A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 325 Drawing a Strong Bow, Awaiting the Kill

In the real world, at night in the wasteland.

High on the mountain stands a cluster of palaces in the classical style of the Tang and Song dynasties. Outside the mountain, cliffs and clouds on the mountainside are shrouded in wind and snow, but inside the palaces, the lights are bright and the atmosphere is warm.

Retro and high technology are cleverly combined, and the whole place looks ancient. However, the octagonal palace lanterns are actually powered by electricity, and the mythical beasts and mounts that play around are still mechanical creations controlled by intelligent programs under soft and warm bionic fur.

The celestial maidens and officials flying out from the wall and dancing gracefully are also an effect brought about by 3D projection.

Distinguished guests filled the room, raising their glasses in celebration.

At the center of the hall was a wine pool, filled with fine wine as red as jade.

At the top of the nine-tiered steps, the master of the house, with a jade crown, white hair, and a blue robe and feathered garment, leaned back on an extravagant yet comfortable throne, holding a jade cup carved with dragons, enjoying the song and dance.

The guests below were dressed in various styles: suits, trench coats, military uniforms with capes, classic fish-scale armor, and European-style formal wear. They were all very different in demeanor and chatting happily.

Some even went so far as to strip to the waist, their bodies, which were covered in brightly colored, mottled tattoos, sitting cross-legged like small mountains. They would dig open oak barrels used for brewing wine with their palms, hold the barrels in their hands like wine glasses, and drink heartily.

They all came from this post-apocalyptic continent, a land devoid of unified order where the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, had reached its extreme. Technology was advancing, but morality was regressing.

The generals, kings, city lords, empresses, gurus, and presidents who rule over various regions can shape the architectural styles of their respective places and lead the fashion trends at will, even if it involves a lot of effort and changes their orders frequently. This is a right that they have and hope to have forever.

"The newly arranged music is really good, and paired with such dance moves, it's mesmerizing."

Leaning on his throne, Chu Xinggu raised the jade cup carved with dragons and poured a stream of highly acidic nutrient solution, like a clear spring, into his mouth, causing a large amount of wispy smoke to rise from his oral cavity.

When he stopped drinking, he pursed his lips, seemingly still savoring the moment, and exhaled two long plumes of white smoke from his nostrils. Then he sighed and said, "Gentlemen, I don't know if you've heard the news, but my friend, Mr. Leo, has met with misfortune on the other side of the strait."

Just moments ago, everyone was chatting happily and praising all sorts of new gadgets, but without warning, the conversation shifted to such a serious topic. Everyone couldn't help but raise their eyebrows and look towards the person in the main seat.

"Leopold has opened accounts in all six districts of the Promised Land, right?"

The tattooed giant, holding an oak barrel, tossed his bushy, unruly hair and turned to look. "Even if something unfortunate happens, it couldn't be that all his accounts were wiped out, could it?"

In fact, as long as they are not deliberately targeted by Jiushan and his group, a level 4 psychic can already open a second account in the game world, and a level 5 psychic can open a third account.

Similarly, the higher the psionic level, the more accounts can be activated.

Each account needs to be connected to a deep spiritual foundation and the origin of consciousness, so most people, even if they open other accounts, can only selectively log in to one of them.

However, for the strong, there is naturally ample room to keep multiple accounts running online simultaneously.

This is also an excellent way to save one's life.

If Leopold hadn't chosen to concentrate all the account data into his main brain, even if his strongest prosthetic body was destroyed and his brain was shattered, he wouldn't have truly died.

Each of his accounts in the game world can be seen as a chance to be resurrected. If he still wants to be active in the real world, all he needs to do is transfer the part of his soul that has been translated and programmed into data into his new prosthetic body in the real world.

However, after losing his original brain, the difficulty of further improving his spiritual energy level will increase many times over, and he can only wait for a new technological breakthrough.

In any case, that way, at least Jiushan and his organization can still retain one more combatant of normal level eight and combat level nine.

"If it's just losing a body and a three-hundred-year-old brain, how can that be considered unfortunate?"

Chu Xinggu shook his head, covered his face with his hands, and cried, "My friend encountered someone from three hundred years ago. In a moment of impulse, he transferred all his account data into his main brain, and then, in that manner, prepared to complete some cooperation matters."

"The outcome was unexpected. The upheaval came so suddenly. Our ally, the seemingly resilient, stable, and prosperous ally, suffered a devastating blow overnight. The leader was killed, the commander was beheaded, and Leo didn't even have time to retreat."

He wiped away the few tears with his thumb and looked at the guests. "But what saddens me even more is that, apart from my friend Leo, I can foresee that some of you here will die in the near future, or even many of you."

"Perhaps this is the last time we can gather so many friends together for a feast. In the future, the wine pool will still be there, the songs and dances will still be there, but old friends will not be able to reunite, how..."

Chu Xinggu sobbed, "So sad!"

The tattooed giant burst into laughter: "Mr. Chu, aren't you being a bit too alarmist? If you want to warn us to form a temporary alliance and pool our strength to deal with a possible war, you can just say so directly. Why use such ominous words as a prelude?"

The lady in the gown, whose lower half of her face was covered by a small gold-lacquered fan, said slowly, "Mr. Chu has gone to great lengths. However, we are also aware of the situation on the other side. A war between the Promised Land and the United Government is inevitable; it's only a matter of time. If they come, we will stop them together."

"Surely none of those who are here for tonight's banquet would willingly accept the constraints of a coalition government and relinquish the freedoms we've earned through our own hard work?"

The tall man, dressed in a white military uniform, said, "The simple principle of coordinated operations doesn't need to be emphasized repeatedly. But shouldn't we also have a deeper understanding of the coalition government? Mr. Chu, let's get straight to the point."

Chu Xinggu suppressed his sorrow, tapped his jade cup on the armrest of his throne, and said, "Alright then, please remember this public channel. From now on, please be online 24/7 to keep communication open. All the in-depth intelligence that our Promised Land possesses will also be shared with everyone through this channel."

The prosthetic components of everyone, such as eyeballs and cochleas, quickly received the signal from the public channel.

The atmosphere inside the palace became much quieter as everyone checked the data transmitted through the public channel, their expressions growing increasingly serious.

"From this perspective, although the United Government is powerful, the strength of each level on both sides varies from the seventh level down. As long as we make good use of our home advantage, enhance our psionic abilities, and support each other, our chances of winning are still very high."

The tattooed giant spoke in a deep, booming voice, "But, among the highest-level psionicists on both sides, those who have surpassed level seven..."

He paused, then simply discarded all the pretense and veiled words, speaking his mind directly. His voice suddenly increased several times in volume, causing ripples to spread across the calm liquid in the wine pool.

"This Guan Luoyang, his psychic power is practically at level nine in normal mode?!"

"This person was able to reduce the condition of even the ninth-level Sun Lotus Snow Sea until he killed it and captured Leopold, who was almost at the ninth level."

"If he has already infiltrated our continent and wants to kill any of us, who can stop him?!"

The tattooed giant's voice was so loud that it completely disrupted the rhythm of the song and dance, but at that moment, no one cared about anything else. Everyone agreed with the giant's opinion.

A gentleman in a suit with curly hair spoke quietly: "Even if we, the seventh level, have the home-field advantage and can temporarily increase to the eighth level, it would probably take more than ten of us to stop him and save our lives."

"However, if we really group ourselves into groups of ten and bind ourselves together, and one of our territories is damaged, I'm afraid we won't have enough time to deal with it properly. At that time, we will lose the support of spiritual energy, our level will drop, and we will still be waiting to die."

A one-eyed man covered in bandages said, "Moreover, according to the information in the public channel, after he swallowed Brahma's brain, he gained the power to directly interfere with the network world."

"Although the game world is vast and boundless, at his current level, he can only cause some minor disturbances within it. He can't possibly affect the entire game world overnight. But what if, when he attacks us, he happens to trace back to our accounts and delete our account data as well?"

The bandaged man's hoarse voice echoed throughout the palace, gradually growing deeper and deeper.

"Our methods of self-defense are completely ineffective against him."

The phrase "life-saving measures" in this sentence is emphasized.

The practical implications are clear to everyone present; obviously, the bandaged man is referring to more than just a means of survival in the game world.

Even if they reached level seven psionic power relatively easily by taking advantage of the technological convenience of the game world and the Promised Land, this ease is only relative. They were able to achieve their current status by fighting their way out among millions of people. How could they possibly only have a game account as a way to survive?

After all, the game world isn't in their hands.

The problem is that their self-developed survival methods cannot escape the current overall technological trend. Therefore, all of these people's survival methods are related to soul programming technology, which involves writing a part of their self-consciousness into data, storing it, and finding a place to keep it.

Judging from Guan Luoyang's performance in swallowing Brahma's brain, such methods would mostly be futile against him.

The atmosphere inside the palace grew even more somber, while outside, the wind and snow intensified, turning the landscape into a frozen wasteland with howling winds.

The people inside the hall remained silent, a murderous intent quietly rising in the air, crisscrossing and intertwining. The lights flickered, creating a ghostly interplay of light and shadow, and the shadows and faces of the guests shifted and changed within the play of light and shadow.

The entire palace complex was also affected by their killing intent, and a huge ice and snow tornado unknowingly formed above it.

"Ten won't do, unless..."

Finally, someone spoke up, saying what everyone was thinking right now.

"We'll mobilize over eighty of us together, first find Guan Luoyang, kill him, and eliminate any future trouble!"

The howling of the snow and ice outside suddenly intensified, penetrating the soundproofing materials; the wind whistled in from afar, sharp and piercing.

Their faces were colder than ice as they all turned their gazes toward Chu Xinggu on the throne.

"Mr. Chu, you will definitely be involved in this matter as well."

The tattooed giant began to speak.

There's really no need to say that. If these eighty-odd Level 7 psychics were to mobilize together and take advantage of their home field, it would be a once-in-three-hundred-years-long killing opportunity.

How could Chu Xinggu possibly let go of such an opportunity to eliminate Guan Luoyang?

However, the people in the palace were now deeply disturbed by Guan Luoyang's information, their hearts trembling with murderous intent, which surged like a raging torrent in their chests. Even if they knew the truth, they still had to ask again to get a completely certain answer.

"certainly!"

Chu Xing struck the throne with his jade cup and declared firmly, "I will definitely participate, and all of us under my command will participate, as will Jiushan."

"Winning against the coalition government is not something that can be done overnight. Even if we are separated by the sea, it would not be surprising if we were to remain deadlocked for another half a century. But the prerequisite is that Guan Luoyang must die, and he must die as soon as possible. If he doesn't die, we won't be able to sleep peacefully."

Chu Xinggu changed the subject, "But, to kill someone like that, we can't just recklessly rush in."

"Even if we all attack together, he can't win. Won't he just run away? If he escapes back to the coalition government's territory, there's nothing we can do about it."

"We now have definite information that he has infiltrated our continent and has even tampered with things in the game world. But you still have to wait, wait for us to create the best opportunity."

Everyone looked around.

It was the tattooed giant, the head of Titan Heavy Industries, who spoke first: "A foolproof opportunity?"

"How can we say it's foolproof? After all, he's not alone. If there really were a foolproof way to kill him, why would we be so nervous?"

Chu Xinggu waved his hand, "But, for him to survive with a nine-out-of-ten chance, and for all of us to work together to destroy his last glimmer of hope, I wonder if you are confident you can do that?"

The Titan giant stood up, and the others followed suit, giving Chu Xinggu a response.

"If the plan was truly as you described in the early stages, then this matter... is foolproof!"

Chu Xinggu looked at these people, his jade cup gently touching the armrest of the throne, like a soft chime of a chime bell.

He thought to himself, "We've finally found such a lawless paradise, how can we tolerate someone who tries to impose foolish moral laws and constantly watches our heads, continuing to live in this world? Humanity is at its limit!"

Jiushan's voice rang in his ears, picking up where he left off, and said, "To kill, one must first gather strength and draw the bow to its fullest extent. Their murderous intent needs to be accumulated and brewed until it explodes in a way that will be earth-shattering."

Chu Xinggu said, "Yes, we told them in advance because that was our intention. But we can't keep the bowstring taut for too long, and we can't let them hold back for too long either. We still need to find the right balance."

"Now, shouldn't you begin the second phase of that major main quest in the Promised Land?"

Jiushan slowly said, "This is the second step in my plan."

In the game world, Guan Luoyang received news about the second phase of a major main quest in the urban area.

At that moment, Guan Luoyang, who was holding his helmet in one hand in reality, opened his eyes and looked towards the door.

An Ling hurried over and said to him and Hei Cuodao, "Just now, the History Conquest section also launched a large-scale main quest, including various factions such as the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wu Zhou Dynasty, Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty, Tibet, and Bohai Kingdom. Players in the History section are required to choose one within three days in the game world."

"Furthermore, the activities in the Historical Conquest Zone were not divided into different stages for information dissemination. The subsequent mission information was also released at the same time. The first faction to occupy Zhongtian Floating Island and occupy it for more than three days will be the winner. The winner will have the qualification to formulate new laws for the entire Historical Conquest Zone, and all other factions must abide by them."

"This is such a huge convenience that any player with connections will probably try to switch to the history section and participate in this event."

Hei Cuodao touched the dagger at his waist and looked at Guan Luoyang.

"I do have a way to get you transferred to the Historical Domination Zone."

Guan Luoyang weighed his helmet in his hand and laughed. "We haven't even gotten any important leads yet, and they're already trying to distract us like this. Either they're being overly cautious, or they have bigger plans."

Hei Cuodao said, "You changed the city mission information to lure them out. They probably guessed it was you. If I were in their position, I would definitely want to seize this opportunity to kill you."

Guan Luoyang said calmly, "If they want to kill me, they'll have to come to me. Fine, then so be it."

(End of this chapter)