Chapter 340 – Transit Region and Promotion Trial

“Ding!”

“Prompt: Your Hero ‘Rakshasa’ bathes in Miracle Light, evolves into an Epic Two-Star lifeform, and awakens the Epic talent ‘Slay Evil’.”

“Slay Evil”

“Description: The Fiendish Ghost General Rakshasa takes the eradication of worldly evil karma as his mission. Under the effect of this talent, Rakshasa can perceive evil karma that exists only in conceptual form. Simultaneously, Rakshasa can inflict conceptual damage that cannot be defended against or recovered from by severing the evil karma on targets. The more evil karma the target carries, the higher the damage Rakshasa can inflict.”

“Note: What is evil karma? All adversaries are guilty, and those who oppose and harm others bear monstrous sins.”

The newly awakened Epic talent of Rakshasa shares the same origin as his previous powers.

It still revolves around fiends, evil karma, and eradicating evil.

Rakshasa already possessed abilities like ‘Karmic Flame (Good Body)’ and ‘Evil-Extracting Physique (Evil Body)’. He originally had special attacks against the guilty, but through this evolution, this ‘special attack’ has been enhanced.

Beyond that, what Mu Yuan paid more attention to was…

“Inflicting conceptual damage that cannot be defended against or recovered from by severing evil karma?”

To be honest, this somewhat exceeded the cognitive level of Lord Mu.

The inability to recover was understandable to him.

Deadbone’s Desolate Power not only prevents enemies from recovering but also rapidly pushes them toward death, even if it’s just a small wound inflicted by the Desolate Kingbone.

But the inability to defend…

Mu Yuan had the elite frontline squad capture a fortunate third-tier monster and handed it over to Rakshasa for testing.

“I can see at a glance that you are deeply sinful. Prepare to die, sinner!”

Rakshasa threw a punch but hit empty air.

Lord Mu, who had loaded the same template and could be called ‘Little Rakshasa’, could see that Rakshasa had shattered strands of thick, black sin.

The next moment, the third-tier monster howled as one of its furry arms abruptly shattered into pieces.

Tracing the root cause, this arm carried the most sin.

This right claw was guilty!

However, the third-tier monster was still alive. Did Rakshasa’s Epic talent seem somewhat lackluster?

“It is indeed somewhat lackluster against ordinary monsters. Or rather, against these low-level monsters, Rakshasa doesn’t need to engage through the medium of sin at all—he can kill them with a single spear thrust.”

“But against powerful enemies… especially in future Legendary Realm battles, the ‘Slay Evil’ talent can play a significant role.”

Epic abilities themselves truly come into their own only when strong individuals step into the Legendary Realm.

However, with the Limit Cultivation Method, even with the lingering influence of Miracle Light, Rakshasa could only learn it at a fragmented level.

The manifested result is that he can currently only reach the first realm of the Secret Method, increasing his tempering speed by 120%. In the future, he might advance to the second realm, but achieving a ‘+399%’ tempering speed like Deadbone is almost impossible.

It’s equivalent to obtaining a half-step Epic cultivation skill.

“This is still quite good. Fortunately, the exploit plan worked. Otherwise, if we relied on everyone’s own ability to learn this skill, who knows how long it would take to master it.”

The greater possibility was that they wouldn’t even be able to get started with this cultivation method before they finished tempering their bodies.For example, a certain Bone Two, or a certain Dragon Princess.

Mu Yuan wasn’t planning to evolve Bone Two and the others just yet. He had grown accustomed to keeping some Evolution Points in reserve for unexpected needs, and Bone Two and the other skeletons were still slightly short on territorial contributions. Moreover, Bone Two and the others were still far from reaching the peak of the Fourth Order.

There was no rush, and rushing wouldn’t help anyway.

The ones with higher Ranks were a select few experts like Isloria and Lu Liu.

Among them, Isloria was already an Epic Three-Star lifeform, and she wouldn’t have another chance for an evolution baptism anytime soon.

However, Isloria was one of the very few among the present experts who could genuinely master this method through her own capabilities. Even if she managed to grasp it, it would likely only be an incomplete version.

“Even Epic lifeforms cannot truly learn an Epic Skill through conventional means.”

And unconventional means?

Mu Yuan pondered that only Miracle Power or Epic-grade Treasures could be considered unconventional means.

…

The Tianyuan Generals now had an additional cultivation task: to study and learn the Limit Cultivation Method.

Most of the time, the generals studied and discussed among themselves, rather than having Deadbone teach or transmit the method. After all, Deadbone needed to dedicate his limited time to honing his Limit Body.

He estimated it would take half a month.

Just half a month.

But this was under the premise of full dedication to cultivation and refinement. Occasionally, Deadbone had to lead the army into the Wilderness to engage in minor skirmishes with the enemy.

“During this period, we’ve spotted the Jackal Fang’s Legendary Realm experts several times, but they usually only show themselves briefly before disappearing. The enemy seems to intentionally reveal their presence but has no real intention of engaging in battle,” Isloria said.

Currently, the Tianyuan Territory lacked high-level reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering methods, making it extremely difficult to track Legendary Realm experts.

The scout hawks were somewhat outdated.

They were adequate for surveying the Battlefield and tracking large-scale troop movements, but expecting them to detect Legendary Realm experts who were intentionally hiding was wishful thinking.

The wraiths’ resentment radar also had limited detection range.

Moreover, Legendary Realm experts who had ignited their Willpower Light could perfectly control and conceal their emotions. The wraiths were almost incapable of detecting resentment; by the time they might sense it, they would likely… have already been discovered by the Jackal Legendaries themselves.

Currently, long-range reconnaissance mostly relied on Lord Mu’s ‘Black Crows,’ with occasional assistance from Isloria’s Fate Star Weaving, and natural spirits like the Wood Spirit and Flower Spirit.

At the Outstanding Three-Star stage, the natural spirits Awakened a talent to communicate with plants, allowing them to gather various types of information within a range by leveraging the power of the forest.

However, the information they could actually detect was still quite limited.

“It’s a pity Sophia isn’t here. Otherwise, that girl would probably be quite skilled at intelligence gathering. If she underwent an evolution baptism to Epic Two-Star or Epic Three-Star, she might even Awaken abilities beneficial for reconnaissance.”

But since she wasn’t here, regretting it was pointless.

Mu Yuan could only repeatedly engage in probing or fierce battles with the Jackal Fang in desolate mountains, dense forests, marshes, and other terrains.

“The Jackal Fang is trying to pressure us. They know full well we don’t dare to gamble—we must guard against possible Legendary assaults.”

This consumed a significant amount of cultivation time for many generals and elites, as well as time they could have spent exploring and searching for Treasures.However, this is the norm in the world of Lords.

Lords who possess immense power must bear greater defensive responsibilities. Just like during the Crimson Mist disaster month, Lords located inland have the duty to lead their legions to support the frontline fortresses.

Mu Yuan unfurled a map woven from magic.

On it, several elite battle groups representing Tianyuan Territory were patrolling various parts of the Wilderness. Further away, there were also legion forces representing allied elves and giants.

Not long ago, Deadbone wanted to use himself as bait to lure the Gnoll Legendary Realm into a trap.

Unfortunately, the Gnoll Legend seemed to have restrained themselves.

So far, both sides have only engaged in probing skirmishes, but it appears another storm is about to descend.

At this moment,

Jackal Fang headquarters.

Here, the Crimson Mist drifted, and it seemed as if a drizzling rain of blood was falling between heaven and earth.

The Jackal Emperor, draped in a cloak, bathed in the crimson droplets, feeling quite content.

“We sent messengers to the Heavenly Aberration Mountains over ten days ago. Will reinforcements truly come?”

A Gnoll Legend expressed doubt.

After all, they were Legendary Realm beings, no longer low-level cannon fodder, and naturally wanted to survive. Otherwise, why would they seek reinforcements from above? They could simply march out and tear their enemies apart.

They were merely afraid of suffering losses, and even more afraid that the Legendary Realm casualty might be themselves.

Although their Jackal Fang was one of the forces under the Filth Kingdom ‘Heavenly Aberration Eternal Life,’ it didn’t necessarily mean that other Filth Children who believed in Flesh Eternal Life would assist them.

“They will come.”

The Jackal Emperor was certain.

He gazed down the mountain at their Jackal Fang’s pasture. Faintly visible were many ragged humans, elves, and other intelligent beings, shackled and stumbling across fields writhing with flesh.

Some of the female beings were even visibly pregnant.

This was their pasture—a place where beings could continuously reproduce, providing an endless supply of lifeblood for harvesting.

In this ‘Shattered Mountains,’ their Jackal Fang possessed the largest-scale pasture of intelligent beings. It was precisely because of this that they maintained close relations with the main branch of Heavenly Aberration Eternal Life.

“Of course, most importantly, the region we are in connects to multiple Great Domains.The Jackal Emperor’s gaze stretched into the distance, as if seeing the edge of the Shattered Mountains where violent energy constantly raged.

“By crossing the violent zone, we can reach Great Domains like the Twilight Plains and the Azure Sea.” These domains are rich in intelligent being resources.”

“And our Shattered Mountains is precisely such an important transit hub.”

“The old monsters in the Heavenly Aberration Mountains would never allow such a transit hub to fall into the hands of other forces. What we, Jackal Fang, need to worry about isn’t the intelligent beings, but Blood Serpent Embrace and others. We must become the sole representatives.”

…

“The enemies in the Deep Wilderness can generally be categorized into two types—namely, the ‘Fallen God Force’ and the ‘Monster Kingdom.'”

In the courtyard Secret Realm, Mu Yuan flipped through intelligence reports he had commissioned someone to purchase.

“The Descendant Servants we encountered earlier, and the monster tribes possessing Servant Totem Pillars, all fall under the Fallen God Force.” Among them, the largest Fallen God Force is called the ‘Nethergod Court,’ which includes famous fallen gods like the ‘Snake God,’ ‘Crow God,’ and ‘Sparrow God.”However, not all monster tribes that worship the totem pole belong to the Fallen Gods.” Flesh also has totem poles.”In the Monster Kingdom, there are several colossal entities whose influence extends across various regions of the Eternal World.”

“One is called ‘Shadow Tendrils,’ which appears to focus on dungeons and shadow-type monsters, and enjoys worshipping indescribable totem pillars.”

“Another is called ‘Brood Nest,’ seemingly a monster faction with extraordinary reproductive capabilities, and capable of creating Foul Nests? Hiss!”

“The third is called ‘Heavenly Aberration Eternal Life,’ which believes in eternal life through flesh and blood, and excels at creating amalgamated monsters… The Jackal Fang and Blood Serpent Embrace I encountered are most likely subordinate to the overlord forces of Heavenly Aberration Eternal Life.”

Of course, while they are said to be subordinate, monster overlords mostly operate independently of one another.

These three Monster Kingdoms can be better understood as three distinct developmental paths for monster overlords.

Some worship tendrils; others worship flesh and blood; and others worship birth and reproduction.

Mu Yuan was researching this information to prepare for the enemy’s tactics.

The elves and giants’ understanding of Jackal Fang was only superficial and might not be as detailed as these intelligence reports. Even though this information came from other monster overlords, there were commonalities that could serve as references.

“For example, monster overlords following the Heavenly Aberration Eternal Life path typically possess abilities like ‘Aberrant Eye’ and ‘Aberrant Spells.’ Sometimes, they can even incite terrifying flesh and blood frenzies through sacrifices.”

These methods naturally have no obvious weaknesses, but with prior preparation, targeted defenses can be implemented.

If he were to engage in a full-scale war with Jackal Fang, preparations were indispensable.

He rubbed his throbbing temples.

The pressures of individuals differ greatly. Most lords inside the Secret Realm were feeling relaxed now that the Crimson Mist disaster month had ended and the fusion with Blue Star was complete. They had little to worry about.

But the lords weren’t slacking off or relaxing either.

In the absence of war, it was the perfect time to enhance their strength. Most lords were busy training new and old commanders, expanding their troop formations.

Or constructing buildings and upgrading their territories.

“I actually failed the promotion trial for a Level 5 territory! And I have a full ten Third-Order Warlord Tier experts!”

A tall, burly lord lamented.

From a distance, Shen Mao, also a member of this Secret Realm, shook her head slightly. “The promotion trial isn’t something you can pass just by having strong forces. Besides…”

Only ten ordinary warlords could hardly be considered powerful.

She had recently cleared the promotion trial herself. When she attempted it, she had dispatched several top-tier Fourth Order experts.

Among the Dragon Court lords from her batch, only Kongming had been a City Lord back then. Now, everyone had passed the trial and advanced to city level. Well, except for Tianyuan Lord, of course—he was an exception.

Seeing that many lords were curious about the promotion trial, she thought for a moment and said:

“The promotion trial is similar to the Hero trial, but the pass rate is much lower compared to the latter. Most Level 4 lords cannot clear this trial.”

“Of course, everyone here is an outstanding lord with great potential to pass the trial in the future. But since there’s still room for improvement in your territories, I suggest waiting a bit longer, accumulating more strength before attempting the promotion trial.””After all, the promotion trial, much like the Hero trial and Lord trial, grants varying levels of rewards from the laws of heaven and earth based on individual performance. Compared to the basic promotion rewards, if there’s a chance, one should naturally strive for higher-level rewards.”

“I delayed for a while back then, waiting until my strength had accumulated sufficiently before attempting the promotion.”

“Uh, of course, there’s no need to be as overly cautious as I was. In short, gauge it for yourself.”

Like her strongest subordinate, who wasn’t far from making it onto the Dragon Gate List.

Entering the promotion trial with such power was excessively cautious—she was practically invincible in the trial scenario.

Who, when attempting the promotion trial, could have as many subordinates as she did, with elites pouring down like rain!

She suddenly caught sight of Tianyuan sitting not far away, low-key yet still eye-catching.

Back in the Dragon Court Competition, Tianyuan had dazzled the entire arena.

By the time Tianyuan met the conditions to start the trial, he might already… already possess the strength of a super powerhouse ranking at the forefront of the Dragon Gate List.

Entering the trial with a Fourth Order invincible powerhouse—just thinking about it feels rather exaggerated.

Mu Yuan also wanted to start the trial as soon as possible.

As long as the territory was promoted by passing the trial, strong individuals like Lu Liu could undergo baptism and rapidly advance to the Fourth Order Peak.

It would save a tremendous amount of time on the path to becoming legendary.

However…

「Level 5 Territory Upgrade Conditions:」

「①②③④: Omitted (already met)」

「⑤: Population greater than or equal to 30,000, including over 300 individuals with special skills. (15,366/30,000)」

「⑥: After meeting the above conditions, the Lord can spend 500 Soul Crystals to initiate the ‘Promotion Trial’. Note: If the trial is passed, an additional 500 units of Soul Crystals are required for the upgrade; if the trial fails, the initial cost is non-refundable.」

Conditions such as buildings, public sentiment, military strength, and safety index had long been met in Tianyuan Territory.

Except…

They were completely stuck on the population requirement.

His Tianyuan Territory wasn’t just a little short—it was far, far from the target!

“Is there any way to accelerate this process?”

(End of Chapter)