Zhuang Li sat in the lab, following the progress of each instance through the massive display screens that covered all four walls. He not only instructed the players on how to find every hidden card within each instance, but also explained the source of energy that powered each instance.
Only by destroying or taking away these energy sources will the copy disappear forever. Otherwise, it will just go dormant after the players leave, waiting for the next team to arrive.
The energy sources of these copies are either ornaments, such as the magic mirror in the Self-Nature Hell; or an NPC, such as Lin Shiyu in the World of Despair; or inconspicuous things that flash occasionally, such as the stars in the Maze World.
Finding these energy sources would grant players immense benefits, even catapulting them to top-tier prowess. Therefore, when Zhuang Li announced the existence of these energy sources to all players via the world channel, everyone went wild.
Not only did they take every card in the dungeon, they also turned over every inch of the ground and scraped away the source of energy. In the past, even if they gained nothing, they would be satisfied just to leave the dungeon alive.
Thus, without the support of the energy source, the copies suddenly fissioned and then completely disappeared after the players left.
There were frequent explosions in the palace of the Lord of Terror. Rubble and dust fell from the magnificent dome, and cracks appeared on the walls covered with reliefs.
The pet servants kept in the palace by the Lord of Terror rushed to check the situation, but the moment they pushed open the door, they were lifted into the air by a strong gust of wind and fell to the ground. Then they vomited blood from their mouths and could not stand.
This gust of air, carrying a devastating force, rushed out from the gate, sweeping through the corridors, gardens, and antechambers. A pair of invisible giant hands shook the palace, causing it to slowly crumble.
Surrounded by balls of light, the Lord of Terror was enduring a continuous bombardment. He was like a soldier strapped with grenades, with nowhere to hide and no way to escape.
Each ball of light was like a black hole, madly devouring his divine power, then compressing it into a point of extremely dense mass before exploding. The energy released by each explosion was far more terrifying than the backlash of divine power.
That was a complete loss of control of divine power, the destructive force it created was enough to tear apart every cell in the Lord of Terror and shatter every inch of his bones. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't even stand up. He could only lie on the ground, dying, waiting for more light balls to explode.
He couldn't understand how all this happened. Why would someone destroy all his worlds at once?
Zhuang Li leaned back in his chair, supporting his chin with one hand and tapping the table lightly with the other, looking lazily at the small split screens on the huge light screen that went dark one after another. Those were copies that had been destroyed one after another.
Time passed by minute by minute, and more and more small split screens suddenly went out, until the entire light screen turned black.
Eternal darkness has arrived, but this darkness belongs to the Lord of Terror, not to humans.
Xuan Ming, who had been helping others clear levels, finally got a chance to catch his breath. He returned to the space and quietly watched the light screens gradually fading into darkness, a more dangerous light flickering in his eyes.
He knew that the Lord God was coming soon.
Zhuang Li sensed that the Lord of Terror was no longer able to support the game world, so he posted a message on the world channel: [Today's team battle is over. We will continue tomorrow. To prevent the Lord from banning our cheats, all players please bind the Task Manager to your system. Once bound, the Task Manager will be hidden within your system, evading the Lord's detection.]
After seeing this notification, all players bound the task manager to their own systems.
Having tasted the feeling of getting rich overnight, it is naturally impossible for them to give up such a useful cheating tool.
However, they didn't know that the game world no longer existed. When tomorrow came, they would no longer be able to enter any of the copies.
"Why did you lie to them?" Xuan Ming asked in a low voice.
He was awaiting the return of Huangmao and Xiaodao. Tonight, they planned to return to the wilderness and personally decapitate the Lord of Terror. With that man's death, the game world would cease to exist forever, and binding the task manager to the system would become meaningless.
"Because these people draw immense energy from the game world, they will become another hidden danger. Their powers can also be used in the real world. If the game world ceases to exist, they will lose their purpose. Once a person loses their way, they are likely to go astray. I worry that they will turn the world of ordinary people upside down. Each of them has the potential to grow into a new Lord of Terror, so I will put a tight spell on them."
"What's the spell?"
"I've put a virus in everyone's task manager—"
Before Zhuang Li could finish his words, Xiaodao and Huangmao came back.
Xuan Ming immediately said, "Let's go."
Zhuang Li looked at the giant screens and realized that the players had formed a stable alliance. He knew he could handle the last few dungeons by himself, so he said, "I want to go to the wilderness, too."
Xuan Ming only thought for a second before carrying him up and returning to the wilderness in an instant.
Just as he was about to take out the tool he was using to carve the teleportation array, he looked around and was stunned. "Boss, can you tear open the spatial barrier now? Has your strength improved again?"
"It's not about tearing open the space barrier, it's about the star track." Xuan Ming didn't explain much.
The star power that returned to his body allowed him to open up the star track and travel to any place he wanted to go. He put Zhuang Li down, gently stroked his cheek, ruffled his hair, and instructed: "Hide in the space first, I will pick you up when you are done."
He pointed to a towering castle not far away and said in a cold tone, "I'm going in to kill someone."
As for who to kill, everyone knows it.
Zhuang Li was very self-aware of his own weakness and nodded obediently: "You go ahead, I promise I won't come out."
He quickly looked around and found that this was a desolate, cold, dark and dead world. There was not a single blade of grass or green leaves, let alone flowers or sunshine. There were only rugged rocks and endless yellow sand. The dark clouds in the sky pressed down heavily, making it hard to breathe.
Piles of dry bones are hidden among the strange rocks and yellow sand, emitting a foul smell.
This is indeed a savage and desolate world. If it hadn't been eroded by the Lord God, it would never have become so dilapidated. This is the place where Xuanming was born. One can imagine how rich, beautiful and spiritual it must have been thousands and thousands of years ago.
"Everything will return to its former beauty." Zhuang Li suddenly held Xuan Ming's hand and said with great determination.
Xuan Ming understood his meaning instantly and smiled cheerfully.
"Yes. After you get better, this will be our home." Xuan Ming pulled the little devil into his arms and kissed his lips very cherishingly.
"Go in." Xuan Ming gave a light push, and Zhuang Li disappeared from the spot.
Xiaodao and Huangmao pulled out the short blades from their boots and urged excitedly, "Let's go, let's fight! Kill the Lord of Terror, and you'll be the King of the Wilderness!"
Xuan Ming shook his head and laughed. He didn't want to be king. He just wanted to create a stable home for himself and the little devil. That was all.
As the three approached, they discovered that the palace was nearly collapsed. Many beautiful women in gorgeous attire were fleeing in panic, and the bodies of numerous guards lay scattered on the ground. This showed that the monsters that inhabited the wilderness had already followed the scent of blood and were coming their way.
The Lord of Terror became their target to be devoured alive.
When encountering these monsters, Xuan Ming naturally would not show mercy. He killed one by one and quickly broke into the inner hall.
The Lord of Terror has also detonated the last few light balls to kill the "hyenas" that are besieging him.
Seriously wounded, he could only resort to this self-destructive method to save his life. He originally thought that once these "hyenas" died, he could take a breath, escape through the secret passage, and find a place to heal his wounds.
However, Xuan Ming, holding a blood-tempered long sword, strode in at this moment.
Seeing his murderous eyes, the Lord of Terror finally revealed a look of despair. He knew he was doomed. Even in his prime, he might not have been a match for Xuan Ming, let alone now?
"Fuck! So miserable?" The yellow-haired man was frightened by the Lord of Terror whose body was covered with blood holes.
Xiaodao sighed sincerely: "Sister-in-law is still the best. She kills people without a knife."
Who says it's not true? Zhuang Li could do this to the Lord of Terror from a distance.
Xuan Ming didn't waste a word, kicking the Lord of Terror away with his leg, then charging forward and slashing at him repeatedly. The taskers who rushed in from outside, hoping to get a piece of the action, were stopped outside the hall by Huangmao and Xiaodao.
The Lord of Terror, who was already dying, was no match for Xuan Ming. He had his head chopped off by a knife after just a few rounds.
Xuan Ming chopped the head that was still flying in the air with a knife and took out a black card from it. There were four big words written on it - the power of destruction.
This power naturally belongs to Xuanming.
The Lord God and K's minions stole a lot of power from Xuanming, and used this power to destroy Xuanming's world.
The most despicable robber is no more than this.
A three-foot-high column of blood gushed out from the Lord of Terror's severed neck, staining the palace's dome red. Seeing Xuan Ming standing amidst the bloody rain, sensing the terrifying aura emanating from him, the taskers who had continuously arrived to fight for territory became frightened and slowly retreated.
However, Xuan Ming was already mad with rage, and he killed all the taskers one by one. Anyone who set foot in this palace must die!
Soon, the ground was filled with human heads.
"Let's go and take your sister-in-law to visit the wilderness and see the scenery." After making sure that no one dared to break in again, Xuan Ming shook off the blood beads on the blade and turned into a gentle and kind man in a second.
Huangmao and Xiaodao: “…” The speed at which the boss’s expression changed was a bit scary!
When passing by the courtyard garden, Xuan Ming jumped into a fountain and carefully washed off the blood on his body.
Huang Mao complained: "Boss, sister-in-law knows why you are here, why are you washing? Go back quickly."
"I can't stop the killing happening in front of him, but I will try my best to keep him away from blood. This is the only thing I can do for him." Xuan Ming stepped out of the fountain, changed into a set of clean clothes, sniffed his arms again to make sure there was no residual smell of blood on his body, and then walked towards the door.
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