The New Rules of the Treasure Hunt, and the Crushing Defeat of the Old-Server Players

Gao Linzhi had no choice but to find a place to hide.

But he soon realized that it was futile.

Because a large treasure chest symbol appeared above his head.

Similar to the previous "Island Owner" title, it's directly displayed on your ID.

Even if he used a method of concealment, it would still be the same.

Gao Linzhi had no choice but to choose a place on a high cliff by the sea, a place that would not be easily attacked or surrounded.

Behind them is the sea, and no one dares to lie in ambush there for long—that's like delivering takeout to the supernatural.

Sailing at sea is dangerous enough, let alone launching into the water.

He sat cross-legged on a high rock, which was the perfect place to practice his Petrification Technique.

He had only just reached the "body realm" in his cultivation of this Petrification Technique; he still needed his mind and spirit to also be petrified before he could be considered truly successful.

Of course, this kind of Immortality is not complete Immortality.

Its goal is to traverse the river of time, similar to the hibernation device in the Three-Body Problem, allowing it to cross the river of time while others work hard and research technology.

This is based on the premise that human development as a whole is on the rise, rather than heading towards the end of the world.

After Gao Linzhi had been sitting quietly for a while, suddenly, several players appeared not far away.

There were five of them in total, well-equipped, clearly Company Executive Players.

They all had the same ID on their foreheads: "Divine Mengde of District 9", "Divine Sima Yi of District 9", "Divine Son-in-Law of District 9", "Divine Gouhuo of District 9", and "Divine Xu Zhu of District 9".

It's an old district with only single-digit numbers of residents.

Players from these areas have been in this Skyfall World for at least several years.

That's right, the game clearly states that you are the one who won the treasure.

Those players from the new server definitely won't come.

After all, Revival Stone are very, very expensive.

They simply didn't have the ability to take it from themselves.

Only players in older servers have this confidence.

It seems that people from older servers weren't included in the previous rankings, probably because they had separate rankings for different time periods.

After the five players appeared, they surrounded Gao Linzhi from three directions.

The player with the ID "God Mengde" stepped forward first. "Want to Can Xue Waves Across the Map?"

"Will you hand over the treasure yourself, or will I slap you and take it from you?"

He looked arrogant, as if the Canxue before him was nothing more than a monkey from the new district.

"When the tiger is away, the monkey is king. You don't think that just because you've topped the leaderboard in the new server a few times, you can ignore us old-server players, do you?"

"No way, no way."

"Hahaha..."

The other "gods" burst into laughter.

Gao Linzhi did not get angry.

He just found it funny.

Because people can never imagine the limits of a whale (a person who spends a lot of money on in-game purchases).

They also think that because they've played for two or three more years, they have more skills, professions, and strategy knowledge, they can easily crush whales (players who spend a lot of money on the game).

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Now that we've seen this treasure chest, please hand it over," said God Gou Huo.

Gao Linzhi sneered, "If you want it, then come and take it."

He didn't want to crush the ants directly.

He also wanted to see what kind of background these guys in the old district really had.

God Jia Xu looked at God Gou Huo and gestured for God Xu Zhu to come forward.

That God Xu Zhu was two zhang tall and one zhang wide, wielding two broken golden hammers, and looked just like a water bucket.

He stepped forward, but instead of attacking directly, he shouted:

"If you don't give us the treasure chest, we'll shout loudly, and the villagers will come over."

"You don't want to be surrounded by these villagers, do you?"

Gao Linzhi immediately smiled.

I thought they would try to steal it.

I never expected it to be the style of the Wei Kingdom; they started by using underhanded tactics to threaten others.

"You think you can threaten me with this? You're courting death!"

Gao Linzhi understood that these seasoned veterans wouldn't make a move easily.

He still needs to push him a bit.

With a swift movement, he left a trail of afterimages around him.

The five were taken aback; they found themselves unable to react.

Of course, they weren't fools; they had naturally anticipated this.

Before they arrived, they had already affixed countless protective talismans and passive protective arrays to their bodies.

Each person prepared a full ten Revival Stones.

This number is already quite large.

Therefore, although they were caught off guard, Gao Linzhi did not kill them instantly.

One after another, protective talismans appeared on their bodies, flashing brightly before disappearing one after another.

"Hateful!"

How can he be so fast?

These five veteran players were repeatedly surprised.

They never expected Gao Linzhi to be so formidable.

They thought that, even if there were differences between them, it would only be a few hundred attributes.

In fact, each of them has more than 500 attributes.

In the past, the gap between him and Gao Linzhi wasn't actually that big.

They just didn't expect that Gao Linzhi, by spending money on in-game purchases, directly learned a beggar's version of the "Longevity Technique" from an NPC: the basics of petrification.

All attributes have been mastered and upgraded to two thousand each.

When both attributes break through 2000 at the same time, that's a complete qualitative change.

It's fair to say that they're already far ahead among players, including veterans.

This speed and power were beyond their comprehension.

They could only rely on passive defense to withstand Gao Linzhi's attacks.

However, there was no way to deflect Gao Linzhi's attacks by dodging or counterattacking.

As a result, their combat costs naturally increased dramatically.

If you can only passively take hits, how devastating will the losses be?

Anyone who has studied the history of major wars knows this.

If someone kills you for tens of millions, you can only kill them for hundreds of thousands. That's the devastating effect of a passive counterattack.

The five veteran players, after their initial surprise, immediately sensed something was wrong.

They could only try to retreat while enduring Gao Linzhi's attacks.

However, they were in the middle of a battle and couldn't log off.

"There's only one way now: use the Revival Stone to revive and escape."

"Damn it, this guy is making us waste a precious resurrection opportunity!"

"Let me tell you, you'd better let us go, Canxue!"

"Otherwise, once we're resurrected, your online and offline businesses will all be finished!"

"That's right, don't think we don't know. You need gold to spend money on in-game purchases. Once we destroy your business, where will your gold come from?"

"Hmph, we know a lot of big shots. As long as we unite to block your gold trading channels, you can forget about being arrogant again!" The five players took turns shouting.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm telling you, the consequences will be severe. Let us go."

However, how could Gao Linzhi possibly let them leave?

He moved with lightning speed, his figure elusive and unpredictable, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, his shadow constantly shifting within the five people's sight.

Even with their best efforts using various skills, the five people could hardly distinguish or discern the difference.

"Damn it, no wonder the people from the Imperial Observatory never engage in hand-to-hand Melee Combat; they always bombard people with magic and talismans."

"Because they know they can't keep up with the other side's pace."

"Damn it, this guy actually reached the level of an 80-level boss ahead of schedule!"

"We miscalculated. We thought he was only level 60, but now we can only passively take the beating."

The five of them can hold out for quite a while.

It can hold out for at least half an hour.

But in doing so, they would suffer a huge loss.

These talismans and protective arrays all consume a huge amount of resources.

The five also tried using area-of-effect spells directly.

However, Gao Linzhi doesn't play turn-based games. Every time the opponent is about to attack, he either creates distance or directly interrupts the opponent's attack.

Their protective array can indeed defend against attacks, but it can also hinder them from launching attacks.

Once an attack is launched, there must be a point that provides an outlet for the release of the Mysterious Energy.

In Gao Linzhi's eyes, this point was clearly visible through his inspiration skills.

Gao Linzhi ignored their pleas and threats; he fought them from beginning to end.

And at this time...

Other players have already arrived.

But they did not rush into the battle.

Because I was completely stunned by what I saw.

Five players from the old server were hit by a lightning-fast figure, sometimes flying into the air, sometimes slamming into the ground, just like a ball.

Their protective talismans shattered, their protective magical artifacts broke, and their protective arrays lost their luster.

They became easy targets.

Someone was live-streaming the battle in the event channel.

"Look everyone, these five players from the old server can't hold out at all."

"They can withstand it, but they can't react in time."

"This is pure physical attribute suppression. I know this kind of situation; it only occurs when there's a difference of at least a thousand attribute points."

"It's like a boxing champion punching you. Your vision blurs, and even though you know you should dodge, your body is stiff, and you just can't react."

"Yes, that's exactly the situation the five of them are facing now."

They clearly miscalculated.

"How would those old Imperial Observatory deal with martial arts practitioners?"

"It's simple, just apply damage reflection. These idiots, did they forget to apply the reflection rune?"

"It should be. There are indeed runes and magic arrays that reflect damage, specifically designed to counter close-range attacks."

"They must have attacked, but the enemy's defense is just as high, so their counter-attacks are ineffective."

"We still need to focus on building up evasion skills; evasion and speed are the key," one player commented.

"Hehehe, defense and offense are the key, defense is the best. Only with high defense can you stand firm. No matter how high your evasion is, if you're unlucky and make a mistake, you're finished in an instant."

"That's right, the higher the defense, the higher the value of health points, and the longer the battle lasts, the more time there is to think and counterattack."

While these five people were being passively attacked, they were also anxiously trying to think of a solution.

They even posted a reward in the treasure hunt channel:

"Whoever tries to stop him, we'll give you a Safe Zone in the old district, 100 square meters, rent-free for 3 years!"

"That's right, what are you all waiting for? This is a priceless treasure for nurturing souls, something you only encounter once every five hundred years."

"The emergence of this thing is governed by the destiny of heaven and earth; it cannot be created simply by saying so!"

"Just like the odds in a game, some treasures, like the Dragon Slaying Saber, are one of a kind on a single server."

Their words still hold true.

Some players attempted to attack Gao Linzhi from a distance.

After all, don't expect players to have any sense of face, friendship, or stance.

It's all about interests, immediate benefits, and maybe a little bit of emotional value.

However, they soon discovered a problem.

"Damn it, I can't select anything!"

"Yes, my attacks missed too; I couldn't even see him."

"Then launch a large-scale attack."

"That's no use, he dodged too quickly."

"Are there any skills that can be locked, such as curses or causal relationships?" someone suggested a new approach.

"Yes, but the system indicates that the target's mental resistance is too high, and the skill has failed."

"Damn it, how high does this mental resistance have to be for your curse to fail?"

"There must be at least a thousand attribute differences."

"Damn, I only have 300+ in spirit attribute, and I already feel pretty awesome. The local governor treats me like an honored guest, while the other side has over a thousand?"

"Don't try to guess the world of whales (players who spend a lot of money on in-game purchases). They have so many resources that they don't even want to spend any, not because they don't have enough."

That's all.

With everyone watching and meddling, the five veteran players still used up their last protective artifact.

They actually wanted to stop using it, thinking they might as well revive it and make it even cheaper.

However, with so many people watching, he didn't want to lose face.

After all, dying from exhaustion in battle and surrendering on your knees are two different things.

Others can see it too.

Have they removed their protective gear?

And so, under Gao Linzhi's high-speed attack, the five people lost their defenses.

But they did not feel despair.

Instead, I felt relieved.

Finally, they're all done beating up.

Being completely beaten without being able to fight back is incredibly frustrating!

"Damn it, kill me!"

They naturally did not choose to commit suicide directly.

That would be just as embarrassing.

Dying in battle is one thing, committing suicide is another.

However, when Gao Linzhi threw a punch, he did not kill his opponent.

Instead, a gray ripple appeared from his palm, which then petrified his opponents one by one!

Then five stone statues appeared before us.

Not only that, Gao Linzhi also put the five stone statues into his Game Backpack.

Meanwhile, the other players were also stunned.

"How is that possible?"

"They can even put players into the Game Backpack? What kind of feature is that?"

"Holy crap, this is using the Game Backpack as a prison!"

"In this way, if they want to commit suicide in their minds, be resurrected, and escape, they must break through the limitations of the Game System itself."

"Hehe, this guy is really amazing, he knows how to exploit game bugs."

The five players from the old server were stunned.

They were turned into stone, becoming a resource, and stored in the Game Backpack.

This rendered their last resort—calling the system to Force Quit the game—a pipe dream.

Because they were already in the Game Backpack, they were already someone else's loot.

"Damn it, how could this happen?" God Mengde exclaimed angrily.

Fortunately, they can still speak in the treasure hunt channel.

Even though the body cannot move, the mind can still communicate with the system and speak in the channel.

"The game has a bug! How can another player be carried by another player?!"

"This isn't right."

"Release us right now!"

The other players were also extremely shocked.

"Is this even possible? Wow, amazing!"