Chapter 147 : Hidden Map: Sacred Cang City
Chapter 147: Hidden Map: Sacred Cang City
Hang Yu had Xiao Ba announce the follower roster.
The four lucky ones were: Raising a Cup to the Moon, Ye Li Meng, Little Bell, and Black-Eyed Sharp Bro.
Aside from Raising a Cup to the Moon—
It wasn’t surprising that the other three had been selected.
The qualification to explore the Land of the Stars this time had always been a special benefit prepared for players who contributed the most to the territory and had the highest favorability with the Lord.
Ye Li Meng and Black-Eyed Sharp Bro were both players from the first round of the closed beta.
Both had outstanding military achievements and were also among the top contributors of various resources.
As for Little Bell, although not a first-round player, she was still an outstanding figure among players—one of the top few big spenders and the number one rich lady.
Moreover, Little Bell claimed to be the Lord's number one hardcore fangirl. Sometimes, she donated resources to the territory without expecting any return—just to raise her favorability with the Lord.
As for the dark horse, Raising a Cup to the Moon—
His sudden rise was entirely due to his no-cost, no-limit purchasing of equipment in exchange for contribution points, which greatly increased the territory's stock of high-quality equipment. Naturally, the Lord viewed him in a new light and granted him a follower slot.
Special Task Force Headquarters.
Zhou Zhengming let out a sigh of relief:
“Although this bit of effort doesn’t amount to much, at least our hard work hasn’t gone to waste!”
Wang Yue said, “There’s less than an hour left until the event starts. I need to log in quickly and get to the designated spot!”
“How many contribution points do you have on hand right now?”
“Two hundred thousand!”
Wang Yue wasn’t particularly strong in terms of level or overall strength among players, but in terms of contribution point reserves, he ranked within the top ten.
Zhou Zhengming nodded, “Once you’re online, prepare a bunch of Photography Crystals—don’t worry about the cost—both normal Photography Crystals and High-Grade Photography Crystals. Make sure to take plenty of pictures of the Land of the Stars!”
“Yes!”
Wang Yue knew why the organization cared so much about intelligence on the Land of the Stars.
Because determining whether the Twisted Three Kingdoms world was actually a game hinged heavily on the evidence found in the Land of the Stars.
Among the cities currently appearing in the Abyssal Three Kingdoms world, the largest and most populated one was the Ancient City of Shansang—but even Shansang had only around ten thousand people.
The residents of Shansang were still based on the Three Kingdoms era, continuing from it, still bearing many marks and familiar traces of that time.
But the Land of the Stars was surely a thousand times more complex than Shansang.
Theoretically, it was a truly original creation.
No game world could be perfect—especially a completely fictional one. No matter how brilliant the designer, they couldn’t conjure up every historical and cultural detail from thin air.
If the whole game world were truly virtual, then there had to be flaws in the Land of the Stars. If even the Land of the Stars had no cracks revealing a virtual world...
Then after eliminating all the impossible answers—
No matter how strange the one remaining is—
It must be the truth.
Moreover, as a hidden map outside the Three Kingdoms plane, the Land of the Stars might hold the secrets of the Abyssal Three Kingdoms—or even something greater. No matter the angle, this mission was crucial to the Special Task Force.
Wang Yue lay down in the gaming capsule.
The player Raising a Cup to the Moon logged in again.
He noticed that, perhaps due to the approaching Phase 3 Testing, many buildings were being upgraded and reconstructed. The territory was undergoing a comprehensive overhaul. Additionally, Luoshui Main City had become several times livelier than before.
“Undead Citizens grinding at Heting Township, five need one healer!”
“Headless Demon Soldiers at the Execution Grounds’ outskirts, need two max-level Fire Arrow warlocks! With spirit dogs rented from White Tiger City Kennel, safety guaranteed!”
“Newbie looking for a party! Let’s kill Snake-Tailed Chicken together!”
“1000 yuan per hour! Looking for a pro to help me level up!”
“……”
The newest batch of 900 players had gone live!
The total player count had now reached nearly two thousand!
Although some were in the Wo Niu Mountain and White Tiger Mountain maps, over two-thirds remained in Luoshui Main City. Add in thousands of NPC laborers pouring in, and the place had become increasingly bustling and lively!
Raising a Cup to the Moon arrived early at the Starsea Teleportation Station.
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, Ye Li Meng, and Little Bell arrived soon after.
All three wore green-quality gear, and the enhancement levels of their equipment weren’t low.
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro wielded a pair of swords—one long, one short—the Wailing Short Blade and the Despair Longsword. Both had been enhanced to level 4 and above, and he had used high-grade gems to boost them—enhancing both attributes and skills.
Ye Li Meng still used the Thousand-Skull Demon Hammer. Compared to before, its appearance was now more imposing, and both the strength and number of its additional skills had greatly increased. Its enhancement level had reached as high as 8!
You should know—
That was a Tier 2 Superior green weapon!
A Tier 2 green weapon enhanced to level 8 was in a completely different league from the level 9 or 10 gray gear that flooded the streets.
Little Bell had also updated her weapon—she now held the Nine-Curve Cursed Staff dropped by Zhang Bao, which came with a powerful Soul Capture curse. She had paid dearly to acquire it.
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro laughed, “Brother Moon, turns out you were hiding your true strength!”
Raising a Cup to the Moon: “You flatter me!”
Ye Li Meng extended an olive branch, “Moon, interested in joining my War God Hall studio? You can name any conditions you like!”
Raising a Cup to the Moon: “Hahaha, I’m tempted, but unfortunately we’ve already got investors—we have to answer to them. We can only consider starting our own legion.”
“Oh, I see? No problem, we’re still brothers. If anything comes up, just say the word!”
Ye Li Meng had guessed that Raising a Cup to the Moon came from an unusual background.
This olive branch was more of a test.
Though Ye Li Meng wasn’t currently the strongest, like Sharp Bro, he had enormous potential and might become a serious competitor.
Of course, while wary, there were no current conflicts of interest. And Ye Li Meng wasn’t a blunt fool—so if there was a chance to make allies, he’d take it.
Raising a Cup to the Moon knew the power behind him couldn’t be hidden. But he could still conceal his official ties and package himself as part of a startup team funded by a wealthy consortium.
The four chatted for a while at the Starsea Teleportation Station.
Little Bell suddenly exclaimed with excitement, “Look, the Lord has arrived! Feather God is as handsome as ever today!”
Probably because he was heading home, the Lord dressed much more casually—not in armor with weapons, but in a never-before-seen casual outfit.
“Greetings, Lord!”
The four saluted and respectfully greeted him.
Hang Yu’s gaze swept over the four: “Are you mentally prepared? This trip to the Stars is expected to last around twenty hours. There won’t be any Abyssal monsters to grind there. You still have time to back out.”
In other words—
They’d waste a day not grinding.
“A day without grinding isn’t a big deal. Little Bell is willing to follow the Lord and serve loyally by your side!”
The other three made similar statements.
Before Phase 3 Testing and the new map launch, although there were some daily and side quests from NPCs in the territory, their rewards were minimal.
Most elite monsters in the Wo Niu Mountain region had already been cleared by the Calamity Army—it would take at least five to eight days for them to respawn. Killing low-level monsters with poor drops was nowhere near as exciting as visiting a hidden map.
You had to know—
Ever since the news spread—
Millions of Cloud Players on the forums were starving for updates.
They were all waiting for the four to reveal intel on the hidden map!
After a few more minutes—
A prompt from the Will of the Stars rang in Hang Yu’s ears.
【Ding. The Day of the Stars’ Return has begun. Time remaining: 26 hours, 34 minutes, and 59 seconds!】
It had finally arrived!
Unlike the Day of Absolute Darkness—
Aside from this prompt received by Hang Yu—
The Day of the Stars had no celestial omens or warnings.
Its duration was never fixed—usually between 20 to 30 hours, sometimes longer or shorter.
Hang Yu led the four players to the Teleportation Station. The Lord activated it for the first time. At the base of the clocktower-shaped station, a massive array lit up.
Under the curious gaze of countless players—
The five were engulfed in light and instantly vanished.
……
“Welcome back!”
“Honored Lord!”
“You are now in Sacred Cang City, Reception Hall No. 42, Outer Port!”
The four players found themselves in a completely unfamiliar environment.
“Is this a plaza?”
“No—not a plaza, a hall!”
They realized they were in a gigantic circular space with a radius of at least 2,000 meters—ten times the size of Tian’anmen Square in the capital of Great Xia—it could fit an entire small city.
The sheer size was one thing—
But it was also an indoor space!
They saw the ground was made of a material like glowing, semi-transparent stone-jade, giving the feeling of walking on a starlit path. Enormous, ornately carved sky-supporting pillars stood in rows, connecting to a domed ceiling 3,000 meters high. At least 30 to 40 exits surrounded them, and outside was a dazzling, illusory starry sky.
Majestic!
Breathtaking!
Words couldn’t do it justice!
Though the hall was massive, it was packed and bustling. All kinds of beings were constantly emerging from glowing teleportation gates at the center.
Aside from humans similar to themselves—
There were succubi, beastmen, dwarves, elves, angels, and dragons—like something out of a fantasy story.
But there were even more creatures never seen nor heard of before—for instance, hundred-armed giants standing several hundred meters tall, sacred and dignified three-eyed beings with eight wings sprouting from their backs, mysterious spirit-type entities that floated and flickered in and out of view, and elemental beings formed entirely from raw elements… Far, far too many to list!
Just one glance—
At least over a hundred distinct races!
This place was practically a treasure trove of imagination!
Hang Yu had lived in the Land of the Stars for twenty years and had long grown used to the myriad races of the Stars. But for the four players, this was a world they had never witnessed before. Just the scene inside this one teleportation reception hall alone was enough to shake them for an entire year!
“Opening crit hit!”
“Was it really necessary to go this all-out?”
“Could all those coming out of the teleportation gates really be Lords?”
“This hall’s called Hall 42. Don’t tell me there are at least forty-one more just like it?”
The four players were overwhelmed by shock. They couldn’t believe that something this colossal—larger than a mountain, comparable to the legendary Lingxiao Palace—could be built by mortal hands!
Wait!
It couldn’t have been built by mortals!
But then, most beings who lived in the Land of the Stars weren’t mortals at all!
Just this one hall was filled with too many unimaginable lifeforms, most of whom didn’t even display a level. Since this structure was meant for the use of the myriad races of the Stars, its size naturally had to accommodate all shapes and forms—not merely built to look grand for grandeur’s sake.
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro: “This is seriously an advanced spoiler bomb!”
Ye Li Meng swallowed hard: “Don’t tell me all the beings here are mid-to-late-game monsters?”
Little Bell said: “If this got posted on the forum, it’d totally blow up… I thought hidden maps were just for show. Who would've thought this place would be this stunning? Just modeling this hall alone must’ve cost an astronomical sum!”
Raising a Cup to the Moon was completely shaken.
Just within this hall alone, the Lords and their followers totaled over a hundred thousand.
No matter the race, they all looked intelligent—nothing like data-generated NPCs!
These Lords brought their followers out of the Starsea Teleportation Gate. Many of them clearly knew each other, and you could overhear bits of their conversations—discussing the state of their territories or spreading gossip.
Hang Yu registered at the Starsea receptionist desk, where his attendant was a noblewoman of the Black-Feathered Race. Though she could tell he was a newbie Lord returning for the first time, her attitude was still entirely respectful.
All Lords were worthy of respect.
Even if it was just a human Lord.
Hang Yu casually remarked, “It seems quite lively today.”
“Every Return Day is like this. Today’s actually considered one of the less crowded ones.”
The Black-Feathered noblewoman took out a transparent crystal: “Please proceed with a physical and mental scan.”
Hang Yu was a bit puzzled: “This is kind of a hassle, isn’t it? Lords don’t get corrupted—this kind of scan seems unnecessary.”
The noblewoman respectfully replied, “My Lord may not be aware—although Lords, as the chosen executors blessed by the Stars, have a low probability of direct Abyssal corruption, unusual cases have started to emerge recently. More and more Lords have gone mad for unknown reasons… even voluntarily defecting to the Abyss.”
“That really happens?”
“Yes, the Abyss’s influence is growing. Quite a few Starsea Sanctuaries have already come under threat.”
Hang Yu didn’t argue further and completed the scan.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Lord!”
“Might you be interested in a few upcoming Lord Auctions?”
“I also heard there’s a new Territory Recruitment Fair happening—many freshly graduated professionals from vocational schools are job-hunting there. You might be able to recruit cost-effective employees for your territory… Oh, and there’s also a Newbie Lord Sharing and Support Conference today. It’s said that ten thousand new Lords will be exchanging experiences and trading resources!”
“Would you like some information on that?”
It wasn’t easy for a Starsea Lord to return.
Some returned every month or so; others, only after several months or even half a year.
Whenever Return Day arrived, the Land of the Stars became its most bustling.
Various events would be held across the realms, such as auctions, conferences, support summits, and investment galas. Many of them could benefit territorial development. But Hang Yu only had a little over twenty hours for this visit.
That wasn't short.
But it was far from long.
He currently had no interest in attending these events.
Hang Yu dismissed the receptionist and led his four followers to the Sacred Cang Teleportation Point.
Little Bell couldn’t help but ask, “Lord, what kind of city is Sacred Cang City? Was that where you were before arriving in the Abyssal Three Kingdoms?”
Hang Yu nodded. “Sacred Cang City is one of the four main cities in the Tianyuan Domain.”
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro perked up and quickly asked, “Tianyuan Domain? Sacred Cang City? Are these all part of the Land of the Stars?”
Hang Yu: “Indeed. The Land of the Stars, like the Abyssal World, is not a fixed location, but an immensely vast conceptual realm made up of countless domains born from the void. Tianyuan Domain is just one of them.”
Raising a Cup to the Moon then asked, “How many people live in the Tianyuan Domain?”
Hang Yu said, “Though Tianyuan Domain is only a mid-sized sanctuary among the domains of the Stars, if we include the followers brought back by Lords, the total population exceeds eighty billion. Of that, Lords make up only a few ten-thousandths.”
The four players once again fell into deep shock!
No one knew how many sanctuaries existed within the Stars, but this one domain alone had eighty billion people. Even if only one in a hundred thousand received the blessing of the Stars to become a Lord, the scale of Starsea Lords was still beyond imagination!
How vast were the Stars, truly?
How many Abyssal Planes were there in total?
They had suspected the hidden lore behind Twisted Three Kingdoms was massive—but they never imagined it would be this grand in scope!
The Lord quickly brought the players to a teleportation hall adjacent to the reception area. Surrounding this area were twelve massive statues as large as mountains, and at the center floated a real-time holographic projection of the entirety of Sacred Cang City.
When the four saw the city—
They all froze in place.
It was a cluster of sky cities—dozens, maybe hundreds—floating in a sea of clouds within the void, interconnected to form one giant metropolis!
Surrounding the sacred, radiant city were countless exquisite floating wooden ships. Though they seemed small in the projection, even the smallest among them was larger than the biggest human aircraft carrier.
Countless ships now raced across the skies, divine light swirling in their wake, their grandeur making the miracle city seem full of prosperity and vitality.
From high above, overlooking the entire city—
Every kind of terrain was visible.
Lakes, oceans, deserts, grasslands, mountains, basins, volcanoes, snowy fields.
The architectural styles were incredibly varied in both size and form—some buildings were a hundred times larger than mountains, others too small to see. Most residences took the shape of pointed towers, the overall palette being sacred gold and white. Every building and street was exquisitely carved, brimming with culture and artistry, wholly different from any known human design.
There was the epic fantasy of Western aesthetics—
The ethereal mystique of Eastern fantasy—
The exaggeration of anime worlds, and the realism of futuristic ones.
It was as bustling and lively as a peak modern metropolis, yet also lush, mountainous, and perfectly harmonious with nature.
It felt like stepping into a Western heaven—
Or walking through the immortal courts of Eastern myth.
This was a super-city cluster inhabited by many races, reminiscent of the famous animated film Zootopia—except that Sacred Cang City housed even more races, with a far more diverse and massive layout.
And yet, despite its scale—
The entire city radiated a sense of ultimate precision and order!
In short, the four players clearly felt that their impoverished imaginations and pitiful vocabularies couldn’t even describe one percent of this miraculous city.