Chapter 216 : Walking Into the Trap! The Hidden Strength of Luoshui City!
Chapter 216: Walking Into th,,e Trap! The Hidden Strength of Luoshui City!
Among Gan Ning's group was a figure wrapped tightly in black robes.
The hand holding the staff had not turned into bone.
Instead, it was a dark purplish color like that of an old corpse.
This was a Secret Attendant Acolyte sent by the Lord.
Unlike Gan Ning, Huang Zu, and the other local natives who had been transformed into Bone Skeleton followers through rituals,
the Secret Attendant Acolytes were direct followers personally cultivated by the Lord.
They consumed enormous resources.
Although their numbers were small,
their strength was formidable,
and each possessed different abilities.
This surprise attack could not have succeeded with only Huang Zu and Gan Ning.
Huang Zu alone could never have secretly deployed a large army near Sanxiang Ancient City under the enemy Lord's nose.
Likewise,
it would have been difficult for Gan Ning's group to infiltrate Luoshui and reach the main city unnoticed.
The Secret Attendant Acolyte's role was to provide support and establish communications.
This allowed them to receive the latest battlefield information in real time.
As a result,
they could coordinate more effectively,
seize opportunities,
and improve the chances of success for the operation.
“The battle at Sanxiang Ancient City has already begun.”
“A large number of human reinforcements have left the main city to provide support.”
“Yet up until now, the Lord still hasn't personally entered the battlefield.”
After receiving the latest intelligence from the Secret Attendant Acolyte,
Su Fei said,
“Huang Zu is leading nearly all of the Bone Skeleton army in an assault on Sanxiang.”
“Under such circumstances, the human Lord still hasn't personally taken action?”
“That doesn't align with our expectations.”
The Bone Skeleton Legion contained nearly eight thousand troops in total.
It was an army painstakingly built over seven years.
More than one thousand were stationed at Huangmei Hamlet.
Over five thousand had been deployed against Sanxiang Ancient City.
This was already a powerful military force.
Even if it couldn't completely crush the human Lord's territory,
it should have posed a massive threat.
It should have been enough to force the human Lord onto the front lines.
Once the Lord entered battle,
the main city would inevitably expose a huge weakness.
At that point,
Gan Ning's strike team could attack the core while the enemy was distracted.
Victory would be secured in one stroke.
Unexpectedly,
the Lord had not entered the battlefield.
Yet Huang Zu had already become bogged down in a difficult battle.
Based on the real-time reports from the Secret Attendant Acolyte,
the fighting at Sanxiang Ancient City was extremely intense.
The Bone Skeleton Legion and the enemy reinforcements were both being rapidly worn down after engaging in close combat.
This proved one thing.
The human territory was much stronger than expected.
Besides the Lord,
it possessed top-tier combatants capable of holding the line independently.
Gan Ning scoffed.
“They're only human Stars.”
“How strong could they possibly be?”
“Since this Lord is still hiding in the territory, we'll simply go inside and kill him ourselves.”
The arrow had already been placed on the bowstring.
There was no turning back now.
Since they had come this far,
they could not leave empty-handed.
Assassinating the Lord would be even more decisive than destroying the core.
Su Fei nodded.
“Although the Lord hasn't personally gone to Wo Niu Mountain, the main city is currently vulnerable.”
“This is the best opportunity for us to infiltrate and carry out a decapitation strike.”
Gan Ning drew a rune-inscribed short halberd and threw it into the forest.
The weapon embedded itself in a large stone.
It served as a contingency plan.
The Secret Attendant Acolyte immediately began casting spells to conceal the group's presence.
At the same time,
he sensed the fluctuations of the territorial core,
allowing him to identify the approximate location of the target.
Gan Ning's path was now clear.
Su Fei and the others were fully prepared.
“Xingba, the rest is up to you.”
Gan Ning struck his twin sabers together.
An invisible energy field spread over all ten members of the group.
Their bodies instantly vanished.
They transformed into shadowy energy that was nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye.
This was one of Gan Ning's abilities.
Through the combination of his talents and skills,
he could lead a small force into a special state known as Shadow March.
While in this state,
they could not attack.
However,
they could pass through most obstacles freely.
They could also infiltrate important enemy strongholds without triggering defensive barriers.
Ordinary detection methods were incapable of discovering them.
Gan Ning had become famous for this ability.
He was unpredictable.
He excelled at small-team surprise attacks.
Defending against him was nearly impossible.
He could appear anywhere without warning.
Anyone unprepared would inevitably be caught off guard and suffer heavy losses.
Gan Ning's squad passed directly through walls and entered Luoshui City.
No arrow towers, scouting towers, barrier towers, or other detection structures reacted.
He moved smoothly through the city.
Soon,
the group arrived before the Lord's Castle.
According to the Secret Attendant Acolyte's senses,
the territorial core was located inside.
The Lord himself was most likely nearby.
The area around the castle was bustling.
Territorial guards patrolled the grounds.
Many citizens came and went,
either submitting quests or handling various affairs.
Gan Ning had no interest in ordinary citizens or soldiers.
His sole objective was finding and assassinating the master of this territory.
However,
just then,
a sudden sense of danger surged through him.
Several dozen golden needles flew toward him.
They had been discovered?!
Gan Ning had no choice but to cancel Shadow March.
He emerged from the shadows.
His twin sabers swung simultaneously,
releasing blade energy like ocean waves and deflecting the incoming needles.
Who was it?
The Lord?
Although Gan Ning's stealth abilities were extraordinary,
Lords themselves were extremely powerful beings.
Being detected after approaching too closely was not impossible.
Su Fei and the other nine members immediately revealed themselves as well.
They quickly identified the attacker.
Yet after seeing the person's appearance,
they were stunned.
It was an elderly man with white hair and a youthful complexion.
His face appeared kind and benevolent.
Eight well-equipped guards stood beside him.
Although their auras were powerful,
none of them seemed to be the Lord.
Gan Ning and Su Fei were astonished.
Not only was the old man powerful,
his eight guards were equally formidable.
How strange.
How could a mere human Lord cultivate so many powerful subordinates?
“What happened?”
“Who's fighting here?”
“It's Elder Divine Physician Zhang and Brothers Three and Four!”
“Who are those skeletons?”
“Not good!”
“They’re invaders!”
“...”
The clash occurred near the teleportation plaza outside the Lord's Castle.
Quite a few players had just logged in.
They were preparing to use the teleportation hall to reinforce Wo Niu Mountain.
Among them were well-known players such as Niu Shisan, Hua Mulan, and Uncle Tree.
“Damn it!”
“These bastards actually infiltrated our territory!”
The Calamity Army players were furious.
This was unprecedented.
The enemy was too cunning,
too shameless,
and far too bold.
The territory and the Lord were the lifeblood of the Calamity Army.
How could they not be enraged when that lifeblood was threatened?
However,
once they identified the intruders,
especially their leader,
their expressions changed dramatically.
【Skeleton General: Gan Ning】, Level 28 Overlord Unit...
“Gan Ning?”
“His name is Gan Ning?”
“Holy crap!”
“No way!”
“How can it be Gan Ning?”
“Gan Ning, the famous Eastern Wu general?”
“How did he become a skeleton monster?”
“Oh no!”
“I actually liked Gan Ning!”
“That's not the point!”
“He's an Overlord!”
“An Overlord-class monster just invaded our headquarters!”
“Do you people realize how serious this is?”
“Attack!”
“Don't let him enter the Lord's Castle!”
“...”
The players prepared to swarm forward.
However,
the Azure Dragon Guard stopped them.
A handful of Calamity Army players could not possibly threaten these invaders.
Gan Ning asked,
“How did you discover me?”
The old man chuckled.
“This old man is Zhang Ji.”
“I serve as the territory's physician and alchemist.”
“As a physician, I naturally possess methods for observing qi and perceiving hidden presences.”
Not only did Zhang Zhongjing possess observation and qi-reading techniques,
he was highly skilled at detecting hidden auras.
His senses were exceptionally sharp.
Because of the enormous contributions he had recently made,
Hang Yu had generously rewarded him.
His level had already reached Level 30.
That was the current maximum level of the territory.
Aside from the Lord,
he was the only Level 30 individual in existence.
Zhang Zhongjing's mental and spiritual attributes were naturally high.
His assignment to the Lord's Castle also served as an early warning system.
Thus,
before the Lord even needed to intervene,
he had already intercepted the threat.
“You entered uninvited.”
“That is rather impolite.”
Su Fei snorted.
“A mere alchemist dares stand in our way?”
“You aren't even one of the Lord's direct followers.”
“If you value your life, step aside.”
Zhang Zhongjing shook his head.
“You still don't understand your situation.”
“From the moment you entered this place, escape became nearly impossible.”
“Why not surrender?”
“You'll only humiliate yourselves otherwise.”
“Arrogant fool!”
Gan Ning vanished instantly.
He appeared behind the group.
Powerful shadow energy erupted from his twin sabers.
Zhang Zhongjing thought to himself:
This man's strength is extraordinary.
He might even surpass Zhang Xiu in his normal state.
Of course,
that comparison only applied to Zhang Xiu's regular form.
If Zhang Xiu entered his Defiled Infant state,
the situation would be entirely different.
Gan Ning was still noticeably weaker.
At that moment,
Zhang San, Li Si, and the other elite Azure Dragon Guards attacked.
“Fierce Tiger Wild Blade!”
“Swift Shadow Instant Strike!”
They unleashed Fierce Tiger Wild Blade,
followed immediately by the blue skill Shadow Pierce.
In an instant,
they became more than twenty afterimages.
Attacks descended from every direction upon Gan Ning.
One slash.
Then another.
Every strike erupted with tiger roars.
Gan Ning had intended to kill Zhang Zhongjing.
Caught by surprise,
he was forced into defense.
His twin sabers collided repeatedly with the Azure Dragon Guards.
More than twenty exchanges occurred in a single instant.
Fast!
Too fast!
Gan Ning's unique Shadow Blade technique was terrifying.
Not only was it extremely quick,
it also absorbed the opponent's strength,
weakening the power of Fierce Tiger Wild Blade.
When Zhang San, Li Si, and the others were knocked back,
Gan Ning himself staggered two steps.
The shadow energy around his sabers extinguished.
Even with his strength,
he had barely endured the assault.
Before he could recover,
Wang Wu, Zhao Liu, and the spellcasters attacked.
Explosive flames,
lightning,
and wind blades crashed into Gan Ning.
Although he used shadow energy to absorb part of the damage,
he was still forced backward and suffered injuries.
“So strong!”
The Calamity Army players were stunned.
The entire exchange had occurred in an instant.
All Eight Azure Dragon Guards were Level 25.
Most wore blue-grade equipment.
Each had mastered numerous max-level skills.
Their overall combat power rivaled second- and third-rate commanders.
And they enjoyed the advantages of defending their own territory.
Yet even in an eight-against-one battle,
they failed to completely suppress Gan Ning.
As expected of an Overlord-class unit.
Such a terrifying existence posed a tremendous threat to the territory.
Because of this,
the players witnessed an incredible battle between the Eight Azure Dragon Guards and Skeleton Gan Ning.
It was sensational.
This would definitely dominate the forum headlines.
Zhang Zhongjing activated two alchemical arts in succession.
Four Spirits Body Tempering Pill!
Strength-Enhancing Divine Power Pill!
The Eight Azure Dragon Guards simultaneously activated Lord’s Aura.
Their attributes surged under multiple buffs.
They followed up with Iron Armor Technique,
Burning Fighting Spirit,
and numerous other enhancements.
Then they once again engaged Skeleton Gan Ning.
For a time,
they did not fall behind.
The battle was extraordinarily fierce.
Gan Ning had assumed this would be a minor obstacle.
He merely wanted to kill these people quickly before confronting the Lord.
Now he realized something was wrong.
Their strength vastly exceeded expectations.
The longer he fought,
the more shocked he became.
He could not defeat the Eight Azure Dragon Guards.
Meanwhile,
more and more powerful auras approached.
Additional Azure Dragon Guards arrived.
Each was a Level 21 Tier-Three warrior.
Although weaker than the original eight,
they still approached Commander-level strength.
Combined together,
they formed a formidable force.
“Damn it!”
“This insignificant human territory...”
“How did it cultivate so many powerful experts?!”
Su Fei and the others never expected to encounter such difficulties.
The battle at Sanxiang Ancient City was already so intense.
The reinforcement forces were locked in a brutal war of attrition against the Bone Skeleton Legion.
If the territory still possessed so many elite combatants,
why hadn't the Lord sent them to reinforce Sanxiang?
Wouldn't that greatly reduce casualties?
Had the human Lord somehow predicted their plan?
Otherwise,
why would he act so irrationally?
But that seemed impossible.
“Kill that old man first!”
Su Fei led several Bone Skeleton experts toward Zhang Zhongjing.
Although Zhang Zhongjing's aura was powerful,
he was ultimately just an alchemist.
If they failed to eliminate him quickly,
his support and healing abilities would become a major problem.
“Protect Divine Physician Zhang!”
The Calamity Army players were alarmed.
Zhang Zhongjing was one of the territory's most important NPCs.
Nothing could happen to him.
Although the players wanted to help,
they were too far away.
Facing Su Fei and several Bone Skeleton elites,
Zhang Zhongjing neither retreated nor defended.
A staff suddenly appeared in his hand.
Then an astonishing scene unfolded.
A bolt of lightning struck Su Fei.
The electricity then jumped to several nearby targets.
-1532 (Critical)!
-1032!
-1053!
-1021!
……
The players were dumbfounded.
“D-Does Divine Physician Zhang know magic?”
“Holy crap!”
“Those damage numbers are insane!”
“Am I still dreaming?”
“Isn't that Chain Lightning?”
The Chain Lightning cast by Zhang Zhongjing instantly struck Su Fei and the others.
Their movements were disrupted.
Su Fei roared and surged forward.
His spear thrust toward Zhang Zhongjing.
However,
it was deflected by Wind’s Protection.
A blade of explosive flame immediately materialized.
Explosive Flame Blade!
The attack struck Su Fei directly.
-2021 (Critical!)
Boom!
The explosion's shockwave spread outward.
The surrounding Bone Skeletons suffered hundreds to over a thousand points of damage.
Su Fei himself was blasted more than ten meters away.
His armor and skeleton were heavily damaged.
He looked utterly miserable.
“If you believe this old man is weak simply because I am a physician, then you are gravely mistaken.”
Holding his staff,
Zhang Zhongjing declared,
“This old man is the physician of Luoshui City.”
“There are no weaklings under the Lord's command!”
The players were completely stunned.
“Is this really the Zhang Zhongjing we know?”
“The art style just shifted from Divine Physician Zhang to White-Robed Gandalf!”
“A battle doctor?”
“Amazing!”
“Starting today, Divine Physician Zhang is the idol of all Cleric and Warlock players!”
“...”
Although Zhang Zhongjing had not been with the territory for long,
Hang Yu had invested heavily in him.
Furthermore,
the territory possessed the Skill Tower.
Learning skills required no time at all.
As long as one had sufficient Abyssal Essence and contribution points,
mastery was instant.
It was true that Zhang Zhongjing was an alchemist and legendary physician.
However,
his spiritual and mental attributes were extremely high.
In the past,
he never studied magic.
Partly because he lacked interest.
Partly because he did not wish to spend time away from medicine.
And partly because his magical aptitude was merely average.
Now things were different.
Learning magic no longer consumed time.
After spending the contribution points and Essence granted by the Lord,
he mastered most of the Skill Tower's magical abilities in a single day.
Before long,
he would likely master all of them.
In the future,
even Strength-based and Agility-based skills would be within his reach.
At present,
Zhang Zhongjing had already raised ten spells to maximum level.
Even if his goal was merely to increase knowledge and attributes,
the benefits were enormous.
Although his attribute growth could not compare to famous generals such as Zhou Cang or Wen Pin,
he had at least reached Commander-level standards.
Combined with his alchemical self-enhancements,
his combat power could not be underestimated.
“You cannot even get past this old man.”
“And yet you dream of assassinating the Lord?”
“You vastly overestimate yourselves.”
Holding his staff,
with white beard,
white brows,
and white robes,
Zhang Zhongjing stood before the entrance to the Lord's Castle.
His presence was completely different from usual.
An unprecedented pressure emanated from him.
Clearly,
even someone as kind and compassionate as Zhang Zhongjing could not tolerate villains attempting to infiltrate the territory and assassinate the Lord.
“So cool!”
“Grandpa Divine Physician is amazing!”
“I worried for nothing!”
“The territory is truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!”
“Hahaha!”
“These invaders must be regretting their choices now!”
“...”
The Calamity Army erupted in cheers.
Meanwhile,
more Azure Dragon Guards continued arriving.
The outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.
Su Fei only possessed second- or third-rate commander-level strength.
He was roughly comparable to Zhang San or Li Si.
Gan Ning was undoubtedly powerful.
He was an Overlord Unit.
However,
he had only just reached the Overlord threshold.
Among Overlords,
he belonged to the weakest tier.
He was still far inferior to Zhang Xiu's Defiled Infant form.
The Eight Azure Dragon Guards already possessed the ability to temporarily restrain him under the buffs of territorial skills and Zhang Zhongjing's support.
Now dozens,
perhaps over a hundred,
additional Azure Dragon Guards had arrived.
Every one of them was a Tier-Three quasi-commander.
Even the weakest were elite Tier-Three combatants.
Against such a force,
Gan Ning and Su Fei had no chance.
They could only struggle desperately.
Defeat was merely a matter of time.
…………
Core Hall.
Hang Yu observed everything from behind the scenes.
In truth,
he had detected the intruders not long after they entered Luoshui City.
Gan Ning's Shadow March was certainly powerful.
However,
Hang Yu's attributes were simply too high.
Within his territory,
his perception was amplified tenfold.
At Gan Ning's current level,
approaching him unnoticed was virtually impossible.
“So that's how it is.”
No wonder the enemy Lord's actions had seemed strange from the very beginning.
Both Huangmei Hamlet and Sanxiang Ancient City had merely been distractions.
The true objective was this surprise attack.
To be fair,
the plan was quite clever.
Against a weaker Lord—or even an equal one—it might very well have succeeded.
The enemy could have conquered the territory at minimal cost.
Unfortunately,
for Hang Yu,
the plan was meaningless.
He was an exceptionally cautious person.
Most of the time,
he personally remained within the Core Hall.
As long as he was present,
such an operation could never succeed.
Furthermore,
regardless of the circumstances,
Hang Yu always left sufficient defensive forces behind.
Even if he temporarily departed,
his territory would never be left defenseless.
Although Zhou Cang had taken one hundred Azure Dragon Guards to Wo Niu Mountain,
the total number of Azure Dragon Guards stood at 270.
The remainder were still in the territory,
including the eight strongest original personal guards.
Under such circumstances,
even if Hang Yu were absent,
and even with a famous general like Gan Ning specializing in surprise attacks,
their chances of capturing the territory remained negligible.
That said,
Gan Ning truly was talented.
He had successfully infiltrated the city with a small team.
Such a thing had never happened before.
Among all Three Kingdoms generals,
Gan Ning's surprise-attack abilities were among the very best.
Being infiltrated by him was nothing shameful.
Especially since the operation had ultimately failed.
Still,
the incident made Hang Yu realize that the territory's reconnaissance and warning systems remained insufficient.
The scouting towers needed upgrades.
More early-warning structures had to be built.
The territory's overall defenses also required improvement.
Similar incidents could never be allowed to happen again.
No matter how small the risk,
a flaw remained a flaw.
Problems had to be eliminated before they could grow.
Besides improving infrastructure,
Hang Yu planned to expand the main city's guard force.
He would also integrate the armies absorbed from the Wan City region.
This would ensure Luoshui City's ability to respond to any threat.
As for Skeleton Gan Ning?
Hang Yu could only sigh.
“What a pity.”
Gan Ning was unquestionably a famous general.
Whether considering reputation,
talent,
achievements,
or historical importance,
he ranked among the top ten generals of Eastern Wu.
In terms of pure martial prowess,
he might even rank within the top three,
second only to Sun Ce and Taishi Ci.
His potential for growth was tremendous.
Unfortunately,
he had already pledged allegiance to an alien Lord.
Worse,
he had been transformed into a Bone Skeleton.
This racial transformation differed fundamentally from someone like Zhou Cang.
Zhou Cang's physique had undergone demonic changes,
but he remained human.
Gan Ning's race itself had changed.
Although he gained certain Bone Skeleton racial talents,
the price was severe.
His personal talents became locked.
His growth potential suffered greatly.
He would never develop Fate Skills.
This version of Gan Ning was essentially ruined.
Moreover,
he had already received another Lord's mark.
Defection was nearly impossible.
The only option was complete elimination.
Still,
there was no need to dwell on it.
The Abyssal Plane contained far more than one Gan Ning.
The moment the Abyssal Will descended,
countless parallel timelines were created.
Across those countless worlds,
there were undoubtedly thousands upon thousands of different versions of Gan Ning.
There was nothing to regret.
If Hang Yu wanted a general of Gan Ning's type,
he could simply find another world containing Gan Ning in the future.
This battle also revealed the territory's tremendous hidden strength.
The top-tier Azure Dragon Guards were already incredibly powerful.
Even Zhang Zhongjing possessed remarkable combat ability.
The players would undoubtedly discuss this revelation extensively.
From beginning to end,
Hang Yu never personally intervened.
There was simply no need.
Gan Ning had drastically underestimated the strength of this human territory.
His ten-man strike team had walked directly into a trap.
This battle of self-destruction would soon come to an end.