Chapter 178 - 130: Illusion Realm Rules Announced, Final Pre-Battle Preparations

Chapter 178: Chapter 130: Illusion Realm Rules Announced, Final Pre-Battle Preparations

"Dahou, Great Demon, come here at once."

At Shen Xing’s command, two figures quickly rushed over from different directions.

From the eastern gate area, a Beastman over two meters tall with arms as thick as tree roots, wielding two War Axes, strode over.

On the other side, an Inferior Demon with Broken Bat Wings and a slightly hunched figure floated in mid-air.

"Boss!" "Master!"

The two figures arrived before him and greeted him respectfully.

Shen Xing nodded. Without another word, he handed over the two Advancement Materials. "Take these. Absorb them and break through as soon as possible."

They reached out and took them. Upon feeling the Power contained within the materials, they both trembled.

"Oh! Thank you, Boss, for giving me this chance to break through! I’ll definitely do my best!" Dahou said, his face alight with excitement.

The Great Demon also spoke, haltingly, "Th... Thank... you... Master..."

Shen Xing waved his hand, motioning for them to go absorb the materials off to the side.

For the time that followed, he didn’t venture out, nor did he send anyone to explore. He prudently remained within his territory.

After all, the Rain God Illusion Realm would officially open at midnight.

If they encountered an accident or were held up by monsters on the way and couldn’t return on time, it just wouldn’t be worth it.

The entire territory then entered a special state of preparation for war.

Some trained, while others absorbed Soul Stones.

Occasionally, monsters would emerge from the Fog to attack the territory.

But they were usually riddled with holes by the numerous Ice Arrow Towers and Flame Arrow Towers before they even reached the light of the fire, not even requiring the Soldier Types to lift a finger.

About an hour later, Dahou and the Great Demon both broke through.

Shen Xing was incredibly gratified.

With this, the number of Tier Two powerhouses in his territory officially reached eight!

This number was quite impressive, even among Extraordinary Level Lords.

Moreover, once this challenge event was over, Shen Xing could break through directly. His territory would then welcome its ninth Extraordinary Level powerhouse. Just the thought of it was exciting.

Time slowly passed.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

The dense, grayish-white Fog turned into flowing black ink. Accompanied by the whimpering wind, the atmosphere of the Land of Mist grew even darker.

Fortunately, the torrential rain that had lasted for days had weakened considerably.

After so many consecutive days of rain, water had accumulated in many places outside, and some low-lying areas had even turned into muddy swamps.

This greatly increased the difficulty for his Soldier Types to travel.

10:00 PM.

[DING!]

A low notification sound rang in the ears of Shen Xing and the other top 100 Lords.

[Attention, top 100 Lords on the leaderboard! The Rain God Illusion Realm challenge is about to begin!]

[At 12:00 AM sharp, you may enter the Illusion Realm through the temporary Teleportation Gate at the center of your territory to challenge the Rain God Avatar.]

[In this challenge, you must deal as much damage as possible to the Rain God Avatar.]

[You will be ranked based on the damage dealt to the avatar, and you will receive White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and the highest-level Epic blessings according to your rank.]

[For this trial, each Lord may bring a maximum of 10 friendly units and cannot use any items.]

[Upon death in the Illusion Realm, you will be automatically teleported back to your territory. (Note: If the Lord dies first, the Soldier Types can continue to fight inside until all units have been withdrawn.)]

...

’So all I have to do is attack the Rain God Avatar, and the rankings are based on total damage? The rules are quite simple.’

Shen Xing leaned back in his wheelchair, carefully analyzing the system notification.

According to the rules, each person could only bring a maximum of 10 friendly units into the Illusion Realm this time, which meant an elite squad approach.

Based on his past gaming experience, he deduced that the terrain inside the Illusion Realm would likely be complex and unsuitable for large-scale team combat.

’Or maybe there’s some kind of restriction?’

’In that case, I’ll take all eight of my Tier Two powerhouses.’

’As for the last two spots, I’ll bring two Level 9, Elite Two-Star Inferior Demons.’

Shen Xing quickly decided on his lineup.

He then wheeled himself to the center of his territory.

Sure enough, next to the Campfire, he saw a slowly rotating Teleportation Gate. It was currently closed and couldn’t be entered.

However, next to the Teleportation Gate, a Blue leaderboard was visible.

[1st Place: Shen Xing, Total Damage: 0% (10% Damage Bonus)]

[2nd Place: Lachlan Dowton, Total Damage: 0% (8% Damage Bonus)]

[3rd Place: Dolores Jones, Total Damage: 0% (6% Damage Bonus)]

[4th Place...]

...

’Oh? I took first place this time, and there’s an extra damage bonus?’

Shen Xing was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected first place to come with such a hidden benefit.

And it wasn’t just the top three; it seemed everyone else had an extra damage bonus too, though the values varied slightly.

Places 4th through 10th got 5%, and everyone after that got 3%.

’Not bad. The difference between first and one-hundredth place is only 7%.’

’It’s not too extreme, but it will still give me a decent damage boost.’

Shen Xing rested his chin in his hand and began to calculate in his head.

’In a competition that’s purely about damage output, I don’t really have much of an advantage.’

After all, his territory’s foundation was still shallow.

Other contenders, like Lachlan and Dolores, had at least ten Extraordinary Level units in their territories to start with.

If it weren’t for the rule that a Soldier Type’s strength couldn’t exceed its Lord’s by more than one major Tier, they would probably have already trained Tier Three Expert Level Soldier Types.

Shen Xing set a very pragmatic goal for himself: secure a spot in the top twenty, and fight for the top ten.

BZZ... BZZ...

His phone vibrated lightly in his pocket.

He took off his glasses and glanced at it. It was messages from Qin Lang and Xia Wanyin.

Loves Playing with Coriander: "Go, go, go! I’ve got the snacks and a good seat ready. Just waiting for the show to start at midnight!"

"You two do your best! Try to both get into the top ten and knock out all those foreign players."

Shen Xing smiled and sent a few sticker-style emojis in reply, then switched to his chat with Xia Wanyin.

Wear Her Eyes: "Shen Xing, you can do it! Even though I can’t watch the livestream, I’ll be supporting you!"

Shen Xing replied with a "thank you" and then closed his phone.

He put his glasses back on, and his view switched back to his territory.

After waiting for another hour, Shen Xing glanced at the time.

Then he picked up a wine glass and called out, "All Tier Two members, assemble at the center of the territory."

As his voice fell, eight powerful auras rose from every corner of the territory.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Figures rushed over from all directions, lining up in formation before their Lord.

At that moment, Shen Xing looked up.

The eight powerful figures were all different in style. Some looked determined, others excited, as they gazed at their Lord.

They were: Beastman Hero: Hellish Roar; Heroic Mage: Reina; Black Moon Death Knight: Xiaohai; and War Knight: Dahou.

There was also Ice Bone Executioner: Black Arrow and Horned Eagle Fried Chicken.

And the newly advanced Extraordinary Level powerhouses: Dual Axe Berserker: Dahou and Erosion Fire Inferior Demon: Great Demon.

Finally, Shen Xing called over two Level 9, Elite Three-Star Inferior Demons.

A total of ten units, all assembled.

And each one of them radiated a powerful and profound aura!

"Prepare yourselves. In a moment, we will be going to a special space to challenge a very powerful enemy."

Shen Xing explained briefly, "The environment inside may be complex, and you might die, but don’t worry. Just charge right in and get it done."

The Soldier Types’ expressions turned serious, and a raging battle lust ignited in their eyes.

In the corner, Reina’s eyes flickered slightly when she heard the words ’might die.’

A moment later, she tightened her grip on her Longsword, her gaze gradually becoming resolute.

After Shen Xing finished assembling his troops.

There was still half an hour left until the start of the Rain God Illusion Realm challenge.

The other top 100 Lords also began their final pre-battle preparations.

...

...

「At the other end of the Land of Mist.」

Within a large territory with a Level 5 Large Campfire, numerous buildings, and a large population.

Ten figures of varying shapes, all exuding powerful auras, stood side by side.

At a glance, all ten of them emanated the aura of the Extraordinary Peak, which was also the Full Level for Tier Two.

Not only that, but their Potential was also very high; every one of them was Boss-level or higher.

Among them, there were even two beings with even more profound auras.

"Get ready. Once we’re inside, I want every one of you to go all out. If anyone screws up, there’s no need for them to stay in this territory anymore."

A deep voice rang out.

All ten turned their gazes to the blue-haired young man before them and nodded solemnly.

Lachlan looked at the leaderboard displayed next to the Teleportation Gate and snorted coldly. "Shen Xing, I won’t lose to you this time."

"First place will definitely be mine!"

His tone was filled with absolute confidence.

Because, during the day, he had specifically investigated Shen Xing’s background and found that the man had been in the game for less than a month.

Lachlan hadn’t expected to lose to a fledgling newcomer.

This also confirmed his earlier suspicion: this Shen Xing’s territory had a shallow foundation. His ability to take first place was most likely due to a stroke of luck, finding a place swarming with low-level monsters.

But in a place like the Rain God Illusion Realm, a competition of raw strength, luck was useless, no matter how good it was.

He, Lachlan, would definitely reclaim first place and prove his strength!

...

...

「Meanwhile, in another territory that also had a Level 5 Large Campfire.」

Compared to other areas, the environment here seemed exceptionally grim.

Across the pitch-black ground lay blood-red coffins, piled haphazardly in various areas.

A few tattered black flags were stuck in the ground, surrounded by twisted plants. Flocks of bats flew through the air from time to time.

Desiccated corpses also hung from the branches of blackened trees.

Next to the Campfire, ten tall figures stood in a row.

They were dressed in sharp suits and custom-made gowns. The men were handsome with pale skin, while the women were alluring and bewitching, with smiles playing on their lips.

TAP... TAP... TAP... TAP...

The sound of high heels clicking on the stone pavement echoed.

The ten handsome men and beautiful women simultaneously looked up at the woman gracefully approaching them.

Her red dress trailed on the ground, her steps were elegant, and she exuded a peculiar, sweet, and coppery scent.

"We greet you, my Queen."

The ten bowed in unison, performing an elegant salute.

"Hehe~"

The woman in the red dress let out an ethereal laugh and waved her hand. "We’ll be fighting the Rain God Avatar in a bit. Make sure you all perform well~"

Hearing this, the ten exchanged a look.

A stern-looking middle-aged man in a sharp suit stepped forward and asked doubtfully, "My Lady... are you certain we are fighting the Rain God Avatar?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"This ancient Deity has existed for many, many years. Its Divine Power is immense and unfathomable."

The middle-aged man in the suit spoke in a grave voice, "During the great cataclysm back then, this very being entered the Great Void alone and sealed the breach at the cost of its own self."

"Even if it’s just a wisp of an avatar, it still possesses terrifying Divine Power."

"With our current combat strength, I’m afraid..."

"Hehe~" The woman in red chuckled again. "No need to worry. We won’t truly die in this Illusion Realm."

"You just need to give it your all and help me take first place."

The ten exchanged another look and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"