Chapter 23: A Single Thought Blooms, the Sovereign Descends Upon the World!

The skeletons and zombies in the square were being cleared away until few remained. Standing out in a bizarre and conspicuous manner near the pool was a square, waist-high marble sarcophagus. Four warriors, larger than the average skeleton, stood firm in front of the coffin, wielding twin axes. Their eye sockets glowed with a blood-red light, and their vital areas were protected by makeshift armor. To their left were four skeleton warlocks clad in tattered Taoist robes; the bone staves in their hands were far more exquisite than those of ordinary warlocks, reaching two meters in length and topped with fist-sized skulls that appeared to be made of jade. To the right stood four zombies, whose movements and expressions lacked the typical stiffness of their kind. These twelve undead creatures radiated a formidable presence, guarding the sarcophagus in a triangular formation. Either a boss was sleeping inside that stone coffin, or it held some precious treasure.

"Brother Bat, why are those twelve ugly guys standing so still? We’re so close, yet they don't even try to attack us," Little Moon asked curiously.

"Their duty must be to guard the sarcophagus. As long as we don't attack them or the coffin, we should be safe." By now, the undead monsters in the square had been cleared, and players from all around were gradually gathering toward the sarcophagus, yet the twelve guards remained motionless.

"Boss, what do we do now? Should we go elsewhere to kill monsters, or watch the show here?" Ah Wei loved excitement, but he knew I preferred peace and quiet, so he asked for my opinion.

"Big Mountain, let's stay and see how things develop. We might be able to fish in troubled waters if chaos ensues." I had a keen interest in unknown bosses or treasures. However, I had to consider my teammates' feelings. Big Mountain was honest and humble; he rarely participated in our playful banter, but he was a man of strong convictions.

"Fine. Even if we don't get a turn at the boss, watching from the sidelines to learn how others take down a boss is worth it."

The two groups of players on the square had gathered on either side of us, seemingly discussing how to deal with the twelve undead creatures and open the coffin to see what mysteries lay within. The group on the left was larger, numbering over forty, while the group on the right had fewer than thirty. However, the gear of the latter looked superior, and their levels appeared higher; in terms of combat strength, the right side seemed to have the edge. Just then, a scholar walked out from the crowd on the left, the name "FengLiu Talent" floating above his head. He displayed his name to show goodwill and walked toward the players on the right. He cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, brothers, sorry to disturb you. Could I speak with your leader about the matter at hand?"

A warrior holding a silver spear over a zhang long stepped out from the right. He had starry eyes, elegant eyebrows, and a chiseled face bearing a gentle smile that easily garnered favor and a sense of closeness. Yet, that faint smile seemed tinged with mockery, making him unfathomable; the more one tried to understand him, the more blurred he became, as if he were drifting further and further away. What kind of person was he? What complex experiences had he endured to possess such world-weary detachment at such a young age, standing above the crowd? His name happened to be 'Drunkenly Leaning on a Spear, Laughing at the Red Dust'—a mournful and solitary name that perhaps reflected his state of mind. I was filled with curiosity about him. I noticed Little Moon staring at him in a trance, so I teased her, "Oh, Little Moon’s cheeks are flushed. Could it be...!"

Little Moon pinched me hard, wrinkled her cute nose, and pouted, "Don't talk nonsense! I’m not some love-struck fool; I haven't fallen for him! I just think he's strange and hard to figure out. He seems approachable, but in reality, he's unreachable—like a cloud in the sky, drifting beyond the mundane world. Although he seems friendly, he's out of reach, and no one can grasp the trajectory of his heart. I bet he must have suffered some trauma or a severe setback in love that left him disillusioned."

"Little Moon, how do you know him so well? You're talking like an expert. You haven't fallen for him at first sight, have you? I've heard that brooding men are lethal to naive girls," Ah Wei remarked with exaggerated shock.

"You're asking for it!" Little Moon kicked out at him. "Hmph, what do you know? This is purely a woman's intuition. I don't like his type. Being with someone you can't figure out offers no sense of security. If you can't hold onto his heart, who knows when he'll abandon you?"

"Little Moon, as far as I know, you're only eighteen this year. Your emotional intelligence is so high. Could it be that you're a veteran of the love scene with rich experience? Ouch—" Ah Wei's words were interrupted by a sharp flick to the forehead from Little Moon. Ever since I "broke the seal" by hitting Ah Wei on the head, she seemed to enjoy doing it more and more.

Big Mountain shook his head at the sight of his spoiled little sister, who lacked any shred of ladylike decorum, and offered me a helpless, bitter smile. I smiled back, signaling that I understood.

"You brat, next time I'll have Brother Bat ground you. Just looking at your pathetic face makes me angry!" She was only a little thing herself, yet she called him a brat.

"Little Moon, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Let's call a truce!" Ah Wei, likely fearing I wouldn't take him along for leveling in the future, said cautiously, "Little Moon, use your 'woman's intuition' to analyze what kind of person the Boss is. Is he the type that makes your heart flutter?"

"He... well, Brother Bat is better than you, at any rate." Little Moon actually blushed, which was a rare sight.

Ah Wei cried out strangely, "Hey~ Boss, look, rosy clouds on the moon—a rare spectacle! Our Little Moon, with her thick skin, is actually blushing, ha!"

"What are you talking about? Who's blushing..." Although she fought back, her voice was weak and lacked conviction.

"It seems Little Moon has developed feelings for 'someone'!" When he said "someone," he pointed his chin at me, aiming at Little Moon.

It was truly a headache!

"Stop! I say, Ah Wei, you're such a gossip! Don't you realize it yourself? Why do you always like bickering with Little Moon? Cut it out, they’re about to move!"

While we were talking, they seemed to have reached some agreement—or in common parlance, settled how to "split the loot." Both sides swarmed toward the sarcophagus! We were outnumbered and left to cool our heels on the sidelines; no one bothered with us. The law of the jungle is an eternal truth in this world: without strength, you have no voice. No one will share a piece of the pie with you for no reason. If it were me, I would do the same. The weak are not pitied; I learned this lesson when I was very young.

Just as they were about to launch their attack, the twelve undead guarding the sarcophagus moved. Four bolts of lightning, each the thickness of a bowl, erupted from the warlock skeletons' staves. Two bolts merged in mid-air with a sizzling sound, and a flash of white light instantly killed two players. The zombies on the right spewed out a massive amount of corpse poison; upon hitting the ground, the liquid formed a vast cloud of toxic mist, enveloping the attacking players. Suddenly, they were surrounded by green fog, unable to see a thing. The attackers were clearly veteran gamers; despite the sudden turn of events, they did not panic.

On the side of 'Drunkenly Leaning on a Spear, Laughing at the Red Dust,' two Holy Witches immediately cast "Purifying Light" to dispel the smoke, while the Water Taoists' group heal, "Fountain of Life," descended simultaneously. FengLiu Talent and his crowd were not slow either; they quickly cleared the poison mist and held off the twin-axe warriors, engaging in close-quarters combat. In truth, the two players killed instantly in the first exchange were just extremely unlucky, as the overlapping lightning strikes doubled the damage. Now that the warlocks were occupied, they had no time to coordinate.

The golden light of the Dharma Monk's "True Mantra of Fighting," the holy light of the Holy Witches' purification, the white light of the Water Taoists' Fountain of Life, the black light of the Dark Witches' corrosion, and the fire light of the Fire Taoists' fireballs flashed across the square. The halos of various skills blended together, creating a magnificent and spectacular sight. Real-world film special effects could never achieve such an effect; the visual impact left me deeply shaken. It was my first time witnessing a group battle in a fantasy game. With only seventy or eighty people, the momentum was already this great—if it were a siege battle with ten thousand people, the scene would be incredibly heroic, stimulating, and inspiring. To shout once and have thousands respond with passion, to see countless warriors charging into the fray—what an honor that would be!

There is strength in numbers, and combined with their coordinated efforts, only two skeletal warriors with missing limbs, one warlock, and one zombie remained. On the players' side, the only casualties so far were the two guys who had been insta-killed. I used my Appraisal skill up close to check the undead guards' data: Twin-Axe Skeleton Guard, level 50; Skeleton Great Warlock, level 50. Sigh, high-level Appraisal is useless against monsters fifteen levels above the user.

After the last skeleton warrior fell, not a single undead remained standing in the vast square. The situation was quite eerie—no new monsters spawned, and no boss had appeared yet. Before they could open the coffin, another fifty players poured into the square and gathered toward the sarcophagus. Meanwhile, eight players had quietly dispersed behind us, vaguely cutting off our retreat: one Dharma Monk, two Assassins, three Warriors, one Taoist, and one Dark Witch. Damn, it was the classic "black-eating-black" scenario often seen on TV! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Was this third party planning to seize the sarcophagus by force? With only fifty or so of them, it was impossible to repel the original two groups.

Just as I was puzzled by their reckless actions, the melee around the sarcophagus began. The newcomers joined forces with FengLiu Talent to attack 'Drunkenly Leaning on a Spear, Laughing at the Red Dust.' At the same time, the eight people behind us launched their attack. System prompts arrived in rapid succession: "You have been maliciously attacked by player Crimson Sun Like Blood. You may defend yourself."

"You have been maliciously attacked by player Bewitching Witch. You may defend yourself."

"You have been maliciously attacked by player Poison Overlord. You may defend yourself."

...

They clearly knew I was the strongest of the four, as at least five skills hit me simultaneously, and more than half of my HP vanished instantly. However, this level of damage wasn't enough to kill me in one go. The situation was critical. I quickly drank two health potions and made a split-second decision: "Little Moon, Ah Wei, move! Quick! Big Mountain, protect them! I'll cover the rear!"