Seized by the System

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After the Crimson-mantled Woodpecker expressed its determination, it fluttered its wings to turn around and flew away, still thinking about chasing after the female bird…

It had successfully evolved, yet getting a wife was still its top priority?

There was no other choice, as it was acting on billions of years of survival and reproduction instinct. Despite the fact that it had just gained sapience, it still could not resist acting on its instincts.

Fang Ning immediately ordered the System, "Quickly ask it to stay."

The System wondered aloud, "And what for? We managed to fool it into forgetting about the compensation we owe it, so letting it fly off is best…"

"You're so stupid, really," retorted Fang Ning in frustration.

"I'll have you know that I'm very clever, alright? When Chong Daqing helped us with a favour the last time, it not only ate through your treasury, it even wanted to eat the old ginseng as its remaining compensation… This bird has helped us with a thorough cleansing, yet I didn't have to spend a single dime. Besides that, I even earned myself a ton of experience points and Fame," said the System gleefully.

"Idiot! Do you really think this bird has forgotten the compensation we owe it? You're wrong," said Fang Ning as he suddenly realized the overwhelming advantage he held because of his intelligence, "The fact that it can advance to Pond-level isn't shocking at all, but the fact that it was able to obtain such an extraordinary Natural Trait is definitely related to our arcane realm and the words of enlightenment you said to it. In other words, it knows that it has benefitted a low from us, which is why it isn't asking for more from us. It's virtuous and sincere, unlike you."

"Oh, so that's how it is. I never expected that I would be the one to suffer a loss," muttered the System, "I did see the old ginseng give it a drop of its essence, but I never expected that it would have such a big effect…"

"Which was why I wanted you to stop it. Didn't we just start a Research Institute for Vitality? We can send it over for research so that we can find out whether or not it has an unusual Natural Trait or whether it was the power of the old ginseng, which evolved its Natural Trait Ability to this extent. Besides, don't you want to learn its ability to detect all the pests in the world?" asked Fang Ning solemnly.

"Of course I do. Huh, Sir Big Spender, it seems that you are seeing farther a bit than I am now," admitted the System honestly.

"It isn't a bit," corrected Fang Ning seriously.

After his correction, he then plunged into the System Space to begin his Dream-Cultivation, no longer wanting to care about any other issues.

He believed that the System's miserly personality would definitely handle this matter after his reminder.

He had not only spent these past two days worrying about the scourge of the parasite, he also suffered from Ling Yunzi's scathing remarks. He could not eat or sleep well, and his treasury was empty too. As a matter of fact, he had really contributed a lot to the elders of his hometown.

With all that he had accomplished, Fang Ning's choice to sleep was justified and his heart was at ease as well…

…

The Crimson-mantled Woodpecker had flew for about a hundred meters when the voice of the black tiger sounded from behind it.

"Fellow cultivator, do stay." The voice was not only resolute and powerful, it also showed no signs of taking no for an answer.

Once the Crimson-mantled Woodpecker heard the words, its body shivered once before it turned around, its wings flapping subconsciously. It hovered in mid-air to look at the tiger.

This action should not be underestimated. Hovering in mid-air before turning around immediately was not something that any regular bird would be able to pull off. Only birds that had cultivated into demons and knew how to control their vitality could pull off this action that went against the principles of mechanics. At least it seemed like so.

There was no mistaking it—the System did not know how to stop a bird, but it had definitely learnt the essence of being lazy from its Host…

…

"Not bad, Thomson, you're good at advising the bird. This Dragon Clan Salted Pill is very valuable and isn't circulated in the outside world. It's yours now as a reward."

Vigilante A looked at the bird that had entered the arcane realm honestly to await being checked and felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Thank you for your generosity, Master." Black Tiger Tom immediately received the pill, which emitted a faint fishy and salty scent, before carefully putting the pill into its chest pocket.

There was no helping it since it definitely had an interspatial tool. Otherwise, how would it have moved the parts of the Altar of Death…

However, as a cat that was undercover, it could not reveal that at all. It was not afraid of exposing its identity, but rather it was clear on Vigilante A's personality. If the other party was led astray upon seeing something valuable, it might break the tacit agreement both parties had…

As a result, it had no choice but to act like Black Dog from before, which was hanging a small bag around its chest so that it would look poor.

After putting away the pill, Black Cat Tom thought to itself, 'Vigilante A really is quite generous.'

It had merely used a bit of its Verbal Ability to persuade the stupid bird into staying behind, yet it had obtained a rare pill in return.

As the previous President of the Power Balance Association, it was well-informed, which meant that it was extremely clear on the market price of these Dragon Clan Secret Pills.

A singular regular Vitality Pill could still be afforded by regular Cultivators if they had the money, while Dragon Clan Honey-flavored Pills were much rarer.

As for the Dragon Clan Salted Pills, it was just as what Vigilante A had said—they were never distributed in the market, and this was the cat's first time seeing it as well.

Besides that, Vigilante A could even gave it one that was had a fishy and salty scent, which was what it truly liked…

The mastery he had of these details was the truly terrifying part. It would seem that the cat was close to being revealed.

Forget it, it would just proceed one step at a time.

…

Conference Room, Headquarters of China's Truth Department.

"Just now, the Venerable Dragon God's butler, Mr. Zheng, sent a message saying that the Brain-Devouring Parasite that was wreaking havoc in Qi City has been destroyed. Another great hidden danger has been destroyed, which is truly amazing news. However, this incident has also revealed that the defense of our Nets Above Snares Below is lacking greatly. When up against the various surreptitious methods of the Upper Realm, we lack a lot of information, which makes fighting effectively against it difficult. If it weren't for the Venerable One who turned the tide, the consequences would have been disastrous," said Ren Ruofeng with a frown.

"You speak as if there have been times where he didn't turn the tide…" inserted Hong Yunjiao, who sat across him once she heard him.

Upon hearing her, three crows flew past Ren Ruofeng's head. 1 The main point was that he had no idea how to retort, which was aggravating.

"Although what Yunjiao said may not be nice to the ears, unfortunately, that's the truth," said Elder Xu, who was seated to the side, with a bitter smile.

"We can't let things go on like this anymore. Losing face isn't a big deal, the big deal is the safety of the citizens. No matter how strong the Venerable Dragon God is, he's still made of flesh and blood in the end, so there might be a day where he makes a mistake. In fact, there was a small error this time. However, we did even poorer, so we have no right to speak badly about someone else. Anyways, the main point is that this is only just the beginning…"

Elder Hai, on the other hand, had a solemn expression. As a soldier, he felt deep hatred and resentment at the incident that had occurred.

The tragic images of the mountain village that were sent by the Intelligence Department could still be seen vividly. Every single innocent person that had passed away in vain seemed to be questioning him.

A small Brain-Devouring Parasite once again reminded the few powerhouses that China had about the difference between them and the Upper Realm, which cast a shadow over their hearts.

It could even be said that if were not for the protection of the Heavenly Axiom, as well as the descent of the Dragon God, this era of Shenyuan 2 might actually be the last phase of this era instead…

Their foundations were terrible.

China had only been practicing cultivation for about 20 years or so, and 18 of those years were years where vitality was practically nonexistent.

As for the methods of cultivation and the systems of cultivation which were complete and effective had basically come from the Descended Ones of the Upper Realm.

The local cultivation abilities, be it Taoism or Buddhism, were praised in addition to some smaller ones that included spiritual cultivation. Besides that, only a few of the alchemy spells that had apparently been passed down for thousands of years were genuine.

The rest were mostly like sand; though useful when fooling people, but once it needed to be used, countless mistakes would appear. The amount of Cultivators that had been killed in the process was too numerous to be listed.

"Very well. Didn't we distribute the 'Judgement Regarding the New Trend' notice to all our associates? Three heads are better than one. Although when comparing us against the unfathomable Upper Realm makes us seem weak, as long as we work together in unity, we'll definitely be able to make a difference," said Director Hu, who had been leading the meeting, in determination.

"Hmm, I think so too," agreed Ren Ruofeng hastily, since it was important to follow their leader closely, "We'll use half a month to prepare for a conference. The name of the conference will be 'Great Wall'."

"Hmm, Great Wall, that's a good name. Lowkey and pragmatic. With this conference, we will tidy up our defense system once more. We must take all aspects of our three-layer defense—the sky, the ground, and the people, into consideration entirely," stressed Director Hu once again.

"Yes, yes. That's a wise move, director," said Ren Ruofeng as he nodded his head.

"Hmph, flatterer," spat Hong Yunjiao in disdain.

Ren Ruofeng paid no attention to her; as a wise man, it was important for him to know when to yield and when not to if he wanted to get things done.