Chapter 108: The Black Pot is Yours, Carry It Steadily!

Chapter 108: Take the Blame—And Own It!

Even if the First Emperor said it himself, he’d agree!

Which emperor worth his salt could tolerate being controlled by others?

Ordinary folks can’t stand being used as pawns—forced to commit killings and stain their hands with the blood of their own people. Let alone the very first emperor who shaped history itself.

But Clara’s deeds on Tianlanxing tell another story—

Before, when they hadn’t seen the original text firsthand and only heard from Sheng Qingquan’s inner thoughts that the necromancer Clara had killed the vast majority of people on Tianlanxing, leaving just a handful of survivors, they hadn’t been quite so furious.

Mostly because they'd gotten used to it by now.

After all, in the prophecies, Tianlanxing had been destroyed countless times. Without the planet, humanity’s complete annihilation wasn’t even a first-time occurrence. If a calamity didn’t wipe out most of humanity, it barely counted as doomsday.

So, while they were determined to prevent the tragedy, they hadn’t dwelled on it too much.

Until they heard in detail what Clara had done.

A necromancer converting corpses. And her, in her fury, slaughtering most of the living. Those two short lines, spelled out in detail, made it impossible for the staff—who had been restraining themselves from dwelling on it to avoid emotional interference—to fight to stay composed any longer.

No wonder essays need vivid examples—

The staff relaxed and continued listening to Sheng Qingquan’s inner thoughts.

"With the Mausoleum of the First Emperor as a reference point, tracking Clara’s arrival spot becomes much easier."

After contacting the authorities, Sheng Qingquan soon received a response.

"The city where the Mausoleum of the First Emperor is located has several memorial cemeteries, but in that direction, there’s only one."

"Today is March 31st. Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, and Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) is days away. The nearby stalls have long been set up."

"Based on the descriptions in the text, plus the fact that the cemetery only has one way in—unless you scale the walls—the location is confirmed."

At this point, the staff relaxed and took a moment to share a bit of gossip with Sheng Qingquan: "When our people arrived, the ads blaring from the stalls’ speakers were almost identical to what you mentioned. Just the dates and times tweaked."

"Probably after packing up in the evening, they’ll re-record. By the time we go tomorrow, we’ll likely hear the exact same content."

Bless those lazy stall owners.

This was further proof that they hadn’t gotten the location wrong.

At dawn on April Fool’s Day, when Sheng Qingquan arrived at the scene, he indeed heard the same advertisements described in the plot.

But behind the stalls with loudspeakers, standing or sitting, were not unfamiliar faces.

Not just the stall owners—even the customers bargaining, the passersby nearby, and every single resident in the vicinity were all battle-hardened fighters. They weren’t just the strongest, but also the best-coordinated group.

Working together, they could use tactics to achieve results greater than the sum of their parts.

Sheng Qingquan couldn’t guarantee that his plan wouldn’t fail. If it did, these people would switch to Plan B.

Meanwhile, the actual stall owners and residents had been relocated overnight.

Though most of them had also trained in martial arts, the gap in strength was too vast—not to mention their lack of combat awareness. Besides, things hadn’t gotten bad enough for civilians to pitch in.

All the plans had failed, and it was only after the Azure Star was crushed that they would make their move.

Yet everyone sincerely hoped this day would never come.

Sheng Qingquan was also present.

But Sheng Qingquan did not appear there in human form.

A beautiful bird with iridescent plumage, vibrant yet ethereal, was bouncing along the sidewalk edge.

Apart from being more vibrant than the other birds around, this one acted no different.

It would land on the ground to peck about, then flutter onto a branch to tidy its feathers, occasionally taking flight as if studying the humans or foraging for food.

A necromancer might pay attention to humans, but wouldn’t give a second look at an ordinary bird.

And that was precisely the neglect Sheng Qingquan sought.

Ever since gaining the ability to transform into a bird, he had made it his routine to practice. His performance was flawless, without raising suspicion.

Even the warriors nearby, who knew full well this bird was Sheng Qingquan in disguise, spotted nothing unusual.

After a few initial glances, afterward, they treated him no differently than any other bird, completely ignoring him.

Rather than bothering with a bird, they focused on their own lives—especially as Clara’s arrival drew nearer, their act became second nature.

It had to be said, the newly added acting classes every week were paying off.

Time ticked by.

At 9:45, though Sheng Qingquan still behaved like a carefree little bird, he had already secretly commanded the surrounding plants for a final sweep.

He ensured every corner of the vicinity had at least one plant under his control.

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t fluttering randomly. Instead, he perched on the highest treetop nearby, keeping watch alongside other birds. But unlike the others, who were dozing, his vision was now divided into a grid of views—like the walls of a surveillance room.

9:47.

The exact time Clara had appeared in the original story.

This time, Clara didn’t bail. She arrived right on schedule.

A spatial rift silently opened beneath the shade of a tree, and a slender, elegant figure emerged from within.

At the same moment, Sheng Qingquan detected her through the plants he controlled.

*I’ve finally found a new world.*

*All the corpses of this world will belong to me!*

The heavy stench of death in the air told her there was a massive burial site nearby.

"I love this welcoming gift!" Clara crowed, reaching to remove her hood—only to go rigid with realization.

"This world is fake! It’s a trap!"

"Damn it, that scheming Alfonso!"

Danger—mortal peril.

Clara felt her instincts screaming at her, urging her to flee.

Moreover, something was off about this world. At first glance, it seemed like a completely ordinary, unremarkable world.

Though devoid of magic, this world had an enormous population—exactly the kind of world a necromancer would love.

The buried corpses nearby didn’t seem like ordinary corpses; once transformed, they would undoubtedly become incredibly powerful.

These corpses tempted her relentlessly. As a necromancer, Clara could hardly resist claiming this undead army as her own.

But the moment she noticed something off, she realized something was wrong.

This world was so perfect it seemed fake—as if someone had custom-made it for her.

Once suspicion set in, the more she observed, the more unsettling everything seemed.

Coupled with her instincts screaming warnings, she knew she had to get out—now.

Having just arrived, Clara didn’t hesitate. She drained the energy from a necrotic crystal in her storage ring, forcing open the barely sealed spatial rift before slipping back through.

"Alfonso, I swear I’ll never live in peace with you!"

Convinced this was a carefully laid trap by her nemesis, Clara returned to her necromancer’s tower with her face dark.

The warriors, who had been acting calm but tense inside, stared in shock at the legendary necromancer—the one who had slaughtered countless humans on Azure Star and even turned their corpses against each other.

Yet the moment she arrived, she bolted like her life depended on it, as if something terrifying had spooked her.

She was gone so fast it was as if a blade were chasing her.

"Did… did the plan work?" someone finally dared to ask after a long silence.

"It worked."

"Let them tear each other apart!"

Sheng Qingquan exhaled in relief, withdrawing the mushroom spores he had dispersed.

Just moments ago, those seemingly insignificant mushroom spores had made all the difference. He hadn’t crafted an elaborate illusion—just added a thin layer of illusion to reality, turning this world into a holographic game whose server was about to crash.

Clara didn’t know what a holographic game was, but she understood that if the server collapsed, the world built upon it would vanish.

The impending doom of a collapsing world was enough to trigger her danger radar.

Beyond that, Sheng Qingquan had meticulously simulated the auras of the formidable beings he’d encountered during past apocalyptic crises, making Clara think they were hiding in the shadows, watching her.

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t great at much, but he had faced enough dangers and powerful entities to make the illusion feel chillingly real. Especially since he didn’t outright manifest these beings—only their lingering presence, making the trick much more convincing.

Feeling threatened, realizing this world might be fake, and sensing unseen malevolent forces hiding in the darkness—Clara didn’t need Sheng Qingquan to spin a tale. Her own mind filled in the gaps.

From the original story, he knew Clara had a bitter rival—another necromancer who wanted her dead just as badly. In fact, her quest for corpses to unleash an undead apocalypse was all part of her plan to destroy him.

So Sheng Qingquan seized the opportunity. And what luck—this rival happened to be a wood-attribute mage.

Fate had given him the perfect fall guy, and Sheng Qingquan wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

The fact that the nemesis couldn’t come was actually good news for Tianlanxing. Not only did they avoid facing a double-team attack, but it also meant that with the actual target absent, Sheng Qingquan could do whatever he wanted. There was simply no way for the other party to defend themselves.

In short, no need to pull punches—look at this big, black scapegoat, fits just right—here, take it!

After all, judging from the original story, this nemesis was no saint either.

Though a wood-attribute mage, he had nothing in common with the typical attributes associated with wood magic—such as lush vitality, vibrancy, or gentle strength. In fact, he was the complete opposite.

His feud with Clara didn’t stem from a clash between life and death forces either.

Alfonso's wood magic was like a deep, shadowy forest—gloomy and silent, capable of devouring all life.

He had once conjured a sprawling forest that engulfed an entire small kingdom, turning its people into nourishment for the trees.

He was essentially stealing food from necromancers’ mouths.

Clara, who had also set her sights on the population of that small country but was a step too slow, felt her prey had been stolen. She struck back without a second thought. Back and forth, their feud deepened.

If Clara was preparing to kill her nemesis, did anyone think Alfonso would just roll over and die?

He would undoubtedly make a move too.

Even if he didn’t, Clara would be convinced he had.

Even if Alfonso sensed something was wrong and tried to explain, Clara wouldn’t listen. Even if he denied it, she would only see it as cowardly deception, making her strike even harder.

Besides, as Clara’s sworn enemy, Alfonso probably wouldn’t bother explaining. He’d likely own up to it—‘Yeah, I did it, what of it?!’

Or he might assume Clara was fabricating reasons to start trouble.

These were all conclusions Sheng Qingquan reached after bringing in experts to analyze their personalities based on the plot. It was precisely why the authorities deemed his plan a surefire plan.

There was no fear of confrontation—because no real confrontation would ever happen.

These two were already enemies who would come to blows the moment they meet. Once they clashed...

"With luck, they’ll take each other out this time. At the very least, one will die and the other be left battered, or both will be left battered. For Tianlanxing, any of these outcomes is a win-win."

"However, in the end, Clara will likely be the one to die."

"In the original story, Clara only managed to kill Alfonso after returning with her undead army. Without that army, Alfonso’s current strength slightly surpasses Clara’s. Otherwise, Clara wouldn’t have been forced to leave in search of corpses."

"If things go smoothly, there might not even be any lingering consequences."

Especially since Sheng Qingquan deliberately left a backup plan to ensure Clara would seek revenge against Alfonso upon her return.

And that’s exactly what happened. After returning to her necromancer tower, Clara conducted a thorough self-examination.

"I actually fell for it! How could a necromancer like me have a wood-energy signature?!"

That damned Alfonso—Clara seethed through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, she noticed something odd: the wood energy was dissipating unusually fast.

Had she not examined herself immediately upon returning, any later inspection would have found nothing amiss.

Had Alfonso grown stronger?

No—he had weakened. More precisely, he had been drained.

That's why his traces didn't last as long as usual.

That makes sense. Her search for a new world had been so cautious, so covert. Even if Alfonso had been keeping an eye on her, he couldn’t have noticed right away.

He must've just found out.

In such a short time, to figure out her intentions and set up a trap in advance—he must have paid a heavy price. Maybe even got badly hurt.

He was badly hurt, yet she had retreated completely unharmed.

Now's the time to strike while he's weak! Why wait?!

Alfonso would never have expected her to resist the bait, to walk away from such enormous gains so decisively, leaving her practically untouched.

Thinking this, Clara triggered her backup plan and tracked down Alfonso’s exact location.

"If I’m not dead, then it’s your turn to die!"

Clara, hoping to take advantage of the situation, confronted Alfonso at full strength—the results were exactly what you'd expect.

Sheng Qingquan stared at the novel's page for a long time.

When Clara left this world, the number of Qiankun Coins hadn't increased.

It wasn’t until 4 a.m. the next day that the balance suddenly jumped, increasing by 8,888 points.

Luck was still on Tianlanxing's side after all.

"Stand down, stand down!" The warriors, who had stayed on high alert in case Clara made a sudden return or Alfonso learned of Tianlanxing’s existence and traced his way here, could finally relax completely.

"Everything went smoothly!"