Chapter 153 : New Territory! New Map! New Quests!
Chapter 153: New Territory! New Map! New Quests!
It had been a full six days since Hang Yu led the Calamity Army to conquer Wo Niu Mountain.
Return to Starsea completed!
Territory upgrade completed!
All other preparations are in place!
Hang Yu stood inside the brand-new Lord’s Hall.
He formally took out the crystal-shaped Abyssal Nightmare Key.
【You are activating the “Abyssal Nightmare Key”. Proceed? Yes/No】
【Please select the territory region to unlock!】
Before Hang Yu's eyes, the Abyssal Map automatically appeared. Of the nine regions near the three territories, all showed as pending activation. Without hesitation, he selected the map one tile to the right of Luoshui Base Camp.
In the next moment—
The key evaporated.
A surge of powerful energy radiated from his palm.
Hang Yu clearly felt the heavens and earth tremble. On the map, the terrain of the corresponding region began to clear at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, a notification sounded in his mind.
【New territory successfully activated. Your current number of Lord’s Vision regions: 4!】
【Map Name: Wan City!】
New map successfully unlocked!
Although Hang Yu had expected the appearance of the Wan City map, he was still shocked—almost in disbelief—when he saw its outline. The size of the Wan City map was simply too massive!
Wan City remained unexplored.
Hang Yu also had no idea what exactly was inside.
However, once the map region was activated, it was no longer shrouded in darkness. The basic terrain outlines and map information would emerge. Even if the details couldn’t yet be seen or the Lord’s Vision hadn’t descended, the general scale and size of the map could still be judged.
“This map is this big?” Hang Yu estimated that even if Luoshui Base Camp, Wo Niu Mountain Region, and White Tiger Mountain Region’s three maps were combined, they might not equal a third of Wan City’s size!
Such a massive map—
How many people? How many towns would it hold?
Of course, the larger the Abyssal Nightmare, the more dangerous and twisted it tended to be!
The name of the map being “Wan City” only meant that the core corruption zone was in Wan City. It didn’t mean the map only contained Wan City or its immediate surroundings—just like how the pollution source in the Wo Niu Mountain map was Wo Niu Mountain, but there were still over a dozen other town strongholds nearby, including Sanxiang Ancient City.
In the Three Kingdoms period, Wan City was part of Nanyang Commandery in Jing Province.
Now, with Wan City as the core, an Abyssal Dreamworld had formed. More than half of Nanyang Commandery’s space had been pulled in, and due to the Abyssal Will’s nightmare erosion, both space and time in the dream would undergo simultaneous distortion.
The heavier the pollution in an area—
The more space and time would stretch and warp.
Nanyang Commandery was historically one of the most populous regions of the Three Kingdoms era, once holding over one-tenth of the entire nation’s population across all commanderies.
This meant that the population and area of the Wan City map already far exceeded Wo Niu Mountain. What’s more, the ongoing Abyssal Corruption would continuously expand the area, complicate the terrain, and potentially cause the population to keep growing over time.
Of course—
There was no intel at the moment.
What this place was really like remained unclear.
Thus, Hang Yu began issuing quests to the Calamity Army.
【Quest 1: Investigate the Wan City Region!】
【Quest Details: The territory has expanded into the Wan City region. Please gather complete intel on this area as soon as possible!】
【Quest Objective: Within 24 hours, enter the activated region and investigate the basic situation of the Wan City area and its Abyssal timeline!】
【Quest Rewards: 20,000 Essence Points, 40,000 Contribution Points, to be evenly distributed among participating team members!】
【……】
【Quest 2: Secure a Stronghold in the Wan City Region!】
【Quest Details: The Wan City map is massive and extremely complex. There must be many native strongholds or ruins of native towns. Discovering them will help the Calamity Army gain a foothold.】
【Quest Objective: Activate any Blessing Point within 3 days!】
【Quest Rewards: 50,000 Essence Points, 120,000 Contribution Points, to be evenly distributed among participating team members!】
【……】
【Quest 3: ……】
【Quest 4: ……】
【Quest 5: ……】
【……】
Hang Yu issued five quests in one go, all focused on exploration and intel gathering. Each reward was substantial enough to attract a large number of players into the Luoshui region.
However, despite the fact that Hang Yu gained more benefits when players died, letting under-leveled players march to their deaths before they had grown strong would be harmful to territory development. Therefore, Hang Yu restricted entry into the Luoshui region to only players level 9 or above.
As for those below level 9—
There simply wasn’t enough to gain!
Better for them to level up properly!
At this point, Hang Yu had already completed the territory upgrade. He now had twenty Tier-Two Abyss Barracks, and the population cap had increased from 2,000 to 4,000. He planned to immediately allocate 2,000 slots—recruiting 200 Azure Dragon Guards and 1,800 Calamity Army Soldiers to celebrate the Phase 3 Test and the launch of the new Wan City map.
At the same time—
Inside the top-secret headquarters of the Special Task Force in Yanjing.
Zhou Zhengming, Wang Yue, and several high-ranking officials of the Special Task Force were holding a meeting.
Feng Ying was reporting the latest intel: “Two major developments have occurred in the past twelve hours!”
“First, Luoshui Main City has officially upgraded and undergone significant changes—there are many details worth our attention!”
“Second, Lord Hang Yu has officially granted the position of Legion Commander to Ye Li Meng, Little Bell, and Black-Eyed Rui Ge. War God Hall, Wings of Freedom, and Divine Feather Palace have become the first three Legions established within the Calamity Army!”
Upon hearing this—
Especially the second piece of news—
Several senior officials of the Special Task Force frowned.
“Our Special Task Force fell behind again!”
None of the first Legions established represented official forces. This clearly reflected poorly on the Task Force’s performance, disappointing some top brass.
Toasting the Moon had made enough personal contributions to apply to become a Legion Commander, but to form a Legion required a one-time payment of 200,000 Contribution Points. And he had spent hundreds of thousands of points in Sacred Cang City just a few days ago!
As a result, the Undying Dragon Soul Legion wasn’t formed in time!
And so, the spotlight was stolen by several unofficial factions!
“No matter. I actually think... this might not be a bad thing.”
Director Zhou Zhengming spoke calmly: “We’re not building the Undying Dragon Soul Legion to show off or chase fame and power. Our goal is to enable the Special Task Force and Intelligence Department to better enter the game and conduct investigations. Drawing too much attention without being prepared is unnecessary.”
Hearing this, the others at the meeting nodded slightly.
The Undying Dragon Soul Legion had an official background.
Backed by national-level power—could it really be outdone by a few civilian teams?
Let War God Hall and Wings of Freedom have their moment for now. Undying Dragon Soul would soon surpass them all.
Zhou Zhengming continued, “Actually, what concerns me more than whether we established a Legion in time is whether personnel development is going smoothly?”
Wang Yue was present at the meeting.
He immediately replied, “I’ve successfully recruited over a hundred players, including several high-level ones already in the three major Legions. It’s just that since our Legion hasn’t been formed yet, and my personal reputation isn’t high enough, I haven’t been able to officially bring them under my command.”
At that—
He paused briefly.
Then continued: “However, among those players, after extensive background checks in the real world—evaluating their character, experience, morality, and capabilities—we’ve already selected twenty individuals. They’ll become the first batch of members of the Undying Dragon Soul Legion!”
After speaking—
He handed over the dossier.
It turned out that during this time, Wang Yue had put a lot of effort into recruiting within the game.
On one hand, he won over new players with benefits. On the other, he worked to recruit current top-tier elites.
The results of the latter were minimal.
But the former had gone relatively smoothly.
Experts like Lone Boat, Ye Li Meng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, and Mad Blade Old Wang weren’t necessarily the strongest players—they had simply started earlier and possessed excellent personal qualities, which earned them their current strength, status, and reputation.
Yet among the nearly two thousand players, there were many hidden talents.
Some of them held tremendous potential for cultivation!
These seemingly unknown individuals might even surpass the current top players in the future!
Zhou Zhengming took the personnel list provided by Wang Yue and glanced over their relevant information on the spot.
Blind Swordsman, Level 9 Warrior. Bio: In the real world, he is a disabled individual who lost his sight due to an accident, but in the game, he demonstrates astonishing potential. His talent and aptitude may not fall short of Lone Boat.
Zhou Zhengming paused when he saw the first name.
What kind of person was Lone Boat? He was one of the top experts at this stage!
Yet Wang Yue and his assistant team believed that this Blind Swordsman rivaled Lone Boat in potential—clearly, this was no ordinary prospect and worth serious attention and cultivation!
Warrior Like the Wind, Level 6 Ranger...
Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind, Level 9 Warlock...
Knight of Dawn, Level 8 Monk...
One name after another appeared on the Special Task Force’s list.
These individuals would become the first batch of members in the Undying Dragon Soul Legion.
“I trust Wang Yue’s eye for talent. These individuals can be developed into outer-circle members of the organization!”
“Yes!”
Zhou Zhengming continued, “Besides the urgency of creating the Undying Dragon Soul Legion and secretly strengthening our Special Task Force and official forces in the game, you should also pay attention to the changes happening in the territory—and the opportunities those changes contain.”
Wang Yue was taken aback. “What opportunities?”
Zhou Zhengming raised a hand.
Feng Ying nodded and picked up the remote.
A brand-new territory aerial view appeared on the large conference room screen.
Feng Ying explained, “This is the latest panoramic screenshot of the territory that leaked on the forum. The hall, canteen, barracks, and walls have all been upgraded and rebuilt. Not only do they look more refined, but the defense capabilities have been greatly enhanced. The city now covers at least five times more area than before!”
Wang Yue nodded.
This round of territory upgrades had already been completed.
The Luoshui Main City now had a completely renewed appearance.
But he was still confused. “The opportunity Director Zhou mentioned refers to...?”
Zhou Zhengming didn’t answer directly but instructed Feng Ying, “Give an overview of the main city’s new layout first.”
Feng Ying nodded. “With the assistance of players like the Great Wall of China, Lord Hang Yu took the opportunity during the reset of upgraded buildings to carry out a full reconstruction and planning of the main city!”
“Now the main city is divided into two parts—upper and lower!”
“The upper section is the Lord Fortress!”
“The lower section is the Main Urban Area.”
At this point—
She pressed the remote.
Several images of the interior and exterior of the Lord’s Hall appeared on screen.
Feng Ying continued, “The Lord Fortress is a massive facility remodeled from the original Lord’s Hall. Though it features the sealed and sturdy traits of a Western castle, its design style follows traditional Chinese aesthetics. It not only covers a vast area but also occupies the highest elevation!”
“Surrounding the Lord Fortress is a thick, broad palace wall. At each of the four corners stands a watchtower, with multiple arrow towers deployed nearby. There’s only one main avenue that leads into the central structure.”
“The core structure inside the Lord Fortress resembles an imperial forbidden city. The central Great Hall sits at the heart, and in front of it is a plaza large enough to accommodate thousands—tens of thousands—of people at once. There are also clusters of courtyards where the lord’s attendants and subordinates reside.”
“……”
“Now, if enemies were to attack the territory, they would have to breach the outer city before threatening the Lord Fortress. And only by thoroughly destroying the fortress could they reach the core. This design makes the territory significantly safer.”
The more Wang Yue listened, the more confused he became.
Director Zhou gestured for him to stay patient.
Feng Ying went on, “Currently, the internal space of the Lord Fortress is enormous, and there’s a demand to recruit a large number of followers and guards. Some of them will likely be drawn from native legions, and others may come from the Calamity Army. This is a prime opportunity to gain the lord’s trust, become his close confidants, and raise Legion prestige!”
Ah, so that was it.
Wang Yue began to understand.
Feng Ying continued, “But the greater opportunities lie in the main urban area.”
Everyone’s attention shifted from the upper section Lord Fortress to the lower section Main City.
From the gate of the Lord Fortress began a wide, paved avenue that ran through the entire main city, dividing it into two zones—the left side was the Residential Zone, and the right side the Functional Zone.
From the aerial view, it was clear—
The Residential Zone was further divided into ordinary housing and Calamity Army soldier barracks.
The barracks served as rest and logout areas for Calamity Army soldiers. These Tier-Two Abyss Barracks were now designed like massive circular compounds, each forming a ring, with a circular courtyard in the center, eight external exits, three stories, and over 200 dormitories.
Currently, there were twenty Tier-Two Barracks in the territory: ten in Luoshui Main City, five in Sanxiang City, and five in White Tiger City.
This meant that no matter which region players logged in or out from, they could quickly locate a nearby barracks. The upgrade dramatically improved convenience and efficiency for players.
According to the official announcement—
If a Legion met the requirements—
It could receive a Legion-Exclusive Barracks.
Opposite the ten large barracks was the Ordinary Residential Zone—
With a vast number of variously sized and styled residential buildings.
The designs largely followed traditional Chinese architectural principles. Most looked like meticulously crafted siheyuan (courtyard residences), meant to serve the lifestyle and housing needs of territory residents in the main city.
Zhou Zhengming said, “No matter how the territory expands in the future, Luoshui Main City will always be the absolute core. These properties, which may seem unremarkable now, will become the most critical and valuable assets in the entire territory!”
Hearing this—
Wang Yue finally understood.
So this was the opportunity hidden in the changes.
Players could lease or apply for improved housing.
That meant players could have a virtual home in this game world!
And Legions could even purchase plots to build their own headquarters!
There was massive opportunity here... Chinese players didn’t just speculate in real estate in the real world—they were now stretching their claws into the game world too?
But just as Director Zhou said—these seemingly unremarkable assets could become money trees worth billions in the future!
Zhou Zhengming said, “I believe many of these players have business acumen. You must stay up to date with property policies in the main city and future key towns. This way, you can invest early in core assets and lay a stronger foundation for the Undying Dragon Soul Legion’s development!”
“Yes!”
After this full territory upgrade—
Not only did the residential zones contain golden opportunities—
The functional zones opposite them were also full of potential.
The Functional Zone combined commerce, cultivation, and production functions.
For instance, the canteen, Skill Tower, Enlightenment Tower, Forging Workshop, Alchemy Workshop, and Spirit Fields—as well as all supporting facilities—were concentrated here.
Opportunities?
There were plenty!
Just recently, the Lord had opened a market for players!
This market was a commercial street, and in the future, many shops would be available for lease or purchase.
These were main city shops. As the territory developed, the main city would surely grow more prosperous and populous. Anyone who invested early in prime commercial spots—whether by purchase or long-term lease—could generate tremendous future value!
There were countless similar opportunities!
It all depended on having strategic vision!
Zhou Zhengming said to Wang Yue, “Although the Undying Dragon Soul Legion is backed by the Special Task Force, and the Task Force is backed by the nation, we must not underestimate the other organizations and forces in the game. We must do everything within the rules of the game, and do it to the best of our ability!”
As the experts in the Special Task Force began strategizing—
Laying out all sorts of plans for the Undying Dragon Soul Legion—
“New intel!”
“New intel!”
“The new map Wan City has been opened!”
“Also, the next round of Player Recruitment will be held in three days!”
“This time, the Calamity Army will recruit a total of 1,800 new soldiers in one go!”
Zhou Zhengming’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. The last recruitment of 900 was already a lot, and now it had doubled to 1,800. The Calamity Army’s expansion speed was clearly accelerating. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the so-called Open Beta Phase began!
There were billions of potential players across the globe!
That was an enormous number. Even ignoring the billions of Abyssal natives, the population base from the real world alone was staggering. This once again confirmed the value of core city real estate, especially in the Base Camp!
Of course—
The most pressing matter now—
Wasn’t the 1,800 new recruits coming in a few days!
“The Wan City map has been launched, and with the Calamity Army expanding massively again, it looks like Phase 3 Testing has officially begun!”
Wang Yue stood up and said, “My body in the game has already recovered for four or five hours. I should log in as soon as possible and participate in the related actions and quests!”
Zhou Zhengming nodded. “Go! Seize the opportunity!”
A few minutes later—
Wang Yue logged in under the ID Toasting the Moon.
Right after logging in, he received a quest notification, followed by invitations from Black-Eyed Rui Ge and others.
“I believe everyone is already aware of the situation!”
“The Abyssal Dreamworld of Wan City is now officially open!”
“I suggest we move immediately and work together to begin the exploration!”
“Even though we now have distinct Legions, we must stand united against our common external enemy. We absolutely cannot drag each other down at this moment!”
“Agreed!”
“No need for more talk!”
“Time is extremely valuable!”
“Let’s head out now!”
“……”
Hang Yu noticed that after he issued the Wan City quests—
Players from all directions quickly received the news, logged in, and gathered together.
Though factions and groups had already started forming among players, there was currently no conflict of interest between them, so they could still cooperate without obstruction and remain united against outside threats.
The emergence of Wan City was a massive challenge.
This map was bound to be far more complex and dangerous than Wo Niu Mountain!
The Calamity Army sensed the growing threat—so they chose to strike first!
“Not bad.”
Hang Yu stood atop a pavilion on the top floor of the Lord Fortress.
The entire Main City and even the whole Luoshui Region lay in full view.
This full territory upgrade had brought a significant improvement to his quality of life.
Now, above the Lord’s Hall, three additional towering, majestic buildings had been added—elegant and natural in ancient Chinese style—including the Lord’s reception room, office, sleeping quarters, study, and other such facilities.
Ever since arriving in the Abyss—
Hang Yu had lived a rather frugal life.
Now, he finally had his own castle and palace.
Though the scale wasn’t massive, it was enough to drastically improve his living conditions.
Of course, the upgrade to the Core Hall brought not only improved aesthetics and comfort, but also enhanced functionality. For example, the Trading Hall now allowed transactions of Blue-Quality Items, and the Hero Hall could now accommodate the recruitment of up to fifteen Hero Units at the same time.
In addition—
Many standard buildings could now be upgraded further.
The security of the Territory Core had also been enhanced yet again.
Hang Yu was very satisfied with the current state. Next, he planned to further improve the territory’s defenses, expand its industrial capabilities, and manage the overall situation from a macro perspective, guiding the Calamity Army to continuously expand outward.
“Next, I’ll just wait for updates.”
Hang Yu would continue monitoring the Calamity Army’s progress in developing the new map.
However, while enhancing the territory and expanding its borders, he couldn’t neglect his own personal strength either.
The Skill Tower in Luoshui Main City had already been upgraded—it could now embed Blue-Quality Skill Stones.
Besides that, there were also skills within the territory that could be learned—for example, Captain of the Personal Guard Zhou Cang had several powerful skills. If all of them could be mastered, it would significantly boost Hang Yu’s strength.
With that thought—
Hang Yu immediately summoned Zhou Cang.
Then, he entered the Skill Tower.
He intended to train while waiting for the results of the first wave of development.
……
Meanwhile—
In a certain area of the Wan City Region—
There stood a massive city.
Within the city was a place shaped like a temple.
At this moment, a man wearing a skull mask, exuding an extremely powerful aura and dressed like a black-robed Daoist, was kneeling in deep reverence before a tall building.
That building was a towering black stone tower, covered in black and purple talismans. The entire giant tower floated in mid-air, constantly releasing a shadowy energy filled with a deathly aura.
“Greetings, Patriarch of Extreme Yin!”
The masked man in black spoke solemnly: “Patriarch, you summoned this disciple. What are your orders?!”
“I sense that something in this realm has changed… perhaps a force from the Starsea has entered.” A voice echoed from within the hovering black stone tower. “Go and investigate.”
“Starsea?”
The masked man visibly trembled.
“Yes. If a Starsea Lord appears—take his core and offer it to me!”
With those words—
He stood up—
Bowed once more toward the black tower—
And transformed into black mist, vanishing into the air.
Within the Black Tower, there was a blood-red coffin.
The Patriarch of Extreme Yin lay inside that blood coffin. He slowly opened his eyes—eyes that were as deep and unfathomable as the Abyss itself.
It had been over a hundred years—
And finally, something had changed in this realm.
In the past century, countless events had taken place here. Many people now knew of the fearsome title Patriarch of Extreme Yin—but few still remembered his true name:
Jia Xu.