Chapter 210: Enter the Endless Tower
The Netherworld Domain is located on a small island at the northernmost part of Black Tortoise City.
At the center of the island stands an active volcano flowing with scorching lava, the island is shrouded in red clouds all year round, resembling a doomsday scene.
Due to the volcano, players can immediately feel that there is a pervasive, pungent smell upon entering the Netherworld Domain.
Many players feel very oppressed and uncomfortable the first time they arrive here.
Although the Netherworld Domain has been open for two or three days, the number of players here is still very rare.
Because in the Netherworld Domain, there's only one Endless Tower instance, and nothing else.
Such a place, if not for the Endless Tower, no one would come here just to breathe volcanic ash.
Especially since the air is filled with a pungent sulfur smell, no one wants to stay here for long.
Of course, during the mid to late stages, as more and more people enter the Endless Tower to challenge, this place will become lively.
Because the Endless Tower will have a chance of dropping top-tier equipment and rare materials later on, many merchants for the sake of profit will overcome the environmental factors bit by bit.
At the foot of the volcano, there's a simple small village, which is the only gathering point in the Netherworld Domain, and apart from the Endless Tower, the safest place.
Because all other places might be engulfed by erupting volcanic lava at any time, ending up with no remains.
Of course, players can also make simple supplies here, or use it as a place for player interaction or trading.
As the exclusive instance of the Netherworld Domain in Black Tortoise City, the Endless Tower is located not far from the village.
The high tower that pierces the sky is particularly striking from the village, making it hard to ignore.
Every player who comes here is attracted to it and feels shocked from the bottom of their heart.
Especially the rolling red clouds long lingering in the sky above the Netherworld Domain, adding many scientific colors to this scene.
...
When Lin Yi and others, riding on Nightmare and Bai Ze, swaggered to drop on the Teleportation Array of Cyan Dragon City.
This spectacular scene immediately became a hot topic among players.
Nowadays, people have only seen Lin Yi's Elf Dragon mount that can fly!
But such a 'large-scale' appearance of flying mounts, the sensational effect it causes is naturally imaginable.
This is not one or two, but ten at once!
The 'benefits' of the Creation Mercenary Corps have once again sparked a national heated discussion.
The official side also promptly released the background information of the Nightmare and Bai Ze mounts.
Both Nightmare and Bai Ze are defined as: Flying Mounts.
Their tier has even reached Epic Level.
This is the highest-tier mount apart from Lin Yi's Elf Dragon.
And now the origin of flying mounts has become a topic of heated discussion.
Everyone who has played the game knows, the appearance of flying mounts means the beginning of aerial combat.
When two armies confront each other, whether they can establish an advantage in aerial combat becomes the key to swaying the battlefield.
While everyone's attention is drawn to flying mounts, the news of Feng Hua appearing in the Netherworld Domain quickly overshadowed the discussion, immediately rushing to the top of the hot topic list.
...
Someone excitedly wrote on the forum:
"After waiting for two days, Feng Hua is finally going to challenge the Endless Tower, majestic!"
The ultimate strength of Feng Hua is still a mystery to this day.
Many people want to know if the Endless Tower, seen as a 'verification' of global players' strength, will allow Feng Hua to maintain his powerful strength, unrivaled in the Hua Country District.
And also verify whether Feng Hua, the number one in strength in the Hua Country District, can rank globally and at what position.
While players in the Hua Country District are eagerly waiting for the final result...
Lin Yi and others have already arrived at the Netherworld Domain where the Endless Tower is via the Teleportation Array.
As newcomers here, Tian Ci and others had frowned as soon as they came out of the Teleportation Array:
"What kind of ghost place is this, the smell is so bad."
Zhang Xinying and Shi Yu both involuntarily showed uncomfortable expressions on their faces.
Surprisingly, Wang Zixin was unaffected, and no discomfort showed on her face.
This also made Red Eyes, beside her, breathe a sigh of relief.
"This is the Netherworld Domain,"
As a 'veteran', Lin Yi didn't mind saying:
"The Netherworld Domain is just a small island, and there's an active volcano here that erupts from time to time, so the air here has become like this, you'll get used to it."
"If anyone feels uncomfortable, you can adjust the sensory settings to zero, then you won't be affected."
Tian Ci and others were just talking casually.
What haven't they experienced on this journey?
It's just a bit smelly, right? Keeping up isn't a big deal.
Handsome Rotten asked:
"Are we going to challenge directly?"
Lin Yi:
"Yes, going directly."
"Anyone who finishes early can go level up or log off to rest."
No one objected to this.
The group followed Lin Yi, talking as they walked towards the lofty Endless Tower:
"It's so spectacular, how many floors does this tower have? Could it really be endless?"
"You can tell from the name, why ask."
"I can't believe the first place is only on the 14th floor. I wonder how far we can get."
"With our strength, even if we can't surpass him, getting to the 10th floor should be pretty easy."
...
Besides the level restriction, the Endless Tower has no other limits.
No matter if you're an output-focused Mage, a defense-based Warrior, or a Healing profession with little attack power, the challenges in the Endless Tower are generated based on your profession.
For example, Mages: the challenge leans towards killing a certain number of targets within a set time, or dealing a certain amount of damage within a set time to pass.
For Shield Warriors: the challenge is oriented towards withstanding a certain amount of damage within a set time, or protecting a target from being killed within a set time to pass.
For Healing: the challenge leans towards reaching a certain healing amount on a target within a set time, or ensuring the target doesn't die within a set time to pass, etc.
Different professions mean different challenges, but one thing is certain: every floor's challenge is closely related to the profession.
What is tested here is individual prowess, no matter your profession.
If someone reaches a certain rank in the Endless Tower, then they are undoubtedly among the elite players of their profession, indisputably.
Before the future global profession strength rankings come out, this is the most intuitive place to understand global player prowess.
The Endless Tower has been open for three days, and the top ten positions have already stabilized.
However, among the top ten, no one from the Hua Country District is on the list, which is a disgrace for Hua Country players.
Feng Hua, who was originally expected to secure a top ten spot, hasn't even challenged it;
The Shengshi Drunkard is also missing, reportedly searching for treasure;
Proud Gaze Lord only managed twelfth place, and the ranking might drop further, making it unstable.
Surprisingly, the Divine Hall Madman secured the eleventh place and has been steady for a while.
Following are a player named 'Thief Saint' at the 18th place, and Shengshi Dynasty's 'Saint of Medicine' at the 20th place. In the top twenty of the Endless Tower, only these four players are present.
Currently, many posts have appeared on global forums, all challenging Hua Country players without exception.
It's as if Hua Country suddenly became the target of all nations.
Seeing the content of these posts, Hua Country players are furious yet helpless.
After all, this is a place where strength matters, and those who leave posts here are the top players globally.
Even if unconvinced, you can do nothing about it.
Imagine, out of billions of players globally, those who stand out can't be ordinary players, right?
This is why, when someone saw Lin Yi heading to the Netherworld Domain to challenge the Endless Tower, they got so excited.
After all, if you're provoked out of nowhere, especially on a global scale, no one can remain calm and indifferent.
Isn't playing games all about pride?
Now, whether the bad vibe can be vented, everyone's eyes are on Feng Hua's team.
Feng Hua's prowess is undeniable.
And then there's Red Eyes and Tian Ci, two Divine Thieves;
Stable as a Mountain and Silent Two tanks;
Zhang Xinying, the game's first Divine Shepherd;
Zhan Chen's Divine Archer;
Handsome First Dharma King;
This group almost represents the pinnacle of Hua Country players, not just in skill but also equipment.
On the game equipment rankings, Lin Yi dominated the top five with five pieces of Legendary Equipment.
The equipment in the latter five positions is all on these people, showing how incredible their gear is.
Even the youngest in the team, Wang Zixin, holds great expectations at this moment.
After all, Wang Zixin's performance during the guild war was remarkable to everyone.
It was through her that people realized self-created skills were possible in the game.
Although no one has managed to create any skill up to now, it doesn't hinder people's admiration for this girl.
Especially in the eyes of younger players, Wang Zixin is far more famous than Feng Hua.
Limitations from Hua Country parents and the "Youth Game Protection" prevented these young players from creating a big splash.
Back to the point, when people found out Feng Hua was heading to the Netherworld Domain, the once sparsely populated village instantly became bustling.
The Teleportation Array at the village center kept flashing, with players continually entering it.
At this moment, Lin Yi and the rest had already arrived at the entrance of the Endless Tower.
At the entrance of the Endless Tower, there is a massive notice board showing the global rankings of the Endless Tower.
The first place with 'Satan J' on the fourteenth floor stood out conspicuously.
Seeing someone clear the fourteenth floor at this time, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel astonished.
In his previous life, it took him three years to reach the 41st floor.
Satan J's strength is somewhat terrifying!
Especially considering the second place beneath Satan J only reached the 8th floor.
The vast gap is evident.
Before entering the instance, Tian Ci suddenly asked Lin Yi:
"Boss Feng, is there any knack to playing this? Give us some guidance."
Lin Yi turned back, noticed the anticipation in everyone's eyes, and smiled.
"There's really no strategy for this dungeon; clearing it depends solely on personal strength."
"The stronger the ability, the lesser the pressure to clear, and vice versa."
"Everyone, do your best."
After finishing, Lin Yi was the first to step into the instance, disappearing from everyone's sight.