168: The judgment of the heavens! The guardians of the rules!
“Eradication.”
These two words, devoid of any emotion, were like two invisible heavy hammers smashing fiercely onto the hearts of every player on the battlefield.
The air instantly solidified completely.
Whether it was the members of Shadowless Hall who were still immersed in the thrill of the counterattack, or the Destroyer Faction players who were preparing a hasty retreat, everyone's movements froze, their faces filled with shock and confusion.
Eradication?
What did that mean?
Was it like a BOSS fight, where they would lose levels and equipment upon death and then respawn at a resurrection point? Or... was it some kind of more complete, more brutal punishment?
In the game *epoch*, such a severe official term had never appeared before.
Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, the leading Sky Guard Captain slowly raised the runic halberd in his hand.
His movement was not fast, but it carried a rhythm that seemed to resonate with the rules of heaven and earth.
Golden light shot out from his eyes beneath his helmet, like two beams of Judgment, precisely locking onto the player in the Destroyer Faction who had first shouted the word "Charge"—Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven!
"Judgment Target Locked: Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven."
"Charge: Disturbing the Order of Sky City, initiating malicious attack first."
"Executing... Judgment."
The Guard Captain's voice, devoid of any fluctuation, echoed above the entire White Jade Plaza like the decree of a god.
Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven's heart violently constricted, and an unprecedented sense of terror instantly seized him.
He wanted to flee, to activate his life-saving skills, or even use a city return scroll immediately.
But he discovered in horror that his body was completely immobilized, as if filled with lead.
His skill bar turned gray, and his backpack could not be opened. He was completely restrained by an invisible and powerful force!
"No! You can't..."
Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven cried out in panic, but before he could finish his sentence, the long halberd in the Sky Guard Captain's hand was already pointing toward him from afar.
*Buzz—*
A golden beam of light, not thick but utterly pure, ignored the distance of space, instantly shot out from the tip of the halberd, and accurately struck Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven's body.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no heart-wrenching scream.
Under the terrified gaze of all the players, Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven's body began to rapidly "melt" from head to toe, like snow exposed to sunlight!
His armor, his battle-axe, his flesh and blood... everything decomposed into the most primitive points of light within that golden radiance, and then completely vanished into the air.
In barely three seconds, the previously arrogant Guild Master of the Mad Dragon Guild, a top player nearing Level 60, simply vanished into thin air.
There was no white light, no corpse, not even a system kill notification.
He was simply "erased," as if he had never existed in this world.
[All server Warning: Player "Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven" has been subjected to "Sky Judgment" for severely violating the Order of Sky City. Character data has been purged, and the account has been banned for 72 hours.]
The cold system warning was the final straw, completely breaking everyone's psychological defense.
Character data purged!
These four words sent a chill deep into the souls of every player present.
This meant that Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven would not only be unable to log into the game for 72 hours, but when he was unbanned, his level, skills, equipment, quest progress... everything would be reset to zero!
This was the so-called "Eradication"!
This was a hundred times more brutal than simply killing a player back to level zero! This was a devastating, dimension-reducing strike enacted at the level of the rule!
"Hiss..."
Gasps of cold air rose and fell.
The Destroyer Faction players who had been full of murderous intent just moments ago were now pale-faced, their weapon-holding hands slightly trembling, daring not to make the slightest move.
They finally understood that Sky City possessed its own supreme rule.
And these silent Sky Guards were the most loyal, and most ruthless, enforcers of these rules.
Here, the levels and equipment players prided themselves on were utterly vulnerable before them.
The Guard Captain's gaze slowly swept across the entire area. Every player his eyes passed over instinctively lowered their heads, afraid to meet his gaze.
"Sky City is the core nexus for the Protection of the epoch, not a gladiatorial arena for your slaughter."
"Faction conflicts should take place in the Ring of Glory, the Fields of Conflict, or quest areas."
"The Teleportation Plaza, Guardian Camp, Destroyer Fortress, and all functional areas within the city are absolute safe zones."
"Further violators shall face the same penalty."
The authoritative voice sounded once more, drawing an insurmountable red line for all players.
After speaking, the Guard Captain lightly tapped the ground with the long halberd in his hand. He and all the Sky Guards behind him slowly faded, as if merging with the light, and eventually vanished, as if they had never been there.
But the absolute deterrent they brought was deeply imprinted in the heart of every player.
With the departure of the Sky Guards, the pressure that had restrained the entire area also dissipated.
However, the atmosphere on the battlefield became even stranger.
Fighting was definitely out of the question now.
Yet, retreating just like this was unacceptable to the Destroyer Faction.
They had arrived aggressively, only to have their backline slaughtered by Lin Mo alone, and even their chief commander, Mad Dragon Arrogant Heaven, was "eradicated" in public. They had lost both face and substance completely.
Luo Li's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.
She stared intently at Lin Mo, the malice and killing intent in her eyes almost turning tangible.
She had calculated everything, yet she never anticipated that Sky City would have such a "city management" mechanism.
Lin Mo met her gaze, his expression calm, a faint hint of mockery even curling at the corner of his mouth.
"What? Want to try again?" he asked softly.
Luo Li's chest heaved violently once, but she ultimately suppressed the anger in her heart.
She knew that continuing the fight today was meaningless.
"Lin Mo, don't get complacent." She squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. "I'll remember what happened today. The war for Sky City has only just begun. We'll see about this!"
Having said that, she did not linger at all. She waved her hand coldly and led the Oracle Guild and the other remaining Destroyer players toward the depths of their faction's teleportation point without looking back.
Hegemon Blade and the others also shot Lin Mo a venomous glare before leaving, their eyes seemingly saying that this matter would definitely not be over.
Watching the enemy retreat in disarray, a long-suppressed cheer erupted from the ranks of Shadowless Hall.
"We won! We won!"
"Hahaha! That was so satisfying! Let's see if they dare to be so arrogant again!"
"Poison God is awesome! He took out their entire backline by himself!"
After this battle, Lin Mo's prestige within the Guild once again climbed to a new peak.
"Alright, quiet down." Lin Mo raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop cheering. His expression remained calm. "Clean up the battlefield and tally the losses. Then, everyone follow me. Our journey has only just begun."
He knew very well that a large part of this victory was due to luck and information asymmetry.
Next time, when the two sides met on a real battlefield, it would definitely be a fierce and brutal fight.
After a brief rest, Lin Mo led the main force of Shadowless Hall away from the Teleportation Plaza, which had just experienced a disturbance, and headed toward the direction marked "Guardian Camp" on the system map.
Passing through the majestic White Jade Plaza, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
An aerial corridor, wide enough for giant dragons to walk side-by-side, acted like a white rainbow bridge connecting to a slightly smaller floating island in the distance.
Walking on it, the churning sea of clouds was below their feet. In the distance were other floating islands of various shapes, and they could even see huge, Kunpeng-like flying creatures, dragging long tail feathers as they leisurely swept through the clouds.
All the members of Shadowless Hall were once again stunned by this miraculous sight, exclaiming in amazement.
"This place... is simply where gods live," Summer Rain murmured.
"Indeed," Lin Mo nodded, but his gaze looked toward the far distance, "But now, the gods' dwelling has also become our battlefield."
Soon, they arrived at their destination—the Guardian Camp.
Rather than a camp, this was more like a small aerial fortress.
The fortress's architectural style was consistent with the main city, filled with an aura of sanctity and solemnity.
Countless players and NPCs wearing the standard Guardian Faction armor moved back and forth here. The clanging of the blacksmith's forge, the clamor of the quest hall, and the cries of the griffins interwoven, filling the place with vitality and fighting spirit.
In the center of the camp, Lin Mo saw an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing magnificent robes and holding a crystal staff.
Above his head was a golden name.
[Guardian Faction Commander · Saint Angus]
"Warriors from another world, welcome to Sky City."
Seemingly sensing Lin Mo's arrival, Angus turned around proactively and looked at him with gentle yet wise eyes.
"I can sense from you a pure and powerful will for Protection, as well as... a thread of power not belonging to this world, named 'rule'."
Lin Mo's heart tightened. He knew that the "rule" the other party spoke of referred to the godhead fragment within his body.
"Commander, sir." Lin Mo bowed slightly in respect.
Angus smiled and nodded, then his expression became serious: "As you must have seen, the Destroyer's minions have already descended.
They are the parasites of the world, Believers of darkness. Their only goal is to drag this world completely into the abyss of destruction."
"And we, the Guardian, will be the final line of defense to stop them."
"Warrior, are you and your Guild willing to fight for the Protection of *epoch*?"
[System Prompt: Saint Angus has issued the Faction Selection Quest "Oath of Protection" to you. Do you accept?]
"I accept." Lin Mo answered without hesitation.
[System Prompt: Congratulations, you have officially joined the "Guardian Faction"!]
[System Prompt: Your Guild "Shadowless Hall" has officially become a "Guardian Faction" Guild!]
Following Lin Mo's choice, all Shadowless Hall members present received the same prompt.
A Guardian mark, emitting a soft white light, appeared on their Guild emblems.
"Very good." Angus nodded approvingly, then handed Lin Mo a scroll.
"This is the first quest for our Guardian Faction. The 'Crystal Vein' in the eastern part of Sky City is the core energy source that keeps this city afloat.
But just now, we discovered a large number of elemental creatures corrupted by abyssal energy appearing there. More importantly, the advance team of the Destroyer Faction is also gathering there."
"My mission is to ask you and your warriors to immediately head to the Crystal Vein, clear out the corrupted creatures there, and establish our forward outpost. The Vein must not fall into the hands of the Destroyer!"
[System Prompt: You have accepted the Faction Main Quest, "Energy Scramble"! ]
[Quest Objective: Proceed to the Crystal Vein, kill 1000 Corrupted Crystal Crabs, and defeat the leader deep within the Vein, "Source of Corruption."]
[Quest Reward: Large amount of Faction Reputation, Merit Points, Guardian Chest.]
[Special Note: This area is a Faction Conflict Zone. You will encounter players from the hostile faction. Killing them will also grant Merit Points.]
Looking at the clear words "Faction Conflict Zone" on the quest panel, a sharp fighting intent flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.
He knew that the real war was about to begin now.