Chapter 39: H-He Is the Bloody Butcher??…
Jian Tang’s attempts to make a wish met with consecutive failures, but the same could not be said for the others.
The black hole of human desire is bottomless. Satisfy one, and there will always be a second, a third, an infinite number more…
The number of golden fish and golden starfish continuously dwindled. To fight for these “miracles,” the crowd began to come to blows. Every single face turned contorted and hideous, their expressions unhinged and frantic, resembling greedy beasts that had lost all reason. For a single bite of food, they did not hesitate to engage in a life-or-death struggle.
By the time Jian Tang realized something was wrong, the venue had completely spiraled out of control.
Furious screams, brutal beatings, and ferocious snatching erupted everywhere. Some had their fingers snapped, some were left with bleeding heads, and others collapsed onto the ground without a sound, eyes tightly shut, their lives hanging in the balance.
Jian Tang watched the scene before him in sheer shock, unable to comprehend why things had suddenly devolved into this.
He lifted his head, wanting to alert Yuan Cheng to put an immediate stop to the riot in the audience. But above the body of water, the air was entirely empty.
Yuan Cheng was gone.
Jian Tang scanned his surroundings. Within the vast expanse of water, there was absolutely no sign of the blond man.
Where… where on earth did he go?
—
Inside the spatial oil painting of Weijiu Monster Town.
Under the gentle sunshine, the little pink dolphin floated lazily on the water’s surface with its belly flipped up, taking a nap with its eyes closed.
Suddenly, it flicked its tail and swiftly rolled its body upright.
At the spatial entrance, inside the vast, empty room where the oil painting was kept, a man’s figure materialized.
He had a head of brilliant blond hair, and a smile as warm as a spring breeze. From a distance, he smiled and waved at the dolphin.
“Little Yu, I’m here.”
The little dolphin was overjoyed: “Ah Cheng!”
This time it wouldn’t mistake him. The person who had arrived was truly its lover, Ah Cheng!
The little dolphin swam over rapidly, leaping straight out of the oil painting to circle the man happily.
“Ah Cheng, you’re finally here! I missed you so much!”
Yuan Cheng gently patted the little dolphin’s head. “Remember what I said last time? I told you that the next time we met, I would give you a surprise.”
The little dolphin shifted into its merman form. The youth’s eyes were clear, his face filled with innocence.
“You being willing to pick yourself back up and make a comeback performance on stage—isn’t that the surprise?”
Yuan Cheng froze slightly, his smile fading a fraction.
After being kicked out of the eerie world, he had lost the assistance of the system items. Suffering consecutive performance blunders and a torrent of negative reviews had dealt him a massive blow.
The low point in his career left him deeply depressed. Because he didn’t want his lover to see his pathetic state, he had reduced the frequency of his meetings with Little Yu, constantly using the excuse of being busy. Meeting only once every three months, he never mentioned his predicament regarding his magic performances.
But as it turned out, the other party had known all along.
Knowing it but never breaking the illusion, merely keeping him company in silence, and feeling sincerely happy for him upon seeing him pick himself back up.
Such a flawless, crystal-pure heart… was exactly what he needed.
“If you think that’s a surprise, then let’s count it as one,” Yuan Cheng said with a smile. “Now, there’s a second surprise.”
“What is it?”
“Haven’t you always been troubled by your inability to grow human legs?” Yuan Cheng stroked the youth’s pink tail and smiled subtly.
“I found a way. Your wish will be fulfilled.”
The little merman was thoroughly delighted: “Really? Is there really a way to make me change into a perfect human form?”
If he could be like Little Tang and transform into a perfect human shape, he could stay by Ah Cheng’s side forever, and they wouldn’t have to be separated across dimensions like this anymore!
“There is.” Yuan Cheng gently took the youth’s hand.
“Come, leave everything to me. You just need to do exactly what I say.”
He slapped a sticker onto the adjacent wall, and a spatial door instantly swung open on the spot.
The little merman cast a surprised glance at Yuan Cheng.
It had been a very long time since he last saw Ah Cheng use a system item. After leaving the eerie world, the man’s system points had been completely wiped out with a single click, and the items remaining in his possession were depleted with every single use. Those few remaining system items were incredibly precious to Ah Cheng; he usually wouldn’t employ them easily.
But there was no time for the little merman to think further. He was already being led by the hand by the man, stepping across that spatial door into an unfamiliar location.
—That place was precisely the “Miracle Domain” that Yuan Cheng had meticulously constructed.
—
In the audience seats, the chaos on scene grew increasingly severe.
As the crowd’s frenzy escalated, a faint black mist began to seep from some people’s bodies and faces.
This black mist accumulated more and more, growing thicker and denser. It devoured human desires, constantly fermenting and expanding under the catalyst of negative emotions, before turning into streams of tangible black liquid that flowed unceasingly toward the stage.
The streams continuously converged, becoming stickier and heavier, until they poured themselves into a black sarcophagus right in the center of the stage like boiling tar.
As the black coffin took shape, Jian Tang clearly felt the pressure within the water curtain space grow exponentially stronger, to the point where even the crowd’s rioting was forcefully suppressed. The heavy water pressure made it difficult for the fighting crowd to even lift their hands, forcing them to prostrate themselves flat on the ground, as if kowtowing toward that black coffin.
Although Jian Tang wouldn’t go so far as to kneel on the ground like those humans, he still felt highly uncomfortable under the intense pressure, barely able to remain seated in his chair.
The exact same pressure manifested upon the three Realm Lords as well—this force seemed specifically tailored against humans. Now that they were inside an alternate space, there was no longer any need for them to conceal their monster aura. They simply abandoned their respective human shells, restored the monstrous appearances of their avatars, and flew into the airspace above, looking down at the scene below.
“So that’s how it is,” A’nie, the Eye of Hell enveloped in dense fog, spoke slowly.
“It’s a sacrifice.” The evil god Heramis was the most familiar with this routine.
The Nightmare Duke looked toward the opposite side of the black coffin. Yuan Cheng, who had vanished for a time, materialized once more. He failed to discover the three Realm Lords who had concealed their presence, his gaze landing entirely on the little merman following him.
“Little Yu.” He gestured for the other party to look at that black sarcophagus. “Lie inside, take a sleep, and your wish will be fulfilled.”
The little merman stared at everything before his eyes in sheer shock: the massive water curtain space, the bizarre, viscous black streams, and those humans who lay prostrate at their feet with agonized and frantic expressions.
In the audience, he even caught sight of a familiar face: Little Tang was actually here too!
“Ah Cheng, what on earth are you doing?” He looked at the person beside him in utter disbelief. “Stop this right now!”
Yuan Cheng looked at him, completely unmoved.
The little merman suddenly broke into a shiver, a powerful sense of crisis surging into his heart. Before he could turn to flee, the black streams slithered up to him like wicked venomous serpents, binding him layer upon layer and dragging him toward the black sarcophagus.
Because his mouth was sealed, the little merman couldn’t utter a sound, only capable of futilely struggling and whimpering. He looked at his lover in despair, his heart turning entirely to ice in an instant.
It was still that handsome face, still those gentle eyes; everything was unchanged. The other party had always been like this—he was fundamentally this kind of person, and he had simply been blind.
“Little Yu, I really like you.”
Yuan Cheng walked to the front of the coffin, looking down at the little merman bound inside by the black streams, affectionately stroking the youth’s face.
“If it weren’t for you, I might have died long ago. You were the one who led me into the eerie world; you were the one who opened the door to a brand-new world for me.”
In the beginning, he had merely thrown his life into a gamble just to secure a single lifeline.
Fortunately, he discovered that he actually possessed some talent, adapting very well to surviving in all sorts of thrilling and horrific dungeons.
He obtained quite a few points, using them to exchange for his health and regain a new lease on life.
But humans are just like that. When backed into a corner, they are deeply satisfied even if they obtain a mere sliver of faint hope. However, once they possess returns that exceed their expectations, not only will they fail to be satisfied, they will instead want even more.
This was greed; he understood it.
But everyone else could get it, so why couldn’t he?
Relying on the items exchanged from the eerie world, he had risen to prominence in the real world. His soaring magic career brought him countless halos—wealth, status, fame, prestige, and even love; he had it all.
Yet, suddenly, it was all gone again.
He had overestimated his own strength. During an attempt to clear an SS-rank public dungeon, he capsized in an unexpected gutter, dying tragically and being eliminated from the game.
“Death” within a dungeon announced that the gates of the eerie world were permanently closed to him. Without the assistance of system items, his career plummeted overnight.
“Little Yu.” The man wiped away the tears at the corner of the youth’s eyes, watching the freezing black water continuously pour into the black sarcophagus, slowly submerging the little merman’s torso.
“Help me one more time, okay?” he whispered. “I want to get a ticket to return to the eerie world.”
To enter the eerie world, one had to hold an invitation or a ticket. The first time he managed to enter was because he obtained an invitation from the little dolphin. However, this kind of invitation originating from an eerie creature could only be obtained once per task-taker; it would no longer take effect a second time.
Without an invitation, a task-taker who had been kicked out of the eerie world and wanted to return to that gold-rush land could only obtain a ticket on their own.
There were various ways to obtain a ticket, most requiring an exorbitant price to be paid, and everyone’s circumstances differed: perhaps one had to offer priceless wealth, perhaps one had to wager a lifetime of good luck, or perhaps… one had to sacrifice a pure, beautiful heart that loved them with all its soul.
“I will keep you by my side forever.”
The man watched the little merman being swallowed by the black water. The boy reverted to his original form amidst his agonized thrashing, becoming that pink little dolphin he was most familiar with once more.
“We will be together forever,” he said in a low voice.
The price paid would transform into a ticket to the eerie world, but the ticket wasn’t a thin sheet of paper; its form was also highly varied: it could be a necklace, it could be a leaf, or it could be a coin.
It could also… be a book.
Yuan Cheng didn’t know what form the ticket he obtained would take, but he would definitely keep it by his side forever.
He and Little Yu would stay together in this manner for eternity.
The black coffin was thoroughly filled to the brim. The offering soaking in the black water initially still attempted to struggle, but the strength of the struggling grew weaker and weaker, until there wasn’t a single shred of sound left.
—[It can begin.]
A raspy voice echoed within his mind.
Yuan Cheng lowered his eyes submissively, murmuring, “Yes.”
This voice had appeared in his mind half a year ago. The entity referred to itself as a “Miracle.” “It” was deeply versed in the rules of the eerie world. If it weren’t for the entity’s guidance, Yuan Cheng wouldn’t have known the method to acquire a ticket.
Yuan Cheng kicked off the ground, floating back into the airspace above the water. He scanned those humans who were currently having their prices extracted by the “miracle,” feeling as though he were a god holding the absolute power over life and death. The lives of these mortals lay entirely within his single thought.
The sensation of holding supreme power was simply too magnificent.
The man curled the corners of his mouth, reflexively displaying an elegant smile. But what he didn’t know was that his smile was actually thoroughly hideous and greedy, his eyes rippling with an uncontrollable frenzy that was no different from those humans below who had lost their minds.
Yuan Cheng held the trident in his hand high, and the seashell imprints manifested within the water once more. If one observed closely, they would discover—those so-called “seashells” were actually seeds of a peculiar shape.
The seed casings opened, and the parasitic entities inside drifted out. A portion followed the black streams, flowing upstream toward the humans in the audience seats; another portion flowed toward the black coffin, absorbing the power of that poor offering’s pure soul.
Jian Tang stared blankly at everything unfolding before his eyes, his face deathly pale.
Although he had realized there was something wrong with Yuan Cheng after the scene spiraled out of control, he still hadn’t expected that this man would coldly toss Little Yu into the black coffin, completely disregarding Little Yu’s life or death!
How could there be such a malicious person in this world?
For his own selfish gain, he could treat his benefactor and lover with such cruelty?
Jian Tang suddenly recalled what the Nightmare Duke had said to him before.
—Don’t get too close to humans.
—Otherwise, you’ll be the one crying in the future.
Was Little Yu crying right now too?
Is Little Yu… still alive?
Jian Tang strained his eyes with all his might, wanting to see the situation inside that black coffin on stage clearly. However, there was only increasingly viscous and solid black slurry within the coffin, without a single trace of the pink little dolphin visible.
The pressure inside the water curtain space was still intensifying. Jian Tang was pressed against his seat, unable to move a muscle. He scanned the body of water anxiously but couldn’t see any trace of the three Realm Lords—evidently, they had concealed their presence and were acting as bystanders.
Counting on the Realm Lords to step in was completely unfeasible—they were merely here to watch a show. What did the life or death of ants have to do with them?
Not taking the opportunity to kick him while he was down was already considered merciful.
Jian Tang redirected his gaze toward Yuan Cheng, his mind frantically brainstorming a countermeasure.
Under these circumstances, was there anything he could do?
At least… at least he couldn’t let that bad guy succeed; he couldn’t let him get his way!
Yet reality seemed to deliberately work against him. A look of wild ecstasy suddenly surfaced on Yuan Cheng’s face.
From within the black slurry of the coffin, a shimmering pink light slowly rose. Although it was impossible to see clearly what it was, the moment he saw it, Yuan Cheng’s heart vibrated violently.
He could sense it: the gates of the eerie world were opening to him once more.
His ambition, his aspirations, his grand blueprint, and his beautiful future all possessed the possibility of realization.
Jian Tang’s pupils quivered in shock: he saw Yuan Cheng’s body puff up bit by bit like an inflating balloon.
The hope within arm’s reach catalyzed infinite, boundless greedy desires. The seeds dormant within the man’s body sprouted rapidly, and something was darting swiftly inside his frame—more than one.
“What a greedy soul.”
Even the widely experienced Nightmare Duke couldn’t help but utter a sigh of exclamation.
“No wonder he would become the nest for an Evil Seed.”
“Evil Seeds” were absolute experts at stimulating the malicious thoughts of humans or monsters. Once parasitized, they would turn the host into a slave of desire, and subsequently a walking corpse manipulated by the Evil Seed. Many planes and worlds had walked toward destruction due to the invasion of Evil Seeds.
Looking at the current system mechanics, “Evil Seeds” were the public enemy of all creatures in the eerie world. The system’s Main God was highly unwilling to see them expand and grow strong. As long as one could kill an Evil Seed, whether they were an eerie monster or a task-taker, they could obtain an excellent reward in points.
The three Realm Lords exchanged a glance, materializing their forms in unison.
If it were a mere single Evil Seed, they wouldn’t deign to strike; but facing a mother nest breeding countless embryonic Evil Seeds, the reward after killing it would be highly considerable.
Sensing an unfamiliar presence, “Yuan Cheng’s” blood-red eyes instantly locked onto the three eerie monsters that had suddenly appeared.
The mother nest had already been activated, and there were countless “believers” offering nourishment in the audience seats. At this moment, “Yuan Cheng” was no longer an ordinary human yearning to enter the eerie world, but an Evil Seed Mother possessing power on par with an eerie BOSS.
“He” opened his bloody maw, letting out a piercing, savage laugh. Those black streams gathered around him transformed into greasy, foul-smelling black tentacles in a flash, clawing and flailing wildly toward the three Realm Lords.
The Nightmare Duke let out a cold snort. Just as he was about to counter-attack, he saw “Yuan Cheng” suddenly stiffen, his entire frame freezing on the spot.
Those black tentacles began to melt and dissolve like melting candle wax. The man’s bloated, massive body began to shudder violently, as if a phone had been set to vibrate, carrying the entire water curtain space along into a fierce shaking. The originally stable body of water churned into layer upon layer of furious waves, possessing a trend of collapsing and shattering apart.
The Nightmare Duke: “?”
He looked toward his two companions—they were both avatars, and under circumstances where their strength was only one-fifth of their true forms, the two of them could actually orchestrate such a massive commotion?
Heramis shook her head: “Not me.”
A’nie: “Not me either.”
Riiip— Accompanied by a terrifying sound of flesh tearing, a sharp curved blade breached out from “Yuan Cheng’s” chest.
It resembled the razor-sharp tip of a massive scythe. After impaling through “Yuan Cheng’s” body, it suddenly slashed straight downward. A cold light flashed, and a bloodline split open from the top of the standing bloated man’s head, spreading rapidly all the way down to his crotch. Then, foul blood spouted and splattered wildly like a fountain, and he split completely into two halves.
This scene was far too horrific and bloody. Jian Tang couldn’t help but shudder, even feeling a bit faint to his stomach.
Within the split human form, the organs were fresh and intact, save for the position of the heart, which was a honeycomb-like piece of black flesh. Countless black dots resembling insect eggs were attached to it, densely packed, pulsing and contracting rhythmically along with the beating of the “heart.”
That scythe retracted.
Leaving behind a bizarre blood hole—it seemed to exist within “Yuan Cheng’s” body, yet it also seemed like a channel appearing out of thin air. The boundaries were highly uneven, as if it were a breach barely pried open after forceful excavation.
A bizarre skeletal hand extended out.
It was entirely black, resembling a weapon forged from some sort of metal, its elongated nails exceptionally sharp as they stabbed fiercely into “Yuan Cheng’s” heart.
Black water splattered everywhere.
Accompanied by a spine-chilling sound of flesh being churned, the skeletal hand crushed that ugly “heart,” as easily as crushing a fully ripened kiwi fruit.
The black flesh mass collapsed and withered rapidly, like the fragments of a popped balloon, leaving behind only a shriveled remnant.
Having eliminated the external hazard, that skeletal hand gripped the boundaries of the blood hole, tearing this cramped spatial entrance open with bare hands.
A second skeletal hand exposed itself.
And then a foot clad in a long black boot stepped inside.
Soon, the other foot entered as well.
Finally, the entire person stepped inside completely.
The newcomer wore a long black trench coat, his aura frigid and grim. A Shinigami mask concealed his entire face, and only some bizarre, ghostly light could be seen within the apertures for the “features,” looking neither fully human nor non-human, remarkably eerie.
Upon seeing this familiar mask, the pupils of the three Realm Lords contracted sharply in unison. Heramis lost her voice and cried out: “The Bloody Butcher?!”
Jian Tang’s body gave a sudden jolt, sizing up this uninvited guest in complete disbelief.
H-He is the Bloody Butcher??
That notorious big boss in the eerie world whom all eerie creatures avoided like the plague, whose combat power was so ferocious that even Realm Lords had to avoid his edge, and whose strength was so perverted that the system had issued an invitation for him to become a permanent, immortal BOSS??
An even more terrifying thing occurred.
Having set foot into the water curtain space, the Bloody Butcher paid no heed to the counter-attack of the remaining Evil Seeds, and didn’t spare a glance toward the three Realm Lords standing in the distance. He suddenly turned his face.
The gaze behind the Shinigami mask precisely targeted the direction where Jian Tang was located.
Jian Tang: “????”
![After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]](https://i1.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20220822190944_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]")
