Chapter 262: Rules

Chapter 262: Rules

Meanwhile.

Jiě Fāng Chéng opened his eyes to the bustling player lobby of "Three Thousand Worlds."

This sudden change left Jiě Fāng Chéng feeling a sense of loss.

No sign of Professor Zhāng upon waking, not back in the underworld, and now in this darn game again...

As Jiě Fāng Chéng thought this, he noticed his friend notifications flashing.

Clicking on them, he saw a message from Zhān Xiǎo Míng.

"Boss, I got an incredibly powerful item! I want to give it to you! Can you meet me?"

The message was sent shortly after Jiě Fāng Chéng entered the "Mirror Ghost" dungeon.

Huh?

Something about the message felt off to Jiě Fāng Chéng.

But Xiǎo Míng is a trusted ally.

Jiě Fāng Chéng casually replied as he made his way out.

"You keep it and use it."

After sending the message, Jiě Fāng Chéng went on to check other friend notifications.

In the "Mirror Ghost" dungeon, he rarely interacted with other players except for Zhū Píng.

Yet now, he had a long list of friend requests.

After all, for players, knowing someone as skilled as him could be a lifeline in a tight spot. Just having his name on their list provided some reassurance.

Even if he might not accept, at least they'd have a shot.

Jiě Fāng Chéng's feelings toward this game were now quite mixed.

When he first started playing "Three Thousand Worlds," he thought the players were as dark-hearted as the five who had killed Professor Zhāng, believing none of them were trustworthy.

But as he discovered that the game's original purpose was to save smaller worlds, and that the game's creators might be related to Professor Zhāng, he began to feel a twinge of sympathy for these players.

Now faced with numerous friend requests from unfamiliar IDs, Jiě Fāng Chéng accepted them all.

Of course, another reason was that Jiě Fāng Chéng had mentioned in the dungeon that he'd be charging fees.

Whether he needed them or not, the players had to pay.

Zhū Píng had been saved by him. As soon as Jiě Fāng Chéng accepted, she immediately messaged him.

"Jiě, where are you? I'll give you all my points and items from this dungeon."

Smart girl!

Jiě Fāng Chéng didn't decline her offer and looked up.

Huh? Where is this?

He hadn't noticed where he was transported to earlier. Instead of the lush wooden teleport point in D-zone, his surroundings were bustling but emitted an undeniable air of poverty.

Just then, someone behind Jiě Fāng Chéng grew impatient.

"Move! Why are you blocking the teleport point?"

Jiě Fāng Chéng quickly stepped aside and finally recognized his location when he turned around.

E9-332。

E-zone?

This was a completely unfamiliar area to Jiě Fāng Chéng. At a glance, all he could see was an atmosphere of "poverty."

The control stations were crude, and there were far fewer robots than in D-zone. Given that the Elf King in D-zone despised high tech, D-zone already had fewer robots.

But E-zone seemed to have even fewer robots, and they all appeared worn out and old.

Maybe it was due to the environment, but Jiě Fāng Chéng felt that the players in E-zone also exuded an air of poverty.

Soon, Jiě Fāng Chéng realized his observations were accurate.

At the teleport point, a player, bleeding profusely, stumbled out, looking as if he might die from blood loss any second. An emergency robot approached with beeping sounds, but the player waved it off.

Quickly, two of his friends teleported in, each sprinkling a player-made medicinal powder on him, enough to practically bury him, stopping the bleeding.

After stemming the flow, the three declined the robot's well-intentioned treatment and departed, leaving a bloody scene mixed with the earthy-yellow powder, resembling a crime scene.

The cleaning robot arrived considerably late, by which time countless players had unknowingly passed by, spreading the medicine powder and bloodstains throughout the hall.

What a backward area this is!

Jie Fangcheng was utterly stunned; he hadn't expected to witness such a scene in "The World of Three Thousand".

After being dazed, he went on to reply to each friend's message individually.

Other players were also asking his whereabouts, offering to pay and give items, and even inviting Jie Fangcheng for a meal.

Jie Fangcheng only wished there was a mass send button so he could reply to everyone at once, but he had to laboriously respond one by one.

He had become so accustomed to replying that he inadvertently also sent his location to Zhan Xiaoming.

After finishing his replies, Jie Fangcheng noticed that Zhan Xiaoming's new message was rather peculiar.

"Without you, boss, I would never have been able to clear the level. Please accept this item!"

What happened to this kid? Was he kidnapped?

Jie Fangcheng scratched his head.

Conveniently, he had a question for Zhan Xiaoming, so he simply responded with, "Come find me then."

Jie Fangcheng stood near the teleportation point.

Players didn’t need to pack up to go anywhere; as soon as he replied, the teleportation point would continuously flash with white light.

Shortly after, all players who survived "The Ghost in the Mirror" teleported in front of Jie Fangcheng.

In reality, only Zhu Ping truly understood this instance; the rest of the players seemed rather clueless.

As everyone teleported, they chatted enthusiastically, the central idea being: let's have a meal together to bond.

At that moment, Jie Fangcheng was unyieldingly firm, clearly stating there's no need for bonding, just give the items and points and disperse.

Although he seemed amiable, his formidable skills were evident; if he didn't wish to join, no one dared press him.

A scene unfolded in the D-zone player hall that drew many second glances: a line of players handing over items as if making offerings, always asking, "Is it enough?"

Not everyone was entirely willing, but willing or not, they had to give. Since the outcome was predetermined, why not put it in pleasant words?

Thus, this scene that resembled a robbery surprisingly had a harmonious atmosphere.

Jie Fangcheng accepted everything, storing all in his bag, waiting to appraise them later.

While collecting, a lone hand suddenly extended, offering an item.

Jie Fangcheng looked up.

Zhan Xiaoming greeted him with a warm smile.

"Boss! You're here!"

Jie Fangcheng looked at him without uttering a word.

The other party didn't mind, eagerly shoved a "powerful item" into Jie Fangcheng's hands, and continued talking enthusiastically.

"Long time no see, how did you find the last instance, boss? Come on, my uncle just roasted some sunflower seeds, let's go enjoy them together!"

Jie Fangcheng didn't say much but continued to accept offerings from other players, including the item from Zhan Xiaoming.

It indeed was an impressive item, an A-tier one, hard to imagine that Zhan Xiaoming could have obtained it.

Seeing him accept the item, Zhan Xiaoming's smile deepened.

Players around exchanged glances, realizing a "friend" of the boss had arrived. After giving their offerings, they dispersed.

Zhan Xiaoming, cheerfully said, "Shall we go?"

"Hmm."

Zhan Xiaoming led the way, and they quickly reached the teleportation point. After swiping his points, he made an inviting gesture.

"Boss, after you!"

Jie Fangcheng finally spoke, "Where to?"

"To District D!"

"Is that so?"

The next moment, without any warning, Jie Fangcheng swung a punch.

With remarkable foresight, he grabbed "Zhan Xiaoming's" collar with his other hand before delivering the punch, preventing him from being flung away and possibly escaping.

The punch caught him off guard, making a visible dent on "Zhan Xiaoming's" cheek.

The touch felt human, and "Zhan Xiaoming's" reaction post-punch seemed ordinary too.

He looked back, a mix of shock and hurt, "Jie, what did you do that for?"

Jie Fangcheng stared at him emotionlessly, "You're not Zhan Xiaoming. Who are you? Where's Zhan Xiaoming?"

"I am Zhan Xiaoming!"

The other quickly tapped on his device, and the next moment, a message appeared on Jie Fangcheng's friend list.

A message from Zhan Xiaoming read, "Jie, it's me!"

But Jie Fangcheng just continued gripping his shirt, "You're not."

Not being in his private realm, Jie Fangcheng couldn't discern if Zhan Xiaoming had been possessed or had his body hijacked.

But Jie Fangcheng was certain of one thing.

Even if a person's personality changes, the soul remains unaltered.

Even if the soul were shattered into countless pieces, each fragment would bear the person's unique traits.

Yet now, Jie Fangcheng couldn't see any distinctive traits belonging to Zhan Xiaoming. Even if his temperament had drastically changed, the essence should remain the same.

The "Zhan Xiaoming" in front of him tried to argue, "What's gotten into you, Jie? If I'm not Zhan Xiaoming, how could I message you with his account? The game system can't be fake, can it?"

Thanks to this statement, it suddenly clicked for Jie Fangcheng.

—The system can't be fake?

Nonsense!

Is the current system of "The World of Three Thousand" the same as the original?

Then why did a message from "Zhan Xiaoming" appear? Need he even ask? Wasn't Jie Fangcheng's greatest adversary currently the six administrators of this game?

An administrator accessing the backend to message Jie Fangcheng shouldn't be hard, right?

If it's likely one of these six administrators... Regardless, approaching Jie Fangcheng with such deceit could mean no good intentions.

He wouldn't lose out by striking!

Jie Fangcheng raised his fist again.

That earlier punch had already left the "Zhan Xiaoming" in his grasp reeling.

He was aware of the strength of the guardians who initially emerged, but he hadn't expected this level of might.

"Jiu" had said that the adversary was a brash simpleton! How did he not fall for it now??

As Jie Fangcheng's fist swung down, the "Zhan Xiaoming" in his grasp liquefied like mud, "flowing" out of his grasp.

Once the sludge slipped from his hands, it reformed into a human shape not far away.

A towering figure over two meters tall, with a singular demonic horn atop its head and vast bat wings unfurled behind, stood before Jie Fangcheng.

It was "Satan."

"Satan" tilted his head, observing Jie Fangcheng.

"You're quite formidable. I initially thought you'd just be a good stretch for me, but now I believe you might pose a threat to us."

Speaking more to himself, "Satan" mused, "I didn't want to use 'admin privileges' directly... After all, the current system is rather unstable, and we don't want it backfiring. But for you... I trust the 'President' and the others will understand."

With that, "Satan" flashed a smile, revealing two sharp canines. His pointed nails drew an invisible line in the air, unseen by others, as the "demon" accessed the administrator's backend.

The originally white administrative backend now had numerous flaws; black data streams corroded the white platform as if worms had crawled over it. At first glance, it appeared white, but a closer look revealed it riddled with wormholes.

Initially, in an attempt to cleanse these black data streams, the leaders of the six major guilds utilized the "Tree of Life" as a vessel, trying to transfer all data into it first, then select and transfer back only the clean data.

But unexpectedly, not long after the data was transferred back, the black wormholes reappeared.

And whenever the leaders of the six major guilds utilized administrative privileges, more black wormholes would emerge, with aggressive black data streams threatening to corrupt them.

"Once the established [Rules] are broken... it's like a tear in paper, irreversible," the Elven King had said so at the time.

This is why "Satan" hadn't tried to tackle Jie Fangcheng using the administrative backend from the get-go.

But now things were different.

Many players around recognized the infamous demon, and the astute ones ran off without looking back.

Some spectators even moved closer, curious about the unfolding drama.

"Satan" flashed a sinister grin.

The next second, centered around him, the entire player hall... no, the entirety of E9 District, transformed into a crimson hell in the blink of an eye.

The previously pale lights turned blood-red, the floor of the player hall manifested distorted, screaming shadows, the souls of those who had perished in the E District.

Blood seeped from the walls, and a fetid stench of decay pervaded the air.

Bones littered the surroundings, and the spirits, sensing Satan's summons, began returning to the living realm.

"Ahh!!"

E9 District echoed with intermittent screams, as players in the hall were snatched away by spirits if they were not careful.

At that moment, Jie Fangcheng swung his arm.

Dong————Hum——————

The bell's toll bore a potent soul-soothing effect... No, it wasn't just about soothing souls anymore.

The colossal black bell floating above Jie Fangcheng's temple was originally crafted from his and the 800 ghostly generals' weapons to calm restless souls unable to reincarnate. From the remaining scraps, he fashioned an unsharpened greatsword for himself, symbolizing his self-imposed sword banishment, and the idea of turning the sword into a shield.

But now, as the bell tolled, while its soul-soothing effect might be uncertain, its suppressive power was in full force.

The spirits collapsed to the ground, and even "Satan's" hand, which was accessing the administrative backend, hesitated in bewilderment.

The initial realm... the very source of all rules, and the origin of "The World of Three Thousand."

The six of them yearned to return at every moment, to retrieve untainted rules, and rebuild the system of "The World of Three Thousand."

But they couldn't go back.

To avoid a situation akin to the Dragon God's, the six individuals, leveraging their administrator statuses, modified their own bodies, hoping to achieve immortality.

However, immortality inherently breaks the rules.

The rules of the original land clashed with their self-imposed rules, thus preventing the six from returning.

They tried numerous approaches, like using the "Ghoul's Eye", an artifact from the underworld embodying the power of death, to counterbalance their "immortality", in hopes of deceiving the original land's rules.

But it was in vain.

Rules are interconnected entities, encompassing both dark and light.

For instance, where there's daylight, there's also nighttime.

With death comes birth.

The original land's rules are balanced, and the "Ghoul's Eye" couldn't perfectly neutralize the altered rules within them.

This is why, when Ji Dai initially stole the "Ghoul's Eye", the six recognized its deathly power, but didn't give it undue importance.

The impending collapse of the smaller worlds connected to "Three Thousand Realms" stems from the disrupted balance of their rules.

Although it's possible to restore balance once disrupted, what's the purpose in doing so?

The six are no Dragon Gods genuinely intending to save the Three Thousand Realms.

Instead, they consume these disrupted small worlds to nourish the system, aiming to expand the game of "Three Thousand Realms".

With the Dragon God's demise and system iterations, they gained complete control over the game's system, pushing it from salvation towards destruction.

The six are well-aware that all hope lies in the original land.

Either they obtain perfectly balanced rules from the original land, offering them an alternative path to immortality - especially now, with the "Three Thousand Realms" growing exponentially larger than during the Dragon God's era.

With the "Three Thousand Realms" in place, even if their powers escalate to the Dragon God's level, the game can still balance things out.

Alternatively... they could obliterate the original land.

If the Dragon God could create rules, so can they.

And now, standing before Jie Fangcheng, "Satan" clearly favors the latter approach.

From the outset, he wanted to eliminate the guardian who traveled from the original land to the "Three Thousand Realms". Though unsure how the latter navigated the chaotic rule-land to enter the game, once they're logged into "Three Thousand Realms", simply severing the connection should suffice.

At that moment, as Jie Fangcheng suppresses the spirits and turns his gaze onto him, "Satan" reveals a bloodthirsty smile.

"Die!!"

As he speaks, his sharp fingers point towards Jie Fangcheng, with the "rule" he clandestinely acquired from the administrator's backend launching an assault.

System alerts resonate within both their minds simultaneously.

​1​

This was Jiě Fāng Chéng's notification.

Yet, in "Satan's" mind, a drastically different message resonated.

[Beep—Command processing: Disconnect player 'Jie Fangcheng' from the 'Three Thousand Worlds' system.]

[Beep—Disconnection failed! Administrative privileges too low! Unable to process!]

Low administrative privileges??

What does this mean???

"Satan" widened his eyes.

In the next instant, Jie Fangcheng, wielding a power of “rules” that even he wasn’t aware of, seized the “demon” in front of him.

For a moment, "Satan" felt as if he gazed into a pair of familiar eyes, one black and one white.

Who is it...

As Satan was still in shock, Jie Fangcheng, gripping his throat, demanded, "Where's Zhan Xiaoming?"

Zhan Xiaoming...

That cannon fodder?

Why would a guardian of this starting land care about such an insignificant ant, someone so weak?

Shouldn't he look down upon all the players, scoffing at these lesser beings?

Just as humans don't bother about ants underfoot, much like what “Satan” always did.

This guardian in front of him... why does he seem like the previous Dragon God?

That powerful dragon cared for even the lowest beings in the small world. Even if those people were ignorant, the dragon was still willing to mend the world’s rules for them.

Who is this guardian?

"Hey! I asked you a question!" Jie Fangcheng tightened his grip on Satan's throat, ensuring that if the demon dared to transform into sludge, he’d snap his neck instantly, "Where did Zhan Xiaoming go?"

The "demon" merely gazed at him. The question brought to mind not the late Zhan Xiaoming but Jie Fangcheng's identity.

So, without even attempting to lie, Satan responded, "He's dead."

Jie Fangcheng had somewhat expected this answer, but hearing it from "Satan's" lips made him pause, tightening his grip.

Satan, in disbelief, widened his eyes, "Are you going to kill me? For a player who couldn't even pass the hunter's exam?? Do you know who I am??"

The next moment, Jie Fangcheng didn’t bother to hear him out.

He exerted force abruptly. The once mighty "Satan", after a horrific scream, had his neck twisted, his head drooping lifelessly to the side.

With Satan's demise, the surrounding inferno landscape collapsed.

In silence, Jie Fangcheng snapped his fingers. A wisp of ethereal blue ghost flame ignited from his fingertip, incinerating Satan's corpse to ashes.

Zhan Xiaoming was dead.

Without asking, he knew it was because of him, Jie Fangcheng.

Most likely, Satan and his crew targeted Zhan Xiaoming due to his association with Jie Fangcheng. And all this... Perhaps Zhan Xiaoming's friends were unaware, otherwise, Jie Fangcheng's friends' notifications wouldn't be so quiet... Wait.

Were Liu Feiyao and the others still alive?

Jie Fangcheng quickly messaged a few of them and promptly received responses.

Liu Feiyao had just exited a dungeon, and her response seemed genuinely hers.

"Jie bro? What's up? Oh, remember you asked Xiaoming about the initial data of Zone A1? I found some in Zone D. I'll send it to you now."

Han Ruihang and Pei Xiaodong both addressed him as "Jie bro," which reassured Jie Fangcheng.

However, the news of Zhan Xiaoming's death still set off alarms in his heart.

The big six guilds had their eyes on him. Even if he had the absolute strength and confidence to defeat those six, the players close to him were vulnerable.

He needed to level up quickly, get to Zone A1, and eliminate those six!

With that in mind, Jie Fangcheng dashed towards the teleportation point of Zone E without looking back.

What he didn’t know was that Zone A1 was forbidden territory.

In a vast, smooth, pristine white landscape, two jade-like trees grew.

Each tree was even grander than the Tree of Life, with branches stretching out into the boundless cosmos.

Only upon closer inspection did one realize, they weren't trees at all.

They were dragon horns.

The area around the dragon horns was enveloped in a milky mist. Within the fog, a blue-tailed mermaid with transparent fins on her ears rested beneath the dragon horn.

Just then, the mist near the dragon horns churned tumultuously, accompanied by an inhuman roar.

The “Sea God” looked toward the white mist with azure eyes. Soon after, a towering demon emerged from the fog.

The singular horn on his forehead shimmered with a blood-red glow, identical to when he appeared before Jie Fangcheng.

It was Satan.

After the change in rules, even if he died billions of times, he could still be reborn.

Without any cost, unimpeded by anything.

These are the rules.

This is eternal life.