Chapter 165: Massive Harvest, Staff of Dawn Light!

"Lord Cao Xing, I have fulfilled my mission." Duke Baradin chuckled.

Cao Xing replied with a smile on his face: "Your Excellency Duke Baradin, the power possessed by you undead of Ascalon is truly astonishing!"

Duke Baradin nodded, "Indeed. The Purgatory of the Enemy cast a curse upon us, but it also granted us great power."

"But even so, we still lost that war…"

Cao Xing could hear the desolation in his tone and was just about to offer a few words of comfort.

At this moment, Duke Baradin suddenly said: "Lord Cao Xing, in our era, we had never heard of an organization called the Church of Light."

"However, that person just now said that a new Seed of Light has been born. I suggest you keep an eye on it."

"Hmm, why?"

"Because there might be the power of a deity behind this."

Cao Xing was stunned upon hearing this, "The power of a deity?"

Duke Baradin nodded, "Yes, the Seed of a deity is the spokesperson for that deity walking in the mortal world."

"Back then in Ascalon, we encountered a spokesperson of a deity, and through their dialogue with the deity, we obtained the ancient sword, Magdale."

"If what he said is true, it means the Church of Light might have the support of a deity's spokesperson."

Cao Xing frowned and asked: "Is this spokesperson of a deity very strong?"

Duke Baradin shook his head, "No, a spokesperson of a deity does not possess much power; their only function is to be able to converse with the deity."

"However, no one knows whether the entity they are conversing with is a true deity or some unknown existence…"

Cao Xing fell into deep thought after hearing this.

No wonder the Hunters developed so quickly; it turns out they have a spokesperson of a deity helping them.

However, it is uncertain whether this so-called spokesperson is genuine or not.

Perhaps the deity behind them is also some sort of evil existence.

After all, Cao Xing has a quest item that explicitly mentions a Fallen Mountain God.

He nodded and said: "Thank you for the warning, Your Excellency Duke."

Duke Baradin smiled, showing none of that cold, grim demeanor typical of the undead.

"By the way, Lord Cao Xing, there is still a hidden assassin over there. Do you need me to finish him off? Or would you prefer to handle it yourself?"

Hearing this, Cao Xing was momentarily stunned, then looked in that direction.

The grass in the distance suddenly moved.

At this moment, Cao Xing was surprised.

He truly hadn't noticed that there was another hidden assassin nearby.

And the person inside seemed to realize they had been discovered.

A masked figure dashed out from the grass!

He was just about to flee.

Duke Baradin immediately swung his sword, sending a sword aura slashing across several kilometers.

"Ah!!"

[-11377]

After the scream, a terrifying damage number appeared.

Seeing this, Cao Xing quickly ordered: "Hilda, Sarah, go and restrain this guy."

The two leader-level entities rushed over and restrained the Hunter assassin.

Cao Xing breathed a sigh of relief and then gave Duke Baradin a look of gratitude.

If it weren't for his warning, this assassin might have actually slipped away right under their noses.

If that happened, the opponent would have witnessed everything and reported it to the Church of Light, and then Cao Xing would have been exposed!

Duke Baradin nodded and said, "Lord Cao Xing, our spatial energy is running low; we must return to the underground palace."

"Although I don't know how you ended up here, I can sense that this forest is not simple."

"I can sense a power in the depths of the forest that is no less than my own."

"You should be careful."

"If you encounter an enemy you cannot fight, remember to summon us at any time."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was stunned again, then thanked him.

"Thank you for your warning and concern, Your Excellency Duke."

This was the benefit of having a friendship level reach 'Intimate'.

Duke Baradin had already come to view Cao Xing as one of his own, even actively worrying about his safety.

A moment later, the group of undead gradually dissipated.

Cao Xing fell into deep thought.

"A power no less than the Duke's?"

"That means at least a Tier 4 leader level or above, or perhaps a legendary Tier 5 powerhouse, or even a Commander."

"Regardless of what it is, it is not something I can defeat at my current stage."

Thinking of this, a grave expression appeared in Cao Xing's eyes once again.

Just as the Duke said, this forest is not simple.

Even the Church of Light sent so many people here, which shows how much importance they place on this place.

And their goal seemed to be to kill this giant snake, which also seemed to be related to some plan.

And through the name of this giant snake, Cao Xing knew it was the pet of the witch in this forest.

This meant that the legendary witch exists…

"It's getting more and more complicated…"

Cao Xing shook his head and cast these thoughts aside.

Just then, his gaze was drawn to the pile of items dropped on the platform below!

Cao Xing saw equipment, souls, and various materials scattered all over the ground…

These were all the items that dropped after those Hunters died.

Yes, although Cao Xing would not gain experience from the undead killing the Hunters.

But the equipment on their bodies still dropped!

Cao Xing even saw the staff used by that white-robed priest lying on the ground.

His heart instantly became excited.

At this moment, the Church of Light's plans, the forest witch, all of it was thrown to the back of his mind!

Cao Xing immediately ordered: "Assam, take people to clean up the battlefield!"

Assam obeyed the order and quickly began to pick up the loot dropped on the ground.

As for Cao Xing, he went over to Hilda and Sarah.

At this moment, the Hunter assassin still had an angry expression in his eyes.

His neck and chest were covered in slash wounds from Sarah, and the wounds were festering, which was the effect caused by Ilena's permanent snake venom.

Coupled with the fact that he was bound by a spider web, he could be said to have no chance of escape.

After seeing Cao Xing approach, the Hunter still had a resentful look in his eyes.

Through his previous experience, Cao Xing already knew that these cultists had all been brainwashed.

Their stubbornness was terrifying!

But it didn't matter; since this guy had fallen into his hands, he would just take him back to the camp and interrogate him slowly.

Moreover, the fact that this guy didn't commit suicide immediately after being captured meant that he was still afraid of death.

This gave Cao Xing an opportunity.

He glanced at the opponent's health.

[Health: 13331/36440]

Cao Xing said directly: "Sarah, give him two more slashes and cut him down to a near-death state."

Sarah followed the order immediately.

Swish! Swish!

[-4763]

[-5213]

Both slashes were critical hits, and the assassin immediately fell into a semi-comatose state.

After the system update, it wouldn't be like before, where they could remain sprightly even with just one drop of blood left.

Instead, once their health drops to a certain level, they become like those soldiers in the dungeon—near death, weakened, and completely unable to resist.

Seeing this, Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

However, although this guy had temporarily lost his ability to resist.

How to restrain these powerhouses was still a problem.

After all, these guys had strong physiques and the ability to recover on their own, so the best way was to restrict their movements.

Cao Xing's eyes suddenly lit up.

In his backpack, he had thousands of Tough Tree Vines!

Among them, there were quite a few blue-quality vines!

They were just perfect for restraining this guy.

Thus, he took out [Tough Tree Vine (Blue)] from his backpack and had Sarah tie him up like a pretzel.

His hands and feet were also bound separately.

After doing this, Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

"Hilda, watch him; don't let him escape."

"Tsk!"

Hilda looked disgusted, then shot another spider web over.

Meanwhile.

Assam and his group had finished cleaning the battlefield.

They walked over and handed everything dropped by the Hunters to Cao Xing!

Looking at the pile of loot in front of him, Cao Xing couldn't help but let his eyes shine!

He immediately swept it all into his backpack, and a pile of system notifications appeared.

First, there was a wave of equipment.

[Obtained: Staff of Dawn Light (Gold)]

[Obtained: Hunter High Priest Mask (Gold)]

[Obtained: Ruwa Skull-Crushing Axe (Purple)]

[Obtained: Guardian's Sword (Purple)]

[Obtained: Gladiator's Spear (Purple)]

[Obtained: Hunter Priest Mask (Purple) * 3]

[Obtained: Boulder Hammer (Blue) * 1]

[Obtained: Withered Wood Longbow (Blue) * 2]

[Obtained: Crystal Dagger (Blue) * 5]

[Obtained: Standard Longsword, Bow and Arrow, Combat Blade (Green) * 75]

…

Then, there was a wave of notifications for souls and other items.

[Obtained: Holy Light Priest Recruitment Scroll (Gold) * 1]

[Obtained: High Priest's Leader-level Soul (Gold) * 1]

[Obtained: Black-Robed Priest's Chieftain-level Soul * 2]

[Obtained: Hunter Elite Assassin's Soul * 4]

[Obtained: Advanced Heart of Strength * 1]

[ Obtained: Intermediate Heart of Strength * 2 ]

[ Obtained: Primary Heart of Strength * 5 ]

[ Obtained: Arrow (White) * 372 ]

[ Obtained: Shadow Cloak (Special Equipment) * 95 ]

[ Obtained: Coins * 17331 ]

…

"Holy crap! A Holy Light Priest Recruitment Scroll? A Boss-tier Soul?"

"And two pieces of Gold-tier equipment!"

At this moment, Cao Xing couldn't help but exclaim!

This haul was insane!

He had taken down one Boss, four Chieftains, and a large group of Elite Hunters and regular Hunters.

It dropped so many things.

Especially that white-robed High Priest.

It directly contributed four Gold-tier items to Cao Xing!

Two pieces of Gold-tier equipment, and two Gold-tier items!

Cao Xing couldn't wait to check the attributes of these two pieces of equipment.

[ Dawn Light Staff (Gold) ]

[ Quality: Treasure ]

[ Wearing Requirement: Level 20 or above ]

[ Attack Power: 375 ~ 394 ]

[ Special Effect ①: Spirit + 30, Constitution + 20 ]

[ Special Effect ②: Blessing of Light (When casting Light-type magic attacks, increases Attack Power by 20%) ]

[ Special Effect ③: Redemption of Light (When casting buff-type skills, increases buff effect by an additional 20%) ]

[ Special Effect ④: Dawn Light (When casting magic, there is a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of the current spell. This effect has a 3-minute cooldown.) ]

(Equipment Introduction: A staff containing a strong aura of light, it was a weapon personally gifted to Alfonso by the Bishop of Light.)

…

"Such powerful attributes!"

Cao Xing exclaimed in wonder.

Every special effect on this Dawn Light Staff, except for the second one, could provide him with tremendous help!

Especially the third special effect, Redemption of Light.

Combined with the Blessing of the Sea from the [Kingdom Holy Ring], that's an additional 70% increase in healing effects.

With Cao Xing's current Spirit, added to these two pieces of Gold-tier equipment, his Ice Healing Art's healing per second could reach 363!

And this buff is even more comprehensive; it can even significantly enhance the armor of Ice Armor.

However, it's a pity that the second special effect doesn't suit him very well.

He is a Frost Mage, not a Light-type Mage.

Cao Xing checked his level.

[ Level 19 57% ]

"Not bad, not bad, just one last level to go."

"If I go back and farm a wave of the Ice Nest tonight, I should be able to reach level 20."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing put it into his backpack.

Then he looked at the other Gold-tier mask.

[ Church of Light: High Priest Mask (Gold) ]

[ Attribute: Special Equipment ]

[ Equipment Attribute: All attributes + 15. ]

(Note: A High Priest is already a high-ranking member of the Church of Light. Every High Priest is a key subject of attention. If discovered, you will be hunted by the Kingdom Knights. Please wear with caution.)

…

Although this thing is very strong, it will attract pursuit, so it can only be used when casting skills.

Then, Cao Xing continued to look at the attributes of the other two Gold-tier items.

[ Holy Light Priest Recruitment Scroll (Gold) ]

(After use, you can recruit a powerful Holy Light Priest, with the strength of a Tier 3 Boss.)

…

[ High Priest's Boss-tier Soul (Gold) ]

(Can allow a Tier 4 or below Chieftain-tier creature to advance into a Boss-tier creature. Success probability is 45% ~ 65%.)

…

"It's actually a Tier 3 Boss-tier recruitment scroll. Judging by the name, it seems to be Holy Light-type too?"

"And a Boss-tier Soul!"

"If this Boss-tier Soul successfully breaks through, it's equivalent to me suddenly having two more Boss-tier creatures!"

Thinking of this, Cao Xing was startled, and then couldn't hide his wild joy!

So fierce!

Didn't expect that killing that white-robed High Priest would yield so many things.

This made Cao Xing want to kill a few more High Priests of the Church of Light!

They are practically treasure delivery boys.

Cao Xing didn't rush to use them, but continued to check the other things.

Then, there were the three Purple-tier weapons.

[ Ruwa Skull-Crusher Axe (Purple) ]

[ Quality: Rare ]

[ Wearing Requirement: Level 20 or above ]

[ Attack Power: 312 ~ 327 ]

[ Special Effect ①: Strength + 30, Agility – 15, Accuracy – 15% ]

[ Special Effect ②: Primary Strength Boost (At the moment of attacking, there is a 20% chance to increase Strength by 50 points.) ]

[ Special Effect ③: Skull-Crusher (When an attack hits the enemy's head, increase critical hit rate by an additional 50%) ]

(Equipment Introduction: Under this axe, many poor souls' heads have already been smashed — Executioner: Maurice Willie)

…

[ Guardian's Sword (Purple) ]

[ Quality: Rare ]

[ Wearing Requirement: Level 20 or above ]

[ Attack Power: 287 ~ 293 ]

[ Special Effect ①: Spirit + 15, Constitution + 20, Accuracy – 10% ]

[ Special Effect ②: Guardian (While in shield stance, increase armor by an additional 50 points) ]

[ Special Effect ③: Offensive-Defensive Switch (At the moment of attacking, there is a 50% chance to convert 50 points of Spirit into Strength) ]

(Equipment Introduction: A powerful knight must possess absolute defense while also having powerful offensive capabilities — Nameless Knight)

…

[ Gladiator's Spear (Purple) ]

[ Quality: Rare ]

[ Wearing Requirement: Level 20 or above ]

[ Attack Power: 271 ~ 285 ]

[ Special Effect ①: Agility + 10, Strength + 10, Attack Speed + 10% ]

[ Special Effect ②: Spear Mastery (When fighting while holding this spear, increase attack speed by an additional 30%) ]

[ Special Effect ③: Telescopic (The spear has a telescopic function, and can be freely switched between 4 meters ~ 1 meter) ]

(Equipment Introduction: You say my spear being able to extend and retract is cheating? No, no, no, this is new technology from the Dwarf Clan — Gladiator: Eckert Bergman)

…

The attributes of the three Purple-tier pieces of equipment were all good, and Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction.

Especially that spear; the free telescopic function is quite unique.

However, it's a pity that Cao Xing doesn't have any spear-wielding troops under his command.

As for the other Blue-tier and Green-tier equipment, Cao Xing couldn't be bothered to look at them.

Then, there were the other 6 souls.

The effects were all about the same.

He checked the success rates.

Chieftain-tier is 50% ~ 70%

Elite-tier is 55% ~ 75%

Besides these, there was 1 Advanced Heart of Strength, 2 Intermediate Hearts of Strength, and 4 Primary Hearts of Strength!

If all these things were digested, Cao Xing's strength would once again skyrocket significantly.

Come to think of it, this was the first time Cao Xing had dropped an Advanced Heart of Strength.

He checked the attributes.

[ Advanced Heart of Strength: Can only be dropped by some powerful Tier 4 or above creatures. ]

[ Item Effect: Can allow a Survivor or territory member who has reached Level 30 to advance into a Tier 4 creature. After advancement, all attributes increase by 100%. ]

[ Advancement Success Rate: 65% ~ 75% ]

…

Cao Xing secretly thought: "So even the Advanced Heart of Strength has a chance of failure?"

"But it doesn't really have much impact, after all, the probability of success is higher."

He put the Heart of Strength into his backpack.

"Now, it's time to distribute this loot."

Cao Xing first gave the [Guardian's Sword] and [Ruwa Skull-Crusher Axe] to Liu Muxue and Putana respectively.

Then he gave a Chieftain-tier Soul to Putana.

For the other two Wild Boar Warriors who hadn't advanced, Cao Xing also gave them each an Elite-tier Soul.

Then there were two Intermediate Hearts of Strength, which Cao Xing gave to Blot and Renice.

The last Boss-tier Soul was also one of the biggest gains this time.

Cao Xing pondered for a moment and gave it to Andrew.

Now Andrew is already the second-highest damage dealer in their team.

Cao Xing was looking forward to his transformation after becoming a Boss.

At this point, the loot from this time had mostly been distributed.

Cao Xing still had one Chieftain-tier Soul, two Elite-tier Souls, and one Holy Light Priest Recruitment Scroll left.

At this moment, everyone was looking at Cao Xing with excited expressions!

The other two Wild Boar Warriors said excitedly: "Rasbi! It's hard to imagine, Lord actually gave us a second chance to become stronger!"

"That's right Rabino, this is just like a dream!"

And Putana, standing nearby, holding the [Ruwa Skull-Crusher Axe] and [Chieftain-tier Soul] in her hands, was even a bit uneasy.

She naturally knew the value of these two things.

Putana had been a mercenary in the Gale Snowfield for so many years; her entire net worth could barely buy one Purple-tier weapon.

And now, Cao Xing had directly given them to her.

Not to mention, there was also a more valuable Chieftain-tier Soul.

With her brash personality, for a moment, she didn't know what to say…