Demon Swineherd

"Big Sister, can you beat the bad guys in the event to death?" "Beat all the bad guys who want to bully Big Brother to death, okay? Pretty please, Big Sister?" Little Nora decisively activated Origin Transformation, acting cute as she shouted up toward the sky. Mainly, she had felt a vague sensation last time that someone up above was watching her whenever she used Origin Transformation. After activating Sister's Gaze, she kept looking up at the labyrinth's ceiling, waiting for a response. However, likely because the target of her wish was too far away, no feedback came even after waiting for over ten minutes. Little Nora had no choice but to revert back into her Duckie form. Looking at Yu Xian, she said, "It doesn't seem to have worked." "It was never a skill that worked a hundred percent of the time anyway. Don't worry about it if it didn't," Yu Xian comforted her with a smile. In truth, once the number of his summoned beasts reached a certain threshold, he was already in an extremely safe position. Both Lauked-Hades and Fathe'aim were encircled by his summoned beasts; their movements couldn't escape his notice at all. Occasionally, summoned beasts that couldn't dodge them in time were casually killed by the pair. *** Bei Zhelong walked along, surrounded by small birds. He had already found two treasure chests. Finding one more would allow him to advance to the next floor. However, he figured practically none of the class holders were in any hurry to move on. In one chest, he had obtained an equipment enhancement stone, as well as a pet egg. Many class holders in the Zhen Realm possessed mounts. Bei Zhelong hadn't been particularly lucky and still didn't have one to this day. This pet egg might provide him with a decent mount. If the rewards in every chest were items of this caliber, most class holders would certainly linger on this floor until an extended lack of chests finally prompted them to advance. "Hello there. Would you mind putting down that chest? I doubt you want to be killed by me, right?" Bei Zhelong emerged from around a corner, looking at the burly young man ahead. Though his tone was mild, it carried an unmistakable murderous intent. If the burly youth didn't know what was good for him, Bei Zhelong would strike him down like lightning before he could store the chest away. Zhang Shou, holding the chest, turned around in exasperation. When he saw Bei Zhelong, he recognized him immediately. He had made a point of looking up the identities and levels of everyone who had appeared on the Sky-Mending Leaderboard during the previous event. "If I hand this chest over, you won't kill me?" Zhang Shou asked, putting on a timid expression as he looked at Bei Zhelong. Bei Zhelong smiled. "The theme of this event is treasure hunting. The master of the Zhen Realm surely wouldn't want us senselessly killing one another. So... as long as you surrender the chest, I definitely won't lay a finger on you." "Alright then. Here you go." Zhang Shou handed the chest to Bei Zhelong. Taking the chest with a smile, Bei Zhelong said with satisfaction, "A pleasure doing business with you. I hope you find three chests soon and make it through alive." With that, he turned and left, caring nothing for what Zhang Shou might think or whether the man was silently cursing him. "Scared the hell out of me." Zhang Shou only breathed a sigh of relief after Bei Zhelong departed. If Bei Zhelong had genuinely intended to attack, Zhang Shou would likely have been doomed. Fortunately, Bei Zhelong had kept his word. Even so, Zhang Shou hurried away as soon as Bei Zhelong was gone, wary that the man might suddenly change his mind and double back. *** Bei Zhelong was in high spirits. He now possessed three chests—his ticket to the next floor. From this point forward, every additional chest he found would be a pure bonus. He was looking forward to seeing how much he could profit by the time the event ended. Humming a tune, he popped the chest open—and his humming abruptly died. Inside the chest sat a Dung Slime. Its round, beady eyes stared back at him with pure, vacant innocence. As their gazes met, Bei Zhelong was struck completely speechless. He had never imagined a treasure chest could contain a Dung Slime. To make matters worse, through the slime's translucent body, excrement was faintly visible. *** Within Avici Hell. Yu Xian controlled the overall situation through his vast army of summoned beasts, having already swapped out many chests. "Detonate!" Yu Xian murmured with a smirk the instant Bei Zhelong opened the chest. Ordinary Dung Slimes naturally wouldn't perform suicide attacks, but Yu Xian's Dung Slimes were different. They obeyed his commands implicitly. Just as Bei Zhelong was silently cursing the event, the Dung Slime inside the chest suddenly expired. "Fuck!" Bei Zhelong frantically tried to hurl it away, but the Dung Slime had already self-destructed. In an instant, black filth splattered all over his face. Though Yu Xian didn't see the scene himself, he could well imagine Bei Zhelong's reaction. He directed one of the Silver Mirror Ghost Kings to locate Zhang Shou, then continued searching for other participants and chests through his summoned beasts. Earlier, when that chest had been touched, his attention had shifted over. Although Zhang Shou hadn't opened it, Yu Xian had recognized Zhang Shou's voice instantly, so he knew exactly what had transpired. Otherwise, he wouldn't have detonated the Dung Slime. Those Dung Slimes were originally surprises prepared for Fathe'aim and Lauked-Hades; Bei Zhelong had merely gotten caught in the crossfire by accident. *** "Run!" "Don't just stand there, run!" Elsewhere in the labyrinth, Cheng Pi and Jin Sheng were sprinting for their lives. Spotting other class holders ahead, they immediately shouted warnings. Then came a heavy, thundering rumble. A massive horde of gigantic wild boars charged forward like a dark, unstoppable deluge, hot on the heels of Cheng Pi and Jin Sheng. The class holders were dumbfounded. Snapping back to their senses, they turned and bolted, wishing their parents had given them an extra pair of legs. "What is going on?!" a female class holder shouted toward Cheng Pi as she ran. Cheng Pi replied with a miserable grimace, "How should I know? We were just walking along when a whole horde of monsters suddenly charged out ahead of us!" "Those aren't monsters, they're a bunch of pigs!" Jin Sheng corrected him. The real question was why there were so many pigs in the labyrinth. Moreover, these boars were clearly abnormal—nearly ten meters tall and fifteen meters long, with bristles tougher than superalloys. Jin Sheng was confident he could slay one of them using a Rule Branch spirit, but faced with an entire stampede charging at once, his only option was to run. Far behind the stampeding herd, a man with vaguely pig-like features sat atop a giant boar. Using a Boar King, he drove the herd forward. He wanted to find Yu Xian and prove that he was the strongest summoner of them all. His class was Demon Swineherd. These beasts weren't actually wild boars; they were demonic frenzy boars. Every one of them harbored a demon inside, possessing strength equivalent to a level 120 elite monster. Ever since Yu Xian rose to fame, countless monikers had been showered upon him, such as the future number one of the Zhen Realm, or the Zhen Realm's greatest summoner. The man refused to accept it. Though he didn't command as many summoned beasts as Yu Xian, he could still muster ten thousand. Even if he relied on the Boar King to control such numbers, he would never admit Yu Xian was superior. The title of Zhen Realm's greatest summoner rightfully belonged to him. And so, driving the stampede through the labyrinth, he rampaged through the corridors, searching for chests while hunting for his fated rival—Yu Xian.