A Thunderbolt from the Blue, the Return of Xiao Yan's Script

"Primordial Chaos Pill: After use, it can restore 10% of the mana of the user and up to five allies every second for 60 seconds. Cooldown time: 60 seconds."

This was the first time he had ever seen a group potion that could restore the mana of his companions; it seemed that the purification ability was indeed unique.

What's most terrifying is the duration; it's like having a one-minute continuous mana regeneration buff that allows for unlimited firepower!

It takes one second to complete, and ten seconds to fully recover.

One minute is enough to fully restore your mana 6 times!

"Not bad. What kind of medicines can you concoct yourself?"

The chubby boy puffed out his chest, his face beaming with smugness:

"My Golden Toad Clan possesses over a hundred secret elixir formulas; whatever you require, Master, I can refine!"

"Is there a medicine that can help one break through to a higher level of life?"

"No!" The resolute reply made Zhang Mingzhen's temple throb. Was this little thing teasing him?

Noticing his expression turn cold, the little Golden Toad quickly added:

"But I can refine elixirs that enhance cultivation and strengthen combat power! This is a secret passed down within my clan!"

"Oh? Let me see it." Zhang Mingzhen's interest was rekindled.

He hadn't really hoped to obtain a pill that could break through to a higher level of life—the tide Clan had long said that such a heaven-defying thing was as difficult as ascending to heaven, and the methods were extremely rare.

That was merely a test question.

If we could obtain medicines that boost experience and combat power, that wouldn't be bad either, similar to the Experience Pills we used to use.

If this little guy can really refine it, even if the required experience is doubled, he can advance rapidly.

"Yes, sir! Please prepare the Soul-Returning Herb, the Golden Fragrant Jade, Śarīra Relic..."

A string of unheard-of medicinal herb names came to mind, Zhang Mingzhen's face darkened once again.

"You dare to play tricks on me? You're useless; you need not be kept alive."

Before he finished speaking, a spiritual light was already gathering in his palm.

Of course, he was just trying to scare the other person.

The two talent cooldowns made him realize that he couldn't do whatever he wanted.

"Master, please calm down! I had no intention of deceiving you!"

"Right now, I can only refine basic medicines out of thin air. Those high-level elixirs that enhance cultivation and combat power truly require many Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure... I dare not deceive my master! Wow--"

The chubby boy burst into tears, large tears streaming down his face from his narrow eyes.

Zhang Mingzhen frowned immediately.

It seems that in the short term, this Golden Toad can only be used for drug purification.

As for the Rare Tier materials it mentioned, perhaps the Starlight Merchant Guild could be entrusted to keep an eye out for them, as there might be some gains in the future.

"I'll spare your life for now."

"From now on, you will be solely responsible for purifying the potions. If you dare to slack off—"

Before he could finish speaking, he piled all sorts of qi-replenishing and blood-restoring medicines from his bag in front of the other man, showing no remorse for using child labor.

"Rest assured, Master, I will do my utmost! But... Master, I'm hungry."

What do they eat?

"I need Gold Coins... The purification process just now consumed a lot of my energy, which I need to replenish with Gold Coins..."

Even after transforming into Spirit Child System, the Golden Toad's inherent nature of craving Gold Coins remained unchanged.

In the end, it was still about exchanging money for medicine, only this time it turned an inanimate object into a living one—and judging by the boy's appearance, he would probably live even longer than the boy himself.

After casually leaving behind a million Gold Coins, Zhang Mingzhen turned and left the cave.

He had another important matter to attend to—using the Jade Book Golden Pages.

But with only one opportunity to ask a question, and the question must not exceed the authorized scope, how should one ask the question?

He had wanted to directly inquire about the method to advance to the Level-Four Life Level.

If that is not possible, then inquire about the method of immortality.

As for the matter of his parents' resurrection, he had completely forgotten about it.

(Zhang Mingzhen's parents: Feed me peanuts.)

That's human nature.

The true nature of humanity is that it is too adept at changing.

Vows of eternal love vanish in the blink of an eye.

But then I thought, even if I knew the answer, what if the method was too unconventional and impossible to achieve? Wouldn't it all be in vain?

He hasn't even broken through to level one yet, let alone level four.

The most urgent task is what's at hand.

To advance to level two, one only needs to collect a sufficient number of the Azurewave Clan Spirit Core; he has already mastered the methods for level two to three, but lacks the key to activate the Netherblood Orb.

Once the Netherblood Orb is activated, he can steadily advance towards Level 3 Life!

Compared to other uncertain and unpredictable methods, activating the Netherblood Orb is clearly the most practical and feasible option.

Having made up his mind, he immediately unfolded the Jade Book Golden Pages.

On the page, bathed in golden light, he slowly wrote, "The method to activate the Netherblood Orb."

Meanwhile, Gao Linzhi had already carried out a deceptive substitution.

New content has been written.

Of course, these are things that Zhang Mingzhen, the chess piece, cannot see.

Gao Linzhi did not take advantage of the other party's guilt.

After all, he had already given the other party enough.

Without him, the other person would still be a disabled person.

Gao Linzhi directly accessed the system and provided Zhang Mingzhen with the answer she wanted.

He then wrote down his questions on that golden page.

"What exactly does the Skyfall Game System want to do?"

At the same time, he also used a small portion of his core privileges to bypass the system's restrictions.

Thus, he arrived at a preliminary answer:

"This is not a game, it's not child's play."

"There is no arrogance, no condescension."

"There is no contempt, everyone is equal."

"All actions are aimed at breaking the heat death of the universe."

"Every universe will one day die out. When all the stars have burned out and all energy has returned to calm, the universe will die, and there will be no more waves."

"Like life, it has a beginning and an end. There is no true reincarnation. Death is death; there is only the cycle of matter."

"When the universe dies, it simply dies; its energy dissipates and it will be absorbed by another living universe."

"And with the death of the entire universe, no other universe could absorb it."

"The ultimate goal of the Game System is to find an answer: can the universe be restarted?"

Gao Linzhi suddenly realized.

Just as I expected.

This is the true secret of the system.

It's not one of those idiotic systems that only serve the idiotic protagonist, practically feeding them three meals a day.

And at this time...

In Zhang Mingzhen's eyes, the golden pages shone brightly in an instant, and an ancient text emerged from the dazzling golden light:

"The Netherblood Orb, Holy Relic of the Yaksha Race, can draw upon the bloodlines of all races to nourish oneself."

"An unawakened pearl can only be activated by a sacrifice of a living being—the sacrificed being must be at least level two in Life Level."

Upon reading this, Zhang Mingzhen felt somewhat at ease.

The conditions weren't too harsh, especially since he currently controlled the Tide Clan, Level-Two Life Level.

He was unaware that the information he received was simply Gao Linzhi.

The information is still true.

For him, however, the number of sacrifices needed to be carefully considered.

These Azurewave Clan are of vital importance to him right now; he relies on their strength to break through to the Level-Two Life Level.

A sudden thought struck him, and a Shadow Leap his mind—wasn't there an Azurewave Clan who was now useless and whose level was just at level two?

Lan Yue!

The Territory War has just ended.

Although Lan Yue made some achievements in the battle, her body could no longer condense her Spirit Core, and her demise was only a matter of time.

There was no more suitable sacrifice than her.

However, Zhang Mingzhen was unaware that this kind of "crossing the river and then burning the bridge" approach was the method Gao Linzhi hated most.

There are always people who defend those in power, saying that Han Xin deserved to die, Yu Qian deserved to die, Grand General deserved to die... saying how arrogant they were, how careless they were, and how they couldn't gracefully retire...

They forgot that countless cautious and prudent individuals who chose to retire gracefully were also implicated, their entire families wiped out, and they died as a result.

These fools, they are just the lowest of the low, yet they put themselves in the emperor's shoes; it's utterly ridiculous.

In Gao Linzhi's view, there was only one person who deserved to die, and that was the emperor whose power was unchecked!

None of these people deserved to die; their only fault was being born in the wrong era.

And so Gao Linzhi coldly stared at the chess piece.

If the other party still doesn't realize it at the last minute, he wouldn't mind letting them experience the anti-inflammatory script.

Zhang Mingzhen immediately set off, teleporting to the Undersea Dragon Palace, where he found Lan Yue.

By this time, she had long lost her former beauty.

His white hair was like withered grass, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles, resembling a candle that had run out of oil.

"My master summoned me. What are your orders?" Lan Yue thought she was no longer of any use, but she never expected to be remembered.

I know your time is coming to an end.

"How about we make a deal?"

"If you are willing to do this last thing for me, I promise that I will treat your people well from now on and will no longer make them overdraw their lives to refine their Spirit Core."

A bitter smile flickered across Lan Yue's lips, "Do I have any other choice? Since my master has found me, it means I still have the ability to do it. I will simply follow your orders."

"Very good."

Zhang Mingzhen then explained what he needed in detail—nothing more than for her to end her life prematurely in exchange for a promise from him.

I promise you.

I thought this crippled body could no longer serve the tribe, but unexpectedly it can be used one last time.

May she be born in a peaceful era in her next life and live an ordinary and tranquil life...

She thought sadly.

Her life was too short.

She did nothing wrong; she was just weak. Did that mean she deserved to die?

Haha, so-called civilization is nothing more than this.

The sacrifice was carried out in secrecy, without alerting other Azurewave Clan, nor was it known to Shius.

Lan Yue left a farewell letter for the old city Shius, hoping he would not be saddened by her departure, as this was her own choice.

They hoped he would continue to care for the remaining members of the Tide Clan.

As the ritual progressed, her vital energy was continuously absorbed by the Netherblood Orb, Lan Yue's figure gradually faded away until it completely dissipated into the void.

The appearance of the Netherblood Orb changed drastically.

The originally dull pearl suddenly turned bright red, its crimson glow filling the interior as if it were soaked in endless blood.

This strange phenomenon lasted for about fifteen minutes before gradually subsiding and returning to its original state.

The system notification then updated. "Netherblood Orb (Activated): Holy Relic of the Yaksha Race."

"Upon use, one gains a fragmented 'Life Drain' ability, which allows one to nourish oneself by absorbing the power of other races' bloodlines, potentially elevating Level Two Lifeform to a higher level."

The activation process was much simpler than expected, which brought Zhang Mingzhen some relief.

At least the path to Immortality is now secured, and once the game world is fully integrated, he will have the initial resources to establish himself.

With his mood improving, he took the opportunity to check on the remaining Azurewave Clan.

Little did he know that a bolt from the blue was about to strike him.

These dozen or so people have recently successfully condensed fifty Spirit Core. Combined with the enhancements from the territory itself, although it is only a drop in the ocean, it has still raised his own Life Level to 5.4%.

He knew this matter couldn't be rushed, but the slow progress still made him anxious.

The words of that Demon Race from long ago, about the natural suppression of lower races by higher races, still ring in my ears.

He absolutely refused to be defeated by an opponent far weaker than himself simply because of his lower racial rank.

We must find a way to increase the population of the Azurewave Clan.

However, the game's fusion process remained stuck at the 90% threshold, Holy Relic could not actively spawn new races, and he needed to find another solution.

Zhang Mingzhen contacted the Starlight Merchant Guild again, issuing a commission to search for traces of the Crimson Blood Jiao or other Warcraft with similar effects.

To this end, he even made a promise: as long as the other party met the conditions, he would grant them one request—"even if it was to join the Starlight Merchant Guild."

This move indeed caused a stir within the Chamber of Commerce.

The other party immediately assured that they would do their utmost.

In any case, he only agreed to join, but never promised to follow orders.

When it comes to being flexible in assessing situations, he believes he is second to none.

This matter cannot be accomplished overnight; the most urgent task is to strive to improve our own strength.

He decided to head to the Seventh Major District to meet up with the player named Haoran and search for clues in the dungeon.

But before he could even set off, a chilling notification appeared in the game, like a bolt from the blue:

"You killed Rare Tier NPC and your actions of betraying your benefactor have resulted in system punishment."

"Your talent as the Yin Yang Messenger will be sealed for 365 days!"

"To lift the ban early, the NPC needs to be resurrected, activating the side quest: Revive Lan Yue. While doing this side quest, the talent will remain effective; outside of the quest, the talent will be locked."

Zhang Mingzhen was immediately dumbfounded.

"I was so stupid. I only knew that killing Rare Tier NPC without cause would be punished, but I never thought that she would be punished even though it was her own choice."

His attributes are declining rapidly.

In other words, his current attributes are roughly equivalent to those of a top-tier player.

For example, War Sky, Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven, and others.

With no other option, he had to accept the mission and search for a way to be resurrected.

Fortunately, the game did provide a hint.

"To revive a high-level Rare Tier NPC, you need to find them in dungeons level 80 and above."

He happened to need to find clues about the level 80 dungeon.

This made Zhang Mingzhen realize once again that most of his power came from the Game System.

We are at the mercy of others!

Two days later.

The Seventh Major District, inside a main city square.

Zhang Mingzhen found the player "Haoran" who provided the clue.

"Great God! I never imagined that someone like me, who isn't from one of the District 3, would have the opportunity to fight alongside you!" Haoran was genuinely overjoyed.

Generally speaking, even in regular dungeons, top-tier players usually prioritize the needs of third-tier players.

He naturally didn't know that Zhang Mingzhen wasn't as powerful as he used to be.

That is, the same strength as the leader of a top-tier guild.

This is because his equipment is all top-tier, and he also has bonuses from his pets.

Of course, it's enough to fool a small fry like him.

"You mentioned before that you seemed to have come across a quest that might be part of a level 80 prerequisite dungeon? What made you make that judgment?"