Chapter 675: The New MMORPG to Be Released Is Called World of Warcraft?

Within the establishments of Yuanyang City, Half-City, and Jiuhua City, most of the venerable veterans and cultivators of profound achievement, having long stored up their internal reserves, now found their breakthroughs bursting forth in rapid succession; and even those who did not break through nonetheless attained more or less some sudden enlightenment in their hearts.

This species of realization was most clearly manifested in old cultivators and seasoned warriors like Gu Tingyun, who possessed both vast accumulated reserves and a profound experience of life’s helpless vicissitudes, whereas the youth were visibly a step behind.

Yet the old shops boomed with immense crowds regardless of the branch; even if only a fraction broke through on the spot, it still gave the impression of a vast multitude ascending together.

Thus, these cascading roars of breakthrough made the two black-cloaked emissaries, who had just arrived and were completely utterly oblivious to the situation, wish to turn on their heels and flee, thinking: What manner of freaks are gathered here?!

We have not visited for so many years, and has the world turned to this?! Is this how people break through nowadays?!

The crowd that had newly entered the Canglan City branch was, evidently, in a similar state of astonishment.

"What... what are you all doing?" the two men hurriedly inquired.

"Watching a livestream," the old fellow Gu Tingyun said, himself slightly bewildered by the chaos. "Old as I am, I was just watching Owner Fang's livestream. I had just reached the part where 'my fate is mine to command, not heaven's,' and an arrow shot down Qionghua... and then... I felt all the stagnation in my heart dissolve, and then... and then..."

"What... livestream? What 'my fate is mine to command'?" The two grew increasingly lost, like monks unable to grasp their own heads.

"Would you like to try it...? This Legend of Sword and Fairy 4!" Gu Tingyun spoke up.

"Then I shall give it a try..." Suspiciously, several figures moved toward the counter.

Inside the Canglan City branch.

A crowd also stared strangely at the massive screen.

Upon the great screen, a rain of fire drifted and scattered as the Qionghua Sect, exploding in the high heavens, shattered into countless fragments of stone; scorched by the celestial fire, they were reduced to ashes before ever touching the earth.

Though it still wrought some minor damage, compared to the original calamity, it was an immense improvement.

"This elder has never recommended any mystic realm outside those of the elven race," Elder Cewei said, her face still carrying a trace of deep emotion, "but this *Legend of Sword and Fairy 4*, you must try it!"

"How do we try it?" Adolf asked in haste.

"How... how much does it cost?!" the dwarf Elder Sork bellowed.

Elder Cewei pointed to Owner Fang, who was still wearing his virtual reality headset and livestreaming: "Go to the owner and purchase a membership card!"

"Owner! A membership card!" Owner Fang, having just pulled off his headset, instantly found himself surrounded by a dense throng of people.

"...Form a line! One by one! Everyone will get one... form a line!" Soon, a familiar refrain echoed through the establishment, "It seems this new shop will have to be expanded again..."

Tang Yu, Xun Yuan, and the rest of the student faction from Heaven Academy muttered, "Let's go, let's go, time for a restroom break..."

...

As mentioned previously, because Jumang would not exert his full strength in *Sword and Fairy 4*, and the battle against Xuanxiao could be lost without failing the game, the only true obstacle lay in the confrontation with the dragon's illusion at Mount Buzhou.

If one did not seek the perfect ending, it was undeniably much simpler than *Sword and Fairy 3*. Having undergone a series of technical training sessions beforehand, and coupled with the fact that players commanded game characters whose strength was independent of their own, the veteran players faced few hardships in reaching the end.

The new players, stumbling through, could also pass by reinforcing their levels, equipment, and dharma treasures.

A few days later, the first batch of players had successively completed the journey.

Within the game of *Sword and Fairy 4*, a century had passed...

Upon the Peak of the Green Phoenix, birds twittered amid the fragrance of flowers, and the familiar, melancholic melody of a flute arose—it was none other than "Hanamiya," the song of returning dreams and wandering immortals. A white-haired Murong Ziying stood at the cliff's edge, gazing out at the drifting clouds beyond the precipice.

The handsome, dashing sword immortal of yesteryear now bore the air of a grandmaster of his generation.

Liu Mengli approached with slow steps, her youthful countenance unchanged from a hundred years before.

A human life is but a vast, empty dream; youth turns to white hair in a mere blink, and only the Heavenly Dao endures forever, cycling without end, never altering.

A century later, the four gathered once more. Before the Peak of the Green Phoenix lay a mound of yellow earth and two graves, with the Wangshu Sword offered as a tribute; one tombstone bore the inscription "Tomb of Beloved Wife Han Lingsha," while the other remained entirely blank. A pair of butterflies fluttered above the blade. Turning around abruptly, a figure emerged from the small wooden cabin on the peak, still possessing the appearance of the youth from the past, though those bright eyes were long since gone.

His eyes were tightly shut, seemingly never to open again; the price for defying fate to grasp a single strand of life had, after all, been paid.

Sensing the arrival of his old friends, a faint, comforted smile gradually graced his face.

Though the world held far too many vexations, for the dearest of friends to gather again after so many years, even for a brief moment, was perhaps a happiness surpassing all else.

In a trance, it was as if they had returned to the shores of Lake Chao, the tomb of the King of Huainan, the town of Jimo, and the front of Boxian Town...

Those memories were truly the most beautiful recollections of a lifetime.

...

Unwittingly, tears had already moistened the corners of many eyes. Within the Sword and Fairy 4 Penguin Chat Group:

Song Qingfeng: "[Screenshot] It is finished!"

"[Screenshot] Concluded with flowers!" Jiang Xiaoyue's eyes were still red at this moment.

Inside the Canglan City branch.

A cluster of elves held tissues: "Wuuu... it is too moving..."

"I did not expect this mystic realm to contain such a poignant tale..."

"*Sniff*—! Why did only Lingsha have to die..."

"Though it appears she died of natural old age, I am still unhappy..."

"It seems we can finally return to the Silver Moon Forest in peace..." Elder Cewei murmured.

Just then, Evan, the commander of the Golden Gryphon Knights, asked casually, "Owner... will you license any new games from the 'Eastern Continent' in the future?"

"A new game...?! What new game?!" Elder Cewei and the elves instantly pricked up their ears, which were indeed remarkably pointed.

...

Evidently, these elves were still immersed in sorrow and required a new novelty to divert their attention and soothe their spirits.

"A new game?!" Many players who had already completed the story also looked over.

"Owner, will there be a new game licensed?"

"Or rather... a sequel to *Assassin's Creed*? Or... *Resident Evil*?"

The players of the old shops were likewise engaged in conjecture:

Song Qingfeng: "What do you all think... the shop's next game will be?"

"No matter what comes out...!" Su Tianji leaned across the desk of her home computer within "My Space." "Regardless, this elder shall buy, buy, buy!"

By this time, Su Tianji's "My Space" had been arranged in a manner entirely different from the past; her dwelling was practically a grand mansion, flanked by vast fields of spiritual vegetables and fruits, and she had even purchased semi-automated facilities, making her life exceedingly comfortable.

There were several computers in her home, and she was even equipped with a small notebook laptop so she could play and chat on Penguin while lying in bed.

A jade flute lay beside her, and the sheet music for "Hanamiya" was displayed on the monitor; evidently, she had been practicing it for a time.

Inside the Yuanyang City branch, sitting beside Jiang Xiaoyue, Yue Bai—one of the Heaven Academy student faction—stretched luxuriously: "How boring, I've finished the new game again!"

Jiang Xiaoyue spoke up enthusiastically in the group: "I believe the next game will definitely be a sequel to some existing title, just like *Sword and Fairy 4*."

"I, however, think it might be an entirely fresh game." After all, *Resident Evil* had its sequels, *Assassin's Creed* had directly released its sequel *Brotherhood*, and *Sword and Fairy* was also a continuation. Nalan Mingxue voiced her thoughts in the group, "I feel it won't be a sequel this time."

"It would be more practical to guess whether it will be produced by Blizzard, Ubisoft, or Softstar."

"Let us use the process of elimination; it won't be Softstar, since *Sword and Fairy 4* has only just concluded."

Meanwhile, the reputation of the new shop was steadily rising, and it now seemed the task was not so difficult to complete, so a small hint was allowed to slip out.

"World of Warcraft?" The players of the new shop wore expressions of utter confusion. "And what exactly is an online game?"

.