Npc 105

It seemed the god had heard Jian Yan’s inner thoughts.

Beneath the luxurious and mysterious cloak, the black tendril wrapped around his thigh deliberately and maliciously slid up—

“Damn it…”

Jian Yan's entire body trembled violently. He struggled to maintain control over himself, ensuring no one noticed anything unusual.

At the same time, beneath his robe, the damned tendril was gleefully drawing circles on the inside of his thigh, excited by its successful prank.

The soft tendril left a trail of warm, sticky liquid on his skin, like countless tiny wet kisses. It sent shivers coursing through Jian Yan.

“You bastard…” Jian Yan couldn’t help cursing under his breath.

“Host! Your character! Keep it together!” The voice of 663 quickly rang out in his mind.

Jian Yan gritted his teeth, suppressing the discomfort from his thigh. He worked hard to maintain an image of cold elegance before the players.

No one could have known that under his luxurious and mysterious robe, his body was already a complete mess.

At the same time, the broadcast of the main system echoed throughout the entire game hall:

"Ding!"

[Real NPC Jian Yan, Side Mission Status Unlocked: Divine Descent]

This announcement reverberated across the game hall, shocking every player in the server!

Countless players waiting for new updates flooded into Jian Yan's livestream room.

[Divine Descent?! Holy crap?! Are you serious?!]

[No way?! I actually made it into the live broadcast?! Divine Descent? It’s really Divine Descent?!]

[I thought this was just some myth the main system used to fool people! I didn’t think it was actually possible to trigger it?!]

[Jian Yan? Oh, that makes sense.]

[Before clicking in: Who’s so incredible? After clicking in: Jian Yan? Oh, old news]

[OMG! OMG! “Latecomer Jian Yan,” I’m here!!]

[The main system is blatantly showing favoritism! No way Jian Yan doesn’t have something going on with the main system!]

[...]

Inside the dungeon, the players stared at Jian Yan in front of them, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“D-Divine Descent?!”

“No, that’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! Divine Descent is just a myth!” Lu Sha shouted incredulously.

“What’s Divine Descent?”

Cun Tou, puzzled, glanced at the rose petals flying through the air and at his friend in front of him, whose eyes had turned green.

Tao Shi snapped out of his shock and explained to Jian Hou:

“Divine Descent… is one of the powers that both players and Real Player NPCs can acquire through the main system.

“You can think of it as being similar to personal items or rewards you can exchange for using personal points.

“Everyone has the chance to obtain items or exchange personal points for rewards. Likewise, everyone is qualified and has the right to obtain Divine Descent.

“Players who acquire Divine Descent can share their powers and soul with a deity within the dungeon and gain their own followers in the game.”

“No wonder the main system suddenly showed me that option just now…” Jian Hou said, enlightened. Then he exclaimed excitedly, “So! I’m not under your god anymore! I’m already Jian Yan’s follower, right?!”

Cao Yufeng looked utterly defeated. “Not just you—us too.”

Hearing this, Tao Shi irritably ran a hand through his blue hair and said, “How could this happen?! It’s always been just a myth in the game!

“Except for that one recorded instance of Divine Descent in the game’s history, no player or NPC has ever triggered Divine Descent again. This is just—!”

Looking at the exasperated Tao Shi, Jian Hou was confused. “But if there’s already a precedent, how can it be a myth?”

Tao Shi turned his head, his expression icy as he looked at Jian Hou. “Do you know how long ago the instance recorded in the Jian Chronicles happened?”

Jian Hou: “Thirty years ago?”

Tao Shi: “...”

Jian Hou: “Three hundred years ago?”

Tao Shi: “...”

Jian Hou: “... It can’t be three thousand years ago, right?”

Tao Shi: “4.6 billion years ago.”

Jian Hou: "What?! Back then... were there even humans?!"

Tao Shi shook his head coldly. "Humans? Not even the planet existed. Now you understand why I said this should only exist in myths, right?"

"Then... what about Yan Yan.." Jian Hou asked blankly, pointing at his bewildered friend not far away.

Suddenly, Lu Sha took two steps forward, grabbed Jian Hou by the collar, and furiously demanded, his eyes red:

"What kind of monster is he?! What on earth is he?!"

"Lu Sha, calm down!"

Tao Shi and Cao Yufeng quickly stepped forward to pull Jian Hou out of Lu Sha’s grip, preventing Lu Sha from strangling him in his rage.

"Calm down, my ass!"

Lu Sha's bloodshot eyes glared at Tao Shi. His gaze was full of fear and worry, as if the Jian Yan standing in front of them wasn’t a vessel for a god, but possessed by a demon.

At this moment, Lu Sha seemed to have completely forgotten that he was in a dungeon, forgotten the giant rat still chasing them, and even forgotten his role as a Real NPC who needed to maintain his character persona.

He broke down in fear and roared at Tao Shi "Kill him! Why is your Dawn Guild still hesitating?!"

"I refuse to believe that Valen Church could uncover this information, yet the so-called number-one guild in the game, Dawn Guild, couldn't! Why are you protecting him when you know exactly what kind of monster Jian Yan is?!"

Tao Shi and Cao Yufeng remained silent, their expressions grim.

"What... what kind of monster?"

Jian Hou was thoroughly confused, and the newbie players around him were equally lost.

What kind of monster were they talking about?

Ignoring Jian Hou and the newbies, Lu Sha turned his gaze once again to Jian Yan, who stood not far away, cloaked in black, his green eyes radiating an air of sacred nobility.

At that moment, only one thought consumed Lu Sha's mind: Kill the heretic!

"Ding!"

[Item: Flame Sword]

A sword wreathed in flames appeared in Lu Sha’s hand. He raised the blazing weapon and charged straight at Jiang Yan!

Jiang Yan, however, simply stood motionless.

[Lu Sha has lost it?! Jian Yan is in Divine Descent mode! He’s literally a god right now!]

[Honestly, I’d lose it too. Imagine being told that one of your “opponents” is now a god. Who wouldn’t freak out?]

[But wait... isn’t Lu Sha a Real Player NPC? His lines and actions just now totally broke character, right?]

Sure enough, just as the tip of Lu Sha’s flaming sword was about to pierce Jian Yan’s forehead, the system broadcast echoed through the air—

"Beep!"

[Real NPC Lu Sha, contamination countdown: Ten, Nine, Eight...]

Lu Sha's movements instantly froze. The blazing sword he held stopped just short of Jiang Yan’s forehead. As he stared into Jiang Yan’s sinister yet teasing green eyes, his hand holding the sword began to tremble uncontrollably.

[Three, Two...]

Damn it!

Lu Sha swiftly withdrew the flaming sword, snapping back into his character. Gritting his teeth, he forced a polite yet stiff smile as he addressed Jiang Yan mockingly.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Divine Descent: A state where one communes with a god, sharing their soul and body.

Jiang Yan had just opened his mouth to respond when he suddenly felt as though his entire body was being enveloped in a soft, suffocating embrace.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, his own voice—light and laced with amusement—escaped his lips

"I am here, naturally, to punish the sins of you creations."

"Thud!"

At those words, the diminutive Jian Hou immediately collapsed to the ground. Trembling, he managed to spit out two words: "My... My God."

Even the giant rat looming behind the players followed suit, lowering itself reverently to the ground. Its gravelly voice echoed "My God."

The players’ expressions instantly grew serious.

In this moment, they truly understood: the figure standing before them was no longer their friend Jiang Yan. Instead, it was the god now occupying his body—the supreme deity of this dungeon, a being above all.

"W-What sins... we haven’t committed any sins!" stammered the braided boy’s father, his voice trembling.

Jiang Yan’s green eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh? Is that so?"

The newbie players immediately nodded like mad, their heads bobbing in unison.

Jiang Yan struggled desperately within himself, attempting to escape from the soft, enveloping embrace and regain control of his body. However, the tentacle coiled around his thigh teasingly gave a light pull. A shiver ran through him, and he found himself involuntarily yielding once again.

Damn it... this bastard!

He heard himself chuckle softly. To the others, his expression appeared composed, with a glint of cruel satisfaction gleaming in his green eyes.

He could feel his tongue lightly brush the corner of his lips as he pointed to the massive rat kneeling nearby.

"Then let it be the one to pass judgment upon you."

"Drip!"

As his words fell, the players were abruptly plunged into a vast shadow accompanied by a nauseating stench.

A single, viscous drop of thick saliva fell from above, landing heavily in front of them.

"Gulp."

The new players collectively swallowed nervously, trembling as they slowly looked up.

Above them was the filthy, decaying giant rat, its rotting body dripping with foul, murky pus. It stared at them unblinkingly with its cloudy, greedy eyes.

The nauseating stench grew stronger the closer it loomed. They could see maggot-like baby rats squirming within its festering wounds and the gaps in its decayed flesh. Thick, viscous saliva dripped continuously from its maw.

"Ahhh—!!!"

A collective scream erupted from the new players, their cries sharp and panicked.

As another drop of saliva splattered to the ground, the giant rat spoke again in its hoarse, grotesque voice.

"Sins... your sins."

The rat extended a massive claw, swiping viciously at the players.

"Boom!"

They scattered in all directions, narrowly avoiding the strike. The cobblestone ground on the right side of the town square shattered under the impact, leaving behind a deep imprint of the rat's claw. The remains of a smaller rat, accidentally crushed by its paw, were reduced to a gory mess of blood and flesh within the crater.

"In the presence of God, no one can hide their sins! Confess now!"

The short Jiekhe urgently shouted at the players.

They exchanged uncertain, fearful glances.

The girl with glasses began sobbing, "But... we haven’t committed any sins..."

Jiekhe shouted even louder.

"Then sacrifice one of your guilty companions now! If you don’t, none of us will survive!"

Sacrifice a companion...

The short-haired man’s eyes turned sharp. Without hesitation, he shoved the nearest person, Jian Hou, forward with all his might.

Jian Hou stumbled and fell directly in front of the giant rat.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Tao Shi grabbed the short-haired man by the collar, furious.

The short-haired man straightened his neck defiantly, his eyes bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and roared back "Didn’t you hear? If we don’t sacrifice someone, we’re all going to die! He’s obviously in cahoots with that god! This all started because of that so-called prince! If we can’t kill him, why not throw his companion to the wolves instead?!"

The giant rat’s attention shifted toward the fallen Jian Hou.

Its rotten, cloudy eyes narrowed slightly as it croaked in its decayed voice:

"Heretic... heretic..."

The rat raised its enormous claw and swung it toward Jian Hou.

"Teacher, watch out!!!"

Tao Shi released the short-haired man, shouting a warning to Jian Hou.

However, the giant rat was far too fast. Jian Hou stood still, unable to react in time!

Ding!

[Item: Medical Bandage]

Cao Yufeng quickly extended the [Medical Bandage] in an attempt to pull Jian Hou back, but the giant rat's claws seemed faster than the bandage!

"We're finished!!" Cao Yufeng shouted.

Jian Hou's eyes widened as he watched the enormous, sharp rat claws coming closer.

"As long as he dies, we all live!!"

The short-haired man stared crazily at Jian Hou, eagerly awaiting him to be smashed into meat paste by the giant rat!

Ding!

In the critical moment, golden vines suddenly sprouted from the ground in front of Jian Hou, quickly wrapping around the rat's claws, which were only a centimeter from his nose.

"What?!" The short-haired man stared in disbelief.

The entire town went silent.

After a moment, Jian Hou realized he was still alive. He quickly rolled and crawled out from under the rat's claws.

Looking at the golden vines glowing before him, he knew whose work it was!

He looked towards his friend, standing not far away with sweat on his forehead, and tentatively called out, "Yan Yan... Is that you?"

Jian Yan, gasping slightly, nodded. He had just paid a great price with his soul to reclaim his body from the god's grasp, and now his legs were feeling cold.

However, the moment he nodded, his soul was pulled back into that damp embrace.

In his ears, the voice of the god echoed, mocking him: "Baby, disobedience will be punished."

Jian Hou didn’t notice the faint glimmer of blue that flashed in his friend’s green eyes.

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the other’s arms, shouting, "You scared the hell out of me!!"

Tao Shi and Cao Yufeng both sighed in relief, then turned to look at the short-haired man in the corner.

The short-haired man clenched his neck and said, "We need to sacrifice someone anyway! So what’s the problem with sacrificing him?!"

Tao Shi was about to say something when Yu Jia interrupted.

"By the way, aren’t those who are descended from gods supposed to fully obey the gods? Can Jiang Yan still have his own consciousness?" Yu Jia asked curiously.

Everyone’s gaze once again landed on Jiang Yan, not far away.

At this moment, the giant rat, tangled in the rose vines, was especially enraged. It looked at Jiang Yan with confusion, speaking slowly, word by word:

"…?"

Its murky eyes narrowed: "Blasphemy... to the gods?!"

Jiang Yan's pupils trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

However, his body could only obey the god who was toying with him at that moment.

Clearly, the god’s attention wasn’t even on the giant rat in front of them. His green eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous, arrogant smile spread across his previously indifferent face.

He turned to Jian Hou and said coldly, "Get lost! Let go of my wife."

Jian Hou: "Huh?"

Everyone: "???"

Jiang Yan: "..."

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