The Corpse Immortal’s Apprehension and the Unveiling of Rewards

Lin Xuan ascended rapidly, piercing through the thick underground mountain, rocketing towards the sky.

Soon, the colossal mountain range dwindled to the size of a palm in their eyes, and the dense crowds below scattered like sesame seeds.

The vast, boundless rivers and mountains gradually came into view, though as they ascended higher, countless mists and clouds shrouded the landscape, making it indistinct.

“As expected, this game instance is set against a Huaxia backdrop, isn’t it?”

They had originally anticipated encountering some ultimate boss after opening the crystal gate. To their surprise, there was nothing inside but a large, red coffin, already open, suspended in the sky by nine iron chains.

The game directly prompted the instance’s conclusion, and a countdown timer for exiting appeared before them.

[You may choose to exit directly, or to overlook the world.]

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xuan chose the second option.

After roughly distributing the spoils, Lin Xuan magnanimously gave the golden stamp reward for clearing the instance to the female player, acknowledging her significant contribution to their smooth victory.

After all, they already possessed two such stamps, and could upgrade any stamp to a golden-tier one at will. This was the privilege of a cheat, *ahem*, a test player!

They even suspected that the reader who had sent them the express package might be a big shot from a game company.

“Hehe, after this, I’ll definitely brag to them in the author’s group, won’t I?”

Those authors who constantly boasted about readers tipping them with ‘Flame Emperor’ were utterly pathetic compared to them!

[Alert: The Corpse Immortal has temporarily severed its connection with the Immortal Ascension Ground.]

[Congratulations! You have earned the Corpse Immortal’s apprehension and have been listed as its number one enemy!]

‘The Corpse Immortal… is that the boss of this instance?’ Lin Xuan tilted their head, looking at the blood-red text displayed before them.

“No wonder there was no boss! So, it was scared away by me!”

Shaking their head with a laugh, Lin Xuan clicked the “Provoke” option in the reply box and responded mercilessly.

“A fish that slipped through the net dares to speak so brazenly? Next time, if you have the guts, come out and face this humble Taoist. I’ll smash your dog head!”

Though they knew the opponent was likely just an AI within the game, keyboard warriors like them always struck hard online. Even a game AI deserved no special treatment!

After a flurry of complaints, Lin Xuan realized they had unwittingly pierced through the atmosphere. The surrounding air grew thin, and darkness surged from all directions.

Before them, a cerulean planet hung silently in the deep cosmos, emitting a faint luminescence, beautiful as a precious gem.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Lin Xuan seemed to perceive a faint, ethereal golden barrier on the planet’s surface, like an eggshell.

However, that eggshell appeared to have been shattered, its surface riddled with various holes and terrifying cracks, as if it had endured a horrific devastation.

“Oh, what is that?”

Lin Xuan noticed that dark, unknown mists seemed to swirl within those cracks.

As their thoughts stirred, their entire vision instantly zoomed in.

What appeared before their eyes were countless black holes; some were only as tall as a person, while the largest were so vast that one could barely see their edges.

‘There seems to be something inside.’

Glancing at the 30-second exit countdown remaining on their panel, and knowing it must be getting late in the outside world, Lin Xuan hesitated, wondering whether to exit directly.

Suddenly, many strange creatures emerged from the black holes. They were wreathed in dark smoke and rode bizarre, bird-like mounts, making Lin Xuan think of coal.

[Warning! You have entered an undeveloped area of the game!]

‘Undeveloped area? Could this game have a wilderness exploration mode?’

At that moment, the monsters seemed to notice Lin Xuan as well. They shrieked, uttering foul and unpleasant words, seemingly saying:

“Inferior one… die… conquer…”

Without a second thought, Lin Xuan threw a backhand slap. The stamps in their album were still active, and a green divine palm manifested from the void.

The monsters shrieked, waving their weapons and unleashing powerful energy fluctuations, only to be flattened one by one by Lin Xuan’s palm.

[Game exit countdown: five, four…]

“Die!!”

A colossal, general-like figure seemed to flicker in and out of existence within the black hole.

Lin Xuan directly crumpled the group of monsters into a ball and hurled them back into the black hole. Then, the green divine palm in the cosmos gave a grand middle finger.

The ethereal, massive voice transformed into an invisible mental wave, spreading throughout the universe.

“Trash!”

****

*Whoosh!* The surrounding scene flashed, quickly returning to the initial interface. On the electronic screen before them, strings of text appeared.

Before Lin Xuan could examine them closely, colorful fireworks suddenly erupted around them, and a cheerful flute melody began to play.

[Congratulations! You have perfectly completed this game test. In recognition of your performance in this instance, the system will reward you with 3000 stamp points. (Newbie Reward 1000 + MVP Award 1000 + Friendly Mutual Aid Award 500 + Souls Exorcised Award 500)]

[Congratulations! Your stamp usage limit has been increased. Starting from the next infinite space, you will be able to use three golden stamps!]

[You have completed the mission. You may now draw your stamp reward from your inventory!]

As the text on the display screen faded, an exquisite silver-gray urn appeared before them. At first glance, it seemed metallic, but its touch revealed a wooden texture.

Just like the package they had received in reality earlier, this urn was exceptionally crafted. Mountains and rivers were carved into its surface, completely unlike the dull, rigid appearance of mechanically produced items. Lin Xuan guaranteed that its graceful lines and contours would fetch an astronomical price at any legitimate auction in Huaxia!

Of course, proper auctions wouldn’t sell urns…

‘Does the designer of this game have a peculiar fetish for such things?’

Complaining inwardly, Lin Xuan opened the lid of the box.

The interior of the box was pitch black, seemingly connecting to an unknown abyss.

“Oh, playing mysterious, are we?”

Lin Xuan had seen this trick countless times. Without a word, they reached directly into the box, their hand immediately touching the bottom.

They felt around, then pulled something out.

[Congratulations! You have obtained Stamp (Blank).

Ability: ??? (To be revealed in the next infinite space)]

‘???’

Looking at the blank stamp, several question marks floated above Lin Xuan’s head, just like its description.

‘Never mind. Let’s see what else there is.’

They reached in, felt around, and pulled something out.

[Congratulations! You have obtained Special Stamp “Thousand Faces.”

Ability: Consume 20 stamp points to gain one opportunity to change the appearance of a selected character.

Note: The character’s identity will not change as a result, and the change in appearance cannot be detected by anyone.]

‘So, it’s just a chance to customize a face, huh?’

The box before them remained dark. Lin Xuan reached inside again and felt around.

They pulled out a silver-framed stamp. In its center, a large red coffin floated serenely, suspended in mid-air by nine dragon-like iron chains forming a net.

[Congratulations! You have obtained Silver Stamp “Red Coffin.”

Charm: Holding this stamp, you will gain the favor of main characters in all spaces. Character charm increases by 50.

Traverse: Consume 20 stamp points to actively teleport to any location within a three-kilometer radius. If you do not actively choose within 10 seconds, you will be randomly teleported to any location within a five-kilometer radius.]

As this stamp was drawn, the black mist inside the urn completely dissipated, revealing the wooden bottom of the box.

[This space’s mission draw is complete. Thank you for playing!]

‘This is too unlucky! Three draws in a row, and barely a silver one. I was the MVP of the whole event; I should at least have some luck buff, right?’

Shaking their head helplessly, Lin Xuan looked at the exit interface that popped up, feeling a sense of unfulfillment.

“No option to continue the game?”

[Thank you for testing out the loopholes for the official team this time. For a better gaming experience, the official team will now fully repair the discovered loopholes. An “Exploration” mode is expected to appear after a major version update!]

“Alright, alright. Then I’ll look forward to your next server launch!”

Clicking the exit button before them, Lin Xuan’s vision instantly plunged into darkness.

Reaching up to their eyes, they removed the virtual reality glasses, and the scene of the flower shop once again came into view.

*Tap-tap-tap-tap!*

The heavy rain beat against the windows, blurring the glass on the door.

Beside the door, the little husky curled into a ball, sound asleep.

“This little fellow…”

Shaking their head with a smile, Lin Xuan took a blanket from beneath the counter to cover the puppy. They glanced up at the time.

“It’s only half past nine. Perfect time to start a livestream!”

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