[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-monsters-are-coming":3,"chapter-the-monsters-are-coming-monsters-are-coming-chapter-261":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Monsters Are Coming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2250110,4069,"Chapter 261: Unsolvable Combos, Instant Salvation On the Spot","monsters-are-coming-chapter-261",261,"\u003Cp>\"Go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the resource vault, Ba Jian recovered some strength and soared into the air, its blade surging in size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood runes on its surface flowed like dragon scales under the moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng stood upon Ba Jian's body; instantly, a sensation of weightlessness struck as Ba Jian shot straight toward the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sand dunes below rapidly shrank in their field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning once more to the Winter Snowfield region, goose-down snowflakes battered their faces, covering every inch of their sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gale stirred up by sword qi shattered the snowflakes as they advanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, a passing snow owl was instantly pierced by the expanding sword radiance from Ba Jian, turning into a mist of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian's flight speed continuously increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the gale was blocked by the energy released by Ba Jian, leaving Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng without any discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the journey, Jiang Cheng asked Ba Jian where its clan lands were located.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He learned that the region was named the Shattered Lands, situated northeast of the Winter Snowfield, separated by two entirely different regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The location mentioned by Ba Jian was one Jiang Cheng had never heard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even opening the large map failed to reveal a corresponding name; it was certainly a fog-shrouded region unexplored by players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don't know how long passed before the accumulated snow beneath melted away, revealing lush mountain ranges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, morning mist churned like a milky sea; gazing down from high above, the peaks appeared and disappeared, resembling the spines of hidden behemoths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, a waterfall cascaded down from a cliff amidst a sea of clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian flew straight through the waterfall; the water vapor was split by invisible sword qi, refracting into a seven-colored rainbow bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Continuing forward, as the cloud layer gradually thinned, a crimson Gobi desert appeared in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind-eroded rock pillars pierced the earth like blood-colored fangs, while sandstorms hovered low here, swirling into vortices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian accelerated again, its tail trailing a red streak of light, leaving a trajectory in the sky like wild cursive script slashed across heaven and earth with cinnabar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sand grains densely battered the energy barrier, raising ripples of light; Jiang Cheng curiously surveyed the new region's environment, where several vulture-like creatures circled weathered rock pillars in the distance, their black feathers edged in gold, now looking up at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Ba Jian's rapid flight, many sights vanished in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like riding a high-speed aerial train, taking in the scenery of mountains and rivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was evident that Ba Jian held extreme dread toward certain regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would always suddenly detour during flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could basically be determined that the regions it detoured around were occupied by powerful clans, forces that Ba Jian dared not provoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spanning two regions, there were more than ten such forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This showed just how cruel racial competition was in the Monster World, filled everywhere with battlefields for resource contention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a veteran player, Jiang Cheng deeply understood that for descending forces, the Monster World was like a game of racial gambling where no move could be taken back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Failure meant the clan walking the path to extinction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Jiang Cheng also felt curious about the origins of the Divine Artifact Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying his doubts, he consulted the Guide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The response he received was that the Divine Artifact Clan was a type of mental lifeform parasitic upon the rules of minor worlds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the vast majority of races, which required a process of understanding and learning to master rules, the Divine Artifact Clan knew how to use rules innately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately, the Divine Artifact Clan was itself a derivative race born of rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Spirit Vessel Valley in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range, where Primordial Spirit Vessels gave birth to numerous derivative spirit vessels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or the giant mushrooms in the Sen Luo Forest Realm region, which gave birth to numerous plant-based lifeforms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Artifact Clan was nurtured under the rules of divine artifacts; they manipulated the power of these artifact rules to nurture physical shells capable of carrying their mental consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian's sword body was precisely what their clan understood as a consciousness shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the essence of humans is consciousness, with flesh and blood bodies serving as outer shells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Divine Artifact Clan, the divine artifact was the shell, while the inner Ba Jian consciousness was the true self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, rules were also referred to by the Divine Artifact Clan as \"Heavenly Nurturing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Artifact Clan was born in accordance with rules; after obtaining bodies nurtured by rules, they would act according to the logic of those rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only upon growing to their complete form could they gain the freedom to independently choose their future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for everything done during their growth, the Divine Artifact Clan never believed they had done anything wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born of rules and raised by rules, the very existence of the Divine Artifact Clan was the personification of the will of heaven and earth within minor worlds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To members of the Divine Artifact Clan, killing and mercy were as meaningless as trying to measure color with temperature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within Ba Jian's consciousness, there had never been a distinction that killing was evil or mercy was good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All its actions followed the most primitive logic of rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the host suffers pain, it becomes stronger; this is dictated by the rules of Heavenly Nurturing, just as weak clans plant in spring and harvest in autumn—where does good or evil come into it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devouring qi and blood to repair oneself is the way of survival, like tigers and wolves eating sheep—how can one speak of right or wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inducing hatred and catalyzing obsessions is the frost and wind of growth, like wind and rain urging seedlings—it makes no distinction between righteousness and evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cognition of Divine Artifact Clan members, conforming to the logic of rules is what is correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Heavenly Dao permits the weak to be food for the strong, then plundering is justice, and one's own growth is the proof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the laws encourage the survival of the fittest, then scheming is truth, and the continuation of the clan is the proof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Heavenly Nurturing resisted racial slaughter, then killing should be punished by the rules, yet in reality, it was not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were like a mountain fire; when burning forests, they did not consider the life or death of moths, and when growing, they paid no heed to the wails of myriad spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the process of devouring all things, the mountain fire grew and spread; this was the world's reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if, during the process of devouring all things, a torrential rain fell from the sky to extinguish the mountain fire, this was the punishment of the rule's will upon the fire, proving that this action did not conform to the world's logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burning is the duty of fire, just as Ba Jian feeding on the host's emotions is an action driven by the logic of rules for Divine Artifact Clan beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How one proceeds depends entirely on what feedback such actions bring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this did not mean the Divine Artifact Clan was heartless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They too could feel anger, greed, and fear; it was just that these emotions never relied on a moral framework.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian felt no guilt when harming its host, just as humans feel no remorse when stepping on ants; viewing both from a higher dimension, there was no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sole guiding direction for the operation of all things in the world was merely the two words: \"Benefit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>War, plunder, conspiracy, and hatred were all disputes dressed up as matters of benefit; peeling away layer after layer of shells, they were all actions conforming to the laws of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no difference between beasts fighting over hunting grounds and vegetation competing for sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference lay within clans, where pure emotions might exist to fight for honor or faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But expanding the view to the entire clan, the orientation remained based on benefit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So-called civilization was merely beautifying slaughter into conquest and enlightenment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But powerful forces had no need for such things at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Black Black Tide, which skipped all pretense and directly practiced the most fundamental rule of life: existence is plunder, strength is truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to survive was the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because survival itself was the earliest epitaph in the history of civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words from the Guide left Jiang Cheng with many thoughts, yet he also felt this concept was too cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst their exchange, Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng, led by Ba Jian, took in the scenery of mountains and rivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As twilight gathered from all sides, Ba Jian swept over a mirror-like Firefly Lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At sunset, the Firefly Lake swallowed the entire expanse of fiery clouds; as the sword shadow slashed across, it startled a flock of white birds into flight, their wingtips stirring ripples that shattered the evening glow into ten thousand pieces of gold foil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coupled with the distant sound of a lingering bell, the atmosphere was so profound that Jiang Cheng couldn't help but take a screenshot to commemorate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Ba Jian suddenly dove, its blade slicing through the sea of mist ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below lay a massive rift valley; countless sword marks were carved into the rock walls, and the ground was stuck full of various broken and shattered weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing down from high above, the clan lands of the Divine Artifact Clan resembled a broken sword spanning across the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cliffs on both sides gleamed with a metallic luster, their surfaces covered in honeycomb-like holes; a weapon was inserted into each hole, pulsating slightly in the twilight like worker bees dormant in a hive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Ba Jian brought them to land on a metallic platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead was a twisted vortex leading to an independent space; an eight-meter-long broken sword hovered in the air, its blade pierced through by nine blood-colored chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the sword stood a bronze stone pillar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng had landed, Ba Jian's voice arrived:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait for me here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Ba Jian moved to hover before the broken sword, extending its consciousness tentacles toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief contact, Ba Jian plunged into the vortex and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ba Jian departed, Jiang Cheng decisively summoned the map and placed a blue marker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Map markers were like the bookmarks in a browser's favorites list; they could be found via the sidebar, and clicking them would instantly jump to the coordinate location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the location of the Divine Artifact Clan's lands was confirmed, the first step toward successfully seizing the \"Divine Artifact Rules\" had been taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can this sword be sacrificed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Sheng's voice came, and Jiang Cheng followed his gaze upward to look at the broken sword hovering above the independent space vortex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Analysis activated, relevant information flooded into his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Heavenly Sword (Deceased)]:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Target Introduction:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Formerly the leader of the Heavenly Sword faction within the Divine Artifact Clan, it fed on positive energy. The Heavenly Sword lineage it founded believed in \"Tempering the Heart to Prove the Dao,\" using the host's conviction as fire to cast a righteous sword soul; it sought only living beings with pure hearts as hosts, drawing heavenly righteous qi into the sword and devouring courage, benevolence, perseverance, and other positive emotions as nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After descending into the Monster World, the Heavenly Sword and Evil Sword lineages diverged in their development philosophies, erupting into internal conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Sword lineage firmly believed that righteousness endures forever, and only a heart of pure sincerity could forge the strongest divine body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Evil Sword lineage scoffed at this, believing that extreme negative emotions like hatred, pain, and anger were easier to obtain; choosing this path allowed for a more rapid growth of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two factions disputed for a thousand years, finally splitting completely after descending into the Monster World, erupting into war over the ownership of the Artifact Rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the Heavenly Sword lineage was defeated, their corpses hung outside their clan grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the analysis information, Jiang Cheng's gaze toward the Heavenly Sword changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not expected that the Artifact Clan still had members of the righteous path; alas, evil suppressed good, and ultimately the Evil Sword lineage won the final victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng's vision focused at this moment on the bronze stone pillar beside the Heavenly Sword, upon which was inscribed a passage of text:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Dao of the Heavenly Sword chooses its master strictly; among a hundred people, it is hard to find one pure child.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Dao of the Evil Sword rejects no one; all living beings possess evil thoughts.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Heavenly Sword's defeat and demise were not due to insufficient strength, but to failing to recognize the will of heaven; in the Monster World where the weak are food for the strong, the path of light is ultimately an illusion.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It is not that the righteous path cannot defeat the evil path, but that this world is simply this way by nature.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading this text, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of emotion in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For evil not to suppress good—how easy could that be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an old player, he knew clearly that the words carved on the Heavenly Sword were not wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The background of the Monster World was an era of great contention, with billions of races competing to reach the peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world between heaven and earth was filled with slaughter, devouring, and evolution; one could say that every inch of land buried the remains of the defeated, and even every second saw civilizations that once stood at the peak of minor worlds march toward destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here there was no mercy; only those who stepped upon piles of corpses to reach the summit had the possibility of carving their clan's name at the peak of the Monster World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such a chaotic world, the speed at which despair bred far exceeded that of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly also the reason for the Heavenly Sword lineage's defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The order of a minor world could be shaped by the Artifact Clan themselves; the Heavenly Sword and Evil Sword lineages could each occupy half the world, shaping the ecological landscape they desired within their own territories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon reaching the grand environment of the Monster World, they could not change the environment; the fit survive, the resistant perish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Evil Sword lineage was better adapted to the environment of the Monster World, which was also the reason for the Heavenly Sword lineage's march toward extinction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at it this way, the Artifact Rules did not purely generate power by absorbing negative emotions; emotions of positive belief could also produce energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was merely that the Evil Sword lineage chose to strengthen themselves through negative emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian was a descendant of the Evil Sword lineage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's too cruel; the more NPCs I contact, the more I feel every race has it hard, including the old man, who has borne the hatred of his clan's extinction for a lifetime,\" Jiang Cheng couldn't help but sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, the process of playing the game feels like being in another world; the sense of immersion is too strong,\" Xia Sheng nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Ba Jian, having returned to the clan grounds, hovered beneath a golden crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surrounding him were four clansmen in the form of swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under their control, the golden crystal burst forth with eight beams of light that pierced into Ba Jian's blade, racing quickly within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, the golden crystal dropped a pillar of light, completely enveloping Ba Jian's blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the pillar of light, countless energy streams, fine as hair, traveled along the blood veins on the sword's spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rule energy streams converged at the sword tip, then flowed back along the blade edge, passing through the minute cracks on Ba Jian's surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these, the core at the sword guard was investigated with priority; the energy streams formed a vortex here, repeatedly scouring the rule-derived imprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the blade, the energy streams gradually outlined a complete meridian map, checking the fluency of every energy node.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, all the energy converged at the end of the sword hilt, forming a perfect cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The detection results showed that the rule-derived imprint inside Ba Jian had no issues whatsoever; all channels within the blade were unobstructed, energy circulation was smooth, and there were no signs of any abnormal blockages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left the four clan elders filled with immense confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light emitted by the golden crystal gradually converged, and the energy streams receded like a Black Tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian's blade trembled slightly, then returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ba Jian, are you certain your body has developed an anomaly?\" the cyan long sword hovering beside him asked in a deep voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder, I am certain; whether it is negative emotions or qi and blood energy, I can no longer absorb them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet we have examined your body in detail and found no problems; the rule energy operates very smoothly within you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder's reply left Ba Jian stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the clan grounds was, in his eyes, the only channel to resolve the hidden trouble in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not expected that even the clan elders could not find the root of the problem, which meant he was likely to be completely crippled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps only the racial faction that severely injured you has a way to resolve your problem; do you know what race attacked you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not clear; they had purple skin. I merely suffered one palm strike while passing by and nearly died; I have no understanding of the specific combat power of their race.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking thus, Ba Jian shared the memory images in his mind with the four clan elders via mental tentacles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the elders' knowledge, perhaps they could know the origin of this race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also one of the development advantages of the Artifact Clan: intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every new generation member of the Artifact Clan would be projected to various regions of the Pale Continent to seek growth on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the process of growing alongside their hosts, they also collected information on the regions where their hosts were located.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time a clansman returned, they would bring back a large amount of intelligence information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This included intelligence on the distribution of forces in various regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the image transmitted by Ba Jian revealed the purple-skinned Bliss Main God, the expressions of the four clan elders became extremely remarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Bliss Clan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elders, do you know this race?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I originally intended to act on your behalf and coerce them, but it seems there is no opportunity now,\" the cyan long sword said helplessly, then continued to explain:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This race is named the Bliss Clan; they have established numerous spatial nodes in our region of the Pale Continent to lure in living beings from the outside. Once one crosses the gates within, they will be gnawed away by endless desires, gradually marching toward destruction... Compared to them, our clan's ability to manipulate emotions is like a firefly compared to the bright moon, simply not on the same level, and the comparison of the rule intensity we control is also far inferior.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We feed on negative emotions, while the Bliss Clan excels at creating extreme emotional happiness; this kind of happiness is something even we find difficult to resist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking thus, the cyan long sword traced out light and shadow, sketching a series of scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors, amidst the sublimation of endless power, withered and died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greedy rotted into white bones in pools of fine wine, yet the uncontrollable joy before death remained frozen on their emaciated faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scholars, clutching false answers of eternity, turned into withered statues within libraries, their essence long since exhausted within their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless living beings indulged in illusions of pleasure, yet their flesh and bodies decayed amidst bliss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of these light-and-shadow scenes, a Drunken Dream Sword of the Artifact Clan had become in the Bliss scene nothing but an empty shell, yet its surface was studded with ornate decorations, hanging within the Bliss scene as a mere prop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder, since no one can escape from the Bliss scenes, how did you obtain these images?\" Ba Jian asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When our clan first descended into the Monster World, a core team accidentally entered the Bliss Space; only the Heavenly Sword, relying on its vast righteous sword intent, managed to escape, while the rest of the clansmen all died there. These images were all provided by the Heavenly Sword at that time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing 'Heavenly Sword', the image of the broken sword corpse, pierced by eight blood-colored chains outside the spatial teleportation channel, automatically floated up in Ba Jian's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once one of the leaders of the Artifact Clan, it had diverged from their Evil Sword lineage regarding racial development philosophies, ultimately erupting into war over the ownership of the Artifact Rules, resulting in defeat and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But during the early period of descent, the Heavenly Sword and Evil Sword lineages had been in a cooperative relationship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were all pieces of information recorded in the development history of the Artifact Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the elder's narration, bitterness rose in Ba Jian's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that wanting the elders to appear and force the Bliss Clan to remove the hidden shackles on him was unrealistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between a weak race and a strong race, there was fundamentally no possibility of negotiation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one dared to go, there was a high probability of being captured and taken to the Bliss Space, marching toward destruction amidst the sublimation of desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not draw conclusions yet; let us try other methods. Follow me.\" Speaking thus, the leading cyan long sword shot out of the great hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian followed closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the Artifact Clan grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng were enjoying a spiritual food meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had already waited for several hours, yet Ba Jian had still not returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unfilial son, how do you plan to proceed with the plot next?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking thus, Xia Sheng picked up the red fruit in his hand and took a large bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the flesh burst open, a chilling coldness and a scorching heat exploded simultaneously in his mouth; a rich fragrance instantly filled his nose and mouth, and the interwoven taste of ice and fire made him squint his eyes in contentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know; the Monster World has no plot guidance, so there is absolutely no direction on how to proceed next; let's wait until Ba Jian comes out before deciding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now that we have obtained the address of the Artifact Clan, we must think about how to squeeze out Ba Jian's remaining value...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst their idle chat, the distorted spatial vortex suddenly rippled, and Ba Jian emerged from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Senior, what is the situation?\" Jiang Cheng stuffed food into his mouth, stood up, and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian's blade trembled slightly, the blood veins on its surface flickering unpredictably, as if suppressing some complex emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No anomaly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ba Jian's reply, Jiang Cheng, who already knew the answer, grinned broadly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's good that nothing is wrong; let's go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Jian did not answer; his blade surged in size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng immediately leaped onto the blade, following Ba Jian as he broke through the sky and departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Ba Jian once again curiously asked about the information regarding Jiang Cheng's race, and whether the race possessed rule abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng's answer was that the clan had once mastered rule power, but it was plundered after descending into the Monster World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tyrant Sword began to question this rule power in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Jiang Cheng feel something was off; connecting it to the ring formed by his rune weapon, he suspected Tyrant Sword had designs on his ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking carefully, it made sense; Tyrant Sword likely already suspected he was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It probably no longer wished to let him wield the sword, planning to drain him dry and leave, which was why it was probing for valuable items on his person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet facing Tyrant Sword's inquiry, he still provided an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Tyrant Sword suddenly shot downward, its target aimed directly at a lizard-like creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wield the sword, kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing Tyrant Sword intended to test again, Jiang Cheng acted immediately, grabbing with his right hand from mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flying Tyrant Sword instantly shrank, its hilt landing firmly in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood patterns writhed along the sword spine like living creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lizard-shaped monster on the ground sensed danger; its scales suddenly stood erect, a row of sharp bone spines protruding from its back, as it spat a foul-smelling, dark green poisonous mist as a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jiang Cheng moved faster; sword light fell from the sky, carving a bloody arc that pierced the poison mist and struck straight for the monster's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the blade entered flesh, the lizard's head exploded instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, the lizard monster's body suddenly shriveled; its flesh and blood essence scattered like sand grains through the gaps in the blade, finally turning into a patch of gray-white bone dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyrant Sword's humming ceased abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So it was you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyrant Sword suddenly broke free from Jiang Cheng's control, hovering before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment, it understood everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The root of all problems lay not with itself, but with the current host it had chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it returned to the clan grounds for testing and found no issues, it assumed a member of the Bliss Clan had acted upon it, leaving some unanalyzable hidden flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the four clan elders who helped examine its body shared this belief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the elders did not give up; they took it to the clan's instrument prison where blood slaves were kept, hoping to verify the specific situation through practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this test, a clan elder in perfect form mentally wielded the sword, intending to personally kill a blood slave to investigate the issue of prey vanishing strangely upon death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, the test revealed that the problem it described did not occur at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After continuously killing multiple blood slaves, it could absorb their qi and blood smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Tyrant Sword puzzled, unable to understand where the problem truly lay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, no matter how it tried, every attempt ended in failure; why did everything work fine upon returning to the clan grounds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This led it to think of the current host, suspecting the issue might lie with the host itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The test just now confirmed its hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now everything made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many questions connected in Tyrant Sword's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to devour qi and blood energy after killing, unable to harvest negative emotions from pain; it had even prepared excuses, yet the host remained silent upon discovering skeletons in the resource vault, and had constantly stared intently at the text on the rock walls along the way, seemingly able to read the content...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back now, it was all problematic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this current host had long known its situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also why examining its own body, including the detailed inspection back at the clan grounds, revealed no issues whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever \"Heavenly Fire\" wielded the sword, problems arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavenly Fire clearly knew all this, yet never told it, constantly exploiting it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder no matter how I tried, I couldn't absorb a shred of qi and blood; it was you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyrant Sword's voice was no longer hoarse and low, but filled with towering rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood patterns on the sword spine writhed frantically, like countless enraged vipers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It never expected that this seemingly obedient host had been secretly sabotaging it from the very beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Tyrant Sword's response, Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng immediately realized they had been exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although unclear exactly how they were exposed, the current issue was that Tyrant Sword was enraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What, do you intend to devour your master? Have you gone mad?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since exposure was inevitable, Jiang Cheng decided to stop pretending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Devour the master? Do you think you have the ability to resist my power?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood mist condensed before the blade, gradually forming a ferocious ghost Iron Face; within its gaping maw, countless former hosts could be vaguely seen struggling and wailing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground cracked, gravel floating anti-gravity, forming a force field around Tyrant Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unfilial child, attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths curling into smiles simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, both pressed their palms together firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power of Pain erupted from their bodies like a tidal wave, generating countless red tentacles behind them that suddenly coiled toward Tyrant Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword light blooming on Tyrant Sword's surface could not resist the spread of the Pain Touches; it was instantly entangled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment contact was made, Tyrant Sword's consciousness let out a piercing shriek, which then turned into a wail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taunt Soul Activated at this moment, applying itself to Tyrant Sword through the Pain Touches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword body instantly began to tremble violently; the blood patterns on its surface twisted and cracked, dragging its consciousness into a pitch-black abyss, forcibly dredging up countless terrifying scenes pieced together from memories, repeatedly tearing at its consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It saw itself being abandoned by the clan elders, its sword body thrown into a furnace, melting bit by bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It saw the spirits of past hosts crawling out from the sword's spine, grinning ferociously as they tore at its consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It even saw the Black Black Tide evil influences that even the clan elders feared, summoning endless evil entities to devour its sword body inch by inch...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyrant Sword's wails carried a plea; the sword light it released shattered, and its glowing body rapidly dimmed under the erosion of the Power of Pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struggled desperately, but the Pain Touches coiled tighter and tighter; the Power of Pain seeped inside the sword body, directly scorching its consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was pain Tyrant Sword had never felt before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its consciousness was like a lone boat in a stormy sea, tossing unpredictably amidst surging, violent agony, on the verge of collapse at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It knew this was pain brought by extreme emotions and tried to break free, but its consciousness seemed wrapped layer by layer in viscous dark gel; every struggle of consciousness felt like moving laboriously through a swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to focus its mind to stay awake, telling itself this was merely external emotional interference, only resulted in even more intense stabbing pain deep within its consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tyrant Sword, you enjoy bringing pain to your hosts, but have you ever personally felt extreme pain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng's sinister laugh rang in its mind, but Tyrant Sword could no longer respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the impact of extreme pain, its consciousness scattered like snowflakes; everything it had done to its hosts became the fuse for this agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every memory that surfaced was accompanied by madness-inducing pain, as if dead hosts had turned into vengeful spirits gnawing at its consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if countless sharp hooks were pulling its consciousness apart, snapping it strand by strand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear, mixed with pain like a surging Black Tide, completely submerged it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to scream, tried to transmit a plea for help to the nearby clan grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under the shroud of extreme pain, its consciousness could no longer control its body, constantly falling into an endless abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only pain spread wantonly in its mind, continuously eroding its remaining sanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kill me!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Tyrant Sword desperately craved death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the pain had exceeded the limit it could bear, surpassing even the limit of pain it could imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despair enveloped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its consciousness gradually collapsed under the gnawing of the Power of Pain; it emitted shrieks, yet could not even condense a complete thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if every inch of its sword soul was being sliced, crushed, and burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It once believed itself the manipulator of \"despair emotions,\" but now it finally understood what extreme despair truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crisp sound of breaking rang out; cracks on Tyrant Sword's surface continued to spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its consciousness gradually lost perception of self, stepping inch by inch toward the edge of dissolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng maintained their palms-pressed-together posture; the blood-red tentacles behind them danced frantically like a peacock fanning its tail, continuously releasing extreme pain energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, players in the livestream room also reached a climax, the bullet comments exploding instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So awesome! Even though Tyrant Sword is injured, this is hard crowd control on a life form with Hunting Level 100+; absolutely invincible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Pain trait can combine with the Taunt trait for a combo? What kind of god-tier combination is this? Under strong control, Tyrant Sword can barely counterattack; this combo maxes out the control score.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This intensity is too broken, right? Pain + Taunt + Wither + Tear... this trait combination is too demonic; it can really pin a target in place until death, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng's performance made many players in the livestream room recall a theory circulating on the forums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, a guide-party player started a discussion thread on the forum researching who was the strongest internal warfare phantom god among the player faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast majority of veteran players cast their votes for the Pain Brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: no one dared to confront the Pain Brothers head-on; they wielded power that even their fellow players feared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, amidst the bullet comment discussions of the livestream players, Tyrant Sword's trembling ceased abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It then fell from the air; the blood patterns on its surface dimmed, while qi and blood continuously surged from the cracks, merging into Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng's bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword body also turned gray-white inch by inch starting from the tip, no longer flashing with bloody light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Cheng and Xia Sheng withdrew their hands simultaneously, exchanging a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dual pains combined.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True damage slays gods and demons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After each recited a line, they raised their right hands and high-fived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the challenger prompt sounded in their minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5725,"2026-06-19T09:20:37.851Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1be9aee39e179be526fc079b9b66b6a09e53edd8b57ec6a94bce57612e12eab5","monsters-are-coming-chapter-262","monsters-are-coming-chapter-260",393,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmonsters-are-coming-cover.jpg"]