Chapter 172: Simple Computer, Ultimate Brutality

【The Evil Moon Domain of the Colorful Mist Coast is about to break; brothers, come join the battle! The final carnival has begun!】

Poster: God King

……

The war in the Evil Moon Domain is reaching its conclusion.

The post God King published on the forum attracted a massive number of players to the Evil Moon Domain to join the fight.

This means the Purification Node mission is about to be settled; any amount of mixed points contributed will yield some reward.

More importantly, the rule node that is about to be contained.

After containment is complete, a brand-new rule will appear on the Rule Divine Pillar of Emperor's Tomb Village, granting all players a permanent buff.

The vast tide of players rushed toward the Colorful Mist Coast region.

Even the newbie players who were fighting each other with the Blissful Purple Tide heeded the call and went there as well.

Some players had already devised their stunt plans, waiting only for the finale of the Purification mission battle to showcase them, so their most handsome poses would be recorded in the Chronicles of Glory for future generations to admire their coolness.

This battle also attracted the attention of many tourists on Earth.

Watching from within their game pods, either from a first-person perspective or a director's view, they all appeared incredibly excited.

Before this, they could only watch battle footage by flipping through the Chronicles of Glory.

This was their first time participating in a large-scale war in the Monster World via real-time viewing.

The God King's livestream room, the initiator of the campaign, topped the forum's popularity chart within a very short time.

The bullet comments in the livestream room jumped by tens of thousands per second; the number of viewers outside reached an astonishing 1.2 billion and continued to grow.

Broken Bridge Misty Rain: Oh no, the Digital Life army is attacking! The livestream population is exploding, but unfortunately, they're all Digital Lives (wry smile. jpg).

Tourist 23194: Please don't enable tourist blocking; I want to send bullet comments to cheer you on. I hope I can obtain a Monster World game qualification soon.

Tourist 4819: Players of the Monster World in the livestream, don't get too arrogant. We will eventually snatch a game qualification. What do you mean by calling us Digital Lives? Especially you stinky Human Race players—don't be complacent. Wait until I enter the Monster World and blow your heads off.

Tourist 920521: I really want to join this war, but unfortunately, I don't have a game qualification. I hope the Star Network will distribute qualifications to the entire server soon. Praise the Star Network; the Star Network is the greatest. I will persistently praise the Star Network every day in the comment section. I believe the Star Network will definitely see it, be moved by me, and then grant me a qualification.

……

This Purification Campaign employs both the Legion War mode and the Free War mode simultaneously.

Among them, the ones led by God King are members of various major guilds, as well as some well-known player squads and lone wolves.

God King does not intend to recruit other players into the war band.

Before recruitment, he had detailed discussions with the heads of the major guilds regarding this matter.

The conclusion reached was that a large influx of newbies joining the war band would only dilute the combat rewards of core players, and could even lead to freeloaders slacking off in the chaos.

After all, under the war band mode, all players' rewards are shared.

Secondly, player groups like the Night Demon Clan and the Giant Python Clan, who become completely uncontrollable when emotions run high, would also appear.

To better conduct unified command and to maximize war profits, they finally settled on a participation scale of fifty thousand people.

The remaining participating players belong to the Free War group; God King chose to open a separate offensive route to avoid interference from players in the Free War mode.

At three in the afternoon, players gathered outside the Evil Moon Domain, forming a massive scale.

Over 100,000 players had already arrived, and more were still on their way.

For this battle, God King's Star Pulse Slot was opened to four.

They were respectively inlaid with Eagle-Headed Demon, Marking, Qi-Eater, and Brain Overclock.

Among them, Brain Overclock was strongly recommended by Night Is Coming, who stated that aside from Eagle-Headed Demon, it is the Painful Painful Minghun most helpful for command in the existing Painful Painful Minghun library.

In response, he also conducted tests.

The results shocked him greatly.

As the war was about to begin, God King gazed at the player battle formation poised for action and activated the level-28 Brain Overclock trait at that moment.

His temples throbbed, and nuclear fusion within his mental world erupted instantly.

Thinking speed soared like a rocket launching; thought was no longer a step-by-step linear deduction but operated like countless parallel supercomputers running simultaneously.

Various complex logics were rapidly dissected in his mind, and tactical plans surfaced continuously like a gushing spring.

Player squad information in the war band interface was instantly decomposed into countless tiny logic fragments within his overclocked brain, then recombined at an astonishing speed to derive the optimal solution.

Creativity also galloped like an unbridled horse, running wild in his mind, with new ideas and concepts emerging endlessly.

This sensation captivated God King.

The power of Brain Overclock is built upon his existing cognition, allowing his thought logic to ascend to an unimaginable realm.

It even made God King feel that his current self was like an intelligent computer.

On the other side, atop the Xie Yan Gao Ta.

After the player army entered the Evil Moon Domain, the Earth-Will Evil Spirit suddenly opened its blood-red eyes; the Evil Eye projection behind it thrust its tentacles into its back, completing the connection with it.

Its body floated in the air, gazing toward the direction from which the players were attacking, with blood surging in its cold eyes.

For this battle, it decided to take it seriously; it was also a rare opportunity for training troops in its eyes.

Under the perception buff granted by the Evil Eye, its consciousness swept forward, and information on Player Race members constantly surfaced in its mind.

Based on blood qi strength and spiritual power strength, the type of combat unit each scanned player belonged to was presented in the Earth-Will Evil Spirit's mind in the form of probabilities.

It could even vaguely guess which abilities a player possessed based on the ratio of the player's blood qi to spiritual power strength.

For example: Gargoyle, Qi-Eater, Resistance, Rock Shield.

Every Painful Painful Minghun gains different growth attribute bonuses upon leveling up; the Earth-Will Evil Spirit could roughly deduce a player's ability characteristics based on these ratios.

This information was a summary of experience gained from countless clashes with the Player Race.

In the blink of a thought, its most specialized Disaster-type troops were rapidly generated.

The first to appear was: Black Tide · Corrupted Rock Colossus.

The troop's appearance was as massive as a mountain; its body was covered by a thick shell fused from corrupted rock and twisted flesh, emitting a nauseating aura. Its four limbs were thick and powerful; every step it took made the earth tremble, and several sharp bone spikes protruded from its back.

This unit type is characterized by extremely strong regeneration, capable of drawing self-healing nutrients from the air in addition to Black Tide energy; it possesses built-in energy purification organs, its Corrupted Rock Shell effectively resists all types of elemental damage, and it can release a foul mist that poisons surrounding enemies.

Following them appeared the Shadow Colossus, the Tremor, the Black Tide Howling Tiger, and the Ruiner.

Every Cataclysm-class unit possesses formidable defense, yet each holds a distinct battlefield role.

They are divided into: Immortal Vanguard (main line damage absorption), Undying Wall (fixed-point defense), Bone Barrier (rear-line roaming protection), Shadow-Binding Cataclysm (damage absorption and control)...

Once the Cataclysm-class units were formed, the Plague-class units appeared.

The first to appear was the Plague Armored Beast.

Its form resembled a floating balloon, its body covered in sharp thorns, its skin mottled with a sickly purple hue; it spewed plague mist, and its surface was coated in a layer of sticky black fluid.

The thorns it released could infect enemies with Black Tide Plague, weakening their combat power; while moving, it secreted a plague slime that fell to the ground to form plague zones, causing any enemy stepping within to suffer continuous corruption and infection.

Following them appeared the Rotting Iron Guard, the Putrid Armored Warrior, the Plague Caster, the Death Thrower...

The Cataclysm and Plague classes were the two unit systems that performed best against the Player Race in the eyes of Di Nian's Evil Spirit.

Units from these two series had weak offensive output, but their survival and crowd-control capabilities were extremely strong.

In the players' words: disgusting.

For this war, it planned to add some offensive units on top of these two unit systems.

The top priority was the Death Cataclysm-class unit with long-range area-of-effect damage: the Shadow Lich.

Next were the Withered Hunter and the Disaster Bow, possessing single-target kill capabilities.

The Black Tide level within this Evil Moon Domain below was high; originally, it could have generated an even stronger single-target unit from the Death Cataclysm class: the Reaper.

The unit's ability was to extract the target's blood and spiritual energy via fired arrows, convert it into Black Tide energy, and feedback it to Black Tide units near the struck target.

But the characteristic of the Player Race is "stingy to a fault."

The Reaper's powerful feedback ability would be meaningless; it was better to generate more lower-level Withered Hunters and Disaster Bows.

Then came the Frenzy-class assassin units: Phantom Dagger, Blood Dagger, and Ghost.

The Player Race's main damage-dealing units in battle cowered behind the front lines, using long-range attacks to slay evil spirits.

Previously, to steal resources, it had let this group of rear-line Player Race members slay evil spirits at will.

But this time, it intended to go all out, giving the players not a single moment to catch their breath.

Since the rear-line damage output was powerful, it would create a batch of stealth assassins to cooperate with the long-range single-target archer units for rapid cleanup.

From the players' perspective, the Black Tide's performance was more terrifying than ever before.

Thick, ink-black energy surged skyward like a violent tsunami; piercing shrieks and dull roars intertwined, as if the gates of hell had swung wide, releasing endless evil creatures.

An army gathered from evil creatures exuded an evil aura that blotted out the sun and sky.

Especially upon seeing the moment the Cataclysm and Plague units appeared, the players knew Di Nian the Bully was going all out.

The regional voice channel had already erupted in curses:

"Damn beasts! You said you wouldn't use the Cataclysm and Plague classes, yet here they are again!"

"Di Nian the Bully, give this old man some face! Withdraw the Cataclysm and Plague classes; I want to fight the Death Cataclysm and Frenzy classes!"

"Good heavens! The front line is full of filthy things—poor and disgusting. I know this battle will be utterly nauseating before it even starts."

"Brothers, fight hard! We players are the strongest! Twist Di Nian the Bully's head off!"

At this moment, the War-Unifying God King also issued the order to attack.

Immediately, the vast player army launched a charge forward.

At the very front were the Stone Statue Flow players from the player legion; all were equipped with the Gao Qi Painful Painful Minghun. With every step they took on the ground, crimson ripples spread, and they were shrouded in a layer of crimson air currents burning like flames.

The Black Tide also surged forward at this moment.

Viewed from high above, two waves of distinctly different colors rushed toward the center of the battlefield.

Boom!

The first collision caused the earth to tremble.

"Support groups, activate Blood Ignition to locate the corresponding numbered Stone Statue Flow players."

"Stone Statue Flow, push forward!"

The God King spoke in a deep voice.

Immediately, the Blood Ignition traits in the rear were activated in succession, striking the pre-numbered and grouped Stone Statue Flow players.

Amidst surging blood, the Stone Statue Flow players instinctively roared, their muscles visibly swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Gao Qi shrouding their bodies became ferocious.

The upper bodies of the Stone Statue Flow players leaned forward, pressing against the massive bodies of the Cataclysm-class units; the veins on their knuckles rose like winding small snakes, each one bulging; their feet were planted firmly on the ground like two steel stakes driven into the earth; their bodies crouched slightly, knees bent, thigh muscles instantly tensed, like powerful springs about to explode.

Under the God King's command, the facial muscles of the front-line Stone Statue Flow players twisted from exertion as they gradually applied force.

Their leg muscles then contracted violently, transmitting the full force of their bodies upward from the soles of their feet.

"Advance!"

Accompanying the God King's command, low roars rose up one after another; the Stone Statue Flow players forced their way forward slowly, enduring the output of the Cataclysm-class units, letting the Cataclysm-class units' attacks strike their bodies, transforming into steel war chariots to create greater combat space for the players behind them.

After the God King issued a new order, the Light Spirit Wings in the rear flew low ahead, beginning to heal the Stone Statue Flow players in front.

Support players, through blood connections, shared damage with the low-health Stone Statue Flow players, their hands never ceasing to administer potions.

The battle had just begun, yet the high-intensity scene already sent the onlookers into a mental climax.

Immersed in the scene, it was impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality during the viewing; the sounds of the battlefield exploded right beside their ears, and the hearts of the spectators outside the field involuntarily beat violently in rhythm with the war.

In their eyes, the scene showed surging Black Tide, blotting out most of the sky, as if the apocalypse had descended.

The Stone Statue Flow players surged forward like a torrent of steel; especially the terrifying power unleashed when pushing against the Cataclysm-class units made the onlookers feel a wild aura rushing toward them, leaving them with only boiling blood.

The bullet screen instantly exploded.

"I've decided: once I enter the Monster World, I'll play the Stone Statue Flow. This is the true choice of a real man."

"This is too explosive! Compared to the battle scenes in the Glory Chronicles, it feels like the current player camp is much stronger."

"I'm so hot I'm dying—please give me a spot too! I want to join the battlefield and be this cool too!"

"Wahhh, why can't I get a spot? I really want to play the Monster World, please, StarNet Dad!"

As players in the livestream felt their blood boil, the Divine King issued a series of orders in rapid succession.

At this moment, countless shadows leaped over the Stone Image players and surged forward; realizing that Earth-Ruffian intended to execute a flanking tactic, the Divine King decisively ordered melee players to advance while support-stream players activated the "Binding" trait to assist in slaughtering the Black Tide's assassin-class troops.

During this time, Earth-Ruffian's pinpoint strikes also commenced.

But the Divine King had prepared in advance, assigning a portion of support-stream players to cast light shields, pre-applying defensive barriers to the spellcasters.

The battlefield was like a chessboard, with the Divine King and Earth-Soul engaging in a distant game of strategy.

When Earth-Soul deployed assassin-class troops, the Divine King responded with a counter-move.

The Divine King and Earth-Soul were also very familiar opponents.

They had clashed multiple times in the Emperor's Tomb Mountain region and knew each other's tactical signatures well.

As the battle progressed, the frequency with which both sides altered their combat forces increased rapidly.

Noticing the front-line tanks were in poor condition, the Divine King spoke:

"Second-wave Stone Image players begin the charge—replace the first wave; after the first wave returns to position, drink potions to restore status."

"Spellcasters create illusionary clones, attach Annihilation Bombs, and charge forward with the Stone Image players, attempting to clear the Catastrophe-class troops blocking the way."

After the new orders were issued, the player frontline shifted rapidly.

Spellcasters created illusionary clones, disguised as Stone Image players, and charged forward alongside them.

On the other side, Earth-Soul's perception instantly marked the second wave of charging Stone Image players.

Data on their vitality and mental strength appeared in its mind; it immediately detected that this charging group contained a large number of non-standard players.

"Earth, these players with clearly weak vitality are clearly not tank-type players. Based on past player combat data analysis, players who choose suicidal charges likely possess a self-destruct ability—they intend to use self-explosion tactics to breach the Catastrophe-class troops' line."

Earth-Soul's lips curled upward; in an instant, its thoughts increased the number of Death-Catastrophe-class archer troops behind the Black Tide.

After scanning the battlefield, it swiftly marked the clones among the players and activated pinpoint-strike mode.

On the Divine King's side, seeing the self-explosion clones die one after another, his expression darkened.

During the pinpoint strikes, the second-wave Stone Image players suffered no damage—all the targets eliminated were the spellcasters' illusionary clones.

He realized his disguised self-explosion tactic had been exposed.

After completing the pinpoint strikes, Earth-Soul deployed Plague-class troops, spewing black viscous fluid with Ground-Binding effects to restrict the retreat of the first-wave Stone Image players.

This made the Divine King curse inwardly—Earth-Soul seemed to have X-ray vision, completely seeing through his tactical layout.

In an instant, he decisively ordered Stone Image and warrior players with Star-Shift Painful Painful Minghun to replace the first wave.

As the Divine King adjusted his tactics, Earth-Soul adjusted in response.

Catastrophe-class troops withdrew proactively; some with poor status voluntarily disintegrated and merged into the Black Tide, while new Catastrophe-class troops rapidly generated and joined the battlefield in fresh forms.

Taking advantage of the players' Star-Shift repositioning, Earth-Soul seized the gap in their charge to launch a counter-strike, recycling all the low-status Catastrophe-class troops.

Damn it!

Even with Brain Overclock activated, the Divine King felt strained.

Beads of sweat continuously dripped from his forehead; he downed recovery potions one after another, daring not to pause.

He realized Earth-Ruffian's battlefield command ability had improved at lightning speed.

It was as if it had installed a listening device inside his mind—every tactical layout was instantly deciphered.

Unable to break through the front line, the Divine King issued another order.

The assassin-stream players in the battle group activated the Dusk Shadow trait and infiltrated toward the rear of the Black Tide.

At this moment, Earth-Soul detected the rapidly approaching shadows; data from its Evil Eye surfaced in its mind.

But its perception now turned toward the rear of the player army.

Seeing spellcasters rapidly generate illusionary clones, attaching items players called Annihilation Bombs, Earth-Soul frowned slightly.

Various possible tactics flashed through its mind.

The Evil Eye provided data support, listing all possibilities.

It had already factored in the previously demonstrated "Star-Shift" trait—the answer was obvious.

Infiltration, rule-based repositioning, rear-area explosion.

Understanding the players' tactic, Earth-Soul did not rush to intercept the assassin-stream players; it spoke calmly:

"Evil Eye, can reserve energy generate Void-class troops?"

"Yes, but Void-class troops exceed the Black Tide's control capacity—once generated, control will be difficult."

"Can you generate ten Void Instant Flash?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

After receiving the Evil Eye's clear confirmation, Earth-Soul entered the troop library.

It selected the Void-class troop "Void Instant Flash" from the Tenth Palace; instantly, the Black Tide contracted rapidly, energy compressed and refined to suit the gestation of Void-class troops.

Due to the Black Tide's energy intensity being incompatible, this gestation was slow.

The assassin-stream players drew closer; at this moment, the ten Void Instant Flash began coalescing their forms.

A cold, dark glow suddenly appeared within the black mist—the Void Instant Flash emerged.

Its overall form resembled a floating, irregular energy mass, with a core of a deep-purple glowing sphere, extending four energy tentacles like arms, its surface covered in flowing black radiance resembling liquid metal, within which faintly shimmered complex spatial runes.

The Void Instant Flash did not move upon emergence.

Only when the fastest few assassin-stream players neared the Death-Catastrophe-class troops did it act.

At this moment, Earth-Soul activated the Void Instant Flash.

The data probabilities from the Evil Eye were not necessarily the answer—but it trusted its own instinctual judgment.

The God King also issued an order at this moment:

"Assassin class, Star Shift!"

Instantly, the Assassin class players turned in their Twilight Shadow form, and the Star Shift effect activated against the clones of the magic-class players.

The Flowing Shadow clones, laden with the latest technology from the Arms Dealer, the "Annihilation Bombs," were instantly swapped to the side of the Black Tide Death Disaster troops.

A smile appeared on the God King's face.

Just then, the Void Flash in the Black Tide moved; it flickered and vanished into the air, reappearing with four tentacles making contact with the Flowing Shadow clone before vanishing again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions did not erupt behind the Black Tide, but detonated above the heads of the magic-class players at the rear of the player legion.

Immediately, a massive number of magic-class players instantly went black-screened, entering the Small Black Room.

Damn it!

Seeing this scene, the God King completely lost his composure.

He had just been remarking that Di Nian E Ba hadn't blocked the Assassin players' stealth flank, yet he hadn't expected that the very next second, Di Nian E Ba would send him a surprise.

Sending the clone back via spatial jump.

Seeing this, Di Nian Xie Ling felt a wave of dizziness while a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Di Nian, controlling ten Void Flashes is already too much strain; I do not recommend continuing to generate them, as it will severely affect your control over the war's rhythm," the Evil Eye's voice echoed in his mind.

Di Nian Xie Ling heard this and nodded:

"I understand. Doing this is to deter the players, making them afraid to easily use displacement-based suicide tactics."

As the words fell, Di Nian Xie Ling saw that the other Assassin class players had stopped swapping positions; the deterrence had taken effect.

Yet Di Nian Xie Ling was not in a hurry to kill the Assassin class players; he began a new round of counter-last-hit tactics, merging all Black Tide troops in poor condition back into the Black Tide to reshape them.

The threat from the Assassin class players was limited; his main threat came from the direction of the main front line.

As long as the main front line held firm, the Assassin class players alone could not stir up trouble in the rear.

With Disaster-class protective troops guarding the rear, the Assassin class players' kill efficiency simply could not rise.

As time passed, the player legion collapsed in a one-sided rout.

Whether in combat strength or numbers, the players were on the weaker side.

Coupled with Di Nian E Ba's extreme micro-management, the players were thoroughly stunned.

This Evil Moon Domain was not their first visit; every time they had been able to farm happily and smoothly.

But this time, Di Nian E Ba clearly wasn't acting human; he micro-managed the entire battle, never wasting an opportunity to recall low-health troops whenever possible, giving not a single chance.

Even with resurrected players constantly joining the battlefield, they still could not withstand Di Nian E Ba's full assault.

The players felt that previously, Di Nian E Ba had been running in "Simple Bot" mode, loafing around the whole time, with the Evil Troops even actively throwing themselves to die for the players to kill.

But the Di Nian E Ba who appeared this time was running in "Extreme Brutality" mode.

The gap in combat was too great; Di Nian E Ba's crushing battlefield dominance truly tortured the players to no end.

What made the players even more furious was that Di Nian E Ba had gotten stronger again, and again, and again.

Command ability, battlefield analysis, troop analysis... it was as if he had opened battlefield X-ray vision, able to precisely judge the player legion's next move.

The war quickly reached its end, with players being cleared out of the Evil Moon Domain in waves.

Di Nian E Ba stood suspended in the air with his arms crossed, coldly watching the player legion's rout, with the Evil Eye's tentacles dancing in the air behind him.

"It's over." With those words, Di Nian E Ba landed on the platform.

"Di Nian, you did great."

"Shut up, you idiot Evil Eye." The aloof Di Nian E Ba instantly lost his composure, turning to glare viciously at the Evil Eye.

Meng Yuan Chu Altar.

Qi Sheng monitored the war in the Evil Moon Domain throughout.

Seeing Di Nian E Ba launch a full assault, he had already guessed this outcome.

Although the God King's command ability was strong, there was a huge gap between him and Di Nian Xie Ling.

In terms of perception, Di Nian Xie Ling, bolstered by the Evil Eye, was superior; in terms of tactical usage, Di Nian Xie Ling was born for war.

One could even say that every Xie Ling warrior was a supreme commander born for war.

In every aspect, they utterly crushed the players who had only recently entered the Monster World.

In this war, the performance of the God King's warband and the free players showed that the free players actually performed better.

This "best" did not refer to kill counts; judging solely by kill counts, the fifty thousand players led by the God King far exceeded the kill counts of the over one hundred thousand free players; rather, it referred to the ratio of comprehensive strength to kill count.

Players in warband mode were completely seen through by Di Nian Xie Ling; every tactical deployment by the God King was countered.

But the chaotic fighting style of the free players made it very difficult for Di Nian Xie Ling to establish effective counter-tactics.

Warband mode could perform very well against other factions, even against the Battle Insect Clan, the Ascended Clan, or the Ancient God Clan.

But against the Black Tide, which possessed a supreme command system, it instead became a weakness.

Facts proved that the Black Tide had to be countered with free-form fighting; the more systematized the confrontation, the easier it was to find targeted tactics against it.

Di Nian Xie Ling's performance in this battle even earned a "good" evaluation from the Guide, showing Di Nian Xie Ling's growth speed.

The phase of sending resources is now over; Di Nian Xie Ling has gotten serious.

But the war is not yet over; the resources in Di Nian Xie Ling's hands are about to run out, unable to withstand several more waves of player assaults.

Qi Sheng has already begun to anticipate the containment of the new rules.

Player Forum.

Countless players had their defenses broken by Di Nian E Ba, posting threads to angrily vent that Di Nian E Ba wasn't acting human, even though he wasn't human to begin with.

During this period, the players also began organizing the next round of collective charges.

They knew Di Nian the Bully had reached the end of its tether; as long as they persisted, they could wear Di Nian the Bully down to death.

At this moment, the God King also posted, recounting his own tactical errors and sincerely admitting his fault.

Regarding the God King's repentance, both veteran players and newbies flooded the forums, stating the problem was minor.

Yet the God King still declared that the next offensive would adopt a Free War mode; he felt his tactics had been seen through by Di Nian the Bully and needed to settle down, learn new strategies, and counter Di Nian the Bully's growth.

2:00 AM.

The player legion arrived at the Evil Moon Domain once more.

Di Nian the Evil Spirit also rose into the sky at this time, docking with the Evil Eye before entering war mode.

But what frustrated Di Nian the Evil Spirit was that the players, in Chaos mode, had returned.

No organization, no discipline, no pattern... yet they forced a confrontation against it purely through their rule-based abilities.

"Disgusting." Di Nian the Evil Spirit couldn't help but spit in his heart.

"Di Nian, players in Free War mode cannot be effectively targeted, but this Free War mode can also hone your micro-management skills and improve your control over the battlefield."

"I understand." Di Nian the Evil Spirit nodded heavily, switching his perspective to the battlefield.

A new round of the great battle commenced.

This time, the players engaged Di Nian the Evil Spirit in small groups, giving him no opportunity to display his abilities.

The frustration from the previous charge prompted the players to initiate a taunting tactic.

"Di Nian, you are a warrior! How can you treat the battlefield like a viewing platform? Pity. True leaders lead from the front, not hide in the Evil Eye's embrace seeking cuddles and hugs. Disgusting!"

"Di Nian the Bully, do you remember the dominance you showed when you fought the God of Wealth? The stronger you become now, the more cowardly you act. Back then, I respected you as a man; as for you now... tsk tsk, just so-so."

"Di Nian, come out for a duel! Don't be a cowardly turtle. You wouldn't even dare to duel, would you?"

"What a pity. I miss the dominant Di Nian, that cool stance of killing intent surging as he stood on the God of Wealth's chest. Perhaps he's been hiding in his shell too long, afraid even to face the battlefield's wind and sand. A coward who gets stronger only to get more timid is beyond saving."

Hearing the players' taunts, Di Nian the Evil Spirit, whose warrior blood still burned within, felt his qi and blood surge.

"Di Nian, don't fall for it. I know the fighting desire from your past campaigns in the Small Worlds still lingers in your heart, but you are a commander now, no longer that warrior charging into the fray. Do not act on emotion."

"I know." Di Nian the Evil Spirit gritted his teeth.

With those words, Di Nian the Evil Spirit decisively accessed a massive library of taunts and launched a counterattack.

Various supernatural taunts targeting player behavior spewed from the evil spirit's mouth, and under Di Nian the Evil Spirit's control, the evil spirits swept across the battlefield.

But during the counterattack, the Evil Eye, observing the battlefield, couldn't help but frown:

"Di Nian, why do you keep performing targeted maneuvers? These operations seem meaningless to me."

"Kill every single one of those with particularly foul mouths! Leave none alive!"

Evil Eye:...

"You just promised me you wouldn't act on emotion during the war."

"I'm not acting on emotion. My brain tells me they are using taunts to influence my judgment. To reduce that influence, I must target and slaughter them all, crush them, and smash their heads."

As he spoke, Di Nian the Evil Spirit clenched his fists, his breathing rhythm quickening.

Sensing the surging qi and blood within Di Nian the Evil Spirit as he spoke, the Evil Eye fell silent and said no more.

It knew that if it tried to persuade him again now, it would only get scolded.

After thinking it over, it decided it must support Di Nian's thoughts, so it shouted:

"Kill!"

"Kill." Di Nian the Evil Spirit, his eyes bloodshot, shouted along.

(End of this chapter)