Chapter 251 – Top-Level Devouring, Troops at the Nest's Doorstep

Pujie Territory wasn’t weak—it ranked above average among newly established territories. Under normal circumstances, the Lord of Pujie could have gradually developed his territory into a fourth-tier town. Though progress might have stalled there, it would still have been formidable enough to raise a powerful corps capable of eradicating one monster tribe after another.

But now, he was done for… Oh, wait, he wasn’t.

Before his territory fell, he had used “Cross-Realm Escape” to flee back to Blue Star with a handful of his elite forces. As he was already a Lord and had physically descended into the Eternal World, he left no “vessel body” behind upon returning to Blue Star, nor did he perish alongside his territory.

He merely reverted to being a wanderer player—unfortunate compared to many who died in battle, but fortunate in the grand scheme of things.

However, some players who were out hunting monsters likely encountered the tide of creatures surging from the Foul Nest. They might not have escaped.

“The cruelty of the Eternal World has only revealed the tip of the iceberg.”

In Red Leaf Territory, Lord Zhou Ye stared at the latest official update from Stone Ridge Town on the forum, pursing his lips in silence. Just days ago, he had been brimming with ambition, contacting various parties to seize the crisis and opportunity of the Crimson Mist disaster month to rise powerfully.

But before his ascent could begin, one of his partners had already fallen.

“My territory is still relatively far from the Foul Nest, but…”

“If the Stone Ridge Town authorities can’t purify this nest, tomorrow… tomorrow I should start packing and flee.”

Even if it meant losing everything he had built over time and incurring massive debts, it was better than losing his life. With early preparation, he could evacuate with more supplies.

In the surrounding areas, weaker Lords had already begun packing for a strategic retreat. The decision was agonizing, but since the disaster hadn’t yet peaked, their territories would inevitably fall. It was wiser to liquidate assets and live as wealthy wanderers.

Meanwhile, in Stone Ridge Town.

A combat meeting was convened at top speed, with several powerful veteran Lords stepping forward to rally troops for the expedition. The Fishing Old Man remained in Stone Ridge Town to maintain morale, but he dispatched his strongest General, the Demonflame King Rider, to lead several Fourth-Order Commander Tier experts into the assault team.

The Fishing Old Man had always kept a low profile, with his prime activity dating back decades, and his reputation largely confined to fishing circles. But now, with seven Commander Tier experts stepping forward, their strength was reassuring.

“Will Stone Ridge Town’s defenses hold?”

“No matter. This old man still has several Fourth-Order officers here,” the Fishing Old Man declared boldly. “Moreover, I’ve already requested aid from Boulder City. While we can’t secure reinforcements at the Legendary Realm, a group of powerful fighters will arrive.”

“The remaining garrison in Stone Ridge Town can hold out until reinforcements come.”

After the town’s strongest veteran Lords led their corps into battle, the defenses of this key stronghold were somewhat stretched. Fortunately, the disaster month hadn’t yet reached its most terrifying phase. If surprises arose, they could hold for half a day.

The Lords attending the combat meeting understood this, their gazes toward the Fishing Old Man inevitably filling with respect.With such a powerhouse present, they were fully capable of taking down the Foul Nest.

Let’s do it!

One legion after another swiftly set out.

……

In Tianyuan Territory, legions were gathering.

Due to its proximity to the Foul Lands, his territory had already been noticeably affected by the Foul Nest.

From earlier until now, several waves of large monster assaults had crashed against the eastern city walls.

The piled-up corpses were so numerous that the Sacrificial Black Coffin could barely devour them all.

(It can’t handle it, it really can’t handle any more.)

Boom!

Mu Yuan punched and shattered the black smoke and shadows emerging from the Black Coffin, then ordered his men to continue clearing the corpses.

Before the next wave of monsters arrived, they needed to clear all the corpses and collect the Remnant Souls, Soul Sand, and any slightly valuable spoils of war.

The byproducts generated by the Foul Nest were quite valuable.

Unfortunately…

“The existence of the Foul Nest is too dangerous. We can’t allow this nest to continue expanding.”

Like Lord Cui Long, Mu Someone was well aware of the dangers posed by the Foul Nest.

When he first went to the forum to enrich his knowledge base, the type of information he researched most was ‘disaster-related materials.’

He could cite numerous cases of territories being destroyed.

—Some lords tried to control the Land of Filth, only to end up corrupted and fallen.

—Some lords were peacefully developing their territories when they were suddenly crushed by passing Legendary Realm creatures.

—Some lords died from assassinations by enemy nations.

—Some lords perished during Secret Realm expeditions.

—Some lords died due to disputes over loot distribution with teammates.

—10,000+ more cases.

Once a Foul Nest expanded to its complete form, it could devour hundreds of kilometers of land, turning it into a Land of Filth. Simultaneously, the monster waves surging from within could transform hundreds to thousands of kilometers into dead zones.

These waves would then continue to assault more distant cities.

In reality, Foul Nests inevitably existed deep in the Wilderness. The Taixuan Alliance had neither the time nor the capacity to deal with them all. Fortunately, these monsters would also fight among themselves after leaving the Land of Filth.

However, Foul Nests located close to the Alliance had a very direct impact.

“Six years ago, a Foul Tide appeared not far beyond the Taixuan Territory. It wasn’t discovered in time, and only after several outer territories were breached by the tide did it raise alarms. Unfortunately, it was too late—the nest had already grown powerful.”

“Later, the authorities issued a conscription order and dispatched several Legendary Realm beings to eradicate this Land of Filth.”

“This was only possible because the Taixuan Alliance is a powerful nation. Weaker countries might have had no choice but to let the nest devour everything.”

“It’s too dangerous, far too dangerous.”

Mu Yuan looked at the expedition force.

The main force was naturally the Undead Legion—while legions weren’t suited for deep penetration into the Land of Filth, they could clear out monster groups outside the Foul Lands. This would both escort the strong to their destination, conserving their energy before the major battle, and provide cover when necessary, even launching a strong assault if needed.

Beyond the Undead Legion were the aces of this operation.

Rakshasa, Red Robe, Xiliu, Isloria, Bone Four.

Lu Liu, Uta, Laney.

Laney wasn’t particularly strong in combat, but her abilities were somewhat effective in resisting the erosion of the Crimson Mist.

After all, the territory was under significant pressure, so Mu Yuan couldn’t deploy most of his commanders. He could only send about eight or nine Epic-level experts.

For this reason, he even dispatched non-combat personnel like Laney and Isloria.

The Undead General was away.The entire burden of defending the territory rested solely on the shoulders of Lord Mu.

Of course, among the combatants, aside from the eight mentioned above, there was one even more formidable.

The troops had already assembled, and the reason they hadn’t set out yet was because they were waiting.

Waiting for the arrival of the final person.

In the distance, above the territory, purple clouds spread across the sky, and a brilliant pillar of light shot into the heavens, piercing through the white mist and the Crimson Mist. However, due to the concealment of the Domain Jammer, most people couldn’t witness this spectacle.

Gradually, the pillar of light receded.

Returning to its source.

Inside a Training Ground space, it converged onto Dolai, who had transformed into its primitive Slime form.

“Dolai has grown stronger. It seems it can eat even more now.”

Dolai’s Devouring Talent, much like Uta’s Heaven Rewards Diligence, was a bug-like ability with no upper limit.

The latter improved through relentless training.

The former improved through endless eating.

However, General Dolai had not consumed many rare treasures, so it hadn’t fully unleashed the potential of its Devouring Talent.

Even so, this talent had already demonstrated its monstrous capabilities.

It was strong in the early stages and even stronger in the late stages.

Mu Yuan gazed into the distance as notifications chimed incessantly in his ears.

In a way, Dolai and Uta were similar—neither excelled in “comprehension.” But unlike Uta, Dolai could gain everything simply by eating.

「Notification: Your Hero Dolai, bathed in the light of evolution, has advanced to the Epic Two-Star lifeform ‘Devouring Slime.’ Simultaneously, Dolai’s talent ‘Devour (Advanced)’ has upgraded to ‘Devour (Top-tier).’」

「Notification: Due to the advancement of its talent, Hero Dolai’s potential has been stimulated, and all its skills and talents have improved.」

「’Complete Mimicry’ has evolved into ‘Perfect Mimicry.’」

「’Talent · Self-Healing Body (Incomplete)’ has evolved into ‘Self-Healing Body (Complete).’」

「…」

「’Skill · Flame Control’ has evolved into ‘Talent · Fire Element Mastery (Initial).’」

「Notification: Hero Dolai has awakened the skill ‘Split.’」

「Notification: Hero Dolai has awakened the skill ‘Super Devour.’」

——

「Split: Dolai can divide its gelatinous body into countless sub-individuals. The more it splits, the weaker each individual becomes. However, as long as one sub-individual remains, Dolai can fully regenerate.」

「Super Devour: Temporarily and significantly enhances Dolai’s devouring ability, allowing it to consume all things.」

As the light of evolution faded, the Slime at the center of the ritual array blinked its large, expressive eyes.

It didn’t experience any moment of Epiphany, but it still needed to use and familiarize itself with its newly awakened abilities.

After a moment of contemplation,

Its jelly-like body stretched and transformed into the form of the Blue-haired Girl, a shape it had frequently used and felt most natural in.

However, at this moment, Dolai keenly sensed that this form couldn’t fully utilize its power. Its primitive Slime form wasn’t ideal either—casting spells in that form was even slower.

It pondered, and soon a lightbulb seemed to pop above its head.

Its body continued to morph into light, stretching and reshaping like a rubber band within the glow.

In the blink of an eye, General Dolai made its debut in a brand-new form.

At first glance, it still appeared as a girl with chubby cheeks, her hair flowing with blue strands shimmering with faint, stardust-like purple highlights.

The difference was that beneath her, there now sat a plump Slime.

The Slime’s size was somewhere between that of a Large Slime and a small Slime.The girl was sitting atop the Slime.

I’m riding myself~!

This form wasn’t just mimicry—it also utilized the ‘Split’ skill.

Dolai had essentially divided into two.

However, splitting into two would normally divide its energy in half, thereby affecting its own power limit. Yet, through its Perfect Mimicry ability, Dolai recombined the two split bodies into a single integrated whole.

This way,

Dolai went from single-core to dual-core, with a slight increase in both spirit and energy limits.

“I’m really too clever!”

“As expected of me, Dolai~!”

Aside from skill evolution, Dolai’s basic attributes were also rapidly transforming.

From Epic One-Star to Epic Two-Star, it transformed once.

With the advancement of its Devouring Talent, it transformed again.

Especially the latter.

Dolai was still at the Early Stage of the Fourth Order, just a bit shy of reaching Level 4 of the Fourth Order. However, without a doubt, its basic attributes had far surpassed the Peak of the Fourth Order.

It was even stronger than top-tier Fourth Order experts who had achieved a ‘Limitless Body’.

There was a certain beauty in the numbers.

“I, Dolai, am already invincible.”

“Maybe even stronger than Deadbone big bro~”

Of course, this delusion only lasted for a moment in its mind.

If Deadbone big bro hadn’t achieved a Breakthrough to the Fourth Order, such a thought might have been somewhat plausible, but now… Dolai felt it should just honestly accept being second to Tianyuan.

Being second is plenty strong.

Dolai set out in its Slime Knight form and rejoined the army corps.

Mu Yuan stood before the army corps, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene.

“I wish you all a victorious return.”

“Victorious return!”

The skeletons raised their bone swords, letting out earth-shaking cries.

Awoooo—!

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The various Lords, well aware that time was of the essence, assembled and deployed with remarkable speed. From the moment they first received the news to arriving at the edge of the Foul Lands, only a few hours had passed.

This time was seized by having fully-formed army corps fight at full strength, taking turns to break through.

At this moment, these army corps still shone brilliantly, with nascent military spirits hovering above them—Heavy Swords, iron armor, scythes, rolling logs, and more.

They were systematically eliminating horde after horde of monsters charging out from within the Foul Lands.

The process was quite effortless.

An army corps resonating with its military spirit was like a meat grinder, crushing any monster that came its way.

Even so, the Lords present remained grim-faced.

The real battle would only begin once they entered the Foul Lands.

A hundred meters ahead, the red mist filaments drifting between heaven and earth suddenly became dense. The land grew dry and withered, taking on a sinister brownish-red hue. The border between the corrupted area and the normal area was as stark as two different worlds.

And this dark red line was visibly shifting outward.

Wherever it passed, plants and trees rapidly withered, emanating an aura of ominousness.

“It really is a Foul Nest. This expansion speed is terrifying.”

“Indeed. It’s only because the nest has just formed. If we let it expand to cover dozens of kilometers, we might as well clean our necks and wait for death.”

“The Crimson Mist within the nest’s area is too thick. Visibility is severely affected, and it’s said to distort and confuse perception. Finding the Root of Filth and the main nest won’t be easy for us.””This is the challenge of the strategy—we need to locate and purify each Root of Filth within a relatively short time frame. Only then can we cleanse the main nest… If we take too long, new Roots of Filth will sprout again, and we won’t be able to purify the main nest.”

Several Lords were discussing.

The entire strategy and subjugation team was primarily composed of the Fishing Old Man’s Hero, the ‘Demonflame King Rider,’ and the Mad Blade City Lord, along with several other veteran Lords.

They were conducting reconnaissance and preparations outside the nest.

The Mad Blade City Lord asked, “How many Lords do we have here?”

An official Lord replied, “A total of 32 Lords, 16 Heroes, and 69 veteran players.”

Ordinary players’ marks were already incomplete, and their purification power was limited. Within the Foul Lands, they could hardly contribute much.

The main force for purifying the Roots of Filth still had to be the Lords.

Thus, even some Lords who were only at the Elite level had joined the army on-site.

They swallowed nervously, “This… will it be alright?”

“It’ll be fine.”

The Mad Blade City Lord said, “We’ve gathered so many powerful individuals, with a full thirteen at the Commander level. There’s absolutely no problem subjugating a Foul Nest that hasn’t yet grown strong.”

“We should think positively. Once we purify the nest, we’ll be Heroes, receiving substantial Contribution Points rewards from the association. Not only that, purifying the Foul Nest will also grant us the world’s blessings. Let’s return with treasures and thoroughly dazzle those cowards who didn’t dare to join the expedition.”

“Exactly,” another veteran Lord licked his lips and said, “Purifying the Roots of Filth already grants decent blessings from the world, let alone purifying the main nest… I’ve never subjugated a Foul Nest before. What grade of blessings could purifying the main nest bring? I don’t even dare to imagine.”

“Let’s do it, everyone. Once the main nest is purified, the distribution of treasures will be based on contributions.”

“For world peace, for treasures and tomorrow, let’s do it!”

…

“The Foul Nest, General Dolai is coming!”

The Tianyuan Legion was advancing straight toward their destination.

They crossed mountains and forded rivers as they encountered them.

In the sky, Asun soared, its sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. It was not among the officers entering the Foul Lands but was leading a group of War Falcon subordinates, searching for traces of the Foul Lands.

From time to time, it struck, killing flying monsters.

Their progress was not fast.

The Tianyuan Legion moved like a battleship cutting through waves. Though the ship was sizable, the relentless crashing waves ahead forced it to slow down, continuously engaging and eliminating monsters.

Dolai, Xiliu, Asun, and Bone Four also had to unleash their power periodically to clear the path ahead.

Fighting and breaking through along the way.

Finally, an eerie and ominous land shrouded in thick Crimson Mist came into view.

(End of Chapter)