Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

The Nine Aspects placed the long Rune Chain in his mouth, slowly chewing it as he ate, all the while sinking into contemplation.

It wasn't until he had devoured over half of this layer of fierce beasts that he returned to his senses.

"Exploration... how is it going."

The Nine Aspects spoke a phrase that seemed to come from nowhere.

Rosalia replied immediately:

"Reporting to the Lord, the people sent down by the Sky Net Sect have already lost about three hundred lives, but they are still continuously sending more down;"

"Tai Yan has gathered the inner traitors who were hidden in that world many years ago and sent trusted aides to lead them, also racing against time to find the Seal of Fate;"

"The latest information we have is—"

"The people of Sky Net Sect have already entered about two thousand meters underground and are still exploring."

The Nine Aspects sneered and then said:

"Sky Net Sect is only responsible for the Nightmare World, why is it meddling in Hell and sending people to the Death Planet to explore the Great Tomb?"

"They're really overreaching!"

"—By the way, what's the situation in the Nightmare World?"

Rosalia did not hesitate to speak:

"Since the Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa was defeated and killed, the upper echelons of the Undead Race have gradually been brought under complete control, and the human Emperor and the Elves are almost in the same situation, leaving only the Orcs."

"Why is Sky Net Sect moving so slowly? Are the Orcs that difficult to control?" asked the Nine Aspects.

"Orcs are too foolish, addicted to 996, and then they retreated back deep into the earth."

"There is also the power of Sky Net Sect in Hell?"

"Yes, right here in the Valley of Ten Thousand Corpses."

"Not having fully dealt with the Nightmare World... What a fool. I don't bother with him on a regular basis, yet he dares to come to Hell to provoke me," the Nine Aspects sneered.

"He probably doesn't know that I have merely been indulging him because I have a bad feeling about the Nightmare World."
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"Hell is the most comfortable place."

"It's laughable that he thinks there are treasures in Hell, which is why he's quietly building his influence here and wants to sneak a share right from under my nose."

"Hahaha, what a fool."

Shen Ye stood to the side, his eyes downcast, quietly listening.

Strange...

At this moment, the Nine Aspects did not seem mad at all, even terrifyingly composed.

The Nine Aspects suddenly extended his hand and pointed at Rosalia from afar.

Rosalia's expression froze for a moment, and then she calmed down, lowering her head and standing to the side.

Only then did the Nine Aspects say:

"This woman... she might still be of use, so I did not kill her, I only temporarily sealed her hearing."

"Now I ask you alone—"

"Baxter, you survived from my Dharma Aspect, so I have granted you the privilege to follow me."

"What is it that you want to obtain?"

"A 'name,' Lord," Shen Ye said immediately.

"Name?" the Nine Aspects repeated.

"Yes, Lord, I now have a 'name'—I can feel that it can grow; I want to make it even more formidable!" Shen Ye said.

The Nine Aspects looked at his head for a few moments, frowning as he said:

"You, what a mess on your head, like a farcical comedy, utterly ridiculous."

Shen Ye sneaked a glance at the Nine Aspects.

"Don't look at me—my 'name' is hidden and extremely special, with your strength, forget getting a clear view," the Nine Aspects said with pride.

Shen Ye was shocked.

He truly couldn't see any terms above the Nine Aspects' head!

Yet, the Nine Aspects looked at the top of his head, thought for a while, and then said:

"You have a 'name' that is seven figures stacked on top of each other, it indeed can grow, and you are talking about this one, aren't you."

"I dare not deceive you, Lord, it is indeed this 'name.'" Shen Ye said.

—How could such a top-tier power not possess the Dharma Eye?

He spotted at a glance which 'name' I wanted to advance!

Shen Ye's heart was hanging.

The very next second—

"Baxter, how many brothers do you have?" the Nine Aspects asked casually.

Time seemed to stop.

Shen Ye felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

What else did he know?

What would happen if he answered wrong now?

But there was no time to think it over.

Shen Ye opened his mouth and spoke:

"Brothers? Lord, please hear me out."

That was the only sentence he had to buy time.

The next sentence.

It was time for the truth to out.

To speak or not to speak?

"Actually, that was a lie; in Hell, from beginning to end, there has only been me."

Shen Ye shrugged and finished the sentence.

He decided to tell the truth.

—Never gamble with your life unless absolutely necessary!

Upon hearing that, the Nine Aspects immediately burst into laughter:

"Hahaha, I knew it!"

"You're quite the jester, doing incomprehensible things just for a 'name.'

"Look at those discordant 'names' of yours!"

"You fool!"

He knew everything!

This top force of the "Five Desires" world was actually the master of deception!

At this moment, Shen Ye was extremely grateful for one thing—

Out of caution, he had not told a single lie to the Nine Aspects about anything important from beginning to end.

As for those edited videos—

The video contents were also real.

And his other 'names,' such as "Tyrant's meal eater," "Swindler's Leap," "Joyous Being," were not worthy of the Nine Aspects' notice.

So at this moment, after getting his answer, the Nine Aspects felt that the situation was "farcical."

Shen Ye sighed and continued:

"Lord, you cannot measure us small folks by your own standards; earning a living is very hard for us."

The Nine Aspects laughed aloud again:

"Weaklings always live lives ridículoand laughable, in any world, and it is not just you, Baxter!"

What else could Shen Ye say?

He said nothing, just stood there with a rueful expression on his face.

Suddenly, the Nine Aspects wiped the smile off his face and cleared his throat, saying:

"Now, I am going to test you, Baxter."

"Lord, please speak," Shen Ye said.

"I, for one, cannot afford a falling out with Sky Net Sect, because if the two of us really fought, it's possible that one of us would end up dead, and the other seriously injured;"

"What's more, the other two would stand by and wait to take advantage, watching the fire from the other side of the river."

The Nine Aspects scratched his head, seemingly a bit vexed:

"Yet under these circumstances, it's not just Sky Net Sect; even Tai Yan is not behaving, both are desperately scrambling for benefits."

"—And now it's fallen onto my head."

"Tell me, how do we solve this issue when I'm unable to personally intervene?"

"My lord, this is simple," Shen Ye said.

"Hmm, it's quite—What? Did you say simple?" Nine Aspects asked, surprised.

"Yes, very simple."

"Let's hear it."

"We can resolve the problem through a proxy war."

"Proxy... war?"

"Correct."

Shen Ye continued:

"It's quite straightforward. You two big shots shouldn't engage directly. As for me, I'm not publicly known as your subordinate."

"You're not my subordinate..." Nine Aspects repeated slowly as he looked on.

Shen Ye, meeting his gaze fearlessly, continued:

"Exactly. As a normal local power, I'll compete with Tian Luo's subordinates for various treasures. If I capture some, I'll quietly offer them to you."

"The key here is that you must keep a close watch on Tian Luo from the shadows."

"Otherwise, if I manage to get hold of some advantages and Tian Luo personally comes to snatch them, that would be pointless."

"In this way, even if I kill all of Tian Luo's subordinates, he can't personally step in because you're watching him, shielding me."

"That will be enough to put him at a disadvantage."

"Once I obtain the treasures and secretly offer them to you, he won't have any way to intervene. After all, it's me who took them, not you. Why should he trouble you?"

"—Of course, if Tian Luo's subordinates kill me, then I'd merely be outplayed. You wouldn't need to intervene, and since I'm not your subordinate, it wouldn't affect you at all," Shen Ye added.

Nine Aspects' eyes shone brightly as he exclaimed:

"Good! This is good!"

By this time, the skeleton heads had stopped feasting.

They flew back to Nine Aspects' back one after another, speaking in low voices, their tones filled with satisfaction and contentment.

A strong scent of blood permeated the air.

Shen Ye looked towards the cages.

There were no longer any living monsters.

—Those that hadn't been devoured had already been killed.

"Truly... delicious..."

Nine Aspects murmured in a low and excited voice, filled with delight.

Without waiting for Shen Ye to make any request, he suddenly threw a punch, striking the ground from a distance.

Boom!

The floor shattered.

A giant dragon enveloped in frost burst forth, its slit pupils staring at Nine Aspects.

It was the owner of the Battle Beast Arena—

That frost giant dragon!

"Aren't you going to scram?" Nine Aspects said with a grin.

The frost giant dragon, as if recalling something, smashed through the ceiling and fled hastily into the distant sky.

At that moment, Nine Aspects stepped forward and placed a hand on Shen Ye's shoulder.

In an instant.

Shen Ye felt as though he'd lost control of his body.

His hands, as if they had their own consciousness, lifted on their own, clasping together to form a spell seal.

"With my power—" Nine Aspects whispered.

Infinite strength radiated from Shen Ye's hands, turning into a fierce wind that blew for a while before gradually fading.

"Baxter, your mind is sharp, but your strength is lacking. I will use this technique just this once to reward you," Nine Aspects uttered.

His hand left Shen Ye's shoulder.

Shen Ye instantly felt in control of his body again.

A reward won...

That was a good thing.

But what had he just released with my hand—

What exactly did he do?

"Thank you, my lord," Shen Ye said.

"Also, take this and try to visit the Nightmare World to see if there's any advantage to be gained," Nine Aspects added, his voice carrying a thread of killing intent. "If there is, we'll launch a proxy war!"

"Remember—I won't publicly acknowledge you as my subordinate, but if Tian Luo tries to harm you, I'll stop him."

Two semi-transparent small bottles were thrown over.

Shen Ye hurriedly caught them, saying respectfully:

"I will not fail the trust you've placed in me."

"I hope so. Perform well for me, eliminate Tian Luo's subordinates, and I will not skimp on rewards!" Nine Aspects declared.

"Yes, my lord."

Nine Aspects nodded once, stepped into the void, and disappeared to an unknown destination.

He was gone.

Shen Ye let out a sigh of relief and looked at the bottles.

Inside, they were filled with glowing liquid.

A faint light materialized beside the bottles, turning into rows of small characters:

"Catastrophe Origin Force."

"Treasure, a marvel of Alchemy."

"Current corresponding world: Nightmare World."

"How to use: Take a sip."

"Description: Each sip allows you to instantly travel to the corresponding world. You'll be integrated into that world, unrestrained by the laws of other worlds, lasting for one day."

"—Created by incorporating the special essence of a certain world during its concoction, establishing a soul coordinate that lets you travel immediately to that world."

The bottle likely contained about a pound of liquid.

Drink slowly.

The other bottle also contained Catastrophe Origin Force, but the corresponding world was the "Death Planet."

—The planet of death might be referring to the Main World where I belong.

The eager voice of the Great Skeleton rang out:

"I want to eat those carcasses left by him—these monsters are all fierce and can completely heal my wounds!"

"Go ahead," Shen Ye said.

The Great Skeleton immediately leaped out of the ring and pounced on the beasts, munching away greedily.

"My lord."

Rosalia's voice came from behind.

Shen Ye put away the bottles and looked towards Rosalia: "Speak, what's your concern?"

"It's not that, my lord. Something seems to have happened outside," Rosalia replied, her expression somewhat uneasy.

Shen Ye was struck with a thought.

Wait!

Could it be the technique Nine Aspects just used—

"Let's go and see!"

"Yes!"