Chen Tian and Chen Ling entered the trial space. They walked along a path that wasn't very long. Soon, they reached the end, where a portal stood at the other side of the passage. Both Chen Ling and Chen Tian sensed a familiar aura emanating from within. Chen Ling continuously rubbed her weapon, her hands trembling slightly. *Finally, it's here. The item inside... I'm more familiar with it than anyone.* It was a weapon Chen Ling had personally forged. Chen Tian, bored thousands of years ago, had commissioned someone to make it. As for who, Chen Tian knew clearly: who else but that old man could craft such a weapon?
The portal shimmered. What began as an ordinary gateway gradually intensified, erupting into brilliant light. As if sensing something, the entire portal began to tremble, as if with joy and excitement. The gate slowly opened. Chen Tian and Chen Ling watched as it swung wide, then stepped through, heading towards the portal. Inside, a ball of light descended slowly before Chen Ling. The orb emitted a soft glow, and a figure emerged from it.
It was a young girl, her face like a porcelain doll, with a pouting little mouth and small hands and feet. She scampered into Chen Ling's embrace, her face beaming with happiness. "Master, Master, you're finally back! *Sob sob*, I've waited so long for you here."
"Alright, alright, stop being so childish. You're thousands of years old," Chen Ling said, patting the little loli on her back. "How is the Ling Jing Staff?"
"Don't worry, Master. The Ling Jing Staff is completely unharmed, just as it was when it was first created. No damage whatsoever. No one has passed the trial or obtained it in thousands of years," the little loli said poutily, her voice incredibly cute. Chen Ling nodded, then gently placed the little loli on the ground. She walked to the center of the space. The interior of the portal was empty; it was merely a deception. To make the Ling Jing Staff appear, a special method was required. Chen Ling decided to perform it herself, as it was her weapon after all.
Chen Ling extended her palm, and runes began to appear on it. The runes formed a magic circle that pulsed with light. The seemingly empty room around them began to quake, and countless rays of light converged into Chen Ling's hand. Special symbols and imprints, unique to the Ling clan and used for communication, materialized in her hand. Chen Tian watched quietly from the side. The light in Chen Ling's hand coalesced into the shape of a staff. The entire room lost its light, and as the surroundings dimmed, the staff appeared in Chen Ling's grasp. She gazed at the familiar staff, the Ling Jing Staff, the first weapon she had ever created. This weapon held a secret, a secret even her brother Chen Tian did not know.
"Brother, is this truly the only way to save the Ling clan?"
"Sister, we have no other choice. Only by sacrificing ourselves can we awaken the Ling clan's origin. Then, you will forge the origin into a weapon, and the Ling clan can achieve glory again. Sister, you must become the god of the Ling clan, the first deity."
"Our Ling clan has not had a deity for a very long time and is in decline. We need someone to sacrifice, someone to contribute. Your talent far surpasses mine. This heavy responsibility is entrusted to you, my sister."
In the vision, a young man and a young woman stood atop a mountain. After speaking, the young man leaped into the mountain, which then exploded, transforming into a ball of light. The young woman then took this ball of light and departed in another direction.
The young woman was Chen Ling. This weapon of hers was forged from the body of her own brother. Her compatibility with it was a thousand percent, allowing Chen Ling to wield power beyond ordinary mortals.
The Ling clan's combat style differed from other races; they required a medium. The Ling clan's power was too pure for ordinary mediums to unleash its full potential. The Ling Jing Staff was different. Chen Ling withdrew her gaze from the memory. She couldn't remember when she became a deity. When she did, she sealed away this weapon.
With the Ling Jing Staff in hand, Chen Ling waved it, and the little loli was instantly absorbed into the staff's interior. She was the spirit of the Ling Jing Staff. Any weapon that developed a spirit became different from ordinary weapons, its power far exceeding that of normal ones.
Chen Ling gently raised the Ling Jing Staff and drew a circle in the air. Chen Ling and Chen Tian were swallowed into it and vanished instantly. As they departed, the entire space collapsed.
Chen Tian and Chen Ling reappeared millions of miles away from the City Lord's mansion. Chen Ling said with satisfaction, "Not bad, it's not too rusty to use."
Chen Tian very much wanted to say, *Haven't you not used this teleportation portal for thousands of years, and you can still teleport this far?*
Of course, Chen Tian wouldn't say it aloud. He merely thought it in his mind.
"Brother Chen Tian, did you just say something about me? I heard it clearly, *giggle*."
Chen Ling's cheerful demeanor made Chen Tian suddenly recall that the Ling clan's greatest strength was mind-reading, capable of even reading the minds of deities. Even if Chen Tian sealed his thoughts, he couldn't prevent it. This was the true power of the Ling clan.
Chen Tian's expression turned serious. "Ling'er, I need you to go to the real world, another world. The Evil Spirit clan has already invaded there. I need you to go and help."
"Okay, Brother Chen Tian. Don't worry, Ling'er will not let a single Evil Spirit escape."
Chen Tian approached Chen Ling and tapped her forehead. Countless pieces of information, all knowledge about China and what Chen Tian knew, entered Chen Ling's mind. After receiving all the memories, Chen Ling nodded and stepped forward. A magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and her figure vanished before Chen Tian.
Chen Ling was unlike others. The Ling clan was not bound by heaven and earth, hence their scarcity. Each member of the Ling clan was incredibly powerful. What had just happened was a cross-planar teleportation array, capable of moving one to another world across dimensions. Of course, this array could only be bound to one plane. Only Chen Ling could use it.
Chen Tian had previously transmitted the coordinates of the Northern and Southern fortresses. Chen Ling should have arrived by now. As for Chen Tian, he had important matters to attend to, especially the two major guilds that still needed to be dealt with. Chen Tian didn't have time to deal with the real world. Now that someone could help stall for time, he could resolve the issue with the two guilds first.
When Chen Tian saw the Evil Spirit Spear and Evil Spirit Armor, he realized the gravity of the situation. The Evil Spirit clan could already forge replicas of these weapons. If left unchecked, the situation would be difficult to resolve. Chen Tian needed to deal with the two major guilds first. In Chen Tian's view, with hundreds of millions of players in the game, if they were allowed to mass-produce the Evil Spirit Spear and Evil Spirit Armor, the number of assimilated humans would certainly increase. Chen Tian needed to stop it. He opened the map interface and quickly found the nearest branch of the Yun Shui Guild. It seemed Chen Tian and the Yun Shui Guild were destined. He had previously destroyed several of their branch guilds, and now it was again the Yun Shui Guild. There wasn't even a Ba Tian branch in the vicinity; poor Yun Shui Guild.
Chen Tian offered them a second of silence before heading southeast. The nearest Yun Shui Guild branch was in Yun Tian City, a city built by the Yun Shui Guild, primarily for them. In that city, all players had to adhere to the rules of the Yun Shui Guild.
Yun Tian City. Chen Tian's speed was incredibly fast. He directly used a teleportation portal and arrived there instantly. His abilities were so well-concealed that no one could detect his presence. Chen Tian planned to scout the guild first to understand the current situation of the Yun Shui Guild and devise a plan.
Chen Tian headed towards the Yun Shui Guild branch. Along the way, the most frequently heard information was about the destruction of Yun Shui Guild branches and the annihilation of their elite players. Chen Tian wondered who was spreading this information. Chen Tian had set up a barrier around Moonlit Lake, so players within the lake shouldn't be able to see what was happening. All the members of Yun Shui and Ba Tian who came there had been annihilated. Only he, Chen Ling, and Yun Tian knew about this. Chen Tian patted his head. *Idiot! This must be Yun Tian's doing.*
Chen Tian immediately sent a message to Yun Tian. Upon seeing the name, he exclaimed, *Good heavens, he changed his name again!* Yun Tian's ID had become: Yun Feng Chen Long.
"Yun Tian, was it you?"
"Yes, Chen Tian. I want Yun Shui Guild and the others to live in fear. I'm going to attack a branch next."
"Then bring me along. We'll do it together. Which city's guild branch?"
"Magic City. I plan to destroy this entire city."
Chen Tian couldn't imagine Yun Tian having such an idea, but the subsequent message stunned him. It seemed Yun Tian's decision was correct. The reason Yun Tian changed his name was that he was wanted by the Yun Shui Guild. He couldn't reveal his face, only his ID. Yun Tian, with no other choice, spent money to change his name.