Chapter 144 : Azure Dragon Guards! Zhou Cang Successfully Appointed!
Chapter 144: Azure Dragon Guards! Zhou Cang Successfully Appointed!
The Wo Niu Mountain operation had come to a complete end. Players reaped massive gains from the action—not only vast amounts of precious materials, equipment, Abyssal Magic Crystals, and Abyssal Magic Stones, but also a substantial income in Abyssal Essence Points, enough to take their overall strength to a new level.
Seven players had reached Level 14 in succession.
If the top players all focused on leveling up, that number could even double.
However, although leveling up could increase one’s strength, it wasn’t necessarily the most cost-effective option.
Precisely because of this, some players chose to use most of their Essence to study, train, and fuse skills, so some might not have the highest levels but were undoubtedly part of the first echelon in terms of strength.
Once the loot and experience were distributed—
Due to the frequent deaths during the event, the vast majority of players had accumulated a significant amount of Fatigue Value, resulting in severe attribute reductions and making them unfit for further action.
At the same time—
Most of these players had stayed online for over twenty or thirty hours, only briefly logging off to use the bathroom or to quickly drink or eat. For the rest of the time, they had been fully immersed in the world of the game, battling non-stop.
They had overdone it a bit.
It was time to rest.
So this group of players began to log off one after another.
Now, only a few hundred low-level newbies under Level 5—or hovering around Level 5—remained online. They couldn’t participate in major events and could only work diligently in the Luoshui Region.
Luoshui Main City.
Near the Lord’s Hall.
A few players who had just turned in resource collection quests were chatting in hushed tones.
Shredded Underpants: “Did you hear? The Core Corruption Source of Wo Niu Mountain has already been cleared!”
Nine-Leak Fish: “No way? That fast? Before I logged on, I saw the latest forum post saying they’d just entered the Core Corruption Zone!”
Warrior Like the Wind: “It’s true! The latest news confirmed it! Apparently, the Lord himself took action this time!”
“The Lord personally took the field?”
“Well, that explains it!”
“So does this mean the third map area is going to open? I wonder what that third map will be like!”
“Going by this game’s usual design, the maps get bigger and harder, and the time needed to clear them increases exponentially!”
“……”
Suddenly.
A commotion came from the front.
Warrior Like the Wind: “Why are there so many people gathered up front? Did something happen?”
Shredded Underpants: “Could it be a sudden mission?”
Nine-Leak Fish: “Let’s go check it out!”
These players knew very well that this game had a high degree of interactivity and randomness. Random events could occur at any time, anywhere, so they rushed over to join the crowd.
It wasn’t an event.
Nor was it a quest.
It was the triumphant return of the Lord!
Though the Lord held a supreme status in the Calamity Army, that alone wouldn’t cause this level of celebration and uproar. For so many people to gather and watch, there had to be something more enticing.
“Holy crap!”
“What is that?!”
“The Lord brought back a monster!”
The eyes of Warrior Like the Wind and the others widened in disbelief as they saw the Lord riding the majestic Fiery Nightmare Warhorse, leading the group at the front. Behind him were the eight Personal Guards headed by Zhang San and Li Si.
However—
Besides these eight Personal Guards,
There was an even more eye-catching figure.
This was a humanoid creature nearly ten feet tall, with twin horns on his head and his entire body clad in pale bone armor. Every inch of his skin—even his face—was covered by the bone plating.
Flames burned within the sockets of his eyes, and from the joints and gaps in the bone armor, faint wisps of fire could be seen, making him look like a walking set of menacing armor, housing not flesh and blood, but an eternal inferno from hell.
“What is that monster?!”
“Looks way too badass!”
“Scary, but kinda awesome too!”
“Idiot, that’s not a monster—that’s Zhou Cang from Wo Niu Mountain!”
“What?! That’s Zhou Cang? How did he end up like that?!”
“……”
Zhou Cang’s return—
Sure enough, caused a sensation.
Hang Yu said nothing as he sat atop his warhorse.
Personal Guard Zhang San stepped forward and spoke in his usual stern tone: “Do not be alarmed. Zhou Cang has already broken free from the Abyss and joined our Territory. Starting today, he will fight by our side as a brother and comrade!”
Upon hearing this—
The players were stunned.
Zhou Cang had felt uneasy on the way back to the territory with Hang Yu. He didn’t care much about his appearance, but he knew that in his current state, he would surely strike fear or revulsion in the hearts of ordinary people.
Could humans really accept such an Abyssal, demonized creature living among them? Probably not—any native of this world, anyone who had suffered under the threat of Abyssal Corruption, would surely oppose it.
This wasn’t about morality or character.
It was like discovering your new neighbor was a recently “rehabilitated” patient from Arkham Asylum—one who had once turned an entire family into dumpling stuffing. You’d feel disturbed, wouldn’t you? And Abyssal Creatures were a hundred times more dangerous than mentally ill patients.
However—
Zhou Cang’s fears were completely unnecessary.
Players were the most accepting group in this world. To them, this was just a virtual game world, and they themselves were reckless and fearless.
“Awesome!”
“That’s sick!”
“It’s the legendary Zhou Cang!”
“He’s definitely a heavyweight NPC!”
“The first general to join the Territory is a demonized martial general? That’s just... too spicy!”
“So the Territory can recruit not only normal NPCs, but also demonized ones like him?!”
“That model! That design! So damn cool! I want to know—can we Players become like him too? When are they releasing skins for this?!”
“Welcome, General Zhou!”
“Welcome, General Zhou!”
“……”
In Luoshui Main City, not only did the Players show no fear at Zhou Cang’s arrival—they practically sparkled at the sight, as if beholding a peerless beauty. This reaction was completely beyond Zhou Cang’s expectations.
Just like that—
Amidst the onlookers and excited chatter,
The very first NPC general in Twisted Three Kingdoms made his debut.
This was also the first Famous General the Territory had recruited to date.
Zhou Cang had already formally sworn loyalty to the Territory before returning to the Main City.
Because his loyalty passed the judgment of the Will of the Stars, he had officially become a member of the Territory.
Hang Yu had gained immensely from this trip.
Recruiting Zhou Cang was one of the most important achievements!
Upon returning to the Lord’s Hall, Hang Yu immediately opened Zhou Cang’s detailed stats—he was just as curious about this fierce general’s attributes:
————
Name: Zhou Cang
Level: 15
Race: Human (Demonized)
Tier: Tier-Two.
Attributes: HP 3750, MP 1500, Strength 351, Agility 241, Spirit 195, Willpower 195.
Talents: Abyssal Bone Body, Advanced Commander, Tenacious Heart, Soul of Loyalty and Courage, Regeneration.
Skills: Qi-Gathering Slash, Fierce Tiger Footwork, Fierce Tiger Chain Slash, Flashstep, Earthshock Wave, Fiery Tiger Roar Slash, Tiger Demon Descent.
Essence Value: 0/50000.
————
As expected of a top-tier Level 15 commander.
These attributes were nothing short of luxurious.
The four core stats were so high that players could only look on in awe!
Why were Zhou Cang's stats so high?
That had to do with several of his talents.
Talents could be divided into various types, such as racial talents, lord talents, territory talents, abyssal talents, starsea talents, and fate talents. There were also hidden talents with ambiguous nature and categorization, like Fourth Calamity or Heavenly Dao’s Blessing.
As the name implied—
Racial talents were innate to a race, their strength depending on the race itself. The stronger the race, the more powerful the talent. Of course, many lower-tier races were born weak and talentless.
Lord Talents were exclusive to Lords—like Hang Yu's Soul of the King and Pioneer’s Heart.
Territory Talents referred to talents obtained from foreign races through Talent Stones. For example, after defeating the Dragon-Lizard Lord, Hang Yu obtained Regeneration, which could be automatically granted to all territory citizens.
As for Abyssal Talents and Starsea Talents, these were usually gained through the direct influence or blessing of the Abyss or Starsea.
Lastly, Fate Talents—these were usually found among natives of the Abyssal Plane. Their origin was still debated, but seemed to be linked to the individual's inherent fate characteristics.
Now, let’s take a look at Zhou Cang’s case.
【Abyssal Physique: Infernal Bone of the Azure Demon】, Abyssal Talent (Blue): +150% HP, +100% Defense, +50% Spirit Resistance, +30% to All Attributes, +15% Fire Damage, restores 1% HP per second automatically, unable to equip any armor-type equipment, unable to learn spell-type skills, unable to use conventional recovery items or other-attribute potions.
【Advanced Commander Template】, Aptitude Talent (Green): Gains 100 HP and +10 to all four core attributes per level at Tier-Two.
【Tenacious Heart】, Fate Talent (Green): When HP falls below 60%, for every 20% lost, Defense and Status Resistance increase by 20%.
【Soul of Loyalty and Courage】, Fate Talent (Green): +20% Attack.
【Regeneration】, Territory Talent (White), …
————
Zhou Cang’s high stats were mainly thanks to the two talents Infernal Bone of the Azure Demon and Advanced Commander.
The former, Abyssal Bone Body, was an Abyssal Talent—
It also represented Zhou Cang's current demonized and mutated form.
Abyssal Physique was a double-edged sword. After demonization, Zhou Cang’s health, defense, and attributes were all greatly enhanced—but the price was permanent. He could no longer equip any armor-type gear, nor could he learn spirit- or will-based skills.
Armor-type gear referred to the six main parts: head, feet, torso, legs, hands, and cloak.
Though the Abyss wasn’t truly a game, one could still forcibly equip gear for defensive purposes. However, only the base defense values would apply—damage reduction or attribute boosts would be nullified.
Moreover, forcibly wearing gear could lead to other issues—for instance, gear wouldn’t auto-sync with his body’s state. If a transformation-type skill were used, the equipment could become a burden and even restrict combat effectiveness.
So, was it worth giving up six gear slots and all spell-type skills in exchange for such a powerful talent?
That depended on the situation.
At least for now and for a considerable time in the future, Zhou Cang wouldn’t be at a disadvantage for missing six gear slots.
The bonus from this Blue Abyssal Physique—
Was likely no weaker than a full set of Tier-Two Blue-Quality armor.
Even in the future, when the Territory’s equipment steadily advanced, Hang Yu could still choose to restore Zhou Cang’s physical form—or further evolve his Abyssal Physique.
In short—
Abyssal Physiques weren’t necessarily a bad thing.
Aside from the powerful Infernal Bone of the Azure Demon—
Another big reason Zhou Cang’s attributes were so high was the Advanced Commander Template, which gave him the exact same growth per level as Hang Yu.
With this kind of growth—
Even without a demonized body,
Zhou Cang could become a top-tier commander through sheer effort and training, plus the aid of equipment.
Base 150 + Skill Bonus 120 + Talent Bonus 81!
That was the source of Zhou Cang’s 351 Strength stat!
The character panel only listed permanent attributes—temporary boosts from gear or other sources weren’t counted. So this data was only a reference at best.
Zhou Cang had lost six gear slots—
But five slots remained usable.
His strength still had room to grow.
However, Zhou Cang’s equipment would need to be specially tailored at the Forging Workshop. Normal human gear no longer fit him.
Hang Yu also noticed—
Zhou Cang had quite a few skills.
The panel displayed seven, but in truth, he had nine.
Of the seven currently shown, there were three White skills, three Green, and one Blue.
The sole Blue skill—Tiger Demon Descent—
Was Zhou Cang’s second-stage skill in combat.
It was a fusion of two high-grade Green skills: Fiery Tiger Mountain-Crushing Drop and Fiery Tiger Battle Soul. Since sub-skills weren’t displayed in the panel, these two were hidden.
All in all—
Zhou Cang was very powerful!
More importantly, he was loyal and dependable.
Being able to recruit such a general—
Was a great asset for the Territory’s development moving forward.
Hang Yu brought Zhou Cang to the Hero Hall. The Territory could recruit five Hero Units in total, and currently all five slots were vacant.
“Zhou Cang.”
“Present!”
Zhou Cang knelt respectfully on one knee before him.
“This Lord shall now bestow upon you the Starsea Mark, and intends to appoint you as a Starsea General. Do you accept this post?”
Hang Yu specifically added: “Once you are officially conferred as a Starsea General, you will be bound to the Territory. From then on, you must obey this Lord’s commands and cannot act against the interests of the Territory.”
“Of course, this Lord will also do everything in his power to nurture you, giving you growth opportunities a hundred times beyond what you currently possess.”
“You may take your time to consider—”
“Before deciding whether to sign the contract.”
Although Zhou Cang had already joined the Territory, his current identity was merely that of a regular citizen. Hang Yu could at most assign him a common post and open an NPC Template for him.
But if Zhou Cang signed the Starsea Contract—
He would officially become a Hero Unit.
In this case, in addition to his formal oath of loyalty, the contract would add a compulsory Starsea Pact—making the bond even stronger.
Unlike producers—
Combat-type hires had extremely high recruitment thresholds and cost a fortune.
On one hand, there were very few Starsea Natives on the martial route. High-quality ones were even rarer. Without strong connections and resources, it was nearly impossible to hire a decent general.
Take Chi Lin for example—
Though he hired many Dragon-Lizard Tribe generals—
Their abilities were mediocre at best—barely better than elite soldiers.
On the other hand, combat-type hires had battle obligations. And how dangerous was the Abyss World? Such jobs required risking one’s life constantly. Their price far exceeded that of any producer.
If Hang Yu were to recruit generals from the Land of the Stars…
He not only had to face an extremely high cost, but the ones he could hire were usually mediocre at best. If they weren’t satisfied with the work or felt it was too dangerous, they could always find a way to terminate the contract and flee.
There was absolutely no cost-effectiveness to speak of!
That was why he never recruited generals!
Recruiting martial generals directly from the Abyssal Plane came with at least two advantages: First, once they signed the contract, they were essentially bound to the Territory, with no escape route but with direction for cultivation. Second, during the Three Kingdoms era, the stars of war shone brightly and Famous Ministers were as numerous as clouds—why dig through dung for gold?
“No need to think about it!”
Zhou Cang didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“This subordinate’s life was given by the Lord. The Lord also granted me the Grace of Salvation. If I can follow by the Lord’s side and carve a path through this filthy, chaotic world, I shall not regret being smashed to pieces a thousand times over!”
“Good!”
The response was expected.
But Hang Yu was still very satisfied with how direct and sincere it was.
He immediately formed a contract with Zhou Cang, officially hiring him as a stationed Starsea War General of the Territory. And the moment the contract was completed, a surge of Starsea Power flooded into Zhou Cang’s body.
This power not only completely cleansed the remaining Abyssal Corruption in Zhou Cang, but also imprinted him with the Starsea Mark. From now on, he was a Starsea Native with a unique constitution.
At the same time—
Zhou Cang received a notification from the Will of the Stars.
【Ding! You’ve unlocked Fate Skills: Tenacity Aura (Blue), Loyalty and Courage Aura (Blue)!】
【Tenacity Aura】, Fate Skill, consumes 100 MP. Grants up to 300 allied units within a 500-meter radius the Tenacity Aura: +20% Damage Mitigation, +20% Spirit Resistance, Duration: 1 hour, Cooldown: 1 hour.
【Loyalty and Courage Aura】, Fate Skill, consumes 100 MP. Grants up to 300 allied units within a 500-meter radius the Loyalty and Courage Aura: +20% Attack, +15% Strength, +15% Agility, Duration: 1 hour, Cooldown: 1 hour.
As expected—
Zhou Cang awakened Fate Skills!
From the names of the skills alone, it wasn’t hard to tell—
These two Fate Skills originated from Zhou Cang’s two Fate Talents.
With these two skills, the strength of the troops led by Zhou Cang would greatly increase. Coupled with his own powerful combat capability, it was enough to elevate the Territory’s military strength to a whole new level.
“Not bad!”
Hang Yu nodded in satisfaction. The Dragon-Lizard Lord Chi Lin had recruited many subordinates, but even counting Green Eyes, their combined value and potential didn’t even amount to one-tenth of Zhou Cang’s.
Though Zhou Cang wasn’t a particularly notable figure during the Three Kingdoms period—
These two general skills alone would make him a prized general in the Land of the Stars, likely to attract olive branches from many great lords and secure a guaranteed future.
The only flaw—
Was that Zhou Cang’s general skills had limited range and affected too few people.
At most, he could only buff 300 units at a time. Although General Skills would grow stronger with the general’s strength, this limited scope made it hard to lead large corps.
Moreover, since most Players currently operated independently—
There was no need for a commanding general for now.
Hang Yu officially decided to rename the Personal Guard unit to: Azure Dragon Guards!
Zhou Cang would serve as the first commander of the Azure Dragon Guards, directly answering to the Lord for orders and dispatch—essentially the captain of Hang Yu’s personal guard.
His daily duties would include managing Players and maintaining order and security within the Territory.
In the future, whenever something didn’t require Hang Yu’s personal attention, he could just send Zhou Cang along with Zhang San and Li Si to resolve it. With Zhou Cang’s strength, he could handle most problems that Players couldn’t.
And if even Zhou Cang couldn’t handle it—
Hang Yu could always step in himself.
Now that he was one of his inner circle—
Hang Yu naturally wouldn’t skimp on training or rewards.
He first enabled Zhou Cang’s NPC Template, giving him a guaranteed monthly salary of 100,000 Contribution Points. These could be used to post quests or craft custom gear—essentially just his pocket money!
As for training expenses—
The Lord would personally cover them.
Zhou Cang was extremely moved and immediately knelt down: “Many thanks, my Lord!”
Hang Yu shook his head and smiled, “That’s nothing… But your strength is still a bit lacking.”
Had anyone else said that—
Zhou Cang would’ve been upset.
But since it came from the Lord, he had no complaints at all.
After all, the Lord’s solo duel with Lord Guan had occurred not long ago. He knew that even ten of his current self wouldn’t be able to match the Lord.
If the Lord said he was weak—
Then he was indeed too weak.
Zhou Cang admitted with shame, “This subordinate will train harder!”
But Hang Yu simply shook his head. He placed his hand on Zhou Cang’s body, then activated the Territory’s stored Spiritual Energy, which surged into Zhou Cang like a flood.
【Ding! You’ve leveled up to 16. HP +100, MP +100, Strength +10, Agility +10, Spirit +10, Willpower +10!】
【Ding! You’ve leveled up to 17…】
【Ding! You’ve leveled up to 18…】
【Ding! You’ve leveled up to 19…】
【Ding! You’ve leveled up to 20. HP +100, MP +100, Strength +10, Agility +10, Spirit +10, Willpower +10!】
【Essence -350,000!】
Hang Yu withdrew his hand: “Now that’s more like it!”
Zhou Cang was completely stunned. In just a few short seconds, what had just happened to him felt completely unreal.
Because in those mere seconds—
He had broken through five minor bottlenecks!
Saving him at least ten years of arduous cultivation!
Zhou Cang had feared nothing his whole life—not even the Will of the Abyss could shake his will. But at this moment, facing the Lord’s power, he felt genuine awe and submission for the first time in his heart.
Lord Guan was right!
To follow this man—
Was not only a heaven-sent blessing for him—
But a miracle for the billions of suffering people in this world!
Hang Yu had only spent 350,000 Essence to raise Zhou Cang from Level 15 to Level 20.
Any further—
Was impossible.
A Lord’s bonded citizens could not surpass the Lord in level.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just Lords who had ascension requirements—most races needed innate talents to break through major bottlenecks.
Generally, the higher the aptitude—
The greater the improvement after breaking through.
But the harder the breakthrough became.
Hang Yu’s condition for ascension was to activate all talents corresponding to the current tier.
Zhou Cang, with the Advanced Commander panel, had an impressive aptitude—nearly equal to Hang Yu. This meant his breakthrough would be more difficult than that of ordinary people. The most critical requirement: his total attribute value must not be below 1000.
This total value referred to the sum of the four core stats.
Without the Abyssal Physique, Zhou Cang would’ve fallen short of that 1000-point threshold. But with the buffs from the Abyssal Physique, his current total had soared to 1242.
More than enough!
As long as Hang Yu advanced—
Zhou Cang could do so immediately!
And thus, Hang Yu’s first general was in place.
With a Level 20 Commander Unit sitting in command, the Territory’s foundation was significantly enhanced. Even if the next map opening brought formidable enemies, their safety baseline would now be guaranteed.
End-of-month request for monthly votes! Thanks to Xiao Wu Huang for the 500 Qidian coin tip!