Chapter 167

Without a strong willpower to support them, achieving true personal strength is simply impossible. The agony they were enduring at this moment could genuinely be described as something ordinary people would find completely unbearable. Those capable of withstanding such torment were invariably one in a hundred.

These were individuals carefully selected from the peerless legion for their absolute loyalty and formidable strength, yet the cost paid just to reach this stage was immeasurable. Fortunately, Zoro's background was far from weak, and he possessed some inexplicable allure that could drive so many people to participate frantically without drawing unwanted attention—a rather remarkable feat in its own right.

Low roars echoed through the grand hall. As time passed, the complexions of more and more men began to turn pale, accompanied by low, grinding growls. Even Zoro, whose expression had initially seemed relatively calm, appeared scarcely able to endure the superhuman agony, his features twisting somewhat.

Yet, as time wore on, the momentum emanating from their bodies grew increasingly formidable. Measured in terms of game levels, there was no doubt that their levels were soaring at a rapid pace.

In just this short span, the average level of this group had surged from level 100 all the way to level 102!

One had to understand the immense difficulty of gaining even a single level past level 100! To advance by two consecutive levels in such a short period—even with someone like Liren's leveling speed, devouring blood essence couldn't possibly yield such rapid improvement!

Furthermore, this was the simultaneous advancement of forty individuals; what kind of colossal energy must be required to accomplish such a feat?

The dark green tubes detached from their bodies. Zoro stood up and stretched his limbs with a satisfying motion, his bones emitting a series of crisp, cracking pops—an indescribable sense of invigoration.

Standing behind him were forty similarly brawny men, each stripped to the waist, their physiques brimming with a potent explosive power that could be felt at a single glance.

"Boss, why was the intensity so strong this time?" one of the men standing not far from Zoro asked.

The pain from just now was truly far too intense compared to what they had experienced before. Although they had gone through this process in the past, they had never felt that near-collapse sensation.

"Hmph, if it weren't for that, how could you have jumped two levels all at once?" Zoro grunted, offering no denial.

That damn pain was indeed excessively severe; even he had felt as though he were reaching his absolute limit.

"Boss, what's for dinner this time? Why does it feel so much more potent than usual?" someone inquired. In their eyes, Zoro was undoubtedly an exceptional leader who treated his subordinates without pretense. Unlike the icy demeanor he usually projected, he actually cared deeply for them in his heart.

Having spent a long time with Zoro, the men had shed their initial restraint, and given their current complex situation, they spoke without hesitation.

Sure enough, hearing this, Zoro showed no impatience. Instead, he smiled, his handsome face blooming with a warm, sunny radiance, making him look just like an approachable older neighbor.

Yet no one dared to overstep their bounds. They were well aware that despite Zoro's current appearance, crossing the line would lead to consequences far more terrifying than anything they could imagine.

"Come, I'll take you to broaden your horizons and gain some insight into what our rations actually are!" Zoro laughed heartily, leading the group toward the opposite side of the hall.

With a casual slap against the wall, a hidden door materialized before their eyes. Unsurprised by its sudden appearance, they filed in one by one.

Once the last person entered, the concealed door vanished instantly, the wall seamlessly fitting back together without leaving a single trace.

Following the path opened by the hidden door for about half an hour, as the group journeyed steadily downward and the temperature began to turn abnormally frigid, they finally arrived at a space even more cavernous than the grand hall they had left behind.

A massive stone gate completely blocked their path. Merely looking at its height was enough to extinguish any lingering thoughts of resistance; towering over ten meters high and roughly four meters wide per leaf, each panel was perfectly embedded into the surrounding rock face.

Stepping back far enough to take in the entire structure, one would inevitably realize that the gate itself resembled the gaping maw of a colossal beast, its full form obscured in hazy shadow.

Without waiting for their awe to subside, Zoro placed one hand flat against the stone gate.

A rich, icy chill speckled with dark green points emanated from his arm, seeping directly into the gate upon contact. Slowly, as the fluctuations radiating from Zoro blanketed the entire stone door, the massive, peerless portal finally began to move.

The two doors, which could never have been opened by human strength alone, slowly slid apart to either side. An intensely bone-chilling cold, strangely interwoven with a fierce, suffocating heat, rushed forth to meet them.

This caught Zoro's unprepared followers off guard, causing them to suffer a minor setback.

However, a moment later, a thin membrane of light flecked with dark green spots covered every single one of them. Judging by the density of the green specks, they gradually decreased from front to back.

Or, to put it another way, those with more dark green spots on their bodies possessed greater strength.

The group followed closely behind Zoro, advancing slowly through this realm of bizarre and erratic temperatures.

Mist billowed all along the way, restricting their visibility to less than ten meters. At the same time, Zoro instructed them not to wander aimlessly, warning that becoming lost here would lead to a miserable fate.

With Zoro's caution in mind, none of them dared to stray. They could only follow him forward, their hearts filled with a mixture of wonder, curiosity, and apprehension.

This march lasted for nearly an hour!

At their pace, an hour was enough to put a considerable distance between them and Tianbo City. Calculated this way, they were practically reaching the territory of another city entirely.

Zoro, walking in front, finally came to a halt.

Glancing back at the perplexed expressions of his companions, he offered a slight smile and provided an explanation.

As it turned out, the fog they had traversed was not naturally occurring but artificially generated. Furthermore, the immense amount of time they had spent walking through it was far from meaningless.

If the fog were stripped away, they would realize they had been walking in a vast, sprawling circle, making precise angle adjustments at specific points. Connecting their path created a remarkably intricate pattern.

This colossal maze could only be navigated in this exact manner. Otherwise, travelers would remain trapped within the fog forever until death claimed them, all while enduring assaults from chilling currents and flowing magma. Truly, it was a stretch of land impossible to cross by ordinary means.

Having journeyed for so long, the men's curiosity regarding their so-called rations grew exponentially.

How could entities kept and secured in such a place be of low level? Yet, when compared to consuming their energy as rations, it was an immensely gratifying experience.

After all, stripping power from others to augment one's own strength was always an exquisitely pleasurable sensation.

"We have arrived." Stopping before a vast chamber, Zoro turned around and announced.

Looking up, the group saw that although the hall was brilliantly illuminated, its ceiling remained shrouded in a bottomless darkness, concealing whatever lay above.

Suspended straight down from the pitch-black ceiling were numerous thick, black iron chains, each link as thick as a normal man's arm, intertwining in a slow, winding descent. Breaking free from them was virtually impossible.

Beneath these chains, a group of lifelike ice sculptures stood frozen in place. Most of these sculptures wore serene expressions, though a tiny fraction betrayed a trace of fury in their brows. The leader among them had even drawn his weapon—a giant saber poised to cleave forward with an unstoppable momentum.

Yet, regrettably, this ferocious strike had been frozen mid-execution, trapping the entire man along with his attack in solid ice.

Auras of incomparable might emanated from these ice sculptures. Looking closely, one could see that not only humans were present here; even legendary lord-tier BOSSes, whose might once seemed invincible based on official records, were imprisoned in this place.

The men behind Zoro stared at the sheer power radiating from the sculptures, sighing in deep amazement.

As expected of the entities meant to provide endless energy for their rapid leveling, the violent, tyrannical power still thrummed vigorously within their bodies.

Even entombed in ice, they emitted a suffocating pressure. It was simply terrifying.

"This! Isn't this Mills, the Lord of Watchtower City!"

"Goodness! Huang Lan, the Lord of Tianhui City!"

Famous names tumbled continuously from their lips. Virtually the lords of more than half the human player cities were gathered right here.

The more they looked, the more excited they became. Since these individuals were powerful city lords designated by the system from the very beginning, how could they not be top-tier experts? Growing stronger by devouring such beings meant their ultimate limits were beyond imagination!

Zoro watched their reactions with satisfaction. With a wave of his hand, the men behind him instantly quieted down.

"You're not mistaken! These are the so-called city lords, yet right here, they are reduced to nothing more than our rations! I must admit, the energy within these fellows is simply too immense; even with our capabilities, we cannot absorb it all in a single sitting, not to mention the agonizing pain of absorption that you yourselves have experienced." He paused for a moment.

"If the absorption process were any longer, a few of you would probably be saying your permanent farewells. But! That is still not enough! You need to grow stronger at an even faster pace! With these fellows here as your food, if you still fail to become strong enough, then—hmph, I won't need to spell out the consequences. You'll experience them firsthand."

Having said this, Zoro turned slightly and muttered as if speaking to himself, "Is there anything else you wish to add?"

After a long silence, a hollow, ethereal voice echoed strangely from all directions: "Grow stronger, swiftly... Your efforts... under the gaze of the great Heavenly Evil King..."