Chapter 224 : Little Bell Solo Kills a Tier-Three Commander! The Might of the Demon-Slaying Formation!
Chapter 224: Little Bell Solo Kills a Tier-Three Commander! The Might of the Demon-Slaying Formation!
Five Blessing Points lay in the northern part of Woniu Mountain.
They had been attacked one after another and had all fallen.
The Ghastly Corpse Fiends possessed a special secret art called the Corrupt Marsh Teleportation Technique, a technique designed specifically for transporting undead units. With this ability, they could move organized undead forces across considerable distances, making every attack arrive without warning and almost impossible to guard against.
To avoid meaningless casualties,
Most of the personnel stationed at Woniu Mountain's strongholds had already been evacuated.
When the five northern strongholds came under attack, only a handful of Scourge Army Players had been present. They had been completely powerless against the suddenly emerging army of Dead Bone Skeletons. Reinforcements from other areas had been unable to arrive in time, so the strongholds had fallen cleanly and without suspense.
This outcome had been entirely within Hang Yu's expectations.
If the Lich Lord failed to occupy these strongholds, the Scourge Army would never have the opportunity to engage him.
Once the Lich Lord captured territory within Hang Yu's domain, those occupied lands became targets that absorbed and pinned down part of his military strength. The more territory he occupied, the more dispersed and entrenched his forces became, thereby providing the Scourge Army with clear objectives.
At that point, even without Hang Yu's guidance, the Scourge Army would never sit back and watch their territory remain occupied.
All Hang Yu needed to do was issue a few quests and offer some rewards.
The Scourge Army would then throw themselves into battle without hesitation.
Among the five occupied territories,
There was one called Li Village.
Located in the northeastern part of Woniu Mountain, it had been selected as the Divine Feather Palace Legion's target.
At this moment, the Players were assembling at the Blessing Point nearest to Li Village. They had just completed a preliminary reconnaissance of the village.
"This battle won't be easy. Our biggest problem is simply that we don't have enough troops."
After scouting the enemy area with her Thunderhorn Eagle, Dawnlight said,
"Although Li Village has only been occupied for less than half a day, and the enemy Lord hasn't had time to build defensive structures like walls or arrow towers, they've already stationed no fewer than fifteen hundred Dead Bone Skeletons inside."
Lu Xiaoyou exclaimed,
"What? That many?"
Dawnlight continued,
"More than half of those Dead Bone Skeletons are Tier-Two Elites. In addition, there's at least one Dead Bone Skeleton General stationed there. Although he isn't at Huang Zu's level, he still possesses the combat strength of a third-rate Commander. It'll be very difficult for us to defeat him on our own."
The Divine Feather Palace Legion had only a little over five hundred official members and reserves combined.
Even after adding the members of smaller Player organizations and unaffiliated Players, their total force barely exceeded one thousand.
Although Little Bell, Dawnlight, and Chimera Wraith had already reached Tier Three, at least two-thirds of the Players had yet to even break through to Tier Two.
Their current location, Xiaomiao Hamlet, lay fifty li from Li Village. Even riding Spirit Horses at full speed, it would still take them over an hour to reach their destination.
It was simply too far away.
They couldn't replenish their forces quickly.
Trying to recapture Li Village with only one Legion's strength wouldn't be easy.
Of course, everyone had already prepared themselves mentally before setting out.
It wasn't that the Scourge Army didn't want to deploy more troops.
Every available soldier had already been mobilized.
Their forces had simply been split up to launch simultaneous attacks on the four occupied territories besides Huangmei Hamlet.
Why not simply concentrate their forces and attack one location?
Because the enemy was also a force of the Will of the Stars.
Their army greatly outnumbered the Scourge Army.
If the Players concentrated all their forces on one target, the enemy could immediately reinforce it through Blessing Point teleportation and wipe them out in one decisive battle.
Wouldn't that just become a direct head-on clash?
As for why they weren't attacking Huangmei Hamlet...
Huangmei Hamlet was the occupied territory closest to the Lich Lord's domain.
Although Zhou Cang had recaptured it two days earlier,
It had, unsurprisingly, fallen once again.
Because of its geographical position, it had already become one of the Lich Lord's forward operating bases.
At this moment, Huangmei Hamlet not only housed the largest concentration of undead troops, but numerous defensive structures had also been rebuilt there.
Huang Zu and the other undead commanders were most likely stationed there as well.
The Scourge Army clearly understood that they stood no chance in a direct confrontation with the enemy's main force.
Rather than smashing eggs against rocks,
It was better to divide their forces and attack on multiple fronts simultaneously.
The Players had agreed to launch their assaults on all the occupied territories at the same time.
This would force Huangmei Hamlet to divide its attention and expose weaknesses.
On one hand, it would pin down the enemy.
On the other, Players could revive, regroup, identify weak points, and launch powerful counterattacks.
"We're running out of time!"
"We can't worry about that now!"
"Let's attack according to plan and see what happens!"
"That's right! Ever since the Scourge Army was founded, we've never known how to spell the word 'fear.' Whether we can win or not, we'll fight first and ask questions later!"
"Don't forget! These hostile faction units drop huge amounts of Essence and Abyssal Magic Crystals. Even if we're only here to level up, it's still worth it!"
"..."
"Move out!"
Little Bell led the army toward their objective.
One thousand Players rapidly approached Li Village.
Li Village was merely an abandoned settlement.
Under the shroud of Dead Bone energy, a thick mist blanketed the area.
Even so, numerous Skeletons could clearly be seen patrolling within it.
"I'll lead the charge!"
Hua Mulan stepped forward voluntarily.
She took out a bone whistle and blew it.
Immediately, a magnificent black dragon warhorse, as majestic as a qilin, appeared before everyone.
The other Players looked on with unmistakable envy.
"Whoa! A Black Dragon Warhorse!"
"That's a luxury mount only the territory's top experts possess!"
"I never expected Hua Mulan to have one too! That horse alone is probably as strong as a Level 20 Elite monster!"
"..."
The Scourge Army's growth rate had always been astonishing.
Every single day they became stronger than the last.
After every major quest,
Their overall strength increased dramatically.
Especially over the past few days.
This happened to be the crucial turning point when massive numbers of Players were advancing from Tier One to Tier Two—and from Tier Two to Tier Three.
After Ye Li Meng, Lone Boat, Black-Eyed Sharp Bro, Little Bell, and the others broke through,
They spent considerable time learning new skills and strengthening their equipment.
At this moment,
Roughly twenty Tier-Three experts each possessed at least the strength of top-tier Elite units.
Several of the strongest among them had even developed the ability to fight Commander-class units on equal footing.
Besides these powerful veterans,
The Scourge Army continued producing new talents.
The Sword God of Shilipo from Wings of Freedom.
Blind Swordsman from the Undying Dragon Soul Legion.
Independent Players like Uncle Big Tree.
All of them displayed remarkable potential.
Within Divine Feather Palace,
There were currently three Tier-Three Players—
Little Bell,
Chimera Wraith,
and Dawnlight.
Besides them,
Eight more Players had already reached Level 20.
Among them, Ranger Qingchen and Warrior Hua Mulan were particularly promising newcomers.
Their future achievements might not be inferior to those of today's greatest experts.
As Hua Mulan led a small vanguard into the occupied territory,
She immediately alerted the nearby Skeleton forces.
The Skeletons instantly entered battle formation.
At the same time,
They sent warnings to the rest of the Skeleton army.
Sure enough...
These weren't ordinary Skeleton Soldiers.
They possessed a certain degree of intelligence.
A volley of bone arrows immediately flew toward Hua Mulan.
Every arrow had been fired by Tier-Two Dead Bone Archers.
Each shaft shimmered with energy.
These were clearly no ordinary attacks.
"Hundred Birds Scatter!"
Hua Mulan remained completely calm.
Her spear instantly transformed into countless afterimages.
With movements as effortless as lifting a thousand pounds using only four ounces of force,
She lightly tapped each incoming arrow.
The arrows immediately changed direction,
Flying away from her in every direction like birds scattering from a flock.
"Amazing!"
"What skill is that?"
"Why have I never seen it before?"
The surrounding Players were utterly captivated by Hua Mulan's elegant spear techniques, which resembled a graceful dance.
Divine Feather Palace Ranger Qingchen explained,
"That's Hundred Birds Scatter, one of the spear techniques from Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix Spear. It can deflect virtually any ranged attack!"
"What?"
"Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix Spear?"
"Has Boss Hua Mulan actually mastered that technique?"
"Come on, of course not! Have you seen how difficult the complete Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix Spear is to cultivate? She probably only learned one or two individual techniques."
"Even that's incredible!"
"..."
Hua Mulan continued charging forward.
Successfully deflecting the rain of arrows with Hundred Birds Scatter filled her with satisfaction.
This spear technique...
Was unbelievably useful!
Learning Hundred Birds Scatter had been nothing more than luck.
From a Silver Treasure Chest,
She had obtained a Green-grade Skill Book as a quest reward.
She learned the technique directly from the book.
One could say...
That single move alone had made her fall in love with the Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix Spear.
Its techniques were incomparably sharp.
Not only were they strange, powerful, and practical,
They were also incredibly beautiful.
It was practically tailor-made for a female warrior like herself.
From that day onward,
Hua Mulan established a new dream.
She would collect every technique of the Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix Spear.
Eventually,
She would become the first Player in the territory to completely master this spear art.
Blazing Charge!
The Black Dragon Warhorse activated its charging skill.
Its entire body became wrapped in violent flames as it crashed directly into the Dead Bone ranks.
At the same time,
Hua Mulan activated Army Breaker Charge.
Within a single exchange,
She shattered four Dead Bone units.
The surrounding Dead Bone Warriors immediately swarmed toward her.
At that moment,
Several flashes of cold light appeared.
An invisible figure moving at incredible speed materialized beside Hua Mulan.
Using Swiftshadow Step and razor-sharp Sword Qi,
The newcomer intercepted several Tier-Two Dead Bone Elites attempting to ambush Hua Mulan.
"Don't charge too recklessly.
Otherwise, you'll get yourself killed."
Ranger Qingchen slowly revealed herself.
Hua Mulan burst into laughter.
"This is nothing!
These cannon fodder Skeletons are nowhere near strong enough to kill me!"
The other Players charged in as well.
Dawnlight activated the Myriad Qi Origin Returning Pill she had learned from Zhang Zhongjing,
Rapidly restoring the Health and Mana of nearly two hundred frontline Players.
Chimera Wraith unleashed a Blazing Explosion Blade,
Instantly shattering more than a dozen Skeletons.
The resulting explosion also wounded dozens more.
A unit of Skeleton Cavalry
Charged out from the Dead Bone army.
They attempted to attack the Scourge Army from the flank.
Little Bell realized it was finally her turn.
Around her floated two Taiping Ice-Sealing Talismans
And three Taiping Thunderflame Talismans.
Five talismans revolved around her body,
Waiting to be unleashed.
This was one characteristic of Talisman Arts.
Although their casting time was lengthy,
Their cooldowns were much shorter than ordinary skills of the same level.
Furthermore,
Both the Ice-Sealing Talismans and Thunderflame Talismans possessed lengthy delayed activation effects.
Naturally,
There was still a limit.
At her current strength,
Little Bell could prepare at most five talismans at once.
She waved her Nine-Curve Cursed Staff.
The two Ice-Sealing Talismans shot forward first.
As they flew into the Skeleton Cavalry—
"Freeze!"
The two talismans erupted with violent freezing currents,
Instantly creating two gigantic blocks of ice,
Trapping several Skeleton Cavalrymen inside.
The remaining Skeleton Cavalry hurriedly scattered to either side.
Even so,
They were still affected by the freezing power,
Their speed noticeably reduced.
Little Bell immediately released the three Thunderflame Talismans!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three devastating explosions erupted.
Not only did they completely shatter the two massive ice blocks,
The resulting shockwaves engulfed nearly thirty cavalrymen.
Those nearest the blasts were instantly blown apart.
Those farther away continued burning in intense flames,
Or became wrapped in crackling lightning that slowed their movements.
"So powerful!"
"Is this the strength of one of the Four Legion Commanders?"
Little Bell had only made a casual move,
Yet the Skeleton Cavalry was thrown into complete chaos and suffered enormous losses.
Every nearby Player was astonished by the Legion Commander's overwhelming power.
The Scourge Army's morale soared.
Not only did Divine Feather Palace's elite members withstand the enemy's assault,
They led the rest of the Players into a clear advantage.
Before long,
More than a hundred Dead Bone Skeletons had already been killed.
Loot orbs filled the battlefield.
The fighting, however, was so intense that no one had time to collect them.
Of course...
Although the Scourge Army had gained the upper hand initially,
That didn't mean they could maintain it.
After all,
This force numbered only one thousand Players.
More than half remained Tier One.
Meanwhile,
The Dead Bone Skeleton army was not only larger,
But the overwhelming majority were Tier Two.
As the battle intensified,
More and more elite Dead Bone units entered the fight.
The pressure on the Scourge Army increased rapidly.
Casualties mounted at an obvious pace.
At that moment,
A voice carrying overwhelming pressure echoed from within the Skeleton army.
"Insolence!
You dare attack my position?"
Hua Mulan, who had already slain more than twenty Skeletons on the front lines,
Suddenly found herself facing an enormous pale blade aura.
"It's a Tier-Three Commander!"
She gritted her teeth and raised her spear to block.
Both arms shattered instantly.
Horse and rider were blasted backward.
"This is bad!"
Hua Mulan hurriedly recalled her severely injured warhorse.
She herself, however,
Had no time to escape.
Another slash descended,
Mercilessly killing her.
Two strikes.
That was all it took to kill Divine Feather Palace's elite Hua Mulan.
Every Player immediately focused on the powerful Skeleton General.
It was Zhang Hu,
One of Huang Zu's subordinate commanders.
During the siege of Sanxiang Ancient City,
He had been one of Huang Zu's Four Great Generals,
Joining forces with Huang Zu against Wen Pin.
Strictly speaking,
Zhang Hu wasn't exceptionally powerful.
He was merely a third-rate Commander.
Even so,
There was no way a Tier-Two Hua Mulan could stand against him.
At that moment,
A flash of sword light struck from behind.
Ranger Qingchen had launched a sneak attack.
"Seeking death!"
Zhang Hu roared.
The shockwave shattered Qingchen's Swiftshadow Step,
Throwing her into a stunned state.
His next slash cleanly split her body in half.
In the blink of an eye,
Two of Divine Feather Palace's strongest fighters had fallen.
Little Bell angrily cursed,
"You damned monster!"
While continuously casting spells,
Chimera Wraith said grimly,
"We're already struggling against this army head-on.
There's simply no way to spare anyone to deal with him."
Lu Xiaoyou panicked.
"What do we do now?"
Meowla sighed.
"What else?
Take the loss.
We've only brought one Legion this time.
Failing to recapture this territory isn't embarrassing.
I think we should hold this Boss here as long as possible,
Kill as many enemies as we can,
Then come back for Round Two."
After Zhang Hu entered the battlefield,
The situation deteriorated rapidly.
The Skeleton General's massive blade was unstoppable.
Even experts like Hua Mulan and Qingchen couldn't survive three exchanges against him.
Ordinary Players were no more than chickens and dogs before him.
His objective was clear.
Little Bell.
And Chimera Wraith.
The offensive power of those two Warlocks was simply too great.
By now,
The battle had already cost the Dead Bone army over three to four hundred Skeletons.
Nearly half of those casualties had been caused by these two alone.
If he didn't eliminate them quickly,
The losses would only continue growing.
"This is bad!"
"We can't stop him!"
"Is this really as far as we can go?"
"What a frustrating feeling..."
"We've already done well enough.
Every additional enemy we kill is worth it!"
"..."
Chimera Wraith thought the same.
The difference in strength had always been enormous.
The enemy even possessed a Tier-Three Commander.
How could they possibly win?
It didn't matter.
This defeat would only be temporary.
The Scourge Army would soon return and settle the score.
Although almost everyone had accepted defeat,
One person refused to give up.
"Sister Wraith, Sister Dawnlight...
I just learned an incredible new skill.
I think...
I might be able to kill him!"
"What?"
"Seriously?"
"I haven't tested it yet,
But I'm confident.
The problem is...
The spell is extremely complicated.
We have to keep him fixed in one place for about ten seconds."
"Ten seconds?"
Chimera Wraith frowned.
"That won't be easy.
Even Hua Mulan couldn't survive two strikes.
The other Players stand even less chance..."
"I'll do it."
Dawnlight suddenly spoke.
She looked as though she had just made an extremely difficult decision.
The others stared at her in surprise.
Although Dawnlight was a Tier-Three Player,
She wasn't a Warrior with overwhelming defense.
"Sigh...
I really didn't want to use this skill.
But I don't think we have any better options."
She sighed.
Her fair skin rapidly turned green.
Her body expanded.
Scales covered her skin.
Her eyes transformed into golden vertical pupils.
Massive claws and sharp fangs emerged.
"Dragon-Lizard Transformation Secret Art?!"
Chimera Wraith laughed.
"Dawnlight, didn't you say you'd rather die than learn this skill?"
"Sigh.
It's ugly...
But it really is effective."
Dragon-Lizard Dawnlight transformed into a blur,
Colliding directly with Skeleton General Zhang Hu.
He immediately retaliated with a slash.
Dawnlight was knocked several steps backward.
A huge wound appeared across her shoulder.
Yet almost no blood flowed.
The injury visibly regenerated within moments.
"You shall not advance!"
Dragon-Lizard Dawnlight charged forward herself.
Her claws unleashed wave after wave of claw attacks,
Actually carving numerous wounds across Zhang Hu's body.
For the moment,
Even Zhang Hu couldn't defeat her.
The Dragon-Lizard Transformation Secret Art was an extremely unique skill.
It was a complete transformation technique.
Once Dawnlight activated it,
She essentially received an entirely new set of attributes and skills.
All of her normal skills became unusable.
However,
Upon transforming,
Every attribute increased dramatically.
She also automatically gained several Dragon-Lizard-exclusive abilities.
The transformation's strength wasn't fixed.
The higher the caster's level,
The greater their total attributes—
Especially their Spirit—
The stronger the final transformation became.
Many Players believed
That the toughest character in the territory was currently Ye Li Meng.
After all,
He was already Level 22,
Possessed the finest equipment,
And specialized in defense as a Warrior.
In reality,
That wasn't true.
The toughest characters weren't Ye Li Meng
Or Mad Blade Old Wang.
Instead,
They were Midnight Pig Slayer
And Dawnlight,
Both Monks.
Both were Tier-Three Monks.
Both had fully mastered Dragon-Lizard Transformation.
Once transformed,
Their maximum Health skyrocketed,
And every defensive attribute surpassed both Ye Li Meng and Mad Blade Old Wang.
Ignoring overall combat ability,
They were unquestionably tougher.
Zhang Hu had killed Hua Mulan in two strikes.
Yet now,
After landing four or five slashes against Dragon-Lizard Dawnlight,
He had only reduced her Health by less than half.
In Dragon-Lizard form,
Dawnlight regenerated at astonishing speed.
Combined with her incredible agility and reactions,
She continued exchanging blows with him.
After another four or five exchanges,
Although Dawnlight was gradually falling behind,
Her counterattacks still created considerable trouble for Zhang Hu.
"Die!"
Zhang Hu erupted into fury.
Black aura surged around his body,
Rapidly enveloping him.
"It's about time!"
Calculating the timing,
Dawnlight knew it was enough.
Although she clearly realized Zhang Hu was about to unleash his ultimate attack,
She deliberately chose not to retreat.
She wanted to guarantee success.
"Black Tiger Soul-Devouring Slash!"
The black aura surrounding Zhang Hu instantly transformed into an enormous tiger head.
As he roared and swung his blade,
The gigantic dark tiger descended along with the blade aura,
Swallowing Dawnlight whole before crushing her.
-4523 (Lethal Critical!)
Dawnlight.
Dead.
After the enormous dark tiger devoured her,
The soul flames burning within Zhang Hu's eyes noticeably dimmed.
Although this technique was overwhelmingly powerful,
It clearly consumed tremendous energy even for him.
At that moment,
A suffocating pressure descended.
Zhang Hu clearly felt his strength being suppressed.
At least thirty percent of his power had disappeared.
"What is this?"
Only then did he notice
That glowing talismans had appeared at the four corners around him.
Their energies connected together,
Forming a massive formation that trapped him inside.
Danger!
He swung his blade.
Boom!
The four talismans trembled violently.
Yet they endured.
Not only did they remain intact,
Their aura grew even stronger.
"Hahaha!
Trying to escape after getting trapped inside my Four-Talisman Demon-Slaying Formation?
Today I'll show you just how powerful I, Little Bell, really am!"
The next instant,
The four talismans simultaneously unleashed torrents of energy.
Although each possessed different elemental properties,
The formation merged them together.
They became a single beam of divine light,
Descending from the heavens
And striking Zhang Hu directly.
-2320 (Critical!)
The tremendous force drove Zhang Hu onto one knee.
He simply couldn't believe
That such a tiny human could unleash an attack this powerful.
Before he could stand,
Little Bell poured more Mana into the formation.
The Four-Talisman Demon-Slaying Formation activated once more.
Another pillar of Demon-Slaying energy descended from above,
Striking Zhang Hu squarely.
-2258 (Critical!)
The impact shattered his armor,
Cracking the surface of every bone in his body.
Roaring in rage,
Zhang Hu swung another slash.
Once again,
The formation blocked him.
He couldn't destroy it.
His strength simply wasn't enough.
"Damn it!"
His strongest technique,
Black Tiger Soul-Devouring Slash,
Had just been used against Dawnlight.
Its cooldown prevented him from using it again so soon.
-2402 (Critical!)
-2567 (Critical!)
-2388 (Critical!)
...
As Little Bell continued pouring Mana into the formation,
One beam of Demon-Slaying power after another descended.
Zhang Hu's resistance rapidly crumbled.
His Health plummeted.
He had already entered a dying state.
He couldn't fight back at all.
A Tier-Three Commander...
Was actually being completely suppressed by a single Player!
The Scourge Army present could hardly believe what they were witnessing.
Not only the Players—
Even Little Bell herself was stunned.
She had never imagined the Four-Talisman Demon-Slaying Formation would be this powerful.
What Little Bell didn't know
Was that there was a reason it bore the name Demon-Slaying.
The formation possessed innate suppressive effects against Dark-attribute and Undead targets.
That was precisely why every single attack landed as a critical hit.
"Do you feel it?"
"This..."
"Is the wrath of the Scourge Army!"
Little Bell herself was nearing her limit.
Gathering every last bit of Mana she had left,
She unleashed her strongest attack.
"And this..."
"Is the price for overestimating yourself and daring to challenge Lord Hang Yu!"
-4832 (Critical!)
Zhang Hu completely shattered beneath the descending light.
A Tier-Three Commander,
One who was by no means weak...
Had actually been killed
By a Player of the Scourge Army.
Such a thing had never happened before.
In the Players' eyes,
A Commander was equivalent to a major Boss.
Targets of that level
Could never be defeated alone.
Every previous Commander had required a massive group assault.
Once news of today's battle spread,
It would undoubtedly cause a sensation among the Players.
It would become another historic milestone for the Scourge Army.
From this day forward,
Players would know that even an Abyss Commander
Could be solo-killed.
The Divine Feather Palace Legion,
Whose overall strength and prestige had always ranked slightly below War God Hall and Wings of Freedom,
Would undoubtedly gain far greater influence after this battle.
As Legion Commander,
Little Bell's reputation would also soar.
……
Luoshui Main City.
Inside the Core Hall.
Hang Yu had been observing the Scourge Army the entire time.
At this moment,
He had multiple Lord's Vision windows open simultaneously,
Watching the battlefield unfold.
The Scourge Army's operation
Could practically be described as a full-scale mobilization.
Without question,
They were generating enormous income for him.
What surprised him,
Besides the tremendous harvest of Essence,
Was the Players' performance.
Ye Li Meng,
Black-Eyed Sharp Bro,
Lone Boat,
Mad Blade Old Wang,
Salted Fish Thrust,
Street Slayer,
And many other famous Players
Had all performed exceptionally well during this battle.
Meanwhile,
Many rising newcomers had displayed equally impressive performances.
Of course,
The one that surprised Hang Yu the most
Was still Divine Feather Palace.
Among the Four Great Legions of Daxia,
Divine Feather Palace ranked only third,
Slightly stronger than the Undying Dragon Soul Legion.
Yet during this battle,
They became the only Legion to successfully kill an enemy Commander.
"These Players really are growing at an astonishing pace."