Chapter 137 : Zhang Bao, Zhou Cang, the Four Generals of the Mortal World!
Chapter 137: Zhang Bao, Zhou Cang, the Four Generals of the Mortal World!
So who exactly was the Core Corruption Source of Woniu Mountain?
“It was Zhang Bao.”
Guan Yu, facing the players’ confusion, didn’t beat around the bush and directly revealed the answer. This unexpectedly straightforward response left all the players stunned. No one had anticipated that the Core Corruption Source would be this person.
Ye Li Meng appeared somewhat uncertain: “The Zhang Bao that Lord Guan mentioned, is he the younger brother of Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Army? The one known as the General of the Earth?”
Guan Yu: “Hmph, General of the Earth? Merely a deceiver who sells death for profit. His elder brother had some real capabilities, but he too has forever fallen into the Abyss and become one of the most troublesome Abyssal Evil Gods.”
It seemed the players’ guesses were correct!
They all revealed looks of excitement.
The source of corruption spreading the Abyssal Nightmare in Woniu Mountain turned out to be Zhang Bao, one of the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army. He was the younger brother of the Yellow Turban Army’s Grand Teacher Zhang Jiao.
Guan Yu’s words carried a great deal of information.
He had mentioned Zhang Jiao and even acknowledged him. Given Guan Yu’s character, anyone he acknowledged could probably be counted on one hand. Was the Zhang Jiao in this game really that formidable?
Zhang Jiao had turned into an Abyssal Evil God?
What tier was an Abyssal Evil God?
Several levels above a Commander?
Could it have a health bar?
Could it drop equipment?
Players were filled with questions.
“But I don’t quite understand!”
“Why would Zhang Bao appear in Woniu Mountain?”
“Zhou Cang did indeed serve under Zhang Bao in the Yellow Turban Army, but Zhou Cang only came to Woniu Mountain after Zhang Bao had died. Logically, Zhang Bao should already be dead at this point.”
Guan Yu noticed the players’ doubts and explained, “The corruption of the Will of the Abyss is far stronger than you can imagine. It can not only corrupt space but also time; not only matter, but also the spirit.”
Upon hearing this—
Players began to ponder.
Most people still couldn’t fully understand.
Chimera Wraith said, “There’s nothing strange about this. The Ma Yuanyi we defeated before—wasn’t he the best example?”
Salted Fish Thrust nodded, “Exactly. The Ma Yuanyi in Luoshui Main City became corrupted by the Will of the Abyss only after being torn apart by five horses.”
Chenxi said, “So as long as certain conditions are met, even someone who’s already dead can be resurrected by the Will of the Abyss?”
Players began discussing animatedly.
“In the Abyss, death is not the end—sometimes it’s even the beginning. That’s why Abyssal Creatures can resurrect infinitely. Their most efficient method of spreading corruption is to kill normal lifeforms and drag them into the Abyssal Dream to revive them.”
Guan Yu added, “Living beings aren’t easily corrupted while alive. They can even resist corruption completely. But once dead, they become highly susceptible. That said, this corruption also comes with conditions.”
All the players suddenly understood.
No wonder the Source of Corruption at the Luoshui Execution Ground was Ma Yuanyi.
Because Ma Yuanyi was already dead at the time, he couldn’t resist the Abyssal Corruption. When a deceased person returned from the Abyssal Nightmare, they would inevitably undergo mutation and fall under the control of the Will of the Abyss.
Of course—
Corruption had prerequisites.
Ma Yuanyi had been corrupted because he had just died, and his spirit and soul had strong lingering traces. That’s why he had a chance to be devoured by the Abyssal Nightmare.
If someone had been dead for too long, with all residuals and echoes already dissipated, then even the Abyssal Nightmare couldn’t resurrect them out of nothing.
So why had Zhang Bao appeared in Woniu Mountain?
Through further investigation, players came to understand the entire sequence of events.
To put it simply:
Zhang Bao and most of his troops were defeated and killed at Quyang by Huangfu Song and Guo Dian. Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, and a few others saw that the situation was hopeless and chose to break out and find new paths on their own.
Before Zhou Cang and the others left, they cremated the remains of Zhang Bao and his men and took the ashes with them.
This was where the problem arose.
Zhou Cang’s original intention was merely to find a place to properly bury Zhang Bao and the others. After all, Zhang Bao had once been their leader, and they couldn’t bear to see his corpse left to rot in the wilderness or be humiliated by the imperial court.
But unexpectedly—
A sliver of spirit and soul’s echo remained in the ashes.
That sliver was captured by the Will of the Abyss when the Abyss descended.
With just a trace of residual echo, the Will of the Abyss resurrected Zhang Bao, making him the Core Nightmare Source of Woniu Mountain.
After understanding this series of events, all the players were dumbfounded. A person who had already died and been reduced to ashes could still be captured by the Abyssal Dream and corrupted back to life?
This truly exceeded imagination!
The Will of the Abyss was far more terrifying than expected!
Black-Eyed Rui Ge continued to ask, “Then what’s the situation with Zhou Cang now? Has he retained his sanity?”
Guan Yu replied, “After the Abyss descended, Zhou Cang, although heavily polluted, resisted the corruption of the Will of the Abyss. Thanks to his assistance, I was able to seal the local Source of Corruption.”
“However, to stabilize the seal, Zhou Cang entered the Core Corruption Zone. Now that more than ten years have passed, the chance of him still maintaining his sanity is exceedingly slim.”
Indeed—
Over ten years had passed.
Zhou Cang had been in the Core Corruption Zone the whole time.
In that length of time, the nightmare must have restarted and cycled again and again.
Zhou Cang had most likely been completely corrupted and transformed into a powerful Abyssal Corrupted…
If that was the case—
The upcoming battle would be extremely difficult!
Players would not only have to face the corrupted and mutated General of the Earth, Zhang Bao, but also this loyal and fierce general who had once stood beside Lord Guan in history.
Could they really win?
Players momentarily lost confidence!
After all, even the monsters that Lady Gan and Lady Mi had become nearly caused their defeat—how could they possibly take on enemies like Zhang Bao and Zhou Cang?!
However—
Though they lacked confidence—
The players were itching to try.
Can’t win? Then so be it!
It’s just a game anyway!
Getting crushed in a high-difficulty game like this was part of the enhanced experience. Players wouldn’t retreat just because the enemies were strong—on the contrary, it ignited an even greater desire to conquer and challenge.
Besides—
They hadn’t even fought yet.
How could they be sure they couldn’t win?
Guan Yu noticed that the Stars’ Followers in front of him showed no signs of fear in the face of a powerful enemy. Instead, what radiated from them was an intense will to battle.
This battle intent felt very special to Guan Yu. He had never witnessed such a pure force—completely devoid of malice or murderous aura—yet filled with unwavering courage and fearless resolve.
They were indeed a group of extraordinary Stars’ Followers!
And the Lords behind them must also be far from ordinary Stars’ Citizens!
Guan Yu faintly sensed a destined opportunity and unseen variable.
“Once this seal is released, I will no longer be able to suppress the corruption within. I hope you are all prepared.”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge: “We’ve already obtained the answers we needed. We’re ready to challenge the Core Corruption Zone. We ask Lord Guan to lift the seal on the Core Corruption!”
Ye Li Meng added, “Yeah, please lift the seal for us, Lord Guan. It’s not the Day of Absolute Darkness right now, so we don’t have to worry about Zhang Bao breaking free even if the seal is undone.”
The players were already cracking their knuckles, eager to go.
“Very well. Since that is the case, I will lift the seal for you!”
The entire cavern shook violently. The red crystal wall began to glow and instantly engulfed everyone’s vision.
It lasted for approximately thirty seconds.
When everyone’s vision returned—
The massive red crystal wall had vanished. A wide passage had appeared before them—this was the path that led into the core region of Woniu Mountain.
“Lord Guan...”
In the center of the cavern’s exit still stood a prismatic crystal pillar. Guan Yu’s body was sealed within it. The pillar had already turned dark red and was covered in cracks.
Guan Yu calmly explained, “This projection of mine is far too weak. Having been long exposed to the Abyssal aura, I now stand at the critical edge of mutation and loss of control. I can only delay the corruption by sealing myself.”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge asked, “Is there anything we can do for you?”
“No need to worry.”
Guan Yu replied plainly, “This is merely one among countless projections of myself. However, before I fully degenerate, I might still be able to do one thing within my power for you.”
“What is it?”
“You will undoubtedly encounter Zhou Cang in the Core Corruption Zone. If he has already been completely corrupted and fallen, I ask that you help him escape the cycle and die in a proper manner.”
At this point, Guan Yu paused slightly in his words. “If there remains even a sliver of rationality in Zhou Cang, bring him here. Though my remaining power is limited, I can still help reduce his corruption.”
Another special hidden quest?
Upon hearing this, all the players felt a surge of energy.
If they could rescue Zhou Cang, there was a high probability he would join the territory, becoming one of the Lord’s elite generals—and likely the first Famous General of the Three Kingdoms to be recruited into the territory!
“We will do our best!”
Guan Yu said no more. This projection of his was already too weak. The process of lifting the seal for the players had drained him further. After entrusting the hidden quest, he once again fell into slumber.
【You have entered the Core Corruption Zone of Woniu Mountain...】
As the players stepped out of the sealed cave, they immediately felt the foul and filthy corruption aura surging from all directions, causing varying degrees of attribute reduction for each of them.
The Core Corruption Zone of Woniu Mountain was vast. The sky overhead had turned into a twisted dark red. All flora and fauna in the area had suffered severe mutations—trees were fused like bloody coral, and the land was overgrown with bizarre Abyssal plants, which happened to produce many valuable materials.
The Calamity Army had no time to study these for now.
They could already see a large encampment up in the mountains ahead, and at the foot of the mountain stood a small, abandoned village.
【Ding!】
【Quest Triggered Successfully!】
【Quest Name: Purify Woniu Mountain!】
【Quest Description: The Core Corruption Zone of Woniu Mountain has been successfully unlocked. The identity of the Core Corruption Source in the region has also been revealed. Please purify the Core Corruption as soon as possible to prevent contamination from spreading and threatening the people of Woniu Mountain—or even your own territory!】
【Quest Objective: Eliminate Zhang Bao!】
【Quest Rewards: All participating members will receive 100–25000 Essence Points based on performance. There is a chance to obtain Attribute Enhancement Potions, Green-Quality Equipment, and various high-grade items.】
“Woah!”
“Quest triggered!”
“This reward is insanely generous!”
“You can earn up to 25,000 Essence in one go!”
“What’s an Attribute Potion? Can it permanently boost stats? If so, this quest reward is way more valuable than normal!”
“......”
Every member of the Calamity Army was overwhelmed with excitement.
This quest was clearly the final quest for the Woniu Mountain map.
And the Abyssal Corrupted Zhang Bao was without a doubt the stage boss of this map.
If they could defeat Zhang Bao, they wouldn’t just gain a mountain of rewards, rare pills, and precious items—they would also clear the Woniu Mountain map and unlock a new area!
“Move fast!”
“Zhang Bao must be inside the mountain stronghold!”
“Let’s scout the nearby village first!”
The Calamity Army players were indeed hyped up, but that didn’t mean they would charge in recklessly. They opted for steady, cautious progression instead.
They first summoned a scouting eagle to survey the abandoned village not far ahead. Within and around the village, they spotted five to six hundred Level 10 Undead Citizens, seventy to eighty Level 10 Yellow Turban Demonized Soldiers, and about ten Level 11 Yellow Turban Strongmen.
In addition to those—
The players discovered a special presence.
【Zhang Yan】，Level 12 Elite Unit……Description: A subordinate officer under Commander Yan Zheng of Zhang Bao’s command, now completely corrupted and subjugated by the Will of the Abyss.
“There’s an Abyssal Corrupted.”
“One of Zhang Bao’s underlings.”
“But it’s only elite-grade, not too difficult to deal with.”
Although Zhang Yan’s level was fairly high, reaching Tier-Two, he was only at elite level. This kind of strength wasn’t something the players took seriously.
“Look over there!”
“There’s a Fate Stone in the village!”
After further reconnaissance, the players quickly discovered a Fate Stone at the center of the village.
【Qingniu Village Fate Stone】……Description: A corrupted Fate Stone.
This Fate Stone had been corrupted. It could no longer generate Fate to provide protection, but it could still be used to activate a Blessing Point.
With a Blessing Point—
Even if defeated and killed—
Players could revive from the Shansang City Resurrection Point and instantly teleport back to the frontlines, ensuring constant reinforcements in battle.
Nothing more to say.
Capture the village first!
Mad Blade Old Wang, Chimera Wraith, Little Bell, and others led a unit to clear out the wandering Undead Citizens nearby.
Ye Li Meng, Lone Boat, Niu Shisan, Artist General, and Midnight Pig Slayer led a unit to eliminate the Demonized Soldiers and Strongmen.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Salted Fish Thrust, Chenxi, Street Slayer, and others were tasked with handling the mini-boss Zhang Yan, and activating the Fate Stone to light the Blessing Point.
Task assigned!
Battle commenced!
Mad Blade Old Wang, with fifteen warriors, charged forward using Iron Armor Technique. The nearby wandering Undead Citizens were instantly drawn to them. Although there were many, they were unintelligent walking corpses, with limited threat.
Old Wang commanded the team to fight while retreating, luring the enemies into a designated zone.
“Flame Blade!”
Chimera Wraith summoned a flaming blade over two meters long, which expanded rapidly until it spanned over ten meters. Like harvesting wheat, it sliced through the Undead Citizens at the waist.
Little Bell continuously launched Windflame Arrows. If Chimera Wraith was mowing through targets in an area, then Little Bell was precise and accurate—one shot, one kill, making for high kill efficiency.
All Mad Blade Old Wang had to do was form a frontline and draw aggro. With more than a dozen Level 10 players supporting, it wouldn’t take long to eliminate all the Undead Citizens on the outskirts.
Meanwhile—
Other players had already pushed into the village.
Ye Li Meng initiated a Pojun Charge, dashing into the cluster of Demonized Soldiers. One Earthshock Wave blasted several into the air, another hammer swing sent more flying, and finally he focused his strength to explode a Strongman with a direct hit.
“爽快！”
“Hahaha!”
“Elites aren’t so tough!”
“Rui Ge, leave this to us—go activate the Blessing Point!”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge and his group reached the Fate Stone. Guarding it was the Level 12 elite Abyssal Corrupted Zhang Yan, whose appearance resembled a skeleton wielding a massive bone blade.
Maybe due to too many Nightmare Restarts—
Or maybe because he never expected to be attacked—
Zhang Yan seemed confused, not understanding the situation: “The aura of the Stars… could it be that the seal has already…”
“Cut the nonsense—die!” Street Slayer imbued his split dual blades with Frenzied Tiger Roar Slash and leapt to cleave at Zhang Yan, who blocked with his massive bone blade.
Boom!
A dull thud.
Zhang Yan staggered several steps back.
Although he blocked Street Slayer’s strike, the violent force caused numerous small cracks across his skeletal body, a testament to how strong the players had become.
Before Zhang Yan could stabilize—
Salted Fish Thrust used Shadowstep to get behind him and thrust his crimson spear toward Zhang Yan’s rear. Although Zhang Yan reacted in time and knocked him back with a blade swipe, Street Slayer’s follow-up strike came crashing in again.
From the front, the berserk slashing of Street Slayer like a mad dog.
From behind, the devious and vicious stabs from Salted Fish Thrust aimed straight at the rear.
Under the joint assault of the Calamity Army’s two top warriors, Zhang Yan quickly fell into a disadvantage. Although he managed a counterattack that injured both, Chenxi healed them instantly with her spells.
No suspense.
Finally, with an unwilling low roar—
This Level 12 Abyssal Corrupted was chopped into pieces by the powerful Frenzied Tiger Roar Slash of Street Slayer.
“Hahaha!”
“Turns out Abyssal Corrupted aren’t that hard to kill!”
“I think I could’ve soloed him!”
Street Slayer didn’t expect players to take down a Tier-Two Abyssal Corrupted so easily—something that had never happened before. It clearly showed that the strength of the Calamity Army had been growing steadily without them even realizing it.
Just then—
Qingniu Village’s Blessing Point lit up.
While the others were fighting—
Rui Ge had already completed the activation of the Fate Stone in time.
Hang Yu had been monitoring player actions from behind the scenes. The moment the players captured the Fate Stone, he received the notification as well.
【Qingniu Village Blessing Point activated successfully!】
【You have received a Fate Treasure Chest (White)!】
After absorbing Qingniu Village’s Fate Stone, Hang Yu’s territory not only activated the Woniu Mountain teleportation point, but also obtained a white-quality Fate Treasure Chest.
Opening the chest—
He received 400 Abyssal Magic Crystals + 2 pieces of White-Quality Equipment.
Unfortunately, no blueprints or Skill Stones dropped.
But that didn’t matter—this Blessing Point was an unexpected bonus. Its strategic value far exceeded its material rewards. The true highlight of this operation was just beginning.
Not long after—
The players finished cleaning up the battlefield.
More than a hundred people gathered together.
They had killed quite a few targets in this battle, while only losing five players. It was without a doubt a brilliant victory.
“Well done!”
“First battle, first win!”
“The monsters weren’t as tough as we expected!”
“Now that we have this Blessing Point as our backup, are we still afraid of killing someone like Zhang Bao? Even if we use a war of attrition, we’ll wear him down eventually!”
This battle wasn’t large in scale,
But the harvest was great.
And it massively boosted the morale of the Calamity Army.
After a brief rest, the players finally set their sights on the stronghold ahead. The scale of this stronghold was considerable—undoubtedly, it was the lair of the core boss, Zhang Bao.
The stronghold was shrouded in thick blood mist, which even the Thunderhorn Eagle’s eagle-eye reconnaissance couldn’t penetrate, leaving the situation inside completely unknown.
However—
Now that they had a nearby Blessing Point,
The players began to grow bold and aggressive.
A small team of ten was left behind to guard the Blessing Point—
Mainly to prevent it from being corrupted by nearby Abyssal Creatures after the Calamity Army left, which could render the teleportation point unusable. Everyone else charged straight toward the stronghold.
Since reconnaissance was impossible—
They simply gave up on recon altogether.
More than a hundred Calamity Army elites reached the front of the stronghold smoothly, only to be surprised to find that the flesh-vein-covered camp was wide open. There were no guards and not a single Abyssal Creature in sight.
“What is this?”
“Is this a trap, or an Empty Fort Strategy?”
“Heh, doesn’t matter. Even if the place is full of landmines, I’m charging in with my bare body today!”
“Yeah, whatever. We’re the undying Calamity—no trick or trap can stop the Calamity Army!”
“Hurry up, hurry up! My daughter’s tutoring class ends soon—I still need to ride my electric scooter to pick her up.”
“It’s almost dinner time at my place, too.”
“Just charge!”
“Charge!”
Though clearly sensing extreme danger, the Calamity Army barged in fearlessly.
As soon as over a hundred players entered the stronghold, the flesh-vein vines spread across it started writhing, and a massive force slammed the camp gate shut.
The players immediately stopped in alert.
The space within the stronghold was vast, but the mist was so dense that it was almost impossible to see even a few inches ahead. They couldn’t make out anything and had to form a defensive formation back-to-back.
“Zhang Bao!”
“Come out!”
“Quit playing games!”
“I know you’re in here!”
“If you’re a man, come out and face us!”
“……”
The Calamity Army shouted and taunted endlessly. From the moment they stepped through the gate, they hadn’t expected to walk back out alive. They weren’t afraid of dying—only of dying without knowing why.
As long as they could lure out the boss—
As long as they could figure out his strength and mechanics—
Exchanging a few deaths for information was a worthwhile deal.
At this moment, some unknown power surged inside the camp, causing the thick fog to rapidly recede like a tide. The players widened their eyes.
Nearly two hundred Yellow Turban Strongmen appeared around them.
Two hundred Tier-Two elite mobs—what kind of concept was that? Even for this elite team, it wouldn’t be an easy battle!
Not just two hundred Yellow Turban Strongmen!
There were several times more Demonized Soldiers around them!
These Abyssal Creatures didn’t attack by instinct. Instead, they stood perfectly still like statues, in a horrifying silence. Clearly, they were under the mental control of an Abyssal Corrupted.
What truly shocked the players—
Wasn’t the strength of the Abyssal army—
But the grotesque and terrifying figures within the force.
Because their bodies were so heavily mutated and twisted, and their presence so overwhelmingly oppressive, they stood out immediately in the crowd—making the players aware of them at first glance.
Especially the three in the lead.
【Zhang Bao】，Level 16 Commander……Description: Once one of the three great leaders of the Yellow Turban Army and known as the General of the Earth. Now, he has become an enforcer of the Will of the Abyss, possessing terrifying and bizarre spell abilities. He is also the source of the nightmare corruption plaguing Woniu Mountain.
【Zhou Cang】，Level 15 Commander……Description: Once a fierce general under the General of the Earth Zhang Bao and now the leader of Woniu Mountain’s stronghold. He is currently deeply corrupted and polluted by the Will of the Abyss, having lost himself completely.
【Four Generals of the Mortal World】，Level 15 Commander……Description: Guo Shi, Qu Xing, Su Ma, and Zhou Chao—four trusted lieutenants under Zhang Bao, each with their own strengths. They have now fused into one horrifying monster within the Abyssal Nightmare.
【……】
The players were stunned.
Though they had mentally prepared themselves—
Their hearts still sank upon seeing this lineup.
This had gone completely beyond what players could handle. Unless the Lord himself joined the battle, there was no way they could win!