78: Chapter 78: The Money-Grubbing Hermit is Online, Crushing the Flowers in the Greenhouse!

Demon God Fortress, VIP Viewing Room.

On the big screen, data for 300,000 examinees updated in real-time.

Patriarch Xiao Tiannan held a glass of amber-colored strong liquor, his gaze sweeping across the top of the leaderboard, which was filled with familiar names from the noble families of Tianhai Province.

As for Lin Yuan's name, it had long since dropped past the ten-thousandth spot.

"General Xiao, it seems the commoner you placed a heavy bet on doesn't have very good Luck."

Patriarch Xiao Tiannan did not turn his head, his voice carrying undisguised mockery through a sound transmission.

"I have to admit, the scale of the troops he released earlier did startle me."

"To be able to manage a Wasteland Divine Domain to this extent, he can be considered to have had some Opportunity."

"However..."

Patriarch Xiao Tiannan tapped his fingertips lightly against the sofa armrest.

"The area where he landed was hit by an extreme gravity collapse storm, delaying him for a full hour."

"Those cannon fodder insects he relied on for numbers were also mostly scattered."

"In a high-stakes exam where every second counts, one step behind means being behind at every step."

"Now that his points have been left far behind by the first tier, it will be difficult for him to make a comeback."

In Patriarch Xiao Tiannan's eyes, a commoner was a commoner after all.

Without the blessing of a noble family's millennia of Luck, even the heavens wouldn't help him at critical moments.

Commander Xiao Lie sat on the other side, staring at the small red dot on the screen representing Lin Yuan.

The red dot did not linger on the outskirts to farm points.

Instead, it cut straight into the hinterlands of the Demon God Planet in a perfectly straight line.

"Patriarch Xiao, points are just toys to fool children; only you take them seriously."

Commander Xiao Lie sneered, countering with a sound transmission, his tone flat.

"The target he wants has never been on that list from the very beginning."

"You'd better worry more about the greenhouse flowers in your own family; just pray they don't run into him on the road."

Patriarch Xiao Tiannan's brows furrowed slightly, just as he was about to retort.

However, his gaze followed Commander Xiao Lie's line of sight toward the depths of the map.

That red dot was about to collide with a high-risk energy reaction zone.

And there, nine noble family light dots had already gathered in advance.

...

Demon God Plane, Abyss Source Crystal Mine.

This was a rift valley stretching across the black wasteland.

At the bottom of the rift, high-purity Abyss Source Crystals emitted a ghostly purple light, like the exposed blood vessels of the planet.

In the center of the mineral vein, a dilapidated Demon God Altar stood tall.

By now, the outskirts of the rift were surrounded so tightly not even water could pass through.

Nine noble family heirs and conglomerate descendants from Tianhai Province had formed a temporary Alliance, sealing off the area completely.

Their combined forces exceeded three million, and not a single one was low-level cannon fodder.

Directly in front were 80,000 [Crystal Rock Titans], each ten meters tall.

They were composed entirely of high-density amethyst and were immune to the vast majority of physical and magical damage.

On the left flank was a torrent of steel.

30,000 [Hovering Heavy Assault Gunships] hovered at low altitude, with 300,000 [High-Energy Electromagnetic Mechs] beneath them.

The formation on the right flank was the most magnificent.

Half were [Holy Unicorn Knights] radiating holy brilliance, and the other half were [Shadow Nightmare Cavalry] shrouded in black mist.

Light and darkness intertwined, forming a complementary Law field; it was clearly a companion Divine Domain combination from a certain pair of twin Prodigies.

In the rear were several distinct yet mutually supportive high-tier unit arrays, such as [Abyssal Shadow Assassins], [Lava Behemoths], and [Deep Sea Nagas].

Nine major divine systems constructed a fortress-like defense line.

"Brother Zhao, we've made a huge profit this time. Such a large Source Crystal mine, plus a Demon God Altar."

"As long as we play it steady from here on, the nine of us will definitely be able to secure a spot in the province's top fifty!"

A conglomerate young master commanding the Deep Sea Nagas stood on the shoulder of a Crystal Rock Titan, his face full of excitement.

The youth called Brother Zhao was Zhao Xinghe, a direct descendant of the Zhao Family in Tianhai Province.

He wore a magnificent set of enchanted battle armor, his expression arrogant.

"According to the agreement, I get 30% of the mine's resources, and we'll discuss the altar slowly." Zhao Xinghe looked at the defense line below, his tone filled with confidence.

"With our nine families joining forces, even if Xiao Ting or Murong Bai came, they would have to break a few teeth to take this place."

Just as he finished speaking, the earth suddenly began to shake violently.

"What's going on? An earthquake in the Demon God Plane?" The conglomerate young master almost lost his footing.

Zhao Xinghe's expression changed, his eyes locked on the black horizon directly ahead.

"It's not an earthquake... it's an army!"

Rumble—!

The roaring sound came from the horizon, and even the oppressive demonic clouds in the sky were pushed aside.

A black torrent appeared.

The first thing that came into view were 50,000 of the largest metal-flesh monsters.

Next was a sea of insects that blotted out the sky.

700,000 Soldier Insects swept across the land.

Within the insect swarm, the Golden Nine-Star Insect King stood up, its compound eyes filled with killing intent.

In the sky, hundreds of thousands of Demon Vultures and Bone Blade Bats obscured the remaining light.

8,000 Calamity Fire Spirit wove through the flying beasts, dragging toxic fire across the sky.

An army of two million.

Carrying the Evil Qi forged from climbing out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they were like Death passing through, stopping ten kilometers outside the coalition's defense line.

The tangible aura of slaughter made even the Holy Light Pegasus in the front row of the coalition let out uneasy whinnies.

On the shoulders of the Crystal Rock Titans, the smiles on the faces of the nine noble family heirs gradually froze.

"This... what kind of monster legion is this?"

"Zerg? Elemental lifeforms? And those heavy flesh behemoths... so many different high-tier races!"

"Look at the person standing on the behemoth's shoulder!"

Everyone's gazes pierced through the dust and sand, gathering at the very front of the army.

A heavy Demon God, fifteen meters tall and radiating the terrifying pressure of the Platinum rank, stood solemnly there.

On the Tyrant's shoulder, Lin Yuan stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the defense line before him.

"It's that Lin Yuan from Jiangcheng!" Zhao Xinghe quickly pulled up the intelligence comparison from before the exam, gritting his teeth. "The intelligence network didn't lie; this kid is truly a freak!"

"A commoner, the troops he pulled out alone, actually rival the nine of us combined!"

"Brother Zhao, what do we do? Do we fight?" The conglomerate young master next to him swallowed hard, his confidence clearly lacking.

Zhao Xinghe's expression was uncertain.

Fight?

With the other side's troop configuration, if they really fought to the death, his side would likely pay an extremely heavy price, or even be eliminated prematurely.

Don't fight?

How could he spit out the fat that was already in his mouth.

"Don't panic." Zhao Xinghe forced himself to stay calm. "Having more troops doesn't mean he can win."

"Our nine-family coalition has the foundation here; as a commoner, does he dare to offend the nine noble families of Tianhai Province at the same time?"

Zhao Xinghe stepped forward, his voice mixed with Divine Power, echoing over the wasteland: "You must be Lin Yuan from Jiangcheng, right?"

"To be able to raise such a team as a commoner is indeed rare. I admit you have the qualifications to stand here."

Lin Yuan stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at him with an indifferent gaze, offering no response.

Seeing this, Zhao Xinghe's brows furrowed slightly as he continued: "This Source Crystal mine and the altar were discovered and cleared by our Alliance first."

"If you insist on grabbing it, our nine families aren't pushovers either."

"If we really fight to the death, your main force will be wiped out, and you won't get far in the later parts of the exam."

"How about this." Zhao Xinghe threw out a bargaining chip. "Let's both take a step back. You help us guard the perimeter, and we can give you 20% of the Source Crystals inside."

"Not only that, as long as you nod, you will gain the friendship of all the noble families and conglomerates present here from Tianhai Province."

"Once you get to the provincial capital, with us covering for you, you're guaranteed a smooth path to success."

Threaten, then entice. This was the most practiced negotiation tactic of noble family heirs.

In their eyes, giving a commoner 20% of the resources, plus an ethereal "noble family friendship," was already a massive favor.

The other heirs in the coalition also began to sneer one after another.

A commoner, in this Demon God Plane surrounded by wolves. Besides compromising, what other choice could he have?

However.

Ten kilometers away, on the Tyrant's shoulder.

Lin Yuan listened to the shouting echoing across the wasteland, completely indifferent.

Friendship?

What could such ethereal trash be exchanged for?

Commander Xiao Lie's original words were to have him trample all these so-called Prodigies underfoot.

As a "Money-Loving Ascetic" with professional ethics, once you take the money, you have to get the job done.

As for retaliation from the noble families?

With the Commander of the Spark Legion backing him, he could be even more unscrupulous in this exam venue!

"Wipe them all out; the mineral vein inside, and their lives, are all mine."

Lin Yuan had no interest in responding; he was even too lazy to remember that person's name.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his right hand.

Beneath him, the Tyrant let out a roar, and the dark black extreme gravity field began to compress on its body.

300,000 Titan Violent Demons collectively squatted down, their liquid metal tower shields slamming into the ground.

700,000 Zerg hissed in unison.

The gears of war were about to engage.

"Damn it, this kid is crazy! He actually dares to go to war with our nine families!" Zhao Xinghe's face turned livid as he saw Lin Yuan preparing to attack without even responding.

"All troops, prepare! Since he's looking for death, grant it to him! Technology side, main cannons, heat up! Give me covering fire on his front line!"

On the left flank line.

Ye Ninghan stood inside the command tower, her palms covered in cold sweat.

As a technology-side god, she was locking onto the enemy's front-line behemoths.

However, when the crosshairs of the scope magnified and focused on those monsters flowing with liquid metal.

She suddenly recalled a not-so-pleasant memory.