No, It's a Trap

With the solid foundation of "Immortal and Demon Clash," the production of Hextech Mayhem and Auto Chess was relatively easy.

In just one night, Lu Ze completed both new modes.

Instead of adding Auto Chess as a "Cloudtop Chess" mode within "Immortal and Demon Clash," he established it as a standalone game, much like the "Golden Shovel Tournament" from his past life.

After all, this way he could attract a new wave of players who had never tried "Immortal and Demon Clash."

Having set the content for the next version update in advance, Lu Ze released the new modes and illusion realm, then went to the Artifact Refining Pavilion. He asked Nangong Yuan to set up a protective formation for him.

"Three months? It takes this long?"

Nangong Yuan asked in surprise.

In his eyes, aside from his mastery of illusion realms, Lu Ze had always been quite laid-back.

The thought of him going into seclusion for a full three months was almost unimaginable.

"Besides refining the Void Spirit Crystal, I'm also on the verge of a breakthrough," Lu Ze replied with a smile.

Nangong Yuan was overjoyed. "The Nascent Soul stage?!"

Lu Ze nodded. "Yes."

"The Cold-Blooded Demon Cultivator" and "Operation Abyssal Continent" had earned him a massive amount of demonic path points, already putting him on the brink.

Not long ago, "Going to the Lunar Realm" had also brought in a huge haul.

Now, his demonic path points were nearly at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

At this rate, within half a month, he could advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

Refining the Void Spirit Crystal while breaking through would further enhance his spiritual perception tempering.

"Great! Excellent! I'll ask Elder Zhao to help me set up the formation. No one will disturb you!"

Nangong Yuan beamed with joy.

Although Lu Ze wasn't the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the sect, he was undoubtedly the fastest to break through in the entire cultivation world.

Who would have thought that just a few years ago, Lu Ze was still an unrefined outer disciple?

Lu Ze gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Master."

...

...

News of Lu Ze's seclusion caused quite a stir among cultivators.

The players were disappointed, knowing there would be no new illusion realms to explore for a while.

But for the illusion masters, it was incredible news!

With Lu Ze in seclusion, no one would compete for the various illusion realm rewards from the Heavenly Dao remnants!

If they could seize this opportunity to make a name for themselves, they might later claim a share of the spoils.

Just as some celebrated and others lamented, the release of Hextech Mayhem and "Golden Shovel Tournament" abruptly reversed the fortunes of both sides.

...

In Lu Ze's past life, "League of Legends," which once dominated the Chinese gaming scene, began to decline a decade later, losing players rapidly.

One could say that the "Cloudtop Chess" and Hextech Mayhem modes had single-handedly propped up "League of Legends," prolonging the life of this aging game by two extra rounds.

Both game-changing modes were tied to Hextech.

Settings that pushed randomness and combination to their extremes.

Because, at their core, gamers are all gamblers.

Unlike "Killing Immortal Tower," "Golden Shovel Tournament" had a lower entry barrier, greater entertainment value, and was an online game.

Previously, "Killing Immortal Tower" had managed to retain nearly 100,000 core users, so "Golden Shovel Tournament" was even more successful.

Upon its release, it dominated the forums at the top.

Hextech Mayhem wasn't far behind, just like in his past life, it breathed new life into "Immortal and Demon Clash," which had been on a downward trend.

Cultivators who spent their days battling in "Operation Abyssal Continent" or "Eternal Night" would relax by playing a round of Hextech Mayhem or gamble on trying their luck in "Golden Shovel Tournament."

Lu Ze remained the insurmountable peak in the illusion realm, unshaken by any challenger.

...

...

A month after Lu Ze went into seclusion.

At the Artifact Refining Pavilion of Lingxiao Sect.

"Harvest, harvest, harvest..."

Nangong Yuan stared intently at his last few health points, muttering to himself.

He had lost ten consecutive times; if he could just harvest a win once, he'd be satisfied for a whole week.

Unfortunately, his opponent was ridiculously lucky, scoring a ten-rage bonus with eight pieces, summoning a black-blood bar Galio that wiped him out in one go.

"Damn Rage! Can these beast-tamers just die already?!"

Nangong Yuan stormed out of the illusion realm in frustration, slamming the table mid-curse, when he saw Zhao Wendao push the door open.

Behind Zhao Wendao was a white-haired old man, both of them looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Ahem, Elder Zhao, what brings you here? And this is?"

Nangong Yuan quickly sat up straight, putting on a serious expression.

"This is... Beastmaster Sect Sect Leader He Muye," Zhao Wendao said with a dark face, his tone filled with awkwardness.

Nangong Yuan flushed. "Haha... Please, let me explain. That earlier remark wasn't meant to..."

...

"So, Sect Leader He's meaning is... to ask my good-for-nothing disciple to come out of seclusion?"

"Exactly."

He Muye nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.

"I heard that your disciple Lu Zhenchuan's illusion realms can contain all divine laws of heaven and earth, and even solved the fatal mission of the Heartless Way... Perhaps he can find a way out of my sect's current predicament."

Zhao Wendao couldn't help but ask curiously. "And what is the nature of the Beastmaster Sect's predicament?"

"It pertains to the survival of my sect, so I cannot speak of it," He Muye shook his head reluctantly.

"If Lu Zhenchuan is willing to help, we might discuss it in private."

"Survival? It's that serious?"

Zhao Wendao frowned.

Though the Beastmaster Sect had been declining, they had once shared a decent relationship with Lingxiao Sect, so he had to take it seriously.

"Don't worry, honored elders. My Beastmaster Sect is not without courtesy... I heard that Lu Zhenchuan needs a Void Spirit Crystal. If this succeeds, my sect is willing to offer one!" He Muye said earnestly.

Zhao Wendao and Nangong Yuan exchanged glances, a hint of difficulty showing in their eyes.

Lu Ze was currently in seclusion refining a Void Spirit Crystal. They weren't sure if he would still need another one after emerging.

"Sect Leader He, this is unfortunate timing... My good-for-nothing disciple is in the critical period of his seclusion breakthrough. He likely won't emerge for some time," Nangong Yuan said with regret written all over his face.

"It's all right. I can wait," He Muye sighed, his gaze complicatedly fixed on the direction of Lu Ze's seclusion.

"Though I don't know if my Beastmaster Sect... can hold out that long."

...

...

Luofeng Continent, the Binding Soul Mountain Range.

The once lush vegetation had been drained of all vitality, turning into a barren wasteland.

Heart Demon, along with four elders of the Illusion Alliance, had once again set up the Heavenly Earth Four Symbols Great Formation here.

The four elders sat at the four corners, with the Celestial Spirit Body at the heart of the formation glowing with faint blue light.

Heart Demon stood above the formation, treading on the illusion tower that Lu Ze had once used.

As the Celestial Spirit Body at the formation's heart slowly opened its eyes, the quintet together poured their spiritual energy into the formation.

"Break!"

Heart Demon bellowed, sending the illusion tower toward the Celestial Spirit Body.

The eerie Celestial Spirit Body snapped its upper and lower jaw wide open, swallowing the massive illusion tower in one gulp.

The pressure on the four elders multiplied instantly, and they frantically downed various heavenly treasures into their mouths.

I don’t know how long it had passed.

The one with the weakest cultivation, [Rakshasa], was nearly on the verge of collapse when the Grand Array of the Four Symbols finally settled.

“This time… it took that much effort!”

[Blood Crow] gasped, still shaken.

“That means our efforts weren’t wasted this time… We must have unlocked countless secrets!”

[White Crane] looked on the bright side, speaking with relief.

A pale blue orb, brimming with endless mysteries, floated slowly in the air. It was drawn into [Heart Demon]’s palm and refined in one swift motion.

Countless streams of information surged into his mind.

‘Such an immense amount of data…’

A faint smirk first tugged at the corner of [Heart Demon]’s lips.

‘What is this…!?’

Then,

Swiftly, his joy turned to terror.

One after another, golden orbs resembling the remnants of the Heavenly Dao began to appear inside his mind.

They moved in perfect unison—each drew out a stick of incense and, with unhurried precision, lit it inside the vast landscape of his consciousness.

‘No! It’s a trap!’

By the time [Heart Demon] realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Countless Heavens, each burning its incense, multiplied endlessly and flooded every corner of his awareness.