### Chapter 9: Suspicion and Confusion (Bonus Update)
With a large influx of players claiming to be residents of Thousand Bird City flooding the forums and live streaming rooms,
the online community witnessed the most bonkers spamming since the game launched.
After all, as one of the Seven Immortal Gates, Thousand Bird City was one of the first cities to open to players. Combined with its picturesque Floating City skyline, it’s a renowned hotspot for couples visiting the Asking Dao Continent,
so it’s no wonder that countless life-skill enthusiasts gathered there.
A good number of players didn’t care much for the game’s story and were instead obsessed with mastering a variety of life skills.
So, when they suddenly fainted and exited the game, they joined the chorus of players condemning the game officials and rushed into the forums and live streaming rooms they usually didn’t care about.
This was why the sudden increase in user activity caught everyone’s attention.
**[Official Announcement: Thousand Bird City has been affected by an uncontrollable force, leading to a collective fainting phenomenon among players. The direction of the plot development is currently unknown. The officials cannot guarantee that your created character will survive; please prepare to recreate your character. Risks and opportunities coexist. Good luck!]**
Just as players were uncertain about the mass disconnection of Thousand Bird City and were madly discussing it, the official announcement popped up at the top of the forum.
At this, almost every player went bananas.
What the heck? You dare send out a d*ath sentence of an announcement like this?
The game officials of “The Way of Inquiry” were literally the most irresponsible game company players had ever encountered.
Seriously? I’ve poured months of bl**d, sweat, and tears into this character, and now it’s just gone without any hint of compensation?
The game officials were clearly trying to shove the blame onto NPCs.
Aren’t you scared we’ll launch a physical attack in real life, taking your servers down with us?
Countless players unleashed a profanity-laden tirade against the game officials,
and every social media account related to “The Way of Inquiry” was instantly flooded with heartfelt messages to the game designers’ family.
Yet, the game officials were like a turtle retreating into its shell; aside from the initial announcement, they hadn’t shown their faces since, leaving players seething with fury and nowhere to vent.
“Wait a minute! Why does it look like there’s no issue from my angle in Thousand Bird City?”
A merchant player near Thousand Bird City took a screenshot of his screen and posted it in the forum, along with his live stream link.
When the netizens clicked in, they were immediately filled with shock and doubt.
At that moment, the setting sun was just swallowed by the horizon, and it would be a bit before darkness fell completely.
Though visibility was poor and the light dim, in that player’s view, the Floating City drifting in the air still seemed to bask in the last rays of the setting sun, with its buildings reflecting the day’s final glow.
From a distance, it almost looked majestic and was little different from the usual scenario of Thousand Bird City.
Disconnected players began to shout,
“This can’t be! It must be an illusion!”
Right! If Thousand Bird City were fine, how could we all disconnect together?
Could it be that the game experienced an unprecedented huge bug?
With no players remaining in Thousand Bird City, even if netizens argued wildly in the forum, they couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Instantly, a player proposed,
Could the game officials set up an official live stream room to showcase the current situation inside Thousand Bird City to everyone?
This suggestion received overwhelming support, and people’s curiosity and interest in the situation of Thousand Bird City kept skyrocketing.
**[Official Announcement: There isn’t a narrative worth streaming inside Thousand Bird City at present. If there is, the system live stream will automatically switch—please don’t get too anxious!]**
The lying corpse of the game officials finally responded at this point.
Players were so enraged they felt like storming the game company, putting a kn*fe to the game designer’s throat—these guys were utterly ridiculous!
Before you top up, you’re the king; once you spend, you’re just a fish on a line, no matter how you thrash around, you can’t escape the reel.
…
Gongsun Ding was familiar with “Upgrade Maniac” Tang Tong and knew that these foreign Human Race folks mastered a kind of telepathic communication—an enviable talent, indeed.
Seeing the players’ astonished expressions, even if they deliberately lowered their voices to discuss, he still caught the murmurs of “Thousand Bird City” here and there.
He hurriedly approached Tang Tong to ask what was going on,
Tang Tong, being an Inner Door Disciple, naturally spilled everything to this big brother without hesitation.
Gongsun Ding was left dumbfounded,
almost unable to believe his ears.
In the next second, he dashed to the top of Cold Wind City like his life depended on it.
At this moment, just freed from the terrifying scene, Li Ying Tian’s red sword energy buzzed in the air due to his unsettled mind,
like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment—its overwhelming force even made the local Great Demon charge team keep their distance,
fearing what unpredictable act the unstable master of Thousand Bird City might pull.
No, this has to be fake!
Thousand Bird City had four grand elders he left behind, not to mention countless inner and outer disciples and over a hundred powerful spirit beasts.
How could there be no resistance while the enemies surrounded them?
Let’s assume for a second that they couldn’t fend off the invaders; they could’ve easily sent out a distress signal.
He could make it from Cold Wind City back to Thousand Bird City in less than half a day, and so far, he hadn’t received any distress messages.
Unless there’s only one possibility.
The invading enemies swiftly disabled their resistance, leaving them with no chance to ask for help.
But… could that really be?
What kind of enemy could be so strong that the defenders of Thousand Bird City had no chance to fight back?
Li Ying Tian felt a murderous aura resurfacing,
as the red sword energy erupted like a scorching flame.
Even if those two little girls were correct, so what? He’d k*ll them and head straight back to Thousand Bird City.
He trusted his strength; no matter how many demons and monsters came his way, he wouldn’t flinch.
At worst, the Seven Immortal Gates were joined as one; if one side faced trouble, the others would back them up.
He couldn’t believe that another Monster King level creature had appeared in the Three Realms!
That was simply impossible.
“Master! Master!”
At that moment, Gongsun Ding rushed in front of him and briefly reported the situation of everyone in Thousand Bird City having fainted to Li Ying Tian.
Li Ying Tian’s eyes bulged with anger as he glared at Gongsun Ding, his hair practically standing on end as if shocked by electricity.
Gongsun Ding had never seen Master like this before, making him instinctively take a half step back.
“Is what you said true?”
Gongsun Ding steeled himself and replied, “Absolutely true!”
Li Ying Tian suddenly swung his head to look at the two perpetually innocent-looking little girls.
“If that’s the case, how did you two know about the situation in Thousand Bird City?”
“Hee hee hee…”
The little girls burst into giggles.
“One big silly goose! Hahahaha!”
…
P.S.: Continuous bloodletting and extra updates have left me a bit exhausted. Tomorrow, there might only be three updates, and I’ll explain then. Thanks for your understanding, dear readers!
