In the blink of an eye, Chang Ye Yu Huo, along with nearly a hundred Golden Core players, soared away.
Lin Zhao did not pursue. Compared to chasing Chang Ye Yu Huo, he felt it was more practical to help everyone quickly clear out the Han Ye Chang guild. Thus, he maneuvered his numerous flying swords, charging back and forth on the front lines, reaping abundant experience points, various equipment, and drops.
From afar, Sheng Tian and Cang Long also accelerated their assault. In an instant, the morale of the Han Ye Chang guild completely dissipated. Many even retreated into the depths of the crowd, disengaging from combat and directly crushing their teleportation scrolls to return to town. No one was foolish; who would want to lose levels and equipment here for nothing?
...
In a mere half-hour, the battle inexplicably concluded. The mighty Han Ye Chang guild, with over 30,000 members, saw nearly half of them crushed and slain by the three major guilds. Another significant portion had returned to town, while the rest broke through and fled. However, with players from the human faction surrounding them, any lone players from the demon faction would not be spared, and their elimination was only a matter of time.
"It's time to enter the second layer."
Shen Xingchen looked at Lin Zhao and directly sent him a coordinate. "There are many entrances to the second layer scattered across the first layer map. This is one of them. Head over and take a look."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao ascended into the air and rode his flying sword. Less than three minutes later, he landed in a forest. Within the woods, a blood-red teleportation portal stood tall. The portal led downwards. Upon stepping through, he found himself on the second layer of the Ancient Dragon Marsh map. Quite a few players were already here, fighting monsters.
"Ding!"
A message arrived from Mo Yin: "Boss, I've found the second layer Boss. Solo it?"
"Send me the coordinates."
"Alright!"
Shortly after, Mo Yin sent a coordinate. The moment Lin Zhao, enveloped in a sword gleam, arrived, he saw a Boss standing in the dense forest ahead. It wielded twin hammers and exuded a foul stench. Named Spirit Devourer, it was a level 162 Ghost God level Boss. With Lin Zhao's strength, soloing it was no issue. He flicked his sword blade and went straight in to claim its allegiance.
"Boss, I'm leaving then!" Mo Yin waved with a smile.
"Don't go."
Lin Zhao, while unleashing his thirty-six Ephemeral Flying Swords to ravage the Boss, chuckled, "Mo Yin, you found the Boss coordinates, after all. Even without merit, you've expended effort. You just stay nearby in stealth and help me guard. If anyone approaches, you handle them—either persuade them to leave or eliminate them directly. I'll take the allegiance. You'll follow along to gain experience, and any equipment that suits you will be yours."
"Ah?"
Mo Yin scratched his head. "How could I possibly accept that?"
"What's there to be shy about? Do as I say!"
"Alright, Boss!"
The next moment, Mo Yin stepped back and entered stealth, patrolling the area around the Boss zone, providing Lin Zhao with various information. Essentially, it strengthened Lin Zhao's defenses. Naturally, if a fight broke out, it would still be Lin Zhao handling it. Mo Yin, as an assassin, feared no one-on-one combat, but he certainly couldn't hold his own against a crowd.
Chen Xue, Shen Xingchen, Ding Chi, and others also led their teams into the second layer. As usual, the plan was to clear the map first, consuming all its resources.
As everyone pushed towards the center of the second layer, Lin Zhao's battle was nearing its end. After nearly fifteen minutes of relentless sword attacks, Lin Zhao, single-handedly, emptied the HP bar of a Ghost God level Boss. Accompanied by the 'Ghost Cry' from the Fiery Ash Sword and Lin Zhao's 'Immortal Slayer,' the Boss's body swayed and then crashed down with a thud, scattering loot everywhere.
Lin Zhao stepped forward to examine the items.
There were a pair of dark, flame-shrouded leggings that he could use. Reaching out, he brushed them, and the attributes floated before his eyes, quite alluring—
[Spirit Sea Knee Guards] (Ghost God Artifact)
Type: Armor
Defense: 3000
Strength: +190
Stamina: +185
Agility: +183
Special Effect: Damage Reduction +10%
Special Effect: Physical Dodge +20%
Special Effect: Damage Amplification, increases user's attack damage by 60%
Special Effect: Wind Walker, increases user's movement speed by 100%
Special Effect: Resilience, increases user's HP cap by 25,000
Additional: Increases user's attack power by 65%
Additional: Increases user's defense by 63%
Requires Strength: 3500
Requires Level: 155
...
The previous Cloud Shattering Knee Guards were merely a level 90 Earth artifact. He had upgraded directly, replacing them with the Spirit Sea Knee Guards. As his entire set of equipment gradually shifted to Ghost God artifacts, Lin Zhao's overall attributes would undoubtedly rise to a new level, placing him once again at the forefront of the national server.
Additionally, there was a pair of level 155 Ghost God artifact leather boots suitable for Mo Yin. Lin Zhao directly tossed them over. Mo Yin was now a level 160 assassin. Lin Zhao had been slackening in leveling, but Mo Yin certainly hadn't. He didn't refuse them excessively, as that would seem too meek. He accepted the boots, put them on, and chuckled, "Thanks, Boss!"
"No need for pleasantries!"
Lin Zhao smiled. "Then I'll keep the rest of the loot all to myself!"
"What's there to say about that?"
Mo Yin scratched his head and laughed, "I had zero output during the entire Boss encounter. I received half the experience and a Ghost God artifact, which is already more than enough to feel embarrassed about. Take whatever else you want, Boss. It all rightfully belongs to you anyway."
"Excellent!"
Lin Zhao scooped up a pile of gold coins from the ground and then gathered a heap of treasures radiating golden light from the grass. It turned out to be a dozen Golden Crucian Coins, all unbound. Based on the current market price in "Tian Xia," an unbound Golden Crucian Coin represented 1 million universal currency, totaling 12 million universal currency!
Collecting them all, he planned to exchange them at an opportune time and invest them in Scarlet Moon Transport. Lin Zhao was sparing no effort in building Scarlet Moon Transport. In truth, he didn't just want to establish a commercial empire of transportation; he also desired Scarlet Moon Transport to possess formidable combat capabilities. The current Earth was in a state of disrepair, with the efficiency of various united governments extremely low and private armed forces rampant. Without possessing a powerful army, how could he protect Scarlet Moon Knights, a super battleship in the Second World?
"Boss, entering the third layer?"
Mo Yin chuckled. "I have the coordinates for the third layer entrance too."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Then I'll head straight to the third layer."
"Mm!"
...
A few minutes later, Lin Zhao stepped into the third layer map of the Ancient Dragon Marsh.
"Swish!"
The moment he entered the third layer, a fleeting magpie feather suddenly flashed before his eyes. Immediately after, Lin Zhao's body was entangled by soft, golden feathers, rendering him unable to break free. A burst of wild laughter reached his ears: "He's here! Kill him quickly!"
It was the Full-House Villains. They had actually laid an ambush here.
In an instant, countless skills surged from all directions. Flying swords swooped down from the air. Among them, Ding Chunqiu's two flying swords dealt the most damage. Even with the Golden Armor Immortal Robe protecting him, they still chipped away over 10,000 HP from Lin Zhao. Combined with the damage from other players, Lin Zhao's HP bar plummeted to 35% within three seconds. However, the enemy's output was insufficient. Even with over a dozen individuals, they were unable to kill Lin Zhao, who was protected by the Golden Armor Immortal Robe.
The moment the life-bound magpie feather effect of Ju Ma Zhi disappeared, a rosy glow emanated from Lin Zhao's brow. His flying swords surged from the Sword Containment Lake, conjuring a small dimension that enveloped everyone. Since the Full-House Villains wanted to die, there was nothing more to be said; he would eliminate them all.
"Swish!"
A Divine Speed Talisman ignited. With speed barely perceptible to the naked eye, Lin Zhao lightly swung his sword, the Dragon Ascent Slash, sending Ding Chunqiu flying into the air. Immediately after, the Fiery Ash Sword swept past, dealing over 500,000 damage and instantly killing Ding Chunqiu. The moment Ding Chunqiu was slain, Lin Zhao's HP bar was refilled to full by the exaggerated lifesteal. The thirty-six Ephemeral Flying Swords from his orange gourd densely erupted, sweeping through the crowd.
"This is bad!"
A sword cultivator gritted his teeth, but before he could retreat, the flying sword Bright Moon, accompanied by frost, pierced his abdomen. Instantly, his entire body became encased in frost, his speed plummeting. Lin Zhao then swiftly advanced, slaying him with Heaven and Earth Toss + Sweeping Heaven and Earth. After dispatching two heavily armored players, the Spring Water Sword was sheathed. A wisp of pure white vortex enveloped him, and with a "bang," he landed a punch on Ju Ma Zhi's abdomen, sending him flying. Immediately after, with the 'Breath of the Marsh' fist technique, he turned Ju Ma Zhi into a rain of blood, striking fear into the hearts of the Full-House Villains players.
In fact, after an assassin from Full-House Villains scouted that Lin Zhao was fighting a Boss on the second layer, Ding Chunqiu decided to ambush Lin Zhao at an entrance to the third layer nearby, aiming to kill him instantly. Many had opposed this at the time, reasoning that with so many players in the national server, why provoke Lin Zhao of all people? Furthermore, even if they killed Lin Zhao, would Full-House Villains be able to dominate the Ancient Dragon Marsh map? Did they truly consider guilds like Xinghe, Sheng Tian, and Cang Long as mere decorations?
In reality, Ding Chunqiu was indeed irrational. He simply wanted to kill Lin Zhao. Now, his attempt to steal a chicken had resulted in losing the rice. The facts proved that Lin Zhao's survivability was absolutely heaven-defying. Even when ambushed, he possessed the ability to counterattack. Conversely, the core squad of Full-House Villains had no ability to fight back within the Vast Heavens dimension; they were essentially all instantly killed by Lin Zhao.
After a flurry of iron fists, they all fell one by one. Finally, only Qiu Qianren remained, whom Lin Zhao struck with a punch, leaving him critically injured. Coincidentally, the thirty-second duration of the Vast Heavens dimension also expired. The moment the dimension disappeared, Qiu Qianren bolted, mounting a magical artifact and vanishing into the dense forest. Lin Zhao feigned a pursuit for a few steps, angrily shouting, "Qiu Qianren, don't run!"
The opponent ran even faster.
Lin Zhao then ceased the pursuit. Killing him would be meaningless. Leaving Qiu Qianren, their vice-leader, would naturally allow him to gather the players of Full-House Villains. Once they converged, they would be easier to eliminate. Otherwise, if the demon faction players of Full-House Villains were scattered across the large map, it would be quite troublesome.
...
Just then, a series of heavy hoofbeats suddenly echoed from the south, followed by a familiar voice shouting, "Faster! Clear out the people from Lin Yuan Xian Yu at top speed! We'll hoard the Burning Heaven Warhorses and later form an invincible Burning Heaven Iron Cavalry!"
This voice belonged to Ghost King!
Lin Zhao frowned and ascended into the air on his sword. In a small map called "Burning Heaven Forest Valley" ahead, two guilds were engaged in combat. The numbers were not large, only a few thousand people, as not many had directly reached the third layer yet. Within the Burning Heaven Forest Valley, wild horses with deep red manes, resembling Red Hare, were grazing. These were level 1 creatures that could be tamed into warhorses, representing a high-grade resource. Furthermore, the Burning Heaven Warhorse was a Ghost God level mount!
"Alright, alright, this is ours now, Scarlet Moon Knights."
Lin Zhao revealed a smile, his heart filled with ambition.