My Crazy Upgrade System

"Second Brother!" Long Batian hurriedly ran over. Seeing that Dragon Soul Heaven was on the verge of death, his face turned deathly pale. A single slash had left him critically injured; it was clear he wouldn’t live for much longer.

He seemed to have one last breath, but it was no different from being dead. His body twitched, blood splattered everywhere, and the whites of his eyes were showing.

"What touching brotherly affection. When you were committing your evil deeds, did you ever consider other people’s sisterly bonds, or perhaps their father-son bonds?" Yi Tianyun’s expression was ice-cold, especially after seeing what had happened to Menghua earlier. The memory made his heart turn even colder.

Although he had expected such things, seeing it firsthand still filled him with immense disgust and rage.

Long Batian clenched his teeth and shot him a hateful glare, then turned and fled inside, no longer paying any attention to Dragon Soul Heaven.

"Trying to run?" Yi Tianyun hefted his Chaotic Celestial Saint Axe and gave chase, catching up to him in the blink of an eye. "None of you will escape. As of today, the Treasure Dragon Stronghold will cease to exist forever!"

Cold sweat poured down Long Batian’s back. He looked up and shouted, "Ancestor, save me!"

’Ancestor?’

Yi Tianyun paid it no mind. He swung the Chaotic Celestial Saint Axe straight at him, a terrifyingly sharp edge descending. Sensing the danger from behind, Long Batian rapidly spun around and raised his Longquan Blade to block. But how could a high-grade Spiritual Artifact possibly contend with a weapon at the Soul Artifact Level? The gap in power was immense.

CLANG!

Under the force of his furious strike, the Longquan Blade was split in two with a single blow, as if it were a bamboo stalk. The man himself was cleaved in half along with it! Long Batian’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. His eyes, wide with unwillingness, stared blankly as he fell. Deep within his gaze, there was more regret than anything else.

"Ding! Successfully killed Long Batian. Obtained 48,000 Experience, 2,200 Madness Value, Cloud Armor (Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact), Soul-Killing Blade (High-grade Spiritual Artifact)!"

"Ding! Successfully killed Dragon Soul Heaven. Obtained 42,000 Experience, 2,100 Madness Value, Celestial Cloud Armor (Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact), Falling Ascension Blade (High-grade Spiritual Artifact)!"

’Quite a lot of items dropped. To kill Cultivators of this level, I obviously had to activate Mad Experience Mode and my Luck Aura. Weapons and armor of this grade aren’t very useful to me, but I can sell them for Madness Value, so I absolutely can’t let them go to waste. This is worth several thousand Madness Value points.’

At the same time, he also collected all of Long Batian’s and the others’ belongings. Besides the items the system dropped upon killing them, he could also sell their real-world possessions for money. It was like getting paid twice.

Just as he finished cleaning up, the sky over the area suddenly grew oppressive, and a black fog enveloped the entire Treasure Dragon Stronghold!

"Who goes there!" At that moment, an old man appeared nearby, shrouded in a black mist. He seemed connected to the very earth beneath him, presenting a very strange sight.

Yi Tianyun looked up at him, and detailed data immediately appeared before his eyes.

Black Soul Ancestor: Peak Core Formation Stage cultivation. Controller of the underground Black Dragon Spiritual Vein. Possesses Black Dragon Power. Overall Combat Power of 210,000! Martial Arts: Black Dragon Divine Technique, Soul-Annihilating Palm... Weakness: The underground Black Soul Dragon Vein. Severing his connection to the Black Soul Dragon Vein will halve his power! Possible drops upon kill: Black Dragon Divine Technique, Soul-Annihilating Palm, Black Dragon Spirit Vein Crystal...

’Black Soul Ancestor, controller of the underground Black Dragon Spiritual Vein... Treasure Dragon Stronghold... No wonder there are so many Treasures and so many experts here. It seems it was all to cover up for this Black Dragon Spiritual Vein.’

After seeing the analysis, Yi Tianyun immediately understood the whole situation. The Treasure Dragon Stronghold existed to conceal this Black Soul Dragon Vein. ’Still, what exactly is this Black Soul Dragon Vein? I won’t know for sure unless I look into it.’

"I’m just a passerby. I saw the bandits here committing evil, so I was merely enforcing justice on heaven’s behalf," Yi Tianyun said, watching him. He didn’t rush to attack, wanting to see what this guy was all about first.

"A fine ’enforcing justice on heaven’s behalf.’ In these chaotic times, it’s enough just to survive. And you want to enforce justice?" The Black Soul Ancestor’s face was full of disdain. He snorted coldly and said, "But for someone so young, your cultivation is unfathomable. You must have a significant background. As for those three, they deserved to die. Seeing as your cultivation is impressive, I’ll make you my Grand General. I will give you endless glory and wealth! I’ll even grant you a level of cultivation you can’t even imagine, allowing you to advance even further!"

"And why should I believe you?" Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. "What proof do you have? Just your words?"

"On the power of the Black Soul Dragon Vein beneath my feet!" the Black Soul Ancestor declared without any attempt to hide it, his jet-black eyes fixed on him. "As long as you become my general, I will let you absorb from this Black Soul Dragon Vein with me. It will drastically increase your cultivation speed, making it several times faster than cultivating outside. When our cultivation reaches a higher level, we can establish our own sect. Who would dare to provoke us then!"

His arrogant expression showed that he had been corrupted by the Black Soul Dragon Vein, believing that possessing it made him invincible.

"Then what would you have me do?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"Capture more people! Whether they are mortals or Cultivators, bring them all to me!" the Black Soul Ancestor said with a sinister smile. "Offer them all to the Black Soul Dragon Vein. Only then will it continuously produce Black Dragon Power, allowing our cultivation speed to increase dramatically!"

"So that’s why you’ve been capturing so many people? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?!" Killing intent filled Yi Tianyun’s eyes. This old man was a mass-murdering demon. The Black Soul Ancestor captured and sacrificed everyone, regardless of whether they were good or evil!

"Divine retribution? Here, I am heaven! No one can escape my control!" the Black Soul Ancestor said, looking at him coldly. "Make your choice. If you want to become my general, then swallow this elixir pill."

He held out his palm, on which rested a jet-black elixir pill.

Yi Tianyun glanced at it, and his Eye of Investigation analyzed the object clearly.

"Black Heart Pill: After consumption, a poison effect will activate after a period of time, causing a fate worse than death."

’So it’s a Poison Pill. A control-type pill, really. When the poison acts up, the victim suffers a fate worse than death, and only the antidote he provides can offer relief. Once you’re cut off from the antidote, death is certain, but not before you endure that hellish torment.’

"And if I refuse?" Yi Tianyun said calmly.

"After telling you so many secrets, do you think I’d let you walk away?" the Black Soul Ancestor said in a low voice. "If you refuse, then I don’t mind making you an offering for the Black Soul Dragon Vein!"

The moment his voice fell, countless streams of black energy erupted from the ground, enveloping Yi Tianyun from all sides like a dark cage, sealing him in completely with no way out.

’To think that in such a remote backwater, there would be such a powerful expert, and such a thing as this Black Soul Dragon Vein. How peculiar.’

"Looks like my next level-up is secured," Yi Tianyun said with a calm smile. What he saw was not a terrifying threat, but an endless source of energy waiting for him to absorb!