Chapter 375: Generous Bounty

Twenty years in the Two-Dimensional World, yet only two or three months had passed in the Main Universe.

Virtual World.

Lin Yuan was exchanging intelligence with Deputy Tower Master Nalan.

In the Two-Dimensional World, Experts from various major forces had basically begun to join forces.

Even those unique special life forms were no exception.

In the Main Universe, those Tier 11 sixth-tier special life forms possessed terrifying strength.

However, in the Two-Dimensional World, before Tier 11 Peak lives had completely grown, they might well die at the hands of some Tier 9 or Tier 10 lives.

The power ceiling of the Two-Dimensional World was not high; even an Eighth-Tier life could easily reach it.

Under the same power ceiling, relying on their powerful mental will and technical comprehension, Tier 11 Peak lives might be able to sweep across eight or ten beings of the same level.

But what about a hundred or a thousand? One must know that the number of ten thousand races experts falling into the Two-Dimensional World this time exceeded one hundred million.

Before Tier 11 lives had grown to their limits, if they were careless, they truly might stumble and fall.

Of course, as long as Tier 11 lives were given time, they were destined to surpass Eighth-Tier lives.

Tier 11 powerhouses, relying on their mastery of power, could ultimately rise again even if they started from scratch.

But they needed time to grow.

Tier 11 Peak powerhouses needed time, and Lin Yuan needed time as well.

Relying on Heaven-Defying Comprehension, under the condition of starting from the same baseline.

Lin Yuan was confident he could walk higher and farther than those Tier 11 Peak lives.

"Galaxy Star Master, the Evolvers of our Human Civilization have already established a stronghold in the capital of the Mo Lan Ancient Kingdom. Are you interested in coming over?"

Deputy Tower Master Nalan asked with a smile.

Although in the Two-Dimensional World, only one person could leave every time the Heavenly Gate opened,

before completely wiping out other alien Experts, the interior of Human Civilization's Evolvers remained very united.

"Mo Lan Ancient Kingdom?" Lin Yuan's brows twitched slightly.

In the vast continent of the Two-Dimensional World, Ancient Kingdoms were behemoths surpassing gathering places and cities.

So far, there were only Twelve Ancient Kingdoms known to Lin Yuan, and each Ancient Kingdom was established by a certain Witch Ancestor, ruling over vast territories.

"My current location is too remote, and the Mo Lan Ancient Kingdom is too far away." Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, casually finding an excuse to brush it off.

In reality, Lin Yuan was simply unwilling to crowd into places with many people.

As one of the Twelve Ancient Kingdoms, the capital of the Mo Lan Ancient Kingdom was exceptionally prosperous.

This meant it was highly likely that other ten thousand races experts would head there.

Over there, the probability of encountering Main Universe Experts was simply too high.

"What a pity." Deputy Tower Master Nalan sighed and did not force the issue.

The vast continent in the Two-Dimensional World was far too expansive, and without the ability to jump via Space Rules, traveling was a major issue.

Next,

Lin Yuan chatted with Deputy Tower Master Nalan for a while longer.

The topics were basically focused on cultivation and the whereabouts of certain extremely famous alien Experts.

"So far, the Luo Chuan Gathering Place where I am located is still very safe, without any traces of alien Experts." Lin Yuan thought to himself.

Although the ten thousand races experts falling into the Two-Dimensional World exceeded one hundred million, when dispersed across the entire continent, they appeared exceptionally sparse.

While the Luo Chuan Gathering Place was indeed a large gathering place, it was far inferior to city-level factions, let alone Ancient Kingdom-level factions.

Truly powerful ten thousand races experts basically gravitated toward prosperous places because there were more resources there, bringing greater improvements to their strength.

"Galaxy Star Master, if you have any questions, you can contact me at any time," Deputy Tower Master Nalan said at the end.

"Definitely." Lin Yuan nodded.

Luo Chuan Gathering Place.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes.

"External forces are still unreliable after all." Lin Yuan sighed in his heart.

Over the years, he had been waiting for news from the Supreme Powerhouses. If the Supreme Powerhouses were able to refine that 'white paper', they would completely have the ability to fish him out.

But now it seemed,

this hope was not very large.

"Compared to those Tier 11 lives, my biggest advantage is still Comprehension Ability."

Lin Yuan pondered inwardly. Having confirmed that he could not leave through external forces, he began to examine himself.

The Tier 11 lives would definitely surpass Lin Yuan in terms of thought operation speed and mastery of basic power.

But Comprehension Ability? Even with the blessing of standing on high and looking far, in terms of Comprehension Ability, Lin Yuan believed he far exceeded those Tier 11 lives.

It was just that an advantage like Comprehension Ability could not be directly converted into combat power.

Especially in the Early Stage of cultivation, following the cultivation system of this Two-Dimensional World, the demand for Comprehension Ability was not very large.

Across the five major Realms of Witch, Witch King, Witch Emperor, Witch Emperor, and Witch Ancestor, those Tier 11 lives only needed to Cultivate all the way up following the cultivation method of this Two-Dimensional World.

The place where Comprehension Ability was truly needed was after the Witch Ancestor Realm.

After the Witch Ancestor Realm, there was no road ahead; if one wanted to continue improving their strength, they had to rely on themselves to carve out a new path.

At this time, Lin Yuan's Heaven-Defying Comprehension would display its huge advantage.

Simply put,

before the Witch Ancestor, Lin Yuan's cultivation speed could not match those Tier 11 Peak lives.

But after reaching the Witch Ancestor, Lin Yuan would ruthlessly beat those Tier 11 Peak lives.

This was also the reason why Lin Yuan refused Deputy Tower Master Nalan's invitation and hid in the remote Luo Chuan Gathering Place.

As long as he endured the Early Stage of cultivation, those Tier 11 lives would just wait to be crushed by him.

Prior to this, Lin Yuan was unwilling to have excessive contact with those ten thousand races experts.

"In twenty years, I have also cultivated to the Peak Witch Emperor Realm." Lin Yuan thought silently in his heart.

Actually, if he did not hide here, but instead headed to more prosperous regions and borrowed massive resources, Lin Yuan might have already stepped into the Witch Emperor Realm.

However, the risk of that behavior was that he would come into contact with ten thousand races experts in advance.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; exposing oneself too early made it extremely likely to be targeted by interested parties.

"At the Peak Witch Emperor Realm, my true combat power should not be weaker than a Witch Emperor." Lin Yuan knew this well in his mind.

Compared to native Experts, Lin Yuan was an outsider with a broader perspective, and his mastery and application of power left native Witch Emperors of the same level far, far behind.

Even over these years, relying on Heaven-Defying Comprehension, Lin Yuan had created various techniques of combat and slaughter, bringing his lethal means to an astonishing level.

"The next Witch Emperor Realm, according to deduction, is a very crucial stage, related to whether one can stimulate all of their potential after stepping into the Witch Ancestor Realm."

Lin Yuan thought silently in his heart. At the very beginning of cultivation, Lin Yuan had already begun to deduce the path after the Witch Ancestor using Heaven-Defying Comprehension, clearly understanding the importance of the Witch Emperor Realm.

In fact, starting from the Witch Emperor Realm, Lin Yuan had gradually abandoned the original cultivation system of this world and began to create a cultivation method entirely suitable for himself and adaptable to this world.

"I still need a large number of cultivation methods from this world for reference, otherwise stepping into the Witch Emperor next will probably waste quite a bit of time."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

The Martial Dao Evolution Path was also created by observing a large number of other evolution paths.

Just as Lin Yuan was deep in thought,

a voice suddenly came from outside.

"My lord."

"Come in." Lin Yuan glanced outside the door.

Soon,

a thin, small man walked in.

This thin, small man was named Cha Rangu, the controller of the Luo Chuan Gathering Place and a Witch King-level expert.

Twelve years ago, when Lin Yuan stepped into the Witch Emperor Realm, he casually subdued Cha Rangu, making him the true master of this large gathering place.

Of course, outsiders were unaware of Lin Yuan's identity, and everything was conducted in secret.

"Master." Cha Rangu's posture was extremely respectful.

Only he knew just how terrifying Lin Yuan's strength was.

Back then when Lin Yuan appeared before him and said he wanted to take over the gathering place, Cha Rangu had not taken it seriously, but everything that happened afterward made him tremble in his heart until now.

The strength displayed by Lin Yuan far exceeded a Witch King. Many years ago, Cha Rangu had fortuitously seen a Witch Emperor-level expert, but they seemed inferior to Lin Yuan.

"Is there a result on the matter I asked you to investigate?" Lin Yuan asked in a calm tone.

Since he was living in seclusion in the Luo Chuan Gathering Place, the entire Luo Chuan Gathering Place had to be firmly in his hands; this was also the reason why Lin Yuan subdued Cha Rangu.

After becoming the true master of the Luo Chuan Gathering Place, at least in terms of cultivation resources for the Witch Emperor stage, things were relieved a lot.

But it was only a relief. The massive resources Lin Yuan would need next to step into the Witch Emperor Realm were simply something the Luo Chuan Gathering Place could not satisfy.

Therefore, not long ago, Lin Yuan had asked Cha Rangu to keep an eye out for surrounding information.

"My lord, the traces of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits have been confirmed," Cha Rangu said in a low voice.

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits was the designation for eighteen heinous Witch Kings.

These eighteen Witch Kings were all at the Peak Witch King Realm, committing all sorts of evils, and carried many wanted notices and bounties on their backs.

Roughly calculating, the bounties for each Witch King added up to over two million wizard crystals, making the eighteen Witch Kings an astronomical figure of nearly forty million wizard crystals.

Lin Yuan needed a massive amount of resources to Cultivate, but where would the resources come from?

The fastest method was plunder, but the hidden dangers were too great, and it was overly high-profile.

Taking on the wanted bounties of the Ancient Kingdoms and hunting down those high-bounty desperados was the safest method Lin Yuan could think of.

First, killing those desperados would not lead to post-event accountability, and by responding to the Ancient Kingdom's wanted notices, one's own identity would definitely be kept confidential.

Under such circumstances, he could also acquire a large sum of bounty, which completely matched Lin Yuan's expectations.

This did not even include the wealth carried on the bodies of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits themselves.

"I understand." Lin Yuan nodded.

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits committed another major crime some time ago and were hunted by Witch Emperor-level Experts, eventually fleeing to the surrounding areas.

As the local tyrant of the Luo Chuan Gathering Place, Cha Rangu had also operated in this place for many years, locking onto the general area where the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits were currently located at the first moment.

"If Your Excellency wants to deal with the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, you must be careful. They have cultivated a set of joint-attack techniques, and when joining forces, even Witch Emperors have to back down."

Cha Rangu said in a low voice.

The bounties on the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits added up to nearly forty million wizard crystals, a fortune that even Witch Emperors greatly desired.

However, for so many years, the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits had always remained carefree. Far more than one Witch Emperor had hunted them down, but all of them had returned empty-handed.

Even a few Witch Emperors were injured at the hands of those eighteen bandits, suffering quite a lot.

Cha Rangu was immensely in awe of Lin Yuan's strength, but when facing ferocious fellows like the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, no amount of caution could be excessive.

Dongyuan City.

This was the city closest to the Luo Chuan Gathering Place, and also a rare large-scale city.

On the bustling and lively streets, Lin Yuan walked leisurely. His appearance and figure had undergone huge changes.

Since he planned to go and kill the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, Lin Yuan naturally accepted the bounty in advance.

If he killed people first and then went to accept the bounty, discrepancies could easily arise.

Blood Rain Tavern.

This was a bounty-issuing post established by the official forces of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom.

It was specially used to put out wanted notices for those heinous villains, and likewise, anyone could issue a bounty targeting someone here.

Lin Yuan walked into the Blood Rain Tavern, and soon someone specially appeared to receive him.

"Are you accepting a bounty or issuing a bounty?" The person who received Lin Yuan was a hunchbacked old man with deep eyes, quietly looking at Lin Yuan.

"Accepting a bounty." Lin Yuan glanced at the hunchbacked old man.

Although this person tried his best to conceal his strength, Lin Yuan saw at a glance that the other party was a Witch Emperor-level expert.

Of course, not a Witch Emperor in their prime, but an aged and frail Witch Emperor in their twilight years.

In this Two-Dimensional World, there were no things like rule comprehension, and the Foundation of strength was the Physical Body.

Therefore, once stepping into old age and with Qi and blood decaying, one's strength would drop extremely quickly.

It was said that after stepping into the Witch Ancestor, the whole body's Qi and blood condensed as one, and until the moment of passing away, Qi and blood could be maintained at the Peak.

"Whose bounty are you accepting?" The hunchbacked old man asked.

"The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits," Lin Yuan said. Only here at the Blood Rain Tavern, by accepting the bounty of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, could Lin Yuan successfully claim the bounty after completing the objective.

The bounty was directly issued by the Blood Rain Tavern and consisted of wizard crystals universal across the Twelve Ancient Kingdoms, so there would be no problems whatsoever.

Hearing this, the hunchbacked old man looked at Lin Yuan with slight surprise and couldn't help asking: "Whose bounty do you want to accept?"

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits were all Peak Witch Kings, and their joint-attack technique could even shake Witch Emperors.

To accept the bounty of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, one needed at least the strength of a Witch Emperor.

But was this young man before him a Witch Emperor?

"The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits," Lin Yuan repeated.

"The current bounty amount for the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits has reached sixty million wizard crystals. If you want to accept their bounty, you need to submit ten thousand wizard crystals as a 'voucher'." The hunchbacked old man said.

It wasn't that you could get a bounty just because you wanted to accept it.

Otherwise, if someone took all the bounties at once, wouldn't it affect those Experts who genuinely wanted to accept them?

Therefore—

The Blood Rain Tavern had long established a rule.

Anyone accepting a bounty must submit a fraction of the bounty's worth in wizard crystals as a 'voucher'.

As long as the bounty target could be successfully killed afterwards, the submitted 'voucher' would be returned in full.

If they failed to kill the target, a portion of the wizard crystal 'voucher' would also be returned.

This measure was to raise the threshold for accepting bounties.

"Sixty million?" Lin Yuan was slightly surprised.

He remembered that previously the bounty amount of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits added up to less than forty million.

Averaging just over two million wizard crystals per person.

But now?

Sixty million bounty?

"Half a year ago, the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits plundered a treasury of Prince Zhenbei of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom. In his great anger, Prince Zhenbei personally produced wizard crystals to raise the bounty of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits to sixty million."

Speaking up to here, the hunchbacked old man gave Lin Yuan a meaningful look, "Since the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits could successfully breach the prince's treasury, their strength must be higher than imagined."

"Are you sure you still want to accept their bounty?"

"Sure." Lin Yuan's expression did not change.

The strength of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits was higher than imagined?

Even if all eighteen of them collectively promoted to Witch Emperors, with Lin Yuan's strength comparable to Witch Emperors, he could easily slaughter his way through.

"This is the bounty order."

"After killing the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, bring back their key body parts to claim the bounty here."

The hunchbacked old man did not continue to persuade and spoke according to the tavern's rules.

Lin Yuan put away the bounty order and turned to leave the Blood Rain Tavern.

In a vast primitive dense forest, Lin Yuan's figure appeared.

"According to the intelligence obtained by Cha Rangu, the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits finally entered this dense forest." Lin Yuan looked at the lush expanse of ancient trees before him, thinking silently in his heart.

For ordinary Witch Emperor-level Experts, even Witch Emperor-level ones, finding the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits in such a massive dense forest was definitely not an easy task.

Having been fugitives for many years, the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits must be extremely vigilant, and any slightest disturbance would draw their attention.

But Lin Yuan was different. As a Tier 10 Evolver, although many of Lin Yuan's methods and abilities were suppressed, his keen perception of aura was still there.

Even separated by a long distance, he could slightly perceive it. This was an 'advantage' possessed by all Experts who descended into this Two-Dimensional World.

"At most half a day will be enough to search it once."

Lin Yuan's figure disappeared on the spot, and with a silent speed, he began heading toward various locations in the primitive dense forest.

A certain valley in the primitive dense forest.

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits were gathering here.

"Hhahahaha, by plundering that treasure of Prince Zhenbei this time, we brothers have really struck it rich." Excited smiles appeared on the faces of all eighteen men.

Prince Zhenbei of the Blood Rain Ancient Kingdom was a big figure among the Twelve Ancient Kingdoms. A treasury of his would make not just Witch Kings, but even Witch Emperors and Witch Emperors green with envy.

"Big Brother, with the resources in the treasury, at least three to five Witch Emperors can be born among us brothers. By then, the prestige of the Yunshan Eighteen Bandits will rise by a large margin."

The sixth among the eighteen bandits couldn't help saying, looking at a rugged man beside him.

A trace of violence faintly flashed across the rugged man's expression, and at this moment, satisfaction was also revealed on his face.

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits, composed of merely eighteen Witch Kings, already left the many Witch Emperors of the Blood Rain Empire helpless. If another three to five Witch Emperors were born—

In the entire Blood Rain Empire, as long as they didn't provoke those few entities, wouldn't they be able to run amok unchecked?

"Alright."

"Being able to escape from under Prince Zhenbei's hands this time relied entirely on Big Brother's wondrous item."

"Without that wondrous item, no matter how ten times stronger we were, it would be impossible to fight our way out," the second among the eighteen men said, shaking his head.

"Right."

"It all depends on Big Brother."

"Without Big Brother's wondrous item this time, we would have died long ago."

The other dozen or so people immediately chimed in.

Was Prince Zhenbei's treasury something so easy to take?

If not for the compass wondrous item in the eldest brother's hand, which could promptly point out a path of survival for them at a critical moment—

They would have all died long ago under the hunt of Prince Zhenbei's subordinates.

Let alone escaping here?

"Hhahahaha."

The rugged eldest brother laughed heartily, looking quite pleased with himself. "What is Prince Zhenbei? Following me from now on, even the imperial treasury of the Blood Rain Empire can be entered and left seven times at will."

"Big Brother is mighty."

"I have never regretted following Big Brother."

The crowd of eighteen bandits immediately flattered him.

"Right, Big Brother."

"How should we proceed next?"

"Although we are now far from Prince Zhenbei's sphere of influence, we still cannot be careless."

The second brother spoke up at this moment.

"Let me see."

The rugged man nodded, acknowledging this statement.

The Yunshan Eighteen Bandits had remained carefree until now not relying on strength, but on caution.

After speaking,

the rugged man took out a bronze compass from his bosom.

A copper needle was suspended in the center of the compass.

Whenever the rugged man faced desperate hunts with no way out, he would take out this bronze compass.

Then, following the guidance of the pointer on the compass, he would be able to walk out a path of survival.

"Compass, oh compass."

"Which direction should we brothers go next so that we can continue to be carefree?"

Holding the compass in his hands, the rugged man offered a drop of fresh blood, which fell onto it.

Instantly,

the copper needle suspended in the center of the compass began to spin rapidly.

The rugged man waited patiently.

They were very familiar with this; at most a moment later, the pointer on the compass would stop.

Then they would head in the direction pointed by the pointer, and that place would be absolutely safe.

However, time passed.

In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour had passed.

The rugged man and the other seventeen people were somewhat baffled.

Because the bronze compass in front of them was still spinning unceasingly.