The studio, dinner time.
...
Wang Ju made a pot of turtle soup and prepared a table of good dishes. Lin Zhao picked up some tender meat from the turtle's skirt for Xiao Juzi, rich in collagen, and said with a smile, "Eat more, and you'll grow taller in the future~~~"
Xiao Juzi nodded repeatedly and smiled, "Thank you, Brother Lin Zhao!"
Luo Man sat aside, resting her pretty face on the table, and pushed her bowl forward. "Brother, I want some too. Who isn't a precious child..."
Lin Zhao scooped a bowl of soup for her too, adding two pieces of meat. "Eat properly."
"Mm!"
Luo Man sat up and ate, her figure instantly becoming more curvaceous.
Lin Zhao looked at Chen Xue over Luo Man's shoulder and said, "Axue, has the guild planned to head north recently? Actually, given the severe shortage of Earth-tier Boss resources in Baidi City, our Crimson Moon Knights can consider dispatching 300-500 people to the north. The northern maps should be quite abundant now. From Fusu Great Wall north to Xiujian River, and then from Xiujian River to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, this vast expanse of map has many demon race units migrating south. Within them are many Mid-tier Five Realms, and Eight and Nine Realms demon races are already classified as Earth-tier Bosses."
"We have plans. I was discussing it with Xingchen this afternoon."
Chen Xue smiled. "We originally planned to discuss it with you after a decision was made. Since you've brought it up, we can discuss it at the dinner table. Baidi City just opened these past two days, and almost all 48 Earth-tier Boss resources on the large map are being guarded by major guilds. The respawn cycle for Earth-tier Bosses is 12 hours. Waiting 12 hours is truly too long."
"Indeed."
Shen Xingchen said, "As of when we logged off just now, over 1200 members of our Crimson Moon Knights have reached level 100 and undergone their second transfer into Baidi City. So many people guarding six or seven Boss spawn points that refresh every 12 hours will easily starve everyone. Now that the demon race has initiated a 'Universal Domination' campaign, it's the perfect opportunity for us to head north."
She looked at Lin Zhao. "The only question is, which map in the northern region is best for our Crimson Moon Knights? After all, we need to balance risk and reward to an optimal level, avoiding the pursuit of Upper-tier Five Realms demon races while having the opportunity to hunt Eight and Nine Realms demon races, or even challenge a Ten Realms demon race. We're not very familiar with the northern maps, so this decision is best left to you, the Alliance Leader."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. "The resources north of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool are quite abundant, but it takes a considerable amount of time for you to travel from Fusu Great Wall. Moreover, Yishi Cangliang has already brought a group from Canglong here to take on quests. As soon as an NPC spawns a quest, they take it. You won't gain much even if you come here. In my opinion, you should just roam the large map between Fusu Great Wall and Xiujian River."
"The theoretical basis?"
Chen Xue smiled. "Why is the map between Fusu Great Wall and Xiujian River suitable for us?"
"It's very simple."
Lin Zhao said in a deep voice. "My aunt, Lin Xingchu, is stationed at Xiujian River. It is said that she will kill any demon race cultivator who ventures south beyond the Star River Realm, so there will be almost no Upper-tier Five Realms demon races south of Xiujian River. It is also close to Fusu Great Wall, making resupply convenient. Perhaps you can even pick up quests from Fusu Great Wall. Therefore, at this stage, all maps there are the optimal choice for players to grind monsters and take quests."
"Understood."
Shen Xingchen said, "In the evening, Chen Xue and I will organize the idle members above level 100 to head north and find new development areas. We can't just stay in Baidi City and wait for things to happen."
"That's right. Our Crimson Moon Knights need to venture out."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, then lowered his head and continued eating. Sister Juzi's cooking is getting better and better, especially the scrambled eggs with chives and the stir-fried celery with meat. They are almost divine skills.
...
After dinner, log in.
"Swish!"
The character appeared next to Cavalry Captain Ya Ning. After the dialogue, the new S-grade main quest hadn't spawned yet, which was normal. Such quests don't refresh infinitely, otherwise, everyone would be full and satisfied immediately.
At the same time.
In the Villa on the Mountain Peak, near Sword Mountain, Chan Zhi, who was sitting cross-legged on a large rock to temper his sword intent, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes. She frowned, got up, and looked north. She sniffed and frowned. "Such dense corpse energy... Could that group of filthy ghosts have reappeared? It's been decades since I last smelled such strong corpse energy..."
...
Nine Zhang Plain.
The bright moon hung in the sky, and the stars twinkled.
A group of figures appeared on the mountain ridge. They were players from Canglong, all over level 100. The highest-leveled player, Yishi Cangliang, was already level 105. He had been feasting in Snow Domain Heavenly Pool recently. Moreover, Yishi Cangliang was exceptionally diligent among melee players. As a middle-aged man, his most outstanding quality was patience. He could fish for 12 hours without eating or sleeping, and he could also grind monsters for 24 hours without eating or sleeping. Such people are lunatics in games, and gods in the eyes of many gamers.
"Damn it!"
Yishi Cangliang yanked his long sword out of the abdomen of an Eight Realms Golden Core demon race pangolin. Looking at the corpses lying everywhere, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. In pursuit of this level 108 Earth-tier Boss that actually tried to escape, they had lost over 30 people. The gains might not even outweigh the losses.
Fortunately, this Golden Core realm pangolin demon dropped an Earth-grade chest armor and a Flowing Gold War Bow. So, even with over 30 deaths, it was worth it.
"Still acceptable."
Yishi Cangliang put on the armor directly, and his combat power surged. He became more confident. Riding his warhorse, he frowned and said, "Clean up the scene and prepare to return to camp to turn in quests. Everyone has been staying up late for so long, they should be tired. Let's have a good meal after logging off and get some sleep. We'll meet online at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't rush."
Fu You Du Hai and the others nodded with smiles. "Mm!"
Just then, a sharpshooter suddenly looked back vigilantly at the dark depths of the mountain forest behind them and asked, "Who's there?"
"Hmm?"
Yishi Cangliang frowned. "Is someone there?"
The sharpshooter looked somewhat suspicious. "I thought I heard some movement in the woods just now. I don't know if it was my imagination."
"Most likely your imagination."
Fu You Du Hai chuckled.
Just then, Yishi Cangliang sniffed the air. "Brothers, do you smell a... particularly pungent stench? This smell... is like a rotting animal carcass from several months ago. It's too foul..."
"I smell it too."
Everyone nodded.
Fu You Du Hai turned to look behind them. "Everyone be careful. Mage, cast a Hellfire Blast at that area?"
"Okay!"
A level 103 mage raised his staff, and a fierce fireball shot out from the tip of the staff, exploding in the air above the forest with a "boom." At that moment, everyone saw a beautiful young woman in a qipao walking up from the mountain, a sinister smile on her lips, carrying a coffin emitting bloody mist on her back. She was extremely beautiful, with long, slender, and fair legs, comparable to the leg goddess Leng Yan.
"Damn it, be careful!!"
Yishi Cangliang's heart turned cold. "It's a Star River Realm great demon. Everyone be careful, prepare for continuous crowd control!"
Just then, a scream suddenly came from the right. A bloody, sharp fingertip pierced through the chest of a sharpshooter. Behind him was a zombie covered in red fur. As the archer wailed, the zombie opened its bloody maw and bit into his carotid artery. Instantly, the zombie's bloody radiance intensified, and the archer was instantly killed.
"Damn it!"
Fu You Du Hai roared. "Be careful, there's another zombie! Surround them, everyone be careful, it's a Heaven-tier Boss!"
No one expected that after the version update, Star River Realm cultivators would be classified as Heaven-tier Bosses!
"Attack!"
Yishi Cangliang grunted, and a fierce sword energy strike hit the red-haired zombie, but it only registered a huge "miss." That zombie was also a Heaven-tier Boss. Its eyes stared at Yishi Cangliang like a wild beast. It suddenly swung its arms, stirring up a dense corpse energy, and sent Yishi Cangliang and his horse flying.
"I'm here too!"
The young woman carrying the coffin suddenly leaped up and descended from the air. Her long, slender, and fair legs directly knelt on the neck of a berserker, snapping his neck with a "crack." It was another instant kill, dealing over 30,000 damage. This was terrifying. Immediately after, the young woman turned, grabbed the dense corpse energy with both hands, and swept it in a circle, instantly killing over a dozen more players.
"We're in trouble..."
Yishi Cangliang was not stupid. He naturally understood the principle of knowing when to quit. The opponent had one person and one zombie, two Heaven-tier Bosses, and he only had over 100 people. How could they possibly win?
"Retreat!"
Yishi Cangliang roared. "Everyone retreat, stop fighting! Those with invincibility skills should use them to return to town immediately, hurry!"
Before he could finish speaking, the young woman carrying the coffin gently lifted her hand and patted the coffin lid, smiling. "Come out, kill people, drink blood!"
Instantly, the coffin trembled violently, and then a black mist flew out from inside, transforming into a ghostly shadow. After a heavy claw strike, Yishi Cangliang was left with only a sliver of health. He looked at the opponent, it was a Star River Realm ferocious ghost, also a Heaven-tier Boss!
Who could reason with this? With three Heaven-tier Bosses appearing simultaneously, the over 100 people from the Canglong guild simply couldn't handle such immense good fortune!
The next moment, the young woman lunged forward, her bloody claws piercing Yishi Cangliang's chest. Before he could even activate his invincibility, he was instantly killed. Then, the person, the ghost, and the zombie went on a rampage, killing almost all of the over 100 people brought by Yishi Cangliang. Gold coins, potions, and equipment were scattered all over the mountains and plains. The scene was exceptionally tragic.
...
North Mountain, Broken Cliff.
Lin Zhao stood side-by-side with Chan Zhi, Chu Yu, and Mu Gua. Chan Zhi waved her hand, conjuring a vision of everything she saw for Lin Zhao. Instantly, the air was filled with tragic screams. Lin Zhao felt a pang of heartache. Yishi Cangliang and his group were too unlucky. Almost all the experience points they had gained today were lost. It was too tragic, too tragic.
"What's their origin?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "So powerful?"
"They are Star River Realm ghost cultivators from the Ghost Realm."
Chan Zhi's delicate brows furrowed. "They are from the 'Coffin Carrier' lineage among ghost cultivators, also known as legendary corpse or ghost feeders. They carry a refined coffin and raise zombies and ferocious ghosts. The zombie she refined is already a 'Mao Jiang' (hairy zombie), with bronze skin and iron bones, its strength comparable to a Star River Realm cultivator. The ferocious ghost raised in the coffin is the same, also equivalent to a Star River Realm cultivator."
Eighth update complete, brothers, recommendation votes!!!