A Slap to Wake Your Curiosity

There was a moment of silence.

Xu Xiaoyan's mouth was half open, Xie Xie's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Tang Wulin's brow twitched.

Yuanen Yehui and the Blood God Camp members each had their own interesting expressions.

Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi looked at each other again, their eyes now filled with more than just shock; they simply didn't know where to begin.

"A little... a little?" Zhang Huanyun murmured, repeating it over and over.

Yun Jingheng offered no further explanation.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the battlefield.

The icy plains were littered with the black blood left by Abyss creatures and the lingering Abyss aura.

The aura was very thin, like a layer of grayish-black mist, flowing slowly along the ground.

His gaze changed again as he looked around.

If I refine all of these items, I should be able to reach level 80 directly, right?

Ye Xinglan kept looking at him.

He didn't say anything.

Ever since he successfully refined it, her eyes have never left him.

Seeing him turn his head away with a "let me try again" expression, she finally moved.

She stepped forward, raised her hand, and slapped Yun Jingheng on the back of the head.

Not heavy, but extremely crisp.

Yun Jingheng was knocked forward and staggered half a step, his expression going blank for a moment.

He turned his head and looked at Ye Xinglan.

Ye Xinglan's hand was still suspended in mid-air, and the tips of her ears were a little red, whether from the cold or from anger.

She stared at him and said, word by word, "You're not going to try today."

Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to explain, "I was just looking, I didn't mean to—"

"You can't even look at it," Ye Xinglan said.

Xie Xie couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

He quickly covered his mouth, turned around and pretended to cough. Tang Wulin's lips twitched, and he turned his head to the side.

Xu Xiaoyan didn't dare to laugh, but whispered, "Sister Xing Lan is so fierce."

Yuanen Yehui smiled and looked at Xu Xiaoyan, saying calmly, "Someone has to keep an eye on him, doesn't he?"

Neither Zhang Huanyun nor Cao Dezhi said anything.

This is good.

At least he still looks like a human being.

Yun Jingheng rubbed the back of his head and lowered his voice. "I'm just a little curious whether these residual auras and the one in the Holy Monarch's hand are from the same source."

"Curiousness is not allowed either."

Ye Xinglan spoke, her tone cold and hard, yet she had already positioned herself between him and the battlefield, "Don't you know how much you've expended? You just finished refining it, your body isn't stable yet. If you touch the Abyss's aura again, it won't just be a matter of Soul Power amplification. Half-Sweet Coffee, you say it."

"Miss Ye is right."

Half-Sweet Coffee, unusually quick to take sides, stated, "Master's body is currently under high strain. Continued exposure to Abyss primordial energy will exponentially increase the risk of rejection during refining. It is recommended that no further Abyssal Energy be ingested within the next twelve hours."

Yun Jingheng raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Fine. I'll rest. I won't smoke anymore."

Ye Xinglan then withdrew her gaze.

But she didn't leave; she just stood next to him.

The Little Gummy Bear also cleverly moved closer to Yun Jingheng, using its massive mechanical body to block his view.

Yun Jingheng was completely blocked from seeing the battlefield and couldn't help but click his tongue.

Seeing that the atmosphere had relaxed, Zhang Huanyun finally took two steps forward.

He clasped his hands in a fist and said solemnly, "Thank you for tonight."

Yun Jingheng waved his hand. "There's no need for that. If this place is destroyed, all the lights in the houses behind us will suffer."

"The Abyss is not yet resolved. Since the Holy Lord has revealed a part of his power, he won't pretend that tonight didn't happen."

He looked up at the already dawning sky and said softly, "Let those who can sleep go to sleep first. We'll discuss this further when it's light."

Zhang Huanyun nodded, and the Blood God Legion began to slowly clean up the battlefield.

No one spoke, but everyone who passed by Yun Jingheng couldn't help but take another look.

Before dawn, the Blood God Legion's main camp was already packed with people.

Zhang Huanyun did not have the long table rearranged.

Everyone gathered in the center of the operations room.

Several Soul Guidance Lamp were placed side by side on the ammunition box, casting a yellowish glow on the Far North map on the wall.

Long Tianwu and Long Yuxue stood by the door, while Aruheng and Sima Jinchi each leaned against one side of the wall.

The nine members of the Blood God Camp, from Blood One to Blood Nine, some sat on old wooden boxes, while others sat cross-legged on the ground.

Tang Wulin, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, Yuanen Yehui, and Ye Xinglan were also present.

Yun Jingheng sat near the door, his face still pale, but his spirits were much better than the night before.

The Little Gummy Bear didn't follow.

Its size was too large, so it could only lie in beast form outside the camp, allowing Half-Sweet Coffee to maintain communication.

"Everyone's here," Zhang Huanyun first.

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against an iron plate, but it held the weight of the entire room. "Last night, the Abyss was driven back. This is the greatest victory the Far North has seen in years. But I won't dwell on the trivial. The Abyssal Sage King revealed his power. None of the five Emperor died. This battle is not over."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Yun Jingheng, "Yun Jingheng, could you please repeat your analysis of those Emperor and sage rulers last night? Many of the brothers here didn't understand."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

He sat up straighter, about to speak, when the voice of Half-Sweet Coffee came through his earphones.

Only in his own ears.

"Master, should I prepare a strategic briefing first? I have already integrated all the energy records, battlefield data, changes in the Abyss rift, and the current deployment of the Blood God Legion from last night, and can generate a simplified assessment at any time."

Yun Jingheng did not respond.

He was about to say a few words when he noticed that the Half-Sweet Coffee was still being served.

To him, it was just a reminder from his assistant.

But all the other people present could see was him sitting there, his gaze slightly shifted, as if he were listening to something.

Zhang Huanyun looked at him, and Cao Dezhi also looked at him.

Blood Three couldn't help but lower his voice. "Could he have damaged his ears last night?"

Yun Jingheng only came to his senses upon hearing this.

He looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him with extremely complicated and cautious eyes.

Xie Xie even further, reaching out his palm to check his forehead temperature.

Yun Jingheng dodged away, saying, "I'm fine."

"What were you spacing out about just now?" Xie Xie asked.

"The Half-Sweet Coffee is speaking," Yun Jingheng said.

There was a moment of silence, and Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi exchanged a glance.

The Blood God Camp members exchanged bewildered glances. Xu Xiaoyan asked softly, "Who is Half-Sweet Coffee?"

Yun Jingheng slapped his forehead, took out the black laptop from his Storage Soul Tool, and opened it.

He removed the hidden earphone from his ear and pulled out the thin, almost invisible wire from the side of the computer.

After a few taps on the keyboard, a pale blue projection screen unfolded with a "hum" and hovered in the center of the operations room.

Half-Sweet Coffee's voice then came through the computer's speakers, clear and gentle. "Switching to speaker mode. Hello everyone, this is Half-Sweet Coffee. I will now assist the master in conducting the battle briefing."

Zhang Huanyun stared wide-eyed, while Long Tianwu and Long Yuxue exchanged a glance.

The Blood God Camp members unconsciously took a half-step closer.

A map of the Blood God Legion appeared on the screen.

The area was covered with dense markings: the red areas were Abyss rifts, and the blue areas were remnants of the original positions.

The Half-Sweet Coffee began to speak.

"According to last night's battle data, the Abyss deployed a total of five Emperor level combatants: the Bee Emperor, the Black Empress, the Serpent Emperor, the Scorpion Emperor, and the Scythe Emperor. None of the five Emperors perished."

"The Abyssal Sage King intervened once during the battle, taking away the Five Emperors in the form of an energy body. Preliminary assessment suggests that his true form is still restricted by the plane's rules and cannot descend directly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only used one hand last night."

Zhang Huanyun listened intently, and the Blood God Camp members all held their breath.

They've been fighting in the Abyss for decades, and this is the first time they've seen someone compile battlefield information to this extent.

"Master, I suggest modifying the existing God-Slaying Level, finding a way to incorporate Plasma Radiance, tearing open Abyssal Passage from the outside, and throwing them in."