Chapter 874: Mobile Game Plan!?

The night... had already deepened.

The dead, world-swallowing behemoth fortuitously provided these cultivators with a temporary foothold at the entrance to the Nine Serenities within the Sea of the Underworld. Utilizing earth and stone magic, they conjured a vast expanse of land upon the carcass of the gargantuan magical beast, constructing an island where an observation post was erected to monitor the strange movements across the seabed fissure.

The nocturnal sea was desolate and cold as several black-robed cultivators slowly flew upward from the depths of the ocean, breaking through the surface of the water.

"Elder, everyone," beneath the veil of night, several cultivators cupped their hands in salute and reported, "The opposing side also seems to be at the bottom of the sea, heavily guarded by a massive force. We did not dare to venture deep. However, based on our brief investigation, although the surrounding spiritual essence contains all five elements, it is predominantly composed of Yin and Water, and it also contains sinister, malevolent energy. Ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to breathe and recover their strength there."

"For this seat, it is quite the opposite!" The male cultivator clad in a black cloak, his dark hair cascading over his shoulders, was none other than the Black Demon. "The purity of the malevolent energy therein actually makes this seat feel that my spiritual meridians flow smoother than ever."

"The Heavenly Scroll states that when heaven and earth first split, the pure essence rose while the turbid essence descended. Most of us choose one or the other to cultivate, yet geniuses who can master both and return to chaos are few and far possible..." The speaker was none other than the Sect Master of the Nanhua Sect. "It seems that this domain of the Nine Serenities will heavily trouble the gentlemen of Half-City."

Although the various orthodox sects did not get along well with the cultivators of Half-City, they had not reached a point of irreconcilable enmity. Naturally, they prioritized the greater good above all else.

Yet just as they were deliberating...

Deep within that pitch-black, boundless ocean bed, the profound and desolate undersea fissure churned with turbulent undercurrents. A faint blue spell formation barrier quietly lit up, obstructing those bizarre and evil undersea monsters from crossing the boundary from the ocean beneath the opposing side.

But at that very moment, a surge of black mist, thick as syrup, inexplicably and imperceptibly drifted slowly out of that spell formation barrier. The barrier, astonishingly, showed no reaction whatsoever!

"These foolish creatures truly remain ignorant of the vast supernatural powers of our clan," a voice sneered. "However, this sea area is suspected to be guarded by a great master. I shall bypass this region for now and infiltrate among those mortals. When that time comes... who then will know my true visage!"

"Jie jie jie jie... Hahaha!"

In the dark and obscure depths of the sea, far beyond the reach of anyone's sight, streaks of terrifying, ghost-like monsters rapidly dispersed toward all directions!

...

Meanwhile, upon the island constructed over the world-swallowing giant turtle.

The Black Demon spoke up, "Previously, by utilizing the Breath-Concealing Technique combined with the teleportation from Diablo, we were already able to break through their blockade. However, we seemed to have alerted those demonic soldiers, which is why... we hurried back. But if we dispatch a team of cultivators who are thoroughly proficient in techniques such as stealth and instantaneous movement, I believe infiltrating the Nine Serenities should not be an issue."

...

On the other side, within the communication group chat of the Cultivator Alliance.

"I feel we cannot remain so passive," Gu Tingyun said.

"They can descend at any time, whereas we... cannot ascend whenever we please," Nalan Hongwu remarked. "Regrettably, we have absolutely no knowledge of what the 'Demon-Slaying Platform' they use to descend to the mortal realm is, nor can we travel there to observe and learn from it."

"In that case... if we wish to cross this void and truly understand the situation of that world, our only option is..."

After a moment of silence, the Ancient Ancestor Xiaoyao said, "I believe that no matter how perilous it may be, we old fellows will not hesitate to give it a try. Whatever plans you have, speak freely."

...

Gradually, time advanced into the early morning.

"Ah...!" Shen Qingqing stretched her body forcefully. The early morning was neither cold nor hot, the temperature perfectly pleasant, which truly made one feel a bit lazy.

"Summer vacation should be starting soon, right?" She looked at Song Qingfeng, Nalan Mingxue, and the others who had likewise just entered the shop.

With the Haotian Academy taking the lead in implementing winter and summer vacations, other major academies and sects had also begun to keep up with the times, considering that these outstanding disciples lacked time for real-world tempering.

After all, as could be seen from the recent battle of Half-City, although the virtual environment was lifelike, there was still a slight disparity compared to reality. In games, veteran players were accustomed to this mode where death was not permanent, and thus they did not harbor much fear.

When abruptly encountering unexpected situations in reality, they instead began to manifest quite a few negative emotions that had previously gone unnoticed.

Therefore, the various academies and sects supported their disciples in using this virtual illusion as a foundation, subsequently transitioning into actual combat.

Setting aside the older disciples who frequently went out for training in the past, it was absolutely necessary for newcomers.

Consequently, the training periods during winter and summer vacations became a necessity for most sects and academies.

"Is it a requirement now for academies to make disciples go out for training?" Xu Zixin and the others who were with Shen Qingqing availed themselves of this leisurely morning hour to engage in casual conversation.

"We have already graduated!" Shen Qingqing and Xu Zixin were virtually like senior sisters to them, and having known each other in the shop for many years, their relationship was naturally excellent.

Lan Yan said, "Starting just this year!"

"Oh, oh! Look at my memory!" The two could not help but feel a wave of embarrassment mixed with amusement.

"Sister Qingqing, don't you have any other plans?" Song Qingfeng prepared a cup of instant noodles and sat casually on the sofa. A few years had slipped by in the blink of an eye, and he was as accustomed and at home here as if it were his own house. "An official novel writer... the boss is truly something, isn't this wasting talent on a trivial task?"

"I actually think being an official novel writer is quite nice." As a lore enthusiast, Shen Qingqing added, "I quite like this job. But what about you guys after graduation... what are your plans?"

"I plan to take some time to go traveling for a while," Song Qingfeng replied. "Other matters can be thought about later."

In truth, if one did not play online games at the current stage, or was merely a casual player in these network games, missing out on playing for a short while occasionally would not carry much consequence.

After all... not every game was like Legend, where people would start fighting the moment they crossed paths, thereby allowing the existence of a vast majority of casual players.

While eating his instant noodles, Song Qingfeng casually asked Nalan Mingxue, "Eldest Miss, what about you?"

"After graduation, I will begin taking over some family affairs. Hmm... I plan to develop some new industries," Nalan Mingxue stated.

"New industries...?" Everyone looked at her with curiosity.

"Yes." Having said that, she produced her communication jade, opening a very strange icon. It looked as though... a funny ball with a wide-open mouth had been turned around, with a bean placed right in front of it.

"Isn't this the 'My Space' mini-game?" Song Qingfeng remarked in surprise. "Pac-Man?! But it looks a bit different!"

"Yes," Nalan Mingxue said with a solemn demeanor. "Recently, I have been discussing the feasibility of communication jade games with the Wuwei Daoist Alliance. We intend to manufacture a communication jade explicitly born for gaming. This type of game, I intend to name... mobile games!"

"Mo... mobile games?!" The group expressed surprise at first, but then added, "It sounds good, but if one sits right there in the internet cafe... who would still hold a communication jade to play?"

Throughout the entire world, those with money would naturally choose to come and play at the boss's shop, while those without money... simply had no spare cash to purchase this, given that this item would certainly not be cheap.

"If such an entertaining thing existed before the boss opened his shop, I imagine we young people... would have played it to death long ago. But now..." Song Qingfeng shrugged as well. "It can only be said to pass the time."

"I suppose so..." Nalan Mingxue knit her brows slightly.

The others were somewhat speechless: "Then why are you still making this? For this 'mobile game' of yours to avoid losing money, unless you can find a bunch of wealthy people who have no access to the games in the boss's shop, but do such people even exist?!"

Do they exist...? Nalan Mingxue subconsciously glanced up at the sky above her head: "I feel it isn't entirely impossible for them to exist... for instance..."

The surrounding crowd followed her gaze, looking up toward the heavens.

Suddenly, their hearts all skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out over them as they whispered, "You can't be serious, right...?"

Then looking at the sky: "You...?! This is far too wild an imagination, isn't it?!"

"I have even thought of the name." Nalan Mingxue's perennially ice-cold face broke into a rare, bright smile. "It shall be called: 'Zhengtu', how about that?! When the time comes, I'll ask the boss to help guide me through it. I feel it isn't entirely impossible."

"Are you truly not afraid of losing money?"

"In these kinds of matters, how can there ever be a hundred percent guarantee?" Nalan Mingxue countered.

"What guidance or no guidance? What are you all talking about?" Just then, Owner Fang walked over and sat down. "A new game is coming out today, aren't you going to check it out?"

On the small blackboard, the words 'God of War' were written in large characters.

...

Meanwhile, in an extremely desolate corner of the world, heavenly thunder clashed and clouds surged.

Several figures descended gracefully, looking like immortals gracing the mortal realm.

"Is this the mortal realm?!" One figure swept a cold gaze across the world.

"Your Excellency, although these mortals here are nothing to be feared, yet... there are still several fiends suspected to be from the Nine Serenities hidden here. Please exercise caution." Another person beside him repeatedly reminded.

"Humph! Do I need you to remind me of this?" That figure said coldly, "This mortal realm truly does not know how to appreciate the situation!"

"However, since even the Exalted Venerable Miaofa suffered a defeat, I naturally will not be so foolish as to clash head-on with those fellows. But..." He laughed in spite of himself, "They will absolutely never expect that I would secretly descend to the mortal realm, pulling the rug out from under his feet!"

...