Chapter 326: Those from the Upper Realms?
As the countless members of the Hall of Valor below gradually regained their composure and resumed their normal fight against the demons, the Supreme from the Hall of Valor raised his hand vigorously.
"The people from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen merely want to obstruct us to secure their ranks on the merit leaderboard."
"Counterattacking them now would be pointless."
"There's only one way to truly hurt them: we must fight for our interests and rack up more merit!"
"Let's claim the highest positions on the leaderboard!"
He shouted, his tone mixed with a peculiar wave of energy, accompanied by a strange, heart-stirring effect.
Immediately, many players from the Hall of Valor, looking at the members of the two other factions who had previously dealt them harsh blows, felt a spark ignite in their eyes, spurred on by the Supreme's words.
They were not merely exchanging words; they were filled with fighting spirit, launching their skills at the multitude of demons!
In an instant, at the front lines, the previously unstoppable advance of the demon army was abruptly halted!
Countless skills illuminated the battlefield, creating a dazzling display that, from afar, resembled a beautiful rainbow pathway; yet in reality, it was a gruesome meat grinder.
The vanguard of the demon army suffered rapid casualties…
In just a second or two, hundreds, if not thousands, of lives were extinguished, while the players from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen seemed to forget their earlier actions, rushing to the front lines.
Among them, many strong players brought forth a storm of bloodshed as they unleashed their attacks.
Interestingly enough, these powerhouses had "coincidentally" not targeted the Hall of Valor earlier.
Though the players from the Hall of Valor were eager for revenge, they felt the pressure from the two Supremes watching them closely, combined with their own "disadvantaged" position, and thus had to hold back their aggression.
However, within the ranks of the Hall of Valor, there was one individual who remained calm.
It was Sterl…
He observed everything that unfolded with a detached demeanor. While he was a part of the Hall of Valor, his mindset remained unshaken.
In fact, he began to wonder if this was a scheme orchestrated by the other two factions together.
With this maneuver, the players from the Hall of Valor naturally became extremely excited, ready to give their all in the fight against these demons.
The players from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen would also be motivated by the competition…
After all, the more total merit they earned, the higher the overall benefits would be for their Supremes and for the Hall of Valor compared to the other two factions.
In the current situation, some players who would normally hesitate to use items against particularly challenging demons might be willing to spend whatever it took, driven by a surge of determination.
However…
Even if everything were true and the players of the Hall of Valor were indeed being suppressed, Sterl would simply think… "What does it have to do with me?"
At this moment, he only had one thought in mind: to unleash a massacre and rack up merit.
Sterl glanced around for a moment and quickly identified his target.
A little further back in the ranks of the demon army, a total of five demigod-level hell players were secretly gathering their strength, seemingly preparing to launch a fierce attack.
Without hesitation, Sterl activated his Space Law and jumped out.
He was not foolish enough to charge into the demon lines; instead, he first prepared himself slightly—
[Shadow Stealth] activated!
[Arcane Law] activated!
All attribute bonuses were in full effect!
[Stardust] activated!
Layers of enhancements piled up!
In the shadow realm, Sterl appeared to be enveloped in a purplish-golden flame.
...
At that very moment—
Inside the Blood Red Fortress.
In this precious territory, there stood a luxurious palace.
Various ice crystals and expensive purification springs had been used to create a vast expanse resembling a sky, with an expansive swimming pool occupying a significant area.
Despite being in hell, the palace felt like a paradise.
And within this majestic palace, three gods were respectfully gazing at the figures of two individuals seated above them.
These three gods represented the Hall of Valor, the Golden Kingdom, and the Ashen faction. They originally had no intention of participating in this expansion event, and the rewards were beneath their notice.
Yet at this moment, they had specially come to this place.
Even more strangely, the three gods exuded a vast and profound aura, while the two individuals seated on the main throne had no discernible aura at all, appearing almost like mere mortals who weren't even players.
However, it was clear that mere mortals would not earn such respect from gods.
"My lord," one of the gods respectfully bowed; he was the deity in charge of violence and punishment within the Golden Kingdom, a figure that struck fear into countless demigod Supremes.
This god was responsible for overseeing all the rules within the faction, and any infraction led to death!
Yet at this moment, if any members of the Golden Kingdom were to witness this scene, they would be utterly stunned.
The normally brutal god was now remarkably docile, resembling a gentle scholar.
Then, this god raised his hand and summoned a semi-transparent light screen, displaying the scenes of the frontline battle.
Not only did it show the current situation, but it also replayed the earlier conflict between the Hall of Valor and the other two factions.
The god from the Hall of Valor remained expressionless, as if the events unfolding were of no concern to him.
Yet the turmoil stirring deep within this god's heart remained unknown to others.
"Hmm." The two figures seated on the throne merely nodded casually.
Even though they were sitting right in front of the three gods, their faces were somehow obscured, making it impossible to see them clearly.
"However, you must remember that this kind of play ultimately undermines the interests of [Transcendence]."
"Even if our faction…"
"You are ultimately exploiting loopholes, and it would be better to refrain from such actions."
The two figures spoke nonchalantly, clearly indicating that they were members of the mysterious organization that governed the entire Alpha 8 Crystal Barrier Galaxy. It seemed they had come this time to assist the Golden Kingdom and Ashen in some underhanded dealings!
Their aim was to secure more merit rankings in the ongoing activities and gain slots in the upper realms.
On the side of the Hall of Valor, while there was some dissatisfaction, they appeared to tacitly accept this conduct.
However, as the two figures spoke, a highly peculiar point was evident—they mentioned a certain key piece of information with calm expressions, yet no one else could catch the sound of their words.
Not even the gods could hear them.
After a few exchanges, one of the figures remarked,
"Of course! Of course! We understand the stakes." The two gods from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen forced smiles, appearing extremely subservient.
On one hand, they sought slots in the upper realms; on the other, they knew that these two seemingly mortal figures possessed the ability to easily slay them.
"It seems the plan is going smoothly." The three gods dared not speak too much, while the two figures casually glanced at the display of the scene presented by the god from the Golden Kingdom.
"Your people have impressive strength; they are quite talented."
At that moment, the scene displayed was…
The aftermath of the conflict on the battlefield.
The Hall of Valor had already been ambushed, and while their efficiency in defeating demons was not low, it paled in comparison to that of the Golden Kingdom and Ashen factions.
Simultaneously, the disadvantages of the Hall of Valor were becoming increasingly evident; all their objectives were focused on cultivating warriors above the god level.
With insufficient resources allocated to mid-tier combat power, their overall fighting capability could not keep pace.
Thus…
On the side of the Golden Kingdom, there were three exceptionally outstanding players—
One was harnessing Thunder, soaring high above, and with every passing moment, a storm of lightning rained down around him, swiftly decimating demons.
On the merit leaderboard, his name was rising rapidly.
The second player was of Supreme level, and his attack method was quite peculiar. He threw down seeds that then burst forth with a vibrant green light. When the first demon fell victim to that green light…
The plague began!
The emerald energy spread rapidly like a carpet of spores, soon covering a vast area of the battlefield in a lush green hue.
Then, the demons fell like harvested wheat, collapsing swiftly to the ground!
Many hell players who got caught could only use their life-saving items to escape or choose to perish right where they stood.
The third player…
On the Ashen side, there were four players with remarkably high monster-killing efficiency, including one with Supreme-level power.
The first player wielded a massive umbrella; when he opened it, a dark curtain enveloped a large portion of the battlefield. When the darkness dissipated, all the monsters had mysteriously vanished.
Only a pile of loot spheres remained on the ground, revealing the fate of those monsters—they had all been slain.
The second player was surrounded by two giant beasts formed from psychic energy, constantly roaring…
…
The two figures from the mysterious organization casually opened the merit leaderboard.
As expected…
The merit count on this leaderboard was rapidly increasing, but all the players at the top were from the Golden Kingdom and Ashen!
The Hall of Valor had only a few Supremes on the board.
In the grand scheme of the leaderboard, they were like a drop in the ocean—insignificant.
The two figures nodded in satisfaction: "We'll make some arrangements; no one will come to investigate whether there's any foul play in this event."
"However, don't forget that there's another task at hand."
The three gods immediately became serious, even showing a hint of anticipation.
"Understood!"
"We've brought a batch of demigods specifically to search for Solomon's subordinates, and even Solomon himself, in hell."
"Additionally… this treasure not only helps us monitor the merit rankings on the battlefield but can also sense the presence of anyone using that spatial power."
"Once he makes a move again, we'll be able to capture him immediately!"
…
At this moment, the three gods shifted their conversation to another matter, and even the god from the Hall of Valor changed his tone, sounding eager.
They knew… if they could really find a powerful being related to that race…
The rewards would far exceed just one slot in the upper realms.
They could directly secure slots in the upper realms for themselves and gain extra rewards, enough to allow them to develop for quite some time in the upper realms.
It would be equivalent to their millennium of hard training in Alpha 8.