Ancient Ark: A Dark-Themed Historical Survival Game

Chapter 86 The Righteous Sword and Wu Zixu

Suiyang City.

Jiang Xiaoxia, Wei Dongbing, and other chosen ones were guarding the core of the Suiyang formation when they suddenly heard a loud bang coming from the southeast corner of the main city.

"What happened?"

Everyone was startled.

They immediately became alert and launched a reconnaissance mission.

A menacing rock dragon soared into the sky, accompanied by an unusually powerful deep-sea aura. At the same time, a black giant, thirty or forty meters tall and covered in tentacles, suddenly appeared.

"what?"

"Isn't that Fan Li?"

"What is he fighting?"

"What a terrifying aura! This guy's strength has already surpassed that of a level 10 lord. He's at least a level 10 rare lord!"

""

"Strange, the main city is protected by a powerful array. Monsters shouldn't be able to get in before the array is broken!"

"Not a monster!"

"They must be believers!"

"How could there be such believers?"

"."

Wei Dongbing asked, "Should we go help?"

Jiang Xiaoxia: "No, Senior Xiao said that our only mission is to protect the array's core, and we can't leave, especially at times like this."

"Yes, and besides, we probably wouldn't be able to do much against such a super boss!"

"."

""

Although the Chosen Ones experienced a brief period of unrest, they quickly stabilized and tightened their defenses of the formation to prevent any believers from taking advantage of the chaos.

Jiang Xiaxia watched the battle from afar; both sides were terrifyingly strong, and she couldn't help but feel worried.

Senior Xiao has gone on a secret mission.

Could he be there too?

The battle witnessed by the chosen ones and the ancestors was the great battle between Fan Xin and Sima Geng. The latter knew Fan Li's abilities, so he used a transformation technique to try to buy time with close combat.

Although Sima Geng was very powerful, even fighting Fan Li for twenty or thirty rounds, the difference in strength between the two was still very obvious.

Xiao Yu quickly eliminated the other believers.

Sima Geng immediately realized that the situation was hopeless, but because Suiyang City was sealed off by a formation, he could not escape in a short time and eventually died under Fan Li's attack.

The battle did not last long.

There was absolutely no time for any assistance.

Neither the ancestors nor the chosen ones understood what had happened, and the greatest internal threat to Suiyang City was thus completely eliminated.

After the battle.

Xiao Yu activated the brand.

Refining the remains of the believers [You have refined "Deep Sea Believer Qu Ao", "Soul Essence" +1000, "Chaos Residue" +10, "Chaos Believer Staff" +1, "Green Forging Stone" +3!]

[You have refined "Deep Sea Believer Si Liang", "Soul Essence" +1000, "Chaotic Residue" +10, "Chaotic Psychic Necklace" +1, "Green Soul Stone" +12!]

【————】

[You have refined "Sima Geng, the Deep Sea Believer": Soul Essence +2400, Advanced Chaos Residue +10, Blue Soul Imprint Stone +1, Green Enlightenment Stone +1, Blue Heroic Spirit Essence +4!]

It is a special monster that cannot be refreshed.

The value of these believers is undoubtedly extremely high.

The conversion of essence and energy alone exceeds 8000 points.

In addition, they also obtained many pieces of equipment, a large number of rare materials, and even rare materials. Among them, Qu Ao and Si Liang both dropped a good piece of green equipment.

【Staff of the Chaos Cultist】, Green Superior Grade, Equipment Level 5, Base Magic Attack +26, Spell Skill Amplification +15%, Mental Attack +21, Spirit +25, Willpower +10, Attached Skill "Corruption Light", Durability 50.

A level 5 green superior-grade equipment!

Its basic attributes are no less than those of an unenhanced blue-grade weapon of the same type, and its attached skill "Corruption Light" is a mental attack skill.

It can not only ignore the target's basic defense and deal damage directly, but also weaken the target's mental resistance for a period of time.

【Chaotic Psychic Necklace】, Green Medium Grade, Equipment Level 5, Base Magic Attack +10, Willpower +7, Spirit +12, Spirit Resistance +15, Attached Skill "Psychic Reflection", Durability 30.

Another high-value, top-quality piece of equipment.

Accessory-type auxiliary equipment rarely directly increases attack power.

This necklace, however, significantly increases magical attack power, while also providing attribute and resistance boosts, which is enough to substantially enhance survivability and combat effectiveness.

The attached skill "Psychic Reflection" is a defensive skill against regular spell attacks. It can not only block attacks but also reflect them back for a quick counterattack.

The rebound effect is not guaranteed to trigger. First, you need a fast enough reaction to activate the skill, and second, you need strong enough mental strength to complete the rebound.

Xiao Yu immediately put on the necklace.

His necklace was still the brass necklace he had acquired earlier. Although it had been upgraded to level 5, it was already outdated compared to his other equipment.

Now they've gone from muskets to cannons.

Its overall strength has improved significantly.

This equipment haul is undoubtedly fantastic!

For those destined to succeed, obtaining one or two equipment fragments per dungeon run is considered good. Outside of raid dungeons or first-kill raids with bonus drop rates for corrupted gear, the probability of obtaining a complete set of equipment is extremely low.

What more could I ask for than getting two level 5 green items in one go?

Moreover.

Not all the surprises!

The other eight Evil Eye followers dropped a lot of important resources, mainly rare materials such as green-quality forging stones, deep-sea stones, and heroic spirit essence.

Sima Geng's fall was the most astonishing.

Although he didn't get any equipment, he did get four precious blue spirit essences, a comprehension stone, and a soul imprint stone.

A rare and precious green ingredient!

A rare blue material!

The only rare material Xiao Yu had ever obtained before was the Fortune Stone, which was mainly used to increase the fortune of heroic spirits and was also an extremely precious and scarce production material.

Although no Fortune Stone was found this time, two different rare materials were found, each with its own unique uses and value compared to the Fortune Stone.

The "Enlightenment Stone" grants a Heroic Spirit a chance to learn a skill, thereby increasing the grade of the Heroic Spirit's Soul Crystal skill.

Heroic Spirit Skills are divided into two types: innate skills and acquired skills.

The former is an innate skill that doesn't require special study and will automatically grow as your aptitude and level increase.

The latter is a skill that the Chosen One bestows upon heroic spirits through Soul Crystals for cultivation. Heroic spirits cannot actively improve this skill; they can only break through by comprehending divine stones.

I got a green Enlightenment Stone this time.

The chosen one can consume this stone to grant the heroic spirit a chance to learn something new. However, since the material is of green quality, the skill that can be learned will not exceed green quality.

As for the "Soul Imprint Divine Stone?"

This is the first time this rare and precious material has been revealed, and its purpose is to add an extra soul imprint to a heroic spirit.

What is a soul imprint?

This is what the Chosen Ones often refer to as the Soul Slot.

Every Heroic Spirit of white quality or higher has a Soul Slot, which is used to equip Heroic Spirit Soul Crystals or Soul Vessels to enrich the Heroic Spirit's ability system.

The innate soul slot is fixed.

The higher a hero's aptitude, the more soul slots they have and the higher their grade; these slots cannot be increased or decreased.

The acquired Soul Slot can be cultivated and crafted.

However, it is very difficult and costly.

The chosen one needs the assistance of a spirit refiner, using the Heroic Soul Imprint as the core material, plus a portion of Heroic Soul Essence of the same quality, and consuming a small amount of world fortune, in order to grant the Heroic Soul an additional soul slot.

The grade of the acquired soul slot is fixed.

Unaffected by the qualifications of Heroic Spirits.

This blue soul imprint can grant a hero a blue-quality soul slot. As long as he is willing to invest resources, even a white or gray hero can have a blue soul slot.

However, the Soul Slot cannot be upgraded after birth.

It does not change as the Heroic Spirit's aptitude increases.

The acquisition of rare materials is extremely difficult. They can only be dropped by very rare and special BOSSes, or obtained from treasure chests with a probability comparable to winning the lottery.

Xiao Yu was very satisfied with the harvest.

At this moment, Fan Li came forward and respectfully bowed.

"You have rid Suiyang of this great scourge, averting a future catastrophe. This act is tantamount to saving millions of people; you deserve my deepest respect!"

Xiao Yu didn't stand on ceremony.

Fan Xin is now working under a futures trader.

This gesture is not only a heartfelt expression of gratitude and complete acceptance, but also a sign of a radical shift in identity and status.

How did Mr. Fan handle the aftermath?

"I have no choice but to personally step down and temporarily assume the position of Lord Suiyang. As for Sima Ziniu—"

Xiao Yu said: "Sima Geng, as one of the founders of Suiyang, made great contributions. He devoted himself to the cause for decades. In the process of fighting against the deep sea, he was accidentally ambushed by the deep believers and died heroically."

Fan Li cupped his hands in thanks again: "Thank you!"

Xiao Yu shook his head: "Sima Geng was originally a hero; he did nothing wrong. The deep sea is the source of chaos, which is why we must quell the deep sea and save history!"

Fan Li and Sun Tzu were deeply shocked. Although they were both geniuses of all time, their vision was ultimately limited and their understanding of the deep sea was insufficient.

Sima Geng was a just and loyal man.

He was Fan Xin's half-apprentice.

He was also her only true friend.

Fan Li would suspect anyone in Suiyang, but he would never suspect Sima Geng. Little did he know that Sima Geng was the strongest and most dangerous believer.

Although I knew the deep sea was cruel.

But it was the first time I felt a chill run down my spine.

You must understand that Suiyang is just a shallow, ancient place. The endless deep sea holds countless worlds that are even more polluted and chaotic. What a perilous and difficult road this is!

Fan Xin couldn't help but feel deeply powerless.

He didn't feel any frustration from Xiao Yu.

He seemed to have been mentally prepared, and seemed to understand the terror of the deep sea better than anyone else, yet he never hesitated or wavered.

This calm and unwavering belief was like a ray of light, seemingly dispelling the gloom ahead and making the two even more determined to follow each other.

"Ziniu, when faced with the endless deep sea, I am actually a little afraid. It seems I am indeed incapable of achieving great things."

A flame ignited in Fan Xin's heart.

"But I have found a wise ruler to assist. No matter how dark and difficult the deep sea may be, someone will eventually stand up and save everything."

Not long after.

When the news of Sima Geng's death in battle spread.

Both the ancestors of Suiyang and the chosen ones were shocked by the bad news and plunged into great sorrow.

Montreal.

The battle against Ji Chang has just ended.

Lu Dahai: "What? Lord Suiyang has been murdered!"

Zhao Gang: "Sima Geng was the guardian and ruler of this land, leading the people out of countless calamities and desperate situations. How could such a great figure die!"

"Could it be because of my intelligence—but how could he, Lord Suiyang, die at the hands of a follower!"

Wang Yang found this hard to believe.

He keenly sensed that things were not so simple.

Yang Yong frowned and said, "So Ji Chang is a follower of Outer Gods. In that case, followers of Outer Gods are far more dangerous than followers of the Evil Eye Cult!"

"What a pity!"

Zhao Xuezhu sighed, "Lord Suiyang is a good man. Since we Chosen Ones came to Suiyang City, he has done his best to help each and every one of us."

"Without him, we couldn't have established ourselves in Suiyang so quickly. His death is a huge loss for everyone!"

Su Qingmeng clenched her fists.

She showed intense anger.

"He helped me a lot when I first came to Juyang. He was a sage worthy of everyone's respect. His death is a huge loss to the human race."

5

'

"Damn believers!"

"Damn corruption!"

"We must avenge Lord Suiyang!"

For the chosen ones, Sima Geng was not only a highly respected village chief of the beginner village, but also the most important guide and protector.

His sudden death.

This greatly angered the chosen one.

However, just as the matter was settled, Xiao Yu also received the reward for this mission.

【Ding! 】

You have completed the mission!

[You have gained +150 "World Luck", +1 "Heroic Soul Crystal: Righteous Sword Technique", and +5 "Purple Soul Stones"!]

This was the last task Sima Geng issued before his death.

Xiao Yu wiped out almost all the high-level believers lurking in the main city in one fell swoop, including even Sima Geng himself, so the quality of the reward generated was naturally extremely high.

The world's fortune gained is equivalent to purifying a deep-sea nightmare, in addition to 5 purple soul stones and a set of top-quality blue sword techniques!

"It's actually the Righteous Sword!"

Xiao Yu's spirits lifted.

This is a top-tier sword technique!

It was also the strongest skill of Lord Suiyang, Sima Geng.

Sima Geng was one of the Seventy-Two Disciples of Confucius. As a disciple of the Sage Confucius, he possessed a strong Confucian destiny, which enabled him to comprehend this powerful sword technique.

Although Sima Geng died during this mission, the rewards formed by the rules of Heaven were still related to him, thus indirectly passing on his strongest skills.

This sword technique must be learned.

Through which heroic spirit should one train?

All four heroic spirits are of blue quality or higher, and theoretically all should have the ability to use this soul crystal, but the nameless warrior and Xi Shi are clearly not suitable.

Xiao Yu could only choose between Sun Tzu and Zheng Dan.

Zheng Dan is more skilled in swordsmanship and has greater potential for growth, but she only has two soul slots, one for equipping Ash Escape and the other for equipping Myriad Manifestations Coins, so she doesn't have any extra soul slots to use for the time being.

Furthermore, although Zheng Dan uses a sword, her fighting style is more like what she is doing now, and the Haoran Sword is not a good match for her.

Only Sun Tzu remains as a choice.

Sun Wu has four soul slots. Currently equipped with the soul crystals "Concealing Breath Technique" and "Blood Qi Slash", plus a soul weapon "Rotten Dragon Blade", and one soul slot is currently idle.

The power of the Haoran Sword is greatly affected by the total attribute value. Although Sun Wu is not a fierce general-type hero, his basic attributes are high enough to fully meet the cultivation requirements.

【Soul Essence - 2000!】

You have mastered the "Righteous Sword Technique" through the spirit of Sun Tzu, the "Sage of War"!

The Haoran Sword is not complicated; it only has two sub-skills.

The first move is "Righteous Spirit".

The second move is "Sacrificing one's life for righteousness".

Currently, all skills are green (green/green).

The aura of righteousness is generated by consuming spiritual energy, and this power can be used for both offense and defense.

By empowering oneself with righteous energy, one can generate powerful resistance to abnormal mental states, which can also be used to offset mental damage.

This is very useful!

Mental attacks cannot be resisted by conventional armor. No matter how high the armor's attributes are, unless it has a mental damage immunity, it is ineffective against mental attacks.

Although the protective power can resist mental attacks, it cannot provide 100% defense.

The aura of righteousness can not only empower oneself, but also be applied to weapons, thereby unleashing the attack of righteous sword energy.

It can be described as having both offensive and defensive capabilities.

The strength of one's righteous energy depends on the total value of attributes such as strength, agility, physique, willpower, and spirit. The higher the values ​​of each attribute, the stronger the righteous energy that can be generated.

This sword technique has only one move, "Sacrifice for Righteousness," which can instantly concentrate all righteous energy into a single strike. It can also generate additional righteous energy by burning one's life force, greatly enhancing the attack.

The highest level of the Haoran Sword is level 5.

This set of techniques is quite difficult to master.

With the current level 1 skill, using the Sacrifice for Righteousness technique will burn up to 50 points of life force to enhance its power. However, for each level increase in cultivation, an additional 5 points can be burned.

This sword technique.

It is very powerful.

It also has enormous potential.

It was not exclusive to Sima Geng.

In fact, many Confucian masters in the past comprehended this sword technique, including Confucius and Mencius.

Regardless of ability.

Let's only discuss the skill of this sword.

Among the sages of the past, Mencius was the greatest!

Xiao Yu was fortunate enough to witness the Confucian swordsman Mencius take action. With one sword, he split the sea tens of thousands of feet deep and slayed the incarnation of the evil god. With another sword, he destroyed the impregnable nest where a million of his followers had gathered.

Although my cultivation level is now low.

But we can look forward to having such splendor in the future.

Xiao Yu used up the Hero Soul Crystal, as well as the Soul Imprint Stone and the Enlightenment Stone. These highly useful materials should naturally be used up as soon as possible to maximize their value.

The Soul Imprint Stone is planned to be used for Zheng Dan.

This would add a soul slot to Zheng Dan, allowing for further enhancement of her abilities in the future.

As for the Enlightenment Stone?

Because it is only of green quality.

Therefore, only white skills can be upgraded.

Of all the Heroic Soul Crystals that Xiao Yu possesses, only the earliest one he used, the "Concealing Breath Secret Technique," is white.

There was no other choice.

But it's not bad either.

The grade of the Concealing Breath Technique has been increased.

Xiao Yu and Sun Wu are better at concealing their abilities.

Although the process of comprehending the divine stone does not require a spirit refiner, there are very strict conditions. It can only be used on max-level skills and will consume a certain amount of world luck.

Of course, this is not a problem for Xiao Yu.

[You used the Enlightenment Stone on the spirit of "Sun Tzu, the Sage of Military Strategy"!]

[World Luck - 10!]

[Your "Concealing Breath Technique (White)" of the spirit of "Sun Tzu, the Sage of Military Strategy" has been upgraded to "Concealing Breath Technique (Green)"!]

Mastering a skill doesn't guarantee 100% success.

This is related to the hero's aptitude and the area of ​​expertise they excel in, but such a breakthrough in quality skills is a foregone conclusion for any epic-level hero.

Xiao Yu noticed that the name of the Concealing Breath Technique had not changed.

This means that the skill has only been enhanced, and its content has not been added or changed.

Although both are level 3 concealment techniques, the green-grade concealment technique is at least 20% more effective, and its maximum level has changed from level 3 to level 4.

【Soul Essence - 500!】

Your skill "Concealing Breath Technique" has reached level 4!

[Your "Concealing Breath Technique" has been mastered to the highest level, and you have gained 6 permanent points of Spiritual Power!]

Xiao Yu directly cultivated to the maximum level, and the overall effect was doubled compared to the original Breath Concealment Technique.

When he broke through his skill barrier.

The celestial phenomena near Suiyang City changed again.

The sky, which was shrouded in a deep-sea energy storm and filled with lightning and thunder, suddenly plunged into extreme darkness, and countless scarlet eyes snapped open in the darkness.

Densely packed.

Overwhelming.

Every eye is moving.

Every gaze was filled with madness and malice.

Xiao Yu knew that this was the power of the evil King Wu Zixu, who was currently launching an attack on the main city, and Fan Li had already gone to stop him.

The deafening sounds of battle echoed continuously from outside the city, marking the climax of this nightmarish tsunami invasion.

Fan Li was no match for the wicked Wu Zixu.

With the power of the Suiyang Grand Formation, they could hold out until the tsunami ended. When the war reached this stage, although it looked very exciting and shocking, it was just like a cutscene in a game.

The players have no say in the matter.

But there's really no suspense involved.

In the blink of an eye.

Several hours passed.

Amu Tsunami has very little time left.

Suiyang City was impregnable and showed no signs of collapse.

Fan Xin stood with his hands behind his back, stepping on the earthen dragon, looking down from mid-air at the outside of Suiyang City, where thousands of nightmare monsters swarmed.

The vast majority of these dream monsters are level 10 elites, including several historical corrupted monsters with the strength of level 10 lords; their lineup is undeniably powerful.

Here in Suiyang City.

Apart from Fan Li, who is the strongest fighter.

There are nearly a hundred clan leaders, family heads, and experts from various clans. Most of these people are level 9 or 10, and they are the strongest in the main city.

"Wu Zixu, we've fought to this point, do you think it's necessary to continue?" Fan Li, though exhausted but not completely drained, said, "Judging from the current situation, you have undoubtedly failed once again!"

Among the various bizarre and terrifying deep-sea monsters, a unique white-haired figure floats.

This person is about three meters tall, with a semi-transparent spiritual body, shrouded in a strong deep-sea aura, and hundreds or thousands of eyeballs floating behind him.

These eyeballs vary in size; some resemble fish eyes, some human eyes, some bird or beast eyes, and some giant beast eyes. Combined with mutated demonic eyes that do not belong to any living being, they form a terrifying vortex of a thousand eyes.

He was Wu Zixu!

He is the king of evil and depravity in Suiyang.

The source of all nightmares and pollution.

Its terror is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and it has many different forms; what is presented now is only the most common state.

"Did it fail?"

The voice of the corrupt king Wu Zixu was deep and resonant.

There was no anger of frustration, only endless malice and madness.

Wu Zixu could sense that the last group of believers who had been lying dormant in the main city had also died.

The whole process was very fast.

These believers had no opportunity to pass on information before they were killed, so even Wu Zixu did not know what had happened.

The only thing that is certain is...

The death of believers is related to the chosen ones.

It is especially related to the chosen one named Xiao Yu.

Wu Zixu never expected that even with the help of external gods, they could not breach Suiyang City from within. Just as Fan Li had said, the war was over.

"retreat!"

Wu Zixu issued a decree.

The dozen or so corrupted monsters, along with thousands of nightmare monsters, quickly left Suiyang like a receding tide.

"Huh? They actually withdrew!"

Fan Xin originally only wanted to buy time to recover, but he did not expect that Wu Zixu would actually give up the siege and retreat.

This is not normal!

Six hours until the tsunami ends!

Even if Wu Zixu couldn't destroy Suiyang, he could still continue the attack. Even if it ended in failure, it would still cause considerable losses and result in huge consumption and overdraft for himself.

Is it because they see no chance and are giving up?

That's practically impossible!

Fan Li had dealt with Wu Zixu for nearly a century and knew the style of this wicked king all too well. He was definitely not the kind of person who would give up halfway or be soft-hearted. The degree of his madness and obsession was simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"Old Fan."

"What do we do?"

The experts from the four clans of Juyang were also a bit confused at this moment.

Fan Li: "There's nothing we can do. We don't have the ability to chase after them. We can only continue to hold our ground and observe the situation."

Two hours later.

Wu Zixu was near the ruins of Yingdu.

They joined forces with Goujian's nightmare army.

Goujian was sent by Wu Zixu to attack another important town, Mengcheng. Now it seems that the result was not ideal either, and the invasion has completely failed.

"Lord Wu Zixu!"

Dozens of Evil Eye believers were lying on the ground.

Only an ordinary-looking old man was standing there.

However, it is quite obvious that he was able to appear in such a polluted area, appear at the same time as many evil eye believers, and maintain his rationality in front of many corrupted people who had landed on the Old Days and fully unleashed their power, and even in front of Wu Zixu.

He's definitely not a normal human being.

In fact.

That is indeed the case.

The old man was a follower of Chaos.

As for the dozens of Evil Eye followers present, they were all fugitive followers, and also the only remaining followers at present.

"Although Lord Wu Zixu possesses the potential to become a god, the opportunity has already passed. Given the rate at which the chosen ones grow, your chances of unleashing another tsunami are zero—only by sacrificing your destiny and merging with chaos will you have a chance for revenge in the future!"

The old believer in Chaos respectfully said to Wu Zixu, "The great and formless Mother of Chaos fully recognizes your potential; you will surely become the greatest being beneath the supreme Chaos!"

Wu Zixu was mad.

But he was very clear about his current situation.

In a sense, the corrupt king Wu Zixu and Fan Li were in the same situation; they were both trapped in this old world and unable to escape.

Only by unleashing a tsunami to completely destroy the old and thoroughly pollute history can Wu Zixu sever the connection between his own destiny and history, thereby transcending and merging into the deep sea. With his destiny, he may well grow into a new deep-sea evil god.

But now all of this is almost impossible to achieve.

The Chosen One's growth rate was too fast, and it was inevitable that he would break through all the deep-sea nightmares. In order to avoid being completely sealed in the past, he had to actively seek a way out.

Historical evils seek to break free from the shackles of the past.

There is more than one way to completely destroy the old.