Chapter 39: Multiplayer Instance!? Hell Difficulty!
At this moment, Jiang Yan was swept away by the Historical Long River, sinking endlessly into a boundless ocean.
Thick Historical Dust drifted around him, concealing countless unknown terrors.
‘At least let me rest a while before entering the little black room again, can’t you?’
Jiang Yan felt helpless. It was the first seamless transition of his life, and it turned out to be...
The Historical Long River!
Though it looked impressive when he killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator across realms, the cost he paid was not small.
Even though he had the Shadow-Eating Serpent devour a large number of Fly Swarms to recover some vitality and blood, he was still in a weakened state.
To enter the Diseased Domain at this time—
It was truly a Hell Mode start!
Fortunately, there was a Coffin Spirit in perfect condition at his side, so he wouldn’t be at the mercy of others.
No one knew how much time had passed when the Historical Dust dispersed, and the world before his eyes suddenly transformed.
The Golden Crow set in the west, the dying sun crimson like blood.
Before him stood an ancient temple, red walls and gray tiles, the eaves shaped like scales, winding and raised like crouching ridge beasts, exuding intense pressure.
Above the temple gate hung a plaque with black characters on a red background, inscribed with three ancient characters.
Monkey King Temple.
Behind the temple, a lush peach forest could be vaguely seen.
Blossoms bloomed, and crimson fruits clustered in abundance.
Mountains surrounded the area in all directions, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
It did not seem like a Diseased Domain, but more like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
Then the Historical Dust surged once more, shattering this brief illusion and soon forming familiar information:
[Historical Marker – Turbid Stream Grade A]
[Location: Monkey King Temple]
[Mission Description: You have entered a mysterious temple. The monks here worship a sculpture known as the “Monkey King.” Every night, mysterious heartbeats can be heard, blood seeps from the walls, and blood peaches grow behind the mountain—miraculous phenomena.
Because of this, the living beings here revere the Monkey King, believing it to be a manifestation of divinity, and worship it with fervent incense offerings during the day, though no one comes at night.
The abbot of this temple welcomes all to live here but warns them to follow the temple’s rules. Violations will lead to unknown dangers.]
[Main Mission 1: Enter the temple, stay for more than one night, and avoid becoming diseased.]
[Main Mission 2: Explore the hidden secrets of the temple. Completing 20% constitutes mission completion. The more detailed the exploration, the higher the score.]
[Current Progress: 1%]
“You... are you alright?”
A weak voice came from behind Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan turned his head and saw that the speaker was a girl in a white dress with waist-length hair. Her features were gentle, and her limpid eyes looked at him with concern.
Next to her were three other people.
One was a young woman in a black special combat suit, tall with long straight black hair, her expression cold, bearing a strong resemblance—likely twin sisters.
Their clothes were stained with dust, looking travel-worn.
Another was a middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit, slightly plump, holding a briefcase, wearing a kind expression.
The last person was a yellow-haired youth.
Quite literally.
He appeared to be in his twenties, with short hair, wearing a black tank top that revealed his muscular build. His upturned eyes looked askance at everyone, a butterfly knife twirling between his fingers as if he didn’t take the Diseased Domain before him seriously at all.
Such modern-style attire—no surprise—meant he was a History Walker.
“A multiplayer instance? I wonder if there are any colleagues from the Bureau of Historical Revision?”
Jiang Yan had the thought flash through his mind but had no intention of revealing his identity.
History Walkers were a mixed bunch.
There were many hostile forces to the Bureau of Historical Revision, and exposing himself would make him a target.
Moreover, even one’s own people... weren’t necessarily trustworthy.
To Jiang Yan, having more people wasn't a bad thing.
What he needed now was someone to stand in front, to buy time for him to recover his condition.
While Jiang Yan observed them, they were also observing him.
This suddenly appearing fellow had no trace of color on his face, his steps were unsteady, and his breathing heavy—he looked like someone seriously ill.
His strength was about the same as theirs, all at the Spirit Awakening Stage.
Seeing this, the others quickly lost interest and averted their gazes, as if afraid he might drop dead in front of them at any moment.
The girl in the white dress, seeing how weak Jiang Yan was, overflowed with sympathy. After some thought, she handed him a bottle of pills and said:
"This is a Vitality Replenishing Pill. It can restore your vitality and blood."
The girl in black beside her seemed about to speak but ultimately held back the words.
"Thank you. I’ll remember this favor."
Jiang Yan expressed his gratitude, his gaze surprised.
He hadn’t expected... to meet a good person.
The flame of the Ash Lamp swept over the pill, confirming it was safe. He swallowed it in one gulp and quickly replenished his blood and energy.
Thinking about it, who would bother to poison someone who looked like he was on death’s door?
However, this action caused the others to immediately label him as a pill junkie, a reckless invalid with no sense of caution.
The girl in the white dress smiled happily at being trusted, but when she caught a glimpse of the black-clothed woman’s increasingly gloomy face, she quickly straightened her expression...
And put on the look of someone fierce, unwilling to keep feeding.
The woman in black sighed and broke the silence:
"Everyone has seen the mission. We're not enemies. Our goals are the same—complete the mission and get out alive. Cooperation is fully possible. You can call me Xiao Hei, and this is my sister, Xiao Bai."
Xiao Bai greeted softly, "Hello, everyone."
The man in the suit said, "Just call me Suit Guy. Xiao Hei is right—cooperation benefits everyone. To be safe, let’s compare our mission information to prevent any knowledge discrepancy."
"My name is Sima Luoshui."
Jiang Yan spoke weakly, like he didn’t have much longer to live.
Suit Guy twitched at the corner of his mouth.
This guy wasn’t just useless—he might be dead weight.
Still, he had to put on a front.
Suit Guy gave a cool nod to show he acknowledged him, then turned his gaze to the burly blond-haired young man, full of hopeful expectation.
The blond was stunned for a moment after hearing Jiang Yan's name, wondering who would even pick such a name. Facing everyone’s curious looks, he said coolly:
"Call me... Huang Mao."
Then, he shared all his mission details.
Jiang Yan added some details beside him, but no one paid attention.
It was harsh, but real.
Suit Guy breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since everyone’s missions are the same, we don’t have to worry about dragging each other down."
"The mission hint mentioned that we must follow the abbot’s rules. Could this be a rule-type Diseased Domain?"
"Then aren’t we doomed?" Xiao Bai trembled.
Xiao Hei's expression grew grim: "Based on the description, even if it’s not rule-type, it implies that the abbot here is very strong—possibly a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even someone at the Law Seed Stage."
"That’s not possible, right?"
The butterfly knife in Huang Mao’s hand paused as he raised a doubt:
"Wouldn’t something like that only show up in a Congestion Phase Diseased Domain?"
Xiao Hei gave him a glance and said in a deep voice, "The Historical Long River is constantly mutating. No one can predict special circumstances. Diseased Domains aren’t static—they can evolve."
"True enough."
Suit Guy's expression was somber: "You can’t judge the Old Era by common sense. Even if the abbot is just a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the advantage of the terrain, we wouldn’t be able to resist."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Huang Mao frowned, about to speak—
Click, click, click!
The temple gates suddenly opened, and everyone tensed.
But instead of a terrifying demon emerging, it was a plump monk clad in a blue kasaya.
He wasn’t fat in the usual sense, but had muscle wrapped in fat. His bald head gleamed, bearing a precept scar. In his hand was a string of white prayer beads that clicked rhythmically as his fingers turned them.
Behind him followed over a dozen gray-robed novice monks, their skin pale and expressions devout.
They looked no different from normal humans—impossible to tell whether they were humans of the Diseased Domain or demons in disguise.
The leading plump monk clasped his hands and said softly:
"I am the abbot of the Monkey King Temple. My Dharma name is Shou'e. Travelers from afar, have you come to pay respects to the Honored Monkey King?"