Chapter 1 A Bleak Autumn

[Late autumn, withered leaves scattered everywhere.]

[Setting sun, reddish-orange sky.]

[In this desolate scene, a group of people arrived at the entrance of a secluded valley.]

As the opening CG began, a sonorous old voice delivered a few sentences in a rather ancient style, setting the tone for the entire scenario.

[The company of about a hundred people included officials with power over the court, generals with glorious battle records, and even members of the imperial family. Of course, the most numerous among them were... soldiers and servants.]

Accompanying the narration, a group of figures dressed in ancient Chinese clothing and armor emerged one after another from a mountain path.

The three men at the head of the group were all riding horses, each wearing a different style of official robe, seemingly indicating that they came from different agencies...

Judging from the three men's eyes, physique, and bearing, they were undoubtedly all martial artists and experienced veterans of many battles.

Following behind the three pioneers was a large group of soldiers, armed with swords and wearing light armor. At first glance, these men seemed like ordinary soldiers, but upon closer inspection... it was not difficult to see that they all had a certain foundation in internal energy, and were by no means ordinary lackeys.

Further back, one could see more horsemen and carriages...

There were only three carriages in the entire procession, slowly moving forward under the protection of the soldiers. Each carriage was pulled by two horses. Besides the driver, a horseman always followed closely beside each carriage, obviously acting as a personal bodyguard.

Finally, at the rear of the group, there were two more horsemen and a dozen people in plain clothes. These people were not equipped with weapons or armor, but they were all strong and healthy men. Just the way they walked was much lighter and more agile than the average person.

[Ming Dynasty, Shengping year twenty-two.]

[The emperor was afflicted with a serious illness, and urgently summoned three trusted aides to the palace, personally issuing a secret edict.]

[A month later, the three actual leaders of the Grand Commandant's Office, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Eastern Depot led a mysterious group of people and appeared in this valley located in a remote border region.]

As the narration reached this point, a subtitle appeared simultaneously in the players' and viewers' vision, with the following content—

"Note: The Ming Dynasty history in this scenario differs greatly from actual history. The basic setting is... Emperor Guangzong Zhu Changluo, who should have died in the same year he ascended the throne, lived for more than thirty years before passing away from illness. The butterfly effect caused by this resulted in significant changes to the subsequent Ming rulers, the structure of government departments, and the duration of the dynasty. The current scenario takes place in a period that does not exist in official history. Shengping is a fictional reign title, and the emperor and other characters are also fictional."

After the subtitle appeared and lingered for a while, the narration continued.

[This valley is called 'Burial Heart Valley.' It is located in a desolate border region, and the entrance is extremely difficult to find. The valley is isolated from the outside world.]

[According to legends in the martial world, a 'King Yama' dwells in Burial Heart Valley, possessing the power to control life and death.]

[Those who have no way out in the world can preserve their lives if they are accepted by the 'King Yama' and enter the valley.]

[No matter who the person seeking refuge is, no matter what they have done outside, no matter how powerful their enemies are... once they enter Burial Heart Valley, the King Yama will definitely protect them from death.]

[However, this person, this lifetime, can never leave the valley even half a step.]

[Otherwise, they will have to return the life given to them by the King Yama... back to the King Yama.]

After this introduction, the camera turned, and the scene instantly shifted to the depths of Burial Heart Valley...

Behind a mountain col and beside a clear spring, a sizable village appeared. At the end of the village, a mountain manor stood against the mountainside.

The players' vision moved rapidly with the camera, traversing through the village.

[Desert Saber King Di Hou, Guan Nei First Spear Feng Er, Flying Dragon Swordsman He Ziming, Ba Fang Lou Master Meng Qi...]

Each time the narration announced a name, the camera quickly shifted to a villager and paused for a few seconds.

Clearly, this was implying, or rather, explicitly stating... that each of these villagers who were plowing the fields, drawing water, and feeding livestock, were once famous and influential figures.

[These experts who once dominated the martial world are now all 'little devils' under the command of the 'King Yama'.]

[Their lives no longer belong to themselves. Only because... they once did something wrong...]

[Massacring the innocent, betraying the country to colluding with the enemy, raping women, murdering for money... everyone in this village has done things that a person should not do, so they no longer have a place in the world, so they came here and became 'ghosts'.]

[It's not that no one has ever tried to hunt down the fugitives in Burial Heart Valley. Someone tried many years ago, and someone has tried in recent years... but these pursuers either gave up or also became 'ghosts'.]

[Until today, the order here will be broken...]

The plot summary ended here, and the players gained the ability to act at the same second.

This time, both teams were teleported together, starting out with their teammates in the same location.

"Whoa... what's going on here?" Wang Tanzhi asked as soon as he stood still.

At this moment, the four members of the [Hell Frontline] team appeared in a desert. Several dozen groups of people were standing sparsely in front of them, roughly numbering three or four hundred.

Those people were dressed in various styles and carried different weapons. Judging from the distance between the groups, they came from at least several dozen different factions... not including those standing alone.

"This... could it be a martial arts tournament?" Hua Jian thought of this immediately, because she quickly spotted groups of bald monks, Taoists, and Taoist nuns, as well as groups of salt merchants, among the crowd... Based on Miss An's many years of watching martial arts movies, these groups of people were most likely martial artists from various sects.

"Heh... maybe." Feng Bujue replied, "Speaking of which... I feel like I've seen this scene before..."

In fact, Brother Jue had already deduced that the setting of this scenario was the world of *Cang Ling Lun Jian*. There were two reasons for this: first, he had heard the name "Ba Fang Lou" in the opening CG, which was one of the "One Mansion, Two Pavilions, Three Sects, Four Gates" in *Cang Ling Lun Jian*; second, after a deep exchange with the Phantasmal Demon Church, Brother Jue learned that... the "Bell Demon" he had killed in the back mountain of Cang Ling Town was actually one of the "Nine Netherworld Commanders" under the command of the Netherworld King of Darkness. Like "Fu Ling" on Devil's Maw Island, she was a "former Netherworld Commander" who had been banished. This connection also indirectly confirmed that this scenario world existed in Thriller Paradise's main universe. And all the competition scenarios in "Fierce Battle Across the Four Realms" took place in the main universe, which... made Brother Jue even more certain of his deduction.

"This is the scenario world of Cang Ling Town, right?" Ruoyu also realized the meaning of Feng Bujue's words after a few seconds, turning her head to reply.

"Eh?" Xiao Tan asked, confused, "So that world is also in the main universe?"

"It's normal." Feng Bujue shrugged, "Since there are 'planets similar to 1980s America' in the main universe, why can't there be 'planets similar to 16th century China'?"

"Mm... that makes sense. We've even been to planets full of rabbits who know kung fu..." Xiao Tan nodded in agreement.

Just as they were talking, suddenly! A figure soared into the sky, swept over the heads of the crowd, and walked through the air... to stand on a high rock in the desert, facing the heroes.

It was a man around fifty years old, with a heroic and dignified face, tall and stalwart, with an extraordinary bearing.

He was wearing a blue brocade robe, a metal belt around his waist, holding a shirt in his hand, and wearing quick boots. All over his body... he did not carry any weapons.

"Greetings, heroes..." After the man stood still, he swept his eyes over the crowd below with a condescending gaze, and then said, "Yuan... pays his respects."

His voice was not loud, and he did not shout, but every word he said was clearly transmitted to the ears of everyone within a few hundred meters.

"Using internal energy to transmit sound, huh..." Feng Bujue muttered, stroking his chin, "Being able to use it on so many people at the same time in this open space... shows that his skill is quite formidable. Also, since he dares to jump up to a high place alone and speak so loudly to the entire martial world... it means his status in the martial world is also extraordinary."

In the next second, the reactions of those martial artists explained the identity of "Yuan".

"Greetings, Alliance Master!" Similar words echoed from far and near in the crowd.

"Oh... so he's the Martial Arts Alliance Master..." Feng Bujue muttered in a tone that implied, "So what if he's just the Martial Arts Alliance Master."

"Heroes, you are too polite." After a few seconds, the Alliance Master cupped his fist in return and said loudly, "The current situation is urgent, and time waits for no one, so Yuan will get straight to the point..." He paused for half a second and said, "Yuan has received reliable information that half a month ago, the imperial court sent more than a hundred experts from Shuntian Prefecture all the way to Burial Heart Valley, which is located here. They arrived not long ago." As he spoke, he turned and gestured towards the mountain shadows in the far distance behind him, "After several inquiries, Yuan finally learned... that there is a 'Longevity Technique' hidden in that Burial Heart Valley. It is said that those who master it can gain immortality and eternal youth."

Before he could finish speaking, a clamor arose from the crowd.

In fact... it was optional whether he said these words or not, because it was basically an "open secret". If the martial artists standing below did not know about the existence of the "Longevity Technique," why would they have so much enthusiasm to rush to this desolate place?

"Heroes!" The Alliance Master paused for a moment and continued, "That 'Longevity Technique' is a classic created by people of our martial world. How can we hand it over to those imperial court dogs?" His tone suddenly became impassioned, "Yuan believes... that this matter is absolutely unacceptable!"

"That's right! Absolutely unacceptable!"

"Alliance Master is wise!"

"We must not let the 'Longevity Technique' fall into the hands of those lackeys!"

Listening to these responses, Alliance Master Yuan nodded with satisfaction, "Today, Yuan invites all of you heroes here because I want everyone to lend me a hand."

"I have a premonition..." A smile suddenly appeared on Brother Jue's face as he heard this, "...next, he will say something very shameless."

His words were immediately verified...

Sure enough, Alliance Master Yuan's next sentence was: "As long as we gather the strength of all our sects, taking down those imperial court dogs will be a piece of cake." He waved his hand and spread his sleeves, "However... the imperial court will certainly not give up on this matter. They will definitely send people to Burial Heart Valley again to steal the technique. Therefore... Yuan believes that the 'Longevity Technique' should be jointly guarded by our entire martial world."

"The Alliance Master is right!"

"It should be guarded by us!"

Several sect leaders couldn't wait to respond to Alliance Master Yuan's call, shouting loudly.

"Heh... I'm so drunk with this logic..." Hua Jian looked at the NPC on the high ground with a contemptuous expression and sneered, "Not to mention what the Ming Dynasty government in this world is like, even if they are a bunch of robbers... this Alliance Master's meaning seems to be—'Our neighbor has a treasure. To prevent robbers from going to steal it, let's steal it first and keep it safe for the neighbor.'"

"And..." Ruoyu coldly interjected at this time, "The so-called 'jointly guarded by the entire martial world'... in other words, it will be kept by him, the Alliance Master, first, right? After the thing enters his hands, whether he will take it out again, or whether what he takes out is real or fake... that's not certain."

"I think... even if he is really forced to keep it with others," Xiao Tan also said, "he will definitely copy or memorize that set of techniques first, and then hand over the real thing."

"Hmph... you are all too naive." Hearing his teammates' words, Feng Bujue smiled and shook his head, "If it were me... none of the people present today would be able to leave this desert alive after I'm done using them."

They spoke carelessly, and their voices were not low, but... no one noticed them.

Because the "system protection time" after entering the scenario had not yet passed.

Brother Jue and the others were well aware of this. After all, they were all level 50 players with plenty of scenario experience, and they were familiar with all the details of the game.

In the current situation... the four of them suddenly appeared, and there were so many people standing nearby, but no NPC noticed their appearance. This was undoubtedly due to system protection.

"Since everyone has no objections..." Seeing that things were progressing smoothly, Alliance Master Yuan continued, "...then, without further delay, now is the sunset, the best time to enter the valley." It seemed that he had done a thorough job of investigating, "That Burial Heart Valley is shrouded in 'light mist,' so you can see at night. Everyone, follow me... we will jointly annihilate those imperial court dogs and find and protect the 'Longevity Technique'!"

As his voice fell, the various sects were in an uproar, rushing forward... In the blink of an eye, those hundreds of people followed the Yuan fellow towards the valley a few kilometers away, raising clouds of dust as they passed.

Only Brother Jue and the other three remained in place, casting contemptuous glances at those rabble.

[Main Quest Triggered]

[Kill four members of "Red Sakura."]

At the same time, the quest prompt appeared...