Difficulty Level Up!
For Chen Xiaolian, or in fact, for the entire Meteor Rock Guild, the name Tian Lie was an extremely special presence!
An existence almost like a nightmare!
Especially for Roddy.
And for Chen Xiaolian, the meaning of the name Tian Lie was: powerful, challenging, desperate, and brutal!!
So far, Chen Xiaolian had already experienced several Instances of Instances, but the one that had left the deepest impression on him without a doubt was the one in Tokyo!
Because in Tokyo, there was the presence of Tian Lie!
In the Instances before and after that, even though they had encountered other formidable foes, none of them had left such a profound impression on Chen Xiaolian! The process of the Instance had not been as difficult, and the battles had not been as fierce!
In the Qin Emperor's Tomb Instance, although the BOSS Bai Qi had been powerful, at that time, there had been Miao Yan and himself on the same side, and Miao Yan had practically borne the brunt of Bai Qi's power.
But in the Tokyo Instance...
Chen Xiaolian had known very well that he and his entire team had been relentlessly pursued by Tian Lie, with no way out and no place to hide!
They had been pushed to the brink several times!
Even a powerful Floating Angel from Zero City couldn't have contended with Tian Lie!
In the end, they had chosen the path of sacrificing Nicole and severely injuring Chen Xiaolian himself. Roddy's mech was damaged, and the entire team had lost their combat capabilities. Only then did they finally manage to overcome Tian Lie, who was an incredibly tough opponent!
Tian Lie was just too powerful!
And fortunately, this formidable adversary had perished!
Even if they were to face Tian Lie again, Chen Xiaolian had no confidence that they could defeat him once more!
The previous time they had managed to kill Tian Lie had been due to a combination of favorable circumstances, including the suicidal actions of the Floating Angel.
So, when Shen heard the name Tian Lie mentioned, his expression truly changed!
"You..."
"Tian Lie held the position of an Overseer within our Thornflower Guild. You might not understand, but in our team, the role of an Overseer is not something anyone can take on casually. It requires a dominant level of strength, outstanding abilities, and a powerful track record that commands respect."
"Let me put it this way, although we have many experts in our team, members as strong as Tian Lie, capable of being Overseers, are exceedingly rare. Yet, you caused us to lose such an important talent. So, naturally, I had to come and see what kind of person you are."
Chen Xiaolian snorted, "Have you seen enough?"
"I've seen enough," Shen touched his nose, "Your strength may be passable, but you are an interesting person, and... your potential for growth is quite impressive."
"So, you just said earlier that you weren't here for revenge?" Shen asked.
"I indeed didn't come for revenge; I came to settle a debt," Shen replied with a meaningful smile.
Settle a debt?!
Chen Xiaolian was stunned.
"You caused me to lose an excellent Overseer... So, you need to compensate me for that."
Compensate? Chen Xiaolian was taken aback.
"While you may not be extraordinary, you're not bad either. So, let's make a deal... You compensate me by offering yourself to make up for Tian Lie's loss," Shen said. When he uttered these words, Chen Xiaolian's eyes widened, and he stared at Shen as if a flower had suddenly bloomed on Shen's nose.
Several seconds passed before Chen Xiaolian finally exclaimed, "You... You're actually here to recruit me into Thornflower Guild?!"
"Is that not acceptable?" Shen looked a bit puzzled. "Acquiring outstanding talents and incorporating them is the way to strengthen a team, isn't it?"
Chen Xiaolian's gaze suddenly sharpened. "You... Could it be..."
"Correct." Shen sighed. "So, let's get reacquainted. I am Shen Augustine, the current leader of Thornflower Guild."
...
"The Demon King."
Qiao Qiao finally opened her eyes and stood up from the ground, extending her hands in front of her.
Her palm's skin now looked crystal clear, almost translucent.
On the other side, Lun Tai and the others struggled to return. Lun Tai was covered in injuries, and Little Lei and the others appeared in a sorry state as well. However, after using healing potions, they were slowly recovering.
"Qiao Qiao, how did you take down that guy?" Lun Tai asked, looking puzzled and with a serious expression.
"Let's not talk about that for now," Qiao Qiao shook her head. "We're in big trouble."
"Trouble?"
"Yes," Qiao Qiao's expression was quite peculiar. "That black shadow I just killed... because of that, the subplot of the mission has changed. I received a few System Prompts."
Then, Qiao Qiao shared one of the System Prompts with everyone.
"System Prompt: You have killed the important target Demon King, Feather in the side mission plot, completing the side mission and affecting the main storyline of this Instance. Furthermore, such subsequent Instance plotlines will undergo adjustments in future related Instances."
"System Prompt: Viscount of Darkness has appeared among Meteor Rock Guild members, with a Dark Attribute value exceeding the system's judgment standard. In this Instance mission, Meteor Rock Guild's alignment has changed! You have been expelled from the Light Camp and have joined the Dark Camp!"
"System Prompt: Meteor Rock Guild's second-phase mission for this Instance has changed. Head to the Tel Aviv Port to find a ship bound for the island with coordinates XXX, YYY. Landing on the island will mark the end of the second phase.
Phase Three Mission Announcement:
Requirement One: Land on the island ahead of other participants. Otherwise, the mission will be deemed a failure!
Requirement Two: Must ensure the absolute survival of the storyline character Will Rez Belia throughout the mission. Failure to do so will result in the immediate random elimination of two team members by the system!
Requirement Three: Activate the hidden magic circle on the island... Successfully activate the magic circle and maintain it for at least thirty minutes under the attacks of participants from the Light Camp to consider the mission a success. If the entire team is defeated within thirty minutes or the magic circle is destroyed, it will be considered a failure.
Requirement Four: The system detects that in the current mission Instance, Meteor Rock Guild is the only force in the Dark Camp. The mission difficulty increases, and the following additional rewards will be given: For every additional minute the magic circle is maintained beyond thirty minutes, corresponding extra rewards will be granted. In case of team member casualties, each death will allow Dark Attribute team members to use Dark Empowerment to increase the combined combat value of the surviving members by 15%."
After seeing this long series of System Prompts, the expressions of every member of the Meteor Rock Guild present changed dramatically!
Terrifying!
...
The idea of a Dark Camp and activating the magic circle could be overlooked.
But the other two requirements were filled with blood and cruelty!
Will must survive! If he dies... two team members will be forcibly eliminated, and it's random!
Moreover, during the final battle, if a team member dies, Qiao Qiao can empower the ones still alive.
These rules are simply too sinister!
And... the fact that the Dark Camp consists solely of the Meteor Rock Guild is shocking!
In other words, in this Instance, all the other Awakened, and even potential players... are all hostile forces!