The Rule-Breaker of the Doomsday Game

At a frozen riverbank, according to the white snake, this was the spot where it had encountered King Zhen Ao.

After speaking, it tried to leave, but Qi Suian snatched it back.

"Not so fast. Wait until I’ve confirmed it," he said. He had already planned on going back on his word, so there was no way he’d let it get away.

With its speed, if Qi Suian’s attention was focused on King Zhen Ao later, a single moment of carelessness might actually allow it to escape his grasp.

The white snake didn’t struggle when caught. It simply replied with an "Okay" and said nothing more.

[Detecting Cold Energy aggregate structure reaction. Constructing three-dimensional model.]

The AI provided feedback immediately. A spherical object was then constructed and turned into a projection.

[Internal structure cannot be analyzed. Confirmed that a massive lifeform is in a state of hibernation. Energy is inert.]

The reconnaissance network couldn’t fully probe the internal situation, but it clearly determined the size of the so-called massive lifeform.

[There is a ninety percent probability that this is the King Zhen Ao you are searching for. There is a ten percent probability that it is one of King Zhen Ao’s lobster offspring.]

The AI promptly gave its assessment.

In Qi Suian’s view, however, he basically had plot armor. There was no way this wasn’t King Zhen Ao.

"Then let’s just get to it." Qi Suian had no intention of going into the water, opting for a long-range attack with his Floating Cannons.

"First, break the protective shield it’s using for cover. Then we’ll lure it onto land to capture it." Qi Suian’s goal wasn’t to kill King Zhen Ao.

It was to capture it alive and ask about the whereabouts of the Blood Heart Worm King.

Otherwise, if he really wanted to kill it, it would be simple. He could just use the Floating Cannons to blanket the area with a Ghost Energy Storm, guaranteeing it would die in its sleep.

So, the purpose of this was simply to flush it out.

If he couldn’t lure it out, well, then he’d just go into the water.

He couldn’t truly unleash the full power of the Tai Sui God underwater, but it was fine as long as the Floating Cannons could operate effectively.

Dark Energy Beams fired along the preset trajectory, striking the protective shield made of Cold Energy with precision.

This shield possessed effects such as concealment, misdirection, protection, and early warning.

If not for the effectiveness of the reconnaissance network, even a Beast King-level Cold Energy Monster approaching at this stage would be completely blind to it, merely circling the area before eventually leaving.

But the reconnaissance network didn’t rely on conventional sight, so it ignored the misdirection effect, locking on via energy signatures instead.

Under the assault of the Dark Energy Beams, the protective shield rapidly began to disintegrate. The process was extremely fast; in less than thirty seconds, it had completely dissolved.

At the same time, the massive dark shadow abruptly opened its eyes.

The Cold Energy inside its body, originally inert, was instantly activated and surged to life.

A flash of light streaked across the riverbed. Its body began to uncurl, transforming into a giant lobster that burst straight through the surface of the ice.

"A little snake with the makings of a Beast King, and a human who hasn’t even practiced a Qi Cultivation Method."

"Speak. Who sent you to ruin my plans?" The giant lobster nimbly climbed onto the shattered, refreezing surface of the ice, avoiding getting trapped.

It then swept its gaze over Qi Suian, its tone filled with contempt.

"You’re King Zhen Ao, right?" Qi Suian asked.

"I am King Zhen Ao. Not King ’Jerk-o’," the giant lobster corrected him.

"It was a question, not an accusation!!!" Qi Suian’s phrasing had been a little clumsy, but ’seriously, you could use a little refinement’.

"Whatever. As long as you’re him, that’s all that matters." With that, Qi Suian made his move.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the white snake in his hand spinning until it was completely disoriented, its body wrapping around his left arm like a limp noodle.

Then, empowered by the Wind Master flight system, he shot forward for a close-range attack. He threw a punch imbued with force, aiming straight for King Zhen Ao’s head.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want the AI to take over; of course Qi Suian wanted to go AFK.

But the Tai Sui God itself couldn’t generate that force, which significantly reduced its attack power. He had no choice but to do it himself.

CLANG!

King Zhen Ao had been on guard against Qi Suian. It easily blocked his attack with one of its pincers.

Anyone who could casually handle a snake with the potential of a Beast King definitely had some real strength. Even if it seemed to King Zhen Ao that Qi Suian didn’t practice a Qi Refining Technique, that was no reason to underestimate him.

However, while it blocked the blow, it heard a sound that made its teeth ache.

Its own pincer had actually cracked from the force of the punch. Furthermore, a strange power was burrowing through its shell and into its flesh.

In no more than a second, the pincer it had used to block Qi Suian’s attack was completely disabled.

The piercing pain was so intense it almost couldn’t bear it.

On the other side, Qi Suian wasn’t having an easy time either.

The force of his punch had been too great, and striking such a hard object had shattered the armor on the Tai Sui God’s right arm into pieces.

The armor value was too low, and it had been caught in the middle of the impact; it would have been strange if it hadn’t shattered.

And then, with that one punch, he had gone and broken his own right arm.

King Zhen Ao’s pincers were incredibly hard. He had used his full strength, yet he had only managed to crack one.

Thankfully, his Dragon and Tiger Primordial Force was powerful enough to penetrate its body along with the impact, which was the only reason he’d managed to disable one of its limbs.

Otherwise, if King Zhen Ao had actually caught him in its pincer, he would have been severely injured, even if he wasn’t snipped in two.

"You’re very strong, no worse than those Cultivators." King Zhen Ao lowered its ruined pincer, but its other one suddenly lunged forward in an attack.

It was incredibly fast; at least, too fast for Qi Suian to react.

King Zhen Ao’s stats were higher than Qi Suian’s, by at least one point.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t dodge. The AI and the Tai Sui God could.

The Wind Master flight system granted it powerful mobility.

[Left arm, prepare Dragon and Tiger Primordial Force...]

The AI indicated that Qi Suian had already done well enough. All that was left was to coordinate with it.

[Engage!]

The Tai Sui God nimbly dodged King Zhen Ao’s strike, then sidestepped and swung its left arm.

Without any hesitation, Qi Suian channeled the Dragon and Tiger Primordial Force from his left arm, letting it follow the force of the blow as it landed on King Zhen Ao’s other pincer.

The result, naturally, was that Qi Suian’s left arm was broken, the white snake was crushed into a bloody pulp and couldn’t be any more dead, and both of King Zhen Ao’s pincers were rendered useless.

"Alright, cooperate, and I’ll just devein you and you can come with me."

As Qi Suian spoke, all the Floating Cannons flew out under the AI’s control.

They were all fully charged and locked onto King Zhen Ao.

Disabling its pincers was done to ensure it wouldn’t have enough strength to resist.

The moment the Floating Cannons locked onto it, the entire giant lobster froze, not daring to move an inch.

It didn’t know what Floating Cannons were, but it could instinctively feel the terrifying threat they posed.

"What do you want? I have a treasure vault. If..." King Zhen Ao said, its two pincers dangling uselessly, its main thought being to survive.

’As for my injuries, they’re nothing to worry about. They’ll heal after a while. If it comes to it, I can just molt once.’

"I know. Someone else already beat you to it," Qi Suian cut it off.

’If I had managed to get my hands on the Treasure Vault of Zhen Ao back then, none of this later stuff would have happened. I might have just been quietly studying the items inside it instead.’

"What? Impossible!!!" King Zhen Ao’s voice jumped three octaves. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But it quickly calmed down. "You can name your price. I am the seventy-third son of the Celestial Dragon Venerable of the Ancestral Court."

"I may not be the favored son, but I can still afford the ransom for my life."

It had phrased this quite skillfully. Not only did it subtly drop its identity—its father being the Celestial Dragon Venerable of the Ancestral Court, a name that sounded incredibly powerful—but it also expressed, ’I’m not threatening you, just letting you know my background is immense, and I can offer a lot. Therefore, you’ll maximize your profit by not killing me.’

"Celestial Dragon Venerable? I’m not an old fossil like you. Mind telling me about that?" Qi Suian wasn’t in a hurry to take it away and decided to ask some questions.

"If a being is born with the potential of a Beast King, it can comprehend the mysteries of yin qi and transform into a Venerable. At that time, it can shed its mortal form and attain Great Divine Techniques."

"The Ancestral Court has a total of Twelve Venerables who rule the world together," King Zhen Ao explained briefly.

"Can they burn mountains, boil seas, and destroy cities with a single breath?" Qi Suian continued to ask.

This question nearly stunned King Zhen Ao. ’What kind of arrogant fantasy novel did this guy get his ideas from?’

"Such talk from novels is utterly absurd."

"But if a Venerable puts their mind to it, and if there are no Cultivators to stop them, by unleashing their full Divine Techniques, they could kill thirty to fifty percent of a city’s population in a single night."

"It is because of this terrifying might that your human Court acknowledges their status as Venerables," King Zhen Ao summarized, describing the power of a Venerable.

Qi Suian fell silent. ’Those Twelve Venerables must be the twelve strongest Cold Energy Monsters. But as for their strength... it’s honestly pathetic. Keep in mind, the ’city’ King Zhen Ao was talking about was an ancient one, not a modern metropolis. And they’d need to go all out with no one stopping them just to achieve that.’

He didn’t even need the AI to run an analysis. He estimated that these so-called Twelve Venerables could each be taken care of with a single Dark Energy Beam from a Floating Cannon. If they were all gathered together, he could probably wipe them all out with a Ghost Energy Storm.

"A little weak," Qi Suian sighed, finally saying, "We can talk more once your old man, the uh, Celestial Dragon Venerable, wakes up. You don’t mind coming with me for a trip, do you?"

"And if you do mind, well, I’m a pretty impulsive guy. Don’t blame me if I start breaking your limbs, prying open your jaw, and pulling out your digestive tract."

The white snake was dead, so Qi Suian could only use King Zhen Ao as a test subject now.

When all was said and done, he was still at a loss, having lost a Beast King-level Cold Energy Monster.

These things might seem common in the Ancestral Court of the Ice Continent, but that was only at the beginning. Finding one now was not so easy.

"You’ve already put it that way. What else can I do?" King Zhen Ao was speechless, but it could only choose to obey.

Qi Suian, meanwhile, was thinking, ’I’ll figure out a way to anesthetize it later, and then I’ll start the procedure. If it’s willing to come with me, then there’s no need for crude, forceful restraints. I’ll just let it sleep its way to death. The experiment and its demise will be completely painless.’