Chapter 202 – Bountiful Harvest

Crimson Giant Tower, Seventh Level.

The land lay in utter devastation. The once-green grassland had nearly vanished, replaced by vast stretches of charred black earth. The ground was fractured, littered with craters of varying sizes, pockmarked like the surface of the moon.

Whoosh—!

Rakshasa’s figure flickered, appearing before the last Brilliant Spirit. The Karma-Burning Fiend Spear pierced through it with a sickening squelch. Under the crushing force of the fiendish energy, the Brilliant Spirit’s body swelled like an overinflated balloon before bursting apart with a wet pop.

A battle described as ‘protracted,’ ‘fraught with hardships,’ and ‘won by the narrowest of margins’ had finally drawn to a close.

The Undead General let out a long breath of icy black mist, which coalesced into the shape of a massive dragon in mid-air.

“As expected, the Land of Trials is incredibly difficult to conquer. Fortunately, we did not betray the Lord’s trust.”

“We came perilously close to failure.”

As the battle concluded, the power of the rules descended.

The severely damaged Undead Holy Mountain was restored to its original state in an instant. Witnessing this, the Undead General felt a slight easing of the tension in his heart. In a true life-or-death struggle, he would never have employed such a reckless, all-out tactic.

Deadbone—the epitome of steadiness, a hoarder by nature, plagued by paranoia—could not bear the thought of his entire Undead Holy Mountain being destroyed.

If it were lost, recovery would take at least ten days to half a month, or as long as one or two months.

That was one reason.

Secondly, what if they encountered a terrifying enemy while the Undead Holy Mountain was still recovering? Wouldn’t that be far too dangerous?

Unless faced with a life-threatening crisis, Deadbone would never truly deploy the Undead Holy Mountain in its entirety.

What he loved most was watching the Holy Mountain gradually expand and the number of undead upon it slowly increase. In the perilous Eternal World, only this could grant him a sliver of security.

Yet Deadbone also understood that only by truly utilizing his power and understanding its limits could he avoid errors when it mattered most, ensuring steadiness.

The Land of Trials was indeed a Treasure Land.

After several fierce battles, Deadbone had gained a clear understanding of the current endurance limits of his Holy Mountain.

Under the influence of the rule’s power, the scarred and devastated land rapidly healed.

It did not revert to its original grassland form but transformed into a vast, pure white platform.

Opposite, several hundred meters away.

A slightly translucent figure slowly materialized.

He wore a white robe with wide sleeves, sported a beard as white and flowing as a horsetail whisk, and though his hair and eyebrows were silver, his complexion was ruddy. He was an elderly man with a vigorous and spirited demeanor.

Though his face was unfamiliar, his aura was unmistakably…

That of the Hero·Brilliant Spirit who had guarded the level.

Or rather, the figure now appearing was the true form of the guardian elder, while before, he had merely been using the Brilliant Spirit template.

“Young warriors, your performance was remarkable. Could you tell this old man what that last move was called?”

The elder looked toward Deadbone, Rakshasa, and Red Robe.

Though he had been caught off guard, he held no resentment. The ability to launch a successful decapitation strike was a skill in itself. Moreover, the abilities of these three powerful individuals were truly formidable and bizarre. Anyone encountering them for the first time would find it impossible to evade, regardless of whether they were careless or not.

As a venerable guardian who had experienced countless battles and witnessed innumerable strange abilities, how could he truly be caught off guard due to mere negligence?

The challengers were simply that formidable.He mentally simulated it, yet still couldn’t find any feasible method to evade this killing trap.

After all, he was too unfamiliar with the Ghost Market and the Three-Phase Body.

Yet it made him extremely curious, his heart itching as if being scratched by a cat.

What kind of ability is this!

However, no matter how benevolent the old man’s appearance was, or that he was the honorable Tower Guardian, Deadbone’s reply remained just four words: “No comment.”

Soon, he, Rakshasa, Red Robe, and a group of undead gradually faded and slowly disappeared from the scene.

The Tower Guardian watched intently.

But in his mind, the scenes from moments ago kept replaying.

As someone widely experienced and knowledgeable, he actually had some guesses, but didn’t dare to confirm them. Yet after eliminating one possibility after another, only one truth remained—

“Epic.”

He murmured.

A Miracle Territory might be rising.

When the Crimson Mist completely envelops everything in the future, could there be even the slightest bit more…

Hope.

…

“Ding~!”

“Prompt: You have completely cleared the ‘Land of Trials·Crimson Giant Tower’ and can now enter the second area.”

“Prompt: You have cleared the Crimson Giant Tower and obtained first-level authority in the Land of Trials—a Private Space. You can arrange this space or have your own units enter to observe battles.”

“Prompt: You have obtained 10 additional challenge opportunities.”

“Prompt: You have cleared the Crimson Giant Tower. Do you wish to claim the clearance reward?”

In the pure white private space, Mu Yuan stood there.

After studying it for a while, the entire space began to slowly transform: the floor was paved, and in front of him was a floor-to-ceiling window twenty to thirty meters long.

The entire space resembled a high pavilion standing among the clouds, overlooking the battlefield below.

If the battlefield were to open.

“But this space can only change in appearance; the interior still needs to be furnished with various decorations and furniture, so there’s no rush.”

After a while, Mu Yuan bathed, burned incense, and stepped into the space again.

Silently reciting,

“Claim the reward.”

The pleasant “Ding~” prompt echoed in his ears.

Immediately after, just like when he purified the Root of Filth, beams of glorious light representing the world’s reward slowly descended before him.

The difference was that these lights were at least Light Green, and among them were several azure beams, representing treasures of Outstanding grade.

What would they be?

Mu Yuan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling nervous.

In the short term, the only place he could obtain Outstanding-grade treasures was likely here. Other methods, like clearing a few monster tribes or exploring a few treasure lands, rarely yielded Outstanding items.

But there were many types of Outstanding items.

Mu Yuan didn’t hope for the top-tier ones, only that they would suit his territory.

Starting with the green lights, he opened the treasure boxes one by one.

“Prompt: You have obtained ‘Blank Potion Blueprint (Rare)’.”

“Prompt: You have obtained ‘Miracle Blueprint Thunder Coil Tower (Rare)’.”

“Prompt: You have obtained ‘Miracle Blueprint Academy (Rare)’.”

“Prompt: You have obtained ‘Miracle Blueprint Guidepost (Rare)’.”

There were four Rare-grade items in total, all of them treasures among the Rare tier.

Miracle Blueprints, for instance, were second in value only to Unit Buildings and complete structures of the same grade, and were at least ten times more precious than Rare materials or equipment.

“Guideposts are the more the merrier. If I could get lucky and recruit another SR talent like Master Li, that would be even more wonderful.””The Thundercoil Tower is no slouch either—it’s arguably the strongest single-target defensive structure among rare-grade buildings, and its lethality can continuously improve as the territory levels up.”

Last time, the level-three Thundercoil Tower struggled to hit the intruder Victor. But if three Thundercoil Towers were to activate simultaneously, how could a warrior of Victor’s caliber possibly evade them?

Why not toss someone like Duo inside for a simulation test?

Would that be too devilish?

The Academy, on the other hand, is a lifestyle building containing blank books. Residents can input knowledge or stories from their minds to create actual books or reproduce content through other means.

It may not be exceptionally powerful, but it effectively enhances the cultural literacy of the territory’s inhabitants and enriches their spiritual nourishment.

(Isloria: Did I waste all that effort copying books earlier?)

The Blank Potion Blueprint is no ordinary item either—it has an effect similar to that of a Miracle Blueprint. As long as a knowledgeable advanced alchemist inscribes patterns onto it, it can transform into a genuine potion blueprint.

When combined with the Alchemy Hut, potion blueprints enable semi-automated potion production.

Isloria is familiar with numerous potion recipes and has even developed the Vitality Potion suitable for production in the Tianyuan Territory. However, potion-making is tedious, and those who know how—Isloria, Sophia, and Ailin—are extremely busy. Thus, few potions are actually produced, making it somewhat time-consuming.

Now, this awkward situation can be resolved. Not only has production become much easier with a significant increase in output, but it no longer requires professionals to oversee the entire process. The only drawback is that it’s limited to a single type of potion.

Mu Yuan stored these four treasures one by one and then turned his attention to the four remaining beams of azure light before him.

He approached the first blue beam and lightly touched it with his fingertip.

The radiance dissipated, revealing a rare treasure shimmering with a faint glow inside.

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Equipment Blank (Excellent).’」

「Equipment Blank: Can be forged into any type of equipment according to the blacksmith’s intent. Equipment crafted from blanks typically has slightly superior quality compared to items of the same tier.」

Mu Yuan stored it away and moved to the second beam of light.

「Prompt: You have obtained the special item ‘Private Recruitment Scroll (Excellent).’」

「Description: Using this recruitment scroll allows you to designate a specific, unaffiliated individual existing in reality (the individual’s tier cannot exceed Excellent) to be summoned before you and enter into a contract. If no precise designation is made, a random Excellent-tier individual will be summoned.」

「Note: This recruitment scroll cannot forcibly establish a master-servant contract with the target individual; their consent is required. If the target refuses, they will be returned to their original location.」

At its peak, this item could recruit a top-tier, three-star Excellent-grade peerless warrior.

If that were the case, the Private Recruitment Scroll would be a divine artifact, coveted by countless seasoned lords, even Great Lords.

However, in reality, the scroll comes with the precondition that “the target’s consent is required,” making it somewhat impractical.

Mu Yuan stroked his chin, a few figures flashing through his mind.

While it might be impractical for others, it suited him perfectly.

He would deal with it later.

He continued opening the blind boxes.

This time, he finally uncovered a treasure among the Excellent-grade items—a Miracle Blueprint.

「Prompt: You have obtained ‘Miracle Blueprint: Intermediate Mage Tower (Excellent).’」”Note: The construction requirements for the Intermediate Mage Tower are special, requiring the ‘Elementary Mage Tower’ as a prerequisite for building upgrades. Its capabilities are…”

Four outstanding Treasures, with only the last one remaining.

Mu Yuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lightly tapped it with his hand.

The next moment, his eyes widened in astonishment.

“To think there’s this!”

“Ding!”

“Notification: You have obtained a Tier 3 Unit Building…”

(End of chapter)