Domain Nodes

Ancient Battlefield.

Bones lay piled everywhere.

Just then, a mass of ink-black flame traced a crescent through the air, arcing over the bone piles and striking a Cursed Soldier with pinpoint accuracy. Blazing flames immediately swallowed the Cursed Soldier.

Before long, ten figures vaulted over the bone piles and reached the Cursed Soldier, which was still burning but already dead.

"Hahaha! Combining martial skills is incredible. From now on, I can kill targets without even needing line of sight."

The speaker was a young man of about twenty. In human form, ink-black flames curled around him, and his expression was smug.

Watching this, Li Zheng and the others could hardly hide their envy.

"Damn, the Eagle Head Demon was the weakest in combat, but with Bone Fire, it's become the meta answer."

After Guidance's demonstration and explanation, Li Zheng and the others already knew that in human form, they could combine the power traits of different monsters. Even so, Eat Earth's performance had left them stunned.

The Eagle Head Demon's monster trait was Wailing.

When activated, the ability displayed a sensory view centered on the user and spreading outward. Its initial range was a fifty-meter radius, expanding to a hundred-meter radius at level five.

Bone Fire's ability was control over the flames of death.

Combining the two allowed its user to lock onto units within a hundred-meter radius through perception, then launch precise ranged attacks without needing line of sight.

It was the first time Li Zheng and the others had seen the power of combining monster traits.

"It's great, but unfortunately, my Body Tempering level is zero. In human form, I can only use the traits of two monster forms, but I can't inherit their attributes. Using two abilities at once makes me a little dizzy." Eat Earth couldn't help complaining, then continued:

"I just asked Guidance. Going from Body Tempering level zero to level one takes 10,000 Sacrificial Power. In the early stages, we still have to focus on monster form while we clear the area. My mental strength in human form isn't enough to use monster skills frequently."

After analyzing the power traits of different monster forms, only Eat Earth and Fun Without Paying, the players who had chosen the Eagle Head Demon as their starting form, embedded a Bone Fire Monster Soul in their Astral Veins as their second monster form.

Li Zheng and the others decided not to embed a new monster form for the time being.

According to Guidance, the cost of raising Astral Vein levels increased steadily with each level.

So they could wait until a suitable monster trait appeared before embedding a second Monster Soul. For now, they would fight in Black Armor Snake form.

The rewards for killing Bone Fire also made Li Zheng and the others eager to contain new Primal Monsters.

They could already imagine how, in the later stages of the game, every player would combine different monster traits to create all kinds of Astral Vein builds. Just thinking about it sounded incredibly fun.

While Li Zheng and the others explored ways to combine monster abilities, another group of players entered the game and headed west of Emperor's Tomb Village.

The large group of thirty players swept aside the Cursed Soldiers blocking their path as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Just then, another Cursed Soldier rose from a pile of remains up ahead.

The thirty players immediately pounced on it like hungry tigers, leaping toward the Cursed Soldier as it got to its feet.

Drunk Milk: Brothers, let me have this one! We've been killing Cursed Soldiers all the way here, and I haven't gotten a single share. Don't be so unreasonable!

Black Ball: This one's mine. Whoever tries to steal it is my son!

Iron Hammer: Cute Kid, you're already level two and you're still trying to steal kills? Have you no decency? Forget about the 200 you owe me, then!

The scene descended into chaos. The players were like ravenous wolves when they saw a Cursed Soldier, and before long, they had dismantled it into a pile of bones.

Black Ball, who had claimed the kill, beamed with delight. The other players wore dejected expressions.

But the thrill of fighting over kills, leveling up, and working together to clear the area and grow stronger brought them a joy they hadn't felt in a long time.

"This game is insane. I thought the promotional stuff was exaggerated. A game with a hundred percent immersion? How could that even be possible? But now I'm convinced."

"Seriously, the attribute boosts from leveling up feel incredible. I can experience what it's like to be a superhuman here. I can jump several meters high."

Just then, Cute Kid, who was leading the group, suddenly spoke up:

"Brothers, the regional alert just said a group of players killed a Primal Monster and got a huge reward. Let's go find one too."

As he spoke, Cute Kid turned to the Guiding Water Orb following beside him.

"Guidance, are there any Primal Monsters nearby that we can kill?"

[Primal Monsters are scattered throughout Monster World. Though there are an enormous number of them, they are free-roaming individuals, with no specific territory restricting their movements. You could encounter one anywhere. You might even come across one after walking just a few steps.]

Realizing that Primal Monsters were special monsters that spawned at random locations, Cute Kid felt a little disappointed.

The group continued west.

Whenever a Cursed Soldier appeared along the way, everyone fought to kill it using their own abilities. The journey was accompanied by all kinds of insults, making for a lively scene.

An hour later, the group crossed the Ancient Battlefield, strewn with bones. Ahead lay a vast plain overgrown with blood-red plants. In the distance, a huge boulder stood on the plain, looking like the open maw of a monster roaring at the sky.

When they opened the map, the area that had been shrouded in fog became clear, and a label appeared: Crimson Plains.

Just then, a notification appeared in every player's mind:

[Challenger Alert: A primal Domain Node has been discovered. Occupying the primal node will grant enormous rewards (shared among all participants).]

As the notification appeared, a crimson marker showed up on the map in the Crimson Plains, pointing to the boulder on the plain.

The sudden mission instantly excited the group. It meant that a generous reward was on its way.

Without the slightest hesitation, the thirty players headed toward the stone statue, even though they knew danger might lie ahead.

Only when they reached it did they discover that the statue's open mouth was actually an entrance to an underground cavern. Red vines crawled all over it, hanging over the entrance like a curtain.

Cute Kid: Brothers, are we going in or not?

Drunk Milk: Obviously. We came all this way—how could we not go in?

Iron Hammer: Stone Gargoyle form, activate! Brothers, charge with me!

After a brief discussion, all the players agreed to enter the cavern and explore.

The light dimmed as they entered.

Iron Hammer, at the front, summoned the shop panel and spent one point of Sacrificial Power to buy a torch, then led the way and lit the path ahead.

The cavern passage was narrow, wide enough for only two people to walk abreast. The group formed a long line as they explored deeper.

They hadn't gone far when Iron Hammer, at the head of the line, suddenly stopped and crouched to look at a glowing plant by his feet.

The plant stood half a meter tall. Its long, supple leaves looked as if they had been carved from jade, scattering specks of starlight through the darkness.

Drunk Milk: Why'd you stop? Is something up ahead?

Marble: Did we run into a monster? What's its Hunting level?

Gulu: Iron Hammer, say something! What happened?

In response to everyone's questions, Iron Hammer, at the very front, shared the plant's information in the group channel.

[Valley Grass]

Spirit Level: Level 2.

Spirit Plant Description: A low-level spirit plant unique to the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range. Eating it can sharpen the five senses and provide a permanent, slight boost. It can also be used for Sacrifice in exchange for Sacrificial Power.

Note: Sacrificial Power can be used to strengthen Astral Veins or shop in the mall. It can be traded among Challengers.

Class Monitor: Holy crap, we found something good as soon as we entered the cave. I'm a college student. I want this!

"Get lost!"

Everyone loudly rebuked Marble for his shameless demand.

Iron Hammer, however, turned to the beginner's Guide floating beside him.

"Guide, the information says it can be used for Sacrifice. What does that mean?"

[Open the function panel to find Sacrifice. Challengers can offer anything containing spiritual properties to Di Zhao in exchange for Sacrificial Power.]

Following the Guide's instructions, Iron Hammer summoned the function panel and opened the Sacrifice feature.

A translucent altar interface appeared before him. Its base was built from massive black stones, and its surface looked weathered by ages of wind and rain, mottled with age. Exquisitely carved monster totems encircled the altar, each lifelike, while a cluster of crimson flames burned at its center.

On the right side of the interface was a spatial inventory, with fifty slots for storing items.

[Put the Valley Grass into your spatial inventory, then use your mind to drag it onto the altar to offer it as a Sacrifice.]

Hearing this, Iron Hammer crouched down and pulled the Valley Grass out of the crack in the ground, roots and all.

He summoned the spatial inventory feature, and a black vortex appeared before him. He tossed the Valley Grass straight into it.

A miniature model of the Valley Grass immediately appeared in the first slot of his inventory.

He summoned the Sacrifice interface again and used his mind to drag the Valley Grass to the crimson flames at the center of the altar.

The moment it touched the flames, the Valley Grass burned to ash. A mass of crimson energy flew out of the illusory interface and merged with his body.

[Challenger Alert: Sacrificed a level-two spirit plant, Valley Grass. Reward received from Di Zhao: 109 points of Sacrificial Power.]

The notification also appeared in the group voice channel.

Iron Hammer: Brothers, I tested the Sacrifice feature for everyone. Turns out it's really useful. You can throw anything you don't need in there and turn it into Sacrificial Power.

"Get lost!"

The players behind him raised their middle fingers at Iron Hammer's shameless claim and demanded that he split the rewards from the Sacrifice evenly, even if that meant each person got only three points of Sacrificial Power.