Chapter 1: The War That Shocked the World

  In the 1860s, during the First Industrial Revolution, steam engines were widely used...

  In the 1970s of the 19th century, during the Second Industrial Revolution, electricity was widely applied...

  In the 1940s, the third industrial revolution, atomic energy and other ultra-new technologies made major breakthroughs...

  In the 2030s, a meteorite carrying far more advanced technological data than modern times fell to Earth, and humanity officially entered the era of black technology, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

  Various technologies that originally existed only in fantasy have emerged one after another, and virtual reality games are among them...

  ……

  In the world's largest online game, Miracles...

  The ground has undergone countless waves of magic baptism and can no longer be seen in its original form...

  In the sky, thunderstorms are dense, and from time to time, several flashes of lightning strike down vertically, turning thousands of players below into white lights.

  On the plains, densely packed with players, hundreds of thousands of players are killing each other in a chaotic mess.

  Here is the battlefield of the plains. At this time, the two sides fighting are the two largest alliances in the game, Tiandao Alliance and Sheng Alliance.

  This war between the two sides is of great significance, as it relates to the ownership of the fifth continent, Sky City, which is about to be refreshed in the game. The Tian Dao Alliance has a slightly stronger power than the Holy Alliance. If they can take down Sky City, they will be able to completely annex the Holy Alliance. On the other hand, if the Holy Alliance can occupy Sky City, their strength will surge rapidly, rivaling that of the Tian Dao Alliance and even surpassing them.

  "Third squad, third squad's summoning skill is just a few seconds away?" A voice shouted amidst the fierce battle.

  The speaker was a young man of about twenty-eight or nine years old. His throat had become somewhat hoarse from shouting for so long.

  His name is Ding Qiang, a core figure of the Holy Alliance. Because the awakened power of the Holy Domain was not suitable for this kind of melee, and also due to his average equipment, he did not join the central battlefield, but instead played the role of a military strategist in the rear to oversee the overall situation.

  "5 seconds." A summoner in the team immediately responded.

  "Summon all Flame Demons, form up and charge!" Ding Qiang immediately bellowed.

  Moments later, amidst thunderous roars, thousands of Flame Demons over a hundred meters tall slowly emerged from the void, and after landing with a loud crash, they immediately charged towards the center of the War Plains under the Summoner's command.

  These thousands of Flame Demons were the accumulation of Ding Gang's team hiding underground for nearly half a year, and they had been hidden for so long just for today.

  The semi-divine summoned pet - Flame Demon, as soon as it joined the battlefield, the situation on the field changed dramatically. As flashes of white light appeared, the Heavenly Dao Alliance immediately began to retreat in disarray.

  However, his face showed a hint of worry...

  "Cutting through the wheat..." Ding Qiang sent a message.

  The news soon reached a particularly intense battle circle in the very center of the plains.

  One side is the War God Temple of Tiandao Alliance, and the other side is the Blade Hall of Shengmeng.

  This can be called the most high-end battlefield of divine game strength.

  Whether it was the Tian Dao Alliance or the Holy Alliance, players on the scene unanimously chose to bypass this place, even in the midst of fierce fighting.

  Innumerable sword auras, various skills, and surging energies filled the central area. Countless domain forces were superimposed within, transforming the entire space into a dark red color reminiscent of polluted blood. Ordinary players hadn't even approached this place before being torn apart by the overflowing energy, reduced to a white light.

  Upon hearing the news, a warrior fended off his opponent's attack with one sword and immediately retreated. After glancing at the message, he replied, "What's wrong?" He was Ding Qiang's best brother and also the leader of the Holy Alliance - Jian Mang.

  "I don't know, I just feel that something is off." Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed down from the clouds in the distance, instantly killing a large group of enemies while also illuminating Ding Qiang's furrowed brow.

  "What about the Ninth Troop?" he suddenly asked.

  "According to your plan, we will be ambushing from the right side of the battlefield and launch a surprise attack after 10 minutes." Zhan Mang replied, but his heart skipped a beat. Ding Qiang was their entire Holy Alliance's strategist, and it was under his leadership that they grew from a small guild to become the overlords of Eastern and Northern Continents, possessing power comparable to the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

  It can be said that if it weren't for each other, their Holy Alliance would have probably been disbanded by the Heavenly Dao Alliance a long time ago...

  Since he felt something was wrong, then there must be a problem indeed.

  "I'll send someone to take a look..." Zhan Mang said immediately.

  It was hard for him not to worry, this war between the two sides was of great importance. Now, Sheng Nian was able to confront Tian Dao Alliance without falling behind, not because of his strength, but entirely due to Ding Qiang's command and planning. If Tian Dao Alliance were to take down the Sky City, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  Moments later, the news that came back made the two people's hearts sink straight down...

  "There's nobody there, and I don't know where the people from the Ninth Troop have gone."

  "Damn it...!" Zhan Mang furiously cursed: "What the hell? Old Three, hurry up and get offline, go call him."

  "It's no use." Ding forcibly stopped Jian Miao's action, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh: "It's too late, Lao Jiu won't accept it..."

  "He dares......" Meng cut off angrily.

  "What is he afraid of?" A cold smile appeared on Ding Qiang's face: "I've been feeling that Lao Jiu has been a bit off lately, I didn't expect it to be... Heaven's way is speechless, what a good move indeed."

  He wiped his face and swept away the negative emotions caused by his brother's betrayal. When Ding Qiang lifted his head again, he forced himself to calm down once more.

  He was the commander of the entire battle. If he allowed his anger to cloud his judgment at this time, it would only make Tian Dao Alliance laugh in the end.

  On the other side, those thousands of Flame Demons appeared for a short time before turning into ashes in the midst of the thousands of Element Mages' continuous "Elemental Reduction". This incident also silently proved Ding Zhong's previous guess.

  Comprehensive Channel

  "It's useless, surrender now. No matter what, the Holy Alliance must be eliminated from the game today." Tian Dao Wu Yan shouted: "Even if your Holy Alliance has Ding Qiang, it won't change this fate."

  "Damn it..." Zhan Mang angrily swung the weapon in his hand and was about to charge over, but before he could move, a hand grabbed him from behind. He turned around to see that it was Ding Qiang.

  "Don't be impulsive, we don't know who will have the last laugh yet..." Ding Qiang gave a faint cold smile.

  "...". He stopped in his tracks, looking at Ding Qiang's expressionless face, and Zhan Mang was slightly taken aback.

  I don't know why, even though the Holy Alliance he was in had been pushed to the brink of collapse by the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he still looked like he had everything under control. His expression left everyone puzzled and confused, but at the same time, it also added a mysterious flavor to him for no reason.

  The distant heavenly path silently witnessed the commotion on this side...

  "Haha, still Ding Qiang sees through it." Tian Dao said without knowing whether it was praise or sarcasm: "Ding Qiang, the Holy Alliance will be expelled today, how about it? Are you interested? The position of Vice President of our Tian Dao Alliance is forever reserved for you."

  "Are you sure?" A sneer appeared on Ding Qiang's face, his original plan was good, the main force of the enemy was tied up frontally, and the cavalry team on the flank launched a surprise attack. However, he had not expected that Lao Jiu would be bought off by the enemy.

  This is a huge blow to the Holy Alliance, but fortunately it's not absolute...

  "Head of the Law Enforcement Division, prepare to cast the sealing spell." Ding Qiang said in a low voice on the official channel.

  "Hmm!" A ponytailed girl walked out of the crowd.

  The leader of the Fa Xiu team is a girl and also Ding Qiang's current girlfriend, who is also known as one of the top beauties in Shen Ji.

  His brother is loyal and righteous, his girlfriend is beautiful, I don't know how many people are jealous of Ding Qiang.

  "Seal of Exorcism?" Hearing these two words, Jian Miao's face twitched a few times, barely holding back the wild joy in his heart: "When did you get it?"

  Professional Trial, Heroic Trial, Semi-Divine Trial, Divine Trial.

  And the forbidden spell can only be released by a mage who has passed the divine trial, and its power is extremely astonishing.

  However, since the game of Divine Sign has been open so far, no one has successfully passed the trial of Divine Sign, so that legendary forbidden spell has not been seen by anyone.

  However, the forbidden scroll is different. As long as it's a mage who has passed the semi-divine trial, they can use this scroll. The power may be somewhat inferior to that of an orthodox forbidden spell, but at this critical juncture, it might just have the miraculous effect of turning the tide.

  Ding Qiang's girlfriend happened to be one of the few players in Holy Alliance who had passed the semi-god trial.

  "It was obtained when the top ten main gods were killed a few days ago." Ding Qiang replied while giving orders: "Release the forbidden curse, try to move forward a bit, cover all of them, others prepare for a surprise attack, target, Tiandao Wuyan and the War God Temple behind him."

  Although the situation was already very critical for the Holy Alliance, his voice remained calm and composed. This voice seemed to have a magical power that gradually calmed down the slightly panicked hearts of the Holy Alliance players.

  It was that calm and composed voice, countless times leading them to defeat one BOSS after another, eliminating one opponent after another, allowing the Holy Alliance to grow from a small guild to what it is today.

  Is the Heavenly Alliance going to rise again?

  We have Ding Qiang.

  Do you think you can win?

  We have a taboo.

  Everyone's heart is thinking happily about it.

  As they watched the white light emanating from the leader of the Law Enforcement team, some people couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, their entire body trembling with anticipation.

  ……

  But just at the next moment, something shocking happened to everyone.

  A faint white light flashed on her hand, and in the midst of everyone's stunned gaze, she made a swift and instantaneous move to leave the camp, transforming into several flashes of light, rapidly charging into the Tian Dao Alliance's camp, standing beside Tian Dao's silent figure.

  "You... " Ding Qiang's body swayed slightly, and he realized something, smiling bitterly: "You... what do you mean by this?"

  "What does it mean?" Tian Dao hugged Ling Qing'er tightly and laughed wildly: "Ding Qiang, can't you see? Your girl is with me now."

  "Damn..." It wasn't just Ding Qiang, everyone in the Holy Alliance was stunned, and everyone's heart sank straight down.

  It wasn't just Lao Jiu, the captain of the 9th squad, who betrayed us. There were others...

  "You slut..." Zhan Mang cursed angrily.

  "Why..." Ding Qiang muttered to himself.

  "Why?" The girl broke free from Tian Dao's silent embrace and asked, "I'm asking you, Ding Qiang, we've known each other for two years, do you know what day my birthday is? Do you remember the day we met? Do you know what color clothes I like to wear? You..."

  A burst of questioning voices, like thunder, directly entered Ding Qiang's mind. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had neglected many people and things around him for the sake of the game.

  Can this be blamed on oneself?

  Countless times waking up in the morning, the first thought that emerges in his mind is still that slender figure. Many years have passed, and this has never changed.

  In fact, he liked her because she looked very much like another girl...

  "In your heart, you've never forgotten that Li Yan... The girl pointed at Ding Qiang's pale face and shouted: "You've never put me in your heart, I'm not even comparable to a dead person in your heart..."

  "Li Yan? This name sounds somewhat familiar..." Tian Dao Wu Yan muttered to himself.

  The crows on the field were silent, the Heavenly Alliance's people didn't move, watching the good show, the Holy Alliance's people didn't move, not knowing what to do next...

  Looking at Ding Qiang, who was silent across from him, Tian Dao's heart flashed with a hint of pleasure. The big gift he had prepared for the Holy Alliance was not just this much. In fact, he had already obtained Ding Qiang's true address from his mouth earlier.

  If these two chess pieces can't settle each other today, then don't blame him for being ruthless...

  He must get the Sky Castle, as it occupies 90% of the profit source of Tiandao Group. He must ensure that Tiandao Alliance is always in the strongest position in the game of God's Trace. He absolutely does not allow anyone or any force to block this matter.

  If someone dares to change this, don't blame him for being ruthless.

  On the other hand, within the Sacred Alliance...

  "Damn it, that forbidden scroll shouldn't have been given to her..." someone in the Holy Alliance said, looking at Ding Qiang who suddenly fell silent.

  "Damn it, Ding Qiang, what are you going to do now?" an official from the Holy Alliance cursed, a person who had never gotten along with Ding Qiang.

  “……”

  "Shut up, all of you." The Supreme Ruler of the Holy Alliance, Jian Mang's angry roar interrupted all the questioning.

  "Shut up, all of you!" Zhān Máng angrily said: "What are you people called? Without Ding Qiáng, could you have survived until today?"

  "Could you have lived so carefree without Ding Qiang?"

  "You should know, the one who betrayed the Holy Alliance is that woman, not Ding Qiang. Those who have the ability to follow me and kill the Sky Alliance's dogs, those who don't, shut your mouths."

  The sharp words cut off, and the opposing voices in the Holy Alliance weakened.

  "We believe in Ding Qiang Gege."

  "Ding Qiang, big brother, don't worry, as long as we're around, no one will dare touch a single hair on you..."

  “……”

  All kinds of curses and comforting words flooded into Ding Qiang's ears, making him wake up from his daze and realize that the battle in front of him was far from over.

  Taking a deep breath, wiping his face, Ding Qiang lifted his head again.

  "Ding Qiang, I think you're a talented individual. I'll give you one last chance - are you going to join the Tiandao Alliance or not?" In Tiandao's silent eyes, a hint of sincerity actually flashed by.

  "Get out..." Ding Qiang said.

  "Good!" Tian Dao sneered silently: "Cherish the last moments of having the Holy Alliance symbol on your head."

  "Everyone, get me up." After a pause, Tian Dao Wuyan said in a low voice on the team channel: "Take him down."

  "Master..." A middle-aged man beside him changed his expression: "Since the overall situation has been decided, why must you..."

  "Get rid of him, he won't die, and the Holy Alliance will still be a disaster sooner or later." Tian Dao said coldly.

  It is...

  In the midst of reality, on a bustling street, a man felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He let out a cold laugh, pulled down the brim of his hat to cover half of his face, and then walked towards the house across from him.

  ……

  A moment later, the system at the entrance of the house transmitted a signal that someone had broken in. Ding Qiang switched to look and saw the other party smashing the monitor with one shot.

  "Has it finally arrived?" At this time, Ding Qiang suddenly understood what the other party meant by "cherish the last moment of having the Holy Alliance symbol on your head"...

  Taking a deep breath of cool air, a hint of ferocity flashed across Ding Qiang's face. Not only did he not immediately quit the game and run away with his tail between his legs, but instead, he switched the screen back to the game.

  In the game, both sides have already killed each other once again, realizing that victory is in sight. The Heavenly Alliance's offensive on the plains became more and more fierce, while the Holy Alliance also knew this was their last chance, everyone fought to the death, resisting with all their might.

  "Damn it, can't hold on anymore." Someone in the Holy Alliance shouted: "The opponent's offensive is too fierce."

  "Damn it..." Looking at the Heaven's Alliance sweeping across the plains like a hot knife through butter, Zhan Mang clenched his fist: "Can't we really do anything about it?"

  "Not necessarily..."

  Zhan Mang heard this and turned his head back.

  Ding Qiang's face remained calm and unruffled, but his eyes were ablaze with an unprecedented fervor...

  In this case, he can't run away anymore, and he doesn't even want to run because he has been waiting for this day for too long.

  The Tiandao financial group gets 90% of its revenue from the game through the Tiandao Alliance, and as long as the Tiandao Alliance is dissolved, the Tiandao Group will cease to exist.

  This is the future that Ding Qiang has rehearsed countless times in his mind, and it is also the only final destination he set for Tiandao Group.

  Only in this way can they barely afford to pay for Li Yan's death...

  Ding Qiang raised his head and took a look at the situation on the battlefield...

  Both sides fought fiercely, but it was clear that the Holy Alliance had shown signs of decline, and the Heavenly Dao Alliance would win, only a matter of time.

  Taking a deep breath, Ding Qiang said calmly on the comprehensive channel: "The Way of Heaven is wordless. Haven't you always wanted to know what field my awakening is in?"

  "Hmm?" Tian Dao, who had already won, was slightly stunned and suddenly felt that something was off.

  "Look..."

  As soon as the words fell, the wind behind Ding Qiang's back automatically stopped, and a strong aura spread from the ground, eventually condensing into a shape at his brow, shrinking into a high-speed rotating vortex. Then his body also left the ground and floated towards the center of the battlefield.

  "This is...". Seeing the whirlpool that was slowly emerging from the center of his opponent's brow, and the black flame mark at the center of the heavy whirlpool, the expressionless face of the Heavenly Way in the center of the battlefield turned pale: "This is..."

  This field has a nickname called human bomb.

  In this field, he had only seen it on the official website, Black Flame Domain. The conditions for its use were extremely harsh, and the backlash was also quite exaggerated, but its power was also earth-shattering. Unexpectedly, during the King's Trial, Ding Qiang actually awakened this domain. No wonder he had never used it before...

  Each use requires a month of game time to recharge, and each use permanently reduces all player attributes by 50 points, weakening them for three months.

  Such a terrible aftermath makes almost every player who has awakened in this field choose to start all over again, after paying a considerable price, and re-awaken the domain...

  I don't know why, but this man in front of me, why does he still linger in this useless domain!

  "Could it be..." Suddenly, Tian Dao's expression turned pale as he gave the order "Attack, attack quickly, don't let him get close."

  "Immunity!"

  "Immunity!"

  "Immunity!"

  A potion that can make one invincible for a short period of time, it may be difficult for others to obtain, but for Ding Qiang, the strongest among the Holy Alliance's millions, it is not something rare.

  Seeing that they couldn't stop their opponents, Tiandao Wuyan immediately roared: "Quickly retreat, quickly retreat."

  But how could Ding Qiang, who had already made up his mind, let him succeed? In mid-air, Ding Qiang's figure was like a shadow following closely behind Tian Dao Wuyan.

  And even more so, countless bloody auras, as if they had their own lives, grew wildly from his body and eventually spread to that black air vortex.

  This skill is the divine miracle in the game, every player who has passed the semi-god trial will have this skill, which sacrifices personal level and attributes to enhance domain power - Blood Devour.

  "Ding Qiang, don't! This time we admit defeat, next time we'll win it back..." Looking at the increasingly layered bloodthirst on Ding Qiang's body, Zhan Mang's face changed greatly, and he immediately shouted. He was the only one who saw Ding Qiang's plan, that bloodthirst power was indeed formidable, but its aftereffects were also terrifyingly dreadful.

  "It's too late." Ding Qiang shook his head: "Too late, just now, the alarm outside has sounded..."

  "Laozi is going to save you right now." Zhan Mang said urgently, Ding Qiang was the absolute soul figure of the Holy Alliance. If it weren't for his words, the Heavenly Dao Alliance would have unified the game of Shen Ji long ago. Therefore, Tian Dao had already put out a message on the black market, offering 1 million to buy someone's life.

  "It's no use, we've waited for this day for too long......" Ding Qiang raised his head to the sky, speechless and silent, wondering if it was an illusion or what, but the dark clouds in the sky actually revealed the face that had appeared countless times in his dreams.

  Taking a deep breath, his body suspended in mid-air, he gazed down at the silent Heavenly Way. A hint of savagery emerged on his face: "Heavenly Way, do you know how long I've waited for this moment?"

  "Retreat quickly, retreat quickly." Tian Dao Wuyan was still shouting loudly.

  The War God Temple is his heart's blood, and the investment in each person's equipment alone exceeds 50 million. The Heaven Alliance's conquest of cities and territories relies on these elites. If there is any loss...

  "Want to run now? Too late." Ding Qiang smiled lightly, a hint of frenzy in his eyes, his finger lightly pressed...

  "Kuro no En - Bakuhatsu!"

  Boom!

  Boom!

  Endless energy burst out, the powerful masters of the Tian Dao Alliance below were all directly wiped out without a sound, and even the equipment on their bodies couldn't withstand the erosion of the energy, quickly disintegrating and disappearing.

  The energy generated by the attack, rampaged across the plains, and the thunderstorm in the sky was sucked down without a single leak. In just two or three exchanges, it was torn to shreds by that energy storm...

  "System Prompt: You used Blood Drain, your personal attributes have been reduced by 2000 points, and your level has been reduced to Level 1."

  "System Prompt: Dark Flame Domain amplification increased by 50,000%, damage penalty boosted 500 times."

  "System Alert: All your attributes have been permanently reduced by 25,000 points, weakness for 1,500 months..."

  At this moment, a gunshot rang out.

  Boom!

  On the outskirts of a city, a sudden explosion came...

  Consciousness and vision return to darkness...

  "Your friend Ding Qiang's connection has been interrupted."

  "Brother......" Standing at the respawn point, Jian Mang let out a loud roar, and then knelt weakly to the ground.

  In the distance, with Ding Qiang's disappearance, the battlefield returned to calmness, leaving behind only half of the devastated plain telling the tale of the intense battle that had just occurred.