Return to Tianren City

The three of them returned to Zhong Yi’s room, staring at each other in silence.

Though they had died quickly—turning into soul tombs the moment they landed, not once but twice—

their hearts were filled with… no, utterly consumed by a sense of unfinished business!

Back in the room, they feverishly dissected their mistakes, their spirits burning with excitement.

The combat illusions crafted by Lu Ze had far exceeded their wildest expectations!

"Naraka: Bladepoint" had delivered one surprise after another.

If it were just mindless fighting, no matter how flashy the skills or powerful the techniques, it would have been utterly dull to them.

After all, they’d experienced countless battles in reality.

What difference would it make from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realms they’d faced before?

But "Naraka: Bladepoint" was different.

Beyond basic combat, it introduced an entirely new rock-paper-scissors system of "normal attacks," "charged strikes," and "parrying."

Thinking of the mechanics, Zhong Yi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Now that he reflected on it, wasn’t the allure of Lu Ze’s illusions precisely their unique rules and mechanics?

Of course, the novelty wasn’t limited to just the combat system.

"The last surviving team obtains a treasure"—such a setting wasn’t unheard of in Heavenly Dao Secret Realms.

Fierce battles were nothing new, and Zhong Yi wasn’t the type to be easily impressed by that alone.

But adding resource abundance into the mix,

along with the twist that everyone started empty-handed and had to scavenge supplies to strengthen themselves—that was what made the illusion truly shine.

With so many variables at play, every confrontation became a gamble filled with unknowns!

"Just how does Junior Brother Lu’s brain work, coming up with such an ingenious illusion?"

Zhong Yi clicked his tongue in admiration.

"So, Old Zhong, are we dropping into Celestial City again?"

Zhou Yue, still savoring the last battle, asked eagerly.

"Of course we are. Why wouldn’t we?"

Zhong Yi nodded without hesitation.

"Celestial Arena—if you’ve got a blade, come play… But Old Zhou, you keep watch outside this time. Let Junior Brother Mu and I loot the supply piles."

"Pah! I got a blade last round, alright…"

"You mean that white-tier sword from a golden pile? Even your livestream viewers came to complain to me about it…"

……

The three of them boarded the airship once more, their destination still Celestial City.

In the original "Naraka: Bladepoint," each match had 60 players.

To maximize demonic energy gains, Lu Ze had increased that number to 99.

The illusion was vast enough to accommodate them all anyway.

This time, there were no troublemakers like Chu Feiyu egging them on, but as the airship passed over Celestial City, cultivators still leaped off like dumplings into a boiling pot.

"Old Zhou, Junior Brother Mu—drop onto Celestial Bridge! Don’t miss it!!"

Zhong Yi shouted mid-air.

In the last round, during their soul return, they’d caught a glimpse of the high-tier supply piles shimmering near Celestial Bridge.

Located at the heart of Celestial City, it made sense for the bridge to have better loot than other areas.

"Got it!!"

Zhou Yue and Mu Yawen responded in unison.

One vaulted through a window, landing on the second floor.

The other rolled into position on the first floor.

Meanwhile, Zhong Yi—who had been directing their drop—swung haphazardly into the river valley beneath the bridge, much to their amusement.

"Ahem… just a slight miscalculation…"

"…No, no, Old Zhong, you’re as consistent as ever."

Zhou Yue’s lips twitched.

But he quickly set aside his teasing.

Because four other cultivators had landed on Celestial Bridge’s second floor!

"Come on, fight!"

Zhou Yue’s eyes burned with battle lust.

He rolled deftly to the side, his hand sweeping over a blue supply pile.

If consistency was the measure, Zhou Yue was every bit Zhong Yi’s equal.

But when a white-tier Souljade of Life and two weapon crates spilled out before him, his breath hitched.

Especially when the Tian Hai player across from him pulled a purple-tier Tang Blade from a blue pile right in front of him.

"Damn it!"

Zhou Yue cursed and leaped out the window without a second thought.

His movements were light as a feather, using a double-jump to pivot mid-air and land beside Mu Yawen.

At that moment, Mu Yawen was examining a musket with curiosity.

"Junior Brother Mu, behind you!"

Seeing an enemy closing in, Zhou Yue urgently warned.

"Ha! Come at me!"

Mu Yawen swung the musket like a club, smacking the opponent’s head—a move that left Zhou Yue dumbfounded.

"Strange… why can’t I charge this weapon?"

Mu Yawen frowned at the musket in his hands.

The strike had done nothing to his foe.

The musket was a common hunting weapon among civilians.

Coming from a noble family, Mu Yawen had never encountered such crude armaments and was utterly unfamiliar with them.

"Junior Brother Mu… that’s a ranged weapon!! Switch to your broadsword!!!"

Zhou Yue hastily corrected.

Hearing this, Mu Yawen quickly swapped to the blue-tier broadsword on his back.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The enemy’s spear rained down in a flurry, each strike deflected by the broadsword’s sturdy blade, triggering its "Unshakable" effect.

Mu Yawen countered seamlessly, sending his opponent flying with two heavy slashes.

"Now this is more like it!!"

After spending the last round humiliated—without landing a single hit—this felt exhilarating.

His foe scrambled up, white-tier armor shattered, too terrified to fight back.

"Swish—"

In a blink, the enemy vanished, teleporting away.

"Don’t run!!"

Mu Yawen froze for a second before remembering—abilities existed.

Activating Yue Shan’s dash, he lunged forward, but the Jia Nan player was already fleeing toward the second floor to regroup with allies.

Then came the crisp sound of a hookshot firing.

Zhou Yue, now armed with a grappling hook, snagged the Jia Nan’s back with perfect precision.

"Junior Brother Mu, he’s staggered… finish him!"

"On it!"

……

……

While Mu Yawen and Zhou Yue were wreaking havoc on the bridge, Zhong Yi wasn’t faring so well in the river valley.

Many who had botched their landing ended up down there.

The Celestial River Valley’s trenches were deep, and without a hookshot, climbing out took ages.

Resources here were scarce.

Zhong Yi had spotted a supply pile earlier—one that even yielded a blue-tier longsword.

But he’d been a split-second too slow, and someone else snatched it.

Now, he was staring down a one-versus-three situation.

"Junior Brother Mu, I’ll hook, you kill! Once they’re dead, I’ll get a weapon!!"

"Got it!! One slash and they’re done!!"

Listening to the heated battle cries over their team comms, Zhong Yi took a deep breath.

He knew he was on his own for now.

Planting his feet firmly, he beckoned the trio before him:

"Come on then!"

"I can throw down too, you know!"

……

……

One minute later.

"Uh-oh, his teammates are here!"

"Don’t panic, I already looted his weapon!"

Zhou Yue and Mu Yawen were deep in their battle frenzy when Zhong Yi’s voice, silent until now, crackled over the comms.

"What’s he got?"

Zhou Yue glanced. "A longsword… and a broadsword."

"The longsword... that's easy. After two normal attacks, the third one will be a charged strike! Parry it, and you’ll win for sure."

Zhong Yi’s tone was calm and confident.

It was hard not to believe him.

Zhou Yue was about to say something when the opponent struck first.

Wuchen, wielding a broadsword, locked blades with Mu Yawen, who also carried a broadsword.

The two clashed in a relentless "clang-clang-clang" exchange.

Meanwhile, Yue Shan, armed with a longsword, initiated [Battle Rush], knocking Zhou Yue back a step and seizing the initiative.

After the opponent landed two normal attacks, Zhou Yue immediately followed Zhong Yi’s advice and executed a parry.

With a sharp "clang!", the longsword went flying.

"Whoa! Damn, Zhong Yi, you’re a legend! How’d you figure that out?" Zhou Yue exclaimed in excitement.

"How did I figure it out..."

Zhong Yi sighed.

"I got combo’d three times in a row by that bastard’s longsword—same exact moves every time!!"

"Hurry up and finish your fight, then come save me!!"