The Divine Realm and a New Alliance

Coming back to her senses, Lin Shenyue instinctively took two steps back. She looked at Xu Linglong with a trace of lingering fear, which made Xu Linglong quite embarrassed.

Xu Linglong, feeling awkward, said, “I’m so sorry, Yue’er. I just haven’t seen you in such a long time, and I got a little too excited.”

Lin Shenyue let out a long breath, then resignedly said, “Fine, come in.”

Since Chris had already been informed beforehand, Xu Linglong and Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze were also able to follow her inside.

Lin Shenyue introduced the two to Chris. Chris, however, merely offered a cold grunt in response. This minimal acknowledgment was solely due to her high affinity with Lin Shenyue; otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered with them at all.

Neither Xu Linglong nor Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze seemed to mind. After all, NPCs typically treated them with the same indifference.

Just then, Ye Jue approached, sending Lin Shenyue a message.

[Have your two friends arrived?]

Lin Shenyue replied, “They’re here. Shall we go level up now?”

Ye Jue nodded and instructed, “Follow me. Come to coordinates 24523, 5672.”

Lin Shenyue relayed these coordinates to Xu Linglong. After checking the map, Xu Linglong led Lin Shenyue and Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze to the location.

Xu Linglong then asked, a hint of indignation in her voice, “Is this the person who lured my little Yue’er away?”

Lin Shenyue sighed helplessly. “I’m just teaming up with him; how is that ‘luring away’?”

Xu Linglong scoffed but said nothing more. Lin Shenyue had no way of guessing what thoughts were swirling in her mind.

****

When Lin Shenyue arrived at the destination with Xu Linglong, Ye Jue and Divine Wind were already waiting. Dark Demon, on the other hand, had gone directly to the leveling spot alone. Although his efficiency might be slightly lower by himself, he wouldn’t have to share experience, so his overall progress would still be acceptable.

Xu Linglong’s gaze immediately locked onto Ye Jue, completely ignoring Divine Wind standing beside him. As a scion of a prominent family, she possessed keen judgment when it came to people. She could discern at a glance that Ye Jue held the dominant position between the two.

“Hey, are you the one who abducted my little Yue’er?” Xu Linglong stepped forward, her tone impolite.

Ye Jue’s mouth twitched. Faced with the overwhelmingly assertive Xu Linglong, he immediately backed down. “How can you call it ‘abducting’? I’m just helping out.”

Xu Linglong stared at him for a long moment, making Ye Jue’s scalp prickle, before finally nodding. “That had better be the case.” Then, she turned to Lin Shenyue. “Little Yue’er, from now on, I’ll take care of you. As for him…” Xu Linglong said with disdain, “Men should stick with other men.” With that, she pulled Lin Shenyue aside. From the moment they met until now, they hadn’t had much chance to speak.

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze cast a helpless glance at Ye Jue. Seeing a similar expression of resignation on his face, he could only offer a sympathetic look. “This is Exquisite Heart, and I am Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ye Jue shook his head with a wry smile, easing his internal frustration. “I am Peerless Karma Fire. I trust you’re aware of my current predicament?”

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze clicked his tongue. “Not many people who make enemies on all sides manage to survive this long.”

Ye Jue smiled faintly. “Then, are you willing to join a team like mine?”

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze offered a subtle smile. He naturally understood Ye Jue’s implication. At this moment, however, he hesitated. For Ye Jue to utter such words as a captain meant that if he accepted, he would be bound to this team’s ship, and leaving would not be an easy matter.

As if sensing Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze’s thoughts, Ye Jue calmly stated, “I intend to forge an invincible team, and I’m about to assemble it now. For you, I sincerely hope you’ll join. I see in you the potential to grow into a top-tier player.”

Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze chuckled, shaking his head. “Why do you harbor such a notion? And why possess such immense confidence, or perhaps even arrogance?”

Ye Jue gazed at him. “Because I have now stepped into the Divine Realm.”

Upon hearing this, Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze paused, asking, “You mean *that* realm?”

After receiving an affirmative answer, Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze’s composed expression instantly changed. As a top-tier player, he naturally understood the concept of the Divine Realm. Within this realm existed a special ability known as Absolute Control. In the era of planar PC games, Absolute Control represented the pinnacle, placing players with this ability at the very apex of all players. Absolute Control signified mastery over the computer and the in-game environment; at the moment it was activated, one could achieve absolute command over the game. Terrifying reaction speed, millimeter-precise operations, and a grasp of an enemy’s intentions rendered the wielder invincible during its duration. As one of the top mages, Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze had naturally also mastered Absolute Control. However, since entering this game, he had realized that Absolute Control was not the ultimate peak in this new gaming environment. While Absolute Control reigned supreme in the era of mouse and keyboard, it was not invincible in virtual reality games. As a pinnacle operation of its time, it ultimately had its limitations. Although it could still be applied in virtual reality games, its effectiveness would be greatly diminished. Firstly, the traditional third-person perspective allowed observation of enemies all around; in this game, one could only observe the arc of vision directly in front. Secondly, manual operation felt entirely different from directly experiencing and performing actions oneself. It wasn’t to say that if your manual operation skills were high, you would necessarily perform as strongly when physically present in the game. Furthermore, unlike traditional online games, virtual reality games incorporated three additional senses: taste, touch, and smell. Traditional online games only manifested sound and sight, but the other three senses could not be realized. Naturally, in virtual games, Absolute Control could at most enhance and upgrade a player’s operations, but it could no longer achieve the same level of dominance as before.

Yet, as a player who had mastered this technique, Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze understood that the realm beyond this one was certainly not easily accessible; it required not only talent but also time. What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was that this realm had already been touched by someone in merely a week since the game’s launch.

He had originally held some reservations about this captain, but now they all vanished. To reach this realm at such an early stage, this sheer personal strength alone was more than enough. As for everything else, Embracing the Moon, Clear Breeze simply smiled. Who cared about anything else?

“I’ll join.”

****

Meanwhile, Xu Linglong was discussing joining the team with Lin Shenyue.

“Yue’er, why would you join a team like this? You used to detest such troublesome matters,” Xu Linglong asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Lin Shenyue pondered for a moment, then finally said, “Because there’s nothing else to do anyway, why not try to overturn this game world? Besides, I can’t remember my past, so now I’m just doing whatever I feel like doing.”

Xu Lingyue looked at Lin Shenyue. Though Lin Shenyue’s figure was petite, she exuded an inexplicable aura. However, by the end of her explanation, Lin Shenyue’s tone slowly grew heavy. After all, as a transmigrator, despite having adopted the mindset of ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ regarding this world, she ultimately lacked a true sense of belonging.

Xu Linglong sensed the weight in Lin Shenyue’s voice and remembered that her best friend before her eyes had no memories of the past. She couldn’t help but sigh softly. “Yue’er, even though you don’t have memories of the past, we all do. So there’s no need to be sad about it. You don’t just live in your own memories; you live in ours too.”

Lin Shenyue let out a long breath upon hearing this, easing her emotions. She smiled and nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”

Xu Linglong waved her hand. “Why are you thanking me? Just call me Linglong, like you used to.”

Lin Shenyue hesitated for a moment, then murmured, “Ling…long…”

Xu Linglong excitedly pounced, once again embracing Lin Shenyue to her chest. Fortunately, she remembered not to hug her directly from the front, instead holding Lin Shenyue from behind. Lin Shenyue’s face instantly flushed crimson. She had never experienced anything like this even when she was a boy, let alone now.

Xu Linglong didn’t notice Lin Shenyue’s shyness. She merely glanced at Ye Jue, narrowing her eyes. ‘It seems that man isn’t simple, is he? Even Little Feng was swayed by him? Never mind. Since Yue’er wants to stir things up, I’ll join you.’