Chapter 150 : River-Sacrifice Pavilion, Ox-Head Mountain, Wan City!
Chapter 150: River-Sacrifice Pavilion, Ox-Head Mountain, Wan City!
The Myriad Races of the Stars event had concluded.
After returning to his territory, Hang Yu distributed a reward of 30,000 Vital Energy + 30,000 Contribution Points to each player who had participated in the event. This unexpected gift greatly surprised Little Bell, Ye Limeng, Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, and Raise-A-Cup-to-the-Moon!
“There’s actually a reward too?”
Although this event map didn’t allow much direct participation in the quests or much time for free activities, even a one-day tour of the Myriad Races of the Stars had brought them tremendous gains.
Even if there had been no reward, this journey was already immensely rewarding!
It was way more fun than any so-called luxury tour through ten European countries!
It was undeniably an unforgettable trip.
Both fresh and interesting—not only was it a visual feast, but they were also lucky enough to glimpse the tip of the iceberg that was Sacred Cang City, and truly feel the grandeur and charm of the hidden worldview in this game!
They had never expected such a generous reward to even make up for a day of not farming monsters.
“Hahaha, that trip was just too satisfying. These kinds of events are real welfare,” Ye Limeng couldn’t help but exclaim after returning to his territory. “Wonder if we’ll have another shot next month!”
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro: “The only downside was how little direct story participation we had. Hopefully, the developers will unlock more hidden storylines in Sacred Cang City so we players can get more involved.”
Little Bell said, “Oh, there will be! Isn’t it already in the works? Principal Long invited Yu-God to participate in the Lord Tournament. Since it’s the Lord Tournament, I’m sure we of the Scourge Army will be part of it too!”
Raise-A-Cup-to-the-Moon chimed in, “Guys, I’m logging off first. I shot a lot of videos and took a ton of pictures. I need time to organize them!”
Little Bell: “Same here, same here! I’ve got loads of content. Sister Wraith and Sister Dawnlight have already been DMing me nonstop!”
“I should log off and rest too!”
“Bye-bye! See you tomorrow!”
“……”
Since they had been online for quite a while—
All four players logged off to rest after the event ended.
During the sightseeing event at the Myriad Races of the Stars, the four of them captured a massive amount of footage. Raise-A-Cup-to-the-Moon had spent over 200,000 Contribution Points entirely on gathering materials.
Hang Yu couldn’t quite understand why these players were so obsessed with taking photos and recording videos. But since he had created items like the Photographic Crystal specifically to recycle Contribution Points, he was more than happy to see them buying and using more.
And it was working great.
A huge amount of Contribution Points had been spent on items.
This effectively maintained the value of Contribution Points, and players were now more motivated to grind and earn them.
After Hang Yu returned to the territory—
Player Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles requested an audience.
Currently only Level 8, Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles didn’t hold much power in the Scourge Army, but he was a key member of the territory, mainly in charge of infrastructure and city planning. Now, thousands of native laborers were under his management.
“Let him in!”
Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles was brought in by Zhang San.
His face was full of excitement. “Lord, according to your instructions, we worked tirelessly for two days and nights without a single break. We’ve drafted multiple building designs and the latest phase of the territory’s development plans!”
With that—
He presented the design sketches.
He explained the new designs and planning in detail.
Hang Yu knew that Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles was a top-tier architectural designer.
Behind him stood an entire design institute, a school, and hundreds of students and team members.
Though it had only taken two days and nights, the result was already a solid set of conceptual designs. It was enough to breathe new life into the hall, barracks, and other buildings in the upcoming upgrades. The efficiency and quality greatly satisfied Hang Yu.
But Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles added, “Since we didn’t have much time for the design phase, there are still areas that can be improved. If you give us one more week, we’ll definitely produce a far more refined city plan.”
The continuous optimization of the main city and territory was a long-term task.
There was no need to rush it. However, the hall, walls, canteen, and twenty barracks needed immediate upgrades. In a few days, the third closed beta would begin, and the territory needed more soldiers and residents. Defense and functionality also had to be enhanced further.
“Please rest assured, Lord!”
“As long as we’re given enough time—”
“Luoshui Main City will surely become a magnificent Miracle City!”
In the real world, Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles was already retired. Now he spent all his time building in-game. Watching Luoshui Main City and the territory grow from nothing into something substantial gave him a sense of accomplishment that real life had never brought him.
Hang Yu assigned him a new task.
Without a moment’s delay, Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles went back to work.
Hang Yu summoned Assistant Xiao Ba and asked, “Any unusual events in the territory over the last couple of days?”
Xiao Ba immediately replied, “Reporting, Master, the territory has developed steadily these past two days. No major incidents occurred. A new batch of 900 players has arrived, and over half have already reached Level 3!”
Not bad!
Hang Yu glanced at his Vital Energy reserves.
They had risen to around 4 million.
Now with 1,930 players, even without large-scale missions or high-fatality events, just the daily deaths from ordinary activities generated at least 500,000 Vital Energy, and even more when accidents happened. The income was quite substantial.
“It’s time I prepare to unlock a new map!”
Hang Yu opened the territory map, and saw that in the vast Abyssal Map, only three grid areas had been unlocked.
The Luoshui City Region, Shansang City Region, and White Tiger City Region—three territories forming a right angle.
A new Abyssal Region could only be unlocked by expanding from existing territory, meaning new maps could only be opened in cardinal directions—north, south, east, or west—from current ones. So there were nine potential areas to unlock.
Hang Yu only had one Abyssal Nightmare Key.
He had to choose one of the nine potential territories.
Here was the problem:
Which one should he choose?
After some thought—
Hang Yu decided to expand around the Luoshui Main City.
Lighting up the areas around the Luoshui Main City as soon as possible had two major advantages:
First, the Luoshui Main City was the Scourge Army’s core. Exploring nearby regions would boost development efficiency, increase player deaths, and benefit the territory.
Second, the Luoshui Main City was Hang Yu’s central base. If the surrounding regions remained dark and unopened, they would become potential threats. What if another Starsea Lord expanded territory and lit up areas right next to Luoshui?
He must light up the regions around Luoshui ASAP!
Doing so would make it easier for the Scourge Army to conquer and explore, while also increasing strategic depth. In the future, even if another Lord expanded into his territory, at least Luoshui wouldn’t be directly exposed to enemy forces.
In summary—
Whether for profit or for territorial safety—
Hang Yu would prioritize unlocking new areas around Luoshui Main City.
There were Abyssal Maps on all four sides of Luoshui. The top (north) had already been activated—it was the Ox-Head Mountain Region. That left south, east, and west.
What a coincidence!
He had three Revelation Divine Stones!
He could preview the names of all three regions.
【Use a Revelation Divine Stone?】
Hang Yu selected the grid to the west of the Luoshui Main City Region on the Lord Panel, then used a Revelation Divine Stone on it.
【You have received insight from the Will of the Stars!】
【Current area name: River-Sacrifice Pavilion!】
The territory map didn’t change. The grid to the left of Luoshui remained shrouded in darkness. Since the map hadn’t been officially activated, terrain and size were still unclear.
Only the name was shown!
“River-Sacrifice Pavilion? What kind of place is that!”
Hang Yu hadn’t studied history or geography before transmigrating, so he was a bit baffled upon seeing the name revealed by the Revelation Divine Stone. But it wasn’t a big deal—Xiao Ba could connect to the internet and look it up via Baidu.
River-Sacrifice Pavilion—
Also known as Beigu Pavilion.
And Beigu Pavilion was located behind the peak of Beigu Mountain.
According to records, during the Three Kingdoms period, this area belonged to Eastern Wu.
Initially, Hang Yu thought this place wasn’t particularly significant, but after digging deeper online, he realized Beigu Mountain had been the setting for many key Three Kingdoms events.
For example—
There was a place called Ganlu Temple.
According to legend and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was where Liu Bei proposed marriage.
After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei borrowed Jing Province from Eastern Wu and refused to return it. Zhou Yu then advised Sun Quan to use his sister Sun Shangxiang as bait in a beauty trap, luring Liu Bei to Jingkou to marry her. The plan was to hold him hostage and reclaim Jing Province.
But Zhuge Liang saw through the scheme and turned the tables, leading to an actual Sun-Liu marriage. Eastern Wu ended up losing both the “bride” and the troops—a classic tale.
Hang Yu grew very tempted. “If I open this map, wouldn’t that mean I could meet Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and all these big shots? If that’s the case, this map is insanely valuable!”
However—
On second thought—
The odds weren’t great.
These people might have once appeared there, but that didn’t mean they were currently there. The spatial position of an Abyssal Nightmare was important, but so was its temporal placement.
But how could one determine the timeline?
Hang Yu believed there were clues.
For instance, this map was called River-Sacrifice Pavilion, not Ganlu Temple or Beigu Mountain—which said a lot.
Usually, a Nightmare Map’s name was closely tied to the core pollution source of the area. Like Ma Yuanyi at Luoshui Execution Ground, or Zhang Bao at Ox-Head Mountain. That meant the pollution source here might be in River-Sacrifice Pavilion.
So what’s the story behind River-Sacrifice Pavilion?
According to Hang Yu’s research, it also had its tales.
Originally called Beigu Pavilion, legend says that after Liu Bei went west to conquer Shu, Sun Quan faked news of his mother’s illness to trick Sun Shangxiang into returning to Wu, where she was detained and not allowed to reunite with Liu Bei. Later, during the Battle of Yiling, a false report reached Wu claiming Liu Bei had died. Grieving deeply, Sun Shangxiang wept toward the west and drowned herself in the river.
Later generations built a temple for her, calling it the “Temple of the Hawk Consort.”
Beigu Pavilion was renamed “River-Sacrifice Pavilion.”
Historical figures in their fated death states were the easiest to be corrupted by the Abyssal Will and turned into depraved beings.
Ma Yuanyi was turned into a core pollution source after death; Zhang Bao too was transformed into a core pollution source after death.
Since this map was named “River-Sacrifice Pavilion,” it was highly likely that the map’s timeline was after the Battle of Yiling, and the ultimate boss—the core pollution source—was most likely the Hawk Consort, Sun Shangxiang.
In that case—
Zhou Yu, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and the others were unlikely to appear on this map.
If Hang Yu chose to unlock this map, what he would likely face was Sun Shangxiang. Of course, it was also possible that some famous ministers and generals from Eastern Wu might appear, though it was impossible to deduce precisely who from the limited information.
Not bad.
But it felt like something was missing.
Hang Yu wasn’t very satisfied!
He decided to check out the other two regions before making a decision.
The Abyssal Map wasn’t fixed—whenever a new region was conquered, the surrounding unexplored maps would be rematched and updated.
Next, he checked the southern region.
Hang Yu used a Revelation Divine Stone on the map grid just below Luoshui Main City.
【You have received insight from the Will of the Stars!】
【Current region name: Ox-Head Mountain!】
This map grid quickly lit up under the power of the Revelation Divine Stone.
Ox-Head Mountain? What a bland name! Hang Yu had no impression of it, so he turned to the search engine again!
Soon—
Information on Ox-Head Mountain during the Three Kingdoms period appeared before his eyes.
To Hang Yu’s surprise, although Ox-Head Mountain sounded plain and unimpressive, the events that occurred there and the figures involved were anything but ordinary!
In the 12th year of Yanxi during Shu Han, Grand General Jiang Wei gathered his forces and, guided by Xiahou Ba, a surrendered general of Wei, marched north to attack Wei. His opponents at the time were the renowned Wei generals Deng Ai and Guo Huai.
The two armies clashed multiple times at Ox-Head Mountain, fighting to a stalemate and eventually settling into a standoff.
Later, Jiang Wei was defeated, losing tens of thousands of troops.
This, it seemed, was the background of the Ox-Head Mountain map.
After figuring this out, Hang Yu couldn’t help but get excited. The timeline of this map was most likely late Three Kingdoms period, and it was possible that Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, and Guo Huai would all appear!
This map had tremendous value!
At least more than River-Sacrifice Pavilion!
Hang Yu was very tempted. Even if the three top-tier generals didn’t all appear at once, the probability of encountering them was high. Moreover, aside from Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, and Guo Huai, there were dozens of other major generals from both Shu and Wei involved in the battle!
Open it?
After careful thought—
He decided not to rush the decision just yet.
He still had one Revelation Divine Stone in hand.
Hang Yu felt there wasn’t much point in saving it. Coincidentally, there was still one unexplored map next to his base. So, he used the last stone on the Abyssal Map grid to the right of Luoshui Main City.
【You have received insight from the Will of the Stars!】
【Current region name: Wan City!】
As the name of the map appeared—
Hang Yu’s eyes instantly narrowed!
This time, he didn’t even need to use a search engine!
Even if one hadn’t studied history or geography, anyone with basic knowledge of the Three Kingdoms couldn’t possibly not know the name Wan City!
“This must be the Wan City where Lord Cao messed everything up with a single cannon shot and lost three great men, right? There’s no second Wan City in the Three Kingdoms!”
Hang Yu was briefly stunned.
Then, his face lit up with joy.
Wan City had always been a strategic military location.
Because of its geographical position and natural features, it had held great importance.
From the Three Kingdoms period to other historical eras, many battles were fought here.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Wan City was most famous for the Battle of Wan, also known as the Battle of Yu River, which occurred in 197 AD, before the tripartite division of the realm. At that time, Cao Cao was still just a regional warlord, and he clashed with Zhang Xiu in this battle.
It was said that Cao Cao tried to forcibly take in Zhang Ji’s widow, Madam Zou, which infuriated Zhang Xiu. On Jia Xu’s advice, he launched a surprise attack on Cao Cao’s camp, resulting in a crushing defeat for Cao.
Cao Cao’s gifted eldest son Cao Ang, his nephew Cao Anmin, the fierce general Dian Wei, and his beloved steed Jueying were all killed!
This was the infamous incident: “One cannon shot cost three sages!”
Notably, the “three sages” referred to here were Dian Wei, Cao Ang, and Jueying.
As for Cao Anmin?
He was basically a glorified pimp.
Dying was just karma.
Though the scale of this battle wasn’t particularly large in the context of the Three Kingdoms, it had profound consequences on the course of history. It altered the line of succession in the Cao Wei faction and haunted Cao Cao with deep regret even in his old age.
At this point—
The three regions were clear:
To the west was River-Sacrifice Pavilion,
To the south was Ox-Head Mountain,
To the east was Wan City!
Was there even a need to choose?
Hang Yu didn’t hesitate for a second.
Wei Wudi Cao Cao, Zhang Xiu the Spear King of the North, Jia Xu the Master of Poison, Dian Wei the Fierce One of Old, Cao Ang, Jueying… all these legendary figures had once appeared in Wan City!
Of course—
There was still uncertainty.
Hang Yu could only learn the spatial location of the map from its name. The exact temporal placement of the Abyssal Nightmare couldn’t be known. That meant the event didn’t necessarily take place during the Battle of Wan City.
In other words, he might not encounter Cao Cao or Dian Wei.
Nor could he determine who the core pollution source of this map was.
Still—
If he had to pick one of the three—
Hang Yu would choose Wan City without hesitation.
After all, the timeline and characters of Ox-Head Mountain were also unclear. And Ox-Head Mountain was just a mountain. There were no major settlements nearby, and the population was small.
Wan City was different.
Even if the Abyssal Nightmare didn’t occur during the Battle of Wan, it was still a famous stronghold of the Three Kingdoms period—a large-scale city with far more population and resources than the other two maps.
Wan City and its surrounding areas were already populous in history, and in the Abyss timeline, they might have developed for decades. It was entirely possible the population had increased threefold, fivefold, or even tenfold.
For a Lord—
The more people and land a map offered—
The greater its value.
As for whether he’d meet Cao Cao, Dian Wei, Jia Xu, or Zhang Xiu? Hang Yu wasn’t too demanding. If he did meet them, it would just mean more powerful bosses and richer rewards.
If not, that was fine too—the map’s difficulty would be lower. If he could take over Wan City and its surrounding population and lands, it would bring his territory to the next level.
Besides—
Based on Hang Yu’s understanding of the Abyss—
The Abyssal Will needed an anchor to descend.
This anchor was typically a strong fate-bearing figure. Only by corrupting this figure into a core pollution source could a Nightmare be formed and pull that region’s space and time into the Abyss.
Because of this, the Wan City map likely featured at least one top-tier figure. Even if the Abyssal Nightmare didn’t take place during the Battle of Wan, it probably occurred shortly before it.
Which meant—even if Cao Cao, Dian Wei, and Cao Ang weren’t present—
Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu, Madam Zou, Hu Che’er, and others were highly likely to be there. It was just unclear what their current state was—whether they had turned into core pollution sources or fallen into depravity.
“It’s decided then!”
“Wan City lies to the east of Luoshui Main City.”
“This map grid borders Luoshui on the left and White Tiger City Region above. The Scourge Army can enter from two directions, making exploration more convenient than the other two maps!”
Hang Yu had made his decision.
But he didn’t immediately use the Abyssal Nightmare Key.
The Wan City region wasn’t like Ox-Head Mountain.
Both in terms of degree of distortion and how long it had been pulled into the Abyss, it was likely far more advanced than Ox-Head Mountain.
Because of this, the Abyssal Creatures, Depraved Beings, and all sorts of monsters there would surely be stronger and of higher level—unimaginably difficult. It wasn’t something to be rushed!
He’d give it a few more days—
Let the territory and players prepare well!
At this point, among the 1,930 players of the Scourge Army, about two-thirds were still below Level 5, and Tier 2 players made up less than one-tenth.
Even if he unlocked the map now—
Most players wouldn’t be able to participate.
If Wan City contained any immense threat—say, a depraved Cao Cao, Dian Wei, or Jia Xu suddenly attacking—it would be hard for the current territory to withstand. It could lead to unnecessary losses and complications.
But time was running out.
If no new map was chosen within seven days—
The Abyssal Key would automatically activate and open a random map.
There were roughly five days left to prepare. He needed to use this time to reorganize territorial production and, at the same time, let the Scourge Army grow as much as possible.
“There’s not much time, but it should barely be enough. Letting players grow freely for five days is way better than force-opening a new map!”
Thinking this—
Hang Yu opened the game forum.
He wanted to see what players had been discussing recently.
As Hang Yu glanced at the forum threads, he found that aside from the two final battles in the Ox-Head Mountain Region, most hot topics were speculations about the Third Closed Beta.
Besides the soon-to-be-released Corps Commander System—
What players were most curious about was the new map and new expansion content.
Hang Yu considered whether to release a preview or teaser for the Wan City Expansion ahead of time.
He figured that if players found out the next map was the famous Wan City, they’d surely go wild!
But just then—
A new post appeared.
It instantly caught the attention of countless players.
Because it was about the Return Day Event!
The post was written by none other than Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, one of the four players.
The title of the post was:
《Decrypting the Hidden Map Sacred Cang City: The Grand and Twisted Three Kingdoms Worldview Has Just Shown Its Tip of the Iceberg!》
Although there had already been some gossip and leaks about the Myriad Races of the Stars and Sacred Cang City during the event, none had provided a structured summary or real screenshots/videos. This was the first true exposé.
“These players really work fast!”
Hang Yu knew that the exposure of the Myriad Races of the Stars would generate immense buzz for the game—especially with footage of the Starsea City-State being released. It might even shock the relevant authorities or make people in the real world question reality itself.
He hadn’t expected—
That just two hours after the event ended—
A summary post would already be up.
Hang Yu was curious how much traction the Myriad Races of the Stars event could generate among players and possibly even authorities, so he clicked open the post to see what Sharp Bro had revealed.