Chapter 150: The Battle Begins, Title of Land of Glory!

Meanwhile, Cao Xing and Liu Muxue stood together on the city wall.

Then, he took out the new item he had obtained today: the Ice Dragon Horn.

[Do you wish to use the Ice Dragon Horn (Small)?]

[After use, for the next 6 hours, Ice Nests within a 30-kilometer radius will descend near your territory.]

"Yes."

Cao Xing clicked confirm directly.

The next moment, Cao Xing heard a resounding dragon roar!

"Roar!!!"

This dragon roar echoed throughout the entire territory and then quickly shot up into the pitch-black night sky.

Meanwhile, a second system prompt appeared.

[Please select the additional effect for the Ice Dragon Horn.]

[Option 1: Increase material drop rate, decrease EXP.]

[Option 2: Increase EXP, decrease material drop rate.]

Was there any need to think about this?

Cao Xing definitely chose Option 1.

A quick calculation told him that the number of Ice Nests crashing outside his territory would be very high.

If he chose EXP, their experience bars would be full in no time.

Once they reached the max level, without an Intermediate Heart of Strength, this opportunity would be wasted for nothing.

[Selection successful, please prepare for battle.]

Cao Xing took a deep breath.

Just then, a message suddenly appeared in the District 174 chat channel.

Regional Announcement: "Survivor Lord: Cao Xing has used the Ice Dragon Horn (Small). For the next six hours, some territories will not be attacked by Ice Nests. Please arrange your development time accordingly."

…

Seeing the message in the regional chat channel, the other Survivors were immediately shocked.

Ge Xiong: "Holy crap! The system says Great Lord Cao Xing used the Ice Dragon Horn. What is that thing?"

Tian Congyou: "I saw a big shot from the American Union District post about it in the World Channel. It seems it makes all Ice Nests within thirty kilometers descend into his territory."

Hearing this, the other Survivors were even more shocked.

Chen Guo: "Damn… thirty kilometers nearby, wouldn't that mean facing dozens of Ice Nests at the same time, lasting for six hours? That's hundreds of them!"

Cheng Wenjun: "That's insane! We can barely handle one Ice Nest right now, and Great Lord Cao Xing is soloing hundreds of them!"

Gong Zhang: "Brothers near Great Lord Cao Xing's territory are in luck. For the next six hours, you won't be bothered by Ice Nest Monsters. You need to hurry up and gather resources to develop your territories."

The other Survivors suddenly realized something.

"Damn, that's true!"

"No wonder the system said to let some lords arrange their development time reasonably. So that's what it meant."

"I wish Great Lord Cao Xing's territory was near me. Dammit, I've spent the whole day just guarding against these Ice Nest Monsters, and my territory's resources are almost bottomed out!"

"Haha, I want to be near Great Lord Cao Xing's territory too!"

…

Meanwhile.

After Cao Xing finished using the Ice Dragon Mark.

Before long, everyone saw two Ice Nests crash down.

Boom! Rumble!

The ground shook violently.

These two Ice Nests landed on Braum's side.

Shortly after, over a dozen hyena-like Ice Nest Monsters rushed out.

Braum laughed aloud: "Recruits, follow Braum and charge!"

Although the Ascalon soldiers commanded by Braum only numbered 20, making them unable to use the legion skill [Fearless Charge].

But with the group blessings added by Liu Muxue and the Queens Will from Hilda.

Their combat capabilities were equally formidable, making it a breeze to deal with these Ice Nest Monsters.

Under Braum's lead, these soldiers quickly made contact with the Ice Nest Monsters.

Then, they brandished their standard-issue weapons in an orderly fashion.

Pfft! Pfft pfft!

[-323]

[-344]

[-391]

[-530!]

This kind of terrifying damage was simply not something Tier 1 creatures could inflict.

Their attack power had been significantly boosted; it only took two sword strikes to take down an Ice Nest Monster.

The group of soldiers was incredibly pumped.

"By the gods, is this really the damage I caused?"

"It's too terrifying! If we had this Lord's power five thousand years ago, Ascalon could have even ruled the entire Western Continent!"

"That's right, I feel like I'm witnessing the rise of a great Lord. In the near future, his name will definitely ring out across the entire continent!"

The next moment, they hacked at the Ice Nest Monsters with even more excitement.

"Soldiers! Let us fight for this powerful new Lord!"

"Charge!"

Bang! Crack!

One by one, the Ice Nest Monsters were hacked into shreds by the soldiers' basic shortswords.

Meanwhile, Cao Xing also saw kill notifications appearing constantly.

[Your territory member: Luigi killed an Ice Nest Monster lv7, obtained 14 EXP]

[Combat personnel obtained EXP: 7]

[Your territory member: Selad killed an Ice Nest Monster lv8, obtained EXP: 16]

[Combat personnel obtained EXP: 8]

[Your…]

…

Because he chose to increase the material drop rate, the EXP was reduced significantly.

However, this was clearly worth it.

Cao Xing had already seen that after these Ice Nest Monsters died, many Ice Dragon Marks had dropped on the ground!

The villagers also carefully clung to the city wall, watching the battle outside.

Upon seeing Braum and the others take out the first wave of Ice Nest Monsters so easily, expressions of joy appeared on their faces.

Their territory was as strong as ever!

However, Cao Xing knew that this was just an appetizer.

More Ice Nests would descend in the future.

Moreover, because Cao Xing wanted to maximize his gains, he did not destroy the Ice Nests, letting them hatch monsters instead.

In other words, it wouldn't be long before they might face the onslaught of hundreds, or even thousands, of Ice Nest Monsters at the same time!

Sure enough, just as he had expected.

A few minutes later, two more Ice Nests crashed down.

Rumble!

This time, they landed on Renice's side.

She immediately led the Ascalon soldiers and rushed over.

Swish! Swish swish!

Sharp arrows instantly shot and exploded the Ice Nest Monsters one by one.

Renice also displayed a fierce offensive.

Then, a few minutes later, two or three more Ice Nests crashed down, landing in different locations!

Rumble! Rumble!

The sound of impacts was continuous.

Everyone began fighting these Ice Nest Monsters.

One hour later.

The number of Ice Nests that had crashed near Cao Xing's territory had already reached thirty-four!

Cao Xing nodded: "As expected, just as I predicted, there are over thirty territories nearby."

"That means, over six hours, I might have to bear the pressure of nearly 200 Ice Nests."

Cao Xing also calculated in his mind.

Two hundred Ice Nests, if he could maximize the gains from every single one.

Then Cao Xing could kill one hundred thousand Ice Nest Monsters this time!

This was a quite terrifying number.

Of course, that's just how the math works, but in reality, it's impossible to actually kill that many Ice Nest Monsters.

After all, there would be many changes on the battlefield, such as the combatants' stamina consumption, the mages' insufficient mental energy, and so on.

If the situation became critical.

Then Cao Xing would not hesitate to destroy those Ice Nests to reduce the pressure on the combatants.

"Rumble! Rumble!"

As the Ice Nests kept crashing down, the number of Ice Nest Monsters appearing simultaneously increased more and more.

Three hours later.

The number of Ice Nests outside Cao Xing's territory had already exceeded one hundred!

Every wave, there were at least one or two thousand Ice Nest Monsters attacking the city at the same time.

"Roar! Roar!"

The monsters' roars were constant.

If this scene were seen by other Survivors, they would probably be scared out of their wits!

So many Ice Nest Monsters could easily trample those Survivors' territories flat.

However, Cao Xing's five great warriors were all dealing with the massive amount of Ice Nest Monsters in an orderly manner.

Cao Xing also stood on the city wall, using a small communication device to command them.

"Braum, retreat one hundred meters and lure the Ice Nest Monsters into the attack range of the Elemental Arrow Tower to fight!"

"Andrew, don't charge too aggressively; there are three waves of Ice Nest Monsters near you."

"Renice, three of your soldiers' health is not looking good. Have them retreat to my side so I can cast healing spells on them."

As Cao Xing issued command after command.

The entire battlefield remained in a controllable state.

Just then, a white light appeared on Cao Xing's body once again.

[Your level has increased, current level: 16]

[Obtained from this level up: Strength +2, Agility +2, Spirit +8, Constitution +4]

A look of joy appeared in Cao Xing's eyes, "Leveled up again!"

Although the EXP from killing Ice Nest Monsters was very low, the sheer quantity made up for it!

At this rate, he could at least reach level seventeen or eighteen next.

However, three consecutive hours of high-intensity combat had already left people somewhat exhausted.

Andrew and the others were fine, after all, they were all Tier 2 boss-level creatures.

But the group of soldiers was starting to struggle.

Their movements in raising their longswords were a bit sluggish, and their reactions had slowed down.

At this moment, Elisa was holding her triple-barrel sniper rifle, constantly killing the incoming monsters one by one.

The other archers were running out of arrows in their quivers and could only stand on the watchtowers, staring helplessly.

Cao Xing frowned, "As expected, did I think about this a bit too simply?"

"After all, a real battlefield is not like a game where soldiers can fight non-stop."

He was only commanding a hundred or so people in battle, yet he could already feel the complexity of war.

After holding out for another half hour, Cao Xing ordered: "All Ascalon soldiers, retreat and rest!"

"Sarah, Hilda, come with me, form a vanguard, take out the Ice Nest Monsters behind, and help relieve the pressure on Assam and the others!"

Upon hearing Cao Xing's order, all the Ascalon soldiers retreated in an orderly fashion.

Without the support of these soldiers, Assam, Andrew, and the others had to face the onslaught of at least several hundred Ice Nest Monsters alone.

Even though they were Tier 2 leader-level creatures, they felt the pressure skyrocket instantly.

The next moment, Cao Xing and Liu Muxue jumped directly onto the back of the Mammoth.

"Charge!"

Sarah and Hilda had also appeared by his side.

As the only two leader-level creatures under Cao Xing, their individual combat power was extremely formidable.

Thump! Thump-thump!

The Mammoth moved its thick, powerful elephant hooves and began to run wildly through the snow.

The ground shook!

The residents standing on the city wall watched the outside nervously.

As a Tier 3 leader-level existence, the Mammoth charged directly into the monster horde, rampaging all the way!

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Each Ice Nest Monster that touched the Mammoth was like paper; they shattered upon contact!

[-2032] [-2194] [-2081] [-1983]

Terrifying damage numbers floated up, and swaths of Ice Nest Monsters died on the spot.

It was like a sharp knife thrust into the heart of the Ice Nest Monsters, forcefully carving a path through the monster horde.

After Cao Xing and Liu Muxue reached the rear of the Ice Nest Monsters, they jumped directly off the Mammoth's back.

Then, a wave of demonic energy radiated from his body.

Cao Xing's body grew rapidly, his limbs became more slender, curved horns grew from his head, and a pair of imposing wings sprouted from his back.

Faint black aura constantly emanated from his body.

At this moment, like an elegant demon appearing abruptly in the snow, he instantly caught the eyes of all the residents.

San Zhuang exclaimed: "Oh my god, is that Lord?"

"How did he become like this!"

Da Zhuang, standing beside him, slapped him: "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"This is called being strong. I feel that Lord in this form is full of power!"

San Zhuang, having been slapped, looked at him aggrievedly: "Da Zhuang, you really know how to talk."

Including the Tree Spirit sisters and the other residents, everyone fixed their gaze on Cao Xing.

At this moment, Cao Xing, having entered the [Demon Transformation] state, immediately activated his ultimate skill—Soul Wither!

Cao Xing slowly raised his long, slender hands.

Then, with him as the center, a wave of black flames suddenly rose up in a 500-meter radius!

Hundreds of Ice Nest Monsters were completely engulfed by these flames!

And when Cao Xing clenched his fists.

The next moment.

These black flames instantly ignited.

"Boom!"

A dense string of damage numbers appeared.

[-673] [-631] [-712] [-1214!] [-621] […]

Just from the first wave of flame eruption, more than half of the Ice Nest Monsters were wiped out!

And [Soul Wither] has four stages of damage.

Boom! The second stage of damage floated up.

Before the last two stages of damage could even appear, the hundreds of Ice Nest Monsters were instantly killed on the spot.

The entire battlefield was instantly cleared!

The dozens of residents watching from the city wall were completely stunned.

"By the Earth Mother! Is this Lord's power? It's too terrifying!"

"Oh my god, this is the first time I've seen Lord demonstrate his power. Only now do I realize how powerful Lord actually is!"

San Zhuang, standing nearby, also said excitedly: "Da Zhuang, you were right, Lord is full of power in this form!"

Undoubtedly, this burst from Cao Xing was the most visually shocking.

Killing hundreds of Ice Nest Monsters in one move—even Sarah, a Tier 3 leader-level, couldn't do that.

At this time, Cao Xing suddenly heard a series of system notifications.

[Because you have demonstrated powerful strength! Your territory member: Du An has been conquered by your power, loyalty further increased, current loyalty: 85]

[Because you have demonstrated powerful strength! Your territory member: Blitz has been conquered by your power, loyalty further increased, current loyalty: 92]

[Because you…]

After over a hundred notifications, the loyalty of almost all the residents increased again.

Even the newly joined Harold and the giant Putana saw their loyalty rise to over 70!

Not only that.

Cao Xing also heard another system notification.

[Because you are the first Lord in the entire server to have 100 territory members with loyalty over 80! Your territory has obtained the special title: Land of Glory.]

[Land of Glory: A territory full of glory. When you go into battle to defend the territory, the morale of all combat personnel will greatly increase, and the critical hit rate will increase by 50%!]

(Title introduction: Having a group of powerful and loyal subordinates is certainly important, but the power possessed by the Lord himself is what can make the residents truly submit.)

…

Cao Xing was overjoyed: "Holy crap, Land of Glory? 50% crit rate increase?"

"This is too OP!"

You have to know that Blot's Resonance Totem already adds 20% crit rate, and now adding another 50%!

This means that Cao Xing and the others will likely land a critical hit with every subsequent attack (critical damage is 150%), causing their damage to skyrocket!

At the same time, Cao Xing couldn't help but feel happy again.

As expected, showing these residents his powerful strength had no downsides.

This time, he had obtained another powerful title.

However, the only pity was that this effect only took effect when defending the territory.

In other words, this buff only applies when other forces attack the territory.

Meanwhile.

Sarah and Hilda were also by Cao Xing's side, dealing with the Ice Nest Monsters charging at him.

Cao Xing took a look and ordered: "Sarah, I can handle it here, you go support Assam."

"Hilda, go support Renice."

Hilda said disdainfully: "Tch! If it weren't for the fact that I lost my original power, I'd kill as many of these trash monsters as came!"

Cao Xing said speechlessly: "Alright, I know you were very strong once, go do your work first."

Hilda moved her eight long, slender legs and quickly rushed across the snow.

Cao Xing remained in place to deal with the Ice Nest Monsters in this area.

Because he was protected by the powerful knight Liu Muxue, he didn't need to worry about being attacked at all.

He just needed to keep throwing Demonic Fire to bomb those Ice Nest Monsters.

Anyway, he could now enter the Demon Transformation state infinitely.

Bang! Bang, bang!

Demonic Fire kept exploding!

[-973!] [-1031!] [-652] [-984!]

Terrifying damage numbers floated up.

The 50% crit rate bonus was simply too OP!

Groups of Ice Nest Monsters were instantly killed on the spot.

A cruel smile played on Cao Xing's lips.

This feeling of mowing down enemies like grass was simply too satisfying!

Just relying on him and Liu Muxue, they could hold one position.

And five minutes later.

Cao Xing suddenly felt a wave of dizziness in his mind.

He held his head and quickly reined in the smile on his face.

"Damn… Although the Demon Transformation state is very strong, the mental energy it consumes is even more terrifying."

"It's only been five minutes, and I feel like my mental energy is about to be overdrawn."

He glanced at the Moon Condensation Floral Dew in his backpack.

There were only 6 drops left.

Then, Cao Xing took out the Moon Condensation Floral Dew and drank one drop.

A cool sensation rushed to his head, making him energetic again.

The next moment, Cao Xing raised his hands and began throwing Demonic Fire again.

Bang! Bang, bang!

Cao Xing just stood there, turning into a human bomber!

Half an hour later.

A white light appeared on Cao Xing's body again.

[Your level has increased, current level: 17]

[This upgrade provides attribute improvements: Strength +3, Agility +2, Spirit +6, Constitution +4]

"Woohoo, nice!"