338: Parody

Chapter 338: Clumsy Imitation

It turned out that this promotional strategy was very effective.

In the following days, the popularity of the Netherworld Domain began to surge, especially among the younger generation, who were at an age where hormones ran high and love was paramount.

Not only couples, but even single people wanted to join in the fun.

In the new promotional advertisements for the Netherworld Domain, in addition to the Hall of Bewilderment, there was also a place called the Three Lives Stone.

There, one could see their past, present, and future lives.

Couples could make decisions about their relationship there, and single people could also see their past and future lives.

As online public opinion fermented, the Netherworld Domain completely exploded in popularity, its ranking soaring, trampling over numerous small and medium-sized Dojos, second only to the Nine Great Academies and a few first-tier Dojos.

Moreover, according to the current development trend, it has already begun to show signs of surpassing the various Dojos.

“Honestly, the Great Master who created the Netherworld Domain is truly a Genius; he could come up with so many ingenious and brilliant ideas.”

“Indeed, it feels just like the real thing.”

“What do you mean, ‘just like the real thing’?”

“How do I put it? It just feels like after a person dies, they should go through this process; it’s very immersive.”

“I see young people playing like crazy. Is it really that fun?”

“Upstairs, the Netherworld Domain is no longer a matter of whether it’s fun or not, but… never mind, you wouldn’t understand if I told you. Only by truly experiencing it once can you understand that feeling.”

“Thanks to the Netherworld Domain, I experienced the meaning of life and death for the first time.”

“Although other Domain copies also have various thrilling and stimulating plots, they are essentially inseparable from fighting and killing.”

“I deeply agree with this point. It feels like they are terrifying for the sake of terror, with no substance at all.”

“The key is that the Netherworld Domain also has fighting and killing, and the various combat checkpoints are logically set, progressing step by step, with each stop having a unique background and logic.”

“To be honest, I’ve been stuck in the Eighteen Levels of Hell for several days. I’m asking for a walkthrough.”

“Ah? Although the Eighteen Levels of Hell is difficult, it shouldn’t be impossible to pass, right?”

“According to netizens’ summaries, the difficulty of the Eighteen Levels of Hell is dynamically adjusted according to one’s sins. The more heinous the crime, the higher the difficulty of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.”

“My goodness, was that person just now some kind of merciless villain? To be stuck in the Eighteen Levels of Hell for days?”

“Hey~ I suddenly have an idea. In the future, when interrogating criminals or something, couldn’t we just take them for a walk in the Netherworld Domain?”

“No, right? Ordinary Mortals can’t get in; they need spiritual cultivation.”

“Then let’s not talk about Mortals for now, let’s talk about our extraordinary Law enforcement agencies.”

“That’s possible.”

“It’s not ‘possible,’ it’s already happening,” a netizen replied. “I just happen to work for our local Law enforcement department, and the leadership has already started implementing it.”

“My goodness, that’s efficient.”

“Does anyone know if the past and future lives seen on the Three Lives Stone are real or fake?”

“It should probably be fake, right? If it were real, that would be too outrageous.”

...And with the explosion of the Netherworld Domain, the various Dojos and forces also felt unprecedented pressure.

Especially Domains of the same type and category, the pressure felt was particularly obvious.

As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. Similar types of Domains are inherently competitors, and their market and audience are fixed.

The surge in popularity of the Netherworld Domain meant a decline in the popularity of other Undead System Domains.

The most important point is that once one has experienced the Netherworld Domain, it’s really hard to ‘consume’ other Undead System scrolls.

Take the Undead Dojo, for example; even the players of their various Clubs began to feel bored, going through the motions like clocking in for work, opening a first-tier copy, and quickly clearing it.

In a word: it’s boring.

In contrast, the Netherworld Domain was much more interesting. Now, after experiencing the entire first-tier copy, people often want to try a higher difficulty.

Every time there’s a new experience, every time there’s a new discovery.

Not to mention the player community, even the vast community of Scroll Masters, after experiencing the Netherworld Domain, felt that their own Domain Scrolls were complete rubbish.

On the Scroll Master exchange forum, many people were lamenting this.

“Is this the gap between a Genius and a Mortal?”

“Is anyone forming a group to go to the Underworld Club to apprentice?”

“Don’t be silly, would they even look at you?”

“Compared to the Netherworld Domain, what garbage are these other Domain Scrolls?”

“In my opinion, the Abyssal Demon Lord’s Eerie Domain Soul Hall is nothing special either; it just relies on the selling point of being a True God of this era.”

“In terms of Law conception and various mechanisms, the Eerie Domain Soul Hall is still very strong, but unfortunately, it still can’t compare to the Netherworld scroll.”

“Sometimes I even have the illusion that the Netherworld Domain should be the Dojo of a True God of this era.”

“Yes, yes, I feel that way too.”

“By the way, are there any high-imitators? Can we imitate some similar functions based on the Netherworld Domain’s approach?”

“We can, but we may not be able to achieve that intricate, logically self-consistent flavor that they have.”

...Undead Dojo.

The Zhao Family father and son clearly also had the idea of imitation. With the Zhao Family’s heritage and capabilities, it was naturally not difficult to “embellish and imitate” within their own Domain.

“Hmph! What Road to the Yellow Springs? Isn’t this clearly copying our family’s Yellow Springs Kingdom concept?” Zhao Qinghe said indignantly.

“Indeed.” Zhao Gao deeply agreed. “But it’s understandable, after all, the ancestors were friends back then.”

As the saying goes, all literature is a big copy, and similar situations are bound to occur in the styles and ideas within the scroll circle.

Of course, what scholars do cannot be called copying; it should be called mutual learning.

Since the Xue Family ancestor had learned from their family’s “Yellow Springs” concept back then, it was reasonable for them to learn from the Xue Family’s ideas and settings now.

So, the father and son, along with the elders of the branch families, all began to put pen to paper.

Almost like drawing a tiger from a cat, they incorporated the various hot spots within the Netherworld Domain into their own Undead System Domain Scrolls.

Then, they began to use the channels and prestige of the Undead Dojo for promotion.

The promotional slogan was also very simple; they just directly copied the Underworld Club.

Little did they know, their clumsy imitation directly sparked a wave of condemnation online.

Although the Undead Dojo tried their best to control comments and resist, mobilizing their fan base to spam and turn the public opinion into a war of mutual insults.

But the vast number of users were not stupid; who was real and who was fake was clear at a glance.

“Is the Undead Dojo shameless or what? Such blatant plagiarism?”

“By the way, isn’t Xue Lingling also from the Undead Dojo? This is the older generation plagiarizing the achievements of the younger generation!”

“Which disrespectful old geezer dares to come out and hold a press conference?”

“I just checked. It’s the Zhao Family of the Undead Dojo, the leaders of the Yellow Springs Kingdom.”

“Disgusting!”

“I just took a walk through the Yellow Springs Kingdom copy, and I can only say I want to laugh.”

“This imitation is too shoddy, isn’t it?”

“Hmph~ Who imitated whom is still uncertain. Without my Yellow Springs Kingdom, where would the Road to the Yellow Springs come from?”

“What the hell are you talking about? What does my Netherworld’s Road to the Yellow Springs have to do with your broken Yellow Springs Kingdom?”

“Honestly, there might indeed be some origins between the two sides, but even if you break through the Road to the Yellow Springs, the Netherworld Domain is still astonishingly brilliant.”

“Yes, yes, the Road to the Yellow Springs is at most a decorative element.”

...Over at the Underworld Club.

Wu Xian and Xue Lingling, the master and disciple, were naturally also following this war of words.

Upon learning that the Zhao Family was imitating them, Wu Xian inexplicably wanted to laugh, as this operation had that distinct “Little Days” flavor to it.

This is truly an inversion of the natural order, the father acting like the son, isn’t it?