Chapter 158 : Extreme Yin Jia Xu Strikes! The Scourge Army Is Brutally Crushed!
Chapter 158: Extreme Yin Jia Xu Strikes! The Scourge Army Is Brutally Crushed!
Hang Yu instructed Xiao Ba to monitor the marketplace. If any lord listed blueprints for sale or sought trade consultations, the assistant could instantly engage them and filter the options, after which Hang Yu would personally make the final decision.
For now, he decided to continue watching the show unfold.
The Scourge Army elites had already begun preparations for the ambush.
White Tiger City had only recently been conquered as a regional main city. Once territory of the Dragon Lizard Tribe, its buildings had mostly been dismantled, leaving only the outer walls, warehouses, and a few Spirit Fields.
Though the facilities were few,
they were still extremely important.
Setting the ambush directly inside White Tiger City was not feasible—
a battle there could damage the structures and bring unnecessary losses to the territory.
Furthermore, although the lord had been relocating refugees to White Tiger City, the city was still far too empty and had a long way to go before reconstruction. Anyone who approached could easily tell it was a ghost city, and would instantly suspect a trap.
Of course, He Song likely wasn’t a fool.
It was improbable that he would charge blindly into White Tiger City.
With real-time updates from Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind and the party tracking function of the game map, the Scourge Army had no difficulty tracking He Song’s route. They eventually selected a forest some 40–50 li southwest as the ambush site.
This forest lay directly on He Song’s path, and there was an abandoned village Blessing Point nearby, allowing players to teleport quickly from White Tiger City. The dense woods also provided excellent cover for an ambush.
Moments later,
the players were in position.
Less than a quarter-hour passed—
The Talisman Crane carrying He Song appeared in the sky.
This black-robed Daoist, wearing a mask, stood atop the massive Talisman Crane. At his feet, Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind was tightly bound and continuously being interrogated.
"Human lord?"
He Song had already extracted some intel from Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind, including the fact that the lord was human.
Naturally, Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind wasn’t stupid. He never revealed critical territory information—any questions about troop distribution or town layout were either met with feigned ignorance or wildly fabricated nonsense.
Though no lords had descended yet into the Abyssal Nanyang Region, He Song had already learned some intelligence about them from his master.
The Starsea was full of myriad races,
each bizarre in their own way.
Different races possessed different abilities.
Humans, among the myriad races of the Starsea, couldn’t even be called mediocre—they were practically a useless race, unlikely to accomplish anything of note in the Abyssal World.
Based on Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind's strength,
and the fact that the lord was human,
He Song initially judged that this lord posed little threat. If he could capture the lord and seize the Heart of the Starsea, it would not only be a tremendous accomplishment but a great personal benefit.
He was just about to extract more information—
"SCREE!"
A sharp screech rang out.
To his shock, He Song saw nearly ten massive War Eagles swooping in from above. These raptors descended simultaneously from multiple directions, forcing him to slow down and prepare for battle.
"Abyssal creatures? No... something's off!"
At first, He Song thought he was being attacked by Abyssal creatures, but when the Thunderhorn Eagles drew closer, he sensed that they were brimming with magical energy—not naturally occurring beasts!
"It’s an ambush!"
These giant eagles had been summoned by spellcraft.
He Song’s gaze darkened as he glanced at the bound Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind at his feet, only to see a sly smirk of success on the man’s face—and immediately realized the truth.
"You? No, impossible! There’s no way you could’ve sent a message under my nose!"
“Pfft! I can't hold it in anymore! Hahahahahaha!”
Even though he was badly injured and tightly bound, Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind burst into laughter: “You idiot! Did you really think I’d play the Guide Party for you?!”
He Song had considered the possibility of a trap, but unless this guy could transmit information in real time—and his allies could track He Song’s position just as fast—it shouldn't have been possible to orchestrate such a precise ambush.
What He Song didn’t know—
was that this lord had Intelligent Assistant Xiao Ba.
Xiao Ba had helped develop game features other territories lacked, like the Friends system, Map system, and Legion system, allowing players to use each other as real-time map signals.
Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind sneered, “You don’t know a thing about us. You’ve just walked into the trap. Offending the Scourge Army and thinking you can still walk away? No way. We’re keeping you here today.”
“You damned bastard—DIE!”
He Song kicked Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind into the air. The Talisman Crane opened its beak wide and swallowed the treacherous player whole.
At the same time—
The Talisman Crane spat out streams of Ghostly Blue Flame.
Six of the ten Thunderhorn Eagles were incinerated before they even got close!
"Pathetic."
Although tricked by the players, He Song clearly didn’t see these humans as a threat. He commanded the Talisman Crane to engage the remaining eagles in battle, and their power levels were clearly not in the same league.
Just then—
Several Windfire Arrows shot toward them.
These arrows came from the top-tier Level 14 spellcaster Little Bell, whose Windfire Arrows had long range, high speed, and zero cooldown. As the Thunderhorn Eagles tangled with the enemy, she targeted the Talisman Crane’s wings, further crippling its mobility.
Several Explosive Flames followed right after.
In the ensuing barrage, the Talisman Crane was destroyed.
He Song was forced to land in the forest below—right into the Scourge Army’s trap.
When He Song saw himself surrounded by troops—most of whom had reached Tier-2—his expression grew serious. This was the kind of elite force even Wan City would consider formidable.
Though their lord was merely human,
his power exceeded expectations.
He Song’s gaze swept across the players. Among them were top experts like Black-Eyed Sharp Bro and Ye Limeng, and of course the strategist behind this ambush—Toasting the Moon.
"You?! Impossible! I personally killed you!"
He Song was visibly shaken—just half an hour ago, he had burned this man to death!
Why was he here now?
A twin who looked just like him?
Or was the one he killed a clone?
Could this lord possess resurrection powers?
He Song had heard that Starsea invaders wielded many strange techniques, arrays, and constructs—powers that often defied common sense.
Toasting the Moon sneered, “He Song, there’s no escape for you now. Rather than resist and die, you should surrender and beg for the lord’s mercy. Who knows—you might even live.”
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro added, “It’s not too late to surrender!”
“To oppose the Scourge Legion—”
“—has never ended well!”
“We’re about to conquer Wan City. All the land and people will belong to our lord. Surrender now, and you might even get credit for helping, maybe even rise to prominence!”
“……”
The players clamored to persuade him to surrender.
“Ignorant fools! Ridiculous!”
He Song struck first, scattering black Talisman Papers as he formed hand seals. The ground churned violently, and pale, fleshless skeletal soldiers clad in armor began to crawl out from the soil.
【Extreme Yin Skeletons】, Level 20 Elite Units… Description: Skeleton monsters summoned by He Song using secret techniques, possessing impenetrable bones and extreme agility.
Level 20 elites?
Not yet Tier-3,
but clearly not weak.
“Huh?”
“Summoning spell?”
“Looks kinda cool!”
“Didn’t think this guy knew summoning!”
“Wonder if we can learn that skill too?”
“Bro, you sure you don’t wanna switch sides? With this talent, you’d do just fine with us!”
“……”
He Song summoned eighteen skeletons in one breath—enough to form a decent combat unit. As soon as they appeared, they launched an attack on the players.
“Refuse a toast, then drink punishment!”
“Just Tier-2 elite mobs!”
“Hilarious! He thinks this can stop the Scourge Army?”
“……”
The Extreme Yin Skeletons had excellent defense and speed. Under He Song’s command, they broke into the Scourge Army’s ranks and quickly caused a few casualties, but they were far from enough to break through this elite force.
That didn’t matter.
He only needed them to stall for a moment.
He Song began casting another spell.
A giant python formed from black mist appeared.
The serpent shot into the crowd with lightning speed. As it passed through players, the energy it carried entered their bodies. In the blink of an eye, at least fourteen or fifteen players were affected.
【You’ve been affected by “Heart-Seizing Curse of the Evil Serpent.” You’ve fallen into a state of frenzy!】
“What the hell?!”
“Why can’t I move?!”
“Oh no, I can’t control my body!”
Under He Song’s spell, over a dozen players completely lost control. They began swinging their weapons wildly at their own teammates, and within moments, several players had fallen under their comrades' attacks.
He Song let out a savage, gleeful laugh. “Descend into chaos! Succumb to madness! And then all of you—die!”
Darkness.
Death.
Madness.
This was the forbidden technique founded by the Founder of Extreme Yin!
His spell sowed chaos, buying him a window to break free and retreat. Just based on this ragtag bunch, how could they possibly hope to keep him here?
He had clearly underestimated the terror of the Scourge Army!
“I’ve been mind-controlled!” Greywood slashed a Gathered Qi Strike at Ye Limeng. “Quick—take me down!”
Without hesitation, Ye Limeng swung the Thousand-Skull Demon Hammer, smashing Greywood’s head and sending him straight back to respawn. The other frenzied players were just as quickly executed by the rest of the Scourge Army.
He Song was completely stunned!
He hadn’t expected this outcome at all!
These people mercilessly slaughtered their own comrades without a trace of hesitation—not even a frown. It was clean, decisive, and brutally efficient!
“You think cheap tricks like that can defeat the Scourge Army?”
“Don’t panic! And don’t kill him—bind him!”
“He definitely has intel Lord needs. Capture him alive and present him to the Lord!”
“……”
The Scourge Army swiftly eliminated their mind-controlled allies, suppressed the remaining skeletons, and launched a full-force assault.
After several exchanges—
He Song was horrified to discover—
These self-proclaimed Scourge Army players were maniacs. They regarded their comrades’ lives as expendable, and their own lives with even less regard. Their indifference to death and terrifying will to fight sent chills down his spine.
Though He Song was no weakling,
he couldn’t withstand this onslaught.
Had they not wanted to capture him alive,
he would’ve already been killed several times over.
To ensure his capture, the players willingly sacrificed one or two times the usual number of casualties.
If it were any lord or native faction,
they would never suffer such losses just to capture a single scout.
But these players didn’t care about dying a few extra times.
“What are you monsters?!”
He Song finally felt fear.
These lunatics were no less wicked and terrifying than the Abyssal creatures themselves!
Even as a disciple of the Founder of Extreme Yin, the cold-blooded cruelty of these people made his scalp tingle.
There was no hope—defeat was certain!
He gritted his teeth and prepared to activate an Escape Talisman—
But Lone Boat struck from the shadows, quickly closing in and severing He Song’s arm holding the talisman with a single sword slash.
In the next instant, four or five Technique Arrows struck He Song’s body—each one coated in a blend of paralyzing and numbing toxins.
His health had already dropped into a near-death state. Most of his spells were unusable, and his body was steadily going numb from the poison. The outcome of the battle was now sealed.
“Done!”
“Didn’t expect this guy to be so damn stubborn!”
“We lost quite a few people just to catch him!”
“No worries. We finished the mission. Tie him up and send him back!”
“Yeah, then we’ve gotta head from White Tiger City to Luling Hamlet, and into Wan City. We need to seize the first Stronghold before anyone else!”
“……”
Several players pulled out ropes to bind He Song tightly. This hostile NPC was extremely powerful, with combat prowess no less than a Thousand-Eyed Centipede, maybe even more troublesome. Without extra safeguards, they weren’t comfortable.
Just then—
He Song began to laugh grimly.
This puzzled the players present.
Crazy-Cleave Street asked, “What the hell are you laughing at?”
He Song kept laughing. “I’m laughing at how stupid you are! You didn’t kill me right away! Now you’ll all die with me!”
Ye Limeng, Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, and the others exchanged glances. They all saw the same wariness in each other’s eyes—did this guy still have something up his sleeve, even on death’s doorstep?
Midnight Butcher scoffed, “You’re already near death, both your legs are ruined. I seriously doubt you’ve got any other big moves left.”
Just then—
A shrill, blood-curdling scream.
He Song suddenly convulsed in agony.
His Bone-Like Eerie Mask shattered on its own.
Beneath it was a withered, hideously ugly face covered in Talisman Marks.
The marks spread outward from between his brows, soon covering his whole face, then extending down his neck and across his entire body. Even his severed arm and ruined legs began rapidly regenerating as the marks spread.
“What the hell?!”
The players were dumbfounded.
When He Song reopened his eyes,
his aura had undergone a complete transformation.
A cloud of black mist erupted from his withered body, lifting him into the air. A pressure even stronger than before swept across the battlefield.
Artist School Head: “What’s happening?!”
Ox Thirteen: “Second phase? This NPC has a second phase?!”
Crazy-Cleave Street: “Afraid of what? If we beat him once, we can beat him again!”
He grabbed his dual blades, channeled his Tiger Blade Qi, and used Savage Charge, aiming to take He Song down before his transformation completed.
He Song raised a single finger—
A beam of pale-grey lightning shot from his fingertip.
It looked unremarkable…
But the moment it struck Crazy-Cleave Street—
1042 (Fatal Critical Hit!)
He didn’t even have time to scream.
Crazy-Cleave Street’s body was instantly incinerated by the devastating attack.
A Level 14 warrior, fully geared and highly skilled—
defeated in a single hit?!
The players were all stunned!
Even Hang Yu, watching in the background, was caught off guard.
This change was something he had not anticipated.
He Song’s earlier strength was roughly that of a Tier-3 Elite, comparable to a Thousand-Eyed Centipede—maybe on par with two of them combined, but still nowhere near the level of a Tier-3 Commander.
But now, his strength clearly surpassed that of a Tier-3 Elite by far.
Hang Yu immediately checked He Song’s updated stats using the Lord’s Vision, and what he saw shocked him—
【Daoist Puppet of the Founder of Extreme Yin】, Level 21 Commander Unit
…Description: A puppet created by Founder of Extreme Yin Jia Xu, crafted using the blood and soul of his own direct disciple as a sacrificial offering. Possesses tremendous strength for a short duration.
Jia Xu?!
Founder of Extreme Yin!
Seeing the system prompt from the Starsea,
Hang Yu was shaken.
He had known that Jia Xu could be encountered on the Wan City map,
but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
So this He Song’s master—the Founder of Extreme Yin—was none other than the infamous and cunning Jia Xu!
But this Jia Xu was now entirely different from the one in history.
He had apparently cultivated in the Abyssal Plane for over two full cycles (120 years), and had developed terrifying techniques and spellcraft. This remote-controlled puppet alone possessed Tier-3 Commander-level strength.
What was his true power, then?
He might very well be a Boss Unit…
If he were a Tier-3 Boss—
Even someone like Hang Yu would feel extremely wary!
Jia Xu’s cultivation and strength were so formidable, and the fact that he, like Zhang Jue, was able to establish his own sect might be one of the reasons why New Wan City was able to hold off Dian Wei.
The players were in trouble.
Jia Xu had most likely set up some contingency measures on his disciples—once a disciple was on the brink of death or about to be captured, he could perform a remote possession through secret arts to personally intervene and prevent any information unfavorable to him from being leaked.
In other words—
The players were no longer facing He Song.
They were now facing Jia Xu, who had possessed this body.
This also explained why He Song’s strength had increased so dramatically in such a short time.
When Jia Xu, using He Song’s body as a medium, swept his gaze over the surrounding Scourge Army members, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. “As expected, this useless thing couldn’t get the job done!”
“Who are you?!”
Even though the players couldn’t see Jia Xu’s information panel, they could sense that the one standing before them now was a different person—very likely the Founder of Extreme Yin that He Song had once mentioned. His strength had clearly seen a substantial leap.
“Who cares!”
“Everyone, go in together!”
“I don’t believe he can take on all of us by himself!”
“……”
Afraid that the longer they delayed, the more power the opponent would regain or unleash, the Scourge Army attacked again without hesitation. However, their attacks were all blocked by a layer of shield surrounding Jia Xu.
“Your strength is not bad, but still far from enough. As human lords, your potential seems rather lacking as well!”
Jia Xu remained expressionless in the face of the players’ repeated assaults. Rather than angry, he seemed more disappointed. “If this is the extent of your strength, you’re not worthy of being used by me. If you cannot be used, then it's better to eliminate you now to prevent future trouble!”
Hearing this—
The players were confused.
But before they could dwell on the meaning behind his words—
Jia Xu suddenly unleashed twenty summoning talismans. His hands quickly formed seals to cast a spell, and within just a few seconds, about twenty massive skeleton monsters, each covered in dark red and standing four to five meters tall, were summoned.
【Extreme Yin Skeletons】, Level 21 Elite…
These were skeleton summons too.
But the skeletons summoned by Jia Xu were one level higher than those summoned by He Song.
Don’t underestimate a single level of difference—this was the gap between Tier-2 Elite Monsters and Tier-3 Elite Monsters. Their overall power was on a completely different scale!
After just one round of charging—
The players were thrown into chaos.
“Damn! How did he get so much stronger?!”
Mad Blade Old Wang blocked a strike from a skeleton monster with his shield, only to be knocked several meters back.
Jia Xu didn’t pause—he continued casting spells. Raising his right hand, he released a mass of black mist that gathered above his head. This was the same spell He Song had once used—Heart-Seizing Curse of the Evil Serpent.
When He Song cast this spell—
It could affect over a dozen people at once,
Sending them into a state of loss of control, chaos, and madness.
But Jia Xu condensed the black mist directly into a massive serpent over thirty to forty meters long.
Not only was this serpent larger, but its form was far more solid. Each scale was clearly visible, and dragon horns even protruded from its head, giving it a far more imposing appearance.
“Dodge it, quickly!”
Ye Limeng shouted loudly.
But Jia Xu’s casting speed was too fast.
The black mist-formed serpent pierced through the bodies of dozens of players.
Each time the serpent passed through a player, its size shrank slightly as part of its power transformed into a curse left inside the player’s body. In total, nearly forty players were affected.
【You have been affected by “Heart-Seizing Curse of the Evil Serpent.” You are now in a frenzied state!】
In an instant—
Among the more than one hundred players on the field—
Roughly one-third entered a state of chaos.
And it didn’t stop there—Jia Xu extended his left hand and shot out dozens of near-invisible threads from his palm. These threads landed on the players who had already lost control.
【You have been affected by “Extreme Yin Puppet Strings.” You are now under control!】
“Sorry, brother! I’m sending you back first!”
Ox Thirteen raised his greatsword, preparing to take out Toasting the Moon, who had been controlled. But just as the blade was about to fall—
Toasting the Moon suddenly activated Shadowstep and dodged the strike.
Ox Thirteen was dumbfounded.
It wasn’t the first time players had encountered frenzied states.
Although such states caused players to attack both friend and foe indiscriminately, those affected were typically mindless and barely able to dodge attacks. Yet Toasting the Moon’s current behavior was completely different from the past.
“Watch out!”
Toasting the Moon tried to shout a warning, but couldn’t. He found his body completely out of his own control. He immediately activated Gale Step and paired it with a Gathered Qi Slash, knocking Ox Thirteen to the ground.
Before Ox Thirteen could react—
Toasting the Moon followed up with a flurry of rapid strikes, killing him on the spot.
Midnight Butcher shouted, “Damn it! This isn’t ordinary frenzy—this old bastard is still controlling our actions with a spell!”
So that was it—
Jia Xu’s spell not only drove people mad—
He could also use puppet strings to control units that had already fallen into madness.
Not only had a third of the Scourge Army fallen into chaos, they were now showing clear signs of strategic coordination rather than simply attacking indiscriminately. The threat level had risen by several notches.
This guy was insane—practically a walking bug—his methods were as disgusting as they were overwhelming!
Chaos!
Forced control!
And Tier-3 Elite Skeletons on top of that!
After this wave of attacks, player casualties were disastrous. At this rate, total annihilation was only a matter of time!
“Struggle all you want!”
“Resist all you like!”
“Let me see how many tricks you and the lords behind you still have!”
Jia Xu manipulated the players to kill each other with a calm and detached demeanor, as if toying with a pile of cheap toys. Seeing the Scourge Army fall into complete disarray, he was clearly very disappointed.
The arrival of the Starsea faction was a double-edged sword. They might become a key force in resisting Old Wan City, or they might just serve as a stepping stone for Dian Wei to ascend even further, making that terrifying madman even harder to contain.
If this Starsea faction was strong enough—
Jia Xu planned to use them against Dian Wei.
But if they were too weak, it’d be better to wipe them out before Old Wan City discovered them, to prevent the Heart of the Starsea from falling into Old Wan City’s hands.
“Stop!”
A low shout echoed across the battlefield.
Jia Xu narrowed his eyes slightly.
A powerful aura was approaching.
Ye Limeng, Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, and Demons and Phantoms—who were still desperately resisting—also heard the voice. When they looked toward its source, they were first stunned, then overjoyed.
“It’s Zhou Cang!”
“How did he get here?!”
“Yes! We’re finally saved!”
“I’m not afraid of dying, I just didn’t want the mission to fail. That bastard was just too disgusting!”
The tall and burly silhouette of Zhou Cang emerged from the forest, and behind him followed several elite Azure Dragon Guards.