In the world of martial arts, one works tirelessly to attain enlightenment.

Chapter 97, The Rules of the Game, How to Break It

"Lin Lang, where are you~"

The plump woman's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of resentment, like that of an impatient, longing woman.

She didn't even notice when her upper body clothes fell down as she walked quickly, and a large, bright white expanse passed right in front of Lin Ran's eyes.

Lin Ran remained calm, staring at a stone on the wall without making a sound.

In a world governed by rules, do not act rashly or erratically, or you may trigger terrible consequences.

The woman searched around but couldn't find Lin Ran. Her voice became even more resentful, and she even threw away her only clothes and took out a jade pestle.

Lin Ran remained calm, like a statue, without any reaction.

More than half an hour later, the woman left.

Lin Ran waited a while longer before controlling a wisp of spiritual energy to sweep across the courtyard.

After waiting for a while and finding nothing unusual, he walked out of the courtyard while still remaining invisible.

As soon as I stepped outside, I heard the voices of a woman and another man echoing in the courtyard next door.

Lin Ran hesitated for a moment, then decided not to test the waters.

They communicated the team's markings and confirmed the locations of Jian Linglong, Ling Qiqi, Xing Luo, and Meng Yu.

They then set off.

The moment Lin Ran left the village, she felt the [Rules of Time] being touched once again.

He immediately realized that the village was a "newbie zone," and if he didn't find the corresponding solution, his memories would be sealed and he would have to start all over again.

Lin Ran quickened her pace and soon came to see an ancient city.

Upon entering the city's territory, the rules were triggered once again, but they had no effect on him whatsoever.

Once inside the city, follow the markings directly to the location.

The four marks are now almost overlapping, which is very likely Jian Linglong. Ling Qiqi has already found Xingluo and Mengyu.

But there was no response in the team's chat, and Lin Ran felt something was wrong.

Before long, Lin Ran stopped above a giant stage, his spiritual power covering all directions. Through the discussions of the people below, he learned what had happened.

"A martial arts contest to choose husbands, and four people at once to marry off—the Wang family is truly remarkable."

"Not only that, I've seen those four women, and each one of them is more beautiful than the last! Even a little maid is much prettier than the so-called top courtesan."

"Really? I don't believe it."

"Forget about whether she's pretty or not, just look at that figure, it's worth the effort!"

"..."

Lin Ran landed on the fighting platform, where some people were currently sparring. In reality, it was all just ordinary punches and kicks, nothing more.

He looked up at the sky again, the [Rules of Time] covering his eyes.

Immediately, a pattern entirely formed by the power of rules appeared above the arena. One long line extended beyond the city, while four other lines descended and connected to Jian Linglong and her companions.

Lin Ran watched for a while and obtained some information.

This is a script set in a low-level martial arts world. The character who leaves the city is the villain, and there is also a protagonist, but he leaves, so there is no protagonist.

The current rules are in a state of incompetence due to a lack of qualified personnel.

Lin Ran touched her chin, then suddenly raised her hand and pressed down.

His mental energy materialized into a hand several meters in size, which slammed down on the most crowded part of the street.

boom!

In an instant, dozens of people's bodies were turned into blood mist. The force of the impact sent the crowd flying like flowers scattered by a celestial maiden. However, only small pieces of people could fly; most others couldn't even withstand the aftershocks and were turned into blood mist.

After the spiritual energy dissipated, everyone on the street was dead!

The entire street was covered in blood, and large areas of the buildings on both sides had collapsed. There wasn't a single intact building within a hundred meters!

The murmurs became sporadic, but they didn't stop. The people competing on the stage seemed blind and deaf, completely oblivious.

The pattern in the air emitted light and slowly rotated at an angle.

Instantly, time seemed to reverse in the city, and everything that had been destroyed began to recover. Blood and body parts reverted to human form, and the blood mist disappeared, turning people back into humans.

Before long, everything returned to normal, and the competition continued.

Lin Ran suddenly looked at the very center of the pattern, where a point of pure black power had appeared out of nowhere, like a black hole that had suddenly appeared and was about to swallow everything!

Lin Ran squinted and observed carefully for a long time before confirming what it was.

Forever night!

At the same time, from another perspective, the function of the pattern immediately becomes clear.

The power of eternal night exists here, and the rules are responsible for sealing it, but they cannot seal it forever.

Therefore, a scenario set in a low-level martial arts world was chosen to repeatedly depict the struggle against the erosion of the eternal night.

Lin Ran didn't know whose arrangement this was, but she knew that if the human race's mother realm chose to merge this secret realm, it would be directly connected to the Eternal Night!

Even monsters from the Eternal Night and the Abyss can reach the human race's mother realm!

Lin Ran stroked her chin, feeling that there must be some arrangement by some powerful clan involved.

However, since this arrangement involves him, it cannot be ignored.

Lin Ran looked at the pattern, shook her head and smiled.

I thought I could handle it myself, but I didn't expect that I would still have to call for help. The battlefield of the heavens is too dangerous, there are arrangements everywhere.

He raised his hand and reached down, his spiritual energy transforming into a giant hand that grabbed Xing Luo, Meng Yu, Jian Linglong, and Ling Qiqi, pulling them to his side. He then knocked them unconscious one by one and connected them using the [Rules of Time].

Then close your eyes and press your forehead.

"Please, Humanity's Heavenly Eye!"

A point of golden light appeared out of thin air in front of him, transforming into the shape of an eye. It wasn't as terrifying as the Heavenly Eye itself, but it still emitted waves of pressure, causing the city below to come to a standstill.

Lin Ran told Tianyan about what had happened here, as well as the consequences of merging with the secret realm.

The Heavenly Eye flashed twice, and a golden light shot out, rushing into the pattern in the sky. The golden light shattered the moment it came into contact with the power of Eternal Night.

The brightness of the Heavenly Eye decreased significantly, and the eyes that were conjured also became much more illusory.

A calm, unwavering voice rang out.

"Human race, first planner, Lin Ran."

"The intelligence provided is accurate. Preliminary assessment suggests that it poses a significant threat to the human race's mother world."

"The emergency response plan will be activated soon."

Swish!

The conjured golden eyes suddenly shattered, creating a spatial rift in their place.

On the other side of the crack, there was first blue sky and white clouds, followed by the appearance of a huge golden eye.

A beam of golden light shot out from the golden eye, enveloping Lin Ran, and then, following his [Rules of Time], enveloping Ling Qiqi and the other three.

When the light enveloped Ling Qiqi and Xing Luo, a clear hesitation appeared, indicating that Ling Qiqi was no longer human, while Xing Luo was a member of the Star Guardian Clan.

Seeing this, Lin Ran said:

"I guarantee it."

Without further hesitation, Jin Guang led five people into the spatial rift.

Lin Ran felt a blur before her eyes, and the familiar teleportation began.

The teleportation ended shortly afterward.

Lin Ran opened her eyes and found herself teleported to a wasteland, with someone standing beside her at some point.

"Is this the place?"

(End of this chapter)