The plot of the original film centered on Sauron, the Dark Lord, who harbored evil intentions to dominate all of Middle-earth. To this end, he used sorcery to forge numerous Rings of Power, which he then bestowed upon the kings of the Dwarves, Elves, and Men, enabling them to rule their respective races through the rings' might. However, Sauron forged one Ruling Ring above all others, capable of commanding all the others. Consequently, those kings were transformed into the Ringwraiths, falling under Sauron's control, as he extended his reach across all of Middle-earth.

This led to a grand clash between the forces of good and evil. After countless sacrifices, righteousness finally prevailed, but the Prince of Men, consumed by greed, kept the One Ring. This sentient Ring, however, abandoned him, eventually wandering through countless years until it fell into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. The Hobbits were a gentle race content with their fate and uninvolved in the wider world, making them the least susceptible to the One Ring's seduction. Thus, the One Ring lay dormant, and Bilbo, its bearer, enjoyed an unnaturally long life because of it.

Yet, the One Ring always sought to corrupt mortals. As the duration of his possession lengthened, Bilbo Baggins gradually felt its power. So, just before he could no longer bear to part with the Ring, he passed it on to his nephew, Frodo. Simultaneously, however...

Sauron's minions learned that a Hobbit possessed the One Ring and dispatched the Ringwraiths to seize it, intending to resurrect the Dark Lord Sauron. Various evil factions seized the opportunity to join this struggle to reclaim the Ring or conquer Middle-earth. In this war,

Men, Elves, the Undead, Trolls, and countless other creatures became involved. Alongside this, the hidden storyline of Frodo and his companions secretly journeying to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring unfolded... This constituted the grand scale of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy—such a massive battlefield.

The prelude concluded, and the scene shifted back to the present moment of the Central Continent Team.

Zheng Zha sensed a wave of killing intent rushing toward them and instantly drew his Tiger Soul blade, positioning it defensively before the entire Central Continent Team.

Those who reacted slightly slower than him included Zhao Yingkong, Zero Point, Cheng Xiao, and Zhang Heng—four individuals. Chu Xuan,

Ba Wang, Wang Xia, and the others were marginally slower, but they still managed to adopt defensive stances or draw their weapons. Only Zhan Lan, Luo Gandao,

and the five newcomers remained frozen until they noticed the two humans before them, only then becoming wary. This was especially true given their surroundings were filled with diminutive Hobbits; the sudden appearance of two Men was highly suspect.

These two figures were young men. Although the baby-faced youth appeared calm and collected, the one eating chocolate had sharply focused eyes.

However, the entity truly radiating palpable danger and intense killing intent was the baby-faced youth. In Zheng Zha's estimation,

the baby-faced youth felt like a block of ice; his aura struck Zheng Zha as exceedingly perilous. With his Tiger Soul blade in hand, Zheng Zha’s eyes were as sharp as steel; should these two make any sudden move, he would not hesitate to execute them instantly with "Instant Annihilation"! The baby-faced youth shrugged slightly. He chuckled and said, "Don't mind us, don't mind us. We were just testing the strength of the third-ranked team. If we offended you, I apologize. What do you say, Neos?"

The blond youth named Neos let out a cold sneer, finished the chocolate in his hand, and addressed Zheng Zha: "My apologies for the breach of etiquette during the last team battle; we perished without even seeing the enemy's faces... I am Neos, captain of the South Flame Continent Team. Gangnier, captain of the North Ice Continent Team, and I are here hoping to form an alliance with the Central Continent Team to face the East America Continent Team, and that most terrifying entity dwelling at the apex of the Reincarnation Squads... the attack of the Celestial God Squad!" Having spoken, he turned and walked toward a clear space outside the banquet area, where several large tables were set up, around which sat more than twenty men and women.

The baby-faced youth, Gangnier, offered a slight smile to the crowd and followed Neos. Regardless of what the Central Continent Team members behind them might do, the two proceeded directly toward the larger group of over twenty people.

"How was it? That man just now was the captain of the Central Continent Team, possessing a self-created skill. According to the strongest member of our team, his combat power is sufficient to face an entire Reincarnation Squad single-handedly... My expertise isn't in combat. What is your assessment of his strength?" Neos communicated telepathically with Gangnier, taking out another piece of chocolate and lightly licking it.

When Gangnier turned back, his smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sheen of sweat. He murmured telepathically: "Very good, very powerful... The moment he drew his blade, I nearly felt compelled to attack him first. Though we haven't fought, when he focused his entire attention on me, it truly felt like a blade was flashing before my eyes. To be honest, this man harbors a demon within his heart..." "Is that so? Then this complicates matters. Although we need to ally with them in this Ring world, a battle between us is inevitable in the future..." Neos said with a cold smile, biting into the chocolate, which produced a crisp snap in his mouth. He continued, "If he is truly that strong, combined with that other individual on their team... So, if you disregarded all restraint and fought him at full strength, who would win?" "My power is the Frost-Frost Fruit, though it's only been enhanced to A-rank, still some distance from the peak Double-A rank. However, I am significantly stronger than the Thunder-Thunder Fruit enhancer on your team. The outcome against the Central Continent Team's captain would be about fifty-fifty. Of course, if his self-created skill proves too potent, I certainly won't fight him."

As Gangnier spoke, he was only ten meters from the group of twenty-plus people. The gravity on his face reverted to a smile, making the baby face look quite endearing.

Indeed, whether it was Zheng Zha

or Chu Xuan, neither wished to engage these two Reincarnation Squads in battle under the current circumstances. Firstly, the terrain was disadvantageous. These two teams had arrived in the Ring world before them; they had no idea what kind of 'momentum' they had established,

or whether they had set up any ambushes. A rash confrontation would certainly not be beneficial. Therefore, instead of immediately fighting, it was better to sit quietly and listen to what they had to say.

"...Our South Flame Continent Team arrived in the Ring world ten days ago, located deep within the North Marshes northwest of Hobbiton. Completing this journey took us about five days. When we emerged from the swamps, we happened to encounter the North Ice Continent Team, which had appeared at the marsh's edge five days prior. Fortunately, we ran into a colossal python at that time—a body over fifty meters long with a head four meters thick. Our firearms proved ineffective against it,

forcing our two teams to unite, otherwise, the likelihood of conflict between us would have been much higher."

Three teams, totaling forty-three people, sat together. The reason for the count of forty-three was that the South Flame Continent Team and the North Ice Continent Team had each lost one newcomer in the marsh.

From what they shared, the first three teams to reach this world had their arrival locations fixed; for example, upon entering this world, they knew the Central Continent Team would appear in Hobbiton, whereas the other two teams appeared randomly.

This inherently bred an uneasy premonition.

In addition to this basic information, Zheng Zha and his team also learned some unique details from several acquaintances on the South Flame Continent Team. For instance, the South Flame Continent Team had already completed four horror movies since the Starship Troopers event, one of which was The Mummy.

This implied that the rate at which different teams experienced horror movies varied wildly? Gangnier said with a smile, "We long ago noticed this situation. When we met with other teams before, comparisons of the number of horror movies experienced always revealed discrepancies. Stronger teams face increasingly difficult horror movies while the number of times they run them decreases. Often, one horror movie for a strong team means other teams have experienced two or more. But these are minor points; if you wish to know, we can share this information freely once our three teams form an alliance. The current key question is: do you wish to ally with us?" Zheng Zha was currently progressing toward unlocking the third stage of his gene lock, simulating Xiao Honglü's thought process. After thinking for a few seconds, he immediately spoke: "No problem. If we are to oppose the East America Squad and the Celestial God Squad, an alliance is a necessary measure. This is also why our three teams appeared so close together. However, I have one requirement: the complete independence of each of our teams must be maintained. We can exchange intelligence and offer mutual support, but each team must only be coordinated and controlled by its own captain. If the majority opinion of the three teams dictates control over another team, the Central Continent Team will become your enemy."

Since the South Flame Continent Team and the North Ice Continent Team were already allied, they likely had some hidden mutual agreements, such as using a vote among the three teams during a major battle to disadvantage the Central Continent Team, perhaps treating them as cannon fodder. This was Zheng Zha's sole concern; in other aspects, it was fine. After all, Chu Xuan on their team was no pushover, and cooperation would ensure they definitely wouldn't suffer a disadvantage; in fact, the other side should be the one to worry.

Neos and Gangnier exchanged a glance, and both extended their hands simultaneously. Neos swallowed the chocolate in his mouth and said with a cold sneer, "Then we are allies. There are two other teams, as well as plot characters who will appear during this journey. This Ring world will be the battleground for our five teams. The victors will gain endless reward points and sub-plot counts... All three of our teams have a chance, but I must tell you, the South Flame Continent Team intends to be the greatest winner among these five teams!" Gangnier and Zheng Zha both smirked coldly. Zheng Zha, in particular, looked toward the seemingly indifferent Chu Xuan, thinking Neos was perhaps too arrogant.

"Boom!" A firework exploded, sending brilliant, dazzling light across the sky. This was fireworks set off by the plot character Gandalf during the feast, and the plot of the Ring gradually began to unfold... Jump cut.