Chapter 113: A Journey That Ends Only in Death

Colorful Mist Coast, Starry Sea Region.

Crystal Palace Node.

The great battle, ongoing for four days, continued.

The Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards, growing by absorbing node energy, launched a counterattack against the players' offensive.

Swarms of Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards, clad in hard scales and adept at group combat, utilized their numerical superiority and rapid underwater movement to form impenetrable barriers; their sharp claws severed player bodies with every strike, instantly sending them back to Emperor Tomb Village.

Logically, with an average level of around 25, the player legions should have easily defeated the Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards.

After all, unlike the Insect Black Tide or the Black Black Tide, the Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards lacked the terrifying talent to spawn troops endlessly.

However, without the aid of Fate Souls proficient in swimming, the human players were completely unable to adapt to the rhythm of underwater combat, and several joint offensives were easily crushed by the Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards.

On the side of the alien players, although the Gill-Fish Clan and Abyss-Fish Clan were proficient in swimming.

Their average Fate Soul levels were low, and they lacked sufficient Body Tempering levels to inherit Fate Soul attributes, resulting in their strength being completely overwhelmed by the Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guards.

The great battle was fought entirely through a method of "grinding health"; for every Shadow-Scale Shrimp Guard killed, the enemy's strength diminished slightly.

However, within a short timeframe, this domain node clearly could not be captured.

At this moment, Qi Sheng, operating from behind the scenes, gained a general understanding of this domain node's rule characteristics and effects through the Guide's analysis.

Upon first seeing the analysis introduction for "Gathering Crowds," the effect he envisioned was that the more players gathered, the stronger the released ability effect would become.

Like an array formation, each player could act as an energy node within the formation, connecting with one another to generate additional attribute bonuses.

But the Guide shook its head, indicating that was not the case.

He was already familiar with this domain node's rule characteristic and had once witnessed a Hegemon-level life form, bestowed by Di Zhao, using it.

The so-called "Gathering Crowds" did not refer to the gathering of lives.

It referred to the gathering of abilities.

In the Guide's speculation, this characteristic could bring a stacking effect of ability traits to the player legions.

Assuming there were 100 players using the Black Armored Snake Fate Soul, then after embedding the "Gathering Crowds Rule" into Emperor Tomb Village, all players using the Black Armored Snake Fate Soul would receive an additional +1% amplification of the Black Armored Snake attributes.

The greater the number of players using the Black Armored Snake Fate Soul, the stronger the amplification effect, creating a "Gathering Crowds" effect in terms of traits.

This calculation likely involved not only quantity but also the intensity of the Fate Souls.

After hearing the Guide's explanation, Qi Sheng could already foresee how players would perform after containing the "Gathering Crowds" rule node.

The Forum would inevitably be flooded with players urging others to adopt the build they favored.

The rule trait of Gathering Crowds meant that the more players used a specific Fate Soul, the higher the extra bonus it would receive.

The more niche the Fate Soul, the lower the bonus effect.

However, without containing the rule node first, the Guide could not provide a detailed explanation of the exact bonus values.

Yet, this rule trait sparked intense interest in Qi Sheng.

As the number of players continued to climb in the future, the bonus effect of the Gathering Crowds rule trait would continuously improve.

It was simply a divine technique for the late game.

The priority of containing this domain node increased significantly in Qi Sheng's eyes.

As for when containment would be completed, it was merely a matter of time; he only needed to wait patiently.

No longer paying attention to the doomed war of attrition, Qi Sheng's consciousness began switching at high frequency between the Forum and the players.

Just as the main force of players was grinding hard at the Crystal Palace domain node.

Starry Sea Region.

Morning light broke the dawn, painting the horizon orange-red, while the sea surface was shrouded in a layer of gossamer mist.

Gu Chen sat on the edge of his self-made raft, holding a fishing rod in one hand and slapping his feet against the cool seawater, drifting with the waves with an expression of pure contentment.

Looking up at the golden wheel rising in the sky, he squinted his eyes, unable to help but praise the beauty of the scenery.

Over the past month, following his guild's friendly group, he had fought fiercely against the Black Black Tide and Insect Black Tide in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range, also participating in the Heavenly Fire Campaign, finally raising his Body Tempering to Level 2.

Today, he decided to give himself a day off.

To embark on a fishing trip that would last until death.

For this, he had spent half a day beforehand cutting down trees near the coast, binding them with vines into a raft, crafting a simple wooden raft five meters long and three meters wide.

For this journey, he had no intention of returning alive.

Opening the map revealed he was already far from the coast.

At this distance, trying to swim back was less convenient than simply dying and respawning.

Humming a tune and browsing the Forum, the feeling of fishing alone on the vast ocean made Gu Chen feel incredibly relaxed.

Just then, the fishing rod in his hand suddenly sank heavily.

Realizing a fish was on the hook, the arm holding the rod exerted sudden force, causing faint golden and pale blue light to emerge on Gu Chen's body.

This was the manifestation of his body inheriting the amplifications of the Mighty Axe and Shattered Blade.

His heartbeat accelerated accordingly.

He could feel that the fish underwater possessed immense strength, nearly dragging him into the sea.

Gu Chen decisively stood up, quickly adjusted his posture, gripped the fishing rod with both hands, and began a contest of strength against this unknown marine creature.

The raft rose and fell unpredictably in the waves, gliding through the breakers following the trajectory of the large fish's movement.

Gu Chen did not rush to exert force, planning to wait until the large fish exhausted itself before hauling it up, though his mind had already begun imagining what kind of underwater creature this might be.

This was precisely the charm of fishing in the game.

Unlike known fish species in reality, the ecosystem of the Monster World was extremely complex.

There were countless types of aquatic life in the ocean; one never knew what kind of marine life would be caught.

If luck held, catching a low-level Primordial Monster would make this trip immensely profitable.

Although the probability was small, the possibility certainly existed.

Secondly, besides Primordial Monsters, many precious fish species could be sold for high prices in the Exchange Hall.

It could be said that every fishing attempt was a lucky draw.

Good luck could bring enormous wealth.

"Whoa!"

The speed at which the raft cut through the waves grew faster and faster, even beginning to skip across the sea surface; Gu Chen let out an excited cheer, his arm muscles tensed, showing no intention of letting go.

In his eyes, playing a game required letting loose.

Being timid while fishing simply wasn't manly.

Twenty minutes later, the raft, moving at high speed, was being dragged like a kite, flying over ten meters with every splash into the water.

The large fish still had abundant energy, but a trend of slowing down had appeared, with no further increase in speed.

Gu Chen finally began reeling in, turning his self-made simple reel, shortening the fishing line bit by bit.

The contest of strength officially began; after Gu Chen's arm muscles exerted force, they knotted into blocks, as the power of the Mighty Axe Fate Soul and Shattered Blade Fate Soul erupted within his body.

"Come up!"

The Brutal Strength trait was released, and his power surged suddenly.

Every time the fishing rod lifted, Gu Chen would quickly turn the reel.

Now, he only worried about two issues.

How long his already bent self-made fishing rod could last, and whether the fishing line made from Iron Shell Worm silk would be snapped.

But having entered the stage of strength contest, Gu Chen could no longer worry about such things, planning to haul the fish onto the raft in one go.

Another 15 minutes passed.

Under high-intensity strength contesting, Gu Chen was panting heavily, his sweat glistening under the sunlight, while his hands gripping the rod trembled.

"It's coming!"

Accompanied by a fierce shout, a bulge rose on the sea surface; a huge fish head broke through the water, flying into the air. Black scales glittered under the golden wheel's light, its massive body whipping its tail continuously in mid-air, scattering crystal-clear droplets, causing Gu Chen to instinctively squint.

But reacting quickly, he decisively switched the rod to his left hand, summoned a golden Mighty Axe with his right, and lunged forward to chop at the black fish still in the air.

This strike was heavy and powerful, and with the bonus of the Shattered Blade's trait, it shattered the fish's head in one blow, embedding itself in the flesh.

However, to Gu Chen's surprise, this large black fish did not bleed; instead, it opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and continued to struggle desperately.

He and the large fish fell into the water simultaneously; he kicked hard against the black fish's head with both legs, used the leverage to pull out the Mighty Axe, and then delivered another chop smashing down onto the fish's head.

Gu Chen knew clearly that he had no advantage in underwater combat; once in the water, he had to end the fight quickly.

After several consecutive axe strikes, the already weakened black fish completely ceased moving, transforming into a swirl of black mist that surged toward him.

"Eh, where's the fish meat?"

Discovering that after the black fish died there was no disassembly prompt nor any dropped fish meat, Gu Chen was instantly stunned, an unbelievable thought arising in his heart.

Looking up sharply, he saw the Guide beside him open its mouth and absorb the black mist.

Subsequently, a Challenger Prompt rang out in his mind and within the regional voice channel:

[Challenger Prompt (All Channels): Congratulations to player "Unceasing Battle" for killing the Second-Generation Primordial Monster "Extreme Speed," receiving 20,000 points of Sacrificial Power reward, Star Vein Slot Level +1.]

[Extreme Speed (Second-Generation Primordial)]:

Primordial Trait: Accelerates the efficiency of all actions by burning qi and blood; the specific acceleration effect is influenced by Fate Soul level, while the duration is influenced by one's own qi and blood intensity.

Purchase Cost: 3,000 Sacrificial Power.

"Oh my god!"

The prompt in his mind blew Gu Chen's mind.

For him, fishing was merely a leisure hobby, not a day-and-night pursuit like those players belonging to the Fishing Faction.

He never expected that the "Catch the Primordial" achievement, which even the dedicated fishing guild players had failed to accomplish, would be completed by him, a casual passerby.

It was like a group of professional lottery buyers purchasing tickets every day yet never winning.

He merely passed by a lottery shop, bought a ticket on a whim, and struck a jackpot that made him instantly rich.

This surprise came so suddenly that Gu Chen was completely unprepared psychologically.

At this moment, the guild chat channel where Gu Chen resided exploded into chaos:

"Dog War, you really deserve to die! I was just saying that while you went on vacation to the Misty Coast today, we were still struggling in the Emperor Tomb Mountains, thinking you were gradually pulling ahead of us in combat power. But what is this you've done? Tell me, what have you done... Aaaah, this hurts more than killing me!"

"Boohoo, hurry up and send a red envelope! Receiving this ominous notification first thing in the morning is terrible. Seeing other players get the Primordial reward makes me uncomfortable too, but a few curses would suffice since I don't know them personally. But you getting the reward is different; I won't be able to sleep for at least three days. It truly hurts."

"We were all comfortably poor; why did you have to get rich first? Your sudden wealth has broken the balance between us. Weren't the days when we all struggled together in poverty happy? How did you get rich alone? I suggest you donate all this money. If you don't, I'll get angina. Choose between your good brother and sacrificial power; you can only pick one."

Glancing at the wails of his circle of friends in the voice channel, Gu Chen burst into laughter.

Although it was a small guild, its members were all old friends of over five years; they had met offline many times, and he had even served as a groomsman at the weddings of several veteran players.

Compared to the rewards, he cared more about the friendship within his circle of friends.

Amidst his joy, he sent a luck-based red envelope containing 3,000 points of sacrificial power to the guild chat channel, instantly turning the wails in the chat into congratulations and blessings.

He activated the regional voice channel, and just as he had anticipated, it was filled with intimate and friendly greetings.

"Satisfying!"

The sudden windfall made Gu Chen feel cheerful; he then turned to look at the raft, preparing to continue his happy fishing until death do them part.

However, he was startled to discover that the raft was drifting away with the waves.

Realizing the situation was dire, he decisively swam hard toward the receding raft, attempting to close the distance.

But without the blessing of a speed-type soul, aided by both the sea breeze and the waves, the raft drifted farther and farther away, constantly shrinking in his line of sight until it completely vanished beyond the horizon.

At that moment, the smile on Gu Chen's Iron Face disappeared.

"Damn it, how am I supposed to get back?"

As he spoke, Gu Chen, floating on the water's surface, subconsciously looked at the guiding water sphere hovering beside him.

Their gazes met; the guiding avatar boredly manifested two arms, spread its hands, and said:

[Why are you looking at me? Do you expect me to carry you back? Of course, you should swim back, or hold your breath and drown yourself. Once you're dead, you'll be back. Don't ask me such idiotic questions next time.]

Gu Chen: ...

Looking around, there was not even a shadow of land to be seen; Gu Chen knew he was in serious trouble.

He activated the map function and discovered that the straight-line distance between his current location and the Misty Coast had reached 27 kilometers. Swimming back against the wind would take at least half a day, and perhaps even that wouldn't be enough.

As for drowning himself, he felt that wouldn't be easy to accomplish either.

The only somewhat reliable way to die would be for a ferocious marine lifeform to pass by and send his soul back to Emperor Tomb Village.

But the problem was, where was he supposed to find such a ferocious big fish?

"Forget it, let's try it first."

Saying this, Gu Chen took a deep breath and dove underwater.

The guide hovering nearby followed him into the underwater world at that moment.

One hour later, on the player forum.

[Version T0 Soul +1: Preliminary Evaluation of the Extreme Speed Soul and Suggestions for Soul Combinations]:

Poster: Night Is Coming

Content: Finally, another Primordial has been contained. Upon seeing the notification, I immediately went to the Testing Tower to conduct combination tests.

Judging by the name of the Primordial trait, this seems to be a trait that improves action efficiency, but in reality, it is not so.

After activating the Extreme Speed trait, besides instantly increasing movement speed, combining it with other souls can produce effects beyond imagination.

Here is the first test video; the combination used is: Bone Fire (Ink Flame) Soul + Extreme Speed Soul.

(Attachment: Recorded Video)

As you can see, originally condensing a fireball required several seconds of charging time, but with the Extreme Speed Soul combination, the charging time is instantly shortened to 1.5 seconds. This isn't even the limit; by choosing to accelerate the burning of qi and blood, I can instantly drain my health and mana bars, resulting in the ultra-high burst performance of continuous Fireball Spells seen in the video.

The strength of this soul is T0 tier among burst builds in the current version, even better than the effect of the Flowing Shadow Clone.

Next, I will provide several ideas for combination setups.

First combination: Bone Fire, Flowing Shadow Clone, Extreme Speed, Qi Devouring.

This setup can drain both mana and health bars within 10 seconds, instantly inflicting terrifying damage, but the drawback is also very obvious: the consumption is too fierce. Even Qi Devouring struggles to fill the deficit of qi, blood, and spiritual energy. It belongs to the Star Vein combination that becomes listless after unleashing a burst.

Second combination: Gargoyle, Soul-Departing Spear, Black Armored Snake (Deadly Poison), Extreme Speed.

In my opinion, this is the most perfect combination setup.

The characteristic of Extreme Speed is that it consumes qi and blood to activate; this limitation dictates that melee builds with robust qi and blood are best suited for the Extreme Speed Soul.

I have named this combination the "High-Speed Special Effect Build."

It focuses on dealing damage by triggering special effects. A level 1 soul can activate 1.5 times movement speed and attack speed. With both tankiness and damage output, its comprehensive strength is very high.

Third combination: Twilight Shadow, Mighty Axe, Shattered Blade, Extreme Speed.

Also a melee combination, this Star Vein setup belongs to the assassin burst build.

After closing in, activating Extreme Speed allows for an ultra-high damage output in a short time, but it is only recommended for skill-based players; ordinary players will find it difficult to maneuver within a horde of monsters.

Above are the Star Vein combination ideas provided in this evaluation. If anyone has better ideas, please post them in the comments section.

Comments Section:

Berserk Chick: Does this mean the assassin build is rising again?

Is This Reasonable: Actually, the performance of the assassin build is quite strong. During the Heavenly Fire Campaign, many assassins went to the Black Black Tide and Insect Black Tide fronts to steal last hits, and they truly earned a fortune. The only drawback is that the skill requirement is too high; an assassin player who knows what they're doing and one who doesn't are essentially two different builds. But if we're talking about the current strongest assassin, it has to be Ashes, a member of the Veteran Squad led by Iron Grandpa from our guild.

Sea Realm Walker: There are many people here, so I'll ask: Are there any human brothers who need sacrificial power? I'm selling 25 points of sacrificial power.

Dark Land Is Really Fun: The demonstration video of the first Star Vein combination cracked me up. Draining health and mana bars in 10 seconds and becoming listless immediately—this build is too impractical. It's only suitable for some powerful teams to include one for bursting damage at critical moments. For solo players and solo squads, forget it; choosing this is equivalent to carrying a burden.

Shadow Follows:

This is even better than the previous assassin build. The previous one focused on triggering special effects, requiring stacking poison and curse seals. This one focuses purely on burst damage output. However, Brother Night didn't consider one issue: when assassins penetrate deep behind enemy lines, the weapon forms of Shattered Blade and Mighty Axe are not suitable. Dagger-type weapons like Forbidden Blade, which can strike quickly in confined spaces, are the most suitable option.

Therefore, your soul combination needs to add a Curse Blade Soul. However, inheriting all five souls requires a Body Tempering level that is truly too far away. I strive to accomplish this within the next two months. Recently, my combat power has improved, my monster-killing efficiency has increased, and my rewards have surged; I feel my growth speed has accelerated significantly.

The debut of the Extreme Speed Soul sparked heated discussion on the forum.

After the evaluation ended, many guide-focused players ranked this soul in the Version T0 position.

After activating its special effect ability, players were like they had turned on an acceleration cheat.

Any action could be accelerated, including movement, spellcasting, physical attack frequency, and so on, which also included efficiency of action underwater.

This allowed for more powerful combinations in Star Vein setups.

Subsequently, players even developed a functional build, combining Bind, Light Shield, Extreme Speed, and Qi Devouring, focusing on instant crowd control and instant shielding, greatly enhancing functionality. Many players who mainly played functional builds, after reading the guide content, decisively switched to new Star Vein combination setups.

Subsequent practical performances in the Emperor Tomb Mountains against the Insect Black Tide and Black Black Tide proved that the suggestions proposed by the guide-focused players were feasible.

It brought significant combat power increases to both individuals and teams.

This is precisely where the charm of this game's setting lies in the eyes of many players.

Every time a soul is contained, all players benefit.

Furthermore, the addition of a high-strength soul can bring a considerable boost to the comprehensive strength of the player faction.

(End of Chapter)