Chapter 432: Yang Dongqing 1/2/3

Su Mu typed into the search bar. After a moment's thought, he finally spelled out a name—Yang Dongqing.

There was no special significance to the choice; he simply wanted to see if everyone had a folder. Since Yang Dongqing was the first Transcendent he had ever met, he started there.

As he entered the characters, a row of folders named Yang Dongqing appeared on the screen.

Yang Dongqing (1), Yang Dongqing (2), Yang Dongqing (3)...

"Namesakes?" Su Mu frowned slightly. There was certainly more than one person in the world named Yang Dongqing, but what was the Computer basing this numbered sequence on? Strength? Influence?

He tried opening Yang Dongqing (1), but a small window popped up displaying countless lines of mysterious scrolling code.

"How am I supposed to tell them apart?"

If everyone was just code, he had no way of knowing which file belonged to the Yang Dongqing he knew.

After a moment's thought, he began to probe it with his mental power. If the folder represented a living, breathing person, his mental power should logically be able to intrude.

The moment his mental power touched the code on the screen...

Buzz!

A ringing echoed in Su Mu's mind, and his perspective abruptly shifted.

He found himself in a gloomy underground base. A crowd of mysterious figures clad in black robes had gathered in a plaza; every single one of them bore some degree of physical mutilation.

The stench of blood hung heavy in the air. Numerous dungeon cells were concealed around the perimeter, holding heavily bloodstained prisoners. Faint wails echoed out from time to time.

On a high platform overlooking the plaza, a man dressed in black sat upon a throne, wearing a Gold Mask. The mask was carved with complex, mysterious runes that traced out the visage of a ferocious evil spirit.

This place looked exactly like a stronghold of the Pain Divine Cult, but its overall scale was much smaller. The believers' strength was also noticeably weaker, with only a scant few Gold tier powerhouses among them.

As Su Mu looked around, he realized that he hadn't actually been transported to this base. More accurately, he was simply viewing it. He was physically still in the Land of Origin, yet he simultaneously possessed two perspectives: his own within the Land of Origin, and a god's-eye view looking down upon the entire underground facility.

He looked at the man wearing the Gold Mask on the throne. Although the man's body was hidden beneath black robes and his face concealed, Su Mu was far too familiar with him. He recognized the person at a single glance.

Yang Dongqing!

Su Mu found it slightly amusing. So, during the time Yang Dongqing had disappeared, he had gone off to become the leader of the Pain Divine Cult.

Lin Canyang had mentioned before that after the Pain Divine Cult got a new leader, it developed rapidly and took root in the Blood Moon Empire. He just hadn't expected Yang Dongqing to be that leader.

Furthermore, judging by the powerful, condensed aura radiating from his body, Yang Dongqing had impressively already reached the Gold Realm!

Not only that, but he could even sense the Divinity of pain coming from him.

"No wonder he broke through to Gold in such a short time. He had the help of the God of Pain."

This reminded Su Mu of the guard from the Pain Divine Cult's treasure vault. Like Yang Dongqing, that man had also been deeply hurt by love. That was probably the reason Yang Dongqing was chosen by the God of Pain.

The folder Yang Dongqing (1) was indeed the Yang Dongqing he knew. He was likely the strongest and most successful of them all, which was probably the basis for the folder rankings.

Su Mu was certain this Yang Dongqing was the strongest because there was naturally no Gold King by that name in the Present World.

Perhaps there were other Gold tier powerhouses named Yang Dongqing in some forgotten corners of the world, but they definitely couldn't compare to this one.

As a Gold tier powerhouse who possessed the Divinity of pain, his strength was second only to a Gold King. It was virtually impossible to find anyone stronger than him within the same tier.

"Cult Leader, we caught a member of the Gold Blood Clan today. He has already been locked up in the dungeon," a black-robed man reported respectfully.

Yang Dongqing nodded impassively. His aura grew even colder, and his pitch-black pupils revealed endless, icy indifference.

"Did you use our methods on him?"

The black-robed man gave a sinister smile. "We've run him through nearly every method the cult has. In the beginning, he still had the energy to curse us as lowly humans and livestock, but now he doesn't even have the strength to beg for mercy.

"Cult Leader, it was incredibly wise of you to lead us to the Blood Moon Empire. The Blood Clan are simply the most perfect breeding grounds for pain. They are powerful, possess strong regenerative abilities, and boast near Undying Bodies. They can continuously and endlessly generate pain for our Divine Cult.

"This subordinate believes that if we continue our work just a little longer, the Miracle of Pain will absolutely descend—and even the great God of Pain will follow!"

A ripple of emotion appeared in Yang Dongqing's eyes. "The Miracle of Pain... Jasmine, it won't be long before I can resurrect you."

He stood up and headed for a secret room deep within the cult's base.

Su Mu's line of sight shifted, tracking him.

Soon, the door to the secret room opened. It was completely empty inside, save for a single Crystal Coffin.

Lying inside the Crystal Coffin was a lifelike young woman. She wore a white floral skirt, and a small bear hairpin held back her glossy black hair.

Lifelike, because she wasn't actually a living person. She was a doll.

A doll that looked exactly like Jasmine. If not for the tiny mechanical joints, it would be nearly impossible to tell her apart from a living human.

Yang Dongqing stared obsessively at the doll. His large hands gently stroked the Crystal Coffin, and after a moment, he pressed his face against the glass.

His voice was no longer cold; instead, it became unusually gentle, as if he were afraid of waking her.

"Jasmine, give me just a little more time. I will definitely make the Miracle of Pain descend. The pain provided by the Gold Blood Clan isn't enough yet, but sooner or later, I will capture the Undead King. The pain he provides will surely resurrect you!"

Following that, Yang Dongqing murmured about trivial things, recounting bits and pieces of the time he and Jasmine had shared.

Su Mu lost interest in listening. He withdrew his mental power, and the perspective instantly vanished.

The wondrous nature of the Computer had thoroughly piqued his interest. He searched for Nangong Mengli's folder. Upon clicking it...

Thick white steam curled through a bathroom. Amid the splashing of falling water, a faintly discernible, graceful figure was hidden within.

Su Mu frowned slightly. Taking a bath in broad daylight?

He shifted his gaze to the window, only to discover that it was actually pitch-black outside.

He instantly realized that the flow of time in the Land of Origin differed from the outside world. It had still been daytime when he entered; it couldn't possibly be night already after just a short while.

What was the ratio of the time flow?

Su Mu wanted to confirm this, but his perspective was fixed on Nangong Mengli, limiting his view to the area centered around her.

It would be great if he could communicate with her.

"Can you hear me?"