"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the epic-grade equipment: Big Leaf Fish Scale Armor!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the epic-grade equipment: Hair-Binding Black Gold Crown!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the epic-grade equipment: Silver Sky Sun-Extinguishing Bow!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the warrior class epic-grade skill book!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the summoner class epic-grade skill book!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the mythical-grade equipment: Seven Star Ancient Moon Blade!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the mythical-grade equipment: Stroll of the Meditative Dreamwalker!" "Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the mythical-grade equipment: Scepter of the Redemption Goddess!"
In one breath, Jiang Yuan collected all the items from the five orange and three red light pillars on the ground. Glancing at his backpack, he found a total of three epic-grade equipment pieces, two epic-grade skill books, and three mythical-grade equipment pieces—all weapons without exception!
"Heh! It seems the stuff the boss willingly gives is indeed better than what players drop themselves!"
Jiang Yuan gave a thumbs-up to the Shadow Demon, who stood frozen in the corner, praising its understanding for handing over mythical-grade equipment in the weapon slot.
"As long as you're happy, big shot!"
The Shadow Demon cowered in the corner, bowing and scraping to Jiang Yuan, flattering him repeatedly.
"Hmm."
Seeing how cooperative the other party was, Jiang Yuan nodded with satisfaction, pointed at the chest filled with gold bars, and curled his finger slightly.
The Shadow Demon immediately caught on, raised a hand to send out a wisp of demonic energy, and gently pushed the chest in front of Jiang Yuan.
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining Gold Bars x15,000!"
The moment Jiang Yuan's fingers touched the chest, the gold bars inside vanished, all entering his backpack. The notification startled even Jiang Yuan—a full fifteen thousand bars!
"Since you've admitted your mistakes with a good attitude, I'll let you off today! But remember, if you dare to kill innocents or harm living beings again, I won't hesitate to come back!"
After picking up the last dozen or so blue and purple equipment pieces from the ground, Jiang Yuan looked at the Shadow Demon trembling in the corner and said.
"Yes, yes, yes! Rest assured, young hero, I wouldn't dare again!"
The Shadow Demon, standing obediently in the corner like a punished child, nodded repeatedly, as docile as a little white rabbit, and kept nodding to Jiang Yuan.
After this battle, the Shadow Demon's primordial demonic energy had suffered heavy losses, and it wouldn't pose a major threat to the creatures of Shadowmoon Valley for a long time.
"I'm off!"
Jiang Yuan reinserted the half-foot-long "Demon-Extinguishing Electric Rod" into his waistband backward, said his goodbyes, and turned to leave with a carefree stride.
Watching Jiang Yuan walk out of the cave, the Shadow Demon let out a long sigh of relief, its crimson eyes regaining their luster.
Leaving the Shadow Demon's lair, Jiang Yuan was in an exceptionally good mood. He summoned a Dragon Beard Tiger, mounted it, and hummed a tune as he headed back to Shadowmoon Manor.
Little did Jiang Yuan know that because of his momentary leniency today, after ascending to the Immortal Realm in the future, it would nearly lead to the destruction of the entire realm!
Before long, Jiang Yuan returned to Shadowmoon Manor to report to the manor lord, Zhang Yang.
"How did it go? Did you kill the Shadow Demon?"
Zhang Yang, the manor lord of Shadowmoon Manor, asked eagerly as soon as he approached.
"No, I spared its miserable life. But I destroyed a good chunk of its primordial demonic energy with the 'Demon-Extinguishing Needle.' It probably won't be causing trouble for a long time."
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said to the manor lord.
"That's fair. The Shadow Demon is extremely hard to deal with. It's already impressive that you managed to severely wound it!"
Unaware that Jiang Yuan had let the Shadow Demon go after accepting its "bribe," Zhang Yang believed that even he himself couldn't kill the demon, let alone expect Jiang Yuan to do so. The current outcome was more than satisfactory to him.
"Rest assured, Grandpa Zhang. If this creature dares to run amok in Shadowmoon Valley again, just send word to City Lord Song, and I'll come personally to deal with it!"
Jiang Yuan said to Zhang Yang with a relaxed expression. However, in Zhang Yang's eyes, Jiang Yuan was just trying to save face. He didn't call him out on it and simply smiled, saying, "Young hero, your chivalrous spirit is admirable. Since you've helped this old man solve his problem, I must express my gratitude!"
With that, Zhang Yang produced a box from his hand as if by magic and handed it to Jiang Yuan.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the Shadowmoon Valley series main quest. You have received a Level 85 Mythical Equipment Self-Selection Box x1 and 500,000,000 experience points!"
As the notification sounded, the box in Zhang Yang's hand automatically entered Jiang Yuan's backpack. At this point, only the unfinished "Demon Extermination in Anyang Town" quest remained on his task list.
Now Jiang Yuan understood why Peace City Lord Song Shichang was so certain that Zhang Yang had what he needed. Completing this main quest rewarded a Level 85 Mythical Equipment Self-Selection Box!
"Grandpa Zhang, thank you so much! You've been a huge help!"
Jiang Yuan was overjoyed, repeatedly bowing to Zhang Yang and thanking him profusely.
"Heh! You deserve it."
Zhang Yang waved his hand with a smile, signaling Jiang Yuan not to be so polite.
"Grandpa Zhang, you can call the villagers back now. They no longer need to fear the Shadow Demon's attacks! With this matter settled, I'll take my leave."
Jiang Yuan said to Zhang Yang, summarizing the task briefly, then cupped his hands in farewell.
"Take care, young friend Jiang Yuan. This old man is too old to see you off far."
Zhang Yang nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Yuan, and fell silent.
"Meow! Time to go!"
Jiang Yuan cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted into the manor, searching for Meow Meow.
"Meow!"
Soon, Meow Meow responded. A nimble silver-white figure approached from afar and leaped into Jiang Yuan's arms with a whoosh.
"Grandpa Zhang, take care!"
Jiang Yuan hugged Meow Meow in his arms, waved at Zhang Yang, and just as he turned around, Zhang Yang's voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"This cat is full of spirit and is no ordinary creature. Take good care of it!"
When Jiang Yuan turned back in response, Zhang Yang had already vanished.
"Really?"
After hearing Zhang Yang's words, Jiang Yuan looked down at the docile and obedient Meow Meow in his arms, gently stroked its head, and asked softly.
"Meow~~!"
Meow Meow squinted its eyes in comfort and let out a cry, as if responding to Jiang Yuan.
After completing the Shadowmoon Valley main quest, Jiang Yuan rushed all the way back to Peace City.
Once back in Peace City, his first task was to open the Level 85 Mythical Equipment Self-Selection Box. He navigated to the summoner category, selected the Level 85 option, and immediately saw the five parts of the [Heavenly Punishment] set!
"This is it! Flame Annihilation Pants!"
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the Level 85 mythical equipment: Flame Annihilation Pants!"
Jiang Yuan selected the last slot for the lower garment, clicked confirm, and with the system notification, he finally completed all parts of the [Heavenly Punishment Set]!
[Heavenly Punishment Set 5/5] Top: Wind Frost Snow Shadow Robe Lower: Flame Annihilation Pants Belt: Shadow Endless Sorrow Belt Shoulders: Sun-Eclipsing Gloomless Shoulder Guards Shoes: Idle Cloud Leisurely Step Boots Set Bonus: Activated.
"Haha! Finally got it all!"
Jiang Yuan looked at the five pieces of Heavenly Punishment equipment in his gear slot and laughed out loud. After all that effort, he had finally achieved his wish!
"Next up is finishing the other main quest. Killing demons gives great experience. I need to call the guild leaders of Wen Ding and Chuang Shi, and Old Ding too."
Killing demons was both easy and rewarding for Jiang Yuan, and such good fortune shouldn't be hogged alone. So he immediately opened his friend list, contacted Wen Ding Cang Sheng, Cang Shu Bu Ding, and his close friend Ding Ye, arranging to meet in Peace City.
About ten minutes later, Wen Ding Cang Sheng, Cang Shu Bu Ding, and Ding Ye all gathered at the coordinates Jiang Yuan had sent. Jiang Yuan looked around and noticed that Wen Ding Cang Sheng, thanks to his guide, had led the guild's elite through a 40-player raid and reached level 80, while Cang Shu Bu Ding and Ding Ye were worse off, just breaking level 70.
"Brother Jiang Yuan, you're already level 91! With such a fast leveling speed, even on horseback, I can't catch up!"
Wen Ding Cang Sheng glanced at the level above Jiang Yuan's head and said with a smile, his face full of envy.
"Hmph! You two are both higher than me! By the way, Jiang Yuan, you still owe me compensation!"
At the mention of levels, Cang Shu Bu Ding immediately remembered the compensation Jiang Yuan had promised. She looked at the empty guild emblem above Jiang Yuan's head, clapped her hands, and said to him.
"Invite me into your guild now!"
Jiang Yuan then recalled that he had agreed to join Cang Shu Bu Ding's Chuang Shi guild and help lead guild members through sect dungeons to boost their levels. So he said to Cang Shu Bu Ding.
"Ding! Player Cang Shu Bu Ding invites you to join the guild 'Chuang Shi Qing Yu.' Do you accept?"
The notification sounded in his ear, and Jiang Yuan immediately accepted, joining the guild Cang Shu Bu Ding had founded.
"I was wondering why you suddenly left Wen Ding a few days ago. Turns out you fell for a beauty trap. Sigh!"
The Wen Ding guild leader watched Jiang Yuan's transfer from Wen Ding to Chuang Shi, putting on a "heartbroken" expression and said sourly.
Wen Ding Cang Sheng wasn't petty. He understood that for someone like Jiang Yuan, maintaining their friendship was more important than whether he was in the guild.
"Enough small talk. I called you all here today to level you up together and let you experience what it's like to ride a plane!"
Jiang Yuan didn't dwell on the guild issue and got straight to the point, explaining the purpose of their meeting.
"At least you have some conscience, not forgetting your brother!"
Ding Ye, who had grown up with Jiang Yuan in the internet cafes of Songjiang City, stepped forward, punched Jiang Yuan in the chest, then wrapped an arm around his neck, smiling with satisfaction.
"By the way! I did a quest these past two days and got some equipment you can use. Let me share it with you!"
Jiang Yuan casually put his arm around his close friend's shoulder, smiled at the three, and initiated a team request.
[Level 90 Mythical Equipment: Seven Star Ancient Moon Blade] [Level 90 Mythical Equipment: Stroll of the Meditative Dreamwalker] [Level 90 Mythical Equipment: Scepter of the Redemption Goddess] [Warrior Epic Skill Book]
After pulling the three into the team, Jiang Yuan sent four messages in the team chat, showing the three mythical equipment pieces and one warrior epic skill book that the Shadow Demon had handed over.
"Wow! A level 90 mythical weapon!"
As soon as Cang Shu Bu Ding saw the scepter in the chat box, she exclaimed in amazement, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jiang Yuan.
"Bu Ding, the other piece, Stroll of the Meditative Dreamwalker, is also a piece of armor for the priest class. I'll give you both!"
Seeing Cang Shu Bu Ding's admiring gaze, Jiang Yuan smiled slightly, initiated a trade request first, and gave her the two mythical equipment pieces.
"Brother Cang Sheng, Old Ding, there's one weapon and one epic skill book left. You're both warriors. How do you want to split them?"
Jiang Yuan looked at Wen Ding Cang Sheng and Ding Ye respectively and asked.
"I don't mind. Why not give them all to your friend?"
Wen Ding Cang Sheng was tactful. Seeing that Ding Ye had a special relationship with Jiang Yuan, he immediately declined, knowing that as the head of the largest guild in the server, getting such items was a piece of cake!
"Alright, then I owe you one. These two pieces go to my brother first!"
Jiang Yuan had originally planned to give one piece to Wen Ding Cang Sheng to repay the favor for the Heavenly Punishment boots he had received earlier, but the other party had instead given both warrior items to his close friend. This generosity deeply moved Jiang Yuan, and he nodded to Wen Ding Cang Sheng in gratitude.