Chapter 273 ·The Core Pollution Zone

Chapter 273: The Core Pollution Zone! Facing Dian Wei Once Again!

The Calamity Legion quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

【You picked up loot: Abyss Essence +36,000, Magic Stone Fragments +38,303, Petrified Winged Demon Soldier Longsword +1, Petrification Curse Talisman +10!】

【You picked up loot: Abyss Essence +45,000, Magic Stone Fragments +58,600, Tiger Rider Demon Soldier Battle Axe +1, Tiger Rider Demon Soldier Armor +1!】

【You picked up loot: Abyss Essence +42,000, Magic Stone Fragments +57,900, Leopard Rider Demon Soldier Necklace +1!】

【……】

The Calamity Legion had eliminated more than 4,400 Abyss units in total. The humanoid Abyss units dropped fewer magic crystals than Starsea units, but yielded more essence than Starsea units of the same tier.

In total, they dropped more than 250 million Magic Stone Fragments.

Equivalent to 250,000 Abyss Magic Crystals.

That was by no means a small amount.

These elites from Old Wan City ranged from Level 21 to Level 25. Each one yielded an average of just over 40,000 essence, for a total output reaching an astonishing 180 million essence.

However.

Because the battle had been so intense.

The Calamity Legion had been unable to recover the loot immediately, causing more than one-third of the essence to dissipate and be lost. In the end, only a little over 100 million essence actually ended up in the Calamity Legion's hands.

Even so, it was still an impressive haul.

After all, only a little over four thousand Calamity Legion players had participated.

Even if divided equally, each player would receive more than twenty thousand essence. In reality, the third-order experts naturally received a larger share than ordinary players. At the very least, everyone basically came out ahead in terms of cultivation.

“I'm Level 26!”

Ye Li Meng laughed. “Hahaha, the experience gain exploded so hard I couldn't even hold it back!”

The five legion commanders had all contributed enormously during the battle.

As a result, each of them received at least three to four hundred thousand essence.

Ye Li Meng had died three times during the battle. The essence he received not only completely made up for all three losses in one go, but also pushed him all the way to Level 26.

After a rough tally by the Calamity Legion.

Although the battle had been exceptionally brutal, with players dying anywhere from two or three times to as many as five or six times, the generous loot and experience had not weakened them in the slightest. Instead, they had become even stronger.

The number of Level 26 players had risen to eight.

The number of third-order players above Level 21 had increased to 278!

The levels of the remaining second-order players had generally improved as well. At the very least, everyone had recovered from their level-loss penalties.

Besides essence and magic crystals.

The equipment and material drops from this battle had also been extremely abundant.

They obtained over eight thousand pieces of third-order equipment.

In addition, Cao Ang and the other five Abyss Corrupted had dropped a large number of high-quality materials, including Corrupted Gems and Death Curse Gems.

Cao Ang alone had dropped thirty blue-quality Death Curse Gems.

As well as eighty blue-quality Corrupted Gems.

The former could be used to add or enhance curse-type skills on equipment.

The latter could be used to upgrade equipment quality.

Both were highly sought-after materials.

The players were overjoyed.

“Although everyone performed very well this time, it's still far too early to pop the champagne!” Black Pupil Rui Ge said with a slightly serious expression.

Raise a Cup to the Moon nodded. “Rui Ge's right. We didn't win this battle easily. Quite a few of us have already gained the Fatigue debuff.”

Chi Mei Wang Liang said, “Just Cao Ang alone was already this difficult to deal with. This operation is much harder than we expected.”

Midnight Pig Slaughterer said, “What's there to worry about? We've still got around twenty-four hours left!”

Crazy Slash Across the Street nodded. “Twenty-four hours is enough for us to rest twice. Even if we just grind him down, we can still wear Dian Wei to death.”

Little Bell said, “But there won't be a resurrection point in the next battle. It'll be much harder for us to replenish our forces quickly.”

Black Pupil Rui Ge said, “Although we can't resurrect directly in Old Wan, according to our earlier scouting, there's a place called Matou Village on the outskirts of the Core Pollution Zone.”

“There's a Destiny Divine Stone there that can activate a Blessing Point. Matou Village is only ten li away from Old Wan. We can capture it and use it as our base for attacking Old Wan.”

Ye Li Meng said, “We may not be able to resurrect directly on the battlefield, but being able to teleport close to it is still pretty good.”

Midnight Pig Slaughterer said, “Teleporting from Bowang to Matou Village isn't far and doesn't cost much. Even if we do it ten or twenty times, it won't drain all our contribution points.”

Crazy Slash Across the Street said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let's capture Matou Village first! Charge!”

“That's right!”

“There's no turning back once the bowstring's been drawn!”

“The Lord entrusted this mission to the Calamity Legion. Whether we succeed or not, we've got to give it everything we've got!”

“We've already made a huge profit on this trip.”

“So what if we die a few more times!”

“I don't play games just for the rewards. I want to see what the Core Pollution Zone looks like, and I want to fight a final boss like Dian Wei head-on!”

“Hurry up! Hurry up!”

“……”

The players weren't stupid.

On the contrary, every one of them was sharp.

Even with defensive fortifications protecting them.

They had struggled so much against the four thousand-plus Abyss units led by Cao Ang.

Old Wan City contained even more Abyss troops, of higher levels and greater strength.

Even in a fair environment, the difficulty would be several times greater.

Not to mention that this time the Abyss faction held an absolute home-field advantage.

The Abyss aura within Wan City's Core Pollution Zone was unimaginably dense!

The battlefield environment was horrifyingly harsh and dangerous.

It would significantly restrict and suppress the players' attributes, skills, and overall combat strength.

But would the Calamity Legion fear that?

The more dangerous the place, the stronger their desire for a challenge became.

These people simply had no idea what fear was.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the Calamity Legion wasted no time. They immediately summoned their spirit steeds and set off toward Wan City.

On the forums.

Battle updates appeared rapidly.

Various screenshots and short videos were uploaded.

One ten-second aerial video showed four to five thousand members of the Calamity Legion summoning their spirit steeds simultaneously before galloping across the vast, desolate wilderness.

The clip lasted only ten seconds.

Yet it used cinematic camera work.

It first showcased the magnificent sight of four to five thousand Calamity Legion riders—each with different appearances and equipment—charging fearlessly across the plains.

Then the camera shifted to reveal the terrifying land ahead, which had been severely polluted, corrupted, and twisted for over a century.

If someone added an epic battle soundtrack.

It would feel absolutely legendary.

“The Calamity Legion has officially set out!”

“Straight for the enemy's heart! Target: Old Wan City!”

“Wow!”

“This is definitely blockbuster quality!”

“This is incredible! My blood's boiling just watching it!”

“Of course! Who's ever seen four or five thousand cavalry charging together? Even compared to old movies, this shot is absolutely explosive!”

“Even top-budget TV dramas couldn't realistically film cavalry on this scale. They'd have to rely on CGI, and it just wouldn't feel the same.”

“Exactly! This isn't just real-location filming. The scenery, the equipment, and even the mounts have an authenticity that ordinary films simply can't match.”

“Glory to the Calamity Legion!”

“Go, Calamity Legion!”

“I've been one of the earliest forum spectators. When I first started following the Calamity Legion, they only had a few hundred people. I never imagined they'd grow to this scale.”

“……”

The casual video Chen Xi had recorded from the Thunder-Horn Eagle's perspective immediately earned countless likes and admiration from forum spectators.

This didn't feel like a game livestream at all.

It felt more like watching a real battlefield report from another world.

Although the Calamity Legion's expedition into the Core Pollution Zone was incredibly stirring and most people were cheering them on, quite a few voices expressed different opinions.

“The Calamity Legion is still too weak!”

“I'll bet a hundred packs of spicy strips that if the Lord doesn't personally intervene, there's no way the Human Territory can conquer Old Wan within the next twenty-four hours.”

“It's not that I don't support the legion commanders and the top players.”

“The gap in strength is simply too huge.”

“Cao Ang may have reached the Overlord rank, but at best he's just the gatekeeper among Overlord bosses. Dian Wei, on the other hand—even though no one's seen him truly fight—we can already tell from the available information that he's the absolute ceiling of Overlord bosses!”

“Exactly. They struggled this much against the gatekeeper, and now they want to challenge the ceiling?”

“The Core Pollution Zone has an even harsher environment and stronger monsters.”

“They'll probably have trouble even getting close to Dian Wei!”

“Doesn't matter. My only hobby is watching the top players suffer. I hope the Calamity Legion uploads more footage so I can make a compilation of their painful moments for Bilibili!”

“Hahaha! That's savage! But I like it! The embarrassing black history of the top players' growth must be preserved!”

“……”

While everyone joked and debated.

More battlefield intelligence arrived.

“Frontline report!”

“The Calamity Legion is about to reach Matou Village!”

“Matou Village is an outpost on the outskirts of the Core Pollution Zone. It's the next objective the top players absolutely have to capture!”

“……”

Matou Village wasn't very large.

It housed around five to six hundred Nightmare Survivors.

These Nightmare Survivors were around Level 22 to Level 23.

They were only ordinary elite monsters.

Naturally, they couldn't stop the surging Calamity Legion.

In less than fifteen minutes.

The good news arrived.

The Calamity Legion successfully captured Matou Village!

This battle differed from the one at Bowang.

During the latter, the immense pressure from Cao Ang, combined with the enemy's overwhelming numbers, forced the players to focus with everything they had to avoid defeat.

This time, however, the disparity in strength and numbers was overwhelming.

The few Abyss units wandering around Matou Village posed virtually no threat.

The participating players fought with remarkable ease.

In fact.

They even had time to record footage.

Many Calamity Legion members.

Uploaded videos of the battle to the forums.

Most of these players came from the five major legions.

They weren't recording merely to share the footage.

Their primary goal was to promote their legions and increase their prestige.

Besides that.

The official game supported fan creations.

Players of This Twisted Three Kingdoms Game Is Brutally owned the copyrights to their recordings.

If their videos or screenshots became popular and were used by media creators or third parties, they could demand licensing fees.

That was one of the reasons many players enjoyed sharing content.

They could show off.

Share exciting moments.

And make money in the process.

Why wouldn't they?

In the footage.

Ye Li Meng rode a Black Dragon Spirit Steed engulfed in black flames.

His entire body had turned a golden metallic color.

He wielded an enormous warhammer as he rampaged through the monsters.

Every hammer strike dealt explosive damage.

Just two or three basic attacks were enough to kill one.

Using a skill meant an instant kill.

He was unbelievably fierce.

Black Pupil Rui Ge appeared and disappeared like a ghost.

Constantly blinking through the Nightmare Survivors.

Every strike instantly covered the monsters' bodies with sword light before dismembering them into dozens of pieces.

Little Bell set up the Four-Talisman Demon-Slaying Formation around herself.

She first lured several Nightmare Survivors close.

Then used some kind of teleportation spell to blink several hundred meters away.

Finally, she activated the formation and annihilated them.

Chen Xi raised a sinister bone staff.

She instantly summoned four powerful third-order elite wraiths.

Then sent all of them to attack the enemies before her simultaneously.

Each top player displayed their own unique abilities!

It was eye-opening!

And immediately sparked discussion.

“Have all these top players become this strong now? The monsters in these videos are all third-order elites, right?”

“The major legion commanders all seem to have reached the point where they can solo commander-level monsters of the same tier!”

“Why does Boss Ye look like he's made of solid gold?”

“If I'm not mistaken, that's one of the four newly added secret arts in the territory—Golden Skin Iron Bones!”

“A blue secret art! It's extremely difficult to learn! But since it's Boss Ye, that's not surprising!”

“Golden Skin Iron Bones is an amazing defensive technique. Combined with Boss Ye's self-created 'Mad Tiger Burning Soul,' plus his Level 8 Thousand Skull Demon Hammer, one swing is absolutely devastating!”

“No wonder he's so ridiculously powerful!”

“The other bosses are amazing too!”

“Boss Little Bell's teleportation spell should be another blue secret art—'Shrink the Earth to an Inch.' Combined with the Four-Talisman Demon-Slaying Formation, clearing monsters is way too easy!”

“The skill Black Pupil Rui Ge's using should also be one of the secret arts—'Shadow Assassination.' Between those ghostly blinks, Swift Shadow Assault, and his swordsmanship, ordinary people wouldn't even know how they died!”

“What about Boss Chen Xi?”

“She probably learned Wraith Summoning from the Necromancy Skill Tower. It lets her summon elite wraiths of the same level as herself.”

“But why can she summon four at once?”

“Look carefully at the staff she's holding. That seems to be the Necromantic Ritual Staff dropped in the Corpse Lich Territory campaign. It enhances undead summoning spells.”

“So that's how it is.”

“……”

The other top players also showcased new abilities during the battle.

Their skill systems and equipment had all been upgraded.

Each one displayed astonishing strength that could not be underestimated.

Before long.

The community would undoubtedly erupt into another wave of strength comparisons, skill analyses, and endless arguments over the rankings of the top players.

While the forum spectators marveled at the growth of the elite players.

“Activation successful!”

“We've captured another Blessing Point!”

“Excellent! This'll make things much easier!”

“……”

Every member of the Calamity Legion participating in this operation had now gathered around the Blessing Point in Matou Village.

Old Wan City was already very close.

The players could feel the Abyss aura saturating the surrounding space.

Although they had yet to enter Old Wan itself.

Their attributes had already begun declining to varying degrees.

“Old Wan City is just ahead!”

“But we're not in peak condition.”

“Should we rest for a few hours before exploring Old Wan?”

More than a dozen Calamity Legion leaders gathered to discuss.

Having gone through the defense of Bowang, everyone had died at least two or three times, while some had died five or six times.

They were all suffering from mild Fatigue.

This negative status effect reduced their attributes.

There were still more than twenty-two hours remaining.

Although that wasn't a lot of time.

It was enough to rest for a while.

Recover their stamina.

Refresh their buffs.

And then fight at full strength.

“Although there's absolutely no way we can conquer Old Wan in our current condition, I don't think resting immediately is the right choice.”

Raise a Cup to the Moon said, “I suggest we test the waters first. We don't need a quick victory. Our main objective should be gathering intelligence.”

Arthur King said, “I agree with Commander Wang Yue's suggestion. There's no way we can capture Old Wan immediately, but we can at least learn what the Core Pollution Zone is like. That'll let us make better preparations while we're resting.”

Black Pupil Rui Ge said, “Agreed!”

Ye Li Meng said, “Agreed!”

Little Bell said, “I agree too!”

After discussing it.

The legion leadership decided not to rest yet.

Instead, they would first sacrifice a few waves and scout the situation.

They left a few people behind to guard the Blessing Point.

Everyone else departed from Matou Village and headed toward Old Wan.

As the Core Pollution Zone of the Wan City region.

The concentration of Abyss aura here was extraordinarily high.

It had formed an enormous dark crimson fog that severely restricted visibility.

The blood-red drizzle resembled concentrated acid.

Everyone who entered the area was affected.

【You have been corrupted by the "Abyss Aura." Maximum HP -10, All Attributes -5, Duration: 600 seconds!】

【You have been corrupted by the "Abyss Aura." Maximum HP -10, All Attributes -5, Duration: 600 seconds!】

【……】

【You have been eroded by the "Abyss Rain." Equipment Attributes -2%!】

【You have been eroded by the "Abyss Rain." Equipment Attributes -3%!】

【……】

【You have been affected by the "Abyss Whispers." Will Attribute -10, Skill Cooldown +5 seconds!】

【……】

Ye Li Meng walked across the swamp-like, muddy, writhing ground.

Feeling his body growing weaker and weaker under the mounting debuffs, he couldn't help cursing.

“Damn it! We haven't even found the entrance to Old Wan yet, and we're already almost capped out on negative debuffs!”

Beside him, Mad Blade Old Wang said, “Strange. Logically speaking, the Core Pollution Zone should be packed with monsters. Why haven't we seen a single one since entering?”

Just then.

The usually silent Lone Boat seemed to notice something.

With a swish, he raised the Bloodstain Sword in his hand.

The eyes hidden beneath his mask revealed deep wariness.

Ye Li Meng asked, “Xiao Zhou, what's wrong?”

Lone Boat said, “I think we've gotten separated from the main force.”

“Separated from the main force?”

“How's that possible?”

Brother Pony and Glorious Years hurriedly looked around.

What they saw shocked them.

The surroundings had suddenly become deathly silent.

The densely packed Calamity Legion had vanished.

“The others really are gone!”

“Everyone stop advancing! Something's wrong here!”

After stopping.

Ye Li Meng quickly counted the people around him.

Only Mad Blade Old Wang, Lone Boat, and the other eight core members of the Hall of War Gods squad remained.

Everyone else.

Including the rest of the players.

Had disappeared into the fog.

Ye Li Meng immediately opened the interface.

Through the public player chat, he contacted Black Pupil Rui Ge, Little Bell, Arthur King, Raise a Cup to the Moon, and the others.

Little Bell: “What happened? Why did everyone suddenly disappear?”

Black Pupil Rui Ge: “Everyone be careful! Some unknown force silently scattered us apart!”

Arthur King: “Damn it! What's going on?”

Raise a Cup to the Moon: “Forget the cause for now. First, everyone confirm your positions.”

“……”

From the conversation.

Ye Li Meng quickly realized.

It wasn't just his squad that had become separated.

After entering the dense Abyss fog of the Core Pollution Zone.

Everyone had been silently scattered apart by some mysterious force.

“This is troublesome!”

Brother Pony said, “Our legion barely has enough strength to challenge Old Wan as it is. If we can't even stay together, then this is just moths flying into a flame!”

“We have to find out what's happening!”

“Open your Arcane Eyes!”

Lone Boat opened the vertical eye on his forehead.

It seemed he had discovered something.

The others also activated their Arcane Eyes.

Once they observed the surroundings through them.

The dense fog immediately appeared much thinner.

At the same time.

They could clearly sense.

Countless spider-silk threads stretched throughout the mist.

These web-like threads were invisible to the naked eye.

Nor could they be physically touched.

Only the Arcane Eye talent could perceive them.

They were spread throughout every direction.

Lone Boat speculated.

The players' distorted positions.

Were most likely related to these strange invisible webs.

Just as Ye Li Meng and the others prepared to determine their current location.

So they could rendezvous with nearby Calamity Legion forces.

Suddenly.

An incomparably violent and tyrannical force descended upon them.

【You have been affected by "Abyss Gaze." You have entered a Stiffened state for 1 second!】

【You have been affected by "Abyss Gaze." You have entered a Stiffened state for 2 seconds. All Attributes -10 for 600 seconds!】

The surrounding fog seemed to thin slightly.

With their Arcane Eyes activated.

They could barely make out the nearby terrain.

It appeared to be the ruins of a city.

One that had been corrupted beyond recognition.

A place resembling hell itself.

At the same time.

Deep within the mist ahead.

A towering gigantic shadow stood.

It had clearly noticed the Calamity Legion before it.

Its mere gaze and attention pressed upon the players like Mount Tai bearing down on them.

“It's Dian Wei!”

Ye Li Meng never would have imagined.

That they would be teleported directly before the final boss.

At first glance, Dian Wei's appearance wasn't especially grotesque.

Yet he was no longer made of flesh and blood.

His colossal Titan-like body was formed from a strange substance that seemed neither stone nor metal.

He stood over ten zhang tall.

Yet his aura towered ten thousand zhang into the heavens.

His massive body was covered with flowing crimson energy and irregular patterns.

He possessed six thick, immensely powerful arms.

Each arm was covered in cracks resembling fractured stone.

His head was disproportionate to his enormous frame.

Most of it was buried within his chest and neck.

Only a pair of scarlet eyes remained visible.

He resembled a headless giant.

Or a colossal warrior whose head had sunk into an ancient suit of gigantic armor.

He silently gazed at the Calamity Legion before him.

Beneath that seemingly stable and imposing exterior.

He radiated boundless savagery and violence.

Like a volcano.

That had been suppressed for billions of years.

And was about to erupt the very next second.

Dian Wei spoke coldly.

“Insignificant insects like you dare challenge me?”

(PS: My family celebrated my birthday today, so I got home rather late. I didn't have time to revise the chapter, so I'm posting it first. I'll fix any typos or awkward sentences afterward!)