26: Chapter 26 Server-wide Announcement, The Name of the Night God

Lin Ye and the other five walked along the official road toward the Capital City of Yan State. When they were ten miles from the city gate, the color of the sky suddenly changed.

It wasn't a weather change, but the unique golden brilliance of a System announcement spreading from the depths of the Big Dipper Star Field's firmament, like flowing liquid gold, instantly covering the entire sky. Immediately after, a grand, solemn, and emotionless voice resounded in the ears of every online player in "covering the heavens era":

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Lin Ye' for leading his team to the first clear of the hidden dungeon 'Bronze Ancient Palace (Hell Difficulty)'! Achieving the server's first kill! Rewards: Experience +5 million, Reputation +10,000, [myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo] ×1, [archaic sacred fruit] ×3, Gold Coins +500]

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to players 'Su Qingyue', 'Chen Hao', 'Zhang Meng', 'Zhao Xiaoyu', 'Li Qingshan', and 'Wang Iron Pillar' for participating in the first kill and receiving additional rewards!]

[Server-wide Announcement: The first clear record for the hidden dungeon 'Bronze Ancient Palace' Hell difficulty has been established. Clear time: 2 hours, 17 minutes, 33 seconds. Record holder: Lin Ye's team.]

When the first announcement ended, all travelers on the official road stopped in their tracks. Players looked up at the sky, their faces filled with disbelief. NPCs pointed at the celestial phenomenon, seemingly unable to understand what had happened.

Immediately after, the second announcement sounded. The content was identical, but the voice was even louder.

The third time, the voice rolled across the firmament like thunder, every word seemingly pounding against the heart.

Three announcements, ten seconds apart, broadcast three times in a row.

The entire world of "covering the heavens era" fell into a brief, deathly silence.

Then, there was a complete explosion of activity.

The System interfaces of Lin Ye's group were instantly overwhelmed by a massive stream of information.

[System Notification: Player 'Zhan Tian Pavilion · Kuang Dao' has requested to add you as a friend!]

[System Notification: Player 'Yaochi Fairy' has requested to add you as a friend!]

[System Notification: Player 'Overlord Pavilion · Jueying' has requested to add you as a friend!]

[System Notification: Player 'Bai Xiaosheng' has requested to add you as a friend!]

[System Notification: Player 'I Am Tycoon' has requested to add you as a friend!]

[System Notification: Player 'Yanhuang Alliance · Dragon Soul' has requested to add you as a friend!]

...

The notification sounds for friend requests were so dense they merged into one, making it impossible to see the specific details. Besides friend requests, there were countless private messages, emails, guild invitations, and... challenges.

"My god..." Zhao Xiaoyu's face turned pale as she frantically tried to close the notifications, "How many messages are there?"

"At least tens of thousands," Chen Hao was also dizzied by the bombardment, "It's only been a few seconds!"

Su Qingyue was relatively calm, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her inner shock. She quickly operated the interface to temporarily block all messages from strangers.

Lin Ye reacted the fastest. The moment the third announcement ended, he opened the System settings and directly turned off all options like "Receive messages from strangers," "Receive friend requests from strangers," and "Receive emails from strangers." At the same time, he set private message permissions to "Friends only."

The world instantly became quiet.

But the scrolling speed of the World Channel was already too fast for the naked eye to capture.

[World Channel] Player "Zhan Tian Pavilion · Kuang Dao": "Holy shit!!! First clear on Hell difficulty?!!! On the eighth day of the server opening??? What kind of god-tier team is this!!!"

[World Channel] Player "Yaochi Fairy": "Who is Lin Ye? Who is Su Qingyue? Requesting profiles! Requesting an introduction! Yaochi Holy Land sincerely invites everyone to join!"

[World Channel] Player "Overlord Pavilion · Tie Xue": "Heh, just good luck. Hell difficulty? I bet they used a bug. Won't the officials investigate?"

[World Channel] Player "Bai Xiaosheng": "Breaking news! The average level of the clearing team does not exceed Level 25! I repeat, not exceeding Level 25! This has overturned common gaming knowledge! Buying the Bronze Ancient Palace Hell difficulty guide at a high price, price negotiable!"

[World Channel] Player "I Am Tycoon": "Is Boss Lin Ye there? I'm 'Qian Duoduo,' ranked third on the Godly Tycoon List. My real-life identity can be verified via private chat. Sincerely seeking to purchase equipment or Materials from the Bronze Ancient Palace. You name the price, no bargaining!"

[World Channel] Player "Yanhuang Alliance · Dragon Soul": "The brothers of the Huaxia Region are doing great! Brother Lin Ye, the Yanhuang Alliance sincerely invites you to serve as an Honorary Elder, with excellent benefits!"

[World Channel] Player "Passerby A": "The announcement just said the clear time was 2 hours and 17 minutes? Our guild spent four hours on Easy difficulty and hasn't even passed the First Boss..."

[World Channel] Player "Passerby B": "'Night God'! From now on, he's the Night God! Clearing a Hell dungeon on the eighth day of the server, if that's not a god, what is?"

[World Channel] Player "King of Gossip": "Inside info! Lin Ye's team appeared in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land. Someone saw them coming out from the depths of the Forbidden Ground! Suspected to have obtained some Heaven-Defying Opportunity!"

[World Channel] Player "Overlord Pavilion · Jueying": "Lin Ye, I am the branch president of the Overlord Pavilion in the Yan State. Interested in a chat? The doors of the Overlord Pavilion are always open for you."

The World Channel was completely frantic.

The title "Night God" became widespread within just a few minutes. Countless players were discussing, speculating, questioning, and worshipping. Recruitment messages from major guilds came one after another, some even offering conditions that were tempting even in reality.

Besides the System announcement, Lin Ye also received several other important notifications:

[System Notification: You have gained Reputation +10,000!]

[Current Reputation: 12,700 (Rising Fame) → 22,700 (Famous Locally)]

[Reputation Rank increased! You have gained new permissions: You can purchase property in main cities, hire NPC guards, and establish a Level 3 Faction!]

[System Notification: You have completed the Epic Achievement 'Hell First Kill'!]

[Obtained Title: First Clear King!]

[Title Effect: All Attributes +5%, damage to dungeon BOSS increased by 10%, experience gain in dungeons increased by 20%]

[Title Special Effect: When equipped, the words 'First Clear King' will appear in faint gold above your head (can be hidden)]

[System Notification: Your Faction 'Heavenly Court's' Popularity has significantly increased!]

[Current Popularity: Unknown → Slightly Famous]

[Faction recruitment efficiency increased by 50%!]

Reputation soared, a title was bestowed, and Faction Popularity increased.

Lin Ye looked at these notifications, but there wasn't much of a stir in his heart. All of this was within expectations; one could even say it was the result he had deliberately pursued.

Fame is a double-edged sword, but at this stage, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. With fame, one can attract Talent, obtain resources, and have more of a say in future disasters.

"Brother Lin..." Chen Hao swallowed hard, "We... seem to be famous."

"It's not 'seem to be,' we are famous," Zhang Meng said with a bitter smile, "I just took a look at the friend requests, there are over three thousand... I've never been this popular in my life."

"I have over two thousand too," Li Qingshan's voice trembled, "And dozens of emails, all invitation letters from major guilds."

Wang Iron Pillar was blushing with excitement: "Did you guys see the World Channel? They're all calling Brother Lin 'Night God'! Night God!"

Only Su Qingyue remained calm. She looked at Lin Ye with a questioning gaze: "What do we do next? The news has definitely spread. After we enter the city, I'm afraid many people will come looking for us."

Lin Ye nodded: "As expected. That's why we need to unify our story."

He looked at his teammates: "Regarding the specific strategy for the Bronze Ancient Palace, the equipment and items we obtained, and my Talents and skills... not a single word of this information can be disclosed to the outside. If anyone asks, just say we signed a non-disclosure agreement and can't talk."

"What if people want to recruit us?" Zhao Xiaoyu asked.

"Politely decline them all," Lin Ye said decisively, "At this stage, we won't join any guilds. Although the Heavenly Court is only in its infancy, it is our own Faction. I have my own plans for what to do in the future; what we need now is time and resources."

He paused and added: "If anyone tries to force or threaten us, remember my ID. Right now, I have enough chips to make any major guild weigh the cost of offending me."

He spoke calmly, yet with an unquestionable confidence.

A level of 24, the status of the Ancient Palace's Successor, the honor of the Hell First Kill, plus the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body and the myriad mother qi cauldron—the current Lin Ye indeed had the right to say such things.

"Understood," Chen Hao was the first to express his stance, "I'll listen to Brother Lin."

"Me too," Su Qingyue nodded.

The other four also expressed their support one after another. After the battle in the Bronze Ancient Palace, they had completely recognized Lin Ye's leadership ability.

"Good, then let's enter the city now." Lin Ye looked toward the walls of the Capital City of Yan State not far away, "Remember, keep a level head. Fame is just a tool, not the goal."

The six continued forward.

The closer they got to the city gate, the more players they encountered. Every player who saw the IDs above their heads showed complex expressions of shock, envy, jealousy, and curiosity.

"Look! It's Lin Ye!"

"That's the Night God? He looks so young..."

"The one next to him is Su Qingyue, right? So beautiful!"

"Are they just returning from the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land? Could the Bronze Ancient Palace really be inside the Forbidden Ground?"

"Follow them and see!"

Some bold players tried to step forward to strike up a conversation, but they were all brushed off by Lin Ye's polite yet distant attitude. Those who wanted to forcibly block the way also slunk away after feeling the Aura radiating from Chen Hao and the others, which far exceeded that of players of the same level.

In this way, under the gaze and following of hundreds of players, Lin Ye and the other five walked into the Capital City of Yan State.

The NPC guards at the city gate also seemed to have received the news. Their gazes toward Lin Ye held a bit more respect—this was the effect of reaching the "Famous Locally" reputation level; NPCs naturally have a favorable impression of high-reputation players.

After entering the city, the situation became even more exaggerated.

Along both sides of the main road, almost all players stopped what they were doing to look over. The sound of discussion rushed in like a tide:

"That's the team that cleared the Hell dungeon?"

"The average level really doesn't look that high..."

"The luster of the equipment on them... it's at least of Rare Quality!"

"Nonsense, the rewards for a Hell first clear, can they be bad?"

"The ring on that Lin Ye's hand is so special, it's Bronze-colored..."

"He has a title above his head! The faint gold 'First Clear King'! Holy crap, +5% to all attributes!"

Lin Ye ignored these gazes and walked straight toward the Yuelai Inn in the west of the city—that was the place they had previously agreed to meet.

But before they had gone far, they were blocked by a group of people.

Leading them was a warrior wearing black heavy armor, with the ID [Overlord Pavilion · Iron Wall] above his head. He was the same Overlord Pavilion captain who had tried to make things difficult for them in front of the white light portal of the Bronze Ancient Palace. Behind him followed more than twenty members of the Overlord Pavilion, every one of them above Level 20, well-equipped, and aggressive.

"Brother Lin Ye, we meet again." Iron Wall spoke with a fake smile, "Congratulations, a Hell First Kill, that's a massive honor."

Lin Ye stopped and looked at him calmly: "Is there something?"

"Of course there is." Iron Wall took a step forward, "Our guild leader wants to see you. The president of the Overlord Pavilion's Yan State Branch, Lord Jueying, is currently hosting a banquet at the 'Overlord Tower' in the city and specifically sent me to invite you over."

The words were polite, but the threatening tone was undisguised. More than twenty Overlord Pavilion members faintly formed an encirclement, surrounding Lin Ye and the other five in the center.

The players watching the commotion immediately backed away, fearing they would be caught in the conflict.

"What if I say I'm not going?" Lin Ye asked.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Iron Wall's face sank: "Brother Lin Ye, our Guild Leader is inviting you with sincerity. As one of the top ten guilds in the Huaxia Region, the treatment offered by the Overlord Pavilion will definitely not disappoint you. You had better think clearly; refusing the goodwill of the Overlord Pavilion... is not a wise choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Hao's long spear was already held horizontally in front of him, Su Qingyue's staff lit up with an icy blue glow, Zhang Meng raised his shield, Li Qingshan nocked an arrow, and Wang Iron Pillar and Zhao Xiaoyu also prepared for battle.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Iron Wall, what are you doing?"

A gentle voice came from outside the crowd.

Everyone turned to look and saw a young man in white robes holding bamboo scrolls walking over. It was Yun Zhongzi from the Yaochi Holy Land. Behind him followed ten Yaochi Disciples, half male and half female, all above level 22.

"Yun Zhongzi?" Iron Wall frowned. "Is your Yaochi Holy Land trying to interfere too?"

"Not at all, not at all." Yun Zhongzi shook his head with a smile. "I'm just passing by. Seeing the tense atmosphere here, I just came over to mediate."

He walked up to Lin Ye and bowed, "Brother Lin Ye, congratulations on the first clear. I am Yun Zhongzi of the Yaochi Holy Land. We had a brief encounter outside the ancient palace earlier."

Lin Ye returned the bow, "Brother Yun Zhongzi, nice to meet you."

"Brother Lin Ye is currently the focus of the entire server, so it's inevitable that some forces will be impatient." Yun Zhongzi looked at Iron Wall with implied meaning, "But a twisted melon is not sweet. I think Guild Leader Zhenying should understand this principle."

Iron Wall's expression shifted. If it were normal times, he wouldn't put Yun Zhongzi in his eyes, but now was a sensitive period. Lin Ye had just completed the first clear of Hell, and his momentum was high. If the Overlord Pavilion used force, it would have a very bad impact on the guild's reputation if it got out.

Moreover, the Yaochi Holy Land was clearly standing on Lin Ye's side. Although Yun Zhongzi only brought ten people, the name of the Yaochi Holy Land was there. If they really started fighting, the Overlord Pavilion might not be able to gain any advantage.

"Yun Zhongzi, what do you mean by that?" Iron Wall said coldly, "Our Guild Leader is inviting him with sincerity, how did it become 'twisting'?"

"Whether it is 'twisting' or not, Brother Lin Ye has his own judgment." Yun Zhongzi looked at Lin Ye, "Brother Lin Ye, the Yaochi Holy Land is also very interested in you. But we will not force you; we will only express our goodwill. If you are willing, you can come to the Yaochi base as a guest at any time. Our Saintess would like to meet you in person."

The Yaochi Saintess!

The surrounding players were in an uproar. The Yaochi Saintess was a core figure of the Yaochi Holy Land. It was said that her real-world identity was extremely mysterious, and she was also a top ten expert in the game. She actually wanted to meet Lin Ye in person?

Iron Wall's face looked even worse. The weight of the Yaochi Saintess was much heavier than this branch guild leader, Zhenying.

Lin Ye was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Thank you for the kindness of Brother Yun Zhongzi, and thank you to the Yaochi Saintess for her high regard. But I have no plans to join any guild at this stage, I just want to Cultivate in peace. If there is an Opportunity in the future, I will definitely pay a visit."

These words were very polite, but the meaning was very clear—a refusal.

A trace of regret flashed in Yun Zhongzi's eyes, but he quickly returned to a smile: "I understand. The path of Cultivation indeed requires undivided attention. Then we shall take our leave first. If Brother Lin Ye needs any help in the Yan State, you can find me at any time."

After speaking, he took the Yaochi Disciples and left.

Seeing this, Iron Wall knew that it was impossible to take Lin Ye away today. He stared at Lin Ye for a few seconds, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "Lin Ye, I have delivered our Guild Leader's message. Whether you go or not is up to you, but... I hope you won't regret it."

After speaking, he waved his hand and led the people of the Overlord Pavilion away.

The onlookers were a bit disappointed to see that no fight broke out, but they slowly dispersed.

"Brother Lin, it seems the Overlord Pavilion won't let this go easily." Chen Hao said in a low voice.

"I know." Lin Ye nodded, "But they don't dare to make a move openly now. My reputation is too high. Once they make a move on me, the public opinion pressure will be huge. However, underhanded methods will definitely be inevitable. Everyone should be careful in the future."

He looked at his teammates: "Let's go to the inn to rest first. For the next three days, we will try to show our faces as little as possible and seize the time to improve our strength. Once the limelight passes a bit, we will start the next step of action."

The six of them continued forward and finally arrived at the Yuelai Inn.

The innkeeper was a chubby middle-aged NPC. After seeing the "First Clear King" title above Lin Ye's head, his attitude was extremely enthusiastic: "Lord Night God, your visit to our humble shop really brings light to it! The best suite upstairs is already prepared, free of charge! Also, our shop is willing to permanently reserve a superior room for Lord Night God, which you can check into at any time!"

This was the benefit brought by prestige and reputation.

Lin Ye did not refuse and took his teammates to the second-floor suite.

The suite was very spacious, with a separate living room and three bedrooms. It was elegantly decorated, and the windows faced the backyard of the inn, making it very quiet.

Closing the door and blocking out the noise from outside, the six of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, we can rest." Wang Iron Pillar sat on a chair, "This whole journey was like fighting a war."

"It's more tiring than fighting a war." Li Qingshan smiled bitterly, "The eyes of those people looked like they wanted to eat us alive."

Lin Ye sat down at the table and took out some Materials and equipment obtained from the Bronze Ancient Palace earlier from his storage ring.

"Let's take this Opportunity to distribute the loot." He said, "Then everyone can Cultivate and digest the gains from this time as soon as possible."

He first looked at Su Qingyue: "Qingyue, your spiritual body injury needs to be handled with priority. Take these [cold jade marrow fragments]. Although they are not as good as complete cold jade marrow, they are helpful for nourishing your spiritual body."

Lin Ye handed three fingernail-sized pieces of cold jade marrow to Su Qingyue. These were dropped by the mobs in the Bronze Ancient Palace. Although the quality was not high, they were very rare at this stage.

Su Qingyue took them and said softly, "Thank you."

"Chen Hao, this [Bronze Guard Spear] is for you." Lin Ye took out another blue-quality spear, "Although it's not as good as your Dragon Pattern Spear, it's not bad as a backup weapon or for breaking down into Materials."

"Zhang Meng, this [Bronze Round Shield]..."

"Zhao Xiaoyu, this [Healing Staff]..."

"Li Qingshan, this [Bronze Longbow]..."

"Wang Iron Pillar, these [Bronze Combat Boots]..."

Lin Ye distributed the equipment suitable for each person. Although these pieces of equipment were not as good as the rare equipment they obtained in the core of the ancient palace, they were all of fine quality, much better than the white-board or green equipment circulating on the market.

After distributing the equipment, he took out the Materials.

"These [Bronze Fragments] were dropped by the ancient palace guards and can be used to strengthen bronze-type equipment. Everyone gets ten pieces."

"Fifty [Low-Grade Spirit Stone] per person, used to restore spiritual power or as currency."

"Three [Bronze Hearts] per person. These are forging Materials and can also be sold to Artifact Refiners for a high value."

Finally, Lin Ye took out six Medicinal Pills.

The Medicinal Pills were pale gold, with cloud-like pill patterns on the surface, emitting a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

[Bronze Body-Forging Pill (Rare)]

Quality: Rare (Blue)

Type: Consumable

Effect: Permanently increases Physique by 50 points and Strength by 30 points after consumption (only effective for the first time).

Description: A secret Medicinal Pill used by the Bronze Clan to train warriors, refined from bronze essence and various Spirit Medicines. The medicinal properties are mild but the effect is significant.

"This is a Medicinal Pill found in the ancient palace treasury, one for each person." Lin Ye distributed the Medicinal Pills to his teammates, "Taking it now, combined with Cultivation, will have the best effect."

Everyone took the Medicinal Pills, their eyes full of surprise. Permanently increasing attributes, and it was 50 points of Physique and 30 points of Strength—this was an Heaven-Defying improvement in the early stage of the game.

"Brother Lin, this is too precious..." Chen Hao hesitated.

"Accept it." Lin Ye said decisively, "The stronger we are, the more we can do in the future. These resources must be used on the cutting edge."

He paused and looked at the darkening sky outside the window: "After taking the Medicinal Pill, everyone should Cultivate on their own. Starting tomorrow, we will act separately according to the plan."

"Yes!"

Everyone stopped declining, took the Medicinal Pills, and found a place to start Cultivating.

Lin Ye himself also took a Bronze Body-Forging Pill. The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a warm current that surged into his limbs and bones. He could feel his muscles becoming stronger, his bones becoming harder, and the strength of his entire Physical Body improving.

[System prompt: Consumed Bronze Body-Forging Pill, Physique +50, Strength +30!]

Attributes skyrocketed again.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged and began to run the Void Scripture Incomplete Manual. At the same time, he sank his consciousness into his wheel sea to observe the myriad mother qi cauldron and the chaos stele.

The myriad mother qi cauldron floated quietly above the bitter sea, the pale golden luster on the surface of the cauldron deeper. The completion rate was still 25%, but Lin Ye could feel that the Chaos space inside the cauldron had expanded a bit more, and the myriad mother qi it could store had increased from 5 strands to 6 strands.

The chaos stele emitted gentle chaotic fluctuations, resonating with his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body. Lin Ye tried to probe his Divine Sense into the stele and immediately felt a vast Chaos Concept—it was the scene of the beginning of the world, when Chaos had not yet separated.

Although it only lasted for a few seconds before his Divine Sense couldn't support it and retreated, just these few seconds of realization made Lin Ye's understanding of Chaos Heaven Opening go a step deeper.

[Chaos Heaven Opening comprehension level: 10% → 10.3%]

Although it only increased by 0.3%, this was a qualitative leap. At this level, every 0.1% increase required a lot of comprehension and Opportunity.

Cultivation knows no time.

When Lin Ye opened his eyes again, it was already late at night outside the window.

He looked at his teammates and found that everyone was still in a state of Cultivation. Chen Hao was surrounded by green dragon shadows, Su Qingyue had ice lotus flowers condensing on her body, and Zhang Meng had a Bronze-colored shield phantom appearing around him... Everyone had entered a deep state of Cultivation to digest the gains of this time.

Lin Ye did not disturb them, got up softly, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the night view of the Yan State Capital City was beautiful. The ancient-style buildings were brightly lit, and there were NPCs walking on the streets, and occasionally players could be seen passing by in a hurry. In the direction of the City Lord's Mansion in the distance, there was a pillar of Spiritual Qi rushing into the sky—that was the City Lord Cultivating, or maintaining the city's grand formation.

Under the calm appearance, undercurrents were surging.

Lin Ye knew that from today on, he would never be able to return to his obscure state.

The title "Night God" was both an honor and a shackle.

But it didn't matter.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He raised his hand and looked at the bronze finger ring on his right index finger. The ring glowed with a cold luster in the moonlight, and the small line of words on the inside was looming.

Not for Immortal Ascension, just to wait for your return in the Mortal World.

The obsession of the Ruthless Emperor, the Legacy of the Bronze Clan, the threat from Above the Heavens... and the disaster that will sweep across two worlds in a year.

The road he has to walk is still long.

And tonight is just a beginning.

The night grew deeper.

In the suite of the Yuelai Inn, six Auras were steadily rising.

And on a roof outside the inn, a black-robed figure stood quietly, looking at the window where Lin Ye was.

"The growth rate is faster than expected..." The black-robed person whispered to himself, "However, the real test has just begun."

He looked up at the starry sky, a flash of red light in his eyes.

"The other three 'seeds' should be in place soon. Lin Ye, I hope you can survive... in the competition."

After the words fell, the black-robed person dissipated like smoke, as if he had never existed.

Only the night wind blew gently across the roof.