On the second day of the League, news broke that the Penglai Immortal Boat map had been conquered, causing a massive uproar.
The candidates on the Immortal Boat map were left speechless in shock, while those on the other four major maps found it simply unbelievable.
In the world channel, the news kept flashing nonstop, and Shen Yan’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears again and again.
“How is this possible? It’s only been two days!”
“I haven’t even figured out my mission yet, and someone’s already become a general?”
“This speed… it’s definitely broken the record for conquering an exam map, right?”
“Who was the fastest before? How long did it take?”
“I think it was fourteen days. Good heavens… what does this even mean?”
“Could they be cheating? No way, right? How could Shen Yan allow that?”
“Tianqiong Path Academy’s number one… This is just too outrageous!”
“…”
The world channel was filled with messages of disbelief, the scrolling speed so fast it was dizzying, and all of them were from the candidates of the Penglai Immortal Boat map.
Those who hadn’t yet conquered their own maps weren’t even connected to the world channel, so they could only watch helplessly as others excitedly gossiped, unable to join the conversation themselves.
The feeling was indescribably frustrating.
***
Norse Pantheon · Rainbow Bridge Rift Map.
A biting cold wind carried snow and ice, howling above the bottomless gorge, sometimes split by lightning that illuminated the enormous floating island fragments in the distant void.
Three figures stood at the edge of the broken bridge, each with a different expression after hearing the world channel announcement.
“Chinese Pantheon? Su Fu?” Olaf’s burly figure was draped in a cloak that flapped wildly in the wind.
“She actually conquered the map? And on the second day! We haven’t even repaired the Rainbow Bridge yet!”
“She can’t be cheating, right?” muttered Eric, a man wearing half-rim glasses, frowning, “Or maybe the Immortal Boat map is too small? Maybe her identity gave her a huge advantage, like being made an important person on the boat?”
“…”
“Not likely.” Erika shook her head, “There can’t be such a huge difficulty gap between the maps. She must have had some special trick.”
Olaf took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit as he said, “Doesn’t matter what trick she used, now we know it’s possible! If she can conquer her map in two days, so can we!”
“That’s right,” Eric said, looking at the far side of the bridge, “The World Tree sapling is just across the bridge. Once we control it, we’ll be able to summon Heroic Spirits and form our own army. So let’s speed up.”
***
Paradise Pantheon · Apocalypse Map.
Beneath a blood-red sky, the once-glorious city was now reduced to ruins.
Fires raged in the distance, with thick smoke obscuring the scant remains of sunlight.
Houchu slashed apart an oncoming mutant, dodged the splattering foul body fluid, and stabbed his holy sword into the ground to support himself.
He looked over the now-cleared battlefield and let out a slight breath of relief, “After this wave, we should have a longer period of safety. Rest here.”
Hearing this, his team collapsed to the ground with groans, too exhausted to move another step.
They had been too busy fighting to discuss what they’d just heard.
“Su Fu? Is she the one who took the Serpent of Temptation?” recalled medic Eileen.
Michael clicked his tongue and said, “That snake charmer’s crazy strong? She’s way too fast.”
“How do you think she did it?”
“She must have found the Immortal Boat’s core mechanism if she could control it, right?” guessed Roy.
“Who knows?” Fang Ze let out a bitter laugh, glancing around at the endless ruins and the strange creatures wandering in the distance.
“All I know is, we got the short end of the stick. Why’d we have to end up on this hellish Apocalypse Map?”
“Just look at the name—Immortal Boat. Doesn’t that sound so much nicer?”
Houchu was silent for a moment then he said, “Shen Yan wouldn’t do anything pointless. If we were assigned to this map, it must be possible to clear it.”
“And the harder the map, the richer the rewards after success. So don’t lose heart. We keep moving forward!”
“Since someone can conquer a map on the second day, we can’t fall too far behind,” Eileen rallied the group, “We have to at least aim for second place, right?”
With groans and sighs, the team set out again, disappearing into the distant ruins.
***
Atlantis · Undersea City-State.
Deep in the ocean, the city of Atlantis gleamed like a brilliant pearl.
A massive transparent dome kept the seawater at bay, and in the city center, a tall crystal spire soared into the clouds.
On the tower’s platform, three figures gazed out over the endless blue and the panoramic city view.
Schools of fish swam around the city, while huge sea beasts occasionally passed by in the distance, stirring up waves.
“That was so fast… The Penglai Immortal Boat was conquered just like that…” Lucius was in disbelief.
“Weren’t the Guizang Clan supposed to be on that map? They didn’t stop her? Just gave it up?”
Seraphina was equally puzzled, “Yeah, I thought there would be a fierce battle on the Immortal Boat map. Maybe the Guizang Clan didn’t have enough people?”
“After all, Su Fu is Tianqiong Path Academy’s top student, and she has home-field advantage on the Chinese map.”
“Hard to say, maybe the Guizang Clan has other plans.” Lucius shook his head, still not understanding.
Seraphina sighed, her eyes full of envy, “Having a map advantage is so nice. Unlike us here—it’s absolute chaos.”
All the big names had been sent to the Atlantis map, randomly distributed throughout the various districts of the underwater city.
“Huangfu Yun has already taken over two territories in the East District,” Lucius analyzed, “Chiya and Zero have seized the factories in the South, and that Alpha from the Dark Realm… he’s just killing everything.”
Seraphina gave a wry smile and said, “At least in the West District we’ve managed to form a temporary alliance.”
As they spoke, a flash of intense light suddenly erupted in the distance, followed by a violent tremor.
Elvira, who had been silently standing at the edge, suddenly spoke, “War is about to begin.”
“Let’s go!”
***
Greek Pantheon · Olympus Arena.
Golden sunlight poured down like a waterfall onto the colossal round arena, where tens of thousands in the stands let out deafening cheers.
In the center of the arena, Achilles, clad head-to-toe in golden armor and wielding a long spear, stood facing a giant warrior twice his size.
But the giant had already fallen, chest pierced by the spear, blood pooling on the arena floor.
“The victor—Achilles!” The host’s voice echoed through the arena, sparking another round of cheers.
Victory should have been cause for joy, if Achilles hadn’t just heard Shen Yan’s announcement.
His expression darkened instantly, hands clenching the spear tightly, “Su Fu!”
‘Those useless fools, they couldn’t even handle such a simple task!’
He’d been on the verge of success, yet Su Fu had beaten him to it again.
Fury nearly burst from Achilles’ eyes.
If he’d been there, he never would have let Su Fu succeed so easily.
“Next, please welcome our next challenger—the descendant of Fenrir, Wolfgang!”
The host’s voice rang out: “He’s defeated seventeen consecutive opponents, holding this season’s longest win streak!”
The audience erupted.
“Wolfgang? That undefeated madman?”
“Achilles just finished a fight, he won’t be at his best. This’ll be tough!”
Achilles merely sneered, the fire in his eyes burning hotter.
“Heh, perfect timing.”
He raised his head and stared up at the sky—
“Great Zeus, King of the Gods, Ruler of Thunder and Sky! I, Achilles, humbly beg for your blessing and strength! Descend now and grant me your infinite divine power!”
As soon as he spoke, the sky split open in anticipation, endless lightning gathering with thunderous roars.
Soon, a massive face appeared in the sky—the divine visage of Zeus.
Achilles looked up, meeting Zeus’s gaze.
That burning gaze was so intense it nearly scorched him.
Zeus spoke, “For this, what are you willing to give?”
Achilles knelt on one knee, pressing his right hand to his chest, reverent and fervent: “I offer you everything, my god! Have mercy!”
As long as it let him win this match—so he could crush Su Fu’s throat with his own hands!
Zeus’s gaze was deep and dangerous, as if piercing his very soul.
“In that case, as you wish!”
“Boom——!!!”
A massive bolt of lightning crashed down, and Achilles was instantly engulfed in golden divine light.
When the light faded, Achilles was wreathed in dazzling thunder, his spear transformed into a weapon forged of pure lightning.
More terrifying still, behind him Zeus’s divine image towered, mighty and awe-inspiring.
He was just a step away from advancing to an S-rank Divine Representative.
Such is the favor of the gods.
Wolfgang, facing him, sensed the danger instinctively and tried to run—but it was too late.
With a casual flick of his hand, Achilles sent a bolt of lightning lancing through the Minotaur’s body, blasting it apart.
The arena was silent, then exploded in cheers greater than ever before.
Amid the deafening applause, Achilles slowly stood, thinking that he should have done this sooner.
To offer himself to the gods, to become their avatar, to gain unrivaled power.
His eyes burned with murderous intent. “Su Fu, just you wait.”
So what if it’s the Immortal Boat? He would crush it with his own hands!
—
Penglai Immortal Boat.
Shen Yan’s prompts still echoed unceasingly in Su Fu’s ear:
[Immortal Boat core authority has been unlocked]
[Navigation system unlocked]
[Stealth navigation system unlocked]
[Divine Power Light Pillar unlocked]
[……]
Su Fu had never thought Shen Yan’s voice could sound so wonderful.
This Immortal Boat—now, it was hers.
Monica and the others had already been dealt with. Now, what she needed was for all the boatfolk to truly give their loyalty.
Su Fu turned to face the crowd, her expression solemn:
“Fellow Immortal Boat comrades, our Immortal Boat is now at a moment of grave crisis!”
The crowd below erupted—some wore looks of confusion, others began whispering to each other.
Su Fu waved her hand, and a projection appeared in midair.
On the screen, Monica and the others were shown attacking Su Fu, then contacting mysterious outsiders, finally stealing the Immortal Token and sabotaging the election.
She raised her voice. “These three are not our fellow boatfolk, but foreign spies!”
“They’ve hidden among us for years, all so they could steal the Immortal Token and cause chaos at this crucial moment.”
“If they’d succeeded, the entire Immortal Boat would have fallen into disorder. When outside enemies invaded, we wouldn’t even have a chance to resist!”
The footage looped, clear and irrefutable. The evidence was ironclad, and the boatfolk’s emotions ignited instantly.
“My god! Someone really was targeting us!”
“Those spies are way too brazen, stealing the Immortal Token right out in the open!”
“Kill them! No—wait, they’re already dead? That’s letting them off easy!”
Su Fu raised her hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
“These are only the spies we’ve uncovered,” her gaze grew grave as she slowly swept it over the crowd. “Who knows if more traitors are still hiding among us?”
She paused briefly, seeing panic spread among the people, and added fuel to the fire.
“Most important of all—our location has been exposed!”
“In other words, the enemy could launch a full-scale attack at any moment.”
The entire place erupted.
“What?! How could that happen?”
“Aren’t we in danger, then?”
“What should we do?”
Su Fu raised her voice. “Therefore, I have decided: we will immediately set sail and leave this place!”
Danger was one thing, but as soon as leaving was mentioned, some grew hesitant:
“So sudden? Things aren’t so bad here…”
“Leave? To where? Do we really have to go?”
“What are you talking about! The enemy’s already at our doorstep—do you want to just sit here and wait to die?”
“If not for the general catching those spies in time, we’d have already been ambushed!”
“General, we’ll follow you!”
“You were the first to spot the problem, you must know what to do!”
More and more voices began supporting Su Fu’s decision, but the problem remained—where to go?
Someone asked, “The four seas and eight wilds are so vast, where should we go?”
Su Fu had already made plans. “We don’t know how long these spies have been lurking, or if they’ve already mapped out all our routes.”
“Therefore, I suggest we use the Immortal Boat’s new ability—Cloud Sea Stealth Navigation—and head for the Yunmeng Marsh Mirage.”
“Yunmeng Marsh Mirage?” someone exclaimed. “Isn’t that the legendary perilous place?”
“But that’s precisely why the enemy won’t find us there!”
Su Fu explained, “Exactly. Now that the Immortal Boat has Cloud Sea Stealth Navigation, we can reach it safely.”
“Once we get there, we’ll gather our strength. When we’re ready, we’ll strike back—”
“—and utterly annihilate the enemy!”
The boatfolk’s blood boiled. They shouted in unison:
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“For the Penglai Immortal Boat!”