I'm Already the Richest Man, Why Did My System Just Arrive?

Chapter 216: Chapter 150: Life and Death Struggle, Heartless Ultimate Sword

"CAW—"

"CAW—"

"CAW—"

A colossal shadow blotted out the sky and sun.

It was the Crow Fosterer’s "Meat Wings."

Ruchen stared in shock at the figure in the distance, a creature that seemed part demon, part devil.

Countless arms extended from the Crow Fosterer’s back, forming enormous black Meat Wings. Droplets of a thick, black, viscous liquid dripped from them. Before they could even hit the ground, they let out piercing caws, squirmed like mud, and transformed into black Ravens.

The dim light of the setting sun faded in an instant. The Crow Fosterer was like a giant black hole, absorbing what little light remained.

As the Meat Wings unfurled behind him, an invisible black curtain spread outward, staining the Heaven dark.

The daylight was devoured.

Only an endless black shadow remained over Jingtang Town.

In an instant, night had fallen!

The Crow Fosterer had brought an endless night!

"What kind of..."

Ruchen clutched the scroll on his back, his face a mask of shock.

He had promised Zheng Xiu: as long as the painting exists, so will he.

If the painting was gone, there was no need for him to exist either.

Ruchen couldn’t imagine that the "thing" now spreading its wings high in the sky like a giant black bird could be a Human.

A sky full of Ravens circled beside the Crow Fosterer.

The Crow Fosterer’s own flesh and blood squirmed and morphed into Ravens.

Now, the Crow Fosterer had no arms—only a head wrapped in red cloth, the Meat Wings on its back, and a pair of feet.

It now looked like a Raven magnified countless times over.

"Foolish Monk! Why are you risking your life for a worthless scroll?!"

"What do you know?! This is a solemn vow from one man to another, heavier than a thousand mountains!"

"*Sob sob*, a man like this is so rare in the world! I just love him so much~"

"Heheheh! If you ask me, your own life is more important! We can’t all die together!"

"Big brother, run!"

"You won’t die if you just throw that stupid painting away!"

"How can someone else’s life be more important than your own?!"

"That’s not an option! A gentleman’s word is his bond!"

"If a team of four horses isn’t enough, how about eight? Everything in the world has a price!"

"Get lost, all of you!"

In an instant, Ruchen’s expression shifted rapidly. One moment he was a timid Scholar, the next a flirtatious young wife, then an ignorant child, and then a ruthless bandit who killed without blinking.

With each change in expression, he spoke a line in a different voice.

But this mad ranting was less a monologue and more an argument with himself.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Ruchen’s expression twisted until it finally settled back into his own. He dropped to his knees and slammed his head hard against the ground.

CRACK!

The ground fractured.

The skin on Ruchen’s forehead split open, gushing fresh blood.

The intense pain made the noisy voices in his head disappear.

Blood streamed from his forehead, blurring his vision as it ran down his nose and into the corner of his mouth.

Ruchen licked it away. The metallic, sweet taste made him smile happily. "Finally, some peace and quiet!"

He could no longer hear the voices of his Heart Demon.

All that remained was the howling wind and the shrill cries of the countless Ravens.

The innumerable Ravens descended upon Ruchen like a black cloud.

The Crow Fosterer spread its Meat Wings, kicking rubble and debris high into the air, forming a cloud of dust and ash.

"CAW—"

The Crow Fosterer let out a caw so powerful it ruptured Ruchen’s eardrums, and blood trickled out.

"You don’t understand. You don’t understand. You don’t understand."

Ruchen pressed his palms together, sat on the ground, and smiled at the Ravens filling the sky.

"Brother Zheng... he asked me if he could trust this Little Monk."

The hundred-meter-long Meat Wings flexed, crushing a swath of Ravens into black, bloody paste.

The Crow Fosterer drew closer and closer to Ruchen.

But Ruchen remained seated and continued speaking.

"I said he could, and only then did Brother Zheng entrust the painting to this Little Monk."

"As long as the painting exists, so will I."

"So,"

Black mist began to seep from every pore of Ruchen’s body.

The Monk laughed heartily, and on his tongue, the word "Renchen" began to ooze beads of blood.

Six shadows flickered in and out of existence behind Ruchen, but they remained shapeless, their forms indistinguishable.

The Meat Wings, carrying a wind as sharp as knives, swooped down.

The sharp gale tore gashes across Ruchen’s face.

"Just as Brother Zheng trusts that this Little Monk will not abandon the painting, this Little Monk also trusts that Brother Zheng will not abandon me."

Ruchen closed his eyes.

"Well said."

An old voice suddenly sounded from behind Ruchen.

The moment this voice rang out, Ruchen had the strange illusion that the sounds of the wind and the cawing Ravens had vanished in the blink of an eye.

But the old man’s voice hadn’t masked the surrounding sounds. Rather, the instant it spoke, it seemed to have stolen the very presence of all other sounds from Ruchen’s hearing.

WHOOSH!

A beam of golden light shot out from behind Ruchen like an invincible sword, piercing through the clouds.

SHIIINNG!

The black cloud of Ravens was instantly torn open by the sword light, leaving a gaping hole.

The crimson twilight, which had not yet faded below the horizon, poured through that hole. A single beam of blood-red evening sun dispelled the night!

Ruchen’s jaw dropped.

’He thought Zheng Xiu would stage a comeback.’

’But... who is this?’

"Monk, step back."

Ruchen scrambled to his feet and looked back.

He saw a silver-haired old man dressed in spotless White Clothes, his hair tied back neatly.

The old man had a rosy complexion. One hand was held in a sword-finger gesture, the other clasped behind his back. He descended slowly from the sky, his robes fluttering, as otherworldly as an immortal.

"Who... are you?"

The Monk stared blankly for a long moment, then tilted his head with an audible CRACK, completely baffled by the old man’s sudden appearance.

’He had expected Brother Zheng to stage a comeback, fighting on despite repeated defeats.’

’He never in a million years thought some crusty old geezer would show up.’

But looking closer, this surprisingly stylish old geezer bore a seventy percent resemblance to Zheng Shan in his features and bearing.