Chapter 33 - Nulla pellentesque leo

Chapter 237 - 237: Ending War Through Killing

"Retreat!"

There was no doubt, the two of them immediately reached a consensus, retreat!

They didn't want to end up like that Knight Commander, crushed into a pulp!

After all, their goal was merely to provoke a Level 80 war here, not to truly fight to the death.

At that moment, a Strongest appeared to stop them, and if they weren't sensible, they were certainly doomed.

And upon hearing the order to retreat, those guild warriors and knight order soldiers felt like they had received a special pardon, exceptionally excited!

Leaving aside other things, that terrifyingly powerful ally was simply their savior!

Without his intervention, each one of them, regardless, would be nothing but pawns sacrificed on the battlefield—a means to incite war.

This senior who stood up against injustice could be said to be their lifesaver.

"Let's go!"

"Quickly retreat, lest we anger that senior."

"Grateful for the lifesaving grace, senior!"

At this moment, those soldiers were full of gratitude towards 'Sikong Ming'.

As for the Knight Commander who was crushed...

"You all, come over here and take this... uh, take the valiant sacrificed Knight Commander back!"

The burly man took a glance at the pile of blood-soaked scrap iron on the ground, feeling extremely fortunate.

Thankfully, there was this fool to be the first bird.

Otherwise, it might have been him who died.

Evidently, the other side was only killing to establish dominance; as for who died, it didn't matter to them in the slightest.

And this Knight Commander, thinking himself gallant, had stepped out only to be directly chosen by the other side.

Simply put, deserved death!

Two people stepped out from the crowd, lifting this mass of twisted flesh and armor, entangled beyond separation.

And the entire team retreated in the direction from which they came.

Clearly, between strictly executing orders and their own lives, they all chose the latter.

As for the now pile-like Knight Commander...

Everyone will remember your good deeds.

...

In the sky, several crows hovered, seemingly seeing the team off.

And beneath the ruins of a broken wall, Lin Ye looked in the direction those guys retreated.

"These two people were sensible, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome." Lin Ye muttered.

At this moment, a shadow stood beside him.

Lin Ye snapped his fingers, and the shadow directly merged into the ground, fusing with the ground beneath Lin Ye's feet, becoming Lin Ye's shadow.

The 'Sikong Ming' who appeared in the air and crushed the Level 80 Knight Commander of the Divine Hall Knight Order with one hand, was merely Lin Ye's shadow doppelganger.

As Lin Ye's shadow, when Lin Ye used the Rule Coin to gain the ability to ignore Level Suppression, he naturally could enjoy the same rule.

And the shadow, with attributes completely identical to Lin Ye's, in the absence of rule suppression, was certainly much stronger in terms of values than ordinary Level 80 powerhouses.

Using the abilities of a Space Mage, casually crushing a Level 80 powerhouse was a breeze.

As for why the Knight Commander was chosen...

It was naturally because this guy exuded an air of self-righteousness.

If any of the other two had been killed, or even both, there's no guarantee that the foolish Knight Commander wouldn't refuse to leave.

Based on Lin Ye's understanding of church personnel, fools marinated in the arrogance of the Church Court could certainly do such things.

So Lin Ye did not need to consider; the one to kill could only be this guy.

After all, in this kind of scenario, wanting to kill to establish dominance should target those who don't know when to advance or retreat for it to be effective.

This way, other wise ones will know whether to advance or retreat.

If you kill a wise one, a fool might even think you're scared of him and didn't dare to attack him.

As for leaving those two Level 80s alive, naturally from their perspective, it could more effectively allow people to evaluate 'Sikong Ming's level.

Simply having those small soldiers run back was meaningless!

Having done all these, Lin Ye exhaled a breath of relief.

If even killing a Knight Commander wasn't enough for the Church Court to know when to stop, then indeed, the Church Court's time was up.

"Go back, get some sleep, and then talk."

Lin Ye stretched, having been on the run for days, it was truly time to rest.

...

The next day, the outskirts of Shenzhen were filled with news of a great victory, large numbers of demons had retreated, and humanity's stronghold had temporarily stabilized.

And another piece of news spread through some channels.

These rumors did not reach the general public but were widely known in some small circles.

For instance, Lin Ye received the news immediately.

"Lin Ye, there's urgent business requiring you at the center, do you have time?"

Lin Ye received a letter from Chen Daosheng early in the morning.

"Yes, I'll head over now."

At that moment, Lin Ye had just woken up not long ago.

As for why Chen Daosheng was looking for him, Lin Ye didn't even need to guess.

It was evidently about the appearance of 'Sikong Ming' that he was coming to find Lin Ye.

Because logically, Lin Ye should have been the last one to contact Sikong Ming.

It was Lin Ye who delivered Sikong Ming's relics to the alliance officials at that time.

Now with the reappearance of Sikong Ming, naturally, Lin Ye would be the first to be approached.

But since Lin Ye managed to orchestrate all this, naturally he had no fear of being questioned...

After all, no one would ever suspect him of this matter.

How could he, a Holy Light System Professional, possibly possess such Space System means?

And by using the name 'Sikong Ming', it could further divert suspicion away from Lin Ye.

Even if Lin Ye himself would be drawn into this...

But even so, no one would ever imagine that Sikong Ming was actually Lin Ye in disguise.

Having prepared himself, Lin Ye went to the Professional Center.

Under the guidance of the staff, Lin Ye arrived at a secret meeting room.

In attendance, besides Chen Daosheng, there were others present.

Yan Xun and Marshal Gu, who had rushed back to Shenzhen, represented the Professional Alliance.

There were also those from the Church Court and Mad God Guild.

Even Bishop Qin Lu was present, sitting beside him was a middle-aged man with a stern expression.

And standing behind him were the two surviving Level 80 powerhouses from the Mad God Guild.

Lin Ye glanced at the middle-aged man briefly, recognizing the guy…

Mad God Guild's Vice President, Ding Hongsheng.

As to why they were there, it wasn't difficult to guess; it was definitely because of last night's events.

These people in attendance, Chen Daosheng had already informed Lin Ye of them on the way.

So when Lin Ye saw these individuals in the meeting room, he appeared calm, without the slightest loss of composure.

"You must be Lin Ye? Not bad, truly a heroic figure." Ding Hongsheng's eyes showed approval.

Among those present, each one was a renowned figure.

For a young person like Lin Ye to remain so calm under such pressure was indeed quite remarkable.

Alas, today he was merely accompanying an important client...

Otherwise, he would have preferred not to sit here.

But since he was here, naturally he had to understand what exactly had happened last night, leading to the loss of a noble Knight Commander for his esteemed client at his side.

Chapter 238 - 238: The Fearless Youth Infuriates Qin Lu

"Lin Ye, come over here!"

Yan Xun waved at Lin Ye, indicating for him to sit by his side.

The head of the Southern Alliance Headquarters inviting a young man to sit beside him shows just how much importance he places on this young person.

It's important to know that most city lords or center leaders don't even have the qualifications to sit next to Yan Xun when it comes to level.

Even Gu Shuai, the overall head of the Professional Center in a major settlement like Shenzhen, is under Yan Xun's jurisdiction.

Lin Ye nodded at Yan Xun, walked over quickly, pulled out a chair, and sat down in one fluid motion without showing any sign of fear.

Once Lin Ye sat down, the atmosphere of the scene returned to an eerie coolness.

Evidently, the communication between Gu Shuai and Qin Lu's side before Lin Ye's arrival was far from pleasant; otherwise, the atmosphere wouldn't be so serious.

"You know why we called you, right?" Qin Lu asked, his sinister gaze fixed on Lin Ye.

Evidently, he was trying to use his Fourth-Turn Professional aura to oppress Lin Ye.

Hoping to break Lin Ye's psychological defenses.

However, Lin Ye didn't look at Qin Lu even once and instead turned his gaze towards Gu Shuai.

Gu Shuai immediately understood, knocked on the table, and said, "Bishop Qin, we called Lin Ye here not for you to interrogate him like a criminal, but because we also want to understand what exactly happened last night. Please be mindful."

"Hmph!"

Qin Lu snorted coldly and withdrew his oppressive aura.

"So, young Lin Ye, can you tell us everything that happened on the Champion Battlefield at that time?" Ding Hongsheng, next to Qin Lu, spoke.

As the Vice President of the Mad God Guild, his strength was considerable, having reached Level 90.

He hadn't undergone the Fourth Transition, remaining at Third Transition.

Yet, no one dared underestimate him…

A Level 90 Professional in human society is rare, possibly one in a hundred thousand.

He is an absolute pinnacle existence.

As for Qin Lu, although he's already Fourth Transition, his level is merely 90, and given his age, he is likely to start degrading soon.

Compared to Ding Hongsheng, who is still in his prime, Qin Lu, with his aging and Fourth Transition status, will experience more severe degradation.

After all, the higher the Professional's level and transformation count, the greater the impact of degradation.

An aged hundred-level powerhouse, once degradation begins, could potentially drop ten levels in a year at the rule level!

Even if he seems to be at hundred-level, he might realistically be less than level 10.

Lin Ye was certain that Qin Lu didn't have many years left.

Because in Lin Ye's previous life entering the Church Court, Qin Lu had long since stepped down, so Lin Ye didn't know much about Qin Lu.

"Vice President Ding, everything that occurred back then, to my knowledge, has already been reported to the Alliance; you can check the report," Lin Ye replied with neither humility nor arrogance.

Ding Hongsheng maintained his smile, saying, "But now some discrepancies have surfaced in your report; otherwise, we wouldn't have sought you for clarification."

Pausing, he added, "Of course, we're not doubting you; rather, we're concerned you might have misremembered something, correct?"

This guy spoke carefully; though he was indeed questioning Lin Ye between the lines, he left no room for critique.

"So, what exactly is it?" Lin Ye asked, puzzled.

As the instigator, Lin Ye's mind was perfectly clear, but so what?

"Why don't you explain what happened last night?" Ding Hongsheng turned to the two people behind him.

These two were the direct witnesses to all that transpired last night, the two Mad God Guild executives Lin Ye had let go.

The hefty man recounted the events plainly.

All details were thoroughly described, except for the part about Sikong Ming stepping in to kill to prevent a war; other parts were not exaggerated.

He only mentioned that they were marching in the wilderness when attacked by a mysterious person claiming to be "Sikong Ming," resulting in the sacrifice of a Church Court Knight Commander.

As for their marching purpose, that was deliberately left unspoken.

Even though everyone present knew full well what they intended to do then…

If they wouldn't admit it, no one could do anything about it.

After all, not even the Alliance has the power to prevent anyone from exploring the wilderness.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many adventurers active outside the settlement areas.

"Sikong Ming, senior?"

Lin Ye muttered in apparent disbelief.

Throughout the entire process, his expressions evolved, going from nonchalant to gradually realizing the oddity, and then to confusion and shock; he demonstrated every expected emotion impeccably.

"It's impossible; senior Sikong Ming already perished on the battlefield…" he continued to mutter.

Meanwhile, Ding Hongsheng watched Lin Ye's performance with a constant squinting smile.

"Is he really dead?" Qin Lu pressed on, unwilling to admit defeat.

"Or what? Are you afraid of him?" Lin Ye looked up, asking perplexedly.

"What did you say?" Qin Lu stood up abruptly, glaring at Lin Ye.

Clearly, he was enraged and embarrassed, having his hidden fear exposed by Lin Ye.

"Bishop Qin, mind the occasion," Yan Xun reminded again.

"Seems someone is masquerading under the name of senior Sikong Ming for malevolent acts…" Ding Hongsheng stood up and whispered a few words to Qin Lu.

After that, Qin Lu snorted coldly, shot a deep glance at Lin Ye, then turned and left.

As for Ding Hongsheng, he gestured to the others, saying, "City Lord Yan, President Gu, and young friend Lin Ye, this matter ends here; we shall take our leave now."

"Take care," Gu Shuai said, neither warmly nor coldly.

Yan Xun didn't even glance at Ding Hongsheng; the Mad God Guild may wear the label of the first guild, but assisting the Church Court in such fruitless affairs truly deserves disdain.

Ding Hongsheng didn't get angry at the Alliance members' reactions; instead, he turned and quickly caught up with Qin Lu, leaving the office.

"Way to go, Lin Ye! You really infuriated that old red-robed mutt!"

Gu Shuai said, relishing the situation without care.

Given his and Yan Xun's positions, it wasn't quite suitable for them to make such remarks.

After all, they are high-ranking officials of the Alliance, and the open and secret struggle between the Alliance and the Church Court isn't a secret, but they won't tear each other apart openly.

Yet Lin Ye isn't part of the Alliance and is merely a young fledgling…

With Lin Ye's status, making an 'innocent' remark to rebuke a Great Pope, what's the harm?

Would a Great Bishop actually get angry with a youngster?

If word got out, it'd be quite embarrassing.

But they obviously had their own doubts too…

How had Sikong Ming resurrected after death?

According to Lin Ye's previous report, Sikong Ming should have long since fallen; how could he appear in this world again?

But if not Sikong Ming, then it's hard to explain who killed the Church Court's Knight Commander last night and prevented the war from escalating…

After all, if it were a Space Mage, only that individual could possess such profound and elusive power.

Chapter 239 - 239: The True Whereabouts of Senior Sikong Ming?

"It's a pity that those two high-ranking members of the Mad God Guild didn't die last night."

Marshal Gu leaned against the back of the chair, speaking with some regret.

Given that the Mad God Guild is the kind of guild that would abandon anything for money, it's no wonder Marshal Gu looked down on them.

Although those two from the Mad God Guild didn't explain why they showed up there, everyone actually knew the truth.

They had simply accepted a commission from the Church Court to escalate the battle to Level 80.

Generally, if a Demon God wants to send demons into the Human World, using an Anomalous Spatial Rift is undoubtedly the simplest and most efficient method.

However, demons that descend through this channel cannot exceed the level of the Alternate Space.

According to last night's situation, since the Level 80 Painful Maze had already been closed by Lin Ye, the highest level Alternate Space remaining nearby was only Level 50.

Thus, the demons that could descend to the Human World in that area could only be Level 50 at most.

Of course, if the human side actively provokes a high-level battle, then the Demon God can use a new method to send down higher-level demons.

As long as the scale of the battle between humans and demons reaches a certain level, it will cause the surrounding space to produce a wave similar to an Alternate Space.

If, at this time, there is a human strong enough to surpass the level of the surrounding Alternate Space,

then this wave would raise the level of the surrounding space to match that of the strong individual...

This way, the Demon God can again send down demons matching that level.

It's true that Qin Lu's intentions were indeed sinister, deliberately provoking the battlefield's level to ensure that the Alliance does not control that area.

This old dog, relying on the Alliance's wariness of those old undying figures in the Holy Core, didn't even consider the consequences of his actions.

"So Lin Ye, what you just said, was it all true?"

At this moment, Yan Xun asked Lin Ye.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye was actually already prepared. He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Actually, the mysterious strong figure who appeared last night could very well be Elder Sikong Ming!"

This revelation invigorated both Yan Xun and Marshal Gu!

An Alternate Space Mage who might have reached the Ultimate Strong Level...

And a character who had been declared dead a century ago.

This matter was truly unbelievable.

But anyway, from the manner of his intervention this time, this 'Elder Sikong Ming', although appearing quite mysteriously, seemed to side with the Alliance.

At least in this incident, this elder indeed did something beneficial for all of humanity.

Otherwise, if the Church Court's conspiracy succeeded, who knows how much the Alliance would have to sacrifice to stabilize the situation again.

"Why do you have such a judgment? Could it be that the relics you handed to the Alliance weren't Elder Sikong Ming's?"

Marshal Gu also pursued the question.

It should be known that Lin Ye had given Elder Sikong Ming's relics to him to ensure a proper burial.

Yet now Lin Ye was saying this.

What were those relics back then?

"Those were indeed Elder Sikong Ming's relics..." Lin Ye did not deny it.

But it left Marshal Gu feeling a bit confused...

"Don't rush. Let Lin Ye speak!" Yan Xun restrained the eager Marshal Gu.

"Actually, it was Elder Sikong Ming who asked me to take his relics for burial. You all should know that at that time he had already been turned into an undead creature by the Celestial Calamity Demon God..."

Lin Ye said.

This revelation suddenly made Marshal Gu and Yan Xun see the light.

They clearly had preconceived notions!

"I see, Elder Sikong faked his death to get rid of the Celestial Calamity Demon God's control!" Marshal Gu shook his big head, reaching the conclusion.

"It's very likely!" Yan Xun nodded repeatedly.

As for how Sikong Ming did it, that was not something either of them could handle.

After all, how could the methods of such an old-generation strong figure be imagined by youngsters like them?

Moreover, they were still far from matching the strength Sikong Ming had when he disappeared a century ago...

According to records, Sikong Ming at that time was not at the Ultimate Realm yet, but he could contend with some Demon Gods and hold his ground.

Isn't it normal for such a strong character to have many tricks up his sleeve?

Even younger individuals like Lin Ye, with countless means, frequently do things that amaze others, right?

"This means that Elder Sikong probably hasn't reached the level of the Strongest yet; he just couldn't bear not to warn Qin Lu." Yan Xun further analyzed.

This also explained why Sikong Ming didn't directly kill Qin Lu.

Since Sikong Ming wasn't truly the strongest, he was also wary of those old figures in the Holy Core.

Therefore, he only killed a non-threatening Knight Commander to stop Qin Lu's insane actions.

Everything made perfect sense!

Lin Ye watched as the two deduced all these details, unable to help but give them a thumbs up internally.

Well done!

This storyline they concocted wasn't too far from what he had come up with in the first place.

In fact, because it was self-concocted, even if there were some illogical parts, they would find ways to perfect their ideas.

Lin Ye didn't need to guide them any further; both Marshal Gu and Yan Xun were already enthusiastically caught up in their own narrative.

"Can I leave now?" Lin Ye asked.

"Oh, oh, oh! Almost forgot you were still here." Marshal Gu looked at Lin Ye, apologetically.

"Alright then, that's all for today. I need to rush back to make a report, so excuse me!" Yan Xun stood up directly, eager to report the good news of another quasi-ultimate strong figure for humanity.

He wouldn't have taken the time to come today if he hadn't been worried about Lin Ye being overshadowed by Qin Lu.

After all, Marshal Gu was still a notch below Qin Lu in level.

As it turned out, he was overthinking it; Lin Ye wasn't intimidated by Qin Lu at all, and even cheekily provoked Qin Lu to the brink of explosion.

"Then I'll take my leave as well. I haven't been able to level up during this time and I'm falling behind." Lin Ye also stood up.

Both Yan Xun and Marshal Gu were speechless as they looked at Lin Ye.

This guy still thinks his leveling is slow?

The majority of those who started when he did are nowhere near Level 20, while he's already at Level 30 Second-Turn.

Who could possibly keep up with such a prodigy?

Lin Ye was indeed eager to level up...

His Healer class was indeed at Second Transformation, but the Space Mage class wasn't yet!

He had to complete the second transformation of this class quickly, didn't he?

Chapter 240 - 240: Gongsun's King's Game

Space Mage is a profession that can only advance to a second-transitional version of itself, meaning that after a second transformation, a Space Mage is still a Space Mage, just prefixed with 'Second-Turn' for distinction.

This is similar to most Professionals, who can only become Second-Turn Warriors, Second-Turn Mages, and so on. Those who manage to advance to a rare Second-Transitional Profession are few and far between.

And like Lin Ye's Healer profession turning into a Holy Flame Priest for the second transformation, such a top-class profession is a unique existence in the entire world.

However, though both are original profession advancements, there is a significant difference.

Because others see better career paths but are unable to transition due to inadequate strength, they're left to do a second transformation in their original profession.

Whereas Space Mage is already a top-class path in the mage category, any other second-transitional rare profession is not even close in comparison.

So at least as a Space Mage, Lin Ye doesn't need to choose another career path for a second transformation, which fundamentally distinguishes him from those who can only advance within their profession.

Leaving the Professional Center, Lin Ye, wearing a mask, quickly blended into the bustling crowd.

It must be said, Shenzhen lives up to being a first-tier settlement, with the Professional Plaza greatly surpassing the fourth-tier settlement, Shan City.

Whether considering the size of the plaza or the professionals walking around, both quantity and quality are overwhelmingly superior to Shan City.

Thanks to the True Sight talent enhancement by Demon Eye, Lin Ye could casually scan and clearly see basic information such as names, professions, and levels of the people around him.

This was a stark contrast to Shan City, where it was common to see only Level 10-20s around, with Level 30s being rare, Level 40s hard to find, and Level 50s virtually nonexistent.

Here on the plaza, Level 30s and Level 40s were everywhere.

As for those Level 50 and above, they gathered in small groups.

There were even some Level 60 professionals walking among the crowd.

Lin Ye even saw one or two Level 70 experts...

Such Third-Turn Professionals, in Shan City, would be rulers of their domain, but in Shenzhen, they were just one of the masses.

Although their proportion remained rare among the crowd, they weren't the unreachable figures they were in Shan City, where ordinary people might never encounter one in a lifetime.

"Eh..."

Lin Ye spotted several familiar names among the crowd.

"It's Hook and the others."

Lin Ye instantly recognized those familiar names.

It was Hook, Zhao Xue Ming, and Li Feng, three friends with whom Lin Ye had completed several beginner Secret Realm runs back in Shan City.

Hook's brother was even Lin Ye's first guinea pig for testing the Holy Healing Technique.

That test triggered the phenomenon of 'Feathered Rebirth,' causing many to revere Lin Ye as the Child of Holy Light.

Seeing those three present, Lin Ye wasn't surprised.

It was quite ordinary, as they probably just reported to a university in Shenzhen this academic year.

Showing up in the Professional Plaza of Shenzhen wasn't odd either.

Naturally, Lin Ye had no intention of going over to greet them since the gap between them was immense now.

Even if Lin Ye wanted to gather a team to qualify for Secret Realm openings, he wouldn't consider someone like Hook and the others...

Their level was too low; a slight disturbance could easily take them out.

Having to clear Secret Realms and babysit was simply not worth it.

Thus, the three of them walked past Lin Ye, chatting and laughing, without realizing the person in front of them was Lin Ye.

As they brushed past, Lin Ye caught a bit of their conversation.

"The senior said Mr. Gongsun's new game offers lots of experience points. Why don't we give it a try?"

"Are we high enough level?"

"Apparently, the game makes levels irrelevant since the rules don't allow participants to act; it's all about leading forces."

"That sounds fun. If the rewards are good, we might as well try it."

Chatting, they passed Lin Ye by without even noticing he was right beside them.

Lin Ye sharply caught the essence of Hook and the others' conversation.

"Gongsun's new game?"

Lin Ye furrowed his brow, wondering if that guy was restless and seeking entertainment again?

Nevertheless, Lin Ye remained calm since he already obtained a Supreme Treasure from Gongsun's previous game and wasn't too intrigued by this 'new game.'

But now he noticed that from the lowest Level 10-20s to the Level 60-70s around him, everyone seemed to be discussing Gongsun's new game.

The span was indeed exaggerated.

This was equivalent to leaping straight from First Transformation to Third Transformation.

Clearly, Gongsun's new game had some heat...

The more this happened, the more suspicious Lin Ye grew.

Lin Ye ignored the game-related discussions as he walked through the crowd.

His primary task was to advance his Space Mage profession to a second transformation as quickly as possible, allowing both his professions to progress steadily and together.

Besides, delaying the Space Mage's second transformation was a waste of Lin Ye's 50% experience value.

However, just as Lin Ye planned to find a team for the Secret Realm, he suddenly had a feeling, looked up, and gazed ahead.

In the crowd was a young man in a formal suit, smiling and tipping his hat elegantly towards Lin Ye.

Lin Ye squinted his eyes and immediately recognized the man's identity.

"Truly relentless."

Lin Ye muttered a low curse and turned to leave.

He could now confirm that Gongsun's new game was specifically aimed at him.

The more it seemed this way, the less likely Lin Ye would respond to Gongsun's antics!

What's the matter now? Because he made off with a Supreme Treasure right in front of him?

Would he so clingingly persist?

Seeing Lin Ye react this way, Gongsun wasn't annoyed. Instead, he casually caught up with Lin Ye's pace.

"Do you really dislike me so much?"

Lin Ye did not respond, only quickened his steps.

"So cautious, aren't we…" Gongsun smiled, following Lin Ye at a leisurely pace.

Lin Ye remained silent.

"Alright, you win. How about this: if you play my new game, I promise to help you devise a rule unconditionally, at any time!" Gongsun said.

Lin Ye finally halted, looking at Gongsun in doubt.

"Are you serious?"

This offer genuinely tempted him.

No matter the danger, it correlates with the reward.

And this time, Gongsun's offer was one Lin Ye couldn't ignore.

Chapter 241 - 241: The Special Use of the Relic

This guy Gongsun's true form is the Rule Demon God, which is not really a secret among the Professionals.

Perhaps the lower-level Professionals don't know about this, but the vast majority of the higher-ups are aware of such a thing.

As the Rule Demon God, his specialty is naturally setting rules.

It can be said that Gongsun may look harmless, but in reality, he is the most difficult type of Demon God to deal with.

Just the ability to set rules alone is basically unbeatable.

Of course, his rule-setting is not entirely without limits.

It requires consuming Origin Power.

For a Demon God, this is an extremely precious resource, and generally, they wouldn't use it casually.

At this moment, Gongsun, in order to get Lin Ye to play his new game, did not hesitate to agree to help Lin Ye set a rule.

To some Professionals and even Demon Gods, this is practically like a 'wish'.

On a certain level, this guy Gongsun is indeed like a low-budget version of a 'Divine Dragon' or 'Divine Lamp'.

"What are the conditions?" Lin Ye asked straightforwardly.

He was well aware that such benefits would never come without strings attached, otherwise, Lin Ye could just make a rule and get Gongsun killed on the spot, wouldn't Gongsun be shooting himself in the foot?

So naturally, there had to be conditions.

"Hehe..."

Gongsun laughed, knowing this temptation was something no one could resist.

To set rules is the symbol of power!

And power is something that many people dream of...

As the Rule Demon God, Gongsun understood perfectly well how much allure this promise held for humanity and most Demon Gods.

"If you won't say, then forget it."

Lin Ye was straightforward too, directly turning to leave.

"So impatient!" Gongsun shook his head, then said: "There's only one condition, which is not to consume more than ten units of Origin Power, that's all."

"Ten units of Origin Power..."

Lin Ye's eyes rolled; this condition was reasonable enough.

After all, no matter how strong Gongsun was, he couldn't just conjure rules out of thin air. In this world, nothing comes from nothing.

"Let me first understand what your new game is about before we talk." Lin Ye said again.

He still didn't know what Gongsun's new game was all about.

If it were extremely targeted against him, even if Gongsun's offer was high, Lin Ye would certainly not take the bait.

"Feel free, but my offer has a time limit. If you don't agree within ten minutes, then forget it," Gongsun said confidently.

Evidently, he was certain Lin Ye wouldn't refuse this deal.

Lin Ye ignored Gongsun and accepted a set of rule explanations handed over by Gongsun.

The more he read, the more puzzled Lin Ye became.

The game seemed quite ordinary, as if there was no particular intention behind it.

"At the start, you need to wager an artifact? If you lose, the item goes to the game master, but if you win, you get an equivalent reward?"

Lin Ye looked at Gongsun and asked, "Are you trying to get back the Rule Coin?"

"What? Am I not allowed to want my own item back?" Gongsun said with resentment, "That coin was condensed at the cost of thirty units of Origin Power..."

Hearing this, Lin Ye couldn't help but be a little astonished.

Some Low-Level Demon Gods probably don't have even a handful of Origin Power.

And a single Supreme Treasure of Gongsun already required thirty units of Origin Power...

This is truly astonishing.

However, the effect of the Rule Coin indeed lived up to such a price.

After all, wielding the Rule Coin was like being a mini 'Rule Demon God'.

Lin Ye used this coin to accomplish many things at his current Level that he shouldn't have been able to.

Of course, Lin Ye naturally did not believe that the motive of Gongsun was so simple.

"I don't mind playing your new game, but if you cheat, you must immediately return to the Abyssal Origin, agreed?" Lin Ye said again.

For a Demon God, returning to the Abyssal Origin means complete death.

It's like having their soul dissipated, completely vanishing from this world, with no chance of revival.

Even if another Rule Demon God emerges in the Abyss later, it would not be the current Gongsun; the new and old Demon Gods would be entirely different.

"No problem, I can limit myself with a rule, hehe..."

Gongsun laughed, agreeing directly.

Setting a rule to limit himself consumes almost no Origin Power, so it didn't matter to him even if he agreed to Lin Ye's condition.

Besides, how could he possibly cheat during the ongoing game?

That would ruin his own reputation!

He still hoped to find entertainment in the Human World and wouldn't do anything to cut off his own escape route.

Of course, the main thing is that his game, in a certain sense, is also being monitored by the Professional Alliance. If he messes around, he'll inevitably get noticed by their people.

Even though he's not afraid, being watched by the Strongest is ultimately a hassle.

Of course, he was already punished for the things he did before the game.

"So, are you willing to participate in my King's Game?" Gongsun said with a smile on his face.

Lin Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.

To be honest, he happened to have an item that could absolutely dominate the game...

He knew that Gongsun really didn't have any good intentions, but within the rules, Lin Ye had no fear of him.

If Gongsun knew what Lin Ye had in his hands, he might have already begun to regret creating this game.

But regret is useless, as the Rule Demon God, he can ignore all external Damage from the world, but he cannot ignore Damage from breaking his own rules.

A fun-loving person like Gongsun can only enjoy watching others but is most afraid of becoming the entertainment himself, especially the great fun of dying, which is absolutely unacceptable.

To put it simply, he is extremely careful with his life.

"Enough talk, I use the Rule Coin as collateral to participate in your game. If I win, besides providing equivalent artifacts, you must also grant me one 'rule'!"

Lin Ye stared directly at Gongsun.

"Sure! I've been waiting for this. The agreement will automatically take effect once you accept it." Gongsun handed over a contract.

Lin Ye reviewed it carefully, confirmed there were no tricks from Gongsun, and then agreed to the terms.

"Perfect! Enjoy the game!"

Gongsun smiled brightly and extended his hand to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye, also smiling, shook hands with Gongsun in a friendly manner.

Summon soldiers with Experience Value and crush competitors in the King's Game...

Do you know I have a heavyweight Relic in my hand?

Lin Ye smiled extremely arrogantly.

Chapter 242 - 242: A Game Wagered With Ancestors

"The agreement is reached, so I won't continue to disturb you," Gongsun said with a smile.

That smile carried a hint of cunning as if a scheme had succeeded.

He was not afraid to let Lin Ye know that in this game, he was fully prepared with a backup plan against Lin Ye.

Indeed, he knew clearly that Lin Ye would inevitably discover his intentions.

If not, Lin Ye wouldn't have turned his head and walked away upon seeing him at first; obviously, he knew this new game harbored ill intentions.

But so what?

As the saying goes, as long as the price is right, a merchant would even sell the rope meant to hang them.

This truth is understandable to most people.

As long as the price or cost reaches a certain extent, few can resist the temptation.

Gongsun thought that the 'price' he offered could even tempt those at the Strongest Level.

Why wouldn't Lin Ye, a Second-Transitional Professional, be tempted?

Even if he knew very well that there was a carefully prepared trap ahead, he had to jump in.

Lin Ye saw the undisguised mischief in Gongsun's eyes, along with a hint of hidden contempt.

Yet, his heart remained calm.

After all, an Abyss Demon God, no matter how elegantly he presents himself, cannot change his vulgar nature.

The so-called Demon God is merely a stronger Abyssal Demon; this is their essence!

Seeing Lin Ye's unchanged expression, Gongsun, despite maintaining his smile externally, felt a sense of unease rising within.

This guy seemed overly composed.

It was as if everything was under control...

Gongsun watched Lin Ye turn and leave, but couldn't help feeling puzzled...

"What's giving this guy such confidence?"

He was very confused; Lin Ye's demeanor seemed too composed, almost as if the one setting up the trap wasn't Gongsun, but Lin Ye himself.

This level of confidence truly baffled Gongsun.

But...

"Maybe this guy has some relics in hand," Gongsun chuckled.

According to the rules, any Professional aware of the existence of 'Experience Relics' can see that having relics on hand provides great advantages in the game.

But, knowing this, so what?

Relics are rare and bound upon pickup; you can't buy them even if you want to.

Only those from Noble Families may, through great fortune, find one or two relics in their ancestors' graves.

But this scenario doesn't seem applicable to Lin Ye.

Because obviously, Lin Ye is not a descendant of a Noble Family...

Therefore, even if Lin Ye has relics, they are likely not many.

Combine this with Lin Ye's unbelievably quick leveling speed, and it's easy to deduce that Lin Ye indeed uses relics to level up.

Yet, this also implies that, even if Lin Ye has relics now, there shouldn't be many.

Otherwise, Lin Ye should have used relics to continue leveling after his Second Transformation, rather than remaining at Level 30.

"Anyway, even if you have one or two relics, so what? Gao Lanlan has dozens," Gongsun realized this and his doubts dissipated.

Lin Ye probably couldn't even imagine that someone could have so many relics in possession.

With a smile, Gongsun turned and blended into the throngs of people.

He wanted to find a good spot, lie down, and slowly enjoy this game.

...

Lin Ye naturally had his own foundation.

Relics, such items, are among the few resources the Abyss doesn't produce but that Professionals can use.

The Level 80 Orange Quality relic in Lin Ye's possession was virtually the pinnacle among relics.

Beyond this, the next would be Level 90 relics...

However, while theoretically possible, finding such relics is practically impossible.

Because in human history, the total number of Professionals above Level 90 falls far short by at least three orders of magnitude compared to the generation probability denominator for such relics...

It's widely known that Experience Relics are formed from the bones of deceased Professionals.

In other words, even if all current Professionals above Level 90 died, a single Level 90 relic likely wouldn't be produced.

If Gongsun truly acquired a Level 90 relic, Lin Ye would accept defeat.

As for Lin Ye's Level 80 relic now, historically, only a handful, less than three, have been recorded.

Facing this absolute numerical advantage, how could Lin Ye not take on Gongsun in this bet?

A Demon God's Supreme Treasure coupled with one 'rule', such a price was more than enough to take the risk.

"Let's find a place and enter the game."

Lin Ye found a corner and opened his Professional panel.

Soon, he located the entrance to Gongsun's new game.

"King's Game..."

Lin Ye slightly squinted his eyes.

The game had no entry threshold, but anyone who entered couldn't use their abilities, including their equipment, which would be ineffective during the game.

In the game, everyone's level would be disregarded, and players themselves are prohibited from taking direct action.

Thus, everyone virtually starts on the same level playing field.

Everyone initially receives a sum of 'experience value' to recruit troops, then uses their forces to kill monsters or other players' troops to earn more 'experience value'.

This 'experience value' can then be used to recruit more forces...

Until all opponents' forces are completely eliminated.

At the end of this, the remaining experience value is settled back to the player.

While the rules impose no limits on the use of items or objects,

On the battlefield, however, items and objects meant solely for personal use have minimal impact on the fight...

There is, however, one type of item that can play a crucial role in this game.

"I reckon many Noble Family descendants have dug out their ancestors' relics," Lin Ye murmured.

Gongsun crafted this game with immense allure, directly attracting many Professionals.

But it's a winner-takes-all setup; the more you invest, the more you risk losing.

Yet, if you win, you truly become rich!

This kind of game, offering a potential path to turnaround, naturally has lethal allure.

Otherwise, Lin Ye wouldn't have heard people discussing this new game beforehand outside.

Lin Ye was curious about what strategies Gongsun might have prepared for him in the game.

With curiosity, Lin Ye chose to enter the game directly!

Chapter 243 - 243: Massive Experience Value, Frenzied Exchange!

[Before entering the game, please provide a collateral! Note that if you fail the game, you will lose your collateral. If you win, you will receive a reward worth no less than your collateral!]

Seeing this prompt in front of him, Lin Ye immediately submitted the 'Rule Coin'.

This was the wager he had agreed upon with Gongsun. After all, Gongsun's goal with this game was clearly to retrieve this coin.

[Collateral confirmed, entering the game...]

Immediately, Lin Ye's vision blurred, and when things became clear again, he found himself in a woodland.

[Player 'Lin Ye' has entered the game!]

[The game has enough players. The game will start in ten minutes. Please be prepared!]

Then, a message appeared before the players who had already entered the game ahead of him.

In each game round, a total of thirty players compete.

At this moment, Lin Ye happened to be the thirtieth player in this game!

This caused quite a stir among the players...

"Oh shit? It's Lin Ye?"

"Damn, how did I end up facing this kind of opponent?"

"Oh man, what do we do? There's no way to quit now!"

"Seriously? I dug up my ancestor's remains just to win a game, and now... oh, the heavens, why be so harsh on me!"

"Damn it, we're definitely losing this time. My ancestor's grave was dug up for nothing!"

Such reactions appeared among many players in the game.

They were all shocked by this sudden news.

Lin Ye's name had essentially become a symbol, synonymous with being strong, miraculous, and so on.

What fun is there in facing someone like him?

Unfortunately, there was no public chat in the game; otherwise, these players would surely find that this group seemed especially full of 'unfilial descendants' who had dug up their ancestors' graves.

Many entered the game holding relics, all with the same objective: to utilize their relics to their fullest potential.

But now it seems they have miscalculated.

In a corner of the game, Gongsun stood beside a tall woman.

"The game has started. From here on, you must give it your all," Gongsun said to Gao Lanlan.

Gao Lanlan did not respond but immediately started taking action.

There wasn't any time to waste!

She needed to quickly eliminate these people's troops and then locate Lin Ye for a final showdown!

"Heh, you're even more eager than I am..." Gongsun observed Gao Lanlan's urgency with a touch of amusement.

He didn't actually care about human emotions.

To him, it was something meaningless.

Even though his supreme treasure was taken by Lin Ye, he wasn't exactly filled with rage or hatred.

Right now, his desire to retrieve the Rule Coin was simply because of a Demon God's need for Origin Power.

If not for this, he might not even bother with Lin Ye.

After all, even though he suffered a significant loss at the time, in retrospect, from an observer's perspective, it was quite an entertainment.

The mighty Rule Demon God having his Original Supreme Treasure snatched by a mere human—what a spectacle!

Of course, that didn't stop him from wanting to retrieve the Rule Coin now.

Under his observation, relics were taken out one by one, exchanged for experience points...

Finally, all the relics were exchanged.

At this moment, Gao Lanlan chose to convert all these experience points into her soldiers.

Looking at the tens of thousands of soldiers before her, Gao Lanlan's eyes gleamed with the pleasure of revenge and decisiveness...

This time, Lin Ye is surely doomed!

...

[You have gained 100 initial experience points, which can be used to recruit soldiers and more!]

Before the game countdown began, this announcement appeared before everyone.

Including Lin Ye, naturally.

But he merely glanced at it, not paying much attention, continuing to study everything in front of him.

Experience points weren't too much of a problem for him.

"So you can exchange for abilities like an aura..."

Lin Ye murmured to himself.

As a player, Lin Ye was not allowed to get directly involved; he could only lead the soldiers into battle.

As the one controlling the soldiers, players could use experience points to exchange for aura effects to enhance their soldiers.

Of course, an aura costs as much as some advanced soldier types.

"Healing Aura?"

Lin Ye was curious if this aura could trigger his Talent Effect.

"10,000 experience points isn't too expensive."

Lin Ye smiled slightly, taking out a relic.

"My apologies, senior!" Lin Ye apologized, but he didn't extract all the experience points from the relic.

If he extracted them all, it would be like he had directly used the relic for himself.

Since his Space Mage hadn't reached the Second Transformation, clearly, now wasn't the best time to use the relic.

So Lin Ye only extracted a portion of the experience points.

The apology was because each relic was formed from the essence of the Human Race's sages and naturally deserved respect and reverence from later generations.

[You have exchanged 'Healing Aura·Level 1']

[Healing Aura·Level 1: Restores 1% of the Life Value of friendly soldiers per second]

Lin Ye looked at this effect; it seemed decent. While not particularly outstanding in battle, it could help restore the troops' condition during marches after a battle.

This could save a lot of time.

"Level 1 is not quite enough, directly upgrade to Level 3!"

Level 1 had only 1% recovery, but Level 3 had 3% recovery.

Such a recovery rate would be quite effective even in the midst of battle!

However, each level increase required ten times the experience points.

Level 1 was 10,000 experience points, while Level 3 was 1,000,000!

This price was exceedingly high...

After all, this was enough to exchange for a hundred thousand basic soldiers!

However, such a number was just a drop in the bucket for Lin Ye's relic.

An Orange Level 80 relic, using tens of thousands as units for its experience points, was somewhat inadequate.

After obtaining this aura, Lin Ye began selecting troop types.

"Instead of going for quantity, go for quality..."

Lin Ye directly skipped some basic troop types and looked at the advanced ones!

Among troops costing several thousand to tens of thousands of experience points, Lin Ye finally selected his own team!

Chapter 244 - 244: The First Battle, Full Assault!

After some maneuvering, a sizable army finally appeared in front of Lin Ye.

On the ground, ferocious Earth Dragon Knights served as the front line of the charge.

Following them were the backbone, the Demon Pattern Heavy Armor Infantry, with Elf Divine Archers and various Mages providing support from the rear.

In the sky, Dragon Knights and Iron-Winged Divine Eagles, two top-tier soldier types, provided escort.

It could be said that this army was luxurious to the extreme.

"Perfect!"

Lin Ye looked at the army, which numbered only about a thousand, and clapped his hands contentedly.

There may not be many in number, but each was a top-notch elite soldier type!

In battle, one could stand in for hundreds of low-level soldier types, and while their numbers might be fewer, the actual combat power was anything but lacking.

"Has it already been half an hour?"

Lin Ye glanced at the game's duration and didn't expect that just picking soldier types had taken him half an hour.

There was no other way since before entering the game, he had no understanding about these soldier types at all.

Therefore, while selecting soldier types, he did spend some time understanding their Skills and compatibility with each other.

For a complete newbie like Lin Ye, being able to assemble such a seemingly flawless army in half an hour was already impressive.

Many players who have played several times might not be able to do as Lin Ye did.

"Only giving ten minutes preparation time, they really don't consider giving newbies enough time."

Lin Ye couldn't help but snort.

With such a vast variety of soldier types that make one's scalp tingle, it took quite some time to weed out the subpar ones.

Then, within a small pool of relatively high-quality soldier types, making an adequate composition, how could ten minutes ever suffice?

Clearly, Gongsun deliberately set this time constraint.

As for the reason behind it...

It's easy to imagine that the intention was to allow his proxy to quickly mobilize and catch opponents off guard.

After all, as a game planner, it would not be a big issue to pre-emptively provide his proxy with detailed information about various soldier types and even their combinations.

For Gongsun, such actions may not even count as cheating, and any potential punishment would be negligible.

However, he probably never expected that Lin Ye would directly bypass the largest quantity of low-level, intermediate, and even mid- to high-level soldier types, choosing from top-level soldier types to form his army.

Although it's true that even among top-level soldier types, there are still quite a few duds.

But those are only considered subpar within the context of top-level types; against other levels, top-level types still possess near-unparalleled combat power.

That is precisely why Lin Ye only considered top-tier soldier types.

Because this approach could achieve his goals directly and avoid many detours.

Of course, Lin Ye also exchanged for many small units for scouting purposes, similar to the Mechanical Puppets he often used.

Since using the Puppets equates to using personal Talent, Lin Ye couldn't deploy his Mechanical creatures and had to exchange for some scouting soldier types instead.

Naturally, for the sake of secrecy, he couldn't reveal his ability to use Mechanical Puppets within Gongsun's game.

After all, for someone of the Holy Light Profession to have a Mechanical Puppet Control Talent is as unrelated as cattle and horses, quite eight poles apart.

Even if he were exposed, no one would be able to fathom how Lin Ye managed it.

But he still wanted to avoid such a scenario as much as possible.

Fortunately, the game provided scout soldier types, which operated similarly to Puppet Crows, making them quite convenient to use.

They just had no combat power, and with the pricing for mid- to high-level soldier types, most players would balk at investing too many resources into such units, especially in the early stages, even more so.

However, such a small cost posed no issue at all for Lin Ye.

"Starting a battle as a blind bat, how could you not exchange for some scouts?" Lin Ye quipped.

Lin Ye felt the resource allocation on this soldier type was worth it.

After all, with scouting in place, one can prepare in advance for combat or, if facing unfavorable odds, retreat immediately.

Especially for Lin Ye, once he acquired the Mechanical Puppet Control Talent, he had become accustomed to the convenience of a full-field view.

It gave a feeling of overlooking the battlefield, like playing a real-time strategy game.

In this perspective, such gameplay was really convenient.

With the assistance of the numerous Gale Falcons used for scouting, Lin Ye quickly discovered a bandit outpost in the southeast of his position.

Such an outpost was meant for players entering the game to farm Experience Value.

After all, players need Experience Value to summon soldier types, and relying merely on the initial Experience Value given is far from sufficient.

So, at the start of the game, players must quickly clear wild monsters and various outposts to acquire enough Experience Value for army building.

Otherwise, they would fall significantly behind in troop strength, unable to keep up with the opponent's progress, being left far behind.

As for Lin Ye...

Even if you clear all the wild monsters and outposts in the entire map, you probably wouldn't have more Experience Value than what Lin Ye currently holds.

So, from another perspective, Lin Ye didn't really need to farm monsters and outposts but instead focused on chasing opponents across the map.

Clearing this bandit outpost was just Lin Ye wanting to test the power of his army.

Happily, this bandit outpost wasn't far, so what reason did Lin Ye have to hold back?

Just flatten it!

Under Lin Ye's command, the entire army advanced towards the bandit outpost.

If other players saw this, they would be utterly speechless.

These bandits, whose combat power was equivalent to the most basic soldier types, numbered less than thirty in total in the outpost, meant for players to find some confidence at the game's start.

Using an army entirely made up of top-tier soldier types to attack?

Isn't that somewhat crazy?

A torrent swept through, almost completely flattening the outpost.

Lin Ye looked at his army, which suffered no losses, and felt a bit regretful...

If he had known, he would have only dispatched a few troops to besiege the outpost.

Only then could he clearly discern the specific combat power of these soldier types.

Just then, Lin Ye received a warning from a Gale Falcon that an army was approaching from ahead.

Chapter 245 - 245: Just How Many Ancestors Did He Sacrifice?

Lin Ye saw this army, and felt nothing in his heart.

The total number was nearly a thousand, and among them were many mid- to high-level soldier types. From the perspective of other players, this person's army, at the current game progress, was already an invincible existence.

"Is this another pay-to-win player?" Lin Ye muttered.

In less than an hour since the game started, gathering an army of this scale was impossible with just the initial experience value and monster grinding.

Unless, he gambled everything.

And evidently, this person had indeed gambled his ancestor's relic to win this game.

In normal circumstances, such a player would easily sweep through battles.

But unfortunately, his luck was truly bad as he had encountered Lin Ye.

You could say Lin Ye's presence destined that, in this game, almost no one else had a chance of winning.

Lin Ye excitedly commanded his troops to charge toward that player!

An army of this scale was at least good enough for a warm-up for his troops.

...

In the distance, a rather handsome young man rode on a tall horse, leading his army as they traversed the forest.

"We must find Lin Ye quickly, and we absolutely cannot let him develop further."

He muttered impatiently.

He knew he had spent a lot of effort convincing his grandfather to dig up a certain ancestor's grave to obtain this extraordinarily precious relic.

A level 50 relic was already a very rare treasure.

Unfortunately, those level 70 or 80 powerhouses from their ancestry didn't leave any relics.

Originally, he thought he could dominate the game with this relic in hand.

But he didn't expect to encounter Lin Ye.

He was fully confident he could win in the game, but now he only had a fifty percent chance.

Because he didn't know if Lin Ye had a relic.

If he did, then he knew clearly he had no chance of winning…

If Lin Ye didn't have a relic, then as long as he found Lin Ye quickly and defeated him before his army grew strong, he could still win.

After all, in this game, players themselves were not allowed to fight.

So, even with Lin Ye's numerous tactics, without a relic and time to develop his troops, it was simply unrealistic to defeat an army of over a thousand.

The key was whether Lin Ye had a relic.

This was why his chance of winning was only fifty percent…

To find Lin Ye's whereabouts quickly, he even spent a large amount of resources to trade for a Gale Falcon, which had no combat ability and could only be used for reconnaissance.

This was equivalent to the price of an intermediate-level soldier type.

But at this moment, he suddenly looked up at the sky with a shocked expression on his face.

Just now, he had lost contact with his Gale Falcon!

"What's going on? This is impossible!"

He was a bit flustered, knowing someone outside the reconnaissance range of the Gale Falcon had shot it down!

If that was the case, it meant the opponent probably had an advanced long-range soldier type!

Because only soldiers of that level possessed such range!

Normal intermediate long-range soldiers couldn't reach the heights of a Gale Falcon, let alone shoot it down from outside its effective reconnaissance range.

Now, he found himself in a dilemma without any reconnaissance position.

"Damn… Which spendthrift could I have encountered?" He couldn't make sense of anyone playing like this.

Advanced soldier types, strictly speaking, had a really low cost-effectiveness ratio.

Unless they formed a certain scale, they couldn't compare to a well-coordinated mix of low to intermediate soldier types in terms of overall combat power.

He was quite unsure.

Should he confront them or retreat immediately?

After much consideration, he finally decided to hold his position and brace for defense!

Since he didn't know which way to run, if he bumped into the enemy head-on, he could at least prepare slightly.

But if the enemy chased him from behind, it would be embarrassing then.

The most crucial thing was that the opponent might have already fully tracked his movements.

The fact they casually shot down his reconnaissance Gale Falcon was enough to show their reconnaissance range was far superior to his.

Because he wasn't even aware there was an enemy around.

Since he didn't know where to escape and might already be in the opponent's view, it was better to fortify his position and prepare for a tough battle!

He didn't believe the army he acquired by sacrificing his ancestor would be so worthless!

Even if the opposing side wanted to take him down, he'd make sure to bite back fiercely.

Or else, wouldn't the ancestral grave have been dug up for nothing?

Also, if the opponent turned out to be a paper tiger, seeing his determined stance, they might not dare to attack.

"Everyone halt, maintain vigilance!"

With no better option, he halted and prepared for a fight to the death.

...

"Not bad, he's got some guts."

From afar, Lin Ye noticed the opponent did not flee in panic but chose to stand his ground and fight, causing Lin Ye to view him in a new light.

This judgment of the situation was quite accurate.

Rather than being pursued during a retreat, it's better to confront the enemy head-on!

Such an opponent deserved Lin Ye's full effort.

"Full army advance, completely crush the target, leave no survivors!" Lin Ye commanded.

...

In the distance, the person stood ready and alert.

If he guessed correctly, the opponent should be arriving soon.

Of course, he hoped the person wouldn't appear!

He knew his movements were entirely monitored by the opponent…

In such a situation, if the opponent dared to come, they must be confident.

Otherwise, they wouldn't show up.

So his biggest wish was for the opponent to back off.

But his hope was destined to be dashed.

His horse, sensing something, shook its head restlessly.

A far-off rumbling sound left him dazed…

That noise, wasn't it too loud?

He finally saw from afar a group of heavy-armored Earth Dragon Knights charging at him.

In the sky, a group of Flying Dragons swooped down.

"Gulp…" He swallowed hard.

This setup…

How many ancestors did the person across sacrifice?

Chapter 246 - 246: Terrifying Combat Power

As the rumbling grew closer, the tremors in the ground gradually intensified.

At this moment, a formidable army, imposing to the point of hopelessness, finally revealed its menacing face.

And as the target of this army, the poor young man's expression was quite remarkable.

With such a scale, there was no hope of victory anymore.

All the initial glimmers of hope had already faded completely when he sensed the opponent's army charging towards him.

Now, all that was left was endless shock.

In less than an hour since the game started, how many Relics did they consume to gather such a terrifying army and exchange them for Experience Value?

Typically, a player is doing quite well if they can support their main force with one or two top-tier units.

These top-tier units, in truth, are more like commanders in this game.

But now, there wasn't a single Low Level unit to be seen in the opponent's army - only top-tier units!

And its scale was even larger than his own mixed army of low, medium, and advanced levels.

Who could possibly stand against such an army?

"Who on earth is this guy?"

The young man felt a twinge of discontent, thinking his defeat seemed a bit unjust.

Yet, as the opponent's army drew nearer, he saw a very famous face.

"Lin... Lin Ye?"

He was stunned.

He just remembered that there was such an individual in the same game as him!

Immediately, all his bitterness turned into resignation...

If he lost to Lin Ye, it wasn't something he couldn't accept. He would just chalk it up to his bad luck.

"Fight! Even if I lose, I'll lose spectacularly! Charge!"

With this thought, he let go of everything. Instead of waiting for death, he chose to die gloriously!

Of course...

This is just a game; players don't necessarily have to go for the kill.

...

In the distance, Lin Ye led his troops in a charge.

Yet, his opponent also charged towards him at this moment, which made Lin Ye somewhat appreciate it.

To be honest, with the comparison of combat strength between the two sides, the opponent was undoubtedly doomed.

But unexpectedly, in such a situation, the opponent still ignited a fighting spirit, which was indeed remarkable!

"Charge!"

Lin Ye also shouted, ordering his army to advance at full speed!

Soon, the armies clashed, but the opponent's light cavalry was practically no different from paper before Lin Ye's Heavy Armor Earth Dragon Knight Order.

They were instantly flattened.

Following them, the Demon Pattern Heavy Armor Infantry joined the fray, mopping up the remnants dazed by the Earth Dragon Knights.

Arrows shot by the Elf Divine Archer rained down, directly covering the rear forces of the opponent's army.

Under this intense firepower, the weak ranged units suffered heavy casualties and quickly lost combat strength.

The battle was doomed to be one-sided from the start.

Unexpectedly, it was so exaggerated!

In front of Lin Ye's army, the opponent's seemingly formidable army was as weak as a baby, utterly powerless.

They were instantly torn apart, their formation collapsing completely.

With such a disparity in combat strength, there was no contest at all.

The young man, watching as his last soldier was defeated, was left speechless, merely staring helplessly at Lin Ye.

"Saint Lin, I concede."

The young man shook his head and said.

"Thank you for the game!" Lin Ye said with a smile: "You can surrender now."

"Alright! I surrender right now!"

The young man also laughed at this, saying, "My name is Zhong Ziyu, I hope we can meet again!"

Lin Ye nodded, having a good impression of this young man.

He handled crises with strategies and didn't back down even in a nearly hopeless battle. These two points alone set him above at least 80% of Professionals.

At this time, a prompt appeared in front of Lin Ye:

[Player 'Zhong Ziyu' surrenders to you. Do you accept?]

Lin Ye immediately chose to accept.

Then, the young man named Zhong Ziyu disappeared from Lin Ye's sight.

And the troops he commanded all turned into Experience Value at that moment, credited to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye knew that the game allowed players to refuse their opponent's surrender.

The consequences naturally didn't need much thought...

But this is the rule of the game; once you choose to enter and take on the challenge, you must bear the consequences of failure.

Just like entering the Secret Realm, where you might die within; the principle is the same.

Except that the game Gongsun created involves human conflict.

However, apart from homicidal maniacs, no one would wantonly kill others in this game. If it's unknown, it's one thing, but if known, it basically means social ostracism.

Who would want to associate with a killer?

It's likely that finding someone to explore a Secret Realm with would be difficult at that point.

In such a context, the majority of players are actually safe.

As for why Zhong Ziyu surrendered at the last moment, he merely wanted to say something to Lin Ye.

After all, having lost to Lin Ye, he didn't have much psychological burden.

He even thought that when he got back, if his family learned that he had gained recognition in front of Lin Ye, he might not receive any punishment.

After all, using one Relic to gain an opportunity to associate with Lin Ye was not only a good deal but quite worthy!

For a Noble Family, even sacrificing several times, up to ten times the price, to forge a bond with Lin Ye is undoubtedly worthwhile.

It's likely that Zhong Ziyu is feeling quite delighted inside.

...

"Why did you refuse my surrender!"

In front of Gao Lanlan, a strong man showed a terrified expression.

He never expected that the seemingly beautiful girl before him could be so ruthless!

She intended to eradicate him from the game!

"No, I can't die here!"

The strong man showed a ferocious look as he pounced towards Gao Lanlan!

Aura of a Fourth-Turn Professional burst forth from him!

This was a Level 90 or above powerhouse!

But unfortunately, he heard a mischievous voice.

"Hehe, you broke the rules, so now your soul is mine..."

And throughout, Gao Lanlan's expression remained unchanged.

Chapter 247 - 247: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"Gong... Gongsun?"

The burly man, upon hearing this voice, immediately felt a chill shoot up to his skull.

At once, he couldn't help but look around fearfully.

In truth, he knew very well that his current actions had already provoked an existence he absolutely should not have provoked...

Rule Demon God!

But he was really unwilling to die in such a game just because he lost to a girl!

In his life, he had conquered countless Secret Realms, and to die so disgracefully here... He simply could not accept it.

However, when he attempted to attack Gao Lanlan, he violated the rules of the game...

The player is not allowed to use their own Power in any way!

And this burly man clearly violated this Rule.

As it stands, he found himself in a situation where even dying was difficult!

A figure materialized out of thin air, it was Gongsun with a sardonic smile.

And the moment the burly man saw Gongsun, he desperately wanted to flee immediately.

But his actions only invited Gongsun's disdainful laughter.

Elsewhere, maybe you could indeed escape, but in his game, that's impossible.

With a snap of his fingers, the burly man shuddered violently, his eyes bulging!

A spectral figure emerged from his body, caught by Gongsun's hand, struggling and screaming in terror.

Gongsun looked at this soul with a satisfied smile.

A Fourth-Turn Professional's soul!

For him, that was quite a decent gain.

He opened his mouth and swallowed the soul whole, then exhaled contentedly, as if he had eaten something incredibly nourishing, looking very pleased.

Gao Lanlan watched this scene, revealing a look of disgust involuntarily.

"Alright, you've resolved another one!"

Gongsun clapped his hands, looking at Gao Lanlan as he spoke.

"Why can't you just tell me Lin Ye's location directly?" Gao Lanlan said.

She didn't want to waste time on these minor characters!

After all, her purpose for coming here was to find Lin Ye and kill him!

As for others, they were nothing more than stepping stones for him.

"I want to find him too, but according to the rules, if the players don't allow it, I can't find them within the game... unless someone violates the rules, only then can I intervene."

"Useless." Gao Lanlan sneered.

Faced with Gao Lanlan's mockery, Gongsun just shrugged. Indeed, when others don't violate the rules, he truly is powerless, not much different from being useless.

After all, his abilities are all built upon Rules.

Gao Lanlan was too lazy to waste words with Gongsun and simply turned away.

Gongsun watched Gao Lanlan's back, a vibrant smile emerging...

This woman was harsher than he had imagined.

In order to kill Lin Ye, she didn't mind letting others in the game be buried with him.

But this is good; such resolute determination aligns with his requirements.

"What a pity, she's a Space Mage, too arrogant, otherwise, I might have been tempted..." Gongsun sighed slightly.

He was an oddity among Demon Gods, with very few followers.

After all, those who could catch his eye were indeed scarce; at present, aside from Lin Ye, there might not be more than five.

Among them, Gao Lanlan is considered one.

But it's a pity, with a Space Mage's arrogance, it's impossible to bow to anyone, including the Demon God.

After all, to them, so-called Demon Gods are nothing more than stepping stones on their path to becoming the Strongest.

If Gao Lanlan does not fall prematurely, becoming the Strongest is undoubtedly a certainty.

This point is beyond dispute.

After all, the lower limit for a Space Mage is being the Strongest.

And as for the upper limit, it's even harder to tell where it might reach...

How could such a person become someone else's follower?

So even Gongsun knew he couldn't make Gao Lanlan his follower.

This point can be judged from Gao Lanlan's attitude towards him.

...

"I actually forgot to ask Zhong Ziyu, who all went before me..." Lin Ye thought as he watched Zhong Ziyu concede and exit the game, remembering this detail.

He was the last player to enter the game, and before him, there were already twenty-nine players.

Moreover, aside from entering the game, throughout the game process, you won't receive any information about other players anymore.

Even basics like names, you won't know without meeting them.

Just like earlier, Lin Ye only learned Zhong Ziyu's name upon receiving his surrender application.

This seemed a bit unfair to players entering later in the game...

Because for the players who entered earlier, who they were was entirely unknown to those who entered later.

And this was evidently Gongsun's deliberate intention.

Obviously, Lin Ye coming in last was because Gongsun didn't want Lin Ye to know who all the players were in this game.

Since this way, Lin Ye could easily deduce who intended to target him.

And this was merely due to one consideration.

If Lin Ye were prematurely eliminated by others, he wouldn't know who collaborated with Gongsun against him.

Based on this speculation, Lin Ye had even determined.

This accomplice working with Gongsun must be the first player to enter the game!

Because he didn't want anyone to know his identity!

On this premise, it's not hard to conclude...

This person would kill any other player he could encounter within the game!

And doing so was simply to avoid revealing his identity.

"Seems I need to quickly find this guy..."

Lin Ye mumbled.

If not, it seems likely that all the other players in this game would die at this person's hands.

Although this doesn't concern Lin Ye much, given that every Professional is an invaluable asset to humanity...

Lin Ye felt it necessary to speed up his progress.

Moreover, judging from Zhong Ziyu's situation, this game was probably painstakingly contrived by Gongsun.

The players, more or less, have Relics with them.

If the 'Player One' truly manages to gather all the players' Relics, that might indeed pose a certain threat.

Therefore, given all these conditions, Lin Ye must end this quickly!

Chapter 248 - 248: Splitting into Two Groups

"If we want a quick victory, we need to expand the scope of our march..."

Lin Ye's mind was rapidly spinning.

Being unable to use his own abilities indeed placed a significant restriction on Lin Ye. At the very least, his army would suffer a certain degree of Damage.

This point, rather than keeping everyone on the same level, is more for limiting Lin Ye's Healing ability.

With Lin Ye's Healing ability, he could easily turn Low Level units into Intermediate or even Advanced units in no time.

If Lin Ye were to exchange for some units with already high combat power, then probably no one could defeat him.

However, to encourage the use of the Relic item, the Rule has relaxed the restrictions on item usage.

Yet many items lose their effect when one cannot use them personally.

For instance, items that can temporarily enhance a user's combat power have no meaning in this game.

Since you cannot make a move, what impact does your combat power have?

There aren't many items that can still make a difference in this situation.

But Lin Ye indeed had something useful at hand...

"Shadow Treasure Pearl."

Lin Ye took out a smooth black pearl.

This was the Supreme Treasure of the Shadow Demon God that he had obtained in the Shadowless Forest.

It allows the user's Shadow to detach and act independently.

In this game, the Shadow Treasure Pearl can not only be used but also serve a very effective function!

The dark pearl's luster flashed briefly.

Lin Ye's Shadow writhed on the ground and quickly transformed into a figure identical to him.

From the back, one couldn't find the slightest difference between the two.

"Hold on, I'll set up an army for you."

Lin Ye did not bother to exchange more Experience Value but directly allocated an army from the Experience Value harvested from Zhong Ziyu at a one-to-one ratio for his Shadow clone.

To be honest, Zhong Ziyu was just unlucky to encounter him.

If he had faced someone else, with Zhong Ziyu's army size, he could have easily overpowered the opponent.

And now, apart from those Lin Ye slaughtered, some of Zhong Ziyu's army joined Lin Ye after surrendering upon defeat.

These remnants joined with a part of the new recruits to form an army identical to the one Zhong Ziyu led.

Moreover, Lin Ye also equipped the Shadow with some Gale Falcons for reconnaissance.

Thanks to the Shadow's panel being almost identical to Lin Ye's, the Shadow also has the "Wide Area Spellcasting" Talent, allowing the Gale Falcons to have their reconnaissance range increased tenfold under its control.

Additionally, Lin Ye could continuously and remotely control the Shadow clone's actions, thereby indirectly commanding the army.

All these combined allowed Lin Ye's Shadow clone-led army to be more flexible in action than the vast majority of players.

This is the benefit brought by strategic vision.

"Take this army and move in this direction!"

Lin Ye quickly issued the command.

Once the Shadow clone received the command, it moved swiftly, leading the army allocated to it by Lin Ye in a different direction.

Watching the Shadow clone's army leave, Lin Ye turned around, leading his army in his own direction.

Other than this, Lin Ye didn't have many means to expand his search area.

However, the existence of the Shadow clone gave Lin Ye an additional option.

Most importantly, if it encountered weaker armies along the way, the Shadow clone could directly absorb them.

This could save Lin Ye a lot of time and effort.

Only by doing so could they truly aim for a swift and decisive victory.

In the following hours of marching, Lin Ye himself encountered three groups of players' armies.

These players were evidently weaker than Zhong Ziyu, whom Lin Ye initially faced.

One even failed to notice Lin Ye's army until they were within a hundred meters of him.

The outcome, naturally, was Lin Ye easily harvesting them.

Another player, upon recognizing Lin Ye's army, chose to surrender without hesitation.

Not wanting to fight, he willingly handed over his army.

One could say the name Lin Ye exerted immense pressure on these players...

If the game allowed them to exit at the start, many would have likely left upon seeing Lin Ye join the same game.

They wouldn't have held out until now.

Facing such a legendary figure, most had lost their will to fight.

Few, like Zhong Ziyu, could muster the courage to resist, even knowing the opponent's power greatly surpassed theirs.

As for the Shadow clone, it encountered even more opponents than Lin Ye.

Throughout, he faced five opponents!

Though the Shadow clone's army wasn't as strong as the one directly commanded by Lin Ye, compared to other players, it was undeniably powerful.

Combined with an extended reconnaissance range, the five opponents were easily wiped out by Lin Ye's Shadow clone in sudden assaults.

After accepting the remnants from these five, the Shadow clone's army expanded significantly.

Though the troops were various and quite mixed, those surviving the assaults tended to be stronger than basic units in combat power.

Their addition considerably boosted the Shadow clone's fighting strength.

"These people are unlikely to be Player No. 1."

Lin Ye paused, preparing to rest a bit, have some food, and drink some water.

As for the soldiers, they didn't need a break.

Throughout this time, neither Lin Ye nor the Shadow clone encountered Player No. 1.

Lin Ye speculated that Player No. 1 must be the one colluding with Gongsun to deal with him.

Yet Lin Ye hadn't met him so far.

Right then, Lin Ye suddenly raised his head, receiving a warning from the Shadow clone.

"Someone actually scouted the Shadow side's movements ahead of time?"

Lin Ye was a bit surprised.

Under the Shadow clone's tenfold reconnaissance range, someone detected him ahead of time?

Lin Ye realized that this mysterious Player No. 1 had finally appeared!

Chapter 249 - 249: The First Player Appears

Through the vision of the shadow clone, an army suddenly appeared to the north, and judging by their marching speed, they were almost racing towards the shadow clone at full speed.

This army charged directly into the shadow clone's reconnaissance range at such speed.

It's almost certain that by the time the Gale Falcon detected the presence of this army, they had already anticipated the situation on the shadow clone's side.

One could only say that their field of vision exceeded tenfold.

"Retreat towards me!"

Lin Ye did not let the shadow clone choose to face the opponent head-on, because he had already realized that the combat power of the opponent's army would not be much weaker than that of the shadow clone.

It might even surpass it steadily.

In such a situation, letting the shadow clone confront the enemy would only strengthen their army and serve no other purpose.

At the moment, allowing the shadow clone to lead the army to retreat and lure the enemy in was undoubtedly the best move!

"Let me see who you really are!"

Lin Ye was truly curious about the identity of this guy.

There were so many who wanted him dead.

But few dared to act, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Alliance, and because most people had no absolute certainty.

Moreover, there were not many with the capabilities that Gongsun would choose to collaborate with.

Lin Ye actually already had a suspect in mind, but it wasn't a hundred percent confirmed at the moment.

But it wasn't a big problem because they were going to meet soon.

"It seems some destinies are indeed inevitable..."

Lin Ye muttered.

Some talents, or professions, have an extremely low probability of appearing.

But once they do, there won't be a second one in this era.

Just like Lin Ye's Holy Flame Priest.

Once he obtained this path, unless he died and transformed into the Holy Shadow in the job challenge, others could not open this path.

Outside of this option, others could only choose the inferior version, the Path of Fury Flame.

The Path of Holy Flame became Lin Ye's exclusive in this generation; no one could replace it.

The same situation also applies to some other top-tier rare professions...

For example, Lin Ye's Space Mage!

The resources for this profession were limited, and under normal circumstances, it's impossible for two Space Mages to exist in the same era.

However, Lin Ye obtained this profession through Sikong Ming, who should have died many years ago.

Now, this strange situation has emerged.

If Lin Ye's guess was correct, that so-called number one player should be the Space Mage—Gao Lanlan!

Lin Ye took a deep breath, then mounted his horse and waved his arm.

"Full speed ahead!"

Under normal circumstances, Lin Ye would find it challenging to deal with her outside.

Being a top-tier profession, Gao Lanlan's movements would certainly attract the Alliance's attention...

If Lin Ye wanted to eliminate this person who had been observing him from the shadows, it would indeed be difficult.

But now, she had better truly be that number one player!

Lin Ye was determined to ensure that she would repeat her previous life's fate, disappearing without a trace, neither alive nor dead!

...

"She actually ran?"

Gao Lanlan was somewhat surprised; this was the first time she'd encountered a player who could determine her position from such a distance.

During earlier marches, armies locked by her were usually caught off guard by her sudden attacks.

Yet unexpectedly, the current army she met could detect her approach in advance and fled directly.

"Seems like I've met an interesting person."

Gongsun, watching from the side, spoke with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Could it be Lin Ye?" Gao Lanlan frowned and asked.

Gongsun merely smiled faintly without answering.

Within the rules, even he couldn't know who was ahead…

Outside the rules, he might have to sacrifice half his life.

He certainly wouldn't torture himself for such trivial information.

Besides, does it matter if it isn't Lin Ye so much that it stops Gao Lanlan from pursuing the person ahead?

If it weren't Lin Ye, would Gao Lanlan let such a fat prey go?

That's absolutely impossible!

Seeing Gongsun not answering, Gao Lanlan merely snorted coldly; in her eyes, Gongsun the Demon God was indeed somewhat useless.

But there's no way around it; the things that needed doing still had to be done.

Whoever was ahead was destined to die here…

It's fair to say that from the moment this game started, any human player knowing of her existence must die in this round.

Because she couldn't allow anyone to know that Lin Ye died at her hands!

With Lin Ye's current renown in human society, if anyone found out about this, she would never be able to move freely in human society again.

Currently, she still couldn't survive independently of human groups.

With her current strength, she needed the entire human race to vouch for her, and she needed the name of the strongest Alliance to deter those Demon Gods.

Truthfully, before Lin Ye appeared, she was the Abyss Demon God's most wanted human target, without a doubt!

No Demon God would wish to see a human Space Mage grow stronger.

"Charge, annihilate the enemy!"

Gao Lanlan issued the order directly.

Her army increased its speed even further, charging towards that army desperately fleeing.

What started as a raid turned into a pursuit over miles!

However, Gao Lanlan did not know that while it seemed she was chasing after the army, she was in fact stepping into the other side's trap.

...

At the edge of a cliff, an army stopped.

Meanwhile, Gao Lanlan's army gradually approached...

Clearly, it seemed as if the pursued had cornered themselves in desperation, cutting off all escape routes.

Before them lay the cliff, behind them the pursuers; they were now truly trapped in a dead-end.

Finally, the unrelenting army closed off the last escape route for the retreating troops.

Leading her army, Gao Lanlan gazed at the army caught in the deadlock, her expression somewhat excited…

The distance was a bit far, making their features indistinguishable.

But the silhouette was one she'd conjured in her mind countless times.

Ever since that hurried encounter in Shan City, she had engraved that figure deep in her mind.

And now, she could finally exact her revenge.

"Gao Wei, sister can finally avenge you..."

She clenched her hand, issuing the command directly.

"Kill, leave no one alive!"

She had waited too long for this moment!

Now, it was time to end it all.

Chapter 250 - 250: The Dual Trap Set by Lin Ye and Gongsun

Under Gao Lanlan's relentless pressure, the army facing the precipice began its counterattack.

The armies collided, kicking off with an intense close-range battle.

The units in the rear immediately poured all their firepower towards the opposing camp, as if trying to flatten them in one stroke.

Yet despite appearances that both sides were evenly matched, Gao Lanlan's side had a significant advantage.

She still had a retreat, with ample room to maneuver.

This made her army much more agile compared to their opponent, whose space was constantly being squeezed and invaded.

The others were already in a dire predicament, fighting with their backs to the water.

Seeing the enemy stubbornly resisting, Gao Lanlan remained unsparing.

Honestly, this situation made her very skeptical...

To fall into such a perilous situation so easily, is this really the famous Lin Ye who had caused many Demon Gods to suffer setbacks?

Yet she was absolutely certain the figure she saw was definitely Lin Ye!

Ever since that night she glimpsed Lin Ye from afar, she had never forgotten that scene.

Because of her deep obsession, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to kill Lin Ye purely for revenge for her brother, or to fulfill her own fixation.

Meanwhile, Gongsun, who had been observing the battle, initially looked amused but now wore a puzzled expression.

Evidently…

The figure before him was indeed Lin Ye, yet somehow also not Lin Ye.

"What kind of trick is this?"

He murmured to himself.

If some skills were employed, he should have been able to perceive them.

In this game, if a player violated the rules, as the referee, he would be the first to sense it.

In fact, he wished Lin Ye would violate the rules.

Then he could justifiably seize everything from Lin Ye...

However, as it turned out, even he couldn't fathom the current situation.

He found himself unable to tackle Lin Ye from a rules perspective!

This proved Lin Ye's actions were perfectly legitimate, utterly flawless.

Even though 'Lin Ye' seemed to be in imminent danger...

The more it seemed this way, the more Gongsun felt that Gao Lanlan might be doomed.

"It seems I'm gonna lose again this time..." Gongsun expressed with a trace of dejection.

Beside him, Gao Lanlan sharply turned her head to look at Gongsun.

She might not be exceptionally clever, but she was no fool...

Upon hearing Gongsun's words, she instantly grasped the situation.

Perhaps the one trapped isn't 'Lin Ye' but actually herself!

Although Gongsun had declared impartiality in the game, he still divulged some information to her.

Of course, whether she comprehended it or not was up to Gao Lanlan herself.

"Retreat... withdraw!"

Gao Lanlan didn't lose her head; knowing if there's indeed a trap here, it's time to make rational decisions.

There was no need to maintain a temporary advantage that could steer her towards utter destruction.

Gongsun's words clearly tripped the line, informing Gao Lanlan that if she continued, she would likely face disaster.

But at that moment, 'Lin Ye's' forces, retreating while fighting, launched a savage attack.

It didn't seem like an attempt to exploit their victory but rather to pull the enemy into a brutal battle!

Gao Lanlan realized the severity of the situation.

She promptly took out a mirror, about two palms big, showing a terrain identical to her current environment.

On it, spotted marks of red and white were intermingling, with white representing her troops, and red her adversary's.

Previously, while pursuing 'Lin Ye', she forgot to closely observe the battlefield's status.

Seeing it now, Gao Lanlan's heart was immediately heavy with anxiety.

Behind her, another cluster of red dots was swiftly approaching.

No doubt, she was encircled!

She originally thought 'Lin Ye' was forced against a cliff, at the end of his rope.

Unexpectedly, she herself had fallen into the trap.

"Looks like you're finished."

Gongsun leaned in, gloatingly said.

Faced with enemies on all sides, Gao Lanlan's expression turned grim.

Lin Ye will not let her leave alive...

In this game, whenever she encountered Lin Ye, it became inevitable that only one of them could emerge alive.

Neither would allow the other to survive.

"I surrender to you, help me break the stalemate!" Gao Lanlan gritted her teeth, speaking to Gongsun.

Listening, Gongsun showed a smile.

"Ah, as you wish. From now on, you are a servant of the rules. My command is your rule... Swallow this blood drop, and gain what you desire."

He stretched his hand, a drop of disturbingly blood-red liquid emerged from his fingertip, flying and hovering before Gao Lanlan.

Gao Lanlan looked at Gongsun, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

She finally understood that Gongsun likely never expected her to kill Lin Ye, strictly adhering to the rules.

Rather than simply targeting Lin Ye, Gongsun had always been plotting more than just against Lin Ye.

She, Gao Lanlan, was also part of Gongsun's calculations.

Though it might sound inflated, a Space Mage was indeed worth such scheming.

After all, a grown Space Mage, in terms of combat prowess, could rival any Abyss Demon God.

Securing Gao Lanlan might could compensate for Gongsun's lack in pure combat capability.

Thinking about her desire for revenge, and how she was maneuvered by Gongsun, Gao Lanlan couldn't tell whether she was regretful or furious...

With no choice, she closed her eyes and gulped down the Rule Demon God's blood.

"Hehe…"

Gongsun watched the scene, grinning widely.

"It's done. We've reached a covenant; you have the power I granted. You can now pray to me and choose to ignore any rule!" Gongsun smiled as he spoke.

After hearing this, Gao Lanlan glanced sharply at Gongsun.

This ability was downright formidable!

She had never expected Gongsun to bestow such incredible power upon her.