Chapter 1243: Chapter Seventy-Two: Dark Moon Marsh

The adventurer group promotion assessment has begun; hunters must undergo the following stages.

In the initial stage, within this stage, hunters will be pursued by small undead units.

In the survival stage, within this stage, hunters will be encircled and suppressed by the undead army.

In the purgatory stage, within this stage, hunters will be encircled and suppressed by the undead army while also encountering powerful undead beings.

In the nightmare stage, within this stage, hunters will be encircled and suppressed by the undead army and powerful undead beings while also enduring rejection from the primal world; this is the final stage.

……

If the main quest is exploration-type, then the adventurer group promotion assessment is survival-type.

Mission evaluation is determined by Su Xiao's subsequent dwell time; four stages, difficulty gradually increases, and if one reaches the nightmare stage, it is highly likely that even drinking water will cause near-choking.

Nightmare stage = undead army + powerful undead + invincible enhanced version of the Grim Reaper's arrival.

If one can endure until this stage, the adventurer group promotion assessment evaluation will be very high.

Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao's subsequent time will be spent being hunted by the undead to the ends of the earth, but he has another purpose: to enter the ruins of the Extinguished Law's Shadow.

Su Xiao previously learned a crucial piece of information: the undead cannot enter the Extinguished Ones' ruins; thus, if he can enter the ruins of the Extinguished Law's Shadow, enduring until the nightmare stage becomes much easier.

Su Xiao overlooked the vast expanse of wasteland ahead; behind him stood over a hundred human soldiers, who ostensibly welcomed Su Xiao, the Iron Hand, but were actually awaiting word from superiors—namely, whether Su Xiao's identity as the Iron Hand was genuine; from their prior actions, it was clear they sought to stabilize Su Xiao.

"Iron Hand, my lord..."

The squad leader was about to exchange pleasantries with Su Xiao when Su Xiao's figure suddenly vanished from his sight; the squad leader froze.

As Su Xiao disappeared, Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang and Am leapt down from the Divine Wall, and the soldiers on the wall rushed forward in quick steps.

"This..."

The squad leader hesitated, still uncertain of Su Xiao's identity; allowing Su Xiao to enter the undead tribe's territory like this was clearly inappropriate—if Su Xiao were a spy, the squad leader could not escape blame, and as for blocking Su Xiao, doing so might equally cost him his head; if Su Xiao were truly the Iron Hand, the squad leader would be equivalent to obstructing the Iron Hand carrying out the king's orders.

After a moment's hesitation, the squad leader sent for a ballista; soon, three large ballistae were aimed at Su Xiao, Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang, and Am below the wall.

"Ready."

The squad leader raised one arm high; the three large ballistae were drawn.

"Captain, really do this?"

A ballista operator swallowed his saliva, clearly aware that attacking the Iron Hand was a grave crime.

"Who told you to shoot the Iron Hand? Shoot near him—this is our Divine Wall garrison's 'unique' farewell ritual."

"Eh~"

The ballista operator was obviously dazed, but he still obeyed the squad leader's command.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three metal crossbow bolts shot out; below the wall, Su Xiao stopped, hand resting on his sword hilt.

Mud flew up; the nearly three-meter-long metal crossbow bolts sank into the mud, still some distance from Su Xiao—clearly, these three bolts were not aimed at Su Xiao.

The squad leader on the Divine Wall waved his arms, very 'enthusiastic'; one must say, this fellow is quite clever, as he cannot yet determine Su Xiao's identity, so he fired several bolts downward.

If Su Xiao were truly the Iron Hand, then naturally all would be well; he would appropriately conceal certain details, and the report to superiors would read: 'We have warmly seen off Iron Hand, my lord, but Iron Hand, my lord, has pressing duties elsewhere and did not linger on the Divine Wall—this is our exemplar...'

If Su Xiao were a spy, then: 'Subordinates have exerted themselves in resistance, yet the intruders broke through the Divine Wall; subordinates fired three crossbow bolts, yet the intruders were too powerful...'

Regardless of the outcome, the squad leader can preserve his life.

……

Within the undead tribe's territory, the undead empire's capital, Dark Moon Marsh.

Gurgle-gurgle, a bubble rose from the marsh's mire; above this vast marshland lay large tangles of thick vines, some even several meters thick.

The undead tribe named these vines Dark Moon Vines; at night, under moonless skies, these vines emit a green fluorescence, hence their name.

Above the Dark Moon Vines, this area has already been trimmed flat by the undead tribe, and orderly houses have been built here—some of stone masonry, some of timber; do not think these houses are crude—on the contrary, they are exquisitely constructed.

This is the undead tribe's capital, its area even larger than the human royal capital; combined with the vine layer below, this place is a marvel.

At this moment, it is midday; within the undead tribe's capital, all is quiet and peaceful, as the undead dislike strong light, so at this time they are all napping at home or inventing primitive-structured but precisely engineered machinery.

The undead tribe's manufacturing capability far surpasses what humans can match; this is due to their customs—undead youth learn about various machines from childhood, which is their childhood pastime.

At the city center, a machine at least a hundred meters high operates; close observation reveals it is indeed a rather crude steam engine.

Countless conduits connect to this crude steam engine; precisely because of its existence, the undead tribe can build their city atop the Dark Moon Vines; after generations of undead tending, the Dark Moon Vines have merged with the undead capital; undead tribe waste is decomposed by the Dark Moon Vines into nutrients, while the vines produce fresh air, leaving not a trace of foul odor in the Dark Moon Marsh.

At the very center of the city, a towering tree grows atop the Dark Moon Vines; this tree is the city's center, its roots having pierced the Dark Moon Vines and dug deep into the soil, like an iron pillar driven underground, making the entire city more stable.

Its canopy nearly shades one-third of the city, bringing cool shade to many undead tribe members—thus one can see how vast its canopy is; the undead tribe calls it the Babakana Tree, which translates to human language as the Shelter Tree.

At the trunk of the Shelter Tree is a small wooden door; behind it is a modest treehouse; even the Undead King Senmael would not qualify to reside there.

Inside the treehouse are some simple furnishings: only a wooden bed overgrown with branches and leaves, on which sits an undead elder; the elder's beard and hair are all white, his white beard alone measuring three meters long, even resting on the ground.

"Huu."

The sleeping undead elder exhaled deeply, his eyes opening; unlike other undead tribe members, he had no green pupils, nor even pupils at all.