Chapter 191: Players Milk Zhang Xiu for Benefits! Demonized Dian Wei Arrives nacingly!
Hang Yu’s task for Zhou Cang was to prepare for war against Zhang Xiu!
His strategic plan was to first seize the Purified Land Zone, then sweep through the Corruption Zone.
The territory’s recent strategic objective was to annex New Wan City.
At present, the combined population of the main city and the territory was only around twenty thousand. Such a population and military scale were still far too small, insufficient to sweep through and control the vast Corruption Zone.
But if they could annex New Wan City—
And bring all six major cities under the territory’s control—
The territory’s population would instantly increase dozens of tis over!
With the enormous newly added territory and population, Hang Yu would unlock the construction of more Abyss Barracks, thereby further greatly increasing the upper limit of the territory’s Offspring population. The scale of the Calamity Army could increase severalfold within a short period of ti.
Only then would they possess the confidence to completely conquer this region!
Hang Yu hoped to achieve this strategic objective with the smallest cost and greatest efficiency possible, which was why he was attempting to lure Zhang Xiu into proactively launching an offensive against Luoshui City.
After the battle of the Day of Ultimate Darkness—
Luoshui would still face another battle.
According to Hang Yu’s analysis, there was a high probability Zhang Xiu would not miss such an opportunity. He would definitely seize the timing and make his move swiftly. If he truly did so, then he would fall straight into Hang Yu’s trap.
Even if, by so tiny chance, Zhang Xiu was not in a hurry to attack the territory, or rely sent generals like Hu Che’er or Zhang Hong to lead an assault instead, it did not matter.
Because ti stood on Hang Yu’s side.
Every day Zhang Xiu delayed attacking the territory, the territory would grow a little stronger than the day before. Hang Yu’s predetermined strategic route would not change; at most, it would rely waste so ti and require a bit more effort.
Hopefully everything would proceed smoothly.
Hang Yu continued making preparations for the Day of Ultimate Darkness.
Although this campaign would deploy a Calamity Army numbering two thousand, such a force was nothing more than a drop in the bucket against Old Wan City’s Abyssal army—completely insignificant.
Even if the Calamity Army could continuously revive and repeatedly throw themselves back into battle, they still could not withstand the Abyssal army in direct confrontation.
To prevent the players from getting wiped out in monts—
Hang Yu prepared to construct several Starsea defensive facilities for Xinye City.
For example, building a defensive wall around the defense zone, along with deploying more Arrow Towers capable of long-range attacks.
Basic infrastructure did not cost many Magic Crystals.
And the players themselves could crowd-fund the expenses.
Hang Yu believed that with these facilities, although the Calamity Army still would not possess the strength to confront the Abyssal army head-on, the players’ intelligence and tenacity might allow them to hold out for a longer ti.
The longer they delayed—
The more Zhang Xiu would sense the territory’s potential.
And the higher the probability that he would imdiately attack Luoshui City afterward.
Furthermore, the tougher the Calamity Army fought and the longer they held out, the more Abyssal creatures they would kill. The spoils generated in this battle definitely would not be a small amount!
………………
Twisted Three Kingdoms official forums.
All kinds of news had completely flooded the boards!
First was the news regarding the great victory at Xinye City.
After all, only a little over half a day had passed since Xinye City had been captured. Discussions regarding the details, process, and rewards of the battle were still being enthusiastically talked about by the massive number of Cloud Players.
Especially the scene where the Lord personally took action—
Steamrolling and instantly clearing this ultra-difficult dungeon—
This once again shocked everyone with the Lord’s overwhelming strength!
The activation of Xinye City held at least three major anings for the players.
First, naturally, were the abundant quest rewards and loot rewards.
Second, players would gain their first Respawn Point in the Wan region. From now on, they had officially established a foothold in the new map.
Third, due to Xinye City’s special geographical location, it sat precisely at the gateway between the Six-Direction Fate Grand Formation and several cities within the Purified Land. Therefore, during the Day of Ultimate Darkness, it would directly face the Abyssal army, granting players both the opportunity and battlefield to participate in the Day of Ultimate Darkness.
There were still many discussions surrounding Xinye City.
For instance, the story and process of the Calamity Army joining forces to defeat Evil Infant Deng Ai had also gained considerable popularity on the forums.
But compared to these matters—
People cared more about the imminent eruption of the Day of Ultimate Darkness.
Less than three minutes after the Calamity Army activated the large-scale quest for the Day of Ultimate Darkness, detailed information about the quest had already appeared on the forums, imdiately triggering discussions from all sides.
At this mont, the Calamity Army’s main force had already logged off to rest.
Even while offline, everyone remained busy.
Through online etings and forum discussions, they were discussing how to handle the upcoming quest, while all kinds of people on the forums continuously analyzed the information and offered strategies.
“Latest news!”
“In the Defense Battle of Xinye, the Lord and the Azure Dragon Guard may not participate personally!”
“The Calamity Army must rely on their own strength to directly face Dian Wei and the Abyssal army under his command!”
“No way?”
“How could this possibly be winnable?!”
“It was impossible to win from the beginning!”
“That’s exactly why this is an extrely harsh and difficult trial!”
“This might be special training from the Lord for the Calamity Army. After all, the Calamity Army is destined to wage war in all directions and operate independently in the future. They can’t have NPCs cleaning up the ss every ti a battle reaches its final stage!”
“That makes sense!”
“Although this quest’s difficulty is insanely high, I still think there’s a lot of room for maneuvering. If luck is on our side, we might even get the highest-tier rewards!”
“How so?”
“According to the latest leaked information!”
“Although the Lord and the elite Azure Dragon Guard won’t personally enter the battlefield, the territory will provide and construct defensive facilities for the players. As for what gets built and where—it’s entirely up to the players’ own crowdfunding and decisions.”
“Haha, this is kind of interesting. Sounds like a tower defense ga!”
“If there are enough defensive facilities, plus the Calamity Army’s endless resurrection ability, a force of two thousand won’t be inferior to ten or twenty thousand!”
“They might really be able to hold out for ten hours or more!”
“It won’t be that easy. This quest definitely isn’t that simple. The Calamity Army must broaden their perspective and vision. They can’t plan this battle using the mindset of traditional gas.”
“Besides the support provided by the territory, haven’t you considered other forces that can be utilized? I think only by properly using every available power can there be any hope of achieving a good outco in this battle. Don’t limit yourselves to only the conditions directly in front of you.”
“You an…”
“Of course New Wan City!”
“You don’t seriously think just two thousand Calamity Army troops can stop this offensive, right?”
“I dare say that if New Wan City’s forces don’t participate in the battle, then these re two thousand people are nothing more than mantises trying to stop a chariot!”
“Although Zhang Xiu might not be the most reliable person, when facing a common enemy, he probably wouldn’t stab us in the back. We should request that he send troops to jointly garrison Xinye.”
“That actually makes sense!”
“Fighting side-by-side with these temporarily neutral NPCs!”
“That sounds pretty interesting. Big shots of the Calamity Army, why not hurry and give it a try?”
“There’s not much ti left!”
“We need to act imdiately, hurry and gather manpower, hurry and beg for support!”
“……”
People from all sides expressed their own opinions.
They proposed all kinds of military formations and tactical suggestions for the Calamity Army.
Most of the suggestions were honestly aningless—
But the proposal to seek aid from New Wan City actually intrigued the Calamity Army.
Generally speaking—
NPC participation would lower quest evaluations.
But this usually referred to territory NPCs or allied NPCs.
For example, the Lord himself, Zhou Cang, or the Azure Dragon Guards. If players could find assistance from outside the faction, perhaps it would not significantly affect the quest.
After all, according to the analysis of the major players—
The relationship between New Wan City and the territory was already very delicate.
Based on the interests and positions of both sides, a life-and-death conflict might eventually break out between them. If they could make better use of New Wan City’s power in the upcoming battle, it would be entirely beneficial to the territory.
The several Legion Commanders of the Calamity Army, along with the upper leadership, imdiately held an online eting.
After exchanging suggestions and opinions—
Everyone unanimously agreed it was worth trying.
The freedom level in Twisted Three Kingdoms was extrely high. Players had to fully explore every possibility. Even if they failed, there would be no losses anyway.
Since New Wan City’s army would eventually beco enemies—
If they could trick a force from New Wan City into jointly defending Xinye alongside the Calamity Army, and then have everyone perish together against the Abyssal army—
Wouldn’t that both help the players hold out longer and weaken a potential enemy force at the sa ti?
This was called empty-handedly fleecing a white wolf.
According to the intelligence and clues gathered by the Calamity Army—
Zhang Xiu still did not know the players possessed resurrection abilities!
Several hours later—
Ye Li ng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Chira Wraith, and Toasting the Moon logged in right on ti. The fatigue status on their bodies had already disappeared. They imdiately returned to Xinye City, then rode toward New Wan City.
………………
Yushui Fortress.
This fortress was located southeast of New Wan City.
Positioned near Yuyang City, one of the six major cities, it served as the core defensive barrier of the Purified Land within the Wan region. It had resisted Abyssal invasions ti and ti again for seventy to eighty years.
It was precisely because of this fortress—
That New Wan City had managed to keep the Abyss outside the periter of the Six-Direction Fate Grand Formation.
Every ti the Abyssal army attempted to invade the interior, they would be obstructed here. Under the fierce resistance and influence of the grand formation, they would continuously weaken, greatly reducing the threats and losses suffered by the six major cities and the main city.
Zhang Xiu, Wen Ping, Han Ji, Deng Zhi, and more than a dozen other high-ranking figures and top experts of New Wan City—
Led nearly ten thousand elite troops.
At this mont, they were stationed within the fortress awaiting the outbreak of the Ultimate Darkness.
Right then—
Little Spear King Zhang Hong stepped forward to report, “City Lord, several subordinates of Hang Yu have arrived outside!”
The gathered generals and soldiers showed slight surprise.
Why would the Lord send people at a ti like this?
Zhang Xiu, however, remained expressionless as he calmly said, “Let them enter.”
“Yes!”
Five minutes later—
Ye Li ng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Toasting the Moon, and Chira Wraith entered the place.
This was their first ti coming into close contact with the NPCs of New Wan City, and each of them felt extrely nervous and excited!
Especially when their eyes swept across the gathered crowd—
So strong!
Was this the foundation of New Wan City?
If war truly broke out against the territory, then the people before them would probably all beco major enemies. Every single one of them looked like they would drop tons of loot!
New Wan City not only had Zhang Xiu, Wen Ping, Hu Che’er, Han Ji, Deng Zhi, and the others—
There were also several experts they had never even heard of before, yet who likewise possessed Commander-Class strength.
There were no fewer than eight Tier-Three Commanders present alone!
Although Commander-Class experts naturally varied in strength and could not all be judged equally—
Their sheer numbers alone were enough to inspire fear!
If they truly launched a full-scale war against the territory—
They would pose a major threat to Luoshui City!
At this mont, the imrsion and sense of realism were unbelievably intense. The players no longer felt like they were playing a ga. Every person before them possessed a different deanor and aura, and all eyes were focused on them.
They had never experienced anything like this before.
Zhang Xiu spoke first.
“Who are you people?”
Chira Wraith stepped forward and said, “We are generals of the Calamity Army under Lord Hang Yu. These are Commander Black-Eyed, Commander Wangyue, and Commander Ye Li ng!”
Zhang Xiu asked, “Why did Lord Hang Yu not co personally?”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge hurriedly replied, “Our Lord is currently fortifying Xinye City and preparing for the imminent Day of Ultimate Darkness battle. He is unable to spare himself at the mont.”
Toasting the Moon added, “The four of us represent the two thousand elite Calamity Army troops stationed in Xinye. We have co to discuss the upcoming battle and cooperation with City Lord Zhang!”
Wen Ping said, “Lord Hang Yu understands righteousness and has dispatched elite troops to resist the Abyssal invasion together with us. Naturally, we should cooperate sincerely and unite our efforts!”
After speaking—
He looked toward the several Calamity Army commanders before him.
“State your requests.”
Ye Li ng bluntly said, “Although our Calamity Army has committed two thousand elites and captured Xinye City as a stronghold, this alone is obviously not enough to resist the Abyss!”
After pausing briefly, he continued:
“Therefore, we request that the City Lord also dispatch several great generals along with an elite force to jointly garrison Xinye. In this way, Xinye and the fortress can form a pincer defense, ensuring the defense line remains flawless and survives the Day of Ultimate Darkness!”
Simply put—
They had co to beg for support!
And directly asked for troops!
Everyone present exchanged glances upon hearing this.
Wen Ping said, “Although Lord Hang Yu is extrely powerful, and has great generals like Zhou Cang under his command, their troop numbers are ultimately too small. Resisting the Abyss in such circumstances is indeed overly difficult.”
Han Ji said, “But we ourselves only possess slightly over ten thousand elite troops. We can only defend by relying on the fortress and grand formation. Rashly dividing our forces may instead weaken the defense line!”
Zhang Xiu also revealed a troubled expression.
Ye Li ng said, “City Lord, since we agreed to jointly resist the enemy, how can it be reasonable for only our side to stand at the front lines? Wan City should also demonstrate sincerity in cooperation. Otherwise, how can we confidently defend to the death against the enemy?”
“Although your words make sense,” Zhang Xiu replied, “our forces truly are stretched thin. Every division has its own responsibilities. We cannot hastily redeploy troops, otherwise critical weaknesses will inevitably appear at key monts, giving Dian Wei and Cao Ang opportunities to exploit!”
Black-Eyed Rui Ge frowned.
“Could it be the City Lord isn’t willing to send even a single soldier?”
Zhang Xiu said, “There is no need for concern. My forces and Xinye already form a mutual pincer defense. If the Abyssal army launches a major assault on Xinye, I shall personally lead elite troops to strike their rear and relieve Xinye’s siege… Even if the Abyssal army proves unstoppable, you may also imdiately seize an opportunity to withdraw from Xinye and regroup with our forces to establish a new defensive line.”
Hearing this—
The several players beca extrely dissatisfied.
Such verbal promises held absolutely no aning.
Even Wen Ping felt it inappropriate.
The alliance between both sides had been personally facilitated by him.
He did not wish for conflicts or grievances to arise at such a critical mont.
After so thought, Wen Ping stepped forward and said:
“The pressure facing Xinye is indeed excessively great. In my opinion, reinforcents should still be provided. I am willing to lead an elite force to assist Lord Hang Yu in defending the city, thereby demonstrating Wan City’s sincerity and determination!”
The players were naturally overjoyed upon hearing this!
If they could successfully trick this great general into coming—
It would definitely be enormously beneficial to Xinye City’s defense.
However, Zhang Xiu directly refused.
“Zhongye is the pillar of stability for the entire army. Without your defensive thods, the fortress’s defenses would weaken by at least thirty percent. Therefore, anyone may leave—except you!”
Damn it!
This old bastard!
What a stingy little man!
Ye Li ng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, and the others felt extrely unwilling.
Zhang Xiu also knew re verbal promises could not dismiss these people.
Thus, he continued:
“However, what you and Zhongye have said is not without reason. Although our forces truly have no spare troops to dispatch, we can instead provide you with a special unit, as well as a special treasure!”
There’s hope!
Everyone’s eyes instantly lit up!
Chira Wraith hurriedly asked, “What is it?”
Zhang Xiu replied, “Wan City possesses an Extre Yin Sect skilled in crafting Extre Yin objects. For this battle, they have contributed eight hundred Skeleton Deathsworn Summoning Talismans. If these eight hundred Extre Yin Skeletons are summoned in Xinye, I believe they will be able to greatly assist you.”
Eight hundred skeleton soldiers?!
Ye Li ng and Black-Eyed Rui Ge exchanged glances.
A trace of shock could be seen in each other’s eyes.
After all, the players had previously dealt with Founder of Extre Yin Jia Xu, so they naturally knew about the Extre Yin Sect’s thods for summoning Extre Yin Skeletons—
They could roughly summon Tier-Two Elite Units!
If they truly had eight hundred Tier-Two elites—
That was already quite a formidable combat force!
Most importantly—
If these talismans were used by players to summon the skeletons, then the skeletons would count as player summons. Any targets they killed would trigger high drop rates, greatly increasing the quantity of loot!
In a sense—
These eight hundred Skeleton Summoning Talismans—
Were even better than directly gifting one or two thousand elite soldiers!
As expected—
Human effort changes everything!
If they had not made this trip, how could they possibly have gained such massive benefits?!
The several players forcefully suppressed the wild joy in their hearts.
Toasting the Moon then asked, “With such a special force, Xinye’s morale can at least be sowhat boosted. But what exactly is the special treasure the City Lord ntioned?”
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Xiu said:
“Bring forth the formation flag!”
Han Ji presented a large banner.
【Fate Protection Formation Banner】, Tier-Two Blue Item… Consus 100 Mana Points per minute. By expending the Fate Energy stored within the banner, it can establish a Fate Protection Formation with a radius of one thousand ters centered around the banner. Remaining Fate Energy Reserves: 500/1000!
Han Ji explained:
“This formation banner can establish a temporary formation outside the Six-Direction Fate Grand Formation. Although its strength cannot compare to the main formation itself, as long as Abyssal creatures enter the formation, they will continuously weaken. It should be enough to assist you in resisting the Abyss.”
Good stuff!
This was incredibly practical!
With eight hundred skeleton soldiers and this Fate Formation Banner—
Their confidence imdiately soared!
Before this, the Calamity Army had only been thinking about how to complete the quest.
But at this very mont—
What they were thinking about instead was how to obtain higher evaluations, how to endure longer during the quest, and how to farm even more loot!
This was already the maximum support Zhang Xiu could provide to Xinye City.
The players realized there was no way to convince him to dispatch troops, nor could they squeeze any further benefits out of him.
In the end, they could only give up—
Though honestly, this was already enough!
The begging mission had succeeded!
When this news spread back to the Calamity Army and the official ga forums—
Everyone erupted into cheers and ecstasy!
“Holy shit!”
“This actually worked?!”
“They really managed to milk so many benefits from a potential enemy!”
“This ga really has endless possibilities! This quest is definitely secured now, right?!”
“Zhang Xiu, Wen Ping, and the others aren’t that bad after all!”
“Heh, if you think that, then you’re naive. If you had no value to them, do you really think they’d spit out so many benefits? These bastards clearly want the Lord and the territory army to act as cannon fodder and shields for them!”
“No matter what!”
“With gains like these!”
“There’s definitely no problem completing this quest!”
“Go Calamity Army! Grind out a perfect reward! Don’t disappoint Lord Daddy again!”
“……”
As Ye Li ng, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Chira Wraith, and Toasting the Moon galloped back toward Xinye City—
The heavens changed once again.
The already dim sky completely darkened.
The crack spanning the heavens underwent a bizarre transformation.
Players could clearly sense so kind of energy continuously surging from the depths of the enormous Heavenly Rift, transforming into large quantities of dark-red fog that spread outward, like thick clouds covering the entire sky.
At this mont—
Even the magnificent nebula vortexes filling the heavens were obscured.
The entire world sank into chaos, as though a layer of dark-red filter had been applied over everything.
The feeling was like entering one of those old darkrooms used to develop photographs—
The overall sensation was extrely uncomfortable.
Players from the first test had experienced sothing similar before.
“The Ultimate Darkness has descended!”
“So this is what the mont of Ultimate Darkness looks like?”
“So Ultimate Darkness isn’t complete pitch-black darkness after all!”
This oppressive sensation was unprecedented.
The Ultimate Darkness within the Wan City region was clearly far stronger.
Even first-test players felt enormous pressure, as though they had suddenly been dragged into a deep sea ford from blood. Although it was not pitch black, they could still feel overwhelming pressure assaulting them from every direction.
………………
Several hundred li away.
Within Old Wan City.
Cao Ang and a group of Abyssal Citizens gathered at the city center.
Before them lay a blood-fog region filled with countless floating crimson bones. Innurable savage and twisted phantoms continuously flickered in and out amidst the blood mist and skeletal remains.
At the center of this massive land of blood and bones—
At the core of countless hideous phantoms—
Stood a gigantic figure towering like a mountain.
His physique was enormous.
Compared to him, Cao Ang and the other Abyssal Citizens looked like children.
And the Abyssal aura and killing intent radiating from him resembled an endless ocean capable of engulfing and annihilating everything.
“General Dian!”
“The ti has co!”
The mont Cao Ang finished speaking—
He suddenly sensed a powerful Abyssal energy being activated.
Under General Dian’s will, this power rapidly enveloped the surroundings, forming one black-hole-like zone after another. Abyssal creatures continuously revived from within them—
Including a being with tentacle-like wings growing from its back and bone spikes covering its entire body.
It was Cao Anmin!
He had only recently been killed.
However, he was not the Nightmare Source.
As long as the source remained intact, he would neither truly die nor perish forever.
Ordinarily, Cao Anmin would have required a long ti to revive.
But the Day of Ultimate Darkness had triggered a massive eruption of Abyssal energy. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Dian Wei forcibly dragged him back out from the nightmare.
After reviving—
Cao Anmin’s expression remained indifferent.
Because for Abyssal Citizens, death and resurrection were commonplace matters.
Cao Ang imdiately asked, “Well?”
Cao Anmin replied, “The Starsea Lord has already descended. A Starsea force is stationed in Xinye City. They were the ones who eliminated Evil Infant Deng Ai.”
Cao Ang asked, “Did you encounter the Lord personally?”
Cao Anmin replied, “I never encountered the Lord. The strength of those Starsea Citizens was ordinary, but they possess so kind of rapid resurrection ability!”
“Resurrection?”
Several Abyssal Citizens present revealed confused expressions.
Cao Ang said, “The Starsea is not without resurrection thods. We simply do not know what ans they are using.”
“That is unimportant.”
Dian Wei’s voice was low and deep, yet filled with chaotic and frenzied killing intent. Every word seed capable of transforming into a heavy hamr woven from billions of roaring screams, smashing directly into the soul.
For ordinary people with weak willpower—
Hearing even a single word would instantly drive them into ntal collapse—
Or even transform them directly into lunatics.
“What matters is—”
“He possesses the Heart of the Stars!”
Dian Wei clearly did not place the Starsea Citizens in his eyes.
Although he did not know what resurrection thod they used—
Before him, all such tricks were aningless.
If they could revive once—
Then he would kill them once!
If they could revive one million tis—
Then he would kill them one million tis!
Cao Ang and Cao Anmin both believed—
Nothing could stop the existence before them.
His madness and terror were invincible within this region, enough to effortlessly crush any enemy!
Even Jia Xu—
If he dared confront him head-on—
Would instantly be blasted to death!
The arrival of the Starsea Lord—
For Dian Wei—
Was undoubtedly good news!
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