You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

Viser opened the intelligence scroll and pointed to a gray-black mark: "The Ironbone Wasteland is a plain that has been metallized, with a layer of iron bones several meters thick underneath, making it almost impossible to dig through."

The front line is defended by the 'Ironbone Legion,' all heavily armored, their marching formations resembling a moving city wall.

Belin looked up at Ron: "A tough battle, are you going to go all out?"

Ron said calmly, "Attract from the front, break through the bones from the flanks."

The main force of the Black Language Grottoes is advancing head-on, creating a high-pressure situation.

The Dark Abyss – Detour from the western ridge and use the bone shark swarm to launch a surprise attack on the enemy supply camp;

The Abyss Throat – Send the Bone Serpent Assault Team to sneak along the fissures in the Ironbone Layer and strike directly at the Legion Command Post.

Three days later, the Black Language battle flag appeared on the horizon of the Ironbone Wasteland.

The Ironbone Legion's formation had already spread out in front, with densely packed heavy infantry wielding long spears and shields as thick as city walls, their metallic reflections dazzling in the blazing sun.

Their marching sounded like thunder, and every step sent a dull tremor through the Iron Bones.

Ron stood at the forefront, his long sword hanging at his side, his voice cold and deep: "Press forward head-on—slowly, don't rush."

The siege shields of the Black Language Cave slowly advanced, enduring continuous attacks from enemy arrows and crossbows.

High in the sky, Bone Dragon One weaved through the clouds, its dragon breath occasionally falling and turning the outermost ring of the shield wall a bright red.

On the western ridge, a swarm of bone sharks from the Dark Abyss silently launched their attack, heading straight for the enemy supply camp.

The food carts and arrow depots in the camp were engulfed in flames by the first wave of attack, and the defending troops were dragged into the chaotic darkness by the tentacle ghosts.

Meanwhile, the Bone Serpent Assault Team of the Abyss's Throat infiltrated the Legion's rear through a natural crack in the Ironbone Layer, silently approaching the command tent.

In the center of the battlefield, the Ironbone Legion's formation began to crumble—they were running out of food and arrows, and alarms were coming from the rear.

Ron gave the order: "Speed ​​up! Smash them!"

Bone Dragon One swooped down, its giant claws tearing through the central shield array. The heavily armored troops of Black Language Cave poured in through the gap, their long swords and spears clashing and slashing down one after another.

At this moment, the Bone Serpent Assault Team of the Abyss's Throat rushed out from behind the command tent and pinned down the commander of the Ironbone Legion.

A system notification then sounded:

The core of the Ironbone Wasteland dungeon has been destroyed.

[Transfer of control over the rules]

Ron stood in the middle of the wasteland, looking at the scattered metal wreckage and fallen heavily armored soldiers, and whispered:

"City of Illusions, it's your turn."

Before the dust had fully settled over the Ironbone Wasteland, the Black Language Army had already advanced deeper into the region.

The horizon ahead had no mountains or rivers, only a gray-white sea of ​​fog, like an abyss that swallowed the light.

In the heart of the fog-shrouded sea, the silhouette of a towering spire faintly emerges—that is the end of the Outer Realms, the City of Shadows.

Viser frowned: "The intelligence says that this city is essentially a constantly changing maze. Once you enter, the direction will be distorted, and the map cannot be fixed."

Belin added coldly, "Moreover, the 'phantom creatures' in the city cannot be completely killed by ordinary attacks; their shadow sources must be destroyed."

Ron stared at the sea of ​​mist and said calmly, "Then take the laws in and uproot it."

Department

Black Language Grottoes - Launch a major offensive to open a stable passage into the labyrinth city;

The Dark Abyss - Send the tentacle ghosts to infiltrate the bottom of the misty sea to investigate the location of the Shadow Source;

The Throat of the Abyss – Deploy markers along the outer perimeter of the labyrinth to prevent the party from getting lost inside.

Claudia was responsible for maintaining communication with the outside world throughout the process to ensure that the evacuation route was always available.

Upon entering the sea of ​​fog, the air seemed to solidify into liquid, and even breathing felt viscous.

The surrounding scenery kept changing; one moment it was a stone-paved road, the next it was a cold waterway, and the walls were covered with swaying dark red lanterns.

The phantom creatures appeared silently—they were translucent, with deep-set eyes, and moved as swiftly as shadows.

The bone shark swarm and bone snake assault team confronted them, only to find that whenever they shattered their bodies, the fragments would quickly reassemble.

Ron frowned: "Belin, turn the Law Wave to its highest level and lock onto their source."

The tentacle-like ghost crawled through the bottom of the labyrinth, following the unnatural light patterns on the surface, and finally found the source of the shadow in a lower hall—a floating black crystal covered with countless writhing symbols.

The forces of the Dark Abyss immediately launched an attack, with bone spikes and explosive pellets embedding themselves into the crystal base.

The roar shook the entire labyrinthine city, and the phantom creatures in the high corridors all raised their heads and let out shrieks, their bodies beginning to twist in mid-air.

Ron sensed the fluctuation and immediately ordered, "All troops advance and concentrate in the Shadow Source Hall!"

Bone Dragon No. 1 broke through the wall at the top of the maze, grabbed the crystal with its giant claws, and pulled it directly from the base.

System notifications sounded one after another:

The core of the Phantom City dungeon has been destroyed.

[Transfer of dominance over the laws of the northern outer realms]

As the fog began to dissipate, the spires collapsed one by one, revealing the long-abandoned foundations of the city below.

Ron stood on the ruins, gazing towards the distant Outer Realms, and whispered:

“We will continue onward until no one dares to utter the word ‘Outland’.”

The fog over the City of Shadows completely dissipated, and for the first time, the map of the northern outer realms was fully lit up on the map.

Black Language's battle flag fluttered high above the ruins, and the supply lines for the three major dungeons continued to extend forward along the newly opened passages.

Viser laid out the updated map in front of Ron, pointing his finger at the center line area.

There, the most densely packed large-scale dungeon clusters in the Outer Realms are gathered – “Crimson Flame City”, “Shattered Valley Fortress”, and “Thousand Blade Plains”, which complement each other to form a natural defensive chain.

Belin narrowed her eyes: "This defense line is much stronger than the one in the north. If we don't break through the central line, the large-scale dungeons in the southern region will ignore us."

Claudia cautioned, "When playing from the middle, be prepared for a long, grueling game."

Ron looked at the three marks on the map and said calmly, as if he were stating the weather: "We won't fight a protracted war; let's remove the most unstable nail first."

—Crimson Flame City.

Operational Strategy

Crimson Flame City is located at the western end of the central route. Its walls are made of lava rock, and there are active lava veins beneath the city. It is a thermal-type dungeon, and the defenders are mostly fire elementals and lava monsters.

Its communication lines with Shattered Valley Fortress are long and exposed, leaving Shattered Valley isolated should Crimson City fall.

deploy:

Dark Sea Abyss: Dive in along the Lower Cold Spring on the west side of Crimson Flame City and use water-type monsters to weaken fire-type defenses.

Throat of the Abyss: Dive into the lava passage beneath the city to block or redirect the lava flow.

Black Language Grottoes: Frontal containment, Bone Dragon No. 1 suppresses the firepower on the city walls.

Three days later, the Black Language Army arrived outside Crimson Flame City.

The fire element on the city wall was already gathering, and the blazing firelight turned half the sky crimson.

The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and burning; every breath felt like inhaling a scorching blade.

Ron stood at the front, looking at the city that was entirely red, his tone unwavering: "West wing—cool down, South wing—cut off the lava."

The bone sharks from the Dark Sea Abyss rushed into the Cold Spring, forcibly channeling the icy water into the magma veins beneath the city. The heat flow at the base of the city walls plummeted, and the surface fire patterns dimmed.

The Bone Serpent Assault Team from the Abyss's Throat infiltrated through the southern crack, blasting down two magma channels and causing a sharp disruption to the city's energy supply.

The moment the defensive lights of Crimson Flame City flashed, Ron gave the order: "Frontline—Push forward!"

Bone Dragon One swooped down from a low altitude, its dragon breath scattering the fire elementals on the city walls. The heavily armored troops of Black Whisper Caves smashed open the city gates and stormed into the streets engulfed in flames.

Under the alternating impacts of the cold wave and the dragon's breath, the fire patterns on the lava rocks of Crimson Flame City's walls have completely dimmed, as if the last layer of armor has been stripped away.

The fire elemental defenders on the city walls attempted to restart the defensive array, but the magma veins had been completely severed by the Abyss's Throat, causing the energy supply to collapse at its foundation.

The tentacled ghosts of the Dark Sea climbed up the cracks in the city walls, their tentacles entangled ballistae and rune platforms, pushing them into the depths of the streets.

The swarm of bone sharks rushed into the city along the cold spring waterway, frantically biting and killing the lava monsters amidst the high temperature and steam, their blood and lava mixing into a blinding crimson torrent.

On the front lines, Bone Dragon One's breath covered half of the city wall, and the lava rocks shattered into large fragments under the alternating effects of flames and cold waves.

Taking advantage of the gaps in the collapsed city walls, the heavily armed troops of Black Language Cave stormed into the city gate square and engaged in close combat with the scattered fire elemental legion.

The moment Ron stepped into Crimson Flame City, he activated his Law Vision and locked onto the core of the dungeon—a volcanic altar towering in the heart of the city, with a burning heart of flame floating atop it.

Chapter 148

"Belin, clear the west wing; Viser, come directly to the altar with me."

The temperature around the altar was high enough to melt steel, and the air was filled with a suffocating burning sensation.

Guarding this place is the commander of Crimson Flame City—a giant fire spirit clad in lava armor, wielding a blazing spear, blocking Ron's path.

It roared, and its spear transformed into a giant pillar of fire, sweeping across the land and turning everything in its path into blazing magma.

A flash of light from the laws beneath Ron's feet sent him darting past the pillar of fire like a shadow, his longsword slashing straight at the fire spirit's chest.

When the blade clashed with the Heart of Fire's armor, what flew up was not sparks, but shards of molten lava.

Bone Dragon One swooped down from the air, its giant claws pressing down on Fire Spirit's shoulder, pinning it firmly to the altar steps.

Ron raised his hand and swung his blade, piercing through the armor and splitting the Heart of Flame in two.

System notification: Explosion

The core of the Crimson Flame City instance has been destroyed.

[Transfer of control over the rules]

The flames in the city gradually died down, the magma veins cooled completely, and only scorched earth and ruins remained on the streets.

Viser stepped onto the altar and proclaimed, "Crimson Flame City has fallen! The central defensive line has been breached!"

Ron narrowed his eyes, looking towards the Shattered Valley fortress to the east, and said in a low voice, "It's their turn."

Before the smoke of battle had even cleared from Crimson Flame City, the Black Language Army's battle flags had already turned eastward.

Shattered Valley Fortress, located between Crimson Flame City and Thousand Blade Plains, is a vital choke point on the central line.