After winning several matches consecutively, Zheng Dong had already battled the other nine of the top ten contenders. He had won nine matches in a row.
This meant he had already secured the championship.
However, the competition still needed to continue.
Cao Kang, ranked second, began the draw.
Like Zheng Dong, he would take turns fighting the remaining eight participants. If he won all his matches, he would naturally secure second place. But if he lost even one, he would have to wait for the results of other matches. If someone else also won seven matches, they would have to have an additional playoff.
The competition lasted for three days.
Zheng Dong did not pay much attention to the subsequent matches. Instead, he began preparing to purchase supplies and head to the relic space invited by Shen Bing and Shen Xue.
This relic space was located near the border between Yanhuang and the Beiming Totem Kingdom. It was known as the Wailing Soul Relic. Although this relic space was mysterious and many people had explored it, its danger level was not very high. Furthermore, it was only a top-tier totem-level relic space. The Tianhou Mountain relic space that Professor Guo Lan and Xia Mengqiu had explored with Zheng Dong previously was also of this level.
If it were a mythical-level relic space, Zheng Dong would not dare to let his main body enter rashly. His last trip to the Star Leaf Kingdom, entering a mythical relic space, had yielded good results, but the danger level still made him feel lingering fear. Therefore, unless he became a legend, he had no intention of entering a mythical-level relic space again.
The main reason he agreed to enter the Wailing Soul Relic space with Shen Bing and Shen Xue this time was to collect resources suitable for Youyou's evolution and to capture some undead puppets for Youyou. Undead puppets were quite suitable as cannon fodder. Not only would they not disobey orders, but they also didn't need to be fed and could cultivate and grow themselves.
He wondered how long it would take to explore the Wailing Soul Relic space this time. Zheng Dong had to prepare as much food and resources as possible. These items would be stored in his beast-taming space, allowing him to retrieve them at any time when entering the Wailing Soul Relic space. Zheng Dong mostly prepared easily storable foods, such as various canned goods, instant noodles, bread, and biscuits. Of course, he also prepared some fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat. Zheng Dong had ordered them online and was waiting for delivery.
At this moment, he was at the Wandering Nations Hotel in Rongcheng. He would go to claim his prize after the national competition concluded.
Zheng Dong initially thought no one would come to find him. Unfortunately, shortly after, someone knocked on his door. Zheng Dong glanced through the peephole. He was somewhat surprised to see Hu Maoxue. What was he doing here? Did he still want him to join the Fire God Cult? Zheng Dong frowned.
He opened the door but did not let Hu Maoxue in. Instead, he stood at the doorway and said to Hu Maoxue, "Aren't you competing? Why are you looking for me? If you want me to join the Fire God Cult, then I'm sorry, I'm not interested." Zheng Dong's expression was cold, showing no courtesy to Hu Maoxue.
Hu Maoxue did not seem angry. He still had a smile on his face. "My match hasn't started yet. I'm not here to ask you to join our Fire God Cult. I'm here because someone wants to see you. Don't you want to know any news about your parents?" Hu Maoxue said.
Zheng Dong was indeed eager to know. After hesitating for two seconds, he asked, "Who wants to see me?"
"Our Fire God Cult's Saintess, Wei Yi. If you want to know about your parents, you can ask her in person," Hu Maoxue said.
"Where is she?" Zheng Dong continued to ask. If it were in some remote place, he would not go. After all, he did not trust the Fire God Cult and was worried they might play a trick. To Zheng Dong's surprise, Wei Yi was also at the Wandering Nations Hotel. She was in the royal suite on the floor above Zheng Dong. Therefore, Zheng Dong decided to go and meet her.
"Wait for me, I'll go with you to see her in a moment!" With that, Zheng Dong closed the door. Hu Maoxue's expression immediately turned ferocious. "Damn it, you scoundrel!" Hu Maoxue had been looking for an opportunity to deal with Zheng Dong. Unfortunately, the sudden fusion of the异世界 (Yi Shi Jie - Otherworld) with Wudu had disrupted his plans. With this delay, the Fire God Cult's Saintess Wei Yi had also approached him. Wei Yi held a high position in the Fire God Cult and would succeed the cult leader in the future. Moreover, Wei Yi herself was very powerful, having become a legendary beast tamer before the age of thirty. Therefore, Hu Maoxue dared not disobey Wei Yi's orders. He had specifically come to invite Zheng Dong.
After closing the door, Zheng Dong condensed a clone. He did not intend to go with his main body. Even though this was the Wandering Nations Hotel, there was still a possibility of encountering danger. It was safer for a clone to go. The door opened, and Zheng Dong's clone appeared before Hu Maoxue. Hu Maoxue's expression had already returned to calm. He glanced at Zheng Dong's clone, found no anomalies, and then led Zheng Dong's clone to the thirty-eighth floor of the Wandering Nations Hotel. The royal suite here cost over eighty-eight thousand Dragon Yuan per day. Of course, Zheng Dong could afford it, but he felt there was no need to stay in such a luxurious place.
Under Hu Maoxue's guidance, Zheng Dong's clone quickly met the Fire God Cult's Saintess, Wei Yi. Wei Yi was wearing a black long dress, her slender figure perfectly displayed. It seemed as if time had left no trace on Wei Yi's face. Her appearance was frozen at eighteen years old. She was no less beautiful than Yin Xue. As Zheng Dong looked at her, she also looked at him. Her pair of yellow eyes looked very special. Zheng Dong's first impression was that this woman was extraordinary. She was likely of mixed blood, otherwise, her eyes wouldn't be yellow.
"Zheng Dong, I watch your matches every day! I'm a fan of yours too!" Wei Yi said with a smile. It seemed like a casual remark, but it was enough to show that she had been paying attention to Zheng Dong and valued him highly. At Wei Yi's signal, Zheng Dong's clone sat on a nearby sofa. Wei Yi enthusiastically served him a fruit platter. Hu Maoxue stood respectfully to the side, not interrupting or daring to help, seemingly waiting for Wei Yi's instructions. Wei Yi casually glanced at Hu Maoxue. "You're not needed here. You can leave." Hu Maoxue had wanted to hear what Wei Yi would say to Zheng Dong, but now he had to obediently take his leave.
After Hu Maoxue left, Wei Yi remained very enthusiastic towards Zheng Dong. "What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, or juice? If you want a cocktail, I can mix one for you too. My skills are top-notch." Facing Wei Yi's enthusiasm, Zheng Dong felt a little uncomfortable. "Anything is fine!" Zheng Dong said casually. "Then let's have a cocktail. Many people want to try my cocktails but can't get them!" Wei Yi quickly gathered a set of tools for mixing cocktails. Moreover, the wine cabinet here actually contained quite a few good wines.
Ten minutes later, several cocktails of different colors were placed before Zheng Dong. Besides mixing cocktails for Zheng Dong, Wei Yi also mixed one for herself. Zheng Dong, being a clone, was not afraid of anything in the drinks and took a sip. The taste was a bit strange, but it was quite delicious. It was a flavor he had never tasted before. "I wonder what you wanted to see me for?" Zheng Dong asked. Wei Yi also put down her wine glass and looked at Zheng Dong, saying calmly, "You should know about the situation in Wudu. There are currently two massive totem kingdoms there, the Jiuyou Totem Kingdom and the Shura Totem Kingdom. The area occupied by the two totem kingdoms is equivalent to one-third of the original Blue Star's area. They possess armies thousands, even tens of thousands, of times larger than ours in Yanhuang."
Zheng Dong nodded slightly. He did not express his opinion. He still didn't understand Wei Yi's purpose in saying this. Was she also trying to get him to join the Fire God Cult and participate in the God-Making Plan? "The armies of these totem kingdoms are not the most terrifying. The most terrifying thing is that the Jiuyou Ghost Emperor of the Jiuyou Totem Kingdom and the Shura Emperor of the Shura Totem Kingdom might both become gods. Even if they become lower gods, their power will be something we cannot resist. Even divine prohibition bombs can only affect quasi-gods. Therefore, Yanhuang's future is likely to be very difficult. We humans must have our own gods, otherwise, when the mythical era descends again, we will once again be reduced to slaves." Wei Yi continued.
Zheng Dong did not interject. He could already guess that Wei Yi was about to use various justifications to get him to join the God-Making Plan. "I know you don't want to join the God-Making Plan. This is a great undertaking left by Emperor Yan. It's not as dangerous as you imagine. Every step of our experiments will undergo rigorous verification. After multiple attempts and confirming there is no danger, we will let you try. Your parents also joined our Fire God Cult voluntarily. They were both of mixed blood originally. Joining us not only solved their own problems but also allowed them to gain greater power. As for the issue with you, it was caused by their improper use of potions."
Zheng Dong frowned. He did not want to know about the God-Making Plan, nor did he want to participate in it. "Are my parents still alive?" Zheng Dong asked. Wei Yi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "They have passed away. As you know, most mixed-blood individuals have short lifespans. Of course, there are a few exceptions with exceptionally long lifespans, but your parents were not among them. Your father possessed the bloodline power of the ancient Dragon Ape, and your mother possessed the bloodline power of the Dream Butterfly God. Their lifespans were only around forty to fifty years. Although they found a way to control the outbreak of their bloodline power within the Fire God Cult, it could not extend their natural lifespan. I will give you their belongings later."
Zheng Dong was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected his parents to be gone. He wondered if they had left any last words for him. He was eager to get his parents' belongings. However, Wei Yi continued, "Your birth itself is a miracle. Your parents didn't tell you these things before, I think they wanted you to live a normal life. Because the chance of offspring between mixed-bloods is much lower than the chance of offspring between totem-level pet beasts. Secondly, your lifespan will not exceed theirs, even if you become a legendary beast tamer. Lifespan limitations are very difficult to break. Unless you obtain mythical-level resources, such as a ten-thousand-year-old fruit or life divine crystals! Or, you become a mythical-level beast tamer, and reach that realm, your life level will change, and your lifespan will naturally change."
This came as a surprise to Zheng Dong. He had originally thought that by coexisting with Youyou and Ling'er, he would live longer. It seemed that extending his lifespan was not that simple. Of course, this did not rule out the possibility that Wei Yi was saying this to deliberately get him to join the God-Making Plan. After all, he didn't know how long he would live. He still needed to get his parents' belongings and confirm the true cause of their deaths before he could determine whether his parents were truly mixed-blood and whether they could only live forty to fifty years as Wei Yi claimed.
"I want to get my parents' things first. As for whether to participate in the God-Making Plan, I need to consider it," Zheng Dong said. Wei Yi did not make things difficult for Zheng Dong. She quickly produced a pile of items, all left by Zheng Dong's parents. "I can give you one month to consider. This is also the last time our Fire God Cult invites you to join. I hope you seize this opportunity," Wei Yi said with a smile. Zheng Dong nodded. He understood the meaning behind Wei Yi's words. The last invitation meant that the next time they met, if Zheng Dong did not agree, they would take forceful action. At that time, Zheng Dong would have no choice. The Fire God Cult had the strength to do so. Moreover, with them on the side of righteousness, many people would support their actions. Therefore, even if Zheng Dong asked for help, he probably wouldn't find many people willing to assist him.
Afterward, Zheng Dong left the room with his parents' belongings. After Zheng Dong left, Hu Maoxue returned to the room. At this moment, Wei Yi's aura was completely different from before. She was still sitting on the sofa, appearing unapproachable and inviolable, her eyes turning cold. It seemed that if one was not careful, they would incur her wrath. Hu Maoxue dared not look at her, but walked up to her respectfully. "Zheng Dong is going to the Wailing Soul Relic. You follow him and keep an eye on him. If he encounters any danger, notify me immediately."
Hu Maoxue was stunned for a moment and quickly nodded. This was an opportunity for revenge for him. As for notifying Wei Yi if he encountered danger, he could easily find an excuse to brush it off, and at most, he would receive some punishment. After all, he was only a Grandmaster-level beast tamer, and in many situations, he could only protect himself. It was difficult to notify Wei Yi in a timely manner. In fact, he did not know that Wei Yi had asked him to follow Zheng Dong precisely to let him seek revenge on Zheng Dong.
Hu Maoxue's girlfriend, Ming Shuang, had also joined the Fire God Cult. Hu Maoxue trusted Ming Shuang very much and had complained to her many times about wanting to get revenge on Zheng Dong, stating that he was fully prepared. Unfortunately, Ming Shuang, behind Hu Maoxue's back, had reported all his secret preparations. Ming Shuang was a very ambitious woman. She was with Hu Maoxue because she fancied his talent and believed he could help her career in the future. In this way, Wei Yi also learned of Hu Maoxue's intentions. This was not a bad thing for her. If Zheng Dong joined the Fire God Cult and participated in the God-Making Plan due to the conflict between his two bloodline powers, it was also something she wanted to see. It was just difficult to determine how severe the conflict would be after the potion containing the Vermilion Bird bloodline power, applied for by Hu Maoxue from the Fire God Cult, was injected into Zheng Dong's body. If it were to endanger Zheng Dong's life, it would not be good. Therefore, she also planned to follow him to the Wailing Soul Relic space in secret.
Zheng Dong was unaware of Wei Yi and Hu Maoxue's thoughts. After his clone returned to his room, he impatiently began examining his parents' belongings. Most of them were his parents' daily necessities, including clothes and jewelry. The most important items were the diaries left by his parents and a stack of research materials on mixed-bloods.