[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-monsters-are-coming":3,"chapter-the-monsters-are-coming-monsters-are-coming-chapter-356":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},2250205,4069,"Chapter 356: Stop, You Calamity; Mental State Explodes","monsters-are-coming-chapter-356",356,"\u003Cp>Monster World, Spear of Shattered Sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure moved swiftly through the monster horde, enveloped by thunderous sha qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever he was about to be struck, this figure could always sense the attack trajectory in advance and dodge quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a raise of his hand, a gale infused with running thunder power howled and swept across the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This figure was none other than Brother Ming Hou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he was engaged in a fierce battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unaware that he had only just left behind instructions, the Book of Fate had already impatiently descended upon Earth following his fate trajectory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gravel trembled rustlingly within the thunderous sha qi; Brother Ming Hou's long silver hair, soaked in monster blood, still danced wildly amidst the wind and sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The continuous high-intensity combat left no time to drink potions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cyclone of thunderous sha qi surrounding him had dimmed; of the twelve wind pillars released earlier, only three remained spinning and cutting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just to tear through the cluster defense wall of the \"Sand Prison Worms,\" his spiritual energy had already been exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely having broken free, he encountered an assault by an even stronger group of monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Monster World; even in barren lands, numerous powerful monsters lay in ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the waves of dizziness brought on by depleted spiritual energy, even his breath carried a scorched scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his hands did not stop moving for an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raising his hand, he released spiritual energy to stabilize the crumbling thunderous sha qi cyclone, then condensed a thunderous sha qi drill in his right hand, precisely stabbing it into the eye socket of the approaching \"Crystal-Armored Sand Lion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a deafening roar erupted beside his ear as the massive body of the Crystal-Armored Sand Lion crashed heavily to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the monster horde ahead surged forward like a Black Tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every Crystal-Armored Sand Lion possessed crystallized wings, flying with extreme speed, making them impossible to evade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Ming Hou let out a low shout and chose to charge directly into the monster Black Tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunderous sha qi detonated around him in interwoven silver-blue flames, shattering several monsters with every collision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet more claws and fangs still breached the thunderous sha qi defense surrounding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sand lion's tail stinger sliced open his shoulder blade, while crystallized worms symbiotic with the sand lions below spat acid that corroded his calves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a sand lion with a hunting level of 48 rushed over and slammed violently into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of shattering bones was clearly audible; Brother Ming Hou flew backward like a kite with a severed string, crashing against the rock wall below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of bloody froth, his vision beginning to blur, yet his heart knew no fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, he urged the scant spiritual energy remaining in his body, causing the thunderous sha qi power to accumulate and surge within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you want to eat me, you'd better check if you have the appetite for it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two streams of energy, compressed to the extreme, emitted a piercing hum as they fused; the interwoven silver-blue flames no longer exploded outward but were clenched tight by an invisible hand, gathering along his veins toward his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his heart as the fusion point, Brother Ming Hou converted all his spiritual energy into thunderous sha qi and sharply lifted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze locked onto the direction from which the sand lion horde was charging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Explode for me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the words left his lips, his body transformed into a brilliant orb of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver-blue thunderous sha qi broke free from the constraints of flesh and blood; the resulting shockwave plowed a ring-shaped trench miles wide into the sandy ground, tearing apart the monsters that had rushed close before they could even let out a cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hard crystal armor of the Sand Lion Lord melted like butter under the furious thunderous sha qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to block with its claws, but the thunderous sha qi drilled through the gaps between them, shredding its bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the wind and sand settled, only a charred, deep pit remained on the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hour later, at the spatial node of the Spear of Shattered Sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Ming Hou's figure appeared accompanied by white light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first exploration of the Monster World as a player thus came to a casual close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down at his intact palm, the tearing pain in his chest seemingly still lingering in his nerve endings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death was no longer the end for him, merely a brief wait before setting out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once noble as the Fate Lord, every exploration outside had been like walking on thin ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the power of the Demi-God Realm was strong, one still had to constantly fear potential deadly traps from the outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The environment of the Monster World had always been such that there was always a higher mountain beyond the one you climbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a Demi-God could be ambushed and killed by unknown dangers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death meant that a lifetime of cultivation and effort would be wasted, and it meant that one's fate trajectory would be completely severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, even when facing opponents weaker than himself, he had to proceed with extreme caution at every step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not make any risky moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, there was no need to worry about the destruction of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling his vitality restored to its original state, Brother Ming Hou felt his heart suddenly broaden and brighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the confidence of being a player; even death could be used as a bargaining chip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this Monster World, what was there that he would not dare to venture into?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the equivalent game merchant who once hesitated before unknown risks vanished completely along with the self-detonation at the Spear of Shattered Sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was reborn in the white light now was a player who dared to turn his body into a weapon, dared to exchange death for victory, and dared to calmly start anew after destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and walked toward the teleportation center, his steps light as if he had shed a burden of a thousand pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through teleportation, Brother Ming Hou's figure appeared in the central square of Emperor Tomb Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the crude environment of the Spear of Shattered Sand spatial node, the scenery of Emperor Tomb Village was incredibly prosperous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Figures of players from different races were everywhere, and the spiritual energy content in the air had increased more than tenfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various uniquely styled vehicles roamed unchecked throughout this city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Ming Hou summoned his map, confirmed his location, and headed straight for the vehicle factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, he planned to craft a simple flying vehicle for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although controlling the gale of sha qi to fly was convenient, it required continuous consumption of spiritual energy during flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the limited spiritual energy recovery speed in the early stages, the importance of a vehicle could not be replaced by abilities alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, he arrived at the Vehicle Processing Factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the space, he selected the popular \"Hoverboard\" vehicle template from the forum and consumed sacrificial power to generate it directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing the vehicle's creation, Brother Ming Hou went to the Cultivation Tower and spent more sacrificial power to embed a Spirit-grade Cultivation Combat Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the combat technique's blessing, his Body Tempering level would increase 24 hours a day simply by consuming sacrificial power, saving on the sacrificial power expenditure required for raising his Body Tempering level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having done all this, Brother Ming Hou's next destination was the Pet Shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before entering the game, he had carefully reviewed data on various growth-type pets as well as analysis posts by guide-focused players on the forum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once an equivalent traveling merchant who walked the world,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>upon seeing the introduction for the Treasure-Hunting Rat, he had already determined it would be the pet he would raise in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Treasure-Hunting Rat's \"Spiritual Perception\" talent was simply tailor-made for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his future travels across the world, whether delving into dangerous lands or exploring forgotten ancient clan ruins, having the Treasure-Hunting Rat by his side would surely bring unexpected surprises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A notification of successful adoption rang in his mind; Brother Ming Hou turned and left the Pet Shop space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next stop was the crafting of a Rune Resonance Weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He planned to forge a weapon similar to the Scepter of Fate for himself, allowing the power of his abilities to multiply under the bonus of a Rune Resonance Weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, notifications of successful sales in the Exchange Row continuously rang in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The resources \"gifted\" by the Book of Fate were being purchased by other players one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After touring the various functional buildings in Emperor Tomb Village, the sacrificial power in his spatial bag not only failed to decrease but broke through the million mark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it continued to grow as the commodities kept selling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what price to sell the resources at, he had already thoroughly understood this aspect before entering the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had memorized all the commodity information organized by the Gold Coin Chamber of Commerce and the \"valuation formulas\" for different types of goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he already had some understanding of the value of different types of resources,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>before descending to Earth, he knew nothing about the value of resources within the player faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be said that the valuation system within the player faction was fundamentally different from that of the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take combat resources of the weapon type, for example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from the Rune Resonance Weapons produced by their own side, other types of weapons, even those left behind by Demi-Gods held by the \"Great Emperors,\" were regarded by players merely as transitional weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They simply could not be measured by the resource values of the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one were to sacrifice Emperor Zhao, the value of the commodity would have to be slashed in half and then cut twice more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As someone who was once an equivalent game merchant, he knew clearly that trading was an important channel for resource income, so he would not make any mistakes in transactions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resources could be sold slowly, but they would never be sold cheaply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, the Monster World was never a game; for the rest of his life, he would continue to explore it as a player.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one knew nothing about commodity prices, one would have to pay a higher price to buy goods or sell precious resources at low prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such unnecessary waste, accumulating day by day, would cause severe losses of sacrificial power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the most core channel for player trading, the Exchange Row's commodity intelligence information was, in his eyes, more important than the vast majority of guides on the forum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After fully arming himself from head to toe, Brother Ming Hou once again arrived at the teleportation point of Emperor Tomb Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the teleportation zone, a dynamic map of all spatial nodes floated in his mind, which could be swiped by consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he chose \"Roaring Coast,\" a map also opened during this round of recruitment, as the region for his upcoming exploration and hunting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a wait of a few seconds, he appeared at the Roaring Coast spatial node.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation here was no different from the spatial node of the Broken Sand Halberd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everywhere were figures of players returning from resurrection; on the Teleportation Plaza, white light continued to flash, clearly indicating players whose resurrection cooldowns had ended were returning once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Brother Ming Hou prepared to summon his flying skateboard to soar over the heads of the novice players,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he suddenly realized he had been too engrossed in his play and had not yet arranged for reception duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decisively chose to log off at that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the countdown ended, Brother Ming Hou's consciousness returned to his original body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he rose, Earth's foul air quality made him frown involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But immediately afterward, he realized something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already constructed an energy barrier covering the entire city within Fate City; heavily polluted air from outside should not have been able to enter the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Filled with doubt, he spread his perception, sweeping over Fate City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He discovered that apart from the thirty-two qualified clansmen still lying in their game pods, all other clansmen had vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more strangely, many buildings within the city had been damaged by external forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the energy barrier shrouding the city had been shattered by external force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not good!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Ming Hou suddenly realized a possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth, 1:00 AM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the night sky, Trading City resembled a dormant behemoth, its millions of lights serving as shimmering scales along its spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neon lights flowed like blood, winding between skyscrapers, soaking the entire city in a mottled mist of colored light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hovercars streamed endlessly through the streets, while virtual characters on holographic billboards tossed electronic confetti into the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, atop an observation platform on a building within Trading City, a figure stood overlooking the city's nightscape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hem of its silver robe was lifted by the high-altitude night wind, snapping loudly like unfurled eagle wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff in its hand rested against the marble floor, the crystal embedded in its head reflecting the city's silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its Iron Face was covered by a silver mask, mirroring the shifting neon of the city below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomer was none other than Fate Book, who had descended to Earth following the fate trajectory of Brother Ming Hou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This isn't right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light and shadow on the mask shifted, finally settling into an expression of slight helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just moments ago, he had thought a problem had arisen with the coordinates during the cross-space teleportation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the world beneath his feet was too barren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had not even managed to give birth to heavenly and earthly spirit veins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, he extended his index finger and gently traced a line through the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no expected energy ripples, no spatial tremors; only dry, lifeless air flowed through the gaps between his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world was so barren it resembled a withered bone drained of its marrow; it could not even stimulate the most basic elemental resonance. In this world, one could only consume internal energy, yet finding replenishment from the outside was difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The panoramic view of the city reflected in the crystal ball gradually analyzed itself before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those endlessly streaming metal boxes could only float via the most primitive magnetic repulsion, lacking rune guidance or spiritual energy propulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They relied entirely on the crude physical properties of this shallow world to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The holographic projections between the skyscrapers were merely clumsy techniques of mirror flowers and water moons, not even qualifying as the lowest grade of illusion arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the carbon-based lifeforms moving through the streets, they were so fragile they lacked even the most basic spiritual power meridians, their lifespans as brief as mayflies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the myriad worlds of the void, a world unable to even manifest the outline of rules was a minor world of the lowest grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without tides of spiritual energy or cycles of rules, how could it possibly give birth to the opportunity to transcend the shackles of life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a stinking swamp; it was impossible for a true dragon to be born there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could be certain this was absolutely not the world he sought; the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord would never take this world as the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the teleportation coordinates he had set must have been erroneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the problem was, through the rule imprints derived from within his body, he had repeatedly compared the trajectory coordinates left by the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every spatial node and every dimensional marker was precise and error-free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The void anchor point for positioning was indeed locked onto this barren world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be that the coordinates left by the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord were flawed from the start?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling what the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord had mentioned at the time: fate is impermanent, opportunities are unpredictable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to rearrange the sequence of these coordinates and then perform another cross-space jump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was to search for the minor world where the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord resided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before doing so, Fate Book turned its gaze toward the city beneath its feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast majority of worlds in the void were barren worlds, possessing neither life nor spiritual energy meridians; the process of searching and jumping would inevitably consume enormous amounts of energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiritual resources he carried had already been given to the Dragon Sparrow Fate Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not replenish his energy from them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the world beneath his feet was barren, it at least possessed resources on the material level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, qi and blood energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qi and blood of the hundreds of millions of living beings in this minor world could suffice to replenish some of his consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to use this world as an energy replenishment station; it would not waste much time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his intent clarified, his figure transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the depths of the Pacific Ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>",2896,"2026-06-19T09:20:37.851Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b9d7568fddd5b2be7cb2575b081129c27d044044c29ad8e0e1cc34b2d13ca548","monsters-are-coming-chapter-357","monsters-are-coming-chapter-355",393,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmonsters-are-coming-cover.jpg"]