Chapter 159 : Demon Zhou Cang Battles Jia Xu! A New Round of Mission Planning!
Chapter 159: Demon Zhou Cang Battles Jia Xu! A New Round of Mission Planning!
This operation was merely to capture a spy scout sent by New Wan City.
For the Scourge Army to dispatch nearly all its elites was clearly an overreaction. They had thought the task would be easily handled, but to their surprise, this guy was unexpectedly tricky, filled with devious moves and vicious techniques… Luckily, Hang Yu had planned ahead and dispatched the elite Azure Dragon Guards as a safety net!
Zhou Cang had already reached level 20.
His foundation had never been weak to begin with.
Ever since pledging allegiance to Hang Yu, he had received enhancements in multiple aspects.
For instance, he had learned multiple skills, including the "Three Strikes of the Martial Saint," and was equipped with custom-crafted weapons and accessories. His overall strength was enough to place him among the top-tier commanders of the same level.
Jia Xu, on the other hand, currently had the strength of a level 21 commander—meaning he was a Tier-3 Abyssal Commander.
However, since his true body hadn't descended here in person, the vessel he had forcefully possessed had sustained severe damage. He might not even be able to display the strength of a third- or fourth-rate commander. Facing Zhou Cang at this moment gave him no clear advantage.
Moreover, Zhou Cang wasn’t alone.
Zhang San, Li Si, and other personal guards had also entered the battlefield.
These earliest of Azure Dragon Guards had received immense investment and were deeply fortified.
Each of them had reached level 20, equipped with top-tier gear, fully maxed out on all learnable skills and usable attribute potions. Even if they couldn’t match Zhou Cang’s strength, they were still a cut above the strongest players at this stage—essentially already crossing the threshold into commander-level.
"An Abyss Walker who joined the Starsea faction? Now that's interesting!"
Jia Xu didn’t obediently back off. Instead, he manipulated the puppet strings in his hands, pulling in over a dozen players along with several skeleton monsters to launch an assault on Zhou Cang's position—clearly intending to test his strength.
Didn’t drink the toast, huh? Now time for the punishment wine!
Zhou Cang pulled a giant broadsword, entirely pitch-black, from behind his back. It was one and a half feet wide, about ten feet long, single-edged, extremely heavy, capable of slashing and smashing alike, exuding an aura of indestructibility.
【Black Gold Greatblade +9】, green superior, Tier-2 equipment...
This weapon had been specifically commissioned by Hang Yu at the Forging Workshop for Zhou Cang, and immense resources had been spent to enhance it to level 9. Its power was comparable to Ye Limeng’s Thousand-Skull Demon Hammer.
Flames swiftly erupted and flowed across the giant blade.
With a leap, he swung the blazing blade downward toward the ground.
"Fierce Tiger Shatters the Mountain!"
Zhou Cang aimed between the skeleton monsters and the mind-controlled players.
As the blade struck the earth with a boom, a 30- to 40-meter-wide area collapsed half a foot deep. Several skeleton monsters and berserk Scourge Army members were sent airborne, stunned in midair, as blade qi surged visibly, tearing them apart.
"Explosive!"
"That was sick!"
"Insanely strong!"
"Zhou Cang never disappoints!"
"He's way stronger than before!"
"......"
Zhou Cang slew several berserk comrades with a single strike.
Yet the Scourge Army members weren't angry—instead, their eyes lit up in awe and admiration.
This was Zhou Cang’s first public appearance since joining the territory, and only now did the players realize how terrifyingly powerful this Demonic Martial General had become in just a few short days.
And that wasn’t all.
"Tenacity Aura!"
"Devotion Aura!"
Zhou Cang activated his General Techniques.
【You are affected by Tenacity Aura: Damage Reduction +20%, Mental Resistance +20%, Duration: 1 hour!】
【You are affected by Devotion Aura: Attack +20%, Strength +15%, Agility +15%, Duration: 1 hour!】
These buffs were insane!
Defense, offense, and attributes were all enhanced!
Mental resistance alone had increased by 20%—this meant Jia Xu would find it significantly harder to control players. What originally took just one Heart-Seizing Curse of the Evil Serpent to affect 30–40 people could now affect only 10–20 at most!
"Kill!"
"For our supreme Lord!"
Eight elite Azure Dragon Guards now joined the battle.
Zhang San, Li Si, and the rest had already reached the commander-level threshold. Now, under Zhou Cang’s general techniques and the lord’s aura, their strength jumped from lower-tier commanders to mid-lower-tier lord-level.
What did eight level-20 commander units mean?
"Fierce Tiger Wildblade!"
Zhang San, wielding dual flaming sabers, decimated several skeleton monsters in one swing. These monsters had Tier-3 elite strength, yet stood no chance against this top-tier Azure Dragon Guard!
"Straight to the heart!"
"We Scourge Army are truly trash!"
"The Azure Dragon Guards are the true aces of the territory!"
"......"
Though the sheer might of the Azure Dragon Guards stung a bit, their presence in the territory brought players immense security and confidence!
It wasn't just an invincible Lord.
The territory also had powerful Martial General-tier characters and NPC troops!
Even if the Scourge Army dropped the ball...
The Lord and his Azure Dragon Guards wouldn’t just stand by!
Watching his summoned creatures and puppets fall left and right, Jia Xu wasn’t angry—in fact, he seemed intrigued.
"To think someone like him could be brought under your banner—and you’ve even cultivated such powerful soldiers. It seems this Lord’s abilities and strength exceed expectations. Perhaps he barely qualifies to meet me."
As soon as these words left his mouth—
Zhou Cang was enraged.
"What kind of trash are you? Do you think a person like our Lord is someone you can just meet as you wish?"
In Zhou Cang’s heart, Hang Yu wasn’t just a savior—he was like a divine figure, untouchable and sacred. He could not tolerate anyone or anything threatening or insulting the Lord!
"You insolent fool—die!"
Zhou Cang's overwhelming presence brought him right up to Jia Xu, twin giant blades the size of shields spinning through the air, cloaked in violent blade qi, slamming into the protective barrier.
The sheer force of that strike—
Was enough to pose a real threat to commanders of the same level!
Boom!
The blade and its qi landed about a meter from Jia Xu. A formless barrier blocked the blow, forcing Jia Xu back several meters, but didn’t actually damage the puppet body he inhabited.
"What terrifying defense!"
The Scourge Army gasped.
Jia Xu’s barrier was invisible to the naked eye.
But Zhou Cang’s unique physique allowed him to sense some details. Around Jia Xu’s barrier, there were over a dozen black serpents formed from condensed yin energy, circling and slithering. These intangible serpents were what powered the shield.
There were eighteen black serpents in total.
Zhou Cang’s attack had only scattered three.
Jia Xu said calmly, "Your potential is impressive, but with attacks like that, you’re far from threatening me."
Not strong enough?
Then he’d just crank up the power!
This man was indeed powerful—and it was still unclear whether he was friend or foe—but Zhou Cang was striking on behalf of the Lord. In front of all these Scourge Army players, he could not bring shame to the territory!
He must win!
He must not lose!
The old him would’ve stood no chance—but now, under the Lord’s guidance, he had been reborn. No matter this man’s position or origins—anyone who dared offend the Lord would pay the price!
Zhou Cang's aura erupted, launching his ultimate move: Three Strikes of the Martial Saint, slashing at Jia Xu from ten meters away.
This time, Jia Xu felt a hint of danger from the approaching blade qi. Instantly dropping his dismissive attitude, he channeled his mana and summoned black mist, restoring all eighteen of his protective serpents.
Boom!
First strike—Jia Xu forced back two meters, five serpents dispersed!
Second strike—forced back five meters, eight serpents shattered!
Zhou Cang’s assault was far too fast—the third strike followed instantly, already fully charged. Jia Xu’s face changed; it was too late to reinforce his defenses.
"Kill!"
Zhou Cang roared.
Fierce Tiger Battle Soul: Activated!
Flames engulfed his entire body, massively boosting his attack—especially fire damage. He gripped his blade with both hands and launched the third strike.
A thunderous tiger’s roar echoed across the land!
Third Strike of the Martial Saint + Fierce Tiger Battle Soul + Fierce Tiger Roaring Slash!
The power of this strike was unimaginable!
As Zhou Cang swung the giant blade, surging blade qi burst like a flood, forming a massive tiger mid-air that opened its jaws and devoured Jia Xu whole.
Jia Xu had only restored up to the tenth protective serpent when he was engulfed by the violent attack. One by one, the serpents of yin energy were vaporized.
Even if he had summoned all eighteen—
He still couldn’t have blocked this strike head-on!
The next moment—
Blade qi exploded outward!
When Zhou Cang lowered his giant blade, the small forest ahead had been leveled—over a dozen trees shredded into burning debris and blackened wood.
And Jia Xu?
He lay at the center, completely charred.
Seemingly, he had completely lost all signs of life.
"Zhou Bro is insane! Zhou Bro is a beast! (voice cracks)"
"Now that’s what I call a Fierce Tiger Roaring Slash!"
"Too cool!"
"Instant fan for life!"
"......"
Even though the territory didn’t have a skill stone for Fierce Tiger Roaring Slash, players could learn the move through Zhou Cang or his adopted son, Zhou Ji. Currently, Mad Blade Old Wang, Crazy-Cleave Street, and a few other top-tier warriors had already mastered the skill.
Zhou Cang was merely a subordinate general of the Lord!
And yet he had such terrifying power now.
So just how powerful must Lord Hang Yu be?
"...Looks like this guy isn’t dead yet!"
Dawn checked Jia Xu’s condition. Although that slash just now nearly killed him in one blow, Jia Xu’s puppet body still had a sliver of health left—it seemed Zhou Cang had held back at the last moment.
Zhang San: “The Lord has given orders—if they can be captured alive, capture them alive.”
Zhou Cang nodded. “Take him away.”
“Yes!”
Zhang San and Li Si stepped forward and took away Jia Xu’s incapacitated puppet body.
At that moment, Toasting the Moon, Blind Swordsman, Warrior Like the Wind, Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind, and other players received a notification that the mission had been completed.
Although this operation heavily relied on NPC strength, considering the overwhelming difficulty of the enemy, each player still received between 12,000 to 15,000 Spirit Qi as a reward.
It was enough to push them into Tier-2.
The excess experience could even be used at the Skill Tower or the Comprehension Tower to acquire new skills.
“Thank you, General Zhou!”
“And Third Bro, Fourth Bro, Fifth Bro, Sixth Bro!”
“If not for your help, not only might the mission have failed, but the Scourge Army would’ve suffered even greater humiliation!”
“……”
The players all expressed their gratitude to Zhou Cang and the Azure Dragon Guards.
Zhou Cang had defeated a formidable enemy across tiers with overwhelming force. Such might was enough to earn the players’ respect. After this battle, his reputation within the territory was certain to rise.
Not long after.
Zhou Cang and the Azure Dragon Guards arrived, escorting Jia Xu’s puppet body.
As for the hundred-plus players who had died in the battle, they had all revived at White Tiger City, then teleported via the White Tiger City Blessing Point to the southernmost Luling Hamlet Blessing Point on the current map.
“Is everyone here?”
“Almost everyone who could come is here!”
Two to three hundred players gathered in Luling Hamlet.
Little Bell: “Since that’s the case, let’s act quickly!”
Midnight Butcher nodded and said, “First, we failed attacking Centipede Valley, and then we were nearly wiped out by a single scout from New Wan City. We’ve been getting stomped all day. This is way too embarrassing—we’ve got to regain some dignity!”
The reason this group of players had gathered here—
There was only one goal: to enter the Wan City Region and quickly capture a Wan City Stronghold!
At this moment, Lone Boat, Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, Toasting the Moon, Greywood, Ning Caichen the Second, and other high-level rangers returned to the Blessing Point. They had already completed reconnaissance and gained initial intel on what lay beyond the Fog Gate.
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro said, “Based on our recon, just over ten li past the Fog Gate is a fairly large abandoned town. A lot of Undead Citizens wander the area, but there don’t seem to be any powerful monsters.”
Upon hearing this—
The players’ spirits lifted.
“Finally, some progress today!”
“This really is a good spot!”
“Entering Wan City from White Tiger Mountain is way easier!”
“Yeah, not only is there a Stronghold near the Fog Gate, but there are so many high-level Undead Citizens nearby—perfect for farming EXP!”
“No time to waste!”
Ye Limeng stepped forward and said, “Since the target is confirmed, let’s move immediately. We must take this Stronghold today and lay the foundation for the Scourge Legion’s campaign against Wan City!”
“Kill kill kill!”
“I can’t wait!”
“Stop wasting time—I’ve been online for 20 straight hours. If we don’t move now, I’ll get auto-logged out!”
“……”
The Scourge Army had suffered several setbacks in just one day. Though the losses had been steep, they didn’t feel discouraged—instead, they became even more motivated to achieve something meaningful.
After another half-hour of fussing around—
The Scourge Army finally set off.
By now, the Scourge Legion had grown to over 400 players. Ye Limeng and others called upon every player in their Legion who was level 9 or above. At the same time, they used the full-map broadcast horn to summon more players who met the level requirement.
Partly because there was strength in numbers.
Partly because there were many high-level Undead Citizens near the Fog Gate.
It was a prime grinding zone—a place where these players could level up quickly.
The defeats of the day had humbled the Scourge Army, making them aware that their levels and skill cultivation were still far from sufficient. They couldn’t rely on NPC units like the Azure Dragon Guards to clean up every time!
……
Luo River Main City.
Inside the Lord’s Fortress.
Hang Yu was extremely satisfied with the results.
Every hardship suffered by the Scourge Legion had been meaningful.
Hang Yu estimated that in just one day, their total Spirit Qi earnings would reach around five million!
Even the Spirit Qi generation during the battle at the Polluted Zone west of Woniu Mountain hadn’t been this fast. It was clear—more players, higher levels, meant exponentially more daily income for the territory!
And it wasn’t just resource and Spirit Qi gains today—the intel collected was also invaluable.
While the precise layout, population, town structure, and monster distribution of Abyssal Wan City were still unclear, Hang Yu had already grasped its general tier range and threat level.
“It’s pretty dangerous.”
One thing was now certain—
The Wan City region ranged between level 15 to 25.
This Abyssal Dreamworld had already birthed a large number of Tier-3 monsters, including not just Tier-3 Commander-level beings, but multiple Tier-3 Bosses as well!
Dian Wei, Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu, Cao Ang, and others—
These characters were undoubtedly at least Tier-3.
Among them, Dian Wei, as a century-old corrupted soul and Core Pollution Source, was surely the strongest entity in the entire region—far beyond Hang Yu’s current strength.
If—
The base camp's location were to fall into the hands of the Abyss faction...
And Dian Wei led an army to attack, Hang Yu’s position would become extremely precarious!
Fortunately, a Nightmare Core Pollution Source like Dian Wei couldn’t casually leave the Core Pollution Zone. As long as the Extreme Dark Day didn’t break out in the near future, the territory would remain relatively safe from Abyssal threats.
Of course—
Aside from the Abyssal corruption—
The forces of New Wan City couldn’t be underestimated either. Judging by Jia Xu’s performance, his true body was likely a Tier-3 Boss as well—probably second only to Dian Wei in terms of threat level.
Hang Yu realized he must quickly enhance the overall strength of the territory.
That meant not just himself, the Azure Dragon Guards, and the Scourge Legion, but also the construction of various defensive infrastructure—to ensure the territory had sufficient self-defense in times of crisis.
With 5 million Spirit Qi expected today—
If all of it were returned to the players, it could significantly boost the Scourge Legion’s strength. But the distribution of Spirit Qi must follow proper planning and structure—it couldn’t just be used on impulse.
Hang Yu decided to nurture both low-level and high-level players.
The Scourge Legion currently numbered 1,930. The day after tomorrow, a new batch of players would arrive, raising the total to 3,730, the vast majority of whom were low-level.
These low-level players couldn’t contribute much to the territory nor did they have much combat power.
Hang Yu had to find a way to speed up their leveling.
He would start with daily missions.
Players received a fixed number of daily quests, mainly involving the collection of various resources. Completing them would yield contribution point rewards based on the value of the submitted materials.
Hang Yu decided to add extra material-collection missions, rewarded with Spirit Qi. This would both motivate players to gather more resources and increase their leveling speed to some extent.
As for high-level players?
Hang Yu decided to issue a major mission:
The Subjugation of the Centipede Valley Boss.
He had several goals in mind for this task:
First, it was a high-difficulty, high-level mission, which meant Hang Yu could award players a large amount of Spirit Qi.
Second, the difficulty ensured that players would die repeatedly in the process—contributing even more Spirit Qi.
Third, Hang Yu needed to obtain Talent Points as soon as possible to light up his final Tier-2 node and advance to Tier-3 Lord. Only then could he contend with the major Bosses in Wan City head-on.
As a result—
The few million Spirit Qi would be spent quickly.
Allowing players to grow significantly stronger in the next few days.
Just then—
【Ding, you have obtained the “Fate Stone of Huangniu Hamlet.” Would you like to annex it immediately? Yes/No!】
Hang Yu received a sudden prompt. The Scourge Legion had successfully captured and activated a Blessing Point in the northern part of the Wan City Region. Since the area had already been completely abandoned, there hadn’t been much resistance during occupation.
“These guys move pretty fast!”
Hang Yu didn’t hesitate.
He immediately annexed the Fate Stone.
【You have successfully captured “Huangniu Hamlet” and obtained “Fate Treasure Chest (White)” ×1!】
【You can view the details of Huangniu Hamlet’s development, income, and population via the Lord Panel.】
This Blessing Point activation meant that Hang Yu’s influence had officially entered the Wan City Region.
Hang Yu checked the details of the new territory. Though Huangniu Hamlet had long been abandoned, it had once been densely populated with many villages.
The Fate Stone born from that—
Was of quite decent quality.
Hang Yu casually opened the newly obtained treasure chest.
【You opened the Fate Treasure Chest and obtained: “Mana Crystal” ×1500, “Skill Stone: Shield Break Slash” ×1, “Construction Blueprint: Starsea Barrier Tower” ×1.】
“Not bad at all!”
Hang Yu was pleased with the contents—not only 1,500 Mana Crystals, but also a skill stone and a blueprint. That was quite a haul for a white-quality Fate Chest.
【Skill Stone: Shield Break Slash】, white-quality skill, requirement: 25 Strength.
【Construction Blueprint: Barrier Tower】, Tier-2 building blueprint. Construction requirements: 2000 Mana Crystals, 2000 Tier-2 Material Essence.
Though the skill stone was low-tier—just a white-quality slash skill—it could still be used to boost attributes and foundation, useful for skill fusion at the Comprehension Tower.
As for the blueprint?
The Barrier Tower was a fairly common Tier-2 Starsea building.
It generated a barrier within a designated area. Once activated, it could block enemy intrusions and protect structures and personnel.
Hang Yu was already planning to enhance the territory’s defenses.
Barrier Towers were essential for that—and this one came just in time.
Of course, the effective range of a single Barrier Tower was limited. But since Starsea Barrier Towers could link with one another, the more you had, the greater the range and strength of the defense.
As for this first tower?
He would have it protect the Lord’s Fortress.
After all, that was the core of the core.
Later, he’d gather more Barrier Tower blueprints—
And build a defense grid that could protect the entire city.
Hang Yu asked, “Where was Jia Xu’s puppet sent?”
Xiao Ba immediately replied, “Master, as per your orders, it’s been delivered to White Tiger City!”
Hang Yu nodded with satisfaction. Jia Xu was an old fox—he couldn’t be allowed to see their cards too easily. That’s why, after capturing his puppet body alive, it hadn’t been delivered to Luo River Main City directly.
At the moment, Jia Xu’s puppet was being held in White Tiger City, personally guarded by Zhou Cang and the Azure Dragon Guards.
After some thought, Hang Yu decided to meet Jia Xu in person. Though his intuition told him Jia Xu would be difficult to handle, the man was still one of the strongest entities in the Wan City Region.
Although the Native Inhabitants didn’t like the Starsea faction—
They were still inclined to cooperate when facing the Abyssal threat.
Hang Yu needed the intel Jia Xu possessed—or perhaps even to cooperate with him to fight Dian Wei. If he could recruit him under his banner, even better. Any past friction could be written off.