Chapter 274 ·A Daunting Mission

Chapter 274: A Daunting Mission! The Corrupted Madam Zou!

Within the desolate and ruined remains of the old city, atop the writhing and twisted dark-red corrupted ground, nine members of the Calamity Legion suddenly found themselves face-to-face with the strongest super boss on the entire map, completely unprepared.

Ye Li Meng clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk, this pressure. As expected of the final boss of the Wan City stage...”

Several weeks earlier, during the Day of Utter Darkness.

The Calamity Legion, including Ye Li Meng, had already faced Dian Wei.

However.

That could hardly be considered a real battle. Although the players all knew Dian Wei's strength was unfathomable, they still had no concrete concept of just how overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying he truly was.

However.

At this very moment.

Dian Wei had no other subordinates beside him.

The players could now experience far more vividly the terror of facing a super boss head-on.

This was someone who had relied solely on his own strength to simultaneously suppress Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu, Wen Ping, and numerous other experts, even after being heavily weakened by the Sixfold Destiny Formation.

Dian Wei was currently at his peak.

Combined with the enhancement granted by fighting on his home ground, his terrifying power naturally reached an even higher level.

Ye Li Meng, Lone Boat, and the others.

Did not possess even the slightest chance of victory.

Nor did they have any possibility of surviving.

However, Ye Li Meng and the others felt no fear whatsoever. Perhaps they relied upon their immortality without reservation, or perhaps the Heavenly Dao Cube's mental protection mechanism caused them to subconsciously regard every terror as merely part of a game.

At this moment.

Apart from shock.

There was only excitement.

“We're finally going to challenge the final boss!”

Brother Pony laughed. “This atmosphere, this pressure—they're completely maxed out!”

Mad Blade Old Wang also said, “We're definitely going to die, but at least we can test part of the boss's combat mechanics and prepare for the siege afterward!”

“That's right!”

“Let's get a taste of it!”

The other legion members all agreed.

Dian Wei was a Level 30 Overlord whose strength was practically at the ceiling. Forget relying on just the few players present—even if the elites of all five major legions attacked together, they would probably struggle to defeat him in a single battle.

Appearing here now.

Guaranteed death.

Death wasn't frightening. After all, when the Calamity Legion challenged Old Wan City this time, none of them had expected to return alive.

Rather than dying to ordinary monsters or various traps.

It was far more glorious to die to the final boss.

Instead of feeling depressed at being cornered, Ye Li Meng and the others actually felt as though they had stumbled upon incredible luck by getting to experience the boss fight ahead of everyone else.

“Hey, Dian Wei, I respect you as a real man!”

Ye Li Meng rested his giant hammer on his shoulder, completely ignoring the pressure radiating from Dian Wei.

He shouted loudly, “The moment we followed our Lord in descending upon this land, it marked the end of the Age of the Abyss. Every inch of corrupted soil will be purified.”

“Even you can't stop it!”

“But I also know your mind isn't very clear right now, and a tough guy like you definitely won't surrender.”

“So talking is pointless. Let's settle this the way real men do. Real men fight head-on!”

“Come on! My Hall of War Gods Legion will properly witness the abilities of the Ancient E Lai today!”

The nine experts of the Hall of War Gods Legion.

All prepared themselves for battle.

Why could these self-aware dependents face such overwhelming pressure with such calm resolve? Whatever. It wasn't important, nor was it worth dwelling on!

Dian Wei was ruthless and spoke little. He condensed a crimson hand halberd and hurled it from one or two thousand meters away, instantly transforming it into a streak of scarlet lightning.

That move again!

The Calamity Legion had already experienced Dian Wei's long-range attack during the Day of Utter Darkness.

He could throw hand halberds from over ten thousand meters away. Not only was the attack range extraordinary, but its speed was unbelievably fast. It could precisely snipe and instantly kill targets, and could even be used to summon monsters. It was an extremely troublesome technique.

“Watch out!”

Ye Li Meng shouted.

Mad Blade Old Wang had already activated the defensive skill Giant Shield Barrier. The shield in his left hand transformed into energy and expanded into a gigantic shield large enough to protect everyone.

At the same time.

He activated the blue skill Guardian Earth, which he had learned from Wen Ping.

This skill sacrificed mobility in exchange for greatly increasing both defensive range and defensive power.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out.

The savage crimson lightning resembled a razor-sharp blade. It forcefully split apart Mad Blade Old Wang's defenses, pierced through the Giant Shield Barrier, and still retained enough momentum to drive him rapidly backward.

-421!

-1032!

Mad Blade Old Wang suffered considerable damage, and the damage continued increasing. His defenses were on the verge of collapsing.

“Get lost!”

Ye Li Meng swung his giant hammer into the hand halberd, finally blasting it into the air. Yet the crimson hand halberd's energy had still not been exhausted, and it was about to summon a Scarlet Demonic Skeleton monster.

Lone Boat's figure flashed.

Instantly transforming into several streaks of sword light that landed upon it.

Destroying it before the monster could be summoned.

“Nice!”

Brother Pony, Glorious Years, and the others all cheered.

Dian Wei was clearly somewhat surprised because the humans before him had grown significantly stronger.

Back when they fought near Xinye.

When Dian Wei launched long-range attacks, they hadn't possessed the slightest ability to resist.

Now they could barely withstand one of his casual strikes.

“Glory!”

“Hurry and heal Old Wang!”

“Dian Wei's attacks hit way too hard!”

The strongest monk player in the Hall of War Gods, Glorious Years, immediately took action, instantly creating a Taiping Spring Renewal Talisman and a Myriad Qi Origin Restoration Pill.

Mad Blade Old Wang also quickly swallowed several Greater Blood Recovery Pills before placing several protective talismans upon himself.

His health rapidly recovered.

“Hahaha! No big deal. I can take one or two hits now. That's already way better than before!”

Mad Blade Old Wang was obviously very satisfied. Although he knew this attack meant virtually nothing to Dian Wei, as long as he could withstand one or two attacks from the final boss.

That level of defense.

Across the entire legion.

Probably couldn't be surpassed by anyone else.

Dian Wei did not follow up with another attack. Instead, he coldly watched the nine Calamity Legion players heal one another, regain their footing, and assume defensive formations once again.

Brother Pony shouted, “Come on, Dian Wei! Show us your limits! Don't hold back—go ahead and brutalize us!”

Hearing such a perverse request.

Dian Wei's aura paused slightly before his enormous body vanished.

What?

He disappeared?

No sooner had the thought appeared in the minds of the nine Calamity Legion players than they suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure erupt behind them.

“Oh no!”

“He's behind us!”

Lone Boat's expression changed drastically.

Dian Wei's Titan-like body had somehow appeared behind all nine players. The entire movement had made no sound whatsoever, as though he had teleported through space.

What was going on?

That speed was absurd!

The contrast with his enormous size was simply ridiculous!

A short halberd had somehow appeared in Dian Wei's hand. Before anyone could react, the gigantic halberd crashed into the center of the group, landing directly on Glorious Years, the team's healer!

“Holy...!”

Glorious Years didn't even manage to finish speaking before the overwhelming force pulverized him. The violent shockwave shattered the ground within a twenty-meter radius, sending every nearby player flying while coughing up blood.

-10322 (Fatal Critical!)

-5367 (Critical!)

-6012 (Critical!)

……

Nine members of the Calamity Legion.

Six were instantly killed.

Only Ye Li Meng, Mad Blade Old Wang, and Lone Boat survived.

These also happened to be the three strongest members of the Hall of War Gods Legion.

Ye Li Meng had activated Golden Skin Iron Bones just in time. Relying on the defensive power of this blue skill, combined with his top-tier equipment and defensive techniques, he barely withstood the shockwave.

Mad Blade Old Wang also relied on his tremendous defensive power to barely survive the attack, though he was immediately reduced to critical health.

As for Lone Boat.

His defense and health were both low.

Had he been struck by the shockwave directly, he would certainly have died.

Fortunately, at the instant the attack landed, he activated Shadow Leap, the skill attached to his Shadow Cloak, avoiding the center of the attack before immediately using Swift Shadow Step to narrowly evade the remaining shockwave.

“One hit took away over half my health!”

Ye Li Meng couldn't help sighing. “It would've been one thing if it were only powerful attacks and huge range... but this guy's movement speed and attack speed are ridiculous! There's no time to react at all!”

Mad Blade Old Wang said, “We're dead anyway, but we at least have to counterattack once. Otherwise getting crushed like this would be too humiliating.”

Ye Li Meng nodded. “Exactly. Death isn't the issue—losing face is. I don't want to become the laughingstock of the forums.”

As they spoke.

The three of them quickly stacked several talismans.

Including Protection Talismans and Blood Sacrifice Talismans.

Although talismans of this level had only limited usefulness in such a battle, every little bit helped. Against someone like Dian Wei, they would likely have only one chance to counterattack, so they had to unleash everything.

“Attack together!”

Under Dian Wei's indifferent gaze.

The three members of the Calamity Legion briefly adjusted themselves before launching a counterattack.

They actually dared to fight back? Even knowing it was meaningless, they still fought to the very end. Though extremely weak, they at least qualified as warriors!

Mad Blade Old Wang charged straight ahead with Break the Army Charge, shield raised and blade in hand.

He wrapped Fierce Tiger Blade Qi around his weapon while simultaneously charging up Martial Saint's Three Blades.

Ye Li Meng summoned his Black Dragon Spirit Steed, activated the mount skills Blazing Charge and Blazing Leap, and within moments soared nearly a hundred meters into the sky before launching a diving assault.

Mad Tiger Burning Soul!

Thousand Skull Charge!

Fierce Tiger Earth-Shattering Wave!

Ye Li Meng dismissed his mount. His body erupted with blazing flames while the Thousand Skull Demon Hammer in both hands expanded until it resembled a small mountain. Every skull upon it released surging energy as it descended upon Dian Wei with destructive force.

At the same time.

Lone Boat activated Shadow Assassination at extreme speed, circling behind Dian Wei.

“Hundred Birds Shadow Assault!”

Lone Boat's sword-wielding figure split into two, then four, then eight, instantly multiplying into dozens of copies as they unleashed an unrelenting barrage of razor-sharp attacks against Dian Wei's back.

-35!

-25!

-31!

-40!

……

What?

The damage was that low?

Lone Boat felt as though he were attacking a fortress of solid steel. No matter how he swung the sword in his hand, he couldn't possibly shake it.

Fortunately, every strike from the Bloodstain Sword inflicted another curse upon Dian Wei. After multiple rounds of attacks, the curses had accumulated to a considerable level.

“Death Curse Slash!”

Lone Boat condensed the accumulated curse power into an enormous scythe before unleashing this unavoidable, unblockable attack, dealing roughly two hundred points of damage in one strike!

Only this much?

This was already his strongest attack!

Mad Blade Old Wang had now closed to within twenty meters of Dian Wei.

Martial Saint's Three Blades!

He unleashed three blazing waves of blade qi through the air.

Empowered by Martial Saint's Three Blades, the first blade qi measured two or three meters, the second exceeded two zhang, while the third stretched over ten meters. Each strike grew significantly stronger than the last.

Especially the final slash.

Even steel could be cleaved apart!

Yet all three attacks landed upon Dian Wei like tiny sparks extinguishing against stone, dealing only around two hundred points of cumulative damage.

“Too weak!”

Given the speed Dian Wei had displayed earlier, he could have dodged every one of these attacks.

Yet he hadn't moved.

He simply allowed them to strike him.

Even if he stood completely still and let the players attack, the damage wasn't even enough to count as a flesh wound.

It was utterly insignificant.

Ye Li Meng had finished charging.

The Thousand Skull Demon Hammer expanded hundreds of times over.

It looked like an ant swinging an enormous boulder.

Before smashing it with all his might at a towering giant.

Ye Li Meng had pushed the Thousand Skull Demon Hammer to its absolute limit.

The mountain-sized hammerhead was now covered with hideous skulls.

Far more than a thousand.

Perhaps even tens of thousands.

Every skull let out a hysterical, horrifying roar while its hollow eye sockets overflowed with boiling energy, all of it ready to erupt in this single strike.

“Don't underestimate the Calamity Legion!”

Roaring furiously, Ye Li Meng slammed the hammer into Dian Wei. The violent explosion of energy generated a shockwave that dispersed the surrounding Abyss mist by more than half for several hundred meters.

This strike represented the absolute limit of the Calamity Legion's offensive power!

Not only did Ye Li Meng possess extraordinary attributes, but he had also spent an enormous amount of resources forging the Thousand Skull Demon Hammer into a third-order high-grade blue weapon and enhancing it all the way to +8.

Across the entire Calamity Legion.

There existed only this one.

Even the vast majority of third-order Abyss commanders.

Would be in grave danger if struck head-on by this attack.

Even if they survived.

Half their health would be gone.

The devastating blow.

Landed squarely on Dian Wei.

Ye Li Meng felt as though he had struck a mountain.

Yet Dian Wei remained as steady as ever.

He didn't even take a single step backward.

-861!

It dealt damage.

But the total still hadn't reached one thousand!

A great Abyss boss like Dian Wei.

Possessed at least one hundred thousand health.

How was this pitiful amount of damage any different from scratching an itch?

Monster!

An absolute monster!

Judging by the defensive power Dian Wei had displayed.

Even if he simply stood there.

And let the entire legion attack him freely.

It would still take an eternity to grind down his health bar.

High attack.

High speed.

High defense.

Massive area-of-effect attacks...

Could the legion really defeat such a terrifying monster with its current strength?

The strength Dian Wei had displayed so far was at least on par with Xie Ming, Lord of the Corpse Lich Territory. Compared to a spellcaster like Xie Ming, however, Dian Wei's overwhelming dominance and oppressive aura were even more suffocating!

“My turn.”

After enduring the all-out attacks of the Hall of War Gods Legion's three strongest players, Dian Wei's stone-and-bronze-like body began to change. The flowing energy patterns covering him became even denser.

That energy converged into both of his palms.

Condensing into two hand halberds wrapped in an aura of destruction.

The instant Dian Wei slammed the two hand halberds together.

They annihilated each other.

Transforming into a violently expanding wave of energy that instantly engulfed the three remaining players.

-10642 (Critical!)

-7642 (Critical!)

-8642 (Critical!)

The three members of the Calamity Legion had absolutely no ability to resist. This burst of energy spread faster and covered a wider area. Even Lone Boat's reaction speed wasn't enough to evade it.

In the end.

All three were reduced to charred corpses.

Instantly killed without the slightest suspense!

……

The battle ended.

It wasn't only Ye Li Meng's squad that had been wiped out.

The moment the Calamity Legion approached Old Wan.

A mysterious force scattered them apart.

Preventing them from gathering into a unified fighting force.

Under such circumstances.

They became nothing more than headless flies.

Aimlessly wandering through the Core Pollution Zone while suffering constant Abyss corruption.

How could they possibly fight the monsters lurking there?

In the end.

There was no suspense whatsoever.

The first offensive ended in complete failure.

Not only was the entire legion wiped out, they hadn't even inflicted any meaningful losses upon the Abyss forces within the Core Pollution Zone.

After resurrecting.

When the players gathered together.

And shared what each of them had encountered.

Everyone's expression turned solemn.

“It looks like capturing Old Wan is incredibly difficult—perhaps even completely impossible!”

Even Black Pupil Rui Ge felt discouraged and frustrated.

He said, “This Core Pollution Zone is completely different from anything we've encountered before. Not only is the corruption incredibly powerful, but some mysterious force also keeps disrupting our formations.”

The Abyss aura within Old Wan City's Pollution Zone was overwhelmingly dense.

First-order players couldn't even enter it.

Second-order players.

Could remain inside for only twenty to thirty minutes at most.

Beyond that.

They would lose all combat capability.

Even third-order players suffered continuous and severe reductions to their attributes. The longer they stayed.

The more drastically their combat strength declined.

That alone would've been bad enough.

But the legion couldn't even maintain its formation.

The moment players approached Old Wan.

They were scattered to different locations.

Without being able to gather their forces.

The only possible outcome.

Was being defeated one group at a time.

“Besides that, Dian Wei's strength far exceeded expectations. This guy might be even harder to deal with than Xie Ming!”

Ye Li Meng said, “Even under normal circumstances, we probably couldn't defeat him in a single battle. And now that he's inside the Core Pollution Zone, our chances are even slimmer.”

“Exactly. The Abyss aura inside the Core Pollution Zone is far too dense, so Dian Wei regenerates incredibly quickly.”

“Our resurrection point is too far away.”

“By the time we regroup.”

“And return to the battle.”

“Dian Wei's health bar will probably be completely full again.”

“In that situation.”

“Our unbeatable war of attrition becomes meaningless.”

“Whether it's ten times, a hundred times, or a thousand times.”

“We'll never defeat him!”

“Isn't there any other way?”

“……”

Just as the top players found themselves completely at a loss.

A player hurried over to report, “Jia Xu and the others are here!”

Little Bell asked, “Strategist? Why is he here?”

Raise a Cup to the Moon said, “Looks like the Lord judged this mission too difficult for the Calamity Legion alone, so he deliberately sent reinforcements.”

Arthur King sighed. “In the end, we still have to rely on the territory's forces. When will the Calamity Legion finally be able to stand completely on its own?”

Raise a Cup to the Moon replied, “That can't be helped. The priority right now is completing the mission!”

Not long afterward.

Everyone met Jia Xu.

Wen Ping, Zhou Cang, and Zhang Zhongjing had all arrived as well.

These four.

Were among the territory's most important ministers and generals.

Their arrival immediately reassured the players.

This was going to work!

Jia Xu spoke directly.

“The four of us have come under the Lord's orders to assist the Calamity Legion in purifying Old Wan City. In addition, we are responsible for recovering Dian Wei.”

“Excellent!”

“Now we've got hope!”

Most members of the Calamity Legion looked delighted.

Jia Xu, Wen Ping, and Zhou Cang.

Were all Level 30 Overlord-class experts.

Among them.

Jia Xu's current strength had already approached the Overlord ceiling.

As long as he didn't fight Dian Wei inside the Core Pollution Zone.

He alone could keep Dian Wei occupied.

As for Wen Ping and Zhou Cang.

Both were stronger than Cao Ang.

And Zhang Zhongjing?

Although somewhat weaker.

Possessing only first-rate commander-level strength.

His presence greatly enhanced everyone else's abilities, raising the group's overall combat strength to another level.

With these reinforcements.

The Calamity Legion became confident it could capture Old Wan.

However.

Some players couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Precisely because they knew Jia Xu, Wen Ping, and the others were so powerful.

If they directly participated in the mission.

It would greatly reduce the players' performance evaluation.

Black Pupil Rui Ge therefore said.

“Strategist, please give us a little more time. We want to complete the territory mission through our own strength!”

Jia Xu looked somewhat surprised.

“Since you've already entered Old Wan.”

“You should understand just how dangerous it is.”

“And yet.”

“You still intend to go in and die?”

Midnight Pig Slaughterer answered.

“The Calamity Legion isn't afraid of death!”

Chi Mei Wang Liang also nodded.

“That's right. We're only afraid of disappointing the Lord and missing the chance to temper ourselves and grow stronger!”

“How interesting.”

Jia Xu had always been curious about the Calamity Legion.

These people who claimed to have come from the future.

Not only possessed immortal bodies.

They also seemed completely unaffected by the immense terror and agony of death itself.

That was probably another one of the Lord's extraordinary methods.

With such an army.

Why worry about sweeping across the Abyss and dominating the Starsea?

“Please grant our request, Strategist!”

“Very well. Since your determination is so firm, we can certainly wait a little longer.”

Jia Xu would have preferred to slack off anyway. Whether dealing with Dian Wei or handling the Core Pollution Zone, both were troublesome tasks. Since the Calamity Legion wasn't afraid of hardship, he was more than happy to let them handle the difficult work.

At that moment, Chen Xi suddenly asked, “Strategist, there seems to be a mysterious force inside the Core Pollution Zone that interferes with our movements. Is there any way to break it?”

Everyone immediately became attentive.

At present.

The greatest obstacle preventing the players from purifying Old Wan.

Wasn't Dian Wei's overwhelming strength.

It was the mysterious force scattering the Calamity Legion apart.

If the Calamity Legion couldn't gather together.

Forget one day.

Even ten.

Or twenty.

Wouldn't be enough to conquer this place!

The players had discovered traces of this mysterious force.

But they couldn't think of any solution.

Since the Strategist was here.

There couldn't be anyone more suitable to ask.

With Jia Xu's wisdom.

He would surely uncover the truth.

Based on their description.

Jia Xu immediately reached a conclusion.

“This should be the effect of some kind of formation. The entirety of Old Wan is enveloped within it. Unless the formation is completely broken, you won't be able to control your own movements, and your position may change at any moment.”

Black Pupil Rui Ge asked, “How do we break the formation?”

Jia Xu replied, “Find either the source of the formation or the one controlling it. Eliminate them, and the formation will naturally collapse.”

So that was it!

Everyone's eyes immediately lit up.

Sure enough.

Although it seemed troublesome.

Once they understood the method.

There was hope.

It seemed that before they could besiege Dian Wei.

They first had to destroy this bizarre Abyss formation.

Otherwise.

Even if the Calamity Legion expanded fivefold or eightfold.

They still might never reach the deepest part of Old Wan.

Ye Li Meng asked, “But how are we supposed to find the one controlling the formation?”

Jia Xu replied, “You'll have to rely on your own observations. However, I can provide one important clue.”

“Please enlighten us, Strategist!”

“The creator should be Madam Zou.”

Madam Zou?

Everyone exchanged confused glances.

Could it be the Lady Zou who, during the Battle of Wan City, indirectly caused the deaths of three great men? It was because Lord Cao coveted her that Dian Wei's and Cao Ang's deaths were directly or indirectly brought about.

Jia Xu explained.

“This Madam Zou is a special Corrupted. She specializes in using various Abyss formations, yet she herself possesses almost no mobility... Although I haven't had any contact with her for several decades, I suspect the special formation currently covering Old Wan is centered around her.”

Understood!

Find Madam Zou first!

Eliminate Madam Zou.

Then deal with Dian Wei.

Who would've thought.

Besides Cao Ang.

There was another hidden boss in Wan City.

Fortunately.

Jia Xu had provided the crucial clue.

Otherwise.

Everyone would've remained completely in the dark.

Jia Xu said, “Because we also have duties assigned by the Lord, we can give you at most ten shichen. As for how much you accomplish in the end, that will depend entirely upon your own abilities.”

“Thank you, Strategist!”

“The Calamity Legion will give everything we've got!”

After receiving Jia Xu's guidance and intelligence.

Everyone's confidence greatly increased.

Ten shichen meant twenty hours.

If they could eliminate Madam Zou and clear out the various Abyss monsters within that time.

Then perhaps the Calamity Legion really would have a chance to challenge Dian Wei.

Although the difficulty still seemed overwhelming.

At least.

There was finally a glimmer of hope.

(PS: Please vote with your monthly tickets! There are less than two days left! If you still have spare monthly tickets, please support me!)