Ancient Ark: A Dark-Themed Historical Survival Game

Chapter 145 Settlement and Conspiracy

Chen Xi's invitation.

Xiao Yu will not accept it.

It is impossible for one chosen one to be captain of two ancient arks at the same time.

Xiao Yu wouldn't refuse, after all, recruiting members of the Hope and expanding the Wentian team to make up for its shortcomings was part of his plan.

"I appreciate your sincerity," Xiao Yu said. "I will give this matter serious consideration."

The crew of the Hope were all delighted to hear this.

"I understand!" Chen Xi said immediately. "This is, after all, a very important decision. We welcome you to come to the Hope anytime to discuss and investigate."

The great god "Yu Xiao" did not agree to become the captain of the Hope, but he did not refuse to become their captain either.

This attitude itself is extremely valuable.

Even if the expert hasn't officially joined the Hope Ark yet, once this news gets out, no one will dare to underestimate the Hope Ark.

This event has now come to a successful conclusion.

Starting today, the "Bloody Bianliang" nightmare will be open to all Chosen Ones. Every eligible Chosen One can be teleported here to challenge the mirror instance.

After celebrating their success, the participants returned to their respective cities to prepare for the mission.

Xiao Yu returned to the Wentian Ship and first met with Wang Yang, Su Qingmeng, and others.

"Pretending not to know you, the boss, in front of so many people is really tiring."

Su Qingmeng relaxed.

She stretched and let out a long breath.

"Are you still planning to play dumb to fool others? I think it won't be long before someone discovers your weakness."

Wang Yang nodded and said, "Boss, you weren't very famous before, so it was easy for you to hide. But after this operation, you became famous overnight, so it's almost impossible for you to remain in hiding for long."

"It's alright!"

Xiao Yu calmly said, "As long as this nightmare tsunami passes, we will be able to truly gain a foothold, and it won't matter if we are exposed."

As Su Qingmeng and Wang Yang said.

Xiao Yu's true identity cannot be hidden forever; someone will always try to investigate his background and find various clues.

It can take anywhere from ten days to half a month.

It can take one or two months at most.

It will almost certainly be exposed.

However, by then the nightmare tsunami will have ended, and as long as the corrupted Zhao Kuangyin doesn't attack immediately, the Wentian will be able to establish a firm foothold in this world.

Even if Xiao Yu stepped out from behind the scenes and took control of the Wentian Ship himself, there would be no need to worry. Moreover, it would be impossible for Zhao Kuangyin and other super-powerful evil beings to break free from the nightmare's bondage twice in a short period of time.

As for other forces...

For example, the massive Yellow Robe Esoteric Buddhism.

Although it is undeniable that after Xiao Yu's true identity and the true nature of the Wentian ship are exposed, they will definitely try to cause trouble and create some problems.

However, compared to when the Wentian spacecraft just arrived, the best period for suppression has passed, and even if it causes trouble, the effect will be very limited.

"Although it's only a matter of time before I step out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight, and that time won't be too long, we still need to make good use of this window of opportunity to create information asymmetry and achieve more goals."

Xiao Yu then gave Wang Yang and Su Qingmeng a series of new instructions, including how to deal with the potential trouble with the Tianlong and how to prepare for the incorporation of the Hope team.

After doing all this.

Each returned to their original task.

Because Xiao Yu's mission was to obtain a spot from the Chang'an Jieshi Mansion through the Hope Ship, he could go directly to Chang'an to complete the mission.

but.

Before this.

Xiao Yu took some time to cultivate.

After this nightmare, he still had about 120,000 units of vital energy left, and he planned to use most of it.

[Your cultivation level has increased; your current cultivation level is level 14!]

Xiao Yu first spent about 20,000 units of vital energy to level up himself, and then prepared to use the remaining vital energy to cultivate his martial arts.

Before and after this operation.

Sun Wu and Li Cunxiao saw the biggest improvements.

Among them, Sun Tzu officially mastered the complete version of the Six Secrets of Military Strategy, greatly increasing his strength.

Li Cunxiao rapidly grew from a newly joined heroic spirit to the second tier, while also mastering the core techniques of the Divine Tiger Three Absolutes and the battle bow soul weapon.

Zheng Dan was the first to reach level 12 and obtained the "Thunder Shadow Secret Ring" with excellent attributes and quality, while the Nameless Flying General obtained the "Raging Flame Arrow Sheath".

It seems.

Only Xi Shi has not yet made a breakthrough.

The main skill of Xi Shi's spirit, "Mirror Flower Illusion Dream," is a red-level skill, and because it is relatively difficult to practice, there has been no breakthrough in it.

It is currently at level 1.

However, the two lower-level purple techniques, Mirror Flower Water Moon and Illusory Dream Bewitching Soul, have been upgraded to level 4.

This is the foundation.

The difficulty of breaking through will be greatly reduced.

【Soul Essence - 48000!】

[Successfully broke through to the "Mirror Flower Dream" skill level; current skill level is 2!]

[Mental Spell Mastery +10, Permanent Mental Attribute +10, Permanent Mental Strength +40.]

The Mirror Flower Illusion Dream is an extremely powerful technique.

Xiao Yu hoped that he could cultivate this red-colored technique to at least level 3, so that it could unleash even greater power.

only.

This technique is difficult to master.

It is in no way inferior to the Three Wonders of the Divine Tiger.

Breaking through from level 2 to level 3 requires a whopping 110,000 soul essence, and Xiao Yu currently doesn't have enough.

Not urgent.

In the near future.

There are plenty of opportunities to acquire vital energy.

Xiao Yu finished his cultivation and was teleported to Chang'an.

Not long after news of his appearance at the Heavenly Dao Temple spread, the Yongxing Jiedushi arrived in a grand procession with over a hundred followers.

[Yongxing Military Governor: Zhao Huaizhi], Level 18 Rare Lord —

The Northern Dynasties system basically followed that of the late Tang and Five Dynasties. The Jiedushi (military governor) was a regional lord whose power was slightly higher than that of the Guanchashi (observation commissioner) of the Southern Dynasties.

Zhao Huaizhong was the highest-ranking local official in Yongxing Town, where Chang'an was located. Even in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, he was considered a key figure.

Chen Xi immediately led a group of Chosen Ones.

We came to greet them immediately.

"Greetings, Commander!"

The Hope, stationed in Chang'an, had to deal with it.

Because only by maintaining good relationships can we obtain more opportunities and a more stable development environment.

"Captain Chen, there's no need for such formalities!"

Zhao Huaizhong scanned the Hope-class Destiny's body.

Then the object landed on the indifferent middle-aged man standing next to Chen Xi.

Although this person had an ordinary appearance and no special features, it was not hard to see that both Captain Chen Xi and the other chosen ones subtly expressed their awe towards him.

Zhao Huaizhong immediately said, "This man with extraordinary bearing must be Yu Xiao, the chosen one who made great contributions and whose fame resounded throughout the land during this operation!"

"Exactly!"

Before Yu Xiao could speak.

Chen Xi immediately said, "This is Brother Yu Xiao. We were able to successfully eliminate Nightmare entirely thanks to him!"

Xiao Yu was not being modest.

He simply nodded slightly.

"I owe this to Captain Chen and Marshal Jie, who gave me the opportunity to make this contribution."

"The Chosen Ones are truly a place where dragons and tigers lie hidden. I never expected that after Ye Heshan, someone like you would emerge!"

Zhao Huaizhong exclaimed with emotion, "Heaven bless Chang'an! Heaven bless the Great Zhou!"

He had heard about it.

This individual may become the captain of the Hope in the future.

It seems that the Hope has far greater potential than imagined, and its relationships must be carefully managed.

No nonsense.

Settle the task first.

Then a banquet was held to entertain the chosen one.

[You have completed the mission. You have obtained "World Luck" +400, "Soul Essence" +20, "Purple Luck Stone" +1, "Purple Heroic Spirit Essence" +2, "Purple Forging Stone" +3, "Great Zhou Celestial Strategy Token" +5, and "Purple Soul Stone" +50!]

Another generous reward!

Among them, the world's fortune and soul essence are directly credited to the account, as for soul stones, divine stones, and heroic spirit essence.

Because the quality is too high.

Chang'an doesn't have that much inventory.

These supplies will take several days to be transferred from other places, but it won't have much of an impact on Xiao Yu, since he already has enough supplies to use up in the short term.

The rewards for this harvest include five Great Zhou Tian Ce Tokens, which function similarly to the old Suiyang Tokens of Suiyang.

Those who possess this item can recruit a certain size of local armed forces or production troops to work without having to pay extra compensation.

no doubt.

This is very useful.

Xiao Yu currently has multiple pieces of equipment and several heroic spirits that need to be strengthened, and the production capacity of the Wentian ship is far from sufficient.

If the Great Zhou decree is issued to recruit advanced weapon refiners from places like Xijing, then one or two more pieces of equipment can be crafted or several more rounds of enhancement can be carried out before the Nightmare Tsunami arrives.

The mission rewards a total of 20 essence and 400 world luck, which is not a small amount even for Xiao Yu.

[Soul Essence - 11!]

[Successfully broke through to the "Mirror Flower Dream" skill level; current skill level is 3!]

[Mental Spell Mastery +20, Permanent Mental Attribute +25, Permanent Mental Strength +80.]

Xiao Yu used his vital energy to upgrade Xi Shi's Mirror Flower Dream to level 3. This time, instead of cultivating the lower-level technique first, he directly upgraded to the highest-level technique.

This is how it was upgraded.

Cultivation from top to bottom.

The red-quality "Mirror Flower Dream" serves as the main skill, which drives the purple-quality sub-skills "Mirror Flower Water Moon" and "Dream Bewitching Soul" to both level 4 and level 5.

complete in one step.

Xiao Yu has gained so many attributes at once, so the increase in Xi Shi's attributes and strength will only be more astonishing.

Even when Xi Shi's spirit was only level 1 in "Mirror Flower Dream", she already demonstrated powerful crowd control, group control, and monster-pulling abilities.

now.

Level 3 skill.

It will only get more terrifying.

Xi Shi is not the strongest offensive hero under Xiao Yu's command. Her overall combat strength is far inferior to Li Cunxiao, let alone compared to Sun Tzu.

It is definitely the most unpredictable and troublesome heroic spirit under Xiao Yu's command.

Xijing.

Tiance Mansion.

The Dark Palace of the Great Zhou Inner Guard.

Wang Yang received the reward for the "Bloody Bianliang" mission, and he is currently receiving the second mission reward.

He stood with Lu Dahai, Zhao Gang, and others, heads bowed, while Cao Wei, the commander of the Great Zhou Inner Guard, stood respectfully beside him.

The person sitting there is a man.

This person was wearing a purple robe, the style of which resembled a round-necked robe from the early Song Dynasty. Its color was a dark purple, like aged blood jade, and it was decorated with dragon scale patterns, Big Dipper patterns, xiezhi patterns, and Tian Ce star patterns embossed with dark gold thread.

He also wore a black and gold dragon-patterned jade belt, a nine-beam black jade crown, and had white hair that reached his shoulders. His complexion was rosy and his skin was delicate.

His overall demeanor possessed both the majesty of an emperor and the sinister, treacherous nature of a venomous snake.

This person is none other than [name omitted].

Zhao Guangyi, the regent of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Under the terrifying aura of the strongest ultimate BOSS of the Great Zhou Dynasty, even the fearless Chosen One dared not breathe too loudly.

Zhao Guangyi is reviewing a document.

This item is the partial defense deployment intelligence of the Southern Dynasty that Wang Yang obtained through Li Chengye. Although it is not complete, it is still very valuable top-secret intelligence.

"Your Excellency, this Li Chengye is feigning allegiance but is actually a traitor within the Yellow Robe Secret Cult. He intends to incite internal strife among the allied forces at the front lines, and even lead to conflict and infighting between the two dynasties."

Cao Wei said in a low voice, "Fortunately, Wang Yang used his unique talent for deduction to discover Li Chengye's flaws and tricked him into exposing himself."

"He can be described as both brave and resourceful!"

"Although we were ultimately unable to kill Li Chengye ourselves, the Nightmare Tsunami is about to erupt, and it is fortunate for the Great Zhou to be able to eliminate such an important believer on the front line."

Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly: "Not bad, you did a very good job this time. In addition to the rewards from the mission itself, the Tian Ce Mansion will provide even greater rewards within the scope permitted by the Heavenly Dao Rules!"

Wang Yang immediately led his men to bow and say, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Guangyi continued, "Besides Li Chengye, were there any other gains?"

Wang Yang replied, "I hereby inform the Regent and the Grand Envoy that I am currently investigating a peculiar group whose existence may pose a threat to the Great Zhou."

Zhao Guangyi: "What is it?"

Wang Yang recommended: "The evil eye secret sect!"

"The Evil Eye Cult?" Cao Wei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. "A cult composed of believers from the deep sea? But I've never heard of this cult before."

Wang Yang explained, "This Evil Eye Cult originated from other ancient times experienced by the Questioning Sky Ship. Now, it is highly likely that it has infiltrated this world with the power of the Outer Gods and is quietly growing stronger in some corner."

Zhao Guangyi and Cao Wei both frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Wang Yang and his core subordinates came from the Wentian ship. This secret is unknown to others, but it is impossible for Zhao Guangyi and Cao Wei not to know it.

Captain Su Qingmeng of the Wentian is quite strong, after all, she was able to defeat the Tianlong, which is known as the strongest ark in the Southern Kingdom.

but.

Compare with Wang Yang.

The difference between the two is not significant.

Therefore, Wang Yang was able to form his own faction.

"Cao Wei, what do you think?"

"Since Wang Yang personally experienced the past and the corruption, the credibility of this information is extremely high."

Cao Wei paused.

He asked, "Wang Yang, how much do you know about the Evil Eye Cult? Why do you believe that this follower, Yalifu, has entered this realm?"

Wang Yang quickly explained: "The core of the Evil Eye Sect is Wu Zixu, and under his command there may be powerful evildoers with the potential to become ministers such as Goujian and Fuchai."

"The existence of the Deep Believers was discovered in the past, and the Deep Believers represent the Deep Sea Evil God."

Therefore, Bei Huan believes there is a risk.

Wang Yang recommended this place.

He paused, then continued, "However, my abilities are limited, and I have no way to address the deficiency, so there is currently no concrete evidence."

Several very famous names.

The news caused Zhao Guangyi and Cao Wei's expressions to quickly turn serious, as they immediately realized the potential danger and took it seriously.

Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly and recommended, "Shi Wangyang is appointed as the Special Envoy of the Inner Guard. Fifty elite Inner Guards are to be assigned to investigate the arrears. Once the arrears are confirmed, they must be reported immediately without delay!"

"yes!

""

Cao Wei immediately recommended, "This matter is of great importance. I will personally oversee it, so please rest assured, Your Majesty the Regent."

The core responsibility of the Great Zhou's inner guard is to manage the believers. If a completely unfamiliar but highly promising deep-seated believer group were to emerge, Cao Wei would definitely pay close attention and do everything in his power to prevent it from happening.

Non-garbage good!

Wang Yang was invigorated.

The reason he brought up the matter of the Evil Eye Sect at this critical juncture was partly because the occasion was just right, with Zhao Guangyi also present.

On the other hand, Wang Yang had just completed two important official tasks with great success, further proving his abilities in front of Cao Wei and Zhao Guangyi.

At this critical juncture, revealing clues about the Evil Eye Cult will inevitably become a tool for him to acquire more privileges and resources.

It turns out.

as predicted.

Wang Yang successfully became a special envoy.

He will have ten more rare elite combatants at level 20 under his command, which is an extremely powerful force at this stage and is capable of creating great value.

Wang Yang could use this elite force to complete the official duties arranged by Xiao Yu, or he could use them to help him improve his strength or collect resources more quickly.

I recommended Wang Yang.

His biggest rival is Su Qingmeng.

Currently, Su Qingmeng is the acting captain of the Wentian, and she has a great deal of authority over the vast majority of the chosen ones on the Wentian.

Furthermore, he performed exceptionally well in handling external conflicts with the Tianlong and other internal affairs, earning Xiao Yu's approval.

Wang Yang can only compete with the Evil Eye Sect by fully developing the resources of the inner guard and even the resources of the Great Zhou, and by doing a good job in adjusting the affairs of the Evil Eye Sect.

Southern Dynasties.

Jinling Temple.

Tianlong's headquarters.

When Cao Long learned that the Chosen One had successfully purified the nightmare of "Bloody Bianliang," and that Su Qingmeng had also participated in it, he was furious—

Containable.

"hateful!"

"Damn woman!"

Cao Long certainly had every reason to be angry.

This inexplicable annihilation caused immense losses to the Tianlong, not only in terms of cultivation and equipment, but also in terms of reputation and status.

in turn.

Su Qingmeng not only gained fame by stepping on herself, but she also led the members of the Wentian team to participate in the entire process of pioneering the "Bloody Bianliang" nightmare.

The reputation of the Wentian Ship skyrocketed!

As one thing rises and the other falls, the Tianlong's status has rapidly declined, and its position as the number one ship in the South is clearly in jeopardy!

Cao Long lost more than just empty fame and face; he also suffered huge losses in the process.

"Where did this Yu Xiaoshi come from? One Ye Heshan wasn't enough, now there's Yu Xiaoshi too!"

Cao Long deeply felt the crisis, whether it was the erosion of his position within the Southern Kingdom or the pressure brought by true god-level chosen ones like Ye Heshan and Yu Xiao.

If changes are not made soon...

The Tianlong was destined to become a second-rate ship.

Just then, a figure walked in from outside.

This person was none other than his younger brother, Cao Kai.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you already causing enough trouble for the Tianlong?"

"Brother, I want to introduce someone to you. He and the forces behind him are willing to help us deal with the Wentian."

"What role? Let me in!"

A figure dressed in a cloak and wrapped up tightly entered the Tianlong ship's base.

Cao Long sized up the cloaked figure and asked, "Who are you? Why are you helping the Tianlong to fight the Wentian?"

The cloaked figure said in a deep voice, "Because our interests are aligned, I also hope that the Wentian will disappear from this world."

Why should I believe you?

"Because compared to Captain Cao's Tianlong, we have a deeper connection with the Wentian, and our interests and goals are completely aligned in this regard."

The cloaked man raised his head, revealing a pale face. His brow twitched slightly, from which a scarlet vertical eye emerged.

Cao Long sensed Fang Wuxi's presence.

His expression changed drastically: "You are—daring to show your face in front of me and court death!"

The cloaked figure calmly advised, "Captain Cao can certainly kill me immediately, but I am merely a low-ranking messenger. Killing me would bring me no benefit, no meaning, and you would gain no additional information. Instead, you would miss your only opportunity."

Cao Long is no ordinary person.

He rose from humble beginnings to become a billionaire.

Isn't all he relies on—daring to lick blood from the edge of a knife and operating in the gray area?

no doubt.

The person in front of me is a believer.

But if it can be used for one's own benefit.

Even believers are nothing more than tools.

There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Even a permanent enemy can become a temporary ally at different stages.

Cao Long calmed down and asked, "You only have one minute to recommend Ming."

The cloaked figure remained remarkably calm.

He said, "It is extremely difficult to completely eliminate a force of the Chosen Ones. The only way is to destroy the Ark, but once the Ark is in salvage mode, it cannot be moved easily."

"Now there is indeed a crucial opportunity before us. If we seize it, we can take the opportunity to destroy the Ark of Asking the Sky."

The cloaked figure casually recommended: "Nightmare Tsunami!"