The transparent cube that had trapped him dissipated. Uriel opened his palm and pulled Miaomiao to the platform.

Miaomiao landed on the checkerboard once again. Wei Yuan and the girls surrounded him.

Instead of celebrating, they pinched him.

“OWOWOW! What the hell, Wei Yuan!?”

“You fucking killed me!”

“But that was an illusion.”

“YOU FUCKING KILLED ME!!”

“…”

Miaomiao patiently endured the beating and the scolding of his wives even though it wasn’t his fault. He secretly smiled, feeling relieved that everyone was alright.

Nobody but Uriel, Azazel, and Venti noticed. The dark aura around Miaomiao receded back inside him. Once again, the Karmic Ties between Wei Yuan and other women sealed Miaomiao’s hidden evil aura.

…

Uriel paid attention to the dark aura. He secretly reported his findings to Macho Joshua, consulting his boss.

‘Sir, Mao Miaomiao’s tainted aura is acting up again.’

Soon, Uriel heard the voice of Macho Joshua.

‘Leave it to Devil. He’s the Devil’s boy.’

‘But that aura is similar to Asmodeus…’

‘Leave it be. Devil has a plan, so let him work on it. Even if the plan involves the resurrection of the Seven Primordial Demon Kings, we have to cooperate with him. Our dimension and our survival depend on it. Instead of worrying about the boy, keep tabs on his viewers, especially Sun Wu and Tilted Hongjun, if you have free time.’

‘… Yes, sir.’

…

Ma Moxi, Liu Xuande, Zhang Yide, and Guan Yunchang were still trapped inside the cubes. TV screens above them also showed their adventure in their dream world.

Miaomiao gazed at Ma Moxi’s screen. It showed a gunfight in the middle of downtown in China, but Ma Moxi was using his cultivation techniques.

It seemed like he had returned to the modern world.

Ma Ping, Ma Shoucheng, Pang Lingming, Ku’er, and Ma Moxi’s friends gazed at the screen, watching Ma Moxi’s struggle in astonishment. All of them no longer cared about Miaomiao since their family member’s livelihood was more important.

“What city is that? It’s so weird.”

“They have so many tall skyscrapers. And… what are those vehicles? Why are there so many slow vehicles on the roads when we can just fly over the buildings?”

“I also see odd artifacts. Can commoners use those artifacts? Won’t they harm them?”

“I think that is… a fridge without a spirit stone.”

“What!? How does that work without a spirit stone!?”

Although the local of this world was familiar with modern buildings, apartments, skyscrapers, and the likes, the legit modern buildings and technologies in Ma Moxi’s world still amazed them.

It took Ma Moxi a few minutes to slaughter a group of black-suit gunmen and their gang leader. The assassin stared at the corpses of his enemies for a few minutes.

Afterward, he facepalmed and muttered to himself, which everybody on the platform could hear it.

“This is not it. This is not my world. My family is waiting for me.”

CLANK

Just like that, the dream world of Ma Moxi was shattered. He woke up in the process.

Ma Moxi opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. Upon discovering that he was inside a transparent cube, he raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, figured.”

He was unperturbed by the changes in the environment. It was as if he understood what had happened to him.

Uriel also nodded at Ma Moxi, approving of his mental strength.

He secretly sent a voice transmission to Miaomiao.

‘You know, Miaomiao.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Were your maturity, talent, temperament, and intelligence at least half-decent as Ma Moxi, you could have killed Ling Tianlong last year. By now, you could have ascended to the immortal realm.’

‘Sorry to be a perverted, edgy, hypocritical moronic wastrel, then!’

‘Don’t be mad. I know of your flaws. Let’s start improving your IQ from today onward. I’ll give you more bananas if your intelligence improves.’

‘I’m not a chimpanzee.’

‘But if I remember correctly, didn’t you eat the WET BANANA of Yuan Hua? I thought you liked bananas.’

“…”

Miaomiao fell on his knee and made the “OTZ” pose. He was depressed when he remembered the dark past.

Meanwhile, Liu Xuande seemed too happy. He regressed back to a child, and he retained his cultivation base. As a result, the people of the Great Liu Clan showered him with praise and flattery. Many people also introduced their daughters, granddaughters, and pretty sisters to him.

Liu Xuande took all women in and enjoyed his debauchery life to the fullest.

Wei Yuan and others sneered at Liu Xuande, believing that he would not pass this trial.

As for Zhang Yide, he was in a similar situation as Liu Xuande. On the contrary, he was surrounded by gangsters and hoodlums, calling him “Boss”. Many pretty women gathered to please him.

He became a gangster boss and established a powerful faction on the Holy Land Continent.

Miaomiao ignored the idiots and turned to his new nemesis, Guan Yunchang.

Different from Liu Xuande and Zhang Yide, Guan Yunchang returned to the time when he confronted his sworn enemies at the Holy Land Capital City. Five 8th-stage cultivators, who were his relatives, surrounded him and sneered.

Guan Yunchang also laughed. He started slaughtering these people, displaying true power.

These Holy Land cultivators were instantly killed. However, their friends and families began to call for more reinforcements. A hundred Guan clansmen arrived and pointed their weapons at Guan Yunchang.

Strangely, one of the helpers shocked Guan Yunchang.

“Father?”

It was a 9th-stage cultivator, who was also the head deacon from the Great Guan Clan.

“Guan Yunchang. You killed your brothers. You don’t deserve to call yourself a GUAN!”

Guan Yunchang paused and frowned. Then, he gazed at the sky.

“A pity. I already knew that none of you are real.”

“What?”

“I just wanted to vent my frustration. You people always bullied me when I worked my hardest. You people always framed me for what I had never done. That’s why…”

Guan Yunchang’s pupils turned red, “I just want to enjoy this massacre for a bit longer. But the playtime is over.”

BOOM

Guan Yunchang bellowed, and everyone was blown away. Then, the world was shattered like broken glass.

Similar to what Miaomiao had done, Guan Yunchang forcefully destroyed the illusion.

He woke up and found himself inside the cube.

He passed the test as well.

Miaomiao clicked his tongue. For a moment there, he thought that Guan Yunchang would have been drunk by his bloodlust and success.

“I guess only three candidates pass your trial, Venti.”

Uriel stopped paying attention to the broadcast. He opened a portal and gestured Wei Yuan and others to leave.

“Aside from Mao Miaomiao, Ma Moxi, and Guan Yunchang, everyone can leave.”

“…”

Wei Yuan and others reluctantly left the void plane through the portal. Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Jian Meng, Jian Yong, and lucky cultivators also left after Jia Shan and the crews were gone.

Surprisingly, Xu Lanying was among the crowd. She undid her stealth skill when everything was over.

Before she left, she winked at Miaomiao and waved her red talisman, showing that she got what she wanted.

The portal closed itself after the last contestant had left. Now, Azazel, Uriel, Ma Moxi, Mao Miaomiao, and Guan Yunchang were alone in the void.

Guan Yunchang had just returned to the platform. He warily stared at the group, believing that Uriel trapped him here to kill him.

“You dirty bastards. Don’t you have any shame for bullying a mortal? Is bullying a mortal acceptable these days in the higher realms?!”

Had Uriel had a pair of mortal’s eyes, he would have rolled them upward.

“I’m keeping you here, so the guardian of this plane can reward you! Do you think I’m a despicable deity that enjoys bullying juniors?!”

Miaomiao and Ma Moxi stared at Uriel with dull pupils.

‘You just did.’

‘You sure did.’

Uriel continued, “Venti. I need you to come out. Show yourself to the successful candidates for once.”

‘Venti?’

Miaomiao felt like he knew the meaning of this word, but he couldn’t remember. He felt like he had heard about this word or this name somewhere.

He didn’t have to wait long. A breath later, a giant Azure Dragon came out from the void.

“Ah!!”

Miaomiao remembered. He had seen this dragon among one of the static images inside the hyperspace. He had the impression of Shenlong from Dragon Balls Anime because of the length of his body.

Ma Moxi also widened his eyes. His blood and Qi resonated with Venti’s presence.

“Let me introduce you to the guardian of this plane. This is Venti from Azure Dragon Race. Oh, mind your manner. He’s a lot stronger than Cernun.”

Miaomiao flinched. It seemed that Uriel intentionally mentioned Cernun to compare their strength.

‘I know that Cernun is insanely strong. He barely cultivates, but he easily trampled on immortals. Cernun’s strength should be comparable to a lesser god or something similar. If Venti is stronger than Cernun but he has to listen to Uriel, then, how strong is Uriel? Wait… Oh, shit! Right, the Azure Dragon! FUCK!!’

Miaomiao remembered the most important part and suddenly had goosebumps. He hoped that Venti wouldn’t find fault with him for concocting an Azure Dragon Pill.

After all, Venti was an Azure Dragon!

Miaomiao glanced at Ma Moxi, who had eaten the Azure Dragon Pill. He wondered whether it might offend Venti.

Miaomiao didn’t have to wait long as his imagination turned into reality. Venti bared his fangs and glared at them.

“Mao Miaomiao… Ma Moxi…”

Suddenly, Miaomiao and Ma Moxi had weak knees. They fell flat on the ground because of a sudden suppression force from Venti.

Even Guan Yunchang suffered from collateral damage. He also knelt on the floor due to the intense gravity.

“Now that I get to see you up close, I can see a Karmic Strand of Azure Dragon’s Grudge from both of you! Did you, by chance, kill one of my brethren!?”

“!!!”

Ma Moxi and Miaomiao glanced at each other and sweated bullets.

Fortunately, Uriel hovered in front of Venti’s face. He audaciously poked Venti’s nose as if he booped a dog’s nose.

“Take it easy. They did it because it was Devil’s order.”

“Devil? That bastard again?!” Venti’s killing intent subsided. The dragon snorted and waved his long body around in frustration, “What did that failure robot do this time?”

“He gave the Heart of Fengyi to Mao Miaomiao and ordered him to concoct a divine pill.”

“A mortal concocting a divine pill?!”

“I know right? Anyway, he succeeded, but he gave the pill to this young man instead of eating it. That should be enough to explain, right?”

“What kind of blasphemy was that?! I know that Fengyi was a death row prisoner since he replicated Cernun’s incident. But that guy was a thousand times stronger than that child! His Will and Soul Remnant should have killed them on the spot! How did he refine his heart into a pill!?”

“I don’t know either. Anyway, as you can see the result, he made it out alive.”

“…”

Venti gave Miaomiao a meaningful look. He sized up Miaomiao and Ma Moxi up close, close to the point that Venti’s giant mouth almost touched them.

Miaomiao and Ma Moxi didn’t dare to meet their eyes with Venti’s intimidating glare. They lowered their heads and sweated bullets.

“Haiz. Fine,” Venti dispelled the gravity force. “Fine. I won’t kill them.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“Alright. I can tell why you purposely asked me to host a stupid game. Make sure that you fulfill my request, alright?”

“Of course.”

Miaomiao’s ears perked. The more he listened to their conversation, the more he suspected that Uriel and Venti had made a shady deal behind their back.

But that was none of his business. He slowly stood up and cupped his fist, bowing to Venti.

“I didn’t know that my action would have offended you. If I did something that ire you, please forgive me.”

“Meh,” Venti waved his short arms. “Forget it. I’ll severe that stupid Karmic Grudge Strand for you, so no Azure Dragon will kill you if you meet them in the Divine Realm.”

“…”

“Anyway, before I give you the PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT, I should award you first. Guan Yunchang!”

Guan Yunchang looked back and forth between Uriel, Venti, Mao Miaomiao, and Ma Moxi. He inwardly cursed them as they seemed to be working together.

“I’m Guan Yunchang, Senior.”

“Name your wish. You passed my trial, what do you want in return? Pick one of the followings; a dragon cultivation method, a divine weapon, or my bloodline!”

Guan Yunchang gulped when he heard that he could obtain the Azure Dragon Bloodline or a divine weapon. He was tempted to pick one of them.

However, he didn’t forget about his sworn brothers.

“Senior, may I ask what would happen to my brothers? They haven’t passed the trial yet.”

“They’ve already failed since they spent a year inside their dream world. The array will soon shrink and crush them to death!”

“T-This…”

Guan Yunchang trembled. He bit his lower lips as he gazed at Liu Xuande and Zhang Yide.

After taking several deep breaths, Guan Yunchang made his decision.

“I would like to exchange my rewards for their lives!”

“What?” Venti frowned.

“Senior, could you spare them? I won’t take a single reward from you. Also, Sir Deity, I don’t want a reward from you either, including that red gem. I and my brothers were forced here against our wills. We don’t want to fight Mao Miaomiao or the people of Siren City.”

Venti and Uriel were speechless. Yet, they gazed at Guan Yunchang in admiration.

On the other hand, Miaomiao rolled his eyes, “Bullshit. You almost killed my wives, and you said that you didn’t want to fight us? Pick a better excuse, red face!”

“…”

Guan Yunchang peered at Miaomiao, “I did it for survival.”

“In before, you had no reason to chase after the red gem since I and my buddy here are the sole hunters. Yet, you charged at my people and almost killed them. Oh, I dIdN’t WaNt To FiGhT? Yeah, you’re a lying son of a bitch.”

“…”

Guan Yunchang didn’t refute. Indeed, he pursued Ling Tianlong’s gem because of his greed.

Yet, he didn’t feel guilty. He puffed his chest with pride and sneered, “You forcefully dragged me and my brothers to this game. Why can’t we enjoy it together? You think you’re the only one who can enjoy life?”

“Alright. That’s enough,” Venti was tired of their bickering. He suppressed Miaomiao and Guan Yunchang with his gravity force again. Then, he glanced at Guan Yunchang.

“This will be my last question. Are you sure that you want to sacrifice your rewards to save their lives?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm.”

Venti waved his tail, and three portals appeared.

The screens above Liu Xuande and Zhang Yide turned dark, and both men woke up from their sweet dreams.

Before they realized what had happened, the vortex portal sucked them out of this plane. Even Guan Yunchang was kicked out. However, the red gem of Ling Tianlong returned to Venti.

The portals were closed. Now, only Mao Miaomiao, Ma Moxi, Azazel, Venti, and Uriel were in this void plane.

“Good riddance,” Venti shook his head. He then turned to Miaomiao and Ma Moxi.

“Now, your turn!”