Chapter 317 – Today, Dolai Becomes Legend

The Tianyuan Territory had temporarily quieted down, a calm that seemed to foreshadow an impending storm.

From the last remaining large tribe under the Gnoll overlord’s jurisdiction, the Kobold Tribe, kobolds surged out in a flurry, seemingly searching for something, yet they remained confined to their own territory.

An intelligent kobold cautiously stepped onto the scorched and devastated land, feigned observation for a moment, then swiftly retreated.

The Gnoll Legend did not reappear.

Even though Mu Yuan used the Heavenly Eye twice—once over the incinerated area of the Gnoll Tribe and once above the Kobold Tribe—he detected no high-energy reactions from the Legendary Realm.

He continued to deploy scout falcons at various points, with a few elite wraiths and Ghost Generals hidden deep within the dense forests.

Meanwhile, Stone Ridge Town was caught in a storm.

No, it was no longer Stone Ridge Town but a city-level territory: Stone Ridge City.

Some time ago, Town Chief Cui Long led his generals and elites to initiate the “Territory Promotion Trial.” Advancing from a level 4 to a level 5 territory is a hurdle every Miracle Lord must face.

Upon reaching the city level, a lord’s “Lord Power” undergoes enhancement.

Lords with innate talents often experience a transformation of their abilities at this stage.

Those without innate talents also have the opportunity to awaken them during the trial’s baptism.

The disparity between city-level lords and town-level lords is vast.

The former are the main force and backbone in the Eternal World’s resistance against monster tides, while the latter are, at best, agricultural zones, breeding areas, or processing factories.

However, advancing from level 4 to level 5 is extremely challenging. Not only must numerous stringent prerequisites be met, but the lord must also initiate and pass the trial.

This promotion trial is far more difficult than the Hero Trial.

Lords lacking sufficient strength, courage, or wisdom may remain town-level lords for life, no matter how long they manage their territories.

Town Chief Cui Long had originally intended to prepare further before undertaking the trial, but reality did not afford him that luxury. Under pressure, he had no choice but to attempt the trial ahead of schedule and, fortunately, passed it without major mishap, enabling Stone Ridge Town to advance.

“Thankfully, Stone Ridge Town advanced. Otherwise, we might not have withstood the ferocious onslaught of the monster forces.”

“Indeed. After the promotion, many defensive structures could be upgraded simultaneously. Without that, we truly wouldn’t have been able to hold off those terrifying flesh-amalgamation monsters.”

In the war room, recalling the battles of the past few days, the strong warriors wore somber expressions.

They realized in actual combat that this kind of warfare was entirely different from facing the dull-witted monster tides.

During disaster months, the pressure in defensive battles mainly lies in endurance, as prolonged combat exhausts them both physically and mentally. The monster forces’ assaults, while not as overtly fierce or terrifying as monster tides, nearly overwhelmed Stone Ridge City in just a few days, with several sections of the city walls collapsing and the city almost falling.

“The most difficult to deal with are those flesh monsters!”

One of the strong warriors remarked.These flesh monsters, while not exactly overwhelmingly powerful, still posed a significant threat. In a one-on-one scenario, a Third-Order Warlord Tier expert stood a chance of slaying one of these flesh amalgamation creatures.

However, these flesh amalgamations towered at twenty to thirty meters tall, their internal energy reserves far surpassing those of any Third-Order expert.

On the battlefield, a single flesh amalgamation could wreak more havoc than ten or even twenty Third-Order monsters.

Even Third-Order, or Fourth-Order experts, struggled to withstand the charge of these colossal flesh abominations.

Unless, of course, one possessed entities like Mountain Giants, whose sheer size was no less imposing.

Stone Ridge City did have a Mountain Giant, but the flesh abominations numbered in the dozens, if not more.

The city walls of Stone Ridge City had collapsed multiple times precisely because they couldn’t hold back these flesh behemoths.

“Thankfully, our city’s defensive weapons are robust enough, and we have the esteemed ‘Myriad Star Arrow God’ holding the line.”

“Indeed, the number of high-tier intelligent monsters the Myriad Star Arrow God has slain alone probably surpasses the combined efforts of everyone here. Such power undoubtedly places them within the top ten, if not top five, of the Dragon Gate List.”No, in defensive battles, the deterrent power of the Myriad Star Arrow God far exceeds even the top rank on the Dragon Gate List.””

“Speaking of which, why hasn’t the Arrow God attended any of these recent meetings?”

“Meetings? Don’t even mention meetings—we haven’t even caught a glimpse of the Arrow God’s esteemed presence during the war.”

Yet, despite never showing their face, their arrows always arrived timely and precisely, reaching every corner of the battlefield.

They seemed absent, yet omnipresent.

They were the spiritual pillar of everyone, the Guardian deity of Stone Ridge City—the profoundly mysterious Arrow God, whose identity and appearance remained an enigma.

…

“Meetings? Not going.”

“Victory banquets? Not going.”

“The Pioneer Group experts are arriving soon, and they’re asking if I want to make an appearance? Not going, not going, absolutely not going.”

Inside the residence tower, Seventeen waved her hands repeatedly.

As the leader of the Tianyuan Territory’s guard unit stationed in Stone Ridge City, Seventeen strictly adhered to a two-point routine between the base and training structures, never stepping into the public eye.

She disliked gatherings with strangers.

And didn’t dare to.

She had no idea what to say at parties or meetings. Even just being present without speaking felt awkward to her; merely simulating it in her mind made her restless.

The Brocade Sack given by the Lord contained no clever strategies related to meetings.

She searched through it repeatedly but found nothing, which only reinforced her reluctance to go. She never enjoyed socializing with strangers—it was far more challenging than slaying a group of Fourth-Order bosses.

Thus, Seventeen remained reclusive, never showing her face even during the war.

She didn’t need to appear in person. A pull of the Whisper Bow’s string, an activation of the Myriad Arrows Artifact, and everything within several kilometers became her range. All she needed was a suitable shooting position to carry the entire battlefield.

However, the Tianyuan squad couldn’t remain entirely disconnected from Stone Ridge City.

Matters like strategic arrangements, tactical planning, and loot distribution required someone to liaise and negotiate with the city. Thus, the second-in-command, Vampire Count Kibi, made a dazzling entrance.

Perhaps due to his noble vampire lineage, Kibi attended gatherings as if returning home, naturally familiar and at ease.

Seventeen wasn’t going? He was more than willing.

He’d be thrilled to have parties every single day.Now representing both General Seventeen and his own Lord, he was treated as an honored guest wherever he went—how could he not enjoy that?

“OK, I’ll continue representing our Tianyuan when the time comes.”

Kibi declared that he would defend the honor and interests of Tianyuan.

After all, he was a Blood Fiend!

Soon, Kibi returned to the attic and knocked on the door.

“Boss Seventeen, guess who’s here.”

Seventeen was puzzled. Hadn’t she instructed to turn away all visitors regardless of who they were?

City Lord Cui Long had been busy lately and wouldn’t be visiting. As for any other lords who might find their way here, Seventeen had only one response: “Not here.”

She was in the middle of her cultivation.

Just as she was about to say “not here,” a familiar voice sounded from outside the door.

Boom!

“Sophia? Sickle Moon?”

The wooden door burst open with a crash, half the doorframe splintered and hanging precariously.

Seventeen’s hand, which had been pushing the door, froze mid-motion.

…

“So you haven’t been able to contact our Lord either?”

Seventeen couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Sickle Moon crouched on the table, her large tail swaying back and forth.

Sophia comforted her, “Don’t worry, crow. Boss and the others are definitely fine, crow.”

They had traveled here from the inland.

When the two worlds fused, they fell into a certain location in the Eternal World along with Baijiang City. Initially, they assisted the Baijiang authorities in resisting and eliminating several small waves of monsters.

Soon after, reinforcements arrived. Following their Lord’s instructions, they waited until the residents of Baijiang City had been evacuated and there were no areas requiring urgent assistance nearby before setting out on the journey to Boulder City.

Upon reaching Boulder City, they heard that the location of Stone Ridge Town had undergone significant changes, and the steel train route to Stone Ridge Town had been disrupted long ago due to the effects.

In fact, Boulder City didn’t even know the exact location of Stone Ridge Town, only able to pinpoint a general area.

There were no safe routes to Stone Ridge Town either.

Of course, this didn’t pose much difficulty for Sophia and Sickle Moon, two Fourth Order epic-level powerhouses. After spending a day and a half gathering detailed information in Boulder City, Sophia led Sickle Moon and a group of elites who had previously remained in Baijiang City to begin crossing the Wilderness.

She had actually heard that Boulder City would soon form a joint corps to advance into the Shiling Town Region and establish safe trade routes, but how could she wait that long?

So they began traversing the Wilderness.

With unclear coordinates and lacking reference points or route maps, their journey wasn’t smooth. Sometimes they got lost, or encountered powerful monsters lying in ambush.

When facing extremely powerful Peak Fourth Order monsters, Sophia chose to avoid confrontation—though Sickle Moon wanted to fight, she was dragged away by her tail.

Relying on Sophia’s powerful Black Crow radar ability, the group stumbled along until they finally reached the ‘New Stone Ridge City region.’

Sophia said, “When we entered Stone Ridge City, I gathered intelligence that strong reinforcements from the Pioneer Group will arrive soon, tomorrow in fact. At that time, Stone Ridge City will officially sound the horn for counterattack. We should use this opportunity to extract information about the surrounding regions from the monster leaders and see if there are any clues about our territory.”

“Before that, you can level up first. Here are some Upgrade Shards we found on our way here.”

Sophia took out two fragments shimmering with peculiar light.

She was quite the expert when it came to finding shards.

Now, she was Sophia·Fourth Order Late Stage·Sophia!

Seventeen’s mouth fell slightly open.Sophia continued, “For tomorrow or the day after’s counterattack, we need to capture the Tribal Chief alive, then see if there are any experts skilled in interrogation or soul-searching here in Stone Ridge City. If not, our team has a few newly advanced third-tier Ghost Generals. Next, we must…”

Seventeen listened and kept nodding: “Mhm, mhm.”

Sophia: “If we can’t, we’ll have to…”

Seventeen: “Mhm, mhm, right.”

Sophia added, “Perhaps we could also…”

Seventeen: “Mhm, mhm, mhm, mhm.”

Sophia: “…” She glanced sideways at Sickle Moon, who was using her tail as a broom to sweep the tabletop, and felt like facepalming.

Perhaps she didn’t need to discuss any battle plans with these two at all.

But she didn’t even have anyone else to consult with.

Help, crow!

…

At the same time,

“Pfft—”

Rakshasa thrust his spear forward, the long spear moving like a heavenly dragon, directly shattering a powerful monster before him.

After the battle, he surveyed his surroundings.

Towering ancient trees rose like majestic skyscrapers, blocking out the sunlight. Standing here felt like being amidst towering mountains—the surroundings were unclear in all directions, and he had no idea where he was.

Rakshasa had been traveling southward for a long time.

On the first day, he crushed some wild monsters and continued onward.

On the second day, he crushed some wild monsters blocking his path and continued onward.

On the third day, he crushed some powerful wild monsters blocking his path and continued onward.

On the fourth day…

On some day…

Rakshasa was still fighting wild monsters, with no trace of any civilized forces in sight.

…

Mu Yuan ended the communication with Rakshasa without much disappointment—it was all within expectations.

He had long prepared contingency plans for all kinds of worst-case scenarios!

This is what it means to be a Great Master of contingency planning!

“The Featherfolk Kingdom’s stance has shifted somewhat. The Featherfolk Queen still opposes trade and communication, keeping the borders sealed, but she voluntarily shared more information.”

The Overlord faction to the north is called ‘Jackal Fang,’ the absolute ruler dominating thousands of miles of territory.

Jackal Fang possesses terrifying power, with far more than just three monster tribes under its command. However, some monster tribes are located further north and in more remote areas.

“During the Featherfolk Kingdom’s peak era, they apparently clashed directly with Jackal Fang in a major war. The result was a crushing defeat for the Featherfolk Kingdom. Several Legendary Realm experts seem to have fallen in that battle, and the kingdom has never recovered since.”

“This shows that Jackal Fang has at least several Legendary Realm experts stationed there, and the actual number might far exceed that.”

The good news is, Jackal Fang is relatively far from here.

This region is the border area between the Overlord ‘Jackal Fang’ and the Overlord ‘Blood Serpent Embrace,’ making it relatively safe.

The bad news is, Jackal Fang and Blood Serpent Embrace appear to be allies. At the very least, these two Overlords have never gone to war with each other, and any conflicts between their subordinate tribes are only minor skirmishes.

The good news is, Jackal Fang has its own enemies.

Hostile monster factions often fight even more fiercely and brutally against each other.

Moreover, Jackal Fang’s sphere of influence includes more than just the Featherfolk Kingdom among civilized factions.

While mortal civilizations cannot directly confront monster Overlords, those that have survived to this day generally possess some countermeasures and can serve as a restraining influence to some extent.Beyond that, one must learn to survive in the cracks.

Rigidity inevitably breaks.

To be both firm and flexible, and to know when to yield appropriately—this is the path to longevity.

These were the Featherfolk Queen’s exact words.

But surviving in the cracks is too arduous. In the Eternal World, development is a matter of advancing or falling behind. Mu Yuan did not seek to defeat Jackal Fang; at the very least, he needed his own space to grow.

This required the Tianyuan Territory to possess genuine deterrent power.

And the Scepter of Heavenly Authority was not enough.

It was merely a false, unsustainable strength. Moreover, large-scale spells inflicted as much damage on the user as on the enemy. If enemies discovered the Tianyuan Territory and launched a blitz attack, he couldn’t very well drop a Nine-Headed Roaring Thunderflame Dragon during a defensive battle, could he?

Soon, two days passed.

General Dolai had fully digested the remains of the two Epic lifeforms.

Its potential and abilities had slightly improved.

After absorbing vast amounts of nutrients, Dolai had gradually polished its body to the peak of the Fourth Order.

Peak Dolai is here!

“It’s been too hard.”

Mu Yuan’s eyes welled up with tears.

Dolai wholeheartedly agreed. It had been incredibly, incredibly arduous lately—never in its life had it worked so diligently and relentlessly. Even when devouring Epic Ingredients, it focused on digestion, barely having time to savor the flavors.

Isloria stood nearby, her expression complex.

Based on her understanding of the Taixuan Alliance, reaching the peak of the Fourth Order and polishing one’s body to its limit typically took at least half a year to a year, and sometimes several years or even longer.

How long had Dolai spent polishing itself?

A month, and it seemed even less!

And this was considered long and difficult?

Isloria thought.

But after further reflection, she realized that, given the rapid improvement speed of her colleagues, the time spent polishing the body to its limit could indeed be considered lengthy.

The Tianyuan Territory had only been established for a few months.

Lords who received the heavens’ invitation and passed the trials were hailed as Miracle Lords. But in her view, only her own Lord truly and consistently created miracles.

Here, miracles happened at every moment.

And now, the Tianyuan Territory—barely a few months old and still very young—was about to give birth to its first Legend.

…

Deadbone, Lu Liu, Xiliu, Uta, Sario, and other powerful figures had all gathered to witness the event. Even Tree Spirit Grandma, who had difficulty moving due to her massive body, had sent a small tree spirit Clone to attend.

The Legendary Realm held immense significance for the Tianyuan Territory.

Everyone understood this clearly.

In the near future, they too would have to face and strive to cross this very barrier.

“Don’t be nervous. I believe in you.”

Mu Yuan spoke, only to realize his words were unnecessary.

Dolai was hardly the type to feel nervous.

The site chosen for the breakthrough was the newly constructed Miracle Building, the ‘Iceheart Lotus Platform.’ The entire structure resembled several massive lotus platforms, majestic and magnificent.

When activated, the building generated a barrier that isolated the inside from the outside, ensuring the cultivator would not be disturbed.

While this building might be far inferior to the specialized breakthrough sites in Boulder City for advancing to the Legendary Realm, it still provided some assistance.

Mu Yuan had prepared all the breakthrough Materials for Dolai. “How do you feel now?”

“Mmm… Dolai is about to break through, can’t hold it in anymore!”

It gestured excitedly, waving its arms and legs.

The moment it reached the peak of the Fourth Order, it had faintly sensed the existence of the barrier and gained the ability to actively enter a state of ultimate sublimation.

Not long ago, when it polished its body to the limit, this feeling suddenly intensified.His body, spirit, and energy seemed to boil.

His soul felt as if it were about to take flight.

It was on the verge of being unable to restrain itself, ready to ascend and reach the ultimate sublimation.

Polishing the body to its limits indeed greatly increased the success rate of a breakthrough… Isloria noted this information.

Mu Yuan nodded, “Then let’s begin.”

Domain Jammer, operating at full power!

Night Sky Concealment spell, operating at full power!

The entire territory entered a state of first-level alert!

Iceheart Lotus Platform auxiliary functions, activated!

Breakthrough Assistance Array, initiated!

Various preparations were quickly completed. Mu Yuan and the others retreated outside the main area of the Iceheart Lotus Platform, quietly observing and waiting.

At this moment, all they needed to do was believe—believe in Dolai.

…

Generally speaking, the more solid the foundation and the stronger the overall power of a Fourth Order expert at their peak, the higher the chance of breaking through the legendary chasm.

Domain, Willpower Light, and Transcendent Body—these were the three fundamental elements.

However, possessing all three did not guarantee a successful breakthrough.

There had been instances of failure as cautionary tales.

At the same time, the higher the rank of a powerhouse, the stronger their combat prowess, but the barrier they faced during a breakthrough would also be more formidable and harder to shatter.

This was why some epic beings remained stuck at the Fourth Order limit.

Mu Yuan was still only a Level 4 Lord and could not use Lord Power to amplify Dolai.

But it wasn’t necessary.

In an instant, Dolai entered a state of ultimate sublimation. The entire process was incredibly smooth and natural, without the slightest hint of strain from an all-out exertion.

Its Domain also spread out, taming and restraining the violent energy under the extreme sublimation and full-body combustion, transforming it into a dazzling pillar of light that surged toward the heavenly barrier standing tall in the Nine Heavens, sealing everything off.

Dolai crashed into it!

Faintly, an invisible celestial curtain appeared, shaking the earth and mountains.

Dolai’s state of ultimate sublimation continued to intensify. It burned even more fiercely, its eyes filled with blazing light, its entire body transforming into radiance.

“Break… for this Dolai!”

Crack—

Dolai’s second strike caused the heavenly barrier to crack audibly.

In the blink of an eye, General Dolai, whose Aura showed no signs of weakening, launched its third wave of assault.

The legendary chasm shattered like a mirror.

The next moment,

Black and white hues spread out in all directions, enveloping and churning the space.

The elemental particles of the surrounding world boiled at this moment.

Fire elemental particles rushed forth, bowing in submission.

Thunder, wind, ice… all kinds of elemental particles swarmed, encircling and clustering around.

Dolai lifted off the ground, gathering boundless energy in its palm as if commanding the entire world.

At this moment, it had already become a legend.

Mu Yuan glanced at his watch.

From the start of the ultimate sublimation to now, the entire breakthrough process had taken Dolai a total of… 20 seconds.

Incredibly fast!

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(End of chapter)