Chapter 125: A Sudden Turn of Events

"Stop your incessant babbling, will you ever finish!"

An untimely voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone present. All the atmosphere that Manro had carefully built up was smashed to pieces by this unearthly cry, thoroughly stamped with the label of affectation.

The scene fell into an awkward silence for a moment, everyone seemingly trying to react and digest the shock brought by those words.

"So it's you, fellow. Do you feel you've lived too long?" Manro narrowed his eyes, staring at Macarius. His gaze was overflowing with a dangerous aura, and his words were charged with such murderous intent that he looked as though he wished to inflict every torture in the world upon Macarius.

"Sigh, what can I do? Being a good person, one sometimes simply lives longer. Unlike certain creatures who act like whores while pretending to be pure—bound to have short lives, you see." Macarius no longer bore the demeanor of a wise sage; his face was plastered with a despicable smile, brows arched and mouth crooked. Every single word he uttered was a biting satire of Manro, making him look like an old rogue who had lived enough, his tongue sharper than a blade.

"Oh my! Bah, bah, bah! I really am getting old. Look at this mouth of mine, truly foul! There, I went and used the wrong word by accident. How could I be so careless? Why, courtesans are far cleaner than you! Saying something like that makes it so easy for people to think I'm insulting courtesans! Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin..."

Macarius's inexplicable and sudden intervention choked Manro to the verge of death. It seemed as though all of Manro's previous venting had been reduced to empty, baseless whining under Macarius's tongue, while Manro himself was branded a complete little bitch, nailed to the pillar of shame with plenty of room to spare for ridicule...

Manro closed his eyes and pressed his temples, seemingly stricken with a headache, unsure how best to deal with Macarius. After a moment of silence, he suddenly stepped forward and slapped toward Macarius's face, with the clear intent of crushing him with a single blow.

Macarius didn't seem to notice Manro's palm at all, suddenly breaking into a violent cough—a cough so hoarse and desperate that his back arched like a lobster's, making him look on the very brink of death...

A moment later, Manro withdrew his hand, glancing at Macarius with a trace of apprehension, and re-evaluated the seemingly decrepit and feeble old man before him.

Luo Hanye and Shi Can were also immensely astonished, staring with wide eyes at Macarius, who had finally stopped coughing.

It turned out that Macarius's back had arched just in time from the violent fit of coughing, allowing him to dodge Manro's murderous palm by a hair's breadth.

Manro walked over to Macarius, leaned his upper body slightly forward, and murmured right beside Macarius's ear: "Old fox, you're really looking for trouble!"

Yet Macarius completely ignored him, deliberately cupping his hand to his ear and shouting at the top of his gravelly, aged voice: "What? What did you say? Are you looking to date me? Sorry, this old man is only interested in big-chested beauties, not you! Go find somewhere cool to hang out and stop annoying me right here!"

"You'd better think this through. We've reached this stage, and deliberately provoking me will do you no good whatsoever."

Standing opposite Manro, Macarius arched a brow. A subtle shift crossed his expression as he looked at Manro, yet he still refused to make any concessions. "Whatever is coming will come. Since there's no escaping it, I might as well face it head-on."

"Have you given up on yourself? Why are you willing to reduce yourself to a mere spirit? Just for the likes of him?" Manro pointed resentfully at the nearby Luo Hanye, demanding an explanation from Macarius.

"He is far more than just 'the likes of him.' You're being far too arrogant."

"Is there anything left here that can stop me?"

"There are many things, and he is one of them. Ah, look, he's coming."

Witnessing the standoff between Macarius and Manro, Luo Hanye felt an uninvited sense of discomfort creeping into his heart. Watching an old man old enough to be his grandfather confronting an eccentric, gender-ambiguous monster—anyone would find it difficult to stand by and wait in peace.

"Damn it, so what if he's a badass? The worst that can happen is death! Losing your head is nothing more than a scar the size of a bowl, and once I log out of this game, I'll still be a fine hero!"

Luo Hanye cursed under his breath and took a firm step forward.

A single step—such a simple action carried an extraordinary significance when executed by Luo Hanye. The moment he stepped forward, his entire aura underwent a earth-shattering transformation. Many things that had previously eluded his understanding now appeared crystal clear to his eyes.

"So... that's how it is." Luo Hanye arched an eyebrow, looking at Manro with a chuckle. While it wasn't quite fearlessness, the overwhelming dread had largely vanished.

"Haha, Luo Hanye, you've finally figured it out." Macarius laughed heartily, a layer of golden halo blooming across the surface of his body. A intense, sacred aura surged upward, and his somewhat withered, aged face seemed to transform into pale gold, while his eyes shimmered like blazing golden flames. His personal momentum climbed crazily at a geometric rate, faintly condensing into a small golden flower that enveloped him, majestic and holy.

A serious look flashed across Manro's eyes, though it relaxed a moment later into his usual lazy nonchalance, as if he cared little for the changes happening before him.

He too took a step forward in retaliation. With this single step from Manro, the already tense atmosphere tightened further, as if a massive battle could erupt at any second.

"Heh, you don't still think this is just a game, do you?" Manro glanced at the three figures standing in a triangular formation, and spoke to Luo Hanye with a playful tone.

Luo Hanye's body shuddered as he looked at Manro in disbelief. The world spun around him, and it felt as though the entire universe was trembling.

"How dare you!" Macarius stepped forward, seemingly intent on stopping Manro.

"W-what did you say?" Luo Hanye blocked Macarius from interfering, fixing his gaze on Manro and motioning for him to continue.

"Heh, haven't you already guessed it? I just want to tell you, this time is different from the past. If you die here... you really die in the real world, Divine Strategy!" Manro lifted his chin, speaking to Luo Hanye with a haughty arrogance.

Luo Hanye lowered his head in silence for a brief moment, then raised it again. His eyes were now filled with a ruthless and resolute determination.

"Huh? What is that look supposed to mean!" Manro gave an involuntary start under Luo Hanye's gaze, his momentum abruptly stalling.

Taken aback for a split second, his face flushed crimson, threatening to turn purple. Consumed by anger and embarrassment, he roared at Luo Hanye: "Hey! Think this through! You're courting death!"

"I have thought it very clearly! Isn't this just raising Gu insects? Either I become the most powerful one, or I die!"