"Slaughter Space?"
At the words, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God all paused.
It was only a name, but the bloodlust and grim menace it evoked instantly piqued the interest of these three top fighters, who had battled their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood on Earth.
Thunder God rubbed his bald head, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "Going by the name, it sounds like a great place."
Lin Yuan didn't keep them in suspense. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Whether it's a great place or not, we'll find out once we're inside. Come on, let's go to the Virtual Universe."
The four immediately sent out a sliver of consciousness and connected to the Virtual Universe Network.
Black Dragon Mountain Island, Nine Star Bay Residential Area.
With a flash of light, four figures appeared out of thin air.
Lin Yuan knew his way around and applied for teleportation service without hesitation.
The next moment, the scenery around them changed, and the roar of the crowd crashed over them like waves.
They were in a vast hall so imposing it was almost suffocating.
As soon as they landed, Luo Feng and the others were drawn to the enormous backdrop at the center of the hall—a drop of blood.
A huge, crimson drop, as if it might fall at any moment!
Though they knew it was just a virtual image, its bone-chilling killing intent still swept over them, as if declaring that this was a paradise for the strong and a graveyard for the weak.
"Impressive."
Hong stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in black as dark as ink. The fighting spirit in his eyes, however, steadily rose.
The hall was packed with people, all kinds of Cosmic Humans weaving through the crowd.
There were apemen three meters tall, stern warriors covered in scales, and bewitching alien spiritual readers. This place gathered the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector's elite, all eager to grow stronger.
"This is the Killing Field."
As he led the three onward, Lin Yuan explained, "Simply put, this is the most efficient training ground in the entire universe.
"It can provide you with a dedicated Killing Space where you can set any opponent you like—whether a fighter like yourself, a spiritual reader, or all sorts of strange and unusual cosmic beasts.
"You can fight without restraint here. Even if you die, your consciousness simply returns to your body; you won't actually perish. It's the best place to hone secret techniques and gain combat experience."
At that, Lin Yuan paused and raised a finger.
"Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch. The fees here are very steep."
"How steep?" Luo Feng asked curiously.
"They charge by the day."
Lin Yuan casually rattled off a string of figures. "It costs three million Black Dragon Coins a day for Star Level fighters. Spiritual readers pay even more: five million Black Dragon Coins, or 3,500 Ganwu Coins."
Luo Feng took the price in stride, but Hong and Thunder God couldn't help clicking their tongues. For an ordinary Universe Citizen, this place was practically a money pit.
Still, the reason Lin Yuan had brought them here today was that Luo Feng was loaded. Not long ago, Luo Feng had casually given Hong and Thunder God five hundred million Ganwu Coins each!
Ganwu Coins!
A high-grade currency with a purchasing power a thousand times greater than Black Dragon Coins.
"That's a drop in the bucket for you now," Lin Yuan said with a smile. "Life's too dull these days. If you don't find something to get your blood pumping, your bones will start to rust."
On Luo Feng's shoulder, Babata, the little demon no bigger than a fist, materialized and nodded in agreement.
"Lin Yuan's right. I was planning to bring you here myself, Luo Feng. Only by repeatedly dancing on the edge of life and death can you make the fastest progress."
The four chatted as they walked toward the counters at the back of the hall.
Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.
A hulking giant over six meters tall, with green skin from head to toe, was glaring down at two people with eyes as big as copper bells, scolding them so furiously that spittle flew.
The two wore "Universe One-Star Mercenary" badges on their chests, yet they were hunched like quails, not daring to breathe too loudly.
"Useless! You can't even handle a little thing like this, and you expect to make it in this line of work? Get out! Both of you, get out!"
The green-skinned giant's roar made the air around them buzz.
Lin Yuan's gaze swept over him, and he stirred slightly.
That appearance, that presence... No doubt about it. He was probably the hidden big shot from the original story, the man in charge behind the scenes at the Killing Field—Man Luo.
Who would have guessed that this seemingly crude, hot-tempered green giant was actually a top executive of the Virtual Universe Company?
"That big guy's got quite a temper," Thunder God muttered.
"Don't stare. He's an important person."
Lin Yuan quietly warned them, then led the three around the eye of the storm and over to the counter.
The scene was comical, but it also gave everyone a sense of the strict hierarchy in the universe. After all, the Virtual Universe couldn't kill anyone, so everyone could act without restraint here.
What they feared were those who could make their physical bodies vanish in the real world, too.
After linking their bank accounts to the Killing Field...
The four temporarily went their separate ways and began their own killing sessions.
Lin Yuan entered the Slaughter Space.
"Bzz—"
His vision blurred. When it cleared, Lin Yuan found himself in a vast stretch of starry sky.
Beneath his feet lay a massive meteorite several kilometers across. All around him stretched a brilliant river of stars—silent and profound, as if he were the only person left in the entire universe.
"This is... the Killing Field?"
A clear voice rang out.
Light gathered, and a little elf in elaborate battle armor appeared before Lin Yuan. It was his intelligent assistant, Ika.
Ika looked around and blinked. "The simulation is incredibly detailed. It's almost 99.9% lifelike."
Lin Yuan rolled his wrists, feeling the surging power inside him, and said calmly, "Enough talk. Let's begin. I can't wait any longer."
"Set opponent: Planetary Level Nine fighters."
"Number: two thousand."
"Environment: Wasteland Battlefield."
Lin Yuan rattled off the parameters, then thought for a moment and added, "My equipment... I only need one Sun God Weapon. No battle suit or anything else."
At that, Ika's little mouth fell open. She couldn't resist teasing him. "Who said you don't need anything else? I think 'confidence' is your second divine weapon, Lin Yuan."
"..." Lin Yuan laughed helplessly.
"Understood! Simulation starting!"
The moment Ika finished speaking, the serene starry sky around them shattered.
Rumble—
The ground shook violently. The meteorite transformed in an instant into a desolate wasteland of dark-red ruins. A gale swept past, carrying sand and gravel, while the air filled with the stench of blood.
Then, figures appeared out of thin air all around the wasteland, packed tightly together.
Two thousand Planetary Level Nine fighters!
Some held War Blades, while others gripped long spears. Their faces were indistinct, but the killing intent surging from them felt all too real.
"Roar!!!"
Deafening howls shook the sky. The two thousand fighters unleashed their Origin Force all at once, surging toward Lin Yuan like a flood bursting through a dam!
The sight was enough to make any fighter of the same level tremble.
Yet Lin Yuan, at the heart of the storm, remained as calm as still water.
He wore plain clothes that snapped in the gale. Slowly rising into the air, he closed his right hand around empty space.
"Bzz!"
A strangely shaped weapon, shimmering with dark golden light, appeared in his grasp.
"First form: Spine of Sky Light."
Lin Yuan murmured.
The Sun God Weapon in his hand instantly rearranged itself, transforming into a long, slender staff of dark gold.
Facing the enemy surging toward him from every direction, he didn't take a single step back. Holding the staff in one hand, he brought it crashing down toward the space below.
"Ha!"
His quiet shout rang out like thunder.
Boom!!!
The moment the staff struck, the space ahead seemed to collapse like a mirror.
A terrifying force, visible to the naked eye, spread like a tsunami. Everything in its path—rocks and the charging Planetary Level fighters alike—was pulverized!
With a single strike, a huge swath of the densely packed formation was wiped out. Hundreds of fighters turned to dust without even getting the chance to scream.
"It's not over yet."
Lin Yuan's eyes were indifferent. His hands never stopped moving.
"Transform!"
The Sun God Weapon rang out again. Countless golden blades came apart and reassembled, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive dark-gold bow—the Sky Patrol Bow.
Lin Yuan drew the bowstring. There was no arrow, but the cosmic energy drifting around them surged together, condensing on the string into a dazzling bolt of light.
"Firefly."
The first move of the Sun God Weapon!
Twang!
The bowstring quivered.
The instant the bolt shot forth, it split in midair into tens of thousands of tiny streaks of light, like fireflies filling the night sky in summer.
But these beautiful "fireflies" were deadly scythes of the Death God.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Each streak of light pierced an enemy right between the brows. They moved as fast as lightning and struck with unstoppable force.
"Rumble—"
After one final crash, the entire Wasteland Battlefield fell silent once more.
Two thousand Planetary Level Nine fighters had been wiped out in less than ten seconds!
Lin Yuan slowly descended onto the devastated ground. The Sun God Weapon in his hand turned into a streak of golden light and merged back into his body.
The surroundings twisted. The wasteland vanished, reverting to the quiet, starry Killing Space.
"Too weak."
Lin Yuan shook his head. There was no joy of victory on his face, only a trace of boredom.
"Is this what a pure data simulation is like? Their level is right, but their combat awareness is terrible. These Planetary Level fighters couldn't even touch the hem of my clothes. They were nothing but target dummies."
Ika flew over and shrugged. "You're the abnormal one. Using a Controller Divine Weapon like the Sun God Weapon to bully ordinary Planetary Level fighters is just a total mismatch."
"So a simple slaughter is no fun."
Lin Yuan's eyes glinted as he looked into the void. "If I want real pressure, I'll have to go to the Battle Arena and fight the true geniuses of the universe."
Just as he was about to leave the Killing Space and head for the more challenging Battle Arena,
the mechanical voice that had been silent for a long time suddenly rang out deep in his mind!
[Mission...]
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Before you continue