Free Web NovelChapter 139: Chapter 139: You Miscalculated
Most people didn’t dare make a move against Jiang Che; most of those who’d come here for adventure were low-level, and standing against Jiang Che’s team gave them no chance of winning.
Not to mention the strength of the others—just Xiong Jie alone was already at Tier Two Peak.
Maybe he lacked combat experience, but that’s earned through battle. If you don’t have it yet, just fight twice and you’ll get it.
These small fries would be crippled with a single punch—a hit from Jiang Che could even kill them.
What kind of combat experience do you need for that?
Combat experience matters when the people fighting are evenly matched—there’s back-and-forth, and to win you have to rely on quick reflexes or amazing muscle memory.
Or even when facing someone stronger than you, you can dodge killing blows thanks to countless narrow escapes and real battles fought.
When some people called out, rallying for a fight, the majority shrank back, keeping quiet at the rear.
Dealing with Jiang Che and his lot—leave that for the big shots.
The rest could just hide behind those big shots, shout "666!" and ride their coattails to claim a win for their faction.
They had no place in single combat, but in a group brawl, at least they’d find other small fries like themselves to go even with.
As the leaders stepped up, their own faction members started trailing behind them.
Apparently knowing no more humans would enter, everyone noticed the color of the turnstile at the entrance gradually fading, bit by bit vanishing from the arena.
The original platform became transparent, the ground stretching out invisibly as if preparing an arena for their upcoming fight.
Those who still harbored a shred of hope, seeing the turnstile disappearing, finally let their hearts sink for good.
After all, Dungeons bound by rules would never allow for anything so lawless.
In the middle of the void, atop a round table, the lower scene appeared in a kind of holographic projection; you could see, every time someone died, a red dot would drip downward.
That symbolized the essence of human blood and flesh.
Deep underground, where humans were clueless, a passage was constantly expanding—flesh being used as a medium to shore up the growing corridor.
Of the original ten seats, one was now vacant; the nine Lords each in their places, channeling their energy into the passage.
Ding Ning narrowed her eyes. She and the Rabbit-man didn’t want the two worlds to merge, so as they poured energy in, they were leaving a few tricks behind.
Some things are hard to reinforce, but when it comes to destroying—it’s way too easy.
Expanding the passage between the two worlds requires two kinds of mediums: one from humans, one from evil spirits.
Flesh and evil energy: both are crucial anchor points for linking the worlds together.
When Ding Ning saw a group standing up on Jiang Che’s opposing side, she jerked her gaze toward the other Lords.
She’d guessed the humans might target Jiang Che—as their squad really was an oddity.
But she hadn’t expected them to coordinate so well—their actions in perfect sync, standing against Jiang Che as one.
They were shrouded in black mist, a muddled gloom revealing only shadowy outlines.
Ding Ning couldn’t make out their expressions—she merely snorted coldly.
Apparently, Dark Star wasn’t the only one looking to take Jiang Che down.
No one here looked like they’d play by the rules.
Dark Star, now stripped of his power, was already slinking away, tail between his legs.
Most likely, it wasn’t Dark Star’s doing. His strength had already been crippled, and if he stuck around to meddle, all the Lords would love to tear him apart.
His seeds hadn’t even been reaped yet—it was unlikely Dark Star would make a move and risk drawing trouble now.
If it wasn’t Dark Star, then it had to be someone else.
The other eight claimed to care little if one more human—Jiang Che—survived.
In reality, if taking aim at Jiang Che triggered a brawl with Dungeon Two’s Lord, they’d happily watch it unfold.
After all, fighting over other Lords’ territory was more efficient than going after human lands—no territory conversion required.
Converting human land was ultimately more worthwhile than expanding the Black Forest.
In the short term, each Lord would be weakened a bit, but as land transformed, their power would bounce back and grow even greater.
Dark Star wanted to become the first among ten Lords, masterminding his own plans—they were no different, all eager to gobble up rivals and boost their own strength.
They’d seen her hand the Energy Pearl to Jiang Che, and naturally knew that if he absorbed them all, Jiang Che’s power would soar instantly.
Right now, they’re making a bet—to kill Jiang Che before he can refine all those Energy Pearls.
Plus, ever since things started, Ding Ning had felt a power deadlocked with her in the tunnel—an unknown force clutching her, refusing to let her break away.
Even if she wanted to help Jiang Che now, there was nothing she could do.
Forcibly leaving would only damage her own vitality.
Ding Ning did nothing—still carrying out her sabotage inside the corridor, intent on ruining it.
She and Rabbit-man wanted to stop the other Lords from linking the two worlds, but realistically, that wasn’t going to happen.
The two of them alone were hopelessly outnumbered, far too weak on their own.
So they chose to lay low, outwardly agreeing with the plan, while in secret each ran their own schemes.
Ding Ning glanced at the projection, but didn’t move or try to stop anything.
These people were gambling Jiang Che hadn’t absorbed the Energy Pearl yet.
Ding Ning could only think: They’ve miscalculated.
"These humans really are blind, eh? Knowing how special that team is and still picking a fight."
"They say two fists can’t take on four hands, and a mess of fists can beat an old master. Hey, Ding Ning, what if your human hubby really does get killed by them?"
"Why not give him a hand? Sure, being a gigolo sounds bad, but—"
"Heh, hasn’t he been mooching off you this whole time anyway?"
These noisy voices kept ringing in Ding Ning’s ears, but she didn’t even bother to lift her eyes.
"You really don’t need to worry about this for me, okay?" Ding Ning propped her chin in one hand.
"If he does die, I’ll just set you up with someone else. Last time, someone did the Dungeon run under me—a human, pretty strong, not bad at all," said the Lord of Dungeon Five, across from Ding Ning, as he dispelled the mist cloaking the illusion around him.
"I remodeled him into my ideal type, then sent him back to the Human Realm."
The black fog cleared, revealing the Lord of Dungeon Five’s clay-brown jar-shaped body. No limbs, but from the opening of the jar poked a damaged human head.
He jiggled his body, and the head on the jar instantly shifted appearance.
"This is what he looks like now. So? Not bad, huh? Pretty good looking, isn’t he?"
