My Core is the Boss

Qi Yuan strolled forward, utterly at ease. It was as if he was facing a skeleton with 1 HP left, and not a full-fledged demon.

He savored the memory of the one he had eaten in reality. "Mm... I mean, this isn’t exactly our first meeting, right? I’ve eaten you in the real world. Well, a much larger, much more delicious version of you."

After all, the fish he had eaten was at the Martial Ying realm. How could this Jade Blood demon ever compare to that?

The Sea God's rage ignited. "How dare you!"

His red pupil locked onto Qi Yuan. In an instant, a blood-red energy arrow stabbed through the air toward him.

Qi Yuan sidestepped it with ease. "My apologies, I'm Jade Blood realm too!"

A flash of surprise crossed the Sea God's eyes, replaced almost immediately by contempt. "A Jade Blood realm seedling dares to talk back to me?!"

In fact, Elder Kun had been at the mid stage Jade Blood realm. Meanwhile, the combined attack of Luo Bufan and Chen Fan nearly rivaled that of a late-stage Jade Blood demon, but the Sea God had survived it.

Qi Yuan said idly, "If you were at full strength, I might be a bit wary. But right now, you're on your last legs. Only your looks are scary."

He loved dying enemies. What could be better than being the sixth man and coming in from behind to clean up the scraps?

The Sea God's sneer deepened. "Perfect timing. Kun Feng's avatar has just been destroyed. You can replace him."

Even if he had lost a powerful avatar, he still had his greatest weapon: illusion arts. Though the art required elaborate preparation and traps to contend with enemies like Kun Feng and Luo Bufan, it could easily take care of Qi Yuan.

The Sea God's white pupil fell upon Qi Yuan.

In the next moment, Qi Yuan felt the world go still and quiet. He narrowed his eyes, smiling in delight. "Oh? You want to hear what's in my heart?"

The Sea God's illusory attack worked by invading the target's mind, harvesting their memories, and listening to their innermost thoughts.

Qi Yuan said, "Aiya, too weak. You can't even open the door. Here, let me help. Come on, be good. I'll open it for you."

A kindred spirit was already hard to come by. Yet here was someone willing to listen to him at length. How could Qi Yuan turn him away at the door?

The door opened and a dense, swarming mass of Nascent Souls poured into the Sea God's consciousness. An endless torrent of chaotic noises crashed into his mind all at once. Manic screams. Incoherent mutters. Delirious rambles.

Bang.

The Sea God's white pupil exploded, spraying outward in every direction. "AAAAAH! You are... AAAAAH!"

His thoughts began to fracture and spiral. What in the world had all that been?!

"Aaah..."

He was unraveling. His claw reached into the ruined socket of his white pupil, scratching at it as though trying to pry loose the remnants of his consciousness.

Qi Yuan said wistfully, wearing the expression of a left-behind elder in a quiet village, "Oh, what a shame, why didn't you stay a bit longer? My Nascent Souls get lonely, you see. It's not every day that someone goes in there and keeps them company."

Then, his smile shifted into something more roguish. "Now, do you get why I called you a low-health target? Without Elder Kun, you're absolutely nothing."

The Sea God’s greatest weapon was his illusion arts. By distorting minds, fabricating environments, and twisting reality, he drove cultivators into madness. Yet in this whole world, Qi Yuan feared being deceived the least. He had no fear of illusion arts whatsoever. The reason was simple: his quick-wittedness and sharp instincts.

Above all, he possessed a unique eye ability. No deception could escape someone who could see the truth, making him the Sea God's natural enemy. Without Elder Kun as an avatar, the Sea God was nothing more than a wounded kill waiting to be claimed.

"Someone once said that you can never eat the same fish twice. Today, I'm going to prove that wrong. Let’s find out whether you taste better than the one I had before!"

Explosive Bird-Slaying Fist!

The single ordinary punch cut through every layer of illusion and drove straight into the Sea God's heart.

"No!"

The Sea God, already spiraling into madness, did not have a shred of resistance left. The Nascent Souls inside Qi Yuan had already shattered its mind entirely.

The Sea God fell stiff and straight as he slowly died. The towering waves in the sea stilled, drifting back into a calm as though a firework had finished its arc across the sky.

More than thirty drops of jade-white blood appeared in Qi Yuan's hand. His expression was difficult to read. Not only was the mission easy, but he'd also gotten to watch a rather compelling drama.

His gaze drifted to Chen Fan. Chen Fan's internal organs were ruined; his gaze was unreadable. Not far away, Luo Bufan lay on the ground too, with a smile that seemed worse than weeping.

Chen Fan gazed upon Qi Yuan, who was both familiar and a stranger. He said quietly, "Thank you. Dying like this is perhaps a little easier to accept."

All the color had long since left his eyes. He seemed indifferent to everything the world still had to offer. To go like this was its own kind of release. At least Yunyan County had survived.

Qi Yuan said calmly, "Before you go, would you like to hear some of the hidden storyline of this game?"

Chen Fan's life was bleeding away. He didn't answer. Luo Bufan also quietly waited for death to arrive.

Qi Yuan explained anyway, "Do you know why the mission still isn't complete? It's because we haven't gotten to the bottom of the Luo and Chen families' massacre. But the answer is actually more simple than you think. The mission said it all.

"We must uncover the truth. Well. A demon did it. Your family and your fiancée had not died by your hands. The King of the Molisha Fish killed them. As a master of illusion arts, he deceived you and made you believe you were the one responsible. His motive was simple.

"He was too weak to stand on his own, so he needed someone to protect him. Elder Kun was one candidate. The other was Luo Bufan, Yunyan County's Heaven's Chosen."

Luo Bufan jolted.

An Qiao smiled, exclaiming, "I knew it! I know you aren't that kind of person, Captain! You would never kill your own parents!”

Chen Fan received the words in perfect stillness. He asked softly, "Is that true?"

"Yes," Qi Yuan said.

An Qiao was laughing and crying at once. "Captain, when we get back, there will be something to heal you. There has to be!"

The other two men in black broke into wide smiles. The mission had been harrowing, but they'd made it through. If the captain could be treated, this was a windfall.

Chen Fan didn't seem to hear An Qiao. He kept coughing. Dark red blood ran from the corner of his mouth, threaded with flecks of shredded tissue.

He turned to look at her, and his voice came out barely above a breath. "When the mission ends... go to my quarters... give my things... to him... as payment..."

Following that, he cast one final glance at the young Luo Bufan. For the first time, Luo Bufan seemed genuinely at peace. Chen Fan’s hand fell powerlessly to his side.

The world had made its peace with him. It seemed Chen Fan had never quite made his peace with himself.

Chen Fan's death didn't move Qi Yuan much. He was an NPC, after all. And one with a fairly limited role.

"Mission's over, finally... Alright, how do we head back? Before we do, let's bury him. The dead deserve that much."