Ancient Ark: A Dark-Themed Historical Survival Game

Chapter 137 Purity and Turbidity

When Xiao Yu's team faced the White Horse Executioners and White Horse Corpse-Dragging Soldiers, their feelings were more of excitement and anticipation than tension.

After all, none of us are novices.

They were all beings who had been battling in the deep sea for half a year.

There are only fifteen monsters in this batch. Even with the enhancement from the aura of the deep sea, their mere elite rank is not enough to pose a threat.

As for why I'm excited and looking forward to it?

Even the mobs in this dungeon are elites!

The spirit energy dropped by level twelve or thirteen elite monsters is not low.

A certain expert has summarized that the essence output of an eleventh-level elite monster is around 1000, and the essence output increases by 100 to 300 for each additional level.

This means that the output of a level 13 elite is generally around 1300 to 1600!

With the current benefits of dungeon raid bonuses, lucky aura bonuses, and even elixir enhancements, the income from each elite unit killed is quite substantial and worth looking forward to.

"Everyone!"

"Don't be careless!"

Zhu Yang immediately said, "These monsters have been enhanced by the deep sea, and their combat strength is close to that of rare elites. We must take them seriously!"

While they were talking.

The executioners and corpse-dragging soldiers discovered the chosen one from afar.

The executioner on the white horse immediately grabbed the giant axe, but instead of attacking right away, he smashed the statue next to him to pieces with a single blow.

"What happened?"

"What are they doing?"

Before the chosen one could react...

Several statues have already been smashed.

These sculptures imprison multiple fragments of spirits, along with a large amount of ash and smoke containing deep-sea pollution, which directly caused the pollution level in the vicinity to surge in a short period of time.

at the same time.

The corpse-dragging soldiers released the blood vapor from the cloth bags.

When these blood mists combine with the fragments of spirits released by the sculpture.

【The Vengeful Spirit of a Palace Maid from the Old Tang Dynasty】, Level 12 Normal Monster — Description: A palace maid who was abused to death has now transformed into a vengeful spirit in the deep sea.

【The Vengeful Spirit of an Old Tang Dynasty Civil Official】, Level 13 Common Monster — Description: The middle-ranking official who was persecuted has now transformed into a vengeful spirit in the deep sea.

【————】

Several kinds of vengeful spirits were created.

This process happened very quickly, and by the time the Chosen One reacted, dozens of vengeful spirits had already been summoned!

"This is troublesome!"

"These monsters use terrain traps!"

"We must stop them immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable!"

'

'

It turns out.

This old nightmare isn't so easy to defeat.

Even the most elite chosen ones, even if they are facing a group of weak monsters, can still be at risk of losing if they are not careful!

Neither of the two types of monsters is enough to threaten the Chosen One.

Yet, it can use the sculptures of resentment to release pollution and summon minions!

If the Chosen Ones react even slightly slower, or fail to detect them in time, the pollution in the nearby deep sea will increase several times over in a very short period of time, while simultaneously creating one or two hundred summoned units.

That's disgusting!

Pollution levels rose sharply.

Those destined for greatness inevitably face immense pressure.

The Holy Shield, despite having an area-of-effect dispel effect.

However, due to its small scale and high consumption, it cannot be maintained for a long time.

As for vengeful spirits and minor monsters?

Ordinary units aren't that much stronger in combat.

They are numerous and do not drop as summoned units.

In addition, as a vengeful spirit born from the vengeful sculpture, the Old Tang vengeful spirit itself is also very polluted. Being attacked by them will produce additional pollution, and they also have the ability to self-destruct and release pollution at once.

They were clearly dozens of dirty bombs!

We must eliminate the White Horse Demon Soldiers as soon as possible.

The consequences would be unimaginable.

Wang Yang drew his sword and unleashed a tremendous burst of sword energy.

Zhou Lie drew his bow and fired a series of arrows.

Lu Dahai unleashed several mental fireballs to bombard the area, while Su Qingmeng also activated a corrosive fire rain to cover it.

These attacks were almost simultaneous. The white-horse executioners took the initiative to block in front of them. After being attacked by sword energy and arrows, they immediately fell into an even more frenzied and powerful state.

Boom!

Several more statues have been vandalized!

The corpse-dragging soldiers then pull open the corpse bags to absorb magical attacks.

They then imbued the executioners and even the vengeful spirits with the power of fire.

In a short time.

Things are getting out of control.

The Chosen One's probing attack not only failed to kill the monsters effectively, but also significantly strengthened them. At the same time, dozens of ferocious old Tang Dynasty vengeful spirits rapidly approached.

"Don't even think about coming near!"

Lu Chengfeng summoned the spirit of "Li Ju, the Lonely City Iron Wall".

The two simultaneously unleashed a shield formation technique, and whenever the old Tang Dynasty vengeful spirits tried to approach, they were repelled by a shield of light that appeared out of thin air.

This is clearly a range denial defensive technique.

Lu Chengfeng can activate his shield at will within a certain radius, thereby intercepting different enemies at different locations. This ensures both sufficient safe distance and the ability to divide the attacking enemies.

Such methods are rare.

There are no mediocre captains!

The old Tang Dynasty vengeful spirits, having failed in their surprise attack, did not hesitate for a moment. They expanded their bodies and self-destructed, attempting to increase their attack range and release the pollution with all their might.

"not good!"

Zhao Gang and Lu Chengfeng's expressions changed drastically.

At the critical moment, Xiao Yu raised the Corpse-Slaying Whip, with countless leaping red lightning bolts wrapped around it. Then, with a gentle wave of his hand, he released them all.

It's Crimson Evil Lightning!

It just looks a little different.

Each crimson bolt of lightning was imbued with a faint gray-black energy.

This is because Xiao Yu activated the weapon skill "Soul Destroyer," in other words, he infused the power of the Corpse-Slaying Whip into the Crimson Evil Lightning.

—3632 (Critical Hit!)

—3412 (Critical Hit!)

—3523 (Critical Hit!)

As the red lightning gradually dissipated, dozens of ferocious and terrifying vengeful spirits, whose health had been doubled by the deep sea, were reduced to ashes under the crimson lightning released by Xiao Yu.

"this----"

Chen Xi, Zhou Lie, and Lu Chengfeng were all dumbfounded.

What kind of tactic is this?

Could Xiao Yu also be skilled in magic?

Not only is he skilled at it, but the power and lethality of this skill are no weaker than his archery skills, and are almost terrifying!

A towering mountain to be admired.

Unfathomable!

The three knew that Xiao Yu was very strong, but they had no idea just how strong he was, because even now he seemed to be far from using his full strength.

This mysterious big shot probably has other methods up his sleeve!

That's unbelievably strong!

The crew of the Wentian spacecraft were equally amazed.

Such a massive, collective sell-out is truly outrageous.

Of course, no matter how exaggerated the matter is, if it was done by Xiao Yu, no one would find it strange. After all, there is nothing that the true supreme lord of the Wentian is incapable of doing.

"Is this the power of a purple weapon?"

Su Qingmeng thought to herself, "The effect of the Corpse-Slaying Whip is absolutely phenomenal!"

This was the first time Xiao Yu had incorporated the power of soul destruction into a skill. The old Tang Dynasty vengeful spirits, which had been enhanced by the deep sea to the point of being almost elite monsters, were rendered utterly vulnerable and instantly wiped out.

Absolutely stunning!

The magical attacks continue to spread!

The five executioners were affected, suffering considerable damage and being temporarily controlled by the crimson lightning, rendering them unable to destroy any more sculptures and create more trouble.

Xiao Yu immediately gave instructions: "Executioners can absorb physical attacks to enhance their own attacks, while corpse-dragging soldiers can absorb magical attacks and continuously summon vengeful spirits."

.

"Use magic attacks to deal with the executioners."

"Use physical attacks to deal with the corpse-dragging soldiers."

'

'

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on. They quickly eliminated the nearly dead executioners, then wiped out the corpse-dragging soldiers who were trying to escape. All five white horse demon soldiers were dealt with!

This battle was like a blow to the head, making the chosen ones realize the terror and danger of this blood-red swamp.

at the same time.

Xiao Yu's strength, insight, and command ability.

This completely won over the three new team members, Zhou Lie, Chen Xi, and Lu Chengfeng.

Zhou Lie said, "I, Old Zhou, rarely submit to other chosen ones. Ye Heshan was one, and Brother Yu Xiao is the second. I am completely convinced now!"

Lu Chengfeng also said, "Yes, without Master Yu, even if we didn't completely collapse this time, we would still suffer a huge loss!"

not difficult to see.

After this battle.

Captain Xiao gained the approval of the new team members.

That's why he didn't nip the crisis in the bud.

Xiao Yu calmly nodded in response to the praise, and then picked up fifteen pieces of spoils.

[You have collected the following loot: Soul Essence +2808, Demon Soldier Heart +1, Executioner's Battle Axe Fragment +5, White Forging Stone +7, White Soul Stone +35!]

[You have collected the following loot: Soul Essence +2360, Demon Soldier Heart +1, Corpse-Dragging Soldier's Bag Fragment +5, White Forging Stone +6, White Soul Stone +32!]

【————】

As expected.

Nightmares are dangerous.

But the rewards are very generous.

The first batch of monsters produced a total of approximately 3.8 essences.

Based on his overall contribution, Xiao Yu received 1.8 units of essence.

With this amount of vital energy combined with the 10% boost from the pill, he accumulated nearly 2 units of vital energy, all within about five minutes of the battle!

Regarding cultivation speed.

It has to be the Nightmare dungeon!

This dungeon run is enough to accumulate enough essence for Li Cunxiao to break through to a higher rank. Any excess essence can be used to cultivate the skills of Sun Wu and Xi Shi.

Both Sun Tzu and Xi Shi possessed extremely powerful martial arts techniques.

However, the current temperature is not high enough to unleash its full power.

"continue!"

Xiao Yu led his team to continue exploring the blood-red swamp-like area, passing through one resentful sculpture after another that continuously emitted pollution.

"These sculptures are too dangerous."

Wang Yang asked, "Can we clear an area before the battle begins?"

"It's no use!"

Xiao Yu shook his head and said, "First of all, these sculptures will refresh over time, and if we destroy them ourselves, we will be further harmed by them."

A powerful force of resentment, tainted by deep-sea pollution, has locked onto the site.

Everyone's expression changed.

So it seems that it's more than just useless.

These sculptures are complete traps!

The number and density of demon soldiers in the Crimson Swamp are actually quite high, in addition to about ten hidden mini-bosses.

SS.

With Xiao Yu's abilities.

Passing the level quickly is not difficult.

However, simply pursuing speed to complete the game is a waste of a massive, unexplored nightmare!

Xiao Yu needs to kill as many monsters and corrupted creatures as possible to increase the rewards of this challenge and the final reward.

This "Yellow River Blood Swamp" near Baimayi is extremely polluted, so it is essential to ensure that Zhao Gang continues to provide divine protection.

however.

The Holy Shield consumes a significant amount of resources.

Without outside help and relying solely on his individual abilities, Zhao Gang can only maintain the Divine Shield for a maximum of ten minutes each time he activates it at full power.

Fortunately, Chen Xi and Xia Xia both have ways to restore their mental strength, and Xiao Yu has a special piece of equipment called "Ji Ran's Equivalent Balance" that can also be used to restore mental strength.

This gives the team ample time to explore at their own pace.

This Yellow River Blood Marsh, steeped in historical resentment, is a harsh environment with numerous traps!

It was all solved in advance thanks to the all-knowing eye.

As for how to deal with traps? Offensive traps can break Lu Chengfeng's shield array, while contamination-type traps can cause Zhou Lie to summon minions to trigger mine clearance.

Ten minutes later.

Another group of monsters encountered.

Having learned from the previous experience.

This time, the fight went much more smoothly.

The goal is to end the battle with minimal consumption and at the lowest cost.

"Great! My Li Ju will level up soon. This place is so great for leveling up."

Lu Chengfeng received more essence than last time. "I think even if I fail the Nightmare challenge this time, killing more monsters will still be a huge win!"

Chen Xi and Zhou Lie both agreed.

"Oh, right!"

"The tsunami is coming soon."

"But we still have at least five days to try and fail!"

5

Chen Xi, Zhou Lie, and Lu Chengfeng were unfamiliar with Xiao Yu's style.

When they discovered that Xiao Yu was not looking for the checkpoint.

Instead, they repeatedly searched the surrounding area and farmed monsters.

They only thought that Xiao Yu regarded this challenge as a trial run, rather than being overly ambitious and unrealistic.

Use several chances.

First, gather intelligence and experience.

Then concentrate our forces and break through in one fell swoop.

This is the standard strategy for most chosen ones when facing the nightmare of the deep sea.

As long as the harvest is sufficient.

Even if the progress is a little slower.

For example, the team members are perfectly comfortable with exploring a new area or defeating a few corrupted individuals each time.

Current pollution level: 15%!

The Nightmare Contamination level naturally increases by approximately 1% every 100 seconds.

This means that 25 minutes have passed since the chosen one entered the instance.

During this period.

The two teams are in contact with each other.

Ye Heshan's team entered the "Xuanwu Iron Camp Line", one of the four major routes.

According to the latest mutual reports, they have identified the exit point and are preparing to challenge the first key corrupted BOSS.

"So fast?"

When I received this message.

Xiao Yu remained calm.

Wang Yang, Su Qingmeng, and others felt a sense of urgency.

Nightmare dungeons with multiple players and teams inevitably involve speedruns.

Xiao Yu's team has not advanced and has been exploring the surrounding area. Their progress has already fallen behind Ye Heshan's, and the two are worried that they will reach the final boss Zhu Wen first.

It would be a pity if Ye Heshan were to be the first to clear the land and open up Ge Meng!

After all, in their view, Xiao Yu was fully capable of doing so!

however.

This worry is unnecessary.

Although Xiao Yu acknowledged Ye Heshan's strength.

However, I don't believe Ye Heshan can directly defeat Zhu Wen.

He was not affected by the progress of potential competitors, but continued to act at his own pace and according to his established plan.

"Look closely, this statue in front of you is a little different from the others!"

The group discovered a unique, twisted statue. This statue was also of the civil and military officials type, but it looked much taller and more imposing.

Moreover, compared to other headless statues, this statue, although it has a head, is more distorted in shape, riddled with holes from head to toe, with filthy liquid and maggots flowing everywhere, and the pollution level of the area is much higher than other places.

"Get ready!"

Xiao Yu didn't explain much, then drew his Ash Warbow and fired a regular assault arrow from a distance of 100 meters.

boom!

The statue exploded.

A pure, turbid aura formed a small storm within a radius of fifty or sixty meters.

"What terrible pollution!"

Su Qingmeng: "If we hadn't evacuated to a safe distance beforehand, we would definitely be under severe contamination right now!"

Chen Xi: "Could it be a special trap?"

Wang Yang: "I'm afraid not!"

Based on Wang Yang's understanding of Xiao Yu, he wouldn't do something meaningless; there must be a reason why he would deliberately break the statue.

Without waiting for other chosen ones to think it over.

A voice filled with anger and resentment came from the eye of the storm.

"I prided myself on being a pure stream, but now I am forever drowning in its turbid current, and the world's purity and turbidity are reversed—better to be buried together in the deep sea!"

At this moment, a figure in the official robes of a Tang Dynasty prime minister emerged. His magnificent robes had long since decayed, and his body was made of filthy, foul-smelling mud.

[Prime Minister Pei Shu], Level 12 Lord Unit —

Jiang Xiaoxia was shocked: "It's corruption! Corruption is hidden inside this sculpture!"

The other chosen ones also looked surprised.

Zhao Gang asked, "But who is this?"

Su Qingmeng explained: "Pei Shu was a prime minister in the late Tang Dynasty and died in the Baimayi Incident launched by Zhu Wen."

Wang Yang: "Although it has been strengthened by the aura of the deep sea, it is only a level 12 lord and does not pose a threat to us."

As they were talking.

We're about to take action.

"Hold your hand!"

Xiao Yu stopped everyone from taking action.

"Look closely, Pei Shu is constantly emitting a polluting aura. He is another typical polluting type of monster."

The observations of other chosen ones confirmed this; this monster was indeed troublesome and could not be dealt with carelessly.

Xiao Yu continued, "As Pei Shu was dispersing the pollution, his body seemed to be becoming clearer, like some kind of special self-cleaning mechanism."

"Self-cleaning mechanism?"

Wang Yang found it rather intriguing: "Why would there be such a strange mechanism? Is it related to the historical figure or his experiences?"

Su Qingmeng speculated: "In the Baima Post Station Incident, Zhu Wen slaughtered all the court officials and literati of the 'pure stream' (a term referring to those who claim to be upright and honest), and ordered Li Zhen to throw all these self-proclaimed upright figures into the turbid Yellow River, leaving behind the ironic curse of 'forever becoming part of the turbid stream.'"

She asked Xiao Yu, "What should we do?"

"Do not attack, this corrupted BOSS has a very special mechanic."

Xiao Yu said, "Each effective attack we launch will increase Pei Shu's contamination level, which will not only cause his self-purification to fail, but will also have a significant impact on us."

As they were talking.

Xiao Yu activated "Zichan's Forbidden Spell Cauldron". Pei Shu is a sorcerer-type monster, and the Forbidden Spell Domain can easily weaken him.

But that's not enough.

Su Qingmeng and Ban Chao summoned minions to distract and draw attention, while Lu Dahai and Lu Chengfeng activated their defenses to block.

With such multiple constraints, although Pei Shu was a minor boss at the lord level, he had no way to pose a threat to the Chosen One.

From beginning to end.

No damage was dealt.

The mechanism of this special BOSS is that even if it loses only 1 point of life, its pollution value will increase significantly.

No attack at all.

In just five minutes.

Pei Shu's body was completely cleansed of its turbidity and filth, and he became clear-headed, like a blue soul.

He seemed to briefly regain his senses.

"Thank you all for clearing my name. Prince Liang, Zhu Quanzhong, is very powerful. I am willing to do my part to help him!"

Done.

He bowed.

His body then exploded, and a cool aura enveloped everyone.

[You have been affected by the "Soul of Purity," pollution level -10%!]

at the same time.

In the old channels.

An announcement has appeared.

The chosen one, "Yu Xiao," led his team to achieve the first kill against the corrupted historical figure, "Prime Minister Pei Shu," earning 20 points.

Let's determine the fate of the world!

"What's going on?"

"Just like that, it's gone."

Xiao Yu's team did not inflict even a single point of damage on Pei Shu from beginning to end, but Pei Shu exploded on his own in less than 5 minutes!

Not only did he die automatically, but he also reduced the entire team's pollution level by 10% in one fell swoop.

This is enough to greatly reduce the pressure on the team!

After Pei Shu is eliminated as an evil being, he will naturally drop spoils of war and the world's fortune.

When the luck belongs to the whole team, the captain usually takes nearly half, and the other team members share the remaining luck equally.

"I can't believe it actually works!"

This unusual battle shocked Chen Xi; she had never encountered anything like it before.

The master is indeed a master.

That judgment was incredibly accurate!

Chen Xi was becoming increasingly less confident in recruiting Yu Xiao, after all, this powerful figure was simply too strong and capable.

Why should I be your subordinate?

But if————

Should I become his subordinate?

Chen Xi thought of a possibility: inviting Yu Xiao to join the Hope and make him the captain of the Hope might be a promising solution.

[You have collected the following loot: +8 Turbid Ghost Soul Crystal, +1 Pei Shu's Turbid Ghost Staff, +1 Heart of Clear Stream, +5 Green Forging Stone, +42 Green Soul Stone!]

Xiao Yu had already picked up the fallen item.

It's a decent mini-boss.

One of the items even has a name; although it's only of green quality, it clearly has considerable value.

Various items are falling.

There is a special item.

【Heart of the Clear Stream】, a special item that cannot be taken out of Nightmare. Each use reduces the pollution value by 5%.

nice one!

This is an item that can reduce your personal pollution level, and it is also a very important item in this dungeon.

Can we pass this level in a way that maximizes our benefits, gains, and completion rate?

This item will play a crucial role!

Of course, one is far from enough, so Xiao Yu decided to collect more "Hearts of Purity".

He then said, "There's definitely more than one Pei Shu here. Let's search the surrounding area and see if there are any other hidden mini-bosses!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

Just as Xiao Yu said, a total of 10 people similar to Pei Shu were found in the silt and swamps of the Yellow River Blood Marsh.

of course.

Some are strong, some are weak.

Some individuals have reached the level of a lord.

The others are just rare elites.

[The chosen one "Yu Xiao" led his team to achieve the first kill against the historically corrupt "Turbid Ghost Attendant Dugu Sun," gaining 15 points of world luck!]

The chosen one, "Yu Xiao," led his team to achieve the first kill against the corrupted historical figure "Turbid Ghost Doctor Cui Yuan," earning 15 points.

Let's determine the fate of the world!

【————】

It took about forty minutes in total.

Xiao Yu's team successfully cleared out all nine corrupted mini-bosses from the Turbid Ghost series, during which two waves of smaller monsters also spawned.

The cumulative gains are truly astonishing!

Most importantly, these gains are quite free; each time the corrupted spirits purify themselves, they reduce the team's pollution level.

Moreover, Xiao Yu successfully collected 10 Hearts of Purity, which is the maximum that can be collected in a single operation.

but.

Just then.

Another old announcement has appeared.

[The chosen one "Ye Heshan" has achieved the first kill against the historical villain "Swift Shadow Ghost General Ge Congzhou," gaining 80 points of world luck!]