Chapter 134: Envy, Jealousy, and Resentment

As the dust settled from the recent assault on the player base, Falling Cloud City returned to its former state of prosperity. By now, there was hardly a player left who did not know that the Lord of Falling Cloud City was a skeleton—a creature belonging to the opposing faction.

Yet, knowing this changed little. The faction was officially neutral, and many players had already put down roots in the city. The prosperous and free trading environment made it impossible for them to consider leaving. The taxes in cities controlled by other NPCs were simply too high, and there was little space left for the players themselves. The larger cities had long been occupied by powerful factions, and the remaining minor settlements were hardly worth mentioning.

Of the player-run guilds, only the Peerless Legion had managed to establish a foothold on the scale of a town. The establishment of this stronghold had proven vital to their development, as the system had granted them a teleportation array—a facility that was both incredibly convenient and a massive source of revenue. Before such arrays existed, player strongholds were rarely visited unless they happened to be located right next to prime monster-grinding spots; otherwise, they were simply too inconvenient. But once a town possessed a teleportation array, along with a Quest Hall and an Auction House, its competitiveness soared. Players naturally gravitated toward the most convenient and strategically located hubs.

Despite the overt hostility between Falling Cloud City and the Peerless Legion, the city was not negatively impacted; if anything, it seemed more prosperous than ever. The Peerless Legion was, after all, just one guild representing a small fraction of the player base. From the perspective of the average player, there was no representation for them within the guild’s ranks. Furthermore, having reigned as the top guild for so long, the Peerless Legion had used its power to monopolize leveling grounds and kill-steal bosses, leaving the general player population resentful of their arrogance. They held no love for the Peerless Legion. In their eyes, having a neutral, system-aligned city stand against the legion was a welcome development. Many even secretly hoped that Falling Cloud City would grow stronger and eventually dismantle the Peerless Legion entirely.

Of course, they had no idea that Li Ren, the Lord of Falling Cloud City, while seemingly just a skeleton under system control, possessed a soul exactly like their own. But then again, what would it matter? Li Ren was not foolish enough to go around broadcasting such a thing, so the secret remained safe.

Since the last offensive, Li Ren and his companions had remained quiet, making no new moves. However, an undercurrent of tension was swirling through the player world, as if something significant were brewing. Some players had considered informing the Lord of Falling Cloud City of these developments, but they were thwarted by the fact that he was an NPC and they had no way of entering the Lord’s castle.

Were Li Ren and his allies truly unaware of these movements in the player world? Well, Li Ren was indeed in the dark, but Fan Yunshan and Moran were perfectly aware.

There was a reason for this. Ever since Li Ren had fused with the Will of Holy Light and returned to Falling Cloud City radiating a divine aura, his current state had left even the mysterious Moran and Fan Yunshan feeling an uncontrollable sense of shock. He was, quite frankly, a freak of nature. Fan Yunshan had examined the attributes Li Ren made public; with all the various bonuses, he had become a terrifying anomaly. If given enough time to grow, there was no telling what he might become. Fan Yunshan had estimated privately that if they were the same level, a direct confrontation with Li Ren would be unpredictable. Even as a powerful entity from the Underworld, he felt his own strength was suppressed in comparison. He could only wonder how much of his current power would remain once he returned to the Underworld.

To ensure that Li Ren’s monstrous potential was fully realized, Fan Yunshan and Moran reached a consensus: they would ignore the conspiracies of the player world for the time being and dedicate all their efforts to helping Li Ren and Mao Mao level up quickly. With sufficient strength, any player schemes would be crushed into dust. Moreover, since they were keeping a close watch on those restless individuals, it was unlikely that anything truly catastrophic would occur in the short term. With the decision made, Li Ren was sent off to grind.

"Still, what exactly is that Holy-Darkness attribute of his?" Fan Yunshan asked, sitting casually in the Falling Cloud City lord's hall.

"I have no idea. The Master is shrouded in mystery," Moran replied with a shake of his head.

As beings from the Underworld, their natural affinity was exclusively toward darkness. The fact that the holy power—which should have been diametrically opposed to their nature—could fuse perfectly within Li Ren was something they found deeply baffling. Add to that the ability to reshape skeletons—a creative power that should not exist—and Li Ren was essentially a walking bug in the system. Not to mention that heaven-defying skill that allowed him to absorb attributes! Given enough time, Li Ren would grow into a truly terrifying existence.

Fan Yunshan shook his head, forcefully suppressing a flicker of envy that had no business being in his mind. He sighed deeply, unable to shake the feeling of jealousy.

While these powerful figures sighed in Falling Cloud City, Li Ren was busy slaughtering monsters. The bosses he had killed previously had respawned, and the experience and attributes they provided were of great interest to him. Augmented by his holy attributes, his Holy Verdict and Holy Dark Demon Domain made him a one-man army. He headed straight back to the spot where he had previously struggled against the Iron-Saw Centipede, and this time, he easily turned it into food for Mao Mao.

Attributes and experience flowed into them in torrents. At this rate of growth, if Tian Xie and that group of players led by Solon thought they could throw the game world into chaos, they were sorely mistaken. Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and even Moran began to lower his guard—yet, as history often showed, it was usually in such moments that the most unpredictable events took place.