The Importance of Life Level: It Determines Lifespan

He lowered his head and quickly walked out of the shop, while simultaneously sending a message about the incident to his guild.

"What, you're still not leaving? What do you intend to do?" Xiong Ping completely abandoned all pretense of civility, his tone cold and hard.

"Nothing much, I just happened to get a new gadget and was wondering where to try it out." After saying Zhang Mingzhen activated the Killing Token in his hand.

In an instant, a dark red aura emanated from him, and all the markers of the lingering players in the shop turned into a scarlet hostile state.

There were a few players who had been selecting pet eggs in the store earlier. Sensing that something was amiss, they did not leave with One Sword Nine Provinces. Instead, a few of them quietly turned on the recording function and watched with bated breath.

"Arrogant! Men, seize him!" Xiong Ping roared, ordering his henchmen to pounce on Zhang Mingzhen.

[Xiong Ping (Level 100)]

[Status: Berserk]

"Constitution:, Strength: 9000, Agility: 7000, Intelligence: 7800, Spirit: 1698, Critical Hit: 8900, Combo: 8000"

"Physical Defense: (Berserk Boost)"

"Magic Defense: (Berserk Amplification)"

"Exclusive Skill - Hard Skin: Chant for five seconds to double your physical strength."

Zhang Mingzhen finally understood—once he turned into a hostile Red Name, he would transform into a super being, with his physical attributes increasing tenfold and his health points multiplying.

This may be a form of covert protection for the God's Domain, as well as a constraint on players' wanton attacks on native creatures.

The arrogant Xiong Ping originally intended to teach this ignorant adventurer a lesson as soon as he made a move, but who knew that the opponent's attack would destroy more than three million of his health points, leaving the entire bear stunned!

"Absolutely impossible! How could you possibly possess such strength!"

Xiong Ping was well aware of the "One Sword Nine Provinces" ability and knew it was nothing to fear, so he didn't take the adventurer he brought with him seriously.

He had only intended to teach this ignorant brat a lesson, but little did he know he had kicked a hornet's nest.

"My God! Who is this person? They actually dare to attack an NPC! Aren't all NPCs supposed to be friendly units?"

The players who were recording the battle from a distance watched as the anonymous player easily defeated the opponent with a single move, as if witnessing a miracle.

Some quick-thinking players already had a vague idea in mind, and they quickly uploaded the footage they had just recorded to the game's official website, before disappearing from the spot in a flash.

The news that the Cheater had appeared in the orc Orc City and made a move spread like wildfire throughout the entire God's Domain world's online discussion network.

"Wherever the Cheater goes, a major event is sure to follow!"

"I knew it was that bear trying to trick our expert, but it got taught a lesson right there and then!"

"It's very possible that the shopkeeper is indeed greedy, selling pets and props at ridiculously high prices... although the items are quite useful."

"You're so lucky, OP! You bumped into the expert as soon as he arrived in the Orc City and even witnessed the battle firsthand. Congratulations!"

"Congratulations?! I've already died! I lost half a level of experience, who's going to compensate me for this loss?!"

"Go ahead and ask the big shot for reimbursement if you dare!"

"Exactly! Go for it if you dare!"

"Go quickly!"

"A bunch of fools, still making sarcastic remarks. Haven't you considered that once the game is fully integrated into reality, this will be a classic case of gods fighting, and ordinary people suffering?"

"Yes, we must put these gods in shackles and prevent them from doing whatever they want!"

"That's right, in this respect, Ying Kingdom does quite well. At least in their country, ministers are very restrained in doing whatever they want."

"Sigh, don't even think about it. We won't be able to do it even in another 500 years."

"Yes, the people here only believe in the law of the jungle. They're all sociable and only think about how the strong can do whatever they want. They don't care about the life or death of the weak."

Gao Linzhi naturally noticed the comments made by these passersby.

Because what they said is correct.

This Zhang Mingzhen, the pawn he himself set up, is gradually being—no, has already been corrupted by power.

From personality to temperament, things are no longer the same as before.

At the beginning, Zhang Mingzhen was cautious and prudent, and always acted according to common sense rather than relying on force, tyranny, or oppression.

Gao Linzhi has already done some things, hoping that this pawn can be discovered in time; otherwise, the opponent will experience the feeling of going from heaven to hell, just like Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Stay true to your original aspiration, and you will achieve your goal.

At this moment, Xiong Ping was utterly devastated.

This person's attacks are not only terrifying, but their defense is also ridiculously strong. What's even more frightening is that they can heal themselves. I have absolutely no chance of winning! What should I do?

As Zhang Mingzhen unleashed another barrage of skills, his health bar plummeted.

"Wait, please wait a moment! Warrior, we can talk this over! I am a friend of One Sword Nine Provinces! I was impulsive and offended you just now!"

Zhang Mingzhen did not stop.

"Please take whatever you like from the store! Consider it my apology for this!"

There has still been no response.

"Stop fighting! If you keep fighting, I'll really die! I'll take you to see the clan's Great Elder right now!"

The storm of skills abruptly subsided.

"Oh? You finally figured it out?"

Looking at Xiong Ping, whose blood had almost drained away, Zhang Mingzhen's gaze was deep and meaningful.

"I understand, I understand. I was blind just now. I'll take you there right away!"

What terrible luck! How could I have run into this jinx today! It's all because of that One Sword Nine Provinces.

Having already left the shop, "One Sword Nine Provinces" could only watch as Xiong Ping's favorability rating plummeted in the system notification, and could only smile bitterly. This was truly an undeserved disaster.

"While you're at it, bring me all the pet Experience Pill and pet food from your shop."

Since they've already taken action, they'd be at a loss if they didn't get some compensation.

"Yes, yes, I'll get it for you right away!"

As Xiong Ping said these words, his heart bled, and once again he mentally blamed One Sword Nine Provinces...

After using the Killing Token again and deactivating combat mode, the token's durability dropped from 100 to 95.

If we include the players who were affected in the store at the time, he killed exactly five people.

It seems that in the future, it's best to clear the area before using this token to avoid wasting attempts.

If those innocent players who lost their lives knew Zhang Mingzhen's thoughts, they would probably feel even more aggrieved—even their deaths were considered insignificant.

This is the mindset of some people: the death of an ordinary person is insignificant, just a number; the only difference lies in the magnitude of the number, which determines the difficulty of handling the aftermath.

Along the way, Zhang Mingzhen had Xiong Ping lead the way and forbade him from using any medication to restore his life.

So Xiong Ping, dragging his Canxue body, led him toward the territory of the Bear Clan.

The Bear Clan's settlement is located in the southern residential area of Orc City, from where one can be directly teleported to a separate space.

The space resembled a village nestled deep within a dense forest.

Although the Bear Clan as a whole is not poor, their dwellings are surprisingly simple, consisting entirely of small wooden houses.

"Xiong, Xiong Ping, what happened to you? Is this a guest?"

Along the way, the occasional Bear Clan tribesmen he encountered saw Xiong Ping's miserable state and couldn't help but approach him to inquire, but he dismissed them all with a few words.

Until we arrived at the ancient book library within the clan's territory—from the outside, it was just as unremarkable as the other wooden houses.

The Bear Clan's Great Elder usually spends most of his time here.

"Please wait here for a moment while I knock on the door." Xiong Ping stepped forward and gently knocked on the wooden door.

"Knock knock knock, Great Elder, are you there? Xiong Ping has something to ask of you."

After a moment of silence, a response finally came from inside the house:

"I see."

"Xiong Ping, you may leave. The one outside, please come in."

Xiong Yi had clearly already sensed Zhang Mingzhen's arrival.

"Alright, alright! Please go in, esteemed guest, I'll be right there."

Xiong Ping spoke tentatively, a hint of fear hidden in his tone, as if afraid the other party might suddenly attack.

"Let's go." Zhang Mingzhen didn't say much and pushed open the door to enter.

The library was simply furnished, with only a wooden table and a few chairs, besides the scrolls stacked in the shelves on the four walls.

An elderly Bear Clan orc sat in the center, his gaze fixed on him with a complex expression.

"Have you... already glimpsed the secrets of the God's Domain?"

Xiong Yi got straight to the point without any beating around the bush.

"If you mean the law of conflict between all races and the survival of the fittest, then I do know it."

"Really."

"Ever since I heard that someone was inquiring about the Crimson Blood Jiao, I had suspected that someone had already awakened, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"Most travelers who enter the Orc City these days are around level sixty, but you have already touched that threshold... You must be the strongest being in your race?"

Zhang Mingzhen did not respond to inquiries about his own strength, but instead focused the conversation on his initial objective:

"Does the Crimson Blood Jiao still exist? How can I obtain it?"

"Don't rush. This is a long story. In short, you need to know why you are seeking the Crimson Blood Jiao."

"I need its lifeblood."

Xiong Yi nodded slightly:

"If that's the case, the Crimson Blood Jiao can still meet your needs."

"But you must understand that this is by no means easy—because they are no longer the Crimson Blood Jiao they once were."

"This lineage is originally a branch of the orc race, and they are born with the ability to condense their heart's blood."

"However, the God's Domain stripped them of their intelligence, turning them into utterly ferocious beasts, stripping them of all their talents."

"If you take his heart's blood, it's tantamount to taking his life."

At this point, a hint of sadness flashed across Xiong Yi's eyes.

"So, how do I obtain it?" Zhang Mingzhen had no concern for the life or death of the Warcraft or these so-called "alien races".

In his eyes, they were nothing more than losers under the rules of the game, who should have been wiped out long ago. Their remaining consciousness was nothing more than an accident caused by a loophole in the rules.

This is the alienation of power; it has lost its compassion for the weak and the defeated.

He thought he could remain powerful forever.

But they forgot that his own power came from an unexpected advantage, not from his own hard work and sweat; it was a castle built on the sand.

"Since you've made up your mind, there's no harm in telling you. The orc race is composed of many branches."

"Although the Crimson Blood Jiao has fallen into Warcraft, it was once one of our comrades."

"Even if I allow you to hunt them, the other tribes will never agree—unless you can first gain the approval of their leaders."

Zhang Mingzhen frowned.

Why go through all this trouble and inconvenience? Why not just tell us the location directly and we can cut our way through?

Xiong Yi seemed to sense his impatience and explained, "Back then, the surviving Crimson Blood Jiao was stripped of its intelligence for violating the laws of the God's Domain, and was later banished to a closed alien space by the leaders of various tribes."

"Only when they join forces again to open the passage will you be able to find them."

I see.

Zhang Mingzhen's thoughts stirred slightly: In this Orc City, just how many people still retain the memories of being "players"?

At least Xiong Ping seemed no different from an ordinary NPC.

" Within the Orc City, how many still retain their old memories? Or rather, how many have not yet been completely assimilated by the God's Domain?"

"Very few; every one who dies is one less."

"Now only a handful of people, such as the tribal leaders and myself, and the high priest of the Wolf Barbarians, still hold onto the memories of the past."

"But this won't last long; it will eventually dissipate completely..." Xiong Yi's voice was filled with a desolate weariness.

"How did you manage to do that? With noble Holy Relic? Does every race in the God's Domain possess Holy Relic?"

Zhang Mingzhen recalled the Holy Relic he had seen among the Azurewave Clan —a wondrous object capable of creating independent spaces and protecting the tribe.

If it weren't for the Demon Race invasion, they might have truly survived forever.

The Orc Race before them seemed to possess something similar, allowing a few to temporarily escape the erosion of the God's Domain.

What about the human race? Do they also have their own Holy Relic?

Not all races receive this favor.

"The existence of Holy Relic depends on whether a clan has produced a powerful individual of the 'Saint' rank, and whether that individual is willing to bestow blessings upon their descendants."

"Each Holy Relic has a different rank and effect."

"Like Holy Relic of our race, it can only protect members of our race who have reached a specific standard of Life Level."

"Currently, in the entire Orc City, besides myself, there are only a handful of clan leaders who meet this requirement."

"The rest have either been assimilated or have long since vanished in the course of time..."

"Extinction refers to... natural death? Does it also mean dying?"

"The 'death' you speak of refers to the assimilated members of the tribe; they do not die naturally."

"They are governed by the power of the God's Domain and are no longer ordinary beings. As long as they are not destroyed by external forces, they can exist almost eternally."

"What truly perishes is us, those who never gave up on our 'self' from beginning to end."

"Blessed by Holy Relics, we are naturally not bound by these rules; our lifespan depends on our respective rank in life."

"Taking someone at my Level-Two Life Level as an example, my lifespan will definitely not exceed two hundred years."

The Life Level can even control the length of one's life!

Now everyone has been touched by the power of the God's Domain, and those who were disabled or sick have all been restored.

All players have returned to their prime, when they were at their most energetic, but it's unknown how long this blessing will last.

If Xiong Yi's statement is true, even if the human race had never been defeated by foreign races, they would still be unable to enjoy longevity due to the constraints of their life level.

He suddenly remembered that Xi Feng had said that his life level might not even have reached level one.

Even someone at their peak couldn't outlive even a fraction of this old man?

He naturally refused to accept this fate!

Elevating Life Level is now an urgent matter.

He was determined to obtain the essence of the Crimson Blood Jiao.

We must expedite the growth and expansion of the Tide Clan to make them a useful asset.