Chapter 156: Strength

"The Source!"

Fang Qingyun stared at the Origin, murmuring to himself. His eyes burned with intense desire.

He had already obtained a significant number of Origins, and precisely because of this, he understood all the more how desperately he needed them.

When others obtained an Origin, they merely gained insights and a deeper comprehension of power. For them, it would be of immense help when they eventually advanced to the rank of Divine General, or even higher.

For Fang Qingyun, however, it was entirely different.

He had a system!

The system would help him completely absorb the power within the Origin, converting it into Origin Points, allowing him to selectively elevate his own strength.

This aspect set him apart completely from everyone else.

If the true form of the Earth Dragon were given to him to devour, Fang Qingyun was quite confident he could become a Monarch!

Even now, having already secured over forty Earth Dragon Origins, as long as he acquired a vast amount of continental Origins, he would possess a massive reservoir of Origin Points, capable of propelling his strength to an unimaginable degree.

"You..."

"Hey!"

An angry shout rang out.

Fang Qingyun glanced sideways.

This piece of Origin had already been discovered by many. At that moment, surrounding the Origin were humans, as well as members of the Demon and Monster clans.

They were glaring aggressively at Fang Qingyun while simultaneously remaining deeply wary of one another!

The voice had come from a human, a woman at that.

Furthermore, she was a woman Fang Qingyun had crossed paths with once before!

She was none other than the fierce woman who had swept through hordes of Monster clan members wielding a heavy machine gun.

At this moment, she glared at Fang Qingyun with an unfriendly expression and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

That Origin belonged to her, and no one was going to take it away.

Fang Qingyun merely cast a faint glance at her, too lazy to even bother answering.

Having already come all this way, what else could he be doing?

Naturally, he was here for the Origin!

"Hey!"

Seeing that he did not answer, the woman grew even more audacious. Pointing at Fang Qingyun, she shouted loudly, "I am Gu Shanshui, descendant of the Western Monarch. I command you now: obey my orders and help me secure this Origin."

"Is your brain rusted?"

Fang Qingyun turned his head and gave her a peculiar look.

He had heard of the Gu family. Naturally, he knew it was indeed one of the most powerful clans among humankind. At present, this family still possessed a living Monarch—and a veteran one at that—holding absolute dominion over an entire continent!

Although he had never heard of this Gu Shanshui, there was a high probability that what she claimed was true. Very few people dared to impersonate members of a Monarch's family unless they had a death wish.

However, did she even realize what kind of place this was?

The Origin Contention Battlefield!

Her status might be important, but surely not important enough to make people just give up an Origin!

The majesty of a Monarch was certainly significant, but among those who dared to enter this place to fight for Origins, how many actually cared about that? Or rather, a great many of them were simply madmen.

Dreaming of using her family background to intimidate them was pure delusion!

"You..."

Hearing Fang Qingyun's words, a flash of irritation crossed Gu Shanshui's pretty face. She said coldly, "As long as you help me obtain this Origin, I guarantee you all the resources you need before advancing to Divine General. On top of that, I promise to secure the title of Count for you. How about that?"

Fang Qingyun looked at her suspiciously and asked, "You don't know who I am?"

Was there really anyone left within the combat zone who didn't know his name?

That was truly bizarre.

"What do you mean?" Gu Shanshui's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Who are you? Are you supposed to be famous?"

"My name is Fang Qingyun!"

Fang Qingyun?

Gu Shanshui's brows knitted even tighter.

The name did sound quite familiar. The Monarchs had previously sent out voice transmissions telling them to pay attention, but was that it? Was it really worth making such a fuss over?

A trace of disdain crept into Gu Shanshui's eyes.

Just another person who had lost his mind after achieving a little fame!

This time, Fang Qingyun was genuinely surprised.

Because it wasn't just Gu Shanshui; the others, including the members of the Monster and Demon clans, actually didn't recognize him either.

What kind of situation was this?

Could it be that these powerhouses had been abandoned by their respective Monarchs? Had they not been briefed on the later developments?

Impossible!

There were several peak General-tier figures right here among them.

Then what was going on?

Unable to figure it out, Fang Qingyun simply stopped thinking about it.

Why waste energy pondering so much?

Getting his hands on the Origin was more important than anything else!

"I want this Origin. The lot of you can clear out now!"

Fang Qingyun swept a glance over the people present.

They were still feeling on edge because humankind had gained yet another peak General-tier expert. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect Fang Qingyun to utter words that would leave them utterly dumbfounded.

"Heh!"

A Monster clan member let out a sinister laugh and said, "I never expected such an interesting peak General-tier newcomer to show up. When did the human race become so arrogant? Has something gone wrong with their upbringing lately?"

Fang Qingyun cast a calm glance at him.

With a flash, he appeared directly in front of the Monster clan member. Before the latter could even react, Fang Qingyun slapped his head, shattering it to pieces.

Shock!

Silence!

The eyes of the powerful beings present widened instantly.

Although that Monster clan member wasn't exceptionally powerful, he had still reached the high General-tier, yet he had been instantly killed with a single move!

"You, human..."

Beside the slain Monster, another member of the Monster clan stared at Fang Qingyun with a mixture of shock and fury, roaring, "How dare you..."

"Bang!" With a backhanded slap, Fang Qingyun shattered this Monster clan member as well.

Equally incapable of offering any resistance!

An instant kill!

"I said, I want this Origin. Does anyone object?"

As his words fell, a menacing sniper rifle appeared in his hands, its chilling muzzle radiating a cold, lethal gleam.

Swish!

Almost all the powerhouses took a step back in unison, gazing warily at Fang Qingyun.

Though there was shock and apprehension in their eyes, genuine fear was still absent.

Having reached this level, which of them wasn't brimming with absolute self-confidence?

Even if Fang Qingyun exhibited some bizarre abilities, they were not the least bit afraid.

"Heh!"

At this, Fang Qingyun smiled faintly as spiritual energy instantly surged into the rifle's chamber.

Even judged solely by his spiritual energy, he was now at the absolute peak of the General tier, infinitely close to a Divine General, stronger than any of the powerhouses present—not to mention his other hidden means.

If a Divine General were to show up right now, he was fully capable of putting on a show of tearing a Divine General apart with his bare hands!

"Bang!"

Seeing Fang Qingyun begin to condense a spiritual energy bullet, the powerhouses present could no longer hold back and launched the first wave of attacks against him.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Bullets, spiritual energy slashes, and various other aggressive techniques hurtled toward Fang Qingyun.

Swish!

While continuing to condense his spiritual energy bullet, Fang Qingyun moved like lightning, darting through the air to evade every incoming attack while simultaneously firing his first shot.

"Bang!"

With the gunshot, a Demon clan member had his head blown open.

"That's one!"

"Bang!"

"That's two!"

As the spiritual energy continued to condense, Fang Qingyun fired his second shot.

Another powerhouse was eliminated.

Immediately afterward, Fang Qingyun fired his third shot!

Ever since the first shot was fired, Fang Qingyun's rifle never ceased its barrage.

Shot after shot!

One by one, members of the Monster and Demon clans, and even a few humans, were shot dead on the spot.

Naturally, these powerful beings weren't just standing around; they, too, launched attacks against Fang Qingyun.

However, Fang Qingyun's speed was simply too terrifying. Not a single person could hit him, let alone disrupt his rhythm or even catch a glimpse of his shadow, let alone pursue him.

"No, what kind of monster is this?"

Finally, a powerhouse cracked under the pressure.

With a shrill scream, he turned around and fled.

Super-human speed, pinpoint accuracy, and boundless spiritual energy!

The combination of these three traits drove them to the brink of madness.

His flight served as the ignition point.

The other powerhouses panicked and fled in all directions.

They had tried every conceivable method to attack him, yet they couldn't even graze a single hair on Fang Qingyun. Meanwhile, every single strike from Fang Qingyun claimed a life. By this point, they simply couldn't keep fighting.

No matter how confident one was, watching companions die miserably right before one's eyes would inevitably breed overwhelming terror.

"Running away now? Isn't it a bit too late?!"

Fang Qingyun smiled coldly, channeling more power into the rifle in his hands.

"No!"

"Stop!"

"My distinguished Demon lineage..."

"Spare me, and I promise to give you..."

There was immense terror between life and death!

Faced with Fang Qingyun's fierce onslaught and the fatal blows he dealt, the powerhouses finally broke down.

They began to beg for mercy.

Fang Qingyun, however, turned a deaf ear. With a cold expression, he continued his relentless, methodical shooting.

They tried to run, but Fang Qingyun's bullets were infinitely faster!

Finally, all the Monster and Demon clan members were wiped out, leaving only the humans behind.

Fewer than ten of them remained!

Including Gu Shanshui, they all stared at Fang Qingyun with looks of utter terror.

Too strong!

His strength was simply beyond imagination!

"Tell me, what are you going to use to buy your lives?!"

Fang Qingyun did not lower his rifle. A single spiritual energy bullet remained chambered, aimed squarely at the remaining humans as he spoke in an icy tone.

"If your conditions don't satisfy me, I'll kill you just the same!"

"You—how can you be like this?" One of the humans let out a sigh of relief seeing Fang Qingyun pause his shooting, but upon hearing his words, could not help but protest, "We're all human! Instead of helping us, you're pointing your gun at us..."

"Bang!"

The only reply he received was the roar of a gunshot.

The man trembled as he looked down at his feet, where a smoking hole had been blasted into the ground by a bullet.

"Next time, it'll be your head!"

Fang Qingyun's voice was calm.

When they were trying to kill him earlier, why hadn't they thought about being human?!

And now they wanted to pull the "we're all human" card with him!

Utter nonsense!

Gu Shanshui let out a soft sigh and said, "Your Excellency, what do you want?"

So now he was "Your Excellency"?!

As expected, power was everything!

Fang Qingyun gave a cold smile. "What can you give me?"

As he spoke, he had already pried the Origin loose and weighed it in his hand a few times.

He was thoroughly satisfied!

This piece of Origin would yield him at least thirty thousand Origin Points!

Gu Shanshui stared fixedly at the Origin, her eyes practically popping out of her head as her yearning remained completely unchecked.

She said in a deep voice, "Money, power—I can give you all of it!"

Fang Qingyun glanced at her and said nothing.

He couldn't even be bothered to reply.

Once he walked out of here, he would directly advance to a Divine General. Within human territory, even if a Heavenly Monarch happened to dislike him, it was impossible they would openly suppress such a young Divine General!

Furthermore, think of how many newborns of the Monster and Demon clans he had slaughtered within the combat zone.

That was a monumental contribution to the race!

It might not be obvious right now, but a few decades down the line, humanity would hold a tremendous advantage on the battlefield. Who knew, they might even conquer another continent.

Would anyone dare to claim that Fang Qingyun shouldn't be credited for a share of those achievements?

The title of Duke was an absolute certainty for him!

With all that coming to him, would he still lack money?

Hmm?

Money!

Fang Qingyun's eyes lit up. He *did* lack money!

Immediately, Fang Qingyun fixed his gaze on Gu Shanshui and the others, stating, "Equipment, money—I lack these things. Figure out how much your lives are worth and name your price!"

"If the price satisfies me, we'll make a deal. If not, well... hehe, I'll just take a loss this once!"

A loss?

How would he take a loss?

Did that even require any deep thought?

Quite a few of them swallowed hard!

Gu Shanshui frowned and asked, "You want equipment?"

"Right!"

"Fine. I'll trade the equipment for a division of one hundred thousand soldiers in exchange for my life!"

Gu Shanshui was remarkably decisive.

This price made the eyes of many present widen in disbelief.

She must have lost her mind!

So what if she was a descendant of a Monarch?

There were plenty of Monarch descendants around, but the equipment for a division of one hundred thousand soldiers was an absolute priceless treasure.

Sometimes, gathering a few sets of equipment on a small scale wasn't difficult, but purchasing them on a massive scale would definitely cause a scandal.

Did she really think the Military Department was full of fools?

To put it bluntly, given Gu Shanshui's status as a Monarch's descendant, trading for thirty to fifty thousand sets of equipment was about her limit. For every additional ten thousand sets, the threshold rose exponentially.

Fang Qingyun was also rather surprised. Giving Gu Shanshui a peculiar look, he asked, "You aren't trying to trick me, are you?"

Gu Shanshui acted with utter resoluteness. She retrieved pen and paper from her spatial storage artifact, wrote down an IOU on the spot, pressed her thumbprint in blood-red ink upon it, and handed it to Fang Qingyun.

"Given my family background, you shouldn't suspect that I would renege on a debt, right?"

"Of course not!" Fang Qingyun took it, glanced over it for a moment, and nodded in approval.

With this in hand, he really didn't have to worry about Gu Shanshui defaulting.

If for no other reason, she couldn't afford to lose face!

The more prestigious a noble family was, the more they cared about their reputation.

With this IOU, unless Gu Shanshui chose to betray her family or commit suicide upon leaving this place, the possibility of her not paying up simply did not exist.

"And the rest of you?"

Fang Qingyun shifted his gaze to the others.

Thirty minutes later, after executing one more person who hesitated, Fang Qingyun harvested a large stack of IOUs.

He felt immensely satisfied with this outcome!

Splendid!

Once he left this region, he would have more than enough funds to build his very own legion.

Even if the Military Department tried to withhold his supplies, he could finance it entirely out of his own pocket.

Moreover, he was entirely capable of conquering a territory and becoming a Monarch in his own right!

The Origin Contention Battlefield—sigh, why couldn't there be a few more battles like this?

"Wait, wait!"

Seeing that Fang Qingyun was about to leave, Gu Shanshui grew anxious.

Did he really think she offered the equipment for one hundred thousand soldiers purely to save her own skin?

"I want your Origin!"

"Hmm?"

Fang Qingyun cast a cold glance at Gu Shanshui and scoffed, "What did you say?"

"I said I want to buy your Origin!" Gu Shanshui said, enunciating every single word clearly. "Name your price!"

Fang Qingyun looked at her coldly, flicked the stack of IOUs in his hand, and said, "I already doubt whether you can actually honor the equipment for one hundred thousand soldiers, and now you're telling me you want to spend even more money to buy the Origin?"

Gu Shanshui suddenly smiled.

She was already exceptionally beautiful, and that smile blooming at this moment was utterly breathtaking.

"What you said is entirely correct—I simply cannot produce the equipment for one hundred thousand soldiers!"

Amidst the wide-eyed stares of everyone present, Gu Shanshui continued unconcernedly, "However, precisely because I cannot afford it, you are all the more obligated to sell the Origin to me, aren't you?"

Fang Qingyun looked at her with growing interest, a playful glint in his eyes as he asked, "Are you really that confident that you can become a Divine General?"