“Crystal Dragon, Cannot Die” (5600)

Chapter 441: "Crystal Dragon, cannot die…" (5600)

The atmosphere between the two sides was tense.

However, after observing for a while, these Divine Servant Legions retreated.

Seeing this, Cao Xing let out a soft sigh.

"Are they truly intelligent creatures?"

"Otherwise, I would have found a way to stall this legion here."

"Once the midnight clearing magic hit, I could have wiped them all out."

Clearly, these Divine Servant Legions knew this as well, so they gave up on pursuing him.

Cao Xing's plan naturally fell through.

After the Divine Servant Legions departed, Cao Xing stood in place, waiting silently.

Time slowly ticked by, and soon it reached 00:00.

A system notification appeared.

[The eleventh day of the Battle of the Oracle has ended. Rewards are being calculated based on the remaining number of crystals.]

[Number of Crystal Dragon destroyed today: 5413. Remaining Crystal Dragon count: 47235 * 11 days = 525943]

[Main crystal has existed for 11 days. gold points obtained: 11]

…

Cao Xing's heart sank slightly. "As expected, without my interference, these guys are destroying more crystals every day."

Because of the addition of these four million Divine Servant guards, the speed at which the Crystal Dragon were being destroyed increased significantly.

Just today, these four legions alone destroyed six or seven hundred crystals.

Coupled with the fact that Cao Xing was being chased the entire way and had almost no opportunity to farm points, not many Survivors had died.

"This is troublesome. With only over forty thousand crystals left, let alone the thirtieth day, I doubt we can even hold out until the twentieth day."

A look of worry appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

However, a moment later, he smiled with relief.

"Forget it, whatever. Anyway, I've already earned enough in these eleven days."

"In the remaining time, if I strive to earn a few more million gold points, I should be able to redeem the remaining four dragon hearts."

As for the other Ancient Dragon scales and Ancient Dragon blood, forget about it.

The two combined total a full twenty million gold points.

Even if I fought for the full 30 days, I might not be able to gather that many points.

Meanwhile.

The soldiers on the field were all in low spirits.

They were all dejected, with expressions of frustration in their eyes.

There was no helping it; in today's battles, they were basically crushed by the Divine Servant Legions.

In several close-quarters battles, even the usually invincible Ascalon Warriors had their formations scattered.

And after being focused fired upon, dozens of their companions were instantly killed.

Although the enemy was more numerous and stronger than them.

These soldiers still wore expressions of defeat.

Seeing this, Cao Xing chuckled. "Why the long faces?"

The soldiers hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

A moment later, Assam said dejectedly.

"Lord, we are too weak…"

"We couldn't even protect your safety…"

"We thought our strength was already great enough, but now we realize we are so small…"

Not just Assam, but also Sarah, Renice, and even Braum and others nearby, were all somewhat demoralized.

Before this, they had always followed Cao Xing and were almost invincible.

Even if the enemies were stronger or more numerous, they were still the ones doing the pressing!

But today was different.

The combat awareness and unity of today's Divine Servant Legions were not inferior to the Ascalon Warriors legion.

Even the Dragon Speaker had not expected to encounter such powerful enemies this time.

Although she had truly achieved the status of being invincible below Legendary rank.

But that was for one-on-one situations.

Facing that million-strong Divine Servant Legion with incredibly tight coordination and powerful combat strength.

Even someone as formidable as her could not stand alone against a million-strong army!

Cao Xing smiled and shook his head. "You don't need to be dejected."

"We are still in the growth stage and have not truly reached the realm of invincibility."

"Therefore, in this process, we will always encounter existences stronger than us."

"And what we need to do is to constantly improve ourselves, first catch up, and then surpass them!"

"A single failure is nothing. Only by gathering courage after repeated defeats and picking ourselves up can we become an army that never yields!"

"I believe that in the near future, no one will be able to defeat you!"

Listening to Cao Xing's encouraging words, raging flames ignited in the eyes of all the soldiers!

The soldiers straightened their bodies simultaneously, clenched their right fists, and struck their chests heavily!

Then everyone responded loudly!

"We swear to the gods/ancestors! We will work harder to become stronger!"

"From now on, we will never let the Lord's safety be threatened!"

"We will defend the Lord's honor with our lives!"

The voices of thousands were deafening.

Everyone could hear the determination in their tone!

Cao Xing nodded. "Very good. Now, go build the camp."

"Then recover your stamina to face tomorrow's battle."

"Understood! My Lord!"

All the soldiers moved into action.

Determined light sparkled in their eyes!

At the same time, they secretly swore in their hearts!

One day, they would rely on their own strength to fight against this million-strong Divine Servant Legion!

Soon, tents were set up on the crystal ground, and the soldiers filed inside.

All the mages seized the time to enter a meditative state, beginning to absorb the [Magic Crystals] Cao Xing had bestowed upon them.

Sarah held the [Assassination Manual] in her hands, practicing the assassination techniques inside over and over again.

The Wind Mage Alan was also flipping through that [Archmage Manual of Gennadi], hoping to learn the advanced magic within as soon as possible.

This failure did not make them slump.

Instead, it made everyone crave strength even more!

Meanwhile, a system notification appeared.

[Because of your speech, the soldiers' morale has been rekindled. You have activated a new Life-type skill: Primary Command Art]

…

Cao Xing was stunned.

"Huh? It's actually a Life-type skill?"

You have to know, from entering this world until now, Cao Xing had never seen any Survivor with a Life-type skill.

Including related skill books, he had never encountered any.

This time, he had actually activated one.

"Interesting… It seems that we Survivors are gradually becoming similar to these indigenous people without realizing it."

"And following the current rhythm, everyone will gradually integrate into this world."

"We will become more and more accustomed to the lifestyle and values here."

This seems to be something the Lord System has been silently pushing.

Letting people from two worlds merge with each other.

Little by little, erasing the differences between the two sides, then interacting and adapting.

Until one day, both sides are completely assimilated.

As for what will happen then, Cao Xing has no way of knowing.

He shook his head and sighed. "Forget it, these are not things I need to consider right now."

"Let's check the attributes of this skill first."

[Primary Command Art: 0/100 (Proficiency can be increased during each combat command)]

[Skill Introduction: Through constant campaigning and leading, you have gradually mastered the way of command. Your subjects have therefore become more loyal and determined]

[Skill Effect: All allied units' attack power increased by 1%, morale increased by 1%]

…

"Eh? This skill is very strong!"

A look of pleasant surprise immediately appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

Don't look down on just a one percent attack increase; this is a noble percentage, and it can be applied to everyone.

And the most critical point is that this skill can also be upgraded!

It increases by 1% at the Primary level now; if it reaches Intermediate, Advanced, or even Expert later, it will definitely increase attack power even more!

Cao Xing glanced at the 3 [Expert-grade Emblems] in his backpack.

"Can this thing be used to increase my proficiency and then upgrade directly?"

Cao Xing decided to try.

At this moment, a system notification appeared.

[Usage failed…]

((Note: [Expert-grade Emblems] can only be used for Life-type skills that are Advanced level or higher. Before that, please build a solid foundation!))

…

Seeing this notification, Cao Xing was stunned for a moment.

Then he immediately realized.

"So that's how it is… It can only be used at Advanced level or higher?"

He remembered that the effect on this emblem seemed to be introduced in the same way.

He was immediately relieved.

"It seems that wanting to ascend to the sky in one step won't work. Before that, I can only slowly increase proficiency."

But regardless, this [Primary Command Art] is still very good.

With a satisfied look, Cao Xing also crawled into his tent.

Then, holding Muxue, they entered dreamland together.

However, something strange happened tonight.

Around three or four in the morning, all the soldiers had almost fallen into a deep sleep.

And in his sleep, Cao Xing heard a strange sound coming to his ears.

"Woo… woo…"

This sound sounded like it came from the sky above, and also like it was echoing directly in his mind.

Like the mournful cry of some creature, or like a suppressed low moan in the endless darkness…

Cao Xing opened his eyes instantly and sat up from the bed.

Muxue was also awakened by his reaction, with a look of confusion in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Ah Xing?"

Cao Xing looked at her and asked, "Muxue, did you hear any sound?"

Muxue thought for a moment, then shook her head gently. "No…"

"Did you hear something? Ah Xing?"

Cao Xing shook his head and didn't speak.

Then he pressed the communication device on his ear and asked Tong Chuchu, Herlie, and Elisa and others.

The result was that their reactions were all the same.

They didn't hear any sound.

This made Cao Xing feel even more puzzled.

"Strange… am I the only one who can hear this voice?"

"This shouldn't be an illusion… I really did hear this sound."

For an existence of his level, he generally wouldn't doubt his own judgment.

If he heard it, he heard it.

However, that voice only appeared once.

After Cao Xing waited patiently for a moment, he still didn't hear the voice appear again.

Filled with doubt and unable to come up with any answers, he could only fall back asleep.

The night passed quickly.

The next day…

When the system notification for the twelfth day of the Battle of the Oracle rang out.

All the warriors had already packed up their tents, and Cao Xing collected them all into his backpack.

They stood together in an orderly fashion, looking at their lord with firm gazes.

Cao Xing said, "Then, just like yesterday, we will focus on delaying."

"Everyone, only attack people from the four major factions. If you see the Divine Servant Legion, abandon all actions and quickly return to the Crystal Center."

"Then I will take you and run."

Everyone nodded solemnly.

Although it sounded a bit stifling, this was already the best method.

Soon, they moved into action.

Just as Cao Xing had instructed.

Throughout the day, Cao Xing continued to lead the warriors, constantly dodging the pursuit of the Divine Servant Legion.

Then, he looked for opportunities to deal with the smaller armies of Survivors.

But clearly, at this pace, the efficiency of gaining points was very slow.

After a whole day, they only gained a little over a hundred thousand points.

It wasn't even as much as the points gained in the previous ten days.

Moreover, when it came to the evening settlement, nearly five thousand crystals had been destroyed.

The chat channels of the four major factions were filled with a large amount of mockery.

But clearly, these voices were irrelevant to Cao Xing.

He glanced at the combat information for the day.

[Due to your excellent command, you won a small-scale victory. Proficiency in Basic Command has increased by 3 points…]

[Due to your excellent command, you won a medium-scale battle. Proficiency in Basic Command has increased by 12 points…]

[Due to your…]

…

He looked at the proficiency of the skill.

[Basic Command: 97/200]

"Not bad, I gained nearly a hundred proficiency points in one day of fighting. It seems I can reach the intermediate level in two days."

"This is actually quite simple."

Cao Xing thought happily.

Then he crawled back into his tent to rest.

However… not long after Cao Xing fell asleep, he heard that strange voice again.

And this time, the voice was even more intense than yesterday.

It seemed to be in great pain and distress…

"Ugh… ughhh…"

A dull, low moaning sound echoed continuously in his mind.

Cao Xing woke up from his dream again, his face full of confusion.

"Strange… what exactly does this voice mean?"

After thinking for a long time without coming to any conclusion, he could only give up for the moment.

Then came the thirteenth and fourteenth days.

Cao Xing still maintained the current pace.

During the day, he farmed points from the Survivors of the four major factions, and ran whenever he saw the Divine Servant Legion.

At night, he would tally the accumulated points.

Over the four days, including the daily settlement rewards, he had gained another 3.1 million points…

It was already enough to exchange for a dragon heart.

However, Cao Xing was in no mood to exchange for rewards.

Because the closer it got to night, the heavier the wailing became.

It was as if the pain it was enduring had accumulated to its limit!

It even made Cao Xing feel a deep sense of oppression and unease, keeping him awake all night long!

That night, Cao Xing still tried to fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, he suddenly woke up!

Because Cao Xing heard a voice completely different from before,

"Torment has blinded me; it has deceived me, it has polluted my senses…"

"It makes me believe: only by destroying everything can I quell my pain…"

This voice resounded from the depths of his mind, like some neutral voice, revealing vicissitudes, pain, and suppression…

"What the f*ck!"

Cao Xing exclaimed, and then his eyes widened sharply!

At this moment, he was absolutely certain that he had heard some creature speaking in his mind!

However, Liu Muxue looked at him with a worried expression.

Because for the past few nights, Cao Xing had often had this reaction.

"A-Xing…"

The beauty beside his pillow revealed worry in her tone.

Cao Xing also knew that his reaction had scared her.

So he chuckled, "It's okay, Muxue, I'll go out and see what's going on."

"Mm…" Liu Muxue replied softly.

Cao Xing put on his gear and quickly walked out of the tent.

He searched all over the vast crystal land, but couldn't find the source of the voice.

This made him feel even more confused.

"Damn it, can you see ghosts in this Battle of the Oracle?"

After searching without results, Cao Xing rubbed his head and returned to the tent helplessly.

Late on the fifteenth night…

Cao Xing tried to fall into a deep sleep again.

Not long after he fell asleep, that voice sounded again.

"Eaten, eaten by him"

"A brand. In the heart, hard to repair…"

"Pain… so much pain…"

This time, Cao Xing opened his eyes calmly.

He didn't feel stunned like the previous nights, but asked calmly.

"Who are you?"

He tried to communicate with this voice.

After waiting for a moment.

That neutral, low voice sounded again.

"There's no time left. Krakatoa cannot die. Stop it…"

Cao Xing narrowed his eyes.

Although his expression remained calm, his heart was surging with huge waves!

This was his first time talking to this eerie voice.

The other party's few words revealed terrifying information!

'Krakatoa cannot die…'

Does this mean that Ancient Dragon is going to die?

Aren't true god-level creatures supposed to be immortal!?

With a confused look, Cao Xing continued to ask, "Who do I need to stop?"

After several more minutes, a fragmented voice came through.

"Cannot… let Krakatoa die like this…"

"The power of the Ancient Dragon dissipating… will destroy the balance of this world. In the future, ***… there will be no power capable of restraining Them…"

Hearing the last sentence, Cao Xing was struck by lightning again!

He seemed to have vaguely heard something incredible!

Balance…

Balance what?

This was already obvious!

Before this, Cao Xing had already had some guesses in his heart.

There are Six True Gods in the world, and there are also six Ancient Dragons…

Why would there be exactly corresponding numbers?

And now, he seemed to understand.

"Balance…"

Cao Xing didn't know what it was balancing.

Was it the order of this world, or the rules, or some kind of power?

Then, are the Six True Gods the ones trying to completely kill Krakatoa now?

Thinking of this possibility, Cao Xing felt chills rising up his back…

After all, that was a battle between true gods…

He seemed to have inadvertently been dragged into a terrible storm!

Of course, this was all just Cao Xing's speculation; as for the real reason behind it, it was unknown.

Taking a deep breath, Cao Xing tried hard to calm his emotions.

Then, forcing himself to be calm, he asked, "What should I do?"

This time, the voice didn't delay long and soon appeared in his mind.

"Protect… more dragon crystals… hold out until the day Krakatoa fully awakens…"

"Must… not let the main crystal be destroyed…"

Cao Xing frowned slightly.

"How long until Krakatoa fully awakens?"

"Fifteen… days…"

Hearing this time node, Cao Xing confirmed his guess again.

Because fifteen days later was exactly the day the Battle of the Oracle ended.

That is to say, if the four major factions won in the end and destroyed all the crystals.

Then Krakatoa would face death…

At the same time, he also understood again why a fifth faction would suddenly appear.

It was to prevent the Survivors from destroying the crystals!

Although he understood this point, Cao Xing felt somewhat powerless.

He sighed in his heart, "You saw it, I can't do it."

"The number of enemies is too large, and they have the powerful Divine Servant Legion."

"In about five more days, all the dragon crystals will be destroyed."

"By then, even if I try my best, I won't be able to stop them from destroying the main crystal."

This weak voice replied intermittently.

"I know… your power is insufficient…"

"So… I will bestow upon you, a special authority…"

"You will be able to control all the Branded Monster on the crystal land; they will help you defeat your enemies…"

"At the same time… you will possess partial control over the crystal land…"

At the same time.

A dark purple beam of light fell from the sky above, shining directly onto Cao Xing.

Across the entire crystal land, all the Branded Monster seemed to have sensed something.

They simultaneously turned their gazes toward the area where Cao Xing was.

And that purple beam of light that pierced through heaven and earth!

A system notification appeared.

[Due to unknown reasons, you have obtained the Crystal Authority. You have gained control over this plane.]

[Crystal Authority: On the crystal land, all Branded Monster will follow your command, and you can use the power of the dragon crystals for teleportation without limit. At the same time, you will be able to control a portion of the power of the crystal land, including but not limited to changing terrain, etc…]