In the afternoon, as Lin Zhao was fiercely grinding monsters, a chime echoed across the national server—
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Zheng Du] for successfully summoning [Human Emperor Wang Chong - Projection] (Ghost God-level Boss). Upon defeating the Boss, the ultimate treasure [Stone of Destiny] (Immortal Grade) will be obtained!
...
Finally, the second player to summon the Human Emperor Wang Chong appeared, none other than Su Xinghe, known as a quasi-Heavenly King.
Lin Zhao frowned, but paid it no mind, continuing to grind monsters. He was very confident that Su Xinghe, in a one-on-one fight with Wang Chong, might not even last ten seconds. It wasn't that he looked down on Su Xinghe, but rather Wang Chong was too formidable. Without truly heaven-defying survival and attack power, one simply couldn't withstand him, let alone break his defense and kill him!
"Su Xinghe has summoned the Boss."
Ding Chi frowned, "I wonder if he'll succeed..."
"Difficult."
Chen Xue said, "Even Lin Zhao was defeated. How much stronger can Su Xinghe be?"
Shen Xingchen smiled lightly, "Who's in Baidi City? We'll know if he succeeded in the strategy when we see when he returns to Baidi City."
"I'm here."
Zhang Jun chuckled, "Just in time... I was taken down by Guest Passerby Wuming, so I'm back for supplies..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Jun cried out "Aiya!" and then laughed heartily, "Damn, I saw Su Xinghe. He teleported back to Baidi City a second ago, full health, his bracer slot empty. Looks like he was directly killed by the Boss and even dropped equipment!"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but smile. It was indeed possible. Even with the Hao Ran Ming Xing sword protecting him, he had the possibility of being instantly killed. Could Su Xinghe's survivability be stronger than his? Unlikely.
The others chuckled and then went back to their own tasks.
...
Around midnight.
Yi Shi Cang Liang, Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng, Xian Bai, Guo Ke Wu Ming, Ling Ren Fa Zhi, and others successively attempted to summon the Human Emperor Wang Chong. However, the result was the same for all of them: none could last even half a minute. For a time, everyone was somewhat stunned, and the game forums were abuzz with discussions. Many people protested that the officials had created a map that harmed consumer rights, but the officials completely ignored them. The map was open, it was there to be challenged, and if you couldn't conquer it, then shut up. Their attitude was quite arrogant.
Lin Zhao, meanwhile, diligently continued to level up online. He hadn't eaten dinner, and he certainly wouldn't be eating a late-night snack. Fortunately, he hadn't drunk much water during lunch, otherwise, he would have had to beg Ding Chi and Zhang Jun to help him relieve himself.
Just as Lin Zhao was diligently grinding monsters, the hand holding his game pod's edge was suddenly clasped. The hands were very soft and delicate, and then Luo Man's voice sounded in his ear, "Brother, are you thirsty, are you hungry... I want to give Brother some water, but I'm afraid Brother will wet the bed. I want to do many things for Brother, but I'm afraid Brother doesn't need them..."
"Damn..."
Lin Zhao gently patted her hand, "Go to bed slowly, don't mess around, let me focus on stacking attributes."
"Okay!"
Luo Man chuckled and left.
...
At the same time, midnight, Yan City, China District, the official headquarters of "Tian Xia".
A young man in a black suit, wearing a work badge, stood in front of the large screen, frowning in silence. He looked very young, wore black-rimmed glasses, and exuded an air of scholarly refinement.
Lin Baiyu, 27 years old, was the Chief Data Architect Engineer of "Tian Xia" and concurrently the General Manager of Operations for the China District.
At this moment, looking at the game screen showing Lin Zhao grinding monsters, Lin Baiyu's frown deepened, and his heart grew colder. He muttered, "Damn, what is Lin Zhao trying to do? Is he going to stack up a hundred thousand layers of God-Slaying Blood Drink and then go all out to destroy the Human Emperor Wang Chong?"
"Mm."
Several young engineers nodded in unison. One of them frowned and said, "Based on Lin Zhao's attributes and abilities, if he really stacks a hundred thousand layers of God-Slaying Blood Drink, then there's a real possibility he could solo the Human Emperor Wang Chong's projection."
"This is not good..."
Lin Baiyu clenched his fist, "This 'Stone of Destiny' map, barely opened for two or three days, and it's already being cleared. Won't the investors who exchanged resources for the Stone of Destiny map go crazy..."
"A bet is a bet."
A rather pleasant voice came from behind. A beautiful woman in a dress walked into the "Tian Xia" China District's main control hall. She had long hair, exquisite features, and an excellent demeanor. Her name tag read "Dong Xiaorou," with the suffix indicating she was the Group's China District Executive President.
"President Dong!"
Lin Baiyu immediately nodded respectfully, "Why are you here so late at night?"
"With such a significant deviation and threat in the data, how could I not come?"
Dong Xiaorou frowned and said, "Manager Lin, does it seem irreversible? Lin Zhao's next step is to stack attributes and clear the Stone of Destiny map?"
"Yes."
Lin Baiyu replied, "And given Lin Zhao's strength, it's highly possible he can do it. Once the Stone of Destiny map is instantly killed, Lin Zhao will become the person who possesses the Stone of Destiny, which is an unimaginably vast resource. Many investors have their capital tied up in the Stone of Destiny. If Lin Zhao takes it, it could trigger a financial storm."
"President Dong."
An operations manager stood up and frowned, "The urgent matter is, if we can find Lin Zhao, persuading him to abandon clearing the Stone of Destiny map so quickly is the most important thing. Otherwise, it might truly become unmanageable."
"That's enough."
Dong Xiaorou's willow-like eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Have you all forgotten one of the fundamental principles of the game 'Tian Xia'? We talk about decentralization every day, but if we interfere like this, what kind of decentralization are we talking about? Everything in the game is meant to unfold and develop freely. If Lin Zhao wants to instantly kill the Stone of Destiny, then let him. That's his ability, and we have no right to interfere. Otherwise, if Lin Zhao really insists on suing us in the Earth United Government Court, no one will look good. Moreover, who is Lin Zhao? Lin Baiyi of Xue Yu Tian Chi, the most crucial player in this game. Lin Zhao's influence is beyond your imagination. Therefore, do not provoke Lin Zhao. The group also prohibits anyone from privately contacting Lin Zhao or interfering with his life. Otherwise, they will be severely punished!"
"Yes, President Dong!"
A group of people nodded in unison.
Dong Xiaorou glanced again at the holographic projection in the distance. "Leave the night shift personnel, and the rest can disperse. We don't need to deliberately do many things. We need to trust the 'Tian Xia' main brain's technical system, and also tell all investors that all investments in the metaverse carry risks. Since you want to play, you have to be able to afford it!"
"Mm!"
Lin Baiyu nodded with a smile, "Understood."
...
Ghost Realm Tian Xia.
In a desolate mountain forest filled with deathly aura, a figure clad in armor and carrying a long sword floated among the branches of the jungle. Suddenly, he slowly stood above the branches, overlooking the entire forest, his eyes filled with complexity.
His name was Long Shi. He was once a sword cultivator in the Human Realm. After his death, unwilling to let his great path be severed, he defied fate with the help of a wandering Taoist priest and became a member of the Ghost Realm. For thousands of years, Long Shi had conquered and fought throughout the Ghost Realm with his sword, cultivating from a Golden Core sword cultivator to an eleventh-realm sword cultivator. Upon entering the Upper Five Realms, he was considered a legendary "Ghost King" in the Ghost Realm. He commanded a ghost army of tens of thousands, making him a prominent figure.
However, recently, Long Shi had been quite uneasy. A vague premonition had caused him to repeatedly dream of his death, a gruesome end. In the past few hundred years, Long Shi's dreams had predicted many events, and all of them had come true. This was precisely why he was even more disturbed.
In his dream, a young woman carrying a coffin, dressed in a beautiful cheongsam, had twisted off his head and ascended his throne. Could this be true?
Long Shi did not know who this woman was, nor where she was. All he knew was that it seemed the lineage of coffin-bearers had returned in the south. Although he hadn't seen her, could the girl who killed him in his dream be the sect leader of the coffin-bearers, a woman named Tan Xin? She looked too similar. Long Shi took a deep breath, having already decided to go and meet this Tan Xin.
Just then, rustling footsteps were heard from outside the jungle. As Long Shi squinted to look, he saw an old Taoist priest in a gray robe, leaning on a weathered walking stick, with a green gourd hanging from his waist. He seemed to be dragging something and was slowly walking along the edge of the forest, muttering to himself, "Roast chicken, roast duck, braised pork, scholar's ham... Alas... When will I get to eat them? It's hard to even get a drink of wine. This martial world path is too difficult to travel..."
Long Shi couldn't help but smile. This old Taoist must be wandering all over the Ghost Realm, making a meager living. In fact, there were places in the Ghost Realm where humans lived in communities. The hauntings were severe, and many cultivators from the Human Realm bribed the gatekeepers to come to the Ghost Realm, hoping to find an opportunity. They would exorcise ghosts and ward off evil for the wealthy families in the Ghost Realm and could make a living. However, they couldn't be too powerful, as powerful Taoists could easily incur the "heavenly punishment" of the Ghost Realm, or even attract the attention of Upper Five Realm ghost cultivators.
This old Taoist must have been in the business for many years, with little skill and not a single valuable item among his tattered belongings.
Long Shi smiled and shook his head, not intending to trouble the old Taoist. Even though he had trespassed into his territory, but... forget it, killing him wouldn't increase his ghost path fortune by much.
The old Taoist, pulling a phantom thread, didn't even look at Long Shi.
...
Ghost Realm Tian Xia.
Suddenly, an old immortal sword landed on a mountaintop. But before he could steady himself, a sword light descended from the sky, striking viciously towards his head. The old immortal sword's expression turned annoyed. He parried the incoming sword energy with his own sword and simultaneously unleashed a strike, but it too was dispersed by the opponent's sword.
The old immortal sword, somewhat ashamed and angry, exclaimed, "Lin Wanhua, are you done yet? You've been chasing me for so many days and you still won't let go?!"