Chapter 99: Moment of Glory (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

The battle at the Yun Tian domain node has lasted two hours.

During this time, reinforcements from the terrifying Black Tide surged in from all directions.

The joint operation squad that had advanced near the Yun Tian node suffered continuous casualties during this period.

But by now, everyone understood that victory was within reach.

During this time, a newly spawned Xie Sui from the Black Tide caused Head Commander Ye Xing great headaches.

This Xie Sui resembled a fleshy ball with two legs, its head broad, eyes sunken deep within thick tumor-like flesh, bearing a single massive eye emitting a ghostly glow, its split mouth lined with sharp fangs, exuding green mist and dripping viscous saliva that instantly corroded the ground into charred black patches.

Its lower limbs were thick and deformed, lacking arms; behind it hung two small tumors covered in blotches of mold and rotting flesh, emitting waves of suffocating stench, and as it moved, the two small tumors continuously released green mist.

A walking source of infection.

Frontline players, through analysis, had published information on this new Xie Sui in the local chat channel.

【Black Tide·Plague Ball】

Hunting Rank: 12

Target Description: Black Tide Xie Sui, low-tier plague-type infantry, capable of releasing plague toxin mist over an area; targets exposed to the mist suffer increased Black Tide corrosion damage, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and other negative status effects (specific effects depend on the target's physical constitution—the stronger the constitution, the lower the infection damage; sufficient physical strength can grant immunity).

……

The Plague Ball forged by the Black Tide is truly a tank killer.

The corrosion damage from the plague is not high, but its effect weakens the defense of frontline Stone Statue players, significantly boosting damage dealt by Black Tide Xie Sui.

Like a common debuff in games, infection reduces the player's damage resistance.

This has stalled the team's advance.

Stone Statue players are the team's immovable rocks; their primary role is to protect rear-line players from external interference.

The core ability of Stone Golem players is their immense physique and defense.

The plague mist released by the Plague Ball weakens the Stone Statue players' strongest attribute, causing casualties to rise sharply during the advance.

Coupled with fresh Black Tide reinforcements arriving constantly, the battle risks being dragged into the Black Tide's preferred war of attrition.

To Ye Xing, who commanded the operation, this was a sign of impending defeat.

The numerical disparity is already extreme; once dragged into attrition, our side will inevitably lose.

In the entire Emperor Tomb Mountain region, only the Insect Tide has the capacity to sustain a war of attrition against the Black Tide Xie Sui through relentless troop production.

The Insect Tide's inherent rule of gathering pheromones allows them, even when temporarily outmatched by new Black Tide infantry, to rapidly breed specialized counter-infantry units.

Just as they previously created the unit: Shieldwing, to counter the Ghost Child's self-explosion trait.

Specialized infantry like the Plague Ball would also be swiftly countered by the Insect Tide.

Perhaps a unit that spews dispelling energy to resist plague energy spread, or one that absorbs plague energy, and so on.

As long as the Insect Tide's hive brain is given enough time to gather pheromones, a counter-unit will emerge.

These two factions gave Ye Xing this impression:

The Black Tide possesses a vast infantry library; once its strength reaches a certain stage, it selects life-sequence combinations from the library and spawns new infantry suited to its current strength—each stage proceeds this way.

From the initial 2–4 rank Xie Sui to the current Plague Ball, the Black Tide's strength has advanced several times.

The Insect Tide operates the same way.

Whenever the Black Tide spawns a new infantry type, the Insect Tide gathers pheromones from it and creates a specialized unit to counter it.

Without overthinking the issue, Ye Xing began pondering how to break the deadlock.

The battle line's advance had slowed; he had to eliminate these stubborn Plague Balls and preserve the Stone Statue players' forward momentum.

"Each guild, count your Stealth Flow players and report to me—now!"

Hearing Ye Xing's order, guild leaders immediately queried their guild voice channels.

Soon, Ye Xing received the compiled data.

When he discovered only fifty-nine Stealth Flow players in the joint operation squad, he frowned but issued the order:

"All Stealth Flow players, activate Dusk Shadow Form and flank out from both wings—target: Plague Balls."

Upon receiving the order, Stealth Flow players in the joint squad moved swiftly, dissolving into shadows and darting from both flanks toward the fiercest frontlines.

At the same time, Ye Xing used perception to lock onto the Plague Balls appearing ahead, marked their positions, and posted the coordinates in the local chat channel for the assassins' precise targeting.

"All Stealth Flow players, use my marked positions to assassinate the nearest Plague Ball."

"All Magic Flow players switch to free targeting—use Hawk-Headed Painful Minghun to guide attacks on the Xie Sui ahead, but avoid hitting Stealth Flow players infiltrating behind enemy lines."

"Remaining Stone Golem players push forward one more wave to create assassination opportunities for the Stealth Flow players; Defense-Resistance Flow units advance one line and attempt to cast distant Light Shields to protect the Stealth Flow players during their strikes."

With the new commands issued, the battle formation restructured according to Ye Xing's orders.

As Plague Balls died off, Stealth Flow players rapidly dwindled in number.

This made Ye Xing's head ache.

The number of Stealth Flow players was far too few; there were at least hundreds of Plague Balls ravaging with the Black Tide, and new ones spawned constantly.

Through perception, he observed that most Stealth Flow players lacked skill—they struggled even to achieve a 1-for-1 exchange against the surging Black Tide.

Among these assassins, only Ash from the Veteran Corps could maneuver effortlessly along the frontlines and execute precise assassinations—but even he, alone, could not cross the entire battlefield; he could only eliminate Plague Balls in certain sectors.

The frontline advance had again hit a dead end.

On the first line, Stone Statue players could push forward under Black Tide pressure; their extreme defense allowed them to ignore most damage, but their output was extremely low—even when near a Plague Ball, they couldn't kill it quickly before being pushed back by the Xie Sui tide.

On the second line, Spirit-Weapon Flow players dealt high output but couldn't withstand Black Tide pressure—their survivability was far inferior to Stone Statue players, and they fell easily under concentrated assault, making it hard to approach Plague Balls.

Among Magic Flow players, those with Hawk-Headed Painful Minghun could indeed achieve precise long-range guidance.

But each Plague Ball was surrounded by dense clusters of Xie Sui; fireballs struggled to pierce this living shield of Black Tide defenders.

If only there were Stone Golem defense combined with Spirit-Weapon output.

As this thought surfaced in Ye Xing's mind, he suddenly recalled a popular forum post from a few days ago.

It described a complementary tactic, which the poster called Mount Flow.

When he finished reading the post, he felt this combination was extremely practical.

The resulting power was far more than simply 1+1=2.

After complementing each other's Star Vein weaknesses, two players, each with three Star Vein slots and the same Painful Minghun rank, would combine into a force with six Star Vein slots.

It could provide both output, defense, and mobility.

With the idea formed, Ye Xing immediately spoke over voice chat:

"All major guilds, quickly count the remaining Beast Stream players. Once completed, report the numbers to me via the small-region voice channel."

Two minutes later, seeing the statistics, Ye Xing issued another order:

"All Beast Stream players retreat to the third frontline. Also, the Spirit Artifact Stream players in the central section of the first frontline (marked on map) retreat to the third frontline."

"Law Defense Stream, move to the first frontline, activate Light Shields to hold the line—buy me as much time as possible."

Under Ye Xing's command, the battle formation shifted again.

Law Defense Stream players, possessing the Binding + Light Shield Painful Minghun, moved to the front row and condensed Light Shields to resist the ferocious assault of Hei Chao Xie Sui.

But unlike the Gargoyle Stream players.

Law Defense Stream players consumed mental energy during combat; even if they could briefly form a shield barrier, the duration would not be long.

While waiting, Beast Stream and Spirit Artifact Stream players assembled on the third frontline.

Watching this through his perception view, Ye Xing took a deep breath, then spoke in a low tone:

"I know this order is hard for many who chose Beast Stream, but we are one step away from victory—how could we give up now? I believe all of you share my mindset. So for the final victory, I beg every Beast Stream player to make this sacrifice… After this battle, every Beast Stream player come to me for cash compensation. Thank you for your dedication."

After saying this, Ye Xing's tone suddenly rose:

"All Spirit Artifact Stream players, mount the Beast Stream players' backs—prepare to charge the Hei Chao Xie Sui!"

Hearing Ye Xing's order, the Beast Stream players, though inwardly resigned, saw Ye Xing had lowered himself to the lowest possible stance.

More importantly, they had already poured vast resources and energy into this battle—how could they give up now?

Before victory, none complained—they chose to obey Ye Xing's deployment.

In contrast, the close-combat Spirit Artifact Stream players wore unmistakable joy, leaping onto their brothers' backs—or other people's brothers'.

Confirming through perception that the Beast Stream and Spirit Artifact Stream players on the third frontline were fully paired, Ye Xing issued another order:

"Third frontline, switch to first frontline—prepare to charge!"

Instantly, players mounted on Black Armored Snakes, Roaring Bears, and other Beast Stream forms advanced toward the first frontline, while the Law Defense Stream players holding the Light Shield barrier retreated to the second frontline.

"Follow the coordinates I marked in the small-region chat channel—every Beast Stream player, charge!"

The command was given. The cavalry formations on the first frontline surged forward with thunderous force, targeting the Plague Ball hidden within the Hei Chao Xie Sui.

Ultra-high mobility + the Beast Stream's single Painful Minghun's powerful physique + the Spirit Artifact Stream's violent output—the mounted combination's killing power far exceeded Ye Xing's expectations.

The advancing first frontline became like dawn's first light, pushing through the torrential assault of Hei Chao Xie Sui, transforming into an unstoppable flood.

Throughout the battle and guild voice channels, players cried out in shock:

"Holy shit, this is insane—this combo is truly invincible!"

"I want to bind with the brother beneath me forever, make him my mount from now on—but I'm too scared to DM him, afraid he'll turn and bite me."

"This is euphoric—mounts are the ultimate Star Vein combo! If future Star Vein slots could embed a Beast Stream player, it'd be perfect: summon their trait when needed—absolute dream setup for close combat."

"I'm instantly addicted. Envious of players with Beast Stream brothers—if I had a friend who picked Beast Stream, I'd beg, plead, harass him until he became my mount."

"Fuck your dad, you dog riding on my back—try saying 'giddyup' one more time. If it weren't for the God-King's face, you'd never be on Laozi's back… The more I think about it, the angrier I get—after this battle, I'm gonna bite you to death. You really think you're a knight now, huh?"

"Worst experience ever playing Beast Stream—but for victory, I'll endure it. Kinda wanna cry."

"You idiot on my back, stand firm! Ahead, monsters are thick—I'm gonna roar and clear a path. Don't blame me if you get thrown off."

…

The single Painful Minghun strength of Beast Stream players far surpassed multi-Painful Minghun players in the early stage.

Their robust physiques combined with Spirit Artifact Stream players' violent output tore open a gap for the formation's advance.

The Plague Ball still spewing toxic mist became the knights' primary target; once close, they unleashed a fierce combined assault.

This charge instantly relieved the pressure from the Plague Balls—many were slain, and the toxic mist dissipated with time and wind.

At this moment, Ye Xing issued a new order—the pace of the united formation's advance toward the Corrosion Core accelerated sharply.

The Corrosion Core was now less than 150 meters away.

The battle at the Purification Node entered its final frenzy.

Twisted vines continuously rose from the ground, slicing into the rear ranks and violently churning, trying to disrupt Ye Xing's formation.

Facing the growing chaos, Ye Xing ordered some front-line Spirit Artifact Stream players to retreat and protect the Law Stream's output sustainability.

By now, nearly three hours had passed—the allied force had lost nearly half its players.

In the early stage, new players revived in Emperor Tomb Village and rushed to rejoin the formation.

But as the battle neared the Corrosion Core, even players who had finished their revival cooldown could no longer rejoin the advancing formation.

Because the entire formation was now completely shrouded in terrifying black mist, cutting off all retreat.

The remaining players never considered retreating—facing the ever-closer Corrosion Core, they thought only of dying and spending an hour in the black room.

In the final sprint, Ye Xing ordered Law Stream players to activate the pay-to-win tactic.

Under his command, players on the Law Stream line continuously summoned Flowing Shadow clones, using clone self-explosions to charge forward and tear through the twisted vegetation nearly blocking their view of the Corrosion Core, carving a path to victory.

Fifteen minutes later.

As the Corrosion Core shattered, flesh splattered everywhere, the previously mottled node crystals beneath the ground were covered in a layer of crimson energy.

A pitch-black spatial vortex formed and expanded from the node crystal, as if ready to swallow the entire land.

The Challenger Prompt flashed into every player's mind:

【Challenger Prompt (All Channels): All players have completed the mission "Purify Yun Tian Domain Node." Rewards distributed according to battle contribution as follows】:

Contribution Leaderboard:

Rank 1: Laozi is the law (Reward: 5x5 Spirit Field)

Rank 2: I only play Mage this lifetime (Reward: 5x5 Spirit Field)

Rank 3: Sword Points to the Heavens (Reward: 5x5 Spirit Field)

……

Accompanied by the system's alert tone, the Honor Album appeared in every player's vision, flipping pages automatically.

Page one: The Dark Cave Campaign.

Page two: The Demon Fall Pit Campaign.

When flipped to page three, a clickable campaign video appeared on the previously blank page; screenshots kept inserting into the right-side Highlights column, permanently archived, with the campaign's end time displayed at the bottom.

Amidst the nonstop cheers from the crowd, Ye Xing's slightly hoarse voice echoed in the regional voice channel:

"Brothers, after three hours and twelve minutes of grueling battle, we've finally won."

"To be chosen as the overall commander for this campaign, to fight shoulder to shoulder with all of you, is a fortune of three lifetimes. Thank you to every brother who took part—your efforts built our unstoppable battle formation, your seamless coordination ensured every tactical plan was executed perfectly. In this battle, we were not just teammates, but each other's firmest backing, together writing another campaign permanently recorded in history."

"In the days ahead, we may face even more unknown forces—swarms of insects, evil spirits—endless challenges await us to conquer. I firmly believe that as long as we work together, no obstacle is insurmountable. Thank you again for your trust in me, and let us look forward together to the next glorious moment of fighting side by side. Thank you!"

Ye Xing's words pushed the players' emotions to a fever pitch.

Even those players whom Ye Xing had berated mercilessly during the campaign had to admit his contribution to this victory.

The sense of accomplishment after overcoming hardship and completing the challenge seeped into every player's heart like warm sunlight.

Weary yet satisfied figures embraced one another in celebration; everyone cheered and leapt, the lingering thrill of victory flowing through their hearts.

The mission rewards were distributed at this moment.

Players ranked within the top 1000 on the Contribution List gained a Spirit Field in their functional panel, allowing them to purchase Spirit Plant seeds from the Shangcheng for cultivation.

Each type of seed carried a marked maturation time.

The higher the rank of the Spirit Plant, the larger the Spirit Field area required and the longer the growth time needed.

Some special Spirit Plants also required players to perform additional growth care; details on this could be obtained by consulting the Guidance Doppelgänger.

Meanwhile, the Dizhong Village, having consumed the Yun Tian Domain node, began expanding its area, capable of accommodating more players within its boundaries.

This was also a crucial project in Qi Sheng's eyes.

There were two reasons limiting player recruitment progress.

The core issue was Shou Shou Jili reserves—each player required 1000 Shou Shou Jili to create an initial body, meaning 1000 players consumed one million Shou Shou Jili.

The second was the size of Dizhong Village.

The larger the area, the more players it could accommodate.

If Dizhong Village had remained at its launch size, it could not even hold today's player count.

After mass deaths and synchronized respawns, Dizhong Village would become overcrowded, with all roads to the outside completely blocked.

Thus, every expansion of Dizhong Village was to prepare new space for incoming players.

Once player numbers surpassed one hundred thousand, Qi Sheng planned to establish multiple respawn zones and multiple exits to the outside world within Dizhong Village.

To ensure smooth player experience.

Ten thousand characters completed—please support with monthly votes

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(End of Chapter)