Chapter 271 ·Overlord-Class Cao Ang

Chapter 271: Overlord-Class Cao Ang! The Final Boss Battle Begins!

On ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the game's official forum.

News ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍of Bowang being attacked spread.

It ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍sparked concern among Cloud Players and experts alike.

“What’s ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the situation now?”

“I ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍heard the Bowang City the Calamity Army just captured got stolen.”

“No ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍way? The territory only just issued the mission to attack Old Wan. This mission only has a thirty-hour time limit!”

“If Bowang gets corrupted by the Abyss again, we'll probably waste a lot more time. Can we still complete the mission to seize Old Wan City?”

“...”

However, very soon, players came forward to set the record straight.

“Everyone, don't worry. I'm in Bowang right now.”

“We did run into a bit of trouble just now, but it's already been resolved!”

“Bowang County was one of the key strongholds of Nanyang Commandery in ancient times. During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Bowang. During the Three Kingdoms period, this was the site of the famous Battle of Bowang Slope. Its geographical position is extremely important.”

“It'll also serve as our springboard for attacking Old Wan.”

“Bowang had been corrupted by the Abyss for over a hundred years. Two days ago, while the big shots were participating in the Starsea event, we paid a tremendous price in casualties before we finally captured and purified it.”

“After Lord Hang Yu returned, he immediately began construction. Bowang has now been rebuilt with city walls, barriers, arrow towers, scout towers, and other defensive facilities.”

“Even if the Abyssal Forces launch a surprise attack, these defenses can still provide considerable defensive strength.”

“And now all the big shots from the five great legions have arrived.”

“It's our turn to launch the counterattack!”

“Please stay tuned!”

“Wait for our good news!”

“...”

Toasting the Moon gathered his legion forces and, together with Blind Swordsman and the others, teleported from Luoshui to New Wan, then from New Wan to Bowang, where they quickly regrouped with the local members.

The senior members of the Immortal Dragon Soul Legion stationed in Bowang—Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind, Warrior Like the Wind, and Nine-Leak Fish—came forward.

“Boss!”

“How's the situation?”

Pissing Three Thousand Feet Against the Wind said, “Old Wan launched a probing attack, but we repelled it using the city's defenses!”

Warrior Like the Wind said, “Several Corrupted Souls from Old Wan have arrived. The pressure on our defenses won't be small.”

Nine-Leak Fish laughed. “Haha! What's there to fear? The legion commanders and so many big shots are all here. We've definitely got this!”

The legion commanders climbed the scout tower.

They observed that about ten li outside the city, there was a vast tide of Abyssal darkness. This phenomenon only appeared when an enormous amount of Abyssal Aura gathered together. With closer reconnaissance, numerous Abyssal units could be seen.

These included Stone-Wing Fiends, Tiger Fiend Cavalry, Leopard Fiend Cavalry, Nightmare Survivors, Corpse Demon Soldiers, and Spirits of Agony.

These six were the most common Abyssal troop types in Old Wan City.

The players had already encountered them during their first clash.

Their levels ranged from 21 to 25.

Every single one was a Tier-3 Elite.

In addition, there were four or five more advanced and much stronger troop types, though their numbers were few, accounting for less than ten percent of the army.

During their first encounter, just a thousand or so Tiger and Leopard Fiend Cavalry had forced the Calamity Army to suffer massive casualties.

They had only managed to wear them down through repeated party wipes and revivals.

However, over the past half month, both the players' numbers and strength had increased dramatically.

Now, with Bowang serving as their base of operations, as long as the Level 30 Super Overlord Dian Wei did not personally intervene, the Calamity Army was already confident enough to face the force before them!

Little Bell asked, “What are they waiting for? Why aren't they attacking?”

Toasting the Moon said, “The Abyssal Corrupted Souls of Old Wan aren't stupid either. They already know the secret that our Calamity Army can resurrect, so they won't attack recklessly unless they're confident.”

Ye Li Meng said, “That probing attack just now made them even more cautious. They're probably gathering more strength so they can finish us in one decisive battle.”

Arthur King sneered. “A futile resistance!”

Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, “We can't just stand here watching. The best defense is offense. We should take action immediately!”

Hua Mulan said, “Agreed!”

Salted Fish Thrust said, “Bowang has a respawn point. There's no reason to play it safe. Just charge!”

Street Slayer said, “Then what are we waiting for? Most of our people are already here. Let's rush them while we have the chance! Old Wan was our next target anyway. Since they came out of their home ground themselves, it'll be even easier to wipe them out!”

“Brother Slayer's right!”

“We have to take Old Wan!”

“As the core corruption zone of the Wan City Map, taking Old Wan means we've essentially cleared the map!”

“Exactly. That means we'll unlock a brand-new region and map. A new map means more land, more resources, more content, more story, and even further expansion of the game's setting and worldbuilding.”

“Wow, now that you put it that way, I can't wait!”

“...”

From the players' perspective, conquering Old Wan was a major story milestone.

It held two significant meanings that would affect the game's progression.

First, to test Divine Physician Zhang's method and rescue the Corrupted Dian Wei from the Abyss.

Second, of course, to clear Wan City and unlock an entirely new game map.

Although the territory's influence had now expanded across seven maps, allowing players to operate in Luoshui, Woniu Mountain, White Tiger Mountain, Wan City, Xian Mountain, Heyin, and Xiping, the territory had only truly carried out large-scale territorial expansion twice.

The first was Woniu Mountain.

The second was the Wan City region.

From Luoshui, to Woniu Mountain, and then to the Wan City region, players had easily noticed a pattern.

Whether in terms of map size or complexity, everything had grown exponentially.

If this trend continued, then the third territorial expansion—regardless of its size, complexity, population, or level—should far surpass the Wan City region and would undoubtedly be a major update.

Without hesitation, the Calamity Army leadership discussed the matter and unanimously agreed to launch a proactive attack.

Represented by the five great legions, two thousand elite players departed Bowang and charged directly toward the Abyssal army ahead.

The Old Wan forces reacted swiftly.

A unit of Stone-Wing Fiends flew out from the formation to intercept them.

Although there were only three to four hundred of them, their leader possessed an extraordinarily powerful aura.

It was none other than the Tier-3 Commander-class Abyssal Corrupted Soul, Cao Anmin.

“So it's this pimp's defeated lackey!” Midnight Pig Slayer mocked the moment he saw Cao Anmin. “You couldn't beat us back in Xinye. What makes you think you can now? I'd advise you not to overestimate yourself and get in Fatty's way!”

“You're courting death!”

Cao Anmin flew into a rage.

He immediately drew his great bow and fired an arrow into the sky above the crowd.

The arrow burst like fireworks, transforming into hundreds of powerful magic arrows that instantly blanketed the Calamity Army.

“Watch out!”

“We've gotten stronger!”

“But we can't get careless!”

“...”

Chimera Wraith, Brother Xiao Ma, Green-Eyed Fox, and other Tier-3 Warlocks joined forces with numerous Calamity Army Warlocks to cast the green defensive spell, Ice Guard.

A wall of ice formed above everyone's heads as a protective barrier.

The rain of arrows continuously cracked the ice wall, but under the sustained mana output of the Calamity Army Warlocks, the wall was rapidly repaired.

Seeing this, Cao Anmin drew his bow again and fired another meteor-like arrow.

Its power far exceeded the arrow barrage and pierced straight through the ice wall.

However, just before it could hit the Calamity Army and inflict casualties, Mad Blade Old Wang raised his shield and activated Great Shield Barrier.

This was a shield skill Old Wang had learned from the Wen Clan of New Wan.

Although it was only an ordinary green-quality skill, its defensive effect was remarkably impressive.

The shield in Old Wang's hand transformed into pure energy, expanding to more than ten times its original size, and firmly blocked the arrow.

-83!

He took a little damage, but it was hardly worth mentioning.

Cao Anmin had already sensed that these Starsea Offspring had grown much stronger.

Even so, he had never imagined that in less than a month, every one of them could grow to such a level.

It was simply unbelievable.

Back in Xinye, although Cao Anmin had been killed twice by the Calamity Army, both times it had required hundreds or even thousands of players surrounding him, while the Calamity Army suffered enormous casualties.

Now, after reviving once more from the Abyssal Dream, Cao Anmin himself had grown stronger than before.

Yet not only had the Calamity Army produced a large number of Tier-3 units, their overall strength and foundation had also increased tremendously.

“Kill!”

Cao Anmin ordered the Stone-Wing Fiends to attack.

At the same time, he accelerated the speed at which he drew and fired his bow.

Arrow after arrow wrapped in Abyssal demonic energy rained into the crowd, causing continuous casualties.

“Damn it!”

“Capture the leader first!”

“Find a way to take down Cao Anmin first!”

“The other mobs aren't much of a threat!”

“...”

This Calamity Army force consisted of the elites of the five great legions.

Experienced as they were, they immediately sprang into action.

“Use the Demon Spider Silk!”

Having fought the Old Wan army before and knowing its composition, many players had deliberately prepared the Ring of the Xinye Survivors.

Its attributes and quality were average, but it came with a skill that released spider silk and webs, making it especially effective for restraining or capturing highly mobile aerial targets.

However, Cao Anmin was extremely cunning.

His attack range was extraordinarily long.

From eight hundred to a thousand meters away, he could still hit players with his arrows.

At that distance, the spider silk could not reach him, and even the players' current skills and bows had little chance of hitting him.

In theory, as long as Cao Anmin kept his distance and kited them, the Calamity Army could do nothing against his mobility.

But the players were no pushovers either.

Stone-Wing Fiends were continuously caught by spider webs.

These Tier-3 Elites were quite powerful, but they were relatively frail.

Once dragged to the ground, they were quickly killed.

Lone Boat, Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Toasting the Moon, and the other top Calamity Army experts relied on the Black Dragon Spirit Horse's Leap of Black Flame to briefly fly and move through the air.

In a short time, they had slaughtered many Stone-Wing Fiends.

With their skills, equipment, and mounts, the Abyssal army failed to establish aerial suppression.

Instead, their losses rapidly increased under the Calamity Army's counterattack.

Maintaining a safe distance, Cao Anmin locked onto the Calamity Army members using spider silk to capture Stone-Wing Fiends.

He was just about to eliminate them with long-range attacks.

Suddenly, two Stone-Wing Fiends screamed toward him.

One from the left, one from the right, both pierced straight through his body.

“What?!”

Cao Anmin was caught completely off guard.

As Abyssal units of Old Wan, the Stone-Wing Fiends possessed no intelligence.

There was no possibility of betrayal.

They had been controlled!

Little Bell raised the Nine-Curve Cursed Staff high.

“Great opportunity! Sister Chimera Wraith, it's your turn!”

It was Soul Capture!

The spell attached to the Nine-Curve Cursed Staff!

Cao Anmin was no stranger to it.

Back when he first encountered the Calamity Army in Xinye, he had already suffered under this mental spell.

At the time, Little Bell had only been Tier-2.

Even using Soul Capture on Cao Anmin with all her strength, she had only managed to make him lose focus for an instant.

It had been completely incapable of hypnosis or control.

But things were different now.

Not only had her own tier increased dramatically, most of Little Bell's equipment was now blue quality.

The Nine-Curve Cursed Staff in her hands had advanced to high-grade blue quality, and even its level had been enhanced to Level 7.

Because the equipment's quality had increased, the attached skill had also been strengthened.

Originally, Soul Capture could only control a single target.

Now, it could affect multiple targets.

Because the equipment's tier had risen, Soul Capture's power had also increased tremendously.

And because her targets were Stone-Wing Fiends rather than a Tier-3 Commander like Cao Anmin, with Little Bell's current strength, controlling two average Tier-3 Elites at once was not particularly difficult.

That was why the two Stone-Wing Fiends had suddenly turned against him, catching Cao Anmin completely by surprise.

When he finally broke free, he realized he had already descended more than a hundred meters.

At the same time, several Calamity Army members had already ridden nearby, waiting in ambush.

“You're courting death!”

Cao Anmin completely lost his composure.

He was just about to unleash a desperate offensive and show these damned Starsea lackeys the consequences.

“Lightning Chain!”

Riding her Black Dragon Spirit Horse across the air atop black flames, Chimera Wraith flew into the sky.

Her staff transformed into a chain woven from lightning, which perfectly bound Cao Anmin's body.

“Get down here!”

Chimera Wraith urged her mount toward the ground while pulling the chain.

Affected by the blue spell, Cao Anmin fell into paralysis and could not break free immediately.

He was dragged another hundred meters downward.

Now, he was very close to the ground, where multiple Calamity Army cavalry had already arrived.

After all, he was a Tier-3 Commander.

His resistance was still extremely high.

He quickly recovered from the paralysis.

Two of his four arms raised their long spears, shattering the lightning chain.

“Dark Assault!”

“Hundred Birds Thrust!”

The Tier-3 Divine Feather Palace experts Qingchen and Hua Mulan charged forward.

Qingchen unleashed Dark Assault, while Hua Mulan used Hundred Birds Thrust.

At the very moment Cao Anmin shattered the Lightning Chain, their attacks struck him from front and back almost simultaneously, landing critical hits.

“Get lost!”

Cao Anmin immediately flew into a rage, forcing the two players back after four or five exchanges.

However, he failed to kill either of them.

“Damn it!”

Cao Anmin had no choice but to admit it.

These Offspring had grown far stronger than expected.

He had no intention of dying to them again.

He immediately tried to fly back into the sky, planning to attack the Calamity Army once more from a safe distance.

“Trying to run? Not that easily!”

Chimera Wraith raised the Evil Infant Spine Staff and summoned the Xinye Evil Infant Domain.

Cao Anmin suddenly found himself trapped in a bizarre space filled with endless crying.

Even he was temporarily imprisoned within those cries, unable to break free quickly.

“My turn!”

At that moment, Mad Blade Old Wang of the Hall of War Gods charged out on horseback.

He switched from his shield to a two-handed greatsword, gathered overwhelming momentum, and unleashed three consecutive slashes onto Cao Anmin.

-635!

-1027!

-3268 (Critical!)

His health bar emptied completely with the final strike.

Amid unwilling roars and furious howls, Cao Anmin once again fell beneath the feet of the Calamity Army.

Compared to the previous two times, this death was truly humiliating.

“Holy shit!”

“What insane damage!”

“When did Old Wang's DPS become this ridiculous?!”

“...”

Mad Blade Old Wang's performance left everyone astonished.

The Hall of War Gods currently had the largest number of players, but aside from Legion Commander Ye Li Meng, its other members had always kept a relatively low profile.

For example, Lone Boat or Mad Blade Old Wang.

These two were unquestionably TOP0-Level combatants within the Calamity Army.

If Lone Boat was the Calamity Army's sharpest dagger and sword, then Mad Blade Old Wang was its sturdiest shield.

Because all this time, Mad Blade Old Wang had preferred fighting with a shield, most people assumed that this veteran specialized in defense.

Now that he had finally attacked, displaying such explosive destructive power, everyone was naturally stunned.

Black-Eyed Rui Ge narrowed his eyes and recognized the skill.

“It's The Martial Saint's Three Strikes!”

Salted Fish Thrust said, “The Martial Saint's Three Strikes? No wonder!”

“So that's it!”

“The boss actually mastered The Martial Saint's Three Strikes!”

“At the moment, there are probably only three or four people in the entire Calamity Army who know this blue secret technique!”

“...”

The Martial Saint's Three Strikes was a technique Guan Yu had gifted to the territory.

Although it had been simplified, it was extremely practical, especially for increasing burst damage and instantly killing enemies.

The skill had appeared as early as the Woniu Mountain campaign.

It had been embedded in the territory's Skill Tower for an entire month.

Because its learning requirements were extremely demanding, requiring not only an enormous amount of Essence but also very high attribute requirements, everyone had spent all this time drooling over the skill, unable to learn it.

Only recently had a handful of top-tier players, through prolonged skill training and attribute potions, finally reached the threshold.

Mad Blade Old Wang was one of them!

With such an ultimate technique at his disposal, his combat power naturally increased tremendously.

In terms of destructive power, attack strength, and overall damage output,

Old Wang still lagged behind fellow warriors Ye Li Meng and Street Slayer by quite a margin.

This was because Old Wang had learned numerous skills that enhanced his overall defensive capabilities.

To improve his survivability, he had even learned several healing skills.

But Essence was limited.

When it came to saber techniques and offensive skills, Mad Blade Old Wang naturally fell slightly behind Street Slayer.

He understood his own weakness as well.

After all, one could not have the best of both worlds.

It was impossible for him to possess both supreme defense and supreme offense.

Instead, he chose to abandon overly complicated saber techniques.

Mad Blade Old Wang decided to focus entirely on increasing his burst damage.

That way, he could withstand an enemy's fierce assault with his overwhelming defense, then eliminate them in a single explosive combo.

“Hahaha!”

“The Corrupted Souls of Old Wan are nothing special!”

“Back then Cao Anmin beat us up so badly!”

“Yeah, I died to him more than five times. I never thought we'd deal with him this easily this time!”

“Lone Boat, Rui Ge, Uncle Meng, and the other super big shots hadn't even gotten serious before this guy already went down!”

“We've become stronger!”

“The Calamity Army is becoming stronger and stronger!”

“...”

Using Cao Anmin as a benchmark, the players could clearly feel how much they had grown during this period.

It filled them with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and achievement!

“Let's keep pushing!” Ye Li Meng shouted. “There are at least ten thousand monsters in Old Wan. Every one of them is a high-quality Tier-3 Elite!”

“The loot from Tier-3 Elites is already excellent.”

“Not to mention over ten thousand of them?”

“This is awesome!”

“I'm desperately short on Essence and Contribution Points to learn new skills. The territory's newly added green skills and blue secret techniques are all top-tier!”

“This time we won't need any NPCs from the territory to help!”

“I should be able to complete the mission with my own strength. No matter what, I have to earn at least a Gold rating!”

“...”

The Calamity Army's morale soared.

After Cao Anmin had been instantly killed by Mad Blade Old Wang's three strikes, the mere few hundred Stone-Wing Fiends on the battlefield were no longer enough to threaten these two thousand advanced players.

After all, over a hundred of them had already reached Tier-3.

Among these hundred-plus players, the strongest had already begun to possess Commander-class combat power.

However, just as everyone was finishing off the Stone-Wing Fiends, the previously motionless tide of Abyssal darkness in the distance suddenly surged toward them.

“Everyone, be careful!”

“The enemy's main force is coming!”

The Calamity Army felt the filthy, frantic, chaotic Abyssal Aura crashing toward them, to the point that everyone's attributes were suppressed to a certain extent.

A massive army appeared before them.

At the very front was a cavalry force.

It consisted of five to six hundred Tiger Fiend Cavalry and another five to six hundred Leopard Fiend Cavalry, led by several Abyssal Corrupted Souls.

At their head stood a dark demonic knight wielding a giant scythe.

He stood roughly three meters tall.

His body's outer shell was pieced together from countless black bone fragments, while inside writhed a mass of distorted flesh and organs, constantly squirming as though they would burst through his body at any moment.

Even his mount was a grotesquely mutated Abyssal demonic steed, several times larger than an ordinary warhorse, with eight legs and malformed flesh wings.

“It's Cao Ang!”

【Cao Ang】, Level 27 Overlord Unit... Introduction: Once Cao Cao's eldest son, he had now completely fallen into the Abyss, utterly submitted to the Will of the Abyss, and become a Corrupted Soul!

This was not the first time the players had fought Cao Ang.

But when they saw his information, they were all stunned.

“What the hell?”

“An Overlord? How did he become an Overlord?”

“I remember the last time we fought him, he was only a Level 25 Commander!”

“...”

“Obviously, compared to before, Cao Ang has now been completely corrupted and fully transformed into a Corrupted Soul.”

Black-Eyed Rui Ge commented, “Perhaps because he's become completely Corrupted, his strength has increased dramatically, allowing him to rise from a Level 25 Commander to a Level 27 Overlord!”

“So becoming evil really multiplies your strength several times over? That's troublesome!”

Midnight Pig Slayer said, “The last time we beat him, it was only because he held back. This guy isn't easy to deal with!”

Chimera Wraith's expression also became serious.

“An Overlord and a Commander are on completely different levels. Even the weakest Overlord-Class unit can match at least three to five top-tier Commanders of the same level.”

“Hahaha! What's there to worry about? Sure, he's gotten stronger—but haven't we gotten stronger too?”

Ye Li Meng remained completely unconcerned.

“An Overlord is great. He'll be harder to kill now, but his drop rate and loot have also improved!”

“Legion Commander Ye is right!”

“The Calamity Army fears nothing!”

“This isn't bad news. It's good news! At worst we'll just die a few more times!”

“Heh, the greater the challenge, the more excited I get!”

“...”

Luoshui City.

Inside the Core Hall.

Hang Yu was also watching the battle.

The Calamity Army had not been intimidated by the imposing presence of Overlord-Class Cao Ang.

After all, their true target on this expedition was Dian Wei.

How could Cao Ang possibly frighten them?

As for Cao Ang's sudden promotion to Overlord, although it was indeed somewhat troublesome, he had merely reached the threshold of the Overlord class.

With the players' current strength, they were still capable of defeating him.

They would simply suffer quite a bit in the process.

Not long afterward, Hang Yu's screen was flooded with death notifications.

Streams of Essence continuously flowed into the territory.

【Player "Ning Caichen II" has died. Essence +50,000!】

【Player "Hua Mulan" has died. Essence +55,000!】

【...】

【Player "Ye Li Meng" has died. Essence +60,000!】

【Player "Little Bell" has died. Essence +60,000!】

【Player "Mad Blade Old Wang" has died. Essence +60,000!】

【Player "Toasting the Moon" has died. Essence +60,000!】

【...】

Watching these incoming gains, Hang Yu saw that, as the players' levels continued to rise, the amount of Essence they could convert for the territory also continued increasing.

Just the mini-boss Cao Ang of Old Wan City was already giving the players such a difficult battle.

That made the upcoming fight against the core corruption source, the Big Boss Dian Wei, all the more exciting.

It looked like another bountiful harvest was on the way!

Hang Yu was extremely satisfied.

At the same time, however, he also needed to make some preparations.

Although dealing with Cao Ang would involve a few twists and turns, the final victor would undoubtedly be the Calamity Army.

There was no suspense whatsoever.

After all, Cao Ang's strength was, at most, on the level of Skeleton Gan Ning.

Because his level was lower, he was actually slightly weaker.

The Calamity Army was powerful, well-rested, and had the nearby respawn point at Bowang, along with strong defensive advantages.

It would not take long before they completely wiped out the army under Cao Ang's command.

Next, the truly thrilling Boss battle would begin!

Hang Yu and Zhang Zhongjing had prepared for this for so long.

It was finally time to test the results.

…………

(PS: Ahem, sorry. Although I've had a bit more free time over the past two days, I haven't been in very good condition. I couldn't finish the extra chapter I owed, so I'll have to owe it for another day or two. Since I started serializing this novel, I've never taken a single day off. This is the first time I've missed an update, but I'll definitely make it up.)