028 Do you believe I'll be the first to kill you?

There are not just temporal rifts in the Ghost Valley; on the main map, there are five such rifts. However, the rift in Ghost Valley yields the rarest loot, while the other four are comparatively inferior. Even so, the lesser rewards sparked several fierce battles.

Unlike the Ghost Valley rift, the other four have no restrictions, so all players flocked there. Fights broke out even before the rifts appeared, resulting in heavy casualties. The contest among the Ring Bearers in Ghost Valley attracted the most attention, but since no broadcasts were made, the current situation remains unknown. Rumors say many Ring Bearers have ventured there.

The temporal rift unleashed a violent storm, hurling vast clouds of sand and stones, some jagged rocks, seawater—indeed, a chaotic mix of debris. Everyone nearby dropped to the ground to avoid these natural projectiles. The Ring Bearers who chose the wrong positions fared worse; though protected by their rings and not sucked into the rift, the debris pulled in collided with them. A single misstep could send them tumbling into the rift.

Psychic Mechs!

Cheng Feng and Outrace summoned psychic mechs to assist. With these machines, they could fend off many stones and flying sand, all while scouring the debris for fallen items.

System: You have obtained [Ghost Gem].

One of the psychic mechs clamped onto a black gem and handed it to Cheng Feng. At first, Cheng Feng thought it was a magic ring diamond, but it turned out to be a rare gemstone.

The temporal rift lasted only two minutes, giving Cheng Feng and Outrace just a slight advantage. After all his efforts and considerable energy spent, Cheng Feng had only managed to grab one Ghost Gem; the legendary magic ring diamond had yet to appear. Once the scene reset, no one dug through the soil. Searching that way would take forever. The best course was to wait for the scene to refresh, at which point the dirt and rocks would vanish, leaving only treasures behind.

At this moment, all the Ring Bearers appeared, quickly staking out territory and waiting for the scene to refresh. If the treasure appeared nearby, they could find it faster. For now, no one made a move; no one wanted to enter combat prematurely—it was better if others started the fight.

A minute of silence passed as the nine moved slightly to gain advantageous positions without initiating fire exchanges. When the scene refreshed and all the soil and sand vanished, numerous gems, small treasure chests, and boxes materialized. Everyone scrambled to seize the loot, fearing their rivals would snatch it away.

Cheng Feng selected a few valuable items while scanning the scene for any particularly radiant gems or unique treasures.

The Death Ring Bearer, Tiger Savage, from the Egypt region and a Barbarian weapon warrior, grabbed the black gem that shone the brightest in the entire field. Instantly, he was struck by a purple arcane missile. The vanished chamber, who had long suspected this gem’s significance, shouted, "Tiger Savage has the magic ring diamond! Don't give him a chance to cast spells to empower the ring!"

From the India region, the Demon Ring Bearer, the Thousand-Handed Demon—a special class known as the Evil God Demon—heard the vanished chamber’s warning. Without hesitation, he used a dark teleportation to appear beside Tiger Savage, his long, sharp claws immediately slashing at Tiger Savage’s shoulders.

Charge!

Cheng Feng, having already removed his shrinking ring, joined the assault. He knew the vanished chamber was deliberately provoking the fight, and rightly so: Tiger Savage had indeed secured a very special gem, likely the magic ring diamond. Cheng Feng’s move was meant to ignite a broader conflict.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Knight also obtained a gem radiating holy light. His teammate, Dark Demon, had rushed forward to seize it. Seeing the holy glow, Outrace immediately joined the fray. But there was no way the Dragon Knight would relinquish what was in his hands so easily.

At that moment, the Dragon Knight transformed into a colossal fiery dragon. With a roar, he took flight, attempting to escape the battle.

Imprison!

Stan, wielding the Curse Magic Ring, possessed a skill to imprison flying, burrowing, and teleporting enemies, simultaneously silencing them so they cannot use skills. As the Dragon Knight tried to flee with the treasure, Stan trapped him midair. This was the perfect moment for their coordinated attack.

The Blood Ring Bearer Cheng Feng, the Demon Ring Bearer Thousand-Handed Demon, and the Hunting Ring Bearer Vanished Chamber surrounded the Death Ring Bearer Tiger Savage. Meanwhile, the Life Ring Bearer Outrace, the Curse Ring Bearer Stan, the Night Ring Bearer Dark Demon, and the Death Ring Bearer Troff besieged the Dragon Knight Peter.

No question—the surrounded players were in dire straits. Peter the Dragon Knight was fortunate; his dragon form boasted immense resistance, high health, and armor, along with tremendous burst power. Despite being heavily targeted, he could endure. If Peter unleashed his dragon breath, everyone had to dodge. Earlier, Stan had activated the Twilight Barrier to absorb spell damage, but when struck by the fiery breath, his health instantly halved. Without the barrier, he would have been left critically wounded.

Death’s Destruction!

Tiger Savage, under triple assault, had raised his shield wall. He had to kill or severely wound at least one enemy first; otherwise, he would surely fall. He cast Death’s Destruction on the Thousand-Handed Demon, causing him to take 400% damage over the next eight seconds.

Fatal Strike!

Tiger Savage’s Fatal Strike hit the Thousand-Handed Demon for 2,500 damage, halving his health. Seizing the opportunity, Tiger Savage followed up with a Heroic Strike, but it was blocked.

Intercept!

Furious Slash!

The Thousand-Handed Demon, once confident of taking down Tiger Savage, was suddenly intercepted by Cheng Feng. Were it not for his cloak blocking the collision, he might have been knocked unconscious. Cheng Feng sidestepped beside him and, before the demon could react, drew his legendary one-handed sword and struck. Taking 400% damage was no trivial matter—even with the demon’s damage immunity from his demonic protection ring, which cut damage by 50%.

Arcane Explosion!

Finishing Blow! The Thousand-Handed Demon’s ring granted him immunity to death once when suffering fatal damage. Cheng Feng’s Furious Slash was a critical hit and would have slain him outright if not for the ring’s effect, leaving the demon with 10% health. But he underestimated the arcane mage from the vanished chamber, who suddenly cast a super spell, instantly killing him.

Tiger Savage was the focus of the attack and dared not pick up the demon ring or equipment dropped by the Thousand-Handed Demon. The vanished chamber was still far away, so he couldn’t collect it. Cheng Feng naturally grabbed the ring and gear, then resumed bombarding Tiger Savage.

Tiger Savage had assumed that once the Thousand-Handed Demon fell, the vanished chamber and Cheng Feng would fight over the demon ring. But he was wrong. The vanished chamber seemed uninterested in the rings and did not attempt to control Cheng Feng’s actions to prevent him from picking up items. Had the vanished chamber used control magic on Cheng Feng, Tiger Savage might have had a chance to grab the demon ring. Instead, both continued targeting Tiger Savage.

The struggle for the rings was brutal, with every Ring Bearer ready to strike at a moment’s notice. The Thousand-Handed Demon had never experienced such a scenario—when at a disadvantage, all enemies focusing their attacks on him. Seeing Tiger Savage deal 2,500 damage with Fatal Strike, Cheng Feng didn’t hesitate. He knew Furious Slash could kill Tiger Savage outright. Such an opportunity was not to be missed.

The only hesitation Cheng Feng had was whether to pick up the demon ring once the Thousand-Handed Demon fell. Cheng Feng’s flank was guarded by the vanished chamber; Tiger Savage was ahead, and Baroo had yet to appear. But with a magic ring lying on the ground, how could he resist? Even if he picked it up, everyone’s true target remained Tiger Savage.

Bone Sand Scorpion Baroo had no time to ambush Cheng Feng; if he appeared, everyone would likely focus their attacks on him. If Cheng Feng switched his attention to Baroo, Tiger Savage would certainly back Cheng Feng. No one dared face Cheng Feng’s overwhelming burst damage. So Tiger Savage would rather confront Baroo than Cheng Feng. As for the vanished chamber, he waited for a chance to finish off enemies; he cared little who claimed the ring.

Dragon’s Wrath!

Elsewhere, Peter was freed from silence and unleashed his ultimate, Dragon’s Wrath, boosting his attack by 50%. A sweeping tail strike knocked Death Ring Bearer Troff away, briefly stunning him, followed by a blast of fiery breath.

When Troff recovered, the breath was already before his eyes. He had no time to cast spells, and was engulfed in flames. One breath alone wouldn’t kill him, but as he prepared his ultimate counterattack, a spike suddenly erupted beneath his feet, stunning him. Bone Sand Scorpion Baroo leapt out, his tail’s poison sting piercing Troff’s head. At that moment, an arcane arrow shot through the air, striking Troff simultaneously. The two attacks combined to kill him instantly.

Baroo quickly scooped up the Death Ring and gear, stirring up a dust storm to flee. The vanished chamber, having secured the kill, had completed his mission and ignored Baroo.

Back with Cheng Feng, his burst damage intensified, and Tiger Savage was struggling to hold on. If Cheng Feng’s shockwave came off cooldown and hit, Tiger Savage would likely fall. With only 40% health remaining, he was determined not to be slain like the Thousand-Handed Demon. So he hurled the black gem away.

At first, he thought Cheng Feng would go to retrieve the gem, giving him a brief respite. But to his surprise, a ghostly rhinoceros charged out of nowhere, knocking the gem back. At that moment, Bone Sand Scorpion Baroo appeared at the rhino’s feet.

The black gem flew to Cheng Feng, who holstered his offhand weapon and stowed the gem in his bag before drawing his one-handed sword to continue fighting.

“Summon the magic ring diamond, or you’ll die!” Baroo snarled, confident he would claim the gem, unaware of Cheng Feng’s ghost rhino’s timely intervention.

Cheng Feng ignored Baroo completely and launched a reckless assault on Tiger Savage, casually remarking, “Do you believe I’ll be the first to kill you?”