Chapter 405 – Gift from the Monster Overlord

“Barrier Stele?”

Mu Yuan had always been highly attentive to barrier-type treasures, having long desired to purchase a genuine City Defense Barrier.

However…

A City Defense Barrier capable of enveloping an entire city would necessarily be of epic grade. Being a large-scale item, its value was equivalent to at least several treasures of the same grade.

It wasn’t that none were available on the Taixuan Covenant Platform.

There were three sets in total.

The Water Curtain Celestial Splendor Barrier, the Ten Thousand Woods Sustaining Barrier, and the Red Lotus Karmic Flame Barrier.

The first two required a six-star Pioneer, or equivalent authority level, to exchange for. The latter could only be purchased by a seven-star Pioneering General.

Mu Yuan lacked such authority.

Even with the authority, he didn’t have the financial means.

He had long given up on the idea of exchanging for or purchasing a City Defense Barrier, instead focusing on developing lower-tier alternatives himself, or waiting for the day when heaven might favor him and directly drop a similar treasure.

His request for Daisy to procure a Domain Jammer or similar treasure was intended to conceal anomalies.

To conceal…

The phenomena accompanying the birth of a legendary-tier life form!

Worried that one Domain Jammer might not be sufficient, he considered purchasing another.

「Barrier Stele」

「Grade: Excellent」

「Category: Special Type · Composite Treasure」

「Description ①: Place the stele on the ground, connect it to the ley lines, and provide sufficient energy to deploy a special barrier measuring 2000×2000×2000 meters.」

「Description ②: The special barrier possesses moderate defensive capabilities and strong concealment, stealth, and interference abilities. Additionally, deploying the barrier does not hinder internal personnel from absorbing external elemental energy.」

「Description ③: Once activated, the Barrier Stele will inevitably undergo wear. Current remaining uses: 3/5.」

The Barrier Stele was acquired by Daisy in Boulder City from a high-tier professional.

The purchase price was quite cheap, costing only 700 Soul Crystal Coins.

“So inexpensive?”

Mu Yuan’s discernment was far from what it used to be; he could immediately assess the approximate value of this composite treasure.

Even with usage limitations, the value of a barrier treasure far exceeded that of ordinary Excellent-grade treasures. Moreover, a coverage area of 2000×2000×2000 meters was by no means small.

It was sufficient to completely envelop a town-level territory of modest scale.

Seven hundred Soul Crystal Coins was indeed a bargain.

Such treasures were typically difficult to acquire using only Soul Crystals.

Daisy explained, “This Barrier Stele is actually somewhat impractical. Its defensive capabilities aren’t very strong, and the energy consumption for maintaining the barrier long-term isn’t something most ordinary Lords can afford.”

As for its abilities to conceal, provide stealth, and interfere with astrology or divination—these seemed rather useless.

And they only took effect when the barrier was active.

What kind of territory would need such a thing?

That being said, it was still a life-preserving item. Being able to acquire it for 700 Soul Crystal Coins was a testament to Daisy’s skill.

The entire process didn’t require any effort from Mu Someone.

Having capable subordinates made a Lord’s life so much easier.”You can rest for a few days before representing our Tianyuan Territory on a trip to the Shenluo Great Domain in the East. This will be a short journey. Afterward, continue opening trade routes throughout Taixuan. On this trip, you should also bring Ailin and the others along, taking them to the academies in Boulder City and Tianze City.”

This was Mu Yuan’s arrangement.

The personnel for the journey to Boulder City and Tianze City had been mostly selected.

The accompanying merchants and guards for the trade caravan would also undergo some rotation. Veterans would guide newcomers, striving to equip more Tianyuan junior officers with the ability to handle responsibilities independently.

For instance, Zhou Yi, the guard commander for this trip, was being considered by Mu Yuan for assignment to Tianze City.

As for the “honored-level experts” within the guard team, Xiliu and Sickle Moon—Sickle Moon would continue accompanying the trade caravan back and forth, providing protection. Xiliu, however, would remain behind to fully focus on physical refinement and adjusting her condition, aiming to break through to the Legendary Realm.

After all, Xiliu already possessed both a Domain and Willpower Light, merely half a step away from the Legendary Realm, whereas Sickle Moon had yet to establish her own Domain.

“No need for rest,” Daisy said. “Time is life, time is money. If we rest for days after every trade route journey, when will we ever manage to spread Tianyuan City’s trade routes across all of Taixuan?”

Besides, staying idle in the territory was far less enjoyable than bargaining with others and effortlessly earning 180,000 units of Soul Sand with just three simple sentences.

Daisy, too, had ambitions.

Currently, the Merchant Guild was still a relatively inconspicuous department among Tianyuan Territory’s various sectors.

As she had said, she hoped to see the footprints of the Tianyuan Merchant Guild connecting the entire Taixuan Territory.

…

The Tianyuan Merchant Guild was preparing supplies for the next trade expedition, scheduled to depart in two days.

The various departments and legions of Tianyuan Territory were also keeping busy.

Outside the southern city, Isloria stood on a high platform, directing and overseeing as one new building after another rose from the ground. The landscape beyond Tianyuan City was transforming day by day.

Previously, Tianyuan City had a “gourd-shaped” layout. Now, two new districts were gradually being constructed at the base of the gourd, one on each side.

Once completed, these two new districts would be capable of housing approximately 65,000 permanent residents—currently, some of the territory’s inhabitants were still living in relatively cramped conditions.

The residents were highly motivated to build their own apartments.

Areas such as the Skull Graveyard, Icy Spirit Cold Pool, Royal Musketeer Association, Treant Forest, and Dragon Mound Fertile Soil Realm were also under vigorous construction.

These military zones would also feature comfortable living quarters.

The Garrison Legion continued to deepen its efforts in territorial defense.

With the new urban districts under construction, these areas were now beyond the protection of the city walls. As a result, Lu Liu advanced the Garrison Legion forward, stationing them in one newly built fortress after another.

General Lu Liu frequently surveyed the land, selecting easily defensible locations to erect Arrow Towers and Multi-Arrow Turrets, gradually establishing a network of mutually supportive defensive outposts around Tianyuan City.

As night fell,

Lu Liu carefully laid out the military texts procured by the trade caravan. Many of these contained records of various lords’ and generals’ defensive layouts for their territories.

Lu Liu studied them meticulously, not missing a single word or sentence.

After all, matters of city defense were never trivial.

At the same time,

In the wilds, exploration and transport teams remained active.It was already late at night, the sky pitch black without moonlight or starlight. The dark wilderness seemed to harbor countless ferocious beasts lying in wait, ready to devour any living being.

The wilderness at night was dangerous.

However, for the majority of Tianyuan City’s elite who had reached the Third Order, they could traverse the night wilderness freely.

Deadbone did not advocate for nighttime exploration.

The elite needed rest, and the undead needed rest as well. But some tasks were time-sensitive and had to be completed as quickly as possible.

Transport Team 04, led by the Undead Lord Bone Forty-Four, was carrying out one such time-critical mission.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

“The Soul Shrine is just ahead.”

In the darkness, faint blue and yellow lights drifted eerily.

Bone Forty-Four led a team of over ten members, swiftly arriving at the camp. It manifested the Undead Territory, settling it on the ground. The dozen or so team members quickly rushed inside, carrying, grabbing, or kicking out twenty to thirty monster corpses.

These monsters were thoroughly dead, many of their bodies were incomplete.

Yet even in their incomplete state, one could vaguely glimpse the ferocity and brutality they possessed in life.

These were high-level monsters.

Monsters with a significant chance of possessing some degree of intelligence.

As soon as Team 04 received the message about the “goods,” they immediately rushed over and transported these corpses to the Soul Shrine at the fastest possible speed.

“We spent just over two hours in total. These corpses should still be fresh.”

The one managing this camp was also a unit of undead origin.

Nether Ghost Commander Baili.

A Fourth-Order Late Stage Epic expert.

Baili quickly sent the goods into the Soul Shrine and chose to offer them.

Soon, the corpses dissipated, scattering into faint blue particles of light that eventually gathered on the altar inside the shrine, forming a cluster of eerie blue flames.

“We’ve accumulated 30 points of Soul Power now. According to the list, it’s time to exchange for the Treant Remnant Soul.”

Currently, exchanges for Treants, Elite Musketeers, and Ice Spirits were the most common.

Occasionally, a batch of random one-star units would be exchanged.

Baili didn’t really understand all this. He was only responsible for guarding this place and acting as an emotionless execution machine, doing whatever Rakshasa, the boss, said.

Baili was just about to proceed according to protocol when suddenly—

“Boom—”

The ground shook violently, the earth within the camp cracking loudly as dust rose everywhere.

The miracle building, the Soul Shrine, remained undamaged, still emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

But around it, many wooden walls had cracked, and some Arrow Towers showed conspicuous fissures, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Baili froze for half a second before letting out a sharp shriek.

“Enemy attack!”

Invisible ripples spread out in all directions.

In the darkness, pairs of black eyes emerged one after another.

They were Fourth-Order experts from the Black Crow Clan and the Great Serpent Clan, along with a large number of high-level monsters they had gathered.

They had launched a surprise attack.

At the same time, in the Tianyuan City office.

Lord Mu was still working late into the night.

The alert for the territory being under attack sounded in his ears. He immediately switched to the Lord’s perspective and jumped to the location of the Soul Shrine.

Here, a rare-grade Watchtower also stood in front of the shrine.

Through the Lord’s perspective, Mu Yuan could clearly see over a hundred Third and Fourth-Order monsters swiftly charging toward the camp from outside.

“The enemies have found their way to the Soul Shrine?”Mu Yuan did not immediately command Hundred Fierce and the others, nor did he control the Arrow Towers and Multi-Arrow Turrets within the territory.

He simply watched quietly.

The elite forces like the Soul Shrine defenders and the 04 transport squad were usually under the command of generals like Deadbone, Lu Liu, and Rakshasa. They had never encountered such unexpected situations before and were momentarily stunned, bewildered, and at a loss.

Their response was not entirely correct.

Yet Mu Yuan remained composed and unhurried.

The enemy had already shattered the walls and breached the camp. Over a hundred high-tier monsters far outnumbered the Soul Shrine defenders.

The leaders were even Fourth Order elites from the Black Crow Clan and the Great Serpent Clan.

They were chieftain-level powerhouses.

They quickly gained the upper hand.

They toppled one Watchtower, Arrow Tower, and Multi-Arrow Turret after another.

They gradually forced Hundred Fierce, Bone Forty-Four, and other undead toward the Watchtower.

They…

They began to realize something was wrong. After fighting for so long, it seemed they hadn’t managed to kill a single enemy, while many of their own advanced cannon fodder had fallen around them.

Hundred Fierce and Bone Forty-Four also felt something amiss as they fought.

There were at least thirty or forty Fourth Order BOSS-level enemies, but their displayed strength seemed somewhat… weak.

Or perhaps, they themselves were just strong?

Hundred Fierce didn’t dare underestimate these Peak Fourth Order monsters.

Not long ago, facing such creatures would have been an even match for him.

But upon reflection, back then he was only at the Peak of Third Order. Now, after undergoing a baptism from heaven and earth, he had advanced to the Late Stage of Fourth Order.

Most of his comrades had also stepped into the Fourth Order.

What was there to fear?

Hundred Fierce held back no longer. A massive phantom of a ghost market spread out, swiftly enveloping dozens of enemies around him.

Fighting dozens of peers alone was unwise—the ghost market might collapse in less than twenty seconds.

However…

“The pressure doesn’t seem that great after all?”

Bone Forty-Four also abandoned caution. It condensed the Undead Territory into a grinding disc of heaven and earth.

As if lifting a massive millstone, it slammed it directly onto the monsters trapped within the ghost market.

Double kill! Killing spree! Octa-kill!

This was why Mu Yuan remained completely unworried and refrained from commanding.

His warriors needed more opportunities to temper themselves.

Even if some elites fell in battle, it didn’t matter—they could be resurrected through the Hall of Heroic Souls.

There were no worries about the consequences.

He gazed into the distance, toward the dark lands within his territory.

Even as the battle concluded, no Legendary Realm monster had appeared.

The chieftain-level powerhouses sent by the two overlords, the Black Crow Clan and the Great Serpent Clan, died with traces of unwillingness in their eyes.

There truly were no Legendary Realm experts backing them.

This place was too close to Tianyuan City.

Once a Legendary Realm expert made a move, they would most likely be unable to escape.

Trading one Legendary Realm expert for a group of human elites? That would be far too costly.

But exchanging a group of high-tier monsters for human elites was no loss at all, even at a rate of two-for-one, three-for-one, or four-for-one.

The powerhouses of the Black Crow Clan and Great Serpent Clan knew they were cannon fodder too.

Merely cannon fodder leaders.

But if they could destroy the Soul Shrine and eliminate the human elites here, then scatter and flee, there was still a chance to escape from the human Legendary Realm experts.

After all, humans only had one or two Legendary Realm experts.

Yet in the end…

They died, and the shrine remained standing.

In their final desperate attempts to trade lives for lives, they barely managed to kill two of the human faction’s elite soldiers.Worth it or not? The Fourth-Order leader of the Black Crow Clan didn’t know—they had already passed away.

Hundred Fierce looked at this batch of completely fresh corpses and felt no sleepiness at all. “Quick, quickly send all these monster corpses into the shrine.”

That night, the Soul Shrine wasn’t the only place attacked.

A total of six areas were ambushed by the enemy.

Among them were mines managed by cat-people and feather-folk.

Meanwhile,

within the Black Crow Clan,

several Black Crow legends were tallying the gains from the night’s assaults through special magical means.

“The number of elite human forces we eliminated seems somewhat low.”

“No matter. As long as it’s not zero, it’s enough.”

“Keep draining them. Claws and fangs are mere expendables to us, but for mortal factions to cultivate a single Third or Fourth-Order Expert requires immense time and effort—and they still need to consider Aptitude. Keep draining them!”

Throughout the night, the Soul Shrine remained open, receiving batches of the freshest materials.

Several major legions replenished their ranks with numerous new recruits.

All these were gifts from the Monster Overlord.

(End of Chapter)