109: Disaster Symbiosis! Shi Huang, are you teaching me how to play games?

Three hours, for the entire First Sequence Battlefield, every second felt incredibly long.

In the World Channel, discussions surrounding the catastrophe horn had erupted, with various speculations running rampant, from the ghost army immune to physical attacks to the overwhelming self-destructing demonic creatures.

But everyone knew one thing.

This was definitely a trap First Emperor had set for Tian Ze after losing face.

A game where he overturned the board, and with a new, more insidious rule, reset a death trap.

Within the Sky Court guild channel, the cheerful atmosphere that had followed plundering First Emperor was long gone.

Myriad Hands Bring Spring's engineering goblins stopped their hammering, and he himself, uncharacteristically, didn't show off any new grotesque statues, instead just repeatedly wiping a communication crystal, his expression anxious.

"Boss, Brother Wu Xing, haven't you analyzed it yet?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

Five Elements Reversal's voice carried a rare solemnity.

"It's difficult."

"There are too few records about the catastrophe horn; I can only confirm that it can forcibly apply a 'rule'."

"This rule most likely originates from First Emperor's talent, and it often doesn't simply enhance the attack and defense of demonic creatures, but fundamentally changes the logic of combat."

Mad Blade's avatar flashed, his tone impatient: "Who cares about logic! We'll meet force with force! I don't believe there's any principle my axe can't cleave through!"

"Mad Blade, don't be impulsive."

This time, it was the usually silent Yi who spoke.

"Unknown rules are the most lethal. Your axe might be exactly what the opponent wants to see."

Yi's words instantly silenced the channel.

Everyone understood that this time, the opponent wasn't those mindless demonic creatures.

It was First Emperor's brain, full of imperial schemes.

Lin Feng leaned on the throne, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

He didn't participate in the discussion, just quietly observed the reactions of the guild members.

He saw Mad Blade's bravery and recklessness.

He saw Five Elements Reversal's caution and erudition.

He saw Yi's calmness and keenness.

He also saw Myriad Hands Bring Spring and Gourmet Supplier, those two lively characters, genuinely getting nervous at the critical moment.

These 'monsters and demons' each had their own temper, their own sharp edges.

This was exactly what First Emperor wanted to see.

An alliance formed by monsters, what it feared most wasn't a powerful enemy, but internal suspicion and division.

When a rule made their proudly 'monstrous' abilities become a burden and a cause of defeat, cracks would quietly appear.

In a corner of the territory, Cicada Clothes seemingly gazed into the distance with a worried expression, but in reality, she imprinted every word in the channel, every person's reaction, deep in her heart.

She had just received a secret order from First Emperor via an encrypted channel, only four words.

"Observe the changes."

She understood that the grand play was about to begin.

And she was the best audience for this grand play, and also the most lethal recorder.

Finally, the bloody night curtain once again enveloped the land.

That piercing horn sound, blown from the distant Xianyang Plain, penetrated time and space, echoing deep within every lord's soul!

Woo----!!!!

World Announcement: Great Qin Empire's Prime Minister Li Si has blown the catastrophe horn!

World Announcement: The second night's Hunting Ceremony, special mode - "Calamity · Symbiosis" has officially begun!

Rule Explanation: The invading demonic creatures this time are special units [Symbiotic Abominations], all [Symbiotic Abominations] will appear in 'pairs'.

Rule One: When any one [Symbiotic Abomination] is killed, its corresponding other abomination will immediately devour all of its life essence, gaining massive enhancements in size, attack, defense, and speed, and entering a 'Rage' state, fighting to the death.

Rule Two: All guild members will be forced to face the same wave of demonic creature invasion.

Rule Three: This Hunting Ceremony's points will only be calculated for abominations in 'Rage' state. Killing normal abominations yields 0 points.

When these three rules were clearly displayed before everyone, the entire World Channel fell into a deadly silence.

After a brief silence, there was a flood of wails and curses!

"Damn! What kind of hellish rule is this?! Kill one, and the other becomes a BOSS? How are we supposed to fight this?"

"0 points?! So all my hard work clearing half the monsters is for nothing? And I have to create a super BOSS for myself?"

"The key is the second rule! Forced to face the same wave! This means that as long as one idiot in the guild messes up, a super amount of enraged BOSSes will appear in all our homes!"

"I understand... This is a damn puzzle game! We must eliminate a pair of abominations at the same time! Otherwise, the entire guild will be buried together!"

At this moment, everyone understood First Emperor's ruthlessness.

This rule might be somewhat friendly to legion-style guilds with strong area-clearing capabilities.

But for an alliance like Sky Court, composed of various 'specialists' and 'geniuses', it was an absolute disaster!

Yi's divine arrows aimed for extreme single-target instant kills. But now, every arrow he shot not only earned him no points but was actively 'cultivating' a group of top-tier BOSSes for the entire guild!

His divine skill had become the most deadly 'aiding the enemy' method!

Mad Blade's berserk great axe swung wide, sweeping down a large area with one strike. But now, the more he enjoyed sweeping, the next second, several 'enraged' super monsters would rise from the ground, tearing his and all allies' defenses to shreds!

Five Elements Reversal's Wu Xing towers could suppress attributes, but these abominations were completely gray and withered, without obvious Wu Xing characteristics!

Even Lin Feng's proudly possessed Judgment Sky Eye, with its precise five-target lock-on, now seemed incredibly awkward.

It could instantly kill five targets simultaneously, but who could guarantee that these five targets were exactly two and a half pairs?

If even one was left alone, it would mean all efforts were in vain, and a monster would be fed for free!

"Open conspiracy... This is a true open conspiracy!"

Holy Hall · Caesar let out a long sigh in his castle.

Abyss · Morgana also put away her charming smile, her eyes becoming solemn.

This trap was too brilliant, too vicious.

It didn't target Tian Ze himself, but turned all his proudly wielded 'sharp blades' into double-edged swords that harmed himself.

Within the Sky Court channel, there was a deadly silence.

Mad Blade stared at his hands, feeling lost for the first time. He no longer dared to boast about 'cleaving through principles with one axe', because his 'principles' would now kill everyone.

Yi's avatar was even more silent, like a dead thing.

He gazed at his dozens of arrow towers, muttering to himself.

"Every one of my arrows has become poison shot at my allies..."

Myriad Hands Bring Spring's mouth opened and closed, his face pale: "My... my statue aura... isn't it just helping those enraged monsters get stronger?"

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

"Heh heh..." A dry laugh broke the silence, it was Gourmet Supplier, "This ugly thing... it must taste terrible. First Emperor's taste is truly hard to describe."

This sarcastic remark, at this moment, was not funny at all, but instead conveyed a deep-seated bitterness.

Just then, Lin Feng, who had been silent, finally made a move.

He didn't speak, just read those three rules again.

Again, and again.

His gaze finally fixed on the third rule.

Rule Three: This Hunting Ceremony's points will only be calculated for abominations in 'Rage' state. Killing normal abominations yields 0 points.

0 points...

Only enraged abominations count...

To everyone else, this was a punishment, a trap, a difficulty increased countless times over.

But in Lin Feng's eyes, in the eyes of this 'player' who was good at reverse thinking, this line of text seemed to shimmer with an unusual light.

The curve of his lips, in the unnoticed shadow, slowly lifted.

So that's how it is.

He finally spoke, his voice calm, yet instantly cutting through all the panic in the channel.

"Why are you all panicking? I'll send Infernal Flying Dragons to reinforce all your territories, no need to worry about not being able to hold them."

He still leaned on the throne, but at this moment, his calmness was no longer mere composure, but a clear understanding that had seen through everything.

"First Emperor has given us a very interesting test."

"He thought this was a dead end, but he forgot that sometimes, a hunter also needs to personally fatten up his prey to get the richest rewards."

"The game has begun."