Monsters Are Coming

"No problem."

After hanging up the phone, Li Zheng asked a few presidents from top guilds.

Their answers were all similar.

They indicated that it was extremely difficult, almost impossible, for their ten-person squad to reach their region, and suggested waiting for the next round to gather and leave the village together.

After disconnecting, Li Zheng decided to go out with the brothers to test the strength of the derivative evil spirits during the Waxing Moon.

"Let’s go, we’ll hunt outside the village first."

...

A few minutes later, the mist cleared before them.

Li Zheng and the brothers of the Liver Emperor Group appeared at the exit of Imperial Tomb Village.

This is where the dream began.

He vividly remembers the comedic scene when he first left the village.

At that time, he laughed and said the giant beast falling from the clouds in the distance was just the opening CG scene, but the roar made his nostrils bleed, causing a joke.

He looked up at the sky, where a bright and eerily colorful Waxing Moon hung high.

Compared to the village entrance in his memory, the scene during the Waxing Moon had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Many decayed Black Tide buildings that he’d never seen before appeared.

The ground below was cracked and desolate, ash-like particles floated in the air, and a cold, piercing wind swept through the land, brushing against their bodies as if invisible ghostly hands were gliding over their skin.

Looking into the distance, many derivative evil spirits of the Black Tide were roaming the land.

In the sky, countless shadows fluttered within the oppressive clouds.

"How about trying the Battle Formation mode?" Killing Heart suggested eagerly.

"Sure, we’ve learned the Battle Formation mode in the training camp for a while, but have never used it in combat. It’s a good time to try it," Family Shared Godfather nodded in agreement.

"Don’t try it; there will be opportunities to use the Battle Formation later. Our proficiency is too poor now, and this is the Waxing Moon. Returning to upgrade the Life Soul Level is key," Chi Tu immediately shook his head and rejected Killing Heart and Family Shared Godfather’s proposal.

"Chi Tu is right, the most important thing for us on our return is upgrading; there will be plenty of chances to improve our Battle Formation proficiency," Li Zheng also expressed his thoughts at this moment.

"Brother Li, we’re listening to you."

Once focusing on upgrading was clarified, they sped towards the nearest derivative evil spirit.

Li Zheng felt uncertain whether their ten-person squad’s combined combat strength could defeat a derivative evil spirit.

Their Body Refining Level was unmatched among all players, but they had no advantage in Life Soul Level.

Opening the leaderboard reveals that the player with the highest Single Soul Level had already reached Level 63.

Yet the highest level of their Single Soul was only Level 49.

They had to use their advantage in Body Refining Level to compensate for the attribute gap in Life Soul Level.

Although overall combat strength comparison even put them stronger than those top players.

But their attribute advantage compared to other players was meaningless in the Waxing Moon Stage within the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range.

According to the Guidance, during the Waxing Moon Stage, the average Hunting Level of derivative evil spirits in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range scenario was Level 78.

Many top player squads had already given up activities in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range, and only large top guilds have the ability to hunt in this land using team mode.

Their ten-person squad might not necessarily be a match for even the lowest-level derivative evil spirit.

But they still planned to find a derivative evil spirit to practice on; without trying firsthand, their understanding of its strength would always remain just a concept.

Soul Travel mode was something they experienced back then.

The days when five Black Armored Snakes coiled around a Curse Soldier seemed like yesterday.

Soon, they reached the area where the derivative evil spirit was located.

The appearance of the derivative evil spirit ahead resembled a scarecrow planted in the ground, dressed in shabby clothes, surrounded by a decaying aura, and its strips of cloth danced eerily in the gusts of wind.

Its head, devoid of flesh, was left with only a skeletal frame, featuring two eyes made of red stones, and wore a hat woven from straw.

The body was haphazardly tied with dried brittle straw, much of which had broken and piled around its feet.

A cold wind blew through, making the scarecrow creak and groan.

The Decomposition function scanned it, presenting detailed information into the minds of the Liver Emperor Group players.

[Dark Scarecrow (Derivative Evil Spirit)]:

Hunting Level: 85

Target Introduction: A derivative evil spirit unique to the Waxing Moon Stage, possessing a powerful Dark Erosion Ability, capable of releasing Dark Mist to gather nearby life force. If a living entity inhales the mist, its consciousness will be gradually eroded by Dark Energy, ultimately becoming puppets controlled by the Dark Scarecrow.

...

"Brother Li, what do you think?"

After glancing at the Dark Scarecrow’s Hunting Level, Chi Tu immediately felt the pressure.

No wonder the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range area had become so deserted.

The Waxing Moon mode opened up the "hard mode" for the Emperor Tomb Mountain, and normal player squads were only here to suffer.

Only large guilds had the qualification to navigate here, after all, even evil spirits with a hunting level of over 80 couldn’t withstand thousands or even tens of thousands of players’ concentrated bombardment.

"Let’s give it a try."

Though feeling uncertain, their combat strength couldn’t be calculated just by Life Soul Level anymore.

The attribute bonuses brought by Body Refining Level could completely allow them to battle above their level, but whether they could defeat the Dark Scarecrow was still unknown.

"Kill!"

At this moment, Li Zheng suddenly clenched his fist, as red air flows rose from beneath his feet, spreading outward in ripples of energy.

His body became enveloped in the red air flow as he was the first to make a move.

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His right fist, wrapped in red air flow, charged up while running, striking towards the head of the Dark Scarecrow like a hungry tiger pouncing on prey.

Just then, a blood-colored arrow shot past him at even greater speed, accurately hitting the head of the Dark Scarecrow.