Chapter 64: A smooth advance straight to the Abyss Lord's lair

Lord of Destruction took a step back.

The tens of thousands of players crouching on the city walls all saw it. Guild Master Li Tianci of the top guild War Soul Hall saw it, Zhao Wuji of the Divine Punishment Pavilion saw it, Liu Ruyan of the Hundred Flowers Valley saw it, and even Fatty Wang, who was crouching by the wall picking up materials, saw it. The dignified Lord of Destruction, one of the three chairs of the Abyss Council and a level 99 boss, had been scared into taking a step back by Lin Ye's dual-form fusion. If this got out, the jaws of every player on the server would hit the floor.

The world channel exploded.

"Wocao Wuqing: It retreated! Lord of Destruction retreated! A level 99 BOSS was scared back by Brother Ye!"

"Brick-Moving Expert: I recorded it just now! Anyone want it? Ten gold coins a copy!"

"Invincible Sword God: Are you fucking serious? You're doing business at a time like this?"

"Brick-Moving Expert: Nonsense. Brother Ye taught me: never forget to make money, no matter the time."

"Yes Little Follower: Stop arguing, you guys! Look at the battlefield!"

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the black tide, his right hand still held high. Dark purple and pale gold light swirled around him, resembling two intertwined tornadoes. In the area covered by the light, the corpses of Abyss Monsters carpeted the ground. Purple Abyssal crystals, gold Epic crystals, and orange Legendary cores were scattered densely across the black earth, glinting blindingly under the sunlight. He stood there alone, with the walls of Dawn City behind him and tens of thousands of Abyss Monsters in front of him. Yet, his aura made it seem as though he was surrounding them, rather than the other way around.

Lord of Destruction stared at Lin Ye, the purple flames in its eyes flickering more violently. It had lived for tens of thousands of years, sealed in the depths of the game for just as long. Throughout these ten thousand years, it had thought about one thing every single day: getting out, taking revenge, and killing the successor of the Decay Talent. But it hadn't expected that ten thousand years later, a second successor would appear, and one even more outrageous than the first. At least the first successor had waited until they were max level and max form before daring to go head-to-head with the Abyss Council. This kid before it hadn't even unlocked his ultimate form, yet he could already activate dual-form fusion. This wasn't just a strong Talent; this was a strong person.

Lin Ye took a step forward. Lord of Destruction took another step back. Seeing their boss retreating, the Abyss Monsters followed suit. The black tide surged backward like a receding tide, while Lin Ye pressed forward alone. One man pushing back tens of thousands of Abyss Monsters—the scene was spectacularly absurd.

On the city wall, Guild Master Li Tianci turned to Zhao Wuji. "Have you ever seen a scene like this?"

Zhao Wuji shook his head. "Never. The leader of the server's number one guild, being pushed back by one person. Our alliance of tens of thousands of players is being suppressed by Abyss Monsters. He, alone, is suppressing the Abyss Monsters. This gap isn't about equipment or level; it's a difference in dimension."

Liu Ruyan said softly, "He hasn't even used space-time judgment yet."

Guild Master Li Tianci and Zhao Wuji froze simultaneously. That's right; Lin Ye had been using his Talent to fight from the very beginning. space-time judgment, that server-exclusive SSS-rank divine artifact, was still hanging at his waist; he hadn't even drawn it. Dual-form fusion had already scared Lord of Destruction into retreating; if he drew his sword, what would the scene look like then?

Lord of Destruction retreated to the center of the black tide and stopped. It couldn't retreat any further. If it did, the morale of the Abyss Monsters would completely collapse. It raised its greatsword, pointing the tip at Lin Ye, its voice deep and muffled like thunder rolling from underground.

"Successor of the Decay Talent, what is your name?"

Lin Ye didn't stop walking. "Ye the Wicked."

The purple flames in Lord of Destruction's eyes flickered violently. "Ye the Wicked? What kind of name is that?"

"The 'wicked' as in wicked, the 'wicked' as in wicked. I specialize in screwing over rotten people and protecting lone players. You are the rottenest of the rotten, so I'm going to screw you until you die."

Lord of Destruction fell silent. It had lived for ten thousand years and seen countless opponents. There were the righteous, the insidious and cunning, the arrogant, and the inscrutable. But this was the first time it had met someone who admitted to being wicked the moment they opened their mouth. And the smile on this person's face when he said he was wicked… it was truly wicked. Lord of Destruction gave up on communicating and plunged its greatsword into the ground. Black energy surged from the blade and spread across the ground like countless black snakes crawling toward Lin Ye.

Domain of Destruction, fully released.

The Domain of Destruction that Lord of Destruction had opened earlier was only in its standard state. With a radius of fifty meters, all targets within the domain lost ten percent of their maximum HP per second. Now, the fully released Domain of Destruction had a radius of five hundred meters, and all targets within the domain lost twenty percent per second. Death in five seconds. Wherever the black energy touched, even the Abyss Monsters trembled. Although they were subordinates of Lord of Destruction, the Domain of Destruction was equally effective against them. A few Abyss Minions that couldn't retreat in time were touched by the black energy and instantly melted, leaving not even a corpse behind.

On the city wall, Su Qinghan's expression changed. "Death in five seconds. The invincibility of Pojun only lasts ten seconds, but the damage of the Domain of Destruction is now twenty percent per second. My Healing can't keep up."

Pojun stood next to her, looking at the spreading black energy with an expressionless face. "No need to heal. I activate invincibility when my HP drops to one percent. But the Domain of Destruction deals twenty percent per second; from full health to one percent, it only takes five seconds. Within those five seconds, how much can your Healing recover?"

Su Qinghan calculated quickly. "My maximum Healing output can recover fifteen percent of HP per second. But the Domain of Destruction deducts twenty percent, so the net loss is five percent. After five seconds, your HP will drop to about seventy-five percent. It won't trigger Indomitable Will."

Pojun nodded. "So Brother Ye must hold out in the Domain of Destruction for five seconds until my HP drops to one percent. But during those five seconds, he will also be losing health."

Both of them looked at the battlefield.

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the Domain of Destruction, black energy spreading under his feet like countless hands trying to grab his ankles. However, his Decay Domain and Purification Form were active at the same time, and the dark purple and pale gold light formed a protective shield around him. When the black energy touched the protective shield, it made a harsh hissing sound, like red-hot iron dropped into water. The two energies were clashing. The black energy of the Domain of Destruction wanted to corrode Lin Ye, while the dual-colored light of the Decay Domain wanted to purify the black energy. At the center of the confrontation, the air itself was warping.

The combat log flickered crazily.

"Domain of Destruction deals 20% of your maximum HP as damage (Corrosion Effect)."

"Purification Form is effective, Corrosion Effect reduced by 50%."

"Actual damage is 10% of your maximum HP."

"Your Decay Domain is countering the Domain of Destruction, energy consumption rate doubled."

Lin Ye glanced at the log, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. Purification Form reduced the corrosion effect by fifty percent, turning the original twenty percent damage per second into ten percent. Ten seconds to death became ten seconds to death. It was the same as before. Lord of Destruction had fully released its domain, only to be forcibly suppressed by the Purification Form. It had gone to all that effort for nothing.

The purple flames in Lord of Destruction's eyes flickered wildly. It had fully released the Domain of Destruction, consuming nearly half of its Abyssal energy, only to be suppressed by a single Purification Form. How was it supposed to fight? It pulled out its greatsword, no longer relying on the domain, and charged directly at Lin Ye. Its body, over three meters tall, was like an out-of-control heavy truck, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground. It raised its greatsword above its head, the blade wrapped in thick black energy, and slashed down. Lin Ye didn't dodge.

Everyone on the city wall stood up. Guild Master Li Tianci shouted, "Dodge!" Zhao Wuji shouted, "Quick, evade!" and Liu Ruyan covered her mouth. Lord of Destruction was level 99 with over ten thousand points in the Strength attribute; if this sword landed, let alone Lin Ye, even Pojun with the highest defense on the server would be cleaved in two.

The moment the greatsword slashed down, Lin Ye drew his sword.

As space-time judgment left its sheath, a seven-colored light exploded. That server-exclusive SSS-rank divine artifact had seven colors of light flowing across its blade, each color representing a force of law. Time law, space law, causality law, order law, chaos law, creation law, and destruction law. The seven laws intertwined to form a seven-colored shield. Lord of Destruction's greatsword struck the shield, and the black energy and seven-colored light collided, exploding into a visible shockwave. The shockwave swept across the battlefield, and all the Abyss Minions within a hundred-meter radius were blasted away.

Lin Ye didn't budge. Lord of Destruction took three steps back.

The city wall was silent for a full five seconds. Then it exploded.

"Wocao Wuqing: He blocked it! Brother Ye blocked a full-power sword strike from a Level 99 BOSS!"

"Brick-Moving Expert: It's not just that he blocked it, he knocked the BOSS back! Is Brother Ye's Strength stat higher than the Lord of Destruction's?"

"Data Emperor: It's not that his Strength stat is higher. It's the special effect of the space-time judgment. Among the seven Rule Powers, there are Space-Time Rules and Order Rules, which have an innate suppression effect on Abyss energy. The Lord of Destruction's power was weakened by at least half by the Order Rules."

"Invincible Sword God: In other words, Brother Ye is currently using stat crushing plus rule suppression? Double suppression?"

"Yes Little Follower: That's not right, it's triple suppression. Decay Talent castrates stats, Purification Form weakens corruption, and the space-time judgment provides rule suppression. What does the Lord of Destruction have to fight with?"

The Lord of Destruction also realized this problem. It stared at the space-time judgment in Lin Ye's hand, the purple flames in its eyes contracting violently. It recognized this sword. Ten thousand years ago, the first successor of the Decay Talent used this sword to seal the Abyss Council. Ten thousand years later, this sword had appeared again, and it was in the hands of the second successor.

"Has the space-time judgment recognized you as its master?"

Lin Ye looked down at the sword in his hand: "You mean this? It's quite obedient. More obedient than you."

The Lord of Destruction fell silent. It knew it couldn't win today. Its Talent was suppressed, its domain was suppressed, and even its divine artifact was crushed. If it kept fighting, it wasn't a question of winning or losing, but how miserably it would lose. It turned and ran.

The three-meter-tall Abyss Council Speaker dragged its greatsword and sprinted toward the Abyss Rift. The Abyss Monsters behind it saw their boss running and followed suit. Tens of thousands of Abyss Monsters surged back like a receding tide; the scene was even more spectacular than when they were being pushed back earlier.

Lin Ye was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected the Lord of Destruction to run. A dignified one of the three Abyss Council Speakers of the Abyss Council, a Level 99 ultimate BOSS, running away when it couldn't win—this was too realistic.

"Running?" A wicked smile curled at the corner of Lin Ye's mouth, "Can you escape?"

He raised his hand, and the light of the Decay Domain surged again. This time it wasn't a 50-meter radius, but a 500-meter radius. After the fusion of the dual forms, the range of his Decay Domain had expanded tenfold. The dark purple and pale golden light was like a giant net, covering the fleeing Abyss Monsters in a sky-filling manner. Above the heads of the Abyss Minions covered by the light, Decay Debuff icons appeared in unison: ten stacks, twenty stacks, fifty stacks. Their HP instantly hit rock bottom, and they fell in droves. Even the Abyss Elites couldn't hold on; their corrosion resistance was practically non-existent in front of the Purification Form. The Abyss Commanders lasted a bit longer, but not by much.

The 500-meter Decay Domain had become a giant harvesting field. Lin Ye took a step forward, and the domain pushed forward another step. Not a single Abyss Monster covered by the domain could walk out alive. Purple Abyss Crystals, golden Epic Crystals, and orange Legendary Cores paved a 500-meter-long road of gems. Fatty Wang squatted on the city wall, his eyes fixed straight. He wanted to go down and pick up materials, but he didn't dare to. Because Lin Ye's Decay Domain didn't distinguish between friend and foe; if he went in, he would die too.

"Brother! Take it easy! There are too many materials, I can't pick them all up!"

Lin Ye didn't even look back: "What's the rush? Wait until I pluck the Lord of Destruction clean, the materials it drops will keep you busy picking them up for three days."

He quickened his pace, chasing in the direction of the Lord of Destruction. The Lord of Destruction had already run to the edge of the Abyss Rift. That rift was the passage for the Abyss invasion, connecting the game world and the bottom layer of the Abyss. As long as it jumped in, it could return to the lair of the Abyss Council. But before it could jump, a seven-colored light descended from the sky and nailed into the ground in front of it. The space-time judgment had been thrown over by Lin Ye like a javelin.

The Lord of Destruction stopped in its tracks, looking at the seven-colored longsword stuck in front of it, the purple flames in its eyes jumping wildly. It slowly turned around. Lin Ye stood fifty meters behind it, his right hand empty, his left hand in his pocket, a smile of extreme wickedness hanging on his face.

"Run. Why aren't you running anymore?"

The Lord of Destruction gripped its greatsword, its voice low: "Ye the Wicked, must you drive us to extinction?"

"Drive you to extinction? Your Abyss Council invaded the game world, killed how many NPCs, exploded how many players' equipment, and made how many people lose levels. And now you're saying I'm driving you to extinction?" Lin Ye's smile disappeared, his eyes turning cold, "Let me tell you what it means to drive someone to extinction. You're not escaping today, your Abyss Council isn't escaping, and your lair in the bottom layer of the Abyss isn't escaping either. I will go find you one by one, and pluck you bald one by one. I'll let your Abyss Council know what true wickedness is."

The purple flames in the Lord of Destruction's eyes were completely extinguished. Not because its energy was exhausted, but because of fear. It had lived for ten thousand years, and for the first time, it felt fear. The human in front of it could do what he said he would do. If he said he would pluck the Abyss Council bald, he would definitely do it. If he said he would let the Abyss know what true wickedness was, he would definitely make the Abyss regret invading this game.

Lin Ye walked to the space-time judgment, pulled the sword out, and pointed the tip at the Lord of Destruction.

"Two paths. The first one: fight me and get plucked bald. The second one: sign an employment contract, hand over ten divine artifacts and one thousand Epic Abyss Crystals every week, and I'll spare your life."

The Lord of Destruction was silent for a full ten seconds. Then it lowered its head.

"I choose the second one."

The players across the server on the city wall were collectively stunned. A Level 99 Abyss Council Speaker, forced by Lin Ye to sign an employment contract. If this news got out, the entire gaming circle would explode.

At this moment, Lin Ye pulled a scroll from his backpack and threw it to the Lord of Destruction.

"Sign it. Don't try any tricks. I added a Decay Debuff to the contract; if you dare to breach it, the debuff will automatically trigger, and your fate will be worse than death."

The Lord of Destruction took the scroll, looked at the densely packed terms on it, and the purple flames in its eyes jumped again. But in the end, it signed it.

Lin Ye put away the contract and turned to walk towards Dawn City. After taking two steps, he stopped and looked back at the Lord of Destruction.

"Oh right. From today on, your name is no longer Lord of Destruction. It's Worker Number One."

The Lord of Destruction stood in place, its three-meter-tall body looking exceptionally desolate in the sunset.

On the city wall, Fatty Wang had already rushed down, bringing a hundred players with empty backpacks to frantically pick up materials. Purple Abyss Crystals were piled into a small hill, golden Epic Crystals filled three backpacks, and the orange Legendary Cores even required two people to carry them. The players across the server watched Fatty Wang and his group picking up materials, their eyes turning red. But they didn't dare to snatch them. Because those were Lin Ye's materials. Snatching Lin Ye's materials would lead to a fate even worse than the Lord of Destruction's.

Su Qinghan walked to Lin Ye's side, looking at the small hill of materials in the distance, and couldn't help but laugh: "How do you plan to handle these materials?"

Lin Ye thought for a moment: "Leave a portion for the supermarket, and distribute the rest to the casual players. Their equipment was busted by the Abyss Monsters, and they need materials to repair them."

Su Qinghan looked at him: "Is that really what you think?"

"What else? Do I lack this bit of material? Now that I have Worker Number One paying tribute every week, why would I worry about materials?"

Su Qinghan shook her head and smiled. This man talked about being wicked, but he was clearer about things than anyone else. He knew casual players needed materials, and he knew they couldn't afford expensive ones, so he used the method of distributing materials to help them in disguise. But he wouldn't say it out loud. Because he was Ye the Wicked, and wickedness was his label, as well as his protective color.

Lin Ye looked up towards the direction of the Abyss Rift. The Lord of Destruction had signed an employment contract, but the Abyss Council still had two other speakers. In the lair at the bottom layer of the Abyss, there were still countless Abyssal Lords. The end of this gem road was not the Lord of Destruction. It was the headquarters of the Abyss Council, the deepest part of the Abyss bottom layer.

He took a step, walking towards the Abyss Rift. Su Qinghan followed behind him, and Po Jun followed behind him. Fatty Wang and his army of material collectors followed at the very back.

A 500-meter-long road of gems led straight to the Abyss Rift. And on the other side of the rift was the entire Abyss world.