Chapter 273: The Challenge Begins, Overwhelming Strength! (6000)

Because the sources of the Large Ice Dragon Horn are quite rare, to this day, no one in the chat channel knows the specific effects of this item.

But even with your eyes closed, you would know that the coverage area of a Large Ice Dragon Horn must be terrifying!

The Survivors were all shocked by Cao Xing's big move this time.

The chat channel was filled with sounds of exclamation.

A Survivor from Wangjiang Pavilion came out again, speaking sarcastically: "Don't get too complacent too early; a Large Ice Dragon Horn is not that easy to use."

"The difficulty is at least seven or eight times that of the medium one. That's thousands of Ice Nests!"

"That's right. If the challenge fails and the territory is overrun by Ice Nest Monsters, it'll be a laughingstock."

Hearing this, the Survivors of District 174 fought back mercilessly.

"Idiots, you said the same thing last time. Would Great Lord Cao Xing fight a battle he wasn't sure of winning?"

"Exactly, exactly! I just saw people from Wangjiang Pavilion bragging that Jiang Qingyun was going to snatch first place. Come on, tell me how he's going to snatch it?"

"Haha, that's how people from Wangjiang Pavilion are. None of them have much ability, but they sure have big mouths."

"…"

There were far more people in District 174 than in Wangjiang Pavilion. When it came to verbal sparring, those guys had absolutely no room to fight back, and their messages were quickly drowned out.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyun, who was commanding the battle outside his territory walls, saw his expression gradually darken.

"To actually dare to use a Large Ice Dragon Horn… Cao Xing, just what level has your strength reached?"

"Even among the native factions of the entire Gale Snowfield, there are very few who can cope with a war of this scale."

"Could it be that you already possess strength even more formidable than those native factions?"

At this moment, Jiang Qingyun seemed to suddenly remember something.

"After those mysterious beings joined my territory, they asked me to help look for some hidden powerhouse in the Gale Snowfield."

"It is said that the person killed an important member of their organization, is extremely strong, and has ruined their plans several times!"

"At first, I wouldn't have associated it with a Survivor at all, but now, I can't help but be suspicious!"

"Cao Xing, could the person they are looking for be you?"

Jiang Qingyun's pupils flickered constantly.

A moment later, he decided to find those men in black and tell them his conjecture.

Even if he guessed wrong, framing him was still an option.

Jiang Qingyun knew just how terrifying that faction was!

The few men in black who came casually all had at least Tier 5 strength. With his Level 25, he couldn't even see their attribute panels.

Dealing with a Cao Xing would be easy!

Jiang Qingyun was incredibly excited and hurriedly reported the matter.

However, after hearing this, those men in black looked at him with the expression one might use for an idiot.

One of the men in black said with an unfriendly tone: "Jiang Qingyun, I told you to find the powerhouse targeting our Church of Light, not to find some random scapegoat to fool us!"

"The Church is willing to give you strength and help because we think your territory has a large population and can better help us gather information."

"Don't think we can't tell that you want to use our power to deal with this person, right?"

Hearing this, Jiang Qingyun's expression changed wildly, and he hurriedly said: "My lords! I would never dare!"

"It's just that this person is really strong! He even dares to take on tens of thousands of monsters at the same time now!"

"That's why I came to report this to you, my lords!"

The man in black shook his head: "You don't understand. You have no idea what level of expert our Bishop is. If he were to make a move, no matter how many of these so-called Tier 1 or Tier 2 Ice Nest Monsters came, they would all be dead."

The man in black next to him said: "Forget it, what's the use of telling them this?"

"They are all just a bunch of Tier 1 and Tier 2 ants. How could they possibly understand the power possessed by Lord Bishop?"

Jiang Qingyun was suddenly shocked.

He truly didn't know just how strong the so-called Red-Robed Bishop was.

However, from the little information revealed by the other party, one could catch a glimpse of it.

Even Jiang Qingyun himself didn't believe that Cao Xing could have this level of strength.

He nodded and said: "I understand, my lords…"

"I will continue to send people out to search for this hidden powerhouse with all our might."

The man in black nodded: "You're sensible enough. Go."

Jiang Qingyun retreated respectfully.

After he left, the few men in black exchanged glances.

One of them suddenly said: "Everyone, what do you think about what this little guy said?"

"What is there to think? Do you really believe what this little guy said, that an Otherworld Lord killed our Lord Bishop?"

"That's right. Even if this matter were reported to the Seed of Light, he wouldn't believe it either."

At this moment, another man in black spoke up.

"Don't worry about this anymore. The operation at Lake Doron City is about to begin tonight. We cannot have any more accidents at this time."

"Leave one person here, and everyone else head to Lake Doron City immediately."

The few men in black all respectfully replied: "Understood!"

At this moment, in Cao Xing's territory.

After he finished using the [Ice Dragon Horn (Large)], hundreds of meteors streaked across the sky!

"Good heavens, so many right off the bat?"

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing was secretly shocked.

The Ice Nests that appeared in this first wave were almost comparable to the amount from a Small Ice Dragon Horn over three hours!

And this was just the beginning. From here on out, a wave of the same scale would appear every five minutes!

One could imagine what a terrifying number of Ice Nests would descend over the course of six hours.

"Boom! Boom!"

Violent crashing sounds appeared one after another!

Cao Xing counted them; a total of 103 Ice Nests had descended, which was a bit less than he had expected.

And he quickly understood the reason.

"It must be because Yao Yiming used the Ice Dragon Horn at the same time as me, and our territories are quite close, so it caused a conflict."

"In other words, he drew away a portion of the Ice Nests, relieving some pressure for me."

"That's actually not bad."

Cao Xing smiled. Although this meant he would get slightly fewer points.

But with the vast coverage area of the Large Ice Dragon Horn, this small impact on points didn't matter much.

At this moment, those hundred-plus Ice Nests had already hatched a large number of monsters!

"Roar! Roar!"

Thousands of Ice Nest Monsters suddenly appeared in the snow.

They let out angry roars and charged toward Cao Xing's territory!

And the direction these Ice Nest Monsters were charging was exactly where the group of Dragon Blood Warriors was located.

At this moment, the tall Rune led the other 34 Dragon Blood Warriors, standing like spears!

As the leader of the Dragon Blood Warriors, Rune himself was a Sergeant Major of the Norn Clan and had rich battlefield experience.

Especially when it came to dealing with these Ice Nest Monsters, it was their specialty.

At this moment, seeing the Ice Nest Monsters rushing over, he shouted: "Raise spears!"

Clang! Clang, clang!

All the Dragon Blood Warriors gripped their weapons and assumed a combat stance!

Even though the Ice Nest Monsters had already charged to within 20 meters of them, these Dragon Blood Warriors remained unmoved!

"Roar! Roar!"

The momentum of the thousands of Ice Nest Monsters was astonishing, looking like a torrent in the snow!

15 meters… 10 meters… 5 meters…

When the distance between the two sides was less than 3 meters, Rune roared: "Thrust!"

Instantly, all the Dragon Blood Warriors thrust their spears in unison!

"Pfft! Pfft, pfft!"

[-3732] [-3321] [-2103] [-2303] …

Dense numbers of damage appeared. The thirty-plus Ice Nest Monsters charging at the very front were killed instantly on the spot!

"Snap! Snap!"

Ice crystals shattered and scattered all over the ground.

However, even more Ice Nest Monsters were charging from behind.

Rune's expression didn't change, and he continued to order: "Dragon Blood Warriors, advance!"

Instantly, thirty-five Dragon Blood Warriors used [Dragon Spear Assault] simultaneously.

It was as if thirty-plus silver dragons appeared in the snow, violently charging into the swarm of Ice Nest Monsters!

"Bang! Bang, bang!"

A large number of monsters were stabbed and exploded on the spot by the spears!

However, their momentum seemed too fierce, and they became directly surrounded by the monster swarm.

Those Ice Nest Monsters waved their sharp claws and lunged at them fiercely!

Rune shouted: "Sweep!"

As the word fell, all the Dragon Blood Warriors raised their spears and swept horizontally!

"Swish! Swish, swish, swish!"

The Ice Nest Monsters that were lunging were directly swept away!

The surrounding area was instantly cleared. Rune continued: "Advance!"

Swish! Swish, swish! The thirty-five silver dragons advanced again, splitting up a large number of Ice Nest Monsters, and small battlefields appeared out of thin air on the battlefield.

This was exactly the result Rune wanted to create.

The Dragon Blood Warriors were best at winning against superior numbers, especially against legions that relied on formations, such as the Ascalon Warriors.

Meeting the Dragon Blood Warriors was simply meeting their nemesis.

Because they would easily break your formation apart.

"Pick them off one by one!"

Upon receiving the order, all the Dragon Blood Warriors raised their spears and began to continuously deal with the monsters before them.

"Bang! Bang, bang!"

One Ice Nest Monster after another was easily popped by them!

It took 47 seconds. The Dragon Blood Warriors had wiped out this swarm of over a thousand Ice Nest Monsters.

Although there were only 35 of them, they fought with the momentum of an army of thousands!

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing was overjoyed.

"Good heavens, this Rune's command talent is really quite good!"

On this kind of battlefield, a good commander is far more important than a powerful leader.

Under his command, they could deal with enemies several times, or even dozens of times, their own number.

Of course, the quality of the soldiers also had to keep up.

And this group of Dragon Blood Warriors achieved this very well.

In the wars against dragons, they had experienced this kind of scene many times.

Everyone's obedience to orders was engraved in their bones!

After the battle ended, Rune shouted again: "Return to formation!"

All the Dragon Blood Warriors formed a neat line, ready to welcome the second wave of combat at any time.

At the same time, those hundred-plus Ice Nests hatched a large number of monsters again.

But no matter how many appeared, they were easily dealt with!

Five minutes later. The second wave of Ice Nests descended in another direction of the territory.

And responsible for defending that position was a team composed of 50 Wild Boar Warriors.

They instantly drew their dual blades, excitement in their eyes!

"Oh! It's finally the Wild Boar Warriors' turn to shine!"

"Warriors of the Beast God, let the others see our heroic figures!"

"Charge!"

As the words fell, 50 Wild Boar Warriors raised their twin blades and charged out!

Compared to the neat and orderly Dragon Blood Warriors, their fighting style appeared chaotic and disorganized.

They only knew how to wield their twin blades and slash madly!

Of course, given the powerful status effects on their bodies, coupled with a perverted lifesteal ability, they basically didn't need any tactics.

For the Wild Boar Warriors, chaos was the best way to fight!

"Waaaaah! I slash! I slash! I'll slash you to death!"

"My Lord, have you witnessed the bravery of the Wild Boar Warriors?"

"Haha! These monsters are so weak; I killed them with a single slash!"

One by one, the Ice Nest Monsters were hacked to death by their chaotic slashes.

The fifty-plus Wild Boar Warriors, like fifty-plus bulldozers, overturned the swarm of Ice Nest Monsters!

Their speed was also not slow, taking 51 seconds to resolve this wave of combat!

The Wild Boar Warriors laughed heartily.

Then, they guarded in front of these few Ice Nests, and the moment the Ice Nest Monsters hatched, they immediately raised their blades and slashed.

It was equivalent to spawn-camping them.

Five minutes later.

The third wave of Ice Nests fell.

This time, they landed in front of the legion composed of fifty Ascalon Warriors.

Their expressions turned serious!

Ever since breaking through to Tier 3, these Ascalon Warriors seemed to have awakened something, emitting a blue aura from their bodies!

Especially when gathered together, these blue auras merged, making them look like a powerful entity.

The leading Ascalon Warrior drew the longsword at his waist.

"Everyone! We are the bravest soldiers, charge with me!"

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

Rumble!

The fifty Ascalon Warriors formed a single entity, like a blue torrent, charging into the swarm of monsters and slashing wantonly!

Even though the number of Ice Nest Monsters was dozens of times their own, they were still suppressed in momentum by this group of Ascalon Warriors.

Also taking 50 seconds to end the battle.

Seeing this scene, Cao Xing was very satisfied!

"Very good, now these soldiers can hold their own!"

"And in my territory, the strongest batch of existences has yet to make a move."

"Although the current Ice Dragon challenge is just the beginning, I still have quite a few trump cards that I haven't used!"

"I can win this!"

Thinking of this, Cao Xing's confidence greatly increased!

In the next hour! Every five minutes, hundreds of Ice Nests crashed down!

Soon, the Ice Nests gathered outside Cao Xing's territory had exceeded 1,200!

This was a truly terrifying number.

Now, the number of Ice Nest Monsters appearing in each wave had reached over ten thousand!

Dense swarms of monsters pounced from all directions.

At this moment, the Survivors in the chat channel were also constantly speculating about the condition of Cao Xing's territory.

Could he really withstand the challenge of this Large Ice Dragon Horn?

Lü Xulong: "Brothers, has Great Lord Cao Xing's points increased?"

Guan Zhiyin: "They have, but not much. Up until now, they've increased by about 80 points."

Le Bo: "They only increased by that much? That Yao Yiming who used the Medium Ice Dragon Horn has already gained over two hundred points by now. Great Lord Cao Xing is using a Large Ice Dragon Horn; logically speaking, after an hour, there should have been at least several hundred Ice Nests falling."

Shen Ziqing: "Do you think Great Lord Cao Xing might be doing the same thing as before, keeping the Ice Nests and waiting for the monsters to finish hatching before killing them?"

Hearing this conjecture, everyone in the chat channel was stunned for a moment.

Then, they said in an uncertain tone.

"This… that can't be right? If he's keeping the Ice Nests just like with the Medium Ice Dragon Horn, they're effectively dealing with tens of thousands of Ice Nest Monsters at the same time right now. That's just too terrifying…"

"That's right, it's a bit too absurd."

"Indeed, but besides this explanation, do you have any other explanation?"

Hearing this, the Survivors in the chat channel fell silent one after another.

Although they knew this was likely true.

But just thinking about the scene of facing tens of thousands of Ice Nest Monsters at the same time was simply too shocking!

Time had reached an hour and a half after the Ice Dragon Horn challenge began.

At this moment, Cao Xing stood on the territory wall, observing the battle situation below.

Over a thousand Ice Nests were hatching over ten thousand Ice Nest Monsters every minute!

What kind of concept was this?

Cao Xing's territory was about one kilometer in diameter.

If these ten thousand-plus Ice Nest Monsters pounced over, they could instantly surround his wall several times over.

Being surrounded by so many monsters, it felt like facing a zombie horde in an apocalyptic world; it felt as if the territory could be submerged at any moment!

However, the warriors below were becoming more excited the more they killed!

"Kill!"

"Defend the glory of our Lord to the death!"

Every minute, a large number of Ice Nest Monsters were smashed on the spot by those warriors!

Kill notifications began to flood the screen crazily.

[Your territory member: Asta killed Ice Nest Monster lv18, gained Experience: 36]

[Combat personnel gained Experience: 18]

[Your territory member: Theresa killed Ice Nest Monster lv19, gained Experience: 38]

[Combat personnel gained Experience: 19]

[Your…]

Although killing these Ice Nest Monsters would only grant a dozen or so experience points.

But the quantity was simply terrifying!

Even though they now needed hundreds of thousands of experience points to level up, under the pile of massive monsters, their levels were still skyrocketing like a rocket!

Hum!

The white light of leveling up flickered one after another on those territory members.

Including Cao Xing's level, which was also constantly increasing.

[Your level has increased, current level: 32]

[This level up gained attribute increases: Strength +10, Agility +12, Spirit +17, Constitution +13, HP +1000]

[Your level has increased, current level: 33]

[This level up gained attribute increases: Strength +12, Agility +11, Spirit +18, Constitution +14, HP +1000]

In an hour and a half, Cao Xing's level had skyrocketed to 34!

His attributes increased by a large margin once again!

And Liu Muxue had also leveled up to 33.

Cao Xing looked at Liu Muxue, who was standing by, ready to go down and provide support at any moment, and patted her shoulder, saying: "Don't be so nervous; the warriors can still hold their own for now."

"Besides, our crossbows, Elemental Arrow Towers, and Ancient War Trees haven't even made a move yet."

Hearing this, the nervousness in Liu Muxue's eyes gradually disappeared, and her expression relaxed.

Cao Xing continued to ask: "Muxue, did you get any extra notifications when you just leveled up?"

Liu Muxue glanced at the notifications, immediately nodded, and said with pleasant surprise: "Wow! Now when I level up, I actually get an extra 2500 HP!"

"I just leveled up 3 times in a row, and my HP increased by over ten thousand!"

Her beautiful eyes were filled with pleasant surprise.

And Cao Xing nodded in realization.

"As expected, the further you go, does every level up grant more HP?"

"In this way, depending on the class type, the HP gained per level is also different."

Cao Xing had already let Sarah, Assam, and others go down to participate in the battle.

Their levels were constantly increasing.

By constantly checking the panels of those territory members, Cao Xing discovered that they gained additional HP increases each time they leveled up.

Like Sarah, an assassin-type class, after level 30, each level up grants approximately 1500 HP, which is slightly more than Cao Xing.

And a traditional knight like Assam gains an extra 3000 HP per level.

A shield warrior like Braum is quite absurd; he actually gains an extra 5000 HP per level.

Of course, the most exaggerated is Dabai; behemoths like Volibear gain at least 8000 base HP per level.

Coupled with the 44% bonus from the Pale Tree, that means every time Dabai levels up, its HP increases by 11,000!

This is a terrifying number!

By the time it hits the level 40 cap, it will probably easily surpass 300,000 HP.

"So fierce!"

While shocked, Cao Xing was overjoyed.

"With this, I'm even more confident in dealing with these Ice Nest Monsters!"

Thinking of this, Cao Xing gradually felt at ease.

Nine o'clock at night.

This was the third hour after Cao Xing used the Large Ice Dragon Horn.

The number of Ice Nests outside the territory had already reached 4,827!

Those Ice Nests, standing like snow-white hearts in the snow, were visually striking.

However, among them, nearly two thousand Ice Nests had already reached their hatching limit.

So there were still nearly thirty thousand Ice Nest Monsters currently being hatched.

That's equivalent to hatching over thirty thousand monsters every minute!

Among them, naturally, a large number of elite-level and boss-level Ice Nest Monsters appeared.

However, as soon as these monsters appeared, they would be targeted immediately by Sarah, Hilda, and others!

"Roar!!!"

A boss-level Ice Nest Evil Beast suddenly appeared.

Its figure was so tall, and it was particularly conspicuous among the massive swarm of Ice Nest Monsters.

The Ice Nest Evil Beast had a status skill called [Voice of the Evil Beast], which could significantly increase the attack speed and movement speed of nearby Ice Nest Monsters.

Just as it was about to let out a terrifying roar.

A graceful figure suddenly leaped into mid-air.

The twin blades in her hands radiated moonlight!

Then, with a flash of afterimages, she arrived directly beside this Ice Nest Evil Beast.

"Pfft! Psh!"

Like an elegant assassin.

The two short blades slashed across the body of the Ice Nest Evil Beast without any obstruction.

Two large damage numbers soared up!

[- 7243!]

[- 9325!]

Coup de Grace!

[Your territory member: Sarah Blade Dance killed Ice Nest Evil Beast lv20, Tier 2 Boss-level creature, gained Experience: 160]

[Combat personnel gained Experience: 80]

The set of movements was smooth and flowing.

The level 20 boss monster, with a total HP of just over ten thousand, was taken out by Sarah in two slashes!

As a commander-level assassin who had already reached level 37.

These bosses and elites were basically no different from ordinary monsters in front of her.

Cao Xing naturally saw this scene as well, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise!