Chapter 333: Expedition Into The Forbidden Zone And The Obsidian Army?
Chiyue Town, Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
The sudden announcement of the New Year limited-time event “City Beyond the Territory” made all the players in the martial arts hall excited and boiling. The new players all complained, feeling this so-called event was nonsense, since only core disciples could participate and it had nothing to do with pure newbies like them.
But for veteran players, it was completely the opposite; their eyes were all shining.
“The devs are generous! Finally another event, my bitter days are finally coming to an end.”
“Yeah, these days, I, a dignified Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist, can only grab one lord monster in the wilderness area in half a day. At most, I get three lord monsters a day. I really can’t go on like this. Those points aren’t even enough for me to play in the training room for a day.”
“You, a Bone Forging Realm Intermediate Level, still have it decent. I, a Bone Forging Realm Beginner Level, am the tragic one. I can’t grab even half a monster in the wilderness area. Now I can only garrison a mine, mining while earning some guard fees, and need at least two days to return to Chiyue Town for an upgrade. Life is ridiculously miserable. I really miss the old days when monsters were so many you did not even need to fight over them, just stepping outside was enough, sometimes even meeting robbers so you could earn some side income. It was simply too good.”
Many veteran players looked at the limited-time event and were almost moved to tears.
Ever since High Martial Arts Descend greatly increased the game slots, competition in Chiyue Town had become more and more intense. Even many tasks that players in Chiyue Town were unwilling to accept before, were now being snapped up by newbies.
Want to earn contribution and points by killing monsters?
Sorry, within five hundred kilometers around Chiyue Town, if you can find a monster, then you are the Child of the Version. If you want to kill monsters for money, you can only rent flying transport vehicles to go to places more than a thousand kilometers away and compete with NPC teams from the major cities for monsters. And sorry, that treatment is only for intermediate martial artists who can use transformation. Intermediate and below martial artists who cannot transform are only worthy of mining.
If you want a comfortable life, you can only go to the Mountain of the Dead, but the outskirts of the Mountain of the Dead have recently been completely cleared. All major teams, even temporary pickup groups, set their minimum bar at Bone Forging Realm Intermediate Level. After all, no one wants to recruit someone who is useless when dealing with catastrophe grade monsters, yet still needs a share of the points and contribution.
The only relatively comfortable ones are players in life professions, especially apothecaries, who are already Children of the Version. The higher the apothecary’s level, the better. Apothecaries who can make type three potions are fought over by the Four Great Guard Regiments, who try to buy all their type three potions at high prices.
If not for the rule of the martial arts hall that apothecaries must complete a set daily quota for the hall before they can freely sell their potions, type three apothecaries could be earning more points per day than even top tier players.
However, as the player count has recently exceeded fifty thousand, more and more newbies have become apothecaries, and competition has started to intensify. It is only a matter of time before type three apothecaries become less valuable.
“Energy blood essence, Mountain of the Dead Town Building Order… is this the devs planning to fully open the level cap and push the game to the next stage?” Twilight of the Gods, who had just come out of the training room, was full of excitement.
The value of energy blood essence goes without saying. It is currently a must-have for Blood Condensation Realm martial artist cultivation, but it appears far too rarely in the game. It had never appeared in the martial arts hall before. Vice President Luo Wu Shang’s breakthrough to the Blood Condensation Realm was thanks to energy blood essence dropped in the last plot battle.
Previously, the members of Heavenly Might had analyzed that the reason was entirely because the devs wanted to lock the levels of the top tier expert players, while allowing more newbies to catch up later. After all, this is only the internal test; they could not allow the level gap between players to become too large. This led to energy blood essence being extremely rare, dropping only in the Mountain of the Dead plot.
As a result, counting carefully, after all these days, there were only five Blood Condensation Realm players.
Now the martial arts hall was suddenly rewarding energy blood essence, which proved that the locked level cap was finally being unlocked. Otherwise, with their current bones tempering speed, without external help, it would be almost impossible to hit Blood Condensation Realm in less than two or three months.
As for the Town Building Order, that needed no explanation; it was something all large guilds wanted.
Although many teams currently had strongholds in the Mountain of the Dead, those were only strongholds. Aside from a beginner Mental Secret Tower, there were no functional buildings, just temporary wooden cabins built by players to keep out the wind and rain. They could not be developed at all, let alone make money for the team. At most, they made it a bit more convenient to hire newbies to mine nearby.
But it would be different if they could establish a town. At that time, they could build all kinds of functional buildings like in Chiyue Town. That would be the capital to attract players and make money. And building a town in the Mountain of the Dead would undoubtedly attract a large number of players, since Chiyue Town is just a newbie town. For players who want to hunt monsters and earn money while saving a lot of travel time, living in a town in the Mountain of the Dead would undoubtedly be more convenient.
“If our Heavenly Might could get a Town Building Order, I wonder if we could also build a training room.” Twilight of the Gods glanced at the training room behind him, full of expectation.
The beginner training room recently launched by the martial arts hall could be said to be even better than the Beginner Cultivation Tower for physical exercise. Fighting under hundredfold gravity was simply repeated challenges to the body’s limits. Not only did full-body bone tempering speed up, but martial skill levels visibly improved. Especially when fighting powerful players, they had to find ways to operate their martial skills faster and more accurately, or they would be hit first by others, or their power would be insufficient, leading to defeat.
In just over ten days, he had not only reached the Bone Forging Realm Advanced Level Limit and achieved perfection in the second level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique, but also brought the two high-class super-class martial skills paired with his cultivation method to the perfection realm.
But with such rapid improvement, the beginner training room had also consumed the hundreds of millions of points he had saved.
Still, the enjoyment was real. Now he was confident he could have a proper fight with the big boss from the Mountain of the Dead plot battle back then.
If it were a training room they built themselves, the cost would certainly be lower, and it could be reserved for their own guild members instead of the current situation where, even with four training rooms, everyone was still scrambling.
As Twilight of the Gods was imagining this, his smart watch suddenly rang. It was Zhang Qing Wei contacting him.
“Gods, you should head back to the base now. All core disciples in the guild, regardless of whether they have important matters, must return to base to assemble. Full expedition into the forbidden zone.” Zhang Qing Wei finished informing him and hung up.
At this moment, it was not only Twilight of the Gods who had received the message. The core disciple players in the martial arts hall had also received it. Almost all were gather orders, mobilizing everyone for the limited-time event.
Machine God base.
“Sister Chen, how is the information you gathered on the Corpse Mountain Range Forbidden Zone?” Fang Zhen could not help asking as he looked at the returning Chen Ya.
High Martial Arts Descend is great in every way, except it is too hardcore. Whether tasks or events, it only gives simple instructions, unlike other games that have detailed guidance. In this regard, it is a bit too realistic.
Fortunately, they had long since gotten used to it. After all, reality has more than enough similar situations. So they usually dedicate people to collecting all kinds of information and maintain their own database.
In fact, Fang Zhen and the others did not know that the data they collected had all been secretly leaked by Lin Qi through Qin Mu and others bit by bit. He had basically given the players all the information he knew.
“This is all of it.” Chen Ya tapped her smart watch, and all the forbidden zone data was projected on the conference table.
Everyone looked it over and could not help feeling excited.
“So this is the forbidden zone?” Saiwai Qiangke’s eyes shone as he looked at the introduction to the forbidden zone.
According to the data, the forbidden zone was indeed dangerous. You could die out of nowhere at any time. Especially if you entered outside of safe periods, it was almost certain death. But the forbidden zone was also truly rich.
Before the forbidden zone appeared, the land within it was the peak territory of various races. Their technology, cultivation methods, martial skills, and so on were all beyond what existed in this era, and there were many relics that surpassed current civilization.
If they could get even a small part of these things, it would be a fortune for players like them.
Right now, there were basically two ways for players to make big money. One was to hunt high-level monsters. Such monsters were full of valuable materials. Not only did the martial arts hall buy them at high prices, NPCs did too. Although few NPCs had many points or offered contribution, they would trade cultivation resources, such as energy crystals and advanced potions.
The other way was life professions. Whether making potions or weapons and equipment, players could even manufacture flying transport vehicles, life detectors, and other mechanical equipment. The game had no restrictions in this regard, it was just very difficult to obtain the equipment and methods needed for manufacturing.
But this mechanical equipment was exactly what players needed, and ordinarily could only be bought from the martial arts hall using points. If players could make it themselves, they would never have to worry about sales channels.
If they could get some lost technological devices from the forbidden zone, it would be hard not to get rich.
“This forbidden zone is indeed a good place, but the danger factor is too high, and it is very far from us. It won’t be easy to gain anything there and find the City Beyond the Territory tied to the event within the forbidden zone.” Li Ranxing nodded. He was very tempted by the Corpse Mountain Range Forbidden Zone as well, but this New Year limited-time event clearly had very high difficulty, unlike previous events.
“How many core disciples does our Machine God have currently?” Fang Zhen asked.
“As of yesterday, our entire Machine God Defense Group has 166 core disciples,” Yi Qiang Ba Jue said. “Of them, 127 are Bone Forging Realm Intermediate Level, and 39 are Advanced Bone Forging Realm.”
“Too few.” Fang Zhen shook his head, eyes burning as he stared at the forbidden zone map. “Any player who has reached martial artist level will go with us this time. We do not know how long this limited-time event will last, but based on the data, it should last until the end of the safe period. To make future operations in the forbidden zone easier, we must establish a stronghold outside it. Building a stronghold requires a lot of manpower. Players who are not core disciples can build the stronghold outside. Even if the event ends, we can upgrade the stronghold into a town in the future and open up the forbidden zone at any time.”
“This is a good idea!” Chen Ya’s eyes lit up as she smiled. “The Corpse Mountain Range Forbidden Zone is definitely the core of future development. If we can build a town beside it, it will definitely become the most prosperous town in the game for quite a long time.”
“Then I will go recruit more people and purchase materials now.” Saiwai Qiangke, extremely excited, walked out of the conference room, unwilling to stay at base a moment longer.
At the same time in Chiyue Town, not only Fang Zhen and the others had realized the key point. Many teams had also noticed this avenue of profit. Anyone who had read the forbidden zone information and considered the Town Building Orders offered as event rewards would, after a bit of thought, see that using a Town Building Order in the forbidden zone area was the best choice.
For a while, Chiyue Town was recruiting free players whose strength had reached martial artist level everywhere, while also buying energy ore from NPC merchants with points. The various merchants from all races doing business in Chiyue Town were as busy as during a major festival.
Previously, points from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had only circulated in Chiyue Town. In fact, many who came to do business did not want points. But they could not resist the demand created by Chiyue Town’s monster meat and the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall grey-robed disciples who just wanted points, or else scarce energy crystals or type two and above potions. So the merchants had no choice but to think of ways to earn more Obsidian Martial Arts Hall points.
But as the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall grew into another untouchable major power and more and more disciples joined, all wanting points rather than bits, and as much of the cultivation equipment in the hall required points, the points became increasingly valuable. They even became more of a hard currency than bits and energy crystals.
Now, in many cities in the Wushan Region and even some towns, merchants had begun prioritizing points for transactions.
In a vast underground space several kilometers beneath Chiyue Town, large numbers of apprentices and martial artists in prison uniforms were constructing a five-story tower made entirely of energy ore.
The entire five-story tower covered an area almost equal to the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
The first floor had 1,500 cultivation rooms.
The second floor had 300 cultivation rooms.
The third floor had 50 cultivation rooms.
The fourth floor had 10 cultivation rooms.
The fifth floor had 1 cultivation room.
At this moment, the entire five-story tower was already seventy to eighty percent complete, far more magnificent than the Cultivation Tower at the mountaintop.
“At this rate, it should be fully completed before we finish the mission.” Lin Qi looked at the Intermediate Cultivation Tower under construction, very satisfied.
Although they were still four players short of the mission requirement of ten fully formed pseudo-supernatural life forms, this gap could be closed after he distributed the energy blood essence obtained from the Tianhe Domain City transactions.
Then he would be able to immediately convert it into an Intermediate Cultivation Tower, raising the overall strength of Chiyue Town by a tier. By then, even a domain city would have a hard time touching Chiyue Town.
“Hall Master, are you really going to build a town outside the Corpse Mountain Range Forbidden Zone?” Qin Mu could not help asking.
The Obsidian Martial Arts Hall had only just gotten on the right track. With no more conflicts with other factions, everything was developing in an orderly fashion. Chiyue Town was growing stronger and stronger. It was only a matter of time before it developed into Chiyue City.
Yet according to Lin Qi, building a town outside the forbidden zone controlled by Smiling Skull in the Mountain of the Dead was simply insane.
Smiling Skull was one of the first-class major powers in the Four Regions, with Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters sitting in town, and not just one. In the previous three-family raid on their stronghold, no grandmasters had acted only because grandmasters were forbidden to make random moves within the Four Regions.
But if they reached their hands right next to Smiling Skull, it would not be strange for Smiling Skull’s grandmasters to act. Even the Four Great Domain Cities could not say much. As grandmasters, they were entitled to their own territory and space.
Building a town on Smiling Skull’s doorstep was basically provoking their grandmasters.
“The forbidden zone is not their private property. If they can build strongholds near the forbidden zone in the Mountain of the Dead, why can’t our Obsidian Martial Arts Hall?” Lin Qi did not care at all.
According to the intelligence he had asked Ling Ye about in Tianhe Domain City, Smiling Skull had four Heavenly Human Realm grandmasters in total, the strongest at Heavenly Human Realm mid-stage. In terms of grandmaster numbers, they surpassed Earth Star Pharmaceuticals and the Red Moon Merchant Guild. Only the Four Great Domain Cities could suppress them.
But now, his three cultivation methods had all reached Blood Condensation Realm. Combined with the third level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique and his mastery of energy burst, his strength was no worse than a Heavenly Human Realm mid-stage grandmaster. Among the players there were five who had reached Blood Condensation Realm, with the strength of early Heavenly Human Realm, as well as Li Ranxing, who had somehow cultivated the third level of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique and whose strength approached early Heavenly Human Realm.
With a total of seven grandmaster-level combat forces on his side, he no longer needed to care too much about Smiling Skull. In contrast, he was currently short on energy blood essence. If he wanted players to find the First City faster, he had to build a town nearby. That was also why he had released the Town Building Orders.
He not only wanted to seize the forbidden zone in the Mountain of the Dead; the entire Mountain of the Dead was a huge treasure, with several detected large energy veins. In the future, energy ore would be the foundation for converting into energy blood essence through the conversion equipment of the First City. So they had to take the entire Mountain of the Dead. Building a town outside the forbidden zone was only the first step.
“Hall Master, if we do this, Smiling Skull’s grandmasters may well take action to legitimately clear out all our people in the Mountain of the Dead. At that time, even the Mist Mountain Domain City might not say anything.” Qin Mu said worriedly.
“Take action?” Lin Qi could not help but smile. “Then we will fight. We still have not settled the score for their sudden raid on our stronghold. If they want to make a move, then it is time for the sky over the Mountain of the Dead to change.”
“Change the sky of the Mountain of the Dead?” Qin Mu looked at the confidently smiling Lin Qi, filled with shock and amazement.
He believed he understood the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall well enough. Currently, the grey-robed disciples exceeded fifty thousand. Among them there were five Blood Condensation Realm grey-robed disciples and more than one thousand five hundred Bone Forging Realm grey-robed disciples. As long as grandmasters did not act, the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was the number one power below the Four Great Domain Cities.
But from Lin Qi’s calmness and confidence, he understood that the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall must have some means of confronting Smiling Skull.
“Enough about that.” Lin Qi waved his hand and ordered, “Send people to other cities to buy more energy ore. The more, the better. I will have great use for it later.”
Although both players and the superconducting electromagnetic guns sold in major cities had earned a great amount of energy ore, this ore was only barely enough and there was not much left over.
In the future, if they acquired the First City’s conversion equipment, this energy ore could be converted into energy crystals and energy blood essence. The amount of energy ore required would be enormous, so he had to plan ahead.
“Yes.” Although Qin Mu did not understand, he still bowed and left.
Elsewhere, all the players in Chiyue Town were rushing about. Several major teams had gathered nearly twenty thousand people, with the weakest at beginner martial artist level. The number of Bone Forging Realm martial artists exceeded one thousand. They piloted two sky battleships and hundreds of flying transport vehicles, carrying vast quantities of materials, and set off from Chiyue Town in great force, leaving both residents and visiting merchants stunned.
“With such a massive fleet, what is the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall trying to do?”
“More than just massive. I heard from my friend who sells energy ore that this operation by the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall includes over a thousand Bone Forging Realm grey-robed disciples and nearly twenty thousand martial artist-level grey-robed disciples.”
“Damn! Is the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall planning to attack a top tier faction?”
Everyone in Chiyue Town watched the Obsidian army drive off, each of them curious about who had provoked the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to such an unprecedented move.
Over a thousand Bone Forging Realm grey-robed disciples was equivalent to over a thousand Blood Condensation Realm masters. Such power was enough to shake an entire region.
……
Mountain of the Dead, in a temporary stronghold not far from the forbidden zone that had been specifically built by Smiling Skull.
“It’s about time. The supplies are ready. Let’s head out.” Mond glanced over the alloy storage boxes on everyone’s backs and nodded.
Using aircraft and vehicles within the forbidden zone was extremely dangerous, as the noise from these vehicles alone could trigger many unnecessary dangers. So all movement in the forbidden zone was on foot, and even flying was forbidden.
As the group from Mist Mountain Domain City was about to follow Mond into the forbidden zone, rolling thunder came from the distant sky. It was the sonic booms caused by flying vehicles.
“Are there others heading to the forbidden zone?”
Xie Feina looked curiously toward the source of the sound and was stunned.
She saw two sky battleships and hundreds of transport vehicles. On the decks of the two sky battleships stood over a thousand Bone Forging Realm grey-robed disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and several thousand martial artist-level grey-robed disciples, flying over in imposing formation.
