Chapter 881: Divine Demon Alchemist

PAY! TO! LEVEL! UP!

Everyone quickly realized what was happening. Alchemy Emperor Grantham was, in fact, targeting the Asura Path, their neighbors.

Although this group of players wasn't as wealthy as the natives, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Like a swarm of locusts or geese plucking feathers, they had amassed significant wealth, especially after slaughtering a large number of giant octopuses.

"He's still a top player. I wondered why he suddenly adopted Akina Speed's style to conduct a review? (Suddenly it made sense)."

"Akina Speed does reviews out of passion, but the Alchemy Grandmaster isn't usually interested in such things. His sudden appearance definitely implied a conspiracy. It turns out he's just trying to make a buck. (Terrifying)."

"Such a conspiracy! He watched them tirelessly kill octopuses, then immediately set his sights on these players' wallets? (Trembling)."

They never expected what seemed like a genuine educational session would, in the end, turn into a blatant money-making scheme.

Just then, Akina Speed also joined the fray:

"Brothers, just having levels isn't enough without corresponding combat power! It's just an empty shell! Do you want powerful bloodline talents? Do you want innate bloodline origins? Do you want naturally powerful races?

"I can provide all that here!

"With talent 'plugins,' as long as you pay for a bloodline, you'll be the strongest!

"Currently, you can pre-order various bloodlines from me at an 80% discount. If the price is high enough, I can even provide bloodline blueprints. I offer custom-tailored services to help you 'show off a different you!'"

Upon seeing his comment, the Alchemy Emperor immediately pinned Akina Speed's reply.

In an instant, it garnered thousands of likes.

The comments on that reply were numerous. Clicking on them revealed remarks like, "Master Ball, caught you!" "I knew you'd show up to join the fun." and "Cash, cash, cash! My youth is back!"

Everyone's faces darkened.

One was selling levels and realms...

The other selling extraordinary bloodlines...

Seeing such a favorable situation, these two grandmasters instantly spotted a business opportunity and began 'harvesting leeks' (profiting from players).

But what's most crucial in cultivation? Naturally, it's one's realm and bloodline. These two key factors were constantly gnawing at their minds.

"I originally thought this was a fair game, where you could get stronger just by grinding, gaining knowledge, and working hard. I never imagined it would be this terrifying! Pay-to-win exploits are this severe? This game even sells levels and bloodline professions directly? I truly never saw this coming! (Dali Brother.jpg)."

"Damn it, which real-world online game would dare to play like this? Directly selling levels? Directly selling bloodlines? They'd go bankrupt instantly! This is truly one of a kind."

Everyone was astonished.

They all knew the Alchemy Emperor would eventually return, but they never expected his return to be in this form: the 'Pay-to-Win Emperor' Grantham.

"Ahem, you're still too young, and you overestimate your importance. Do you really think they're 'harvesting' you?"

The Cute Girl (Meng Mei) then stepped forward, shaking her head and stating, "You little 'leeks' are dirt poor. 'Harvesting' you is just a side benefit. The true path is to 'harvest' this civilization that's tens of thousands of years old."

Everyone was slightly taken aback.

"Are you suggesting...?" a netizen asked.

The Cute Girl (Meng Mei) shook her head and sighed, "You're too young. Even though the world has changed, with various Pillar Gods vying for power and the mysterious Cosmic Garden appearing, we should also make our move and contend for an opportunity!

We are indeed going to enter the arena. And did you forget? We also have a player known as the 'System Giver'?"

The System!?

As soon as she uttered those words, many broke out in a cold sweat.

Yes, they had been secretly observing for so long—the virus outbreak, the biohazard crisis, an entire civilization on the brink. They must have been planning to deal with the Pillar Gods. Were they now secretly making their move?

Were they actually going to....

Their minds suddenly went blank as an utterly terrifying scenario came to mind, a string of words flashing before them.

"First Purchase Pack for 6 Yuan!"

"648 Supreme Pack, comes with a top-tier bloodline!"

"One slash, 99 levels! Dragon-Slaying Blade, yours for free! If you're my brother, come and hack me!"

At this very moment.

"Are you ready?" the Cute Girl asked.

"I... I'm ready," said Pan Yuxian. As one of the oldest players and a muscle-based combatant, her cultivation realm was naturally very high; she had already embarked on the Ninth-Tier path...

Though embarking on it and reaching its end were two different concepts.

"However, I'm not very good at this," she admitted.

"It has to be you. It's fine, you've become very pretty and beautiful now. Just don't reveal your true nature; be gentle. Yes, use that 'business smile' to make them pay..." the Cute Girl said.

They had the system's core stand on the lens of an eyeball, and it instantly activated, elementalizing the entire system and projecting its image downwards.

"Descend, God-Devil Alchemist, ancient cosmic entity! Virtual reality, equivalent exchange for everything you possess!"

"Why isn't it System Ultraman?"

"Crude."

The continent of Dolika.

The entire continent was gripped by panic.

Everyone knew that the terrifying, unknown, mysterious virus had erupted on the neighboring continent of Fuli Jieshi, across the ocean.

Though the empire was reluctant to disclose information, the news could no longer be contained. Everyone witnessed an utterly terrifying sight: an endless barrage of space-based railguns sealing off the entire continent.

That was almost half of the empire's entire accumulated wealth!

Could it really be used solely to blockade a single continent on a planet?

No one was a fool.

The empire wouldn't expend such vast war reserves merely to abandon a continent, let alone an entire planet. The situation must have been dire, a matter of ultimate life or death...

"We're doomed."

"What exactly happened across the continent?"

"Is it the offspring of that cosmic enlightener?"

Countless individuals stood in silent contemplation, gazing at the night sky.

Many emerged from their high-rises and stepped onto their balconies, gazing at the scattered stars outside.

They sensed the impending doom, feeling its terror more profoundly than anyone else.

But the torrent of fate rolled onward, and everyone living in that era was merely a speck of dust, unable to make choices, powerless to change anything.

"We are powerless to change our own destiny."

An old woman embraced a child on a balcony, gazing into the distance. "The world is truly cruel and merciless enough," she sighed. "We can do nothing but wait."

"Grandma, the empire has already sacrificed one continent. Will they sacrifice us too?" the child asked.

"I don't know," the white-haired old woman replied, gently stroking the boy's head and antlers. "Whether we're sacrificed or not, we have no choice."

Suddenly, a diffuse glow descended upon the earth.

"What is that?"

It was a light, coalescing into the form of an ethereal goddess, beautiful beyond measure.