Chapter Sixty-Seven: Plundering the Demon Core

“Although they’ve been tampered with, I believe that as long as they are magic cores, once I get my hands on them, I can convert them into spiritual energy.” Muttering to himself for a moment, Zhou Tian clashed his fists together, then looked at the soldiers with excitement and said, “In that case, let me deal with you quickly, so I can go find this city’s magic core.”

The soldiers didn’t really hear Zhou Tian’s words, nor would they have cared; at this moment, their minds were filled with only one thing: gold coins. Seeing Zhou Tian stride toward them, none of the soldiers sensed anything amiss. With a cheer, they charged at Zhou Tian, weapons raised high.

A faint hissing sound seemed to reach the ears of the soldiers nearest Zhou Tian, but given the situation, none of them spared any thought for such trivialities. They paused for only a heartbeat before resolutely launching their attack on Zhou Tian.

“Die!”

“No, it’s you who’ll die.” Zhou Tian paid them no heed at all. He completely ignored their blows and simply walked right past them.

As Zhou Tian passed by, none of the soldiers managed to land a single strike. After standing motionless for a moment, they collapsed to the ground, faces blackened, only after he had walked beyond them.

“I’ve been sick of you for a long time, but since I was always stuck with that nagging fellow, I couldn’t act. Now that those people are distracted by other matters, you lot can become fuel for my power.” Zhou Tian declared coldly. At his side, swarms of serpents began to appear, their numbers soon surpassing those of the army several times over. Only then did Zhou Tian point at the enemy troops and command his serpents, “Kill them!”

Another hiss. Surveying the area and seeing that the Lord of Fat Pig City wasn’t among the troops, Zhou Tian left behind a field of corpses and strode down one of the main streets of Yellowstone City.

Saving the people of this city. In front of Vivian and the others, Zhou Tian had always acted as if he intended to do just that. But in truth...

“I don’t care if those people live or die!” He didn’t go so far as to treat the people of this world as NPCs, as some novels describe of travelers to other worlds, but after all he’d experienced, Zhou Tian still found it hard to truly recognize the inhabitants of this world as his own.

Those Zhou Tian accepted, he could treat as comrades, and so long as his own life wasn’t at stake, he might even fight for them. But when it came to strangers—if they died before his eyes, he felt little at all.

From the start, Zhou Tian had never truly planned to protect the city’s residents. If he did find the magic core beneath the city, perhaps he’d take it from underground, but not to prevent some future explosion—his only concern was the spiritual energy those cores contained.

And now, separated from Vivian and the others by the city’s army, Zhou Tian was no longer content to simply search for a few possible magic cores in the city.

What was the fastest way to make money?

Robbery!

If he relied on himself, even with the help of the Holy Church of Light, it would be difficult for Zhou Tian to obtain spiritual energy. But now, with Yellowstone City on the brink of upheaval, he had a golden opportunity.

On ordinary days, Zhou Tian might never have dared act on such a thought. With the city’s army present, any rash move would draw too much attention. If he provoked some ancient monster over such a matter, it would surely not end well for him. And even if he succeeded, if it became known that he was the culprit, endless troubles would follow.

But now, with most of the city’s troops wiped out by his own hand, and with a mass evacuation soon to take place under the Church’s orders, whatever Zhou Tian did now would leave little evidence behind.

There were still risks, of course, but now that they were manageable, Zhou Tian made his decision without hesitation.

With a kick, he knocked the door of a magic core shop off its hinges, ignoring the terrified faces of those inside as he strode straight toward the magic cores he saw on display.

“Who are you? Do you know who owns this shop? If you dare make trouble here, you’re really—”

“So noisy.” Zhou Tian seized the man by the head and slammed him into the counter. That was the end of it—with Zhou Tian’s strength, the blow was more than fatal, leaving no chance for retaliation.

“Finally, some peace.” Exhaling calmly, Zhou Tian glanced at the shopkeepers and spoke again: “I’m going to take some magic cores. I trust none of you will object?”

No one replied. Everyone present stared at Zhou Tian, sweating and shaking with fear, not daring to move an inch, let alone answer his question.

“I see.” Zhou Tian sighed, then continued, “Though I feel a little bad, I still need to take shelter with the Church for now, so I can’t let word of this get out. I’m afraid you’ll all have to bear with me.”

“Ah—!”

“Run!”

He hadn’t said it outright, but his meaning was all too clear. Realizing that Zhou Tian not only meant to rob them, but also intended to silence them, the people fled at once.

But...

Half an hour later, Zhou Tian, in serpent form, slipped out of a corner of the shop. After orienting himself, he slithered toward another store selling magical implements.

“People really do become violent when they suddenly gain power,” Zhou Tian mused to himself as he emptied another shop of its magic cores. Then, with a sudden shift in tone, he added, “But in a world as dangerous as this, if I want to survive, I have little choice but to do this—even if it goes against my nature. After all, I desperately need spiritual energy right now!”