Two days later, all 10,000 missions on the bulletin board had been completed.
[Huaxia-2468 Battlefield Announcement]
[The bridge leading to the northern bank of the Orchid River has been completed. All warriors may now travel to the northern lands.]
[Please speak with Captain Finch at the Orchid River Outpost to learn about the situation in the north.]
Most people began heading north. Remembering what the village chief had told him, Liu Xuan made a special trip to the chief’s house.
“Warrior, you’ve come.”
The village chief seemed to have been waiting for him. As soon as he saw Liu Xuan, he picked up a small red wooden box from the table behind him.
When he opened it, a lavish golden key lay inside.
The village chief gazed at it with some nostalgia before handing it to Liu Xuan.
[White Family Secret Key: Can be used to open the White family’s secret passage.]
“What is this?”
The village chief looked at the key, his face filled with emotion. “To be honest, old as I am, I’m not actually a native of this village. I fled here from the north. My family once had quite a bit of wealth.”
“When disaster struck, I escaped from the city through this secret passage. I thought you might find it useful, warrior.”
“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you. If you can, please bring me a handful of soil from my family’s former home.”
Liu Xuan asked in confusion, “If we take that city, aren’t you planning to return there yourself, Chief?”
“No. I’m an old man now and can no longer make the journey. Besides, there are still many matters in the village that require my attention. I can’t leave.”
Liu Xuan nodded and solemnly accepted the key. “All right. I promise I’ll bring the soil back.”
The key the village chief had given him should prove extremely useful.
When they reached a certain city in the north, he could use it to enter through the secret passage instead of the main gate.
That would take him directly into the city and might greatly shorten the time needed to conquer it, improving the battlefield results.
What a treasure.
Liu Xuan couldn’t help thinking that if he hadn’t reached Level 13 before heading north, he would never have gone to Eagle Spirit Mountain.
If he hadn’t gone to Eagle Spirit Mountain, he wouldn’t have obtained this key.
Without the key, even if he managed to speed things up later, the final battlefield results would still be affected.
When that promotion mastermind calculated its projections, it had certainly taken this key into account, just as it had with the previous [Celestial] shield.
After saying goodbye to the village chief, Liu Xuan headed for the Orchid River Outpost.
Although he had set out relatively late, the [Fleet of Foot] skill allowed him to travel quickly. By the time he reached the outpost, the main force had yet to depart.
Compared with the last time Liu Xuan had visited, the entire outpost had been expanded somewhat, with several more buildings added.
Near the stone bridge, quite a few defensive fortifications had also been constructed.
Following the instructions, Liu Xuan arrived at the command hall where Captain Finch was stationed. Zhang Meng was there as well, discussing the operation plan with the captains of the various squads.
Shen Zhou and Chang Feng were naturally absent. In fact, two days earlier, the enraged civilians had caught Wang Dafu. After a round of interrogation, the coward—who had never been particularly brave to begin with—couldn’t withstand the pressure and confessed everything.
Everyone now knew that the three of them had betrayed humanity and colluded with the enemy.
With no pressure whatsoever, Zhang Meng had dealt with all three amid the unanimous approval of the crowd.
When Zhang Meng saw Liu Xuan enter, he pointed toward Captain Finch, indicating that Liu Xuan should speak with the NPC first.
Liu Xuan nodded and walked over to Captain Finch.
Unlike the other people who had come to see him, Finch recognized Liu Xuan. Instead of maintaining a stern expression, he greeted him with a smile.
“Warrior, you’ve come.”
“Yes. I’d like to learn more about the situation in the north.”
“Come this way.”
Captain Finch led Liu Xuan to a nearby table and spread out the map lying on it.
Liu Xuan looked down. The words “Glorious Empire” were marked across the map.
“We’re here.”
Finch pointed to a small area at the southernmost edge of the map. “This line is the Orchid River. All the land to the north used to belong to the empire. But eight years ago...”
Finch moved his finger upward and pointed directly to an island in the sea at the northernmost edge of the map.
“On Frost Island, at the end of the continent, the sky suddenly split open, and countless monsters poured out. They took advantage of the frozen sea, crossed into the empire’s territory, and swept through every city and village in their path.”
“The empire was destroyed in just half a year. Before the imperial capital fell, the king fought to the death and refused to retreat. When the city was finally breached, he left behind these final words: Whoever is first to reclaim the imperial capital shall become the new emperor.”
At this point, Finch fell silent for a moment, apparently recalling the tragedies of that time.
Several seconds passed before he continued, pointing to various locations on the map as he explained. “Look here.”
He pointed to a city north of the Orchid River. “This is Orenburg, a medium-sized city. Because it lies in the southern part of the empire, it was one of the last places to fall. Many of the survivors here originally fled from Orenburg.”
“This is our first target. Once we seize it, we’ll have driven a stake into the enemy’s territory on the opposite bank. From there, using Orenburg as our base, we can slowly find a way to clear the monsters from this entire region before advancing farther north!”
Finch drew a wide area between Orenburg and the Orchid River Outpost.
“After the north fell, I don’t believe everyone there died. This region is vast. Even monsters couldn’t possibly search every inch of it, so there’s a good chance survivors are still hiding somewhere. There may even be small resistance groups. Finding them would provide tremendous assistance as we continue pushing north.”
After listening to Finch, Liu Xuan understood that the primary objective of this third-stage battle was to capture Orenburg.
As long as they accomplished that, the stage would be considered complete.
Clearing out the monsters and searching for survivors were all side missions.
The more people they rescued, the more prosperous the city would become once it was restored, and the more useful NPCs would be available to the players.
For example, there was the advanced leatherworker mentioned earlier. If they failed to find him, higher-grade equipment could only be obtained as monster drops; there would be no way to craft it from materials.
After getting a clear picture of the situation in the north, Liu Xuan returned to Zhang Meng.
Zhang Meng looked at him. “What do you think?”
Liu Xuan grinned. “What else is there to say? Of course we cross the river and head straight for Orenburg, taking it in the shortest time possible!”
“I knew you’d say that. How many squads should I arrange to go with you?”
Liu Xuan shook his head. “None. The others can’t keep up with me, so I’ll go alone. I suggest that you head straight into the surrounding areas and sweep the map. Finding those lost NPCs is more important.”
Zhang Meng glanced at him. Although he knew Liu Xuan was powerful, it still seemed somewhat reckless. “Can you really manage it?”
“Huh? Are you having trouble dealing with the monsters in the surrounding wilderness?”
“...I’m talking about you. Almost everyone is above Level 10 now, and quite a few are already Level 11 and close to Level 12. They won’t have much trouble fighting ordinary monsters in the wilderness.”
“Then that’s settled. Take your time and keep advancing at a steady pace—don’t put yourselves under too much pressure. Once I finish off Orenburg, I’ll probably get another experience bonus, which should make things easier for you as well.”
“.......”
What else could Zhang Meng say? He could only choose to believe him.
The other captains still wanted to chat with Liu Xuan for a little longer, but he simply waved with a smile and set off at once.
The speed at which the campaign progressed affected not only everyone’s experience bonuses, but also his chances of being resurrected. This was a matter of life and death, so any delay had to be avoided.
After leaving the hall, Liu Xuan arrived at the Orchid River Bridge. He looked at the scenery on the other side of the river and stretched his legs.
Luckily, he had the “Fleet of Foot” ability. He should be able to reach Orenburg soon.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
