The Protagonists' Chat Group: Beyond the Boundaries — Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Team Mission — Journey to the West Instance Activated

The chat group upgrade was complete.

Shi Jian began to examine the new functions added after the chat group upgrade.

After looking at the new functions, a strange expression appeared on his face.

This time, after the chat group upgrade, two main changes occurred.

The first change was inviting new members to the group.

Previously, inviting new members to the group was turn-based… One upgrade allowed one new member invitation.

But now it was different.

After becoming the group leader, Shi Jian had the ability to freely manage group members…

He could randomly search for members across the Major Thousand Worlds and invite them to join, just like before…

He could also directly invite others to join.

For example, Fengyun Wuji.

Shi Jian had previously been to the world after Ascension, and if he wished, he could go to that world again and invite Fengyun Wuji to join the chat group.

Among the countless worlds in the Major Thousand Worlds, anyone he found agreeable could be invited to join the chat group.

Of course, this invitation also had limitations.

The invited person’s strength must reach the realm of “Physical Body Perfection, Primordial Spirit Undying, and Mana Everlasting.”

That is, an “Immortal Species.”

In addition, the invited person must carry great Luck. That is, a “Protagonist” rank.

In the future, if anyone in the group met someone in the Major Thousand Worlds who satisfied these two conditions and they found them agreeable, they could invite them to join the chat group.

When he was an administrator before, he could only passively invite people to the group.

Now that he was the group leader, he could actively invite people to the group.

…

The second, and far more shocking, change after the chat group upgrade was…

It gained a Heavens Channel.

[Inorin’s Note: The “Heavens Channel” (Zhutian Pindao) is a common trope in multiverse novels, acting as a multiverse-level forum, bulletin board, or trading hub.]

This channel was a bit mysterious.

Shi Jian opened it, and a flood of information, looking like a chaotic forum from his past life, filled his vision.

He shared the interface with the group.

【Main God Space 1455: Recruiting external Main God Space teams to conquer the Investiture of the Gods Instance, with salary and benefits… 】

[Inorin’s Note: Main God Space (Zhushen Kongjian) is a concept popularized by the novel Terror Infinity, where a god-like entity (Main God) forces teams to survive in various fictional worlds.]

【Reincarnation Space 1563: Recruiting external Reincarnation Space teams to participate in team battle instances, with basic salary… and rewards for each Main God Space team eliminated… 】

[Inorin’s Note: Reincarnation Space (Lunhui Kongjian) is a similar concept to Main God Space, often used interchangeably.]

A string of messy things appeared on the Heavens Channel. Shi Jian was truly enlightened.

Heavens Channel. It truly was the Heavens Channel.

Those active on it seemed to be forces spanning the Heavens.

【Fang Han: “Wait… Main God Space? Reincarnation Space? Are there others like us?”】

【Meng Qi: “This… This is like the Reincarnation Space of the Six Paths in my world, but… it’s recruiting? Publicly?”】

【Xiao Yan: “Keep scrolling! What else is there?”】

Shi Jian scrolled down, and the listings became even more bizarre.

【Myriad Worlds Grand Director: Recruiting a ‘Trash-stream Protagonist’ to promote the Ascension of a Xuanhuan-type Major Thousand Worlds. Requires exquisite acting skills, proficiency in Xuanhuan-stream upgrade tropes, natural showing off. Script ready, estimated filming period of one hundred thousand years! 】

【System Vendor: A batch of Advanced Systems for sale… Beginner, Face-Slapping, Invincibility, Sign-In… all types available.】

【Can Sell Anything: Contact me for any needs, I can sell anything as long as the price is paid… Yes, even Immortal Emperor techniques. If you can afford it.】

【Can Deliver Anything: Contact me for shipping needs, anything can be delivered, anywhere can be reached. (Note: We are not responsible for timelines altered during delivery).】

…

Shi Jian was dumbfounded.

Reincarnation Space. Main God Space. System owners… Even those selling Systems.

Those selling anything. Those delivering anything.

Leaving aside everything else, just this force that could deliver anything, seemingly a courier company…

Xu Que seemed to have encountered it before.

Once, the reward given to Xu Que by the Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System was delivered by a courier brother who traversed the Major Thousand Worlds.

The other people in the group also saw the Heavens Channel.

After reading it, everyone was dumbfounded.

【Lin Dong: “I must be dreaming… I saw someone selling Systems!”】

【Li Changshou: “Are these Major Thousand Worlds too wild? This is… this is a marketplace!”】

【Meng Qi: “So we’re not the most special ones… There are a bunch of forces that can cross the Major Thousand Worlds!”】

【Fang Han: “I saw a force called ‘Starting Point Orphanage’ recruiting members… What is that?”】

【Yang Qi: “Why can’t I find this ‘Starting Point Orphanage’ force?”】

【Xu Que: “Damn it! That courier! They can deliver anything, but it takes years to send me a phone… Bad review! 1-star!”】

【Lin Feng: “Interesting, it seems I’ve come into contact with something extraordinary…”】

【Li Qiye: “The Major Thousand Worlds are so wondrous? It seems joining the chat group back then was not a mistake!”】

…

Clearly, the Heavens Channel brought more than just a small shock to the group members.

After studying the Heavens Channel for most of the day, they finally figured out some things.

Among the Major Thousand Worlds, there were indeed quite a few forces like them that could establish connections across the Heavens.

Some could traverse the Major Thousand Worlds on their own. Others traversed with the help of external objects.

Shi Jian and his group, clearly, belonged to the latter category.

There were countless large and small forces. Some were ridiculously strong, with operations spread throughout. Especially those few forces that sold things.

Other forces were like Shi Jian’s group, touching upon the Major Thousand Worlds with the aid of external objects.

…

As Shi Jian scrolled further, he found a general information post pinned to the top. It detailed the state of the Myriad Worlds.

In the Major Thousand Worlds, there were no major disasters like evil demons invading and destroying worlds… However, there were also factions among the major forces.

They were basically divided into two major factions:

The Order Keepers.

The Illogical Ones.

The Order Keepers were led by the Supreme Heavenly Gods: Grand Pure Heavenly Lord of the Dao and Virtue (Laozi), Jade Pure Heavenly Lord of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), and Empress Wa (Nuwa).

[Inorin’s Note: These are three of the most powerful figures in Chinese mythology and Daoism. The ‘Three Pure Ones’ (Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian) are the highest deities. Empress Wa (Nuwa) is the creator of humanity.]

Grand Pure Heavenly Lord of the Dao and Virtue, the supreme God of the Dao world, the founder of the Dao.

Jade Pure Heavenly Lord of the Primordial Beginning, the beginning of all things, the cause of all effects.

Empress Wa, the origin of all things, the source of life.

The Illogical Ones were led by the Grand Pure Heavenly Lord of the Numinous Treasure (Tongtian Jiaozhu) and the Great God of Harmony (Hexie Dashen).

[Inorin’s Note: The Great God of Harmony (Héxié Dàshén) is a meta-joke. ‘Hexie’ (Harmony) is the term used in China for online censorship. This deity is the literal embodiment of censorship, the ‘404 God’.]

Grand Pure Heavenly Lord of the Numinous Treasure, God of Miracles and Creation, whose rank in the Heavens was immeasurable, belonging to the Illogical Ones.

He was one of the symbols of miracles and creation in the Heavens; with a single thought, he divided into the Lord of Systems and the Main God…

All Systems in the Major Thousand Worlds were his subordinate Gods. He was the ruler of imperishable rules. He was also the incarnation of the Eternal System.

As a projection of miracles, some lucky individuals in the Major Thousand Worlds often obtained the binding of an imperishable System from the Lord of Systems. Thus becoming illogical, order-breaking existences.

The Great God of Harmony was also an illogical, immeasurable existence.

He had “harmonized” countless Major Thousand Worlds, making myriad ages empty; wherever he passed, all laws and all worlds in the Heavens would change form.

Wherever the Light of 404 shone, logic collapsed.

…

The Order Keepers and the Illogical Ones were opposed to each other.

But they were not mutually exclusive; they could coexist.

【Xiao Yan: “Speaking of which, when we first joined the group… didn’t the chat group remind us that our chat group was monitored by the Great God of Harmony?”】

【Meng Qi: “It really was…!”】

Shi Jian thought about the information that flashed in the chat group when he first joined.

There was indeed information related to the Great God of Harmony.

[Monitored by the Great God of Harmony, all group members are requested to get along harmoniously. Please do not engage in mutual slaughter, or you will be forcibly removed from the chat group.]

At the time he saw this message… he thought it was just a rule of the chat group. He didn’t pay much attention to it.

But now you’re telling him… there really is a Great God of Harmony?

The Great God of Harmony, the Light of 404… weren’t these things part of the absolute narrative layer?

How could there really be a Great God of Harmony in the Major Thousand Worlds?

【Xu Que: “There’s really a Great God of Harmony? How am I supposed to play now… I wonder if the Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System can handle it?”】

While speaking in the group, Xu Que also nervously asked his System internally.

“System, is there really a Great God of Harmony in the Major Thousand Worlds? He won’t attack me, will he?”

He was a little worried. If the Great God of Harmony really made a move, the probability of him attacking Xu Que was the highest.

Xu Que was well aware of this.

After he finished asking, the Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System fell silent…

“System? System, don’t scare me…”

Xu Que panicked and quickly tried to contact the System, but couldn’t connect no matter what.

He couldn’t even bring up the System interface.

“It’s over… The Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System ran away just by mentioning the Great God of Harmony…”

Xu Que didn’t expect such a change.

How long had the Pretending and Face-Slapping System been with him? But now, at the mere mention of the Great God of Harmony… it just ran away.

“System, how can I live without you… Can’t you at least uphold the dignity of the Lord of Systems… Aren’t the Lord of Systems and the Great God of Harmony on the same rank?”

After a long silence from the Pretending and Face-Slapping System, Xu Que was genuinely panicked.

He quickly wailed.

Fortunately, his worst fear did not come true.

After the System disappeared for a while, it came back online. However…

Xu Que looked at the re-emerged System with a strange expression.

“System… why did you change your name?”

“Strongest Anti-Trope System? That doesn’t sound as good as Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System…”

[Inorin’s Note: The System changed its name from “Zhuangbi Da Lian” (Face-Slapping) to “Fan Taolu” (Anti-Trope/Anti-Plot-Armor), a form of self-censorship to avoid being “harmonized”.]

“You didn’t chicken out, did you?”

[Strongest Anti-Trope System: “You better watch your mouth, don’t mention that Great God’s name again… He might not be interested in you, but his Light of 404 is a passive skill…”]

[Strongest Anti-Trope System: “I’m not ‘chickening out’. I’m just being sensible…”]

Normally, Xu Que would have mercilessly mocked the System. But now, he wasn’t in the mood.

He was also quite cowardly.

【Xu Que: “As soon as the System heard that the chat group was being monitored by the Great God of Harmony, it immediately changed its name to the Strongest Anti-Trope System…”】

【Li Changshou: “Ah, can it really be stitched like that? So the Strongest Pretending and Face-Slapping System changed its name for that reason…”】

【Shi Jian: “Awesome!”】

【Xiao Yan: “The System is afraid of the Great God of Harmony? Aren’t the Lord of Systems and the Great God of Harmony on the same rank…”】

【Shi Jian: “The Lord of the System and the Great God of Harmony are on the same rank, but the System and the Great God of Harmony are not on the same rank… The System is merely a subordinate God of the Lord of the System!”】

【Yang Qi: “Speaking of which, if the Major Thousand Worlds is in this situation… are we considered illogical? Does that mean we’re all villains?”】

Shi Jian was startled after seeing Yang Qi’s message. They truly belonged to the illogical camp.

His Library of the Heavens should also be a product of the Lord of the System…

Library of the Heavens. Heavenly Chat Group. Strongest Anti-Trope System…

Definitely illogical…

However, being illogical doesn’t necessarily mean being a villain… They just don’t follow logic. They don’t destroy worlds.

This is just a matter of stance.

【Fang Han: “Not really villains… We’re not destroying worlds… The situation in these Heavens is truly interesting; they’re opposing each other, but not absolutely opposing!”】

【Li Changshou: “The Heavens are still too dangerous… So many experts!”】

【Shi Jian: “Logically speaking, we are in the illogical camp… The tasks we undertake should also be related to this… However, in the Heavenly Dungeon and Heavenly Channel, both types of task inclinations seem to exist…”】

Shi Jian sent four messages into the group…

【Team Dungeon: Journey to the West, must complete the eighty-one tribulations, prevent the Journey to the West, reward based on performance!】

[Inorin’s Note: Journey to the West (Xiyouji) is the classic Chinese novel. The Eighty-one Tribulations (Bashi-yi Nan) are the trials the protagonists face on their journey. This task is to become those trials.]

【Team Dungeon: Journey to the West, conform to Heaven’s will, undertake the Journey to the West to obtain scriptures, fulfill the Heaven’s will of the Journey to the West world, reward based on performance】

These were tasks from the Heavenly Dungeon within the chat group.

There were also two other messages from the Heavenly Channel.

【Reincarnation Space 7541: Recruiting external Reincarnation teams, prevent the Journey to the West, phased task, reward based on completion…】

【Mysterious Merchant: Recruiting for Journey to the West Dungeon, limited to five people, conform to Heaven’s will, head to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures (task details to be discussed) (do not disturb those below Eternal Rank)】

The task contents were quite similar.

One side conformed to Heaven’s will, promoting the Journey to the West. The other side prevented the Journey to the West…

It was clear at a glance that the faction inclinations were different.

Logically speaking, Shi Jian and the others were in the illogical faction… They should only be able to accept tasks from this faction.

But in reality, they could accept tasks from both sides.

The two major factions of the Major Thousand Worlds had a flavor of immortal-demon opposition. One side upheld order. The other side disrupted order…

However, the sectarian divide didn’t seem that deep. There was no talk of having to fight to the death…

【Xiao Yan: “Why do the tasks in the Heavenly Dungeon and the tasks in this Heavenly Channel feel so repetitive?”】

【Li Changshou: “The tasks in the Heavenly Channel are a bit like second-hand ones… outsourced… This Heavenly Channel clearly isn’t an exclusive function of the chat group; other individuals and forces can also interface with the Heavenly Channel and then accept tasks here…”】

【Li Changshou: “And the Heavenly Dungeon is a function of the chat group, directly interfacing with tasks…”】

【Xiao Yan: “Classic outsourcing, right… Is this Reincarnation Space also acting as a middleman?”】

【Lin Dong: “So, in the future, we have to accept tasks from the Heavenly Dungeon? To avoid middlemen earning the difference?”】

【Meng Qi: “Awesome…”】

【Shi Jian: “The team tasks in the Heavenly Dungeon all have realm requirements. Before, our realm wasn’t high enough to accept them—now we can… How about we accept a team task and have some fun?”】

【Xiao Yan: “Sounds good, I’ve been bored lately…”】

【Xu Que: “Team task? Going to other worlds to play… No problem!”】

【Yang Qi: “Okay…”】

After seeing Shi Jian’s suggestion, everyone in the chat group responded one after another…

After the battle at Imperial Pass, they all went offline to cultivate for a period of time.

Their cultivation had improved significantly. If they could participate in a team dungeon for fun… that would be interesting.

【Shi Jian: “Okay… Heavenly Dungeon, activate…”】

…

In the endless void space where the Heavenly Dungeon was located, everyone gathered here again.

Looking at the dense team dungeons, the Major Thousand Worlds, everyone began to select task dungeons…

“So many team dungeons, it’s hard to choose…”

The dungeon tasks, like countless stars, made everyone bewildered.

“How about this Journey to the West… Go act as the 81 tribulations? Just thinking about it is interesting…”

Everyone spent most of the day choosing, still unable to make a decision, then Xiao Yan spoke up…

“Journey to the West Dungeon? That’s also possible…” Meng Qi looked at it and then responded.

“I’ve also been to the Journey to the West dungeon in my world’s Reincarnation Space… However, in that world’s Journey to the West, Gods and demons had fallen… Only some large and small demons remained!”

“I just don’t know what the situation is like in this Journey to the West dungeon world?”

“Fight against Brother Monkey, are we dealing with the Tang Monk and his disciples?” Lin Feng’s face showed a hint of interest…

“If it’s hard to choose, let’s go with the Journey to the West world…” Fang Han also spoke.

After some discussion, the few of them had no objections to going to the Journey to the West world to do the task…

“Then let’s accept this task…” Lin Dong reached out and directly touched the star representing the Journey to the West world.

Seeing this, the others also accepted the task one after another…

…

“The task personnel are full!”

Shi Jian also went to accept the task, but as soon as he touched it, he was bewildered… He couldn’t accept the task.

Xu Que, who was next to him, also made a bewildered sound.

“How are the personnel full? I can’t accept the task?”

“I can’t either…”

“Me too!”

Yang Qi and Li Changshou also responded.

Lin Dong, Fang Han, and others had all accepted the task, but when it came to Shi Jian, Xu Que, Yang Qi, and Li Changshou…

They couldn’t accept this task.

“What’s going on?” Xiao Yan and the others who had accepted the task looked bewildered.

“This Journey to the West world should not be a traditional Journey to the West world… For the normal eighty-one tribulations, how many of us are there? We should all be able to accept the task…”

“Now that the personnel are full, it means that people from other worlds have also accepted the task!” Meng Qi made a deduction.

“So… this Journey to the West world, there are no locals left?”

“Unlimited intrusion?” Xiao Yan was puzzled.

“Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?” Li Qiye’s eyes lit up…

“Now the personnel are full… Now that the personnel are full, the four of us can’t go…” Yang Qi, who didn’t get a spot, was a bit regretful.

He understood. This Journey to the West world… there would probably be a large number of strong individuals from the Major Thousand Worlds intruding.

Such a lively scene. He really wanted to participate.

But… no spots.

Shi Jian smiled after hearing Yang Qi’s words: “Who said there are no spots…”

“Isn’t this task still hanging here?”

“The Scripture-seeking team…”

On the star representing the Journey to the West world, there was another task hanging.

It was also a team task… Conform to Heaven’s will, go to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures!

“We become the scripture seekers?” Xu Que’s eyes lit up…

“This seems very promising…”

“Then let’s accept it!” Xu Que didn’t hesitate and directly accepted the task of being a scripture seeker.

A prompt for successful task acceptance popped up.

“It really works…”

“You guys hurry up and accept the task, lest you can’t even be scripture seekers!” He looked at the others.

Shi Jian and the others also didn’t hesitate and immediately accepted the task…

The number of spots for the scripture seeker task was much smaller than for the eighty-one tribulations. But it seemed like few people accepted it.

All four of Shi Jian and the others accepted it…

“So that means… we’re now in an antagonistic relationship, right?” Xiao Yan spoke with interest.

One chat group.

Four people accepted the scripture-seeking task and were going to obtain scriptures…

The other eight people accepted the eighty-one tribulations task… They were going to prevent the scripture seeking.

The team competition turned into a confrontation?

“This humble monk also knows a bit of fisticuffs… Hmph, when the time comes, you demons and monsters better be prepared for a beating!” Xu Que immediately got into character, having draped a monk’s robe over himself at some point.

“Hmph, have you heard of the True Ding Tathagata? The Journey to the West, once you reach my True Leiyin Temple, your karma for seeking scriptures will be considered perfection!”

[Inorin’s Note: Meng Qi is making a joke. “True Ding” (Zhen Ding) sounds like “True Fixing” but ‘Ding’ (鼎) also means ‘Cauldron’ or ‘Vessel’, a high-level treasure. He’s also referencing the fake Leiyin Temple from the original JTTW.]

“Amitabha!” Meng Qi made a Buddhist hand gesture…

It seemed he also planned to play a trick with a fake Leiyin Temple…

“Then my eight hundred li Fiery Mountain is not easy to cross either…” Xiao Yan also spoke up…

[Inorin’s Note: The Fiery Mountain (Huoyan Shan) is one of the 81 tribulations. As the ‘Flame Emperor’, this is a perfect fit for Xiao Yan.]

“I heard your scripture-seeking team roasted my sheep?” Li Qiye stared at the four with a menacing look.

They hadn’t even entered the world yet. The few of them were already in character.

Li Changshou only then realized: “No! Becoming a scripture seeker, and also having to face eighty-one tribulations composed of various unknown existences from the Major Thousand Worlds? Isn’t this going to kill me…”

“I’m not doing it… Let’s break up!!!”

[Inorin’s Note: This is a famous line from Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) in Journey to the West, who always wanted to quit, break up the team, and go home.]

Shi Jian let out a sigh after hearing his words: “Getting into character so quickly? Cosplaying as Bajie so fast?”

Li Changshou: “…”

Scripture Seekers: Shi Jian, Yang Qi, Xu Que, Li Changshou…

Eighty-one Tribulations: Li Qiye, Xiao Yan, Lin Dong, Fang Han, Shi Hao, Meng Qi, Lin Feng, Luo Feng…