Chapter 130: The Exception

Just as the situation reached its most intense point, Dongfang Yitong suddenly opened his eyes and raised both hands high:

"I was born to fulfill a heavenly mandate. All sentient beings of this world, the accumulation of four billion years, please grant me your power! I shall bring you freedom once again!"

Xiaobai was startled. It had always assumed this guy named Dongfang Yitong was emotionless, a person of absolute coldness. It never expected him to be such a drama queen at such a critical moment. Does shouting like that even work? If it did, I’d shout a couple of times myself.

"Boring fellow," the Minotaur muttered, stunned for a moment before swinging its axe, sending Lin Zhongqing flying back three meters. It sneered, "If shouting worked, what would we need axes for?"

But the next moment, it was struck dumb. White rays of light suddenly erupted from Dongfang Yitong’s body.

"Impossible! How could you possess such powerful spiritual energy again? This isn't scientific!" the Minotaur shrieked. Then, it turned and ran!

But before it could get far, a new beam of white light struck the golden fur on its head. This time, the energy it had drawn from the Ethereal World could no longer resist; its entire body began to dissolve, starting from the head. In its massive, bovine eyes, a final look of terror remained.

"Could it be that you truly are capable of becoming the exception..." it managed to wheeze out, before vanishing into thin blue smoke. A yellow crystal core dropped to the ground.

Xiaobai couldn't spare the time to be shocked. It stared at the object with deep longing. If it could eat that thing, it could return to its former state—perhaps not on par with that Minotaur, but at least rivaling Lin Zhongqing’s current strength.

"Great, Brother Dongfang, I knew you were the only true protagonist!" Lin Zhongqing, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed.

She was gently supported by Dongfang Yitong, who shook his head and said, "This is not my power. It is borrowed, and it must be returned."

"I know. This is power borrowed from the world’s living beings. You are the steward of this world; you will surely return it to them in the future. Let us work together to sweep away these filthy evil things and unknown terrors, and let our world return to a pure, blue Earth!"

Xiaobai quickly interrupted their sentimental atmosphere: "Run, my young master and mistress! That was just one of the four great guardians of the manor owner. If two more show up, do you have enough energy left?"

Dongfang Yitong nodded, picked up the bezoar, and the two fled the scene at top speed.

***

Evil Spirit Mine Camp.

"Bad luck, I’ve overplayed my hand in this game..." Fan Bei watched the more than fifty million points of spiritual energy he had just lost and felt like crying. To prevent Lin Zhongqing, his chess piece, from being wiped out, he had to keep investing. Clearly, she had become a major player on his board—a "great dragon" that could not be easily sacrificed.

In other corners, developments were slow or just beginning; those could be abandoned at any time without much regret. For instance, the Sword System side had yet to require investment and was only producing, so those pieces could be discarded for survival at any moment. Only Lin Zhongqing’s side had high output but also high consumption, to the point where he had to subsidize her.

Lin Zhongqing’s actions seemed flawless, but the risks were high. After all, the power ceiling of the Mysterious Manor was unknown.

"It seems I still need to tell the Steward System the nine-character mantra: 'Dig deep tunnels, store plenty of grain, and be slow to proclaim yourself king.'" He could not fully control the Steward System's actions, nor did he have the time to watch it constantly; he could only provide a broad guiding policy and let it handle the execution. After all, he still needed to cultivate himself; if his own power was insufficient, everything else was a mirage.

However, Lin Zhongqing was indeed becoming a bit arrogant. People are like that—when things go smoothly, they inevitably become inflated. Thinking of this, he quickly checked on the Sword System and sent a similar message. *The reactionary forces are still strong; our side must remain patient...*

Just as he was busy with this, Dabai poked its head into the tent.

"Master, Xiaobai hasn't been seen for days," it said pitifully.

"Uh, it’s been missing for days, and you're only telling me now? Your brotherly bond is a bit weak, isn't it..." Fan Bei couldn't help but retort, though he knew exactly where Xiaobai was.

"Oh, it's been playing with Brother Quan for the past few days, and I didn't keep track. I thought it had gone off to hunt monsters on its own," Dabai said sheepishly.

"Sigh, that guy has climbed to a higher branch; I’m afraid it’s gone for good," Fan Bei shook his head. "It ended up in the hands of President Lin, and it doesn't seem to want to come back."

"Ah, Brother Tong has left me, and now even Xiaobai is leaving me?" Dabai’s eyes filled with tears. "Master, am I a failure as a dog?"

Fan Bei stroked its head, comforting it: "It's alright, Master will always be with you."

"But Master will get married and have kids in the future, and there won't be any room for me then," Dabai muttered, losing all interest in playing, feeling confused about its dog life for the first time.

"Forget it, next time I see President Lin, I’ll get your brother back for you. Its usefulness is limited anyway," Fan Bei said helplessly.

***

"Master is still the best to me. I'm going to water the flowers." Dabai perked up, wagging its tail as it left.

"Yangyang, Lanlan, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine. Dabai, help us get some fresh soil," Lanlan said.

"Alright, I'll go dig some up for you right now." Dabai left, full of energy.

Lanlan watched the dog leave and suddenly said, "Dabai’s master seems very worried today."

"Maybe it's because there are still too many bad guys," Yangyang said, shaking its leaves.

Lanlan said enviously, "Although I can't understand what you're saying, you seem quite impressive."

Yangyang continued to shake its leaves: "No, I'm still too weak. I thought I heard a call for justice earlier and wanted to contribute my own strength, but I couldn't reach the target."

"Your ambitions are so grand. I just want to bask in the sun and eat dew peacefully. It would be best if I had a servant to wait on me every day."

"You're wrong. Even if you are a blade of grass, you must live vigorously and freely. That is the only way to make a life worthwhile!" A new female voice rang out, shaking its leaves frantically, as if trying to dispel the orchid's desire for a quiet life.

"Uh, if you want to talk, can you not shake my head? I'm getting dizzy," the orchid requested weakly.

"Shut up. I am the King of the Forest. Don't talk about shaking your head—even if I shake your roots, you must be willing!" the new female voice said fiercely.

"Sorry, Lanlan, my twin sister is super fierce. Don't provoke her," Yangyang comforted, then asked, "Why did you come suddenly?"

"Oh, I've encountered an opponent and need you to come back and support me to kill it. Don't worry, it's definitely a bad guy; it has eaten over a dozen people."

"I need your power too. I just finished cultivating the techniques the good person gave me, and I'll pass them on to you when we go back."

"Hey, you sweet airhead, you really have good luck." The fierce female voice said enviously.

"Lanlan, I'm leaving now. We might not be able to see each other for a long time," Yangyang said regretfully.

The orchid felt lucky that the thing occupying the body was finally leaving. It quickly asked, "How long is a long time?"

"You won't see me until tomorrow's sunrise."