Chapter 86: Filthy Stone Monsters! Dragon Lizard Tribe!
When Ye Li Meng's team walked out of the Abyss Mist Gate,
a notification appeared in each person’s information panel.
【You have entered Woniu Mountain!】
“This is Woniu Mountain?” Little Bell the warlock held her staff with both hands, her small face tense and alert as she carefully observed the surroundings, afraid that some dangerous monster might suddenly appear nearby.
The current time here was "night"; although it was not so dark that one could not see their hand in front of them, the light was extremely dim, and the thick fog limited their vision radius to less than a hundred meters.
However, it could be vaguely seen
that this was a barren and ruined valley.
The Abyss Mist Gate spanned dozens of miles; entering from different points would definitely lead to different locations, and the five investigation teams from the Calamity Legion had deliberately staggered their entries to collect more clues.
This squad had only five members: besides Ye Li Meng, there were Lone Boat, Mad Blade Old Wang, Little Bell, and Chenxi.
There were not many people.
But they were very strong.
Mad Blade Old Wang held a battle blade in one hand and a shield in the other; although his expression was equally cautious, he was not as nervous as Little Bell, scanning the surroundings but finding no immediate danger.
“This place doesn't seem particularly special.”
Chenxi said, “Don't be careless. The Woniu Mountain map is far more complicated than the Luoshui Execution Ground.”
Little Bell asked, “Why do you say that? Isn't it just a mountain?”
Chenxi explained, “According to Romance of the Three Kingdoms and folk tales, after the failure of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a remnant group escaped to Woniu Mountain and became bandits. Their leader was named Zhou Cang.”
“What?”
“Zhou Cang!”
Mad Blade Old Wang and Ye Li Meng were both shocked.
Ye Li Meng quickly asked, “The same Zhou Cang who carried Guan Gong's blade?”
Chenxi nodded and continued, “I think the naming of Twisted Three Kingdoms maps might be directly tied to core sources of corruption. That’s why the newbie village map was called Luoshui Execution Ground, rather than Hexi Village or He Ting Township.”
“If this Woniu Mountain is really the one from folklore, then the big boss we have to face this time is very likely to be Zhou Cang.”
“And I think he’s not on the same level as Ma Yuanyi!”
Everyone was stunned.
Mad Blade Old Wang scratched his head and said, “Honestly, if it weren’t for playing this game, I wouldn’t even know who Ma Yuanyi was... but Zhou Cang, everyone knows! He was Guan Yu’s right-hand man!”
Ye Li Meng said excitedly, “He was not just a follower. Zhou Cang captured the mighty general Pang De during the flooding of the Seven Armies. In terms of strength, he was at least near top-tier!”
“But facing Zhou Cang might not even be the worst-case scenario.”
Chenxi hesitated slightly before continuing, “After all, according to the legends, both Zhao Yun and Guan Yu once passed through Woniu Mountain. If the historical timeline of this map coincides with either of their travels…”
Little Bell’s eyes widened. “No way, that's too outrageous! How could we encounter Zhao Zilong in just the second expansion pack?”
Mad Blade Old Wang said, “Anything is possible! This game never plays by the rules!”
Everyone felt their heartbeat accelerate.
This was way too thrilling.
Although they didn’t know exactly what was going on with this map, it seemed that both the boss and the storyline were far more significant than those of the Luoshui Execution Ground. For players, this was both a massive challenge and an exciting adventure.
Moreover, besides the altered Three Kingdoms storyline and characters, this time it also involved the Stars forces beyond the Three Kingdoms world.
Since the game provided so little information, players were equally curious about the hidden worldviews of the Abyss and the Stars.
This Woniu Mountain update might finally offer some answers.
“Since we’re already here, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”
Ye Li Meng said boldly, “Let’s put Guan Yu and Zhao Zilong aside for now. I admit we probably can’t handle them, but if it’s Zhou Cang, I’d really like to see if my big hammer can smash his skull open!”
He was fully equipped with his +5 upgraded Wild Bull Set, including complete accessories like rings and necklaces, and he carried a heavy, ferocious bone hammer on his shoulder — the Thousand Skulls Demon Hammer dropped by Ma Yuanyi.
In order to obtain this hammer,
Ye Li Meng had spent a fortune.
It was the only green-quality weapon among the players.
Unfortunately, the forger Yan Ling was temporarily unable to enhance green-quality equipment. But even at level 0, the Thousand Skulls Demon Hammer’s power was no less than that of an 8th-level white-quality top-tier two-handed weapon.
Ye Li Meng couldn’t wait to test his strength against a strong enemy.
The group began searching for a way out of the valley.
They hadn’t gone far
when—
“Careful!”
Lone Boat drew his Blood Scar Sword and assumed a defensive stance.
This ranger was usually taciturn and rarely spoke, but his strength was well recognized. Since he issued a warning, it must have meant something unusual was happening.
The group faintly heard heavy footsteps.
Something was moving.
The five exchanged glances; four stayed in place while Lone Boat activated his Shadow Step and silently approached the target, finally spotting the source of the noise.
【Filthy Stone Monster】, Level 8 Normal Monster... Description: Originally just an ordinary rock, it was corrupted by the Abyssal aura and eventually birthed into an evil monster.
This was a gigantic monster three to four meters tall.
It looked like a giant gorilla carved out of stone, its body stitched together by blood vessel-like structures, enshrouded by black mist, giving off a very menacing appearance.
Even stones could turn into monsters?
There had been no such creatures in Luoshui Execution Ground.
Did this imply that the pollution here was extremely severe?
Although the Filthy Stone Monster looked tough, it was ultimately a normal monster. The group didn’t take it too seriously and immediately chose a lone one to test.
“Take this!”
An Arrow of Flame struck its head.
With a bang, it dealt 39 points of damage.
The stone monster shook its head as if stunned, taking a moment to lock onto its enemy before charging heavily forward.
Lone Boat flashed behind the stone monster and stabbed into the gap at its neck, instantly dealing 50 points of critical damage. Mad Blade Old Wang landed a Concentrated Slash from the front, also dealing 40 points of damage.
Only half of its HP dropped!
Chenxi exclaimed, “This monster has so much HP!”
The Filthy Stone Monster roared and punched at Old Wang.
Though Old Wang had a shield, he wasn’t foolish enough to tank it head-on. He quickly performed a donkey roll to dodge.
“Die!”
Ye Li Meng swung his bone hammer and launched a charged attack.
The terrifying force exploded, smashing into the stone monster’s chest, shattering its body and sending it flying several meters before it collapsed into a pile of rubble.
251 (Critical Hit!)
“This damage is insane!”
Mad Blade Old Wang couldn’t help but praise, “As expected of the newbie village’s strongest weapon!”
Through research, they discovered that Filthy Stone Monsters weren’t very powerful — just extremely tanky and tough to kill, especially resistant to fire attacks. Despite Little Bell’s Arrow of Flame being maxed out and her equipment top-tier, her damage output was still not high.
Piercing and slashing attacks were also less effective than normal.
Only Ye Li Meng’s warhammer could easily trigger critical hits.
Explosive damage in minutes!
The Thousand Skulls Demon Hammer’s attributes were simply too strong, and it came with a Charge Attack skill. Without charging, four hits could kill a stone monster, while a fully charged attack would only need two.
【You picked up loot: Essence +450, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +600, Filthy Stone +33!】
【You picked up loot: Essence +450, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +600, Filthy Stone +29, Filthy Gem +1!】
【You picked up loot: Essence +450, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +600, Filthy Stone +26, Filthy Gem +1!】
【……】
In no time, the five of them wiped out more than a dozen stone monsters.
They realized this was a perfect place for farming monsters and materials!
Although the stone monsters were just normal creatures, the Essence they yielded was comparable to Yellow Turban Headless Fiend Soldiers. Compared to the sneaky and dangerous Yellow Turban monsters, these thick-skinned and slow stone monsters were obviously easier to handle.
Moreover, they dropped a huge number of materials, occasionally even dropping white-quality Filthy Gems.
Normal monsters dropping white-quality enhancement materials—
That was extremely rare!
The five of them felt they had discovered a treasure trove for farming Essence, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragments, and materials. This valley alone had dozens of stone monsters, mostly scattered rather than clumped together, making the farming yield astonishing.
“Just farming these monsters today is pure profit!” Little Bell said excitedly, “Let’s farm as many as we can. We mustn’t waste such good monsters! I need Essence to max out my Taiping Lightning Spell!”
The others agreed.
They continued to farm another twenty or so stone monsters.
At this moment, a different kind of stone monster appeared.
This one stood six meters tall, larger than the normal ones, its body studded with glowing crystals, making it look far more formidable.
The remaining stone monsters in the valley
were almost all clustered around this giant one.
【Filthy Stone Monster Leader】, Level 9 Elite Monster... Description: Leader of the Filthy Stone Monsters, possessing stronger power and defense, adept at channeling energy for ranged attacks.
An elite monster!
And level 9!
Such a high level!
The five of them had no confidence in taking it down.
Forget it. No need to get themselves killed. They had already profited enough from this run!
Ye Li Meng’s team found the valley exit while hunting stone monsters.
They planned to leave the Stone Monster Valley and head northwest, hoping to find more clues and, ideally, complete a quest.
However, just as they approached the valley exit, a huge fireball whistled down from the sky and exploded in their midst, the terrifying energy enveloping them all.
95 (Critical!)
92 (Critical!)
93 (Critical!)
41!
51!
【You were affected by Explosion Curse and stunned for 3 seconds!】
【You were affected by Explosion Curse and stunned for 2 seconds!】
【……】
One fireball left three of the five teammates critically wounded, and the other two heavily injured.
Lone Boat said, “It’s an ambush!”
Ye Li Meng was baffled, “We players are usually the ones setting ambushes. Today we actually got ambushed ourselves!”
Mad Blade Old Wang said, “Probably made too much noise hunting the stone monsters!”
As they spoke, several figures emerged from the valley.
When they saw who had ambushed them, the Calamity Legion players were not angry but excited instead.
【Abyss Dragon Lizard Mage】, Level 10... Description: A Starsea Affiliate of the Dragon Lizard Tribe, possessing powerful magic attack abilities.
【Abyss Dragon Lizard Priest】, Level 10... Description: A Starsea Affiliate of the Dragon Lizard Tribe, skilled in magic and support spells.
【Abyss Dragon Lizard Warrior】, Level 10... Description: A Starsea Affiliate of the Dragon Lizard Tribe, boasting extraordinary physique and melee prowess.
There were about ten in total.
Each was at least two meters tall.
They had very strong builds, their bodies covered in yellowish-brown scales, with thick powerful tails, and dark gold serpent-like eyes. Each wore various pieces of equipment, clearly organized, disciplined, and intelligent.
Good fortune had fallen into their laps!
The five had just finished farming monsters and were about to search for clues on the Stars Demons' Lord, only for the targets to deliver themselves right to their doorsteps.
There was no way they could win.
Each enemy was roughly elite-level.
But trading one death for crucial intelligence and maybe completing a quest—
It was definitely worth it!