192: secret meeting

Boom—!

A deafening roar echoed throughout Sky City, as if space itself was wailing under this ultimate collision.

The dark green poisonous dragon and the crimson-gold scorching sun violently collided under the shocked gazes of countless players.

Instead of the earth-shattering explosion they imagined, there was a strange "annihilation."

The crimson-gold flames frantically burned the dragon's body, attempting to reduce it to its most primal particles.

Meanwhile, the dark green Deadly Poison, like a maggot clinging to bone, fiercely eroded the rule of the flames, attempting to "poison" and "Wither" it on a conceptual level.

The two diametrically opposed Rule Powers began to mutually neutralize and disintegrate the moment they made contact.

A visible ring of gray-white energy ripples spread out in all directions from the point of collision.

Wherever the ripples passed, whether it was the war machines of the Destroyer Faction or the defensive structures of the Guardian Alliance, everything silently turned to dust.

An absolute vacuum zone, more than a hundred meters in diameter, appeared on the battlefield.

Every player who witnessed this scene, regardless of allegiance, felt a tremor originating from their soul.

"This... is this still power a player can possess?" someone muttered, their voice filled with awe and terror.

This had already surpassed the scope of skills and equipment; this was a higher level of might, like that of a god!

In the center of the gray-white energy ripples, Lin Mo's figure appeared.

His Toxic Domain beneath his feet had vanished, and his face was slightly pale.

That single strike of Rule: Erosion had nearly drained most of his energy.

The nascent form of the source of ten thousand poisons in his hand emitted a series of eager hums.

During the rule collision just now, it seemed to have absorbed some kind of higher-grade "nourishment," and the pulsation of the dagger's core became more vigorous.

Above the sky, Emperor Yan's figure also appeared.

One of the three "suns" surrounding him was gone, and the remaining two looked somewhat dim.

The look he gave Lin Mo was no longer scrutiny, but held a hint of solemnity and... excitement.

"Very good, excellent," Emperor Yan praised, clapping his hands.

"Your Rule of Poison truly lives up to its reputation.

You are the first person capable of eroding my 'Heavenly Fire.'"

"Your 'rule of Fire' isn't bad either," Lin Mo retorted without showing weakness.

"At least, it's on a completely different level than those fire mages I've encountered before."

The two exchanged verbal blows, neither yielding an inch in terms of aura.

The entire battlefield fell into a strange silence due to the confrontation between these two Gods Chosen.

Ordinary players on both sides dared not move rashly, fearing they would be dragged into the battle between these two "Immortals."

On the flagship of the Destroyer Faction, Luo Li watched the scene, her brow tightly furrowed.

She had intended for Emperor Yan to strike with the might of thunder, killing or severely wounding Lin Mo, thereby collapsing the morale of the Guardian Alliance.

She never expected the two to fight to a standstill.

"Emperor Yan, what are you doing? Kill him!" Luo Li commanded Emperor Yan through the command channel.

However, Emperor Yan seemed not to hear.

He simply looked at Lin Mo with interest and suddenly asked, "Lin Mo, aren't you curious? Why do people like us exist in 'epoch'?"

Lin Mo's heart stirred; he knew the real topic was coming.

"I'd like to hear the details," he replied calmly.

"Because we are the ones chosen by this 'world.' We are the Gods Chosen."

Emperor Yan's voice sounded directly in Lin Mo's mind through a special method.

This was a mental conversation, bypassing system surveillance.

"Gods Chosen?" Lin Mo repeated the term.

This was consistent with what the remnant soul of the God of Deadly Poison had said back then.

"That's right," Emperor Yan continued.

"Did you think 'epoch' was just a game? No, it is a real world, a world on the verge of shattering."

"And we players who have awakened god-tier talents and mastered Rule Power are the ones who have been granted the Authority to save or destroy this world."

"So, you chose Destroyer?" Lin Mo's eyes turned cold.

"No, no, no." Emperor Yan shook his head, a hint of mockery in his mental transmission.

"I choose neither.

Guardian? Destroyer? They are just two paths drawn by the game designers."

"I only choose myself.

If Luo Li gives me enough benefits, I help her strike.

That is all."

"Then why are you looking for me now?" Lin Mo asked.

"For an invitation." Emperor Yan's eyes became serious.

"An invitation that belongs only to the Gods Chosen."

"We have discovered something... unpleasant, something that simultaneously threatens both the game world and the real world.

We need to unite and exchange information."

"The real world?" Lin Mo's pupils contracted sharply.

"It seems you've noticed it too." Emperor Yan smiled.

"That's right, the power from the game is feeding back into our real-world bodies.

And that threat also exists in both worlds."

"We call it—the World Serpent."

The World Serpent!

When these three words sounded in Lin Mo's mind, he instantly recalled the mysterious organization that had attacked him in reality not long ago!

So, they weren't just targeting him, but all the Gods Chosen!

"Why should I believe you?" Lin Mo asked.

"You don't need to believe me; you only need to believe yourself," Emperor Yan said.

"Three days from now, at eight in the evening, in 'Star City' in the real world, an address will be sent to you through a special channel."

"There will be a gathering there, a secret gathering belonging to us Gods Chosen.

Whether you come or not is up to you."

After speaking, Emperor Yan ignored Luo Li's roaring in the channel, nodded at Lin Mo, and then simply turned around, transforming into a streak of firelight and vanishing into the horizon.

"Emperor Yan!" Luo Li was so furious she nearly crushed the staff in her hand.

Emperor Yan's desertion instantly plunged the morale of the Destroyer Faction into the abyss.

Meanwhile, the Guardian Alliance erupted in earth-shattering cheers.

"Poison God is awesome!"

"Long live the Alliance Master!"

Lin Mo ignored the surrounding cheers.

He looked in the direction Emperor Yan had disappeared and fell into contemplation.

The secret gathering of the Gods Chosen... the World Serpent...

He realized that a massive web encompassing both worlds was slowly unfolding before him.

And he was already at the center of that web.

"Pass on my order: All troops counterattack!" Lin Mo snapped back to reality, his cold voice ringing out in the alliance channel.

Having lost Emperor Yan, their greatest deterrent, the Destroyer army was utterly defeated under the counterattack of the Guardian Alliance.

In this battle, the Guardian Alliance achieved a resounding victory.

As for the source of ten thousand poisons in Lin Mo's hand, after absorbing the souls of tens of thousands of enemies, the core's pulsation grew increasingly intense, as if something was about to hatch.

[Soul Absorption] Progress: 17854 / 10000. (Exceeded)

After the battle ended, Lin Mo did not linger in the game.

He arranged the follow-up matters and quickly logged off.

Returning to his rented room in the real world, he immediately opened his computer and began searching for all information related to "Star City."

He knew he had to attend that so-called secret gathering.

Because the answers he sought were there.