44: Chapter 44: Server-wide announcements flood the screen – He's sourcing goods in the restricted area?

Ka-ka-ka...

The ear-piercing sound of grinding bones echoed across the deathly silent wasteland.

As Qin Ji's footsteps continued to push northward, the ground beneath him was completely covered in pale bone fragments. These undead armies, which should have been hair-raising, were now like waves of wheat waiting to be harvested, falling uniformly under the sharp edge of the [abyssal fang].

[Killed LV.52 Skeletal Heavy Infantry, Plunder successful! Strength +5!]

[Killed LV.52 Skeletal Heavy Infantry, Plunder successful! Strength +5!]

...

Golden System prompts spammed the screen like a waterfall, but Qin Ji couldn't help but frown.

"So poor."

He kicked away the head of a skeleton soldier that tried to grab his leg, his tone full of disdain. Although these ordinary mobs could provide attribute points, the drop rate was abysmally low. Having fought his way here, he hadn't seen even a single copper coin, let alone equipment.

"Not there yet?"

Qin Ji turned to look at the ghost, Rhode, floating beside him.

Rhode's hollow eyes flickered with fear as he pointed tremulously into the depths of the mist: "Soon... almost there. Just ahead is the 'Sanctuary of Buried Bones,' the resting place of all The Forsaken..."

Before he could finish, Qin Ji's gaze suddenly sharpened.

The mist ahead suddenly thinned, and a massive black altar stood abruptly in the center of the wasteland. There was no dense sea of skeletons around the altar; instead, it formed an eerie vacuum zone.

And in the very center of the altar stood a giant black coffin, a full five meters tall.

Dense dark-red chains were wrapped around the coffin's surface, pulsing slowly like living blood vessels. Even from a distance, one could feel a suffocating sense of pressure.

[Warning! You have entered the core area of the "Sanctuary of Buried Bones"!]

[Discovered special building: Soul-Locking Demon Coffin (Undead Resurrection Node)!]

"Interesting."

The corners of Qin Ji's mouth curled up slightly, a hint of a hunter's excitement at seeing prey flashing in his purple-gold pupils.

The distribution of monsters here was interesting. The outer perimeter was an endless sea of skeletons, yet not a single undead dared to approach this coffin. This "obvious giveaway" layout was practically writing the words "I have treasure" in big letters on its forehead.

"Don't... don't go over there!"

Rhode suddenly seemed to be struck by some kind of terror, his translucent body trembling violently. "That's a taboo! That's the hub that maintains the Soul cycle of the entire Land of Oblivion! Once touched, the Guardian will awaken!"

"Guardian?"

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow. Instead of stopping, his pace quickened. "Isn't that just a BOSS? Perfect, I'm tired of killing these minions that don't drop equipment."

His figure flashed, and like a cannonball launched from a barrel, he instantly crossed hundreds of meters and landed heavily on the altar.

Boom!

The shockwave from his landing sent the dust around the altar flying in all directions.

Qin Ji didn't waste any words. He raised [abyssal fang] high, pitch-black Abyssal Demon Fire igniting on the blade, and slashed down hard at the black coffin wrapped in chains.

"Open up for me!"

Clang—!!

A massive sound like a great bell rang out, shaking the wasteland.

Amidst flying sparks, those indestructible dark-red chains snapped like fragile noodles. The heavy coffin lid exploded directly under the terrifying monstrous strength, revealing a body inside that was as withered as dry wood and clad in tattered robes.

[Ding! You have destroyed the resurrection node of the "Sanctuary of Buried Bones"!]

[A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Do you wish to hide your name?]

The moment the System prompt sounded, Qin Ji chose without hesitation: "Hide."

The next second, a glaring red announcement forcibly popped up in the center of the vision of all online players in Divine Realm.

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player (Hidden Nickname) for successfully killing the "Bone-Burial Sanctuary Gravedigger" and destroying an S-Rank resurrection node! This announcement is made to encourage all players to keep up the good work!]

...

Outside, in the Divine Realm's main world.

This sudden server-wide announcement was like a giant boulder crashing into a calm lake.

The world channel instantly exploded.

"Holy crap?! Sanctuary of Buried Bones? Where is that? I haven't seen it on the map!"

"The person above must be ill-informed. That's the core area of the legendary 'Land of Oblivion'! They say going in means your account gets deleted; even the big shots from the Divine Court don't dare to go deep!"

"For real? Someone got a first kill in a hellhole like that? And solo at that?"

"This is too fierce! Destroying an S-Rank resurrection node—is this bro there for demolition?"

Divine Court Guild Headquarters.

Futou Shield Mountain, who had already concluded that Qin Ji was "certainly dead," was now staring intently at the announcement, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Sanctuary of Buried Bones... Gravedigger..."

With trembling hands, he opened his friend list and locked his gaze on that grayed-out name. Although he couldn't check the specific status, he had a strong intuition—this madman causing destruction in the forbidden zone was definitely Qin Ji!

"How is it possible... That's a death zone where you lose a Rank every ten minutes!"

Futou Shield Mountain felt his worldview collapsing. A normal person would become a useless cripple after ten minutes inside; how could this guy not only survive but also cause such a huge commotion?

...

Within the Land of Oblivion, atop the altar.

Qin Ji had no time to care about the noise outside.

As the coffin exploded, the previously withered corpse suddenly opened its eyes. Two clusters of ghostly blue Soul Fire ignited fiercely in its eye sockets, and a terrifying chill instantly swept through the area, causing a thick layer of black ice to form on the surrounding ground.

"Mortal... how dare you interrupt my long slumber!"

A raspy, ear-piercing roar sounded.

The dried corpse slowly floated up, and the previously broken chains now actually transformed into his weapons, dancing wildly in the air like venomous snakes.

[The Forsaken — Neil (Demi-Lich)]

[Rank: LV.55 (Lord Class)]

[HP: 5,000,000/5,000,000]

[Skills: Soul Siphon, Frost Nova, Undead Scourge]

"Long slumber? I think you've slept yourself stupid."

Qin Ji sneered, twirling his heavy sword. "Since you're awake, hand over all your belongings."

"Arrogant!"

Neil roared, his withered fingers pointing sharply at Qin Ji.

Buzz!

Dozens of dark-red chains instantly pierced the air, whistling shrilly as they closed in from all directions to strangle him. Meanwhile, the black ice on the ground spread frantically, attempting to freeze Qin Ji's legs.

"That's it?"

Qin Ji advanced instead of retreating.

Facing the overwhelming attacks, he simply made a single movement—

His purple-gold pupils constricted sharply.

[Death Gaze]!

No light or shadow effects, no energy fluctuations.

In mid-air, Neil's body suddenly stiffened, and a pale number floated above his head.

-58,400! (True Damage)

"Ah—!!"

Neil let out a shrill scream. The pain of his Soul being torn apart caused his gathered Spell to instantly dissipate. The chains filling the sky lost control and fell limply to the ground.

"It's not over yet."

Qin Ji stomped his foot heavily, using the reaction force to soar into the sky.

He forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, and the [abyssal fang] in his hand, carrying ten thousand tons of force, slashed down fiercely toward Neil's fragile neck.

"Super Armor! Frost Shield!"

At the critical moment of life and death, Neil demonstrated his caliber as a Lord-class BOSS.

A thick layer of deep-blue ice crystal shield instantly formed around his body, and at the same time, his body glowed with a golden Super Armor sheen, attempting to tank the blow.

Crack!

The heavy sword collided with the Frost Shield, producing an ear-piercing cracking sound.

That ice shield, which was strong enough to withstand Spell bombardments of the same Rank, was as fragile as glass before Qin Ji's monstrous strength, stacked with countless layers of the Strength attribute.

The blade shattered the shield like breaking through bamboo, slashing heavily into Neil's shoulder blade and directly carving off half his body.

-124,999! (Critical Hit)

"How is it possible... your strength..."

The Soul Fire in Neil's eyes flickered violently, filled with disbelief. In this place suppressed by a curse, how could someone possess such terrifying explosive power?

"Nothing is impossible."

Qin Ji landed, grabbed Neil's only remaining leg with one hand, and slammed him onto the altar like swinging a sledgehammer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With every impact, the altar trembled violently, and stone fragments flew everywhere.

"Ding, you have killed the 'Sanctuary of Buried Bones' East District Guard. A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Do you wish to hide?"

"Hide."

"Ding, you have killed the 'Sanctuary of Buried Bones' Potion Master. A server-wide announcement is about to be made. Do you wish to hide?"

"Hide."

In the intervals of pummeling the BOSS, Qin Ji didn't forget to conveniently clear out a few elite mobs attracted by the commotion.

Consequently, the players outside went completely insane.

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player (Hidden Nickname) for completing the first kill of the "Bone-Burial Sanctuary East District Guard"!]

[Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player (Hidden Nickname) for completing the first kill of the "Bone-Burial Sanctuary Potion Master"!]

...

One red announcement after another spammed the screen before all players like a death warrant.

This wasn't exploration; this was clearly stocking up!

That mysterious powerhouse seemed to treat the "Land of Oblivion" as his own back garden, conducting a ruthless purge.

Upon the altar.

The once-arrogant Demi-Lich Neil was now reduced to just a head and half a sternum. His health bar was nearly empty, and the Soul Fire in his eyes had grown dim.

"Madman... you madman..."

Neil cursed weakly, "You've destroyed the resurrection node; the undead here will not be able to respawn... The great Dominator will not let you off..."

"Cannot respawn? Even better."

Qin Ji wiped the bone marrow splattered on his face, revealing a row of white teeth. "Saves me from worrying about people stealing my mobs here in the future."

He raised his heavy sword high, the tip aimed at the center of Neil's brow.

"Respectfully sending the Gravedigger to his death."

Puchi!

The blade pierced through the skull, completely crushing that cluster of ghostly blue Soul Fire.

[Ding! You have killed LV.55 Demi-Lich Neil (Lord Class)!]

[Plunder successful! Obtained Intelligence +300! Spirit +300!]

[Triggered "Greedy Grasp"! Obtained special item: Key of the Deceased!]

[Obtained a large amount of Red Name points (Curse points)!]

As the BOSS fell, a massive surge of black energy gushed out of the corpse and drilled into Qin Ji's body.

But he was in no hurry to check the spoils.

Because the moment Neil died, the entire altar began to collapse violently. Beneath the shattered black coffin, a stone tablet emitting a dense blood-red light slowly rose.

The stone tablet was covered in twisted runes, and at its top floated a dark-red heart that was still beating.

[heart of oblivion (Area Core)]

[Status: Extremely Unstable]

[Description: The core that maintains the operation of the rules of the entire Land of Oblivion. Once destroyed, the area will be forcibly reset, and all non-residents will be expelled.]

"Expelled?"

Qin Ji narrowed his eyes, looking at the heart, a bold idea suddenly popping into his mind.

Since the curse here could be tampered with into a buff, what about this core? If he swallowed it or refined it, could he completely turn this "experience-giving treasure land" into his own private territory?

"Rhode, come here."

Qin Ji beckoned without looking back.

The ghost Rhode, who had been hiding in the distance, floated over tremulously. Looking at the mess on the ground and the remains of the BOSS, he was so scared he could barely speak: "My... My Lord..."

"This thing—how do you use it?"

Qin Ji pointed at the heart.

Rhode took one look, and his Soul body almost dissipated from fright: "This... this is the heart of oblivion! You can't touch it! Touching it will trigger the curse backlash of the entire world! It's a collective of the resentment of millions of undead!"

"The resentment of millions of undead?"

Hearing this, Qin Ji's eyes brightened instead.

For him, who possessed [Greedy Grasp], this collection of pure negative energy was like a grand imperial feast-level tonic.

"Very well, it's mine."

He extended his right hand, and in his palm, that greedy black vortex emerged once again.

Without any hesitation, Qin Ji grabbed the beating dark-red heart.

Boom—!!!

An energy storm a hundred times stronger than before instantly erupted.

Terrifying resentment surged into his body through his arm like a black tide, attempting to completely crush his consciousness.

[Warning! High-concentration negative energy intrusion detected!]

[Warning! Red Name points (Curse points) surging! Current value: 1,000,000!]

[System logic reconstructing...]

"Devour... for me!"

Qin Ji gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. Not only did he not let go, but he also increased the intensity of the devouring. Every cell in his body was cheering, frantically gulping down this energy that would have caused an ordinary person to die instantly.

[Reconstruction complete!]

[Congratulations! You have plundered the "heart of oblivion"!]

[Obtained passive skill: Undead Dominator (Pseudo)!]

[Aggro from all undead-type creatures toward you has been reset to zero, and there is a 30% probability they will follow your commands!]

The storm stopped abruptly.

The dust filling the sky slowly settled.

Upon the ruined altar, Qin Ji slowly straightened his back.

The heart in his hand had disappeared, replaced by a dark-red rune floating in his palm.

The pale light of the setting sun pierced through the mist, spilling over the messy ruins. Qin Ji casually shook his somewhat numb palm, his purple-gold pupils reflecting the distant skeletal army that was trembling and no longer dared to take a step forward. He was like a newly crowned tyrant, standing atop the remains of the old era, coldly surveying this deathly kingdom that had completely surrendered to him.