Chapter 72: The Black Black Tide Attacks, Peerless Mowing-Grass (Fourth Update)

Through the guidance feedback, Qi Sheng closely monitored the entire verbal war between the two factions of players on the Human Rise Forum.

Since the Land of Darkness had severed its live-streaming connection to the Star Net and converted the forum into an internal one, players who hadn't purchased the game had no idea what kind of game this actually was; not even a single screenshot could leak out.

This led players on both sides to believe the other side consisted of paid shills, feeling that the opposing players' statements completely contradicted reality.

Qi Sheng could understand the Eclipse Clan's decision to sever the game's connection to the outside world.

The game Land of Darkness was essentially a training ground created by the Eclipse Clan to cope with future crises; earning foreign currency through a virtual game was never within its core considerations, as everything revolved around the stable operation of the virtual game as its core development philosophy.

Moreover, running this game consumed enormous resources and presented a series of issues requiring optimization.

First was the server's carrying capacity, which was far less relaxed than the outside world imagined; the high-frequency data information generated after a large number of players entered the game could even cause congestion on the Star Net, hindering data transmission and thereby triggering server errors or connection bugs.

To solve this problem, the Eclipse Clan adopted a scheme of issuing qualifications in batches, which was essentially a gradually unfolding stress test of the server's carrying capacity.

Only after confirming that it could support the existing players' normal gaming experience would the Eclipse Clan issue the next batch of game qualifications.

Then they would launch a new round of stress tests, continuously raising the server's carrying limit to prevent a sudden influx of massive numbers of players from causing the server to collapse.

Disconnecting functions like live streaming was also intended to reduce the operational pressure on the game.

However, in the eyes of ordinary players, this series of settings became a tactic of hunger marketing, with some even feeling the Eclipse Clan's behavior was overly arrogant.

During this forum battle, neither side of players could post screenshots of the game scenes, which was the main reason both sides believed the other players were shills.

The isolation Cultivation Mode, disconnected from the outside world, prevented any game content from leaking out.

If even one game screenshot could provide intuitive proof, both sides of the arguing players would surely enter a state of confusion, realizing that the opposing players were not even playing the same game as them.

After the posts regarding the fierce battle between the two player factions were banned, Qi Sheng ceased paying attention to the subsequent developments, shifting his gaze back to the Monster World.

According to the guidance feedback, a strong energy fluctuation had appeared at the node of the Leyline Cliff Domain in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region.

Following the guidance's perspective to the Leyline Cliff, Qi Sheng discovered that the Black Tide of evil spirits was stirring, about to erupt.

The black mist that originally spread around the tower slowly extended toward the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region; countless evil spirit lives occasionally vaporized to merge into the black Black Tide, then condensed again into evil spirit bodies to roar and howl.

The view shifted to the Evil Eye Tower; standing on the tower platform, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit changed its appearance under the infusion of energy from the node domain.

The battle armor condensed from black mist on its body became more ferocious and sharp, while the eyes sunken in their sockets resembled two burning coals, radiating an aura of violence and destruction.

At this moment, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit raised both hands; the Evil Eye suspended above its head moved downward, its tentacles piercing into its spine to complete the connection.

Instantly, the perception perspective rapidly spread outward, and the control over the black Black Tide was significantly enhanced after the connection was established.

"Evil Eye, targets!"

Hearing the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's instruction, the Evil Eye blinked, and immediately a blurred scene of the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region floated in its mind.

One could see multiple flashing light points within the scene, each light point representing a domain node region.

At this moment, the Evil Eye looked down at the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit:

"Except for that domain node region that mysteriously disappeared, all other regions can be targets for conquest, but I suggest occupying this node last; it contains a large number of Primordial creatures, which will not be easy for us to capture with our current strength."

As soon as the words fell, the light flashing from one domain node on the blurred map in the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's mind turned red, marking it as a dangerous area.

This region was precisely the Spirit Artifact Valley located to the west of Emperor Tomb Village.

"Good." The Earth-Nian Evil Spirit nodded solemnly, then issued a command in its heart, which was transmitted through the Evil Eye to the black Black Tide.

Immediately, the surging black mist below the tower rolled up waves of fog, sweeping and spreading in the direction pointed to by the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's consciousness.

Qi Sheng's consciousness also returned to Emperor Tomb Village following the guidance at this time.

Every time the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit occupied a domain node, its strength would receive a significant boost; he would certainly not allow the black Black Tide controlled by the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit to recklessly occupy domain nodes.

Even if it could not be stopped at the current stage, the speed of the black Black Tide's spread and enhancement must be delayed as much as possible.

"It is time for training."

At this moment, Qi Sheng closed his eyes, and instantly his head transformed into the blazing flames of the Emperor Omen, spreading throughout his body.

Simultaneously, a Challenger Prompt rang out in the minds of all players:

[Challenger Prompt (All Regions): The Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region is about to Iron Face the Black Black Tide calamity; special mission triggered: Black Black Tide Hunter]:

Black Black Tide Hunter (Special Mission):

Mission Introduction: Hunt Black Black Tide evil spirits and block the Black Black Tide's power from occupying the domain nodes in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region (the map function will mark the direction and regions of the Black Black Tide's spread).

Mission Rewards: During the mission duration, for every Black Black Tide evil spirit killed by a player, the Evolution Points and Sacrificial Power rewards increase by 14%, and mission contribution is calculated (mission contribution rewards will be distributed based on ranking after the mission ends).

Mission Duration: Unknown

For this special mission, Qi Sheng increased the benefits players received from hunting evil spirits.

Originally, hunting yielded a 30% extraction rate, meaning players obtained 70% of the benefits; after the mission was issued, player benefits increased by 14% on top of the original basis, becoming an actual yield of 79.8%, an extra return of 10%.

Doing this was precisely to motivate players to actively challenge the Black Black Tide evil spirits, acting as roadblocks to the Black Black Tide's spread.

After the game prompt was issued, online players responded actively.

The increased hunting rewards, plus the additional contribution rewards, held immense temptation for the players.

Since it was all hunting, clearly hunting Black Black Tide evil spirits brought higher returns.

The player community moved at the news, posting teammate recruitment information in the regional channel one after another, deciding to head to the regions where the Black Black Tide was spreading to begin hunting.

Many players who had originally been mining in the Gloomy Cave also joined this collective action.

A mighty army of players set out from Emperor Tomb Village, moving in different directions to Iron Face the sweeping Black Black Tide head-on.

The first group to make contact with the Black Black Tide was the player faction advancing northward across the Ancient Battlefield region; the scene before them left them awestruck.

A pitch-black Black Tide obscured the horizon, sweeping forward majestically; one could see countless ferocious-looking evil spirit lives emerging from the black Black Tide, possessing momentum as overwhelming as a locust swarm passing through, while the earth trembled slightly under the surging Black Black Tide.

This scene resembled a black curtain rising from the end of the horizon, seeming ready to cover the entire world in darkness.

"Holy crap, this scene is too terrifying; if this weren't a game, I might have been scared to death!"

"The server has only been open for a short time, and they're already hitting us with such high intensity; the damn Eclipse Clan really thinks highly of us."

"Hiss~ I smell the rich fragrance of Sacrificial Power; why does this apocalyptic scene make me feel a bit excited? It feels awesome (a certain player spread his arms, gazing at the Black Black Tide with emotion)."

"Brothers of the Hero Guild, the time to farm contribution has arrived; kill one and you profit, kill two and you profit more, kill three and you're rolling in profits, charge!"

Accompanied by shouts from various squad and guild voice channels, the player faction faced the sweeping Black Black Tide without hesitation.

The moment the player faction collided with the Black Black Tide, players who had already prepared to die suddenly realized the situation was not as bad as they had imagined.

The seemingly terrifying Black Black Tide evil spirits were far weaker in strength than Blood Corpses, and even less formidable than Cursed Soldiers.

Many analysis screenshots circulated within the regional voice channel.

[Black Black Tide · Evil Maggot]:

Hunting Level: 1

Target Analysis Introduction: A low-grade evil spirit born from the Black Black Tide, possessing no self-awareness, acting only according to the will of the Black Black Tide controller.

[Black Black Tide · Dark Hound]:

Hunting Level: 1

Target Analysis Introduction: A low-grade evil spirit born from the Black Black Tide, possessing no self-awareness, acting only according to the will of the Black Black Tide controller.

[Black Black Tide · Demon Flea]:

Hunting Level: 2

Target Analysis Introduction: A low-grade evil spirit born from the Black Black Tide, possessing no self-awareness, capable of strengthening the Black Black Tide by devouring flesh and blood.

Players were surprised to discover that the strength of the Black Black Tide monsters was far lower than imagined.

Hunting levels were generally between 1 and 2, with very few reaching level 3.

In the eyes of veteran players, these weak Black Black Tide evil spirits were merely toys that could be slaughtered at will.

Just as the Black Armored Soldiers in the Gloomy Cave had easily slaughtered players back then, the player faction, upon discovering the low strength of the evil spirits, immediately activated the Peerless Mowing-Grass Cultivation Mode, charging into the Black Tide of evil spirits to begin a frenzied slaughter.

A certain player following the Monster Path growth trajectory transformed during combat into a black-armored giant snake over ten meters long, pouncing upon the Black Black Tide and plowing straight through the swarm of evil spirits like a swimming dragon.

After switching to the Bone Fire form, a certain player released the power of Ink Flames to generate five fireballs orbiting around themselves, charging into the swarm of evil spirits to activate a push-through Cultivation Mode; the moment evil spirit lives touched the fireballs, they were burned to ashes.

Wielding a Might Axe, a certain player made broad, sweeping movements within the swarm of evil spirits, killing several evil spirit lives with a single strike, resembling a God of War descending to the world.

Throughout this, laughter and cheerful voices filled the regional voice channel:

"So the Monster Path is this satisfying; look at that brother's Black Armored Snake, its body length is almost as tall as a three-story building, its Hunting Level must be at least 20+, it's simply a battlefield bulldozer, so violent."

"Hahaha, I've been playing this game for over ten days, often getting crushed outside; finally, I can enjoy myself."

"Players who have embedded the Bone Fire Soul are taking off; releasing fireballs to surround themselves puts them in complete invincibility Cultivation Mode; the only thing limiting our advance is mana (mental energy)."

"Damn, we're both following the Monster Path, but my Eagle-Head Demon form is so weak; I can't enjoy this at all, the killing is too slow."

"I'm dying of joy; it's just like mowing grass; although most evil spirits only yield 0.5 Sacrificial Power, the feeling of the kill feedback prompt constantly ringing in my mind is truly exhilarating."

"Seeing you all kill so happily pains my heart; the forums say Taunt is the strongest Soul at the current stage, so I chose the combination of Gargoyle paired with Taunt, but the problem is the Taunt trait only works on sentient life forms, making it completely useless right now; what do I do, someone tell me what to do?"

"Brother Taunt upstairs, don't have a breakdown yet; your Taunt and Gargoyle form at least still have combat power; I chose the Eagle-Head Demon plus Star Vein combination of Devouring Qi; back then I thought I could extend the time the Eagle-Head Demon keeps its perception perspective active by Devouring Qi to enhance sustainability, but now it's utterly useless; watching my guild brothers enjoy themselves so much, I want to change my Soul (God of Wealth turning red with anger and clenching fists.jpg)."

Observing the battle situation through the players' perspectives, Qi Sheng smiled very happily upon seeing the players' performance.

When he originally formulated the Challenger Plan, he had studied the Black Black Tide.

The most terrifying aspect of the Black Black Tide was not just its numbers, but also its function of devouring to grow.

Under the Black Black Tide's sweeping Cultivation Mode, all living beings devoured within the Black Black Tide would transform into part of the Black Black Tide's power, causing the Black Black Tide's strength to grow higher and higher, with the strength of the generated evil spirit lives climbing accordingly.

However, the Challenger System he created perfectly countered this point.

After a player died, the flesh-and-blood materials and energy constituting their body would be hyper-dimensionally extracted by one who mastered the Rules of All-Thing Extraction, then sent back to Emperor Tomb Village by Yan Ming's Space Power to be reshaped.

No matter how many players the evil spirits killed, they could not extract a single bit of growth energy.

But the evil spirits killed by the players would become nourishment for the players' growth.

In the first collision between the Player Calamity and the Black Black Tide Calamity, the players proved through practice that the settings he had originally conceived were entirely feasible.

As the players activated their unparalleled mowing Cultivation Mode, the sacrificial power profits in Qi Sheng's eyes also grew rapidly.

By giving the players an extra 10% feedback, his profits not only failed to decrease, but his hourly earnings instead multiplied several times over.

The players enjoyed killing to their heart's content, and he earned until he was numb.

The Black Black Tide legion led by the Earth-Chanting Evil Spirit might show off its power for a while in other low-intensity regions; after all, when creatures in low-intensity areas Iron Face rampaging evil influences, they eventually exhaust their strength, and once they fall, they become nourishment for the Black Black Tide to strengthen itself.

Furthermore, whenever an evil influence born of the Black Black Tide dies, the energy constituting its life form merges back into the Black Black Tide; the loss is minimal, and soon new evil life can re-coalesce and form again, making them impossible to kill off completely.

But the two terrifying characteristics of the Black Black Tide posed no threat whatsoever before the player legions.

When players die, Qi Sheng's profit loss is zero, whereas when players slay evil influences, they extract the energy of the deceased evils, transforming it into evolution points and sacrificial power that merge into the players' bodies.

Amidst the slaughter, the players grew ever stronger, while the Black Black Tide's intensity was continuously weakened.

The Black Black Tide calamity, which other factions viewed as utterly terrifying, was, in Qi Sheng's eyes, nothing more than nourishment for the players' growth.

The Black Black Tide continued to rampage; in less than an hour, the number of online players dropped by half, and the remaining players had all entered a state of exhaustion with their blood qi depleted or their spiritual energy dried up.

But Qi Sheng did not care in the slightest.

Even if the Black Black Tide swept across the entire Emperor Tomb Mountain Range, it could not reach Emperor Tomb Village, which existed independently outside the world's barrier.

In the battle against the Black Black Tide, with one side waxing and the other waning, the player legions would ultimately achieve final victory.

Just as Qi Sheng rejoiced over the soaring profits, the Earth-Chanting Evil Spirit atop the Evil Eye Tower had already noticed something amiss.

"Evil Eye, why can't these mysterious creatures be decomposed and absorbed by the Black Black Tide after death? Moreover, why can't the evil entities born of the Black Black Tide merge back into it after being slain by these mysterious beings?"

Facing the inquiry, the Evil Eye hovering above its head remained silent for a long time before speaking:

"I cannot find any information on this race in the database shared by other nodes; I am unable to determine the specific cause. Perhaps you could try capturing one alive; I will seek the reason by reading its memories."

"Very well." The Earth-Chanting Evil Spirit nodded immediately and then began manipulating the Black Black Tide to take action.

Near Fengbo Tan.

"I can't kill anymore; I'm so tired my legs are trembling. How about you all?" Zou Feng said, turning to look at his teammates beside him.

Yet he discovered there were no teammates in sight; his vision was completely obscured by the rampaging evil influences.

He summoned the squad voice channel, resolving the confusion in his mind.

The squad voice channel displayed that his teammates had all entered death cooldown; no wonder he had heard no voices from them no matter how he called out, receiving no reply whatsoever.

Glancing at his sacrificial power balance, he discovered that unbeknownst to him, he had actually earned over 200 points of sacrificial power profit.

"Awesome!"

Facing the evil influences attacking from all directions, Zou Feng tightened his grip on the Shattered Blade in his hand, deciding to slay as many more evil lives as possible before entering death cooldown.

During the fight, Zou Feng couldn't help but marvel at the game's realism.

The muscle soreness brought by continuous combat, even the thirst—these incredibly realistic sensory feedbacks were all components affecting his combat power, not merely changes in health bar numbers.

Before long, Zou Feng fought until he was completely exhausted; he collapsed on the ground, gasping heavily, allowing his body to be submerged by evil life forms:

"No strength left; logging off."

But to Zou Feng's surprise, the evil life forms did not gnaw at his body; nearby evils lifted him up and moved rapidly toward the depths of the Black Black Tide, with any evil life encountered along the way actively avoiding him, clearing a path forward.

"Where is this going?" Zou Feng was instantly bewildered.

Already utterly exhausted, he was too lazy to struggle and didn't care to know the reason; he immediately summoned the function panel to attempt logging off.

However, under the violent jolting, the teleportation array could not form within Zou Feng's player body; every time the array began to sketch, it would dissipate, and a game prompt subsequently rang in his mind:

[Challenger Notification: In a state of violent jolting; unable to initiate logout teleportation.]

"Forget it." Realizing he couldn't log off directly, Zou Feng simply lay on the evil creature and started browsing forum information.

"Holy crap, a black-armored snake over ten meters long; the Monster Flow is actually this fierce!"

Seeing a video on a trending post, Zou Feng couldn't help but exclaim in shock; in the footage, a massive black-armored snake plowed through crowds of evil influences in an overwhelming manner, with every roll or tail swipe slaughtering swathes of evil life.

Time passed; during this period, Zou Feng exited the forum to check his own status and found he was still being jolted forward.

Though his stamina had recovered slightly, he did not rush to act, choosing instead to continue lying on the evil creature.

The reason he didn't resist was that he felt he might have triggered some hidden quest; this unknown journey might well yield substantial rewards.

Many players had already proven that the Monster World was full of opportunities.

For instance, a certain player who accidentally picked up a machine had struck it rich in one go, earning 38,000 points of sacrificial power; when he saw that post back then, his eyes had turned red with envy, only regretting that the player who encountered such dogshit luck wasn't him.

This accidental encounter might just be such an opportunity.

Feeling bored, he chose to continue browsing forum information to pass the time, occasionally exclaiming at the brilliant performances of certain players while combating evil influences.

It was unknown how much time had passed when the sensation of jolting suddenly vanished.

A lifting force surged from below, carrying him rapidly upward.

Zou Feng, who had just exited the forum function, was tossed by the evil influence onto the tower platform, landing butt-first on the hard black stone slab with a muffled groan.

Looking up, the grotesque appearance of the Earth-Chanting Evil Spirit ahead gave him a fright.

Through analyzing the information, he was shocked to discover this was actually the Evil Spirit Warrior who had beaten the God of Wealth to a pulp back then.

He had participated in that battle too; if not for them blocking with their lives back then, the God of Wealth's seventh-day memorial would have already passed.

Just as he wondered about his predicament, several black tentacles shot out from the huge eye atop the Earth-Chanting Evil Spirit's head, connecting with his skull; two of the tentacles pierced his temples, bringing him intense pain.

What followed was a severe sense of vertigo; he felt the world spinning and his vision blurring.

(End of Chapter)