Chapter 250 – Nest of Filth, Fallen Territory

On the second day after Uta’s evolution, he officially defeated the Frost Dragon Sario.

Thereafter, he entered a shackle cultivation mode.

In the form of bearing shackles, he challenged Bone Two, Bone Three, and other subordinates, sometimes fighting one against many, battling squadron leaders and battalion leaders of the Garrison Legion.

Through intense combat, everyone’s fighting skills improved significantly.

However, Lu Liu reported that in recent days, more and more officers and elites were getting injured, which had begun to affect the legion’s combat effectiveness the following day.

“This approach is indeed inappropriate. Let Uta go fight in the Land of Trials.”

Of course, Contribution Points would be deducted.

What if Uta’s contribution value was already negative? Then he’d just accumulate more debt.

With Uta’s current combat power, he could play a significant role when the timing was right, especially in surprise attacks.

Even without battles, his strength could be greatly utilized in tasks like breaking rocks, moving mountains, and civil engineering projects.

The same applied to other subordinates.

Mu Yuan was exploring more ways to utilize his various subordinates.

For instance, the Water Mirror Dragon possessed skills like Water Phantom, Water Mirror, and Magic Cylinder, indicating its proficiency in shaping-type spells. With some guidance and learning, the Water Mirror Dragon could develop certain artifact crafting abilities.

Having a dragon create low-level artifacts might sound exaggerated, but it made sense in Tianyuan Territory.

What about being a dragon? Does being a dragon mean you don’t have to work?

In fact, Mu Yuan had long assigned ‘idle’ epic-tier experts to craft items like spell scrolls.

Take for example the director of Holy Light Hospital, leader of the Sisterhood, and the territory’s top healer, ‘Laney.’

Laney had evolved into the epic life form ‘Holy Light Sage’ over ten days ago.

However, since she didn’t need to go out for battles and there normally weren’t enough injured requiring her healing, she utilized her idle time to create one recovery scroll after another using the simple scroll-making method she learned from Isloria.

Possibly due to her ‘Sage’ title, Laney made rapid progress in learning theoretical spell knowledge.

Sometimes, she would also go to the northern outpost to treat the wounded.

At the outpost, the injured were already categorized and placed accordingly—those with severe injuries in the inner circle, and those with minor injuries in the outer circle.

Laney walked to the center, clasped her hands with fingers interlocked, slightly bowing her head in a praying posture.

The next moment,

Pale golden light patterns spread out from her in all directions, resembling an upside-down large bowl covering dozens of meters around.

Within the area, whether lightly or severely injured, wounds healed at a visible pace, and pale complexions gradually regained color—though, most injuries had been pre-treated, with foreign objects removed.

Some severely injured had their bodies pierced by several sharp barbs… such wounds couldn’t be handled casually, as Tianyuan Territory lacked the conditions and techniques for surgery.

But when Director Laney arrived and the barrier deployed, someone would approach their gravely injured comrade and “pluck” out the flesh-covered spikes with a tearing sound.

Blood gushed out.

Yet, as long as they weren’t deceased before arriving here, they absolutely wouldn’t die.

In the blink of an eye, their injuries completely healed, though recovering their Origin Qi would still take some time.

“Make sure to rest well.”Passing by, Bone Two expressed disdain. Compared to them skeletons, the human race was just too delicate. Unlike it, which could disassemble and reassemble its entire body without any issue.

Inside the graveyard,

a Frost Dragon drooped its head, lying on the cold ground.

Its scales were tattered, and one of its wings was broken off.

Around it, several Lichs, evolved from Skeleton Mages, raised their dark, eerie staves, casting wisps of black mist over the Frost Dragon to repair its damaged body.

At the northern gate, the Undead General, having stepped into the Fourth Order, set out alone.

He was to continue exploring the north.

He needed to determine whether Legendary Realm monsters existed within a few hundred kilometers to the north. If so, the territory had to prepare for the worst.

If discovered early, Tianyuan Territory could still make some arrangements.

Whether it was to fight a battle or, if absolutely necessary, seek reinforcements, plans could only be made after discovery.

Otherwise, waiting for a Legendary Realm existence to lead a monster wave south would be a terrifying disaster.

Even without Legendary Realm beings, some special monster waves were troublesome, such as flying monster swarms.

If a large number of flying monsters attacked, defenses had to be set up in advance.

And this task could only be handled by the Undead General… Deadbone didn’t trust anyone else with it.

Mu Yuan was actually a bit worried about Deadbone.

“Although Deadbone has stepped into the Fourth Order and is an absolute powerhouse among the Fourth Order, capable of crushing the vast majority on the Dragon Gate List, still…”

The gap between him and the Legendary Realm was as vast as the Sky Abyss.

A couple of days ago, Mu Yuan had asked Frog-Selling Bro and learned that even the top-ranked expert on the Dragon Gate List was far from matching a Legendary in combat power.

No one had ever been able to cross realms and fight a Legendary.

The gap was immense, and those who could break through to the Legendary Realm were themselves outstanding among the Fourth Order.

How could other Peak Fourth Order experts possibly cross realms?

Of course… even if a top-ranked expert on the Dragon Gate List had been immersed at the Peak Fourth Order for decades, it was still uncertain whether they could reach the Legendary Realm with a mortal body.

Once you hit the ceiling, no matter how hard you try, you can’t improve unless you possess unreasonable, limitless talents like ‘Heaven Rewards Diligence’ or ‘Devour.’

Moreover, the top few dozen experts on the Dragon Gate List were replaced by newcomers every few years.

The old ones either died or broke through and advanced.

“Forget it, with Deadbone’s caution, even if he accidentally encountered a Legendary existence, he wouldn’t charge in recklessly. No need to worry.”

Worrying was useless anyway.

Mu Yuan opened the panel and checked the current lineup.

The main force, the ‘Undead Legion,’ was now entirely of Outstanding grade, with a total of 499 members.

The secondary main forces, the ‘Garrison Legion’ and the ‘Treant Legion,’ had both condensed the embryonic form of a military soul. Due to their higher average Rank, these two legions were stronger than the Undead Legion was two and a half months ago when it first condensed its military soul embryo.

The three legions, along with a large number of Rare-grade reserve soldiers, were capable of defending Tianyuan Territory without letting monsters cross a single inch of the defense line.

Of course, relying solely on the three legions still carried significant risks, as they were not as strong as the fully developed legions of veteran Lords.

Tianyuan Territory’s greatest advantage lay in its powerhouses.

And there were quite a few who were beyond the norm—unreasonable powerhouses capable of swaying the outcome of a battle single-handedly.

Mu Yuan opened the panel to check the current Epic powerhouses.

「Undead: Deadbone, Rakshasa, Red Robe, Sario, Bone Two, Bone Three, Bone Four」”Human Race: Isloria, Lu Liu, Seventeen, Sophia, Xiliu, Laney, Uta”

“Nature: Tree Spirit Grandma, Flower Spirit, Wood Spirit”

“Element: Dolai”

“Others: Asun, Tiff”

A total of twenty Epics.

The Elemental type has only Dolai as its sole representative.

Firstly, the strongest Winter Maiden ‘Azure Frost’ is still at a low Rank and lacks sufficient Contribution Points.

Secondly, Mu Yuan is accumulating Evolution Points for Dolai’s evolution.

Given Dolai’s skills and talent configuration, its role in large-scale warfare is no less significant than Deadbone’s.

Evolution Points for the Elemental type have always been relatively scarce among the major categories, only slightly more abundant than those for the Dragon and Flying types. However, as Sophia expands the company’s scale and improves acquisition efficiency,

the Elemental Evolution Points have now been fully accumulated. Dolai is currently eating and drinking voraciously to store energy for its evolution—this is its way of preparation.

“Whoosh—”

Dark shadows soared over the city walls, diving down from the sky.

They were Harpy flying monsters, numbering over a hundred.

Some were shot down by the defenders on the walls and the Arrow Towers, but more than half managed to cross the walls, scattering and flying into the city.

Mu Yuan was currently patrolling the eastern City Walls. He merely watched without taking action.

If he needed to intervene, it would indicate that this side of the defense line was highly unstable.

Sure enough,

as soon as these Harpies flew into the city, dark green vines shot up from the forest below, binding them and yanking them downward.

In the blink of an eye, the Harpies that vanished into the woods fell silent.

A few stronger Harpies managed to fly higher in time, evading the dark green vines, but they were quickly pounced on and killed by the surrounding Storm War Falcons and Azure Grey Birds.

“However, it’s somewhat unacceptable that monsters managed to cross the walls, even if they are flying types.”

The defense line of his Tianyuan Territory extended far beyond the walls in front of him.

Further out, there were numerous outpost stations, as well as scouts and elite patrols roving the surroundings.

They would retreat and notify the rear upon discovering large hordes of monsters.

If they encountered small groups of monsters, they would eliminate them directly.

The elite patrols included not only ground units but also aerial ones.

Composed of Storm War Falcons and a small number of Azure Grey Birds.

Their strength was not insignificant.

With a thought, Mu Yuan’s vision steadily rose, faint clouds swirling before his eyes as if he were standing atop a tall building, overlooking the surroundings.

To the East, small black clouds dotted the horizon—flying monsters engaged in combat with the War Falcons.

Soon, Mu Yuan received a message from an Elite ‘Azure Grey Bird’ responsible for the eastern aerial squad.

A large horde of monsters was surging from the East.

“But why are they coming from the East?”

…

Hundreds of kilometers away, Stone Ridge Town.

“Beep—”

The armored train slowly pulled into the station platform, disgorging a multitude of fully armed players, player lords, units, and large quantities of supplies.

“The sixth batch of frontline support supplies has arrived.”

“The armored train has sustained localized damage in three areas and must be repaired before returning.”

“Reinforcements are here, hooray! These monster waves are getting fiercer.”

Most veteran players remained relatively relaxed.

They had participated in numerous similar monster wave defense battles, and as the Taixuan Alliance grew stronger, various frontline strongholds had become increasingly fortified.

In recent years, it had become rare to hear of frontline strongholds being breached.It’s not uncommon to hear about ordinary territories falling occasionally.

However,

Inside the City Lord’s Mansion building serving as the command center in the town center.

Cui Long, the Lord of Stone Ridge Town, widened his eyes and roared, “What did you say? A Foul Nest has appeared within the Alliance’s borders? And because of the Foul Nest’s influence, one territory has already been destroyed?!”

Cui Long broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He knew all too well what a Foul Nest was!

It was a terrifying region a hundred times larger than a Land of Filth.

A normal Land of Filth, no matter how it grew or spread, only contained one Root of Filth at its core. However, within a Foul Nest region, there were multiple Roots of Filth, along with one main root.

Only by purifying all the Roots of Filth and then purifying the main root could the Foul Nest be eradicated.

Of course, that was just part of it.

The truly terrifying aspect was that the main root of a Foul Nest could continuously spawn monsters. Under the Foul Nest’s influence, the spread of the Foul Lands would also be extremely rapid.

If a Foul Nest were to fully mature, it could easily turn an area of over a thousand kilometers in radius completely into a dead zone.

Especially since this Foul Nest was very close to Stone Ridge Town and the various outer territories of the Taixuan Alliance!

It had just been born, yet a territory had already fallen because of it.

What would happen in another couple of days?

“What should we do? What should we do?”

Cui Long paced back and forth, his hands trembling with nervousness. If territories within his jurisdiction fell one after another, he, as the Lord of this important town, would be held accountable. Moreover, once the Foul Nest grew stronger, it wouldn’t just be about territories within his jurisdiction falling—the entire Stone Ridge Town would also sink under waves of monsters.

But he was merely one of the official Lords who had risen quickly.

He had no ability to handle a disaster of this Rank!

He didn’t even dare to issue orders arbitrarily, fearing that a wrong command would completely destroy any hope.

Suddenly, an old man walked in, and Cui Long’s eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior.

“Your Excellency…” He explained the situation, “Please think of a solution quickly!”

The newcomer was the Fishing Old Man.

This powerful Senior Lord had come to Stone Ridge Town a few days ago to assist in its defense.

At this moment, Cui Long was willing to hand over all command authority to the Fishing Old Man, hoping only for a reliable solution.

The Fishing Old Man pondered briefly, “Immediately gather the experienced Lords and powerful players in the city. We must take advantage of the Foul Nest’s recent birth and nip it in the bud.”

“Can’t we seek help from Boulder City?”

Cui Long cautiously suggested, “If Boulder City could send a Legendary Realm expert, destroying a newly born nest would be almost certain, and the round trip wouldn’t take too much time.”

“It’s difficult.”

The Fishing Old Man shook his head. He knew more information than Lord Cui Long.

Blue Star was about to undergo Fusion, incidents in the Two Realms Zone were frequent, and it was during the Crimson Mist disaster month. The entire Taixuan Alliance was stretched thin in terms of military strength, with every powerful expert having their own region to guard.

It was true that there were still a few powerful experts in Boulder City, but it was surrounded by strong enemies. Just two days ago, a Legendary battle had erupted on the outskirts of the Gloomy Forest.

Currently, Boulder City’s Legendary expert was pursuing the enemy—remnants from the core area of the Gloomy Forest, after the fall of the Goblin Kingdom.

This overlord-level monster force rooted within the Taixuan Alliance’s borders had finally been eradicated by the Alliance at great cost a few months ago, intending to clear a safe space for Blue Star’s Fusion and the city’s descent.The threat of the Foul Nest is immense.

However, legendary monsters possessing intelligence pose an equally grave danger.

“The top priority is to take immediate action.”

“I understand,” said Cui Long. “However, the Crimson Mist erosion within the Foul Nest area is extremely severe. We must equip the assault teams with potions like Icy Purity to operate within the erosion zone. But this makes it difficult to deploy large armies effectively.”

During the Crimson Mist disaster month, players venturing out to hunt monsters can typically only last half a day before returning to their territories to rest for several days.

If they enter true Foul Lands or erosion zones, they might not even endure half an hour.

Potions have become a necessity.

Yet, anti-Crimson Mist potions are generally of Advanced grade or higher, and their production is extremely limited, only sufficient for a small number of individuals.

Which means…

To eradicate this monster nest, we must rely on a handful of powerful experts.

The Fishing Old Man declared, “Immediately summon all experts within the city who are at the third tier or above.”

……

Boom—

Xiliu soared through the sky, spewing crimson flames that engulfed an area one to two hundred meters ahead.

Flying monsters wrapped in flames plummeted from the air.

The battle on the ground was gradually concluding, with countless monster skeletons piled high before the towering City Walls.

Some were already bringing in the Sacrificial Black Coffin to act as battlefield scavengers.

Mu Yuan gazed into the distance.

The eastern part of the territory was predominantly hilly, with few monsters even during the Crimson Mist disaster month.

The north faced the most threats, followed by the west.

Previously, neither the south nor the east had experienced large-scale monster waves.

But now,

“Something unexpected must have occurred.”

He was about to send Asun on a reconnaissance mission when Sophia, far away on Blue Star, transmitted information through a special artifact.

It was a highest-level alert posted on the Taixuan Forum by the Stone Ridge Town authorities.

「A Foul Nest has appeared in the region (◆◆, ●●). Repeating, coordinates… a Foul Nest has appeared. Pujie Territory has fallen. Territories within a hundred-kilometer radius are advised to evacuate strategically.」

Mu Yuan was taken aback.

These coordinates… seemed uncomfortably close to his territory.

Within the hundred-kilometer range.

Moreover…

He remembered Pujie Territory; Lord Zhou Ye had mentioned it. Just two or three days ago, his own trade caravan had visited Pujie Territory, selling a batch of standard equipment and potions to the local lord.

And in the blink of an eye, such a large territory had… vanished?

(End of Chapter)