Spiral Flame Flower

An Changyan turned to look at Chen Beixun and asked, "May I ask how to address you?"

Chen Beixun remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "A member of the Virtual Universe Company, Chen Beixun."

"Heh." An Changyan chuckled softly and said, "From the Virtual Universe Company, then? One of our own."

The two exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

"Kid." Pavadode clutched his abdomen and slowly flew before Chen Beixun, holding a small white bottle in his hand.

Chen Beixun opened his helmet, revealing a smile as he said, "My apologies."

"I have some medicine here that helps with healing."

A triangular box appeared in Chen Beixun's hand, which he then handed to Pavadode.

Seeing Chen Beixun remove his mask to show his true face, Pavadode felt slightly more at ease, though Chen Beixun had, of course, used a disguise to alter his appearance.

"Haha." Pavadode laughed aloud, "It's no matter."

Suddenly, Pavadode shifted the tone of the conversation. "This Demon Island Vine is at the Domain Lord level three." (The Demon Island Vine had grown naturally to Domain Lord level three; it was originally Domain Lord level two.)

"How did you manage to bring it in, little brother?"

"This..." Chen Beixun kept the smile on his face.

Seeing this, An Changyan coughed a few times before speaking up, "Isn't it obvious?"

"It was deliberately kept from breaking through, then allowed to advance once inside the World Lord world, followed by the use of treasures to forcibly boost its strength."

Chen Beixun was no fool; he sensed that An Changyan was trying to recruit him, and perhaps the two were putting on a show.

They're acting like a double act, Chen Beixun thought to himself, while smiling and saying, "His Highness is correct."

"How about we team up?" An Changyan smiled.

Chen Beixun pursed his lips, feigning a look of hesitation.

"Little brother, what's wrong? Are you in a difficult position?" Pavadode asked, though he thought to himself, He's faking it!

Having lived for tens of thousands of years, Pavadode understood the situation with a single glance.

This guy has no intention of teaming up.

"Your Highness, you might as well try using money to win him over," Pavadode secretly transmitted to An Changyan.

An Changyan opened his helmet, revealing a stunning face, and said, "You are a mercenary, right? Five trillion Universe Coins! How does that sound?"

An Changyan held up five fingers toward Chen Beixun, looking at him with a smile.

"This." Chen Beixun thought for a few seconds before replying, "I belong to the Lotte Family."

"It wouldn't be very convenient."

"If Your Highness is willing, we could form an alliance with the Lotte Family."

An Changyan's eyes darkened, and he thought, This is interesting.

Seeing the two fall silent, Chen Beixun smiled and said, "Your Highness, I still have some matters to attend to."

"Please excuse my departure."

"This is my mail ID."

Chen Beixun raised his right arm and sent the ID to An Changyan.

An Changyan nodded slightly and then sent his own ID to Chen Beixun.

"Contact me once you've made up your mind," An Changyan said indifferently.

Chen Beixun nodded, then stepped onto the Gold Cloud Shuttle and flew away at high speed.

Because the third echelon of the Black Soul Tower arrived in time, Kesmier and the Lotte Family suffered a crushing defeat, leaving the three parties with no choice but to hold peace talks.

To gain leverage for the negotiations, the three parties had not yet fully ceased hostilities, though the fighting was limited to small-scale, localized conflicts.

Inside the Lotte Family's Base No. 8.

A massive projection screen hung from the black dome of Base No. 8, with black and white text flickering across it, reading as follows:

For every member of an opposing faction killed, you will receive a corresponding amount of Xuyu Coins.

Universe level 1: 500,000 Xuyu Coins

Universe level 2: 1,000,000 Xuyu Coins

Universe level 3: 2,000,000 Xuyu Coins

Universe level 8: 64,000,000 Xuyu Coins

Universe level 9: 128,000,000 Xuyu Coins

[1 Universe Coin is approximately equal to 1,200 Xuyu Coins]

"It only says that killing a member of an opposing faction grants Xuyu Coins, which means I could just kill any unaligned adventurer and it would count?!" Chen Beixun stared at the massive projection screen suspended in the air.

"The definition is very vague; they could easily claim an unaligned adventurer is colluding with an opposing faction and force the label on them..."

"Heh."

Chen Beixun chuckled softly, suddenly realizing the truth.

"This is forcing those adventurers to pick a side."

"And what if they join? With no faction and no background, they're just pure cannon fodder."

One must realize that all three parties have implemented this kill-reward mechanism, which is effectively a massacre of unaligned adventurers.

Either join, give up, or die.

This was destined to be a game between major powers, having nothing to do with these nameless adventurers.

To distinguish them, the combat zone was divided into neutral zones and conflict zones.

In a certain conflict zone...

The ground was riddled with craters, large and small, a scene of utter devastation.

Chen Beixun had experienced twelve battles here, killing a total of nineteen Universe-level beings, including five at the ninth rank and three at the eighth rank.

"Combat is truly the best way to accumulate wealth." Chen Beixun sat on his Gold Cloud Shuttle, counting his spoils.

The current loot was of little consequence to him, but even a fly has meat on it.

"The total value reaches 202.173 billion Universe Coins," Qishan said.

202.173 billion Universe Coins was equivalent to the entire net worth of a wealthy Domain Lord, yet this was merely the gain from twelve battles.

"That's enough." Chen Beixun stood up and stepped onto his Gold Cloud Shuttle, heading deeper into the region.

Chen Beixun had not brought any guards with him for this battle, relying entirely on the Demon Island Vine for protection.

Even so, he remained extremely cautious.

Swish!

A figure streaked past at high speed, his telekinesis fully unleashed, searching for enemies without a moment's pause.

"Nothing?" Chen Beixun frowned. "I've been flying for five Tianchen Hours already."

One Tianchen Hour converts to 1.7 hours, meaning 8.5 hours in total.

Boom!

A deafening sound erupted like thunder.

Chen Beixun furrowed his brows and looked toward the source of the noise.

There seemed to be a powerful life form over there.

"To the southwest?" Chen Beixun became interested, changed direction, and flew off at high speed...

At the same time...

"A Spiral Flame Flower?"

"You have a Spiral Flame Flower!" A Universe-level powerhouse stared intently at the strange, blooming purple flower.

Terrified, he turned to run.

A long vine extended from the bud of the strange purple flower, with a mouth resembling a man-eating plant at its tip.

Swish!

The Universe-level powerhouse's pupils constricted to pinpricks.

A gulping sound echoed.

A vague human silhouette appeared beneath the "big mouth," slowly sliding down. The silhouette was still moving, clearly alive and conscious.

The Spiral Flame Flower is very popular among auxiliary plant-types, but it is expensive, categorized by quality:

Five petals are the lowest.

Thirty-five petals are the top tier.

"A Spiral Flame Flower?" Chen Beixun, seeing this scene from afar, couldn't help but be stunned.

"And it's at the first rank of the Domain Lord level."

In terms of combat power, the Demon Island Vine could suppress the Spiral Flame Flower at the same rank!

When it comes to a war of attrition, the Demon Island Vine simply doesn't cut it.

"That looks like a twenty-two-petaled Spiral Flame Flower!" Qishan said, somewhat startled, before speaking in a low voice.

"Your teacher once fought an Immortal who possessed an Immortal-level Spiral Flame Flower."

"The Spiral Flame Flower is famous for its endurance and defense!"

"With the help of that Spiral Flame Flower, that Immortal even managed to wound your teacher!"

Chen Beixun nodded, then spoke up: "Use a soul attack."

"That person with the Spiral Flame Flower only seems to be at the Universe level nine."

A powerful consciousness and willpower can increase the potency of soul-based attacks by several times, or even ten or a hundredfold!

"Hmm?" Zhen Jin, the man stroking the Spiral Flame Flower, felt someone watching him from behind. He turned his head and locked eyes with Chen Beixun from afar.

Chen Beixun narrowed his eyes and launched a soul attack.

Eleven crystals formed a formation of five on top, three in the middle, and three on the bottom, silently invading the depths of Zhen Jin's sea of consciousness.

Zhen Jin's pupils dilated violently as he roared: "Get out!"

"Damn it!" Chen Beixun's gaze turned fierce as he unleashed his full power.

"Spiral Flame Flower, take that guy out for me!" Zhen Jin clenched his fists, glaring at Chen Beixun.

"This guy's consciousness is incredibly strong! Soul attacks aren't working!" Chen Beixun watched the incoming Spiral Flame Flower, his eyes flashing with a murderous light. "Demon Island Vine!"

A scarlet mass, resembling a tangled ball of seaweed, flew out from the palm of Chen Beixun's hand.

In an instant, the Demon Island Vine, which had been only a few dozen centimeters wide, surged to thousands of kilometers in size, growing like a mad thing as its long vines erupted in every direction.

Boom!

The Demon Island Vine collided with the Spiral Flame Flower.

"A Domain Lord level three?!" Zhen Jin's eyes went wide, filled with shock!

The Demon Island Vine suppressed the Spiral Flame Flower almost instantly, though the Spiral Flame Flower lived up to its reputation for endurance and defense, clinging tightly to the Demon Island Vine.

Although the Demon Island Vine had the upper hand, it struggled to free itself to attack Zhen Jin directly.

Zhen Jin had fallen into a frenzy, calling for reinforcements like a madman.

"I've discovered a Domain Lord level three plant lifeform! Requesting backup!"

This message spread rapidly, moving from the Black Soul Tower to the various major factions.

"Domain Lord level three? Is he looking for death?"

"It was sent by Zhen Jin; he has the Spiral Flame Flower! If we bring D-grade weapons, we might have a chance!"

On a hill with a flattened top.

"The Demon Island Vine against the Spiral Flame Flower?" An Changyan muttered. "Might as well go take a look."

Pavadode sat cross-legged on the ground, having mostly recovered by now. Hearing his master speak, he replied, "Your Highness, that seems a bit dangerous."

"Ugh." An Changyan suddenly squatted on the ground, annoyed. "It's so boring."

She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it.

Clink.

The stone seemed to strike an invisible wall.

"Hm?!" An Changyan stood up quickly. "There's something wrong here!"

Pavadode flew forward at top speed to shield An Changyan behind him...

At this moment, the battle between the Demon Island Vine and the Spiral Flame Flower continued.

As time passed, the Demon Island Vine had completely seized the initiative.

"Spiral Flame Flower!" Zhen Jin was extremely anxious, but he was waiting for his reinforcements.

Chen Beixun was much the same, waiting for his own backup.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three Universe level eight experts appeared behind Chen Beixun, and upon seeing him, they charged without a word!

"People from the Black Soul Tower." Chen Beixun glanced back, his face full of murderous intent as he instantly launched a soul attack!

The three Universe level eight experts were killed in an instant, their bodies falling to the ground with a dull thud.

"Heh," Chen Beixun chuckled, looking utterly disdainful.

A strong body does not mean a strong consciousness or willpower; there are ways to improve the body, but the improvement of consciousness and willpower depends on the heart.

"What?" Zhen Jin's body trembled violently, his feet involuntarily retreating a few steps. "Three Universe level eight experts died in a single exchange?!"

Swish! Swish! Swish... Swish!

Several figures descended, hovering in mid-air to calmly observe the battle. Among them were members of both the Black Soul Tower and the Lotte Family.

"Are these really the Demon Island Vine and the Spiral Flame Flower?!" a Universe-level member of the Lotte Family exclaimed.

"The Demon Island Vine is known as the Gold-Swallowing Beast! Without serious wealth, you can't afford to raise one!"

"What the f—"

The crowd murmured, but the situation remained at a stalemate.

I carry a Grade D weapon, and you likely carry one too.

Neither side dared to make the first move.

"Everyone, I can't hold on much longer!" Zhen Jin shouted.

The Demon Island Vine had already begun to slowly devour the Spiral Flame Flower, and seeing this, Zhen Jin was burning with anxiety!

"The Spiral Flame Flower is failing! Attack!" a black-armored man from the Black Soul Tower yelled. He held a Grade D weapon shaped like a long tube, which he hoisted onto his shoulder.

"Charging... 100%"

In less than 0.2 seconds!

Swish!

A beam of light shot out, hurtling toward Chen Beixun.

Terror flashed in Chen Beixun's eyes, but suddenly, a mass of black mist enveloped him.

"What is this?" Chen Beixun said in shock.

"Brother, the Commander values you highly, so he's revealing one of our trump cards!" a telepathic message pierced his mind.

"Values me?" Chen Beixun frowned, then his eyes turned fierce. "Demon Island Vine, hurry up!"