Chapter 262 : Fallen God Source Stone

Chapter 262: Fallen God Source Stone! The Final Source Material!

Before ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍this Starsea event officially began...

A ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍thread had already climbed to the top of the official forum's trending posts.

Its ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍title was: 《Live Updates: Hidden Map Sacred Azure City Travel Journal!》

It ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was obviously a live thread dedicated to documenting the Players' experiences within the hidden map.

As ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍for the magnificent Sacred Azure City...

And ‍​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the mysterious Land of the Stars...

Very little information had been released so far.

Everyone knew such a place existed.

Yet the exploration progress felt as though it had not even reached one-thousandth.

Whether someone was interested in the new storyline, new characters, and worldbuilding...

Or simply wanted to admire scenery, map design, artistic elements, and Starsea races that surpassed mortal imagination...

This place contained an endless supply of material!

At this moment, whether they were entertainment seekers, cloud players, Arcane scholars, or professionals from every field...

Everyone was frantically refreshing on their computers and phones.

Even during the pre-launch phase of the thread...

It had already accumulated tens of thousands of replies and reached the trending list.

Just as countless F5 keys were on the verge of breaking...

The thread finally began receiving official updates.

“Hello everyone!”

“I'm Qing Chen, a Ranger from Divine Feather Palace!”

“Our Lord has activated the Starsea Teleportation Station!”

“We've arrived at Teleportation Reception Hall No. 12 on Sacred Azure City's Trial Island!”

“This is my first time arriving in the Land of the Stars. Unless you see it with your own eyes, it's impossible to truly appreciate just how majestic this place is. Honestly, this Starsea Teleportation Hall alone is enough to leave people speechless.”

“The Trial Island we're currently on appears to be one of the islands within Sacred Azure City's territory. The big shots speculate that it's probably used to host special events and open event raid instances.”

“Judging from the information released so far...”

“This trip to the Land of the Stars isn't just sightseeing.”

“There's also an extremely important game event that Players need to participate in.”

“From this, we can tell...”

“Although the Land of the Stars is a hidden map created specifically for special events...”

“This place definitely isn't just a decorative background.”

“I believe the events taking place in the Land of the Stars are closely tied to the game's main storyline.”

“Our actions and performance here could very likely have a significant impact on the development of our territory.”

“Remember how Commander Ye, Commander Black Pupils, and the others visited Sacred Azure City for the first time?”

“They could only passively observe throughout the entire trip.”

“But this time...”

“We're actually allowed to interact.”

“Doesn't that mean...”

“As our strength continues to grow...”

“And as the territory develops further...”

“We'll unlock more and more Starsea events?”

“Enough talking!”

“Now let's begin the live updates!”

“I'll start by uploading some photos and short videos.”

“Some were taken by me and the other sisters from Divine Feather Palace.”

“Others were provided by the big shots from different legions.”

“If you wish to repost or use them, please ask for permission first and credit the source!”

“【Group Photo.jpg】!”

“【Photo of the Five Legion Commanders.jpg】!”

“【Divine Feather Palace Representatives Check-in Photo.jpg】!”

“【Teleportation Hall Scenery.jpg】!”

“【Close-up of Starsea Alien Lord 1.jpg】!”

“【Close-up of Starsea Alien Lord 2.jpg】!”

“【……】”

Only moments after following their Lord into Sacred Azure City...

More than one hundred photographs and over a dozen short videos had already been uploaded.

Not only did they include Players' selfies and commemorative photos...

There were also countless close-up shots of various Starsea races.

To the hungry cloud players and Arcane scholars...

This was nothing less than a lavish feast.

“Take more pictures! I love this stuff!”

“This is premium electronic comfort food!”

“The Sacred Azure City event hasn't even been going for ten minutes!”

“And we've already collected this much material!”

“Of course!”

“Compared to the first Starsea event...”

“There are twenty times more Players participating this time!”

“Besides, the Calamity Army's wealth and foundation have grown tremendously.”

“More people can now afford Recording Crystals with Contribution Points.”

“So naturally we'll produce much more content than last time.”

“……”

Not long afterward...

The thread was updated again.

Qing Chen documented the little incident that had just occurred.

She also described the huge commotion caused by Humanity's arrival.

Several related photos accompanied the update.

For example...

There was one showing Lord Hang Yu speaking face-to-face with his Lord Mentor Xuan Qingfeng...

While a crowd of Giants, Treants, and other alien races looked on with expressions of shock and reverence, not daring to approach.

There was also a photo capturing Jia Xu effortlessly suppressing several Starsea Lords.

Although the cloud players were not present...

They still found it immensely satisfying.

“Awesome!”

“Hahaha!”

“That was so satisfying!”

“What gives those alien races the right to look down on Humans?”

“They got slapped in the face this time!”

“Our territory really is incredible!”

“Jia Xu is unbelievably awesome!”

“He casually suppressed several Starsea Lords!”

“And judging by the races of those Lords...”

“None of them looked easy to deal with!”

“Those are Starsea Lords!”

“Who would've thought they'd be so weak in front of Jia Xu?”

“They're not weak!”

“Our Jia Xu is simply too powerful!”

“This time Lord Yu is definitely going to become famous throughout Sacred Azure City!”

“Let's see who still dares to underestimate Humanity now!”

“This is interesting!”

“So interesting!”

“I think 《This Twisted Three Kingdoms Game Is Brutally》 actually has two main storylines—one visible and one hidden.”

“How so?”

“The visible main storyline is obviously Players expanding the territory and saving the Abyss Three Kingdoms.”

“Throughout that process, the territory keeps developing while recruiting more talented individuals.”

“The hidden main storyline...”

“I think it's the struggle among the myriad races in the Land of the Stars.”

“Ultimately, both the NPCs led by our Lord and us Players will fight to elevate Humanity's status.”

“That makes sense!”

“One main storyline in the Abyss.”

“One main storyline in the Land of the Stars.”

“They run parallel while complementing each other perfectly!”

“This is really interesting!”

“Why should Humanity be looked down upon by all those weird-looking alien races?”

“I just want to see the classic power fantasy where we rise from nothing and eventually stand at the pinnacle of all races!”

“Heh.”

“As if it'd be that easy.”

“Our current territory lineup definitely isn't enough.”

“But what if Lord Hang Yu eventually recruits the Five Tiger Generals, the Five Elite Generals, the Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix, Lü Bu, Zhou Yu, the Emperor Wu of Wei, and the Emperor Zhaolie?”

“I refuse to believe those alien races could still stand against us!”

“You've got a point!”

“Jia Xu alone already allowed Humanity to make such a huge splash!”

“I seriously can't wait to see Lü Bu, Guan Yu, and Zhao Zilong rampaging through the Land of the Stars!”

“Stop thinking about relying on NPC powerhouses all the time!”

“Are we, the Calamity Army, just decorations?”

“Once the territory grows large enough...”

“And the Calamity Army numbers in the billions upon billions...”

“We'll follow Lord Hang Yu!”

“First conquer the Abyss!”

“Then conquer the Land of the Stars!”

“Wouldn't that be glorious?”

“……”

The cloud players' imaginations completely ran wild.

They were already fantasizing about Lord Hang Yu leading Humanity's legendary heroes and countless Calamity Army soldiers...

Sweeping through the Abyss...

Dominating all races...

Slaying gods...

And ascending to supremacy like the protagonist of an exhilarating novel.

Twenty more minutes passed.

The thread received another update.

This time...

Not only were more photos and videos of various races uploaded...

The storyline of this Starsea event had also progressed.

“Mentor Xuan Qingfeng just explained the Lord Tournament to Lord Hang Yu.”

“This tournament is divided into two stages.”

“The first stage will begin in about an hour.”

“According to what we've learned...”

“More than ten thousand Starsea Lords are participating in this tournament!”

“Yes!”

“You heard that correctly!”

“We were all shocked when we heard that number!”

“That isn't ten thousand cabbages.”

“Nor is it ten thousand sows.”

“It's ten thousand genuine Starsea Lords!”

“Every single Lord represents an entire Starsea Territory.”

“If you added together all their territories and citizens...”

“How terrifying would that number become?”

“However...”

“Do you know something?”

“This is merely a tournament specifically organized by Sacred Azure City for rising Lords.”

“It's generally held once every three years or so.”

“The sheer number of Lords in Sacred Azure City alone is already beyond imagination.”

“We can't even begin to imagine how many Lords exist throughout the entire Land of the Stars.”

“Of course!”

“That isn't today's focus.”

“We learned from Mentor Xuan Qingfeng that although more than ten thousand Lords are participating...”

“Over ninety percent will be eliminated during the qualification trial.”

“Only the top one thousand Lords will qualify for the official tournament.”

“I think this game event...”

“Is a stage-by-stage assessment of our territory's development.”

“If we're too weak...”

“And fail the qualification trial...”

“Then we naturally lose the chance to unlock the territory raid instance.”

“Only by placing within the top one thousand can we unlock the raid for our territory and open new gameplay features!”

“But with our strength...”

“Our territory will definitely pass the qualification trial!”

“We won't settle for barely scraping through!”

“We'll definitely fight for a much higher ranking!”

“Not only for the honor of our territory...”

“But because, according to Mentor Xuan Qingfeng...”

“The top ten of the qualification trial will receive prizes!”

“……”

Divine Feather Palace Player Qing Chen continued updating information in real time.

Thanks to her...

Every cloud player following the game's progress could instantly learn about the latest developments.

As for why Qing Chen could browse the forums and write posts while logged into the game...

There was nothing strange about that.

Players currently couldn't move freely anyway.

Furthermore...

The game now had built-in forum access.

So it was entirely possible to livestream events while recording them in real time.

Just as the Players had learned...

Hang Yu's primary purpose in returning to the Land of the Stars...

Was the Lord Tournament.

That tournament itself...

Was divided into two stages.

During the first stage...

Every participating Lord could use their Participation Token to enter the Trial Space.

As long as the Lord and the troops they brought...

Completed the required trial within the top one thousand rankings...

The Will of the Stars would officially grant their territory qualification to participate.

The purpose of the qualification trial...

Was simply selection.

Therefore...

The process itself wasn't particularly complicated.

Results would be available within only a few hours.

After completing the qualification trial...

The participating Lords would still have plenty of time...

To handle their other Starsea affairs.

Theoretically speaking...

Merely qualifying was enough.

There was no difference between finishing first...

Or one-thousandth.

However...

In order to encourage the growth of rising Lords...

Sacred Azure City had specially prepared ten prizes.

The top ten Lords...

Would choose from them in ranking order.

The Players were interested in these prizes.

Hang Yu...

Was interested as well.

So...

He requested the prize list.

After taking a glance...

He discovered that every prize was extraordinarily valuable.

For example...

There were Blue-quality cultivation technique Skill Stones.

There were extremely rare Tier 3 military building blueprints.

There were precious materials worth hundreds of thousands of Magic Crystals.

Every single reward...

Was exceptional.

However...

The item that attracted Hang Yu the most...

Was a material called the Fallen God Source Stone.

Xuan Qingfeng explained,

“This Fallen God Source Stone is a Tier 3 Blue-quality material.”

“However...”

“It isn't an ordinary material.”

“It contains Divine Source Material.”

“That alone makes its value no less than any of the other prizes.”

“What?”

Upon hearing Xuan Qingfeng's explanation...

Hang Yu had yet to react.

Yet Zhang Zhongjing suddenly became visibly excited.

Jia Xu...

Wen Ping...

And Zhou Cang...

All looked puzzled.

Physician Zhang was normally gentle and remarkably composed.

At the moment...

Lord Hang Yu was speaking with his mentor.

As a subordinate...

He ordinarily would never interrupt.

“Physician Zhang?”

“What happened?”

“Is this material special?”

“Could another hidden quest have been triggered?”

“……”

The Players had already been muted.

Although they couldn't speak aloud...

Their private chats exploded with activity.

Hang Yu gave Zhang Zhongjing a slight nod.

Zhang Zhongjing immediately explained,

“My apologies.”

“This old man lost his composure.”

“This material is simply too important...”

“Both for the territory...”

“And for me personally.”

Jia Xu asked,

“Could it be...”

Zhang Zhongjing nodded.

“Lord Hang Yu has been helping this old man research a method to reverse Abyssal Corruption.”

“Everything is now prepared.”

“We only lack the final Source Material!”

What?

Reverse Abyssal Corruption?

Not only Wen Ping and Zhou Cang...

Even Xuan Qingfeng...

A seasoned Lord with forty years of experience...

Displayed an expression of utter shock.

Such a thing...

Wasn't completely impossible.

However...

The cost of attempting it...

Was unimaginably high.

Furthermore...

Regardless of the method used...

Even after satisfying every prerequisite...

The failure rate remained extremely high.

That was why...

Very few Lords would ever attempt something so unrewarding.

Wen Ping could not help asking,

“The person Physician Zhang wishes to restore...”

“Could it be...”

“Exactly as General imagines.”

“It is Dian Wei of Old Wan.”

Everyone was stunned.

Especially the Ten Black Tiger Commandants.

All ten had originally come from New Wan.

In their eyes...

Dian Wei was the incarnation of a demon.

The source of every disaster.

The root of all fear and misfortune.

This was utter madness!

Could something like this truly be accomplished?

Never before had anyone imagined confronting that terrifying Demon Warlord...

Much less recruiting him for their own side!

The Players erupted into an even greater commotion.

Fortunately...

Movement had been restricted.

And everyone had been muted.

Otherwise...

News this explosive would've caused absolute chaos.

Even so...

Private chats exploded like volcanic eruptions.

The information was quickly forwarded onto the forums.

In an instant...

Millions of cloud players were sent into an uproar.

“Holy shit!”

“Is this real?”

“This is absolutely insane!”

“So there really are clues for hidden quests!”

“This game seriously hides surprises everywhere!”

“Physician Zhang actually has a way to cure Dian Wei!”

“Dian Wei is the core pollution source of the Wan City map!”

“Can someone who's completely fallen into Abyssal Corruption actually recover?”

“Anything is possible!”

“The difficulty is just unbelievably high!”

“I bet there are countless harsh prerequisites before the hidden quest even appears!”

“And this material in the event rewards...”

“Is one of the key quest items!”

“Big shots of the Calamity Army!”

“You all know what you need to do now, right?”

“Our territory has already launched a full-scale purge of Old Wan!”

“Whether Dian Wei ends up purified or recruited depends entirely on your performance!”

“Damn!”

“Ancient E Lai Dian Wei!”

“The fiercest man of the Three Kingdoms!”

“How could we possibly miss this?!”

“……”

Although they weren't inside the game...

The cloud players became as excited as though they had been injected with stimulants.

Every additional heavyweight NPC strengthened the territory.

They also brought more interactions...

More dialogue...

More skills to learn...

And vastly expanded both the story and gameplay.

No matter what...

This opportunity could not be missed.

Hang Yu himself was pleasantly surprised upon seeing the Fallen God Source Stone.

After all...

A material like this was something one encountered only through sheer luck.

His return to the Land of the Stars...

Had only two objectives.

The most important...

Was participating in the Lord Tournament.

The second...

Was obtaining a Source Material.

To accomplish that...

Hang Yu had already prepared numerous contingency plans.

If every available channel failed...

He would have no choice but to seek Principal Long's assistance.

Given Principal Long's status and capabilities...

Obtaining such a material would certainly not be difficult.

However...

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Principal Long would never help him without reason.

Such assistance would undoubtedly come with conditions and a price.

If that price proved excessive...

Hang Yu would reluctantly abandon Dian Wei.

After all...

As useful as Dian Wei would be...

Maintaining the territory's independence was even more important.

Yet...

He never expected...

That what he had searched for everywhere...

Would fall right into his lap.

There was no longer any need to scour Sacred Azure City for materials within the limited time available.

Nor was there any need to trouble a supreme powerhouse like Principal Long.

This qualification trial...

Would accomplish two goals with one stone.

Hang Yu nodded in satisfaction.

“Excellent.”

“Very excellent.”

“Since fate has brought this material before us...”

“Then obtaining it is no longer optional.”

Xuan Qingfeng reminded him,

“Hang Yu.”

“With your current strength and your forces...”

“Qualifying for the tournament won't be a problem.”

“But placing within the top ten...”

“Won't be nearly so easy.”

Zhou Cang snorted disdainfully.

“With nothing but this bunch of trash present...”

“They think they can stop our Lord from entering the top ten?”

Xuan Qingfeng shook his head.

“This Lord Hall can accommodate at most several hundred or perhaps a thousand Lords.”

“What you see here...”

“Is neither every participant...”

“Nor the strongest among them.”

Wen Ping asked,

“How powerful are the strongest?”

Xuan Qingfeng answered,

“I don't know the exact details.”

“I only know that...”

“There are even Tier 4 Lords participating in this tournament.”

He had no wish to discourage his student.

Yet...

That was simply the reality.

Although Hang Yu had repeatedly exceeded expectations...

When facing true geniuses from supreme races backed by powerful factions...

His origins would likely still leave him at a disadvantage.

Almost as though confirming Xuan Qingfeng's warning...

An overwhelmingly powerful pressure...

Suddenly descended upon the hall.

By now...

Most participating Lords had already returned.

Several hundred Lords...

Along with at least tens of thousands of Starsea units...

Filled the hall with noise.

Yet at this moment...

Silence instantly fell.

Because everyone could clearly feel...

Just how terrifying the aura of the newly arrived Lord truly was.

“F... Fourth Tier!”

“A Tier 4 Lord has arrived!”

“Every tournament has a few Tier 4 participants!”

“They're always true upper races!”

“In front of existences like them...”

“The rest of us are merely supporting characters!”

“……”

For a moment...

Even an outstanding young Lord like Lei Nu...

Felt powerless.

The innate advantages of race...

Were ultimately an enormous gulf that could not be crossed.

Hang Yu and his subordinates all turned toward the source of that aura.

The Lord's appearance resembled a Human by roughly sixty or seventy percent.

However...

He stood approximately three and a half meters tall.

His hair consisted entirely of strands of pure energy.

His eyes blazed with dazzling divine light.

Three pairs of radiant wings extended from his back.

Every feather was formed from golden light...

Wrapped in crackling lightning.

Raise My Cup to the Moon exclaimed,

“It's him!”

“Feng Leiyi!”

Midnight Butcher asked,

“You know him?”

“We met him during our first visit to Sacred Azure City.”

Black Pupils Sharp Bro explained,

“He's Lord Hang Yu's senior.”

“He sold Lord Hang Yu that Teleportation Staff.”

“I never expected him to have already reached Tier 4!”

Ye Limeng commented,

“Looks like this guy truly belongs to one of the strongest races.”

“He's definitely not on the same level as the random nobodies here.”

Little Bell snorted.

“Hmph.”

“So what?”

“Our Lord is the greatest Lord of all!”

“The fact that he can grant the Calamity Army immortality alone...”

“Already surpasses even the greatest Starsea race by more than a hundredfold!”

Hua Mulan nodded.

“Exactly!”

“Just give the Calamity Army enough time to grow.”

“Even Principal Long would drop loot if we fought him!”

“Damn!”

“This guy's way too full of himself!”

“He showed up with such fanfare and stole our spotlight!”

“Let's hope we get the chance.”

“When we do...”

“We're definitely making him drop loot!”

“……”

Although the Players continued mocking him in private...

No one else could hear them.

“Feng Leiyi comes from the Blazing Thunder Celestial Race.”

“It is a genuine upper race.”

Xuan Qingfeng wore a complicated expression as he looked at the young upper-race Lord before him.

Tier 4.

The very same Tier 4.

Xuan Qingfeng had spent nearly forty years reaching this level.

Even so...

He had already been regarded as the finest Human Lord of his generation...

And one of the greatest Humans Sacred Azure City had produced in recent decades.

Yet...

Feng Leiyi had graduated less than three years ago.

He had reached Tier 4 in under three years.

His current strength was unfathomable.

Accompanying him...

Were nine Tier 4 Hero Units.

In addition...

Even the weakest among his ninety Blazing Thunder Angel troops...

Had reached Level 30.

Such an overwhelming gap...

How could it not leave lower races in despair?

Fortunately...

He was one of their own.

This time...

He represented both the Academy...

And Principal Long...

As a contender for the championship.

“Oh?”

“Junior Hang Yu.”

“It's only been one Return Day.”

“And yet your strength has improved to such an extent.”

“Congratulations.”

“You've truly surprised me.”

After sweeping his gaze across the crowd...

The Tier 4 Lord Feng Leiyi...

Finally focused upon the inconspicuous Human force.

Sensing that Hang Yu had already reached the peak of Tier 3...

And was surrounded by elite generals...

Even he...

Was visibly astonished by his junior's astonishing growth.

“I should congratulate you as well, Senior, on advancing to Tier 4.”

Hang Yu smiled.

“The Teleportation Staff you sold me last time has been an enormous help.”

“Hahaha!”

“I'm glad it proved useful!”

Feng Leiyi laughed heartily.

“So you're here to participate in the Lord Tournament as well.”

“Humanity has missed the top five hundred for several tournaments in a row.”

“But with your strength...”

“You'll certainly rank higher than five hundred.”

Hearing those words...

The Players immediately became displeased.

“Damn!”

“What kind of comment is that?”

“What does he mean we'll definitely rank above five hundred?”

“Does he think Humans can only make it that far?”

“Whether it's the qualification trial or the main tournament...”

“Our goal is the championship!”

“At the very least...”

“We're getting into the top ten!”

“Otherwise...”

“How are we supposed to obtain the key quest item?”

“……”

The Players were clearly dissatisfied with Feng Leiyi.

Partly because...

His appearance had stolen their spotlight.

And partly because...

His existence posed a major threat to the Players' interests.

If this guy prevented the territory...

From obtaining the crucial material...

Then the hidden quest that followed...

Would be ruined.

If they had never learned Dian Wei could be recruited...

That would've been one thing.

But now that they knew such an opportunity existed...

Failing because of circumstances like this...

Would feel worse than dying five hundred times.

Although the Players wished they could bite Feng Leiyi...

Hang Yu himself harbored no ill feelings.

First of all...

Feng Leiyi truly belonged to an upper race.

Yet even while speaking to Hang Yu...

A Human...

He displayed no trace of contempt.

That alone...

Was already remarkably rare.

After all...

Within the Land of the Stars...

Rigid class hierarchy...

Racial prejudice...

And superiority complexes...

Were instincts engraved into everyone's bones.

During his time at the Lord Academy...

Feng Leiyi had also been well known for his integrity and generosity.

Many juniors from lower races...

Had received his assistance.

This Lord Tournament...

Would indeed be somewhat difficult.

Although it was exceedingly rare for a newcomer Lord...

To reach Tier 4 within three years...

Feng Leiyi certainly would not be the only Tier 4 participant.

Just as Mentor Xuan Qingfeng had said...

Qualifying posed no challenge whatsoever.

But finishing within the top ten...

Would be somewhat difficult.

Even so...

Hang Yu wasn't worried.

It might be difficult...

But it wouldn't be a problem.

He trusted both his own strength...

And his team.

The qualification trial happened to offer prizes.

Among those prizes...

Just so happened to be the material he needed.

That...

Was completely unexpected.

Even Hang Yu himself had never anticipated it.

However...

As for the qualification trial itself...

He possessed absolute confidence.

A team's strength...

Was determined by countless factors.

Even though Hang Yu hadn't brought the powerful Azure Dragon Guard...

His current lineup...

Was more than sufficient to overcome this trial.

Hang Yu had only exchanged a few words with Feng Leiyi...

When the Participation Tokens in both of their hands suddenly lit up.

At the same time...

A notification from the Will of the Stars...

Echoed within every participating Lord's mind.

“Ding! The Trial Space has now opened. All participating Lords must complete teleportation within 600 seconds. Failure to do so will be considered voluntary withdrawal and result in immediate elimination.”

At last...

It was beginning.

Hang Yu raised his Participation Token.

He activated the group-targeted teleportation function contained within it.