Chapter 96 – The Whole World is Searching for Tianyuan

Outside Tianyuan Territory, the Crimson Mist began to thin, gradually dissipating from view.

The orange-red twilight fell upon the earth, burning like flames over the scattered limbs and wreckage, scorching the sin and filth.

The Lord’s Trial had ended. The crimson in the monsters’ eyes receded, and they fled instinctively in disarray.

Yet, the battle outside Tianyuan Territory was not entirely over.

Skeleton Warriors, Specters, Abominations, Skeleton Mages… along with numerous Skeleton Soldiers, Ghouls, Jiangshi, and other undead creatures, surged forward, surrounding the figure at the center.

Now, they were the tide.

Through the eyes of the Hurricane Falcon, Mu Yuan watched from afar.

This enemy, likely the ‘Night Dancer,’ wielded two dark silver short blades, slashing out saber rays several meters long with each swing, having already slain countless undead creatures.

However, under the strategic skill ‘Death Legion,’ undead creatures were the one thing they had in abundance.

“This is an extremely powerful foe,”

Deadbone thought to himself.

Thus, he refused to step forward, merely commanding these undead creatures—who were not companions and whose deaths mattered little—to launch wave after wave of assaults.

The Night Dancer gradually grew exhausted.

Staggering, the crimson in their eyes faded as the Crimson Mist thinned.

They glanced around, their gaze passing over the many undead creatures, lingering briefly on the Undead General standing far away, then turning toward the human territory, staring at the tightly shut doors and windows of the Mage Tower.

They knew full well that the human lord was inside.

“You… will end up just like us.”

“Cough… kill me!”

The wind was too loud for Deadbone to hear.

He simply waved his hand cautiously, ordering the remaining undead creatures to surge forward and overwhelm the figure.

Lord Mu looked at the collapsed earthen walls, the somewhat ravaged land of his territory, and the scratches on the Arrow Towers, feeling a lingering fear.

“If the number of enemies had doubled, it would have been truly dangerous.”

…

At that moment, countless newly minted lords who had just survived the trial shared the same lingering fear.

Lord A gazed at their territory, where almost no intact structures remained—only ruins and debris—and at the dozen or so battered soldiers holding their ground before the Lord Altar. They slumped to the ground, tears and mucus flowing uncontrollably.

After a while, they let out a low chuckle, which grew increasingly wild and unrestrained, until they threw their head back and roared with laughter, the sound echoing for hundreds of meters.

“I’m a lord! I’ve finally become a lord!”

“I survived!”

The battles were fierce, even brutal.

At first, many spectators had been eagerly discussing, hurling insults at viewers with differing opinions, hoping that the top-tier second-generation heirs they supported—and had bet on in the black market—would sweep aside all competitors in the trial and ascend to the supreme throne of the Rookie King.

But as the battles grew increasingly gruesome, with troops falling one after another in the live streams and even some players’ territories being completely overrun and destroyed in terror, the spectators fell silent.

They craved drama, but they also understood that what they were witnessing was real—promising new lords had died. What, then, would become of ordinary players like them?

The Crimson Mist truly foretold great calamity!The forum in the latter half of the night was almost silent, a state that persisted until dawn when the monster tide receded. Only then did the spectating players finally loosen their tense nerves.

“This year’s trial has been particularly brutal.”

“After all, the monsters are stronger than before, yet the preparation time given to newcomers was shorter. Will future Lord trials always be this dangerous?”

“I fear they might become even more perilous, or perhaps Lord trials may cease to exist altogether.”

An insider remarked thus.

After much deliberation, since the difficult hurdle had been overcome, people still focused more on the final rankings of the trial.

Who, after all, had claimed the top spot?

A player asked, but no one answered.

The trial’s golden leaderboard was merely a small sheet, suspended high in the sky. New Lords could naturally see the tiny characters on it when they looked up, but spectators outside the arena could not.

They could only wait for the announcements from the Lords inside.

However, due to the fierce battles, the official players and corporate players responsible for reporting had been too preoccupied to attend to other matters, leaving a gap in announcements for over two hours.

“I remember it was the dark horse named ‘Tianyuan Territory’ that appeared like a comet and forcefully claimed the top spot? But in my opinion, Wangba Territory still has a better chance.”

“I think so too.”

“+1+1+1.”

But as the trial concluded, the formal Lords who had caught their breath quickly provided the latest updates.

The one who claimed the top spot was still Tianyuan!

Moreover, for several hours, Wangba Territory had been unable to shake Tianyuan in the slightest. From the moment he appeared, he had been like an invincible king, dominating the world.

The players who had been praising other Lords fell silent abruptly.

Countless eyes fixed on the two characters “Tianyuan,” with expressions of confusion, surprise, “holy crap,” disbelief… all sorts of emotions surfacing one after another.

“To surpass top second-generation heirs like Wang Erteng and Liu Miumiu, who exactly is he?”

“He must be another super second-generation heir!”

“Investigate, keep investigating! This is big news. Whoever gets the first-hand information about Tianyuan Territory will be rewarded three million!”

“Three hours and you still haven’t found anything? Are you all useless?!”

But all information about new territories comes from the individuals themselves or their acquaintances, allowing others to follow the clues and find some leads. Tianyuan Territory, however, seemed to have sprung out of a crack in a rock, appearing out of thin air.

Where could they even begin to investigate!

How could a young person keep their information so tightly sealed, not revealing even a hint?

Casual players were searching, news reporters were searching, major corporations and factions—everyone was searching.

And yet, there were no results.

Who exactly was he?

…

“It must be him!”

In Tide-Calling Territory, Liu Miumiu gazed into the distance and stated with certainty.

This was within expectations; she wasn’t surprised at all.

But who exactly was that incredibly mysterious young man who had left her with only a glimpse of his back?

She pondered, searched, and compared.

Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind and quickly took root. “Is it possible that he isn’t a second-generation heir?”

…

Jiang Luoxing looked at the countless players speculating about Tianyuan Territory on the forum and chuckled.

“Everyone’s stunned, aren’t they?”

“Can’t find him? That’s exactly right.”

“I know, but I’m not telling.”

He hummed a tune, feeling more delighted seeing other players shocked and confused than he did about his own 13th place ranking.

After reveling in his amusement for a while, Jiang Luoxing suddenly froze. “Wait a minute, I don’t actually know who the mysterious big shot is either. Damn!”

…

In a certain small circle of second-generation Lords.”Damn, whose territory is Tianyuan Territory anyway? Step up now, don’t make me kneel down and beg for an answer!”

“To be fair, the lord trial rankings aren’t solely based on results. If I hadn’t encountered so few monster forces and weak siege intensity in my area, I could have climbed at least a few more spots. Surpassing Tianyuan Territory wouldn’t have been impossible either.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Some even comforted a certain Wang who had narrowly missed the top spot with similar words.

But reading these messages, Lord Wang Ba merely sneered, “Heh, do you really think it’s just bad luck? You have no idea how terrifying Tianyuan Territory truly is!”

Only he understood deeply – this was an immense mountain, one worth striving to catch up to.

(End of Chapter)