90: A new world, a hundred boats competing
When the final second of the countdown reached zero, the entire 8888 War Zone—that crimson land soaked in blood and gunpowder, along with the ominous blood-red setting sun—instantly twisted, evaporated, and disintegrated into a torrent of raw data, like a painting thrown into a furnace.
The scene before Lin Feng’s eyes, after a brief moment of intense white light, suddenly cleared.
It was no longer that oppressive, confined basin.
Instead, it was a vast new continent stretching as far as the eye could see. Majestic snow-capped mountains undulated on the horizon, verdant primeval forests resembled a green ocean, and rushing rivers carved through expansive plains. The air was filled with a fresh, vibrant aroma.
At the same time, massive, unfamiliar auras rose from all directions across the continent, like beacons lit in the night, remotely declaring their existence.
One hundred war zones, thousands of SSS-tier Lords, and tens of thousands of survivors were, at this moment, roughly kneaded into the same sandbox.
“Welcome to the First Sequence Battlefield!”
“World Channel has been activated!”
Almost simultaneously with the system prompt, the chat channel, which had been utterly silent moments before, instantly boiled over like heated water!
“Saint Hall · Caesar: ‘By the Holy Light, it is a pleasure to meet you all in this new world. I hereby announce the official establishment of the [Saint Hall Knights] guild! All A-tier and above Lords who believe in the Holy Light are cordially invited to join and create glory together!’”
“Abyss · Morgana: ‘Hehehe… A bunch of hypocrites. Want to experience true power and freedom? Join [Fallen Abyss], and let us together drag this boring continent into a carnival of desires. Only SSS-tiers, or… good-looking ones, are accepted.’ ”
“Iron-Blooded Alliance · Xiang Wudi: ‘Less talk! Strength is everything! The [Iron-Blooded Alliance] recruits all warmongers! Join and receive a set of legendary defensive tower blueprints! Our goal is only one—to pave the road to the throne with the enemy’s fortresses!’”
…
IDs that had once reigned supreme in their respective war zones eagerly jumped out, like peacocks fanning their tails, showing off their feathers, and trying to win over every possible force. The entire World Channel turned into a noisy, gunpowder-filled marketplace.
Lin Feng leaned back in his throne, flipping through these messages with interest, as if reviewing a series of poorly performed résumés.
“Saint Hall? Abyss? Iron-Blooded?” He murmured, a playful curve on his lips. “Quite straightforward, indeed.”
His gaze swept over the dense guild recruitment messages, finally landing on the newly updated “World Lord List,” which included all survivors.
Soon, someone noticed a very peculiar phenomenon.
“White Whore in the Waves: ‘Brothers, quick, look at the survivor list for the 8888 War Zone! What’s going on here?’ ”
“One Punch, One Sobbing Monster: ‘Holy crap?! Is this for real? Someone named ‘Heaven's Choice,’ followed by… ninety-nine C-tier and D-tier hangers-on?! Not even an A-tier among them?!’ ”
“I Just Want to Farm: ‘This… Did they fight a world war until their nation was annihilated? Only one big shot and a group of refugees survived?’ ”
“Saint Hall · Caesar: ‘Perhaps the 8888 War Zone was merely a barren land lacking resources, and their strongest Lord only managed to survive to the end by sheer luck.’ ”
Caesar’s words, carrying the arrogance and speculation of a superior looking down on inferiors, immediately drew many agreements.
“Iron-Blooded Alliance · Xiang Wudi: ‘Haha! Makes sense! Maybe he’s just an S-tier who got lucky and is now trying to act profound. Which true SSS-tier doesn’t have a multitude of fierce generals under his command?’ ”
For a time, the World Channel was rife with mockery of the 8888 War Zone and disdain for Heaven's Choice.
The ninety-nine survivors from the 8888 War Zone were huddled in their respective fortresses, trembling. They read the comments in the World Channel, cold sweat soaking their backs, yet not a single one dared to speak up in their defense.
Lin Feng’s threat, like a demonic decree branded deep in their souls, left them without even the courage to type.
One B-tier Lord, Old Wang, had just mustered the courage to type, “You have no idea how terrifying he is,” when he received a private message from the Iron-Blooded Alliance.
“Iron-Blooded Alliance · Recruiter: ‘Brother, from the 8888 War Zone? I see your level is decent. Interested in joining us? Tell us about this ‘Heaven's Choice’ from your zone—what’s his background? Sell him out, and I’ll guarantee you a position as an elite squad member.’ ”
Old Wang, seeing this message, trembled so much that he almost dropped his communicator. Instantly, his mind replayed the image of the ten Infernal Flying Dragons circling in the sky, and the God of Flame Bird capable of incinerating all things.
He stammered out four words in reply: “I don’t know.”
Then, he decisively blacklisted the other party, curled up in a corner, and dared not peek at the screen again.
Lin Feng merely smiled at all of this.
Stupidity is the best camouflage. Let them guess.
Just then, a new system announcement once again covered everyone’s screens.
“System Announcement: New World Rules Updated!”
“1. PVE Enhancement: During the ‘Peace Protection Period,’ from 20:00 every night to 06:00 the next day, ‘Void Monsters’ will invade. Their intensity will far exceed that of the old world. All Lords, please prepare.”
“2. Guild Reinforcement System Activated: Guild members can send reinforcements to each other to assist in defense. The maximum scale of reinforcements depends on the recipient’s main camp level.”
“3. Guild Technology Tree Activated: By completing guild quests and donating resources, powerful guild technologies can be unlocked, providing buffs to all members.”
Seeing these updates, Lin Feng’s usually calm eyes finally gleamed with a hint of sharpness.
PVE enhancement, reinforcement system, guild technology…
All the rules pointed in the same direction—the era of fighting alone was over.
The system was, in a semi-compulsory way, forcing everyone to band together, upgrading this survival game from a solo show to a true… faction war.
“Reinforcement scale depends on the main camp level, huh…”
Lin Feng glanced at his Holy Phoenix Fortress, reborn through Nirvana. Its level, though displayed as “Level 12 (Mythical),” meant that his reinforcements might far exceed those of a regular Level 12 main camp.
This meant that once he established a guild, the number of reinforcements he could receive and send would be an astronomical figure.
“It seems it’s time to find a few obedient toys.”
He had already made his decision. Joining someone else’s guild, being constrained by others, was absolutely out of the question.
So, there was only one choice—to establish a divine kingdom, one that belonged solely to him, one that stood above all others…
As he pondered, the World Channel stirred again.
A golden ID, filled with dominance and majesty, like a monarch, issued his first decree.
“Great Qin · First Emperor: ‘I, the Emperor, have established the Great Qin Empire in Xianyang Plain on the Eastern Continent. From this day forth, I shall widely recruit heroes from all corners of the world. All SSS-tier Lords who wish to join my Great Qin shall be conferred the title of ‘Great General,’ enjoying the worship of the populace and jointly governing the land with me. My goal is to unify the ‘First Sequence Battlefield’ seven days from now, when the peace period ends. Those who obey me shall prosper; those who defy me shall perish!’ ”
This announcement, utterly domineering, instantly suppressed all the noisy voices in the channel.
Great Qin · First Emperor! Lin Feng had some impression of this ID; he seemed to have seen his name on a previous war zone leaderboard, a top player known for his strong hand and iron will.
Sure enough, as soon as the announcement was made, seven or eight other SSS-tier Lords immediately declared their high-profile allegiance to the Great Qin Empire, creating a massive momentum. A colossal war machine began to take shape within just half an hour of the server’s launch.
Looking at the Great Qin · First Emperor, who intended to “unify the world,” Lin Feng’s lips slowly curved into a cold smile.
A throne cannot accommodate two people.