"Boss, who was that person?"
Zhao Baige, who had walked some distance away, asked Lin Jichen curiously.
Lin Jichen replied indifferently, "No idea, just some delusional maniac."
Zhao Baige believed him, "Delusional? Sounds about right. Those are what we call sasaeng fans. Many celebrities have them—fans who fantasize about being in a relationship with their idols and go to extreme lengths to stalk them. It's really terrifying."
She patted her chest, looking genuinely empathetic.
Lin Jichen chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the thought.
After shaking off Guo Jie, he planned to find Jiang Luoyu.
Since he had to clear a Secret Realm anyway, he might as well bring Zhao Baige along to make up the numbers.
However, when he messaged Jiang Luoyu, there was no reply.
He checked; Jiang Luoyu was definitely online, so why wasn't she responding?
Feeling puzzled, Lin Jichen sent a message to Su Wanling, but she also didn't reply.
This made Lin Jichen even more curious. What were those two up to?
Could they be... together? Ahem...
Just as he was wondering, the chatter of nearby players caught his attention.
"Quick, head to Yan Yu Plains! Two super guilds are fighting!"
"Yes! Liu Xiazi is even streaming it."
"Moon Shadow and Eternal. They’re fighting over a BOSS. The battle's getting fiercer, with tens of thousands involved. If we don't go now, we'll miss it."
Hearing the players' conversation, Lin Jichen was a bit surprised. He immediately opened the Tale of Immortal streaming platform, which had cultivated countless top streamers.
The most popular streamer on the homepage was Liu Xiazi.
As expected of Tale of Immortal's top streamer, she had quickly climbed into the top ten in popularity.
This time, because she was streaming the battle between the two guilds, her popularity and viewership had skyrocketed to the top. Over a million people were watching her stream.
Lin Jichen clicked in and heard Liu Xiazi's excited, trembling voice.
"Oh my! This is truly an epic battle! Family, look!"
"The Moon Shadow Guild and Eternal Guild are fighting over a Gathering Spirit Realm BOSS. It looks like both sides have deployed at least twenty thousand people!"
"I must have a connection with Moon Shadow. Last time at Canglan Medicine Valley, I saw them fighting Blood Fiend. That was just a small skirmish. Now, this is a real guild war! So bloody, I love it, hehe~"
"Such an exciting battle, and I caught it! Now, let war correspondent Liu Xiazi bring you the live commentary. Thanks to 'Ulquiorra' for the super rocket! Thanks to 'Half Green Half Red' for the yacht! Thanks..."
Liu Xiazi was passionately acting as both reporter and commentator.
More and more viewers were flooding into the stream.
But Lin Jichen didn't feel like watching anymore. He closed the stream and led Zhao Baige out of the city.
"I'm going to join the fight. Do you want to come? If not, you can wait for me here," Lin Jichen asked.
"I want to go..." Zhao Baige was naturally excited. She had never seen a guild war and her curiosity drove her to join the fun.
"Alright, but once we get there, find a place to hide. Your level is too low. If you get accidentally killed, it won't be worth it."
"Okay, I'll watch from a distance," Zhao Baige nodded obediently.
Lin Jichen didn't hesitate any longer and summoned a cyan flying sword.
It was no longer the black Dark Night Sword. This sword was called Qingming.
[Earth Grade Weapon · Qingming Sword]: Strength 90, Critical Hit 80, triggers true damage and restores 50% of health every third strike. Excess health converts to a shield lasting until the end of the battle.
[Devour Heart]: Critical hit damage x300%, lasts 1 minute, cooldown 10 minutes.
[Desperate]: When health is below 30%, increases strength by 20%, critical hit by 20%, lasts 1 minute, cooldown 30 minutes.
[Shadow Step]: Sword Flight effect +30%.
Requirement: Usable by Sword Cultivators at Golden Core Realm or higher.
This was his first time using the Qingming Sword. The Dark Night Sword had become obsolete, its attributes and skill damage no longer sufficient.
The Qingming Sword was different. Its attributes and skills were perfectly suited for his current realm.
Lin Jichen glanced at the sword, which emitted a golden glow, indicating that it was a supreme-grade weapon even among Earth Grade Equipment.
Lin Jichen slightly channeled his mana, and the Qingming Sword emitted a clear sword hum. Though it was its first time cooperating with its new master, it was very responsive.
In an instant, the Qingming Sword flew out of Lin Jichen's hand, transforming into a cyan streak that danced in the air.
After a few loops, the sword rapidly expanded with the wind, transforming into a giant cyan sword.
Lin Jichen wrapped his arm around Zhao Baige's waist, leaped up, and landed steadily on the sword.
Zhao Baige blushed, but her attention was quickly captured by the experience of Sword Flight.
With a thought, Lin Jichen commanded the Qingming Sword to carry them, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The speed was so fast that others couldn't even react.
Lin Jichen was also a bit shocked by the speed.
But he quickly understood. Having reached the Golden Core Realm, his speed was close to 900 points.
The flying speed of Mysterious Grade Sword Flight was three times the speed of his Movement Technique, which was 2700 points.
Plus, the Qingming Sword had the [Shadow Step] skill, making his Sword Flight speed 3510 points.
This speed was like having a cheat code.
In reality, normal planes wouldn't even see his shadow.
Only the fastest, lightest anti-aircraft models might keep up with him.
While it usually took ordinary players over two hours to fly from Fengqu City to Yan Yu Plains, Lin Jichen took less than five minutes.
When Lin Jichen arrived, the battle on Yan Yu Plains was still raging, having reached a fever pitch.
On one side was the Moon Shadow Guild, and on the other was the Eternal Guild. Both seemed to be fighting with all their might, with tens of thousands engaged in fierce combat.
It was hard to imagine what a battle involving tens of thousands looked like without seeing it firsthand.
Blades flashed, swords clashed, and the shouts of battle shook the heavens. The ground trembled, and the noise was thunderous.
On the ground and in the sky, figures were everywhere.
Countless skills collided, exploded, and destroyed each other in dazzling displays of light, like fireworks, or more accurately, a colorful light show.
Every second, hundreds of people fell, turning into soul remnants.
Despite this, reinforcements from both guilds kept arriving from other places.
Seeing this battle, Lin Jichen felt his blood boil, reminiscent of the days when he led his guild in battles everywhere.
If this were just a game, not integrated into the real world, Lin Jichen would have loved to form another guild, dominate the game, command armies, and wage wars.
Lin Jichen's command skills were as exceptional as his combat abilities.
Unfortunately, this wasn't just a game. What Lin Jichen needed most was his own strength.
Forming a guild was too time-consuming, and he didn't have the luxury for that.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas