This map has some tricks up its sleeve.
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly. He’d worry about it later, and focus on farming monsters first. Glancing down, he saw that the level 140 Golden Sand Scorpion was a Heavenly-tier monster, with formidable attributes and several attack skills. It burrowed beneath the desert to launch its assaults, and its first strike was always its strongest, infused with venom. Thus, Lin Zhao didn’t intend to take any risks. He retreated several steps with a *deng deng deng*, avoiding its initial charge.
*Boom!*
The Golden Sand Scorpion suddenly erupted from the desert, kicking up a plume of dust. The stinger on its tail, glowing with a blood-red light, sliced through the air in an attack trajectory, but Lin Zhao’s evasive maneuver caused it to miss. Before Lin Zhao could celebrate, the ground beneath him suddenly softened. As he retreated, he seemed to have stepped into a quicksand vortex. Immediately, fine grains of sand began to swirl rapidly, engulfing his body and pulling him along.
*Ding!*
Combat notification: You have entered a [Quicksand Vortex] and been teleported to coordinates [Stone of Destiny] (247772, 398323)!
…
Indeed, just as Shen Xingchen had said, this map was densely populated with these "hidden trap" style quicksand vortices. This made it impossible for players to team up to clear the map. Furthermore, this was an incredibly large map, spanning 100wx100w grids. Once randomly teleported, it would be extremely difficult to return. The cost of attempting to clear it as a team would be far too great.
*Roar~~~*
Ahead, a Golden Sand Wolf, its body covered in a golden radiance, let out a low growl. Its blood-red eyes were filled with hunger as it stared directly at Lin Zhao. A trickle of saliva even dripped down from its fangs; it seemed truly starved. This Golden Sand Wolf was also level 140, a common Heavenly-tier monster. At this stage, the average level of players on the national server was around 120+. Ordinary players encountering such a monster would have no choice but to turn and flee. However, players entering the Stone of Destiny map were all high-level players at 130+, making them capable of fighting it. He could treat it as normal monster farming.
“Come!”
The moment Lin Zhao drew his sword, Liquan, his Blazing Demon Wolf Phantom Armor was successfully activated, adorning him with a fearsome, fiery red set of armor. Simultaneously, with a thought, the twelve Great Desolation Ancient Swords shot out with him. In the next instant, amidst the sword light of Dragon Ascend, the Golden Sand Wolf let out a cry of pain as its body was sent flying. Then, six Great Desolation Ancient Swords pierced its body with a *puff puff puff*, dealing a series of massive damage. Following that, Lin Zhao’s Sweeping Army and Heaven and Earth Toss dealt two critical hits. Once all twelve Great Desolation Ancient Swords entered their cooldown cycle, five Medium-Refined Immortal Swords successively emerged from the Spirit Void, continuing to attack the Golden Sand Wolf. Coupled with Liquan’s assault, under a single round of fierce attacks, the Golden Sand Wolf, possessing a formidable 800,000 HP, let out a mournful cry and fell.
*Clang!*
The first kill in the Stone of Destiny yielded loot! A plump leather helmet dropped to the ground. Picking it up, Lin Zhao saw it was a level 135 Earth-tier leather helmet, undoubtedly top-tier equipment for Assassins and Sharpshooters. Without a second thought, he tossed it into his inventory. The long-lost feeling of acquiring loot brought him a small spark of joy. He’d collect more and then head to Baidi City to list it on the auction house, earning some money for his future wife!
He walked forward with his sword, but after only a few steps, his foot suddenly slipped.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa~~~”
Lin Zhao’s face was filled with surprise. He had reappeared in another corner of the map. This was infuriating. The density of these quicksand vortex traps was simply outrageous! A thought immediately formed in his mind: when he gathered the pages and was about to summon the Boss, he would have to "scout" the area first, clearing a small section of the map of quicksand vortices before summoning. Otherwise, what if he summoned the Boss and immediately stepped into a quicksand vortex? Would he be summoning it for someone else?
*Whoosh!*
He took a deep breath and charged forward. This time, a Golden Rattlesnake spawned ahead – a colossal venomous snake. While it might have been a bit difficult for Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Luo Man, and the other young ladies, for a seasoned general like Lin Zhao, who had weathered countless storms, it was no issue. He charged forward with his sword. The flying swords Bright Moon and Righteousness continuously attacked, while the five Immortal Swords and twelve Great Desolation Ancient Swords also struck as their cooldowns finished. For a time, his combat display was quite a sight to behold. His true form danced with his sword, while nineteen flying swords shuttled around, attacking the monster, maximizing his damage output.
At this moment, no player in the national server could match Lin Zhao’s single-target damage. After all, he was the only one at the Nascent Soul stage. Only Sword Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage could additionally refine five Medium-grade swords and twelve Small-grade swords. While other Sword Heroes could only wield two flying swords to assist in attacks, Lin Zhao could already command a swarm of flying swords.
Coupled with his terrifying critical hit and damage amplification effects, his damage output reached an extremely horrifying level. It could be said that Lin Zhao only needed about 15-18 seconds to defeat a Golden Rattlesnake. However, a Starfall Mage of similar level and attributes might need 2-3 minutes. This was the power of a high-level Sword Cultivator.
Shortly after, a Golden Sand Scorpion dissolved into a pool of green blood under the fierce assault of flying swords, and with a *clatter*, a golden book page dropped. Picking it up, Lin Zhao saw that it was indeed a Divine Covenant Page. Ten of these could summon an Earth-tier Boss. After defeating an Earth-tier Boss, there was a chance to drop a True Martial Scroll, which was actually the most valuable item on this map. Ten True Martial Scrolls could summon the ultimate Boss, and defeating it would guaranteed a drop of the Stone of Destiny. However… based on the situation, it seemed like it would have to be soloed. Given that even common monsters like the Golden Sand Scorpion were Heavenly-tier, the final Boss would likely be Ghost-God tier at a minimum. For players at this stage to face a Ghost-God tier Boss solo was indeed asking a bit too much.
Still, everything was possible. He’d try it out first.
…
*Ding!*
In the Scarlet Moon Knights guild channel, Ding Chi said gravely, “Everyone be careful. Someone is PK-ing players in the Stone of Destiny map to steal their Divine Covenant Pages!”
“Damn it!”
Zhang Jun frowned. “How shameless! Trying to benefit from others’ efforts through PK?”
Chen Xue asked, “Who is it?”
“It is I!” Ding Chi said with a hearty laugh. “I just took down a level 132 Sword Cultivator from Grand Prosperity Peony. He just happened to drop a Divine Covenant Page. Hehehehehe~~~”
…
A group of girls collectively rolled their eyes. Lawyer Ding’s shamelessness was truly a unique characteristic of the Scarlet Moon Knights.
Lin Zhao also smiled but said nothing. He’d continue farming slowly. This map was very time-consuming, but the good news was that the rewards were generous. Even normal monsters dropped Earth-tier gear, so slow farming would definitely be profitable. It was a way for the game, “Tianxia,” to reward its top-tier players. Players slightly weaker would find it difficult to achieve this drop rate and map resource access.
While over 5,000 players were hotly farming in the Stone of Destiny, outside the map, countless players at levels 128 and 129 were desperately leveling up, hoping to get in and grab a share before the Stone of Destiny event ended!
…
The Ghost Realm, Tianxia.
Tan Xin, the eleventh-stage Ghost Cultivator and ancestor of the Coffin Bearer lineage, still knelt in her cheongsam atop a mountain of corpses. Eerie ghostly energies emanated from her, shrouding the entire corpse mountain. Refining this ancient relic of a corpse mountain was no easy feat, and Tan Xin had endured much hardship. Yet, this young Upper Five Realms Ghost Clan cultivator feared no hardship. To ascend the path of cultivation, she could even disregard her life, let alone endure minor suffering.
In the distance, a stream wound around the foot of the mountain.
Beside the stream, a young Taoist priest named Qi Lian Dao, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a bamboo basket, walked slowly along the stream. Accompanying him was a woman in a green dress. Although her green long dress was quite worn, it could not conceal the woman’s peerless beauty. With bright eyes, pearly teeth, and an exquisite grace, she possessed a charm that could make a swan sink and a fish descend. Such a woman, if placed in the Human Realm, would likely be the most beautiful woman in a province, or even the entire world. Even Cao Ying’s beauty paled in comparison to this woman.
However, her delicate face was filled with indifference, as if the entire world was empty and she was merely a walking corpse.
Qi Lian Dao, while walking, looked at his reflection in the water, frowned, then turned and pinched the green-clothed woman’s chin, tilting her face up. He sneered, “Don’t look like your man is dead. Make me happy!”
The green-clothed woman forced a smile.
“Pah!”
Qi Lian Dao spat on her face and coldly laughed, “What ‘number one beauty of ancient times’? You look like a stray dog. Looking at you, you really seem like your man is dead!”
As he spoke, he chuckled, “Truly, your man *is* dead, hahahaha~~~~”
The green-clothed woman looked at him. Her eyes held no hatred, only endless fear. The young Taoist priest before her appeared handsome and refined with sharp eyebrows, but in the woman’s eyes, he was no different from a demon, even more terrifying.
*Slap!*
Qi Lian Dao fiercely slapped the green-clothed woman across the face, leaving five red finger marks. Qi Lian Dao looked disgusted and said, “With you looking like this, I can hardly imagine how you managed to cultivate to a thirteenth-stage great cultivator in your past life. Tsk, tsk, the number one beauty in the world, plus a thirteenth-stage cultivator. You should have been pursued by countless talented individuals. Yet, you were willing to be a dog, and in the end, you had to be reincarnated. Tsk, tsk, people like you deserve to die. Now, by having you follow me, I am offering you a form of salvation, don’t you think?”
“Yes, Master.”
The woman replied in a soft voice, her tone devoid of any anger or unwillingness.
“Be good and obedient.”
Qi Lian Dao reached out and stroked the top of the green-clothed woman’s hair, laughing, “This life isn’t bad either. The eleventh-stage Saintess of the Caiyun Sect, pure and chaste. If my ambition wasn’t so great, I would truly want to take you as my Taoist companion and live freely in the martial world ever after.”
The woman remained silent, merely furrowing her brows slightly.
“Hm??”
Qi Lian Dao raised his hand and slapped her again, laughing, “You think I’m not worthy? Actually, in my opinion, it’s you, this cheap goods, who isn’t worthy! In this world now, only Tan Xin is worthy of me, Qi Lian Dao. If I can get her, many things will fall into place!”
As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards the direction where Tan Xin was refining the corpse mountain, his eyes filled with a fervent light. He laughed, “No hurry, take your time. Those who plan for the grand scheme cannot be hasty!”