Chapter 148: Reshaping Order, Taunting Tactics

The group of "beasts" he had silently cherished countless times in the dead of night, thinking he could only ever meet them again in memory, were now standing before him, alive and vivid.

The trainees who had come out of Snow Valley Training Camp were all dumbfounded.

His rapidly spinning brain could not piece together a reasonable explanation; a lifetime of understanding seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

Looking at the familiar playful smile on Li Zheng's face, Gui Tong's heart clenched sharply, as if gripped tight by an invisible hand, and his blood froze in that instant.

He instinctively parted his lips, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

His throat felt blocked by some invisible obstruction; he could only manage a faint whimper, and his reddened eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.

"What's wrong, what's going on—are you about to cry?"

"Hahaha, don't cry, we've all resurrected, you should be happy for us."

"Are your emotions surging, a tangle of feelings, feeling it's unbelievable, yet also feeling like you're dreaming?"

"Don't doubt it, we've resurrected, hahaha."

Listening to the Liver Emperor Group players' teasing, the eyes of Gui Tong and the others grew even redder.

They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they could be certain this wasn't a dream—the group of beasts from the Player Clan had truly returned.

"Beat them!" Gui Tong suddenly roared, striking first.

The other trainees from the Bronze Clan, Night Hawk Clan, and so on all followed suit, surrounding Li Zheng and the others and raining down wild punches.

"Holy crap, what's the meaning of this? We risked our lives to save you, and this is how you repay us?"

"Oh my, Tongzi, are you trying to silence us? If you don't want to give the necklace just say so, but laying hands on us is going too far."

"Trying to slap our faces? You must have a death wish. My divine art is complete… don't kick me in the crotch, that hurts!"

……

After the scuffle, the group lay on the open ground in front of the tombstones, gazing up at the star-filled sky, breathing heavily.

"So your Player Clan actually has the ability to resurrect—you were never truly dead." Gui Tong, his strength spent, drew a deep breath, sprawled out on the ground, looked up at the sky, the gloom at the bottom of his eyes completely gone, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"That's right, your big brother here resurrected after dying, then contacted Elder You to walk the trial path again, just arrived today, searched around before finding you lot crying at the graveyard." Li Zheng, bruised and swollen, replied from beside him.

"Who's crying?"

"You."

"Bullshit, it's good you guys died too—at least you entered Phase Two Training Camp without ever going hungry."

"Then you're in trouble, we've already resurrected, looks like we're going to go hungry again next." Having said that, Li Zheng turned his head to look at Gui Tong:

"Tongzi, do you still remember the promise you made to me before I died?"

Facing the question, Gui Tong immediately felt guilty, his gaze evasive, not daring to meet Li Zheng's eyes:

"What promise?"

"Don't play dumb, you said you'd give me the necklace back then."

Recalling the scene at the time, Gui Tong felt irritated.

Now he finally understood what was going on—no wonder Brick-Mover was still obsessing over the necklace on him before he died, it turned out he'd planned it all along, knowing he would resurrect and return.

This was setting a trap for him.

"Nothing of the sort, don't talk nonsense. How could I possibly give you something that symbolizes the identity of the next clan leader? I'm warning you, don't joke around about the necklace, or you'll get a beating."

Seeing Gui Tong decisively turn hostile and deny it, Li Zheng's eyes went wide.

This was the first time he had ever seen Gui Tong so shameless.

Before this, Gui Tong had always been one to own up to his actions, never playing tricks.

"Tongzi, you've changed—did you train the thickness of your face in Phase Two Training Camp?"

"If it never happened, of course I won't admit it. Do you have proof?"

Hearing these words, Li Zheng's teeth itched with hatred.

He did indeed have proof—as a player, he could enter the forum at any time to pull up event videos, all content permanently saved.

But the problem was that video evidence could only be viewed by himself or shared with other players; there was no way to extract it and show it to non-player beings.

"See, I knew you had no proof. From now on you're not allowed to spread rumors. I'll let you off this once, consider it you joking around, but next time don't blame me for turning hostile."

Seeing Gui Tong's dead-serious reply, Li Zheng was so angry he threw a punch:

"You little Tongzi, not going to admit it? Take this fist!"

"You little Brick-Mover, slandering me? Take two of mine!"

Seeing Li Zheng and Gui Tong grappling with each other, the trainees exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

Until now, the sacrifice of the Player Clan trainees had always been a thorn in the hearts of Snow Valley Training Camp trainees.

Every time they recalled it, they felt guilt and pain.

But at this moment, the gloom buried deep in their hearts completely dissipated, and they felt incomparably light.

As if a heavy shackle on their backs had been removed.

……

Late at night.

The group of players from the Liver Emperor Group and the other Snow Valley trainees gathered in the Four-Eye Clan trainees' room.

Through Gui Tong's account, Li Zheng and the others roughly understood the situation of Phase Two Training Camp's "Gale Fortress."

The trainees entering Phase Two Training Camp came from four training camps, totaling 198 trainees.

Among them, Gui Tong specifically mentioned the new trainee from Dragon Valley Training Camp, "Phantom Duck."

Although also a new-generation trainee of the Reverse Tide reserve, Phantom Duck possessed terrifying strength that crushed the entire camp, standing in a class of his own.

He was a super-talented trainee of the same caliber as God of Wealth.

The Dragon Valley Training Camp he led was also the strongest among the four training camps; the trainees from Snow Valley Training Camp had been beaten badly during this period.

Phase Two Training Camp had no suppression bracelet restrictions, so they were simply no match for trainees like Phantom Duck from Dragon Valley Training Camp.

Seeing the gloomy expression on Painful Painful Minghun's face as he spoke, Seeing Li Zheng couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Hahaha, by the way, why didn't you use the starvation tactic?"

"We thought of it, but the problem is we're genuinely starving after every training session. Seeing food, we just can't resist. We swore then to take revenge for you, and growth is our top priority; starving every day isn't good for growth."

"Looks like we'll have to lead the way. Tongzi, don't worry, we brothers will get back the face you lost."

Hearing this, Painful Painful Minghun said with a bad temper:

"Looks like we'll have to go hungry again."

After speaking, Painful Painful Minghun glanced out the window, shrouded in night:

"How about we try a stay-up-late tactic tonight first?"

Seeing Li Zheng and the others heard this and decisively shook their heads:

"Not tonight. We were too tired on the way over. Let's rest well and cause trouble tomorrow."

They hadn't slept well during the long trek; now that they'd finally entered the training camp, they had to get a good night's sleep tonight.

They could absolutely wait until tomorrow to ramp up the intensity.

The Snow Valley trainees, who had been itching to act, heard this and nodded in understanding.

They still clearly remembered their wretched, ragged appearance when they first arrived at Dao Er Qi training; after being arranged to rest, they all fell fast asleep immediately, only waking at dawn.

At this moment, a Bronze Clan trainee asked curiously:

"Something's off. Why do I feel like you've gotten stronger? When you were fighting in the graveyard just now, your punches felt heavy... Also, the blood qi fluctuations radiating from your bodies have changed significantly."

Facing the question, Chi Tu nodded proudly:

"We saved so many gold coins in the training camp. We went back to the fountain, bought equipment, and upgraded a bit. It's reasonable that our strength increased."

Snow Valley trainees:???

Early the next morning.

All trainees gathered on the training ground.

Chief Instructor Instructor Yan Sha pointed a finger toward Seeing Li Zheng and the others at the end of the line and introduced them:

"They are Player Family trainees. Starting today, they officially join our Dao Er Qi training camp. Everyone get along well."

Hearing these words, Seeing Li Zheng and the others felt ashamed.

To their ears, Instructor Yan Sha's words didn't sound like a request for them to live in peace at all; it sounded more like a hint for the other trainees to "take care of" them.

Clearly, Instructor Yan Sha seemed to have taken them for special connections.

But Seeing Li Zheng and the other Hardcore Player Group players felt no fear.

They were already familiar with the training camp's rules; here, fists always spoke, and no conflict or problem couldn't be solved with fists.

Any provocation or bullying, just fight back with fists.

Starting today, they were going to ramp up the intensity for the Dao Er Qi training camp trainees.

Just then, Huan Ya, standing at the front of the line, turned his head to look at them, grinning with a provocative expression:

"Welcome, newcomers."

To this, Seeing Li Zheng and the others decisively raised their middle fingers together in response, making Huan Ya instantly freeze.

As their gaze focused, Huan Ya's relevant information floated into their minds:

【Huan Ya】:

Hunting Rank: 52

Target Introduction: A reserve trainee from the Broken Sky Clan of the Retrograde Tide Legion, hailed as the strongest new-generation trainee of the Broken Sky Clan this term, proficient in various battlefield combat techniques.

Seeing Huan Ya's Hunting Rank, Seeing Li Zheng and the others understood why Painful Painful Minghun and the others had been beaten down.

A Hunting Rank of 52 was already an intensity gap in the Dao Er Qi training camp.

The average rank of their strongest Painful Painful Minghun was level 43, with a significant combat power gap compared to Huan Ya.

Plus the boost from combat techniques, if they really fought, they were destined to get beaten.

But to Seeing Li Zheng and the other Hardcore Player Group players, this wasn't a big problem at all.

No matter how strong, they still have to go hungry!

After introducing the morning training items, Instructor Yan Sha let the other instructors lead the trainees away, leaving only Seeing Li Zheng and the other Hardcore Player Group players behind.

Just as Instructor Yan Sha said yesterday, they needed extra make-up classes to catch up on all the training items they had missed.

The first training item was actual combat training; Seeing Li Zheng and the other players needed to catch the energy ball released by Instructor Yan Sha within a specified time. If they failed within the specified time, they would undergo physical punishment training, repeating the cycle.

After introducing the training items, Instructor Yan Sha said in a deep voice:

"Ready?"

Facing the question, Sha Xin couldn't help but raise his hand curiously:

"Instructor Yan Sha, are all means allowed?"

"Yes, you can use all abilities and means, as long as you can catch the energy ball I release." Instructor Yan Sha nodded, and after speaking, raised his hand to condense a glowing black sphere, tossing it into the air.

The black sphere immediately moved rapidly in the air under his conscious control.

"Seems not hard."

Hearing these words, a smile appeared on Sha Xin's face.

But Sha Xin's smile made Instructor Yan Sha's face turn cold, feeling provoked.

"Begin."

Hearing Instructor Yan Sha's command, the Hardcore Player Group trainees did not move, all turning their gaze toward Sha Xin.

Sha Xin also put on a show, striking a bow-drawing pose.

Instantly, a domineering flaming bow materialized in his hand, his gaze locking onto the rapidly moving black orb of light.

He saw green marker imprints appear on the surface of the black orb—visible only to him and his teammates.

Pressing his hand at the center of the bowstring, he slowly drew it back, and a blazing Qi-and-Blood arrow condensed into being.

Seeing this, Instructor Yan Sha was intrigued.

This was also his first time seeing a member of the Player Clan use a racial ability, and he was quite curious about it.

But he didn't believe this Qi-and-Blood arrow could hit the energy orb under his control.

Twang!

The bowstring trembled, and a sharp wind-splitting whistle rang out.

The Qi-and-Blood arrow pierced through the resistance of the air, shooting straight toward the orb, dragging two spiraling currents of air along its path.

The instant Yan Sha's thought shifted, the orb abruptly veered sideways, and the arrow shot straight past it on one side.

Just then, Kill Intent activated the Painful Painful Minghun trait of the mark.

Instantly, the arrow carved a flight path through the air, turning back toward the black orb.

Yan Sha was startled, but still decisively controlled the orb to dodge.

"Leopard, Bind!"

Kill Intent's voice suddenly cut in on the voice channel.

Leopard-Head Zero Charge, who had long been poised to strike, raised his hand and pointed at the black orb suspended in the air. The Bind Painful Painful Minghun trait activated abruptly, generating an invisible cage.

Kill Intent also activated his Swift trait at this moment, firing dozens of Qi-and-Blood arrows in an instant.

This sight left Yan Sha dumbfounded.

He even felt that Kill Intent, in his archery state, was exhibiting behavior that defied physics—his body suddenly trembling violently, arrows pouring out like raindrops.

It was as if his body had accelerated in an instant; the scene was utterly surreal.

But in Yan Sha's view, this acceleration made no sense. Other things could be explained by burning Qi and Blood to drive them, but even the return speed of the bowstring on his flaming bow was being synchronously boosted under this inexplicable accelerating force.

Kill Intent activated the Mark trait once more, and dozens of arrows wove through the air, forming an arrow cage in the sky.

One of the arrows precisely struck the black energy orb that had broken free of the Bind cage.

Dismissing the scatter-bow in his hand, Kill Intent seemed to age several years in an instant. He steadied himself on Chi Tu's shoulder and looked at Instructor Yan Sha:

"Instructor Yan Sha, does this count as passing?"

Hearing this, Instructor Yan Sha was not angry at all; the corner of his mouth curved into a smile:

"Pass!"

Hearing this, the Liver Emperor Squad players cheered one after another.

One could see that the training regimen of the Reverse Tide Legion had always been purely results-oriented, never caring about the performance during the process.

This could also be referenced from God of Wealth.

No matter how outstanding one was during training camp, if the trial wasn't passed, one had to retake it.

On the road from the first-phase camp to Qian Wang Er Qi training camp, they sacrificed themselves and paid a tremendous price, but if they didn't complete it, they had to redo it—only the result mattered, not the process.

Just as in the eyes of Reverse Tide Legion soldiers, war's only goal was victory. Every soldier in the process was a chip toward victory; to achieve the objective, everything could be sacrificed—including themselves.

The notion that "participation is what matters" simply didn't work in Monster World, or rather, in the Reverse Tide Legion.

"Now we begin the second training item. All of you, attack together—try to defeat me." Instructor Yan Sha spoke up at this moment.

Hearing this, the smiles on the faces of Seeing Li Zheng and the other Liver Emperor Squad members froze.

"Instructor Yan Sha, how could we possibly defeat you? Isn't this training item just meant to have us get beaten up?" Chi Tu asked, his expression puzzled.

"You guessed right. Let me see the limits of your combat power. Come on."

As Yan Sha spoke, he suddenly clenched his fist; the air was crushed into a sonic boom, and the aura around him climbed step by step.

Seeing Li Zheng also released his Gang Qi at this moment, entering combat stance.

But they all knew very well.

This battle had no chance of victory whatsoever—it was purely a beating.

What they had to do was hold out as long as possible, let Yan Sha see their limits, so that beyond the fixed training items, a more specialized additional training plan could be formulated.

……

Time arrived at high noon.

Seeing Li Zheng and the other players walked out of the healing room and headed straight toward Daoshitang.

Recalling Yan Sha's heavy fists, they still couldn't help but wince.

Arriving at Daoshitang, the other trainees had also gathered in front of it, preparing to enter.

The Qian Wang Er Qi training camp's Daoshitang provided three meals, one more midday meal than the first-phase camp.

After entering Daoshitang one after another, Seeing Li Zheng's gaze turned toward Seeing Gui Tong and the other trainees sitting not far away.

They exchanged a smile; everything was understood without words.

Once all the trainees had gotten their food and taken their seats, Seeing Li Zheng suddenly stood up, slammed his hand hard on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

Even Chief Instructor Yan Sha looked at Seeing Li Zheng with curious eyes.

"We of the Player Clan have just arrived. Today, we're here to announce something to everyone."

Under the puzzled gazes of all the trainees, Seeing Li Zheng raised his right foot and stepped onto the table, his tone arrogant as he pointed at Phantom Duck of Dragon Valley Training Camp:

"All the rank orders you've established before are hereby void. From today on, everything will be rebuilt around our Player Clan. The first rule today: lunch is canceled. Nobody eats."

Hearing Seeing Li Zheng's arrogant words, Phantom Duck lowered his head and took a bite of roasted meat, then stood up and looked at Seeing Li Zheng, his eyes brimming with provocation.

"Beat him!"

Seeing Li Zheng activated his Gang Qi to swirl around his body and lunged straight at Phantom Duck.

The trainees from Snow Valley Training Camp also flipped their tables one after another, following Seeing Li Zheng as they lunged at Phantom Duck.

The second phase of the starvation training began right then.

Li Zheng and the others never expected to make the Phantom Duck submit through a single cafeteria battle.

The essence of this tactic lay in time: striking the challenged party's mental will bit by bit until the opponent's spirit collapsed.

Plates flew, spiritual food and soup splashed, punches landed with flesh-crunching force... the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

The trainees of the Snow Valley Training Camp also implemented the core definition of this tactic: no one eats; drag every trainee into this hunger conflict.

To put it in the words of the Family-Shared Adoptive Father: Don't ask why; if you meet us this term, consider yourselves unlucky.

Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range, Tian Yuan Realm Node.

On the platform atop Xie Yan Gao Ta, Di Nian Xie Ling was connected to the Evil Eye, currently controlling the Hei Chao Xie Sui to fight the Player Clan.

Recently, the frequency of the Player Clan's appearances in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range had dropped significantly.

In Di Nian Xie Ling's view, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

Clashing with the Player Clan always made him feel resource-tight; resources could not be reasonably consumed on the growth of the Hei Chao Xie Sui.

The craving for resources grew even more severe during the process of clashing with the Player Clan.

Just then, the Evil Eye hovering behind suddenly opened its eyes:

"Di Nian, we received a request from another node. A Hei Chao Xie Sui node has lost its commander and is currently being invaded by the Player Clan. It asks if we can provide remote command assistance."

Hearing these words, Di Nian Xie Ling was stunned for a moment, then decisively asked:

"Is there profit to be made?"

"The other party has lost command but still holds absolute control over the Hei Chao Xie Sui, unless I can replace them."

"I have a way for that; agree first." Di Nian Xie Ling spoke immediately.

"Understood, I will reply to them right away. Prepare for consciousness projection."

Not long after, the node connection was completed.

Di Nian Xie Ling's consciousness descended as a projection deep into the dense forests of the Colorful Mist Coast, onto the platform of Xie Yan Gao Ta in the Xie Xie Yue Realm scene.

At this moment, the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye connected its consciousness with Di Nian Xie Ling's consciousness via mental transmission:

"Hello, Di Nian. Thank you for your support. Next, I will assist you in fighting the Player Clan."

Di Nian Xie Ling nodded:

"Evil Eye, connect with me. I need to observe the battlefield situation and provide me with resource data and battlefield environment analysis data."

"Understood." The Blue-Skinned Evil Eye extended multiple tentacles, connecting them to the back of Di Nian Xie Ling's projection.

Instantly, the perception perspective expanded rapidly outward from Gao Ta as the Hei Chao Xie Sui node continuously connected consciousness; the entire Hei Chao Xie Sui was now under control.

Di Nian Xie Ling spoke up to ask at this moment:

"Evil Eye, explain the specific situation. Where are the Xie Ling warriors you follow?"

Facing the question, the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye did not answer but instead transmitted a segment of information directly into Di Nian Xie Ling's mind.

In the image, a figure surrounded by blazing blood-qi flames flew straight in from outside the Xie Xie Yue Realm.

Sensing the enemy's approach, the Xie Ling warriors on Xie Yan Gao Ta decisively connected with the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye, commanding the endless Hei Chao Xie Sui to rush toward the incoming figure.

Facing the Hei Chao Xie Sui army surging like a tide, the incoming figure did not retreat in the slightest; their form turned into a crimson lightning bolt weaving through the Hei Chao Xie Sui tide. As their hands danced, crimson threads shot forth from their fingertips, forming crimson lines. Where the blood threads passed, the Hei Chao Xie Sui trembled violently before suddenly perishing, dissolving into wisps of black smoke in the air, consumed by the Hei Chao Xie Sui's backlash.

But the massive Hei Chao Xie Sui tide was simply not something this figure could withstand.

Just as the Xie Ling warriors in the image thought the battle was about to end, an accident occurred.

Countless red tentacles rose from behind this figure, sweeping up a large number of nearby Hei Chao Xie Sui.

Accompanied by a hearty, unrestrained laugh, endless pain rapidly transmitted to the Xie Ling warriors on Gao Ta via the Hei Chao Xie Sui as a medium.

The body of the invading figure exploded at this moment, turning into a red sun.

The mental shock erupting in this instant left the Xie Ling warriors instantly stunned; even viewing it through the image, Di Nian Xie Ling could not help but bare his teeth.

He could imagine the power of this strike.

The opponent had somehow, through the connection between the Hei Chao Xie Sui and the Xie Ling warriors, executed a decapitation strike instantly using an unknown energy.

This image made his heart tremble with fear.

If he had been the one encountering the mysterious figure's invasion back then, the outcome would clearly not have changed; he too would have had his consciousness instantly erased by this strike.

At the end of the image, the Xie Ling had his consciousness erased and died, leaving only a body; the outcome was obvious.

Although the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye connected to it withstood the shock, it was severely injured and fell into a coma.

After watching the image content, Di Nian Xie Ling could not help but ask:

"Evil Eye, did this invader have any prior clashes with you?"

"We have never had any contact."

"Are there any other life forms with similar abilities nearby?"

"No."

With the situation clarified, Di Nian Xie Ling immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he descended via projection, his consciousness was already connected to the Hei Chao Xie Sui here.

If this happened again, he too would die.

Don't fail to steal a chicken and end up losing your life here.

However, he was already mentally prepared; if the situation turned wrong, he could decisively cancel the projection and withdraw.

At this moment, the connection was complete, and the perception perspective reached every scene within the Xie Xie Yue Realm.

After attempting to drive the Hei Chao Xie Sui and confirming there were no issues, Di Nian Xie Ling's gaze turned toward the Player Clan members in the scene.

Unlike the legion warfare mode he had imagined, the Players within the Xie Xie Yue Realm adopted a free nibbling tactic similar to the Cang Xing Sea Area node, without launching a concentrated charge; battles were unfolding in the form of small-scale team fights.

Just then, the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye provided him with a series of data information: Hei Chao Xie Sui resources, Hei Chao Xie Sui troop construction, recent battle losses, and so on.

Seeing the energy intensity value of the Hei Chao Xie Sui, Di Nian Xie Ling felt envious.

The intensity of this Hei Chao was far greater than the Hei Chao he had cultivated, including the reserve energy within the Hei Chao, which was also greater.

It had the full capability to generate powerful troop units for the fourth tier of the Destruction Temple, while he was still at the third tier.

Although sufficient energy could generate higher-tier troops, if the intensity of the Hei Chao could not keep up, it would be unable to provide sustained endurance support for the powerful troops.

The priority of Hei Chao development has always been "infinite" as the core; only in this way could it swallow everything through scale, with the strength of a single troop type coming second.

After understanding the situation in detail, Di Nian Xie Ling already had a clear plan in his heart.

He had this Hei Chao domain cornered.

But before that, he needed to lay the groundwork for the upcoming actions.

The situation of this Xie Yan Gao Ta node in the Evil Moon Domain differed from the Cang Star Sea Area node.

The Gao Ta in the Cang Star Sea Area had not yet been fully constructed, and there was the problem of resources being unable to be consumed in time; this gave him an opportunity to continuously transport resources to the node under his control under the guise of helping with digestion.

However, the Xie Yan Gao Ta established at the Evil Moon Domain node beneath his feet was of a higher level than the one he controlled, so there was no problem with conversion at all.

Proposing resource transport would only arouse the suspicion of the Blue-Skinned Xie Yan.

Thinking of this, the Xie Yan began controlling the Hei Chao to generate Disaster-type troops.

These were the Hei Chao system troops he was most skilled at using; their advantage was thick skin and flesh, possessing powerful self-healing abilities and devouring recovery abilities.

They were one of the strongest tank-type troops in the Hei Chao system.

In a war of attrition against the Player Race, the Disaster type could help him minimize losses.

This was the experience he had drawn from countless clashes with the Player Race.

Before this, he had also tried various Baoliliu Sect tactics, such as the area-of-effect bombardment of the Death Disaster type, or the assassination and sweeping charge of the Frenzy Tide type... but while these tactics were efficient at killing, the attrition rate was very high.

Players could invalidate and decompose the Hei Chao Xie Sui they killed, preventing the Hei Chao from counter-attacking.

Output-flow system troops that performed brilliantly when fighting other factions performed very poorly in front of players.

The Hei Chao army he constructed now centered on the Disaster type as its core combat power, focusing on a half-damage feedback mechanism.

Facing the Player Race this time, the Xie Yan had a different Sheng De Xiang Fa.

He planned to make contact first, then try combining troops from other systems, get a feel for it, and see if he could construct a troop system combination that was more effective against players.

After all, he didn't need to feel bad about other people's resources; he could just treat it as training.

Under the control of Di Nian Xie Ling, the combat intensity of the Hei Chao Xie Sui instantly climbed, causing the players who were fighting hard to burst into curses.

The only thing that made the players feel relieved was that the counter-last-hit tactic developed by Di Nian Xie Ling had not appeared.

Two days later.

Amidst switching and applying various troop combinations, Di Nian Xie Ling decided to try a new tactic he had never used before.

This new tactic was a Sheng De Xiang Fa born from his constant confrontation with the Player Race.

He called it: Psychological Interference Tactic, applicable to any troop combination of any system.

Much of the content was recorded by him while observing players; although he did not understand what these contents wanted to express, the key point was that they seemed to have a miraculous effect on players.

Soon, Di Nian Xie Ling's new tactic began its first round of testing on a small player squad.

In the southeast direction of the Evil Moon Domain, a 42-person player squad was engaged in fierce combat with the Xie Sui.

The player squad fought while retreating, wanting to break out of the encirclement to recover their status outside the domain, and then fight the Hei Chao Xie Sui again.

Just then, a scene the squad players had not expected occurred.

They saw a Disaster-type troop in front suddenly open its mouth:

"Do you even know how to play? Giving up already? You're just combat power five trash. Don't make me look down on you, okay?"

Hearing the Disaster-type troop suddenly speak, the players who were retreating were instantly stunned.

"Holy crap, this... this Xie Sui is mocking us?"

"Oh my god, being mocked by a Xie Sui, this is the first time."

"Can't stand it, kill the Xie Sui that's mocking us; it's turning the world upside down. We players are the bosses."

Facing the mockery, the players who were gradually retreating decisively struck out, various skills raining down like raindrops onto the speaking, mocking Disaster-type troop.

At this moment, Di Nian Xie Ling, who was controlling everything from behind the scenes, saw this scene and immediately beamed with joy.

Facts proved that the recorded content was indeed effective.

After the player squad killed the Disaster-type troop and prepared to continue retreating, the Xie Sui in front all opened their mouths:

"Forget it, if you can't fight, don't fight; anyway, I never expected you to be capable."

"Here's the deal, I'll stand still and let you hit me, how about that? I'm not moving, so if you still can't kill me, you might as well stop playing."

"You guys look like the NPCs in games who can never level up, can't kill monsters, and only wander around the newbie village, and the most useless kind at that; you're just trash."

"You guys are really noobs; my grandma plays better than you. Look at your movement; you must still be using the direction keys on the keyboard? Left then right, swaying more than a drunkard; if you can't do it, don't come out to make a fool of yourself."

Under the mockery of the Hei Chao Xie Sui, the squad players instantly turned red with rage.

In the squad voice chat, a player immediately stated that they might as well die and kill all these Hei Chao Xie Sui who spoke such mocking words.

The original retreat tactic turned into an aggressive charge tactic.

Di Nian Xie Ling, observing from behind the scenes, saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh heartily.

Actual combat had already proven that the information he collected was indeed useful.

When fighting players in the Di Zhong Mountain Range area, he discovered that occasionally players would suddenly speak out in mockery, and the mocked players would then enter an emotional state.

At that time, he was thinking whether he could record these lines that made players emotional and try using them during combat.

After countless combat records, he finally collected enough lines and reached the stage of practical use.

This initial attempt had outstanding results.

This meant he could use the "Psychological Interference Tactic" to manipulate the player group in a disguised manner.

This test result greatly satisfied the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit.

What the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit did not know was that his actions had already sparked heated discussion on the forum.

【Outrageous, the Hei Chao Xie Sui actually knows how to mock players, this is absolutely beyond belief.】

Poster: Abstract Embodiment

Content:

You probably won't believe it when I tell you, but the Xie Sui behind the Colored Mist Coast has already evolved — it can actually speak human language and start mocking people.

The video is proof (video attachment).

Comment section:

Dan Qing: You guys ran into a mutant Xie Sui, right? The video is way too addictive, the mockery is maxed out, the monster's intelligence has evolved again — this is really messing with people's mentality.

Hu San Dao: The video looks really weird, especially that line "my grandma plays better than you." Where did the Hei Chao Xie Sui get a grandma? It probably learned these mocking lines from us players. From now on, when you want to trash-talk your teammates, do it in the voice channel — don't say it out loud, I'm afraid the Hei Chao will learn it and use it on me.

Rainy Season: Outrageous, simply outrageous. Did you guys notice? The expression on the Calamity-series troops in the video when they trash-talk — I can say with a hundred percent certainty that they learned it from us players. They can even learn this?

Mo San Mo Luo: I'm currently locked in a little black room feeling down and I burst out laughing. The line the End-series troops said when killing a player — "Nice ganking skills" — face-to-face mockery cranked to the max, who can stand this? The Hei Chao Xie Sui is starting to rebel against the natural order, huh? It actually dares to mock us players.

Invincible Bully Dragon War God: This is simply a classic collection of trash-talk lines. I now seriously suspect that Earth-Nian Bully is playing on someone else's account again — only he would have collected so many mocking lines. This kid really is evolving every single day? New tactics keep popping up endlessly. I protest, I demand the officials nerf Earth-Nian Bully's strength. If you let him keep growing like this, who knows what even more disgusting tactics he'll come up with.

……

Regarding the matter of the Hei Chao Xie Sui opening its mouth to mock players, the forum players laughed themselves crazy and were also furious.

It had always been the players bullying others, yet this Hei Chao Xie Sui actually dared to mock them back — truly going against the natural order.

The forum immediately organized people to give the Hei Chao at the Colored Mist Coast node a harsh lesson.

Although this battle was bound to be lost, they still had to make the Hei Chao pay a price.

Once the players organized their forces and pushed into the Evil Moon Domain, the battle intensity instantly increased several times over.

The one in charge of battle command was still the Divine King.

Under his command, the players activated the application of a new round of tactics.

This was also the basic content every commander had to master.

Every time a new Painful Painful Minghun debuted, new Star Vein combination schools would emerge — especially when a relatively powerful Painful Painful Minghun was contained, it would attract large numbers of players to switch.

For example, the latest contained Gao Ta Painful Painful Minghun — with it as the core, the Tower Defense style, a Faxiliu Sect, was born.

As a battlefield commander, if you didn't even understand the characteristic effects of Painful Painful Minghun and the combination schools, you simply couldn't command the players to the fullest.

Understanding was the first step; application came second.

Therefore, battlefield commanders all needed to frequently browse the forum guides whenever a new Painful Painful Minghun debuted, keeping real-time track of the new Painful Painful Minghun's effects and the usage methods of combination schools, then combining battlefield changes to update their tactics.

This time, the Divine King had developed a new set of tactics and applied it in the confrontation with the Hei Chao.

During the fierce fighting, the mocking lines that gave players headaches appeared again.

"We're playing the same game? Who taught you to throw Ink Flame Fireballs like that? If you can't play well, go practice in the test tower before coming out. If you really can't manage it, just equip a Guidance Painful Painful Minghun."

"Oh my, you're really amazing, huh? That hit on my head might have popped out a number 1 — so strong!"

"With your reaction speed, you probably haven't even woken up yet. Even if I gave you a chance, you still wouldn't be useful."

……

The Xie Sui in the scene were like they had a Mocking Painful Painful Minghun equipped, their mental attack power maxed out.

Many players didn't feel anything was off when watching the forum video — they even thought it was pretty funny. It was only when they actually encountered it that they realized how torturous it was.

Sometimes when a skill was missed, the nearby Xie Sui would get in their face and crank up the mockery.

During this process, one could discover that the precision of the Xie Sui's mockery was gradually improving.

At first there were still cases of mockery falling flat — some mocking lines couldn't be matched to the players' behavior. Upon finding that the players had no reaction, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit recorded this information and transmitted it to its own Xie Yan, who recorded and corrected the scenarios where the mockery fell flat. The precision of subsequent mockery gradually trended toward perfection.

It could deliver precise mockery based on the players' behavior.

This infuriated the players — some even couldn't help but curse out loud.

Thus appeared the hilarious scene of players and Xie Sui trash-talking each other back and forth.

This was also regarded by the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit as an important moment for collecting material. It recorded and archived the trash-talk content, and the mockery database's contents increased accordingly.

When the great battle ended and all players were killed, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's projection on the Gao Ta platform looked toward the Blue-skinned Xie Yan:

"Xie Yan, the players' next wave of attack should arrive soon. I have a proposal."

"Please go ahead." The Blue-skinned Xie Yan nodded.

"I hope to apply for my auxiliary eye to serve as my battlefield commander. This can strengthen my control over the Hei Chao and reduce the drain on Hei Chao energy."

Hearing these words, the Blue-skinned Xie Yan was briefly silent, then nodded:

"Your auxiliary eye is a descendant of the Thirteenth Xie Yan — it indeed possesses more permissions and stronger abilities than I do. I agree to your request."

The Earth-Nian Evil Spirit at this time connected with the Xie Yan at the Tianyuan node:

"Come over."

After the spiritual connection was established, the Xie Yan's projection descended as well.

The Blue-skinned Xie Yan at this time opened the connection to the Xie Yan Gao Ta, voluntarily ceding control permissions.

The Xie Yan did not hesitate either, extending its tentacles to interface with the Gao Ta.

Instantly, the permissions for the entire scene were all controlled by the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit and the Xie Yan.

At this point, they could already transport resources silently to the Tianyuan Domain node.

But to lull the Blue-skinned Xie Yan, they did not do so directly.

Instead, they planned to wait until the players arrived, using the battle as cover to gradually devour the resources in this domain field.

After all, the Blue-skinned Xie Yan had only lost control authority — its perception ability was still there, it just couldn't interface with the Gao Ta to expand its perception range. Transporting too much Hei Chao energy at once would easily expose any telltale signs.

Unless… they found a chance to kill the Blue-skinned Xie Yan.

But doing so carried certain risks; the plan of gradually siphoning resources was more reliable.

While waiting, the player family members arrived as scheduled.

The Di Nian evil spirit controlled the Hei Chao Xie Sui to activate a dual tactic of taunting + resource stealing.

With the Evil Eye under his command overseeing the whole situation, he didn't need to worry about the small-scale theft process being discovered; the energy consumed could be entirely charged to the player family.

After all, the player family happened to possess the mysterious trait of kills that cannot backfire, which was information recorded and shared in the database long ago.

To accelerate the devouring speed, the Di Nian evil spirit decided to change the unit composition.

He backlashed all the Calamity-series units in the scene, switching them to generate the more powerful Death Calamity-series and Frenzy Tide-series units.

Calling it efficient quick-killing, in reality it was using the players' hands to speed up the theft.

The change in the Hei Chao Xie Sui's intensity in the scene was quickly detected by the arriving players.

They discovered that the structure of the Hei Chao Xie Sui's units had suddenly changed—every one generated was easy to kill, which made the players who entered the domain to hunt shout with delight.

They suddenly felt that the evil spirit warrior controlling this place, the intelligent AI, was nothing more than this.

They thought it could keep advancing and growing, but in the end, that's all?

Compared to the Di Nian overlord, it was clearly far inferior.

During this period, the Di Nian evil spirit also began to contemplate a new tactic.

He called this tactic: the Infiltration Tactic.

(End of chapter)