Qi Sheng sat cross-legged atop the altar, several split-screen displays floating before him. They showed live footage of players battling in the Gloomy Cave.
After two days of successive attacks, the players had successfully advanced to the third underground level.
The number of Iron Shell Bugs here had clearly increased, and large numbers of controlled Dungeon Clan creatures roamed the area. The intensity of the fighting had risen dramatically.
As the players died more frequently, their gains increased as well.
What delighted the players was that the spirit ore on the third underground level was far higher in quality than the ore they had found on the first level.
The primary spirit ore on the first level was Energy Stone, a Level 1 spirit ore. But most of the ore mined from the rock walls on the third level was Essence Energy Stone, a Level 2 spirit ore. Sacrificing each one to Di Zhao yielded more than 10 points of Sacrificial Power.
The only drawback was that mining had become more difficult.
The rock walls on the third underground level were hard, and ordinary shovels could barely break through them. The players needed to buy more advanced mining tools from the shop.
Combat costs, revival costs, equipment upgrades, monster loot... Since he had issued the mission to purify the Gloomy Cave, Qi Sheng's earnings had increased significantly.
The Sacrificial Power he skimmed off each day was enough to recruit 60 players.
Around 200,000 Sacrificial Power flowed into the Sacrificial Power Pool each day. But barring special circumstances, he wouldn't touch the portion that belonged to the players.
Before starting his recruitment plan, he had carefully considered whether to use the players' Sacrificial Power.
Essentially, the Sacrificial Power balance the players saw was just a string of numbers. The Sacrificial Power wasn't stored on their persons. Whenever they used it, it was drawn from the Sacrificial Power Pool beneath Emperor's Tomb Village, converted into the corresponding energy or item, then sent to them.
So all the Sacrificial Power the players earned was in his hands.
But the players could withdraw their share at any time, spending it on shop purchases, improving their Astral Veins, raising their Body Tempering levels, and so on.
If he spent too much, a player might try to use their Sacrificial Power only for him to have no reserves left to pay out because he had diverted so much of it.
The Sacrificial Power Pool he controlled was like a bank, with Sacrificial Power serving as real-world currency.
Depositing Sacrificial Power also consumed it. The difference was that he couldn't earn a profit by loaning it out, so he couldn't leverage it. Whatever he spent, he would have to replenish later.
To avoid depleting the Sacrificial Power reserves, he had decided never to touch the players' share unless circumstances demanded it. He would only use the portion that belonged to him after his cut.
[Boss, they're fighting again!]
Guidance's voice interrupted Qi Sheng's thoughts.
He looked up at one of the screens before him. Hundreds of players had encountered a Dungeon Clan creature leading a group of Iron Shell Bugs, and the battle began at once.
The players switched into monster forms and clashed head-on with the Iron Shell Bugs.
After observing them for the past few days, Qi Sheng had noticed that the players used tactics sensibly in small-scale battles. But once the fighting grew larger, they became completely disorganized, charging straight into the fray like reckless brutes. The battlefield descended into chaos, with everyone fighting their own targets.
The local voice channel was even more chaotic.
"Hey, fire-user, can you stop throwing fireballs everywhere? If your aim's that bad, give your eyes to someone else. Hit me again and I'll hit back!"
"That guy up front is fierce. He charged into a whole swarm of Iron Shell Bugs and Taunted them, but didn't even last three seconds before turning into black smoke. What a pointless way to die, hahaha!"
"Stop pushing me! I'm low on health and need to go back and heal. Please, stop pushing! If I go any farther, I'm really going to die!"
"Hahaha, I picked up three Iron Shell Bug cores. Even if I die this round, it was worth it."
With a battlefield this chaotic, accidental injuries were inevitable.
In real life, players would respond politely and humbly even to a bump while passing someone. But in a game world without any restraints, they let their true nature run free. If they had a grievance, they'd curse the other person on the spot. If they had a grudge, they'd fight them outright.
Also, after killing a monster, players received Sacrificial Power and Evolution Points directly, but they had to pick up the core essence dropped when an Iron Shell Bug was refined.
Faced with loot lying on the ground, players never bothered to ask who it belonged to. They simply snatched it up.
As all kinds of conflicts flared, players fought one another even while battling the Iron Shell Bugs.
But despite their internal squabbles, their main targets remained the Iron Shell Bugs and the Dungeon Clan creatures.
The battle raged on. Under the control of the Dungeon Clan warriors, the Iron Shell Bugs fought just as fearlessly, and casualties on both sides continued to mount.
The players' advantage lay in how quickly reinforcements could arrive. Those behind the front lines would rapidly fill the gaps left by fallen players and keep fighting.
From a bird's-eye view, the players advancing underground formed a long queue. Although several forks in the third-level passages split them off in different directions, the players on the first two levels were simply waiting in line for their turn to fight.
While waiting, players browsed the forums and chatted, or watched the livestreams of those fighting at the very front. Some also picked up their Pickaxes and mined to pass the time until their turn to charge arrived.
The rapid arrival of reinforcements made the players' advance underground seem steady.
One group fell, another took its place, and they gradually wore down the Iron Shell Bugs and Dungeon Clan creatures.
The players' ability to revive without limit was of little use against the overwhelmingly powerful Evil Spirit Warriors. But against evenly matched Iron Shell Bugs, it was practically unbeatable.
Judging by the current pace, it was only a matter of time before they took the Gloomy Cave.
The battle on the screen ended in less than twenty minutes. The players had cleared the route at the cost of 692 lives.
Ahead lay another fork in the path. The players split up there and continued onward.
Another split-screen appeared on the display before Qi Sheng, following one of the groups.
[Boss, we've found an Origin Source!]
At Guidance's alert, Qi Sheng turned to a screen on his right.
The monster on the screen was bound and imprisoned in a cave by specially made chains, much like the one they had Taunted earlier. It looked like an oversized salamander, with a long tail and a rounded head. A layer of glistening slime covered its body. It glared fiercely at the players, baring two rows of sharp teeth.
The analysis quickly appeared in Qi Sheng's mind.
[Eat Qi (First Generation Origin)]:
Hunting Level: 12
Trait Ability: Eat Qi
Trait Analysis: It can automatically filter energy particles from the air as it breathes, replenishing its spiritual power and Qi and Blood.
Guidance's Note: The replenishment effect depends on the concentration of energy particles in the surrounding area. For example, areas with a stronger lunar phase generally have more energy particles in the air, allowing spiritual power and Qi and Blood to recover faster through breathing.
Containment Tip: Killing an Origin Source monster automatically completes its containment. All participants in the kill share a huge reward.
Seeing that it was an Origin Source monster, Qi Sheng immediately perked up.
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