Chapter 68: The Jade Sword Saint’s Return to Luoyun

"Hey, I say, do you two really need to keep staring at me like that?" Li Ren had truly had enough of the prickling gazes from behind; those eyes practically scratched at his back.

"Hm? Were we looking at you? Hmph! Don’t flatter yourself." Lantis snorted, her gaze fixed firmly ahead, making it clear she wasn’t looking at him anymore.

But the moment Li Ren turned his head, that sensation returned, driving him nearly mad.

"Lantis, if you’ve got something to say, just say it. Why keep this up between us?" Li Ren simply stopped walking. He gazed at Lantis’s stunning face, the queenly brilliance flashing in her pale blue eyes.

"If you just said it outright, wouldn’t that be better, my lord?" Lantis suddenly changed her demeanor, moving alluringly close to Li Ren.

Faced with such a breathtaking woman, especially when she deliberately played up her charms, Li Ren stood no chance. Instantly, he snapped to attention, eyes forward, fingers pressed to his thighs, legs together, the very picture of a soldier on parade.

The reason was simple: Lantis had wrapped an arm around his neck, leaning languidly against him.

Shadow, standing off to the side, was inwardly shouting, "Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" but his face remained perfectly serious, eyes fixed straight ahead—or just a little to the side, but no one would notice.

Of course, no one would notice! There were only three people present—a soldier at attention, a woman draped over him, and a human lamppost. The atmosphere was bizarre. Voice trembling, Li Ren, even with his skeletal body, managed a sound like swallowing nervously. "Lantis, please, just let me go. I’ll confess everything, I swear."

"Hmm? What is there to confess? Clearly, you’re the one who wants to say something, isn’t that right?" The fragrant scent of orchids overwhelmed Li Ren’s nerves, and he nodded rapidly.

"That’s better." Lantis released him, somehow producing a little file from thin air, and returned to her usual mature, queenly poise, leisurely tending her nails. Li Ren, anxious and flustered, gave a great sigh to the heavens—real men don’t quarrel with women!

"But what am I supposed to say? Or, how about this—let’s talk later?" Seizing a moment’s distraction, Li Ren teleported a long distance away, then broke into a sprint, dashing straight for Falling Cloud City.

By the time his words faded, he was already leaping and bounding far off. Lantis hadn’t expected such a shameless move, and could only stare wide-eyed at his retreating figure, both furious and amused. "Li Ren! You scoundrel!"

Her voice echoed from afar, and Li Ren’s heart skipped a beat. "Did I overdo it this time? Maybe I should’ve just told her… But since I’ve already run, I’d better stick to my plan and escape as fast as I can."

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak. It was just that, since he alone bore that memory, it was better to let it remain within him. Why voice it aloud? Rather than spreading the pain to everyone, better he shoulder it alone.

"What’s been cut away, let it be gone. What’s past, let it be forgotten. What matters is only the present, isn’t it?" Li Ren thought to himself, "All I want is for you all to be well."

And so, he fled at full speed, all the way back to Falling Cloud City, back to those familiar walls and the hapless, hopeful players venturing forth.

"Wait! Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Li Ren grew uneasy. The players were staring at him in surprise, then all raised their weapons.

"Damn! I ran back so fast I forgot to put on the Ring of Deceit!" Only now did Li Ren realize his mistake, and immediately felt unsettled.

Well, the players were charging at him now, led by a burly man shouting as he ran.

Li Ren was helpless. These were visitors in his city—customers, even! Hadn’t he heard the saying, "The customer is always right"? Was he supposed to beat up God? Strip God’s pants and sell them off?

"Hey, that’s not a bad idea," Li Ren chuckled to himself. Since they’d come to him, and were intent on attacking the city lord, a little punishment wasn’t unreasonable.

Comforting himself thus, he raised his sword and charged in as well.

"Wait, something’s still not right. What have I forgotten?" As he ran, Li Ren racked his memory. He truly felt he’d forgotten something important, but couldn’t recall it just yet—how maddening.

"No, no, definitely something’s missing. What is it?" His eyes darted unconsciously over his body, scanning himself from head to toe.

"Damn! My stats are gone! All burned away! Now I’ve only got 7 points left—how am I supposed to fight these brutes?" Li Ren felt a pang of despair as the two sides clashed right before him.

"Screw it! I’ve got so much health—statless or not, I can still take them. And if I can’t win, I can always run!" With his strategy set, he felt a bit more at ease.

But that was hardly comforting—so he went all out!

He swung his sword with all his might, holding nothing back, pouring every ounce of strength into the blow. Seven points of strength—but how much strength could that be?

Yet as his sword swept down, a brilliant, moon-white radiance suddenly exploded from the blade, surging straight ahead.

The shield warrior at the front, wielding a massive shield, didn’t even have time to react—he was instantly vaporized and sent back to Falling Cloud City as a beam of light.

A crack, three inches wide, split the earth, racing forward until it crashed against the sturdy city wall.

The players were stunned. Li Ren was stunned.

What had he just witnessed? What had he just done?

Seven points of strength could unleash such power? Who would believe it?

But the evidence was right before his eyes—there was no denying it.

With a single stroke, he’d slain several players instantly. The rest, terrified, fled as fast as they could toward the one place they considered safest—Falling Cloud City.

Li Ren didn’t give chase. In fact, he was still in shock.

He glanced at his stats, then at the devastating result before him. After a moment’s daze, he smiled with satisfaction.

He gathered up the equipment the players had dropped—of course, he didn’t touch their blood essence. If players started losing stats here, it would be bad news for Falling Cloud City no matter how you looked at it. Besides, at their current levels, there weren’t many stat points to absorb anyway; better to go hunt monsters in groups, that’s what really paid off.

Having stored everything in the Ash Ring, he quickly retreated to a place where no one could see him, slipped on the Ring of Deceit, and so, a player who had failed his "treasure hunt" outside the city reentered Falling Cloud City through another gate.

As for the growing legend of the Jade Skeleton Sword Saint, he only smiled faintly. That’s right—he was always destined to be but a legend!