smiling.

"The information about the 'Morogos Temple' was initially deciphered from an ancient document I found in the Oma Royal."

Black scabs of blood had formed at the corner of his mouth, revealing a set of large, white teeth when he grinned. "Then, just as those Established Nobles were preparing to devour the Black Gold Merchant Guild, I conveniently handed it over to the 'Black Gold people.' Of course, the two great empires and your Five Great Families of City of Radiance naturally got the news and got involved as well."

Upon hearing the full story, Cavo didn't comment much, only saying calmly, "Many people will die in this turmoil in the wasteland."

Joker: "Yeah, a lot of people will die. But that's not bad, it's actually a 'good thing' for this era."

Cavo raised an eyebrow, showing some interest. "Oh?"

The clown continued, "'The Black Tide is coming, and Hell will descend upon the human world,' that's what the document says. But I've only seen it; it's just for fooling those ancient people. The current Steam City is more than capable of handling everything. After all, as you know, no matter what those underground beings are like, this world doesn't allow power exceeding your level to exist."

Upon hearing this, Cavo looked up at Metternich, slightly surprised.

He seemed to agree with the Joker's statement, and then asked, "And then?"

"And then, a new era begins."

The clown grew increasingly excited, speaking with the urgency of a salesman promoting his product, "Although the living environment in the wasteland will be harsh after the [Black Tide], it will become a true hunting paradise. The zombies crawling out of the ground will bring forth countless ancient civilization relics. And the 'Abyssal Demonic Qi' will transform this wasteland into a cultivation sanctuary for Transcendent beings! At that time, massive numbers of hunters from the two great empires will flock here, leading to a large-scale population migration. The nobles will be filled with fear, and a new order will be established. Of course, before that, I will also ensure the complete collapse of Omar. Although the regime controlled by Sid's vampires through their bloodline is not easy to deal with, the tide of time will eventually eliminate those guys who should have been lying in their coffins anyway."

After hearing everything, Cavo calmly closed the book in his hands. "So?"

The clown narrowed his eyes to slits. "So I want to make a bet with you."

Cavo remained calm and silent, as if he had already known this outcome and was waiting for what would happen next.

At this point, the clown's expression grew increasingly agitated, and he said, "I lost, I lost my life; you lost, give up the City of Radiance! Even if you forcibly hold onto it, it's no longer the 'City of Freedom' you imagine."

Cavo didn't deny it, but instead asked, "Do you think I'd bet with you?"

The clown confidently stated, "I've already placed all my chips on the table. We're both in this game. Until a winner is decided, who do you think has the right to leave the table?"

Cavo glanced at him. "Oh? You're going to play the Joker Card?"

"Yes! After all, we're risking our lives in this game!"

As he spoke, the Joker's eyes underwent a personality shift, surging with violent rage.

He pulled out a deck of pure gold playing cards and tossed it into the air. In that instant, the illusory chessboard around him was forced back.

One side consists of 9, 10, J, Q, K, A

The other side has a chessboard with a king, queen, bishop, knight, rook, and pawn.

The gold playing cards of various ranks and suits faced off against the black and white chess pieces on the other side.

"That's an interesting ability."

Cavo's expression remained unchanged as he offered a word of approval.

He stared unmoved at the deck of cards scattered across the sky and asked calmly, "Is it worth it?"

The clown squinted, patiently watching Cavo flip through the book, and replied, "If the solidified barriers of the soil aren't broken down, new shoots will never grow. You don't have the courage to break them, so I'll help you."

Cavo: "You want to pave the way for that Princess Oma?"

"No. I want to give this era a glimmer of hope."

The clown shook his head, his eyes flashing with alternating light of reason and madness.

After a pause, he continued, "Originally, that... that Princess was just a seed, someone I helped out of the way. Of course, now it seems she's the one we're most looking forward to."

Cavo raised a white eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

The clown squinted and asked, "When we went to the Plague Base before, the doctor named Rein made some remarks that made me realize something new. Don't you think what he said about how this era could have been better?"

Cavo nodded in rare agreement. "I agree with the young man's theory, but there's still a long way to go. And you, you're too radical."

Rejected once again, the clown's violence reached its peak, and his rational personality was completely suppressed.

He said with an almost ferocious grin, "Master Cavo, don't you want to give this era a glimmer of hope?"

Cavo shook his head. "I see hatred and extremism in your eyes. So, even if I agree with some of your views, I won't let you act recklessly."

"So there's no room for negotiation?"

Upon hearing this, the Joker grinned wildly, his eyes growing increasingly ferocious. "Hahahaha. Let's make a bet then, Master Cavo!"

His Violent Personality had long made him restless, eager to have a showdown with the number one "Ten Great Legends" Master Cavo.

Even if it costs me my life!

This is the Gambler Sequence destination!

An hour later, Metternich coughed up blood and walked out of the library looking rather disheveled.

He glanced back into the depths of the library, his gaze complex.

Not far from the library, First Prince Quentin had been waiting for some time. When he saw Metternich emerge alive, a look of joy crossed his face, but a cold glint also appeared in his eyes.

Upon seeing this uninvited prince, Metternich seemed to have anticipated it. He grinned, revealing his terrifying, bloody mouth, and walked over, saying with a sinister smile, "Your First Prince, I have fulfilled my mission."

Thanks to 'Yi Min' for the 11,500 coin reward; +1=8 for more updates. Please vote at the end of the month, brothers~