Ashina Castle Main City.
Black clouds press down on the city, threatening to crush it, creating an atmosphere where a storm is imminent and the wind fills the tower.
Before heading to the Sunken Valley, Chun Hei plans to report back to the Prince, as the clue for the Divine Dragon's Blessing has been found.
As he walks, Chun Hei notices an increase in hooded figures in the city; war seems to be not far off.
This timing is awkward. On one hand, Ashina Castle is in a precarious state. On the other hand, he must help the Prince sever the Immortal's Power amidst such escalating conflict.
It's... quite exhilarating!
In this environment, even the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder.
He enjoys the immersive feeling of staying vigilant and tense, much like in the game.
It gives him the sensation that he's not just playing a game, but truly living in such a dangerous world, growing, getting stronger, and doing what he wants.
He doesn't treat the game as a task; he's experiencing a different kind of life!
Stealthily entering the Heirloom Tower, the Prince is still dozing.
As usual, he decides to eavesdrop first.
Often, at times like these, one can gain unexpected information.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
"Wolf... ah... you've worked... hard..."
At first, Chun Hei thought he had been discovered. Only when he heard the faint snoring did he realize it was sleep-talking.
"Hahaha, the Prince is actually quite cute. He's thanking Wolf even in his dreams."
While laughing heartily, he also felt a warmth in his heart. After fighting valiantly on the front lines, having someone genuinely care about you from the rear is, in an intangible way, the highest form of recognition.
What do players play games for?
Isn't it for a sense of accomplishment? Receiving recognition is the embodiment of supreme accomplishment.
One can only say that the designer understands players. They control players' mindsets perfectly with countless details in the game. It's no wonder they're so popular!
After his musings, Chun Hei walks straight out and stands before the Prince, who is still fast asleep.
"My precious... oh no, Your Highness."
Though he hated to interrupt, time was of the essence, so Chun Hei gently called out.
"Whoa...!"
The Prince woke up startled from his dream. Upon recognizing the person before him, his expression softened. "Wolf, Wolf...? I'm sorry, I seem to have fallen asleep."
When his gaze fell upon Wolf's back, the Prince could no longer look away. He trembled and asked, "Wolf, the sword on your back, could it be..."
"It is the Mortal Blade."
"Then... it is the sword that can slay the undying?"
"Yes, the Senpou Temple's Divine Child gave it to me."
"The Divine Child?" Clearly, the Prince was unfamiliar with this title.
"The people of Senpou Temple abandoned their monastic hearts, obsessed with pursuing immortality, and ultimately created those with false Divine Dynasties... these are the Divine Children."
"False Divine Dynasties... there's such a thing..." The Prince savored the information Wolf had provided and suddenly realized the key point, his eyes widening. "Wait... you just said... Children?"
"Yes, they created multiple Divine Children, but only one survived in the end."
Wolf's words further solidified the Prince's resolve. He said coldly, "The Divine Dynasty... it truly twists what a person should be... I must sever immortality."
"As you command."
Afterward, they discussed some details about heading to Fountainhead Palace. Chun Hei shared all the clues he had obtained about the Divine Dragon's Blessing with the Prince.
With the Prince's guidance, Chun Hei gained a clearer understanding of the routes to the Sunken Valley and the Mibu Village.
After bidding farewell to the Prince,
Chun Hei, following the order of the lot draw, first went to the Sunken Valley to request the "Flower" from the Guardian Ape, and then to Mibu Village to challenge the Mist Noble to obtain the "Stone."
As for the "Persimmon" and the "Sakura Branch..."
In a word, luck!
...
Sunken Valley.
Located beside the cliffs at the juncture of Ashina Castle East and Mount Konkō, this place is riddled with bottomless ravines, with poisonous swamps below.
This area is home to the most monkeys in all of Ashina Castle, even the entire game: those with swords, shaggy ones, albino ones, and even those wearing red underwear in their year of birth... the list is endless.
"Two banks of monkeys cry ceaselessly, a branch of red apricot comes over the wall"—this is Sunken Valley from Wang Wei's poem.
Of course, this is from a traveler's perspective. From a player's perspective, the monkeys will tell them what true torment is.
The monkeys of various appearances encountered along the way, wielding all sorts of tetanus blades, attack players with ferocity as if they've had an energy drink.
There are no rules, no constraints, not even guiding NPCs in this area. Whether you see a cannon fodder in a straw cape or a monkey with a weapon, there's only one word: kill!
In the Sunken Valley, it's either kill or be killed!
Following the release of Chun Hei's perfect deflection tutorial video, the overall skill level of players across the internet has improved significantly. Some diligent players have even surpassed others and reached the Sunken Valley.
After all, apart from Genichiro, there are no bosses with particularly strong mechanics in the subsequent battles. This part is more focused on dialogue, emphasizing the game's plot and world-building.
But that only lasts until the Sunken Valley.
Because upon entering the Sunken Valley, in this map where monkeys are called Sword Saints, confident players will truly experience the game's unique characteristics.
In the deep mountain ravines, all manner of insects, fish, birds, and beasts are present. Monks, apes, and great serpents from temples gather together.
Numerous schools of martial arts and secret techniques, swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hooks, rakes, halberds, clubs, staffs, whips, swords, hammers... although players won't use these myriad weapons, they experience them fully through enemy use in combat.
The power of immortality, bizarre legends abound.
Being immersed in it feels like venturing through a martial arts world, unrestrained and full of righteous indignation!
After all, which young player doesn't have a martial arts dream in their heart?
Now, the game has fulfilled it all.
Of course, there is a price.
For example... being swarmed and killed by monkeys, being pierced by tetanus blades, or even being ambushed by a vengeful white serpent... the deaths are varied, but the outcome is the same.
For a time, players complained endlessly, getting furious, laughing, scolding, and cursing.
Different VR worlds are filled with the same "broken mindset" quotes:
"Wh-why are there white serpents in the Sunken Valley? Aren't they supposed to be under the bridge valley?"
"Although I'm trash, I really love the feeling of parrying. It's very satisfying when done well."
"Damn this damn wild monkey, I'm going to kill you. You dared to throw shit at my face!!!"
"Holy shit!! What the hell are you!!! Don't come here ahhhhhh!! I have no more healing items, leave me alone!!!"
"Child, I bought you a wolf, but you have to promise me that after you die once, you'll read for five minutes—Mom, I got into Tsinghua and Peking University (doge)"
"Before playing: This is a hack-and-slash game. After playing: I am the grass. Fuck!!!
"I walked blindly and didn't reach Senpou Temple, but reached the Guardian Ape first. My mentality is blown!"
"Others are a wolf, I'm a dog. One must study everything to understand. They all say that after encountering mortal danger, the screen will pop up a [危] (Danger) character. I still remember, but not very clearly. I played again, looking at the [危] character popping up on the screen with my eyes squinted. The screen only had one character that was [菜] (Trash)!"
...
(The Shura ending is coming soon~~ We're about to meet~~ We're about to start the next game~~)