Storm Abyss - Lava Campaign!

A deathly silence hung in the voice channel for a full ten seconds.

"Brother Feng..." Yun Zhong You's voice was thick with tears, trembling uncontrollably. "This kind of joke... isn't funny."

"I'm not joking."

Chen Feng sat in the pitch-black room, looking at his steady, powerful right hand. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Just a moment ago, I tore up the comeback application for the professional team. From today on, I, Chen Feng, am staking my life on Titan: Genesis."

"Also, keep this under wraps for now." Chen Feng's voice suddenly turned extremely stern. "Do not make this public until we have all advanced and gained a massive lead over the average player. Understand?"

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

Chen Feng knew very well that once the news that "the game can cure illnesses" leaked, it wouldn't just be ordinary players flooding in, but capital giants and state apparatuses. By then, if they, as a few lone-wolf players, didn't have a massive advantage, they wouldn't even get to drink the broth. While it was inevitable that large organizations would find out eventually, everyone had their own selfish motives and hoped to seize the initiative.

"Right now, the key that can change our destiny is in the Gene Shop." Chen Feng glanced at the game screenshot, his brows furrowed. "But after I bought that one, the shop displayed [Restocking], with no specific time given."

"Restocking?" Dali Chu Qiji was stunned. "Key items like this have a cooldown?"

"The system prompt says: 'Current theater divinity recovery insufficient, unable to condense.' It seems money alone isn't enough." Chen Feng took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The system is forcing us to push the progress. Only by opening up new maps and recovering more resources will the shop restock."

High-dimensional perspective: Titan Divine Body.

Gu Yuan stared at the vast, boundless star map.

Although the players were fighting fiercely in the Storm Abyss (the entrance to the lungs) and had established several outposts, in Gu Yuan's vision, this group of little ants was merely brushing against the entrance of [Right Lung Lobe - Bronchiole No. 494 - A7 District].

This was a long corridor stretching tens of millions of kilometers. Yet, the players' efforts over this past week had only pushed the front line forward by less than 5 kilometers, with their furthest range of activity being no more than 30km.

"Too slow."

Gu Yuan looked at that despair-inducing progress bar. At this rate, by the time they cleared this single bronchiole, he would have already cooled down completely.

"Small-scale skirmishes with ten thousand people won't cut it. This is an interstellar war; it requires legion-level scale."

Gu Yuan glanced at the skyrocketing engagement and bio-energy reserves in the backend. Stimulated by the first class-transfer event of Feng Xing Tian Xia, combined with the spread of those "hyper-realistic" videos on the forums, the number of account applications from Blue Star had already exceeded ten million.

"Then let's expand recruitment."

With a wave of his hand, Gu Yuan not only opened up capacity but also used divine power to launch a precise information-stream bombardment across all major social media platforms on Blue Star.

[Titan: Genesis Third Beta Test Announcement (No Data Wipe)]

[Version Codename: Star River Expedition]

[Additional Slots: 39,000 (Total: 50,000).]

[New Content: Legion System, Campaign Quests, Regional Boss Bounties.]

[Slogan: This is not just a game; this is an epic expedition spanning light-years. We are waiting for you in the abyss.]

This wave of expansion completely blew up the Blue Star player circle. Fifty thousand slots! Although it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of applicants, it was already the largest-scale holographic game test on the market.

In-game time, the first day of the third beta.

Coordinates: Storm Abyss - Dawn Fortress.

White light descended like a torrential rain. Thirty-nine thousand new players arrived, instantly turning the once-spacious fortress into a crowded mess.

"Move it! Don't block my view!"

"Is this the world of Titan? It's too realistic!"

"Forming a party! LV.1 noob looking for a carry! I can cheer for you!"

Up on the fortress command tower, Feng Xing Tian Xia watched this scene coldly. He had already logged back in. Although he was terrifyingly strong after his class transfer, he didn't rush to solo that Living Flame - Ember.

Because he knew that on this front line, individual power was insignificant. The monster tide was endless; he couldn't even make a splash on his own.

[Server-wide Long-term Epic Campaign Released: Storm Abyss - Lava Campaign]

[Description: We are currently trapped in the narrow corridor at the entrance of the Storm Abyss. Ahead lies the Lava Zone, filled with endless darkness and fire. For the sake of survival and to reclaim the territory of the Titan, we must launch an all-out offensive.]

[Campaign Objectives:]

Push the front line: Advance into the depths of the mist; every new "100-kilometer-class outpost" established counts as a phased victory.

Clear obstacles: Kill high-risk creatures blocking the advance along the way.

[High-risk Creature Bestiary (Expandable)]

[Campaign Reward Mechanism (Shared Server-wide):]

Every 10 kilometers the front line advances: Gene Shop [Titan Blood (Diluted Version)] inventory +1.

Advance 50 kilometers: Gene Shop unlocks [Guild Creation Token].

Advance 100 kilometers: Unlock [Chitin Standard Set (Green Gear)].

Seeing the first reward, Feng Xing Tian Xia's pupils contracted sharply.

"10 kilometers... one potion."

This was even more brutal than he had imagined. Out of fifty thousand players, only one slot was generated for every 10 kilometers pushed forward.

This meant that only the true top-tier powerhouses, or leaders who controlled massive resources, were worthy of "rebirth."

"Since those are the rules..." Feng Xing Tian Xia opened the server-wide [Regional Channel].

As the only player in the entire server to have completed a class advancement, his messages came with a golden border, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

Feng Xing Tian Xia:

"I am Feng Xing Tian Xia."

"I know many of you want to head deeper to see the sights or hunt for the legendary boss mentioned in the bestiary for gear."

"But you won't make it through."

"Starting 30 kilometers ahead is the Lava Zone. The ambient temperature there is extremely high, and the air is filled with flame toxins."

"If your level isn't high enough, entering alone will get you roasted dry in three seconds."

The channel erupted in an uproar.

"How are we supposed to play this?"

"Even Feng-shen can't get through?"

Feng Xing Tian Xia:

"There is a 'Living Flame' blocking the entrance to the Lava Zone. It counts as an elite monster, but there should be plenty more elite monsters like it inside the Lava Zone."

"If we don't kill it, we can't even build the first new outpost. If we don't push the front line, the shop won't stock new items."

"So, this isn't just for me; it's for the gaming experience of all of you."

"Now, everyone who wants to go to the new map, listen to my command."

"Oh, right, newbies should probably go grind some levels on their own first."

Coordinates: A7 District Frontline - Flame Corridor Entrance.

This was a narrow canyon terrain where gale-force winds howled, carrying waves of heat.

At the exit of the canyon, [Living Flame: Ember] (LV.12 Elite) stood like a burning lighthouse. The [High Temperature Aura] radiating from its body distorted the air within a hundred-meter radius.

Any creature that stepped into this range would suffer 30-50 points of burn damage per second. For current players who only had a few hundred HP, this was a forbidden zone.

"This heatwave is too insane!" Dali Chu Qiji stood at a safe distance, feeling as if his eyebrows were about to singe. "Feng-ge, how do we handle this?"

"Field coverage."

Feng Xing Tian Xia commanded calmly, "We can't fight while tanking the heat. That's environmental damage; we have to use the environment to counter the environment."

"Yun Zhong You, lead the Life Weaver squad into the field!"

"Understood!"

Yun Zhong You waved her hand, and two thousand Life Weaver players behind her stepped forward in unison. They didn't attack; instead, they carried massive liquid storage tanks on their backs.

"All units, prepare—[Bio-Gel]!"

Pshhh—!

Two thousand streams of white gel sprayed out like a torrential downpour, coating the scorching ground ahead.

The moment these gels touched the high-temperature ground, they hissed and rapidly hardened, forming a white layer of thermal insulation.

"Keep laying it down! Don't stop! Cover the entire ground for me!"

Under the efforts of the Life Weavers, a white "cooling path" was extending toward the monster's feet.

"Divine Guard squad! Shield wall, prepare!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia waved his hand again.

Dali Chu Qiji (LV.9) let out a roar and raised the custom-made [Heavy Bone Shield] in his hand, which had been reinforced with three extra layers of chitin.

"Brothers! Charge with me! Whoever retreats is a coward!"

"Kill!!"

Five thousand Divine Guard players followed closely behind, stepping onto the gel path laid by the Life Weavers, shields raised as they charged into the high-temperature zone.

[Warning: Entering high-temperature zone, protected by gel, damage reduced by 50%.]

[Taking 15 points of burn damage per second.]

"Healers! Keep the health up! Don't stop!"

The Life Weavers in the back kept laying the path while frantically casting healing skills.

The Living Flame was finally disturbed.

It let out a roar, its massive flaming fist slamming heavily toward the group of Divine Guards charging like ants.

Boom!

Fists slammed into the shield wall, and a wave of heat exploded outward.

Dozens of Divine Guard in the front row saw their health bars bottom out instantly, with a few even being shaken to death on the spot.

"Hold the line! Don't scatter!" Dali Chu Qiji felt as though his arms were about to snap, but he braced himself firmly against his shield. "As long as we aren't one-shot, we can be healed back up!"

This was the cruelty of positional warfare. The front line was resisting with their lives.

"Now!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia's eyes sharpened.

The giant's attack recovery animation had begun.

"Spirit Pivot Envoy! Cover with lightning nets!"

Three thousand Spirit Pivot Envoy had been ready and waiting.

"Thunder, come!"

Thunder King pointed his staff.

Crackle—!

Lightning filling the sky converged into a blue ocean, crashing fiercely onto the giant's body.

Although level suppression meant each player could only deal single-digit forced damage, three thousand single digits stacked together meant a bloodbath!

The giant's health bar visibly jumped.

And the true killing blow lay in the shadows.

Feng Xing Tian Xia activated Shadow Step.

Like a bolt of black lightning, he crossed the hundred-meter battlefield in an instant, appearing directly behind the giant's burning spine—where a fissure flowing with golden magma served as its core.

The purple Shadow Fang in his hand, carrying the full power of the server's first advanced-class player, stabbed fiercely into the gap!

Pfft!

[-620! (Weakness Critical Hit)]

[Passive Triggered: Wound Laceration (Continuous Bleeding)]

"ROAR—!"

The giant roared in agony, trying to turn and swat this little insect.

But Feng Xing Tian Xia had already dissipated into a cloud of black mist, reappearing in another blind spot the next second.

"Don't even think about touching me."

Feng Xing Tian Xia's voice was cold. He was like an elegant reaper, dancing amidst the giant's fury.

"Divine Guard! Jam its feet! Don't let it move!"

"Spirit Pivot Envoy! Keep blasting! Don't save your mana!"

"Life Weaver! The gel in the front is melting! Patch it up! Hurry!"

This was a surgical operation of demon-slaying, precise to the extreme.

Tens of thousands of players, including the newbies who had come to slack off (though only the few thousand in the front could actually reach the monster), functioned like a massive machine, running at high speed under the command of Feng Xing Tian Xia.

Ten minutes later.

Accompanied by a heaven-shaking wail, the ten-meter-tall Living Flame finally collapsed, its massive body disintegrating into a rain of fire and white light of experience.

[Killed Living Flame: Ember (LV.12 Elite)!]

[Obstacle cleared.]

"We won!!!"

Cheers rang out to the heavens.

Feng Xing Tian Xia stood on the giant's corpse, which had yet to cool, without celebrating.

He glanced at his system panel.

Frontline Advancement: 30.5 kilometers.
Titan Blood (Diluted Version) Stock: 3
Distance to next "Titan Blood" unlock: 9.5 kilometers.

Feng Xing Tian Xia raised an eyebrow; clearing the gatekeeper had jumped their progress significantly. It seemed the scattered mobs weren't much of a threat after all.

"Don't stop."

Feng Xing Tian Xia pointed his sword toward the bottomless dark corridor ahead.

The fog parted slightly, revealing even denser swarms of monsters and an even harsher environment behind it.

"This was just a gatekeeper."

"Push the frontline forward! Charge!"

Higher-dimensional perspective.

Gu Yuan watched as the players, like worker ants, swarmed forward the moment the elite monster fell, beginning to establish a new temporary base, laying down beacons, and clearing out the surrounding lesser mobs.

The progress bar, which had previously been stagnant, finally began to tick forward slowly but steadily.

"Very good."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly.

"At this rate, we should be able to secure a foothold within the first 50km by today."

"However, as we push deeper, the stronger monsters should be getting restless soon."