Heaven and Earth Chessboard, an Irreplaceable Piece!

Zhang Mingzhen began to browse his own stats.

He was unaware that a gaze was also watching him from behind.

Gao Linzhi was scanning this fellow transmigrator, whom he had previously cheated with.

The other person's luck is naturally enviable in the eyes of others.

However, she was merely a pawn in his game.

Of course, Gao Linzhi also understood that he was also a pawn in the game of heaven and earth.

To achieve immortality and avoid being removed or discarded by the game of heaven and earth, one must become an irreplaceable piece in the crucial, decisive position.

Without him, the world would be finished.

This is also the foundation of Saint's eternal life, and it is irreplaceable.

The Skyfall Game System is precisely the subject of Gao Linzhi's research.

Once he understands this Game System, he too can become a great dragon of the universe.

"Chongxing (Priest) Level 78, Constitution 4440, Strength 1746, Agility 3910, Intelligence 4390, Spirit 5966, Critical Hit 1000, Combo 1000..."

As his level increased and his entire set of equipment was upgraded to level 70, his combat power also experienced a leap.

His combat power is already several times that of the top players later on.

Next week will be his last time challenging the Wolf Barbarian Escape and Mechanism Island dungeons, even though Wolf Barbarian Escape has no level restrictions.

However, the experience and rewards will decrease significantly.

As players' overall levels increase, Skill Books specific to each class will gradually become more common.

He had been farming level 79 jungle monsters, so today he might as well try exploring jungle areas above level 80.

The distribution of wilderness areas within the God's Domain often follows certain patterns.

For example, around Mingyue Village, the starting village, the level of wild monsters is usually no more than level 50.

Wild areas, such as those in the main city area like Fragrant Cloud City, are mostly between level 50 and 80.

To find higher-level wilderness areas, you will need to travel to other cities.

Previously, due to involvement in various events and dungeons, he had not yet traveled far.

Now that we're nearing the upgrade threshold, it's time to explore new regions and cities.

Exploring new maps is usually time-consuming and laborious, and the rewards may not be as good as grinding monsters or clearing dungeons.

Therefore, major guilds often have dedicated exploration teams responsible for searching for suitable wilderness areas.

These teams will receive compensation from the guild.

Some players who are passionate about travel and adventure have become professional explorers, earning money through live streaming while also satisfying their personal interests.

Of course, live streaming is now affected by the real world, and its popularity has declined compared to before.

After all, many people are struggling to make ends meet, so they don't have time to watch live streams.

They focused more on survival.

However, due to their level limitations, these players were unable to provide him with any assistance.

He has contacted several guilds and Legion Guild, but has not obtained any information about the level 80 wilderness area.

This is understandable—the highest player level right now is only around level sixty;

Advanced players usually don't have time to participate in adventure-type quests, and fighting monsters above their level is not an easy task for Ordinary Players either; ultimately, this is something that must be done personally.

He summoned his pet Flower Spirit and left it in the current jungle to continue leveling up, since he needed to constantly gain experience to maintain his level lead.

Even though his combat strength far surpasses that of others, his level advantage should not be underestimated.

He then went to the level 79 jungle area, "Snowy Mountains".

Although this place is covered with snow all year round, it is filled with crystal-clear ice trees, which is the habitat of the snow mountain ice monster.

The level 79 Snow Mountain Ice Monster possesses extremely high Spell Resistance. If it weren't for its excessively high intelligence attribute, which allows it to overwhelm opponents and inflict astonishing damage, the monsters on this map would actually be unsuitable for a magic-based class like it.

However, since there was no more suitable place to level up, he had no choice but to spend some time there.

Now he rides the Wildsea Candle Dragon eastward from the skies above the Snowy Mountains, attempting to find a path to break through the current area.

Since the Home System was introduced, players have gained the ability to enter their Homestead anytime, anywhere from any location on the map, instead of having to go to a specific location to enter.

This greatly benefits players who frequently reside in the wilderness;

Although you will return to the location you entered after leaving your home, this feature cannot be activated while in combat.

However, compared to the past when people slept outdoors to save time or for convenience, this is a significant improvement.

This home is essentially your personal living space.

This is practically a cheat code.

After flying eastward for about thirty minutes, Zhang Mingzhen felt that the surrounding temperature had risen slightly.

As we seemed to be leaving the Snowy Mountains, the humidity in the air became increasingly noticeable.

Only when a faint blue hue appeared on the horizon did he realize what it was.

"The sea--"

The vast, boundless blue sea is so similar to the ocean in the real world.

The only difference is that the deep waters far from the shoreline constantly generate huge eddies, as if the seabed is brewing unknown turbulent undercurrents, making it clear that it is by no means a safe place.

As he approached the coast from the air, the landscape gradually became clearer.

The soft sand and scattered seashells are just like in real life.

If it weren't for the fish-man monsters patrolling the beach, this would almost be a tranquil and beautiful seaside scene.

Those fish-men did not seem to have completely shed their aquatic characteristics; their bodies were covered in scales, their heads retained the shape of fish, and their eyes bulged out and lifeless.

It's just like the Deep Ones from Cthulhu.

Their appearance was hardly beautiful; even he found it somewhat unacceptable.

Before he could even land on the back of the Wildsea Candle Dragon, a spell from the beach struck him, dealing nearly a thousand points of damage.

Given his current health and defense of over 40,000, the fact that he could still take such damage shows that these monsters are not to be underestimated in terms of level and attack power.

Most players would just die instantly.

"Contaminated merman monster (level 84), Intelligence 2793, Physical Defense 3009, Magic Defense 3481,"

"Contamination: Attacks inflict a contamination effect, dealing additional damage to creatures."

After being hit, he was given a "contaminated" status.

Wow, it really is Cthulhu- type story.

While continuous blood loss can be managed, the more troublesome issue is that this condition also slows down movement.

If assassin-type classes, which rely on agility but have low defense and health, were to fight here, they would likely be at a disadvantage.

Even more frightening is the possibility of deformities, which could even spread to the physical body in the real world.

He leaped off the back of the Wildsea Candle Dragon, his feet landing on the sand, the sensation real and delicate.

Without these fishmen, the scenery here would truly be captivating.

The good news is that not all merfolk are corrupted; only a few individuals mixed in with the group carry corruption abilities, while the majority remain ordinary monsters.

But bad news followed – the merfolk here have the ability to summon their companions.

From the moment he landed, mermen surged in from all directions.

He must not only clear out ordinary monsters, but also pay extra attention to those with pollution skills, and use Super Armor skills in time to remove negative status effects, so as to avoid accidentally losing his life in the melee.

It's hard to imagine how an ordinary player without cheating could win.

Murlocs are mainly divided into two categories: physical and magical, which are not difficult to distinguish.

Those with a yellowish body color are physical attack type, while those with darker scales and a faint glow around them are magic attack type monsters.

Although the contaminated state is troublesome, the experience gained from defeating these murlocs is quite considerable.

To avoid being surrounded on a large scale, he commanded the Wildsea Candle Dragon to draw fire from the side, while simultaneously summoning Flower Spirits to provide healing and support.

And so, in this place called "Fishman Beach," he began his day's cleanup mission.

Soon after, he and his pets worked together to eliminate hundreds of fishmen.

At his current level, the experience required to level up is close to ten million, which cannot be achieved in a short time.

That's why other players were able to catch up.

Without the extra experience rewards from the battlefield, players' progress will only be slower.

As your level increases, the bonus provided by Experience Pills gradually decreases.

That makes sense, since the effect of the Experience Pill can't always remain at 30%.

Currently, he only gets a 15% boost after taking it, and this percentage will likely decrease further soon.

"Well."

Just as he was sighing over the difficulty of gaining experience, a system notification suddenly sounded.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for successfully completing the achievement of killing 1,000 Murloc Monsters for the first time."

"Congratulations, player, you have obtained a teleportation scroll to the Undersea Dragon Palace."

"Undersea Dragon Palace? Will it be a new instance, or an underwater city?"

Staring at the teleportation talisman he had just acquired, Zhang Mingzhen pondered for a moment and decided to go and investigate.

He summoned the Wildsea Candle Dragon, used Ling Yue and Bear Strike to clear out the remaining monsters around him, and then spread his wings and flew into the sky, trying to disengage from the battle.

When engaging in combat, flight speed is significantly reduced, so he must clear space beforehand.

Only in this way can one gain enough height and distance to gradually escape the pursuit of the fishmen.

When teams are fighting in the wild, they usually adopt a strategy of fighting and retreating until they leave the area where monsters are active before withdrawing as a group.

Without delay, he used the teleportation talisman in his hand.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and my body felt as if it were enveloped by an invisible force. The next second, I vanished from my spot.

When I opened my eyes again, my vision was filled with a vast expanse of blue.

Even though he had seen many strange sights in the game, he was still shocked by the scene before him.

The true underwater world is now fully revealed:

The coral reefs are colorful, and various schools of fish swim leisurely by. The light refracts through the seawater, creating a vibrant and dynamic display.

Even more remarkably, he moved freely in the water, without any resistance or sluggishness;

Although I couldn't feel the air, my breathing was not affected in any way.

He couldn't understand the underlying principles, and could only silently marvel at its extraordinary magnificence.

Unfortunately, I'm uncultured, so all I can manage is...

Looking up at the magnificent deep-sea creation before him, he found himself unable to find the words to describe his feelings at that moment.

This city is like a capital city sleeping beneath the blue waves, resembling Secret Realm where dragons dwell in legends.

"The Undersea Dragon Palace... Is this the Dragon Palace? Why can I move around as usual?"

He asked himself in a low voice, trying to find a clue in the silence.

"Hey! You from the shore! Want to enter the city?" It was a fish speaking.

The enormous, striped sea fish at the city gate was staring at him.

Although I had caught a glimpse of its shape before, I did not expect it to be able to speak.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the sound did not come from the fish itself: a fish-man, about the length of a finger, was standing on the fish's back, staring at him.

This fishman was completely different from the ones he had encountered on the beach.

It has limbs resembling those of a human, its skin is covered with fine scales, and its face has lost its fish-like form, making it more like a true sea creature from legend.

The fish-man named Kambu, seeing that this strange visitor only focused on sizing him up and made no attempt to introduce himself, couldn't help but feel annoyed—have all land creatures become so arrogant these days?

"I am Kambu, a city guard of the Fish-Dragon Clan."

"What is your name? Where do you come from?"

"Ahem, my name Chongxing. I traveled from Fragrant Cloud City and came here by chance. May I enter the city?"

"Fragrant Cloud City... truly from afar."

"It's your good fortune to have reached this place. To enter the city, you must present a golden token; our clan grants passage to all races."

He knew that he needed to pay to enter the city.

When I first arrived in Fragrant Cloud City, I had experienced this as well, but I didn't know if the currency commonly used by adventurers was accepted here.

"How much is required?"

"Ten gold coins."

The entrance fee is ten gold ingots?

He almost thought the thumb-sized fish-man was trying to scam him.

Just as he was about to lash out, a passing mermaid calmly stepped forward, paid ten gold coins, and leisurely entered the city.

It was a male merman, with a human body and a fish tail. His appearance was ordinary, even rough, and far removed from the magnificent descriptions in mythology.

Only after seeing that he had paid the full amount did he suppress his dissatisfaction.

It seems this price is indeed the norm.

Then there's no need to penetrate it.

If other players come here in the future, they will probably have trouble finding this money. Fortunately, ten gold coins is nothing to him.

"Take it." He handed the gold ingot to Kambu, the gatekeeper, and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute! Are you new to the Dragon Palace City? Would you like a map to show you the way?"

Is this little guy trying to make another quick buck?

"No need, I'll just wander around."

Since we already have a player map, why do we need a regular NPC map?

"This map was drawn by my own hand! It marks many secret locations that ordinary people simply cannot set foot in!"

What's the point of drawing it if you can't get in?

Of course, it can be used as intelligence.

But seeing its resolute expression, could there truly be something amiss?

"What's the price?"

"One hundred gold coins."

"Goodbye."

Zhang Mingzhen pretended to turn around again.

Although a hundred taels of gold was not a heavy burden, he was only pretending, not wanting to be fooled like a fool.

Actually, I wanted to test the waters.

"Wait! I swear, buying this is definitely a good deal! It even contains clues to a secret treasure of the merfolk!" Kambu shouted from behind.

Is it really alright to announce the treasure so loudly?

Seeing that he paused slightly, Kambu immediately caught up with him on his fish and mysteriously pulled out a roll of hand-painted parchment.

"The money and goods are settled! As a city guard, I always have that much integrity!"

What a joke! It's been operating in the city for years; why would it be afraid of a stranger causing trouble?

"... Fine, give it to me then."

It wasn't that I was truly after any secret treasure; I just didn't care about a hundred gold coins.

It's worth using to buy an opportunity.

Furthermore, Zhang Mingzhen was unwilling to continue the entanglement.

Judging from this situation, it might be difficult to escape if I don't buy it.

Let's be patient for now, and wait until we leave the city...

Seeing another hundred taels of gold in his account, Kambu was overjoyed and enthusiastically urged him to stay in the Dragon Palace City for a few more days, saying that the scenery there was excellent and hard to find elsewhere, especially certain buildings...

Having finally shaken off the persistent guards, Zhang Mingzhen unfolded the newly acquired scroll, a smile playing on his lips.

The moment the transaction was finalized, a system notification suddenly rang in his ears.

He had actually triggered a unique, secret quest.

It was alright, I didn't lose out.

In the God's Domain, special missions are always rare.

But all adventurers understand that such missions, once they appear, often mean rich rewards and unique opportunities.

According to scattered records on the forum, all the special missions that have appeared in the past have been unique, and the triggering conditions are extremely demanding.