Chapter 136 : Blooming Hundred Flowers! The Leeks Have Hardened!
Chapter 136: Blooming Hundred Flowers! The Leeks Have Hardened!
Luoshui Main City.
Inside the Enlightenment Tower.
Hang Yu had been immersed in Enlightenment for a full day and night.
He intended to try creating more new fusion skills.
【Ding, you are fusing "Wind Blade Technique" and "Flame Arrow Spell". This Enlightenment will consume 12,000 Essence!】
【Essence -12,000!】
【Ding, Enlightenment successful. You have comprehended "Flame Blade"!】
【Ding, you are fusing "Explosive Flame Spell" and "Flame Blade". This Enlightenment will consume 26,000 Essence!】
【Essence -26,000!】
【Enlightenment failed!】
【Essence -26,000!】
【Enlightenment failed!】
【Essence -25,000!】
【Ding, Enlightenment successful. You have comprehended "Blade of Explosive Flames"!】
【Ding, you are fusing "Iron Armor Technique" and "Savage Charge". This Enlightenment will consume 15,000 Essence!】
【Ding, Enlightenment successful. You have comprehended "Armybreaker Charge"!】
【Ding, you are fusing "Fierce Tiger Chain Slash" and "Qi-Slash". This Enlightenment will consume 12,000 Essence!】
【Essence -12,000!】
【Ding, Enlightenment successful. You have comprehended "Fierce Tiger Blade Qi"!】
【Ding, you are fusing "Fierce Tiger Blade Qi" and "Fiery Tiger Roar Slash". This Enlightenment will consume 30,000 Essence!】
【Essence -30,000!】
【Enlightenment failed!】
【Essence -30,000!】
【Enlightenment failed!】
【Essence -30,000!】
【Enlightenment failed!】
【……】
【Ding, Enlightenment successful. You have comprehended "Frenzied Tiger Fiery Blade"!】
That should be enough.
Leave the rest for next time.
Hang Yu let out a long breath.
He had spent twenty to thirty hours.
Having consumed over 250,000 Essence, he had successfully integrated a batch of new skills.
These skills were: Flame Blade, Blade of Explosive Flames, Armybreaker Charge, Fierce Tiger Blade Qi, and Frenzied Tiger Fiery Blade.
Among them, Flame Blade, Fierce Tiger Blade Qi, and Armybreaker Charge were quality breakthroughs, while the rest could only be considered combined or fusion skills.
The three quality breakthrough skills were all green-quality skills fused from two white-quality skills. When trained to full level, they could grant an additional 10 points of Spirit Enhancement on top of the two prerequisite skills.
"Breaking through from white to green-quality skills isn’t hard."
"But using green-quality skills to synthesize blue-quality ones is way too difficult!"
Hang Yu had to use Fierce Tiger Blade Qi and Fiery Tiger Roar Slash and fail four times before finally creating "Frenzied Tiger Fiery Blade", which was already infinitely close to being a blue-quality skill!
This skill’s power was not inferior to some of the weaker blue-quality skills, and even its attribute enhancements were very close to blue-quality ones.
Yet its quality still remained at green.
This showed that in order to obtain a blue-quality skill, one not only needed subskills of sufficient quality and compatibility, but also a bit of luck.
"Let’s end it here for now!"
Hang Yu had spent 250,000 Essence on Enlightenment, and another 40,000-plus Essence to level up Flame Blade, Fierce Tiger Blade Qi, and Armybreaker Charge to the max. All in all, he had consumed nearly 300,000 Essence.
Even with sufficient Essence reserves and supply in the territory—
He couldn’t afford to be too extravagant or overconsume.
Some portion must always be allocated for issuing quests to players, providing welfare incentives to native subordinates, or training an elite personal guard corps.
"Master, while you were cultivating in seclusion today, many things worth noting happened in the territory."
Hang Yu hadn’t asked yet.
Xiao Ba took the initiative to report the latest situation.
Hang Yu was quite shocked after learning what the players had experienced and discovered.
He immediately reconstructed the sequence of events using the Lord's Log and posts from the official forum.
"An avatar of Guan Yu actually appeared at Woniu Mountain? I didn’t expect contact with such a high-level existence to happen this quickly!"
Hang Yu felt a trace of apprehension at this, as contacting a legendary-level being too early carried inherent risks. Even if Guan Yu had not fallen, it might still draw the gaze of other indescribable entities.
Of course.
It was just an avatar.
The probability was extremely low.
Besides, that avatar was dormant and sealed.
Danger and opportunity coexisted. While contact with a being on Guan Yu’s level carried risk, there could also be immense benefits to gain in the process. Hang Yu decided to continue monitoring it.
As for the speculations made by players in the forum—
Especially the perspective raised by Chimera Wraith—
Hang Yu had already read them. While there were some inaccuracies, the general train of thought was correct. It was simply that the Abyss was far more complex than they imagined, particularly when dealing with a being of Guan Yu’s Authority Level—it was absolutely beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals.
Xiao Ba asked, "Master, the Calamity Army has regrouped. They’re preparing to challenge the Corrupted Twin Form for the second time!"
Hang Yu nodded. "I saw it."
He chose not to meet with Guan Yu for the time being.
He would wait until the players completed this quest first.
Through the Lord’s Vision, Hang Yu noted that the Calamity Army had already reached the destination and was making final preparations before battle.
He couldn’t help but sigh, "The Calamity Army’s formation and preparation this time is unprecedented. Hopefully this Corrupted monster won’t go down too easily—at least let it kill a few high-level players to help me recover some Essence!"
The Enlightenment Tower consumed Essence too quickly!
He hoped this operation could at least break even.
……
When Hang Yu looked over.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge was acting as the overall commander of this operation.
He was explaining the terrain and conditions inside the valley to everyone.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge emphasized, "This boss's methods and abilities are extremely dangerous. Even with our large numbers, we can’t afford to be careless. According to the intelligence we gathered last time at the cost of a full-party wipe, it’s mainly troublesome in the following two aspects!"
"First, it has large-area mental attacks and a powerful group-wide stun effect that renders people completely unable to resist."
"Second, it has extremely strong mobility and flight capability. It can even attack us from beyond our range, and is accompanied by at least dozens of elite monsters with flight ability. We were completely crushed last time—unable to even fight back."
After he finished speaking,
Everyone at the scene wore heavy expressions.
Mad Blade Old Wang said in a deep voice, "This boss seems even more difficult than expected. Although its level and raw strength aren’t as high as the Dragon-Lizard Lord Chi Lin, it still gives off a more daunting feeling. Even if our Calamity Army sends out all its elites, if we don’t find the correct approach, we may still face the threat of total annihilation."
Artist General said, "I think we should just use a giant bomb and blow it sky-high in one go!"
Niu Shisan said, "Where would we get the time to gather the materials? Better to go for a quick battle. This is just a field boss—I’m still waiting to enter the Core Corruption Zone and challenge the core boss!"
Toasting the Moon said, "We really can’t afford to waste too much time, or it may affect the progress of the quest."
Ye Li Meng said, "Rui Ge, just tell us what to do—we trust your judgment and command completely!"
"Yeah!"
"Rui Ge, we’re with you!"
"If once isn’t enough, then twice. If twice fails, then try a third time. There’s no way we can’t beat it if we keep trying!"
"Let’s start. I just comprehended a new skill at the Enlightenment Tower. I can’t wait to try it in real combat!"
"……"
If—
Ye Li Meng gave off the impression of being bold, righteous, and a bit of a big spender.
Then Black-Eyed Rui Ge was famous for being calm, cautious, and hardcore.
And because Black-Eyed Rui Ge had led a team that previously engaged the boss, everyone trusted him fully!
"Alright. Since everyone feels that way, then let’s go all in and give it a try!"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, "This monster is one we absolutely cannot fight head-on. If we want to kill it, the key is to eliminate the interference from the small monsters and suppress its aerial advantage."
"The small monsters in the valley are mainly Level 10 elite giant crows. They also have flight capabilities and mental interference abilities. Moreover, they can release frostfire to disrupt our battle. If we don’t clean them up before the fight starts, we won’t even get the chance to strike at the boss."
"In addition, the boss’s aerial suppression is a very troublesome trait. If we don’t limit its flight, and fail to restrict the battlefield to ground or low-altitude combat, the end result will likely be us getting beaten one-sidedly without the ability to retaliate."
"……"
Based on this intel.
Rui Ge began to formulate a detailed battle plan.
He set the ambush location at the valley entrance.
Because there was a gorge there especially suitable for carrying out this mission.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Rui Ge personally led a team of ten Rangers into the valley first to hunt down the small monsters. The goal was to clear out more Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows before the boss was alerted, to reduce the battle’s resistance.
"No time to lose!"
"Then let’s begin!"
"Waiting on your good news!"
"Got it! Leave it to us!"
As Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Lone Boat, Toasting the Moon, Ning Caichen II, Hui Mu, and more than ten of the Calamity Army’s top Rangers entered the valley,
The other players, under the command of Ye Li Meng and Mad Blade Old Wang, were deploying ambushes and traps in the gorge near the valley entrance.
Players were never afraid of death.
But that didn’t mean they enjoyed throwing their lives away.
This bunch was extremely cunning—killing them was never easy.
Hang Yu noticed that for this operation, the Calamity Army had not only mobilized its most elite personnel, but had also made thorough preparations in terms of gear, potions, and more. They had truly gone all-in.
For example, before setting out—
They first went to Kiba Grand Restaurant for a lavish feast.
Ye Li Meng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Lone Boat, Mad Blade Old Wang, and other core combatants directly consumed food made with specially prepared Earth Dragon meat, currently the best food available at Kiba Grand Restaurant.
Hang Yu glanced at the stats.
【秘制地龙肉】, Tier-One Food, Green-Quality, Strength +10, All Abnormal Status Resistance +20, HP +50, Duration 10 hours, 1,000 Contribution Points per serving.
Extremely expensive.
But the buffs were undeniably powerful!
Not only did it significantly increase health and strength, it also effectively enhanced resistance against various abnormal statuses—both mental and physical—such as stun, coma, bleeding, and poison.
Other players also tried to consume at least one dish that boosted resistance and enhanced their combat abilities. For example, the most common option:
【骸羊蛇尾鸡汤】, Tier-One Food, White-Quality, HP +10, Mental Abnormal Resistance +10, Duration 10 hours, 200 Contribution Points per serving.
Although this food’s effect didn’t compare to the Special Earth Dragon Meat, it could still shorten stun or coma durations, while slightly increasing survivability and, ultimately, the operation’s success rate.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge had also custom-ordered a new potion from the Alchemy Workshop.
【鸦血药剂】, Tier-One Potion, White-Quality. Upon consumption: Mental Damage Resistance +15, Duration 5 minutes.
This potion was brewed from the blood of the Two-Headed Ghostflame Crow. It had the effect of weakening mental attacks, and could play a major role in this mission.
Ye Li Meng and other wealthy players even changed into gear with high resistance stats, further minimizing the boss’s threat.
With such thorough preparations—
If they still couldn’t complete the mission—
It would be hard to justify.
Hang Yu frowned as he took this all in.
Could this field boss really stand against these players?
He had been counting on this group of high-level players to provide a solid wave of leeks to harvest.
Sigh... it was probably going to be tough. He could only place greater hope in the Core Source of Corruption within the Core Corruption Zone.
As for this battle—
Even harvesting one is better than none!
Hang Yu continued spectating the show through the Lord’s Vision.
Although the players’ overly cautious approach left him a bit unsatisfied, their recent growth was undeniable. He was also curious to see how far the core elites of the Calamity Army had come!
Not long after Rui Ge and the others entered the valley—
Two Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows appeared up ahead, resting atop massive boulders.
They were only about a dozen meters apart. Attacking one would inevitably alert the other.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, "The Ghostflame Crow has two heads. The one on the left can launch mental attacks and call for reinforcements. The one on the right can release poisonous mist and frost attacks."
Toasting the Moon said, "We must take them down before they react. If they make a sound, every monster in the valley will be alerted… and now, the problem is that there are two of them at the same time."
It was a bit of a problem.
But not a big one.
After all, players were no longer what they used to be.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge asked Lone Boat, "How about one each?"
Lone Boat didn’t hesitate. "No problem!"
"Good. The rest of you just cover us with ranged attacks. The Two-Headed Ghostflame Crow has extremely sharp perception. Your Shadowstep will be noticed within five meters."
Toasting the Moon drew his longbow.
He took out a black-feathered arrow and fully drew the string.
【黑鸦羽之箭】, Tier-One Consumable, White-Quality, Attack +12, Poison Attribute Attack +8, comes with Silent Flight effect.
"Go!"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge gave the signal.
Toasting the Moon released the string without hesitation.
A black-feathered arrow flew out soundlessly, tearing through the air like lightning, and struck one of the massive Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows.
86 (Critical Hit)!
Other arrows followed in quick succession.
The black-feathered arrows silently embedded themselves in the creature.
36!
56!
42!
68 (Critical Hit)!
……
These Rangers were all top-tier experts of the Calamity Army. Backed by powerful stats and muscle memory, they might not all hit a leaf at a hundred paces, but hitting a massive target within 100 meters was practically guaranteed.
Both giant crows took damage.
They were just about to react.
Lone Boat lunged like a cheetah, suddenly vanishing midair without warning. Almost simultaneously, he reappeared behind the giant crow. The Crimson Bloodstained Sword in his hand pierced straight through its heart with absolute precision.
Fast!
Too fast!
This Two-Headed Ghostflame Crow didn’t even get a chance to react!
903 (Lethal Critical)!
It was instantly killed by this incomparably swift, deadly assault!
The other crow didn’t fare much better. Before Lone Boat even made his move, invisible sword lights were already raining from all directions, repeatedly striking the creature.
126!
105!
264（Critical Hit）！
248（Critical Hit）！
……
The giant crow hadn't even seen where the enemy was before being pierced five or six times in a row. Several of those strikes hit vital points, and in the end, it collapsed to the ground and died on the spot.
Only then—
Black-Eyed Rui Ge gradually appeared from his transparent state.
The other Players were all shocked at the performance of the two top-tier Rangers.
"Awesome!"
"Holy shit, that was insane!"
"As expected from the two strongest Rangers of the Calamity Army!"
"By the way, Lone Boat used Dark Assault, but what new skill did Rui Ge use?"
"……"
Ning Caichen II, Hui Mu, and other Rangers were all stunned by the skills of these two top experts.
Lone Boat’s instant disappearance and reappearance behind the monster, striking directly into the soul for an instant kill — that skill was without a doubt the newly-created combo technique “Dark Assault.”
Its speed, explosive force, and devastating damage output made it the strongest assassination move currently available.
But what about the skill that Black-Eyed Rui Ge used?
Black-Eyed Rui Ge didn’t hide anything.
He explained, “This is a new skill formed by combining Shadowstep and Windstep. It’s called Silent Kill.”
Hang Yu was also slightly surprised at this.
Shadowstep and Windstep could indeed produce two types of combo skills.
The first was the Swiftshadow Step that he had fused himself; the second was the Silent Kill now being displayed by Black-Eyed Rui Ge.
The former boasted superior speed and stronger stealth capability.
The latter didn’t enhance speed or stealth significantly—
—but it boosted attack power and allowed one to strike while still invisible.
Swiftshadow Step was faster than Windstep and offered better stealth than Shadowstep. It could be considered a power-enhanced version of both skills. However, it inherited Shadowstep’s flaw: once an attack was launched, the invisibility effect would be dispelled automatically.
This skill was more suited for high-level chases or infiltration scenarios.
Rui Ge’s Silent Kill, although offering little in terms of increased speed or stealth, allowed attacks while remaining hidden. Even though the energy cost increased rapidly during use, it provided a modest boost to damage output.
This skill was particularly well-suited for hunting small mobs or engaging in group combat.
Lone Boat’s Dark Assault clearly outshone in burst and intimidation power!
Rui Ge’s Silent Kill, while not heavily boosting damage, was far better for mob clearing.
Each skill had its own merits!
All the Rangers present at the scene appeared thoughtful.
The combat styles and abilities of top Rangers Lone Boat and Rui Ge had clearly started to diverge. It was now hard to say whose path was stronger or weaker. With time, this divergence would likely grow more distinct.
Which was good news for other Rangers!
The freedom in this game was just too high!
Let the experts explore skill combinations to carve paths forward.
Other Players could then customize skill builds suited to their own conditions or preferences.
Under the lead of Black-Eyed Rui Ge and Lone Boat, the Ranger team hunted more than ten elite monsters. The entire process went smoothly without any major obstacles.
However—
At that very moment—
A piercing wail suddenly echoed from somewhere in the valley.
【You have been affected by “Wailing Scream.” You suffered 18 points of Spirit Damage and are Stunned for 2 seconds!】
Screeches from the Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows rang out from all directions. One after another, the crows left their roosts, circling high above the valley and starting to search for prey.
“What’s going on?”
“Seems like the BOSS has been alerted!”
“But our operation was clearly stealthy!”
“Probably, once the small mobs in the valley are cleared past a threshold, the BOSS becomes aware and reacts!”
“Damn it! Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy!”
“Activate Shadowstep! Retreat quickly!”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge immediately led everyone in retreating from the valley.
The Corrupted Twin Form had already appeared mid-air, locking onto the retreating Players.
Fortunately, the team was made up entirely of top-tier Rangers. Upon realizing they were exposed, they instantly activated Windstep and sprinted away, barely making it back to the gorge before being surrounded. The other Players who were lying in wait provided immediate support!
Midnight Pig Slayer and other healers quickly healed the wounded.
The others also stepped up to prepare for the coming battle.
“Forget the BOSS! Clear the small mobs first!” Black-Eyed Rui Ge shouted to the crowd.
Twenty to thirty Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows appeared, launching waves of poisonous gas bombs. However, their toxic attacks weren’t strong enough to threaten the Players at their current level and resistance stats.
Windflame Arrow, Flame Blade, Explosive Flame Spell…
Little Bell, Chimera Wraith, Artist General, and other Warlocks launched their attacks.
The warrior and ranger types quickly began attacking with bows, targeting the Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows from a distance.
After one round of clearing, Rui Ge’s team had reduced the crow population in the valley by more than one-third, significantly lowering the pressure. Under the strong firepower of the Players, more and more mobs wailed and fell from the sky.
The Corrupted Twin Form hovered in the sky above.
A wail seemingly capable of rupturing eardrums washed over them.
Many Players on-site were stunned, temporarily losing the ability to fight.
More than a dozen surviving Ghostflame Crows seized the opportunity to dive, breathing fire at the Players or unleashing spiritual attacks to further disrupt them. As a result, the Calamity Army began to suffer casualties.
“Damn it!”
“So arrogant!”
“Our Calamity Army isn’t one to mess with!”
“……”
The Players had come prepared. Every one of them had extremely high resistances, and before the Abyssal Creatures could further expand their advantage or initiate a full-scale slaughter, many high-level Players had already regained consciousness.
"Armybreaker Charge!"
Ye Li Meng had just been struck simultaneously by three blasts of Frostflame. His body was already encased in a layer of solid ice, and two Two-Headed Ghostflame Crows seized the opportunity to lunge at his vital points with their sharp claws.
Yet, with a low growl, Ye Li Meng erupted with tremendous force.
He instantly shattered the layer of ice covering his body and, braving the attacks, charged straight toward the monsters.
"Earthshock Wave!" Ye Li Meng swung his giant hammer at one of the crows. The terrifying shockwave directly tore the crow into pieces, causing the other to be stunned from the impact.
"Die!"
Ye Li Meng leapt into the air and struck with a charged blow. The wild, overwhelming force slammed the crow into the ground, shattering rocks across a radius of several zhang. The sheer power behind that strike was self-evident.
"Hahaha! This new skill really works like a charm!"
Ye Li Meng’s Armybreaker Charge was a combination skill created from Savage Charge and Iron Armor Technique.
This skill, when activated, instantly surged his defense power for a brief time, cleared most negative effects, and boosted his skill’s offensive power. It was especially suited for breaking through enemy lines.
Ye Li Meng favored blunt weapons like hammers.
His gear was top-tier, his attributes were sky-high, and his damage output was explosive.
With a Thousand-Skull Hammer capable of maiming with ease, paired with such a reckless charge skill, his combat power soared to new heights.
"Not bad."
Hang Yu believed that Ye Li Meng’s current combat strength was absolutely on par with most level-13 elite monsters. Even among elite units of the same level, he ranked on the upper end. As expected of the most iconic warrior of the Calamity Army!
Of course—
He wasn’t the only one who had gained a new skill.
Recently, many high-level Players had tried their luck at the Enlightenment Tower.
For example, Street Slayer had created a new skill, Fierce Tiger Blade Qi, by combining Frenzied Tiger Slash and Qi-Slash.
This skill could imbue Blade Qi into weapons, enhancing their attack power and sharpness. In turn, it significantly increased the lethality of regular attacks—every swing felt like a small-scale Qi-Slash.
"Kill!"
Street Slayer roared as he charged toward the monster.
Both of his battle blades were shrouded in a faint Blade Qi.
With one clash, he carved the Two-Headed Ghostflame Crow like slicing vegetables, cutting it into pieces.
Hang Yu was quite satisfied with what he saw. The Calamity Army’s growth in power was truly tremendous. What made it even more encouraging was the clear trend of top-tier Players developing distinct and personalized skills.
Even within the same class, divergent fighting styles were beginning to emerge.
In the future, no one would have an identical skillset.
Players could completely DIY new skills as needed, ultimately leading to a flourishing variety of techniques and approaches—a trend of a hundred schools contending and a hundred flowers blooming. This would make the Calamity Army even more elusive and difficult to handle!
More than a dozen giant crows had attempted to ambush the Players—
Not only did they fail to inflict much damage—
They were nearly all wiped out in one wave by the Players.
Though the Calamity Army suffered over ten casualties in the process, the losses were well within acceptable limits. The healers quickly moved in to treat the wounded, while the others swiftly regrouped under coordinated command.
Hang Yu thought—
There was no need to keep watching.
Although the BOSS was a level-13 commander—
There was no way it could shake this formation!
The Players had already laid a flawless trap. This battle would soon be over.
He rubbed his chin. "These leeks have been growing a bit tough lately. Seems like they’re not so easy to harvest anymore!"