Chapter 524: Fengdu City Construction Plan (Two-in-One)

Catleap sat in front of his computer, feeling utterly bewildered. He was just an ordinary builder, secretly developing his farming skills and recently streaming his attempts to mine iron ore. After all, transitioning from the Stone Age to the Iron Age was a huge milestone.

But a few days ago, he was inexplicably dragged into this dark, desolate world by a pair of strange, ferocious-looking Black and White Guards. He witnessed a series of bizarre sights: ghosts, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Three-Life Stone, and even a massive, black-and-white interwoven wheel of samsara hanging in the sky. It was then that he suddenly realized this might be the legendary Underworld.

Oh my goodness! He had stumbled upon a hidden quest!

He was utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly. As players on the *Spore Evolution* forum would say, "This happiness came too suddenly!" After all, this game wasn't that simple; such opportunities didn't just appear on demand.

Come to think of it, there were the Celestial, Beast, Hungry Ghost, Human, and Asura paths... but where was the sixth path? What about the Hell path? And if the Six Paths existed, where was samsara? Perhaps this world now offered an answer to the larger cosmology.

Moments ago, the Black and White Guards had taken him to Meng Po, where he received an epic, hell-difficulty quest: he was to be responsible for establishing Fengdu and proposing various improvements for the Underworld's construction.

Even a farming-genre player like him had his day!

He was incredibly excited then, thinking he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life. Such a massive undertaking—building the Underworld—was every farming-genre player's dream. But when he asked how many people he'd have, Meng Po simply said it was just him, and he needed to figure it out himself.

He was stunned on the spot! "Just me? What on earth could I build by myself?!"

"Maybe I can livestream this," he mused. "One person's trouble, everyone watches!" He knew exactly how those guys operated; normally, it was impossible to get them to do anything, as they were all sly little schemers. But now, with a way to attract them, things were different. Perhaps they could help him create a miracle.

As the saying goes, "three humble cobblers with their wits combined are better than one Zhuge Liang." The collective minds of tens of thousands of online trolls were even more formidable. He quickly started his livestream, calling out to his friends, "Guys, I found a hidden quest!"

Fortunately, time in the Underworld flowed at a one-to-one ratio with real-world time, perfectly matching the speed of the Beast Path and ideal for livestreaming.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa? Streamer, where is this?"

"It's so dark here. I feel like my life has fallen into darkness."

A series of comments appeared as people slowly trickled in, just a handful. He wondered when his stream would attract a larger audience. Seeing this, Catleap gritted his teeth and emptied all his savings. After all, he was going all in for this hidden quest!

Catleap donated ten rockets! In an instant, the massive donation propelled his stream to the front rows, and a flood of viewers poured in, eager to see what was happening.

Catleap introduced the environment: "I received a serendipitous quest! I met the Black and White Guards, and they saw me farming and mining, and said the houses I built were quite unique. So, I was brought to the Underworld! They want me to help them build houses!"

"What kind of houses?" someone typed in the chat.

"Fengdu!"

Everyone was shocked. The Fengdu from mythology? The one in the Underworld? And they were asking a player to build it? "My Creator!" they exclaimed. "What kind of epic quest is this?" They couldn't help but scrutinize the surrounding environment.

Catleap gave a direct introduction, pacing around like an outdoor streamer. "From the camera, we can see Meng Po, who is currently in charge. There's no Judge Cui, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, or others yet—no idea if they'll appear later. She's an eighty-year-old, wrinkled, dark-skinned old woman who enjoys a flirtatious smile. Her smile is terrifying and eerie. When she has nothing to do, she likes to sit on the Bridge of Helplessness, like a lovesick maiden, pulling out a mirror to admire herself and practice her smile, saying she's practicing for His Majesty..."

His Majesty actually enjoyed seeing *that*? The viewers collectively gasped. A deep sense of unease settled within them; it was like a horror story. The Underworld's aesthetics were indeed far from normal!

Catleap himself was also shaken and quickly collected himself. "Ahem, ahem. We can also see that the Black and White Guards undergo mitosis; it's quite bizarre. They split into a male and a female form to maintain order on the Yellow Springs Road, which is relatively normal by comparison."

"Next to the Three-Life Stone, there's often a Di Ting squatting. He's an eccentric man with a lecherous expression, chuckling sinisterly and occasionally drooling. It makes me feel like he's some kind of pervert on a train, giving me goosebumps."

Everyone instantly found this bizarre. The Underworld's NPCs had such interesting personalities? Meng Po, who loved admiring herself in the mirror despite being horribly ugly. The mitosing Black and White Guards. And the lecherous Di Ting. All of them were incredibly ugly, as if they had stepped right out of a sinister ghost story, or perhaps a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland.

"Besides these NPCs, they often mention an elusive Emperor of the Reincarnation Hall, whose true name no one knows (curious)."

"Honestly, for such an ugly Meng Po to be lovesick, pulling out her little mirror and smirking—it's actually surprisingly endearing."

"Is the streamer going to work here? (So interesting!)"

Catleap nodded, clasped his hands together, and said earnestly, "Everyone, please help me brainstorm ideas! This serendipitous quest is absolutely monumental, and I imagine gaining the favor of these NPCs will be extremely difficult."

The crowd instantly grew excited; difficulty only made it more challenging. "Another main questline has opened! If I'm not mistaken, this is the second one." A well-known player immediately analyzed, "The first main quest—the Rise of the Asura Path—is clearly a combat-oriented path, featuring two characters, designed for combat-focused players: intense battles, cultivation, and 'might makes right.' But this second main quest—the Establishment of Fengdu in the Underworld—is clearly for lifestyle and farming players."

"Indeed. After all, those two treemen are a combat type and a potion type, both clearly related to combat... whereas this player, Catleap, is clearly an expert in farming-style gameplay. This distribution is no coincidence!"

As soon as someone analyzed it, everyone agreed; it made perfect sense. The main storylines for the two major player archetypes—combat and lifestyle—were now clear. Many players took a deep breath in front of their computers, marveling at the game development team's astonishing precision.

Although this virtual reality game lacked level settings or attribute panels, that was precisely its brilliance! It offered a truly immersive experience, like a genuine second life. With these two main storylines now available, players wouldn't be aimless; they could fully integrate as natives, experiencing a true second life with all its joys and sorrows.

"Looks like we'll be busy, helping with childbirth over there and farming over here."

"Hahahaha, awesome! Who said it's busy? Those who love combat, go there! Those who enjoy farming and building, come to this stream!"

"Ahem! To build Fengdu, even if you're alone, there's labor available—all the souls on the Yellow Springs Road. But how do you get them to work without incentive? You need to offer rewards... Meng Po also asked you to relieve their loneliness. Perhaps we could create a daily newspaper, using 'spiritual food' as payment, then stop updating it... That way, they'd have to 'move bricks' to see the next chapter."

"Brilliant! Kill two birds with one stone!"

Thus, the Samsara Daily was born, along with the first chapter of *The Alchemist Emperor's Chronicles: Chapter One: The Alchemist Emperor Enters the Forest, First Tries Love*.

In reality, these novels had already been written by enthusiasts on the internet, even documenting characters like Earth Mother Qingteng, Dao Changsheng, and complete eras into chronicles. Now, it was just a matter of porting them over. Only the translation posed a significant challenge. Fortunately, Catleap and the many viewers in his stream worked together on the translation. As enthusiasts of the farming genre, the viewers were quite eager, understanding that capturing hearts and creating a nagging desire was a skillful art.

"Watch us reel them in!" a group of them declared excitedly, picking up their pens, ready to strike.

On the Yellow Springs Road.

Zhang Xiao held the newspaper, feeling a bit annoyed.

Chapter Two: The Alchemist Emperor Turns His Back on the Seven Little Witches to Secretly Create Life.

[Grantham was rescued by seven little witches, only to discover they had formed an Elizabeth Freemasonry to resist the Dark Witch. However, it was a difficult struggle, as the young girls were oppressed by the Dark Witch and lived at the very bottom of society.]

[One day, Elizabeth returned in despair, having lost her job. Embracing a slime, she murmured, "Is life always this hard? Or is it only hard when we're weak?" "Life is always like this," the slime suddenly said, "even the strong experience suffering."]

After reading this, that particular sentence deeply resonated with Zhang Xiao. This slime clearly seemed to have experienced immense hardship and wisdom. Zhang Xiao also recalled his own life, how he had fought his entire life only to be branded a tyrant, feeling a strong sense of empathy and an unspoken resonance in his heart.

Continuing to read, the Alchemist Emperor began researching strange things, turning his back on the seven little witches to create mechanical alchemist puppets. Zhang Xiao felt an immense sense of anticipation. "Grantham, this protagonist has always been portrayed as extraordinarily complex... What is he doing now? A completely new civilization, a new worldview—it's so novel! I really want to read the next chapter."

For the first time, he was utterly captivated by such anticipation. How long had it been since he felt this way? Reflecting on his life, it was only in his weaker moments, when challenging powerful enemies of nations or confronting Celestials, that he had ever experienced such intense anticipation!

"And also, I truly wonder how terrifying the entity behind this book must be, to be able to write something like this." In his eyes, that world was written with such realism, even the theories and data seemed highly plausible from his own elevated perspective. His heart grew completely solemn.

"Indeed, the Underworld is very powerful," he muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Originally, he had planned to wait in the Underworld for the fated person who might remember samsara, to secure a glimmer of hope for the Human Path's resurgence. Reading the daily newspaper was merely a way to pass the time, but now he felt a slight agony from needing to read the next update.

"I shouldn't get addicted," he told himself. "I mustn't forget my mission to save the Human Path!" Zhang Xiao clenched his fists, silently reminding himself of his identity as the first brilliant and ambitious Heavenly Emperor in the history of the Human Path.

Days passed, and the people on the Yellow Springs Road became completely engrossed in the novel. The Alchemist Emperor's bond with the seven little witches and their peaceful, joyful daily lives were interspersed with the poignant sorrow of Lilith, King of Babylon. Even Zhang Xiao had to admit it was an era as tragic as his own.

Especially when Lilith feigned indifference in front of everyone, uttering the line: "The King of Babylon does not permit tears." This struck Zhang Xiao's heart even more deeply; he felt her pain, realizing how similar it was to his own.

Let the king acknowledge, let the king permit, let the king bear the weight of the entire world!

After catching up and reading the last paragraph, a long emptiness settled in. He wished he could read it several more times. As a failed king, he felt it most keenly, having rebelled against the Celestial Path only to be outmaneuvered.

He then started aimlessly looking at other sections of the Samsara Daily, other pages. As always, there was a call for everyone to help establish Fengdu, the Ghost City: "Former ghosts plant trees, latter ghosts enjoy the shade. In response to the Underworld's new directives, all beings queuing on the Yellow Springs Road are urged to participate actively..."

Zhang Xiao shook his head. "Move bricks? Be a construction worker and build a city?" That was impossible. As the first Heavenly Emperor in the history of the Human Path, his talent was unparalleled throughout history. He had swept across the entire realm, and even Celestials had feared him. Even now, defeated and a king without a kingdom, he could not engage in such menial tasks; it would be beneath his dignity.

Days passed. On the Yellow Springs Road, individuals sat cross-legged, holding newspapers. They read about the Alchemist Emperor's impending comeback, a monumental battle about to begin, and couldn't help but discuss it passionately. Even a dignified Celestial began debating with beings from the Human and Beast Paths whom they normally disdained.

"In my opinion, the Alchemist Emperor will definitely defeat that wicked witch!" a being from the Beast Path declared.

"No way," a man from the Human Path shook his head, secretly glancing at a Celestial in a show of flattery. "That Dark Witch is as powerful as a Celestial! Mortals can't possibly defeat Celestials!"

"Nonsense!" The Celestial roared, clearly having become a true fan. "Speaking from an unbiased perspective! Even if I am a Celestial, the Alchemist Emperor can defeat his opponent; he's not like that Zhang Xiao!"

The fawning man was speechless. He was utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend.

"That's right! The Alchemist Emperor will surely win! He's not a loser like me." In a distant corner, Zhang Xiao clenched his fists, silently curling up. After numerous cycles of samsara and his deliberate concealment, no one here recognized him anymore.

At this moment, everyone was incredibly tense and filled with anticipation, for the grand battle was set to begin tomorrow!

Soon, the next day arrived, and a new daily newspaper appeared. A crowd surged towards the newsstand.

"Next."

At the head of the Bridge of Helplessness, Meng Po sat on her chair, slowly pouring soup. But the people who had been waiting in line instantly swarmed away.

"Please let us reincarnate a bit later!"

"I need to read another chapter! Then I'll drink Meng Po's soup!"

"I'm so anxious! Can Grantham really defeat Medusa, the Death Emperor? And then become emperor? Usher in a new age of wizards?"

"The anthem of humanity is the anthem of courage!"

The Bridge of Helplessness instantly descended into chaos, becoming completely deserted.

Shangguan Man: "..."

She stared blankly ahead. There was not a single person in line; everyone had rushed off to join the dense crowd. For the usually packed Yellow Springs Road, where souls were always eager for reincarnation, this was a first. However, she didn't mind. She quietly pulled out a book and began to read.

It wasn't *The Alchemist Emperor's Chronicles*, of course. Although she was also following that story, as the person in charge, she had already processed the updates internally and read ahead. What she was currently reading was an exclusive book written specifically for her by the Asura Path: *My Clumsy, Ugly, Adorable Wife: Your Majesty King Yama, Please Have Some Self-Respect*.

Thump, thump, thump.

After a series of suspenseful build-ups, the crowd had gone completely wild. This chapter today was undoubtedly a must-read: the Alchemist Emperor was marching to battle with tens of thousands of slimes, seated in an alchemical airship. The decisive battle was imminent, but could he win?

Zhang Xiao was among the dense, surging crowd. He retrieved a newspaper and saw a large chapter title printed on the front:

Chapter Eighteen: Sweeping Victory! With the Sun and Moon in Hand, Plucking Stars—None in This World Are Like Me!

"Does this title mean victory? Has he finally begun his comeback?" Zhang Xiao subtly clenched his fists. He felt the title was incredibly domineering, making his blood surge with excitement. To hold the sun and moon, to pluck stars—what an overwhelmingly powerful and formidable figure!

He eagerly scanned for the next line of text, but today's Samsara Daily was peculiar. Only the dazzling, enticing chapter title was visible, with no content below it, just a single line of text:

"To learn what happens in this chapter, please report to the brick-moving station!"

His expression shifted several times, and his hands trembled involuntarily, tearing the newspaper in half!